Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles adsorbed with cisplatin for biomedical applications

The aim of this study was to characterize the behaviour of cisplatin adsorbed magnetic nanoparticles (cis-MNPs) for minimal invasive cancer treatments in preliminary in vitro investigations. Cisplatin was adsorbed to magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) by simple incubation. For stability determinations, cis-MNPs were incubated in dH2O, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and fetal calf serum (FCS) at 4–121 °C up to 20 weeks. Hydrodynamic diameters were measured using laser diffraction. The extent of cisplatin linkage was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The magnetite core size was assessed by vibrating sample magnetometry and transmission electron microscopy. The specific loss power (SLP) was measured in an alternating magnetic field. Our results showed that a maximum of 10.3 ± 1.6 (dH2O), 10 ± 1.6 (PBS) and 13.4 ± 2.2 (FCS) mg cisplatin g−1 Fe could be adsorbed to MNPs. With hyperthermal (42 °C) or thermal ablative (60 °C) temperatures, used for therapeutic approaches, cisplatin did not desorb from cis-MNPs in dH2O during incubation times of 180 or 30 min, respectively. In PBS and FCS, cisplatin amounts adsorbed to MNPs decreased rapidly to approximately 50% and 25% at these temperatures. This cisplatin release will be necessary for successful chemotherapeutic activity and should increase the therapeutic effect of magnetic heating treatment in medicinal applications. The hydrodynamic diameters of MNPs or cis-MNPs were around 70 nm and magnetization data showed superparamagnetic behaviour. The obtained mean core diameter was around 12 nm. The SLP of the sample was calculated to be 75.5 ± 1.6 W g−1. In conclusion, cis-MNPs exhibit advantageous features for a facilitated desorption of cisplatin in biological media and the heating potential is adequate for hyperthermic treatments. Therefore, even though further detailed investigations are still necessary, tentative use in local tumour therapies aiming at a specific chemotherapeutic release in combination with magnetic heating seems to be feasible in the long term.
Application experience of intraoperative neuromonitoring in thyroidectomy.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to summarize the experience of intraoperative neuromonitoring system for monitoring and protection of recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery. METHODS There were 220 cases in this study, male 53, female 167, mean age 38.2 years old. 85 cases in the study had thyroid cancer, 19 cases had thyroid benign tumor, 90 cases had thyroid goiter, 3 cases had Hashimoto's diseases, and 23 cases had hyperthyroidism. The tumor diameters were over than 5 cm in 113 cases. In the procedure, two recording needle electrodes were put into cricothyroid muscle; one stimulator electrodes was explored in tracheo-asophageal groove, if recurrent laryngeal nerves were right there or near, doctors could see the electromyogram and hear the toot honk. With careful dissection, recurrent laryngeal nerve could be found out till explored into the larynx site. RESULTS 207 cases (278 sizes) of 220 were finished, electromyogram was not drawn out in 13 cases; 9 cases were false-negative because of system and anesthesia questions; needle electrodes cannot be put in properly in 4 cases because of cricothyroid muscle cancer invasion. No permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis occurred, 2 cases with transient nerve paralysis recovered in one month. CONCLUSION The intraoperative neuromonitoring system can avoid damage of the recurrent laryngeal nerves when exposing the recurrent laryngeal nerve in the whole operation, therefore, with less medical complications.
Addressing Inequality And Poverty With Tax Instruments

There is a consensus, in both academia and economic policy circles, that the reform of the personal income tax system in Serbia is necessary one. Two frequently discussed reform scenarios are East European style flat tax and the comprehensive income tax model of Western Europe. Most Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have recently reformed their income tax systems by introducing some form of flat tax scheme, while in numerous countries of Western Europe the possibility of flat tax reform is also seriously considered. Opponents of the reform usually stress the adverse distributional effects of flat tax schemes. The aim of our paper is to contribute to the empirical literature on the distributional effects of alternative tax reform scenarios. The analysis is based on the tax and benefit micro-simulation model for Serbia (SRMOD). The results suggest that redesigning the existing income tax system so as to introduce a uniform tax rate and increase the basic allowance would somewhat reduce inequality and improve vertical inequity in taxation. On the other hand, in the case of the introduction of comprehensive income tax, considerably larger equalizing and progressivity effects would be achieved. At the same time, since in both cases redistribution will not affect the bottom decile group, no significant effects (in either cases) on poverty reduction will be achieved.
Dynamic electrochemistry: methodology and application.

