Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prostasomes as Potential Modulators of Tyrosine Phosphorylation in Human Spermatozoa

Prostasomes, vesicles present in human semen, are known to play a role in male fertility. However, the mechanisms involved are still poorly understood. The present study looks at the direct influence of different concentrations of prostasomes on human sperm function in conditions supporting capacitation in vitro. Five million Percoll selected spermatozoa were incubated for 3 h at 370C under an atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air, in 100 µl Biggers Whitten Whittingham's medium (BWW) containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA, 1 mg/ml) and bovine serum albumin (BSA; 3 mg/ml) in the absence or presence of increasing concentrations of prostasomes (expressed in terms of their cholesterol content: 15; 30; 45 nmoles per 100 µL of incubation medium). After in vitro exposure of spermatozoa to prostasomes, our data indicate that i) tyrosine phosphorylation intensity of the 107 KDa protein band was dose dependently lower and ii) the percentage of viable and progressive motile spermatozoa was unchanged and the percentage of non-progressive motility decreased. In addition, the incubation of prostasomes with spermatozoa resulted in an enrichment of their lipid content. Our experiments suggest that adhesion of prostasomes to spermatozoa could be responsible for the decrease in Tyrosine phosphorylation and the alteration of the mean curvilinear velocity (VCL) and the average path velocity (VAP).
Personal authentication using finger vein pattern and finger-dorsa texture fusion

Personal authentication has attracted great attention due to its large potential of security application, and many researches have shown that fusion of features or decisions obtained from various single-modal biometrics verification systems can enhance the overall performance of system. In this paper, we proposed a novel multimodal biometric approach fusing finger vein pattern with finger-dorsa texture. Firstly, Finger Vein image and finger-dorsa image from the same finger are captured simultaneously, and a method is designed to segment Regions Of Interest(ROI) of vein image and dorsal image. Secondly, two strategies are designed to extract finger vein pattern and finger-dorsa texture respectively. Vein extraction strategy consists of four steps: local thresholding, modified line tracking, thorough probability map creating and directional neighbor analysis. Gray normalization is performed on finger-dorsa image to extract main finger-dorsa texture. Thirdly, the binarized vein pattern and normalized dorsal texture are fused into one feature image. Finally, a block-based texture feature is proposed for personal authentication. Experimental results showed that the proposed fusion method outperforms any one of finger-dorsa and finger vein methods.
Isoleucine-mediated regulation of genome repliction in various mammalian cell lines.

Summary When suspension cultures of Chinese hamster cells (line CHO) are grown in isoleucine-deficient F-10 medium supplemented with dialyzed sera, the entire population of cells accumulates in a state of G1 arrest within 24 to 36 hr. Merely by the adding back of isoleucine, the entire population initiates DNA synthesis and subsequently divides in synchrony. This phenomenon is not readily observed in cells infected with pleuropneumonia-like organisms. Cultures of mouse L and Syrian hamster BHK21 cells also accumulate in G1 under conditions in which isoleucine is specifically depleted from the culture medium, and, upon addition of isoleucine, synthesis of DNA and resumption of cell-cycle traverse commence in synchrony. These results suggest that isoleucine-mediated regulation of genome replication may be a generalized phenomenon in mammalian cells. Speculations are presented regarding possible roles for isoleucine (or its derivatives) in initiation of genome replication.
Influence of motor unit characteristics and behavior on surface EMG, force and their association

Description: Human voluntary movement occurs when muscles generate force in response to patterns of activation from the neural system. The force generated by individual muscles however is difficult to measure experimentally. Therefore, the surface EMG signal is often used as a surrogate measure for the relative muscle force in spite of the differences in the mechanisms underlying these two signals. This PhD thesis focuses on the limitations the association.
Prevalences of diabetes and impaired glucose regulation in a Danish population: the Inter99 study.

OBJECTIVE To determine the age- and sex-specific prevalence of impaired fasting glycemia, impaired glucose tolerance, screen-detected diabetes, and known diabetes in a Danish population aged 30-60 years and to examine the phenotype and the cardiovascular risk profile in individuals with impaired glucose regulation. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In the Inter99 study, 13,016 inhabitants living in Copenhagen County were invited. All participants underwent anthropometric measurements, blood samples, and a 75-g standardized oral glucose tolerance test. RESULTS The age-specific prevalences in men were as follows: impaired fasting glycemia: 1.4-16.3%; impaired glucose tolerance: 6.9-17.8%; screen-detected diabetes: 0.7-9.7%; and known diabetes: 0-5.8%. The corresponding figures in women were 0-5.1, 10.5-17.3, 0.6-6.3, and 0.5-9%. The prevalence of impaired glucose regulation increased with age. Among individuals with diabetes, 65.6% were previously undiagnosed; this proportion was highest in the youngest age-group (82% among 45-year-old men vs. 63% among 60-year-old men, and 70% among 45-year-old women vs. 52% among 60-year-old women). Mean BMI, waist, HbA(1c), systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and total cholesterol were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in the individuals with impaired glucose regulation compared with individuals with normal glucose tolerance. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is high and that still two out of three individuals are undiagnosed, indicating a need for more attention to the disease in society.
Long-term and resegmentation precision of quantitative cartilage MR imaging (qMRI).

