Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Catalyctic activation of carbon Fibres in electroless process of fabrication of metallized carbon fabrics

The influence of metallization process parameters such as bath composition and deposition rate on the thickness and morphology of coatings were investigated. The role of bath composition (Ni-salt, reducer, complexing-buffering additive, stabilizer, surfactants), pH value, temperature and deposition time were studied. The requirements for C-fiber/Ni-P/Al alloy composite fabrication are limited to the P-content to 2÷3 wt. % and coating thickness to less than 1 μm. The metallization process, after proper carbon fiber pretreatment, was performed in baths containing: NiSO4, NaH2PO2, glycine, stabilizers and wetting agents. The pH value was shifted to the range of 4.5÷8.5, temperature 60÷80oC and deposition time from 5 to 60 min. As a substrate for the metallization process, roving and fabrics manufactured by Tenax (3-24k filaments in bundle with 7 μm diameter), as well as mullite test samples were used. The results of the experiments, limited to changes of pH in the bath, indicated that the ratio of NiSO4/NaH2PO2 concentration is the main factor determining the P-content and Ni-P deposition time. It is the best factor for fixing the coating thickness. The increase of the Ni-P coating thickness rate also depends on the quantity of carbon fibers in the roving.
An Enforceable Incentive Scheme in Wireless Multi-path Inter-session Network Coding Game

There are some selfish nodes in wireless mesh networks multi-path inter-session network coding; and all selfish nodes maximize their earnings through the game. In this paper, a stimulus scheme is proposed which is suit for selfish nodes game in a multi-path inter-session network coding game. In the multi-path transmission, we use the watch dog checks the existence of selfish nodes. After selfish nodes are detected, we modified the multi-path protocols. For multi-path selfish nodes, we adopt non-cooperation method to punish it; and that the priority forwarding is used to active cooperation nodes. It is proved that Nash equilibrium is acquired for all players to obey the incentive scheme honestly. Experiments verify the theoretical analysis.
K201 (JTV519) is a Ca2+-Dependent Blocker of SERCA and a Partial Agonist of Ryanodine Receptors in Striated Muscle

K201 (JTV-519) may prevent abnormal Ca2+ leak from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in the ischemic heart and skeletal muscle (SkM) by stabilizing the ryanodine receptors (RyRs; RyR1 and RyR2, respectively). We tested direct modulation of the SR Ca2+-stimulated ATPase (SERCA) and RyRs by K201. In isolated cardiac and SkM SR microsomes, K201 slowed the rate of SR Ca2+ loading, suggesting potential SERCA block and/or RyR agonism. K201 displayed Ca2+-dependent inhibition of SERCA-dependent ATPase activity, which was measured in microsomes incubated with 200, 2, and 0.25 µM Ca2+ and with the half-maximal K201 inhibitory doses (IC50) estimated at 130, 19, and 9 µM (cardiac muscle) and 104, 13, and 5 µM (SkM SR). K201 (≥5 µM) increased RyR1-mediated Ca2+ release from SkM microsomes. Maximal K201 doses at 80 µM produced ∼37% of the increase in SkM SR Ca2+ release observed with the RyR agonist caffeine. K201 (≥5 µM) increased the open probability (Po) of very active (“high-activity”) RyR1 of SkM reconstituted into bilayers, but it had no effect on “low-activity” channels. Likewise, K201 activated cardiac RyR2 under systolic Ca2+ conditions (∼5 µM; channels at Po ∼0.3) but not under diastolic Ca2+ conditions (∼100 nM; Po < 0.01). Thus, K201-induced the inhibition of SR Ca2+ leak found in cell-system studies may relate to potentially potent SERCA block under resting Ca2+ conditions. SERCA block likely produces mild SR depletion in normal conditions but could prevent SR Ca2+ overload under pathologic conditions, thus precluding abnormal RyR-mediated Ca2+ release.
Linac‐based stereotactic radiation therapy for canine non‐lymphomatous nasal tumours: 29 cases (2013‐2016)

