Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biomimetic nanoparticles with enhanced affinity towards activated endothelium as versatile tools for theranostic drug delivery

Activation of the vascular endothelium is characterized by increased expression of vascular adhesion molecules and chemokines. This activation occurs early in the progression of several diseases and triggers the recruitment of leukocytes. Inspired by the tropism of leukocytes, we investigated leukocyte-based biomimetic nanoparticles (i.e., leukosomes) as a novel theranostic platform for inflammatory diseases. Methods: Leukosomes were assembled by combining phospholipids and membrane proteins from leukocytes. For imaging applications, phospholipids modified with rhodamine and gadolinium were used. Leukosomes incubated with antibodies blocking lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) and CD45 were administered to explore their roles in targeting inflammation. In addition, relaxometric assessment of NPs was evaluated. Results: Liposomes and leukosomes were both spherical in shape with sizes ranging from 140-170 nm. Both NPs successfully integrated 8 and 13 µg of rhodamine and gadolinium, respectively, and demonstrated less than 4% variation in physicochemical features. Leukosomes demonstrated a 16-fold increase in breast tumor accumulation relative to liposomes. Furthermore, quantification of leukosomes in tumor vessels demonstrated a 4.5-fold increase in vessel lumens and a 14-fold increase in vessel walls. Investigating the targeting mechanism of action revealed that blockage of LFA-1 on leukosomes resulted in a 95% decrease in tumor accumulation. Whereas blockage of CD45 yielded a 60% decrease in targeting and significant increases in liver and spleen accumulation. In addition, when administered in mice with atherosclerotic plaques, leukosomes exhibited a 4-fold increase in the targeting of inflammatory vascular lesions. Lastly, relaxometric assessment of NPs demonstrated that the incorporation of membrane proteins into leukosomes did not impact the r1 and r2 relaxivities of the NPs, demonstrating 6 and 30 mM-1s-1, respectively. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the ability of leukosomes to target activated vasculature and exhibit superior accumulation in tumors and vascular lesions. The versatility of the phospholipid backbone within leukosomes permits the incorporation of various contrast agents. Furthermore, leukosomes can potentially be loaded with therapeutics possessing diverse physical properties and thus warrant further investigation toward the development of powerful theranostic agents.
Polymer Self-Assembled Nanostructures as Innovative Drug Nanocarrier Platforms.

BACKGROUND Polymer self-assembled nanostructures are used in pharmaceutical sciences as bioactive molecules' delivery systems for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Micelles, polyelectrolyte complexes, polymersomes, polymeric nanoparticles, nanogels and polymer grafted liposomes represent delivery vehicles that are marketed and/or under clinical development, as drug formulations. METHODS In this mini-review, these, recently appeared in the literature, innovative polymer drug nanocarrier platforms are discussed, starting from their technological development in the laboratory to their potential clinical use, through studies of their biophysics, thermodynamics, physical behavior, morphology, bio-mimicry, therapeutic efficacy and safety. The properties of an ideal drug delivery system are the structural control over size and shape of drug or imaging agent cargo/domain, biocompatibility, nontoxic polymer/ pendant functionality and the precise, nanoscale container and/or scaffolding properties with high drug or imaging agent capacity features. Self-assembled polymer nanostructures exhibit all these properties and could be considered as ideal drug nanocarriers through control of their size, structure and morphology, with the aid of a large variety of parameters, in vitro and in vivo. These modern trends reside at the interface of soft matter self-assembly and pharmaceutical sciences and the technologies for health. CONCLUSION Great advantages related to basic science and applications are expected by understanding the self-assembly behavior of these polymeric nanotechnological drug delivery systems, created through bio-inspiration and biomimicry and have potential utilization into clinical applications.
Extending Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Network Life without Full Knowledge

When extending the life of Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks (WRSN), one challenge is charging networks as they grow larger. Overcoming this limitation will render a WRSN more practical and highly adaptable to growth in the real world. Most charging algorithms require a priori full knowledge of sensor nodes’ power levels in order to determine the nodes that require charging. In this work, we present a probabilistic algorithm that extends the life of scalable WRSN without a priori power knowledge and without full network exploration. We develop a probability bound on the power level of the sensor nodes and utilize this bound to make decisions while exploring a WRSN. We verify the algorithm by simulating a wireless power transfer unmanned aerial vehicle, and charging a WRSN to extend its life. Our results show that, without knowledge, our proposed algorithm extends the life of a WRSN on average 90% of what an optimal full knowledge algorithm can achieve. This means that the charging robot does not need to explore the whole network, which enables the scaling of WRSN. We analyze the impact of network parameters on our algorithm and show that it is insensitive to a large range of parameter values.
COMPARISON OF BLOOD VALUES IN FORAGING, NESTING, AND STRANDED LOGGERHEAD TURTLES (CARETTA CARETTA) ALONG THE COAST OF GEORGIA, USA

