Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural control of aging skeletal muscle

Functional and structural decline in the neuromuscular system with aging has been recognized as a cause of impairment in physical performance and loss of independence in the elderly. Alterations in spinal cord motor neurones and at the neuromuscular junction have been identified as evidence of denervation in skeletal muscles from aging mammals, including humans. However, the reciprocal influences of neurones on gene expression in muscle and of muscle on age‐related neurodegeneration are poorly understood, and, as a result, interventions aimed at delaying or preventing degeneration of the neural component in aging muscle have been largely unsuccessful. The present article discusses the evidence for neural influence on age‐related impairments of skeletal muscle, including a role in excitation–contraction uncoupling. The role of nerves in regulating the trophic actions of insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) and other neurotrophic factors is considered as a novel influence on the effects of aging on the neuromuscular junction. A better understanding of nerve–muscle interactions will allow for more rational interventions in the aging neuromuscular system.
A Near-Infrared Photometric Survey of Metal-poor Inner Spheroid Globular Clusters and Nearby Bulge Fields

Images recorded through J, H, K, 2.2 μm continuum, and CO filters have been obtained of a sample of metal-poor ([Fe/H] ≤ -1.3) globular clusters in the inner spheroid of the Galaxy. The shape and color of the upper giant branch on the (K, J-K) color-magnitude diagram (CMD), combined with the K brightness of the giant branch tip, are used to estimate the metallicity, reddening, and distance of each cluster. CO indices are used to identify bulge stars, which will bias metallicity and distance estimates if not culled from the data. The distances and reddenings derived from these data are consistent with published values, although there are exceptions. The reddening-corrected distance modulus of the Galactic center, based on the Carney et al. horizontal-branch (HB) brightness calibration, is estimated to be 14.9 ± 0.1. The mean upper giant branch CO index shows cluster-to-cluster scatter that (1) is larger than expected from the uncertainties in the photometric calibration and (2) is consistent with a dispersion in CNO abundances comparable to that measured among halo stars. The luminosity functions (LFs) of upper giant branch stars in the program clusters tend to be steeper than those in the halo clusters NGC 288, NGC 362, and NGC 7089. The majority of inner spheroid clusters fall along the integrated J-K versus metallicity relation defined by halo clusters; however, many of the inner spheroid clusters do not follow the relation between integrated CO index and metallicity measured for halo clusters, in that they have CO indices that are too small. Bulge fields were also observed near most clusters. The slope of the giant branch LF does not vary significantly between most fields, although the LFs in Baade's window and near NGC 6273 are significantly shallower than average. Metallicities estimated from the slope of the upper giant branch on the (K, J-K) CMDs of fields within 6° of the Galactic center are consistent with previous studies. Finally, the data suggest that the HB content may not be uniform throughout the bulge, in the sense that a larger than average number of red HB stars may occur in fields closest to the Galactic center.
Intranasal Dexmedetomidine as a Sedative Premedication for Patients Undergoing Suspension Laryngoscopy: A Randomized Double-Blind Study

Background Intranasal dexmedetomidine, a well-tolerated and convenient treatment option, has been shown to induce a favorable perioperative anxiolysis in children. We investigate intranasal dexmedetomidine as a sedative premedication for anesthesia recovery in an adult population. Methods A prospective randomized controlled trial; 81 adult patients scheduled for elective suspension laryngoscopy received intranasal dexmedetomidine (1 μg∙kg–1) or a placebo 45–60 min before anesthetic induction. Extubation time was used as the primary outcome measure. Secondary variables included the levels of sedation (Observer’s Assessment of Alertness/Sedation scale, OAA/S) and anxiety (4-point anxiety score), anesthetic and analgesic requirements, hemodynamic fluctuations, and anesthesia recovery as well as side effects. Results The levels of sedation and anxiety differed significantly between the two groups at anesthesia pre-induction (p < 0.001 and = 0.001, respectively). Repeated-measure general linear model determined no significant interaction effect between group and time on the targeted concentration of propofol (F = 1.635, p = 0.200), but a significant main effect of group existed (F = 6.880, p = 0.010). A moderate but significant decrease in the heart rate was recorded in the dexmedetomidine group at pre-induction. Episodes of tachycardia and hypertension after tracheal intubation and extubation were more frequent in the placebo group. Conclusions Intranasal dexmedetomidine as a sedative premedication induced a favorable perioperative anxiolysis without prolongation in anesthesia recovery; the hemodynamic effect was modest. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT 02108171
Assessing and Improving Quality of Safety Critical Systems

