Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PHY-Layer Authentication With Multiple Landmarks With Reduced Overhead

Physical (PHY)-layer authentication systems can exploit channel state information of radio transmitters to detect spoofing attacks in wireless networks. The use of multiple landmarks each with multiple antennas enhances the spatial resolution of radio transmitters, and thus improves the spoofing detection accuracy of PHY-layer authentication. Unlike most existing PHY-layer authentication schemes that apply hypothesis tests and rely on the known radio channel model, we propose a logistic regression-based authentication to remove the assumption on the known channel model, and thus be applicable to more generic wireless networks. The Frank–Wolfe algorithm is used to estimate the parameters of the logistic regression model, in which the convex problem under a $\ell _{1}$ -norm constraint is solved for weight sparsity to avoid over-fitting in the learning process. We design a distributed Frank–Wolfe-based PHY-layer authentication to further reduce the communication overhead between the landmarks and the security agent. Then, we construct an incremental aggregated gradient-based scheme to provide online authentication with a higher accuracy and lower computation overhead. Simulation and experimental results validate the accuracy of the proposed authentication schemes, and show the reduced communication and computation overheads.
Design and Evaluation of a Pervasive Coaching and Gamification Platform for Young Diabetes Patients †

Self monitoring, personal goal-setting and coaching, education and social support are strategies to help patients with chronic conditions in their daily care. Various tools have been developed, e.g., mobile digital coaching systems connected with wearable sensors, serious games and patient web portals to personal health records, that aim to support patients with chronic conditions and their caregivers in realizing the ideal of self-management. We describe a platform that integrates these tools to support young patients in diabetes self-management through educational game playing, monitoring and motivational feedback. We describe the design of the platform referring to principles from healthcare, persuasive system design and serious game design. The virtual coach is a game guide that can also provide personalized feedback about the user’s daily care related activities which have value for making progress in the game world. User evaluations with patients under pediatric supervision revealed that the use of mobile technology in combination with web-based elements is feasible but some assumptions made about how users would connect to the platform were not satisfied in reality, resulting in less than optimal user experiences. We discuss challenges with suggestions for further development of integrated pervasive coaching and gamification platforms in medical practice.
Maternal hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy and risk of stillbirth.

CONTEXT High and low maternal hemoglobin concentrations during pregnancy have been reported to increase risk of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth, which is a predictor of stillbirth. The relationship between hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy and risk of stillbirth is unclear. OBJECTIVE To study the associations among hemoglobin concentration at first measurement during antenatal care, change in hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy, and risk of stillbirth. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Population-based, matched case-control study of births from 1987 through 1996 in Sweden including 702 primiparous women with stillbirths occurring at 28 weeks' gestation or later and 702 primiparous women with live births. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Risk of stillbirth, classified as malformed or nonmalformed, antepartum or intrapartum, preterm or term, and SGA or non-SGA, compared by maternal hemoglobin concentration at first antenatal measurement and weekly changes in hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy, adjusted for maternal age, body mass index, height, smoking, socioeconomic status, and week of first hemoglobin measurement. RESULTS In multivariate analyses, compared with women with hemoglobin concentrations of 126 to 135 g/L at first antenatal measurement, women with concentrations of 146 g/L or higher were at increased risk of stillbirth (odds ratio [OR], 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-3.3). This risk was slightly increased when the analysis was restricted to antepartum stillbirths without malformations (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1-3.8). When we further restricted the analyses to preterm and SGA antepartum nonmalformed stillbirths, the ORs increased to 2.7 (95% CI, 1.1-6.4) and 4.2 (95% CI, 1.3-13. 9), respectively. Excluding women with preeclampsia and eclampsia further increased these risks. Average weekly change in hemoglobin concentration during early or late pregnancy was not significantly associated with risk of stillbirth, although a larger decrease in concentration tended to be protective. Anemia (hemoglobin concentration <110 g/L) was not significantly associated with risk of stillbirth in multivariate analyses (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.5-2.7). CONCLUSIONS High hemoglobin concentration at first measurement during antenatal care appears to be associated with increased risk of stillbirth, especially preterm and SGA antepartum stillbirths. JAMA. 2000;284:2611-2617.
Distributed Average Tracking of Multiple Time-Varying Reference Signals With Bounded Derivatives

