Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nanotechnology, Science and Applications Dovepress Cellulose Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Functional Properties, and Applications

Cellulose nanocrystals are unique nanomaterials derived from the most abundant and almost inexhaustible natural polymer, cellulose. These nanomaterials have received significant interest due to their mechanical, optical, chemical, and rheological properties. Cellulose nanocrystals primarily obtained from naturally occurring cellulose fibers are biodegradable and renewable in nature and hence they serve as a sustainable and environmentally friendly material for most applications. These nanocrystals are basically hydrophilic in nature; however, they can be surface functionalized to meet various challenging requirements, such as the development of high-performance nanocomposites, using hydrophobic polymer matrices. Considering the ever-increasing interdisciplinary research being carried out on cellulose nanocrystals, this review aims to collate the knowledge available about the sources, chemical structure, and physical and chemical isolation procedures, as well as describes the mechanical, optical, and rheological properties, of cellulose nanocrystals. Innovative applications in diverse fields such as biomedical engineering, material sciences, electronics, catalysis, etc, wherein these cellulose nanocrystals can be used, are highlighted.
On cribriform prostate cancer

The management of newly diagnosed prostate cancer is challenging because of its heterogeneity in histology, genetics and clinical outcome. The clinical outcome of patients with Gleason score 7 prostate cancer varies greatly. Improving risk assessment in this group is of particular interest, as Gleason score 7 prostate cancer on biopsy is an important clinical threshold for active treatment. Architecturally, four Gleason grade 4 growth patterns are recognized: ill-formed, fused, glomeruloid and cribriform. The aim of this review is to describe the role of cribriform growth in prostate cancer with respect to diagnosis, prognosis and molecular pathology. Secondly, we will discuss clinical applications for cribriform prostate cancer and give recommendations for future research.
EGG: A Framework for Generating Evolving RDF Graphs

We demonstrate EGG (Evolving Graph Generator), an open-source framework for generating evolving RDF graphs based on finely-tuned temporal constraints given by the user. During the demonstration, we will showcase the highly-expressive constraints that the user can specify in EGG to generate evolving graphs over various real-world use cases, the accuracy and scalability of the generator, and the ease of using EGG in performance comparisons of evolving graph processing systems.
Catalogue of the type-species of the genera of the Cerambycidae, Disteniidae, Oxypeltidae and Vesperidae (Coleoptera) of the Neotropical Region

The present list includes all available names, both valid and invalid, and the type-species of the genera and subgenera ofCerambycidae, Disteniidae, Oxypeltidae and Vesperidae (Coleoptera) of the Neotropical Region. Two new family-groupnames are proposed: Neoibidionini (type-genus: Neoibidion, a replacement name for Ibidion Audinet-Serville, 1834, ju-nior homonymy of Ibidion Gory, 1833) for Ibidionini Thomson, 1861 and Proholopterini (type-genus Proholopterus, areplacement name for Holopterus Blanchard, 1851, junior homonymy of Holopterus Brehm, 1845) for Holopterini La-cordaire, 1868. Oideterus Thomson, 1857a:15 is revalidated with the type-species, Oideterus buquetii Thomson, 1857 (bymonotypy). Udeterus Thomson, 1858b:515 is a junior synonym of Oideterus Thomson, 1857. Acanthocornis Monne M Corynellus mimulus Bates, 1885 as thetype-species of Corynellus Bates, 1885; Cosmius ochraceus Perty, 1832 as the type-species of Cosmius Perty, 1832 non Cosmius Dumeril, 1806, Diptera, and Alampyris nigra Bates, 1881 as the type-species of Alampyris Bates, 1881.
PPARγ in dendritic cells and T cells drives pathogenic type-2 effector responses in lung inflammation

