Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dose- and time-dependence of the host-mediated response to paclitaxel therapy: a mathematical modeling approach

It has recently been suggested that pro-tumorigenic host-mediated processes induced in response to chemotherapy counteract the anti-tumor activity of therapy, and thereby decrease net therapeutic outcome. Here we use experimental data to formulate a mathematical model describing the host response to different doses of paclitaxel (PTX) chemotherapy as well as the duration of the response. Three previously described host-mediated effects are used as readouts for the host response to therapy. These include the levels of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in peripheral blood and the effect of plasma derived from PTX-treated mice on migratory and invasive properties of tumor cells in vitro. A first set of mathematical models, based on basic principles of pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, did not appropriately describe the dose-dependence and duration of the host response regarding the effects on invasion. We therefore provide an alternative mathematical model with a dose-dependent threshold, instead of a concentration-dependent one, that describes better the data. This model is integrated into a global model defining all three host-mediated effects. It not only precisely describes the data, but also correctly predicts host-mediated effects at different doses as well as the duration of the host response. This mathematical model may serve as a tool to predict the host response to chemotherapy in cancer patients, and therefore may be used to design chemotherapy regimens with improved therapeutic outcome by minimizing host mediated effects.
Evidence for oxidative stress during in vitro dialysis.

The evidence for oxidative stress during haemodialysis is controversial. We therefore examined markers of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation using an in vitro dialysis circuit. A unit of fresh blood (500 ml) therapeutically removed from each of 7 haemochromatosis patients was oxygenated and circulated for 4 h at 37 degrees C through a cuprophane dialyser (Clirans C08) against saline dialysate (1,000 ml recirculating; +FIL group). In a second series of experiments (n = 7), the dialyser was omitted from the circuit (-FIL group). Concentrations of anti-oxidants and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured at 7 time points during the study. Blood thiol concentrations decreased by 25.6% in the +FIL group (p < 0.05) but were unchanged in the -FIL group (p > 0.05; group comparison, p = 0.006). There were no significant differences between the groups, for the lipid-soluble anti-oxidants alpha-tocopherol, retinol and beta-carotene. Plasma MDA concentrations increased in both circuits (p < 0.001, respectively, no difference between groups). However, the susceptibility of red blood cells to lipid peroxidation (as determined by MDA production following a challenge with hydrogen peroxide) was unchanged by 120 min of dialysis. These in vitro experiments provide supporting evidence that haemodialysis is accompanied by measurable oxidative stress and plasma lipid peroxidation.
Respiratory, cardiovascular and metabolic responses during different modes of overground bionic ambulation in persons with motor-incomplete spinal cord injury: A case series.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of overground bionic ambulation with variable assistance on cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses in persons with motor-incomplete spinal cord injury. DESIGN Case series. SUBJECTS Four participants with chronic, motor-incomplete spinal cord injury. METHODS Subjects completed a maximal graded exercise test on an arm-ergometer and 3 6-min bouts of overground bionic ambulation using different modes of assistance, i.e. Maximal, Adaptive, Fixed. Cardiorespiratory (oxygen consumption) and metabolic (caloric expenditure and substrate utilization) measures were taken using a mobile metabolic cart at each overground bionic ambulation assistance. RESULTS Cardiorespiratory responses ranged from low (24% VO2peak) for the least impaired and fittest individual to supramaximal (124% VO2peak) for the participant with the largest impairments and the lowest level of fitness. Different overground bionic ambulation assistive modes elicited small (3-8% VO2peak) differences in cardiorespiratory responses for 3 participants. One participant had a large (28% VO2peak) difference in cardiorespiratory responses to different modes of overground bionic ambulation. Metabolic responses mostly tracked closely with cardiorespiratory responses. Total energy expenditure ranged from 1.39 to 7.17 kcal/min. Fat oxidation ranged from 0.00 to 0.17 g/min across participants and different overground bionic ambulation modes. CONCLUSION Overground bionic ambulation with variable assistance can substantially increase cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses; however, these responses vary widely across participants and overground bionic ambulation modes.
Regulation of Coordination Number over Single Co Sites: Triggering the Efficient Electroreduction of CO2.

