Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chitosan-functionalised single-walled carbon nanotube-mediated drug delivery of SNX-2112 in cancer cells

Delivery of amphiphobic drugs (insoluble in both water and oil) has been a great challenge in drug delivery. SNX-2112, a novel inhibitor of Hsp90, is a promising drug candidate for treating various types of cancers; however, the insolubility greatly limits its clinical application. This study aimed to build a new type of drug delivery system using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) for controllable release of SNX-2112; chitosan (CHI) was non-covalently added to SWNTs to improve their biocompatibility. SWNTs-CHI demonstrated high drug-loading capability; the release of SNX-2112 was pH triggered and time related. The intracellular reactive oxygen species of SWNTs–CHI increased, compared with that of SWNTs, leading to higher mitogen-activated protein kinase and cell apoptosis. The results of western-blotting, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay, and cell viability assay analyses indicated that apoptosis-related proteins were abundantly expressed in K562 cells and that the drug delivery system significantly inhibited K562 cells. Thus, SWNT–CHI/SNX-2112 shows great potential as a drug delivery system for cancer therapy.
Painlevé paradox during passive dynamic walking of biped robots

An analytical method is proposed to study the walking stability problem and Painlevé paradox during the passive walking of bipedal robots. The whole walking process can be seen as the repetition of the four states, i.e. left single-leg support state, double-legs support state, right single-leg support state and double-legs support state. Based on the multiple states, the hybrid rigid body frictional model is established. The contact constraint is treated by completely inelastic collision hypothesis, and the initial conditions are calculated by conservation of angular momentum. Dynamic equations for the four system states are derived by using Lagrange equation. The relationship between the ratio ft/fn and time t under initial condition of the stable walking is obtained, and by using this relationship, region of friction coefficient for the stable walking state is obtained. The possible singular phenomenon — Painlevé paradox problem is analyzed. The critical value of the coefficient of friction for Painlevé paradox is specified. In addition, the analytical results of robot's dynamic responses are compared with the finite element numerical simulation. It shows that the results from the flexible body model are totally different from solutions calculated by the rigid body model. The critical value of coefficient of friction is smaller than those of the rigid body model.
Learning Argument/Adjunct Dictinction for Basque

This paper presents experiments performed on lexical knowledge acquisition in the form of verbal argumental information. The system obtains the data from raw corpora after the application of a partial parser and statistical filters. We used two different statistical filters to acquire the argumental information: Mutual Information, and Fisher's Exact test.Due to the characteristics of agglutinative languages like Basque, the usual classification of arguments in terms of their syntactic category (such as NP or PP) is not suitable. For that reason, the arguments will be classified in 48 different kinds of case markers, which makes the system fine grained if compared to equivalent systems that have been developed for other languages.This work addresses the problem of distinguishing arguments from adjuncts, this being one of the most significant sources of noise in subcategorization frame acquisition.
Electrochemical stability in cerium-phosphate–coated LiCoO_2 thin films

The electrochemical stability of LiCoO_2 thin films was improved by cerium-phosphate coating deposited at room temperature. The cerium-phosphate coating layer also effectively suppressed the increase of charge-transfer resistance during cycling. However, the cycling stability and the initial capacity of the coated LiCoO_2 thin films deteriorated as the annealing temperature increased, different from other metal-phosphate coating. These phenomena were attributed to the interdiffusion between the cerium-phosphate coating layer and LiCoO_2 thin film, instead of the nanocrystal formation in the amorphous coating layer.
Impact of a fatigue management in work programme on meeting work demands of individuals with rheumatic diseases: A pilot study*

INTRODUCTION Work disability and job loss are serious consequences of rheumatic diseases (RDs), and fatigue is a symptom of RDs commonly reported to have an impact on work performance. A FAtigue ManagEment in Work (FAME-W) programme was developed to facilitate the self-management of fatigue in work. The present pilot study explored if FAME-W could facilitate individuals with RDs to manage fatigue in work and improve their ability to meet work demands. METHODS Twenty-seven individuals with a variety of rheumatic diagnoses completed a 4-week, 2-h occupational therapy-led self-management programme. Each week focused on fatigue-related topics, including fatigue and activity management, pain management and joint protection, mental well-being, effective communication with employers and work colleagues, and employment legislation. Individual workplace ergonomic assessments were also offered. Study measures (work function, fatigue, pain, mood and self-efficacy) were completed prior to starting FAME-W, immediately post-intervention and 12 weeks post-intervention. RESULTS Participants (56% male) had a mean age of 43 years. No significant improvements were observed immediately post-programme. However, at the 12-week follow-up, significant improvements were reported in meeting work demands (scheduling [p = 0.046], output [p = 0.002], physical [p = 0.003], mental [p = 0.016]), fatigue [p = 0.001], pain [p = 0.01], anxiety [p = 0.001], depression [p < 0.001], self-efficacy [p < 0.001] and Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2-Short Form (physical: p = 0.005; symptoms: p = 0.010; affect: p = 0.010; social: p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Significant improvements were reported in participants' ability to meet various demands of their work 3 months post-FAME-W. These findings suggest that FAME-W has the potential to assist individuals with RDs to meet the demands of their work, although further research is required to test the effectiveness of this intervention.
A Piezoelectric Film Type Scour Monitoring System for Bridge Pier