OBJECTIVE Follow up of osteoarthritis (OA) and evaluation of structure modifying OA drugs require longitudinal data on cartilage structure. The aim of this study was to analyse the long term and resegmentation precision of quantitative cartilage analysis with magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) in vivo, and to relate precision errors to the estimated cartilage loss in OA. METHOD Sagittal MR images of the knee were obtained in 14 individuals, four datasets being acquired in a first imaging session. In 12 subjects, two further datasets were acquired over the next months. Image analysis was performed in the same session for image data obtained under short-term and long-term imaging conditions, and in three different sessions (months apart) for the first data set (resegmentation precision). RESULTS Long-term precision errors ranged from 1.4% (total knee) to 3.9% (total femur) for cartilage volume and thickness and were only marginally higher than those under short term conditions. In the medial tibia, the error was 84 mm(3) compared with an estimated loss of >1,200 mm(3) in varus OA. Precision errors for resegmentation were somewhat higher, but considerably smaller than the intersubject variability. CONCLUSIONS Scanner drift and changes in imaging or patient conditions appear not to represent a critical problem in quantitative cartilage analysis with magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI). In longitudinal studies, image analysis of sequential data should be performed within the same post-processing session. Under these conditions, qMRI promises to be a very powerful method to assess structural change of cartilage in OA.
Complex semantic processing in old age: does it stay or does it go?

Old adults' (N = 24) and young adults' (N = 24) speed of producing exemplars of semantic categories (i.e., semantic fluency) varying in difficulty was assessed both in a standard condition and in a "set-switching" condition where exemplars had to be produced from 2 categories in an alternating manner. "Retrieval-position function" parameters were used to assess speed of semantic access independent of nonsemantic factors. Results suggested age effects in nonsemantic components but not in semantic retrieval per se. Also, age deficits in set switching were relatively subtle. Findings are discussed with relation to issues of domain specificity of age effects as well as of the role of executive control during semantic retrieval and age differences therein.
Enhancing students' knowledge of biodiversity in a situated mobile learning scenario: using static and dynamic visualizations in field trips

The effectiveness of static versus dynamic learning material was tested using fish biodiversity as learning domain. Eighteen fish species were presented either as videos or selected freeze-frames to students. Thereafter, students exercised identifying these species in their natural habitats during snorkeling. Students' knowledge of biodiversity was measured from test videos before (posttest 1) and after (posttest 2) snorkeling as the number of recognized species. Results showed significant knowledge gains between posttest 1 and 2. For the presentation format (static vs. dynamic) there was no significant main effect. However, a significant interaction showed that the students' knowledge improved from posttest 1 to 2 to a larger extent in the dynamic group. The study was conducted within a university curriculum for which a mobile learning scenario using portable DVD-players was applied for the first time. Overall results indicate a high potential for using mobile devices in informal settings during field trips.
Divergent localization of angiotensinogen mRNA and protein in proximal tubule segments of normal rat kidney

Objectives: Angiotensinogen in the kidneys is formed primarily in the proximal tubule cells and is secreted into the tubular fluid. Structurally, proximal tubules can be divided into three segments. The first segment, segment 1 (S1) is mainly confined to the pars convoluta, the second segment, segment 2 (S2) comprises the end of pars convoluta, and the third segment, segment 3 (S3) includes the major part of the pars recta. There are some reports describing angiotensinogen localization in kidneys; however, it remains uncertain which proximal tubule segments express angiotensinogen. To determine the detailed localization of angiotensinogen in the three proximal tubule segments, we established multistaining methods using segment-specific protein markers. Methods: Using kidneys from Wistar–Kyoto rats, we performed immunohistochemistry and double or triple staining by fluorescence in-situ hybridization and/or immunofluorescence. Results: Our results show that angiotensinogen mRNA and protein are expressed in the cortex and outer medulla of the normal rat kidney. Angiotensinogen mRNA was hardly detected in S1, detected weakly in S2 and strongly in S3 segments. In contrast, angiotensinogen protein was detected in S1 at high levels and less in S2 and S3 segments. Conclusion: These data indicate divergence of angiotensinogen mRNA transcription and angiotensinogen protein synthesis and metabolism in different segments of the normal rat proximal tubules.
The use of power spectral analysis to determine cardiorespiratory control in the short-horned sculpin Myoxocephalus scorpius

