Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stearylamine Liposomal Delivery of Monensin in Combination with Free Artemisinin Eliminates Blood Stages of Plasmodium falciparum in Culture and P. berghei Infection in Murine Malaria

ABSTRACT The global emergence of drug resistance in malaria is impeding the therapeutic efficacy of existing antimalarial drugs. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop an efficient drug delivery system to circumvent drug resistance. The anticoccidial drug monensin, a carboxylic ionophore, has been shown to have antimalarial properties. Here, we developed a liposome-based drug delivery of monensin and evaluated its antimalarial activity in lipid formulations of soya phosphatidylcholine (SPC) cholesterol (Chol) containing either stearylamine (SA) or phosphatidic acid (PA) and different densities of distearoyl phosphatidylethanolamine-methoxy-polyethylene glycol 2000 (DSPE-mPEG-2000). These formulations were found to be more effective than a comparable dose of free monensin in Plasmodium falciparum (3D7) cultures and established mice models of Plasmodium berghei strains NK65 and ANKA. Parasite killing was determined by a radiolabeled [3H]hypoxanthine incorporation assay (in vitro) and microscopic counting of Giemsa-stained infected erythrocytes (in vivo). The enhancement of antimalarial activity was dependent on the liposomal lipid composition and preferential uptake by infected red blood cells (RBCs). The antiplasmodial activity of monensin in SA liposome (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50], 0.74 nM) and SPC:Chol-liposome with 5 mol% DSPE-mPEG 2000 (IC50, 0.39 nM) was superior to that of free monensin (IC50, 3.17 nM), without causing hemolysis of erythrocytes. Liposomes exhibited a spherical shape, with sizes ranging from 90 to 120 nm, as measured by dynamic light scattering and high-resolution electron microscopy. Monensin in long-circulating liposomes of stearylamine with 5 mol% DSPE-mPEG 2000 in combination with free artemisinin resulted in enhanced killing of parasites, prevented parasite recrudescence, and improved survival. This is the first report to demonstrate that monensin in PEGylated stearylamine (SA) liposome has therapeutic potential against malaria infections.
Planar Segments Based Three-dimensional Robotic Mapping in Outdoor Environments

This dissertation focuses on the problem of three-dimensional (3D) outdoor robotic mapping. Laser scanners are chosen as the primary sensors and a novel approach for scan registration based on planar segments is developed. Unlike most existing approaches, it does not require an a-priori pose estimation from other sensors such as odometers and inertial measurement units (IMUs). Instead, the transformation is determined globally by searching corresponding planar segments between overlapping scans. There are three steps in the approach: The first step is to segment each point cloud into planar segments. Depending on the clutter level of the environment and whether the point cloud is organized, four complementary strategies have been proposed, namely a point based, a subwindow based, a hybrid and a cached octree region growing algorithm. Among them, the former three are limited to organized point clouds; in addition, the second one is restricted to structured environments. Based on observations from field experiments, the hybrid/cached octree region growing algorithms are recommended for organized/unorganized point clouds. The second step is to calculate the area of each segment resulting from the first step. Again, segments from organized and unorganized point clouds are distinguished, where an alpha-shape based algorithm is proposed for unorganized point sets and a range-image based method is proposed for organized point sets, respectively. The third step is to find segment correspondences and compute the transformation based on matched segments. The correspondences are searched globally in order to maximize a spherical-correlation-like metric, wherein the search space is pruned by both self-similarity and interrelations (geometric constraints). The novelty of the search algorithm is that only the area and plane parameters of each segment are required. Four datasets acquired by scanners with different field of views have been used to evaluate the proposed approach: three are publicly available and one stems from our custom-built platform. Based on these datasets, the following evaluations have been done: segmentation speed-benchmarking, segment area calculation accuracy- and speed-benchmarking, and registration accuracy comparison with ground-truth. Also, the robustness of the approach with respect to occlusions and partial observations has been proven. The approach has been compared to the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) and Minimum Uncertainty Maximum Consensus (MUMC) algorithms; furthermore, it has been successfully extended to the domain of map merging. Experimental results confirm that the approach offers an alternative to state of the art algorithms in plane-rich environments.
Prediction of transient vibration response of dual-rotor-blade-casing system with blade off

