Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selective Targeting of Genetically Engineered Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Tumor Stroma Microenvironments Using Tissue-Specific Suicide Gene Expression Suppresses Growth of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background:The use of engineered mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as therapeutic vehicles for the treatment of experimental pancreatic and breast cancer has been previously demonstrated. The potential application of MSCs for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been controversial. The general approach uses engineered MSCs to target different aspects of tumor biology, including angiogenesis or the fibroblast-like stromal compartment, through the use of tissue-specific expression of therapeutic transgenes. The aim of the present study was (1) to evaluate the effect of exogenously added MSCs on the growth of HCC and (2) the establishment of an MSC-based suicide gene therapy for experimental HCC. Methods:Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from bone marrow of C57/Bl6 p53−/− mice. The cells were injected into mice with HCC xenografts and the effect on tumor proliferation and angiogenesis was evaluated. The cells were then stably transfected with red fluorescent protein (RFP) or Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-Tk) gene under control of the Tie2 promoter/enhancer or the CCL5 promoter. Mesenchymal stem cells were injected intravenously into mice with orthotopically growing xenografts of HCC and treated with ganciclovir (GCV). Results:Ex vivo examination of hepatic tumors revealed tumor-specific recruitment, enhanced tumor growth, and increased microvessel density after nontherapeutic MSC injections. After their homing to the hepatic xenografts, engineered MSCs demonstrated activation of the Tie2 or CCL5 promoter as shown by RFP expression. Application of CCL5/HSV-TK transfected MSCs in combination with GCV significantly reduced tumor growth by 56.4% as compared with the control group and by 71.6% as compared with nontherapeutic MSC injections. CCL5/HSV-TK+ transfected MSCs proved more potent in tumor inhibition as compared with Tie2/HSV-TK+ MSCs. Conclusion:Exogenously added MSCs are recruited to growing HCC xenografts with concomitant activation of the CCL5 or Tie2 promoters within the MSCs. Stem cell–mediated introduction of suicide genes into the tumor followed by prodrug administration was effective for treatment of experimental HCC and thus may help fill the existing gap in bridging therapies for patients suffering from advanced HCCs.
Semi-supervised Neural Chord Estimation Based on a Variational Autoencoder with Discrete Labels and Continuous Textures of Chords

This paper describes a statistically-principled semi-supervised method of automatic chord estimation (ACE) that can make effective use of any music signals regardless of the availability of chord annotations. The typical approach to ACE is to train a deep classification model (neural chord estimator) in a supervised manner by using only a limited amount of annotated music signals. In this discriminative approach, prior knowledge about chord label sequences (characteristics of model output) has scarcely been taken into account. In contract, we propose a unified generative and discriminative approach in the framework of amortized variational inference. More specifically, we formulate a deep generative model that represents the complex generative process of chroma vectors (observed variables) from the discrete labels and continuous textures of chords (latent variables). Chord labels and textures are assumed to follow a Markov model favoring self-transitions and a standard Gaussian distribution, respectively. Given chroma vectors as observed data, the posterior distributions of latent chord labels and textures are computed approximately by using deep classification and recognition models, respectively. These three models are combined to form a variational autoencoder and trained jointly in a semi-supervised manner. The experimental results show that the performance of the classification model can be improved by additionally using non-annotated music signals and/or by regularizing the classification model with the Markov model of chord labels and the generative model of chroma vectors even in the fully-supervised condition.
Knowledge and Information Systems REGULAR PAPER

Published scientific articles are linked together into a graph, the citation graph, through their citations. This paper explores the notion of similarity based on connectivity alone, and proposes several algorithms to quantify it. Our metrics take advantage of the local neighborhoods of the nodes in the citation graph. Two variants of link-based similarity estimation between two nodes are described, one based on the separate local neighborhoods of the nodes, and another based on the joint local neighborhood expanded from both nodes at the same time. The algorithms are implemented and evaluated on a subgraph of the citation graph of computer science in a retrieval context. The results are compared with text-based similarity, and demonstrate the complementarity of link-based and text-based retrieval.
Modulation of the startle response and startle laterality in relatives of schizophrenic patients and in subjects with schizotypal personality disorder: evidence of inhibitory deficits.

