Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Cholesterol Oxidation on Erythrocyte Plasma Membranes: A Monolayer Study

Cholesterol plays a key role in the molecular and mesoscopic organisation of lipid membranes and it is expected that changes in its molecular structure (e.g., through environmental factors such as oxidative stress) may affect adversely membrane properties and function. In this study, we present evidence that oxidation of cholesterol has significant effects on the mechanical properties, molecular and mesoscopic organisation and lipid–sterol interactions in condensed monolayers composed of the main species found in the inner leaflet of the erythrocyte membrane. Using a combination of experimental methods (static area compressibility, surface dilatational rheology, fluorescence microscopy, and surface sensitive X-ray techniques) and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, we show that oxidation of cholesterol to 7-ketocholesterol leads to stiffening of the monolayer (under both static and dynamic conditions), significant changes in the monolayer microdomain organisation, disruption in the van der Waals, electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between the sterol and the other lipid species, and the lipid membrane hydration. Surface sensitive X-ray techniques reveal that, whilst the molecular packing mode is not significantly affected by cholesterol oxidation in these condensed phases, there are subtle changes in membrane thickness and a significant decrease in the coherence length in monolayers containing 7-ketocholesterol.
The Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of Umeclidinium/Vilanterol versus Tiotropium in Symptomatic Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background Both long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs) and long-acting β2-agonists (LABAs) are widely used in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A novel LAMA/LABA combination of umeclidinium/vilanterol (UMEC/VI; 62.5 μg/25 μg) is approved for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment. Objective This study aimed to assess the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of UMEC/VI versus tiotropium (TIO) 18 μg in symptomatic patients with COPD from the perspective of the Chinese National Healthcare System. Methods A simple analysis included three studies in the meta-analysis that compared UMEC/VI with TIO. A Markov model was developed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of UMEC/VI compared with TIO treatment in symptomatic patients with COPD. First, utilities, clinical efficacy, and adverse events obtained from the literature were utilized as model inputs. Costs were from Chinese average data, including local data. Costs were expressed in dollars based on 2020 prices. Then, the model outputs including drug costs, other medical costs, and total costs, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were estimated. Costs and outcomes were discounted at a 5% annual rate. Furthermore, incremental cost-effective ratios (ICERs) were analyzed. Finally, the influences of changing parameters on the uncertainty of the results were assessed by means of one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Results This study revealed that UMEC/VI treatment had a higher rate of clinical efficacy in comparison with TIO, and the differences in the rate of adverse events between the two treatments were not significant. The results indicated that UMEC/VI was superior to TIO, which provided an increase in QALYs (0.002) and a total cost savings of $765.67 per patient over 3 years. In the base case, the ICER of UMEC/VI is -$397468.04/QALY compared with TIO, suggesting that UMEC/VI may be considered a dominant option over TIO. According to the Chinese medical system, the probability of UMEC/VI being cost-effective was 61.6% at a willingness-to-pay (WTP) of $31554/QALY. Sensitivity analyses confirmed that the results were robust. Conclusion UMEC/VI could be considered a cost-effective treatment compared with TIO in symptomatic COPD patients from the Chinese National Healthcare System perspective. These results may help decision-makers in China when making judgements on which treatments to administer.
Influence of Genetic West African Ancestry on Metabolomics among Hypertensive Patients

