Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MK-4815, a Potential New Oral Agent for Treatment of Malaria

ABSTRACT Malaria continues to have a significant impact on the health of the developing world. Efforts to combat this disease now focus on combination therapy in order to stem the emergence of resistant parasites. Continued efforts are needed to discover and develop new agents for use in combination antimalarial regimens. MK-4815 is a small molecule with antimalarial activity that was identified from a large pharmaceutical compound collection using a semiautomated version of a well-established in vitro assay for the erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum. In vitro studies indicate that the compound selectively accumulates in infected red blood cells and is most effective against the metabolically active late trophozoite/early schizont stages. A variety of drug-resistant field isolates of P. falciparum were found to be as sensitive to MK-4815 as the wild-type lines. MK-4815 is orally active in a P. berghei mouse model of acute malaria. In this model, where untreated animals succumb to infection 10 to 12 days postinfection, MK-4815 was completely curative when given as a single dose of 50 mg/kg, 2 doses of 25 mg/kg, or 4.5 doses of 12.5 mg/kg. In pharmacokinetic studies with mice and rhesus monkeys, MK-4815 demonstrated oral bioavailability and low clearance. In addition, MK-4815 is inexpensive to synthesize, an important characteristic for providing affordable antimalaria therapy to the developing world. The attractive biological and pharmaceutical profile of MK-4815 demonstrates its potential for use in combination with other agents in the fight against malaria.
A Research Agenda Toward EC Consumer Shopping Experience

This paper reports a research agenda in developing an integral model to characterize and explain EC consumer shopping experience. It postulates that consumers’ online shopping experience is constituted by successive sessions of activities in intensive and extensive information processing, decision making, and personal knowledge management. It reviews literatures from multiple disciplines, including management information systems, human computer interaction, marketing, psychology, library and information science, to layout the research plans for an integral model that would help not only understand the consumer shopping experience but also suggest useful system features to support it.
Game-theoretic approach of fair bandwidth allocation in DVB-RCS networks

In the present paper we study the problem of bandwidth allocation in DVB-RCS networks. DVB-RCS networks operate at Ku band and above. At these frequencies, rain attenuation is the dominant fading mechanism and exhibits significant spatial-temporal variation among the users. Firstly, the resource allocation is modeled as a non cooperative game and we find the Nash equilibrium employing the Nikaido-Isoda function and a relaxation algorithm. Moreover, we force the game to converge to a more fair equilibrium point, by introducing a pricing scheme. The bandwidth allocation to users that are affected more by rain fading is improved. Finally, we apply the principles of a cooperative game to describe the problem of resource allocation and we compare the results of the three approaches. Some useful conclusions are drawn.
Impact of the central pacific zonal wind on the central pacific pattern El nino event

The central Pacific zonal wind divergence and convergence index (CPZI) is defined in this paper, and the forming mechanism of CP El Niño (La Niña) events is discussed preliminarily. Results show that the divergence and convergence of the zonal wind anomaly (ZWA) is the key process in the forming of CP El Niño (La Niña) events. Correlation analysis between the central Pacific zonal wind divergence and convergence index and central Pacific El Niño index indicates that there is a remarkable lag correlation between them. The central Pacific zonal wind divergence and convergence index can be used to predict the CP events.
Modified slash Birnbaum-Saunders distribution

In this paper, we introduce an extension for the Birnbaum-Saunders (BS) distribution based on the modifi ed slash (MS) distribution proposed by [12]. This new family of BS type distributions is obtained by replacing the usual normal distribution with the quotient of two independent random variables, one being a normal distribution in the numerator and the power of a exponential of parameter equal to two at the denominator. The resulting distribution is an extension of the BS distribution that has greater kurtosis values than the usual BS distribution and the slash Birnbaum-Saunders (SBS) distribution (see [7]). Moments and some properties are derived for the new distribution. Also, we draw inferences by the method of moments and maximum likelihood. A real data application is presented where the model fi tting is implemented by using maximum likelihood estimation producing better results than the classic BS model and slash BS model.
Rapid and Transient Activation of Transcription of the ERF3 Gene by Wounding in Tobacco Leaves

This study investigated the regulatory mechanism of rapid and transient induction of a transcriptional repressor ERF3 gene by wounding in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves. Deletion and mutation analysis of the promoter region have suggested that the proximal W boxes (TGAC(C/T)) and a GCC box, respectively, may be involved in the positive and negative regulation of wound-induced expression of the ERF3 gene. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that wounding enhanced the specific binding activity of nuclear factors to the W boxes. NtWRKY1, -2, and -4, which are tobacco group I WRKYs, interacted specifically with the W boxes and activated transcription via the W boxes. On the other hand, deletion of the GCC box from NsERF3 promoter-GUS reporter gene caused a delay in down-regulation of transcription after wound induction. In addition, ERF3 repressed transcription via the NsERF3 promoter activated by NtWRKYs. These results suggest the possible involvement of NtWRKYs and autorepression in the rapid and transient expression of the ERF3 gene by wounding.
Automatic Segmentation of Lip Images Based on Markov Random Field