Fan blade off occurring in a running rotor of the turbofan engine dual-rotor system will cause a sudden unbalance and inertia asymmetry, which results in large impact load and consequently induces the rubbing between blade and casing. In order to reveal the transient dynamic response characteristics of actual aero-engine when fan blade off event occurs, the dynamic model of dual-rotor-blade-casing system is developed, in which the distribution characteristics of the stiffness and mass, the load transfer, and the coupling effects of dual-rotor and casing are included. Considering several excitations caused by blade off, the physical process and mechanical characteristics of the fan blade off event are described qualitatively. Considering that only the casing acceleration signal can be used for condition monitoring in actual aero-engine, the transient response including rotor vibration displacement and casing vibration acceleration during the instantaneous status are obtained. Due to the time-varying and highly nonlinear characteristics of vibration responses, frequency slice wavelet transform is employed to isolate the vibration signal features. The results show that the impact load induced by the sudden imbalance causes significant increase of vibration amplitude. The rubbing action between blade and rotor will impose constraint effects on the rotor, which decreases the transient vibration amplitude. The inertia asymmetry has a big impact on the transient response. The vibration characteristics of casing acceleration under blade off are similar to those of rotor displacement, while casing acceleration response attenuates to stable value faster and is more sensitive to high-frequency components of vibration.
Massive model visualization using realtime ray tracing

In the last years real-time ray tracing has become an attractive alternative to rasterization based rendering, particularly for highly complex datasets including both surface and volume data. Ray tracing [7, 15] is a much more flexible rendering algorithm than triangle rasterization found in most of todays graphics cards. Employing it in a real-time context might at first sound a bit surprising as ray tracing is mostly known for its application in high-quality off-line image generation, as e.g. in the motion picture industry. Infamous for its long rendering times, ray tracing was not used for interactive purposes until recently [13, 14, 19]. What makes it attractive for massive model rendering is not only its simplicity and robustness, but especially its versatility.
Low-cost software-based self-testing of RISC processor cores

Software self-testing of embedded processor cores which effectively partitions the testing effort between low-speed external equipment and internal processor resources, has been recently proposed as an alternative to classical hardware built-in self-lest techniques over which it provides significant advantages. In this paper we present a low-cost software-based self-testing methodology for processor cores with the aim of producing compact test code sequences developed with a limited engineering effort and achieving a high fault coverage for the processor core. The objective of small test code sequences is directly related to the utilization of low-speed external testers since test time is primarily determined by the time required to download the lest code to the processor memory at the tester's low frequency. Successful application of the methodology to a RISC processor core architecture with a 3-stage pipeline is demonstrated.
A Relevant Technique of Hiding Information in an image using Shared Cryptography

Steganography is the art and science of hidden writing. The purpose of steganography is covert communication to hide the existence of a message from an intermediate attacker . This paper will discuss about pure steganographic technique, which does not require prior exchange of data like shared-keys. The proposed technique use a secure mask generation technique and the masking of original data repeatedly generate shares. These shares of secret data are embedded using an irreversible stegonographic technique in cover image called stego image, which is sent to receiver node.
Synaptopodin: An Actin-associated Protein in Telencephalic Dendrites and Renal Podocytes

Synaptopodin is an actin-associated protein of differentiated podocytes that also occurs as part of the actin cytoskeleton of postsynaptic densities (PSD) and associated dendritic spines in a subpopulation of exclusively telencephalic synapses. Amino acid sequences determined in purified rat kidney and forebrain synaptopodin and derived from human and mouse brain cDNA clones show no significant homology to any known protein. In particular, synaptopodin does not contain functional domains found in receptor-clustering PSD proteins. The open reading frame of synaptopodin encodes a polypeptide with a calculated Mr of 73.7 kD (human)/74.0 kD (mouse) and an isoelectric point of 9.38 (human)/9.27 (mouse). Synaptopodin contains a high amount of proline (∼20%) equally distributed along the protein, thus virtually excluding the formation of any globular domain. Sequence comparison between human and mouse synaptopodin revealed 84% identity at the protein level. In both brain and kidney, in vivo and in vitro, synaptopodin gene expression is differentiation dependent. During postnatal maturation of rat brain, synaptopodin is first detected by Western blot analysis at day 15 and reaches maximum expression in the adult animal. The exclusive synaptopodin synthesis in the telencephalon has been confirmed by in situ hybridization, where synaptopodin mRNA is only found in perikarya of the olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, striatum, and hippocampus, i.e., the expression is restricted to areas of high synaptic plasticity. From these results and experiments with cultured cells we conclude that synaptopodin represents a novel kind of proline-rich, actin-associated protein that may play a role in modulating actin-based shape and motility of dendritic spines and podocyte foot processes.
Preparation of a nontoxic and immunogenic polysaccharide fraction from a Haemophilus influenzae phenol-water extract