Patients with higher genetic West African ancestry (GWAA) have hypertension (HTN) that is more difficult to treat and have higher rates of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and differential responses to antihypertensive drugs than those with lower GWAA. The mechanisms underlying these disparities are poorly understood. Using data from 84 ancestry-informative markers in US participants from the Pharmacogenomic Evaluation of Antihypertensive Responses (PEAR) and PEAR-2 trials, the GWAA proportion was estimated. Using multivariable linear regression, the baseline levels of 886 metabolites were compared between PEAR participants with GWAA < 45% and those with GWAA ≥ 45% to identify differential metabolites and metabolic clusters. Metabolites with a false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.2 were used to create metabolic clusters, and a cluster analysis was conducted. Differential clusters were then tested for replication in PEAR-2 participants. We identified 353 differential metabolites (FDR < 0.2) between PEAR participants with GWAA < 45% (n = 383) and those with GWAA ≥ 45% (n = 250), which were used to create 24 metabolic clusters. Of those, 13 were significantly different between groups (Bonferroni p < 0.002). Four clusters, plasmalogen and lysoplasmalogen, sphingolipid metabolism and ceramide, cofactors and vitamins, and the urea cycle, were replicated in PEAR-2 (Bonferroni p < 0.0038) and have been previously linked to HTN and CVD. Our findings may give insights into the mechanisms underlying HTN racial disparities.
Effects of the Long-Term Consumption of a High-Sucrose Diet on microRNA Expression in Visceral Adipose Tissue of Rats

Noncoding microRNAs are involved in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism pathways and are powerful regulators of gene expression. The goals of this study were to evaluate the temporal expression profiles of miRNAs in rat adipose tissue and predict mRNA–microRNA interactions. Newly weaned Wistar rats were divided into groups fed a standard diet and high-sucrose diet (HSD). The HSD contains 66.86% carbohydrates (40.45% standard diet, 40.45% condensed milk, and 8.58% crystal sugar), and the HSD was provided for 4, 8 and 15-week periods to investigate the expression levels of miRNAs in visceral adipose tissue using RT–qPCR. Target selection, enriched pathways and networks were analyzed in silico. The factor consumption time significantly was associated to decreases (p < 0.05) in the expression levels of the following miRNAs: 124-5p, 125-5p, 126-5p, 200c-3p, and 212-3p in all experimental groups. The factor diet significantly influenced rno-miR-124-5p, 200c-3p, and 212-3p expression (p < 0.05). A significant reduction (p < 0.05) in rno-miR-27a-3p expression was observed. The biological processes involved key pathways regulating fat deposition. Our findings provide important insights into downregulated miRNA expression patterns in visceral adipose tissue, adiposity level, hyperinsulinemia and increased VLDL-c and triglyceride levels.
Continuous and Precise Positioning in Urban Environments by Tightly Coupled Integration of GNSS, INS and Vision

Accurate, continuous and seamless state estimation is the fundamental module for intelligent navigation applications, such as self-driving cars and autonomous robots. However, it is often difficult for a standalone sensor to fulfill the demanding requirements of precise navigation in complex scenarios. To fill this gap, this letter proposes to exploit the complementariness of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), inertial measurement unit (IMU) and vision via a tightly coupled integration method, aiming to achieve continuous and accurate navigation in urban environments. Specifically, the raw GNSS carrier phase and pseudorange measurements, IMU data, and visual features are directly fused at the observation level through a centralized Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) to make full use of the multi-sensor information and reject potential outlier measurements. Furthermore, the widely used high-precision GNSS models including precise point positioning (PPP) and real-time kinematic (RTK) are unified in the proposed integrated system to increase usability and flexibility. We validate the performance of the proposed method on several challenging datasets collected in urban canyons and compare against the loosely coupled and state-of-the-art methods.
pH-Responsive PEGylated Niosomal Nanoparticles as an Active-Targeting Cyclophosphamide Delivery System for Gastric Cancer Therapy