This paper addresses the problem of lip segmentation in color space that is a crucial issue to a successful lip-reading system. We present a new segmentation approach to lip contour extraction by taking account of the maximum a posterior Markov random field (MAPMRF) framework. We first examine various color models and select a simple color transform derived from LUX and 1976 CIELAB color space as an effective descriptor to characterize the lip region by its discriminative properties. Thus, the initial label set with respect to lip and skin region is available. Based upon the identified lip area, we further refine the lip region using both color and label information, as those two are combined within a Markov random field (MRF) framework. Finally, we extract the lip contour via convex hull algorithm with the prior knowledge of the mouth shape. Experiments show the efficacy of the proposed approach in comparison with the existing lip segmentation methods.
Effect of Curing Rate on the Microstructure and Macroscopic Properties of Epoxy Fiberglass Composites

Curing rates of an epoxy amine system were varied via different curing cycles, and glass-fiber epoxy composites were prepared using the same protocol, with the aim of investigating the correlation between microstructure and composite properties. It was found that the fast curing cycle resulted in a non-homogenous network, with a larger percentage of a softer phase. Homogenized composite properties, namely storage modulus and quasi-static intra-laminar shear strength, remained unaffected by the change in resin microstructure. However, fatigue tests revealed a significant reduction in fatigue life for composites cured at fast curing rates, while composites with curing cycles that allowed a pre-cure until the critical gel point, were unaffected by the rate of reaction. This result was explained by the increased role of epoxy microstructure on damage initiation and propagation in the matrix during fatigue life. Therefore, local non-homogeneities in the epoxy matrix, corresponding to regions with variable crosslink density, can play a significant role in limiting the fatigue life of composites and must be considered in the manufacturing of large scale components, where temperature gradients and significant exotherms are expected.
Parsing images with finite state machines for object class segmentation and annotation Automates à états finis stochastiques pour l ’ annotation

We introduce in this work a stochastic inference process, for scene annotation and object class segmentation, based on finite state machines (FSMs). The design principle of our framework is generative and based on building, for a given scene, finite state machines that encode annotation lattices, and inference consists in finding and scoring the best configurations in these lattices. Different operations are defined using our FSM framework including reordering, segmentation, visual transduction, and label-language modeling. All these operations are combined together in order to achieve annotation as well as object class segmentation.
The U-Shaped Structure in Dual-Band Circularly Polarized Slot Antenna Design

The U-shaped structure is presented for designing a dual-band circularly polarized (CP) slot antenna that has a single metallic layer and is fed by a coplanar waveguide (CPW). To evaluate the performance of the versatile structure, a U-slot and a U-strip slot antenna have been designed for 2.6/3.6 and 2.5/3.5 GHz bands application. By employing a Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm to optimize some primary parameters of the proposed antennas, the optimum impedance and axial-ratio bandwidths at the given operating frequency can be achieved without using the trial-and-error method. Prototypes of the two proposed designs were constructed and studied experimentally. The measured results show that the frequency ratio of the upper band to the lower band is 1.4 (3.6/2.6 GHz, 3.5/2.5 GHz) or less. Other characteristics such as impedance bandwidths, axial-ratio bandwidths, radiation patterns, and peak gains will also be presented for design validation.
Optimal positioning of repeater resonator for mid-range magnetic resonance wireless power link

Magnetic resonance wireless power link including a non-coaxially aligned repeater resonator has been analyzed and designed for efficient mid-range wireless powering. Parametric study on the power transfer efficiency (PTE) for several meter distance range indoor powering has been made and optimization condition for maximum PTE have been obtained. The results are expected to be utilized for mid-range wireless powering in the presence of practical limitations of the resonator location.
The acute effects of different whole body vibration amplitudes on the endocrine system of young healthy men: a preliminary study