The health status of 83 loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta; 39 foraging, 31 nesting, and 13 stranded turtles) was analyzed using physical examinations, hematology, plasma biochemistry, plasma protein electrophoresis, and toxicologic parameters. Significant differences were noted in a number of health parameters between turtles exhibiting each of these behaviors. On physical examinations, stranded turtles had the highest prevalence of heavy carapace epibiont loads, miscellaneous abnormalities, emaciation, and weakness. Differences in hematologic values included a lower packed cell volume, higher number of lymphocytes, and lower number of monocytes in stranded turtles; lower white blood cell counts in foraging turtles; and significant differences in total solid values among turtles exhibiting all behaviors with the lowest values in stranded turtles and the highest values in nesting turtles. Differences in plasma biochemistry values included the highest uric acid, creatine kinase, and CO2 values in stranded turtles; the highest glucose and potassium values in foraging turtles; and the highest cholesterol and triglyceride values, and lowest alanine aminotransferase, in nesting turtles. Differences in total protein, albumin, and globulin were found using plasma biochemistry values, with lowest values in stranded turtles and highest values in nesting females, whereas differences in blood urea nitrogen between turtles included the lowest values in nesting turtles and the highest in foraging turtles. Plasma organochlorine and polychlorinated biphenyl levels were below their limits of quantification in the 39 foraging, 11 nesting, and three stranded turtles tested. A statistically significant difference was noted in the level of whole blood mercury between the 23 foraging and 12 nesting turtles tested. There was no difference in arsenic or lead levels between turtles exhibiting any of the three behaviors. Although a few limitations exist with the present study and include unknown ambient temperatures, turtle handling times that varied from 15 min to 53 min per turtle, and the use of a different laboratory for processing complete blood counts and plasma biochemistries in stranded versus foraging and nesting turtles, we provide baseline blood values for two cohorts (foraging and nesting) of loggerhead sea turtles on the coast of Georgia. Additionally, we demonstrate significant differences in clinical findings and blood parameters between foraging, nesting, and stranded loggerhead turtles in the region.
They Are Laughing at Me: Cerebral Mediation of Cognitive Biases in Social Anxiety

The fear of embarrassment and humiliation is the central element of social anxiety. This frequent condition is associated with cognitive biases indicating increased sensitivity to signals of social threat, which are assumed to play a causal role in the maintenance of social anxiety. Here, we employed laughter, a potent medium for the expression of acceptance and rejection, as an experimental stimulus in participants selected for varying degrees of social anxiety to identify cerebral mediators of cognitive biases in social anxiety using functional magnetic resonance imaging in combination with mediation analysis. We directly demonstrated that cerebral activation patterns within the dorsal attention network including the left dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex mediate the influence of social anxiety on laughter perception. This mediation proved to be specific for social anxiety after correction for measures of general state and trait anxiety and occurred most prominently under bimodal audiovisual laughter presentation when compared with monomodal auditory or visual laughter cues. Considering the possibility to modulate cognitive biases and cerebral activity by neuropsychological trainings, non-invasive electrophysiological stimulation and psychotherapy, this study represents a starting point for a whole line of translational research projects and identifies promising targets for electrophysiological interventions aiming to alleviate cognitive biases and symptom severity in social anxiety.
Optimization of Storage Temperature for Cultured ARPE-19 Cells

Purpose. The establishment of future retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) replacement therapy is partly dependent on the availability of tissue-engineered RPE cells, which may be enhanced by the development of suitable storage methods for RPE. This study investigates the effect of different storage temperatures on the viability, morphology, and phenotype of cultured RPE. Methods. ARPE-19 cells were cultured under standard conditions and stored in HEPES-buffered MEM at nine temperatures (4°C, 8°C, 12°C, 16°C, 20°C, 24°C, 28°C, 32°C, and 37°C) for seven days. Viability and phenotype were assessed by a microplate fluorometer and epifluorescence microscopy, while morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Results. The percentage of viable cells preserved after storage was highest in the 16°C group (48.7% ± 9.8%; P < 0.01 compared to 4°C, 8°C, and 24°C–37°C; P < 0.05 compared to 12°C). Ultrastructure was best preserved at 12°C, 16°C, and 20°C. Expression of actin, ZO-1, PCNA, caspase-3, and RPE65 was maintained after storage at 16°C compared to control cells that were not stored. Conclusion. Out of nine temperatures tested between 4°C and 37°C, storage at 12°C, 16°C, and 20°C was optimal for maintenance of RPE cell viability, morphology, and phenotype. The preservation of RPE cells is critically dependent on storage temperature.
Atherosclerotic vascular disease in the autoimmune rheumatologic woman

