Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards Therapeutic Delivery of Extracellular Vesicles: Strategies for In Vivo Tracking and Biodistribution Analysis

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), such as microvesicles and exosomes, are membranous structures containing bioactive material released by several cells types, including mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). Increasing lines of evidences point to EVs as paracrine mediators of the beneficial effects on tissue remodeling associated with cell therapy. Administration of MSCs-derived EVs has therefore the potential to open new and safer therapeutic avenues, alternative to cell-based approaches, for degenerative diseases. However, an enhanced knowledge about in vivo EVs trafficking upon delivery is required before effective clinical translation. Only a few studies have focused on the biodistribution analysis of exogenously administered MSCs-derived EVs. Nevertheless, current strategies for in vivo tracking in animal models have provided valuable insights on the biodistribution upon systemic delivery of EVs isolated from several cellular sources, indicating in liver, spleen, and lungs the preferential target organs. Different strategies for targeting EVs to specific tissues to enhance their therapeutic efficacy and reduce possible off-target effects have been investigated. Here, in the context of a possible clinical application of MSC-derived EVs for tissue regeneration, we review the existing strategies for in vivo tracking and targeting of EVs isolated from different cellular sources and the studies elucidating the biodistribution of exogenously administered EVs.
The germinal center antibody response in health and disease

The germinal center response is the delayed but sustained phase of the antibody response that is responsible for producing high-affinity antibodies of the IgG, IgA and/or IgE isotypes. B cells in the germinal center undergo re-iterative cycles of somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin gene variable regions, clonal expansion, and Darwinian selection for cells expressing higher-affinity antibody variants. Alternatively, selected B cells can terminally differentiate into long-lived plasma cells or into a broad diversity of mutated memory B cells; the former secrete the improved antibodies to fight an infection and to provide continuing protection from re-infection, whereas the latter may jumpstart immune responses to subsequent infections with related but distinct infecting agents. Our understanding of the molecules involved in the germinal center reaction has been informed by studies of human immunodeficiency patients with selective defects in the production of antibodies. Recent studies have begun to reveal how innate immune recognition via Toll-like receptors can enhance the magnitude and selective properties of the germinal center, leading to more effective control of infection by a subset of viruses. Just as early insights into the nature of the germinal center found application in the development of the highly successful conjugate vaccines, more recent insights may find application in the current efforts to develop new generations of vaccines, including vaccines that can induce broadly protective neutralizing antibodies against influenza virus or HIV-1.
Cloaking via change of variables for the Helmholtz equation in the whole space

This paper is devoted to the study of a cloaking device that is composed of a standard near cloak based on a regularization of the transformation optics, i.e., a change of variables that blows up a small ball to the cloaked region, and a fixed lossy layer for the Helmholtz equation in the whole space of dimension 2 or 3 with the outgoing condition at infinity. We establish a degree of near invisibility, which is independent of the content inside the cloaked region, for this device. We also show that the lossy layer is necessary to ensure the validity of the degree of near invisibility when no constraint on physical properties inside the cloaked region is imposed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
HEALTH, HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION: TWO CENTURIES OF INTERNATIONAL EVIDENCE

Recent medical research shows that health is highly influential on learning and the ability to think laterally; however, past economic studies have failed to empirically examine the influence of health on learning, schooling, and ideas production, the main drivers of growth in endogenous growth models. This paper constructs a measure of health-adjusted educational attainment among the working age population based on their health status during the time they obtained their education. Using annual data for 21 OECD countries over the past two centuries, it is shown that health has been highly influential on the quantity and quality of schooling, innovation, and growth.
Experiences of large scale implementation of speech analysing tools in learning Swedish as second language

Speech analysis tools within the Lingus system have been used on a large scale for adults and children learning Swedish as second language. Several thousands of students have had the opportunity to for instance compare their own pitch curves with those of native speakers. The attitudes and experience of students and teachers have been investigated, in a first stage through a number of interviews, in a second stage (still in progress) in a more statistical way through a questionnaire. A third stage with quantitative measurements to prove the power of speech analysis is yet to be defined. The results so far are encouraging. The results vary between students but a great majority seem to find the new techniques stimulating. The tools are used in various ways depending on the students’ personal preferences. Teachers seem to appreciate the value of the tools but need more training to understand them better in order to feel more comfortable in the class. They also need better support to handle rather trivial technical problems with headsets or microphones. The integration of the computer work with other training methods is important. Some examples will be given.
Market systems, stakeholders and value propositions

