Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preparation of high molecular weight and elastic copolyester by reactive extrusion with diisocyanate compound for laser printing process

Abstract A branched copolyester was synthesized using dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), 2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxypropoxy)phenyl]propane, ethylene glycol (EG) and 2-(hydroxymethyl)-2- ethylpropane-1,3-diol (trimethylol propane, TMP). The branched copolyester and p-phenylene diisocyanate (PPDI) were melt extruded to enhance the melt viscosity and elasticity for use as a toner binder in the laser printing process. The effects of PPDI content on melt, thermal and rheological properties of the chain-extended copolyester were investigated. The melt flow index (MI) decreased with increasing amount of PPDI, due to a reaction between the hydroxyl chain end and isocyanate group. The storage modulus, loss modulus and complex viscosity of the chain extended copolyester were higher and the modified Cole-Cole plots revealed the chain extended copolyester to have higher elasticity than that of the branched copolyester. The chain extended copolyester exhibited suitable melt and rheological properties for applications as a toner binder in the laser printing processes.
Patient Understanding of Hypoglycemia in Tertiary Referral Centers

Background Hypoglycemia is an important complication in the treatment of patients with diabetes. We surveyed the insight by patients with diabetes into hypoglycemia, their hypoglycemia avoidance behavior, and their level of worry regarding hypoglycemia. Methods A survey of patients with diabetes, who had visited seven tertiary referral centers in Daegu or Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea, between June 2014 and June 2015, was conducted. The survey contained questions about personal history, symptoms, educational experience, self-management, and attitudes about hypoglycemia. Results Of 758 participants, 471 (62.1%) had experienced hypoglycemia, and 250 (32.9%) had experienced hypoglycemia at least once in the month immediately preceding the study. Two hundred and forty-two (31.8%) of the participants had received hypoglycemia education at least once, but only 148 (19.4%) knew the exact definition of hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemic symptoms identified by the participants were dizziness (55.0%), sweating (53.8%), and tremor (40.8%). They mostly chose candy (62.1%), chocolate (37.7%), or juice (36.8%) as food for recovering hypoglycemia. Participants who had experienced hypoglycemia had longer duration of diabetes and a higher proportion of insulin usage. The mean scores for hypoglycemia avoidance behavior and worry about hypoglycemia were 21.2±10.71 and 23.38±13.19, respectively. These scores tended to be higher for participants with higher than 8% of glycosylated hemoglobin, insulin use, and experience of emergency room visits. Conclusion Many patients had experienced hypoglycemia and worried about it. We recommend identifying patients that are anxious about hypoglycemia and educating them about what to do when they develop hypoglycemic symptoms, especially those who have a high risk of hypoglycemia.
Object retrieval in past video using bag-of-words model

Together with the technology advancement, Computer Vision plays an important role in enhancing smart computing systems to help people overcome obstacles in their daily lives. One of the common troublesome problems is human memorization ability, especially memorizing things such as personal items. It is annoying for people to waste their time finding lost items manually by recall or notes. This motivates the authors to propose a solution that can help a user find an item that he or she already saw but vaguely remembers where and when it appeared in the past. The user simply provides our system a single image of that item, then the system retrieves a rank list of visual scenes that may contain the item from video recorded implicitly during user's daily activities. Our method is based on Bag-of-Words model, one of the most famous methods in image retrieval. We first conduct experiments to find the appropriate parameters and configurations of Bag-of-Words system for visual instance search. Then we perform experiments with 110 visual queries of 30 common objects in real video with 2837 shots recorded during daily activities of volunteers. Experimental results show that for all 30/30 categories of objects, our system can help users find their objects of interest just by looking into the top 10 video shots retrieved from recorded video with the balance accuracy from 50 to 80%. This demonstrates the potential use of our method to help people remind of their items in an easy and comfortable way.
Modified Poisson-Nernst-Planck Model with Accurate Coulomb Correlation in Variable Media

We derive a set of modified Poisson--Nernst--Planck (PNP) equations for ion transport from the variation of the free energy functional which includes the many-body Coulomb correlation in media of variable dielectric coefficient. The correlation effects are considered through the Debye charging process in which the self energy of an ion is governed by the generalized Debye--Huckel equation. We develop the asymptotic expansions of the self energy taking the ion radius as the small parameter such that the multiscale model can be solved efficiently by numerical methods. It is shown that the variations of the energy functional give the self-energy-modified PNP equations which satisfy a proper weak formulation. We present numerical results from different asymptotic expansions with a semi-implicit conservative numerical method and investigate the effect of the Coulomb correlation.
The Role of T-Cells in Beta Cell Damage in NOD Mice and Humans ( Updated 10 / 07 / 2011 )