Safety critical systems are very important constituents of our lives. We use them daily and often without realizing it. For example, they can be found in control unit of a railway brake system, in aircraft’s cockpit, inside missile guidance systems and many others. Because their failure can cause tremendous consequences, quality of these systems should be continuously assessed and improved. Assessment of quality of safety critical systems should be transparent, objective and automated. By having quality assessed in these manners, the assessments’ results are meaningful and can be also used for future comparison. One of the options for quality assessments are the software metrics. Their usage can produce fine data for system quality evaluation and also can point to weak parts of given system. Having the knowledge of the weak parts, the effort for improvement can be aimed directly at them. By improving specific part of the system, the overall quality can be enhanced heavily. The topic of this work is the quality of safety critical software systems. For better understanding, the quality and safety critical systems will be discussed before the approach of assessing quality of safety critical system is described. Based on the assessment, method for quality improvement of safety critical system will be introduced and described. Kopie zprávy jsou dostupné na: http:/www.kiv. zcu.cz/cz/vyzkum/publikace/technicke-zpravy/ nebo na žádost poslanou na následující adresu: Západočeská univerzita v Plzni Katedra informatiky a výpočetní techniky Univerzitní 8 306 14 Plzeň Česká republika Copyright © 2015 Západočeská univerzita v Plzni, Česká republika
Discriminative hierarchical part-based models for human parsing and action recognition

We consider the problem of parsing human poses and recognizing their actions in static images with part-based models. Most previous work in part-based models only considers rigid parts (e.g., torso, head, half limbs) guided by human anatomy. We argue that this representation of parts is not necessarily appropriate. In this paper, we introduce hierarchical poselets--a new representation for modeling the pose configuration of human bodies. Hierarchical poselets can be rigid parts, but they can also be parts that cover large portions of human bodies (e.g., torso + left arm). In the extreme case, they can be the whole bodies. The hierarchical poselets are organized in a hierarchical way via a structured model. Human parsing can be achieved by inferring the optimal labeling of this hierarchical model. The pose information captured by this hierarchical model can also be used as a intermediate representation for other high-level tasks. We demonstrate it in action recognition from static images.
CD27 in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Cellular expression, serum release and correlation with other soluble molecules belonging to nerve growth factor receptors (NGFr) superfamily.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE CD27, a transmembrane homodimer belonging to the nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor superfamily, is typically expressed on leukemic CD5+ cells in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and found in soluble form in the serum of CLL patients. Therefore, we investigated clinico-biological implications of increased serum levels of sCD27 in an unselected series of B-CLL patients. DESIGN AND METHODS Serum CD27 (sCD27) levels were determined at the time of diagnosis in 82 previously untreated B-CLL patients using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). Results were correlated with either clinico-hematological or biological features. Finally, quantitative flow cytometric analyses of membrane CD27 (mCD27) expression were carried out on peripheral blood (PB) cells of 22 B-CLL patients and 5 healthy controls, respectively. RESULTS CD27 was found to be expressed on the surface of both resting normal and leukemic B cells. sCD27 levels were significantly higher in B-CLL patients (median value 2150 U/mL) than in healthy controls (median value 220 U/mL) (p < 0.0001). There was a close relationship between sCD27 and soluble TNF-alpha, another molecule belonging to the NGF receptor superfamily. Changes in sCD27 level correlated with clinical stage, beta 2 microglobulin and LDH. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that sCD27 is a reliable marker of tumor mass in B-CLL. Its potential prognostic value should be tested in prospective studies.
Increased angiogenic factor secretion by decidual natural killer cells from pregnancies with high uterine artery resistance alters trophoblast function