A PEGylated niosomal formulation of cyclophosphamide (Nio-Cyclo-PEG) was prepared using a central composite design and characterized in terms of drug loading, size distribution, and average size. The stability of formulations was also studied at different conditions. In vitro cytotoxicity of drug delivery formulations was assessed on gastric cancer cells using MTT assay. The mechanism of cytotoxicity was studied at the transcriptional level by real-time PCR on Caspase3, Caspase9, CyclinD, CyclinE, MMP-2, and MMP-9 genes, while apoptosis was investigated with flow cytometry. The anti-metastatic property was evaluated using the scratch method. Propidium iodide staining was used to study the cell cycle. The results indicated that the as-designed nanocarrier exhibited a controlled drug release pattern with improved nanoparticle stability. It was found that the living cancer cells treated with Nio-Cyclo-PEG showed a significant decrease in number when compared with the niosomal carrier without PEG (Nio-Cyclo) and free drug (Cyclo). Moreover, the drug-loaded nanocarrier induced planned death (apoptosis) in the cancer cells through the regulation of Caspase3, Caspase9, CyclinD, CyclinE, MMP-9, and MMP-2 gene expression, indicating that the Nio-Cyclo-PEG formulation could significantly inhibit the cell cycle at the sub G1 phase as well as prevent the migration of cancer cells. In conclusion, Nio-Cyclo-PEG as developed in this study could serve as an active-targeting drug delivery nanocarriers for gastric cancer therapy with high efficacy and minimal side effects on healthy tissues/cells.
Combination Therapy for COPD: Efficacy and Prospects of Multiple Therapy

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most popular respiratory diseases among the world.Due to the unclear pathogenesis of COPD,the current treatment direction is mostly to prevent and relieve the existing symptoms.The current direction oftreatment for COPD is to control the disease and delay its progression through medication,physical therapy,and surgery in severe cases. Inhaled glucocorticoids,long-acting β agonists (LABA) and long-acting muscarine anticholinergic (LAMA) are widely used in the treatment of COPD.This article discusses the specific symptoms of COPD,and discusses the feasibility and development level of combined therapy combined with the current situation of relevant drug therapy.
The Dark Side of Iron: The Relationship between Iron, Inflammation and Gut Microbiota in Selected Diseases Associated with Iron Deficiency Anaemia—A Narrative Review

Iron is an indispensable nutrient for life. A lack of it leads to iron deficiency anaemia (IDA), which currently affects about 1.2 billion people worldwide. The primary means of IDA treatment is oral or parenteral iron supplementation. This can be burdened with numerous side effects such as oxidative stress, systemic and local-intestinal inflammation, dysbiosis, carcinogenic processes and gastrointestinal adverse events. Therefore, this review aimed to provide insight into the physiological mechanisms of iron management and investigate the state of knowledge of the relationship between iron supplementation, inflammatory status and changes in gut microbiota milieu in diseases typically complicated with IDA and considered as having an inflammatory background such as in inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer or obesity. Understanding the precise mechanisms critical to iron metabolism and the awareness of serious adverse effects associated with iron supplementation may lead to the provision of better IDA treatment. Well-planned research, specific to each patient category and disease, is needed to find measures and methods to optimise iron treatment and reduce adverse effects.
Depletion of Amoxicillin Residue in Edible Tissue of Broiler Chicken by Different Cooking Methods

A new simple isocratic, RP-HPLC method, was developed and validated to estimate amoxicillin (Amox) residue depletion caused by different cooking methods in broiler chicken tissue. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 1.32 and 4.00 µg mL−1, respectively. The calibration plot was linear over the concentration range of 0.05–250 µg mL−1, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) values were less than 8%. The effects of various cooking methods (boiling, pan-frying, and microwaving) on residues of Amox were conducted under different combinations of temperature and time. Moreover, the heat stability of Amox standard solutions under boiling water and cooking oil at 100°C was investigated. Amox remained stable for 5–15 min in boiling water, the concentration was significantly reduced in the range of 70–87%, and additional new peaks of the degraded compounds appeared at 30–45 min. In pan-frying, the residue remained stable for 15 min at 100°C and then depleted to 81–92% after 30–45 min. Due to dehydration, the residue concentration showed an increment from 101 to 112% at 150°C. The total decomposition of Amox was observed at 200°C, 30–45 min due to high temperature and long-time effects. In microwave cooking using 500 W, 0.5–2 min, the depletion was insignificant. This study shows that sufficient cooking temperature and time can have a significant effect on the depletion of Amox residues.
Reducing Uncertainty in Shunt Damping by Model-Predictive Product Stiffness Control in a Single Point Incremental Forming Process