OBJECTIVE Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders have been shown to have deficits in sensorimotor gating as assessed by prepulse inhibition of the startle response. The authors hypothesized that nonschizophrenic relatives of patients with schizophrenia would also have prepulse inhibition deficits, thereby reflecting a genetically transmitted susceptibility to sensorimotor gating deficits. METHOD Twenty-five comparison subjects, 23 patients with schizophrenia, 34 relatives of the schizophrenic patients, and 11 subjects with schizotypal personality disorder were assessed in an acoustic startle paradigm. The eye-blink component of the startle response was assessed bilaterally by using electromyographic recordings of orbicularis oculi. RESULTS The patients with schizophrenia, their relatives, and subjects with schizotypal personality disorder all had reduced prepulse inhibition relative to comparison subjects, and these deficits were more evident in measures of right eye-blink prepulse inhibition. Comparison subjects demonstrated greater right versus left eye-blink prepulse inhibition, whereas the probands, their relatives, and subjects with schizotypal personality disorder showed less asymmetry of prepulse inhibition. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest a genetically transmitted deficit in prepulse inhibition (sensorimotor gating) in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, including subjects with schizotypal personality disorder and relatives of patients with schizophrenia.
Adaptive Multi-Agent Path Planning for Distributed UAV Systems CS 229 Autumn 2017 Final Project Category : Theory & Reinforcement Learning

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become increasingly prevalent in the modern world. These systems are used for a wide variety of applications, from recreation and entertainment to warfare and espionage. UAVs are favored for their low cost and low risk, not to mention their ability to execute tasks in environments which might be inaccessible or dangerous to humans. In tactical scenarios, there is an increased demand for the use of cooperative, distributed systems of UAVs which enable more complex and larger objectives. Oftentimes, these systems require the use of centralized, human-in-the-loop control approaches to accomplish their goals which may be slow, inaccurate, and computationally intensive. As a result, autonomy and decentralization are desirable traits for any such system of UAVs. This project makes use of a modified Q-Learning technique to allow UAVs to learn in real time to navigate a contested environment that is initially unknown. Missions contain different surveillance target layouts and the UAVs learn from their observations. The UAVs’ path planning is rewarded for balancing danger against path length. The UAVs work cooperatively to explore the unknown environment by sharing information about the risk environment seen by each agent in the system. The simulation environment for this project is built in MATLAB. In this environment, risks and targets can be programmatically generated. This simulation is able to replicate entire missions, including all the relevant risk, observation, and performance information of the UAVs, threats, and targets.
Beitrag von diffusen Emissionen an der Partikelbelastung an BAB

