Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of benzo[a]pyrene on metabolic activation of anticancer drug ellipticine in mice.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate a role of cytochrome P450 (CYP) and peroxidase in ellipticine oxidative activation in two mouse strains differing in expression of NADPH:CYP reductase (POR) [the HRN (Hepatic Cytochrome P450 Reductase Null) mice, in which POR is deleted in hepatocytes and its wild-type (WT) counterpart], and in levels of CYP1A1/2 and cytochrome b5 that were modulated by treatment of these mouse models with a CYP1A inducer, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). METHODS Ellipticine-DNA adducts were detected by 32P-postlabeling. HPLC was employed for the separation and characterization of ellipticine metabolites. RESULTS Hepatic microsomes of HRN and WT mice activate ellipticine to form ellipticine-derived DNA adducts. A 2.2- and 10.4-fold increase in amounts of ellipticine-derived DNA adducts formed by liver microsomes was caused by exposure of HRN and WT mice to BaP, respectively. The results found and utilization of NADPH and arachidonic acid, cofactors of CYP- and cyclooxygenase (COX)-dependent enzyme systems, respectively, as well as inhibitors of CYP1A1/2 and 3A, demonstrate that the CYP1A and 3A enzymes play a major role in ellipticine activation in liver microsomes. In addition, the COX enzyme is important in ellipticine activation in liver of HRN mice. CONCLUSION The CYP1A and 3A enzymes activate ellipticine mainly in liver of WT mice, whereas peroxidase COX plays this role in liver of HRN mice. Treatment of mice with BaP increases an impact of CYP1A on ellipticine activation. A pattern of expression levels of these enzymes plays a crucial role in their impact on this process.
On-line Randomized Controlled Trial of an Internet Based Psychologically Enhanced Intervention for People with Hazardous Alcohol Consumption

BackgroundExcessive alcohol consumption is a significant public health problem throughout the world. Although there are a range of effective interventions to help heavy drinkers reduce their alcohol consumption, these have little proven population-level impact. Researchers internationally are looking at the potential of Internet interventions in this area.Methods/DesignIn a two-arm randomised controlled trial, an on-line psychologically enhanced interactive computer-based intervention is compared with a flat, text-based information web-site. Recruitment, consent, randomisation and data collection are all on-line. The primary outcome is total past-week alcohol consumption; secondary outcomes include hazardous or harmful drinking, dependence, harm caused by alcohol, and mental health. A health economic analysis is included.DiscussionThis trial will provide information on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an on-line intervention to help heavy drinkers drink less.Trial registrationInternational Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register ISRCTN31070347
Profiling of length heteroplasmies in the human mitochondrial DNA control regions from blood cells in the Korean population

The length heteroplasmies in the hypervariable (HV) regions of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from blood cells were examined in 57 healthy Korean donors. Interestingly, all the healthy Korean subjects displayed length heteroplasmies in both the HV1 and HV2 regions. Closer examination of the HV2 length heteroplasmies indicated that most of these donors (84%) exhibited a minimal 303–315 homopolymeric C (poly‐C) tract frameshift of 1 bp (mixture of one major and minor mtDNA type). Sixteen percent of the donors however had poly‐C tract frameshifts of 2 bp or more. The donor group with major length variants (two or more frameshifts) had about a two‐fold decrease in mtDNA copy number compared with the group exhibiting only a 1 bp frameshift. This result supports the possibility that a severe frameshift in the 303–315 poly‐C tract may also cause the impairment of mtDNA replication in hematopoietic tissue.
Oscillatory shear rheology of polystyrene melts filled with carbon black and fullerene

