Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Demonstration in Serum of two Physiological Forms of the Human Retinol Binding Protein *

Abstract. The contents of prealbumin, retinol binding protein, and retinol in normal human serum have been estimated. The amounts of prealbumin were, on average, 6 times larger than those of RBP, that is a two‐fold molar excess of prealbumin over RBP. Retinol and RBP were present in about the same molar amounts. Prealbumin occurred in two molecular forms in serum. About half of the prealbumin was bound to RBP (prealbumin‐RBP complex) and half was in free form. In spite of the molar excess of prealbumin, small amounts of free RBP were encountered. The free RBP was isolated from normal serum and displayed about the same characteristics as RBP isolated from the prealbumin‐RBP complex. Some significant differences were noted however. The free RBP had a lower content of retinol and one amino acid residue less of arginine. The contents of prealbumin, RBP, and retinol were also estimated in the sera of patients subjected to chronic haemodialysis. The amounts of prealbumin and retinol were normal or somewhat low whereas the values for RBP were considerably elevated. The size distribution of RBP and retinol in the serum of one of these patients showed that the amount of free RBP was considerably elevated whereas the amount of the prealbumin‐RBP complex was normal. Retinol was apparently associated only with the prealbumin‐RBP complex. Various analyses revealed that RBP, isolated in free form from serum, did not bind to prealbumin in contrast to RBP from the prealbumin‐RBP complex. It is suggested that the free species of RBP, present in serum, represents a transitory form which has fulfilled its physiological role and will rapidly be degraded by the kidney.
Intraarticular xenogeneic mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy increases CD4+CD25+ cells in the synovial fluid but does not contribute to pathological change

INTRARTICULAR XENOGENEIC MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL-BASED THERAPY INCREASES CD4CD25 CELLS IN THE SYNOVIAL FLUID BUT DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE TO PATHOLOGICAL CHANGE Kristen Lamers Advisor: University of Guelph, 2019 Dr. Mark Hurtig Advisory Committee: Dr. Niel Karrow Dr. Monica Baquero Mesenchymal stem cells have been investigated for their potential use in OA treatment. Experimental xenogeneic mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy treatment of a normal and OA ovine knee (stifle) induced CD4 cell infiltration and increased CD25 activation marker expression on the CD4 cells. This cell infiltration was not associated with pathologic change, indicating that these were not likely to be Th1 or Th17 cells, both of which are increased in OA synovial membrane. Cell therapy may promote Th2 and/or Treg cell differentiation and thereby increases expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Xenogeneic cell therapy was not associated with a graft versus host reaction.
Maximum exponential absolute value approach for robust state estimation

This paper proposes a maximum exponential absolute value (MEAV) approach for robust state estimation of power system. We firstly formulate the robust state estimation issue as a maximization problem with an exponential absolute value objective function. Then we give the equivalent model of MEAV and the corresponding solution algorithm based on primal-dual interior point method. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed MEAV estimator is highly robust to large-scale system with gross errors in measurements. Moreover, the proposed algorithm has also shows good numerical stability and high efficiency in various trials.
Seeing minds: A neurophilosophical investigation of the role of perception-action coupling in social perception

This paper proposes an empirical hypothesis that in some cases of social interaction we have an immediate perceptual access to others' minds in the perception of their embodied intentionality. Our point of departure is the phenomenological insight that there is an experiential difference in the perception of embodied intentionality and the perception of non-intentionality. The other's embodied intentionality is perceptually given in a way that is different from the givenness of non-intentionality. We claim that the phenomenological difference in the perception of embodied intentionality and non-intentionality translates into an account of how, in some cases of social cognition, we perceive mental properties in the perception of embodied intentionality. The hypothesis derives support from a host of recent empirical studies in social neuroscience which demonstrate the importance of embodied engagements in understanding other minds. These studies reveal that embodied intersubjective interaction often builds on our ability to understand other minds in an immediate perceptual way not adequately investigated by theory-theory (TT) and simulation theories (ST) of mind-reading. We argue that there is a genuine, nontrivial difference in the informational content of the perception of embodied intentionality and the perception of non-intentionality which leads to a further difference in the way information is processed in the case of perception of embodied intentionality as opposed to the perception of non-intentionality. The full significance of such difference is appreciated only within an account of perception which views perception and action as tightly coupled. Thus, we propose an “action-oriented account of social perception” to develop a neurophilosophical account of the perceptual knowledge of other minds.
Isolation, characterization and chromosome locations of polymorphic black‐billed magpie Pica pica (Corvidae, AVES) microsatellite loci

