Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Method development and validation of ursodiol and its major metabolites in human plasma by HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry

Background Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and its metabolites tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) and glycoursodeoxycholic acid (GUDCA) have been the subject of several pharmacological studies. The objective of this study was to develop an innovative method of quantification by HPL-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), with a lower cost and suitable, for application in bioequivalence studies. Methods The procedure involved liquid–liquid extraction for quantification of UDCA/GUDCA and precipitation extraction for TUDCA, using deuterated substances as internal standards (ISs) and Phenomenex Luna 250×4.6 mm 5μ C18 100A column. The mobile phase used was acetonitrile/ammonium acetate 30 mM (420: 580 v/v pH 7) for UDCA, acetonitrile/ammonium acetate 10 mM/ammonium hydroxide (400:600: 0.5 v/v/v pH 9) for GUDCA, and acetonitrile/ammonium acetate 10 mM (570: 430 v/v pH 7) for TUDCA. Ions were monitored by the electrospray ion source (ESI) mass spectrometer, operating in a negative ionization mode. Compound determination was performed by LC-MS/MS system using a calibration curve of 15–10,000 ng/mL for UDCA/GUDCA and 5–500 ng/mL for TUDCA. The method was developed and validated according to the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) of Brazil norms harmonized with the main international guidelines as a prerequisite for conducting in vivo study in human volunteers. Results The method did not present matrix effect and residual effect, showing to be selective for studied molecules, with adequate accuracy and precision. In addition, the method was considered sensitive presenting a coefficient of variation less than 20% for the lower limit of quantification of each compound. Conclusion This method can be applied in bioequivalence studies to determine ursodiol and its metabolites reproducibly, simply, and effectively with the use of readily accessible analytical materials and instrumentation.
Did I do that? Detecting a perturbation to visual feedback in a reaching task

The motor system executes actions in a highly stereotyped manner despite the high number of degrees of freedom available. Studies of motor adaptation leverage this fact by disrupting, or perturbing, visual feedback to measure how the motor system compensates. To elicit detectable effects, perturbations are often large compared to trial-to-trial reach endpoint variability. However, awareness of large perturbations can elicit qualitatively different compensation processes than unnoticeable ones can. The current experiment measures the perturbation detection threshold, and investigates how humans combine proprioception and vision to decide whether displayed reach endpoint errors are self-generated only, or are due to experimenter-imposed perturbation. We scaled or rotated the position of the visual feedback of center-out reaches to targets and asked subjects to indicate whether visual feedback was perturbed. Subjects detected perturbations when they were at least 1.5 times the standard deviation of trial-to-trial endpoint variability. In contrast to previous studies, subjects suboptimally combined vision and proprioception. Instead of using proprioceptive input, they responded based on the final (possibly perturbed) visual feedback. These results inform methodology in motor system experimentation, and more broadly highlight the ability to attribute errors to one's own motor output and combine visual and proprioceptive feedback to make decisions.
Physical activity levels of allied health professionals working in a large Australian metropolitan health district – an observational study

Purpose The aim of this observational cross-sectional study was to determine if allied health professionals working in a large metropolitan health district were meeting the minimal physical activity (PA) recommendations and the proportion that occupational PA contributed to the recommended PA levels. A secondary aim was to determine possible relationships between self-report questionnaire measures of PA and PA measured by accelerometry. Materials and methods Allied health professionals, working in the Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) in 2016–2017, completed the Active Australia Survey (AAS), Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ), International Physical Activity Questionnaire Long form (IPAQ-L), and wore the ActiGraph GT1M accelerometer for 7 days consecutively. Results Based on accelerometry results, allied health professionals (N=126) spent a mean (SD) of 51 (23) minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)/day, representing 171% of the total recommended MVPA/day, with work contributing 76% to this recommendation. Participants walked a mean of 10,077 (2,766) steps/day, meeting 100% of the recommended 10,000 steps/day, with work contributing 54% to this recommendation. Sedentary behaviors were predominant throughout the entire day and work day. Compared with the ActiGraph MVPA time measurements, AAS MVPA time showed a fair level of agreement [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)=0.44, P<0.01], while OSPAQ and IPAQ-L MVPA time showed no agreement (ICC=0.05, P=0.27; ICC=0.13, P=0.10, respectively). Conclusion Allied health professionals working in a large metropolitan health district met the daily PA recommendations based on accelerometry measures but tended to overreport their MVPA on self-report questionnaires.
Update on the pathophysiology of cluster headache: imaging and neuropeptide studies