A phenol-water extract from Haemophilus influenzae type a was hydrolyzed to decrease the toxicity without affecting the antigenicity of the preparation. We used partial hydrolysis for 15 h with ion exchangers in the presence of chloroform. The lipid fraction was collected into the organic solvent. The preparation obtained from the aqueous solution was designated the polysaccharide fraction. Rhamnose, glucose, galactose, mannose, and glucosamine were the major components of the polysaccharide fraction, and their molar ratios were determined by gas-liquid chromatography; 2.5% myristic acid was also found in the polysaccharide fraction. The mild hydrolysis of the polysaccharide fraction for 15 h caused a marked reduction in toxicity (50% lethal dose, 183 +/- 9 microgram/kg) and pyrogenicity. The generalized Sanarelli reaction was negative. The local Shwartzman phenomenon was not observed if chloroform and Dowex were exchanged three times during hydrolysis. Most of the antigenic components remained active after the hydrolytic process. The polysaccharide fraction could also induce the formation of circulating antibodies in rabbits and also increase the phagocytic process against H. influenzae from month 2 to 6.
Two-Echelon Distribution Systems with Vehicle Routing Costs and Central Inventories

We consider distribution systems with a single depot and many retailers each of which faces external demands for a single item that occurs at a specific deterministic demand rate. All stock enters the systems through the depot where it can be stored and then picked up and distributed to the retailers by a fleet of vehicles, combining deliveries into efficient routes. We extend earlier methods for obtaining low complexity lower bounds and heuristics for systems without central stock. We show under mild probabilistic assumptions that the generated solutions and bounds come asymptotically within a few percentage points of optimality (within the considered class of strategies). A numerical study exhibits the performance of these heuristics and bounds for problems of moderate size.
Calprotectin (S100A8/A9) and S100A12 are associated with measures of disease activity in a longitudinal study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with infliximab

Objectives: The pro-inflammatory proteins calprotectin (a heterocomplex of S100A8/A9) and S100A12 have been associated with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to compare their potential as biomarkers in a prospective study of RA patients starting with infliximab as their first biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). Method: Thirty-nine RA patients were examined and serum samples collected when starting with infliximab and after 3, 6, and 12 months. Calprotectin and S100A12 were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and, together with C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), measured at all time points. A disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28) was calculated. Radiographs of the hands, wrists, and feet were taken at baseline and after 3 years, and assessed according to the modified Sharp/van der Heijde (SvH) score. Responsiveness was evaluated according to the European League of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) response criteria based on 28 joints. Results: Both S100 proteins were significantly higher in seropositive than in seronegative patients (p = 0.01). Calprotectin correlated significantly with CRP (ρ = 0.51–0.75), ESR (ρ = 0.32–0.52), and DAS28 (ρ = 0.32–0.62). S100A12 correlated with calprotectin (ρ = 0.62–0.77) and CRP (ρ = 0.32–0.63). The S100 proteins, and especially calprotectin (ρ = 0.23–0.39), showed weak associations with radiographic progression, unlike CRP/ESR. None of the S100 proteins could predict responsiveness. Conclusions: Calprotectin showed the strongest correlation with measures of disease activity and may be better than S100A12 when evaluating disease activity in RA patients. More extensive studies are needed to further compare the predictive value of the S100 proteins relative to radiographic progression.
Admixture and Local Breed Marginalization Threaten Algerian Sheep Diversity

Due to its geo-climatic conditions, Algeria represents a biodiversity hotspot, with sheep breeds well adapted to a patchwork of extremely heterogeneous harsh habitats. The importance of this peculiar genetic reservoir increases as climate change drives the demand for new adaptations. However, the expansion of a single breed (Ouled-Djellal) which occurred in the last decades has generated a critical situation for the other breeds; some of them are being subjected to uncontrolled cross-breeding with the favored breed and/or to marginalization (effective size contraction). This study investigated genetic diversity within and among six of the nine Algerian breeds, by use of 30 microsatellite markers. Our results showed that, in spite of the census contraction experienced by most of the considered breeds, genetic diversity is still substantial (average gene diversity ranging 0.68 to 0.76) and inbreeding was not identified as a problem. However, two breeds (Rembi and Taâdmit) appeared to have lost most of their genetic originality because of intensive cross-breeding with Ouled-Djellal. Based on the above evidence, we suggest Hamra, Sidaoun, and D’man as breeds deserving the highest priority for conservation in Algeria.
2D+3D face recognition using Dual-tree Wavelet Transform

A new automatic framework is proposed for face recognition and its superiority performance is justified by the FRGC v2 data. Adaboost face detecting method is used for facial region extraction. Then 2D and 3D facial representations which are extracted by the Dual-tree Complex Wavelet Transform (DT-CWT) are introduced to reflect the facial geometry properties in this paper. The level four high-frequency components of 2D texture image and 3D depth image are obtained respectively, and then Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) is used to get the feature vectors. Cosine distance is developed for establishing two similarity matrixes respectively. Finally a fusion result is established by the two similarity matrixes. The verification rate at an FAR of 0.1% is 97.6% on All vs. All experiment.
Towards understanding the phylogenetic history of Hydrozoa: Hypothesis testing with 18S gene sequence data*

