Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lowering the percolation threshold of conductive composites using particulate polymer microstructure

The percolation thresholds of carbon black–polymer composites have been successfully lowered using particulate polymer starting materials (i.e., latex and water-dispersible powder). Composites prepared using carbon black (CB) and commercial poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) latex exhibit a percolation threshold near 2.5 vol % CB. This threshold value is significantly lower than that of a comparable reference composite made from poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PNVP) solution and the same CB, which exhibits a sharp rise in electrical conductivity near 15 vol % CB. This dramatic difference in critical CB concentration results from the segregated microstructure induced by the latex during composite film formation. Carbon black particles are forced into conductive pathways at low concentration because of their inability to occupy volume already claimed by the much larger latex particles. There appears to be good qualitative agreement between experimental findings and current models dealing with conductive behavior of composites with segregated microstructures. Lack of quantitative agreement with the models is attributed to the polydispersity of the polymer particles in the latex. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 692–705, 2001
miRNA Profiling: How to Bypass the Current Difficulties in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Sarcomas

Sarcomas are divided into a group with specific alterations and a second presenting a complex karyotype, sometimes difficult to diagnose or with few therapeutic options available. We assessed if miRNA profiling by TaqMan low density arrays could predict the response of undifferentiated rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and osteosarcoma to treatment. We showed that miRNA signatures in response to a therapeutic agent (chemotherapy or the mTOR inhibitor RAD-001) were cell and drug specific on cell lines and a rat osteosarcoma model. This miRNA signature was related to cell or tumour sensitivity to this treatment and might be not due to chromosomal aberrations, as revealed by a CGH array analysis of rat tumours. Strikingly, miRNA profiling gave promising results for patient rhabdomyosarcoma, discriminating all types of RMS: (Pax+) or undifferentiated alveolar RMS as well as embryonal RMS. As highlighted by these results, miRNA profiling emerges as a potent molecular diagnostic tool for complex karyotype sarcomas.
Analytical Performance of QMS Everolimus Assay on Ortho Vitros 5,1 FS Fusion Analyzer: Measuring Everolimus Trough Levels for Solid Organ Transplant Recipients

Background: Everolimus has recently been approved by Food and Drug Administration for graft maintenance in liver transplant recipients. This drug has a narrow therapeutic index and benefits from close blood level monitoring. Currently, in the United States, the Thermo Fisher Scientific Quantitative Microsphere System (QMS) Everolimus Immunoassay is the only Food and Drug Administration–cleared immunoassay for monitoring everolimus in renal transplant recipients. However, studies on this assay adapted to the Ortho Vitros 5,1 FS chemistry analyzer have not been published, and data of this assay applied to monitoring drug levels in liver transplant recipients are limited. Here, the authors evaluated and validated the QMS everolimus assay on the Vitros analyzer and its application to supporting the immunosuppressant management of mainly liver transplant recipients. Methods: The analysis was performed according to the QMS assay package insert. The method was compared with a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method from a reference laboratory using a total of 34 samples from 1 double lung and liver, 8 liver, and 3 kidney recipients. The method comparison was assessed by Deming regression. Proficiency test materials issued by Everolimus TDM Proficiency Support Program were tested and compared with the peer group results of using the QMS kits. Results: The assay was linear in the range of 0.75–20.0 ng/mL. Limit of detection was 0.70 ng/mL and lower limit of quantitation was 0.75 ng/mL. Within-day and between-day (20 days) coefficients of variation were between 3.1% and 16.5% at mean levels of 5.3, 12.0, and 17.2 ng/mL, respectively. We obtained a Deming regression of y = 1.271 − 0.666 (r2 = 0.880) when comparing with the liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method. Conclusions: The authors concluded that the analytical performance of the QMS everolimus immunoassay by the Vitros 5,1 FS analyzer was satisfactory for monitoring drug levels of solid organ transplant patients.
Novel Discontinuous PWM Method of a Three-Level Inverter for Neutral-Point Voltage Ripple Reduction

