Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-horizon Robotic Search and Classification using Sampling-based Motion Planning

This paper presents the Rapidly-exploring Adaptive Search and Classification (ReASC) algorithm, a sampling-based algorithm for planning the trajectories of mobile robots performing real-time target search and classification tasks in the field. The proposed algorithm incrementally builds up a tree of solutions and evaluates the utility of each solution for identifying targets in an environment. An optimistic approximation for the classification utility is used, which reduces the computational cost of evaluating trajectories and makes real-time adaptive planning feasible. The proposed algorithm is tested on an autonomous aquatic vehicle and are shown to outperform myopic methods by up to 36% in a lake monitoring scenario.
Low INSL3 in Klinefelter syndrome is related to osteocalcin, testosterone treatment and body composition, as well as measures of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is characterized by infertility and hypogonadism associated with increased prevalence of osteoporosis, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Insulin‐like factor 3 (INSL3) is produced in the Leydig cells. INSL3 has been suggested to play a role in bone health. Here, we studied INSL3 in relation to bone markers, body composition, the metabolic syndrome and diabetes. This was a case–control study. Sex hormones, anthropometric measures, vitamin D metabolites, parathyroid hormone, growth factors, muscle strength, maximal oxygen consumption and BMD were measured. We included 70 adult KS patients and 71 age‐matched controls. INSL3 was lower in testosterone‐treated KS compared with untreated KS. Correlation analyses showed a positive correlation between INSL3 and osteocalcin among KS, but not in controls; a significant positive correlation between INSL3 and testosterone in controls and in untreated KS, but not in treated KS men. Among controls a negative correlation was found between INSL3 and lipids, and glucose, but not in KS. HOMA2‐B and impaired fasting glycaemia was positively correlated with INSL3 in controls. Among KS males we found a negative correlation between INSL3 and BMI, weight and waist/hip ratio, as well as positive correlations between INSL3 and FSH, LH, SHBG and testis volume. Multivariate analyses showed that age, testosterone and HDL cholesterol were the principal independent variables among healthy controls, whereas the determinants of INSL3 concentration among KS were age, LH, current testosterone treatment and testicular volume. INSL3 in KS is influenced by testosterone treatment and INSL3 is correlated with measures of bone metabolism, body composition and the metabolic syndrome. This may suggest that low INSL3 concentration is related to the pathogenesis behind an unfavourable change in body composition and bone metabolism among KS patients.
A Novel Mechanism for Regulating Hepatic Glycogen Synthesis Involving Serotonin and Cyclin-Dependent Kinase-5

Hepatic autonomic nerves regulate postprandial hepatic glucose uptake, but the signaling pathways remain unknown. We tested the hypothesis that serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) exerts stimulatory and inhibitory effects on hepatic glucose disposal. Ligands of diverse 5-HT receptors were used to identify signaling pathway(s) regulating glucose metabolism in hepatocytes. 5-HT had stimulatory and inhibitory effects on glycogen synthesis in hepatocytes mediated by 5-HT1/2A and 5-HT2B receptors, respectively. Agonists of 5-HT1/2A receptors lowered blood glucose and increased hepatic glycogen after oral glucose loading and also stimulated glycogen synthesis in freshly isolated hepatocytes with greater efficacy than 5-HT. This effect was blocked by olanzapine, an antagonist of 5-HT1/2A receptors. It was mediated by activation of phosphorylase phosphatase, inactivation of glycogen phosphorylase, and activation of glycogen synthase. Unlike insulin action, it was not associated with stimulation of glycolysis and was counteracted by cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitors. A role for cdk5 was supported by adaptive changes in the coactivator protein p35 and by elevated glycogen synthesis during overexpression of p35/cdk5. These results support a novel mechanism for serotonin stimulation of hepatic glycogenesis involving cdk5. The opposing effects of serotonin, mediated by distinct 5-HT receptors, could explain why drugs targeting serotonin function can cause either diabetes or hypoglycemia in humans.
A Comparison of Undergraduate Students' English Vocabulary Learning: Using Mobile Phones and Flash Cards.