We present a distributed discontinuous control algorithm for a team of agents to track the average of multiple time-varying reference signals with bounded derivatives. We use tools from nonsmooth analysis to analyze the stability of the system. For time-invariant undirected connected network topologies, we prove that the states of all agents will converge to the average of the time-varying reference signals with bounded derivatives in finite time provided that the control gain is properly chosen. The validity of this result is also established for scenarios with switching undirected connected network topologies. For time-invariant directed network topologies with a directed spanning tree, we show that all agents will still reach a consensus in finite time, but the convergent value is generally not the average of the time-varying reference signals with bounded derivatives. Simulation examples are presented to show the validity of the above results.
MukB ATPases are regulated independently by the N- and C-terminal domains of MukF kleisin

The Escherichia coli SMC complex, MukBEF, acts in chromosome segregation. MukBEF shares the distinctive architecture of other SMC complexes, with one prominent difference; unlike other kleisins, MukF forms dimers through its N-terminal domain. We show that a 4-helix bundle adjacent to the MukF dimerisation domain interacts functionally with the MukB coiled-coiled ‘neck’ adjacent to the ATPase head. We propose that this interaction leads to an asymmetric tripartite complex, as in other SMC complexes. Since MukF dimerisation is preserved during this interaction, MukF directs the formation of dimer of dimer MukBEF complexes, observed previously in vivo. The MukF N- and C-terminal domains stimulate MukB ATPase independently and additively. We demonstrate that impairment of the MukF interaction with MukB in vivo leads to ATP hydrolysis-dependent release of MukBEF complexes from chromosomes.
Periodontal regeneration compared with access flap surgery in human intra‐bony defects 20‐year follow‐up of a randomized clinical trial: tooth retention, periodontitis recurrence and costs

AIM Compare the long-term outcomes and costs of three treatment modalities in intra-bony defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-five intra-bony defects in 45 patients had been randomly allocated to receive: modified papilla preservation technique with titanium-reinforced expanded-polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membranes (MPPT Tit, N = 15); access flap with expanded-PTFE membranes (Flap-ePTFE, N = 15) and access flap alone (Flap, N = 15). Supportive periodontal care (SPC) was provided monthly for 1 year, then every 3 months for 20 years. Periodontal therapy was delivered to sites showing recurrences. RESULTS Forty-one patients complied with SPC. Four subjects were lost to follow-up. Clinical attachment-level differences between 1 and 20 years were -0.1 ± 0.3 mm (p = 0.58) in the MPPT Tit; -0.5 ± 0.1 mm (p = 0.003) in the Flap-ePTFE and -1.7 ± 0.4 mm (p < 0.001) in the Flap. At 20 years, sites treated with Flap showed greater attachment loss compared to MPPT Tit (1.4 ± 0.4 mm; p = 0.008) and to Flap-ePTFE (1.1 ± 0.4 mm; p = 0.03). Flap group lost two treated teeth. Five episodes of recurrences occurred in the MPPT Tit, six in the Flap-ePTFE and fifteen in the Flap group. Residual pocket depth at 1-year was significantly correlated with the number of recurrences (p = 0.002). Sites treated with flap had greater OR for recurrences and higher costs of re-intervention than regenerated sites over a 20-year follow-up period with SPC. CONCLUSIONS Regeneration provided better long-term benefits than Flap: no tooth loss, less periodontitis progression and less expense from re-intervention over a 20-year period. These benefits need to be interpreted in the context of higher immediate costs associated with regenerative treatment. These initial observations need to be extended to larger groups and broader clinical settings.
Leader-to-Formation Stability of Multiagent Systems: An Adaptive Optimal Control Approach