Purpose – This paper aims to provide an overview of the European Journal of Marketing's special section on the Forum of Markets and Marketing, “Extending Service‐Dominant Logic”. Design/methodology/approach – The approach takes the form of a conceptual integration of core concepts in S‐D logic, markets, and marketing.Findings – This special section provides insight into the complexity of markets by investigating markets as configurations and systems and how value propositions drive value co‐creation.Research limitations/implications – This introduction to the special section integrates individual contributions toward advancing S‐D logic and suggests that additional research in this area will help to develop a general theory of markets and marketing.Practical implications – The overview of this special section provides insight into how the development of a positive theory of the market(s) will help to further advance normative marketing theories and practice.Originality/value – This overview of the special .
Minimum cost hierarchical architecture for correlated data aggregation in sensor networks with mobile access

We consider an energy-efficient data aggregation scheme for sensor networks with mobile access (SENMA), a design that opens the possibility of relieving low-power nodes from energy-consuming networking tasks. Specifically, we provide a novel distributed one-hop clustering algorithm to organize the network into a minimum cost hierarchical architecture (MCHA) for collecting all sensing data from the monitored area. For better load balancing and prolonged network lifetime, we exploit the joint effect of clustering and data correlation and provide a trade-off between communication cost and residual energy of sensor nodes. Our algorithm, which employs a message-passing algorithm for solving the min-sum optimization problem, is simple to implement and gives a near-optimal solution within a small number of iterations. Energy efficiency, scalability and robustness of the algorithm are also verified through extensive simulations.
Ergodic BSDEs and Optimal Ergodic Control in Banach Spaces

In this paper we introduce a new kind of backward stochastic differential equations, called ergodic BSDEs, which arise naturally in the study of optimal ergodic control. We study the existence, uniqueness, and regularity of solution to ergodic BSDEs. Then we apply these results to the optimal ergodic control of a Banach valued stochastic state equation. We also establish the link between the ergodic BSDEs and the associated Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation. Applications are given to the optimal ergodic control of stochastic partial differential equations.
Role of Medial Prefrontal Cortical Group II Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor in the Development of Cocaine Sensitization

The current studies examined the role of medial prefrontal cortical (mPFC) group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR2/3) in the development of cocaine sensitization. Initial studies demonstrated that intra-mPFC injection of the mGluR2/3 receptor agonist, APDC, dose-dependently reduced acute behavioral response to cocaine (0.015-15 nmol/side with significant effects starting at 1.5nmol/side). The effects of APDC were prevented by intra-mPFC co-injections of an mGluR2/3 antagonist, LY341495 (1.5 nmol/side). Repeated intra-mPFC APDC (1.5 nmol/side) injections also prevented the initiation of behavioral and neurochemical sensitization, which is defined as enhanced nucleus accumbens (NAc) dopamine response to cocaine. Once sensitization was induced, however, intra-mPFC administration of APDC did not block cocaine-induced behavioral and neurochemical responses in sensitized animals after 7 days and 30 days withdrawal. In contrast, intra-mPFC injections of APDC were found to block the expression of behavioral and neurochemical sensitization in sensitized animals after 1 day withdrawal. Additional microdialysis studies demonstrated that intra-mPFC infusions of LY341495 increased glutamate levels in the mesocorticolimbic brain regions of control animals, while this response was enhanced in sensitized animals following short term withdrawal from repeated cocaine exposure. The mesocorticolimbic brain regions examined in these studies include the mPFC, NAc and VTA, which are well known brain regions involved in cocaine sensitization. Nonetheless, this effect was no longer apparent in animals after prolonged withdrawal (7 days and 30 days). Furthermore, additional results demonstrated that repeated cocaine exposure enhanced the vesicular (K evoked) and non-vesicular (cystine evoked) glutamate release in the mPFC. It was shown that LY379268, an mGluR2/3 receptor agonist, inhibited the K induced glutamate release and cystine induced glutamate release in the mPFC of animals following 1 day of withdrawal from repeated cocaine injections. In contrast to these data, LY 379268 did not inhibit the release of glutamate from one of these sources in the mPFC of animals following 7 day of withdrawal. Collectively, these data suggested that the mPFC mGluR2/3 receptor can reduce the motor response to cocaine. The development of cocaine sensitization may be associated with an initial increased responsiveness of the mPFC mGluR2/3 receptor, coupled with enhanced glutamate transmission in the mPFC. Following prolonged withdrawal, loss of inhibitory control of the glutamate release within mPFC by the mGluR2/3 receptor thereafter may result in the enhanced excitatory drive, which in turn generates increased excitatory output from mPFC to subcortical regions including NAc and VTA.
Craniometric Analysis of the Hindbrain and Craniocervical Junction of Chihuahua, Affenpinscher and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Dogs With and Without Syringomyelia Secondary to Chiari-Like Malformation