Type-2 immune responses are well-established drivers of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as asthma, and represent a large burden on public health systems. The transcription factor PPAR&ggr; is known to promote M2-macrophage and alveolar macrophage development. Here, we report that PPAR&ggr; plays a key role in both T cells and dendritic cells (DCs) for development of type-2 immune responses. It is predominantly expressed in mouse Th2 cells in vitro and in vivo as well as human Th2 cells from allergic patients. Using conditional knockouts, we show that PPAR&ggr; signaling in T cells, although largely dispensable for IL-4 induction, is critical for IL-33–driven Th2 effector function in type-2 allergic airway responses. Furthermore, we demonstrate that IL-4 and IL-33 promote up-regulation of PPAR&ggr; in lung-resident CD11b+ DCs, which enhances migration to draining lymph nodes and Th2 priming capacity. Thus, we uncover a surprising proinflammatory role for PPAR&ggr; and establish it as a novel, important mediator of DC–T cell interactions in type-2 immunity.
Association of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genes and their HLA ligands with susceptibility to Behçet’s‎ disease

Objectives: Behçet’s disease (BD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder with remissions and exacerbations. It is thought that defects in the natural killer (NK) cell repertoire may be involved in BD through killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs). This study aimed to evaluate KIR and HLA genes, their interactions in BD patients, and their associations with clinical manifestations. Method: The presence or absence of KIR and HLA alleles and genotypes was analysed by polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific primer on genomic DNA of 397 BD patients and 300 healthy controls. Results: None of the KIR genes showed significant effects on BD susceptibility. HLA-C1Asn80 showed a protective effect against BD, whereas HLA-C2Lys80, HLA-B-Bw4Ile80, HLA-B5, and HLA-B51 were associated with a susceptibility risk for BD. In the combination of KIR and HLA genes, the frequencies of HLA genotypes no. 2, 3, 5, and 8, and inhibitory KIR no. 4 were significantly higher in patients than in controls. The frequencies of KIR genotype no. 3 and HLA genotypes no. 1, 4, 6, 7, and 9 were significantly lower in patients than in controls. There were many associations between KIR and HLA genes with clinical features of BD. Conclusion: Differences in the frequency of HLA genes, KIR–HLA interactions, and genotypes between BD and healthy controls and their associations with clinical manifestations indicate that NK cells are involved in BD pathogenesis. The observed differences indicated an NK cell activity imbalance in BD patients, and suggest a role of the KIR-HLA repertoire in the development of BD.
Clinical outcomes following surgically repaired bucket-handle meniscus tears

ABSTRACT Objectives: Meniscus tears are one of the most common knee injuries. Our goal is to investigate the failure rate for surgically repaired bucket-handle meniscus tears and compare clinical outcomes of repairs that failed versus those that did not, at a minimum 2-year follow-up interval. Methods: 51 patients were identified in this retrospective cohort study who experienced bucket-handle meniscus tears that were isolated or with concomitant ACL injury. Inclusion criteria included age range from 13–55 years, confirmed bucket-handle meniscus tear by MRI and intraoperatively, and at least two-years of post-operative follow-up following index repair. Demographic data and outcome surveys were collected at a minimum of two-years follow-up after repair. Results: Of the 51 patients that had a bucket-handle meniscal repair, 12 (23.5%) were defined as failures (return of symptoms alongside re-tear in the same zone of the repaired meniscus within two years of surgery). No demographic variables (age, sex, and BMI smoking status, location of tear, or concomitant ACL tear) significantly correlated with failure. The mean of the Sports and Recreation KOOS was significantly lower between the non-failure (87 ± 14.4) and failure (70 ± 17.2) cohorts (p = 0.0072). The Quality of Life subscale was significantly lower between the non-failure (76 ± 15.8) and failure (57 ± 18.2) groups (p = 0.0058). There was a significant difference in the post-operative Lysholm scores (p = 0.0039) with a mean of 90 ± 9.1 for the entire cohort and means of 92 ± 8.4 and 83 ± 8.6, for non-failure and failure groups, respectively. Conclusions: We found a higher failure rate (23.5%) for bucket-handle meniscus repairs at two-year follow up than has been cited in the literature, which is typically less than 20%, with significantly lower KOOS Quality of Life and Sports and Recreation subscales and Lysholm scores for the failure cohort. This is the first study to report these outcome scores solely for bucket-handle meniscus repairs, shedding light on the post-operative quality of life of patients with repair success or failure.
A Real Time Expert System for Decision Support in Nuclear Power Plants