This note proposes a novel data-driven solution to the cooperative adaptive optimal control problem of leader-follower multiagent systems under switching network topology. The dynamics of all the followers are unknown, and the leader is modeled by a perturbed exosystem. Through the combination of adaptive dynamic programming and internal model principle, an approximate optimal controller is iteratively learned online using real-time input-state data. Rigorous stability analysis shows that the system in closed-loop with the developed control policy is leader-to-formation stable, with guaranteed robustness to unmeasurable leader disturbance. Numerical results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed data-driven algorithm.
Stroke in Young Adults: The Role of Paradoxical Embolism

Summary Stroke in young adults may be devastating and frequently no cause can be found. However, there is ample literature to suggest an association between cryptogenic stroke in young people and paradoxical embolisation via a venous to arterial circulation shunt (v-aCS), commonly due to patent foramen ovale (PFO). Although paradoxical embolisation is assumed to be a rare event, this review suggests that it is an important or even dominant cause of stroke in young people and that a transcranial Doppler (TCD) technique may be the investigation of choice to identify v-aCS. Appendix I, II on pp. 26-7
Pre- and Postnatal Nutritional Histories Influence Reproductive Maturation and Ovarian Function in the Rat

Background While prepubertal nutritional influences appear to play a role in sexual maturation, there is a need to clarify the potential contributions of maternal and childhood influences in setting the tempo of reproductive maturation. In the present study we employed an established model of nutritional programming to evaluate the relative influences of prenatal and postnatal nutrition on growth and ovarian function in female offspring. Methods Pregnant Wistar rats were fed either a calorie-restricted diet, a high fat diet, or a control diet during pregnancy and/or lactation. Offspring then were fed either a control or a high fat diet from the time of weaning to adulthood. Pubertal age was monitored and blood samples collected in adulthood for endocrine analyses. Results We report that in the female rat, pubertal timing and subsequent ovarian function is influenced by the animal's nutritional status in utero, with both maternal caloric restriction and maternal high fat nutrition resulting in early pubertal onset. Depending on the offspring's nutritional history during the prenatal and lactational periods, subsequent nutrition and body weight gain did not further influence offspring reproductive tempo, which was dominated by the effect of prenatal nutrition. Whereas maternal calorie restriction leads to early pubertal onset, it also leads to a reduction in adult progesterone levels later in life. In contrast, we found that maternal high fat feeding which also induces early maturation in offspring was associated with elevated progesterone concentrations. Conclusions These observations are suggestive of two distinct developmental pathways leading to the acceleration of pubertal timing but with different consequences for ovarian function. We suggest different adaptive explanations for these pathways and for their relationship to altered metabolic homeostasis.
Musculoskeletal ultrasonography for psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis patients: a systematic literature review

Objective To systematically review the role of musculoskeletal US in patients suffering from PsA or psoriasis (Pso) in terms of prevalence, diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring and treatment. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted through medical databases (MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase) and the grey literature up to September 2015 to inform a new study of the Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Study Group of the Italian Society for Rheumatology. All articles reporting data on musculoskeletal US in PsA or Pso were included and extracted according to the underlying clinical question. Results A total of 86 publications were included. The prevalence of US abnormalities showed a wide range for each examined feature (e.g. 37-95% for entheses thickness of the lower limbs). The performance of US for diagnosis of disease or elementary lesions was variable across studies, but no study evaluated the overall performance of US in addition to clinical findings for diagnosing PsA. Considering US in defining PsA and Pso prognosis, several works focused on US of entheses of lower limbs in Pso, while for the monitoring of PsA activity five different scoring systems were identified. Last, the results of the role of US in guiding intra-articular interventions were controversial for the clinical outcomes, but in favour of US for accuracy. Conclusion despite the recognized importance of US in the management of PsA and Pso, this review clearly demonstrated the need of pivotal research in order to optimize the use of US in the diagnosis and monitoring of psoriatic disease.
Vision-aided inertial navigation with rolling-shutter cameras

