Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EGF Receptor-Targeted Synthetic Double-Stranded RNA Eliminates Glioblastoma, Breast Cancer, and Adenocarcinoma Tumors in Mice

Background Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most lethal form of brain cancer. With the available treatments, survival does not exceed 12–14 mo from the time of diagnosis. We describe a novel strategy to selectively induce the death of glioblastoma cells and other cancer cells that over-express the EGF receptor. Using a non-viral delivery vector that homes to the EGF receptor, we target synthetic anti-proliferative dsRNA (polyinosine-cytosine [poly IC]), a strong activator of apoptosis, selectively to cancer cells. Methods and Findings Poly IC was delivered by means of a non-viral vector: 25kDa polyethylenimine-polyethyleneglycol-EGF (PEI25-PEG-EGF). EGFR-targeted poly IC induced rapid apoptosis in the target cells in vitro and in vivo. Expression of several cytokines and “bystander killing” of untransfected tumor cells was detected in vitro and in vivo. Intra-tumoral delivery of the EGFR-targeted poly IC induced the complete regression of pre-established intracranial tumors in nude mice, with no obvious adverse toxic effects on normal brain tissue. A year after treatment completion the treated mice remain cancer-free and healthy. Similarly, non-viral delivery of poly IC completely eliminated pre-established breast cancer and adenocarcinoma xenografts derived from EGFR over-expressing cancer cell lines, suggesting that the strategy is applicable to other EGFR-over-expressing tumors. Conclusion The strategy described has yielded an effective treatment of EGFR over-expressing GBM in an animal model. If this strategy is translated successfully to the clinical setting, it may actually offer help to GBM patients. Moreover the elimination of two additional EGFR over-expressing cancers in vivo suggests that in principle this strategy can be applied to treat other tumors that over-express EGFR.
Reconstruction of glacial/interglacial changes in the global carbon cycle from CO2 and d13 CO2 in Antarctic ice cores (scientific paper)

High-resolution CO2 and d CO2 records from the Taylor Dome ice core, Antarctica, reveal significant changes in the global carbon cycle over the last 30000 yrs. CO2 concentrations increase from 180 ppmv at 20 kyr before present to 275 ppmv at the start of the Holocene with an intermittent decline during the Antarctic Cold Reversal. d C shows a net increase from the average glacial level of –6.7‰ to mean Holocene values of around –6.5‰. However, the transition period is initiated by an 0.5‰ drop at 20 kyr before present followed by an 0.7‰ increase which is interrupted by an 0.2‰ decline during the Antarctic Cold Reversal. Isotope budget considerations show that during the Holocene and the Last Glacial Maximum changes in the size of terrestrial biosphere can account for the observed changes in CO2 and d C. In contrast changes in the atmosphere/ocean system are dominant during termination I. The size of the CO2 increase cannot be explained by variations in ocean temperature, salinity or net transfer of carbon into the terrestrial biosphere alone. The strong temporal correlation of CO2 and Antarctic isotope temperatures is in conflict with hypotheses to account for the missing CO2 which are connected to sea level change or a dust induced change in the biological productivity in the Southern Ocean. Changes in the Southern Ocean sea ice cover, however, may provide a direct link to temperature which appears to be able to account for the observed changes in atmospheric CO2 and d C. key words: Antarctica, ice core, atmospheric CO2, carbon cycle
On composing Dependable Web Services using undependable web components

This paper proposes a novel approach to constructing and modelling Dependable Web Services (DeW) that are built by composing web components that can be undependable. This is achieved by applying a structured approach to the Web Services (WSs) development, based on the Web Service Composition Actions (WSCAs) scheme and a corresponding event-driven simulation model of composite WS. The dependability and fault-tolerance of composite WS is achieved by employing forward error recovery based on multilevel system structuring enabling application-specific exception handling.
Functional inferences over heterogeneous data