Knowing a foreign language has become crucial to reach information. Learning vocabulary is the fundamental step to learn a foreign language. New devices are invented everyday to fulfill the needs of citizens of the twenty-first century. Increased use of mobile phones has made them popular for not only communication, but also entertainment and learning purposes. Mobile phones have provided remarkable advantages in learning process. They provide opportunity for learning to occur outside the classroom walls in anytime and anyplace. The effects of using vocabulary learning programs in mobile phones on students’ English vocabulary learning are investigated using the mixed-method research design with sixty students studying in the Undergraduate Compulsory Preparatory Program of a public university located in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Results indicated that using mobile phones as a vocabulary learning tool is more effective than one of the traditional vocabulary learning tools.
Grayanotoxin-I-modified eel electroplax sodium channels. Correlation with batrachotoxin and veratridine modifications

To probe the structure-function relationships of voltage-dependent sodium channels, we have been examining the mechanisms of channel modification by batrachotoxin (BTX), veratridine (VTD), and grayanotoxin-I (GTX), investigating the unifying mechanisms that underlie the diverse modifications of this class of neurotoxins. In this paper, highly purified sodium channel polypeptides from the electric organ of the electric eel were incorporated into planar lipid bilayers in the presence of GTX for comparison with our previous studies of BTX (Recio-Pinto, E., D. S. Duch, S. R. Levinson, and B. W. Urban. 1987. J. Gen. Physiol. 90:375-395) and VTD (Duch, D. S., E. Recio-Pinto, C. Frenkel, S. R. Levinson, and B. W. Urban. 1989. J. Gen. Physiol. 94:813-831) modifications. GTX-modified channels had a single channel conductance of 16 pS. An additional large GTX-modified open state (40-55 pS) was found which occurred in bursts correlated with channel openings and closings. Two voltage-dependent processes controlling the open time of these modified channels were characterized: (a) a concentration-dependent removal of inactivation analogous to VTD-modified channels, and (b) activation gating similar to BTX-modified channels, but occurring at more hyperpolarized potentials. The voltage dependence of removal of inactivation correlated with parallel voltage-dependent changes in the estimated K1/2 of VTD and GTX modifications. Ranking either the single channel conductances or the depolarization required for 50% activation, the same sequence is obtained: unmodified > BTX > GTX > VTD. The efficacy of the toxins as activators follows the same ranking (Catterall, W. A. 1977. J. Biol. Chem. 252:8669-8676).
Sand Fly Saliva Enhances Leishmania amazonensis Infection by Modulating Interleukin-10 Production

ABSTRACT After transmission through the bite of female sand flies, Leishmania spp. can cause a broad spectrum of disease manifestations collectively known as leishmaniases. L. amazonensis is endemic in South America, where it causes cutaneous, diffuse cutaneous, and visceral leishmaniasis. In this study, we have provided evidence that salivary gland extracts (SGE) of Lutzomyia longipalpis enhances L. amazonensis infection. BALB/c mice infected intradermally in the ear with 105 metacyclic promastigotes of L. amazonensis together with SGE (equivalent to 0.5 gland) showed an early onset of disease and larger lesions that contained ∼3-log-units more parasites than did controls. To determine the potential mechanism underlying this enhancement, we assessed cytokine production via reverse transcriptase PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Mice coinjected with parasites and SGE displayed higher levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) mRNA in the ear tissues, as well as higher levels of IL-10 in supernatants of restimulated draining lymph node (LN) cells, than did controls. Flow cytometric analysis revealed high frequencies of IL-10-producing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the draining LN of mice coinjected with the parasite and SGE. In addition, we examined bone marrow derived-macrophage cultures and detected increased IL-10 but decreased nitric oxide (NO) production in cells exposed to SGE prior to infection with L. amazonensis. Together, these results imply that the sand fly saliva facilitates Leishmania evasion of the host immune system by modulating IL-10 production.
Paternal selenium deficiency but not supplementation during preconception alters mammary gland development and 7,12‐dimethylbenz[a]anthracene‐induced mammary carcinogenesis in female rat offspring