In this paper, we focus on the problem of pose estimation using measurements from an inertial measurement unit and a rolling-shutter (RS) camera. The challenges posed by RS image capture are typically addressed by using approximate, low-dimensional representations of the camera motion. However, when the motion contains significant accelerations (common in small-scale systems) these representations can lead to loss of accuracy. By contrast, we here describe a different approach, which exploits the inertial measurements to avoid any assumptions on the nature of the trajectory. Instead of parameterizing the trajectory, our approach parameterizes the errors in the trajectory estimates by a low-dimensional model. A key advantage of this approach is that, by using prior knowledge about the estimation errors, it is possible to obtain upper bounds on the modeling inaccuracies incurred by different choices of the parameterization’s dimension. These bounds can provide guarantees for the performance of the method, and facilitate addressing the accuracy–efficiency tradeoff. This RS formulation is used in an extended-Kalman-filter estimator for localization in unknown environments. Our results demonstrate that the resulting algorithm outperforms prior work, in terms of accuracy and computational cost. Moreover, we demonstrate that the algorithm makes it possible to use low-cost consumer devices (i.e. smartphones) for high-precision navigation on multiple platforms.
End-to-end tests using alanine dosimetry in scanned proton beams

This paper describes end-to-end test procedures as the last fundamental step of medical commissioning before starting clinical operation of the MedAustron synchrotron-based pencil beam scanning (PBS) therapy facility with protons. One in-house homogeneous phantom and two anthropomorphic heterogeneous (head and pelvis) phantoms were used for end-to-end tests at MedAustron. The phantoms were equipped with alanine detectors, radiochromic films and ionization chambers. The correction for the ‘quenching’ effect of alanine pellets was implemented in the Monte Carlo platform of the evaluation version of RayStation TPS. During the end-to-end tests, the phantoms were transferred through the workflow like real patients to simulate the entire clinical workflow: immobilization, imaging, treatment planning and dose delivery. Different clinical scenarios of increasing complexity were simulated: delivery of a single beam, two oblique beams without and with range shifter. In addition to the dose comparison in the plastic phantoms the dose obtained from alanine pellet readings was compared with the dose determined with the Farmer ionization chamber in water. A consistent systematic deviation of about 2% was found between alanine dosimetry and the ionization chamber dosimetry in water and plastic materials. Acceptable agreement of planned and delivered doses was observed together with consistent and reproducible results of the end-to-end testing performed with different dosimetric techniques (alanine detectors, ionization chambers and EBT3 radiochromic films). The results confirmed the adequate implementation and integration of the new PBS technology at MedAustron. This work demonstrates that alanine pellets are suitable detectors for end-to-end tests in proton beam therapy and the developed procedures with customized anthropomorphic phantoms can be used to support implementation of PBS technology in clinical practice.
Improving medication adherence of patients with chronic heart failure: challenges and solutions

: Heart failure is a chronic debilitating illness that affects 5.7 million Americans. The financial burden of heart failure in the US toppled $31 billion in 2012, which is one of the highest among all chronic medical conditions. Medication adherence is a major component of heart failure self-care behaviors. Therefore, medication non-adherence is associated with more emergency department visits, frequent rehospitalizations, and higher medical cost. Medication adherence rates have varied from 10% to 98% depending on the definition and measurement used to assess and analyze adherence. Many factors contribute to medication non-adherence such as lack of support, finances, absent of symptoms, cognitive decline, adverse reactions, depression, poor attention span, poor knowledge about medication
Sustainability and comanagement of subsistence hunting in an indigenous reserve in Guyana