Twenty-nine dogs were treated with linac-based stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) for non-lymphomatous nasal tumours. Only dogs with a follow-up time >365 days were included in this retrospective analysis. No dogs had evidence of distant metastasis at diagnosis. Treatment was planned and a total of 30 Gy in 3 daily 10 Gy fractions was delivered using intensity-modulation, cone-beam CT-based image guidance and a robotic treatment couch. Clinical signs improved in all cases. Nineteen dogs had CT scans 3-4 months post-SRT and all had partial or complete tumour response. Minimal acute toxicities were detected. Clinically significant late toxicities included oronasal or nasocutaneous fistulas (N = 3) and biopsy-confirmed fungal rhinitis with no evidence of tumour progression (N = 2). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 354 days, with 49% and 39% progression-free at 1 and 2 years post-SRT, respectively. The median survival time (ST) was 586 days, with 69% and 22% alive 1 and 2 years post-SRT, respectively. Neither the clinical parameters evaluated (modified Adams' stage, histopathology, presence of intracranial extension of the tumour) nor dosimetric data were predictive for PFS or ST. This SRT protocol appears to be well tolerated, and PFI and ST are comparable or superior to those reported in other definitive-intent radiotherapy protocols.
The synaptotagmin C2B domain calcium-binding loops modulate the rate of fusion pore expansion

This study provides novel mechanistic insights into how Syt-1 and Syt-7 C2B domains regulate the later stages of exocytosis. We show that small structural differences within this region exert significant effects on fusion pore properties. We propose that these effects may arise from differences in C2B domain affinity for the plasma membrane.
High frequency copolymer ultrasonic transducer array of size-effective elements

A layer-by-layer deposition method for producing dual-layer ultrasonic transducers from piezoelectric copolymers has been developed. The method uses a combination of customized and standard processing to obtain 2D array transducers with electrical connection of the individual elements routed directly to the rear of the substrate. A numerical model was implemented to study basic parameters effecting the transducer characteristics. Key elements of the array were characterized and evaluated, demonstrating its viability of 2D imaging. Signal reproducibility of the prototype array was studied by characterizing the variations of the center frequency (≈42 MHz) and bandwidth (≈25 MHz) of the acoustic. Object identification was also tested and parameterized by acoustic-field beamwidth as well as proper scan step size. Simple tests to illustrate a benefit of multi-element scan on lowering the inspection time were conducted. Structural imaging of the test structure underneath multi-layered wave media (glass plate and distilled water) was also performed. The prototype presented in this work is an important step towards realizing an inexpensive, compact array of individually operated copolymer transducers that can serve in a fast/volumetric high frequency (HF) ultrasonic scanning platform.
Thumb boutonnière deformity without rheumatoid arthritis or trauma

Boutonnière deformity of the thumb without rheumatoid arthritis or trauma is not widely recognised. This study aimed to investigate its prevalence, relation to sex and age, and identifying factors associated with the extensor mechanism using ultrasonography. We examined 248 thumbs from 127 participants who were asymptomatic for hand disorders and had no history of hand injury. Boutonnière deformity was identified in 20 thumbs of 17 participants and was significantly more prevalent among elderly participants than among young participants. No significant differences in sex or hand dominance were noted. The deformity had a significant effect on range of motion and grip and pinch strengths. The extensor pollicis brevis (EPB) tendon was significantly narrower in affected thumbs than in non-affected thumbs. The prevalence of boutonnière deformity without rheumatoid arthritis or trauma was 13%, and the deformity was associated with advanced age and a narrow EPB tendon. Level of evidence: III
Bacteria Foraging : A New Technique for Speed Control of DC Series Motor Supplied by Photovoltaic System