Inference enables an agent to create new knowledge from old or discover implicit relationships between concepts in a knowledge base (KB), provided that appropriate techniques are employed to deal with ambiguous, incomplete and sometimes erroneous data. The ever-increasing volumes of KBs on the web, available for use by automated systems, present an opportunity to leverage the available knowledge in order to improve the inference process in automated query answering systems. This thesis focuses on the FRANK (Functional Reasoning for Acquiring Novel Knowledge) framework that responds to queries where no suitable answer is readily contained in any available data source, using a variety of inference operations. Most question answering and information retrieval systems assume that answers to queries are stored in some form in the KB, thereby limiting the range of answers they can find. We take an approach motivated by rich forms of inference using techniques, such as regression, for prediction. For instance, FRANK can answer “what country in Europe will have the largest population in 2021? " by decomposing Europe geo-spatially, using regression on country population for past years and selecting the country with the largest predicted value. Our technique, which we refer to as Rich Inference, combines heuristics, logic and statistical methods to infer novel answers to queries. It also determines what facts are needed for inference, searches for them, and then integrates the diverse facts and their formalisms into a local query-specific inference tree. Our primary contribution in this thesis is the inference algorithm on which FRANK works. This includes (1) the process of recursively decomposing queries in way that allows variables in the query to be instantiated by facts in KBs; (2) the use of aggregate functions to perform arithmetic and statistical operations (e.g. prediction) to infer new values from child nodes; and (3) the estimation and propagation of uncertainty values into the returned answer based on errors introduced by noise in the KBs or errors introduced by aggregate functions. We also discuss many of the core concepts and modules that constitute FRANK. We explain the internal “alist” representation of FRANK that gives it the required flexibility to tackle different kinds of problems with minimal changes to its internal representation. We discuss the grammar for a simple query language that allows users to express queries in a formal way, such that we avoid the complexities of natural
Introducing: Second-order permutation

In this study we answer questions that have to do with finding out the total number of ways of arranging a finite set of symbols or objects directly under a single line constraint set of finite symbols such that common symbols between the two sets do not repeat on the vertical positions. We go further to study the outcomes when both sets consist of the same symbols and when they consist of different symbols. We identify this form of permutation as 'second-order permutation' and show that it has a corresponding unique factorial which plays a prominent role in most of the results obtained. This has been discovered by examining many practical problems which give rise to the emergence of second-order permutation. Upon examination of these problems, it becomes clear that a directly higher order of permutation exist. Hence this study aims at equipping mathematics scholars, educators and researchers with the necessary background knowledge and framework for incorporating second-order permutation into the field of combinatorial mathematics.
The evolution of cataclysmic variable stars

Cataclysmic variables (CVs) are binary star systems comprising a white dwarf which is accreting material from a Roche-lobe filling companion, usually a late-main sequence or evolved star. The accreted material accumulates on the surface of the white dwarf and ultimately leads to a thermonuclear runaway explosion, called a nova eruption. There are ∼ 400 recorded novae and some have shown more than one eruption. These systems are the recurrent novae, and they are one of the leading progenitor candidates of Type Ia Supernovae. In this thesis, I describe how I used high speed spectroscopy to determine the component masses of the stars in the eclipsing recurrent nova CI Aquilae. The masses I determined suggest it is indeed a progenitor of a Type Ia supernova, and will explode in 10 Myr. The long term impact of nova events on the evolution of CVs is poorly understood, and may be the reason for the diversity of CV types observed at the same orbital period. One theory, known as hibernation theory, proposes that the nova event causes systems to cycle through the various classes of CVs, due to heating and bloating of the secondary. In the second part of this thesis, I undertook searches for nova shells around known CVs, in an effort to determine the frequency and life-cycle of novae. I examined over 150 systems and found one definite shell around V1315 Aquilae. I then used high–resolution spectroscopy to determine the mass and age of this shell. This is the first discovery of a nova shell around a novalike variable. By combining my search results with simulations and the results of other recent searches for nova shells, I find that the lifetime of the novalike state is broadly in line with the nova-induced cycle theory (hibernation theory).
ELECTROQUASISTATIC MODEL OF CAPACITIVE HYPERTHERMIA AFFECTED BY HEAT CONVECTION

An electroquasistatic (EQS) model of capacitive hyperthermia for treating lung tumors is proposed, based on which the finite element method is applied to compute the electrical potential in a human thorax model. The temperature distribution in the thorax model, which is surrounded by a bolus maintained at a constant temperature, is computed by numerically solving a bio-heat equation, which includes metabolic heat generated in the tissues, heat convection mechanism in tissues and bolus, as well as the heat delivered by the microwave field computed with the EQS model and finite element method. Temperature-dependent blood perfusion rates of blood and muscle, respectively, are adopted to account for the physiological reaction of tissues to temperature variation. By simulations, it is observed that adjusting the dielectric properties of adipose tissue via injection, the time evolution of temperature distribution can be controlled to some extent, providing more flexibility to customize a hyperthermia treatment plan for specific patient.
Atmospheric fluxes and marsh-soil inventories of /sup 7/Be and /sup 210/Pb