— In case of abnormal situations, the nuclear power plant (NPP) operators must follow written procedures to check the condition of the plant and to classify the type of emergency. In this paper, we proposed a Real Time Expert System in order to improve operator’s performance in case of transient or accident with reactor shutdown. The expert system’s knowledge is based on the sequence of events (SoE) of known accident and two emergency procedures of the Brazilian Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) NPP and uses two kinds of knowledge representation: rule and logic trees. The results show that the system was able to classify the response of the automatic protection systems, as well as to evaluate the conditions of the plant, diagnosing the type of occurrence, recovery procedure to be followed, indicating the shutdown root cause, and classifying the emergency level.
Recovering from External Disturbances in Online Manipulation through State-Dependent Revertive Recovery Policies

Robots are increasingly entering uncertain and unstructured environments. Within these, robots are bound to face unexpected external disturbances like accidental human or tool collisions. Robots must develop the capacity to respond to unexpected events. That is not only identifying the sudden anomaly, but also deciding how to handle it. In this work, we contribute a recovery policy that allows a robot to recovery from various anomalous scenarios across different tasks and conditions in a consistent and robust fashion. The system organizes tasks as a sequence of nodes composed of internal modules such as motion generation and introspection. When an introspection module flags an anomaly, the recovery strategy is triggered and reverts the task execution by selecting a target node as a function of a state dependency chart. The new skill allows the robot to overcome the effects of the external disturbance and conclude the task. Our system recovers from accidental human and tool collisions in a number of tasks. Of particular importance is the fact that we test the robustness of the recovery system by triggering anomalies at each node in the task graph showing robust recovery everywhere in the task. We also trigger multiple and repeated anomalies at each of the nodes of the task showing that the recovery system can consistently recover anywhere in the presence of strong and pervasive anomalous conditions. Robust recovery systems will be key enablers for long-term autonomy in robot systems. Supplemental information including videos, code, and result analysis can be found at [1].
Evaluation of hybrid inverse planning and optimization (HIPO) algorithm for optimization in real‐time, high‐dose‐rate (HDR) brachytherapy for prostate

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the HIPO planning and optimization algorithm for real‐time prostate HDR brachytherapy. This study consists of 20 patients who underwent ultrasound‐based real‐time HDR brachytherapy of the prostate using the treatment planning system called Oncentra Prostate (SWIFT version 3.0). The treatment plans for all patients were optimized using inverse dose‐volume histogram–based optimization followed by graphical optimization (GRO) in real time. The GRO is manual manipulation of isodose lines slice by slice. The quality of the plan heavily depends on planner expertise and experience. The data for all patients were retrieved later, and treatment plans were created and optimized using HIPO algorithm with the same set of dose constraints, number of catheters, and set of contours as in the real‐time optimization algorithm. The HIPO algorithm is a hybrid because it combines both stochastic and deterministic algorithms. The stochastic algorithm, called simulated annealing, searches the optimal catheter distributions for a given set of dose objectives. The deterministic algorithm, called dose‐volume histogram–based optimization (DVHO), optimizes three‐dimensional dose distribution quickly by moving straight downhill once it is in the advantageous region of the search space given by the stochastic algorithm. The PTV receiving 100% of the prescription dose (V100) was 97.56% and 95.38% with GRO and HIPO, respectively. The mean dose (Dmean) and minimum dose to 10% volume (D10) for the urethra, rectum, and bladder were all statistically lower with HIPO compared to GRO using the student pair t‐test at 5% significance level. HIPO can provide treatment plans with comparable target coverage to that of GRO with a reduction in dose to the critical structures. PACS number: 87.55. ‐X
Clinical validation of the normalized mutual information method for registration of CT and MR images in radiotherapy of brain tumors

