Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extracellular Matrix Remodeling by Fibroblast-MMP14 Regulates Melanoma Growth

Maintaining a balanced state in remodeling the extracellular matrix is crucial for tissue homeostasis, and this process is altered during skin cancer progression. In melanoma, several proteolytic enzymes are expressed in a time and compartmentalized manner to support tumor progression by generating a permissive environment. One of these proteases is the matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP14). We could previously show that deletion of MMP14 in dermal fibroblasts results in the generation of a fibrotic-like skin in which melanoma growth is impaired. That was primarily due to collagen I accumulation due to lack of the collagenolytic activity of MMP14. However, as well as collagen I processing, MMP14 can also process several extracellular matrices. We investigated extracellular matrix alterations occurring in the MMP14-deleted fibroblasts that can contribute to the modulation of melanoma growth. The matrix deposited by cultured MMP14-deleted fibroblast displayed an antiproliferative and anti-migratory effect on melanoma cells in vitro. Analysis of the secreted and deposited-decellularized fibroblast’s matrix identified a few altered proteins, among which the most significantly changed was collagen XIV. This collagen was increased because of post-translational events, while de novo synthesis was unchanged. Collagen XIV as a substrate was not pro-proliferative, pro-migratory, or adhesive, suggesting a negative regulatory role on melanoma cells. Consistent with that, increasing collagen XIV concentration in wild-type fibroblast-matrix led to reduced melanoma proliferation, migration, and adhesion. In support of its anti-tumor activity, enhanced accumulation of collagen XIV was detected in peritumoral areas of melanoma grown in mice with the fibroblast’s deletion of MMP14. In advanced human melanoma samples, we detected reduced expression of collagen XIV compared to benign nevi, which showed a robust expression of this molecule around melanocytic nests. This study shows that loss of fibroblast-MMP14 affects melanoma growth through altering the peritumoral extracellular matrix (ECM) composition, with collagen XIV being a modulator of melanoma progression and a new proteolytic substrate to MMP14.
Incorporation of Privacy and Usability for Remote/Home Healthcare Systems

Although specific privacy-related properties have been proposed for remote/home-based healthcare systems, usability issues relating to those properties have received little consideration. We review privacy-related problems that need to be addressed and identify many human factors considerations associated with implementation of the privacy properties for remote/home healthcare systems. Implementations that do not take the users into account will likely fail to accomplish their privacy and security goals.
OpenSky Report 2021: Insights on ADS-B Mandate and Fleet Deployment in Times of Crisis

The year 2020 had been selected by EU and US regulators as the deadline for ADS-B compliant Mode S transponders, following various iterations of ADS-B and Mode S services. It will also be remembered as marking a profound change in civil aviation, when the global virus outbreak triggered an unprecedented slowdown in traffic and brought immense impact on the world economy. Fleets have been grounded and a great number of airplanes went into long-term storage due to travel restrictions. The OpenSky Network has been collecting valuable information regarding ADS-B compliance since 2017. It also acted as an important open data source for studying the aviation industry during these crisis times. In this paper, we analyze years of data collected by the OpenSky Network to provide an overview of the past and current situations in global air traffic with equipage updates, ADS-B implementation, Mode S interrogation practices, and fleet management by airlines.
Tensile Testing of Hybrid Composite Joints

In the present paper, results of experimental tests carried out on hybrid (bonded/bolted) and adhesive composite single-lap joints are showed. The laminate adherends were made by unidirectional carbon fiber/epoxy with symmetric stacking sequence. In particular, the tests were carried out to evaluate strength and failure mode of the different joints. These joints were subjected to quasi-static tensile displacement and tests were conducted using a universal testing machine. The maximum tension load that the specimen can bear is determined and the failure process is correlated to the lay-up of the composite and joint type.
Evaluation of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease, and is considered a chronic inflammatory disease. Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness as a structural biomarker for axonal loss in MS. Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the role of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in detecting RNFL in MS patients without history of optic neuritis and to correlate with disease duration and disease disability. Patients and methods: Case-control study included 34 patients with clinically definite relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and 34 ageand sex-matched individuals (other than MS) served as the controls. They were selected from the inpatients wards and Outpatients Clinic of Neurology Department, Zagazig University Hospitals. All patients were subjected to full history taking, clinical examination as well as laboratory and specific investigations. Results: The mean age was 34.56 ± 8.79 years in MS patients and 34.03 ± 8.79 years in controls. VEP 42.9% is with delay of p100 wave in bilateral eyes, and prolongal p100 laterary in bilateral eyes in 54.3%. There was a highly statistical significant difference between groups as regard RNFL average thickness and RNFL symmetry. Expanded disability status scale (EDSS) showed independently associated with RNFL. Conclusion: The thickness of the RNFL observed by OCT in MS patients is dramatically reduced when compared to controls, according to the current study. OCT is a valuable tool for determining the thickness of the RNFL in MS patients.
Friction mechanism and lock-up friction coefficient prediction for sinter bronze friction materials

