Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anomalous size dependent rheological behavior of alumina based nanofluids

Rheological characteristics of alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) nanofluids (NFs) were found to exhibit an unexpected behavior. Two base-fluids viz, water and ethylene glycols (EG) with particles of average diameter of 11, 45 and 150 nm were examined. An anomalous reduction in viscosity compared to that of the base fluid was seen for EG based NFs. However, viscosity reduction was absent in water based NFs. The inter-related effects of particle size, concentration and mode of dispersion (mono or poly-dispersed) were investigated. Particle migration under shear is attributed to the reduction of viscosity. The increase in bulk viscosity with particle size reduction is attributed to the surface forces acting between the particles and the medium in a suspension and the increase of effective volume with size.
Evidence for a Role of the Parafascicular Nucleus of the Thalamus in the Control of Epileptic Seizures by the Superior Colliculus

Summary: Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the nucleus parafascicularis (Pf) of the thalamus could be a relay of the control of epileptic seizures by the superior colliculus (SC). The Pf is one of the main ascending projections of the SC, the disinhibition of which has been shown to suppress seizures in different animal models and has been proposed as the main relay of the nigral control of epilepsy.
Design and Analysis of Robotically-Controlled Minimally Invasive Surgical Instruments

Design and Analysis of Robotically-Controlled Minimally Invasive Surgical Instruments Jordan D. Tanner Department of Mechanical Engineering, BYU Master of Science Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery is used to perform intricate surgical tasks through small incisions using long, slender instruments. The miniaturization of these instruments is advantageous to both surgeon and patient because smaller instruments reduce trauma to surrounding tissue, decrease patient recovery times, and can be used in confined spaces otherwise inaccessible using larger instruments. However, miniaturization of existing designs is limited by friction between moving parts, the volume occupied by the end effector, and manufacturing and assembly constraints. The objective of this work is to develop and analyze concepts that can be used in robotassisted needlescopic surgery. The concepts are intended for instrument shafts no larger than 3 mm in diameter. An ideal concept is one with large ranges of wrist and gripping motion. Concepts should also minimize friction and swept volume while maintaining a focus on manufacturability and ease of assembly. Multiple concepts were generated and evaluated using a tree classification scheme, proofof-concept prototypes, and simplified mathematical models. Three unique concepts were further developed and tested—the Split CORE Grips, the Inverted Flexure Grips, and the Crossed Cylinders Wrist. The two grip concepts are instruments that incorporate one rotational degree of freedom and one gripping degree of freedom. The wrist concept incorporates two rotational degrees of freedom and could be coupled with a single DOF grip mechanism to form a functional instrument. In addition to concept development, a variety of fabrication techniques were investigated to better understand the challenges that arise when designing and fabricating devices at the 3 mm scale. To augment existing techniques, a novel fabrication technique was developed which uses layers of lithographically patterned carbon nanotube (CNT) composite material to form a 3D part. This method was used to prototype some of the designs at a 1:1 size scale.
Interdependence of calcium and cobalamin binding by wild-type and mutant BtuB protein in the outer membrane of Escherichia coli

The binding of calcium and cobalamin to outer membranes from cells of Escherichia coli that contained amplified levels of wild-type or mutant btuB was studied. The mutant (BBam50) had an aspartyl-prolyl dipeptide inserted after the original 50th amino acid residue of the mature BtuB protein, which is within a region that shows extensive homology with the ferric siderophore receptors. This insertion resulted in cleavage of the BtuB in two places. The larger form retained the insertion but had lost 11 amino acid residues from the amino terminus. The smaller form was cut at the insertion site. Both the wild-type protein and the larger form of mutant BtuB showed calcium-dependent cobalamin binding with the same affinity for cobalamin, although the mutant had a much lower affinity for calcium. The smaller form of the mutant BtuB protein had a greatly reduced affinity for cobalamin, which was probably the result of inactivation of the cobalamin-dependent calcium-binding site. Cobalamin-dependent calcium binding was measured in wild-type BtuB preparations and was found to have the same corrinoid specificity and response to various corrinoid concentrations as shown previously for cobalamin binding. The results are consistent with a role for calcium in the cobalamin pump of the outer membrane of E. coli and show that a conserved part of the BtuB protein is required for the cobalamin-dependent binding of calcium.
Deletion of Mthfd1l causes embryonic lethality and neural tube and craniofacial defects in mice