The design of active, selective, and stable CO2 reduction electrocatalysts is still challenging. A series of atomically dispersed Co catalysts with different nitrogen coordination numbers were prepared and their CO2 electroreduction catalytic performance was explored. The best catalyst, atomically dispersed Co with two-coordinate nitrogen atoms, achieves both high selectivity and superior activity with 94 % CO formation Faradaic efficiency and a current density of 18.1 mA cm-2 at an overpotential of 520 mV. The CO formation turnover frequency reaches a record value of 18 200 h-1 , surpassing most reported metal-based catalysts under comparable conditions. Our experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that lower a coordination number facilitates activation of CO2 to the CO2. - intermediate and hence enhances CO2 electroreduction activity.
A requirement engineering model for big data software

Most prevailing software engineering methodologies assume that software systems are developed from scratch to capture business data and subsequently generate reports. Nowadays, massive data may exist even before software systems are developed. These data may also be freely available on Internet or may present in silos in organizations. The advancement in artificial intelligence and computing power has also prompted the need for big data analytics to unleash more business values to support evidence-based decisions. Some business values are less evident than others, especially when data are analyzed in silos. These values could be potentially unleashed and augmented from the insights discovered by data scientists through data mining process. Data mining may involve overlaying and merging data from different sources to extract data patterns. Ideally, these values should be eventually incorporated into the information systems to be. To realize this, we propose that software engineers ought to elicit software requirements together with data scientists. However, in the traditional software engineering process, such collaboration and business values are usually neglected. In this paper, we present a new requirement engineering model that allows software engineers and data scientists to discover these values hand in hand as part of software requirement process. We also demonstrate how the proposed requirement model captures and expresses business values that unleashed through big data analytics using an adapted use case diagram.
Nondestructive, indirect assessment of the biomechanical properties of the rat intervertebral disc using contrast‐enhanced μCT

Mechanical characterization of the intervertebral disc involves labor‐intensive and destructive experimental methodology. Contrast‐enhanced micro‐computed tomography is a nondestructive imaging modality for high‐resolution visualization and glycosaminoglycan quantification of cartilaginous tissues. The purpose of this study was to determine whether anionic and cationic contrast‐enhanced micro‐computed tomography of the intervertebral disc can be used to indirectly assess disc mechanical properties in an ex vivo model of disc degeneration. L3/L4 motion segments were dissected from female Lewis rats. To deplete glycosaminoglycan, samples were treated with 0 U/ml (Control) or 5 U/ml papain. Contrast‐enhanced micro‐computed tomography was performed following incubation in 40% Hexabrix (anionic) or 30 mg I/ml CA4+ (cationic) for 24 h (n = 10/contrast agent/digestion group). Motion segments underwent cyclic mechanical testing to determine compressive and tensile modulus, stiffness, and hysteresis. Glycosaminoglycan content was determined using the dimethylmethylene blue assay. Correlations between glycosaminoglycan content, contrast‐enhanced micro‐computed tomography attenuation, and mechanical properties were assessed via the Pearson correlation. The predictive accuracy of attenuation on compressive properties was assessed via repeated random sub‐sampling cross validation. Papain digestion produced significant decreases in glycosaminoglycan content and corresponding differences in attenuation and mechanical properties. Attenuation correlated significantly to glycosaminoglycan content and to all compressive mechanical properties using both Hexabrix and CA4+. Predictive linear regression models demonstrated a predictive accuracy of attenuation on compressive modulus and stiffness of 79.8–86.0%. Contrast‐enhanced micro‐computed tomography was highly predictive of compressive mechanical properties in an ex vivo simulation of disc degeneration and may represent an effective modality for indirectly assessing disc compressive properties. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:2030–2038, 2018.
A Nonbinary LDPC-Coded SCMA System with Optimized Codebook Design

Sparse code multiple access (SCMA) is a promising technique to meet the requirements for massive capacity in 5G communications. In this paper, a nonbinary LDPC- coded SCMA system with a turbo receiver is proposed. We also provide a heuristic approach based on Cartesian product and Euclidean distance to construct the SCMA codebook, which greatly reduces the detection complexity and can be easily extended to large-size constellations. Furthermore, the codebook design for large SCMA systems is presented, and the sparse structure is optimized via the construction of matrices with optimized cycle distribution. Simulation results show that the nonbinary LDPC-coded SCMA system is much more compatible with high-order modulation than its binary counterpart, and the proposed design outperforms the original SCMA codebook design in both the error probability and complexity even in large loading situations.
Eating habits and nutritional status of patients with affective disorders and schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to assess the nutritional value of the food intake in the group of men and women suffering from recurrent affective disorders and schizophrenia, and also to determine the relation between selected nutritional parameters with anthropometric indices defining the nutritional status of the subjects. METHODS 219 persons participated in the study (61 patients with recurrent depressive disorders, 60 patients with schizophrenia and 98 healthy volunteers). A24-hour dietary recall was used in the quantitative assessment of the diet. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements as well as body composition analysis were used to assess the nutritional status. RESULTS It was shown that women with depression and schizophrenia had a significantly higher content of both visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue as compared with the control group. A diet with a higher content of energy from protein, a higher supply of calcium promoted a lower fat content in the bodies of women suffering from depression (no such relationship was observed in the group of men). In the group of patients with schizophrenia, a diet with a lower supply of energy promoted a lower BMI value, waist circumference, lower waist-hip ratio and a lower fat content in the body. CONCLUSIONS An improper energy structure and an improper content of nutrients can, in the future, contribute to the development of many somatic diseases, thus leading to deterioration of life quality of subjects and preventing the maintenance of mental health.
Psychological and physical violence towards children with disabilities in Finland and Sweden