An upgraded piezoelectric film type real-time scour monitoring sensor installed along the bridge pier is presented. The core idea of developing this scouring sensing system is based on the physical characteristic that output voltage can be generated as the piezoelectric film is deformed by the flowing media. Therefore, a sensing device can be constructed by mounting piezoelectric thin films along the rod at a fixed distance and inserting them into a guide rail beside the bridge pier. The piezoelectric film embedded in the soil of the riverbed is undisturbed and the output voltage is much smaller than the one disturbed by the water current. From the output signals of all the piezoelectric sensors with known locations along the depth of the pier foundation, one can trace the variation of the soil/water interface before, during and after a flood. Compared with other types of scouring sensors, this piezoelectric type scouring sensor is durable, sensitive, and cost effective and works in real-time without the need for power. In this paper, a signal processing technique and performance tests in laboratory of this novel piezoelectric film type scouring device are introduced first. The installation and performance of the system in the field is also addressed.
On the Observational Implications of Knightian Uncertainty

Abstract We develop a model of a prediction market with ambiguity and derive testable implications of the presence of Knightian uncertainty. Our model can also explain two commonly observed empirical regularities in betting markets: the tendency for longshots to win less often than odds would indicate and the tendency for favorites to win more often. Using historical data from Intrade, we further present empirical evidence that is consistent with the predicted presence of Knightian uncertainty. Our evidence also suggests that, even with information acquisition, the Knightian uncertainty of the world may be not “learnable” to the traders in prediction markets.
Locomotion control of three dimensional passive-foot biped robot based on whole body operational space framework

This study presents a whole body operational space (WBOS) framework for controlling three dimensional passive-foot biped robot. Stability of WBOS controller is analyzed, and a foot placement planner is proposed. In many cases, the WBOS controller generates torque commands to execute the trajectories planned by high-level planners at every control loop. The planners design trajectories by sensing the locomotion behaviors over a long horizon. Instead, our planner updates a step location every control loop by estimating the center-of-mass (CoM) state to achieve robust balancing. The robustness is enhanced because contact events vary the stance leg switching time from a given nominal step frequency. Via this new foot placement planner, the locomotion robustness to unknown terrains is improved. Dynamically stable walking are tested on flat and unknown terrains, and under push recovery by using a real-time dynamic simulation.
Exopolysaccharides from a Codonopsis pilosula endophyte activate macrophages and inhibit cancer cell proliferation and migration

Exopolysaccharides with structural diversity have shown wide applications in biomaterial, food, and pharmaceutical industries. Herein, we isolated an endophytic strain, 14‐DS‐1, from the traditional medicinal plant Codonopsis pilosula to elucidate the characteristics and anti‐cancer activities of purified exopolysaccharides.
Minimizing mean packet delay in EPONs through Integrated Grant Scheduling

In Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (EPONs) with offline Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation (DBA) framework, the Optical Line Terminal (OLT) will first collect bandwidth requests from all Optical Network Units (ONUs), and then make bandwidth allocation and scheduling decisions for the shared upstream channel. Due to varying Round-Trip Time (RTT) and grant window sizes, the transmission order of ONUs will greatly affect the mean packet delay. In this paper, we address this grant scheduling problem aiming at minimizing the mean packet delay. We prove several theorems which could determine the ONU to transmit first which will minimize the mean packet delay. And then, by iteratively using these theorems, we propose an Integrated Grant Scheduling (IGS) algorithm to determine the optimal transmission order to minimize the mean packet delay. We then conduct simulations to evaluate the performance of our algorithm, and find that the performance of our algorithm is better compared with other algorithms under various conditions.
Nuclear localization of unoccupied oestrogen receptors