Maternal supplementation with folic acid is known to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) by as much as 70%. Despite the strong clinical link between folate and NTDs, the biochemical mechanisms through which folic acid acts during neural tube development remain undefined. The Mthfd1l gene encodes a mitochondrial monofunctional 10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate synthetase, termed MTHFD1L. This gene is expressed in adults and at all stages of mammalian embryogenesis with localized regions of higher expression along the neural tube, developing brain, craniofacial structures, limb buds, and tail bud. In both embryos and adults, MTHFD1L catalyzes the last step in the flow of one-carbon units from mitochondria to cytoplasm, producing formate from 10-formyl-THF. To investigate the role of mitochondrial formate production during embryonic development, we have analyzed Mthfd1l knockout mice. All embryos lacking Mthfd1l exhibit aberrant neural tube closure including craniorachischisis and exencephaly and/or a wavy neural tube. This fully penetrant folate-pathway mouse model does not require feeding a folate-deficient diet to cause this phenotype. Maternal supplementation with sodium formate decreases the incidence of NTDs and partially rescues the growth defect in embryos lacking Mthfd1l. These results reveal the critical role of mitochondrially derived formate in mammalian development, providing a mechanistic link between folic acid and NTDs. In light of previous studies linking a common splice variant in the human MTHFD1L gene with increased risk for NTDs, this mouse model provides a powerful system to help elucidate the specific metabolic mechanisms that underlie folate-associated birth defects, including NTDs.
Cdk1-dependent control of membrane-trafficking dynamics

Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) is required for initiation and maintenance of polarized cell growth in budding yeast. Cdk1 activates Rho-family GTPases, which trigger polarization of the actin cytoskeleton for delivery of membrane to growth sites. It is found that Cdk1's function in polarized growth extends beyond that of actin organization.
Verifying C++ with STL containers via predicate abstraction

This paper describes a flexible and easily extensible predicate abstraction-based approach to the verification of STLusage, and observes the advantages of verifying programsin terms of high-level data structures rather than low-level pointer manipulations. We formalize the semantics of theSTL by means of a Hoare-style axiomatization. The verification requires an operational model conservatively approximating the semantics given by the Standard. Our results show advantages (in terms of errors detected and false positives avoided) over previous attempts to analyze STL usage, due to the power of the abstraction engine and model checker
A novel rank ordered filter based edge enhancement of medical images using intuitionistic fuzzy set theory

This paper proposes a novel method to enhance the edges of the image using intuitionistic fuzzy set theoretic approach. It uses a rank ordered filter to enhance the boundaries by calculating a total variation between the pixels in the image window and the median. If the boundaries are enhanced, then accurate edges are detected. As medical images are poorly illuminated, many important structures become hardly visible and direct edge detection techniques will not give accurate result. So, preprocessing in edge enhancement is necessary. From the edge detected image, morphological features of cells and other abnormal structures of the body can easily be computed. This method is compared with fuzzy/non-fuzzy method and it is observed that the proposed method gives better or similar result.
Modeling and control of a quadrotor UAV with tilting propellers

Standard quadrotor UAVs possess a limited mobility because of their inherent underactuation, i.e., availability of 4 independent control inputs (the 4 propeller spinning velocities) vs. the 6 dofs parameterizing the quadrotor position/ orientation in space. As a consequence, the quadrotor pose cannot track an arbitrary trajectory over time (e.g., it can hover on the spot only when horizontal). In this paper, we propose a novel actuation concept in which the quadrotor propellers are allowed to tilt about their axes w.r. t. the main quadrotor body. This introduces an additional set of 4 control inputs which provides full actuation to the quadrotor position/orientation. After deriving the dynamical model of the proposed quadrotor, we formally discuss its controllability properties and propose a nonlinear trajectory tracking controller based on dynamic feedback linearization techniques. The soundness of our approach is validated by means of simulation results.
Optical fiber ferrule-top sensor for humidity measurements

