Magnetic field responsive methylcellulose-polycaprolactone nanocomposite gels for targeted and controlled release of 5-fluorouracil

5-Fluorouracil loaded magnetic field sensitive methylcellulose and polycaprolactone gels were prepared and characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA, SEM, and VSM. Swelling analysis supplied important information on drug diffusion properties. The release profile of gels was investigated in different buffer solutions and the highest release values were observed at pH = 7.2. Release kinetic was analyzed using an empirical equation to clarify the transport properties of drug. The effects of nanoparticle concentration and applying external magnetic field were investigated on release profile. The results indicated that the drug release decreased by both, applying external magnetic field and increasing the concentration of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles.     

Total Long-Chain n-3 Fatty Acid Intake and Food Sources in the United States Compared to Recommended Intakes: NHANES 2003–2008

The American Heart Association recommends consuming fish (particularly oily fish) at least two times per week, which would provide ≈ 0.5 g/day of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for cardiovascular disease risk reduction. Previous analyses indicate that this recommendation is not being met; however, few studies have assessed different ethnicities, subpopulations requiring additional n-3 fatty acid intake (i.e., children and pregnant and/or lactating women), or deciles of intake. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2008 was used to assess n-3 fatty acid intake from foods and supplements in the US population, according to age, sex, and ethnicity. A unique “EPA equivalents” factor, which accounts for potential conversion of shorter-chain n-3 fatty acids, was used to calculate total long-chain n-3 fatty acid intake. Data are reported for 24,621 individuals. More than 90% consumed less than the recommended 0.5 g/day from food sources (median = 0.11 g/day; mean = 0.17 g/day). Among the top 15% of n-3 fatty acid consumers, fish was the largest dietary contributor (71.2%). Intake was highest in men aged 20 years or more, and lowest in children and women who are or may become pregnant and/or are lactating. Among ethnicities, intake was lowest in Mexican-Americans. Only 6.2% of the total population reported n-3 fatty acid supplement use, and this did not alter median daily intake. Additional strategies are needed to increase awareness of health benefits (particularly among Mexican-Americans and women of childbearing age) and promote consumption of oily fish or alternative dietary sources to meet current recommendations.     

TP53 Targeted Deep Sequencing of Cell-Free DNA in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using Low-Quality Serum: Concordance with Tumor Mutation

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is emerging as a potential tumor biomarker. CfDNA-based biomarkers may be applicable in tumors without an available non-invasive screening method among at-risk populations. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and residents of the Asian cancer belt are examples of those malignancies and populations. Previous epidemiological studies using cfDNA have pointed to the need for high volumes of good quality plasma (i.e., >1 mL plasma with 0 or 1 cycles of freeze-thaw) rather than archival serum, which is often the main available source of cfDNA in retrospective studies. Here, we have investigated the concordance of TP53 mutations in tumor tissue and cfDNA extracted from archival serum left-over from 42 cases and 39 matched controls (age, gender, residence) in a high-risk area of Northern Iran (Golestan). Deep sequencing of TP53 coding regions was complemented with a specialized variant caller (Needlestack). Overall, 23% to 31% of mutations were concordantly detected in tumor and serum cfDNA (based on two false discovery rate thresholds). Concordance was positively correlated with high cfDNA concentration, smoking history (p-value = 0.02) and mutations with a high potential of neoantigen formation (OR; 95%CI = 1.9 (1.11–3.29)), suggesting that tumor DNA release in the bloodstream might reflect the effects of immune and inflammatory context on tumor cell turnover. We identified TP53 mutations in five controls, one of whom was subsequently diagnosed with ESCC. Overall, the results showed that cfDNA mutations can be reliably identified by deep sequencing of archival serum, with a rate of success comparable to plasma. Nonetheless, 70% non-identifiable mutations among cancer patients and 12% mutation detection in controls are the main challenges in applying cfDNA to detect tumor-related variants when blindly targeting whole coding regions of the TP53 gene in ESCC.     

Formulation of dynamics,actuation, and inversion of a three‐dimensional two‐link rigid body system

In this paper, three issues related to three‐dimensional multilink rigid body systems are considered: dynamics, actuation, and inversion. Based on the Newton‐Euler equations, a state space formulation of the dynamics is discussed that renders itself to inclusion of actuators, and allows systematic ways of stabilization and construction of inverse systems. The development here is relevant to robotic systems, biological modeling, humanoid studies, and collaborating man‐machine systems. The recursive dynamic formulation involves a method for sequential measurement and estimation of joint forces and couples for an open chain system. The sequence can start from top downwards or from the ground upwards. Three‐dimensional actuators that produce couples at the joints are included in the dynamics. Inverse methods that allow estimation of these couples from the kinematic trajectories and physical parameters of the system are developed. The formulation and derivations are carried out for a two‐link system. Digital computer simulations of a two‐rigid body system are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the methods. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A Single Input-Multiple Output Time Reversal UWB Communication System

Time reversal is a promising technique for the improvement of UWB communication systems. Intersymbol interference (ISI) limits the system performance in such wireless systems. This paper presents a general ISI analysis for time reversal UWB communication systems. The time reversal UWB system gives good performance for rates below the coherence bandwidth but at higher data rates the performance of the system is limited by intersymbol interference and bit error rate saturates even for high signal-to-noise ratio. To mitigate the ISI effects, a single input/multiple output (SIMO) time reversal UWB system is used and its performance is analyzed. It is shown that by using a SIMO TR transceiver, ISI reduces and the system capacity increases. Transmitted signal power at SIMO time reversal decreases, therefore in low data rate SISO performance is better than SIMO, But in high rate scenario, SIMO TR suppresses the ISI better than the SISO TR and its performance is better than SISO TR. It is possible to compensate the reduced power by using a receiver with more sensitivity.     

Physical analysis of β-Ga2O3 gate-all-around nanowire junctionless transistors: short-channel effects and temperature dependence

Journal of Computational Electronics - In this study, we analyze a β-Ga2O3 gate-all-around nanowire junctionless transistor (β-GAA-JLT) in accumulation mode. The performances are...     

Moisture and heat transfer in hybrid weft knitted fabric with artificial intelligence

One of the most important properties of clothes is their ability to help the body's thermal system to keep the body temperature in its natural range, even if the environmental conditions or physical activities are outside the body's ideal range. Perspiring is one of the most important effects of physical activities in warm weather for shedding the body's excessive heat. Therefore, the basic requirement of a fabric worn next to the skin is to transfer this moisture to the atmosphere to reach comfort through the avoidance of a feeling of wetness and clamminess and also through the generation of a situation for the best surface evaporation of moisture. The main goal of this study was to achieve a kind of fabric that guarantees comfort for the body by good heat and moisture transport. To achieve this goal, a group of double‐surface fabrics containing hydrophilic and hydrophobe fibers were knitted, and their simultaneous heat and moisture transport was evaluated with the help of a perspiration‐simulation machine; the results were analyzed as transfer process plots. Also, the transmission of heat and moisture was evaluated for all of the samples by differential modeling as an artificial neural network. Effective parameters on heat and moisture transfer were taken into consideration with modeling and statistical methods. The results were analyzed to find a suitable fabric with optimum comfort. The final results showed that a fabric made of micropolyester filaments and cotton yarns on the bottom and top surfaces, respectively, had the best heat and moisture transfer. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Violence detection in videos using interest frame extraction and 3D convolutional neural network

Multimedia Tools and Applications - With the rapid development of detecting violent behaviors in surveillance cameras, requests on systems that automatically recognize violent events are expanded....