Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging allows non-invasive functional and structural evaluation of diabetic kidney disease

ABSTRACT Background We sought to develop a novel non-contrast multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) protocol employing several complementary techniques in a single scan session for a comprehensive functional and structural evaluation of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Methods In the cross-sectional part of this prospective observational study, 38 subjects ages 18‒79 years with type 2 diabetes and DKD [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 15‒60 mL/min/1.73 m2] and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers (HVs) underwent mpMRI. Repeat mpMRI was performed on 23 DKD subjects and 10 HVs. By measured GFR (mGFR), 2 DKD subjects had GFR stage G2, 16 stage G3 and 20 stage G4/G5. A wide range of MRI biomarkers associated with kidney haemodynamics, oxygenation and macro/microstructure were evaluated. Their optimal sensitivity, specificity and repeatability to differentiate diabetic versus healthy kidneys and categorize various stages of disease as well as their correlation with mGFR/albuminuria was assessed. Results Several MRI biomarkers differentiated diabetic from healthy kidneys and distinct GFR stages (G3 versus G4/G5); mean arterial flow (MAF) was the strongest predictor (sensitivity 0.94 and 1.0, specificity 1.00 and 0.69; P = .04 and .004, respectively). Parameters significantly correlating with mGFR were specific measures of kidney haemodynamics, oxygenation, microstructure and macrostructure, with MAF being the strongest univariate predictor (r = 0.92; P < .0001). Conclusions A comprehensive and repeatable non-contrast mpMRI protocol was developed that, as a single, non-invasive tool, allows functional and structural assessment of DKD, which has the potential to provide valuable insights into underlying pathophysiology, disease progression and analysis of efficacy/mode of action of therapeutic interventions in DKD.
Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 1 (HAVcr-1) Initiates Prostate Cancer Progression in Human Cells via Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF)-Induced Changes in Junctional Integrity

Background: HAVcR-1 has been linked to cancer aetiology and may regulate junctional complexes, with its role in prostate cancer still unexplored. This study aims to investigate the expression of HAVcR-1 in prostate cancer samples and the exploration of the cellular/molecular impact of HAVcR-1. Methods: Levels of HAVcR-1 ectodomain in the serum of prostate cancer patients were compared to healthy controls, and assessed as the total protein and gene expression of HAVcR-1 and tissues sections. The manipulation of HAVcR-1 levels within prostate cancer cell lines determined changes in cell behaviour using in vitro cell models and barrier function assays. Protein/phosphoprotein levels were assessed using Western blotting. Results: Levels of HAVcR-1 ectodomain from serum were decreased in patients with prostate cancer. Ectodomain levels correlated with the Gleason score. Histologically, the total protein/gene expression of HAVcR-1 was overexpressed in prostate cancer. The overexpression of HAVcR-1 in prostate cancer cell lines resulted in key changes in cell behaviour and the phosphorylation of β-catenin with a concurrent decrease in membranous E-cadherin, increased nuclear β-catenin and increased cyclin D1 protein expression, which were associated with HGF-promoted changes in the barrier function. Conclusions: HAVcR-1 expression and ectodomain release coincides with the presence of prostate cancer; thus, indicating HAVcR-1 as a potential biomarker to aid in diagnostics, and implicating HAVcR-1 in the dysregulation of junctional complexes.
Minimal quantum thermal machine in a bandgap environment: non-Markovian features and anti-Zeno advantage

A minimal model of a quantum thermal machine is analyzed, where a driven two level working medium (WM) is embedded in an environment (reservoir) whose spectrum possesses bandgaps. The transition frequency of the WM is periodically modulated so as to be in alternating spectral overlap with hot or cold reservoirs whose spectra are separated by a bandgap. Approximate and exact treatments supported by analytical considerations yield a complete characterization of this thermal machine in the deep quantum domain. For slow to moderate modulation, the spectral response of the reservoirs is close to equilibrium, exhibiting sideband (Floquet) resonances in the heat currents and power output. In contrast, for faster modulation, strong-coupling and non-Markovian features give rise to correlations between the WM and the reservoirs and between the two reservoirs. Power boost of strictly quantum origin (‘quantum advantage’) is then found for both continuous and segmental fast modulation that leads to the anti-Zeno effect of enhanced spectral reservoir response. Such features cannot be captured by standard Markovian treatments.
Effectiveness of the Contours Vibes™ soothing vibrations infant and toddler crib mattress on infant and maternal sleep quality and health outcomes: an intervention study