We present an optical fiber ferrule-top sensor for humidity measurements. Changes in water content in a gaseous environment are detected by monitoring the resonant frequency and the quality factor of a cantilever fabricated on top of a ferruled optical fiber. Our experimental data demonstrate that the device offers high resolution and high repeatability.
Identification of Novel Inhibitors of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Replication by In Silico Screening Targeting Cyclin T1/Tat Interaction

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transcription is essential for viral replication and the only step for viral genome amplification. Cyclin T1 (CycT1) interacts with HIV-1 Tat and transactivation-responsive (TAR) RNA, leading to the activation of viral transcription through the hyperphosphorylation of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). Thus, the CycT1/Tat/TAR RNA interaction represents a novel target for inhibition of HIV-1 replication. In this study, we conducted in silico screening of compounds targeting the CycT1/Tat/TAR RNA complex and found that two structurally related compounds (C1 and C2) had high docking scores for a model of the complex. These compounds proved inhibitory to HIV-1 replication in tumor necrosis factor alpha-stimulated chronically infected cells. In addition, C3, a derivative of C1 and C2, was found to be a more potent inhibitor of HIV-1 replication in chronically infected cells. C3 also inhibited HIV-1 replication in acutely infected cells. The compound could suppress Tat-mediated HIV-1 long terminal repeat-driven gene expression and phosphorylation of RNAPII through inhibition of Tat binding to CycT1. Furthermore, the docking pose of C3 was defined by analyses for its in silico docking energy and in vitro antiviral activity, which indicates that C3 interacts with Tat-binding amino acids of CycT1. Thus, a series of compounds described herein are novel inhibitors of HIV-1 transcription through inhibition of CycT1/Tat interaction.
Mobility and QoS Support for a Commercial Mobile Grid in Akogrimo

Grid networks aim to build a future architecture for efficient resource sharing and distributed service provisioning in a multi-provider environment. However, mobility, QoS support, and commercial service provisioning -all essential issues in future networks -pose new challenges to grid networks, both from a technical and economic point of view. Therefore, the Akogrimo project aims at developing an integrated service architecture for commercial mobile grid networks. This paper presents the Akogrimo architecture and its key characteristics, integrating mobility and network layer QoS support in a commercial grid environment.
Co-Design of Multi-Band High-Efficiency Power Amplifier and Three-Pole High-$Q$  Tunable Filter

This letter reports a novel methodology for co-design of broadband power amplifiers (PAs) and high- Q tunable filters. It is for the first time demonstrated that the tunable filter's input port can be synthesized to directly match the transistor's output, thus eliminating the conventional broadband/band-reconfigurable matching network of the PA. This leads to minimized circuit size, volume, and loss. In this letter, a three-pole tunable bandpass filter is designed as the output matching network of a 10 W GaN PA, yielding optimal fundamental and harmonic impedances. Simulation and measured results show that the co-designed PA-filter module exhibits desired Chybeshev filter behavior while achieving efficient PA performance in the passband over a 400-MHz tuning range from 2.95-3.35 GHz. Specifically, 51%-67% efficiency, ≈ 10 W output power, ≈ 10 dB gain were measured throughout the entire frequency range.
Multi-Level Interactions between the Nuclear Receptor TRα1 and the WNT Effectors β-Catenin/Tcf4 in the Intestinal Epithelium