Purpose – This research investigated the mechanism of wet friction plates of engagement and solved the problem that the lock-up friction coefficient of sinter material could not be obtained but from experiments for a long time. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Including four steps: surface topology sampling and reconstruction, fractal parameters obtaining and fractal surface simulating, micro-contact mechanics model and friction coefficient fractal model, and experimental verification. Findings – After running in stage of the friction plates, the fractal dimension would reach a dynamically stable stage for a long time. The proportional coefficient K expresses the correlation between the base hardness and the asperities shear strength. The model could be property for one or more working condition via adjusting the coefficient K. The experiment data of friction coefficient are increased as the load magnified both in the model prediction and experiment practice. The trend.
The bilingual effect on cognitive development: not an executive function advantage, but a differentiation of mental abilities

ABSTRACT Adopting a different theoretical framework from the one dominating the field, this study explored bilingualism influences on the development and differentiation of mental abilities. Albanian-Turkish bilingual (N = 122) and Albanian-speaking monolingual (N = 129) children, adolescents, and adults were assessed on monitoring, inhibitory control, processing efficiency, fluid reasoning, and vocabulary, and were asked to specify their own language efficiency (a cognizance index). Analyses showed a bilingual advantage in monitoring—adjusting for any fluid reasoning effects—which was larger in children. Moreover, a more pronounced bilingual benefit was observed for the incongruent condition RT of the attention task. Structural equation modelling showed though that the difference between language groups does not lie within the executive function domain (inhibitory control); it rather regards processing efficiency. Analyses also revealed increased differentiation of mental abilities in bilinguals, reflecting enhanced cognitive flexibility. Implications for cognitive developmental and individual differences theories are discussed.
Enhanced Rhamnolipid Production of Pseudomonas aeruginosa DN1 by Metabolic Engineering under Diverse Nutritional Factors

Rhamnolipids are a very promising class of biosurfactants exhibiting properties of great interest in several industrial applications, but they are not widely used because of the low yield and the high cost of production. In this study, a metabolic engineering strategy was used to construct the engineered strains DNAB and DNC through introducing rhlAB and rhlC genes respectively to Pseudomonas aeruginosa wild-type strain DN1, as well as optimization of nutritional parameters such as carbon and nitrogen sources were assessed simultaneously, with the purpose of promoting the productivity of rhamnolipids. Both engineered strain DNAB and DNC had higher yield of rhamnolipids than the DN1 under the same conditions by means of increasing the copy number of rhlAB and rhlC genes, respectively. Of particular importance was olive oil and sodium nitrate as the optimal sole carbon and nitrogen source separately, engineered strain DNAB had the highest rhamnolipid yields 1.28-fold and 1.25-fold of the DN1, and engineered strain DNC had the highest rhamnolipid yields 1.36-fold and 1.43-fold of the DN1. The ideal C/N ratio was found to be 20 that increased specific rhamnolipid productivity to 19.5 g/L and 22.5 g/L of the engineered strains, a certain amount to 1.39-fold and 1.61-fold of DN1 strain respectively. Meanwhile, there was a difference of the identified rhamnolipids between wild-type and engineered strains by ESI-MS analysis, and Rha- Rha-C10 and Rha-Rha-C10-C10 were the most dominant structure of rhamnolipids produced by the engineered strains through altering the expression levels of RhlAB and RhlC.
Nouvelles preuves de concept pour la chélatothérapie contre la maladie d'Alzheimer : études spectroscopiques des interactions entre les ions cuivre et zinc

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease, affecting more than 30 million people all over the world. Nowadays, only symptomatic therapies exist, there is no cure yet. A dyshomeostasis of metal ions such as Cu and Zn ions in some areas of the brain is one of the different hypothesis about this disease. They would promote an accumulation of peptides, the Amyloid-s (As) peptides, in the synaptic cleft. These aggregates would prevent the neuronal connections, triggering known symptoms of the disease, such as memory loss or cognitive impairments. Cu ions would also be responsible for an important oxidative stress, destroying the neuronal membranes for example. Cu ions are an important therapeutic target to cure the disease. Investigations are currently focusing on the development of new molecules, called chelators, in order to remove selectively Cu ions (over Zn ions), to regulate their concentrations and avoid the accumulation of the peptides. My research project focuses precisely on such kind of investigations. Different Cu(II) and Cu(I) chelators are studied, in the presence or not of Zn(II), in order to understand the different criteria to take into account for the development of good chelators. Different proof-of-concepts are developed in the first part. The kinetic aspect of the removal of Cu(II) from the As peptide by a chelator is studied with macrocyclic ligands Then, the redox state of Cu ions in the synaptic cleft staying unknown, two Cu(I) or Cu(I/II) chelators are proposed. The second part of the study takes into account the impact of Zn(II) in the Cu chelation. The thermodynamic part of the Cu(II) chelation in the presence of Zn(II) is evidenced with different chelators.
B Lymphocyte-Deficiency in Mice Causes Vascular Dysfunction by Inducing Neutrophilia