Autoimmune rheumatologic conditions have increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality compared to the general population. Many of these diseases occur more commonly in women, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis, and Sjogren's. Most of the literature that has identified the link between autoimmune diseases and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) has been regarding patients with RA and SLE. The reason for the increased ASCVD is related to both traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis and nontraditional risk factors such as the burden of inflammation. Presently, our ability to adequately determinecardiovascular risk in the autoimmune patient is subpar, as scoring systems fail to take into account the role of inflammation. No present guidelines exist that take into account the increased burden of cardiovascular disease in this complex patient cohort.
Latitude and environmental pressure: their impact on carapace morphology in three species of fiddler crabs (genus Uca) across the Atlantic Ocean

Among semi-terrestrial fiddler crabs, three species from the subgenus Uca (sensu stricto) appear to be basal in the phylogeny of the genus: Uca major (Herbst 1782-1804), Uca maracoani (Latreille 1802-1803) and Uca tangeri (Eydoux 1835). These species evolved vicariantly as tectonic plates separated to form the Atlantic Ocean. Currently, the three species, found in Africa, South America, and the Caribbean, exhibit a high affinity for their respective tectonic plates. Interand intra-specific variation in carapace shape was assessed using geometric morphometrics to analyze 12 surface landmarks in the three species. In 314 female specimens, surficial coordinates were superimposed, standardized, and subjected to canonical variance (CVA) and principal component (PCA) analysis, after which the three species form distinct clusters. Within each species, there are clear differences among populations from northern to southern latitudes. In Uca maracoani, there is a significant correlation between carapace shape and certain environmental factors, such as biotope, salinity, and substrate. As it has not been demonstrated that there is extensive, structured geographic variation in the population genetics for Uca, this polymorphism is likely a result of environmental pressures, i.e., ecophenotypy.
Score-Informed Identification of Missing and Extra Notes in Piano Recordings

A main goal in music tuition is to enable a student to play a score without mistakes, where common mistakes include missing notes or playing additional extra ones. To automatically detect these mistakes, a ﬁrst idea is to use a music transcription method to detect notes played in an audio recording and to compare the results with a corresponding score. However, as the number of transcription errors produced by standard methods is often considerably higher than the number of actual mistakes, the results are often of limited use. In contrast, our method exploits that the score already provides rough information about what we seek to detect in the audio, which allows us to construct a tailored transcription method. In particular, we employ score-informed source separation techniques to learn for each score pitch a set of templates capturing the spectral properties of that pitch. After extrapolating the resulting template dictionary to pitches not in the score, we estimate the activity of each MIDI pitch over time. Finally, making again use of the score, we choose for each pitch an individualized threshold to differentiate note onsets from spurious activity in an optimized way. We indicate the accuracy of our approach on a dataset of piano pieces commonly used in education.
A first-principles study on magnetic coupling between carbon adatoms on graphene

The weak ferromagnetism reported for graphite and related carbon nanostructures is frequently related to the magnetic coupling of point defects such as vacancies or hydrogen adatoms that interact with only one sublattice in the bipartite graphene lattice. In this paper, using density functional theory calculations we study the magnetic coupling between point defects, such as carbon adatoms, which form bonds with atoms located on both sublattices. We show that there is ferromagnetic coupling for small separations between the adatoms. Further, we demonstrate that it is energetically favorable for C adatoms to agglomerate. Our results indicate that the magnetism induced in graphite by irradiation can be explained as being due to the existence of adatom agglomerations and small graphene flakes formed from isolated adatoms rather than uniformly distributed point defects.
Consistency of Minority and Socioeconomic Status as Predictors of Health

This paper examines the relative consistency of economic and racial status as predictors of the individual’s physical and emotional health. The focus of the study is the covariates of (1) limited activity resulting from poor physical and (2) limited activity resulting from poor emotional health. Using data from the 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, the study was developed in two phases. In the first, logistic regression analysis was used to examine two binary variables that identified respondents who reported at least one day of limited activity that resulted from poor physical and then poor emotional or mental health. Limited to those who reported at least one day of limited activity, the second stage of the study examined variability in the number of days of limited activity that resulted from 1) poor physical health and; 2) poor mental or emotional health. After controlling for chronic conditions, risk factors, access to care and the demographic attributes of the individual, the results indicate that the economically disadvantaged consistently reported poor health while wealthier members of the study group reported good health. The coefficients derived for membership in minority groups, defined as African Americans, Native Americans and Latinos, were inconsistent and, in general, insignificant (P<.05).
Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis: pathophysiological mechanisms and therapeutic approaches