Type 1A diabetes (T1D) is a chronic disorder that results from the immune-mediated destruction of the insulin-producing ß-cells of the pancreatic islets. In its initial phase, which is clinically silent, T lymphocytes and other inflammatory cells invade the islets and eventually destroy them. The disease then becomes clinically evident with the pathological consequences (hyperglycemia, ketosis and long-term complications) resulting from the inability to maintain glucose and lipid homeostasis.
Chromatin-Bound Cullin-Ring Ligases: Regulatory Roles in DNA Replication and Potential Targeting for Cancer Therapy

Cullin-RING (Really Interesting New Gene) E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRLs), the largest family of E3 ubiquitin ligases, are functional multi-subunit complexes including substrate receptors, adaptors, cullin scaffolds, and RING-box proteins. CRLs are responsible for ubiquitination of ~20% of cellular proteins and are involved in diverse biological processes including cell cycle progression, genome stability, and oncogenesis. Not surprisingly, cullins are deregulated in many diseases and instances of cancer. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of CRL-mediated ubiquitination in the regulation of DNA replication/repair, including specific roles in chromatin assembly and disassembly of the replication machinery. The development of novel therapeutics targeting the CRLs that regulate the replication machinery and chromatin in cancer is now an attractive therapeutic strategy. In this review, we summarize the structure and assembly of CRLs and outline their cellular functions and their diverse roles in cancer, emphasizing the regulatory functions of nuclear CRLs in modulating the DNA replication machinery. Finally, we discuss the current strategies for targeting CRLs against cancer in the clinic.
Acute Generalised Exanthematous Pustulosis: An Update

Acute generalised exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is a severe cutaneous adverse reaction and is attributed to drugs in more than 90% of cases. It is a rare disease, with an estimated incidence of 1–5 patients per million per year. The clinical manifestations characterised by the rapid development of sterile pustular lesions, fever and leucocytosis. Number of drugs has been reported to be associated with AGEP, most common being the antibiotics. Histopathologically there is intraepidermal pustules and papillary dermal oedema with neutrophilic and eosinophilic infiltrations. Systemic involvement can be present in more severe cases. Early diagnosis with withdrawal of the causative drug is the most important step in the management. Treatment includes supportive care, prevention of antibiotics and use of a potent topical steroid.
Robust global periodicity of interval bidirectional associative memory networks with finite distributed delays

This article addresses the robust periodicity properties of a class of interval bidirectional associative memory networks with finite distributed delays. A set of criteria are proposed for the robust global exponential periodicity of such networks. Our results depend neither on differentiability nor on monotonicity of the activation functions of the neurons. In addition, these criteria are easily checkable.
Localized algorithms for vlsi processor arrays

In this paper we analyze the algorithms expressed as a system of recurrence equations. The algorithms are called 2*1 output algorithms if two output values of one function (variable identification) are specified by the system of recurrence equations for each index point in the algorithm. The algorithm is in free form if the indexes of these two values are not dependent. Two standard classes are determined by this criteria: the nearest neighbour and the all pair form. For example the sorting algorithm can be expressed in the all pair form i.e., the linear insertion algorithm or in the nearest neighbour form i.e., the bubble sort algorithm. However these algorithms are different in their nature. A procedure to eliminate the computational broadcast for the all pair 2*1output algorithm has been proposed by the authors in [1]. The result obtained by implementing this procedure was a localized form of the algorithm and a system of uniform recurrence equations by eliminating the computational and data broadcast. So he data dependence method can be efficiently used for parallel implementations. The proposed procedure cannot be implemented directly on the nearest neighbour form algorithms. Here we show how the algorithm can be restructured into a form where the computational and data broadcast can be eliminated. These transformations result in localized algorithms. A few examples show how these algorithms can be implemented on processor arrays. For example, the Gentleman Kung triangular array [2] can be used for solving the QR decomposition algorithm for both forms of the algorithm. The implementations differ in the order of the data flow and the processor operation. We show that the implementation of the nearest neighbour algorithm is even better than the standard one.
Differential DNA methylation and PM2.5 species in a 450K epigenome-wide association study

ABSTRACT Although there is growing evidence that exposure to ambient particulate matter is associated with global DNA methylation and gene-specific methylation, little is known regarding epigenome-wide changes in DNA methylation in relation to particles and, especially, particle components. Using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip, we examined the relationship between one-year moving averages of PM2.5 species (Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Na, Ni, S, Si, V, and Zn) and DNA methylation at 484,613 CpG probes in a longitudinal cohort that included 646 subjects. Bonferroni correction was applied to adjust for multiple comparisons. Bioinformatics analysis of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment was also performed. We observed 20 Bonferroni significant (P-value < 9.4× 10−9) CpGs for Fe, 8 for Ni, and 1 for V. Particularly, methylation at Schlafen Family Member 11 (SLFN11) cg10911913 was positively associated with measured levels of all 3 species. The SLFN11 gene codes for an interferon-induced protein that inhibits retroviruses and sensitizes cancer cells to DNA-damaging agents. Bioinformatics analysis suggests that gene targets may be relevant to pathways including cancers, signal transduction, and cell growth and death. Ours is the first study to examine the epigenome-wide association between ambient particles species and DNA methylation. We found that long-term exposures to specific components of ambient particle pollution, especially particles emitted during oil combustion, were associated with methylation changes in genes relevant to immune responses. Our findings provide insight into potential biologic mechanisms on an epigenetic level.
Context-based statistical relational learning