One‐hundred and two unique loci were isolated from a microsatellite‐enriched black‐billed magpie Pica pica genomic library. Sixteen of these new loci, along with 148 existing microsatellite passerine loci, were tested for polymorphism in four unrelated black‐billed magpies. We identified a total of 43 unique polymorphic loci (10 and 33 respectively) that we characterized in 24 unrelated individuals from a population in Guadix, Spain. The putative chromosomal locations of loci polymorphic in black‐billed magpie were assigned based on the location of their orthologues in the assembled zebra finch and chicken genomes.
Reducing delay while maintaining capacity in mobile ad-hoc networks using multiple random routes

We present a different multiuser diversity strategy for packet relaying in mobile wireless ad-hoc network, which permits more than one-copy of a packet being received by relay nodes, thus allowing to decrease the delay on such networks for a fixed number of total nodes n. We show that the /spl theta/(1) throughput is preserved. Also, we find that the average delay and variance scale like /spl theta/(n) and /spl theta/(n/sup 2/) respectively for both one-copy and multi-copy techniques. For finite n, in single-copy relaying strategy, the delay values are not bounded as a consequence from the tail of the exponential distribution. However, by multi-copy relaying, we cut-off the tail of the exponential distribution of the delay. Accordingly, a bounded delay is obtained.
Influence of Temperature Change on the Growth and Susceptibility of the Common House Mosquito, Culex pipiens in Egypt to Some Insecticides

By transmitting major human diseases, mosquito species represent a serious threat worldwide in terms of public health. Most vector control programmes aiming to control life-threatening mosquitoes rely on the use of chemical insecticides. For the reason that only a few insecticides are used for public health, maintaining the efficacy of control programmes mostly relies on resistance management strategies. Development of such strategies requires understanding the factors influencing resistance together with characterizing the mechanisms involved. In this context, the present study aims to update current knowledge about the effect of temperature on the mosquito Culex pipiens population response to chemical insecticides. The results demonstrated that alteration of the temperature significantly affects Cx. pipiens populations. High temperature (25, 30°C) resulted in high survival rate (90, 95% respectively); while at temperature 20°C the survival rate was 80%. Egg hatching percentage was 95% after 24 h, at temperature 30°C and 50% after 24h, 50% after 48h at 25°C; however at 20°C egg hatching percentage was 100% after 48 h. In case of Cx. pipiens larvae that were reared under various temperatures pupated on day 5, 9 and 12 at 30°C, 25°C and 20°C, respectively. At high temperature 30°C, females emerged before males. On the other hand resistance of all Cx. pipiens populations to the selected chemical insecticides decreased with raising temperature. The obtained results also showed that there was significant change in acetylcholinesterase and glutathione -S-transferase level in both larvae and adult due to temperature changing. These results indicate that temperature is an important parameter that must be considered during the application of chemical assays or control of Cx. pipiens populations.
In situ measurement of absolute concentrations by Normalized Raman Imaging

Abstract We introduce Normalized Raman Imaging (NoRI), a Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) microscopy method that computationally removes the effect of tissue light scattering. NoRI provides high resolution measurements of the absolute concentration of total protein, total lipid and water from live or fixed thick tissue samples with single cell resolution, and can also be applied to other Raman bands. NoRI enables study of the protein, lipid, and water concentration variation associated with development and diseases.
Neuropsychological study of IQ scores in offspring of parents with bipolar I disorder

