Predicting E-commerce Item Popularity Using Image Quality Features

In order to traverse the plethora of items for sale online, searching, ranking, and recommendation systems must be built, and the quality of these systems can make the difference between boom or bust. In all of these methods, being able to distinguish between popular and non-popular items is very important. Traditionally, these systems have only utilized textual metadata, however, images represent first order information to the shopper, and are composed of a variety of signals that shoppers respond to. In this thesis we look at the problem of predicting item popularity on a popular e-commerce site using image quality features, and show that these features provide complementary information to the textual features in making this prediction.M.S., Computer Science -- Drexel University, 201

Topical delivery of siRNA into skin using SPACE-peptide carriers

Short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) offer a potential tool for the treatment of skin disorders. However, applications of siRNA for dermatological conditions are limited by their poor permeation across the stratum corneum of the skin and low penetration into the skin's viable cells. In this study, we report the use of SPACE-peptide in combination with a DOTAP-based ethosomal carrier system to enhance skin delivery of siRNA. A DOTAP-based SPACE Ethosomal System significantly enhanced siRNA penetration into porcine skin in vitro by 6.3 ± 1.7-fold (p < 0.01) with an approximately 10-fold (p < 0.01) increase in epidermis accumulation of siRNA compared to that from an aqueous solution. Penetration of siRNA was also enhanced at the cellular level. Internalization of SPACE-peptide occurred in a concentration dependent manner marked by a shift in intracellular distribution from punctate spots to diffused cytoplasmic staining at a peptide concentration of 10 mg/mL. In vitro delivery of GAPDH siRNA by SPACE peptide led to 83.3 ± 3.0% knockdown relative to the control. In vivo experiments performed using female BALB/C mice also confirmed the efficacy of DOTAP-SES in delivering GAPDH-siRNA into skin. Topical application of DOTAP-SES on mice skin resulted in 63.2% ± 7.7% of GAPDH knockdown, which was significantly higher than that from GAPDH-siRNA PBS (p < 0.05). DOTAP-SES formulation reported here may open new opportunities for cutaneous siRNA delivery

PROBLEM FIELD «ANOTHER» IN THE EXISTENTIALISM

В статье осуществлен анализ описательно-объяснительных характеристик понятия «Другой» в философствовании Э. Гуссерля, М. Понти, Э. Левинаса, Ж. Дерриды, Г. Марселя, Ж.П. Сартра, Б. Вальденфельса, а также ряда исследователей Союза Независимых Государств. Выявлено одно из сущностных противоречий современного этапа цивилизационного процесса, заключающееся в неадекватности познания и интерпретации образов «Других» этнокультурных общностей, как на индивидном уровне, так и в широком социальном контексте иных жизненных пространств. Сделан вывод о том, что предпосылкой гуманизации мирового социально-политического процесса является более тесная социально-этическая интеграция этнонациональных общностей, минуя государства как исторически дискредитировавшие себя социальные институты.The article made an analysis of the descriptive and explanatory characteristics of the concept of "Other" in philosophizing E. Husserl, M. Ponti, E. Levinas, J. Derrida, G. Marcel, Z.P. Sartre, B. Waldenfels, as well as a number of researchers of the Union of Independent States. Revealed one of the essential contradictions of the present stage of civilization process, is the inadequacy of knowledge and interpretation of images of "Оther" ethno-national communities, both on individual level and in the broader social context of other living spaces. It is concluded that the premise of the humanization of the world socio-political process is closer social and ethical integration of ethno-national communities, bypassing the state as a historically discredited social institutions

Delivering Nanoparticles to Lungs while Avoiding Liver and Spleen through Adsorption on Red Blood Cells

Nanoparticulate drug delivery systems are one of the most widely investigated approaches for developing novel therapies for a variety of diseases. However, rapid clearance and poor targeting limit their clinical utility. Here, we describe an approach to harness the flexibility, circulation, and vascular mobility of red blood cells (RBCs) to simultaneously overcome these limitations (cellular hitchhiking). A noncovalent attachment of nanoparticles to RBCs simultaneously increases their level in blood over a 24 h period and allows transient accumulation in the lungs, while reducing their uptake by liver and spleen. RBC-adsorbed nanoparticles exhibited ∼3-fold increase in blood persistence and ∼7-fold higher accumulation in lungs. RBC-adsorbed nanoparticles improved lung/liver and lung/spleen nanoparticle accumulation by over 15-fold and 10-fold, respectively. Accumulation in lungs is attributed to mechanical transfer of particles from the RBC surface to lung endothelium. Independent tracing of both nanoparticles and RBCs <i>in vivo</i> confirmed that RBCs themselves do not accumulate in lungs. Attachment of anti-ICAM-1 antibody to the exposed surface of NPs that were attached to RBCs led to further increase in lung targeting and retention over 24 h. Cellular hitchhiking onto RBCs provides a new platform for improving the blood pharmacokinetics and vascular delivery of nanoparticles while simultaneously avoiding uptake by liver and spleen, thus opening the door for new applications