This article describes psychological aggression and physical violence by Swedish and Finnish mothers (N = 3420) towards their 0- to 12-year-old children with disabilities (N = 286) by comparing such behaviour with the mothers of children without disabilities (N = 3134). The survey data are based on representative samples from Finland and Sweden of mothers’ reports of their behaviour towards their child in conflict situations. Mothers of children with disabilities reported more psychological aggression towards their child than did mothers of children without disabilities. Mothers used psychological aggression, especially towards children with neurological/psychological disabilities. However, the only significant difference regarding physical violence was repetitive use of mild physical violence. Overall, the analysis suggests that children with neurological/psychological disabilities are more exposed to both psychological and physical violence than children without disabilities or children with somatic/developmental disabilities.
Yaşam Boyu Öğrenmeyi Etkileyen Faktörler

Yasam boyu ogrenme; bireyin yasami boyunca bilgisini, becerilerini, yeterliklerini bireysel, sosyal ya da mesleki olarak gelistirmeyi amaclayan tum etkinlikler olarak tanimlanmistir. Yasam boyu ogrenme kapsaminda orgun ogrenme, yaygin ogrenme, mesleki egitim, teknik egitim, hizmet ici ve hizmet disi tum egitim ve ogretimler yer almaktadir. Literatur, yasam boyu ogrenmenin bircok faktorle iliskisine dikkat cekmektedir. Bu baglamda, bu calismanin amaci, yasam boyu ogrenmeyi etkileyen faktorleri ve bu faktorler arasindaki iliskiyi kuramsal baglamda ortaya koymaktir. Bu calismada, literatur taramasi yontemi kullanilarak derleme turunde bir arastirma yapilmistir. Calisma sonucunda yasam boyu ogrenme bilesenlerini olusturan yapilar belirlenmis ve kuramsal bir yapi olusturulmaya calisilmistir. Bu yapi icerisinde yasam boyu ogrenmeyi etkileyen kulturel yapi, tutum, beceri, yeterlik, okuryazarlik, bilgi ve iletisim teknolojileri gibi faktorler diger bilesenlerle iliskili olarak semalastirilmistir
Drive pattern analyzer using smartphones

This paper is about analyzing the efficiency of drivers using an android based smartphone. Smartphones have built-in sensors for instance: accelerometer, gyroscope etc. Utilizing these sensors will provide day-end analysis to track the driving behaviour and provide feedback to the drivers if there is any inappropriate or reckless action taken while driving. To summarize this, we propose to build an active and accurate mon-itoring system that gives the response to the driving behaviours of a driver.
Detection of plasma alpha-granule membrane protein GMP-140 using radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies in thrombotic diseases.

There is an assumption that platelet activation and endothelium damage play a critical role in the pathogenesis of thrombotic disorders. A radioimmunoassay based on using two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to different epitopes of alpha-granule membrane protein (GMP-140) was used to determine whether plasma GMP-140 can be detected in patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or cerebral thrombosis and in patients during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). MAb SZ-51 was used as a solid phase, and 125I-labeled MAb S12 was used as a fluid phase. The assay is so sensitive that it can detect as little as 1 ng/ml of purified GMP-140. The intra- and interassay coefficients of variation were 4.2% (n = 5) and 7.1% (n = 8), respectively. The concentration of plasma GMP-140 was found to be 10.0 +/- 4.5 ng/ml (mean +/- SD, n = 20) in normal subjects. Ten patients undergoing CPB demonstrated a transient increase in the concentration of plasma GMP-140, especially at 2 h after CPB, and the plasma GMP-140 level was inversely correlated with the decreased platelet counts during bypass (r = -0.81, p < 0.01). It was found that the concentration of plasma GMP-140 increased significantly after AMI. Plasma GMP-140 reached the peak within 3 days and changed with the process of AMI (n = 16) patients. The concentration of plasma GMP-140 increased significantly in patients with cerebral thrombosis in the acute phase but not after relief. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Comparative FISH mapping of mouse and rat homologues of twenty-five human X-linked genes

We constructed a comparative cytogenetic map of 25 functional genes in mouse and rat X chromosomes by direct R-banding fluorescence in situ hybridization. Nineteen and 22 out of the 25 genes, which have been mapped on the human X chromosome, were newly localized to mouse and rat X chromosomes, respectively. Twenty-two additional genes were integrated in the rat-mouse-human comparative map of the X chromosome in this study. Comparison of the gene order indicated the presence of four chromosome segments with conserved linkage homology between mouse and rat X chromosomes, suggesting that a minimum of four chromosomal inversion events occurred between mouse and rat X chromosomes during the evolution of the two species. Four chromosome segments with conserved linkage homology were found between human and rat X chromosomes.
Governing the swarm: Controlling a bio-hybrid society of bees & robots with computational feedback loops

