Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of Impedance-Based Miniaturized Wireless Water Ice Sensor for Future Planetary Applications

Keeping in view the future in situ space applications, to study planetary surface science, we have designed and developed an impedance-based extremely compact wireless sensor node to infer the presence of water/ice in a soil sample and reported in this paper. Although reflectometry-based soil moisture sensors are available commercially, they have slightly longer probe, needing more volume, from the payload point of view. The reported wireless impedance sensor reproduced in space-qualified form can be useful to measure the permittivity of lunar regolith and infer the presence of water ice. It works in the frequency domain with capability to sweep the frequency in a given measurement range. The sensor does not necessarily have long probe, and it needs only electrical contact with the soil surface, thus eliminating extra energy for insertion by the rover on the lunar surface, in one of its possible space applications. The sensor has been made to operate in wireless mode, which is a basic need in any space applications. The data are transmitted at 2.4 GHz to the aggregator. We have tested sand-type terrestrial soil and lunar soil simulant JSC-1A. To verify the performance of the sensor, we have also tested Milli-Q water. All these experimental results are reported in this paper. Results of Milli-Q water, whose permittivity is known, agree with those reported in the literature, verifying excellent performance of the sensor. Thus, the sensor can be very useful for space applications, where size and weight are critical issues. A wireless impedance sensor can also be quite useful for terrestrial applications, for example, in agriculture, and also in other impedance-based applications.
New insights into force depression in skeletal muscle

SUMMARY Force depression observed following active shortening is not well understood. Previous research suggested that force depression might be associated with a stress-induced inhibition of cross-bridges in the newly formed overlap zone following shortening. Our aim was to investigate this theory in skinned fibres and determine whether there was an inhibition of the attachment of cross-bridges or a decrease in the force produced per cross-bridge. The stress-induced inhibition of cross-bridge theory gives testable predictions, including: (1) skinned fibres should show proportional force and stiffness depression, (2) force after shortening should not be lower than force before shortening, (3) stiffness following shortening should not be lower than stiffness before shortening and (4) force depression should decrease when the stress during shortening is decreased. In agreement with these predictions, force and stiffness depression were approximately proportional, and force depression decreased with decreasing stress during shortening. However, in contrast to the predictions of the stress-induced inhibition of cross-bridge theory, force after shortening from sarcomere lengths of 2.8 and 3.0 μm to a sarcomere length of 2.4 μm was smaller than force before shortening, and this was not accompanied by a corresponding decrease in stiffness. We conclude that the stress-induced inhibition of cross-bridge theory, as proposed previously, cannot be the only mechanism for force depression, but that there is an additional, stress-induced inhibition of cross-bridges in the old overlap zone. Furthermore, both mechanisms, inhibition of cross-bridge attachment and reduction of force produced per cross-bridge, contribute to force depression. Inhibition and/or reduction of force depend(s) on the amount of stress imposed on actin during the shortening phase.
Supplementary Material for “A Novel And Well-Deﬁned Benchmarking Method For Second Generation Read Mapping”

We note that each match with distance ≤ k − 2 implies at least one match on both sides of it. Figure 1 in the main article shows an example. This can also be seen in Figure 2 in the main article. For k = 5, the third end position of the third lower branch in the left tree implies feasible matches left and right of it. This problem is partially solved by the definition of neighbour equivalence in Section 2.4 of the main article. However, there is a problem when merging matches in this way: For k = 4, the end position marked with ? (at the fourth lower branch of the left tree) separates the matches left and right of it. However, in Section 2.4 of the main article, we explained that alignments sharing their trace are basically the same. Thus, it is desirable to merge the matches left and right of such separating positions. This is the reasoning behind defining trace equivalence and combining it into ≡.
The physical characteristics of oil palm trunk and fast growing species veneer for composite-plywood