Revue bibliographique de 1983 a 1985 classee suivant: livres, transfert de masse, detecteurs, cinetique, effets de surface, electrodes modifiees chimiquement, voltammetrie analytique, caracterisation des systemes redox, bioelectrochimie, spectroelectrochimie, appareillage
2D Observer-Based Control of a Vascular Microrobot

The paper addresses the 2D observer-based control of a magnetic microrobot navigating in a cylindrical blood vessel along a reference trajectory. In particular, this robot faces the nonlinear drag force induced by the pulsatile blood flow, which can hardly be measured. We consequently propose a mean value theorem (MVT) based observer to estimate the blood velocity from the sole measurement of the robot position. We also prove the stability of the observer-based backstepping controller. The resulting estimation and tracking are then illustrated through simulations, as well as robustness to parametric uncertainty, measurement noise, and dynamical errors when the pulsatile blood flow is incorrectly modeled.
A Holistic SDN-Capable Session-Plane Tailored for Efficient IoMT Smart Surveillance Applications

The Internet of Multimedia Things (IoMT) is aimed at supporting innovative Smart Surveillance applications, such as intelligent transportation, smart health, smart grid, and public security, among others, in the Future Internet. These applications explore ultimate techniques to collect and process a large amount of video/audio data generated by billions of devices, such as cameras, smartphones, microphones and home appliances, in the Internet of Everything (IoE). However, typical networking solutions based on unicast/IP multicast are limited, in terms of performance and scalability, to Smart Surveillance in large-scale IoMT environments. We address these limitations by proposing SCORPIO, an SDN COntRol Plane which provides efficient multipart multimedia data sessions for Smart Surveillance applications in the Future Internet. SCORPIO exploits OpenFlow to dynamically map a multipart session into a group-based dataplane path for content exchange between multiple interested applications and groups of IoMT devices. Evaluations of SCORPIO in scenarios with Smart Surveillance traffic show its superior throughput, and lower packet loss and delay.
The Effects of Debt Contracting on Voluntary Accounting Method Changes

This study examines whether the provisions of a firm's bank debt contracts affect its accounting choices. Starting with a sample of firms who have bank debt and who also voluntarily changed accounting methods, we investigate whether the likelihood that the change in accounting method increased (rather than decreased) the borrower's income depends on (1) whether the change in accounting method affects the bank debt contract calculations, (2) the expected costs of violating the bank debt covenants, (3) whether performance pricing provisions affect the interest rate on the loan, and (4) whether the bank debt contract contains accounting‐based dividend restrictions. After controlling for other motives for changing accounting methods, we find that borrowers whose bank debt contracts allow accounting method changes to affect contact calculations are more likely to make income‐increasing rather than income‐decreasing changes. This increase in likelihood of an income‐increasing change is attenuated when expected .
Approche empirique des performances économiques et financières des exploitations installées aidées en Bretagne

L'objet de cette communication est d'evaluer la performance economique et financiere des exploitations installees et aidees, dans la phase de croissance des dix ans suivant l'installation, et d'analyser quels sont les facteurs qui influent sur cette performance. On s'interroge si certains types d'entreprises, ou certains systemes de productions sont plus exposes que d'autres a ces risques financiers. A l'aide d'un modele logit multinomial, plusieurs facteurs susceptibles d'influer, d'apres la litterature, sur le risque financier sont testes, parmi lesquels des facteurs structurels de long terme et des facteurs economiques et financiers de court ou moyen terme. Il apparait que les facteurs economiques sont des leviers susceptibles d'agir significativement a court terme sur le risque financier. Dans les facteurs structurels, les conditions de l'installation et le statut juridique de l'exploitation jouent significativement.
Improved Stone&#146;s Complexity Pursuit for Hyperspectral Imagery Unmixing