This paper presents the speed control of a DC series motor supplied by Photovoltaic (PV) system. The proposed design problem of speed controller is formulated as an optimization problem. Bacteria Foraging Optimization Algorithm (BFOA) is employed to search for optimal Proportional Integral (PI) parameters of speed controller by minimizing the time domain objective function. The performance of the proposed technique has been evaluated with respect to load torque variation, ambient temperature and radiation. Simulation results have shown the validity of the proposed technique in controlling the speed of DC series motor under different disturbances. Key-Words: DC Series Motor, Photovoltaic System, Speed Control, PI Controller, Bacteria Foraging Optimization Algorithm.
Cortisol as a predictor of psychological therapy response in depressive disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Many patients with depressive disorders demonstrate resistance to psychological therapy. A frequent finding is hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis alterations. As cortisol is known to modulate cognitive processes, those patients may be less likely to profit from psychological therapy. Aims To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on cortisol as a predictor of psychological therapy response. Method The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases were searched. Records were included if they looked at patients with any depressive disorder engaging in psychological therapy, with a pre-treatment cortisol and a post-treatment symptom measure. Results Eight articles satisfied our selection criteria. The higher the cortisol levels before starting psychological therapy, the more symptoms patients with depression experienced at the end of treatment and/or the smaller their symptom change. Conclusions Our findings suggest that patients with depression with elevated HPA functioning are less responsive to psychological therapy.
Assessing Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Diabetic Foot Disease: Why Is It Important and How Can We Improve? The 2017 Roger E. Pecoraro Award Lecture

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have become an important subject in the area of diabetes-related foot complications. Self-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) surveys can provide a generic measure of overall health (global) and can be disease specific (i.e., diabetes) or even region specific (i.e., lower-extremity function). Analysis of PRO measures utilizing validated instruments allows health care providers to determine whether medical and surgical treatments are providing patients with the highest level of outcome possible and are actually improving HRQOL. The 36-item Short Form (SF-36), EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L), and Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) are examples of commonly used HRQOL surveys. Low HRQOL has been associated with higher rates of hospital admission and mortality in patients with diabetes. Previous studies have demonstrated that patients with diabetes-related foot disease have low self-reported physical quality of life but do not typically report low mental quality of life. The impact of mental quality of life may be underestimated in these patients using the SF-36. In this article, we will discuss several widely used outcome instruments used to measure patient HRQOL and the impact of diabetic foot disease on HRQOL. As health care providers, we must continue to adjust and modify our treatments to achieve the best patient outcomes and associated high quality of life. Assessing PROs will become increasingly important as health care systems transition from a volume-based reimbursement model to a value-based model.
Matériaux composites à matrice métallique : modélisation du comportement thermoélastoviscoplastique et résolution de problèmes aux limites 3D

L'objectif de ce travail est l'etude du comportement des materiaux heterogenes aussi bien a l'echelle mesoscopique qu'a l'echelle macroscopique, avec des applications orientees vers les composites a matrice metallique et en particulier vers les Al/SiC. Les modeles thermomecaniques utilises pour la matrice (modele de Miller et Sherby, modele generalise d'Anand) couvrent un domaine de temperatures allant de l'ambiante a la temperature de fusion et des vitesses de deformation jusqu'a 10-1 s-1. Ils font appel a une energie d'activation dependant de la temperature, ce qui permet une meilleure description du comportement viscoplastique complexe de la matrice. En ce qui concerne les renforts, leur comportement a ete suppose elastique, compte tenu de leur grande rigidite et de leur temperature de fusion elevee. En partant de cette modelisation, un nouveau code elements finis 3D, appele EVIMP3D, a ete developpe. L'interpolation spatiale est isoparametrique (lineaire ou quadratique), a l'exception de la partie spherique du tenseur vitesse de deformation, qui est interpolee par une methode de type B-bar, afin de mieux tenir compte de la quasi-incompressibilite de la matrice en grandes deformations plastiques. Le code a ete concu d'une maniere modulaire de facon a pouvoir y implementer facilement d'autres lois de comportement. L'integration temporelle, basee sur une description lagrangienne reactualisee, utilise pour chaque pas de temps un algorithme du type predicteur-correcteur. Le predicteur est base sur un schema explicite de type «forward-gradient», qui fournit une premiere estimation de la configuration a la fin du pas. Il est ensuite relaye par le correcteur qui est base sur un schema implicite coherent de type Newton-Raphson, et qui doit d'une part assurer la reactualisation des variables d'etat et, d'autre part, minimiser les forces non-equilibrees. Les premieres simulations ont ete utilisees pour la validation numerique detaillee d'EVIMP3D. La plupart des applications concernent les composites Al/SiC, et ont eu comme objectif la prevision des contraintes residuelles induites par l'elaboration et leur influence sur le comportement du composite lors d'un chargement mecanique ulterieur. La discretisation 3D du domaine a permis d'etudier d'une maniere systematique l'influence de la forme des renforts sur la distribution spatiale des contraintes et des deformations. Enfin, quelques simulations ont ete consacrees a l'etude de l'influence des bords libres dans des cas d'arrangement periodique des particules de renfort, afin de verifier la validite des calculs effectues d'habitude sur des volumes representatifs.
The quantal theory of immunity and the interleukin‐2‐dependent negative feedback regulation of the immune response