ABSTRACT Introduction: Studies comparing IQ in Offspring of Bipolar Parents (OBP) with Offspring of Healthy Controls (OHC) have reported conflicting findings. They have included OBP with mental health/neurodevelopmental disorders and/or pharmacological treatment which could affect results. This UK study aimed to assess IQ in OBP with no mental health/neurodevelopmental disorder and assess the relationship of sociodemographic variables with IQ. Methods: IQ data using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) from 24 OBP and 34 OHC from the North East of England was analysed using mixed-effects modelling. Results: All participants had IQ in the average range. OBP differed statistically significantly from OHC on Full Scale IQ (p = .001), Performance IQ (PIQ) (p = .003) and Verbal IQ (VIQ) (p = .001) but not on the PIQ-VIQ split. OBP and OHC groups did not differ on socio-economic status (SES) and gender. SES made a statistically significant contribution to the variance of IQ scores (p = .001). Conclusions: Using a robust statistical model of analysis, the OBP with no current/past history of mental health/neurodevelopmental disorders had lower IQ scores compared to OHC. This finding should be borne in mind when assessing and recommending interventions for OBP.
Interactions between Carbon Nanotubes and Liquids: Imbibition and Wetting

We report on our progress to extend the current experimental measurements of interactions between fluid and materials to times and length scales characteristic of nanomaterials. The rapid imbibition of decane and nonpolar fluids by carbon nanotubes is investigated to confirm recent theoretical results obtained using MD simulations. The wetting dynamics of carbon nanotubes and larger carbon fibres (~200 nm) are studied as a function of the liquid. We outline the main experimental challenges both in terms of time resolution and force sensitivity necessary for reliable experiments at these scales and present the first result of in-situ TEM observations of wetting of carbon nanotubes.
Electromechanical transient modeling without coupling terms for VSC-HVDC

A novel method for VSC-HVDC electromechanical transient modeling is presented in this paper, which eliminates coupling terms in the control system. The proposed model consists of two parts, main circuit and control system. In the main circuit, based on the theory of equivalent sources, the VSC converter with phase reactor is substituted by the controlled current source whose reference value is obtained from external control system. In the control system, the cross-coupling terms and feed-forward terms in traditional inner current control loop of vector current control are eliminate by some assumptions and simplifications. Thus, inner current control loop is reduced to two independent close-loop control loops which regulate the d axis and q axis converter AC current components tracking current references from outer controllers. The simulation results show that the proposed electromechanical transient model has good steady-state and dynamic performance and substantially improves the simulation speed.
Development of an extended Kansei engineering method to incorporate experience requirements in product–service system design

The customer experience is important for adding value to firms’ offerings but two challenges arise: the customer experience is increasingly created through interactions with product–service systems (PSSs) and it is formed through all moments of interaction with multiple firms. Incorporating customer experience requirements (ERs) into the design of PSSs is therefore a complex task. To address this challenge, this paper presents an extension of the Kansei engineering method consisting of two components. First, the extension includes an in-depth study of the customer experience from a holistic perspective that informs the design process. Second, it involves the active participation of multidisciplinary experts from the different partner companies that together enable the PSS offering. An application of this new extension is presented for mid-distance bus trips, involving passengers, a vehicle manufacturing and a transport provider company. The research followed design-science guidelines using an action research approach to develop new public transportation PSS concepts by involving a multidisciplinary design team. The customer experience study enables the team adequately incorporate ERs along the development process, and the joint work of the intercompany team of experts enables integration of the different PSS elements into a solution that enhances the travel experience from a holistic perspective.
MR findings in adult-onset adrenoleukodystrophy.