Oil palm trunk waste and fast growing species has potential to be used as composite-plywood (comply) raw material. Oil palm trunk as core layer and fast growing species as face and back layers of comply. This research focusing on the raw material characteristics of comply made of fast growing species (sengon, afrika, acacia) and oil palm trunk waste. The aim of this research is to determine the physical properties of raw materials to be used as comply. The physical properties (moisture content, specific gravity and thickness variations) were determined based on British Standard (BS) 373:1957 and Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS) SE 11:2003. The research results showed that bottom and middle parts of oil palm trunk have moisture content and specific gravity values of 47%, 33% and 0.4, 0.7 respectively. Whereas, values of moisture content and specific gravity fast growing species from bottom, middle and upper parts were 54%, 47%, 35% and 0.25, 0.22, 0.24, respectively for sengon wood, 148%, 120%, 66% and 0.39, 0.32, 0.37, respectively for afrika wood, 80%, 79%, 76% and 0.59, 0.57, 0.59, respectively for acacia wood. The moisture content of fast growing species veneer for sengon, afrika, acacia were 27.32%, 32.83%, and 27.67%, respectively. Thickness variation of fast growing species veneer for sengon, afrika, acacia from bottom, middle and upper parts were 2.00, 1.96, 1.95 mm, 2.25, 2.20, 1.95 mm and 2.11, 2.09, 2.09 mm. All the above physical properties were suitable for comply raw material.
Pulmonary function abnormalities in children with sickle cell disease.

BACKGROUND Adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) have restrictive lung function abnormalities which are thought to result from repeated lung damage caused by episodes of pulmonary vaso-occlusion; such episodes start in childhood. A study was therefore undertaken to determine whether children with SCD have restrictive lung function abnormalities and whether the severity of such abnormalities increases with age. METHODS Sixty four children with SCD aged 5-16 years and 64 ethnic matched controls were recruited. Weight and sitting and standing height were measured, and lung function was assessed by measurement of lung volumes and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) before and after bronchodilator. RESULTS Compared with the control subjects, the children with SCD had lower mean (SD) sitting height (69 (6.3) cm v 73 (7.7) cm; p=0.004), sitting:standing height ratio (0.50 (0.02) v 0.51 (0.01); p<0.0001), weight (33 (10.9) kg v 41 (14.9) kg; p=0.001), functional residual capacity measured by a helium gas dilution technique (1.2 (0.3) l v 1.3 (0.4) l; p=0.04), FEV1 (1.5 (0.5) l v 1.9 (0.7) l; p=0.0008), FVC (1.7 (0.6) l v 2.1 (0.8) l; p=0.001), and PEF (3.9 (1.3) l/s v 4.8 (1.5) l/s; p=0.0004). The effect of age on lung function differed significantly between the children with SCD and the controls for total lung capacity and vital capacity measured by plethysmography and functional residual capacity measured by helium gas dilution. CONCLUSION Lung function differs significantly in children with SCD compared with ethnic matched controls of a similar age. Our results suggest that restrictive abnormalities may become more prominent with increasing age.
Deep TextSpotter: An End-to-End Trainable Scene Text Localization and Recognition Framework

A method for scene text localization and recognition is proposed. The novelties include: training of both text detection and recognition in a single end-to-end pass, the structure of the recognition CNN and the geometry of its input layer that preserves the aspect of the text and adapts its resolution to the data. ,,The proposed method achieves state-of-the-art accuracy in the end-to-end text recognition on two standard datasets – ICDAR 2013 and ICDAR 2015, whilst being an order of magnitude faster than competing methods - the whole pipeline runs at 10 frames per second on an NVidia K80 GPU.
Comparison of moderate to severe systemic reactions with honeybee and wasp in children

The effect of the type of Hymenoptera on the severity of systemic reactions (SRs) is a controversial issue. The aim of the present study was to evaluate demographic, clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic features of moderate‐to‐severe SRs in children with venom hypersensitivity and to compare the role of the honeybee and wasp stings in these reactions.
Bimodal coupling of ripples and slower oscillations during sleep in patients with focal epilepsy