Image registration integrates information from different imaging modalities and has the potential to improve determination of target volume in radiotherapy planning. This paper describes the implementation and validation of a 3D fully automated registration procedure in the process of radiotherapy treatment planning of brain tumors. Fifteen patients with various brain tumors received computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) brain imaging before the start of radiotherapy. First, the normalized mutual information (NMI) method was used for image registration. Registration accuracy was estimated by performing statistical analysis of coordinate differences between CT and MR anatomical landmarks along the x‐, y‐ and z‐axes. Second, a visual validation protocol was developed to validate the quality of individual registration solutions, and this protocol was tested in a series of 36 CT‐MR registration procedures with intentionally applied registration errors. The mean coordinate differences between CT and MR landmarks along the x‐ and y‐axes were in general within 0.5 mm. The mean coordinate differences along the z‐axis were within 1.0 mm, which is of the same magnitude as the applied slice thickness in scanning. In addition, the detection of intentionally applied registration errors by employment of a standardized visual validation protocol resulted in low false‐negative and low false‐positive rates. Application of the NMI method for the brain results in excellent automatic registration accuracy, and the method has been incorporated into the daily routine at our institution. A standardized validation protocol ensures the quality of individual registrations by detecting registration errors with high sensitivity and specificity. This protocol is proposed for the validation of other linear registration methods. PACS numbers: 87.53. Xd, 87.57. Gg
Image Reconstruction with Burst of Low-Light Photography

Inspired by the Google HDR+ paper published in 2016[1], in this project, we implemented a thorough pipeline staring from a bursts of raw Bayer pattern photos with constant low exposure time taken from the Google HDR+ dataset[3] into a finely displayed high dynamic range(HDR) image. We give detailed descriptions of the algorithms we use in every stage of our pipeline and show the resulting images we get from each stage. We analyze the resulting images and present our analysis. We conclude that our pipeline is performing a good job in restoring natural color and enough details of the image. Due to the time limit, we also have some limitations and future work.
Associations between adolescent risk for restrictive disordered eating and long‐term outcomes related to somatic symptoms, body mass index, and poor well‐being

OBJECTIVE To date, no longitudinal, community-based studies have examined the association between disordered eating emerging in adolescence and long-term physical well-being. This study sought to explore the longitudinal associations between risk for restrictive disordered eating (DE-R; those not presenting with binge-purge symptoms) in adolescence and trajectories of functional somatic symptoms (FSS) and body mass index (BMI), and several indicators of poor physical well-being across early- to mid-adulthood, including medication, number of doctor visits, and sick leave. DESIGN Data were obtained from the Northern Swedish Cohort Study (N = 1,001), a prospective longitudinal study including four time points from age 16 to 42 years. METHODS A cumulative measure of DE-R risk was computed. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify subpopulation trajectories of FSS and BMI. The three-step method for auxiliary variables and logistic regressions were used to assess associations between DE-R and the trajectory classes as well as indicators of poor physical well-being. RESULTS Three trajectories were identified for FSS. A gender by BMI interaction led to a classification of four BMI trajectories in men, but three in women. The presence of DE-R risk in adolescence increased odds of unfavourable FSS development, increasing BMI in women, and continually low BMI in men. Indicators of poor physical well-being at ages 21, 30, and 42 years were associated with DE-R risk in adolescence. CONCLUSIONS Data spanning nearly three decades suggest that physical well-being impairment is related to DE-R risk measured earlier in life, underscoring the urgency for targeted, gender-sensitive preventive interventions for teenagers. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Disordered eating is linked to poor physical and mental well-being and quality of life. No longitudinal studies have examined long-term physical well-being consequences of adolescent disordered eating risk. What does this study add? Non-purging disordered eating symptoms in adolescence predict adverse physical well-being outcomes in middle-aged men and women. Targeted interventions and preventative work during adolescence are needed.
Development of Nanosized Semiconductor-Polymer Composites

Nanosized semiconductors/polymer composite materials possess some novel optical,electronic,magnetic and catalytic properties.The polymers have been exployed as both steric stabilizers and passivating agents.The nanosized semiconductor could enhance the emission efficiency of the EL polymer.The multilayer heterostructures based on nanosized semiconductor and an EL polymer could increase the efficiency and lifetime of the device,and especially,could make it possible to design a dual function hybrid devices.
Computational Prediction of the Heterodimeric and Higher-Order Structure of gpE1/gpE2 Envelope Glycoproteins Encoded by Hepatitis C Virus