A new pulsewidth modulation (PWM) strategy which is an alternative approach of the discontinuous PWM (DPWM) for a three-level neutral-point-clamped (NPC) inverter is proposed in this paper. A three-level NPC inverter is completely mature and very well-established topology in high-power applications. However, the three-level NPC inverter has an inheritance problem of the neutral-point voltage unbalancing due to the split dc-link capacitors. This structure can cause large neutral-point voltage ripple. Furthermore, output currents of the three-level NPC inverter are distorted by the neutral-point voltage ripple. Therefore, the neutral-point voltage must be controlled. In this paper, a new DPWM method using two different offsets for the neutral-point ripple reduction is proposed and the effectiveness of the proposed DPWM method is verified by using the simulation and the experimental results.
Finding Optimal Solutions to Rubik's Cube Using Pattern Databases

We have found the first optimal solutions to random instances of Rubik's Cube. The median optimal solution length appears to be 18 moves. The algorithm used is iterative-deepening-A* (IDA*), with a lower-bound heuristic function based on large memory-based lookup tables, or "pattern databases" (Culberson and Schaeffer 1996). These tables store the exact number of moves required to solve various subgoals of the problem, in this case subsets of the individual movable cubies. We characterize the effectiveness of an admissible heuristic function by its expected value, and hypothesize that the overall performance of the program obeys a relation in which the product of the time and space used equals the size of the state space. Thus, the speed of the program increases linearly with the amount of memory available. As computer memories become larger and cheaper, we believe that this approach will become increasingly cost-effective.
Quantum Mechanics Helps in Searching for a Needle in a Haystack

Quantum mechanics can speed up a range of search applications over unsorted data. For example, imagine a phone directory containing $N$ names arranged in completely random order. To find someone's phone number with a probability of 50%, any classical algorithm (whether deterministic or probabilistic) will need to access the database a minimum of $0.5N$ times. Quantum mechanical systems can be in a superposition of states and simultaneously examine multiple names. By properly adjusting the phases of various operations, successful computations reinforce each other while others interfere randomly. As a result, the desired phone number can be obtained in only $O(\sqrt{N})$ accesses to the database.
The colour-based Autonomous File Extraction Rover

The Autonomous File Extraction Rover mobile robot, using NXT 2.0, is presented. A novel proposition is made that millions of file items can be uniquely searched, retrieved or sorted based on their unique colour when both the RGB and HSL colorspaces are used to widen the scope of the object recognition capability of the robotic system, through advanced colour identification devices. Object perception and identification using the NXT RGB colour system is used as a sample demonstration. The agent can search, retrieve and sort using a set of colour sensors, ultrasonic sensor, touch sensor, three servor motors and programmed using the interactive NXT-G programming language. This project involves with an extensive robot construction works with varied algorithms such as path planning, object detection and navigation. The agent is able to search, sort, grab and release items based on the instruction it has received in a highly-controlled environment but requires improvement when operational commercially.
Fast approximation algorithms for the diameter and radius of sparse graphs