Objective Cluster headache (CH) is the most severe primary headache condition. Its pathophysiology is multifaceted and incompletely understood. This review brings together the latest neuroimaging and neuropeptide evidence on the pathophysiology of CH. Methods A review of the literature was conducted by searching PubMed and Web of Science. The search was conducted using the following keywords: imaging studies, voxel-based morphometry, diffusion-tensor imaging, diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, tractography, connectivity, cerebral networks, neuromodulation, central modulation, deep brain stimulation, orexin-A, orexin-B, tract-based spatial statistics, single-photon emission computer tomography studies, positron-emission tomography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, trigeminovascular system, neuropeptides, calcitonin gene-related peptide, neurokinin A, substance P, nitric oxide synthase, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide, vasoactive intestinal peptide, neuropeptide Y, acetylcholine, noradrenaline, and ATP. “Cluster headache” was combined with each keyword for more relevant results. All irrelevant and duplicated records were excluded. Search dates were from October 1976 to May 2018. Results Neuroimaging studies support the role of the hypothalamus in CH, as well as other brain areas involved in the pain matrix. Activation of the trigeminovascular system and the release of neuropeptides play an important role in CH pathophysiology. Among neuropeptides, calcitonin gene-related peptide, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide have been reported to be reliable biomarkers for CH attacks, though not specific for CH. Several other neuropeptides are involved in trigeminovascular activation, but the current evidence does not qualify them as reliable biomarkers in CH. Conclusion CH has a complex pathophysiology and the pain mechanism is not completely understood. Recent neuroimaging studies have provided insight into the functional and structural network bases of CH pathophysiology. Although there has been important progress in neuropeptide studies, a specific biomarker for CH is yet to be found.
miR-1207-5p regulates the sensitivity of triple-negative breast cancer cells to Taxol treatment via the suppression of LZTS1 expression

Taxol-based chemotherapy is a conventional therapeutic approach for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the insensitivity of TNBC cells to Taxol greatly limits the anticancer effect of the drug and leads to patient mortality. The present study first evaluated the expression levels of microRNA (miR)-1207-5p in human normal breast epithelial MCF-10A cells and TNBC cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-436 and MDA-MB-453). The results revealed that the highest miR-1207-5p level was in MDA-MB-231, which suggested an oncogenic role of miR-1207-5p in TNBC. Therefore, MDA-MB-231 served as the present study's research model in subsequent experiments. The mRNAs that functioned as tumor suppressor factors for miR-1207-5p were then determined. Leucine zipper tumor suppressor gene 1 (LZTS1), which was predicted by TargetScan 6.2 and was supported by the results of a dual luciferase assay, was identified as a target of miR-1207-5p. AntagomiR-1207-5p increased LZTS1 mRNA and protein expressions, enhanced cell growth arrest and cell apoptosis induced by Taxol in MDA-MB-231 cells. Additionally, it was observed that, when compared with Taxol treatment, the combination of Taxol and antagomiR-1207-5p induced a sharp decrease in B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and phosphorylated-protein kinase B expression accompanied by an increase in the Bcl-2-associated X protein expression. Finally, miR-1207-5p expression was significantly increased, while LZTS1 expression was significantly decreased, in TNBC tissues when compared with normal adjacent tissues, and there was a negative correlation between miR-1207-5p and LZTS1 expression. In addition, there was a notable elevation in the expression of miR-1207-5p and a reduction in the expression of LZTS1 in the Taxol non-responsive TNBC tissues when compared with the Taxol-responsive TNBC tissues. The results of the present study suggested that miR-1207-5p may be a promising predictor of sensitivity towards Taxol in TNBC.
Phycocyanin/PEG-b-(PG-g-PEI) attenuated hepatic ischemia/reperfusion-induced pancreatic islet injury and enlarged islet functionality