According to the current model of steroid hormone action oestrogen is thought to bind to its receptor in the cytoplasm of target cells1,2 and the oestrogen–receptor complex is then translocated into the nucleus2–4. This model is based on evidence obtained in homogenized cell preparations in which free receptor is associated with the cytosol, whereas steroid-bound receptor is associated with the nuclear fraction. Some data suggest, however, that the unfilled receptor may reside in the nucleus, and that cytosolic localization represents an extraction artefact. We have now reinvestigated the subcellular distribution of unfilled oestrogen receptor using cytochalasin B-induced enucleation to obtain cytoplast and nucleoplast fractions from receptor-containing GH3 cells derived from rat pituitary tumours. We found that cytoplasts prepared from GH3 cells contain little oestrogen-binding activity and that most of the unfilled oestrogen receptors are associated with the nuclear fraction. We therefore suggest that the standard model is in error and that the unoccupied receptor is nuclear in the intact cell.
Performance evaluation of reliable parallel transmission in heterogeneous networks

Parallel transmission enabled by the stream control transport protocol (SCTP) could improve the performance of heterogeneous networks. However, the performance may be deteriorated by disordering caused by asymmetric paths and the limited size of receiver buffer would degrade the performance further. In this paper, to figure out how the parameters of asymmetric paths and receiver buffer size affect the performance of reliable transmission, we carry out the simulations on NS-2. Simulation results show that in most cases concurrent multipath transmission (CMT) based on CMT-SCTP could increase throughput compared with single path transmission. But it performs worse than bandwidth aggregation without loss assumed in most data distribution and resource allocation schemes.
CellSort: a support vector machine tool for optimizing fluorescence‐activated cell sorting and reducing experimental effort

Motivation: High throughput screening by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) is a common task in protein engineering and directed evolution. It can also be a rate‐limiting step if high false positive or negative rates necessitate multiple rounds of enrichment. Current FACS software requires the user to define sorting gates by intuition and is practically limited to two dimensions. In cases when multiple rounds of enrichment are required, the software cannot forecast the enrichment effort required. Results: We have developed CellSort, a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm that identifies optimal sorting gates based on machine learning using positive and negative control populations. CellSort can take advantage of more than two dimensions to enhance the ability to distinguish between populations. We also present a Bayesian approach to predict the number of sorting rounds required to enrich a population from a given library size. This Bayesian approach allowed us to determine strategies for biasing the sorting gates in order to reduce the required number of enrichment rounds. This algorithm should be generally useful for improve sorting outcomes and reducing effort when using FACS. Availability and Implementation: Source code available at http://tyolab.northwestern.edu/tools/. Contact:k‐tyo@northwestern.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Impaired auditory recognition of fear and anger following bilateral amygdala lesions

The amygdalar complex is a medial temporal lobe structure in the brain which is widely considered to be involved in the neural substrates of emotion. Selective bilateral damage to the human amygdala is rare, offering a unique insight into its functions. There is impairment of social perception after amygdala damage, with defective recognition of facial expressions of emotion1–4. Among the basic emotions, the processing of fear and anger has been shown to be disrupted by amygdala damage1,2,5. Although it remains puzzling why this not found in all cases6, the importance of the amygdala in negative emotion, and especially fear, has been confirmed by conditioning7, memory8 and positron emission tomography (PET) experiments9,10. Central to our understanding of these findings is the question of whether the amygdala is involved specifically in the perception of visual signals of emotion emanating from the face, or more widely in the perception of emotion in all sensory modalities11. We report here a further investigation of one of these rare cases, a woman (D.R.) who has impaired perception of the intonation patterns that are essential to the perception of vocal affect, despite normal hearing. As is the case for recognition of facial expressions, it is recognition of fear and anger that is most severely affected in the auditory domain. This shows that the amygdala's role in the recognition of certain emotions is not confined to vision, which is consistent with its being involved in the appraisal of danger and the emotion of fear12,13.
A neural network based low-light image denoising method

Low-light image denoising has been a hotspot for its great importance in solving vision applications, and various solutions have been proposed. In recent years, neural network has shown great potential in single image denoising. However, lacking ground truth data, most existing neural network based methods only train on images synthesized by Gaussian noise or Poisson noise or mixed Poisson-Gaussian noise rather than realistic low-light images. In this paper, we introduce a novel convolutional neural network based model for low-light image denoising. In particular, we also present a method to collecting realistic low-light images and our neural network model is trained on the obtained dataset. Evaluating experiment results by the subjective visual observation as well as the objective quality measures shows that the proposed neural network based method is comparable to state-of-the-art.
A Twin Study of Normative Personality and DSM-IV Personality Disorder Criterion Counts: Evidence for Separate Genetic Influences.