Whole body vibration (WBV) has been suggested as an alternative form of exercise producing adaptive responses similar to that of resistance training. Very limited information is available on the effects of different vibration parameters on anabolic hormones. In this study, we compared the acute effects of different WBV amplitudes on serum testosterone (T) and insulin growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1). Nine healthy young recreationally active adult males (age 22 ± 2 years, height 181 ± 6.3 cm, weight 77·4 ± 9·5 kg) voluntarily participated in this randomized controlled (cross‐over design) study. The subjects performed 20 sets of 1 min each of WBV exercise in the following conditions: Non‐vibration condition (control), low amplitude vibration [low (30 Hz, 1·5 mm peak‐to‐peak amplitude)] and high amplitude vibration [high (30 Hz, 3 mm peak‐to‐peak amplitude)]. Blood samples were collected before, after 10 sets, at the end (20th set) and after 24 h of the exercise bout. WBV exercise did not produce significant changes in serum T and IGF‐1 either with low or high amplitude when compared with the control condition. The results of this study demonstrate that a single session of WBV exposure with a frequency of 30 Hz and amplitudes of 1·5 and 3 mm does not noticeably alter serum T and IGF‐1 levels.
A Novel Reconfiguration Method Using Image Processing Based Moving Shadow Detection, Optimization, and Analysis for PV Arrays

Reconfiguration system, which increases the energy efficiency in photovoltaic (PV) systems, is a critical stage in terms of energy efficiency. In this study, a moving shadow analysis and a novel optimization based on the reconfiguration method are proposed. The proposed approach builds up a new configuration by incorporating the radiation values into the PV system. To this end, the system is divided into two parts: adaptive and fixed, with the help of switching matrices. Image processing is employed in the study to acquire shadows and their information. The clonal selection method, which is an artificial immune algorithm, is preferred as the optimization process. The method is tested on a real PV system of a matrix size of 3x4. Both the series-parallel (SP) and total-cross-tied (TCT) connections are used in the tests. Shadows cast on the PV system are monitored incessantly by a camera and a reconfiguration is applied according to a predefined time threshold. The tests, performed in real time, show that the proposed system is accurate and efficient. The proposed reconfiguration method provides 10-20% of the average energy extraction for the S&P and TCT configuration layout.
Segmentation of crop organs through region growing in 3D space

The segmentation of crop organs from 3D laser point clouds is an important prerequisite work of crop phenotypic parameters in non-destructive measurement. This paper respectively selected the 3D point cloud data of the rapeseed plant with leaf stage and pod stage as the research materials. A novel normal vector-based method for segmentation of the 3D point cloud is presented. First, a 3D scanner, HandyScan 300, was used to obtain 3D point cloud data. Second, using the voxel-based grid method, the original point cloud data were down-sampled at the premise of keeping the shape of point cloud unchanged. Third, according to the characteristics of the point cloud, the two conditions of the normal vector difference and the Euclidean distance between each point could be merged into two necessary conditions of the current class. Finally, the nearest point was searched with a set of labeled point cloud growth and through each point cloud of European radius until the collection of point cloud and the adjacent candidate was in accordance with the current conditions of the finished classification process. Results showed that the angle difference threshold of the normal vector was [0.91, 0.95]. The segmentation effect of the point cloud data of the leaves of the rapeseed plant was the best, which avoided the problem of misclassification and the appearance of over-segmentation. The angle difference threshold of the normal vector was [0.88, 0.91]. The segmentation effect of the point cloud data of the pod of the rapeseed plant was the best, and the accuracy rate reached 97%. Therefore, the validity and feasibility of the method was verified. Accurate segmentation of the plant organ is another foundation for the nondestructive measurement of the phenotypic parameters in the later stage.
Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy and Lung Cancer Risk in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort

Background: Studies of postmenopausal hormone therapy and lung cancer incidence have reported positive, negative, and null associations. Most of these studies, however, have had limited ability to control rigorously for cigarette smoking or to examine risk separately by smoking status. Methods: We examined the association between postmenopausal hormone therapy and lung cancer incidence by smoking status among 72,772 women in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. Proportional hazards modeling was used to calculate rate ratios (RR). Results: During follow-up from 1992 to 2003, we identified 659 cases of incident lung cancer. Current use of any postmenopausal hormone therapy was significantly associated with decreased risk of incident lung cancer [multivariate RR, 0.76; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.62-0.92]. Similar risk estimates were observed for unopposed estrogen use (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.60-0.94) and for estrogen plus progestin (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.57-1.01). Risk associated with current use of postmenopausal hormone therapy was decreased among never smokers (RR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.33-0.95) as well as current smokers (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.55-1.05) and former smokers (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.58-0.99). Former hormone use was not associated with lung cancer. No trend with duration of hormone use was detected. Conclusion: These results support the hypothesis that postmenopausal hormone therapy is associated with reduced risk of lung cancer, although the absence of a dose-response relationship weakens the evidence for causality. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(3):655–60)
Visual Distortion Sensitivity Modeling for Spatially Adaptive Quantization in Remote Sensing Image Compression