Intestinal homeostasis results from complex cross-regulation of signaling pathways; their alteration induces intestinal tumorigenesis. Previously, we found that the thyroid hormone nuclear receptor TRα1 activates and synergizes with the WNT pathway, inducing crypt cell proliferation and promoting tumorigenesis. Here, we investigated the mechanisms and implications of the cross-regulation between these two pathways in gut tumorigenesis in vivo and in vitro. We analyzed TRα1 and WNT target gene expression in healthy mucosae and tumors from mice overexpressing TRα1 in the intestinal epithelium in a WNT-activated genetic background (vil-TRα1/Apc mice). Interestingly, increased levels of β-catenin/Tcf4 complex in tumors from vil-TRα1/Apc mice blocked TRα1 transcriptional activity. This observation was confirmed in Caco2 cells, in which TRα1 functionality on a luciferase reporter-assay was reduced by the overexpression of β-catenin/Tcf4. Moreover, TRα1 physically interacted with β-catenin/Tcf4 in the nuclei of these cells. Using molecular approaches, we demonstrated that the binding of TRα1 to its DNA target sequences within the tumors was impaired, while it was newly recruited to WNT target genes. In conclusion, our observations strongly suggest that increased β-catenin/Tcf4 levels i) correlated with reduced TRα1 transcriptional activity on its target genes and, ii) were likely responsible for the shift of TRα1 binding on WNT targets. Together, these data suggest a novel mechanism for the tumor-promoting activity of the TRα1 nuclear receptor.
Digitally Controlled Absolute Voltage Division

In this paper, a principle for absolute voltage division is presented. The division ratio of a voltage divider on this principle does not depend on the values of its elements but depends exclusively on the configuration of the divider network. Hence, calibration is not necessary and not even possible. Absolute voltage division is obtained by cyclically shifting the network elements along all positions in the divider network. Each position is maintained for an equally long time interval. The average output voltage of such a dynamic divider is identical to that of a static divider with the same network configuration but composed of elements which all have the same value. To verify the principle in practice, a digitally controlled resistive voltage divider has been built. It has been realized with easily available electronic components, such as carbon resistors with ± 5-percent tolerance, junction field-effect transistors as electronic switches and digital integrated circuits for the generation of the switch drive signals. The inaccuracy of this divider is less than 5 ×10-6 and the temperature coefficient of the division ratio is less than 5 × 10-8/°C from 0°C to 40°C. It is expected that the performance, of this prototype can be improved.
Spatial Prior for Nonparametric Road Scene Parsing

Parsing road scene images taken from vehicle mounted cameras provides important information for high level tasks in automated on-road vehicles. In this paper we adopt the nonparametric framework for this problem and present a simple yet effective strategy to integrate spatial prior into the framework. Unlike natural scene images, road scene images in our problem typically have very stable scene layout, which motivates us to explore such layout for improving scene labeling. In particular, the spatial distribution of each semantic category is obtained from a set of previously observed data. Then, such distributions, in the form of histograms, are integrated into the nonparametric labeling framework to guide scene parsing. Compared with previous approaches, our solution is very efficient in both computation and memory usage, since there is no complicated semantic training involved. For evaluation, we collected three video datasets on three different trips and ran the proposed algorithm on all of them, both within each trip or cross trip. The experimental results show advantages of our algorithm.
An application of active contour models to head boundary location

Locating the boundary of a head in a head-and-shoulders image is an important problem in model based coding. An approach to this problem using adaptive contour models or 'snakes' is presented. The paper provides a tutorial introduction to the theory of snakes and shows in some detail how they may be implemented using a finite difference method. Some experimental results are presented showing snakes locating the head in a set of test images.
Toxicogenomics of Nonviral Cationic Gene Delivery Nanosystems