Breast cancer is a global public health problem and accumulating evidence indicates early‐life exposures as relevant factors in the disease risk determination. Recent studies have shown that paternal nutrition can influence offspring health including breast cancer risk. Selenium is a micronutrient with essential role in central aspects of embryogenesis, male fertility and cancer and that has been extensively studied as a chemopreventive agent in several breast cancer experimental models. Thus, we designed an animal study to evaluate whether paternal selenium deficiency or supplementation during preconception could affect the female offspring mammary gland development and breast cancer susceptibility. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats were fed AIN93‐G diet containing 0.15 ppm (control diet), 0.05 ppm (deficient diet) or 1 ppm (supplemented diet) of selenium for 9 weeks and mated with control female rats. Mammary carcinogenesis was induced with 7,12‐dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) in their female offspring. Paternal selenium deficiency increased the number of terminal end buds, epithelial elongation and cell proliferation in the mammary gland of the female rat offspring and these effects were associated with higher susceptibility to DMBA‐induced mammary tumors (increased incidence and higher grade tumors). On the other hand, paternal selenium supplementation did not influence any of these parameters. These results highlight the importance of father's nutrition including selenium status as a relevant factor affecting daughter's breast cancer risk and paternal preconception as a potential developmental stage to start disease preventive strategies.
A NOTE ON EXISTENCE OF Ψ−BOUNDED SOLUTIONS FOR A NONHOMOGENEOUS MATRIX DIFFERENCE EQUATION ON N (COMMUNICATED BY DOUGLAS R. ANDERSON)

In this paper, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of at least one Ψ−bounded solution on N for the non-homogeneous matrix difference equation X(n + 1) = A(n)X(n)B(n) + F (n), where F is a Ψ−summable matrix function on N. In addition, we give a result in connection with the asymptotic behavior on N of the Ψ−bounded solutions of this equation.
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in Gene Encoding Transcription Factor Prep1 Is Associated with HIV-1-Associated Dementia

Background Infection with HIV-1 may result in severe cognitive and motor impairment, referred to as HIV-1-associated dementia (HAD). While its prevalence has dropped significantly in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy, milder neurocognitive disorders persist with a high prevalence. To identify additional therapeutic targets for treating HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, several candidate gene polymorphisms have been evaluated, but few have been replicated across multiple studies. Methods We here tested 7 candidate gene polymorphisms for association with HAD in a case-control study consisting of 86 HAD cases and 246 non-HAD AIDS patients as controls. Since infected monocytes and macrophages are thought to play an important role in the infection of the brain, 5 recently identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) affecting HIV-1 replication in macrophages in vitro were also tested. Results The CCR5 wt/Δ32 genotype was only associated with HAD in individuals who developed AIDS prior to 1991, in agreement with the observed fading effect of this genotype on viral load set point. A significant difference in genotype distribution among all cases and controls irrespective of year of AIDS diagnosis was found only for a SNP in candidate gene PREP1 (p = 1.2×10−5). Prep1 has recently been identified as a transcription factor preferentially binding the −2,518 G allele in the promoter of the gene encoding MCP-1, a protein with a well established role in the etiology of HAD. Conclusion These results support previous findings suggesting an important role for MCP-1 in the onset of HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders.
Loss of migratory behaviour increases infection risk for a butterfly host