Background Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion-induced pancreatic islet injury (HI/RIPII) was an important pathophysiological phenomenon in clinics. In the present study, we observed the effects of phycocyanin on HI/RIPII. However, the half-life of phycocyanin was extremely short and limited its use in vivo. Materials and methods In order to overcome this shortcoming, poly(ethylene glycol)-b-(poly(l-glutamic acid)-g-polyethylenimine) (PEG-b-(PG-g-PEI)) was synthesized and estimated as a nanocarrier for lengthening delivery of phycocyanin through the abdominal subcutaneous injection in rats. Phycocyanin (isoelectric point=4.3) was encapsulated with PEG-b-(PG-g-PEI) via electrostatic interactions at pH 7.4. Results In vitro phycocyanin was fast and efficiently encapsulated and showing efficient loading and sustained release. In vivo the anti-HI/RIPII function of phycocyanin/PEG-b-(PG-g-PEI) complex was surveyed in rats using free phycocyanin as the controls, and the results showed that phycocyanin/PEG-b-(PG-g-PEI) complex reduced HI/RIPII property and enlarged islet functionality. Conclusion These results suggested that PEG-b-(PG-g-PEI) might be treated as a potential phycocyanin nanocarrier.
Fiber Network Formation in Semi-Flexible Polymer Solutions: An Exploratory Computational Study

The formation of gels through the bundling of semi-flexible polymer chains into fiber networks is ubiquitous in diverse manufactured and natural materials, and, accordingly, we perform exploratory molecular dynamics simulations of a coarse-grained model of semi-flexible polymers in a solution with attractive lateral interchain interactions to understand essential features of this type of gel formation. After showing that our model gives rise to fibrous gels resembling real gels of this kind, we investigate how the extent of fiber bundling influences the “melting” temperature, Tm, and the emergent rigidification of model bundled fibers having a fixed number of chains, N, within them. Based on our preliminary observations, we suggest the fiber size is kinetically selected by a reduced thermodynamic driving force and a slowing of the dynamics within the fibers associated with their progressive rigidification with the inclusion of an increasing number of chains in the bundle.
A new meningococcal B vaccine for adolescents and adults: characteristics and methods of use

Summary The invasive disease from Neisseria meningitidis is one of the leading causes of death for meningitis and sepsis at all ages. The highest incidence of cases occurs at paediatric and adolescent age, but no age of life is considered protected from this infection and disease. Prevention against the five main serogroups is possible using the combined conjugated polysaccharide vaccine against the ACWY (anti-MenACWY) serogroups and the meningococcal B (anti-MenB) protein vaccines. Trumenba® vaccine, approved by the EMA (European Medicine Agency) for use in individuals aged ≥ 10 years, protects against serogroup B invasive disease. This bivalent, recombinant vaccine is able, when given with a 0-6 month schedule, to induce a protective response in adolescents and young adults, comparable with a 3-doses schedule. For this reason, the Trumenba® vaccine should be used routinely with the 2-dose schedule (0-6 months). The 3-doses use could be considered in particular situations, like an occurring epidemic or particular individual risk factors such as asplenia or complement deficit, but is not needed for underlying conditions like diabetes or heart diseases.
Rationalizing and Controlling the Surface Structure and Electronic Passivation of Cesium Lead Halide Nanocrystals

Colloidal lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have recently emerged as versatile photonic sources. Their processing and luminescent properties are challenged by the lability of their surfaces, i.e., the interface of the NC core and the ligand shell. On the example of CsPbBr3 NCs, we model the nanocrystal surface structure and its effect on the emergence of trap states using density functional theory. We rationalize the typical observation of a degraded luminescence upon aging or the luminescence recovery upon postsynthesis surface treatments. The conclusions are corroborated by the elemental analysis. We then propose a strategy for healing the surface trap states and for improving the colloidal stability by the combined treatment with didodecyldimethylammonium bromide and lead bromide and validate this approach experimentally. This simple procedure results in robust colloids, which are highly pure and exhibit high photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 95–98%, retained even after three to four rounds of washing.
Evaluation of internet-based videoconference intervention of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in breast cancer survivors in medically underserved areas of Colorado