The relational structure is an important source of information, which is often ignored by the traditional statistical learning methods. Thus this thesis focuses on how to explicitly exploit such relational information in statistical learning tasks so as to build more effective and more robust models. The main methodology used in the thesis is derived from context-based modeling and analysis. Several models and algorithms are investigated from different viewpoints of context, thereby demonstrating the general applicability of context-based statistical relational learning.
A Dominant Role for the Immunoproteasome in CD8+ T Cell Responses to Murine Cytomegalovirus

Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is an important animal model of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a β-Herpesvirus that infects the majority of the world's population and causes disease in neonates and immunocompromised adults. CD8+ T cells are a major part of the immune response to MCMV and HCMV. Processing of peptides for presentation to CD8+ T cells may be critically dependent on the immunoproteasome, expression of which is affected by MCMV. However, the overall importance of the immunoproteasome in the generation of immunodominant peptides from MCMV is not known. We therefore examined the role of the immunoproteasome in stimulation of CD8+ T cell responses to MCMV – both conventional memory responses and those undergoing long-term expansion or “inflation”. We infected LMP7−/− and C57BL/6 mice with MCMV or with newly-generated recombinant vaccinia viruses (rVVs) encoding the immunodominant MCMV protein M45 in either full-length or epitope-only minigene form. We analysed CD8+ T cell responses using intracellular cytokine stain (ICS) and MHC Class I tetramer staining for a panel of MCMV-derived epitopes. We showed a critical role for immunoproteasome in MCMV affecting all epitopes studied. Interestingly we found that memory “inflating” epitopes demonstrate reduced immunoproteasome dependence compared to non-inflating epitopes. M45-specific responses induced by rVVs remain immunoproteasome-dependent. These results help to define a critical restriction point for CD8+ T cell epitopes in natural cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and potentially in vaccine strategies against this and other viruses.
Wheat Gluten Nanocomposite Films as Food-Contact Materials: Migration Tests and Impact of a Novel Food Stabilization Technology (High Pressure)

The aptitude of a novel biodegradable material [wheat gluten/montmorillonite (MMT)] to be used as a food-contact material was assessed with a focus on mass transfer from the film into foodstuff (migration). Special attention was paid to the impact of high-pressure treatments and subsequent storage. Several aspects were treated: the migration of a model molecule (Uvitex OB), MMT migration, protein migration, and overall migration. The results showed that overall migration and protein migration were high; on the contrary, MMT and Uvitex OB migration was low or not detectable. No difference was found between the high-pressure-treated samples and the control, except for the migration of MMT. Two solid simulants (agar gel and Tenax) were also tested to emphasize the need of new migration tests adapted to water-sensitive materials. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Evolutionary Time-Scale of the Begomoviruses: Evidence from Integrated Sequences in the Nicotiana Genome

Despite having single stranded DNA genomes that are replicated by host DNA polymerases, viruses in the family Geminiviridae are apparently evolving as rapidly as some RNA viruses. The observed substitution rates of geminiviruses in the genera Begomovirus and Mastrevirus are so high that the entire family could conceivably have originated less than a million years ago (MYA). However, the existence of geminivirus related DNA (GRD) integrated within the genomes of various Nicotiana species suggests that the geminiviruses probably originated >10 MYA. Some have even suggested that a distinct New-World (NW) lineage of begomoviruses may have arisen following the separation by continental drift of African and American proto-begomoviruses ∼110 MYA. We evaluate these various geminivirus origin hypotheses using Bayesian coalescent-based approaches to date firstly the Nicotiana GRD integration events, and then the divergence of the NW and Old-World (OW) begomoviruses. Besides rejecting the possibility of a<2 MYA OW-NW begomovirus split, we could also discount that it may have occurred concomitantly with the breakup of Gondwanaland 110 MYA. Although we could only confidently narrow the date of the split down to between 2 and 80 MYA, the most plausible (and best supported) date for the split is between 20 and 30 MYA – a time when global cooling ended the dispersal of temperate species between Asia and North America via the Beringian land bridge.
MathIRs: Retrieval System for Scientific Documents