As a blind source separation (BSS) process, independent component analysis (ICA) has recently been used in hyperspectral imagery (HSI) unmixing. It models a "mixed" pixel as a linear mixture of the constituent (endmember) spectra weighted by the correspondent abundance fractions. However, the unmixing results of ICA are not satisfied. In this paper, a complexity based BSS algorithm called complexity pursuit is introduced. Compared to the other BSS techniques, this algorithm has two major advantages. First, it does not ignore signal structure. Second, the impact of noise can be largely reduced. In addition, an improved conjecture is proposed which makes complexity pursuit suitable for HSI unmixing. The experimental results show that complexity pursuit provides a promising approach to unmix HSI
Embracing sustainability: Information technology and the strategic leveraging of operations in third‐party logistics

Purpose – Resource‐based view proposes that possessing valuable, rare information technology (IT) resources that competitors cannot easily reproduce or replicate provides a competitive advantage, but mere ownership of such resources is no guarantee of competitiveness. There is a need also for a strategy paradigm that embraces the wider concerns of social and environmental sustainability as pressing issues of the twenty‐first century. “Operations‐as‐marketing” is a proven value‐chain based paradigm that calls for transforming operations from merely focusing on internal efficiency into a potent strategic marketing weapon, precisely targeted toward fulfilling customers' needs. Many leading companies have discovered latent economic benefits from adopting the tenets of corporate sustainability. By first establishing that corporate sustainability translates commercially into customer‐centric, lean productivity, the paper examines the potential mediating role of an “operations‐as‐marketing” strategy in framing IT investment decisions. Design/methodology/approach – The research uses path analysis, involving a sample of third‐party logistics (3PL) firms. Findings – Evidence supports the leading contention, thus outlining a customer‐centrism approach to enhancing the financial performance of 3PL firms. Research limitations/implications – The research demonstrates a proven decision‐making framework for guiding IT investments that can allow proactive nurturing of a competitive advantage. The main drawback is sample size, although established guidelines suggest adequacy and several diagnostics provided reassurance against any major statistical drawbacks. Practical implications – In the face of globalization and other social and environmental issues, the model suggests three key areas of focus for IT investments in proactively enhancing firm performance. It should prove a useful extension to existing strategy literature in the face of an impending paradigm shift. Originality/value – The paper makes two important contributions: it represents one of the first empirical studies to apply the “operations‐as‐marketing” paradigm to the strategic objectives of IT investment decisions, and it addresses a notable void in extant research by exploring a possible strategic link between IT and market orientation.
Promotional Culture: Advertising, Ideology and Symbolic Expression

Part 1 The imaged commodity: the imaging of commodities advertising as ideology recoding gender - the case of men recoding technology - the case of cars. Part 2 Generalized promption: advertising media and the vortex of publicity promotional politics the promotional university the promotional individual conclusion - beyond promotion? beyond exchange?
Attribute exclusion strategies in airline choice: accounting for exogenous information on decision maker processing strategies in models of discrete choice

We examine the impact of individual-specific information processing strategies (IPSs) on the inclusion/exclusion of attributes on the parameter estimates and behavioural outputs of models of discrete choice. Current practice assumes that individuals employ a homogenous IPS with regards to how they process attributes of stated choice (SC) experiments. We show how information collected exogenous of the SC experiment on whether respondents either ignored or considered each attribute may be used in the estimation process, and how such information provides outputs that are IPS segment specific. We contend that accounting the inclusion/exclusion of attributes will result in behaviourally richer population parameter estimates.
Differential Intracellular Signaling through PAC1 Isoforms as a Result of Alternative Splicing in the First Extracellular Domain and the Third Intracellular Loop