Although hunting is a key component of subsistence strategies of many Amazonians, it is also one of the greatest threats to wildlife. Because indigenous reserves comprise over 20% of Amazonia, effective conservation often requires that conservation professionals work closely with indigenous groups to manage resource use. We used hunter‐generated harvesting data in spatially explicit biodemographic models to assess the sustainability of subsistence hunting of indigenous Waiwai in Guyana. We collected data through a hunter self‐monitoring program, systematic follows of hunters, and semistructured interviews. We used these data to predict future densities of 2 indicator species, spider monkeys (Ateles paniscus) and bearded sakis (Chiropotes sagulatus), under different scenarios of human population expansion and changing hunting technology. We used encounter rates from transect surveys and hunter catch‐per‐unit effort (CPUE) to validate model predictions. Paca (Cuniculus paca) (198 /year), Currosaw (Crax alector) (168), and spider monkey (117) were the most frequently harvested species. Predicted densities of spider monkeys were statistically indistinguishable from empirically derived transect data (Kolmogorov–Smirnov D = 0.67, p = 0.759) and CPUE (D = 0.32, p = 1.000), demonstrating the robustness of model predictions. Ateles paniscus and C. sagulatus were predicted to be extirpated from <13% of the Waiwai reserve in 20 years, even under the most intensive hunting scenarios. Our results suggest Waiwai hunting is currently sustainable, primarily due to their low population density and use of bow and arrow. Continual monitoring is necessary, however, particularly if human population increases are accompanied by a switch to shotgun‐only hunting. We suggest that hunter self‐monitoring and biodemographic modeling can be used effectively in a comanagement approach in which indigenous parabiologists continuously provide hunting data that is then used to update model parameters and validate model predictions.
Significant sE-Selectin levels reduction after 6 months of anti-TNF-α therapy in non-diabetic patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis

Abstract Purpose: Psoriasis patients have high risk of atherosclerosis, characterized by endothelial dysfunction. We aimed to study the association of the endothelial activation biomarkers monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), soluble (s) E-selectin and P-selectin with disease activity and severity in psoriasis patients treated with anti-TNF-α therapy. Also, to evaluate the relationship of metabolic syndrome features with these biomarkers and the effect of anti-TNF-α therapy on these molecules. Methods: Twenty-nine consecutive non-diabetic patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis who underwent 6 months of anti-TNF-α-adalimumab therapy were studied. Metabolic and clinical evaluation was performed prior to anti-TNF-α treatment (time 0) and 6 months later. MCP-1, sE-selectin and sP-selectin serum levels were determined by ELISA. Results: Dyslipidemic and obese patients showed higher MCP-1 levels at month 6 from the onset of anti-TNF-α therapy (p = .05 and .01, respectively). sE-selectin positively correlated with pro-inflammatory molecules such as asymmetric dimethylarginine, sP-selectin and resistin at baseline and month 6 (p < .05). sE-selectin levels significantly reduced after 6 months of therapy (p = .0006). Conclusions: Metabolic syndrome features are associated with endothelial activation in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Adalimumab therapy led to a reduction in sE-selectin levels, supporting the beneficial effect of anti-TNF-α therapy on mechanisms associated with the development of atherosclerosis in psoriasis.
Dynamics and function of ERM proteins during cytokinesis in human cells

The molecular mechanism that governs cytoskeleton–membrane interaction during animal cytokinesis remains elusive. Here, we investigated the dynamics and functions of ERM (Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin) proteins during cytokinesis in human cultured cells. We found that ezrin is recruited to the cleavage furrow through its membrane‐associated domain in a cholesterol‐dependent but largely Rho‐independent manner. While ERMs are dispensable for furrow ingression, they play a pivotal role in contractile activity of the polar cortex. Notably, when anillin and supervillin are codepleted, ERMs increasingly accumulate at the cleavage furrow and substantially contribute to the furrow ingression. These results reveal a supportive role of ERMs in cortical activities during cytokinesis, and also provide insight into the selective mechanism that preferentially associates cytokinesis‐relevant proteins with the division site.