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a remarkably versatile environmental bacterium with an extraordinary capacity to infect the cystic fibrosis (CF) lung. Infection with P. aeruginosa occurs early, and although eradication can be achieved following early detection, chronic infection occurs in over 60% of adults with CF. Chronic infection is associated with accelerated disease progression and increased mortality. Extensive research has revealed complex mechanisms by which P. aeruginosa adapts to and persists within the CF airway. Yet knowledge gaps remain, and prevention and treatment strategies are limited by the lack of sensitive detection methods and by a narrow armoury of antibiotics. Further developments in this field are urgently needed in order to improve morbidity and mortality in people with CF. Here, we summarize current knowledge of pathophysiological mechanisms underlying P. aeruginosa infection in CF. Established treatments are discussed, and an overview is offered of novel detection methods and therapeutic strategies in development.
Blockade of prolymphangiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor C in dry eye disease.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether blocking prolymphangiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) would suppress alloimmunity in dry eye disease using a murine model. METHODS The effects of intraperitoneal injections of 400 μg of anti-VEGF-C antibody (treated group) and intraperitoneal normal saline (untreated group) were studied in murine dry eyes induced by exposing mice to high-flow desiccated air in a controlled-environment chamber. Growth of lymphatic vessels and infiltration of macrophages were evaluated by immunohistochemistry using CD31 (panendothelial marker), lymphatic vessel endothelial receptor 1 (lymphatic endothelial marker), and CD11b (monocyte and macrophage marker). Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to quantify expression of different inflammatory cytokine transcripts in the conjunctiva and lymph nodes as well as vascular endothelial growth factors and their receptors (VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, VEGFR-2, and VEGFR-3) in the cornea. RESULTS Blocking VEGF-C led to significant reductions in lymphatic caliber (P = .02) and lymphatic area (P = .006) in the corneas of mice with dry eye disease. In addition to significantly decreasing CD11b(+) cells (P = .005), anti-VEGF-C treatment significantly decreased transcript levels of VEGF-C (P = .002), VEGF-D (P = .01), and VEGFR-3 (P = .02) in the corneas of the treated group. A significant decrease in expression of inflammatory cytokines in the conjunctiva (interleukin 1α, P = .003; interleukin 1β, P = .02; interleukin 6, P = .005) and lymph nodes (interferon γ, P = .008; interleukin 17, P = .003) was also seen with anti-VEGF-C treatment. CONCLUSION Treatment with anti-VEGF-C led to significant improvement in dry eye disease, reflected by a decrease in inflammation at the clinical, molecular, and cellular levels. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Targeting prolymphangiogenic growth factors or their receptors could inhibit the trafficking of antigen-presenting cells to the draining lymph nodes and hence prove to be a potential therapeutic target for dry eye disease.
Rethinking FS-ISAC: An IT Security Information Sharing Network Model for the Financial Services Sector

This study examines a critical incentive alignment issue facing FS-ISAC (the information sharing alliance in the financial services industry). Failure to encourage members to share their IT security-related information has seriously undermined the founding rationale of FS-ISAC. Our analysis shows that many information sharing alliances’ membership policies are plagued with the incentive misalignment issue and may result in a “freeriding” or “no information sharing” equilibrium. To address this issue, we propose a new information sharing membership policy that incorporates an insurance option and show that the proposed policy can align members’ incentives and lead to a socially optimal outcome. Moreover, when a transfer payment mechanism is implemented, all member firms will be better off joining the insurance network. These results are demonstrated in a simulation in which IT security breach losses are compared both with and without participating in the proposed information sharing insurance plan.
Conceptual and lexical effects on gestures: the case of vertical spatial metaphors for time in Chinese

ABSTRACT The linguistic metaphors of time appear to influence how people gesture about time. This study finds that Chinese English bilinguals produce more vertical gestures when talking about Chinese time references with vertical spatial metaphors than (1) when talking about time conceptions in the English translations, and (2) when talking about Chinese time references with no spatial metaphors. Additionally, Chinese English bilinguals prefer vertical gestures to lateral gestures when perceiving Chinese time references with vertical spatial metaphors and the corresponding English translations, whereas there is no such preference when perceiving time references without spatial metaphors. Furthermore, this vertical tendency is not due to the fact that vertical gestures are generally less ambiguous than lateral gestures for addressees. In conclusion, the vertical gesturing about time by Chinese English bilinguals is shaped by both the stable language-specific conceptualisations, and the online changes in linguistic choices.