Approximately 30-50% of breast cancer survivors (BCS) experience insomnia versus 10-20% of the general population. This insomnia often originates with cancer treatment, but can become chronic and persist over the lifetime of the patient. Effects of chronic insomnia include decreased quality of life and an impaired immune system. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) is an effective psychotherapy for insomnia, but rural BCS often lack access to this intervention. The primary purposes of this six-week pretest-posttest design study were to 1) explore the feasibility and potential barriers of recruiting BCS with insomnia who live in rural areas of Colorado, and 2) to explore the effect of internet-based video conferenced (VC) CBTI on sleep and quality of life in this population. Eighteen women were recruited into this study and underwent six weeks of VC CBTI. Primary sleep measures all improved significantly including: sleep efficiency (p < .001), sleep latency (p < .001), wake after sleep onset (p < .001) and total sleep time (p < .001). Global quality of life also improved significantly (p < .001), however the associated mental health measures of anxiety and depression remained unchanged. These findings suggest that an internet-based VC CBTI could be an effective tool for insomnia treatment in rural BCS. The form and content of this abstract are approved. I recommend its publication. Approved: Paula Meek
Solving the Problem of Consensus with Unknown Participants Regardless of Process Crashes

Consensus is a fundamental building block for solving important fault-tolerant distributed problems that require agreement among a set of processes. However, for self-organized networks with highly decentralized and self-organized natures, neither the identity nor number of processes is known to all participants at the beginning of the computation, even at the end. Hence, consensus on such networks cannot be achieved in the same manner for traditional fixed networks. To address this problem of Consensus with Unknown Participants (CUP), a variant of the traditional consensus problem was first proposed, by relaxing the requirement that every process needs to know all participants involved in the computation initially. Later, the CUP problem was extended to consider process crashes. This new problem is called Fault-Tolerant Consensus with Unknown Participants (FT-CUP). Recently, one sufficient knowledge connectivity condition based on which the FT-CUP problem can be solved with a minimal synchrony assumption was proposed in the literature. In this paper, we continue to investigate such a problem. In particular, we provide a less constrained condition, which is still sufficient for solving the FTCUP problem, and also present a consensus algorithm based on such a condition to demonstrate the core concept as well as some properties of such a condition.
Changes in microbial population during fermentation of silkworm pupae

Nous avons etudie la fermentation de nymphes de vers a soie ensilees (SWP) apres les avoir melangees avec differentes quantites de melasse (0 ; 7, 5 ou 12, 5 % p/p) et de l'acide propionique (0 ; 0,25 ou 0,5 % v/p) dans des conditions micro-aerophiliques a une temperature ambiante (26 ± 2° C) de maniere a preserver les nutriments dans les SWP et a preparer un produit d'ensilage destine a la nourriture d'animaux. De plus, on a aussi etudie les effets inhibiteurs des acides sorbique (0, 3 % p/v) ou benzoique (0,3 % p/p) soit seuls soit couples avec de l'acide propionique (0,5 % v/p) sur la croissance des levures et des moisissures pendant la fermentation. Les resultats revelent qu'en dessous de 10 % (p/p) la melasse ne convient pas et qu 'un taux de 12,5 5 % ne presente pas d'avantage supplementaire sur la fermentation. Nous avons remarque une baisse du compte de plaques standards et du nombre de spores, de coliformes, d'Escherichia coli, des staphylocoques et des enterocoques et une augmentation de la levure, des moisissures et des bacteries de l'acide lactique pendant la fermentation. Les spores, les coliformes et E. coli sont absents apres 1 jour de fermentation. On observe que l'inclusion de 0, 5 % (v/p) d'acide propionique et de 0, 3 % (p/p) d'acide sorbique s'avere des plus efficaces pour supprimer la croissance de la levure et des moisissures. L'acide benzoique (0,3 % p/p) n'est pas efficace comme agent antimycotique. L'etude indique qu'un ensilage microbiologiquement sur peut etre prepare en homogeneisant les SWP avec 10 % (p/p) de melasses 0,5 % d'acide propionique (v/p) et 0,3 % d'acide sorbique (p/p) et en les fermentant dans des conditions microaerophiliques a une temperature ambiante (26 ± 2° C) pendant 3 jours.
Scheduling: Theory, Algorithms, and Systems