The diameter and the radius of a graph are fundamental topological parameters that have many important practical applications in real world networks. The fastest combinatorial algorithm for both parameters works by solving the all-pairs shortest paths problem (APSP) and has a running time of ~O(mn) in m-edge, n-node graphs. In a seminal paper, Aingworth, Chekuri, Indyk and Motwani [SODA'96 and SICOMP'99] presented an algorithm that computes in ~O(m√ n + n2) time an estimate D for the diameter D, such that ⌊ 2/3 D ⌋ ≤ ^D ≤ D. Their paper spawned a long line of research on approximate APSP. For the specific problem of diameter approximation, however, no improvement has been achieved in over 15 years. Our paper presents the first improvement over the diameter approximation algorithm of Aingworth et. al, producing an algorithm with the same estimate but with an expected running time of ~O(m√ n). We thus show that for all sparse enough graphs, the diameter can be 3/2-approximated in o(n2) time. Our algorithm is obtained using a surprisingly simple method of neighborhood depth estimation that is strong enough to also approximate, in the same running time, the radius and more generally, all of the eccentricities, i.e. for every node the distance to its furthest node. We also provide strong evidence that our diameter approximation result may be hard to improve. We show that if for some constant ε>0 there is an O(m2-ε) time (3/2-ε)-approximation algorithm for the diameter of undirected unweighted graphs, then there is an O*( (2-δ)n) time algorithm for CNF-SAT on n variables for constant δ>0, and the strong exponential time hypothesis of [Impagliazzo, Paturi, Zane JCSS'01] is false. Motivated by this negative result, we give several improved diameter approximation algorithms for special cases. We show for instance that for unweighted graphs of constant diameter D not divisible by 3, there is an O(m2-ε) time algorithm that gives a (3/2-ε) approximation for constant ε>0. This is interesting since the diameter approximation problem is hardest to solve for small D.
Parametric Correspondence and Chamfer Matching: Two New Techniques for Image Matching

Parametric correspondence is a technique for matching images to a three dimensional symbolic reference map. An analytic camera model is used to predict the location and appearance of landmarks in the image, generating a projection for an assumed viewpoint. Correspondence is achieved by adjusting the parameters of the camera model until the appearances of the landmarks optimally match a symbolic description extracted from the image. The matching of image and map features is performed rapidly by a new technique, called "chamfer matching", that compares the shapes of two collections of shape fragments, at a cost proportional to linear dimension, rather than area. These two techniques permit the matching of spatially extensive features on the basis of shape, which reduces the risk of ambiguous matches and the dependence on viewing conditions inherent in conventional image based correlation matching.
Simulating BDI-Based Wireless Sensor Networks

``Autonomic systems'' merge advancements in the field of multi-agent software design, dynamic analysis, and decentralized control in order to assist designers in constructing complex distributed systems. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) represent such systems, and may benefit from autonomic system designs that target distributed nodes in diverse and changing environments that interact over a wireless communication channel for decentralized problem solving. Multi-agent system techniques have been recently applied to WSN's; however, due to hardware limitations nodes (agents) are not fully deliberative (or strong) reasoning systems. Since hardware increases rapidly it is expected that such systems may eventually be viable. In this paper we provide a generic, extensible, and deliberative simulator for testing interactions in autonomous WSN's. The belief, desire, intention (BDI) agent model of Rao is used, as well as the Agentspeak language, and the Jason framework. Results from two simple WSN test scenarios show how (simulated) BDI agents might perform basic WSN functions.
Ubiquitinated Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) Function Is Modulated during DNA Damage-induced Cell Death and Survival*

Background: Modulation of histone deacetylase function is crucial for DNA damage-induced cell death and survival. The mechanism of histone deacetylase regulation is poorly understood. Results: Ubiquitination and de-ubiquitination influence sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) histone deacetylase function during DNA damage-induced cell responses. Conclusion: Sirtuin function requires DNA damage-induced SIRT1 ubiquitination. Significance: SIRT1 ubiquitination is a crucial mechanism regulating cell death and survival. Downstream signaling of physiological and pathological cell responses depends on post-translational modification such as ubiquitination. The mechanisms regulating downstream DNA damage response (DDR) signaling are not completely elucidated. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), the founding member of Class III histone deacetylases, regulates multiple steps in DDR and is closely associated with many physiological and pathological processes. However, the role of post-translational modification or ubiquitination of SIRT1 during DDR is unclear. We show that SIRT1 is dynamically and distinctly ubiquitinated in response to DNA damage. SIRT1 was ubiquitinated by the MDM2 E3 ligase in vitro and in vivo. SIRT1 ubiquitination under normal conditions had no effect on its enzymatic activity or rate of degradation; hypo-ubiquitination, however, reduced SIRT1 nuclear localization. Ubiquitination of SIRT1 affected its function in cell death and survival in response to DNA damage. Our results suggest that ubiquitination is required for SIRT1 function during DDR.
Ocean Surface Modeling in Vary Wind Field

