Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Secondary Metabolites of the Genus Didemnum: A Comprehensive Review of Chemical Diversity and Pharmacological Properties

Tunicates (ascidians) are common marine invertebrates that are an exceptionally important source of natural products with biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, including compounds that are used clinically in cancers. Among tunicates, the genus Didemnum is important because it includes the most species, and it belongs to the most speciose family (Didemnidae). The genus Didemnum includes the species D. molle, D. chartaceum, D. albopunctatum, and D. obscurum, as well as others, which are well known for their chemically diverse secondary metabolites. To date, investigators have reported secondary metabolites, usually including bioactivity data, for at least 69 members of the genus Didemnum, leading to isolation of 212 compounds. Many of these compounds exhibit valuable biological activities in assays targeting cancers, bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoans, and the central nervous system. This review highlights compounds isolated from genus Didemnum through December 2019. Chemical diversity, pharmacological activities, geographical locations, and applied chemical methods are described.
Estimation of the Intrinsic Power Efficiency in Magnetoelectric Laminates Using Temperature Measurements

Magnetoelectric (ME) power efficiency is a more important property than the ME voltage or the current coefficients for power conversion applications. This paper introduces an analytical model that describes the relation between the external magnetic field and the power efficiency in layered ME composites. It is a two-phase model. The first fragment establishes the expression between the magnetic field strength and the temperature increase within an operating period. It uses a magneto-elasto-electric equivalent circuit model that was developed by Dong et al. Following previous investigations; the main loss source is the mechanical power dissipation. The second fragment links the power efficiency and the temperature increase in a heat-balanced system. This method is generally used by researchers in the piezoelectric field. The analytical model and the experimental data shows that the decrease of the power efficiency in a laminated composite is between 5% and 10% for a power density of 10 W/in3 (0.61 W/cm3) to 30 W/in3 (1.83 W/cm3). The failure mechanism/process of ME composites under high power density can be estimated/monitored by the proposed method for ME composites in practical applications.
Preferential link tomography in dynamic networks

Inferring fine-grained link metrics by using aggregated path measurements, known as network tomography, is essential for various network operations, such as network monitoring, load balancing, and failure diagnosis. Given a set of interesting links and the changing topologies of a dynamic network, we study the problem of calculating the link metrics of these links by end-to-end cycle-free path measurements among selected monitors, i.e., preferential link tomography. We propose MAPLink, an algorithm that assigns a number of nodes as monitors to solve this tomography problem. As the first algorithm to solve the preferential link tomography problem in dynamic networks, MAPLink guarantees that the assigned monitors can calculate the link metrics of all interesting links for all topologies of the dynamic network. We formally prove the above property of MAPLink based on graph theory. We implement MAPLink and evaluate its performance using two real-world dynamic networks, including a vehicular network and a sensor network, both with changing topologies due to node mobility or wireless dynamics. Results show that MAPLink achieves significant better performance compared with three baseline methods in both of the two dynamic networks.
Confidence-Driven Control of an Ultrasound Probe

We present a control framework for optimizing image quality during robotic ultrasound acquisitions. The quality of the ultrasound signal across the field of view is represented by a confidence map that is computed online from the B-mode frames, following a model of sound propagation. Moments extracted from this confidence map are used to design a control law for optimizing imaging quality, based on the task function approach. The proposed confidence control is combined with force and position control to build two illustrative applications. First, we use force control and confidence control in order to maintain a correct pressure and a good orientation of the probe during teleoperation. Thus, control is shared between a human operator and the robot. Then, we add an automatic positioning task, so that the quality is optimized while maintaining a target in the image center. We show experimentally that confidence-driven control can effectively optimize the acoustic window in real time. In addition, we show that it can improve the tracking robustness, by preventing the target from being shadowed. Finally, we present the results of experiments performed on a human volunteer.
Parental disconnect between perceived and actual weight status of children: A metasynthesis of the current research

Purpose: Obesity is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. Many studies offer a variety of explanations for the alarming increase in childhood obesity; however, none discuss why an apparent disconnect exists in parental perceptions of their child's weight status. The purpose of this article was to review the current research literature on parental perceptions about their children's weight. Data source: The articles included in this review were retrieved through a literature search using PubMed. Key words used to obtain relevant articles include childhood obesity, childhood overweight, and parental perception. Conclusions: Several studies looked at parental perceptions of childhood obesity generated from the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, and the United States. Universally, parents were more likely to misperceive their child's weight. This was especially true for parents who were themselves overweight. Implications for practice: If parents do not recognize their child as at risk for overweight or overweight, they cannot intervene to diminish the risk factors for pediatric obesity and its related complications. More research is needed to identify why this phenomenon occurs. Only then can effective interventions be initiated.
Biophysical modelling of intra-ring variations in tracheid features and wood density of Pinus pinaster trees exposed to seasonal droughts.