Es soll ermittelt werden, welchen Beitrag zur gesamten PM10-Emission die Abrieb- und Aufwirbelungsprozesse an Autobahnen mit freier Luftanstroemung und gleichmaessigem Verkehrsfluss leisten. Die Feinstaubbelastung der nach der 1. Tochterrichtlinie zur Rahmenrichtlinie Luftqualitaet und der 22. Bundesimmissionsschutzverordnung (BImSchV) geregelten Grenzwerte geht auf drei Gruppen von Partikeln zurueck: die direkt emittierten Partikel aus den Abgasen, die diffus emittierten Partikel (Abrieb, Aufwirbelungen) und die Sekundaerpartikel aus gasfoermigen Vorlaeuferstufen. Die Emissionsfaktoren der Primaer- und Sekundaerpartikel sind recht genau bekannt, groessere Unsicherheiten gibt es noch zum Beitrag der diffusen Partikelemissionen. Inzwischen stehen aber auch dort pauschale Faktoren fuer Pkw und Lkw zur Verfuegung. Unklar ist jedoch die Aufteilung der Teilprozesse und deren Relevanz fuer die Gesamtemissionen; Studien dazu sind bisher nur an hoch belasteten Innerortsstrassen und Tunneln durchgefuehrt worden. Die Messungen zur Studie fanden ueber eineinhalb Jahre an der A61 statt und umfassen alle Wochentage, meteorologische Parameter und Jahreszeiten. Der DTV betrug dabei etwa 72.000 Fahrzeuge/Tag mit einem Schwerverkehrsanteil von 20 Prozent. Durch verschiedene Methoden und Ansaetze konnten schliesslich aussagekraeftige Ergebnisse erzielt werden. Lediglich die Emissionsfaktoren der Fraktion PM1-10 im Vergleich zu den Standard-Emissionsfaktoren wiesen deutliche Unterschiede auf, denn letztere wuerden zu einer Ueberschaetzung um einen Faktor 2 fuehren. Die chemische Zusammensetzung der PM10-Fraktion in Vor-, Gesamt-, und Zusatzbelastung wies eine Zunahme der relativen Anteile fuer Kohlenstoffkomponenten, NaCl und Metalloxide auf, wohingegen Sekundaeraerosol-Komponenten keine Rolle spielten. Das Verhaeltnis von motorischen zu nicht-motorischen Emissionen betrug circa 60:40, bei Winterdienst mit Tausalzaufwirbelung betrug das Verhaeltnis eher 50:50, womit die Signifikanz der nicht-motorischen Partikelemissionen bestaetigt ist.
Multiuser Carrier Frequency Offset Estimation for OFDMA Uplink with Generalized Carrier Assignment Scheme

In this paper, we develop a blind carrier frequency offsets (CFOs) estimation algorithm for multiusers in the uplink of an orthogonal frequency-division multiple-access (OFDMA) system, where the base station equipped with uniform linear array (ULA). Due to the ULA at base station, different users could be separated by their spatial information. So unlike existing blind alternatives, which are subject to some specific carrier assignment schemes or rely on null carriers, our proposed method can support generalized carrier assignment scheme (GCAS) and full loaded systems. Thus, our method is more flexible and bandwidth efficient. Besides, the closed-form directions of arrival (DOAs) of all active users are also obtained, which can be used in downlink beamforming in frequency division duplex (FDD) systems. Performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated by computer Monte Carlo simulations.
Health Literacy: Exploring Health Knowledge Transfer in Online Healthcare Communities

The knowledge-intensive nature of healthcare enables health literacy playing a key role on the quality of healthcare. This study aims at understanding the factors that affect the effectiveness of health knowledge transfer in online healthcare communities. The findings can be used as guidelines for the development and management of the online healthcare communities to improve user experience, and to provide a means to disseminate healthcare information, to enhance healthcare education, and to facilitate a wide range of interactions between patients and healthcare delivery system.
Reduction of Neuronal Intranuclear Rodlets Immunoreactive for Tubulin and Glucocorticoid Receptor in Alzheimer's Disease

Neuronal intranuclear rodlets were described in normal brain over a century ago, but their functional significance and pathological relevance is unknown. Here, we show co‐localization of tubulin and glucocorticoid receptor‐like immunoreactivity in these intranuclear inclusions in human brain. In addition, we provide evidence for a massive reduction in their areal density in Alzheimer's disease brain, but not in another common neu rodegenerative condition, dementia with Lewy bodies. The marked reduction of these inclusions in Alzheimer's disease may support the concept of a role for stress hormones in Alzheimer's pathogenesis.
Effective Recycling of Lignite Fly Ash for the Laboratory Cultivation of Blue Green Algae - Spirulina platensis

