Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Cholesterol Transport Inhibitor U18666A Interferes with Pseudorabies Virus Infection

Many viruses require the maintenance of lysosomal cholesterol homeostasis for a successful infection; however, the role of lysosomal cholesterol homeostasis in the alphaherpesvirus life cycle is not clear. Here we show that the lysosomal cholesterol transport inhibitor U18666A interferes with the replication of pseudorabies virus (PRV), a member of the alphaherpesvirus subfamily. The treatment with U18666A caused a significant reduction in the production of infectious virus particles. The U18666A treatment was shown to suppress the release of PRV particles. Pretreating PRV virions with U18666A did not affect virus production, whereas pretreating target cells with U18666A led to a substantial reduction in virus yield. Our previous study showed that two cyclodextrin derivatives, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) and 2-hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin (HPγCD), can rescue the cholesterol accumulation defect in primary fibroblasts derived from a Niemann–Pick disease type C (NPC) patient. Here, we demonstrate that treatment with HPβCD or HPγCD not only rescues the U18666A-induced cholesterol accumulation but also rescues the U18666A-induced inhibition of PRV production. Collectively, our data suggest that U18666A interferes with PRV infection via altering cellular functions that are critical for the viral life cycle and may include lysosomal cholesterol homeostasis.
Improving the Diagnosis of Skin Biopsies Using Tissue Segmentation

Invasive melanoma, a common type of skin cancer, is considered one of the deadliest. Pathologists routinely evaluate melanocytic lesions to determine the amount of atypia, and if the lesion represents an invasive melanoma, its stage. However, due to the complicated nature of these assessments, inter- and intra-observer variability among pathologists in their interpretation are very common. Machine-learning techniques have shown impressive and robust performance on various tasks including healthcare. In this work, we study the potential of including semantic segmentation of clinically important tissue structure in improving the diagnosis of skin biopsy images. Our experimental results show a 6% improvement in F-score when using whole slide images along with epidermal nests and cancerous dermal nest segmentation masks compared to using whole-slide images alone in training and testing the diagnosis pipeline.
Part 1 : Understanding the components of the fundamental sampling error : a key to good sampling practice

The variety and sources of sampling errors have been studied since the late 1800s, but the pioneering work of Pierre Gy in the 1950s provided insights into sampling as an error generating process. Total sampling variance is a measure of the total sampling error, but disaggregating the variance into its component parts is problematical. Ten sources of error and error generating processes have been identified, some of which can be eliminated through rigorous application of the principle of correct sampling. Others can only be minimized but never eliminated. Three principal questions relating to the appropriate mass of a sample, the fragment size of the sample and the size of the associated error are addressed. These questions relate principally to the Fundamental Error (FE), the only error that can be estimated before the sampling event. Aspects of constitutional and distributional heterogeneity are examined, as are the essential components of Gyi? ½s formula including the shape factor (f), the granulometric factor (g), the mineralogical composition factor (c), and the liberation factor, l. Applications of Gyi? ½s equation to the problems of sampling in the minerals industry are explained using real-life examples. The approach to sampling taken by Pierre Gy provides an excellent inferential relationship between the mass of material to be sampled, the size of the fragments being sampled, and the relative variance of the sampling error. It also provides solutions for three of the main problems associated with the Theory of Sampling.
Effects of Alert Cue Specificity on Situation Awareness in Transfer of Control in Level 3 Automation

Drivers in a Level 3 automation environment typically need at least 8 s following a manual takeover request to achieve appropriate levels of situation awareness. Studies that have derived this time estimate use general audio alerts that suggest a transfer of control from the automation to the driver might be required. The current experiment examined if improvements in younger drivers’ situation awareness might be observed in as little as 4 s before a latent hazard might materialize and a transfer of control occurs if more specific audio alerts are used. Younger drivers either drove manually with no cue or in one of four automation conditions: (a) a general cue condition, (b) a condition that described the risky features of the roadway and the location of those features, (c) a condition that contained information about the actual identity of the threat and the required behavior, and (d) a combination cue condition (both environment and threat cue). Eye movements were recorded as drivers completed six scenarios in a simulated automated driving experiment. The results showed that audio cues that contained information about risky roadway features increased the detection of latent hazards by almost 40% compared with when a general cue or a threat cue was used. Performance with the combined cue was no better than performance with the environment cue. The environment cue gives drivers the critical seconds needed to mitigate a potential crash. Results are informative about which types of alerts to use to inform drivers of upcoming hazards.
Impact of Metabolic Surgery on Gut Microbiota and Sera Metabolomic Patterns among Patients with Diabetes