B lymphocytes have been implicated in the development of insulin resistance, atherosclerosis and certain types of hypertension. In contrast to these studies, which were performed under pathological conditions, the present study provides evidence for the protective effect of B lymphocytes in maintaining vascular homeostasis under physiological conditions. In young mice not exposed to any known risk factors, the lack of B cells led to massive endothelial dysfunction. The vascular dysfunction in B cell-deficient mice was associated with an increased number of neutrophils in the circulating blood. Neutrophil depletion in B cell-deficient mice resulted in the complete normalization of vascular function, indicating a causal role of neutrophilia. Moreover, vascular function in B cell-deficient mice could be restored by adoptive transfer of naive B-1 cells isolated from wild-type mice. Interestingly, B-1 cell transfer also reduced the number of neutrophils in the recipient mice, further supporting the involvement of neutrophils in the vascular pathology caused by B cell-deficiency. In conclusion, we report in the present study the hitherto undescribed role of B lymphocytes in regulating vascular function. B cell dysregulation may represent a crucial mechanism in vascular pathology.
Constructing the “Gender Beat:” U.S. Journalists Refocus the News in the Aftermath of #Metoo

ABSTRACT This exploratory, qualitative study documents how journalists working for U.S. news organizations defined and refined the concept of a “gender beat” in the aftermath of the 2017 resurgence of the #MeToo movement and several other major news events that illustrated the repercussions of structural sexism. Through semi-structured interviews with 20 self-described gender-beat journalists analyzed using constructivist grounded theory, I identified three major themes: 1. ) gender-beat journalists are conflicted about the need for their beats; 2. ) they view the #MeToo movement, the Trump presidency and the 2017 Women’s Marches as catalysts that helped them convince superiors, especially male editors, of the importance of this work; and 3) they want their beats—and journalism as a whole—to embrace comprehensive coverage that reflects an expansive understanding of the human condition as it relates to gender, race, sexuality, class, and geography. Based on these findings, I argue that gender beats are necessary but ideally temporary stepping stones to help news organizations move beyond hegemonic white masculinity.
A Key Management Scheme Based on Double Matrix CPK for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

A robust and efficient key management scheme is necessary for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) to ensure its security. CPK (Combined Public Key) is a recently developed public key algorithm, which has advantages comparing with other public key system, such as low storage overhead and calculation demand. Some key management approaches based on CPK have been proposed for MANETs in recent years. However, CPK is vulnerable to collusion attack which may bring about terrible threats. In this paper, a novel key management scheme based on double matrix CPK (DMCPK) is put forward, which is resistant to collusion attack. This key management scheme is described in details, including key generation and updating. Simulation experiments are implemented based on the simulation tool OPNET and show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Synaptic Basis for Contrast-Dependent Shifts in Functional Identity in Mouse V1

Abstract A central transformation that occurs within mammalian visual cortex is the change from linear, polarity-sensitive responses to nonlinear, polarity-insensitive responses. These neurons are classically labelled as either simple or complex, respectively, on the basis of their response linearity (Skottun et al., 1991). While the difference between cell classes is clear when the stimulus strength is high, reducing stimulus strength diminishes the differences between the cell types and causes some complex cells to respond as simple cells (Crowder et al., 2007; van Kleef et al., 2010; Hietanen et al., 2013). To understand the synaptic basis for this shift in behavior, we used in vivo whole-cell recordings while systematically shifting stimulus contrast. We find systematic shifts in the degree of complex cell responses in mouse primary visual cortex (V1) at the subthreshold level, demonstrating that synaptic inputs change in concert with the shifts in response linearity and that the change in response linearity is not simply due to the threshold nonlinearity. These shifts are consistent with a visual cortex model in which the recurrent amplification acts as a critical component in the generation of complex cell responses (Chance et al., 1999).
Multi-marker metabarcoding resolves subtle variations in freshwater condition: Bioindicators, ecological traits, and trophic interactions