The atmospheric flux of /sup 7/Be over a 2-year period at a coastal site (Norfolk, Virginia) and at an inland site (Oak Ridge, Tennessee) typically supports inventories ranging from 1.0 to 2.0 pCi/cm/sup 2/ (1 pCi = 0.037 Bq), with the highest inventories generally occurring in the spring and the lowest occurring in the fall. The calculated average daily fluxes required to support these inventories range from 0.013 to 0.026 pCi cm/sup -2/ d/sup -1/. Despite the different production-source terms for /sup 7/Be and /sup 210/Pb, there is a high degree of correlation between their measured total monthly deposition reflecting the importance of washout in removing both radionuclides from the atmosphere. Beryllium 7 inventories in soil and vegetated marsh cores compare favorably with inventories calculated from the atmospheric deposition data. Lead 210 inventories in soil and vegetated marsh cores may be enriched (by 20--30%) in relation to inventories calculated from its depositional flux to bucket samples. Possible explanations for this enrichment are that above-ground vegetation is more efficient at collecting dry aerosols (containing short-lived radon daughters) than buckets or that foliage is an effective trap for particles containing sorbed /sup 210/Pb which may be eroded from unvegetated surfaces by windmore » or water. The vertical distribution and inventory of both /sup 7/Be and /sup 210/Pb in marsh cores are affected by the presence of vegetation and the location of the groundwater table. « less
Weather Derivative Pricing and the Modelling of Trends: Objective Bayesian Versions of the Flat-Line, Linear Trend and Damped Linear Trend Models

Published methods for the pricing of weather derivatives are based on classical statistics, in that the predictions of the distributions of weather indices that they use are based on best estimates of model parameters. It is likely that such methods do not accurately capture the true uncertainty because they either ignore or approximate parameter and model uncertainty. In this article we derive the objective Bayesian versions of the flat-line and linear-trend models. The use of objective Bayesian statistics allows us to incorporate parameter uncertainty into the predictive distribution in a simple way. The result is a change in the shape of the predictive distribution, but no change in the predicted mean and variance, when compared with comparable classical statistical methods. We also derive a Bayesian version of the damped linear-trend model, which, in a limited sense, also incorporates model uncertainty.
PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS IN KENTUCKY: 1972-1973

Pedestrian accident data in Kentucky were analyzed for 1972 and 1973 on a rural, urban, and statewide basis. Results showed that about 1500 pedestrian accidents occur in Kentucky each year and cost over $11 million. About 30 percent of pedestrian accidents in rural areas and 4 percent in urban areas are fatal. Although about 78 percent of Kentucky's pedestrian accidents occur in urban areas, over 62 percent of the pedestrian fatalities occur in rural areas. Specific characteristics of pedestrian accidents were identified and related to human, environmental, and time factors. Highway and street improvements and safety programs generally considered to be effective in minimizing pedestrian accidents are summarized.
Direct digital interpolative synthesis

A clock synthesis circuit includes a delta sigma modulator that receives a divide ratio and generates an integer portion and a digital quantization error (a fractional portion). A fractional-N divider divides a received signal according to a divide control value corresponding to the integer portion and generates a divided signal. A phase interpolator adjusts a phase of the divided signal according to the digital quantization error to thereby reduce noise associated with the fractional-N divider.
A Framework of Automatic Subject Term Assignment: An Indexing Conception-Based Approach

The purpose of dissertation is to examine whether the understandings of subject indexing processes conducted by human indexers have a positive impact on the effectiveness of automatic subject term assignment through text categorization (TC). More specifically, human indexers' subject indexing approaches or conceptions in conjunction with semantic sources were explored in the context of a typical scientific journal article data set. Based on the premise that subject indexing approaches or conceptions with semantic sources are important for automatic subject term assignment through TC, this study proposed an indexing conception-based framework. For the purpose of this study, three hypotheses were tested: 1) the effectiveness of semantic sources, 2) the effectiveness of an indexing conception-based framework, and 3) the effectiveness of each of three indexing conception-based approaches (the content-oriented, the document-oriented, and the domain-oriented approaches). The experiments were conducted using a support vector machine implementation in WEKA (Witten, & Frank, 2000). The experiment results pointed out that cited works, source title, and title were as effective as the full text, while keyword was found more effective than the full text. In addition, the findings showed that an indexing conception-based framework was more effective than the full text. Especially, the content-oriented and the document-oriented indexing approaches were found more effective than the full text. Among three indexing conception-based approaches, the content-oriented approach and the document-oriented approach were more effective than the domain-oriented approach. In other words, in the context of a typical scientific journal article data set, the objective contents and authors' intentions were more focused that the possible users' needs. The research findings of this study support that incorporation of human indexers' indexing approaches or conception in conjunction with semantic sources has a positive impact on the effectiveness of automatic subject term assignment.
Deploying Data-Intensive Service Composition with a Negative Selection Algorithm