Metabolic surgery is a promising treatment for obese individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but the mechanism is not completely understood. Current understanding of the underlying ameliorative mechanisms relies on alterations in parameters related to the gastrointestinal hormones, biochemistry, energy absorption, the relative composition of the gut microbiota, and sera metabolites. A total of 13 patients with obesity and T2DM undergoing metabolic surgery treatments were recruited. Systematic changes of critical parameters and the effects and markers after metabolic surgery, in a longitudinal manner (before surgery and three, twelve, and twenty-four months after surgery) were measured. The metabolomics pattern, gut microbiota composition, together with the hormonal and biochemical characterizations, were analyzed. Body weight, body mass index, total cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting glucose level, C-peptide, HbA1c, HOMA-IR, gamma-glutamyltransferase, and des-acyl ghrelin were significantly reduced two years after metabolic surgery. These were closely associated with the changes of sera metabolomics and gut microbiota. Significant negative associations were found between the Eubacterium eligens group and lacosamide glucuronide, UDP-L-arabinose, lanceotoxin A, pipercyclobutanamide B, and hordatine B. Negative associations were identified between Ruminococcaceae UCG-003 and orotidine, and glucose. A positive correlation was found between Enterococcus and glutamic acid, and vindoline. Metabolic surgery showed positive effects on the amelioration of diabetes and metabolic syndromes, which were closely associated with the change of sera metabolomics, the gut microbiota, and other disease-related parameters.
Laser Annealing of Sb2Te3 2D Layers towards Nonlinear Optical Applications

In this work, we performed laser annealing of thin Sb2Te3 films to optimize crystallization time and their nonlinear optical properties. The annealed layers were studied by electron microscopy and UV–Vis spectrophotometry. Their nonlinear optical response was investigated by nonlinear transmission and Z-scan measurements. These studies were performed by a femtosecond laser system providing 400 fs laser pulses at 1030 nm. The results were compared with previous findings based on studies of oven-annealed thin films.
3-D Printed Integrated and Automated Electro-Microfluidic Viscometer for Biochemical Applications

Viscometers are broadly employed in a wide range of sensing and monitoring applications, such as biochemical optimization, biomedical diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and various adulteration detections. When realizing them in a microfluidic environment, the viscometers can potentially be used in an automated and robust point-of-care setting. Even after so much evolution, one of the constant challenges faced in the development of microfluidic devices is to choose the best fabrication scheme, particularly, in terms of a simplified process, cost, and time. Here, we present a 3-D-printed electro-microfluidic viscometer (EMV) which mimics the conventional Ostwald viscometer. The EMV measures the reference fluid viscosity, under laminar flow, by automatically evaluating the travel time of the sample fluid vis-à-vis to that of a reference fluid. The EMV, consisting of a microchannel and four equidistance electrodes, was fabricated using a simple desktop fused deposition modelling 3-D printer in a single step. The complete platform, comprising of the microfluidic device, pumping subsystem, data acquisition subsystem, and signal processing subsystems, has been integrated and automated to determine the viscosity.
A State of Charge Estimator Based Extended Kalman Filter Using an Electrochemistry-Based Equivalent Circuit Model for Lithium-Ion Batteries

In this paper, an improved equivalent circuit model (ECM) considering partial electrochemical properties is developed for accurate state-of-charge (SOC). In the proposed model, the solid-phase diffusion process is calculated by a simple equation about particle surface SOC, and the double layer is simulated by two resistance-capacitance (RC) networks. To improve the global accuracy of the model, a subarea parameter-identification method based on particle swarm optimization is proposed, in order to determine the optimal model parameters in the entire SOC area. Then, an SOC estimator is developed based on extended kalman filter. The comparative study shows that a model considering solid-phase diffusion with two RC networks is the best choice. Finally, experimental results show that the accuracy of the proposed model is one times higher than that of the traditional ECM in the low SOC area, and is able to estimate SOC with errors less than 1% in the entire SOC area. Furthermore, estimation results of two types of batteries under two working conditions indicate that the developed model and SOC estimator have satisfactory global accuracy and guaranteed robustness with low computational complexity, which can be applied in real-time situations.
BOOK REVIEW: Calibration and Orientation of Cameras in Computer Vision

1 Introduction. - 2 Minimum Solutions for Orientation. - 3 Generic Estimation Procedures for Orientation with Minimum and Redundant Information. - 4 Photogrammetric Camera Component Calibration: A Review of Analytical Techniques. - 5 Least-Squares Camera Calibration Including Lens Distortion and Automatic Editing of Calibration Points. - 6 Modeling and Calibration of Variable-Parameter Camera Systems. - 7 System Calibration Through Self-Calibration. - 8 Self-Calibration of a Stereo Rig from Unknown Camera Motions and Point Correspondences.
Valorization Strategies for a By-Product of Organic Tomato Processing as Potential Ingredient in Functional Food Formulations

