Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determination of fucoxanthin isomers in microalgae (Isochrysis sp.) by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detector multistage mass spectrometry coupled with positive electrospray ionization.

RATIONALE Due to their health benefits, there is growing interest in the production and use of carotenoids from natural sources, e.g. microalgae. To date, only Haematococcus pluvialis and Dunaliella, that accumulate, respectively, astaxanthin and β-carotene in large quantities, are grown commercially. However, interest is also being focused on other xanthophylls, such as (all-E)-fucoxanthin characterized by anti-obesity and anti-carcinogenic effects. In this regard, rigorous chemical and analytical techniques following preparative isolation of components are needed to unequivocally identify individual carotenoids in microalgae. METHODS The carotenoid profile of Isochrysis sp. biomass, produced in closed photobioreactors, was determined by reversed-phase C30 (RP-30) high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detector mass spectrometry using positive electrospray ionization (HPLC/DAD-MS/ESI(+) ) analysis. Additionally, multistage mass spectrometry (MS(n) ) analyses, together with fine structures of the UV-vis spectra, were used to differentiate structural and geometrical isomers. RESULTS This technique allowed the simultaneous determination of geometrical, isomers of fucoxanthin (all-E-fucoxanthin, 13Z-, 13'Z- and 9'Z-fucoxanthin), diatoxanthin and 5,8-epoxydiadinoxanthin diasteroisomers (R/S). The analyzed extracts contained fucoxanthin isomers as the major carotenoids and, in particular, (all-E)-fucoxanthin was the main geometrical isomer (~85%) found at a concentration of 17 mg/g of the lyophilized biomass. CONCLUSIONS Considering the high content of fucoxanthin in Isochrysis sp. biomass, the microalga could be proposed as a source of this compound for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications.
Comparison of the shock absorption capacities of different mouthguards

BACKGROUND/AIMS In this in vitro study, the protective qualities of different mouthguard types were examined during small hard object collisions. The aim was to investigate inconclusive aspects of hard inserts, nylon nets, and air spaces as reinforcements in the anterior region and the protection qualities of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). MATERIALS AND METHODS Five different mouthguards with a labial thickness between 2 mm and 11 mm made of materials of varying stiffness were investigated. As a negative control, the same experiments were performed without a mouthguard. Different combinations of EVA and labial inserts ((polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified [PETG]), nylon mesh, air space) were tested. Using a stainless steel pendulum device, blows of different energy (0.07-2.85 joules) were applied to the center of the crown of a pivoted tooth in a custom-built jaw model. A laser Doppler vibrometer measured the tooth deflection, while an acceleration sensor attached to the pendulum measured the braking accelerations. RESULTS Tooth deflection was reduced up to 99.7% compared to no mouthguard, and the braking acceleration was reduced up to 72.2% by increasing the mouthguards' labial thickness in combination with labial inserts of different stiffness and a built-in air space between the front teeth and the mouthguard. The mouthguards made of soft materials (EVA with nylon mesh) showed slightly better protection qualities than the more rigid mouthguards of similar thickness (PETG; P<.05). However, with increasing impact energy, their protective capacities decreased to a greater extent than the stiffer mouthguards. CONCLUSIONS The combination of increased labial thickness and labial inserts of varying stiffness and eventually an air space offers the best protection capacities for hard, small object collisions.
Apoptosis and Reduced Cell Proliferation of HL-60 Cell Line Caused by Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Inhibition by siRNA

Background: The close correlation between telomerase activity and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression has made hTERT to be considered as a selective molecular target for human cancer therapy. In this study, the ability of short-interfering RNA (siRNA) to downregulate hTERT expression and its correlation with cell growth and apoptosis in the promyelocytic cell line HL-60 was evaluated. Materials and Methods: hTERT siRNA was designed and transfected to HL-60. hTERT mRNA expression, cell proliferation and apoptotic cells were measured. Results and Conclusion: The results indicated that hTERT siRNA resulted in 97.2 ± 0.6% downregulation of the hTERT mRNA content; inhibition of the cell proliferation rate was about 52.8 ± 2.3% and the apoptotic index of cells was 30.5 ± 1.5%. hTERT plays an essential role in cell proliferation and control of the viability of leukemic cells, thus promising the development of drugs for leukemia.
Rational curves on hypersurfaces [after A. Givental]