Process-based models that link seasonally varying environmental signals to morphological features within tree rings are essential tools to predict tree growth response and commercially important wood quality traits under future climate scenarios. This study evaluated model portrayal of radial growth and wood anatomy observations within a mature maritime pine (Pinus pinaster (L.) Aït. ) stand exposed to seasonal droughts. Intra-annual variations in tracheid anatomy and wood density were identified through image analysis and X-ray densitometry on stem cores covering the growth period 1999-2010. A cambial growth model was integrated with modelled plant water status and sugar availability from the soil-plant-atmosphere transfer model MuSICA to generate estimates of cell number, cell volume, cell mass and wood density on a weekly time step. The model successfully predicted inter-annual variations in cell number, ring width and maximum wood density. The model was also able to predict the occurrence of special anatomical features such as intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) in growth rings. Since cell wall thickness remained surprisingly constant within and between growth rings, variations in wood density were primarily the result of variations in lumen diameter, both in the model and anatomical data. In the model, changes in plant water status were identified as the main driver of the IADFs through a direct effect on cell volume. The anatomy data also revealed that a trade-off existed between hydraulic safety and hydraulic efficiency. Although a simplified description of cambial physiology is presented, this integrated modelling approach shows potential value for identifying universal patterns of tree-ring growth and anatomical features over a broad climatic gradient.
Activation of Peracetic Acid with Lanthanum Cobaltite Perovskite for Sulfamethoxazole Degradation under a Neutral pH: The Contribution of Organic Radicals

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are effective ways to degrade refractory organic contaminants, relying on the generation of inorganic radicals (e.g., •OH and SO4•−). Herein, a novel AOP with organic radicals (R-O•) was reported to degrade contaminants. Lanthanum cobaltite perovskite (LaCoO3) was used to activate peracetic acid (PAA) for organic radical generation to degrade sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The results show that LaCoO3 exhibited an excellent performance on PAA activation and SMX degradation at neutral pH, with low cobalt leaching. Meanwhile, LaCoO3 also showed an excellent reusability during PAA activation. In-depth investigation confirmed CH3C(O)O• and CH3C(O)OO• as the key reactive species for SMX degradation in LaCoO3/PAA system. The presence of Cl− (1–100 mM) slightly inhibited the degradation of SMX in the LaCoO3/PAA system, whereas the addition of HCO3− (0.1–1 mM) and humic aid (1–10 mg/L) could significantly inhibit SMX degradation. This work highlights the generation of organic radicals via the heterogeneous activation of PAA and thus provides a promising way to destruct contaminants in wastewater treatment.
High-resolution three-dimensional visualization of the rat spinal cord microvasculature by synchrotron radiation micro-CT.

PURPOSE Understanding the three-dimensional (3D) morphology of the spinal cord microvasculature has been limited by the lack of an effective high-resolution imaging technique. In this study, synchrotron radiation microcomputed tomography (SRµCT), a novel imaging technique based on absorption imaging, was evaluated with regard to the detection of the 3D morphology of the rat spinal cord microvasculature. METHODS Ten Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this ex vivo study. After contrast agent perfusion, their spinal cords were isolated and scanned using conventional x-rays, conventional micro-CT (CµCT), and SRµCT. RESULTS Based on contrast agent perfusion, the microvasculature of the rat spinal cord was clearly visualized for the first time ex vivo in 3D by means of SRµCT scanning. Compared to conventional imaging techniques, SRµCT achieved higher resolution 3D vascular imaging, with the smallest vessel that could be distinguished approximately 7.4 μm in diameter. Additionally, a 3D pseudocolored image of the spinal cord microvasculature was generated in a single session of SRµCT imaging, which was conducive to detailed observation of the vessel morphology. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicated that SRµCT scanning could provide higher resolution images of the vascular network of the spinal cord. This modality also has the potential to serve as a powerful imaging tool for the investigation of morphology changes in the 3D angioarchitecture of the neurovasculature in preclinical research.
Navigate on the right?