In ocean surface modeling a popular method of wave modeling is making use of ocean wave spectrum, which is a physical wave model and based on linear wave theories. The ocean waves produced in this way can reflect the statistical characteristics of the real ocean well. However, few investigations of ocean simulation have been focused on turbulent fluid under vary wind field in this way, while all ocean wave models are built with the same wind parameters. In order to resolve the problem of traditional method, we proposed a new method of dividing the ocean surface into regular grids and generating wave models with different parameters of wind in different location of view scope. The method not only preserves the fidelity of statistical characteristics, but also can be accelerated with the processing of GPU and widely used in VR applications.
Automated control design for a piecewise-affine approximation of a class of nonlinear systems

This paper establishes a framework to automate the generation of a piecewise-affine approximation for a class of nonlinear systems. The results enable a completely automated procedure for designing an output feedback controller using a method described previously. To perform the piecewise-affine approximation it is assumed that a uniform rectangular grid is provided for the domain of the nonlinearity. Given this grid, there are three basic steps of the algorithm presented in this paper. First, a simplicial partition of the grid is found that provides a partition of the entire state space into polytopic cells. Then, the piecewise-affine approximation of the nonlinearity within each cell of the partition is derived. Finally, a polytopic description of the cells and a parametric description of the boundaries between cells is created. Each cell of the partition will have a closed loop equilibrium at a point that must be specified. This paper presents an optimization objective that can be used to automate the selection of these equilibrium points. All steps in this process axe completely automated, which represents a key step in the development of control synthesis tools for piecewise-affine approximations of nonlinear systems.
Cell-mediated immunity to human CMV infection: a brief overview

The cellular immune response to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has different components originating from both the adaptive and innate immune systems. There is a significant global interest in understanding how the immune system keeps HCMV under control, in particular with a view to situations where HCMV infection causes severe damage. Such settings include HIV infection, transplantation, and maybe most importantly perinatal medicine, HCMV being a major cause of sometimes catastrophic birth defects. The development of an active HCMV vaccine has proven very difficult but some recent successes raise hope that this might be available in the future. However, adoptive transfer of HCMV-specific T cells has been successfully used to prevent CMV disease after bone marrow transplantation for many years. In fact, the CD8 T cell response has been thought to be the most important effector response, with numerous reports focusing on specific T cell subsets recognizing select peptides in select human leukocyte antigen (HLA) contexts. However, it is becoming increasingly clear now that other cells, first and foremost CD4 T cells, but also gamma/delta (γ/δ) T cells and natural killer cells, are critically involved in the cellular immune response to HCMV. This commentary aims to provide a brief overview of the field.
The Impact of Unionization on Establishment Closure: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis of Representation Elections

Using data on more than 27,000 establishments (1983-1999) in the United States, this paper produces estimates of the causal effect of unionization of employer closure by exploiting the fact that most employers become 'unionized' as a partial consequence of a secret ballot election among the workers. If employers where unions barely won the election (e.g. by one vote) are ex ante comparable in all other ways to employers where unions barely lost (by one vote), differences in their subsequent outcomes should represent the true impact of union recognition. The regression discontinuity analysis finds little or no union effect on short- and long-run employer survival rates over 1- to 18-year horizons. We thus conclude that evidence of large effects of unions would more likely be found 1) along the within-employer (intensive margin) of employment and/or 2) in analyses of union threat effects.
Condylar Positioning in Sagittal Split Ramus Osteotomy by the Triangle Method