Although systematic treatments of Hydrozoa have been notoriously difficult, a great deal of useful information on morphologies and life histories has steadily accumulated. From the assimilation of this information, numerous hypotheses of the phylogenetic relationships of the major groups of Hydrozoa have been offered. Here I evaluate these hypotheses using the complete sequence of the 18S gene for 35 hydrozoan species. New 18S sequences for 31 hydrozoans, 6 scyphozoans, one cubozoan, and one anthozoan are reported. Parsimony analyses of two datasets that include the new 18S sequences are used to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of a list of phylogenetic hypotheses that deal with Hydrozoa. Alternative measures of tree optimality, minimum evolution and maximum likelihood, are used to evaluate the reliability of the parsimony analyses. Hydrozoa appears to be composed of two clades, herein called Trachylina and Hydroidolina. Trachylina consists of Limnomedusae, Narcomedusae, and Trachymedusae. Narcomedusae is not likely to be the basal group of Trachylina, but is instead derived directly from within Trachymedusae. This implies the secondary gain of a polyp stage. Hydroidolina consists of Capitata, Filifera, Hydridae, Leptomedusae, and Siphonophora. "Anthomedusae" may not form a monophyletic grouping. However, the relationships among the hydroidolinan groups are difficult to resolve with the present set of data. Finally, the monophyly of Hydrozoa is strongly supported.
An Unbiased Linear Adaptive Filter with Normalized Coefficients for the Removal of Noise in Electrocardiographic Signals

The authors propose an unbiased linear adaptive filter (ULAF) to eliminate high-frequency random noise in electrocardiographic (ECG) signals. The ULAF does not contain a bias in its summation unit, and the filter coefficients are normalized. During the adaptation process, the normalized coefficients are updated with the steepest-descent algorithm in order to achieve efficient filtering of noisy ECG signals. The authors tested the ULAF with ECG signals recorded from 16 subjects, and compared the performance of the ULAF with that of the least-mean-square (LMS) and recursive-least-squares (RLS) adaptive filters. The filtering performance was quantified in terms of the root-mean-squared error (RMSE), normalized correlation coefficient (NCC), and filtered noise entropy (FNE). A template derived from each ECG signal was used as the reference to compute the measures of filtering performance. The results indicated that the ULAF was able to provided noise-free ECG signals with an average RMSE of 0.0287, which was lower than the second best RMSE (0.0365) obtained with the LMS filter. With respect to waveform fidelity, the proposed ULAF provided the highest average NCC (0.9964) among the three filters studied. In addition, the ULAF effectively removed more noise measured by FNE versus the LMS and RLS filters in most of the ECG signals tested.
Adaptive and Energy Efficient Clustering Architecture for Dynamic Sensor Networks

Clustering is an effective topology control approach in sensor networks. This paper proposes a distributed and adaptive clustering architecture for dynamic sensor networks. The proposed architecture comprises an approach for energy-efficient clustering with adaptive node activity for achieving a good performance in terms of system lifetime and network coverage quality. This architecture demonstrates a uniform cluster head distribution across the network in addition to a desirable network coverage. Furthermore, the paper presents an analytical approach to disclose the relationship between network density and coverage quality. Experiments were conducted to validate the proposed architecture. The analytical and simulation results demonstrate that the proposed architecture prolongs network lifetime meanwhile preserving a highly coverage quality.
The HCl Scheduler: Going all-in on Heterogeneity

Heterogeneity is a growing concern for scheduling on the cloud. Hardware is increasingly heterogeneous (e.g., GPUs, FPGAs, diverse I/O devices), emphasizing the need to build schedulers that identify the internal structure of applications and utilize available hardware resources to their full potential. In this paper we present our initial efforts to build a scheduler that tackles heterogeneity (in hardware and in software) as a primary concern. Our scheduler, HCl (Heterogeneous Cluster), models applications as annotated directed acyclic graphs (DAGs), where each node represents a task. It maps tasks onto hardware nodes, also organized in DAGs. Initial results using application models based on TPC-DS queries running on Apache Spark show that HCl can improve significantly upon approaches that do not consider heterogeneity and generate schedules that approach the critical path in length.
Improving Multi-agent Learners Using Less-Biased Value Estimators

Many different value-based or policy-search reinforcement learning algorithms have been applied to multi-agent settings. Value-based learners estimate the expected return (value) for each state-action combination and then derive a policy from these expectations. Policy-search learners optimize the agent's policy directly by using a parameterized representation of the policy and then optimizing the parameter values to maximize the expected return. While the two classes of algorithms have been considered as contrasting one another, we note that several policy-search algorithms (e.g., Weighted Policy Learner and Infinitesimal Gradient Ascent) need a method for estimating the expected returns. In practice, these policy-search algorithms internally use an update equation for incrementally improving value estimates. In this paper we present the first detailed study of the effect of using different value-based learning algorithms as components of policy-search learners. Our results show that the particular choice can significantly affect performance.