As remote sensing images are often characterized with strong randomness, weak local correlation, and multiple small targets, the commonly used coarse-granularity subband-level quantization scheme fails to make use of these characteristics; thus, the performance improvements of these methods in literature are often marginal. To address this problem, this letter presents a novel spatially adaptive quantization (SAQ) method for the compression of remote sensing images based on our proposed Visual Distortion Sensitivity (ViDiS) Model. The ViDiS model takes into consideration four ViDiS components, including image luminance, spatial frequency, spatial orientation, and visual masking, to help measure the distortion more consistent to the image quality perceived by human beings. Then, a SAQ scheme is proposed to better exploit the content characteristics of remote sensing images, in which the quantization is conducted on a finer subband block level rather than subband level, with the guidance of the ViDiS model. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can preserve better visual quality in low-contrast areas with small targets at a competitive computational cost, which makes it more desirable in compression applications for remote sensing images.
198 Interaction of porphyrin-anthraquinone hybrids with HSP90: in silico study

(Figure 1) were derived. Based on the common e-pharmacophores, a ligand data-set of 2250 compounds were deduced from the shape based and geometry based similarity screening against more than one million compounds from nine established in-house library of small molecules using PHASE v4.1. Multiple docking strategies such as rigid receptor docking (RRD), QPLD and IFD were performed (Du et al., 2011). Three stage RRD (HTVS, SP, XP) was carried out using Glide v6.5 resulted 23 leads.The resulted 23 leads were compared to 129 co-crystal ligands, 7 best leads were obtained which were further taken for QPLD, IFD and MM-GBSA analysis. Lead1 had the least docking score, lower binding free energy and better binding orientation towards BACE1 (Figure 2). To analyze the stability of the BACE1-lead1 dock complex was subjected to 10 ns MD simulations in Desmond v3.8 and found to be stable (Figure 3). The results from multiple docking analysis and MD simulations affirmed that lead1 might be a promising inhibitor for efficient inhibition of BACE1 activity in reduced Aβ production for treating AD.
Dynamics of Endogenous Cardiac Repair and Methods for Enhanced Post-Injury Cell Therapy

Heart attacks are a leading cause of mortality in the United States, responsible for over 500,000 deaths annually. Despite advancing treatments for acute heart attack, 5-year mortality exceeds 50% as the organ fails to heal the resulting scar. Recent studies revealed modest cardiac regeneration occurring throughout life and accelerating (albeit insufficiently) post-injury. However, the magnitude is contested with some studies indicating low cardiomyocyte formation and others indicating rapid formation of increasingly inferior cardiomyocytes. Resolving this question determines the needed strategy for repair augmentation. Chapter 3 scrutinizes current apparently-paradoxical studies and offers a unified estimate of cardiomyocyte turnover via a hybrid-model software platform. As limited engraftment (<2%) was cited as a primary impediment in bone marrow cell (BMC) infusion clinical trials, Chapter 4 recapitulates these trials in an intact-organ murine model--the isolated perfused heart. Flow cytometry enables objective, sensitive identification of strongly-retained BMC phenotypes. Results show that endothelial P-selectin surfaces at 30 minutes post ischemia-reperfusion injury, leading to preferential engraftment of c-kit+ BMCs (which exhibit superior P-selectin adherence in vitro). Chapter 5 adapts the flow cytometry technique to measurement of absolute cell retention (non-ratiometric) to evaluate chemotactic properties of Stromal Derived Factor (SDF)-eluting implants of polymerized hyaluronic acid. Stem cells home to chemokine concentration gradients and thus SDF-eluting hydrogels can draw infused stem cells to the implant site. The hydrogel increases cardiac BMC homing by 5-fold, confirming that local chemokine milieu alteration can augment BMC therapy. Leveraging Chapter 4 results, Chapter 6 artificially stimulates P-selectin endothelialization in quiescent endothelium to improve BMC engraftment rates even after endogenous activation subsides. Low-dose peroxide, a reactive oxygen species known to induce brief inflammation, when delivered prior to BMC infusion, enhances retention by 3-fold. Interestingly, peroxide-induced c-kit+ BMC retention rates are equivalent to true ischemic injury rates, while c-kit-negative BMCs also experience enhanced engraftment. This work spans the scientific process, conducting basic research of natural physiology and leveraging results to propose and test two promising therapeutic strategies--alteration of local chemokine concentrations and endothelial adhesion molecule display. Additionally, new techniques, including computational methods and flow cytometry-based engraftment assays enable future work in cardiac regeneration. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/edissertations/631 Graduate Group Bioengineering First Advisor Kenneth B. Margulies