Bio-hybrid systems in which living organisms interact and self-organize with multi-robot systems are a novel approach in engineering and biology. We show here how a group of honeybees and robots can interact in collective decision making and how computer code that adds feedback loops to the system may affect the global system properties. This study contains a series of experiments with living honeybees and robots as well as a cellular-automaton inspired model that is simple, yet still in good agreement with the empirical findings presented here. Using this model, we explore the most likely candidates for local parameters in the proximate mechanisms of the animals, thus further the understanding of this natural system in a context that is relevant for such bio-hybrid manifestations. We identify positive feedback based on bee-to-bee collision and temperature as an important factor governing collective decision making and found the stopping probability after close-encounters among bees as a crucial local parameter. This study is the first step towards using computer and robotic technology to monitor and control complex animal societies like honeybees.
Classification and analysis of human activities

In recent years, classification of human activities has gained more interest, this paper presents a novel analysis of a multivariate timeseries dataset namely PAMAP2 (physical activity monitoring) using different classification algorithms. The dataset consist of 18 day-to-day activities with 54 attributes that include sitting, standing, lying, ironing, vaccum-cleaning, walking, running, cycling, nordiac walking, playing soccer, rope jumping, car driving, ascending and descending stairs etc. of which first five activities are selected for analysis. The classification is carried out using Weka data mining tool on algorithms namely J48, Naives Bayes and Random Forest. The results proved an accuracy of 100%, 100%, 98% for training set and 19.2% 90.11% 93.2% for test set on J48, Random Forest and Naives Bayes algorithms respectively. Thereby, the overall analysis demonstrates that Random Forest algorithm outperforms better on PAMAP2 (physical activity monitoring) dataset and the activity, vaccum-cleaning results with highest correctly classified instances on Random Forest and Naives Bayes algorithms.
Determination of the renal concentration capacity following intravenous administration of dDAVP in healthy humans

Abstract The synthetic AVP analogue 1-desamino-8-d-arginine-vasopressin (dDAVP) is used for treatment of polyuric disorders. Lack of commercially available assays limits the usefulness of dDAVP as a diagnostic tool in the assessment of renal concentrating capacity. We aimed to develop a specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) for determination of plasma dDAVP (pdDAVP) in order to investigate the relationship between pdDAVP levels and urine osmolality (Uosm). Further, we aimed to determine the onset, duration, and maximum concentrating capacity following intravenous (i.v.) bolus dDAVP injection. The dDAVP assay was based on a well-established RIA for measurements of AVP. Fourteen healthy subjects (aged 15–18 years) participated. Blood and urine samples were collected prior to and after i.v. bolus of 0.03 µg/kg dDAVP. Diuresis and Uosm was measured for nine hours following dDAVP administration. PdDAVP and Uosm were analyzed.We established a specific RIA for the measurement of pdDAVP. All subjects reached maximal pdDAVP concentration (Cmax) 30 minutes following infusion, and a rise in Uosm after 60 minutes. Maximal Uosm varied between subjects, with no direct correlation to the achieved pdDAVP levels. We found no significant intra-individual variation between two dDAVP infusions and the effect was reproducible in terms of Cmax and maximal Uosm. We characterized the relationship between pdDAVP and Uosm after dDAVP bolus injection in healthy adolescents using our dDAVP assay. Maximal Uosm achieved correlated with the baseline Uosm levels and seemed unrelated to achieved pdDAVP levels. The urine concentrating response was maintained at least eight hours.
Evolution Toward 5G Mobile Networks - A Survey on Enabling Technologies

In this paper, an extensive review has been carried out on the trends of existing as well as proposed potential enabling technologies that are expected to shape the fifth generation (5G) mobile wireless networks. Based on the classification of the trends, we develop a 5G network architectural evolution framework that comprises three evolutionary directions, namely, (1) radio access network node and performance enabler, (2) network control programming platform, and (3) backhaul network platform and synchronization. In (1), we discuss node classification including low power nodes in emerging machine-type communications, and network capacity enablers, e.g., millimeter wave communications and massive multiple-input multiple-output. In (2), both logically distributed cell/device-centric platforms, and logically centralized conventional/wireless software defined networking control programming approaches are discussed. In (3), backhaul networks and network synchronization are discussed. A comparative analysis for each direction as well as future evolutionary directions and challenges toward 5G networks are discussed. This survey will be helpful for further research exploitations and network operators for a smooth evolution of their existing networks toward 5G networks.