Differentiating pathologic and physiologic high‐frequency oscillations (HFOs) is challenging. In patients with focal epilepsy, HFOs occur during the transitional periods between the up and down state of slow waves. The preferred phase angles of this form of phase‐event amplitude coupling are bimodally distributed, and the ripples (80–150 Hz) that occur during the up‐down transition more often occur in the seizure‐onset zone (SOZ). We investigated if bimodal ripple coupling was also evident for faster sleep oscillations, and could identify the SOZ.
Mutations and sequence variants in GDF9 and BMP15 in patients with premature ovarian failure.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Mutations in bone morphogenic protein 15 (BMP15) and growth/differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) lead to altered fertility in animal models. In the human, a heterozygous point mutation of BMP15 has been associated with premature ovarian failure (POF). SUBJECT AND METHODS We have directly sequenced both genes in a cohort of 203 POF patients presenting with primary or secondary amenorrhea and high FSH levels and in a control population including 54 women with regular menstrual cycles who had at least one child. RESULTS We have identified several heterozygous variants. One alteration in GDF9 (S186Y) and one in BMP15 (L148P) may have pathogenic effects as both positions are conserved in vertebrate species, ranging from the chicken to mammals. These variants were absent in the control samples. We also found synonymous and neutral substitutions. CONCLUSIONS We propose that although mutations in BMP15 and GDF9 are not a major cause of ovarian insufficiency, they may be involved in POF.
Targeting tubulointerstitial remodeling in proteinuric nephropathy in rats

ABSTRACT Proteinuria is an important cause of tubulointerstitial damage. Anti-proteinuric interventions are not always successful, and residual proteinuria often leads to renal failure. This indicates the need for additional treatment modalities by targeting the harmful downstream consequences of proteinuria. We previously showed that proteinuria triggers renal lymphangiogenesis before the onset of interstitial inflammation and fibrosis. However, the interrelationship of these interstitial events in proteinuria is not yet clear. To this end, we specifically blocked lymphangiogenesis (anti-VEGFR3 antibody), monocyte/macrophage influx (clodronate liposomes) or lymphocyte and myofibroblast influx (S1P agonist FTY720) separately in a rat model to investigate the role and the possible interaction of each of these phenomena in tubulointerstitial remodeling in proteinuric nephropathy. Proteinuria was induced in 3-month old male Wistar rats by adriamycin injection. After 6 weeks, when proteinuria has developed, rats were treated for another 6 weeks by anti-VEGFR3 antibody, clodronate liposomes or FTY720 up to week 12. In proteinuric rats, lymphangiogenesis, influx of macrophages, T cells and myofibroblasts, and collagen III deposition and interstitial fibrosis significantly increased at week 12 vs week 6. Anti-VEGFR3 antibody prevented lymphangiogenesis in proteinuric rats, however, without significant effects on inflammatory and fibrotic markers or proteinuria. Clodronate liposomes inhibited macrophage influx and partly reduced myofibroblast expression; however, neither significantly prevented the development of lymphangiogenesis, nor fibrotic markers and proteinuria. FTY720 prevented myofibroblast accumulation, T-cell influx and interstitial fibrosis, and partially reduced macrophage number and proteinuria; however, it did not significantly influence lymphangiogenesis and collagen III deposition. This study showed that proteinuria-induced interstitial fibrosis cannot be halted by blocking lymphangiogenesis or the influx of macrophages. On the other hand, FTY720 treatment did prevent T-cell influx, myofibroblast accumulation and interstitial fibrosis, but not renal lymphangiogenesis and proteinuria. We conclude that tubulointerstitial fibrosis and inflammation are separate from lymphangiogenesis, at least under proteinuric conditions. Summary: Targeting lymphangiogenesis, inflammation or fibrosis separately in a rat model of proteinuric nephropathy showed that treating any of these changes alone is not effective in treating the disease.
Flavonoids and Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease, characterized by airway inflammation, airflow limitation, hyper-reactivity and airway remodeling. It is believed that asthma is caused by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. The prevalence of allergic diseases, including asthma, has increased worldwide during the past two decades. Although the precise reasons that have caused this increase remain unknown, dietary change is thought to be one of the environmental factors. Flavonoids, which are polyphenolic plant secondary metabolites ubiquitously present in vegetables, fruits and beverages, possess antioxidant and anti-allergic traits, as well as immune-modulating activities. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants and anti-allergic nutrients that inhibit the release of chemical mediators, synthesis of Th2 type cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13, and CD40 ligand expression by high-affinity immunoglobulin E (IgE) receptor-expressing cells, such as mast cells and basophils. They also inhibit IL-4-induced signal transduction and affect the differentiation of naïve CD4+ T cells into effector T-cells through their inhibitory effect on the activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Various studies of flavonoids in asthmatic animal models have demonstrated their beneficial effects. The results of several epidemiological studies suggest that an increase in flavonoid intake is beneficial for asthma. Moreover, clinical trials of flavonoids have shown their ameliorative effects on symptoms related to asthma. However, these human studies are currently limited; further validation is required to clarify whether an appropriate intake of flavonoids may constitute dietary treatment and for part of a preventive strategy for asthma.
Skewing of the CD4(+) T-cell pool toward monofunctional antigen-specific responses in patients with immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome in The Gambia.