SUMMARY Anaesthesia and minor surgery to place electrocardiogram recording electrodes in the short-horned sculpin caused a decrease in mean normal beat (R–R) interval and heart rate variability (HRV), measured as the standard deviation in the R–R interval (SDRR). Mean R–R interval increased to a steady state value (1.9±2.9 s) 72 h post-surgery, but SDRR took 120 h to stabilise (0.56±0.09 s). Power spectral analysis applied to recordings of instantaneous heart rate showed no spectral peaks immediately after surgery, with the development of twin peaks (at 0.02 and 0.05 Hz) that also became stable 120 h post surgery. Bilateral cardiac vagotomy abolished the variability in beat-to-beat interval, and both the high and low frequency peaks, suggesting that much of the regulation of heart rate and HRV in sculpin was under parasympathetic, cholinergic control that was withdrawn as a result of surgical and handling stress. Rate of oxygen consumption \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(({\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{O}_{2}})\) \end{document} and heart rate (fH) were monitored simultaneously and \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \({\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{O}_{2}}\) \end{document} showed a good correlation with both mean R–R interval (r2=–0.89) and SDRR (r2=0.93), although a more significant (ANCOVA, P=0.02) covariance existed between the post-surgical decrease in \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \({\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{O}_{2}}\) \end{document} and increase in SDRR. These data suggest that sculpin use fH as a way of moderating oxygen consumption, fine-tuned on a beat-to-beat basis by cholinergic control. We conclude that power spectral analysis is a useful method of determining HRV in fish, and that HRV is a more sensitive measure of recovery from disturbance than fH alone.
Pyro: A Spatial-Temporal Big-Data Storage System

With the rapid growth of mobile devices and applications, geo-tagged data has become a major workload for big data storage systems. In order to achieve scalability, existing solutions build an additional index layer above general purpose distributed data stores. Fulfilling the semantic level need, this approach, however, leaves a lot to be desired for execution efficiency, especially when users query for moving objects within a high resolution geometric area, which we call geometry queries. Such geometry queries translate to a much larger set of range scans, forcing the backend to handle orders of magnitude more requests. Moreover, spatial-temporal applications naturally create dynamic workload hotspots, which pushes beyond the design scope of existing solutions. This paper presents Pyro, a spatial-temporal bigdata storage system tailored for high resolution geometry queries and dynamic hotspots. Pyro understands geometries internally, which allows range scans of a geometry query to be aggregately optimized. Moreover, Pyro employs a novel replica placement policy in the DFS layer that allows Pyro to split a region without losing data locality benefits. Our evaluations use NYC taxi trace data and an 80-server cluster. Results show that Pyro reduces the response time by 60× on 1km×1km rectangle geometries compared to the state-of-the-art solutions. Pyro further achieves 10× throughput improvement on 100m×100m rectangle geometries.
CD117-positive Cells of the Heart: Progenitor Cells or Mast Cells?

Human cardiac stem/progenitor cells and their potential for repair of heart injury are a current hot topic of research. CD117 has been used frequently as a marker for identification of stem/progenitor cells in the heart. However, cardiac mast cells, which are also CD117+, have not been excluded by credible means when selecting putative cardiac progenitors by using CD117 as a marker. We evaluated the relationship between CD117+ cells and mast cells in the left ventricle of human hearts (n = 5 patients, ages 1 week-75 years) with the well-established mast cell markers tryptase, toluidine blue, and thionine. A large number (85–100%) of CD117+ cells in the human heart were specifically identified as mast cells. In addition, mast cells showed weak or moderate CD45 immunostaining signals. These results indicate that the majority of CD117+ cells in the heart are mast cells and that these cells are distinctly positive for CD45, although staining was weak or moderate. These results strongly suggest that the newly reported CD117+/CD45dim/moderate putative cardiac progenitor cells are mast cells. The significance of this observation in stem cell research of the heart is discussed. immunohistochemistry
Analysis of invariants for efficient bounded verification

SAT-based bounded verification of annotated code consists of translating the code together with the annotations to a propositional formula, and analyzing the formula for specification violations using a SAT-solver. If a violation is found, an execution trace exposing the error is exhibited. Code involving linked data structures with intricate invariants is particularly hard to analyze using these techniques. In this article we present TACO, a prototype tool which implements a novel, general and fully automated technique for the SAT-based analysis of JML-annotated Java sequential programs dealing with complex linked data structures. We instrument code analysis with a symmetry-breaking predicate that allows for the parallel, automated computation of tight bounds for Java fields. Experiments show that the translations to propositional formulas require significantly less propositional variables, leading in the experiments we have carried out to an improvement on the efficiency of the analysis of orders of magnitude, compared to the non-instrumented SAT-based analysis. We show that, in some cases, our tool can uncover bugs that cannot be detected by state-of-the-art tools based on SAT-solving, model checking or SMT-solving.
The Impact of Client-Side Security Restrictions on the Competition of Cloud Computing Services