Objectives The purpose was to examine the effectiveness of the Contours Vibes™ Crib Mattress on infants’ and maternal sleep quality and health. Material and Methods Participants were 24 mothers and their infants. For Week 1 the infants slept on their current mattress (Baseline). For Week 2 they slept on the Vibrating Mattress without using the vibrating feature (VMC). For Week 3 they slept on the Vibrating Mattress using the vibrating feature (VMA). Sleep quality and health assessments were completed at Baseline and following VMA and VMC conditions. Results Sleep quality and health outcomes improved significantly for VMA compared to Baseline and VMC. VMC had significant improvements in some sleep and health outcomes compared to Baseline. No adverse events were reported. Conclusion The mattress is a simple, noninvasive, and non-pharmacological intervention that improved infant and maternal sleep quality and health. Further research is need examining the longitudinal effects of the mattress.
Digestibility and palatability of Virginia fanpetals (Sida hermaphrodita R.) silage in sheep

Abstract The aim of the current study is to evaluate Virginia fanpetals silage based on an apparent digestibility and palatability test performed on six adult rams. Alfalfa silage was used as standard forage for comparison. Virginia fanpetals samples were harvested in the bud-formation stage and alfalfa samples were harvested in the late bud stage. Virginia fanpetals silage had a crude protein (CP) content of 176 g kg -1 dry matter (DM), a neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content of 378 g kg -1 DM, and a lignin content of 42.8 g kg -1 DM. Virginia fanpetals silage had higher acidity (pH of 4.30) and was characterized by intense lactic acid fermentation compared with alfalfa silage (80 % vs. 51 % of the total acids). The digestibility coefficient of Virginia fanpetals silage was as follows: for DM it was 0.707, for organic matter (OM) it was 0.724, for CP it was 0.861, and for NDF it was 0.609. In comparison with alfalfa silage, Virginia fanpetals silage was characterized by higher apparent digestibility of nutrients, but a significant difference was noted only for CP. The voluntary intake of Virginia fanpetals silage was significantly higher than that of alfalfa silage (1427.4 vs. 954 g DM). The greatest differences in voluntary intake were observed 0–2 and 8–12 h after feeding. Virginia fanpetals silage had a chemical composition similar to that of alfalfa, but it was characterized by a more desirable fermentation pattern and higher digestibility, and it was more willingly consumed by rams. The present findings indicate that Virginia fanpetals silage can be fed to sheep.
Optimal Offloading of Kubernetes Pods in Three-Tier Networks

By pushing resources to far-edge servers located in the proximity of users, edge computing can greatly reduce end-to-end transmission delays. Task offloading in multi-tier networks refers to the optimization of which tasks should be offloaded from the far-edge to the edge and the cloud. Moreover, the containerization of applications can further reduce resource and time consumption and, in turn, the latency of such applications. Even though Kubernetes has become the de facto container orchestrator, not many works have considered the offloading of containerized applications in Kubernetes clusters spanning from cloud to far-edge. In this work, the problem of offloading Kubernetes tasks (or pods) in three-tier networks is formulated and optimized. First, a utility function is presented in terms of the cumulative weighted pod response time, and a utility minimization problem with central processing unit (CPU) constraints is presented. Based on the optimal theoretical solution to this problem, a three-tier offloading decision algorithm (TTODA) is developed. Horizontal scaling is considered, and specific hardware capabilities of each node are taken into account by setting specific SLAs that are fed back to the algorithm. Numerical results show that TTODA outperforms a typical Kubernetes QoS model based on first-in, first-served algorithm (FIFSA) in terms of utility, average pod response time, and usage of far-edge CPU. Further, TTODA achieves an excellent trade-off between performance and computational complexity, and thus it can help achieve the requirements of latency-sensitive applications. Moreover, TTODA can easily be extended to scenarios with joint memory and CPU constraints.
Smart Lipid–Polysaccharide Nanoparticles for Targeted Delivery of Doxorubicin to Breast Cancer Cells