OBJECTIVE Both normative personality and DSM-IV personality disorders have been found to be heritable. However, there is limited knowledge about the extent to which the genetic and environmental influences underlying DSM personality disorders are shared with those of normative personality. The aims of this study were to assess the phenotypic similarity between normative and pathological personality and to investigate the extent to which genetic and environmental influences underlying individual differences in normative personality account for symptom variance across DSM-IV personality disorders. METHOD A large population-based sample of adult twins was assessed for DSM-IV personality disorder criteria with structured interviews at two waves spanning a 10-year interval. At the second assessment, participants also completed the Big Five Inventory, a self-report instrument assessing the five-factor normative personality model. The proportion of genetic and environmental liabilities unique to the individual personality disorder measures, and hence not shared with the five Big Five Inventory domains, were estimated by means of multivariate Cholesky twin decompositions. RESULTS The median percentage of genetic liability to the 10 DSM-IV personality disorders assessed at wave 1 that was not shared with the Big Five domains was 64%, whereas for the six personality disorders that were assessed concurrently at wave 2, the median was 39%. Conversely, the median proportions of unique environmental liability in the personality disorders for wave 1 and wave 2 were 97% and 96%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that a moderate-to-sizable proportion of the genetic influence underlying DSM-IV personality disorders is not shared with the domain constructs of the Big Five model of normative personality. Caution should be exercised in assuming that normative personality measures can serve as proxies for DSM personality disorders when investigating the etiology of these disorders.
Quadratically-Regularized Optimal Transport on Graphs

Optimal transportation provides a means of lifting distances between points on a geometric domain to distances between signals over the domain, expressed as probability distributions. On a graph, transportation problems can be used to express challenging tasks involving matching supply to demand with minimal shipment expense; in discrete language, these become minimum-cost network flow problems. Regularization typically is needed to ensure uniqueness for the linear ground distance case and to improve optimization convergence; state-of-the-art techniques employ entropic regularization on the transportation matrix. In this paper, we explore a quadratic alternative to entropic regularization for transport over a graph. We theoretically analyze the behavior of quadratically-regularized graph transport, characterizing how regularization affects the structure of flows in the regime of small but nonzero regularization. We further exploit elegant second-order structure in the dual of this problem to derive an easily-implemented Newton-type optimization algorithm.
A reformative shear precipitation procedure for the fabrication of vancomycin-loaded poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres

This study reports the encapsulation of vancomycin, as a model hydrophilic drug, into poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres using a novel reformative shear precipitation procedure. In contrast to the external aqueous phase used in the conventional microencapsulation technique based on emulsion solvent evaporation/extraction, the reformative shear precipitation procedure explored in this study uses a shear medium composed of glycerol as the viscous medium and ethanol as polymer antisolvent, which is relatively immiscible with the hydrophilic drug. This limits drug diffusion and leads to rapid microsphere solidification, which allows a large proportion of the hydrophilic drug to be encapsulated within the microspheres. The influence of various processing parameters, including polymer concentration, volume ratio of ethanol to glycerol in the shear medium, volume of aqueous drug solution, initial drug loading, and injecting rate of the drug–polymer emulsion, on the encapsulation efficiency and characteristics of resulting microspheres were investigated. The morphology and release characteristics, as well as mechanical, in vitro and in vivo behaviour of vancomycin-loaded poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres prepared using the novel procedure were also investigated. The results demonstrated that the reformative shear precipitation procedure could achieve the loading of hydrophilic drugs into poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres with high encapsulation efficiency, and the success of the procedure was largely influenced by the volume ratio of ethanol to glycerol in the shear medium. Vancomycin-loaded poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres prepared using this procedure demonstrated favourable mechanical characteristics, antibacterial activity, and in vivo degradation behaviour which suggested their suitability for use as a sustained delivery system.
Road Surface Scanning using Stereo Cameras for Motorcycles

Active and semi-active suspension systems for vehicles became quite popular in the recent years as they allow for a smoother and safer ride compared to conventional suspension systems. The performance of an active/semi-active suspension system can be even more improved if the road condition in front of the vehicle is known. Currently only a few luxury cars combine fully active suspension with stereo cameras for such a predictive adaptation. However, we are not aware of any existing system for motorcycles. In this work, we present an algorithm that can cope with the rolling movement of a motorcycle. In addition, it can robustly reconstruct the road profile within a single time step and does not require temporal integration which allows real-time processing up to very high speeds at a precision in the order of millimeters. The complete system has been successfully tested on a German highway and a precise road laser scan has been used for evaluation.