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), a pleiotropic neuropeptide, performs a variety of physiological functions. The PACAP-specific receptor PAC1 has several variants that result mainly from alternative splicing in the mRNA regions encoding the first extracellular (EC1) domain and the third intracellular cytoplasmic (IC3) loop. The effects on downstream signaling produced by combinations of alternative splicing events in the EC1 domain and IC3 loop have not yet been clarified. In this study, we have used semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to examine the tissue distributions of four PAC1 isoforms in mice. We then established cell lines constitutively expressing each of the PAC1 isoforms and characterized the binding properties of each isoform to PACAP-38, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and the PAC1-specific agonist maxadilan, as well as the resulting effects on two major intracellular signaling pathways: cAMP production and changes in the intracellular calcium concentration. The results demonstrate that the variants of the IC3 loop affect the binding affinity of the ligands for the receptor, whereas the variants of the EC1 domain primarily affect the intracellular signaling downstream of PAC1. Accordingly, this study indicates that the combination of alternative splicing events in the EC1 domain and the IC3 loop create a variety of PAC1 isoforms, which in turn may contribute to the functional pleiotropism of PACAP. This study not only contributes to the understanding of the multiple functions of PACAP but also helps to elucidate the relationship between the structures and functions of G-protein-coupled receptors.
Türkiye''de Gelir Dağılımı

Bu calisma Turkiye’deki son gelir dagilimi sonuclarini incelemektedir. Esas olarak Turkiye’de 1987 yilindan bu yana gelir dagiliminin ve gelirlerin nasil degistigi arastirilmistir. Dunya ulkelerini bu donemde kiyasladigimizda, genel olarak, gelir dagiliminda geliri en yuksek yuzde 20’lik kesimin lehine ve diger kesimlerin aleyhine bir bozulma yasandigini gormekteyiz. Turkiye bu donemde gelir dagiliminda bir bozulma yasamamis fakat reel gelirlerin zaman icerisinde degisimi incelendiginde, Turkiye’de ozellikle kentlerde yuksek reel gelir kaybi gerceklesmistir. Gelir dagilimi ve buyume arasindaki iliski ampirik olarak arastirilmis ve Turkiye’nin buyume politikasi icin egitime ayrilacak kaynaklarin en dogru kullanim oldugu ortaya cikmistir. Dogurganlik oranlari da egitime katilma oranlarinin yukselmesiyle duseceginden, egitim baslica hedef olmalidir.
Multiwave: Complex Hand Gesture Recognition Using the Doppler Effect

We built an acoustic, gesture-based recognition system called Multiwave, which leverages the Doppler Effect to translate multidimensional movements into user interface commands. Our system only requires the use of a speaker and microphone to be operational, but can be augmented with more speakers. Since these components are already included in most end user systems, our design makes gesture-based input more accessible to a wider range of end users. We are able to detect complex gestures by generating a known high frequency tone from multiple speakers and detecting movement using changes in the sound waves. We present the results of a user study of Multiwave to evaluate recognition rates for different gestures and report error rates comparable to or better than the current state of the art despite additional complexity. We also report subjective user feedback and some lessons learned from our system that provide additional insight for future applications of multidimensional acoustic gesture recognition.
Gaming Analysis in Joint Energy and Spinning Reserve Markets

This study concentrates on the strategic interaction among suppliers in a centralized market where electrical energy and spinning reserve are simultaneously traded. A bilevel optimization technique and a mathematical program with equilibrium constraints approach are utilized to develop optimal bidding strategy for competitive suppliers participating in these markets. The strategic behavior of each supplier is represented via a parameterized Supply Function Equilibria (SFE) model. Two versions of the parameterized SFE are considered. They are referred to as c-parameterization model (involving manipulation of the sole intercept) and (s,c)-parameterization model (involving arbitrarily manipulation of the slope and the intercept). A pay-as-bid pricing mechanism is assumed for settling the market and calculating the supplier profit from selling energy and spinning reserve services. A six-bus test system together with a number of case studies are used to illustrate the interaction between the energy and spinning reserve markets. Transmission limits and the supplier physical constraints are observed in this study. The extension of the method to include a multiperiod market with intertemporal constraints is discussed through numerical results.
Risks and Redistribution