With the development of information technology, data on the Internet is growing even faster than Moore's Law. At the age of big data, more and more services are created to deal with big data, which are called data-intensive services. In most cases, multiple data-intensive services are assembled into a service composition to meet complicated requirements. Since the big-data transmission, which is occurred among component services as well as between a service and a data center, has great influence on the overall performance of a composition, deploying those services cannot be considered independently. This paper proposes an optimal deployment method based on a negative selection algorithm for a data-intensive service composition to reduce the cost of the data transmission. When making a deployment schedule, it considers not only the cost of data transmission among component services, but also the load balance of data centers where component services are deployed. It models the deployment problem as a combination optimization problem and extends a negative selection algorithm to get an optimal deployment plan. A series of experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed method using different settings as well as to compare with other methods. The results show that the method outperforms others for the problem of data-intensive service composition deployment.
Capability-Based Access Control for Peer-to-Peer Data Sharing

This paper describes SharedViews, a peer-to-peer data management system that simplifies file organization and facilitates file sharing and protection among home users on the Internet. The key innovation of SharedViews is the integration of queries and dynamic views from database systems with a capability-based protection model from the operating systems world. Users organize their files using views and share their views by exchanging capabilities. We show that the resulting system is easy to use and provides clients with flexible protection, but without the account creation and centralized protection management problems inherent in current shared-data systems. We have prototyped SharedViews on a small network of Linux-based personal computers. We present the architecture of our prototype and use simple measurements to demonstrate the practicality and performance of our approach.
Biocompatible Gold Nanorod Conjugates for Preclinical Biomedical Research

Gold nanorods with a peak absorption wavelength of 760 nm were prepared using a seed-mediated method. A novel protocol has been developed to replace hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide on the surface of the nanorods with 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid and metoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-thiol, and the monoclonal antibody HER2. The physical chemistry properties of the conjugates were monitored through optical and zeta-potential measurements to confirm surface chemistry changes. The efficiency of the modifications was quantified through measurement of the average number of antibodies per gold nanorod. The conjugates were investigated for different cells lines: BT-474, MCF7, MCF10, MDCK, and fibroblast. The results show successful cell accumulation of the gold nanorod HER2 conjugates in cells with HER2 overexpression. Incubation of the complexes in heparinized mouse blood demonstrated the low aggregation of the metallic particles through stability of the spectral properties, as verified by UV/VIS spectrometry. Cytotoxicity analysis with LDH release and MTT assay confirms strong targeting and retention of functional activity of the antibody after their conjugation with gold nanorods. Silver staining confirms efficient specific binding to BT-474 cells even in cases where the nanorod complexes were incubated in heparinized mouse blood. This is confirmed through in vivo studies where, following intravenous injection of gold nanorod complexes, silver staining reveals noticeably higher rates of specific binding in mouse tumors than in healthy liver. The conjugates are reproducible, have strong molecular targeting capabilities, have long term stability in vivo and can be used in pre-clinical applications. The conjugates can also be used for molecular and optoacoustic imaging, quantitative sensing of biological substrates, and photothermal therapy. Journal of Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology J o u r n a l o f N an om edicine & Natechn o l o g y ISSN: 2157-7439 Citation: Liopo A, Conjusteau A, Tsyboulski D, Ermolinsky B, Kazansky A, et al. (2012) Biocompatible Gold Nanorod Conjugates for Preclinical Biomedical Research. J Nanomedic Nanotechnol 6:274. doi:10.4172/2157-7439.1000. 274
Safety of feedback discrete event systems with unknown controllers

Apresenta um dispositivo de seguranca que lida com ataques ciberneticos e implementacao incorreta de controladores em sistemas a eventos discretos. Um ataque cibernetico modifica o comportamento do sistema, e pode leva-lo a estados inseguros, isto e, estados que podem causar danos aos componentes do sistema ou aos seus operadores. Alem disso, uma implementacao ou um projeto de controlador incorreto tambem pode levar o sistema para estados inseguros. Neste trabalho, considera-se que as modificacoes sao realizadas na logica de controle implementada, o que altera o comportamento do sistema e faz com que o controlador torne-se desconhecido. Tal dispositivo de seguranca e desenvolvido para prevenir que a planta controlada modificada atinja estados inseguros. Entretanto, em alguns casos, o dispositivo de seguranca pode bloquear comportamentos seguros do sistema. Portanto, e apresentado um algoritmo de verificacao do nivel de seguranca da interacao entre o dispositivo e a planta. Os resultados apresentados neste trabalho sao ilustrados em uma planta mecatronica do Laboratorio de Controle e Automacao da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).
Continuous-flow enantioselective α-aminoxylation of aldehydes catalyzed by a polystyrene-immobilized hydroxyproline

The application of polystyrene-immobilized proline-based catalysts in packed-bed reactors for the continuous-flow, direct, enantioselective α-aminoxylation of aldehydes is described. The system allows the easy preparation of a series of β-aminoxy alcohols (after a reductive workup) with excellent optical purity and with an effective catalyst loading of ca. 2.5% (four-fold reduction compared to the batch process) working at residence times of ca. 5 min.