In this study, actively-targeted (CD44-receptors) and dual stimuli (pH/redox)-responsive lipid–polymer nanoparticles were proposed as a delivery vehicle of doxorubicin hydrochloride in triple negative breast cancer cell lines. A phosphatidylcholine lipid film was hydrated with a solution of oxidized hyaluronic acid and doxorubicin, chosen as model drug, followed by a crosslinking reaction with cystamine hydrochloride. The obtained spherical nanoparticles (mean diameter of 30 nm) were found to be efficiently internalized in cancer cells by a receptor-mediated endocytosis process, and to modulate the drug release depending on the pH and redox potential of the surrounding medium. In vitro cytotoxicity assays demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the nanoparticles in enhancing the cytotoxic effect of the free anticancer drug, with the IC50 values being reduced by two and three times in MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231, respectively. The combination of self-assembled phospholipid molecules with a polysaccharide counterpart acting as receptor ligand, and stimuli-responsive chemical moieties, was carried out on smart multifunctional nanoparticles able to actively target breast cancer cells and improve the in vitro anticancer activity of doxorubicin.
A novel hybrid cooling system combining vortex tube with absorption cooler

In this study, a novel cooling system that combines a vortex tube with an absorption cooler is presented. The system produces cooling effects from both devices. The compressed air enters the vortex tube to produce a cooling effect, and the hot air escaped from the vortex tube is used to drive the absorption cooler. The theoretical model has been built and employed to study the performance of the hybrid cooling system, in terms of the specific cooling load and the coefficient of performance, under the effect of different parameters (feed air pressure, feed air temperature, and cold/hot mass fractions). Further, the hybrid system performance is compared to the performance of the vortex tube alone. The results showed that the cooling capacity of the system increases with an increase of both the feed air temperature and the feed air pressure. The maximum coefficient of performance of the system under current design points is 29.3% greater than the maximum coefficient of performance of the standalone vortex tube.
Reactive Oxygen Species Differentially Modulate the Metabolic and Transcriptomic Response of Endothelial Cells

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important mediators of both physiological and pathophysiological signal transduction in the cardiovascular system. The effects of ROS on cellular processes depend on the concentration, localization, and duration of exposure. Cellular stress response mechanisms have evolved to mitigate the negative effects of acute oxidative stress. In this study, we investigate the short-term and long-term metabolic and transcriptomic response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) to different types and concentrations of ROS. To generate intracellular H2O2, we utilized a lentiviral chemogenetic approach for overexpression of human D-amino acid oxidase (DAO). DAO converts D-amino acids into their corresponding imino acids and H2O2. HUVEC stably overexpressing DAO (DAO-HUVEC) were exposed to D-alanine (3 mM), exogenous H2O2 (10 µM or 300 µM), or menadione (5 µM) for various timepoints and subjected to global untargeted metabolomics (LC-MS/MS) and RNAseq by MACE (Massive analysis of cDNA ends). A total of 300 µM H2O2 led to pronounced changes on both the metabolic and transcriptomic level. In particular, metabolites linked to redox homeostasis, energy-generating pathways, and nucleotide metabolism were significantly altered. Furthermore, 300 µM H2O2 affected genes related to the p53 pathway and cell cycle. In comparison, the effects of menadione and DAO-derived H2O2 mainly occurred at gene expression level. Collectively, all types of ROS led to subtle changes in the expression of ribosomal genes. Our results show that different types and concentration of ROS lead to a different metabolic and transcriptomic response in endothelial cells.
When staying home isn’t safe: Australian practitioner experiences of responding to intimate partner violence during COVID-19 restrictions