This article accompanies my June 1998 seminaire Bourbaki talk on Givental's work. After a quick review of descendent integrals in Gromov-Witten theory, I discuss Givental's formalism relating hypergeometric series to solutions of quantum differential equations arising from hypersurfaces in projective space. A particular case of this relationship is a proof of the Mirror prediction for the numbers of rational curves on the Calabi-Yau quintic 3-fold. The approach taken here is entirely algebro-geometric and relies upon a localization formula on the moduli space of stable genus 0 maps to projective space. A different proof of the quintic Mirror prediction may be found in the work of Lian, Liu, and Yau.
Robust UAV Relative Navigation With DGPS, INS, and Peer-to-Peer Radio Ranging

This paper considers the fusion of carrier-phase differential GPS (CP-DGPS), peer-to-peer ranging radios, and low-cost inertial navigation systems (INS) for the application of relative navigation of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in close formation-flight. A novel sensor fusion algorithm is presented that incorporates locally processed tightly coupled GPS/INS-based absolute navigation solutions from each UAV in a relative navigation filter that estimates the baseline separation using integer-fixed relative CP-DGPS and a set of peer-to-peer ranging radios. The robustness of the dynamic baseline estimation performance under conditions that are typically challenging for CP-DGPS alone, such as a high occurrence of phase breaks, poor satellite visibility/geometry due to extreme UAV attitude, and heightened multipath intensity, amongst others, is evaluated using Monte Carlo simulation trials. The simulation environment developed for this work combines a UAV formation flight control simulator with a GPS constellation simulator, stochastic models of the inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor errors, and measurement noise of the ranging radios. The sensor fusion is shown to offer improved robustness for 3-D relative positioning in terms of 3-D residual sum of squares (RSS) accuracy and increased percentage of correctly fixed phase ambiguities. Moreover, baseline estimation performance is significantly improved during periods in which differential carrier phase ambiguities are unsuccessfully fixed. Note to Practitioners-This paper was motivated by the need to enhance the robustness of CP-DGPS/INS relative navigation. In particular, small UAVs exhibit fast dynamics and are often subjected to large and quickly changing bank angles. This in turn induces missed satellite observations and changes in the phase ambiguity. This paper suggests leveraging the emergence of Ultra Wideband ranging radios to directly observe the baseline separation. In this paper, we outline the details of the algorithm implementation. We then use a simulation to show that adding UWB greatly helps to enhance the robustness of the carrier ambiguity integer-resolving algorithm, which is necessary for improved solution accuracy. This work has extensions to ground vehicles, ocean buoys, and space vehicles. In future work, we will experimentally validate results.
A B-Learning Model for Training within Electrical Tests Domain

An electrical test performing involves high risk therefore utility companies require high qualified electricians. Traditionally, training on electrical tests has been based on classroom courses; and recently it has been supported by virtual reality systems. These systems have improved training and reduced training time. However the training still depends on courses schedule and instructors, and training systems are not yet adaptive. We propose a model to support adaptive and distance training. The model consists mainly on a representation of the trainees' knowledge and affect. We also proposed an animated pedagogical agent to guide trainees and provide instruction. The agent has facial expressions conveying emotion and empathy to the trainee. This model is intended to be integrated to a virtual reality training system. In this paper, the trainee model and the initial actions of the agent are presented.
Impact of physical activity and sedentarism on hydration status and liquid intake in Spanish older adults. The PHYSMED study.