ABSTRACT Despite the recent success of newly developed direct-acting antivirals against hepatitis C, the disease continues to be a global health threat due to the lack of diagnosis of most carriers and the high cost of treatment. The heterodimer formed by glycoproteins E1 and E2 within the hepatitis C virus (HCV) lipid envelope is a potential vaccine candidate and antiviral target. While the structure of E1/E2 has not yet been resolved, partial crystal structures of the E1 and E2 ectodomains have been determined. The unresolved parts of the structure are within the realm of what can be modeled with current computational modeling tools. Furthermore, a variety of additional experimental data is available to support computational predictions of E1/E2 structure, such as data from antibody binding studies, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), mutational analyses, peptide binding analysis, linker-scanning mutagenesis, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies. In accordance with these rich experimental data, we have built an in silico model of the full-length E1/E2 heterodimer. Our model supports that E1/E2 assembles into a trimer, which was previously suggested from a study by Falson and coworkers (P. Falson, B. Bartosch, K. Alsaleh, B. A. Tews, A. Loquet, Y. Ciczora, L. Riva, C. Montigny, C. Montpellier, G. Duverlie, E. I. Pecheur, M. le Maire, F. L. Cosset, J. Dubuisson, and F. Penin, J. Virol. 89:10333–10346, 2015, https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00991-15 ). Size exclusion chromatography and Western blotting data obtained by using purified recombinant E1/E2 support our hypothesis. Our model suggests that during virus assembly, the trimer of E1/E2 may be further assembled into a pentamer, with 12 pentamers comprising a single HCV virion. We anticipate that this new model will provide a useful framework for HCV envelope structure and the development of antiviral strategies. IMPORTANCE One hundred fifty million people have been estimated to be infected with hepatitis C virus, and many more are at risk for infection. A better understanding of the structure of the HCV envelope, which is responsible for attachment and fusion, could aid in the development of a vaccine and/or new treatments for this disease. We draw upon computational techniques to predict a full-length model of the E1/E2 heterodimer based on the partial crystal structures of the envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2. E1/E2 has been widely studied experimentally, and this provides valuable data, which has assisted us in our modeling. Our proposed structure is used to suggest the organization of the HCV envelope. We also present new experimental data from size exclusion chromatography that support our computational prediction of a trimeric oligomeric state of E1/E2.
RNA Levels and Activity of FLOWERING LOCUS C Are Modified in Mixed Genetic Backgrounds of Arabidopsis thaliana

Flowering time and FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) RNA levels were analyzed in different accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana and in mixed genetic backgrounds resulting from crosses between accessions. Dominant alleles of FRIGIDA (FRI) promote accumulation of FLC RNA, which in turn promotes late flowering. Although the coding regions of sequenced FLC alleles are identical, some accessions have genetically weak alleles that do not promote late flowering in the presence of FRI. In this study, a new weak allele of FLC with open reading frame identity to previously sequenced alleles was isolated from a Niederzenz (Nd) accession. The FLC‐Nd allele accumulated less RNA in the presence of FRI than did the strong Columbia (Col) allele. The weak FLC‐Nd allele was semidominant in the mixed Nd/Col genetic background containing FRI, and a linear correlation between the level of FLC RNA and lateness of flowering was observed. However, late‐flowering transgressions with elevated levels of FLC RNA in the absence of FRI were also obtained from crosses between early‐flowering accessions Col and Nd. Moreover, compared to Nd, the weak Landsberg erecta (Ler) allele of FLC was recessive and not semidominant in the mixed Ler/Col genetic background. However, very early‐flowering transgressions lacking detectable FLC RNA were also obtained from crosses between FRI containing Col and Ler. The results indicate that modifier genes other than FRI influence the level and genetic activity of FLC RNA in different genetic backgrounds resulting from crosses between naturally occurring accessions of A. thaliana.