STUDY QUESTION Are the concentrations of factors secreted by decidual natural killer (dNK) cells from pregnancies at high risk of poor spiral artery remodelling different to those secreted from pregnancies at low risk? SUMMARY ANSWER Expression levels of PLGF, sIL-2R, endostatin and angiogenin were significantly increased by dNK cells from high-risk pregnancies, and angiogenin and endostatin were found to alter trophoblast function. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY During early pregnancy, maternal uterine spiral arteries are remodelled from small diameter, low-flow, high-resistance vessels into larger diameter, higher flow vessels, with low-resistance. This change is essential for the developing fetus to obtain sufficient oxygen and nutrients. dNK cells have been implicated in this process. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION dNK cells were isolated from first trimester terminations of pregnancies (obtained with local ethical approval) screened for normal- or high-resistance index, indicative of cases least (<1%) and most (>21%) likely to have developed pre-eclampsia had the pregnancy not been terminated (n = 18 each group). Secreted factors and the effects of these on the trophoblast cell line, SGHPL-4, were assessed in vitro. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS A multiplex assay was used to assess dNK cell-secreted factors. SGHPL-4 cell functions were assessed using time-lapse microscopy, 3D invasion assays, endothelial-like tube formation ability and western blot analysis. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The expression levels of PLGF (P < 0.01), sIL-2R (P < 0.01), endostatin (P < 0.05) and angiogenin (P < 0.05) were significantly increased by dNK cells from high-risk pregnancies. Endostatin significantly decreased SGHPL-4 invasion (P < 0.05), SGHPL-4 tube formation (P < 0.05) and SGHPL-4 Aktser473 phosphorylation (P < 0.05). Angiogenin significantly decreased SGHPL-4 invasion (P < 0.05), but increased SGHPL-4 tube formation (P < 0.01) and decreased SGHPL-4 Aktser473 phosphorylation (P < 0.05). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The culture of dNK cells and protein concentrations in vitro may not fully represent the in vivo situation. Although SGHPL-4 cells are extravillous trophoblast derived, further studies would be needed to confirm the roles of angiogenin and endostatin in vivo. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The altered expression of secreted factors of dNK cells may contribute to pregnancy disorders associated with poor spiral artery remodelling. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was supported by the Wellcome Trust (project reference 091550). R.F. was a recipient of a PhD studentship from the Division of Biomedical Sciences, St. George's, University of London. The authors have no conflict of interests.
ECG SAMPLING RATE CONTROLLED BY SIGNAL CONTENTS

This paper presents the ECG-dedicated algorithm performing the signal sampling at the variable rate. The local value of sampling interval is controlled by the bandwidth function representing the medical data density. The achieved data compression ratio equals 3 and the distortion level is very low. Practical considerations on adaptive antialias filtering and hardware implementation complete the paper.
ENERGY, WATER, AND BROAD‐SCALE GEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF SPECIES RICHNESS