Fullerene C60 and submicrometre sized particles of carbon black were used to investigate the size effect of filler particles on the rheological behaviour of polydisperse polystyrene melts. The addition of 5 wt-% carbon black increased the viscosity of all the composite melts relative to their polymer matrixes. The effect of 5 wt-% fullerene nanoparticles on the viscosity of composites depended on the molecular weight distribution of the polymer matrixes. In the polymer with a high fraction of polymer chains below the critical molecular weight for entanglement, the fullerene addition increased the viscosity, similar to carbon black addition. As the molecular weight distribution of the polymer matrix moved to higher values, the influence of fullerene addition on melt viscosity changed, and the viscosity of the nanocomposite was similar to that of the polymer matrix. The effect of fullerene addition on the melt viscosity of the coarse particle composite was also investigated.
Dynamic experimentation on the confocal laser scanning microscope: application to soft‐solid, composite food materials

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) is used to follow the dynamic structural evolution of several phase‐separated mixed biopolymer gel composites. Two protein/polysaccharide mixed gel systems were examined: gelatin/maltodextrin and gelatin/agarose. These materials exhibit ‘emulsion‐like’ structures, with included spherical particles of one phase (i.e. polymer A) within a continuous matrix of the second (i.e. polymer B). Compositional control of these materials allows the phase order to be inverted (i.e. polymer B included and polymer A continuous), giving four basic variants for the present composites. Tension and compression mechanical tests were conducted dynamically on the CLSM, with crack/microstructure interactions investigated using a notched compact tension geometry. Gelatin/maltodextrin composites exhibit a ‘pseudo‐yielding’ stress/strain response in both tension and compression, when the gelatin‐rich phase is continuous, which was attributed to debonding of the particle/matrix interface. This behaviour is significantly less apparent for both the gelatin/agarose composites, and the maltodextrin continuous gelatin/maltodextrin composites, with these materials responding in a nominally linear elastic manner.
Influence of Oral Detergents and Chlorhexidine on Soft-Layer Electrokinetic Parameters of the Acquired Enamel Pellicle

Electron microscopy has described the salivary pellicle as an ‘uneven, knotted structure’. This study describes a novel soft-layer model of salivary pellicles, based on measured electrophoretic mobilities and the influence of dentifrices and a chlorhexidine mouthwash on the parameters of the model. The enamel surface was found to possess a high number of fixed, negative charges (zN = –62 mM) and to be electrophoretically hard (1/λ = 0.6 nm), i.e. impenetrable to fluid flow. Adsorption of a salivary pellicle resulted in a fourfold reduction in the surface fixed charge density (zN = –15 mM) along with an increase in electrophoretic softness (1/λ = 2.3 nm). Exposure of pellicles to various dentifrices containing sodium fluoride as an active component and sodium lauryl sulfate as a detergent had little effect on the surface fixed charge densities (varying between –15 and –30 mM, depending on the dentifrice involved) and electrophoretic softnesses (varying between 2.3 and 3.4 nm). Exposure of pellicles to a dentifrice containing sodium fluoride and hexametaphosphate as an additional detergent yielded soft (8.0 nm) pellicles, penetrable to fluid flow, with few fixed, negative charges (1 mM). This is opposite to the effects of chlorhexidine, which created an electrophoretically hard pellicle (1.7 nm). This soft-layer electrokinetic model quantitatively shows that the degree to which pellicles are penetrable to fluid flow differs upon exposure to dentifrices, with relevance for plaque formation, de- and remineralization and staining processes.
An analysis of diversity in genetic programming