In a recent HFI newsletter (URL below), Bob Bailey presented a case for moving web site navigation to the right-hand side of the page. The evidence he cited was a study by Kellener, Barnes and Lingard on the effects of scroll bar orientation plus his own unpublished research on behalf of the National Cancer Institute. The KB&L paper examined the relationship between item justification and vertical scroll bar placement within list boxes. They found both user performance and preference data supported scroll bar orientation consistent with item justification. That is, for left-justified items, users performed better and preferred a scroll bar on the left side. Similar results were found for right-justified items and scroll bars on the right side of the list box. However, these results are not very surprising given the very limited nature of the tests. They really act just as a confirmation of Fitt's Law: that the time to acquire a target is a function of its distance and size. Users simply had to move the mouse from the scroll bar at the right or IeR side to the nearest point of the item to be selected. Now maybe I am being a little fussy, but I personally would not be happy to extrapolate the KB & L results to web sites. It's not that I don't trust Fitt's Law, but I am not certain that users spend most of their time moving between the scroll bar and the navigation fields with a mouse. Scroll bars are extremely tiddly widgets to operate on a regular basis and I for one use them only as a last resort, preferring the keyboard for most of my vertical scrolling operations. This is an effect that was overlooked in the KB & L study, since participants were instructed to use the mouse. It may be that Bailey's own study was a little more open minded in this respect, but as the results are not publicly available, it is hard to say. Before we start moving navigation controls to the opposite side from their expected location, let's consider a few points: • Users may be scrolling with the keyboard. • Users may be scrolling with mouse wheels. • Users may not be moving between scroll bars and navigation fields as often as expected_ • The window origin is usually in the top leR, meaning that right edge varies in location according to …
NERVOUS SYSTEM FUNCTION FOR THE TESTIS RNA-BINDING PROTEIN BOULE IN DROSOPHILA

The RNA-binding protein, Boule is conserved across species and is required for male fertility. Boule and the DAZ homologues in mice and humans appear specific to the testis. Boule functions in spermatogenesis by controlling the translation of the meiotic cell division cycle 25 (Cdc25) phosphatase, Twine. Here we show, for the first time, a function for the DAZ protein, Boule, outside of meiosis. We found that an isoform of Boule is expressed in the nervous system and when its expression is increased we observe mutant phenotypes in neural communication between the receptor and laminar cells of the fly eye, altered larval locomotion and when further overexpressed, viability. As in the germ line, genetic studies indicate that Boule functions in the Cdc25 phosphatase pathway in the nervous system. In a sensitized genetic background of Boule overexpression, we added a loss-of-function mutation of twine and demonstrated a role for Twine Cdc25, in the adult nervous system. Our results indicate that isoforms of boule are expressed outside of the male germ line and that these isoforms have a role in neural function, unlike the boule testis-specific isoform.
Death receptors couple to both cell proliferation and apoptosis.

No one will dispute that death receptors do exactly what their name suggests, induce programmed cell death. In addition, however, several reports have recently suggested that these receptors, or their downstream regulators, may also function in certain aspects of cell growth or differentiation. These claims might be met with justifiable skepticism. Certainly there is nothing more opposite in cell fate than growth and death. Yet the signal pathways used by these two processes appear to commingle, and the eventual outcome of the signaling vector may be bent toward one result over the other by seemingly subtle balances among these components. Here, following a brief review of the traditional signal pathways that lead from death receptor activation to apoptosis, I scrutinize the various reports of increased growth or differentiation mediated by these same receptors. I then consider newly identified signal pathways linked to death receptors that might promote growth and, finally, speculate on whether these events represent merely interesting in vitro manipulations or actual physiologically important processes.
NF-κB Activation Is a Critical Regulator of Human Granulocyte Apoptosis in Vitro*

During beneficial inflammation, potentially tissue-damaging granulocytes undergo apoptosis before being cleared by phagocytes in a non-phlogistic manner. Here we show that the rate of constitutive apoptosis in human neutrophils and eosinophils is greatly accelerated in both a rapid and concentration-dependent manner by the fungal metabolite gliotoxin, but not by its inactive analog methylthiogliotoxin. This induction of apoptosis was abolished by the caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk, correlated with the inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and was mimicked by a cell permeable inhibitory peptide of NF-κB, SN-50; other NF-κB inhibitors, curcumin and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate; and the proteasome inhibitor, MG-132. Gliotoxin also augmented dramatically the early (2–6 h) pro-apoptotic effects of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in neutrophils and unmasked the ability of TNF-α to induce eosinophil apoptosis. In neutrophils, TNF-α caused a gliotoxin-inhibitable activation of an inducible form of NF-κB, a response that may underlie the ability of TNF-α to delay apoptosis at later times (12–24 h) and limit its early killing effect. Furthermore, cycloheximide displayed a similar capacity to enhance TNF-α induced neutrophil apoptosis even at time points when cycloheximide alone had no pro-apoptotic effect, suggesting that NF-κB may regulate the production of protein(s) which protect neutrophils from the cytotoxic effects of TNF-α. These data shed light on the biochemical and molecular mechanisms regulating human granulocyte apoptosis and, in particular, indicate that the transcription factor NF-κB plays a crucial role in regulating the physiological cell death pathway in granulocytes.
Bone marrow‐derived cells that home to acoustic deafened cochlea preserved their hematopoietic identity