It is often claimed that we do not understand the forces driving the global diversity gradient. However, an extensive literature suggests that contemporary climate constrains terrestrial taxonomic richness over broad geographic extents. Here, we review the empirical literature to examine the nature and form of the relationship between climate and richness. Our goals were to document the support for the climatically based energy hypothesis, and within the constraints imposed by correlative analyses, to evaluate two versions of the hypothesis: the productivity and ambient energy hypotheses. Focusing on studies extending over 800 km, we found that measures of energy, water, or water-energy balance explain spatial variation in richness better than other climatic and non-climatic variables in 82 of 85 cases. Even when considered individually and in isolation, water/ energy variables explain on average over 60% of the variation in the richness of a wide range of plant and animal groups. Further, water variables usually represent the strongest predictors in the tropics, subtropics, and warm temperate zones, whereas energy variables (for animals) or water-energy variables (for plants) dominate in high latitudes. We conclude that the interaction between water and energy, either directly or indirectly (via plant productivity), provides a strong explanation for globally extensive plant and animal diversity gradients, but for animals there also is a latitudinal shift in the relative importance of ambient energy vs. water moving from the poles to the equator. Although contemporary climate is not the only factor influencing species richness and may not explain the diversity pattern for all taxonomic groups, it is clear that understanding water-energy dynamics is critical to future biodiversity research. Analyses that do not include water-energy variables are missing a key component for explaining broad-scale patterns of diversity.
Specialty Preferences and the Factors Influencing Them Among Pre-Clerkship Medical Students: The First Study from Alfaisal University-College of Medicine, Saudi Arabia

Aim: To explore the specialty preferences and the factors influencing them among pre-clerkship (second-year and third-year) medical students at Alfaisal University-College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: An online, anonymous, cross-sectional, self-rating survey was administered. The survey explored socio-demographical data, specialty preferences and the factors influencing such preferences. A gender-wise statistical analysis was performed. Results: Two hundred fifty-two students participated in the survey (n=252/308; response rate: 81.8%). The three main specialties chosen by males were general surgery (33.1%), pediatrics (7.9%), and neurology-ophthalmology (5.5%). Females also opted for general surgery (20.8%) followed by dermatology (11.2%) and pediatrics (8.8%). Gender-wise specialty preferences were noted: general surgery (p<0.028) and anesthesiology (p<0.045) by males, whereas obstetrics & gynecology (p<0.017) and dermatology (p<0.005) by females. Overall, the three major influences in choosing a specialty were "specialty interest" (86.5%), "specialty flexibility" (64.3%), and "anticipated income" (61.9%). Statistically significant differences were noticed between genders regarding the following factors: "specialty prestige" (p<0.005) by males and "culture―no opposite gender patients" by females (p<0.009). Conclusion: The overall two preferred specialties were general surgery (27%) and pediatrics (8.3%). Career counseling should be offered to students about each specialty’s challenges/opportunities with an ultimate goal to match the country-specific demand and supply of physicians.
Key Agreement Over Multiple Access Channel

In this paper, a generalized multiple access channel (MAC) model for secret key sharing between three terminals is considered. In this model, there are two transmitters and a receiver where all three terminals receive noisy channel outputs. In addition, there is a one-way public channel from the transmitters to the receiver. Each of the transmitters intends to share a secret key with the receiver by using the MAC and the public channel, where the transmitters are eavesdroppers with respect to each other. Two strategies for secret key sharing are considered, namely, the pregenerated key strategy and the two-stage key strategy. For both of them, inner and outer bounds of the secret key capacity region are derived. Furthermore, the effect of the public channel is discussed and the two strategies are compared. In both strategies, it is assumed that the channel outputs at the transmitters are only used for eavesdropping and not as inputs to the encoders. The effect of this assumption in the presence of the public channel is analyzed for some Gaussian MACs.
Learning with synthesized speech for automatic emotion recognition

Data sparseness is an ever dominating problem in automatic emotion recognition. Using artificially generated speech for training or adapting models could potentially ease this: though less natural than human speech, one could synthesize the exact spoken content in different emotional nuances - of many speakers and even in different languages. To investigate chances, the phonemisation components Txt2Pho and openMary are used with Emofilt and Mbrola for emotional speech synthesis. Analysis is realized with our Munich open Emotion and Affect Recognition toolkit. As test set we gently limit to the acted Berlin and eNTERFACE databases for the moment. In the result synthesized speech can indeed be used for the recognition of human emotional speech.
Different Evolutionary History for Basque Diaspora Populations in USA and Argentina Unveiled by Mitochondrial DNA Analysis