PURPOSE To describe the MR findings of brain and spinal cord in adult-onset adrenoleukodystrophy. METHODS One hundred sixty-four adult patients ranging from 19 to 74 years of age (119 men and 45 women) with clinically and biochemically proved adrenoleukodystrophy underwent MR of the brain. In 30 patients the spinal cord also was evaluated with MR. RESULTS The brain MR findings were abnormal in 54 of 119 males and in 9 of 45 female heterozygotes and consisted of varying degrees of demyelination of the cerebral white matter in 40 patients, corpus callosum in 25 patients, corticospinal tracts in 46 patients, visual tracts in 31 patients, and auditory tracts in 18 patients. The thoracic spinal cord showed diffuse atrophy in 18 of 20 men and in 8 of 10 women. CONCLUSION It is important to recognize the MR findings of adult-onset adrenoleukodystrophy, because not uncommonly the clinical and MR findings of adrenoleukodystrophy are misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis, olivopontocerebellar or spinocerebellar atrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or dementia. Analysis of the MR findings and correlation of the clinical findings has permitted a tentative subdivision of adult-onset adrenoleukodystrophy population into four subtypes that appear to differ in respect to prognosis and possibly pathogenesis. MR evaluation of the brain in adrenoleukodystrophy also is helpful in patient selection for experimental therapy, which is most effective if offered in the early stage of the disease.
Evaluating the impact of mobile telephone technology on type 2 diabetic patients' self-management: the NICHE pilot study.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Utilizing information technology, such as Internet and cellphones, holds great promise in enhancing diabetic care. Yet few studies have examined the impact of cellphone technology on type 2 diabetics' self-care. The primary aim of the study is to examine the feasibility of utilizing this technology to assist with diabetes self-care in a clinic population as well as its impact on clinical outcomes. METHODS Thirty patients with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes at two Community Health Centers were randomized to intervention or control. Intervention patients participated in a brief intervention and received tailored daily messages via cellphone prompting them to enhance their diabetic self-care behaviour. Patients at the control site continued with their standard diabetes self-management. RESULTS A mean improvement in HbA1c levels was apparent (-0.1, SD = 0.3%; P = 0.1534) in the intervention group, compared with a mean deterioration in the control (0.3, SD = 1.0%; P = 0.3813), yet without statistical significance. Self-efficacy scores improved significantly in the intervention group (-0.5, SD = 0.6; P = 0.0080) compared with no improvement in the control (0.0, SD = 1.0; P = 0.9060). Participants encountered numerous technological barriers when attempting to adhere to the intervention protocol. CONCLUSION The results indicate the intervention had a positive impact on some clinical outcome and self-efficacy. Although the technology appears feasible in a clinical setting technology must be made more user-friendly before a larger phase II trial is conducted.
Optimizing the Design and Implementation of the Linux ARM Hypervisor

Modern hypervisor designs for both ARM and ×86 virtualization rely on running an operating system kernel, the hypervisor OS kernel, to support hypervisor functionality. While ×86 hypervisors effectively leverage architectural support to run the kernel, existing ARM hypervisors map poorly to the virtualization features of the ARM architecture, resulting in worse performance. We identify the key reason for this problem is the need to multiplex kernel mode state between the hypervisor and virtual machines, which each run their own kernel. To address this problem, we take a fundamentally different approach to hypervisor design that runs the hypervisor together with its OS kernel in a separate CPU mode from kernel mode. Using this approach, we redesign KVM/ARM to leverage a separate ARM CPU mode for running both the hypervisor and its OS kernel. We show what changes are required in Linux to implement this on current ARM hardware as well as how newer ARM architectural support can be used to support this approach without any changes to Linux other than to KVM/ARM itself. We show that our redesign and optimizations can result in an order ofmagnitude performance improvement for KVM/ARM, and can provide faster performance than x86 on key hypervisor operations. As a result, many aspects of our design have been successfully merged into mainline Linux.
A variable rate LDPC coded V-BLAST system

In this paper, we propose a V-BLAST system based on variable rate LDPC codes to improve the performance of a receiver when QR decomposition interference suppression combined with interference cancellation is used over independent Rayleigh fading channels. The different rate LDPC codes can be made by puncturing some rows of a given parity check matrix. The performance can be improved by assigning stronger LDPC codes in the lower layer than the upper layer, because the poor SNR of first detected data streams produces error propagation. Keeping the same overall code rates, the V-BLAST system with different rate LDPC codes has better performance (in terms of bit error rate) than with constant rate LDPC codes. The BER performance has been evaluated in independent Rayleigh fading channels through computer simulation.
Variabilitätsbasierte Klassifizierung von Produktionssystemen