Long-distance animal migrations have important consequences for infectious disease dynamics. In some cases, migration lowers pathogen transmission by removing infected individuals during strenuous journeys and allowing animals to periodically escape contaminated habitats. Human activities are now causing some migratory animals to travel shorter distances or form sedentary (non-migratory) populations. We focused on North American monarch butterflies and a specialist protozoan parasite to investigate how the loss of migratory behaviours affects pathogen spread and evolution. Each autumn, monarchs migrate from breeding grounds in the eastern US and Canada to wintering sites in central Mexico. However, some monarchs have become non-migratory and breed year-round on exotic milkweed in the southern US. We used field sampling, citizen science data and experimental inoculations to quantify infection prevalence and parasite virulence among migratory and sedentary populations. Infection prevalence was markedly higher among sedentary monarchs compared with migratory monarchs, indicating that diminished migration increases infection risk. Virulence differed among parasite strains but was similar between migratory and sedentary populations, potentially owing to high gene flow or insufficient time for evolutionary divergence. More broadly, our findings suggest that human activities that alter animal migrations can influence pathogen dynamics, with implications for wildlife conservation and future disease risks.
Some reproductive patterns of the sardine, Sardina pilchardus (Walb, 1792), in Boka Kotorska Bay (Montenegro, southern Adriatic Sea)

The annual alteration of gonad morphology in sardine (Sardina pilchardus, Walbaum 1792) caught in the period from November 2006 to October 2007 using beach seines in the region of Boka Kotorska Bay (Montenegro, southern Adriatic) was studied. Samples were taken in the middle of each month. Total length of individuals ranged from 8. 7 to 14.7 cm and weight ranged from 4.67 to 22.61 g. Their gonads were extracted and weighed, and a piece of gonad tissue was sampled for histological analysis. The length—weight relationship of all sardine specimens was described by the equation: W=0.0059 L T 3.0891 ; (r 2 = 0.963). The lowest gonadosomatic index (GSI) values, below 1, were found in June, July and August, corresponding to the state of gonad rest. The GSI increased gradually from September and October and reached its highest value in February, at 5.22 for females and 6.58 for males. After February the GSI started to decrease throughout March (4.5), April (2.4) and May (2.4). In June all gonads had a GSI bellow 1. Although primary oocytes (stage I) were present during all months, their percentage increased from May and was the highest during the summer months (June-September 100%). Mature stage IV oocytes were recorded from November to April, with the highest percentage recorded during January (26.7%). An increase in the percentage of oocytes in the yolk vesicle (II) and yolk (III) stages occurred in October; remaining almost unchanged until May. During the summer months (May ― September), only stage I spermatogonia were present in the testicles. In October spermatocytes (stage II) started to appear, while from November the spermatids (stage III) appeared as well. Spermatozoa (stage IV) appeared in December and reached their maximum level in January and February.
Universal stability results for low rate adversaries in packet switched networks

In this work, we consider a generalized version of the adversarial model and study the universal stability (stability in any network) of scheduling policies under low load rates. We show that any work-conserving policy is universally stable at any load rate r<(1/d), where d is the largest number of links crossed by any packet. We also show that system-wide time priority policies are universally stable at any load rate r<(1/(d-1)).
Error and Error Mitigation in Low-Coverage Genome Assemblies

The recent release of twenty-two new genome sequences has dramatically increased the data available for mammalian comparative genomics, but twenty of these new sequences are currently limited to ∼2× coverage. Here we examine the extent of sequencing error in these 2× assemblies, and its potential impact in downstream analyses. By comparing 2× assemblies with high-quality sequences from the ENCODE regions, we estimate the rate of sequencing error to be 1–4 errors per kilobase. While this error rate is fairly modest, sequencing error can still have surprising effects. For example, an apparent lineage-specific insertion in a coding region is more likely to reflect sequencing error than a true biological event, and the length distribution of coding indels is strongly distorted by error. We find that most errors are contributed by a small fraction of bases with low quality scores, in particular, by the ends of reads in regions of single-read coverage in the assembly. We explore several approaches for automatic sequencing error mitigation (SEM), making use of the localized nature of sequencing error, the fact that it is well predicted by quality scores, and information about errors that comes from comparisons across species. Our automatic methods for error mitigation cannot replace the need for additional sequencing, but they do allow substantial fractions of errors to be masked or eliminated at the cost of modest amounts of over-correction, and they can reduce the impact of error in downstream phylogenomic analyses. Our error-mitigated alignments are available for download.
C-C chemokines in allergen-induced late-phase cutaneous responses in atopic subjects: association of eotaxin with early 6-hour eosinophils, and of eotaxin-2 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-4 with the later 24-hour tissue eosinophilia, and relationship to basophils and other C-C chemokines (mono