INTRODUCTION Data on hydration status in older adults are scarce and there are very few studies focusing on the impact of physical activity (PA) on drinking behavior. OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of physical activity and sedentarism on fluid intake in Spanish elderly. METHODS 433 non-institutionalized Spanish older adults (58% females), aged 55-88 years, volunteered for the PHYSMED study. PA data were obtained by means of the Minnesota and EXERNET questionnaires. Population was divided into four groups: ILS (inactive and low sedentary), IHS (inactive and high sedentary), ALS (active and low sedentary) and AHS (active and high sedentary). Serum from fasting blood samples was analysed for osmolarity. RESULTS The mean of total liquid intake was 1,751 ± 628 mL/d. Significant differences were observed for total liquid intake between ILS/ALS and IHS/ALS (p < 0.001). ALS subjects consumed a higher amount of beverages such as water, juice, milk, coffee, sport drink, beer, wine and distilled drinks than the other PA groups. There was a significant difference for water intake between PA groups (p < 0.01). Serum osmolarity values were within references ranges in all subjects, and there was a signifi cant difference between PA groups (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Spanish older adults meet the DACH recommendations set by the German, Austrian and Swiss nutrition societies' liquid intake recommendations in the mean independently of PA and sedentary level. All participants are within reference ranges of serum osmolarity. Subjects in the active and low sedentary group consumed higher amounts of water and other beverages than in the other PA groups.
Sexual selection on skeletal shape in Carnivora

Lifetime reproductive success of males is often dependent upon the ability to physically compete for mates. However, species variation in social structure leads to differences in the relative importance of intraspecific aggression. Here, we present a large comparative dataset on sexual dimorphism in skeletal shape in Carnivora to test the hypotheses that carnivorans exhibit sexual dimorphism in skeletal anatomy that is reflective of greater specialization for physical aggression in males relative to females and that this dimorphism is associated with the intensity of sexual selection. We tested these hypotheses using a set of functional indices predicted to improve aggressive performance. Our results indicate that skeletal shape dimorphism is widespread within our sample. Functional traits thought to enhance aggressive performance are more pronounced in males. Phylogenetic model selection suggests that the evolution of this dimorphism is driven by sexual selection, with the best‐fitting model indicating greater dimorphism in polygynous versus nonpolygynous species. Skeletal shape dimorphism is correlated with body size dimorphism, a common indicator of the intensity of male–male competition, but not with mean body size. These results represent the first evidence of sexual dimorphism in the primary locomotor system of a large sample of mammals.
TPM-SIM: A framework for performance evaluation of Trusted Platform Modules

This paper presents a simulation toolset for estimating the impact of Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs) on the performance of applications that use TPM services, especially in multi-core environments. The proposed toolset, consisting of an integrated CPU/TPM simulator and a set of micro-benchmarks that exercise the major TPM services, can be used to analyze and optimize the performance of TPM-based systems and the TPM itself. In this paper, we consider two such optimizations: (1) exploiting multiple TPMs; and (2) reordering requests within the software stack to minimize queueing delays. Our studies indicate that both techniques result in significant performance improvement, especially as the number of concurrent applications using the TPM increases.
Genotoxic stress inhibits Ewing sarcoma cell growth by modulating alternative pre-mRNA processing of the RNA helicase DHX9

Alternative splicing plays a key role in the DNA damage response and in cancer. Ewing Sarcomas (ES) are aggressive tumors caused by different chromosomal translocations that yield in-frame fusion proteins driving transformation. RNA profiling reveals genes differentially regulated by UV light irradiation in two ES cell lines exhibiting different sensitivity to genotoxic stress. In particular, irradiation induces a new isoform of the RNA helicase DHX9 in the more sensitive SK-N-MC cells, which is targeted to nonsense-mediated decay (NMD), causing its downregulation. DHX9 protein forms a complex with RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) and EWS-FLI1 to enhance transcription. Silencing of DHX9 in ES cells sensitizes them to UV treatment and impairs recruitment of EWS-FLI1 to target genes, whereas DHX9 overexpression protects ES cells from genotoxic stress. Mechanistically, we found that UV light irradiation leads to enhanced phosphorylation and decreased processivity of RNAPII in SK-N-MC cells, which in turn causes inclusion of DHX9 exon 6A. A similar effect on DHX9 splicing was also elicited by treatment with the chemotherapeutic drug etoposide, indicating a more general mechanism of regulation in response to DNA damage. Our data identify a new NMD-linked splicing event in DHX9 with impact on EWS-FLI1 oncogenic activity and ES cell viability.
Clustering Ensemble Based on Hierarchical Partition