Background:Several methods for maintaining the preoperative condyle position after mandibular ramus surgery have been suggested. But when applied, those have been proven to be uncomfortable and less practical; hence, maintaining preoperative condyle position has mainly relied on the operator's personal experience. Patients and Method:We developed a new technique on the basis of the triangle's principle (namely the triangle method) for positioning of the condyle and applied it to 72 patients with sagittal split ramus osteotomy. We followed them for an average of 24.4 months. Results:None of the patients who were operated on using the triangle method had postoperative temporomandibular joint problems or relapses related to inappropriate temporomandibular joint position. Conclusion:The triangle method for condylar positioning in the mandibular ramus osteotomy is a simple, reliable, cheap, and easy-to-learn tool for condylar positioning.
Spontaneous neutrophil apoptosis and regulation of cell survival by granulocyte macrophage‐colony stimulating factor

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs or neutrophils) are the most prominent cellular component of the innate immune system in humans and produce an array of potent cytotoxic molecules. It is important that neutrophils undergo constitutive (spontaneous) apoptosis as a mechanism to facilitate normal cell turnover and immune system homeostasis. Conversely, several proinflammatory cytokines, including granulocyte macrophage‐colony stimulating factor (GM‐CSF), prolong neutrophil survival. The molecular mechanisms that regulate PMN apoptosis or survival remain incompletely defined. To that end, we compared global gene expression in human neutrophils during spontaneous apoptosis with that in cells cultured with human GM‐CSF. Genes encoding proteins that inhibit apoptosis, such as myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1, caspase 8 and Fas‐associated via death domain‐like apoptosis regulator (CFLAR), B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia/lymphoma 2 (BCL2)/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa‐interacting protein 2 (BNIP2), and serum/glucocorticoid‐regulated kinase (SGK), were down‐regulated coincident with neutrophil apoptosis. In contrast, those encoding apoptosis inhibitor 5, BCL2‐like 1, BNIP2, CFLAR, SGK, and tumor necrosis factor α‐induced protein 8 were up‐regulated in PMNs cultured with GM‐CSF. Correspondingly, GM‐CSF delayed PMN apoptosis (P<0.03), increased cell viability (P<0.03), and prolonged neutrophil phagocytic capacity (P<0.05). Prolonged functional capacity was paralleled by striking up‐regulation of proinflammatory genes and proteins, including CD14, CD24, CD66, and human leukocyte antigen‐DR. In addition, expression of SGK protein diminished during PMN apoptosis but was restored by culture with GM‐CSF, suggesting SGK is involved in leukocyte survival. These studies provide a global view of the molecular events that regulate neutrophil survival and apoptosis.
Cloning and Analysis of the Planosporicin Lantibiotic Biosynthetic Gene Cluster of Planomonospora alba

ABSTRACT The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens has renewed focus on natural products with antimicrobial properties. Lantibiotics are ribosomally synthesized peptide antibiotics that are posttranslationally modified to introduce (methyl)lanthionine bridges. Actinomycetes are renowned for their ability to produce a large variety of antibiotics, many with clinical applications, but are known to make only a few lantibiotics. One such compound is planosporicin produced by Planomonospora alba, which inhibits cell wall biosynthesis in Gram-positive pathogens. Planosporicin is a type AI lantibiotic structurally similar to those which bind lipid II, the immediate precursor for cell wall biosynthesis. The gene cluster responsible for planosporicin biosynthesis was identified by genome mining and subsequently isolated from a P. alba cosmid library. A minimal cluster of 15 genes sufficient for planosporicin production was defined by heterologous expression in Nonomuraea sp. strain ATCC 39727, while deletion of the gene encoding the precursor peptide from P. alba, which abolished planosporicin production, was also used to confirm the identity of the gene cluster. Deletion of genes encoding likely biosynthetic enzymes identified through bioinformatic analysis revealed that they, too, are essential for planosporicin production in the native host. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) analysis indicated that the planosporicin gene cluster is transcribed in three operons. Expression of one of these, pspEF, which encodes an ABC transporter, in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) conferred some degree of planosporicin resistance on the heterologous host. The inability to delete these genes from P. alba suggests that they play an essential role in immunity in the natural producer.