BACKGROUND A common complication of starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the development of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) in approximately 25% of patients. Despite similarities with paradoxical reactions to tuberculosis and reversal reactions in leprosy, the exact mechanisms, and therefore potential determinants, of IRIS are still unknown. METHODS In this longitudinal cohort study, we analyzed 20 patients who developed IRIS following initiation of ART and 16 patients who did not, matched for ART time point. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated overnight with a positive control antigen and 2 tuberculosis-specific antigens (purified protein derivative [PPD] and ESAT-6/CFP10), followed by polychromatic flow cytometry for analysis of cytokine production from CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. RESULTS Responses to PPD were significantly higher in IRIS patients compared to controls during the IRIS time point, but CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell responses to the positive control stimulation were significantly lower in IRIS patients at all time points. Furthermore, whereas control patients had rejuvenated polyfunctional T-cell responses by 3 months after ART, IRIS patients were strikingly monofunctional (generally interferon γ alone), even up to 6 months of ART in response to all stimulations. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the peripheral T-cell responses to the underlying pathogen are exaggerated in IRIS patients but that the overall quality of the peripheral T-cell pool is significantly reduced compared to non-IRIS patients. Furthermore, these effects are apparent at least up to 3 months after cessation of IRIS.
Structure of the Human BK Channel Ca2+-Activation Apparatus at 3.0 Å Resolution

BK Channel Cytoplasmic Domain BK channels are potassium ion channels found on the surface of a variety of cell types that are essential for the regulation of several key physiological processes, including smooth muscle tone and neuronal excitability. BK channels are regulated by both membrane voltage and intracellular Ca2+. The channel comprises an integral membrane pore, an integral membrane voltage sensor domain, and a large cytoplasmic region that confers Ca2+ sensitivity. Now Yuan et al. (p. 182, published online 27 May; see the Perspective Weyand and Iwata) have determined the crystal structure of the cytoplasmic domain of the human BK channel. Four cytoplasmic regions form a gating ring at the intracellular membrane surface with four Ca2+ binding sites on the outer perimeter. A tetramer of two regulatory domains forms a gating ring that regulates calcium ion activation. High-conductance voltage- and Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels encode negative feedback regulation of membrane voltage and Ca2+ signaling, playing a central role in numerous physiological processes. We determined the x-ray structure of the human BK Ca2+ gating apparatus at a resolution of 3.0 angstroms and deduced its tetrameric assembly by solving a 6 angstrom resolution structure of a Na+-activated homolog. Two tandem C-terminal regulator of K+ conductance (RCK) domains from each of four channel subunits form a 350-kilodalton gating ring at the intracellular membrane surface. A sequence of aspartic amino acids that is known as the Ca2+ bowl, and is located within the second of the tandem RCK domains, creates four Ca2+ binding sites on the outer perimeter of the gating ring at the “assembly interface” between RCK domains. Functionally important mutations cluster near the Ca2+ bowl, near the “flexible interface” between RCK domains, and on the surface of the gating ring that faces the voltage sensors. The structure suggests that the Ca2+ gating ring, in addition to regulating the pore directly, may also modulate the voltage sensor.
An Electronic Wellness Program to Improve Diet and Exercise in College Students: A Pilot Study