The high degree of bone marrow cell (BMC) plasticity has prompted us to test its restoration possibility in inner ear repair. Our aim was to determine the potential of these cells to transdifferentiate into specialized cochlea cell types after acoustic injury and BMC mobilization. Lethally irradiated mice were transplanted with BMCs from green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic mice and subjected to acoustic deafening 3 months later. In a separate experiment, stem cell factor and granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor were administered to test the effect of BMC mobilization on bone marrow‐derived cell (BMDC) transdifferentiation. All mice showed almost complete chimerism 3 months after bone marrow transplantation. Upon acoustic trauma, robust BMDC migration was observed in the deafened cochlea. GFP+ cell migration was most prominent during the first week after acoustic deafening, and these cells accumulated significantly at the spiral ligament, perilymphatic compartment walls, and limbus regions. Most of the BMDCs expressed CD45 and CD68 and were identified as macrophages. Upregulation of stromal‐derived factor 1 (SDF‐1) was also observed in the spiral ligament during the first week after acoustic deafening. Cytokine treatment resulted in increased BMC mobilization in the systemic circulation. However, the presence of any stem cell progenitors or the differentiation of BMDCs into any cell types expressing cochlea sensory, supporting, fibrocytic, or neuronal markers were not detected in the deafened cochlea. In conclusion, we have demonstrated the homing capability of BMDCs to the deafened cochlea, and these cells displayed mature hematopoietic properties without spontaneous transdifferentiation to any cochlea cell types after acoustic trauma or bone marrow mobilization. J. Comp. Neurol. 509:167–179, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Forecasting of Stock Prices Using Brownian Motion – Monte Carlo Simulation

This research examined the potential of the Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM) method as an accurate and effective forecasting method compared to the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) method. The number of days the volatility and drift are moved were also determined and this was used to perform the forecast of stock prices of holding companies registered with the Philippine Stock Exchange and also compared to the ANN method. The results showed that the average perentage error of the GBM method was 6.21% or an accuracy of 93.79% while the ANN method generated an average percentage error of 8.83% for the three-year period or an accuracy of 91.17%. This manifests that using the GBM method in forecasting stock prices of these sample holding companies yielded a better accuracy than that of using the ANN method. Hence, it also indicates that the GBM method is more effective than the ANN method in forecasting stock prices of these sample holding companies. This further boosts the potential of the GBM method as a good forecasting method in determining future stock prices of holding companies. In addition to this, the GBM method provides potential investors to determine which investment activities to pursue. Keywords— accuracy and effectiveness of forecast, artificial neural network, geometric Brownian motion, holding companies, Monte Carlo simulation.
Healthcare workers’ perspectives on participatory system dynamics modelling and simulation: designing safe and efficient hospital pharmacy dispensing systems together

Abstract With increasingly complex safety-critical systems like healthcare being developed and managed, there is a need for a tool that permits decision-makers to better understand the complexity, test various strategies and guide effective changes. System Dynamics (SD) modelling is an effective approach that can aid strategic decision-making in healthcare systems but has been underutilised partly due to the challenge of engaging healthcare stakeholders in the modelling process. This paper, therefore, investigates the applicability of a participatory SD approach based on healthcare workers’ perspectives on ease of use (usability) and usefulness (utility). The study developed an interactive simulation dashboard platform which facilitated participatory simulation for exploring various hospital pharmacy staffing level arrangements and their impacts on interruptions, fatigue, workload, rework, productivity and safety. The findings reveal that participatory SD approach can enhance team learning by converging on a shared mental model, aid decision-making and identifying trade-offs. The implications of these findings are discussed as well as experience and lessons learned on modelling facilitation. Practitioner Summary: This paper reports the perspectives of healthcare workers, who were engaged with a participatory system dynamics modelling and simulation process for hospital pharmacy staffing level management. Evaluative feedback revealed that the participatory SD approach can be a valuable tool for participatory ergonomics by helping the participants gain a deeper understanding of the complex dynamic interactions between workload, rework, safety and efficiency. Abbreviations: SD: system dynamics; ETTO: efficiency-thoroughness trade-off
Development of nanostructured silver vanadates decorated with silver nanoparticles as a novel antibacterial agent

In this work we report the synthesis, characterization and application of silver vanadate nanowires decorated with silver nanoparticles as a novel antibacterial agent. These hybrid materials were synthesized by a precipitation reaction of ammonium vanadate and silver nitrate followed by hydrothermal treatment. The silver vanadate nanowires have lengths of the order of microns and diameters around 60 nm. The silver nanoparticles decorating the nanowires present a diameter distribution varying from 1 to 20 nm. The influence of the pH of the reaction medium on the chemical structure and morphology of silver vanadates was studied and we found that synthesis performed at pH 5.5–6.0 led to silver vanadate nanowires with a higher morphological yield. The antimicrobial activity of these materials was evaluated against three strains of Staphylococcus aureus and very promising results were found. The minimum growth inhibiting concentration value against a MRSA strain was found to be ten folds lower than for the antibiotic oxacillin.