Production of tomato-based products generates 5% of waste, composed mainly of peel. This has a significant amount of carotenoids, such as lycopene, and an appropriate amount of total dietary fiber (TDF). Both carotenes and dietary fiber are known to have functional effects on the human body. Therefore, the aim of this research was mainly divided into two parts. First, organic tomato peel obtained by a local processing industry was characterized in terms of percentage of macronutrients such as dietary fiber, protein, and ash, as well as total carotenoid content. Second, two valorization alternatives of these compounds as potential functional additives in food processing were proposed. The first one included carotenoid extraction using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), the encapsulation of the enriched carotenoid extract using spray-drying technology, and its subsequent analysis of powder properties. The second one evaluated the potential use of TDF tomato peel as a replacement for fat and flour in four formulations of cookies. Each formulation was assessed using physicochemical, texture, sensory, and theoretical proximal analyses. The results revealed that UAE optimization was performed using a solvent ratio of 80:20 ethyl acetate:ethanol and 2.5% w/v of solvent:biomass ratio. The recovery percentage of total carotenoid content was 89.08%. The TDF content was 49.46 (3.91) g/100 g on a dry basis. For encapsulation, the drying yield and encapsulation efficiencies were 67.3% (0.5) and 58.1% (0.8), respectively. Sensory analysis showed no significant difference between the means for the control cookie and the 30% fat replacement cookie. Moreover, these 30% fat replacement cookies had the highest purchase intention by the consumers. This study presented a solution for unused tomato peel industrial byproducts, promoting the design of new functional food products with a high content of carotenes and dietary fiber, thereby increasing nutritional and health benefits for consumers.
Picometer-scale edge sensing and actuation for ultra-stable mission concepts

The 2020 decadal survey presents a clear message of the grand astronomy goals of the next decade and beyond, and of the urgent need for technology maturation that will enable the next flagship observatory to observe potentially habitable exoplanets. For a segmented implementation of a large ultra-stable telescope, low TRL areas such as segment sensing and control at the picometer scale have been identified as critical areas for significant technological improvements to accomplish the survey’s grand goals. We present exciting results on picometer scale sensing and actuation in certain temporal and spatial bandwidths as key advances towards addressing this technology gap. We have designed and demonstrated a capacitive testbed for informing different edge sensing architectures, and qualified our novel ultra-fine stage actuator using an optical distance measuring interferometer. We have also integrated the capacitive sensor and our ultra-fine stage actuator for an integrated demo with few picometer noise floor, sensing and actuator resolution. These key results will roll into the design of subscale demonstrations of these components in a future flight-like layout.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning in the Healthcare Sector: A Review

Recently, there has been an increase in the use of technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in the healthcare sector. Hence, this research goal is to understand the benefits, challenges, and trends associated with this technology in this sector. Moreover, other technology such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Augmented Reality (AR) also has been reviewed. Articles related to the use of AI and ML has been collected, reviewed, and compared. The AI and ML trend in healthcare sector mainly used to improve the accuracy and computational speed of analysis. Although, the increase of latest technology able to improve the healthcare sector, it should be implemented effectively and maintain compliance with the legal, ethical, quality, and security standards.
Influence of construction organization project managers’ personal qualities on their professional efficiency

The work was aimed at studying the personal characteristics of project managers that affect the effectiveness of their professional activities. The study involved project managers working in construction companies, with different work experience. In the course of the research, the questionnaire "Satisfaction with the work of manager" was used to assess the level of satisfaction of project managers with their professional activities, the following methods were used to study personal qualities: the COS technique (communicative and organizational propensities), the technique of diagnosing a personality for motivating success and avoiding failures of T. Ehlers, "Big Five" test, multi-level personal questionnaire "Adaptability". To effectively perform their professional activities, the project manager should have a number of social and psychological knowledge and skills, knowledge of the industry's activities and the market in which the company specializes. According to the results of the research, such personal qualities as communicative and organizational abilities, motivational orientation of the person, consciousness, emotional stability, extraversion, openness, tendency to work in a team contribute to increase of the efficiency of the project manager's work.
Integrating ANNs and Cellular Automata–Markov Chain to Simulate Urban Expansion with Annual Land Use Data