ABSTRACT The providers of cloud computing services have to ensure that the service applications, cloud software, and the physical location of the cloud are secure. Furthermore, these providers need to ensure that the service is secure on the client’s side of the system. While the prior research generally examines the internal-facing (firm-side) information technology (IT) security, this article examines the external-facing (client-side) security of a cloud computing service. To examine the client-side security level we build economic models that consider the trade-offs between system usability and client-side security restrictions. Our mixed market model is based on firms with different objectives (i.e., brand building vs. profit maximizing), while the pure market model is based on firms aiming at maximizing profits. Under the mixed market model, our results indicate that it is in the best interest of each firm to be the first mover. When the brand building firm is the first mover, the client-side security restrictions are higher for both firms. In a mixed market, managers of each firm should ensure that they differentiate their client-side security from that of their competitors. In the pure market model, the client-side security depends on the value the users place on security and usability. If users significantly value usability over security then managers should maximize the differentiation in client-side security restriction. However, as users begin to value security more, the manager of the firm with the lower security restriction level should raise client-side security restrictions until the level is the equivalent of their competitors.
Thickness and power dependence of the spin-pumping effect in Y3Fe5O12/Pt heterostructures measured by the inverse spin Hall effect

The dependence of the spin-pumping effect on the yttrium iron garnet $({\mathrm{Y}}_{3}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{5}{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$, YIG) thickness detected by the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) has been investigated quantitatively. Due to the spin-pumping effect driven by the magnetization precession in the ferrimagnetic insulator ${\mathrm{Y}}_{3}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{5}{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$ film a spin-polarized electron current is injected into the Pt layer. This spin current is transformed into electrical charge current by means of the ISHE. An increase of the ISHE voltage with increasing film thickness is observed and compared to the theoretically expected behavior. The effective damping parameter of the YIG/Pt samples is found to be enhanced with decreasing ${\mathrm{Y}}_{3}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{5}{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$ film thickness. The investigated samples exhibit a spin mixing conductance of ${g}_{\mathrm{eff}}^{\ensuremath{\uparrow}\ensuremath{\downarrow}}=(3.87\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.21)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{18}\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{m}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ and a spin Hall angle between ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\mathrm{ISHE}}=0.013\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001$ and $0.045\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.004$ depending on the used spin-diffusion length. Furthermore, the influence of nonlinear effects on the generated voltage and on the Gilbert damping parameter at high excitation powers is revealed. It is shown that for small YIG film thicknesses a broadening of the linewidth due to nonlinear effects at high excitation powers is suppressed because of a lack of nonlinear multimagnon scattering channels. We have found that the variation of the spin-pumping efficiency for thick YIG samples exhibiting pronounced nonlinear effects is much smaller than the nonlinear enhancement of the damping.
Interframe Bus Encoding Technique and Architecture for MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 Video Compression

In this paper, we propose an implementation of a data encoder to reduce the switched capacitance on a system bus. Our technique focuses on transferring raw video data for multiple reference frames between off- and on-chip memories in an MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 encoder. This technique is based on entropy coding to minimize bus transition. Existing techniques exploit the correlation between neighboring pixels. In our proposed technique, we exploit pixel correlation between two consecutive frames. Our method achieves a 58% power saving compared to an unencoded bus when transferring pixels on a 32-b off-chip bus with a 15-pF capacitance per wire.
Provably Fair Representations

Machine learning systems are increasingly used to make decisions about people's lives, such as whether to give someone a loan or whether to interview someone for a job. This has led to considerable interest in making such machine learning systems fair. One approach is to transform the input data used by the algorithm. This can be achieved by passing each input data point through a representation function prior to its use in training or testing. Techniques for learning such representation functions from data have been successful empirically, but typically lack theoretical fairness guarantees. We show that it is possible to prove that a representation function is fair according to common measures of both group and individual fairness, as well as useful with respect to a target task. These provable properties can be used in a governance model involving a data producer, a data user and a data regulator, where there is a separation of concerns between fairness and target task utility to ensure transparency and prevent perverse incentives. We formally define the 'cost of mistrust' of using this model compared to the setting where there is a single trusted party, and provide bounds on this cost in particular cases. We present a practical approach to learning fair representation functions and apply it to financial and criminal justice datasets. We evaluate the fairness and utility of these representation functions using measures motivated by our theoretical results.