Lignite fly ash (LFA) is the by-product of thermal power station. In India, Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) liberates tonnes of LFA as a waste product and the liberated LFA highly pollutes the soil and water bodies. The Blue Green Algae Spirulina platensis grows well at alkaline pH and the pH of the LFA is also alkaline. The LFA also contains an array of micronutrients and macronutrients which favours the growth of Spirulina platensis. In order to minimize the environmental pollution and recycle the LFA waste, the present work was planned to utilize the LFA at different concentrations for the laboratory cultivation of Spirulina platensis. In this present study, Spirulina platensis was cultivated in the conical flasks containing Zarrouk's medium alone (SP ) and Zarrouk's medium with three different concentrations (0.5 g/l (SP ), 1.0 g/l (SP ) and 1 23 1.5 g/l (SP )) of LFA supplementation. Among the four different supplementations used, SP which contained 44 1.5 g Lignite fly ash in one litre of Zarrouk's medium highly induced the growth and protein content of Spirulina platensis when compared to other supplementations. The least growth and protein content was recorded in SP which contains Zarrouk's medium alone without LFA supplementation. 1
Fuzzy ontologies and knowledge mobilisation: Turning amateurs into wine connoisseurs

Knowledge mobilisation is a transition from the prevailing knowledge management technology to a new methodology and some innovative methods for knowledge representation, formation and development and for knowledge retrieval and distribution. We show that fuzzy ontology will be useful to represent real world knowledge and that approximate reasoning schemes can give us answers which are sufficiently good for real world situations in which we need sufficiently good knowledge. We demonstrate the knowledge mobilisation approach by showing how amateurs can become wine connoisseurs with support from the technology.
Lack of both Fas Ligand and Perforin Protects from Flavivirus-Mediated Encephalitis in Mice

ABSTRACT The mechanism by which encephalitic flaviviruses enter the brain to inflict a life-threatening encephalomyelitis in a small percentage of infected individuals is obscure. We investigated this issue in a mouse model for flavivirus encephalitis in which the virus was administered to 6-week-old animals by the intravenous route, analogous to the portal of entry in natural infections, using a virus dose in the range experienced following the bite of an infectious mosquito. In this model, infection with 0.1 to 105 PFU of virus gave mortality in ∼50% of animals despite low or undetectable virus growth in extraneural tissues. We show that the cytolytic effector functions play a crucial role in invasion of the encephalitic flavivirus into the brain. Mice deficient in either the granule exocytosis- or Fas-mediated pathway of cytotoxicity showed delayed and reduced mortality. Mice deficient in both cytotoxic effector functions were resistant to a low-dose peripheral infection with the neurotropic virus.
SpCD - Spatial Color Distribution Descriptor - A Fuzzy Rule based Compact Composite Descriptor Appropriate for Hand Drawn Color Sketches Retrieval

In this paper, a new low level feature suitable for Hand Drawn Color Sketches retrieval is presented. The proposed feature structure combines color and spatial color distribution information. The combination of these two features in one vector classifies the proposed descriptor to the family of Composite Descriptors. In order to extract the color information, a fuzzy system is being used, which is mapping the number of colors that are included in the image into a custom palette of 8 colors. The way by which the vector of the proposed descriptor is being formed, describes the color spatial information contained in images. To be applicable in the design of large image databases, the proposed descriptor is compact, requiring only 48 bytes per image. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.
Fast Rendering of Particle-Based Fluid by Utilizing Simulation Data

This paper presents a novel algorithm for efﬁciently visualizing of particle-based ﬂuid simulation with multiple re-fractions, especially smoothed particle hydrodynamics(SPH), using data and result of simulation itself. In general, particle-based ﬂuid simulation and visualization are processed completely separated. The novelty of our method lives in combination of these two processes to avoid extra processes in visualization, and to mitigate computing cost of visualization
In Silico ADMET Traffic Lights as a Tool for the Prioritization of HTS Hits

The need for in silico characterization of HTS hit structures as part of a data‐driven hit‐selection process is demonstrated. A solution is described in the form of an in silico ADMET traffic light and PhysChem scoring system. This has been extensively validated with in‐house data at Bayer, published data, and a collection of launched small‐molecule oral drugs.
On the Goos-Hänchen Shift at Photonic Crystal Interfaces