Much of the disagreement in the debate about globalization and its present or absent effects on the welfare state stems from competing assumptions about the individual-level determinants of redistributional preferences. This article calls for and provides testing of these causal mechanisms at the individual level. Traditional accounts suggest that risks at the industry level are important determinants of redistributional preferences. This article argues that risks at the occupational level should also be considered. A comprehensive new data set is used to test whether and what types of risks in the labor market play an important role in shaping preferences. Statistical analyses of public opinion surveys (European Social Survey) show strong evidence for the assumed causal mechanism. Contrary to much of the literature, but in line with this article's claims, it is the occupational, rather than the industry level, that is most important. The article lays out implications of these findings.
Change data capture in NoSQL databases: A functional and performance comparison

Requirements for data storage and processing have reached new levels, with applications relying on the analysis of large amounts of data in order to support everyday life services to end users. Since the costs of maintaining and managing databases are significant, change data capture (CDC) techniques can be used to determine which parts of a data source have changed, and thus assist in the management of large volumes of data in data warehouses. In this paper we investigate a number of CDC techniques suitable for NoSQL databases. CDC techniques can be used to track modifications in a source database, which later can be made available to a target database. Our base system and testbed are based on Apache Cassandra, which is a NoSQL database that offers high performance and scalability. Cassandra is combined with a MapReduce framework, which is used to implement the logic of each CDC technique and is suitable for highly distributed and parallel computing. This paper also presents both a functional comparison of the different CDC techniques, as well as a performance evaluation in a real testbed.
Early effects of human papillomavirus vaccination in Belgium

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination has been reimbursed in Belgium since 2007 for girls (12–15 years), extended to girls up to 18 years in 2008. This study assesses the trend of HPV 16/18 infections in women less than 25 years of age participating in opportunistic cervical cancer screening. A significant reduction in the prevalence of HPV 16 [relative risk (RR)=0.61, 95% confidence interval=0.39–0.95] and a nonsignificant reduction in HPV 18 (RR=0.65, 95% confidence interval=0.29–1.48) was found in the youngest group (15–19 years). The prevalences in the older age group did not change significantly. These findings show the early effects of HPV vaccination and confirm the effectiveness of immunization in a real-life setting.
High-Efficiency Dual-Input Interleaved DC–DC Converter for Reversible Power Sources

This study develops a high-efficiency dual-input interleaved dc-dc converter for reversible power sources, e.g., reversible solid-oxide fuel cell and rechargeable battery. The proposed converter can convert low-voltage reversible power sources to a high-voltage dc bus individually or simultaneously by the phase-shift control, and also can step down the high-voltage dc bus to charge the power sources. Moreover, the reversible power sources can charge each other. According to various situations, the operational states of the proposed converter can be divided into four states including a single-input step-up state, a dual-input step-up state, a dual-output step-down state, and a dual power source step-up/step-down state. In addition, the inductors in the proposed converter are designed to operate in synchronous conduction mode for achieving turn-on zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) of all switches. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the designed circuit topology and the ZVS properties are verified by experimental results of a 5-kW-level prototype, and the goal of high-efficiency conversion can be obtained.
Surfactin: a novel mosquitocidal biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis ssp. subtilis (VCRC B471) and influence of abiotic factors on its pupicidal efficacy

Aim: The rpoB gene of the mosquito pupicidal isolate Bacillus subtilis (VCRC B471) was amplified to confirm the subspecies as subtilis. The mosquito pupicidal activity expressed by the biosurfactant surfactin is novel, and hence, the influence of abiotic factors like pH, temperature of water and sunlight on its efficacy was studied under laboratory conditions.