Times of crisis are associated with increased violence against women, often with reduced access to support services. COVID-19 is no exception with public health control measures restricting people’s movements and confining many women and children to homes with their abusers. Recognising the safety risks posed by lockdowns the United Nations declared violence against women ‘the shadow pandemic’ in April 2020. In the Australian state of Victoria, residents spent over a third of 2020 in strict lockdown. Based on an online survey of 166 Victorian practitioners between April and May 2020 using rating scales and open-ended questions, our study revealed that women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) intensified during lockdown. COVID-19 restrictions created new barriers to help-seeking and necessitated the rapid transition to remote service delivery models during a time of heightened risk. This article provides insights into how practitioners innovated and adapted their practices to provide continued support during a high demand. Our study exposed the significant toll responding to IPV during the pandemic is having on practitioners. We explore the impact of remote service delivery on practitioner mental health and wellbeing and the quality of care provided.Key messagesOnline capacities and service innovations implemented in crisis-mode during the COVID-19 pandemic should inform the development of responsive services systems to help prevent gender-based violence post-COVID and in future crises.Policymakers should resource and prioritise intimate partner violence as well as other forms of gender-based violence within emergency planning and disaster response frameworks and inter-agency coordination.This study emphasises the importance of better supporting the violence against women workforce. There is a need to increase flexible, surge support for the mental health and wellbeing of practitioners working to support victim-survivors during times of emergency.
A microstructure based fatigue life prediction framework and its validation

Yeratapally, Saikumar Reddy Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2015. A Microstructure Based Fatigue Life Prediction Framework and its Validation. Major Professor: Michael D. Sangid. Fatigue crack initiation in polycrystalline materials can be attributed to various mechanistic and microstructural features acting in concert like the elastic stress anisotropy, plastic strain accumulation, resolved shear stress, normal stress, slip-system length, and grain boundary character. In nickel-base superalloys, fatigue cracks tend to initiate near twin boundaries. The factors causing fatigue crack initiation depend on the material’s microstructure, the variability of which results in the scatter observed in the fatigue life. In this work, a robust microstructure based fatigue framework is developed, which takes into account i) the statistical variability of the material's microstructure, ii) the continuum scale complex heterogeneous 3D stress and strain states within the microstructure, and iii) the atomistic mechanisms such as slip-grain boundary (GB) interactions, extrusion formations, and shearing of the matrix and precipitates due to slip. The quantitative information from crystal plasticity simulations and molecular dynamics is applied to define the energy of persistent slip bands (PSB). The energy of a critical PSB and its associated stability with respect to the dislocation motion is used as the failure criterion for crack initiation. This unified framework helps us gain insights on why fatigue cracks tend to initiate at twin boundaries. In addition to that, the computational
Colorimetric Biosensor Based on Magnetic Enzyme and Gold Nanorods for Visual Detection of Fish Freshness

Histamine, an important safety index for aquatic products, can also be used as a freshness indicator for red-fleshed fish. In this work, magnetic graphene oxide (Fe3O4@GO, MGO) was applied to immobilize diamine oxidase (DAO) through a method of adsorption and covalent bonding. Under the optimized conditions, magnetic DAO prepared by adsorption immobilization had a higher enzyme activity than that of free enzyme, which was selected for the sensor construction. A colorimetric biosensor based on magnetic DAO induced etching of gold nanorods (AuNRs) was developed for the detection of histamine in fish. The developed biosensor showed an excellent response toward histamine with a low detection limit of 1.23 μM and had negligible interference from other diamines. With increasing the histamine concentration, the AuNRs after the reaction exhibited colors ranging from dark green to blue-green, blue, purple, red, and colorless. The etching induced multicolor change of AuNRs indicated the presence of different contents of histamine in mackerel during storage, and was consistent with the overall change in the content of the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N). Thus, it was indicated that the proposed colorimetric biosensor with a naked-eye-detectable readout has a great potential to evaluate the freshness of red-fleshed fish high in histamine.
DESIGN AND ESTIMATION OF FEATURES BASED SOFTWARE BIRTHMARK