The relationship of expression of the C-C chemokines eotaxin, eotaxin 2, RANTES, monocyte chemoattractant protein-3 (MCP-3), and MCP-4 to the kinetics of infiltrating eosinophils, basophils, and other inflammatory cells was examined in allergen-induced, late-phase allergic reactions in the skin of human atopic subjects. EG2+ eosinophils peaked at 6 h and correlated significantly with eotaxin mRNA and protein, whereas declining eosinophils at 24 h correlated significantly with eotaxin-2 and MCP-4 mRNA. In contrast, no significant correlations were observed between BB1+ basophil infiltrates, which peaked at 24 h, and expression of eotaxin, eotaxin-2, RANTES, MCP-3, and MCP-4 or elastase+ neutrophils (6-h peak), CD3+ and CD4+ T cells (24 h), and CD68+ macrophages (72 h). Furthermore, 83% of eosinophils, 40% of basophils, and 1% of CD3+ cells expressed the eotaxin receptor CCR3, while eotaxin protein was expressed by 43% of macrophages, 81% of endothelial cells, and 6% of T cells (6%). These data suggest that 1) eotaxin has a role in the early 6-h recruitment of eosinophils, while eotaxin-2 and MCP-4 appear to be involved in later 24-h infiltration of these CCR3+ cells; 2) different mechanisms may guide the early vs late eosinophilia; and 3) other chemokines and receptors may be involved in basophil accumulation of allergic tissue reactions in human skin.
Psychological determinants of physical activity across the life course: A "DEterminants of DIet and Physical ACtivity" (DEDIPAC) umbrella systematic literature review

Low levels of physical activity (PA) are reported to contribute to the occurrence of non-communicable diseases over the life course. Although psychological factors have been identified as an important category concerning PA behavior, knowledge on psychological determinants of PA is still inconclusive. Therefore, the aim of this umbrella systematic literature review (SLR) was to summarize and synthesize the scientific evidence on psychological determinants of PA behavior across the life course. A systematic online search was conducted on MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases. The search was limited to studies published in English from January 2004 to April 2016. SLRs and meta-analyses (MAs) of observational studies investigating the association of psychological variables and PA were considered eligible. Extracted data were evaluated based on importance of determinants, strength of evidence, and methodological quality. The full protocol is available from PROSPERO (Record ID: CRD42015010616). Twenty reviews (14 SLRs and 6 MAs), mostly of moderate methodological quality, were found eligible. Convincing evidence was found for self-efficacy (positive association with PA) in children and adolescents, and stress (negative association with PA) regardless of age. Most of the evidence revealing an association between psychological determinants and PA is probable and limited, mainly due to differences in the definition of PA and of psychological determinants across reviews. Thus, scholars are urged to reach a consensus on clear definitions of relevant psychological determinants of PA, subsuming cultural biases and allowing the possibility to obtain clear interpretations and generalizability of findings. Finally, most psychological determinants should be considered within a larger framework of other multi-level determinants that may interact or mediate some of the effects.
Parallel compact roadmap construction of 3D virtual environments on the GPU

The representation of probabilistic graphical model often encodes a network whose size is unboundedly large. Such networks pose particular challenges to inference algorithms, specifically making the task of robot path queries highly inefficient due to poor locality of memory references. Whereas a more predictable, resolution complete method yields a highly compact graph structure that captures much of the signal in distributing the configuration free space. In this paper we demonstrate an efficient data parallel algorithm for mapping the computationally intensive, Reachability Roadmap method on the GPU. For our implementation on the recently introduced NVIDIA's Fermi architecture, we show roadmap construction time under twenty seconds for a closure resolution of 55×55×55 cells. Moving forward, our system is well positioned to address smooth navigation of robots in a dynamically changing 3D virtual environment.