Freshwater systems are experiencing rapid biodiversity losses resulting from high rates of habitat degradation. Ecological condition is typically determined through identifying either macroinvertebrate or diatom bioindicator assemblages and comparing them to their known tolerance to stressors. These comparisons are typically conducted at family or genus levels depending on the availability of taxonomic keys and expertise for focal groups. The objective of this study was to test whether a more taxonomically comprehensive assessment of communities in benthic samples can provide a different perspective of ecological conditions. DNA metabarcoding was used to identify macroinvertebrates and diatoms from kick-net samples collected from sites with different habitat status. Sites with ‘good’ condition were associated with higher beta diversity as well as slightly higher directed connectance and modularity indicating higher resilience compared with ‘fair’ condition sites. Indicator value and correlation analyses used DNA metabarcoding data to detect 29 site condition indicator species consistent with known bioindicators and expected relative tolerances. DNA metabarcoding and trophic network analysis also recovered 11 keystone taxa. This study demonstrates the importance of taxonomic breadth across trophic levels for generating biotic data to study ecosystem status, with the potential to scale-up ecological assessments of freshwater condition, trophic stability, and resilience.
A Review on Existing Methods to Assess Hydraulic Erodibility Downstream of Dam Spillways

In recent years, rock scouring or erosion downstream of dams has become an increasing dam safety concern. Several theoretical, semi-theoretical, semi-analytical and numerical methods can be used to assess the rock erosion in hydraulic structures. Semi-theoretical approaches determine the correlation between the erosive intensity of fluid flow and the resistive capacity of rock. Such approaches establish the scour thresholds as a function of erosive intensity of water and several rock mass indices by using in situ data and a curve-fitting approach. In some studies, the excavatability index, initially developed for rock mass stability analysis, was used to analyse the rock mass resistance in hydraulic erodibility analysis. The effectivity and weight of the geomechanical parameters used are yet to be determined on the basis of the erodibility phenomenon. The semi-analytical methods are developed on the basis of the mechanical and hydraulic interaction of rock mass and water. Four methods developed by Bollaert et al. are important in determining the erodibility in the plunge pool, but they are not applicable in the case of spillways. They used the comprehensive fracture mechanics for closed-end joints, quasi-steady impulsion, and dynamic impulsion (DI) for blocky rock erosion. The application of these methods to each site is necessary to identify constants that are difficult to determine. Few numerical methods are available to assess the rock mass erosion in hydraulic structures. In the case of numerical methods, the erosive agent is indistinct, and the hydraulic hazard parameter on the spillway surface is almost challenging to apply. This study comprehensively reviews the mechanism of erosion and the methods for assessing the risk of potential rock mass erosion downstream of dams and hydraulic structures. The advantages and disadvantages of all methods are discussed and the potential future research directions in this domain are proposed.
Analysis of Delay Recovery in Chinese Airports Network

Analysis of the flight delay recovery is crucial in the airports network operation. However, the analysis is very complex, as the effect of delays can be propagated through the network variously such that the recovery process depends on inherent characteristics of the network. In this paper, analyses of operation data are employed, and a simulation model is conducted to study the delay process with consideration of flight itineraries. Both the airports departure punctuality and the delay recovery indicator are employed to assess the influence of original delays considering different durations and start times. Our experiments are based on the Chinese historical flight data from July to September 2019. Results provide a comprehensive understanding of the delay recovery process with respect to flight itineraries. Surprisingly, the departure punctuality is non-monotonic process with multiple troughs in the considered recovery period, which implies that air traffic transport has the self-influence phenomenon. Sensitivity analysis implies that the phenomenon is highly correlated with characteristics of interruptions, which is an inherent quality of the structure of the flight schedule. Therefore, a well-organised flight schedule should be implemented in case delays relapse. This work can provide a broad prospect for the future flight schedule optimisation and improvement of airports network.
Optimal wind-battery coordination in a power system using evolutionary iteration particle swarm optimisation

An evolutionary iteration particle swarm optimisation (EIPSO) approach for optimal wind–battery coordination in a power system is proposed. The up-spinning reserve and down-spinning reserve are introduced into the wind–battery coordination problem to improve system security and the wind utilisation factor. The optimal operating schedule for a battery energy storage system (BESS) and thermal unit was reached while minimising the total operating cost. Taiwan Power Company System is used as a numerical example to test the new algorithm. The feasibility of the new algorithm is demonstrated by the numerical example, and the EIPSO solution quality and computation efficiency are compared with those of other algorithms. The results are used to evaluate the effects of the wind turbine generator and BESS on power system operations.
Silicon carbide for microelectromechanical systems

Abstract Silicon carbide (SiC) has recently attracted attention as a wide bandgap semiconductor with great potential for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). SiC exhibits excellent electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties, making it well suited for harsh environment applications where traditional MEMS are constrained by the physical limitations of silicon (Si). This paper reviews the material properties, deposition techniques, micromachining processes, and other issues regarding the fabrication of SiC-based sensors and actuators. Special emphasis is placed on the properties that make SiC attractive for MEMS, and the Si-based processing techniques that have been adapted to realise SiC MEMS structures and devices. An introduction to micromachining is provided for readers not familiar with MEMS fabrication techniques.