In the present work, we numerically verify that the formalism for calculating the Goos-Hanchen shift in the case of planar interfaces may be used for photonic crystal interfaces. We obtained accurate measures for the reflected fundamental diffraction order, and successfully extended the procedure to higher diffraction orders, via the use of an in-house robust program that relies on the rigorous coupledwave analysis, and an S-matrix algorithm. We have also examined the near field time-averaged Poynting vector as an alternative for analysing the shift. From the obtained results, we comment on the domain of validity of the analytical tool that was developed by Goos and Hanchen.
THE CONSTANCY OF THE G MATRIX THROUGH SPECIES DIVERGENCE AND THE EFFECTS OF QUANTITATIVE GENETIC CONSTRAINTS ON PHENOTYPIC EVOLUTION: A CASE STUDY IN CRICKETS

Abstract Long-term phenotypic evolution can be modeled using the response-to-selection equation of quantitative genetics, which incorporates information about genetic constraints (the G matrix). However, little is known about the evolution of G and about its long-term importance in constraining phenotypic evolution. We first investigated the degree of conservation of the G matrix across three species of crickets and qualitatively compared the pattern of variation of G to the phylogeny of the group. Second, we investigated the effect of G on phenotypic evolution by comparing the direction of greatest quantitative genetic variation within species (gmax) to the direction of phenotypic divergence between species (Δz̄). Each species, Gryllus veletis, G. firmus, and G. pennsylvanicus, was reared in the laboratory using a full-sib breeding design to extract quantitative genetic information. Five morphological traits related to size were measured. G matrices were compared using three statistical approaches: the T method, the Flury hierarchy, and the MANOVA method. Results revealed that the differences between matrices were small and mostly caused by differences in the magnitude of the genetic variation, not by differences in principal component structure. This suggested that the G matrix structure of this group of species was preserved, despite significant phenotypic divergence across species. The small observed differences in G matrices across species were qualitatively consistent with genetic distances, whereas ecological information did not provide a good prediction of G matrix variation. The comparison of gmax and Δz̄ revealed that the angle between these two vectors was small in two of three species comparisons, whereas the larger angle corresponding to the third species comparison was caused in large part by one of the five traits. This suggests that multivariate phenotypic divergence occurred mostly in a direction predicted by the direction of greatest genetic variation, although it was not possible to demonstrate the causal relationship from G to Δz̄. Overall, this study provided some support for the validity of the predictive power of quantitative genetics over evolutionary time scales.
Fatty acids consumed from fish and risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter : the Danish Diet , Cancer , and Health Study 1 – 3

Background: Experimental studies have shown that n 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish may have antiarrhythmic properties. Objective: We examined the association between consumption of n 3 fatty acids from fish and risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter. Design: In a prospective cohort study of 47 949 participants (mean age: 56 y) in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study, we investigated the relation between the consumption of n 3 fatty acids from fish estimated from a detailed semiquantitative food questionnaire and risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter. The subjects were followed up in the Danish National Registry of Patients for the occurrence of atrial fibrillation or flutter and in the Danish Civil Registration System (vital status and emigration). The consumption of n 3 fatty acids from fish was analyzed as sex-specific quintiles with the use of Cox proportional hazards models. Results: During follow-up (x : 5.7 y), atrial fibrillation or flutter had developed in 556 subjects (374 men and 182 women). When the lowest quintile of n 3 fatty acids consumed from fish was used as a reference, the unadjusted hazard rate ratios in quintiles 2, 3, 4, and 5 were 0.93, 1.11, 1.10, and 1.44, respectively (P for trend 0.001). The corresponding adjusted hazard rate ratios were 0.86, 1.08, 1.01, and 1.34 (P for trend 0.006). Inclusion of information on the frequency of fatty fish consumption did not alter these associations. Conclusions: Consumption of n 3 fatty acids from fish was not associated with a reduction in risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter. We cannot exclude the possibility of residual confounding caused by a lack of information on intake of fish-oil tablets. Am J Clin Nutr