Accurately simulating and predicting the urban expansion process, especially in expeditious urbanization areas, is an important aspect of managing limited land resources and adjusting flawed land use policies. This research was conducted on the basis of a high-temporal-resolution land use dataset to precisely model urban expansion in a rapidly developing zone by integrating the Artificial Neural Network (ANN), cellular automata (CA), and Markov Chain (MC). An urban suitability index (USI) map was created using ANN and fed to CA–MC to identify possible changed-to-urban cells. Two ANNs, multiple-layer perceptron (MLP) and long short-term memory network (LSTM), were implemented as simulation models for comparison. Due to its ability to capture more temporal information, LSTM outperformed MLP in modeling urban expansion dynamics over a short temporal interval. The simulated results were validated by (fuzzy) kappa simulation and the results revealed that the combination of ANN and CA–MC can precisely model the urban development locations due to its strength in revealing the nonlinear relationship between the expansion process and its drivers. The same model was applied to southern Auckland, and the compared results show that the most simulated variance is caused by the land use policies implemented by different types of governments.
A tractor instrumentation and data acquisition system for power and energy demand mapping

A complete tractor instrumentation and data acquisition system was developed and installed in Massey Ferguson 3060, agricultural tractor for power and energy demand mapping of the agricultural field operation in Malaysia. The instrumentation system is able to measure and displayed information on engine speed, PTO speed, forward speed, drive wheel slippage, acres worked, fuel consumption per hour, fuel consumption per hectare, acres per hour, cost factor, fuel consumed, fuel remaining, and distance. The data acquisition system that was currently being developed consists of a datalogger system that is interfaced to a locally designed and fabricated drawbar pull transducer to measure horizontal pull at the tractor drawbar, wheel torque transducers to measure torques at both tractor rear wheels, PTO shaft torque transducer to measure the torque at the tractor PTO output, and a 3-point auto hitch dynamometer to measure the horizontal and vertical forces on the implement behind the tractor. Static calibration tests on the designed transducers showed excellent measurement linearity (correlation coefficient closed to 0.99). The field trials show that the system was able to function successfully without giving much problems. All transducers were able to scan and record by the datalogger under the harsh field environments. The stored data in the memory card from the field trials was able to be down loaded into the hard disk of the host computer.
Evaluation of Factors Influencing Organizational Effectiveness of Textile Exporting Firms

Organizational effectiveness is vital component to satisfy the clients and the textile sector is not exempted in this context. This study focuses on examining the organizational effectiveness of textile exporting firms of Pakistan. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of these firms based on different indicators such as; effectiveness, transparency and marketing practices of the committees. The data sources for this study were compiled from preliminary data from a sample of 377 senior management employees. The research population selected for the study is the management cadre of those textile firms who manufacture products for exports. This study has many contributions for the managers and clients who are associated with textile exports. The findings significantly support the hypothesis of a positive relationship between transparency and effectiveness of the firms and the positive relationship between the board performance and efficiency of the firms. However, it is established that the positive correlation hypothesis between marketing practices and the effectiveness of the firm has insignificant results.
Muscone improves hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced neuronal injury by blocking HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB pathway via modulating microRNA-142

Previous reports have indicated that natural muscone has neuroprotective effects against cerebral hypoxia injury; however, little is known in regards to its pharmacological mechanism. In this study, we tried to evaluate the neuroprotective effects and mechanisms of muscone against cerebral hypoxia injury using an in vitro model. The cerebral hypoxia injury cell model was produced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). The cell viability and apoptosis were measured using the cell counting Kit-8 and the Annexin V-FITC/PI Apoptosis Detection kit, respectively. To screen microRNAs regulated by muscone, we analyzed the gene expression datasets of GSE84216 retrieved from gene expression omnibus (GEO). Here, it was demonstrated that muscone treatment significantly alleviated the cell apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation in H/R-exposed neurons. Subsequently, through analyzing GSE84216 from the GEO database, miR-142-5p was markedly upregulated by treatment of muscone in this cell model of cerebral hypoxia injury. Further experiments revealed that downregulation of miR-142-5p eliminated the neuroprotective effects of muscone against H/R induced neuronal injury. Additionally, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), an important inflammatory factor, was identified as a direct target of miR-142-5p in neurons. Meanwhile, we further demonstrated that muscone could reduce the expression of HMGB1 by upregulating miR-142-5p expression, which subsequently resulted in the inactivation of TLR4/NF-κB pathway, finally leading to the improvement of cell injury in H/R-exposed neurons. Overall, we demonstrate for the first time that muscone treatment alleviates cerebral hypoxia injury in in vitro experiments through blocking activation of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway by targeting HMGB1, suggesting that muscone may serve as a potential therapeutic drug for treating cerebral hypoxia injury.