Kurzfassung Ansatzpunkt jeder Verbesserung von Produktionssystemen ist Variabilität. Daher liegt eine Klassifizierung von Produktionssystemen bzgl. ihrer Variabilitätseigenschaften nahe. Die Übertragbarkeit diesbezüglicher Erkenntnisse aus der Erforschung des Toyota Produktionssystems auf Produktionsszenarien ohne Seriencharakter ist jedoch nicht immer gegeben. Dieser Beitrag stellt einen Ansatz zur variabilitätsbasierten Typisierung von Produktionssystemen vor.
Paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles decorated with bivalent fragment HAb18 F(ab’)2 and cell penetrating peptide for improved therapeutic effect on hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) shows low response to most conventional treatment strategies. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new and effective chemotherapies. Nanotechnology gives a dramatic impact on medicine. In this work, paclitaxel loaded nanoparticles (NPs) decorated with bivalent fragment HAb18 F(ab’)2 and/or cell penetrating peptide (CPP) were developed and evaluated. NPs were prepared by emulsification-solvent evaporation method and decorated by carbodiimide chemistry. The physicochemical characteristics of NPs (i.e. encapsulation efficiency, particle size distribution, morphology, release in vitro) were investigated. Cellular uptake and accumulation in tumor tissue of NPs were determined. To assess anti-tumor activity of NPs in vitro and in vivo, cell survival assay and tumor regression study were carried out using HCC cell lines (HepG2 and Huh7) and their xenografts. Average particle size of all NPs was between 100 and 200 nm. Drug-loaded NPs possessed spherical morphology and higher encapsulation efficiency. The accumulation of NPs decorated with HAb18 F(ab’)2 and CPP depended on dual effects of passive and active targeting. Drug loaded nanoparticles showed cytotoxicity on the tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. NPs decorated with HAb18 F(ab’)2 and CPP showed maximization of therapeutic action for targeting and effective endocytosis. These results suggest that the nano-drug delivery system could be a promising candidate with excellent therapeutic efficacy for HCC therapy.
Divergent roles of nitric oxide and rho kinase in vasomotor regulation of human retinal arterioles.

PURPOSE Although the arteriolar segment contributes to flow regulation, there is sparse information at the single microvessel level on how vasomotor function is regulated in the human retina. The authors have previously reported vasoreactivity and its underlying mechanisms in isolated porcine retinal arterioles. Herein, they studied human retinal arterioles for comparison. METHODS Retinal tissues were obtained from seven patients undergoing enucleation. Human and porcine retinal arterioles were isolated and pressurized to 55 cm H(2)O luminal pressure for vasoreactivity study using videomicroscopic techniques. RESULTS Isolated human and porcine retinal arterioles developed myogenic tone and dilated dose dependently to bradykinin, adenosine, and sodium nitroprusside. Stepwise increases in luminal flow produced graded dilation with approximately 60% dilation at the highest flow tested. Nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor L-NAME nearly abolished dilations to bradykinin and flow and attenuated the adenosine-induced dilation without altering the response to nitroprusside. Endothelin-1 caused dose-dependent constriction. Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor H-1152 blocked both myogenic tone and endothelin-1-induced constriction. Responses of retinal arterioles to all agonists and increased flow were similar between pigs and humans. CONCLUSIONS Isolated human retinal arterioles dilate to bradykinin and increased flow in an NO-dependent manner. NO contributes, in part, to adenosine-induced vasodilation. Conversely, ROCK activation mediates myogenic tone and endothelin-1-induced vasoconstriction. Similarities in these vasoactive responses and the underlying mechanisms between human and porcine retinal arterioles support the latter as a viable experimental model of the human retinal microcirculation.