The stiffness of metal formed products strongly affects the dynamic behavior of structures in which they are integrated. Forming processes underlie short and long-term variations which cause the stiffness to be uncertain.In the application of resonant shunted piezoelectric transducers for vibration attenuation, uncertain stiffness may cause significant reduction in the vibration attenuation performance due to imprecise tuning. In the past, large efforts were made to control one or more geometrical feature of products while weightier features that cause uncertainty have not been addressed.In this paper, a single point incremental forming process of a membrane-like spring element on a servo press with a 3 degrees of freedom drive system is investigated. This spring element is used in a beam support for lateral vibration attenuation with resonant shunted transducers as well as axial buckling stabilization.To reduce uncertainty caused by process variations, an offline closed-loop control of product stiffness is presented. Different product and forming criteria are integrated into a control approach based on an optimization routine. By making use of a model-based prediction of the product properties, the approach shows how to realize a multi-objective control.
Is the World Health Organization’s multicentre child growth standard an appropriate growth reference for assessing optimal growth of South African mixed-ancestry children?

In South Africa (SA), it has been estimated that one-third of boys and 25% of girls under the age of 5 years are stunted, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Multicentre Growth Reference Study. During the past decade, research in developed and developing countries has shown that the international growth standard overestimates stunting and/or wasting when compared with population-specific growth references. Population-specific growth references typically incorporate genetic and environmental factors and can therefore better inform public health by identifying children who may be at risk for malnutrition, or who may be ill. Using the universal growth standard in SA may not be accurately assessing growth. In this article, environmental and genetic factors, and their influence on growth, are reviewed. These points are illustrated through a brief history of the peopling of SA, with an understanding of the socioeconomic and political climate – past and present. We discuss the uniqueness of certain population groups in SA, with contributions regarding some of the shortest peoples in the world and a history of sociopolitical inequities, which may mean that children from certain population groups who are perfectly healthy would underperform using the universal growth standard. Therefore, we suggest that a local population-specific growth reference would serve to better inform public health policies, and address childhood health equity and physical developmental pathways to adult health risk status.
Robust precision motion control of piezoelectric actuators using fast nonsingular terminal sliding mode with time delay estimation

Background: Piezoelectric actuators are widely used in many micro/nano-manipulation applications, but their positioning accuracy are badly affected by their inherent nonlinear hysteresis and creep. To solve this problem, this paper presents a new robust motion-control method for piezoelectric actuators with fast nonsingular terminal sliding mode based on time delay estimation. Method: The proposed controller needs no detailed information about the hysteresis and other nonlinearities of the system, leading to a simple and model-free characteristic due to the time delay estimation and ensures fast convergence and high tracking accuracy thanks to the nonsingular terminal sliding-mode surface and fast terminal sliding mode -type reaching law. A robust exact differentiator is adopted to estimate the velocity and accelerationinformation online, and it overcomes the limitation of only available position measurements. The finite-time convergence and stability of the closed-loop system are proved by using a Lyapunov function. Results: Experimental results show that the proposed control strategy has faster convergence and higher tracking precision compared with a traditional time delay control. Conclusion: The proposed control strategy can be widely used as an effective control method for high-precision motion control of piezoelectric actuators.
Multibit Coded Passive Hybrid Resonator Based RFID Transponder With Windowing Analysis