Objectives To characterize and compare the phenotypic variables of the hindbrain and craniocervical junction associated with syringomyelia (SM) in the Chihuahua, Affenpinscher and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS). Method Analysis of 273 T1-weighted mid-sagittal DICOM sequences of the hindbrain and craniocervical junction from 99 Chihuahuas, 42 Affenpinschers and 132 CKCSs. The study compared 22 morphometric features (11 lines, eight angles and three ratios) of dogs with and without SM using refined techniques based on previous studies of the Griffon Bruxellois (GB) using Discriminant Function Analysis and ANOVA with post-hoc corrections. Results The analysis identified 14/22 significant traits for SM in the three dog breeds, five of which were identical to those reported for the GB and suggest inclusion of a common aetiology. One ratio, caudal fossa height to the length of the skull base extended to an imaginary point of alignment between the atlas and supraoccipital bones, was common to all three breeds (p values 0.029 to <0.001). Associated with SM were a reduced occipital crest and two acute changes in angulation i) ‘sphenoid flexure’ at the spheno-occipital synchondrosis ii) ‘cervical flexure’ at the foramen magnum allied with medulla oblongata elevation. Comparing dogs with and without SM, each breed had a unique trait: Chihuahua had a smaller angle between the dens, atlas and basioccipital bone (p value < 0.001); Affenpinschers had a smaller distance from atlas to dens (p value 0.009); CKCS had a shorter distance between the spheno-occipital synchondrosis and atlas (p value 0.007). Conclusion The selected morphometries successfully characterised conformational changes in the brain and craniocervical junction that might form the basis of a diagnostic tool for all breeds. The severity of SM involved a spectrum of abnormalities, incurred by changes in both angulation and size that could alter neural parenchyma compliance and/or impede cerebrospinal fluid channels.
Solution of the closed-loop inverse kinematics algorithm using the Crank-Nicolson method

The closed-loop inverse kinematics algorithm is a numerical method used to approximate the solution of the inverse kinematics problem of robot manipulators based on the explicit Euler integration, that is a simple numerical integration technique. It is known from the theory of numerical techniques that the Crank-Nicolson method gives results with better convergence properties than the explicit Euler method, however it needs the application of the implicit Euler method, that needs the solution of the differential inverse kinematics problem, which is not known in advance in the robotics problem. An iterative method is proposed to calculate the implicit Euler solution, and the results are used to carry out the numerical integration using the Crank-Nicolson method. Experimental results show that the application of the Crank-Nicolson method yields better convergence for the differential inverse positioning problem of planar nonredundant and redundant manipulators than the application of the explicit Euler method. Both the case of reaching a single end effector point and path tracking are analyzed and the results are compared to the results acquired using the explicit and implicit Euler methods separately; the convergence is faster if the goal is to reach a desired end effector configuration, while the tracking error is smaller in the case of path tracking if the numerical integration is done in the proposed way.
Economic Benefits: Metrics and Methods for Landscape Performance Assessment

This paper introduces an expanding research frontier in the landscape architecture discipline, landscape performance research, which embraces the scientific dimension of landscape architecture through evidence-based designs that are anchored in quantitative performance assessment. Specifically, this paper summarizes metrics and methods for determining landscape-derived economic benefits that have been utilized in the Landscape Performance Series (LPS) initiated by the Landscape Architecture Foundation. This paper identifies 24 metrics and 32 associated methods for the assessment of economic benefits found in 82 published case studies. Common issues arising through research in quantifying economic benefits for the LPS are discussed and the various approaches taken by researchers are clarified. The paper also provides an analysis of three case studies from the LPS that are representative of common research methods used to quantify economic benefits. The paper suggests that high(er) levels of sustainability in the built environment require the integration of economic benefits into landscape performance assessment portfolios in order to forecast project success and reduce uncertainties. Therefore, evidence-based design approaches increase the scientific rigor of landscape architecture education and research, and elevate the status of the profession.
CHANGE DETECTION OF INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS USING MULTI-TEMPORAL AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS - THE CASE OF VOI, SE-KENYA

Black and white and true-colour aerial photography from 2004, 1993 and 1985 are used for studies of growth and change of informal settlements in Voi, SE-Kenya. The digital data is orthorectifie d, corrected for brightness variations caused by light falloff and bidirectional effects and mosaicked using EnsoMOSAIC and Erdas Imagine software. The constructed mosaics are segmented with eCognition software and classified to built-up and non-built areas, in order to produce a mask of structures, which will be extracted into vector format. A post-classification comparison change detection in building-level will be done with ArcView software between all three masks. The work is still under way, but some preliminary results are given.
Analytical model of electrostatic membrane-Based actuators