Genetic programming is a metaheuristic search method that uses a population of variable-length computer programs and a search strategy based on biological evolution. The idea of automatic programming has long been a goal of artificial intelligence, and genetic programming presents an intuitive method for automatically evolving programs. However, this method is not without some potential drawbacks. Search using procedural representations can be complex and inefficient. In addition, variable sized solutions can become unnecessarily large and difficult to interpret. The goal of this thesis is to understand the dynamics of genetic programming that encourages efficient and effective search. Toward this goal, the research focuses on an important property of genetic programming search: the population. The population is related to many key aspects of the genetic programming algorithm. In this programme of research, diversity is used to describe and analyse populations and their effect on search. A series of empirical investigations are carried out to better understand the genetic programming algorithm. The research begins by studying the relationship between diversity and search. The effect of increased population diversity and a metaphor of search are then examined. This is followed by an investigation into the phenomenon of increased solution size and problem difficulty. The research concludes by examining the role of diverse individuals, particularly the ability of diverse individuals to affect the search process and ways of improving the genetic programming algorithm. This thesis makes the following contributions: (1) An analysis shows the complexity of the issues of diversity and the relationship between diversity and fitness, (2) The genetic programming search process is characterised by using the concept of genetic lineages and the sampling of structures and behaviours, (3) A causal model of the varied rates of solution size increase is presented, (4) A new, tunable problem demonstrates the contribution of different population members during search, and (5) An island model is proposed to improve the search by speciating dissimilar individuals into better-suited environments. Currently, genetic programming is applied to a wide range of problems under many varied contexts. From artificial intelligence to operations research, the results presented in this thesis will benefit population-based search methods, methods based on the concepts of evolution and search methods using variable-length representations.
An image sensor with on-die diffractive optics in 0.18μm bulk CMOS

On-die optics are an attractive way of reducing package size for imaging and non-imaging optical sensors. While systems incorporating on-die optics have been built for imaging and spectral analysis applications, these have required specialized fabrication processes and additional off-die components. This paper discusses the fabrication of an image sensor with neither of these limitations. Through careful design, an image sensor is implemented that uses on-die diffractive optics fabricated using a standard 0.18 micron bulk CMOS process, with simulations indicating that the resulting die is capable of acting as a standalone imaging system resolving spatial features to within ±0.15 radian and spectral features to within ±40 nm wavelength accuracy.
Interaction between maropitant and carprofen on sparing of the minimum alveolar concentration for blunting adrenergic response (MAC-BAR) of sevoflurane in dogs

Maropitant, a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, may provide analgesic effects by blocking pharmacological action of substance P. Carprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug commonly used for pain control in dogs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a combination of maropitant and carprofen on the minimum alveolar concentration for blunting adrenergic response (MAC-BAR) of sevoflurane in dogs. Six healthy adult beagle dogs were anesthetized with sevoflurane four times with a minimum of 7-day washout period. On each occasion, maropitant (1 mg/kg) alone, carprofen (4 mg/kg) alone, a combination of maropitant (1 mg/kg) and carprofen (4 mg/kg), or saline (0.1 ml/kg) was subcutaneously administered at 1 hr prior to the first electrical stimulation for the sevoflurane MAC-BAR determination. The sevoflurane MAC-BAR was significantly reduced by maropitant alone (2.88 ± 0.73%, P=0.010), carprofen alone (2.96 ± 0.38%, P=0.016) and the combination (2.81 ± 0.51%, P=0.0003), compared with saline (3.37 ± 0.56%). There was no significant difference in the percentage of MAC-BAR reductions between maropitant alone, carprofen alone and the combination. The administration of maropitant alone and carprofen alone produced clinically significant sparing effects on the sevoflurane MAC-BAR in dogs. However, the combination of maropitant and carprofen did not produce any additive effect on the sevoflurane MAC-BAR reduction. Anesthetic premedication with a combination of maropitant and carprofen may not provide any further sparing effect on anesthetic requirement in dogs.
Mechanisms of protection by S-allylmercaptocysteine against acetaminophen-induced liver injury in mice.