Many clustering ensemble algorithms need to predesign initial thresholds before partition data points, which is supervised learning and directly influence the efficiency of clustering. In order to cluster data points under fully unsupervised situation, the hierarchical partition is introduced in this paper. The proposed algorithm makes use of the distribution of results of all clustering memberships by constructing the m subset of Descartes with the support degree. The theorems and definitions advanced in this paper are detailed proved. Finally, the proposed algorithm is applied in practice and results show that it is effective. Keywordsclustering; hierarchical clustering; support degree; clustering ensemble
Pesticide Exposure and Cholinesterase Levels in Migrant Farm Workers in Thailand

ABSTRACT Objectives: In this study, we examined the effects of pesticides in migrant farm workers from Cambodia after workplace exposure on fruit plantations in eastern Thailand. Methods: We studied 891 migrant farm workers employed on pineapple, durian, and rambutan plantations in Thailand. Data were collected via a detailed questionnaire survey and measurements of serum cholinesterase level (SChE). Results: The majority of subjects was male (57.7%), with an average age of 30.3 years. Most subjects (76.8%) were moderately aware of good industrial hygiene practices. SChE level was divided into four groups based on the results. Only 4.4% had normal levels of cholinesterase activity, 20.5% had slightly reduced levels, 58.5% had markedly reduced levels and were “at risk,” and 16.6% who had highest levels of cholinesterase inhibition were deemed to be in an “unsafe” range. SChE was classified into two groups, SChE value of 87.5 was “normal” and <87.5 units/mL “abnormal. ” For the multiple logistic regression analysis of the abnormal SChE levels, the variables entered in the model included gender, period of insecticide use, the total area of plantation, frequency of spraying, period of daily insecticide spraying, and insecticide spraying method. The results indicated that the aOR (adjust odds ratio) for male migrant farm workers (95% confidence interval [CI]) was 1.58 (1.14, 2.17). The OR for farm migrant workers who worked on larger plantations of more than 39.5 acres (95% CI) was 2.69 (1.51, 4.82). Finally, the OR for the migrant farm workers who used a backpack sprayer (95% CI) was 2.07 (1.28, 3.34). Conclusions: These results suggest that health screening should be provided to migrant farm workers, especially those who spray pesticides on plantations of >39 acres, use a backpack sprayer, or have a low level of compliance with accepted industrial hygiene practices. These three classes of workers are at increased risk of chemical exposures and developing acute or chronic illness from pesticide exposures.
Brainwash: A Data System for Feature Engineering

A new generation of data processing systems, including web search, Google’s Knowledge Graph, IBM’s Watson, and several different recommendation systems, combine rich databases with software driven by machine learning. The spectacular successes of these trained systems have been among the most notable in all of computing and have generated excitement in health care, finance, energy, and general business. But building them can be challenging, even for computer scientists with PhD-level training. If these systems are to have a truly broad impact, building them must become easier. We explore one crucial pain point in the construction of trained systems: feature engineering. Given the sheer size of modern datasets, feature developers must (1) write code with few effective clues about how their code will interact with the data and (2) repeatedly endure long system waits even though their code typically changes little from run to run. We propose brainwash, a vision for a feature engineering data system that could dramatically ease the ExploreExtract-Evaluate interaction loop that characterizes many trained system projects.
DISTILL: Learning Domain-Specific Planners by Example