This book on scheduling covers theoretical models as well as scheduling problems in the real world. Author Michael Pinedo also includes a CD that contains slide-shows from industry and movies dealing with implementations of scheduling systems. The book consists of three parts. The first part focuses on deterministic scheduling with the associated combinatorial problems. The second part covers probabilistic scheduling models. In this part it is assumed that processing times and other problem data are not known in advance. The third part deals with scheduling in practice. It covers heuristics that are popular with practitioners and discusses system design and development issues. Each chapter contains a series of computational and theoretical exercises. This book is of interest to theoreticians and practitioners alike. Graduate students in operations management, operations research, industrial engineering and computer science will find the book to be an accessible and invaluable resource. Scheduling will serve as an essential reference for professionals working on scheduling problems in manufacturing and computing environments. Michael Pinedo is the Julius Schlesinger Professor of Operations Management at New York University.
High-Resolution Ultrasonic Imaging of Artworks with Seismic Interferometry for Their Conservation and Restoration

ABSTRACT Artworks are an inseparable part of the cultural heritage of societies and provide us with a unique look at cultural developments through time and space. For the best possible conservation, it is paramount to know the constituent materials, condition, and construction techniques of the objects (e.g. painting on wood, fresco, sculpture). Such information is required not only for the surfaces of the objects, but also for the interiors; in the imaging discipline, this is known as depth imaging. Here, we introduce a new method for non-invasive depth imaging as an alternative to traditional non-invasive methods when the latter cannot be used to obtain the required information. We use ultrasonic transverse-wave transmission measurements and turn them into virtual reflection measurements. We achieve this by applying seismic interferometry with active sources. Obtaining reflection measurements by seismic interferometry allows us to apply an advanced imaging technique – prestack depth migration, as used in seismic exploration – to produce a high-resolution depth image of an object. We apply our method to ultrasonic data recorded on a mockup of a painting on a wooden support. We validate our method by comparing our results with an image from X-ray computed tomography.
On Improving Computational Efficiency of Simplified Fluid Flow Models

Single-core computational efficiency of several iterative methods for numerical solution of nonsymmetric linear systems originating from simplified fluid flow models is evaluated together with different preconditioning techniques in terms of solution behaviour and the overall rate of convergence. A previously developed simplified 3D CFD model, which involves the solution of linear systems of orders usually from units to tens of thousands, is used to generate test cases. The respective Java software application employs the Parallel Colt linear algebra library. This is to ensure that the corresponding sparse matrix computations needed in different solution and preconditioning methods are carried out in as efficient a manner as possible to minimize the influence of the computer implementation itself. Measures (warm-up phase etc.) are taken to eliminate the effects of JVM specific behaviour such as JIT compilation.
Hyperspectral video endoscope for intra-surgery tissue classification using auto-fluorescence and reflectance spectroscopy

This paper presents a hyper-spectral video endoscopy system which utilizes a combination of auto-fluorescence imaging and white-light reflectance spectroscopy for intra-surgery tissue classification. The results of the first clinical study consisting of 59 cases of otolaryngoscopic examinations and thorax surgeries are discussed in this paper. The main focus of this application is the detection of tumor tissue, although hyper-spectral video endoscopy is not limited to cancer detection. The results show that hyper-spectral video endoscopy exhibits a large potential to become an important imaging technology for medical imaging devices that provide additional diagnostic information about the tissue under investigation.