S-Allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC), one of the water-soluble organosulfur compounds in ethanol extracts of garlic (Allium sativum L.), has been shown to protect mice against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury. In this study, we examined the mechanisms underlying this hepatoprotection. SAMC (100 mg/kg, p.o.) given 2 and 24 hr before APAP administration (500 mg/kg, p.o.) suppressed the plasma alanine aminotransferase activity increases 3 to 12 hr after APAP administration significantly. The hepatic reduced glutathione levels of vehicle-pretreated mice decreased 1 to 6 hr after APAP administration, but SAMC pretreatment suppressed the reductions 1 to 6 hr after APAP administration significantly. These inhibitory effects of SAMC were dose-dependent (50-200 mg/kg) 6 hr after APAP administration. As SAMC pretreatment (50-200 mg/kg) suppressed hepatic cytochrome P450 2E1-dependent N-nitrosodimethylamine demethylase activity significantly in a dose-dependent manner, we suggest that one of its protective mechanisms is inhibition of cytochrome P450 2E1 activity. SAMC pretreatment also suppressed the increase in hepatic lipid peroxidation and the decrease in hepatic reduced coenzyme Q9 (CoQ9H2) levels 6 hr after APAP administration. The hepatic CoQ9H2 content of the SAMC pretreatment group was maintained at the normal level. Therefore, we suggest that another hepatoprotective mechanism of SAMC may be attributable to its antioxidant activity.
Comparison of the Using Ability Between a Smartphone and a Conventional Mobile Phone in People With Cervical Cord Injury

Objective To investigate the ability of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients in the use mobile cellular devices, especially the smartphone. Methods Seventeen people with motor complete cervical SCI participated in the study. The assist-devices deemed most fitting were introduced to the patients: a mouth stick, multifunctional splint, activities of daily living (ADL) splint, universal cuff or none of the above. To determine the effective devices, a Multi-Directional Click Test (MDCT), Phone Number Test (PNT), and individual satisfaction inquiry were used. The most appropriate assist device was selected by MDCT. Subsequently PNT and individual satisfaction inquiry were performed with the conventional model and compared. Results Those with C4 cord injury chose mouth stick. Those with C5 cord injury chose multifunctional splint (3 people) and ADL splint (2 people). Those with C6 cord injury chose universal cuff (3 people) or bare hands only. Those with C7 cord injury chose universal cuff (3 people). With a smartphone, all participants were able to complete the PNT. With a conventional model, only twelve participants (71%) were able to complete the same test. While it took 26.8±6.8 seconds with a conventional model to complete PNT, the same test took 18.8±10.9 seconds to complete with a smartphone (p<0.05). Overall, participants expressed higher satisfaction when using a smartphone. Conclusion The results offer a practical insight into the appropriate assist devices for SCI patients who wish to use mobile cellular devices, particularly smartphones. When the SCI patients are given the use of a smartphone with the appropriate assist devices, the SCI patients are expected to access mobile cellular device faster and with more satisfaction.
A New Generation of Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

The design of bioceramic scaffolds, i.e. artificial structures employed as temporary templates for cell proliferation, is a crucial issue in bone tissue reconstruction and regeneration. An ideal scaffold should be highly porous and bioactive. Additionally, a resistant and permeable surface is required in order to have manageable samples. The production of scaffolds by means of the widely used replication method can lead to samples with weak and brittle surfaces and poor mechanical properties, therefore alternative preparation procedures are necessary. In this work a new protocol to realize bioceramic scaffolds is presented. The obtained samples have an original structure, characterized by an external resistant surface together with a highly porous internal network. The external surface, which behaves as a load-bearing structure for the entire scaffold, guarantees high permeability and manageability. Here the proposed protocol is briefly discussed, together with an overview on the structure of the realized samples. Finally, some preliminary data regarding the scaffolds in-vitro bioactivity are reported.
Multi-Material Decomposition Using Statistical Image Reconstruction for Spectral CT

Spectral computed tomography (CT) provides information on material characterization and quantification because of its ability to separate different basis materials. Dual-energy (DE) CT provides two sets of measurements at two different source energies. In principle, two materials can be accurately decomposed from DECT measurements. However, many clinical and industrial applications require three or more material images. For triple-material decomposition, a third constraint, such as volume conservation, mass conservation or both, is required to solve three sets of unknowns from two sets of measurements. The recently proposed flexible image-domain (ID) multi-material decomposition) method assumes each pixel contains at most three materials out of several possible materials and decomposes a mixture pixel by pixel. We propose a penalized-likelihood (PL) method with edge-preserving regularizers for each material to reconstruct multi-material images using a similar constraint from sinogram data. We develop an optimization transfer method with a series of pixel-wise separable quadratic surrogate (PWSQS) functions to monotonically decrease the complicated PL cost function. The PWSQS algorithm separates pixels to allow simultaneous update of all pixels, but keeps the basis materials coupled to allow faster convergence rate than our previous proposed material- and pixel-wise SQS algorithms. Comparing with the ID method using 2-D fan-beam simulations, the PL method greatly reduced noise, streak and cross-talk artifacts in the reconstructed basis component images, and achieved much smaller root mean square errors.
A novel packetisation scheme for MPEG-4 over 3G wireless systems