This study proposes novel design options for a compact passive transponder that incorporates both stepped impedance resonators (SIRs) and rectangular stub resonators in a hybrid approach. The analysis aims to support the progress of chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) technology by overcoming barriers like cost, size, and coding capacity. A step-by-step analysis of the design ensures a 10-bit coding capacity with a physical footprint of 32 mm $\times 15$ mm having −25.66 dBsm of maximum radar cross section (RCS) response. The same has been analyzed at the receiver with a rectangular windowing approach, which enhances the coding capacity and security features of the RFID system. Further, this has been analyzed with Hamming, Hanning, and Bartlett windows to show the effectiveness of the windowing techniques in RFID coding. The performance of the tag is analyzed for different tilt angles and read distances to strengthen the detection accuracy. The hybrid resonator (HR) with windowing analysis is a novel approach to enhance the usage of the transponder by improving the coding capacity, information storage capability, and detection performance in various retail and healthcare domains in the RFID industry.
A Comprehensive Characterization of Biodegradable Edible Films Based on Potato Peel Starch Plasticized with Glycerol

Potatoes are a source of starch, which is an eco-friendly alternative to petrochemicals in plastic production. Increasing potato production also creates agricultural waste that could be converted to potato peel starch (PPS) and developed as films. A response surface method approach was employed to optimize the bioconversion of PPS (2, 4, and 6% w/v) and compared with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based films. The microstructure analysis of PPSF showed increased thickness, decreased swelling power, water solubility, and vapor permeability, which were linked to increased molecular interactions as a function of PPS increments. However, low-starch PPSF exhibited high transparency, good mechanical properties, and thermal stability (high melting temperature), pliability, and accelerated seawater and soil biodegradation (~90%: 20 and 50 days, respectively). All films exhibited thermal stability at >100 °C and retained similar amorphous characteristics, evidenced by their flexibility, which confirmed the potential use for PPS in packaging perishable and cooled foods.
Research on Twin Extreme Learning Fault Diagnosis Method Based on Multi-Scale Weighted Permutation Entropy

Due to the complicated engineering operation of the check valve in a high−pressure diaphragm pump, its vibration signal tends to show non−stationary and non−linear characteristics. These leads to difficulty extracting fault features and, hence, a low accuracy for fault diagnosis. It is difficult to extract fault features accurately and reliably using the traditional MPE method, and the ELM model has a low accuracy rate in fault classification. Multi−scale weighted permutation entropy (MWPE) is based on extracting multi−scale fault features and arrangement pattern features, and due to the combination of extracting a sequence of amplitude features, fault features are significantly enhanced, which overcomes the deficiency of the single−scale permutation entropy characterizing the complexity of vibration signals. It establishes the check valve fault diagnosis model from the twin extreme learning machine (TELM). The TELM fault diagnosis model established, based on MWPE, aims to find a pair of non−parallel classification hyperplanes in the equipment state space to improve the model’s applicability. Experiments show that the proposed method effectively extracts the characteristics of the vibration signal, and the fault diagnosis model effectively identifies the fault state of the check valve with an accuracy rate of 97.222%.
Grouping-Based Reliable Privacy Preservation for Blockchain-Assisted Data Aggregation in Mobile Crowdsensing

Privacy-preserving data aggregation is an important technology for mobile crowdsensing. Blockchain-assisted data aggregation enables the traceability of sensing data to improve the trustworthiness of data aggregation results. However, directly using blockchains for data aggregation may introduce the risk of privacy leakage because all nodes, including malicious nodes, can access the data on blockchains. In this paper, we propose a grouping-based reliable privacy-preserving data aggregation (RPPDA) method using private blockchains for mobile crowdsensing. First, the sensing nodes are divided into multiple groups, and each group maintains a private blockchain to store the data aggregation records, which avoids the leakage of the aggregated results and ensures the traceability of the sensory data. Then, a zero-sum noise-adding mechanism is utilized to not only preserve the private information during aggregation and ensure the correctness of the aggregated results but also improve the efficiency of privacy preservation. Furthermore, we theoretically prove the correctness, privacy, efficiency, and reliability of the proposed RPPDA algorithm. Real-world and simulated experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed RPPDA algorithm in terms of correctness, efficiency, and privacy.