Software theft and piracy are rapidly increasing problems of modern day software industry. This involves copying and reusing software without proper authorization enforced by the software license agreements. Piracy of software ultimately results in big financial loss to the copyright holder. General user community is not well aware of this serious crime, and most of the time people think that it is not important for them to worry about. Different advanced techniques are being used by practitioners to detect and prevent software theft, including software watermarking and software fingerprints. But the use of countermeasures, such as code obfuscation and optimization of software for the semantic transformation of watermark, has made their use partially illogical. In the same direction, a lot of research has been conducted to develop the concept of software birthmark, which is now a widely accepted technique to detect software theft. A software birthmark is based on the inherent properties of software. Accordingly, researchers have proposed different categories and types of software birthmark based on some defined attributes. Two attributes, credibility and resilience, are considered as the most important attributes of a software birthmark. Although the concept and types of software birthmark is extensively studied by software developers and practitioners, there is still a lack of knowledge and understanding about how to estimate a birthmark to analyse the extent of piracy.The aim of this research is to promote conscious efforts made during software development so as to incorporate well defined design features, resulting in software with strong birthmark, hence preventing software piracy. For this purpose, a feature-based software birthmark has been proposed which provides a closer and authentic identification of software, and then ultimately be used for theft detection. This research also presents a formal estimation model for features-based birthmark which can be used to detect and investigate the extent of piracy in software. The model is tested through a case study. Results exhibit correctness and usefulness of the proposed features based software birthmark and its estimation model. A mathematical model is also presented, through which the birthmark of software(s) can be compared for analyzing extent of piracy.
Thinking through talking to yourself: Inner speech as a vehicle of conscious reasoning

ABSTRACT People frequently report that their thought has, at times, a vocal character. Thinking commonly appears to be accompanied or constituted by silently ‘talking’ to oneself in inner speech. In this paper, I argue that inner speech ‘utterances’ can constitute occurrent propositional attitudes, e.g., occurrent judgments, suppositions, etc., and, thereby, we can consciously reason through tokening a series of inner speech utterances in working memory. As I demonstrate, the functional role a mental state plays in working memory is determined in a flexible and context sensitive manner by metacognitive monitoring and control procedures. An inner speech utterance functions as an occurrent judgment (and, thus, as a premise, lemma, or conclusion in a line of conscious reasoning) when it is experienced with a level of certainty that exceeds one’s threshold of confidence for acceptance. In virtue of an agent experiencing an inner speech utterance with a sufficient level of certainty, the utterance plays the functional role of an occurrent judgment through, e.g., terminating inquiry and causing overt actions (like overtly asserting the words rehearsed in inner speech).
A model on evaluating operational readiness of an air fleet during mission ready time

To accurately evaluate the operational readness of an air fleet at the beginning of a mission by analyzing the relation between maintenance time and maintenance support factors,we give a general distribution function of maintenance time,and develop a model on evaluating the operational readiness of an air fleet in the given state of the air fleet at mission notice time and maintenance support capacity during the mission ready period.Furthermore,we demonstrate the validity of this model and the effect of the maintenance support capacity on the operational readiness of an air fleet with an example.
Exploring the images of hospitality line-level employment: Hotel employees’ perceptions vs. the general public's perceptions

The study explores, compares, and contrasts the image of line-level hotel employment and its underlying dimensions as held by the general public and by hotel employees. Additionally, this study clarifies the images of six specific line-level occupations. A quantitative research approach was adopted. The analysis included 302 hospitality employees and 273 participants representing the general public. The findings revealed that the image of line-level employment is a multifaceted concept, represented by eight factors that were further utilized for the identification of the employment image profiles of the combined two samples. Furthermore, the study found differences in images of six line-level occupations, indicating higher rankings provided by current hospitality employees. Managerial implications and suggestions for future research are presented.