The Basque Diaspora in Western USA and Argentina represents two populations which have maintained strong Basque cultural and social roots in a completely different geographic context. Hence, they provide an exceptional opportunity to study the maternal genetic legacy from the ancestral Basque population and assess the degree of genetic introgression from the host populations in two of the largest Basque communities outside the Basque Country. For this purpose, we analyzed the complete mitochondrial DNA control region of Basque descendants living in Western USA (n = 175) and in Argentina (n = 194). The Diaspora populations studied here displayed a genetic diversity in their European maternal input which was similar to that of the Basque source populations, indicating that not important founder effects would have occurred. Actually, the genetic legacy of the Basque population still prevailed in their present-day maternal pools, by means of a haplogroup distribution similar to the source population characterized by the presence of autochthonous Basque lineages, such as U5b1f1a and J1c5c1. However, introgression of non-Basque lineages, mostly Native American, has been observed in the Diaspora populations, particularly in Argentina, where the quick assimilation of the newcomers would have favored a wider admixture with host populations. In contrast, a longer isolation of the Diaspora groups in USA, because of language and cultural differences, would have limited the introgression of local lineages. This study reveals important differences in the maternal evolutionary histories of these Basque Diaspora populations, which have to be taken into consideration in forensic and medical genetic studies.
Fluorescence-Imaged Microdeformation of the Outer Hair Cell Lateral Wall

Outer hair cell (OHC) electromotility appears to be central to mammalian hearing and originates within its lateral wall. The OHC lateral wall is a unique trilaminate structure consisting of the plasma membrane (PM), the cortical lattice (CL), and the subsurface cisternae (SSC). We selectively labeled and imaged the lateral wall components in the isolated guinea pig OHC under confocal microscopy. The PM was labeled with a voltage-sensitive dye, di-8-ANEPPS; the SSC was labeled with the sphingomyelin precursor, NBD-C6-ceramide; and F-actin in the CL was labeled with conjugates of phalloidin. Interactions among the three layers were evaluated with the micropipette aspiration technique. The PM was tethered to the CL and SSC until, at a critical deformation pressure, the PM separated, allowing visualization of the extracisternal space, and ultimately formed a vesicle. After detaching, the stiffness parameter of the PM was 22% of that of the intact lateral wall. We conclude that the lateral wall PM is more compliant than the CL/SSC complex. The data clarify the structural basis for electromotile force coupling in the OHC lateral wall.
High accretion rates in magnetised Keplerian discs mediated by a Parker instability driven dynamo

Hydromagnetic stresses in accretion discs have been the subject of intense theoretical research over the past one and a half decades. Most of the disc simulations have assumed a small initial magnetic field and studied the turbulence that arises from the magnetorotational instability. However, gaseous discs in galactic nuclei and in some binary systems are likely to have significant initial magnetisation. Motivated by this, we performed ideal magnetohydrodynamic simulations of strongly magnetised, vertically stratified discs in a Keplerian potential. Our initial equilibrium configuration, which has an azimuthal magnetic field in equipartion with thermal pressure, is unstable to the Parker instability. This leads to the expelling of magnetic field arcs, anchored in the midplane of the disc, to around five scale heights from the midplane. Transition to turbulence happens primarily through magnetorotational instability in the resulting vertical fields, although magnetorotational shear instability in the unperturbed azimuthal field plays a significant role as well, especially in the midplane where buoyancy is weak. High magnetic and hydrodynamical stresses arise, yielding an effective α-value of around 0.1 in our highest resolution run. Azimuthal magnetic field expelled by magnetic buoyancy from the disc is continuously replenished by the stretching of a radial field created as gas parcels slide in the linear gravity field along inclined magnetic field lines. This dynamo process, where the bending of field lines by the Parker instability leads to re-creation of the azimuthal field, implies that highly magnetised discs are astrophysically viable and that they have high accretion rates.