Effective retrieval of mathematical contents from vast corpus of scientific documents demands enhancement in the conventional indexing and searching mechanisms. Indexing mechanism and the choice of semantic similarity measures guide the results of Math Information Retrieval system (MathIRs) to perfection. Tokenization and formula unification are among the distinguishing i features of indexing mechanism, used in MathIRs, which facilitate sub-formula and similarity search. Besides, the scientific documents and the user queries in MathIRs will contain math as well as text contents and to match these contents we require three important modules: Text-Text Similarity (TS), Math-Math Similarity (MS) and Text-Math Similarity (TMS). In this paper we have proposed MathIRs comprising these important modules and a substitution tree based mechanism for indexing mathematical expressions. We have also presented experimental results for similarity search and argued that proposal of MathIRs will ease the task of scientific document retrieval.
Skorohod's Representation Theorem and Optimal Strategies for Markets with Frictions

We prove the existence of optimal strategies for agents with cumulative prospect theory preferences who trade in a continuous-time illiquid market, transcending known results which pertained only to risk-averse utility maximizers. The arguments exploit an extension of Skorohod's representation theorem for tight sequences of probability measures. This method is applicable in a number of similar optimization problems.
Population Genetic Diversity and Structure of a Naturally Isolated Plant Species, Rhodiola dumulosa (Crassulaceae)

Aims Rhodiola dumulosa (Crassulaceae) is a perennial diploid species found in high-montane areas. It is distributed in fragmented populations across northern, central and northwestern China. In this study, we aimed to (i) measure the genetic diversity of this species and that of its populations; (ii) describe the genetic structure of these populations across the entire distribution range in China; and (iii) evaluate the extent of gene flow among the naturally fragmented populations. Methods Samples from 1089 individuals within 35 populations of R. dumulosa were collected, covering as much of the entire distribution range of this species within China as possible. Population genetic diversity and structure were analyzed using AFLP molecular markers. Gene flow among populations was estimated according to the level of population differentiation. Important Findings The total genetic diversity of R. dumulosa was high but decreased with increasing altitude. Population-structure analysis indicated that the most closely related populations were geographically restricted and occurred in close proximity to each other. A significant isolation-by-distance pattern, caused by the naturally fragmented population distribution, was observed. At least two distinct gene pools were found in the 35 sampled populations, one composed of populations in northern China and the other composed of populations in central and northwestern China. The calculation of Nei's gene diversity index revealed that the genetic diversity in the northern China pool (0.1972) was lower than that in the central and northwestern China pool (0.2216). The populations were significantly isolated, and gene flow was restricted throughout the entire distribution. However, gene flow among populations on the same mountain appears to be unrestricted, as indicated by the weak genetic isolation among these populations.
Identifying simultaneous rearrangements in cancer genomes

The traditional view of cancer evolution states that a cancer genome accumulates a sequential ordering of mutations over a long period of time. However, in recent years it has been suggested that a cancer genome may instead undergo a one-time catastrophic event, such as chromothripsis, where a large number of mutations instead occur simultaneously. A number of potential signatures of chromothripsis have been proposed. In this work we provide a rigorous formulation and analysis of the “ability to walk the derivative chromosome” signature originally proposed by Korbel and Campbell (2013). In particular, we show that this signature, as originally envisioned, may not always be present in a chromothripsis genome and we provide a precise quantification of under what circumstances it would be present. We also propose a variation on this signature, the H/T alternating fraction, which allows us to overcome some of the limitations of the original signature. We apply our measure to both simulated data and a previously analyzed real cancer dataset and find that the H/T alternating fraction may provide useful signal for distinguishing genomes having acquired mutations simultaneously from those acquired in a sequential fashion. An implementation of the H/T alternating fraction is available at https://bitbucket.org/oesperlab/ht-altfrac.
Sandwich Elements from Renewable Resources as a Structural Component in the Architecture

The necessary thermal insulation for buildings was provided for years optimally by polymer foams. Generally the foam is based on petrochemical resources. It is used for external wall insulation and not employed for additional functions. A Sandwich build of rigid laminates and a quite shear resistant polymer foam core results in an extraordinary stiff element. This provides thermal insulation and forms an independent load carrying structure. The sustainability of the sandwich structure can be raised by combining materials from renewable resources. The sandwich system currently developed, in cooperation with our partner from industries C3 Technologies, consists of lignin based foams of varying density and natural fibre reinforced laminates. The lignin is produced from beech-wood via the organosolv-process. Afterwards it is chemically integrated into the phenolic resin. The proportion of lignin in the resin can be varied from 10% up to 40%. This poses a quite prospective idea since using lignin means using nature’s own synthesis instead of artificial petrochemical processes for resin production and thus reducing the energy needed for resin production