An interesting alternative to domain-independent planning is to provide example plans to demonstrate how to solve problems in a particular domain and to use that information to learn domain-specific planners. Others have used example plans for case-based planning, but the retrieval and adaptation mechanisms for the inevitably large case libraries raise efficiency issues of concern. In this paper, we introduce dsPlanners, or automatically generated domain-specific planners. We present the DISTILL algorithm for learning dsPlanners automatically from example plans. DISTILL converts a plan into a dsPlanner and then merges it with previously learned dsPlanners. Our results show that the dsPlanners automatically learned by DISTILL compactly represent its domain-specific planning experience. Furthermore, the dsPlanners situationally generalize the given example plans, thus allowing them to efficiently solve problems that have not previously been encountered. Finally, we present the DISTILL procedure to automatically acquire one-step loops from example plans, which permits experience acquired from small problems to be applied to solving arbitrarily large ones.
Signaling and Regulation Methyl-Binding Domain Protein 2 – Dependent Proliferation and Survival of Breast Cancer Cells

Methyl cytosine binding domain protein 2 (MBD2) has been shown to bind to and mediate repression of methylated tumor suppressor genes in cancer cells, where repatterning of CpG methylation and associated gene silencing is common. We have investigated the role of MBD2 in breast cancer cell growth and tumor suppressor gene expression. We show that stable short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown of MBD2 leads to growth suppression of cultured human mammary epithelial cancer lines, SK-BR-3, MDA-MB-231, and MDAMB-435. The peak antiproliferative occurs only after sustained, stable MBD2 knockdown. Once established, the growth inhibition persists over time and leads to a markedly decreased propensity for aggressive breast cancer cell lines to form in vivo xenograft tumors in Bagg Albino (BALB)/C nu/nu mice. The growth effects of MBD2 knockdown are accompanied by derepression of tumor suppressor genes, including DAPK1 and KLK10. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays and bisulfite sequencing show MBD2 binding directly to the hyper methylated and CpG-rich promoters of both DAPK1 and KLK10. Remarkably, the promoter CpG island– associated methylation of these genes remained stable despite robust transcriptional activation in MBD2 knockdown cells. Expression of a shRNA-resistantMBD2 protein resulted in restoration of growth and resilencing of the MBD2-dependent tumor suppressor genes. Our data suggest that uncoupling CpG methylation from repressive chromatin remodeling and histone modifications by removing MBD2 is sufficient to initiate and maintain tumor suppressor gene transcription and suppress neoplastic cell growth. These results show a role for MBD2 in cancer progression and provide support for the prospect of targetingMBD2 therapeutically in aggressive breast cancers. Mol Cancer Res; 9(8); 1152–62. 2011 AACR.
Local metrical and global topological maps in the hybrid spatial semantic hierarchy

Topological and metrical methods for representing spatial knowledge have complementary strengths. We present a hybrid extension to the spatial semantic hierarchy that combines their strengths and avoids their weaknesses. Metrical SLAM methods are used to build local maps of small-scale space within the sensory horizon of the agent, while topological methods are used to represent the structure of large-scale space. We describe how a local perceptual map is analyzed to identify a local topology description and is abstracted to a topological place. The map building method creates a set of topological map hypotheses that are consistent with travel experience. The set of maps is guaranteed under reasonable assumptions to include the correct map. We demonstrate the method on a real environment with multiple nested large-scale loops.
Textual Entailment Recognition and its Applicability in NLP Tasks ∗

Ph.D Thesis in Computer Science, specifically in the field of Computational Linguistics, written by Oscar Ferrández under the supervision of Dr. Rafael Muñoz Guillena. The author was examined on July 27th, 2009 by a panel formed by Dr. Manuel Palomar (UA), Dr. Andrés Montoyo Guijarro (UA), Dr. Arantza Dı́az de Ilarraza (EHU/UPV), Dr. Luis Alfonso Ureña (UJA) and Dr. Raquel Mart́ınez Unanue (UNED). The grade obtained was Sobresaliente Cum Laude.