In this paper, a new packetisation method for MPEG-4 video packets is proposed and analysed. This packetisation method is based on a new header compression scheme to compress headers of MPEG-4 video packets for streaming over UMTS. MPEG-4 header compression not only makes more efficient use of scarce wireless bandwidth but it also improves the perceptual video quality and error robustness. In particular, it makes recovery from errors faster. MPEG-4 video packet headers contribute a significant portion of video packet size, particularly when resynchronisation, header extension code and data partitioning error resilience options are switched on. The new header compression scheme is aimed at reducing the MPEG-4 video packet overheads and optimising the packetisation method for enhanced robustness. Preliminary results obtained from the experiments for this approach show an improvement in objective quality of up to 5 dB, apart from the considerable savings in bandwidth. This paper focuses on the packetisation method for MPEG-4 video packets and features the improvements made for video quality achieved by the defined packetisation scheme.
Exploratory pattern mining on social media using geo-references and social tagging information

This paper presents exploratory pattern mining techniques for describing communities of resources (e.g., images) and for characterising locations of interest. We utilise tagging information and collaborative geo-reference annotations for characterising resources locations by a set of descriptive patterns. The methods are embedded into an interactive approach for mining, browsing and visualising a set of patterns. As an exemplary use case, we focus on the social photo sharing application Flickr. Utilising publicly available real-world data from this platform, we provide a structural evaluation of the automatic approach as well as an exemplary case study for demonstrating the effectiveness and validity of the interactive approach.
Neural Network Control of Multifingered Robot Hands Using Visual Feedback

It is interesting to observe that humans are able to manipulate an object easily and skillfully without the exact knowledge of the object, contact points, or kinematics of our fingers. However, research so far on multifingered robot control has assumed that the kinematics and contact points of the fingers are known exactly. In many applications of multifingered robot hands, the kinematics and contact points of the fingers are uncertain and structures of the Jacobian matrices are unknown. In this paper, we propose an adaptive neural network (NN) Jacobian controller for multifingered robot hand with uncertainties in kinematics, Jacobian matrices, and dynamics. It is shown that using NNs, the uniform ultimate boundedness of the position error can be achieved in the presence of the uncertainties. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed controller.
DocLite: A Docker-Based Lightweight Cloud Benchmarking Tool

Existing benchmarking methods are time consuming processes as they typically benchmark the entire Virtual Machine (VM) in order to generate accurate performance data, making them less suitable for real-time analytics. The research in this paper is aimed to surmount the above challenge by presenting DocLite - Docker Container-based Lightweight benchmarking tool. DocLite explores lightweight cloud benchmarking methods for rapidly executing benchmarks in near real-time. DocLite is built on the Docker container technology, which allows a user-defined memory size and number of CPU cores of the VM to be benchmarked. The tool incorporates two benchmarking methods - the first referred to as the native method employs containers to benchmark a small portion of the VM and generate performance ranks, and the second uses historic benchmark data along with the native method as a hybrid to generate VM ranks. The proposed methods are evaluated on three use-cases and are observed to be up to 91 times faster than benchmarking the entire VM. In both methods, small containers provide the same quality of rankings as a large container. The native method generates ranks with over 90% and 86% accuracy for sequential and parallel execution of an application compared against benchmarking the whole VM. The hybrid method did not improve the quality of the rankings significantly.