In the design process, modelling is a fundamental stage which allows the designer to obtain a general overview of the device performance. Very often, this phase is very time-consuming, especially if a welloptimized device which fulfils very specific requirements is to be fabricated. Hence, a fast and reliable technique of simulation is needed and accurate tools have to be used to achieve this goal. In this paper, a simple method of electrostatic actuator modelling based on reduced analytical equations is presented and compared to commonly used FEM simulations. This method, despite some limitations, gives accurate results in much shorter time which might be crucial during the optimization phase.
2 6 A pr 2 00 1 Harmonic generation in ring-shaped molecules

We study numerically the interaction between an intense circularly polarized laser field and an electron moving in a potential which has a discrete cylindrical symmetry with respect to the laser pulse propagation direction. This setup serves as a simple model, e.g., for benzene and other aromatic compounds. From general symmetry considerations, within a Floquet approach, selection rules for the harmonic generation [O. Alon et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 3743 (1998)] have been derived recently. Instead, the results we present in this paper have been obtained solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation ab initio for realistic pulse shapes. We find a rich structure which is not always dominated by the laser harmonics.
Local Linear Regression Based Channel Estimation for OFDM Systems

A local linear regression (LLR) based least-square (LS) channel estimation technique for mobile orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication systems over the doubly selective fading channel is proposed in this paper. In our proposed method, the doubly selective fading channel is firstly estimated via pilots arranged in block-type, comb-type or distributed pilot scheme, piece-wise linear interpolated and at last smoothed by local linear regression. The last smoothing procedure greatly decrease the estimation error introduced by channel noise and interpolation error so achieved better mean square error (MSE) performance and symbol error rate (SER) performance than the conventional interpolation method such as linear interpolation and DFT based interpolation, and the error floor is greatly decreased compared to DFT based interpolation scheme. The computational complexity increased by the smoothing procedure is only linearly proportional to the effective subcarrier-number. Simulations show the performance improvements offered by our approach to the existing ones.
ABIDS system using Hidden Markov Model

Today Internet security has become a serious issue for anyone connected to the Internet. The internet is a great tool for many things, but unfortunately it can also pose a security risk for personal information and privacy. Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based applications are common in various areas, but the incorporation of HMM's for anomaly detection is still in its infancy. There are many approaches for building the IDS; here we are chosen Hidden Markov Model approach for building Anomaly based Intrusion Detection System (ABIDS) as a network security tool. This model has two phases, in the first phase the model is trained and in the second phase the model is tested. In both phases we have used a standard masquerade dataset. This dataset contains 50 users and each user has 15000 records. The first 5000 records have been used to train the model and the remaining 10000 records have been used for evaluation (testing) of the model. This model works for even high dimensional data streams with high performance detection rate and robust to noise.
A Compacted Bitmap Vector Technique to Evaluate Iceberg Queries Efficiently

the data storage and retrieving plays vital role in the data clustering (DC) and data warehousing (DW) procedures. The efficiency of a data retrieving technique depends on specific queries for retrieving the data from the relational database. Iceberg (IB) query is a distinctive class of aggregation query, which computes aggregate values beyond a given threshold (TH). Many data mining (DM) queries are mostly IB queries. The major part taken into the kindness about the AND operation in the IB queries. The condensed number of AND operation increases the efficiency of the IB query. In this effort, a well-organized IB query evaluation process is proposed by reducing the bitwise AND operations needed to find the item pairs (IPs). In the proposed scheme two keys are introduced to reduce the bitwise AND operations. Arbitrarily identifying 'N' 1-bit positions instead of first 1-bit position and dipping the zero bit values from the Most Significant (MS) Side so that the bit map vector (BMV) will be condensed so that, the bitwise operations needed is reduced. The testing is conducted on two datasets (DSs) in order to assess the performance of the proposed IB query evaluation algorithm. In the case of retail datasets, the time required for processing 120000 tuples is 857 milliseconds.
Metoda wyboru efektywnych portfeli przedsięwzięć inwestycyjnych

A new algorithm for selecting an effective investment project portfolio from a collection of projects developed by a company has been presented in this paper. The problem of selecting an investment project was formulated as multi-objective optimization problem. The algorithm is suited for enterprises with multistage production cycles, e.g. enterprises in the metallurgical or chemical industry. During the selection process the method takes into account statistical and economic interdependencies existing among projects. Upon choosing projects the algorithm takes into account twp criteria: maximization of the ex-pected NPV and minimization of project portfolio risk. A company may develop an effective investment project portfolio for a few years ahead. The algorithm makes it possible to search for Pareto optimal solutions. It links computer simulation methods with a genetic algorithm and standard procedure for linear optimization. An example of the use of the algorithm for selecting projects in the metallurgical industry is presented.