Summary: The regulation of the tempo, magnitude, and duration of the immune response has been thought to reside solely with antigen for the past 50 years. However, with the discovery of the interleukins (ILs) 30 years ago, it became evident that these endogenous ‘lymphocytotrophic hormones’ provide the molecular mechanisms via classic hormone–receptor interactions. However, lacking in the hormonal regulatory capacity of the ILs were negative feedback mechanisms that functioned to switch off the positive driving force of the immune response, whether after antigen was cleared or when antigen persists, as with auto‐antigens, tumor antigens, persistent infections, or allografts. Our recent experimental data, reviewed herein, exploring the T‐cell antigen receptor (TCR) induction of the negative transcriptional regulator, forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3), indicate that its expression is signaled by the T‐cell growth factor IL‐2. Once expressed, FOXP3 functions to restrict IL‐2 expression in reaction to continued TCR stimulation. Thus, IL‐2 regulates it own levels via a FOXP3‐mediated negative feedback loop. In contrast, we found no evidence that FOXP3+ cells actively suppress IL‐2 expression, thereby failing to support the notion that such cells regulate potential effector cells.
On the location of the supermassive black hole in CTA 102

Relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei represent one of the most powerful phenomena in the Universe. They form in the surroundings of the supermassive black holes as a by-product of accretion onto the central black hole in active galaxies. The flow in the jets propagates at velocities close to the speed of light. The distance between the first part of the jet that is visible in radio images (core) and the black hole is still a matter of debate. Only very-long-baseline interferometry observations resolve the innermost compact regions of the radio jet. Those can access the jet base, and combining data at different wavelenghts, address the physical parameters of the outflow from its emission. We have performed an accurate analysis of the frequency-dependent shift of the VLBI core location for a multi-wavelength set of images of the blazar CTA 102 including data from 6 cm down to 3 mm. The measure of the position of the central black hole, with mass $\sim 10^{8.93}\,M_\odot$, in the blazar CTA 102 reveals a distance of $\sim 8\times10^4$ gravitational radii to the 86 GHz core, in agreement with similar measures obtained for other blazars and distant radio galaxies, and in contrast with recent results for the case of nearby radio galaxies, which show distances between the black hole and the radio core that can be two orders of magnitude smaller.
TOOL WEAR MONITORING UNDER DRY AND WET MACHINING

External turning operations for steel 37 (AISI 1025) tubes were performed on a center lathe using high-speed steel tools. The workpiece was machined orthogonally using a wide range of cutting speeds for both dry and wet cutting conditions. The tool wear and the constants of the tool life equation (C, n) were studied by changing the cutting speed and the wear criterion. Comparisons between dry and wet cutting for different cutting speeds were performed, and the constants of the tool life equation were studied under different wear criterion values. The economy of dry and wet cutting was also studied under different wear criterion values. As a result of using cutting fluids, percentage increase in the constant C reached 18%, whereas percentage decrease in the constant n reached 7% at 0.9 wear criterion, which leads to a percentage increase in the tool life of about 214%.
Split-Screen Video Demonstration of Sonography-Guided Muscle Identification and Injection of Botulinum Toxin Video