To date, both viral and nonviral vectors have been exploited for delivery of gene-based therapies to target cells/tissues. Despite high efficiency of the viral vectors (e.g., retroviruses and adenoviruses), these vectors appear to be immunogenic and potentially harmful when used in clinical gene therapy protocols (Ferber, 2001b). Besides, the preparation and purification of the viral vectors appear to be laborious, cost-prohibitive and not amenable to industrial-scale manufacture. Nonviral vectors such as cationic lipids (CLs) and cationic polymers (CPs) have been categorized as advanced materials and their low immunogenicity, lack of pathogenicity, and ease of pharmacologic production continue to make them attractive alternatives to viral vectors (Medina-Kauwe et al., 2005). However, these vectors may also suffer from relatively low levels of gene transfer compared to viruses. Thus, the drive to advance these vectors continues resulting in considerable progresses in improved transfection efficiency. Nonviral vectors (in particular cationic gene delivery systems) are able to bind and enter the target cells, however they yield low gene expression. No substantial information is available on interactions of these vectors with cellular biomolecules. Since these medicaments tend to act at genomic levels, thus understanding the genomic impacts of the nonviral vectors may help develop more efficient gene delivery systems. Nonetheless, this needs recruitment of high throughput screening methodologies. To date, exploitation of the “omics” concepts (e.g., genomics, proteomics and metabolomics) is going to change the face of pharmacotherapy towards significantly more advanced and efficient pharmaceuticals (e.g., gene based nanomedicines) with minimal adverse consequences (Aardema & MacGregor, 2002). Enormous efforts have also been devoted for application of the global gene expression profiling in pharmacologic and toxicological investigations. The gene expression profiling technology has been primarily exploited for identification of underlying mechanisms for toxicity of pharmaceuticals and their genomic signatures, by which the safety liabilities can be determined and manifestations of undesired genotoxicity can be prohibited (Suter et al., 2004; Yang et al., 2004). This methodology can be successfully used for the discovery and development of any chemicals and pharmaceuticals including gene delivery nanosystems. The main focus of the current book chapter is to provide some useful information about “genocompatibility” and
Analysis of SSR With Three-Level Twelve-Pulse VSC-Based Interline Power-Flow Controller

The interline power-flow controller (IPFC) is a voltage-source-converter (VSC)-based flexible ac transmission system (FACTS) controller for series compensation with the unique capability of power-flow management among the multiline transmission systems of a substation. The reactive voltage injected by individual VSCs can be maintained constant or controlled to regulate active power flow in the respective line. While one VSC regulates the dc voltage, the others control the reactive power flows in the lines by injecting series active voltage. This paper presents the modelling of IPFC with 12-pulse, three-level converters and investigates the subsynchronous-resonance (SSR) characteristics of IPFC for different operating modes. The analysis of SSR is carried out based on eigenvalue analysis and transient simulation of the detailed system. It is illustrated with the help of a case study on a system adapted from the IEEE Second Benchmark Model. The analysis uses both D-Q model (neglecting harmonics in the output voltages of VSCs) and the three-phase model of VSCs using switching functions. While the eigenvalue analysis and controller design is based on the D-Q model, the transient simulation considers both models.
L-Type calcium channels are required for one form of hippocampal mossy fiber LTP.

The requirement of postsynaptic calcium influx via L-type channels for the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) of mossy fiber input to CA3 pyramidal neurons was tested for two different patterns of stimulation. Two types of LTP-inducing stimuli were used based on the suggestion that one of them, brief high-frequency stimulation (B-HFS), induces LTP postsynaptically, whereas the other pattern, long high-frequency stimulation (L-HFS), induces mossy fiber LTP presynaptically. To test whether or not calcium influx into CA3 pyramidal neurons is necessary for LTP induced by either pattern of stimulation, nimodipine, a L-type calcium channel antagonist, was added during stimulation. In these experiments nimodipine blocked the induction of mossy fiber LTP when B-HFS was given [34 +/- 5% (mean +/- SE) increase in control versus 7 +/- 4% in nimodipine, P < 0.003]; in contrast, nimodipine did not block the induction of LTP with L-HFS (107 +/- 10% in control vs. 80 +/- 9% in nimodipine, P > 0.05). Administration of nimodipine after the induction of LTP had no effect on the expression of LTP. In addition, B- and L-HFS delivered directly to commissural/associational fibers in stratum radiatum failed to induce a N-methyl--aspartate-independent form of LTP, obviating the possibility that the presumed mossy fiber LTP resulted from potentiation of other synapses. Nimodipine had no effect on calcium transients recorded from mossy fiber presynaptic terminals evoked with the B-HFS paradigm but reduced postsynaptic calcium transients. Our results support the hypothesis that induction of mossy fiber LTP by B-HFS is mediated postsynaptically and requires entry of calcium through L-type channels into CA3 neurons.