Background In transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, college students are faced with significant challenges to their health habits. Independence, stress, and perceived lack of time by college students have been known to result in poor eating and exercise habits, which can lead to increased disease risk. Objective To assess the feasibility and to determine preliminary efficacy of an electronic wellness program in improving diet and physical activity in college students. Methods A 24-week diet and physical activity program was delivered via email to 148 college students. The intervention involved weekly, tailored, and interactive diet and physical activity goals. The control group received nondiet and nonexercise-related health fact sheets. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements, as well as food frequency and physical activity surveys were conducted at baseline, week 12, and week 24. Students’ choice of fruit as a snack was also monitored at study visits. Results Students were 18-20 years old, 69% female, and from a diverse college campus (46% Caucasian, 23% Asian, 20% African American, 11% other). At week 24, 84% of students reported reading at least half of all emails. Mean change (standard error [SE]) from baseline of saturated fat intake was marginally significant between the treatment groups at week 24, 0.7 (SE 0.42) % kcal for control and -0.3 (SE 0.30) % kcal for intervention (P=0.048). A significant difference in percent of snacks chosen that were fruit (χ2 1, N=221 = 11.7, P<0.001) was detected between the intervention and control group at week 24. Conclusions Use of an electronic wellness program is feasible in college students and resulted in a decrease in saturated fat intake and an increase in observed fruit intake compared to a control group.
Simulation of head‐gradient‐coil induced electric fields in a human model

A finite difference method was used to simulate the electric fields induced in the model by a gradient wire pattern. The pattern simulated corresponded to a design used to perform peripheral nerves stimulation experiments. The size (187.8, 169.02, and 150.24 cm tall) and position (brain and neck mode) of the model, relative to the magnet, as well as the voxel dimensions (3, 6, and 9 mm) of the model were varied to assess the effect on the simulation. The locations of stimulation reported from an experiment were classified according to nerve branch and compared with the peak‐simulated electric fields. Model size and location affected the magnitude of the electric field, but not the position. Model resolution affected the location of the peak field. For the smallest resolution investigated, the nerves affected by the locations of peak stimulations in the model correlated to the frequency of stimulation in experiments. Although adequate resolution is required in order to assess the electric fields induced by gradient coil operation, the simulation of electric fields may be useful in evaluating gradient coil design prior to construction. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evidence of increasing diversification of Zika virus strains isolated in the American continent

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a member of the family Flaviviridae. ZIKV emerged in Brazil in 2015, causing an unprecedented epidemic and since then the virus has rapidly spread throughout the Americas. These facts highlight the need of detailed phylogenetic studies to understand the emergence, spread, and evolution of ZIKV populations. For these reasons, a Bayesian coalescent Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis of complete genome sequences of ZIKV strains recently isolated in the American continent was performed. The results of these studies revealed an increasing diversification of ZIKV strains in different genetic lineages and co‐circulation of distinct genetic lineages in several countries in the region. The time of the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) was established to be around February 20, 2014 for ZIKV strains circulating in the American region. A mean rate of evolution of 1.55 × 10−3 substitutions/site/year was obtained for ZIKV strains included in this study. A Bayesian skyline plot indicate a sharp increase in population size from February 2014 to July 2015 and a decline during 2016. These results are discussed in terms of the emergence and evolution of ZIKV populations in the American continent.