A standardization of injection procedures for the various botulinum toxin (BoNT) indications has not been achieved to date. One established option to guide the therapist’s needle is sonography guidance. It provides real-time visualization of the injection process, which is quick, allows perfect precision, and the procedure as such is painless. To demonstrate these qualities, we have recorded six split-screen video segments that show the handling of the probe and the needle during BoNT injections concurrently with the respective crosssectional sonography recordings. The video sequences show differentiation of the pollicis longus muscle and individual finger flexor fascicles, needle tracking, and real-time sonography-guided injection of the gastrocnemius, rectus femoris, and iliopsoas muscles. We hope this short presentation will help to encourage a more widespread use of the technique as well as further research on sonography guidance for precise delivery of BoNT injections to various target muscles. 2010 Movement Disorder Society
Estimating Gestational Age With Sonography: Regression‐Derived Formula Versus the Fetal Biometric Average

To compare the accuracy of a new regression‐derived formula developed from the National Fetal Growth Studies data to the common alternative method that uses the average of the gestational ages (GAs) calculated for each fetal biometric measurement (biparietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference, and femur length).
Edge Preserving and Multi-Scale Contextual Neural Network for Salient Object Detection

In this paper, we propose a novel edge preserving and multi-scale contextual neural network for salient object detection. The proposed framework is aiming to address two limits of the existing CNN based methods. First, region-based CNN methods lack sufficient context to accurately locate salient object since they deal with each region independently. Second, pixel-based CNN methods suffer from blurry boundaries due to the presence of convolutional and pooling layers. Motivated by these, we first propose an end-to-end edge-preserved neural network based on Fast R-CNN framework (named RegionNet) to efficiently generate saliency map with sharp object boundaries. Later, to further improve it, multi-scale spatial context is attached to RegionNet to consider the relationship between regions and the global scenes. Furthermore, our method can be generally applied to RGB-D saliency detection by depth refinement. The proposed framework achieves both clear detection boundary and multi-scale contextual robustness simultaneously for the first time, and thus achieves an optimized performance. Experiments on six RGB and two RGB-D benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance.
Validity, responsiveness and minimum clinically important difference of the incremental shuttle walk in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a prospective study

The incremental shuttle walk (ISW) is well validated in COPD but limited psychometric data restrict its use in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Study 1: 50 patients performed the ISW and 6 min walk test (6MWT). Study 2: 72 patients completed the ISW before and after pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). The ISW correlated strongly with 6MWT distance (r=0.81,p<0.0001). Mean (95% confidence interval) improvement in ISW with PR was 54 (38 to 70) m with an effect size of 0.29. Distribution-based and anchor-based minimum clinically important difference (MCID) estimates ranged from 31 to 46 m. The ISW is valid and responsive in IPF, with an anchor-based MCID estimate similar to that observed in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Trial registration number Pre-results; NCT02530736, NCT02436278.
Hyperlearning: A Connectionist Model of Psychosis in Schizophrenia

Abnormal brain processes that underlie schizophrenia are incompletely understood. Diagnosis of this disorder relies in large part on psychotic symptoms that are observed through conversational language. In this paper, two such symptoms, delusions (ﬁxed false beliefs) and derailments (inability to follow a coherent discourse plan) are modeled using DISCERN, a connectionist model of human story processing. Simulations of alternative pathologies thought to underlie schizophrenia are applied to DISCERN, and the resulting language abnormalities are evaluated for symptoms of schizophrenia. “Hyperlearn-ing”, a simulation of excessive dopamine release, is shown to produce a compelling model for both delusional and derailed language. Applied to different locations in the model, hyper-learning led to different symptoms, suggesting how clinical subtypes of schizophrenia could arise from a common underlying process.