Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of diffusion tensor imaging to evaluate weakness.

OBJECT Recently, diffusion tensor (DT) imaging was introduced to demonstrate white matter tracts. However, research interest has focused on the anatomical rather than the functional aspects of this imaging modality. The authors undertook a functional analysis of DT imaging to determine the relationship between weakness and changes on DT images. METHODS Diffusion tensor images were obtained in 23 patients with lesions located adjacent to the pyramidal tract. Patients were classified according to their motor deficit. Axial magnetic resonance image sections through the maximum tumor diameters were selected and the mean apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) and mean fractional anisotropies (FAs) were measured. One ovoid region of interest (ovROI) was placed in the center of the pyramidal tract and another was designed to include the whole pyramidal tract at the same axial level (wROI). To determine intraobserver variability, a single neurosurgeon measured mean ADCs and FAs four times by using these two different ROI types without knowledge of any clinical information. To determine interobserver variability, a second neurosurgeon who was also unaware of any clinical information measured the mean ADCs and FAs by using the wROI method. The five measurements produced the same results. The mean FA at the lesion side of the pyramidal tract was significantly lower in patients with weakness (p < 0.01). Little intraobserver measurement variability occurred using the ovROI method, and no interobserver variability occurred using the wROI method. CONCLUSIONS Motor weakness was significantly related to a low mean FA in the pyramidal tract on the lesion side. Designing an ROI that includes the whole pyramidal tract is an easier and more reproducible method than using an ovROI method.
Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Lysine Acetylation in Fish CIK Cells Infected with Aquareovirus

Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) is an important worldwide commercial freshwater culture species. However, grass carp reovirus (GCRV) causes serious hemorrhagic disease in fingerlings and yearlings of fishes. To understand the molecular pathogenesis of host cells during GCRV infection, intensive proteomic quantification analysis of lysine acetylation in Ctenopharyngodon idella kidney (CIK) cells was performed. Using dimethylation labeling-based quantitative proteomics, 832 acetylated proteins with 1391 lysine acetylation sites were identified in response to GCRV infection, among which 792 proteins with 1323 sites were quantifiable. Bioinformatics analysis showed that differentially expressed lysine acetylated proteins are involved in diverse cellular processes and associated with multifarious functions, suggesting that extensive intracellular activities were changed upon viral infection. In addition, extensive alterations on host–protein interactions at the lysine acetylation level were also detected. Further biological experiments showed that the histone deacetylases (HDAC) inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) could significantly suppress the GCRV replication. To our knowledge, this is the first to reveal the proteome-wide changes in host cell acetylome with aquatic virus infection. The results provided in this study laid a basis for further understanding the host response to aquareovirus infection in the post-translational modification aspect by regulating cell lysine acetylation conducive to viral replication.
Ectopic Expression of a Glycine soja myo-Inositol Oxygenase Gene (GsMIOX1a) in Arabidopsis Enhances Tolerance to Alkaline Stress

Myo-inositol participates in various aspects of plant physiology, and myo-inositol oxygenase is the key enzyme of the myo-inositol oxygenation pathway. Previous studies indicated that myo-inositol oxygenase may play a role in plant responses to abiotic stresses. In this study, we focused on the functional characterization of GsMIOX1a, a remarkable alkaline stress-responsive gene of Glycine soja 07256, based on RNA-seq data. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we demonstrated that GsMIOX1a is rapidly induced by alkaline stress and expressed predominantly in flowers. We also elucidated the positive function of GsMIOX1a in the alkaline response in the wild type, atmiox1 mutant as well as GsMIOX1a-overexpressing Arabidopsis. We determined that atmiox1 mutant decreased Arabidopsis tolerance to alkaline stress, whereas GsMIOX1a overexpression increased tolerance. Moreover, the expression levels of some alkaline stress-responsive and inducible marker genes, including H+-Ppase, NADP-ME, KIN1 and RD29B, were also up-regulated in GsMIOX1a overexpression lines compared with the wild type and atmiox1 mutant. Together, these results suggest that the GsMIOX1a gene positively regulates plant tolerance to alkaline stress. This is the first report to demonstrate that ectopic expression of myo-inositol oxygenase improves alkaline tolerance in plants.
Environmental Stress-Cracking Resistance of LDPE/EVA Blends

Blends of low-density polyethylene with random copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate (PE/EVA) are studied with respect to their environmental stress-cracking resistance (ESCR) using the Bell-telephone test. This system shows the shortest time to failure in the ESCR test after annealing at 50°C in a stress-cracking agent (Igepal solution) compared with that in the test conducted at 30 and 70°C. The increase of the time to failure at 70°C as compared with that at 50°C is probably the result of the semicrystalline proportion of EVA melting. Transmission electron microscopy images (see Figure) reveal that EVA particles are molten and deformed in bending direction of the sample at 70°C in contrast to samples annealed at 50 and 30°C. TEM pictures of a failed sample during the test conducted at 50°C indicate that EVA particles can stop crack propagation.
3D-printing of non-assembly, articulated models

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is commonly used to produce physical models for a wide variety of applications, from archaeology to design. While static models are directly supported, it is desirable to also be able to print models with functional articulations, such as a hand with joints and knuckles, without the need for manual assembly of joint components. Apart from having to address limitations inherent to the printing process, this poses a particular challenge for articulated models that should be posable: to allow the model to hold a pose, joints need to exhibit internal friction to withstand gravity, without their parts fusing during 3D printing. This has not been possible with previous printable joint designs. In this paper, we propose a method for converting 3D models into printable, functional, non-assembly models with internal friction. To this end, we have designed an intuitive work-flow that takes an appropriately rigged 3D model, automatically fits novel 3D-printable and posable joints, and provides an interface for specifying rotational constraints. We show a number of results for different articulated models, demonstrating the effectiveness of our method.
Bio-methane potential tests to measure the biogas production from the digestion and co-digestion of complex organic substrates.

Bio-methane potential (BMP) tests are widely used in studies concerning the anaerobic digestion of organic solids. Although they are often criticized to be time consumer, with an average length longer than 30 days, such tests are doubtless easy to be conducted, relatively inexpensive and repeatable. Moreover, BMP tests give significant information about the bio-methanation of specific substrates and provide experimental results essential to calibrate and validate mathematical models. These last two aspects have been handled in this work where the following elements have been de- scribed in detail: i) the methods used to conduct the BMP tests; ii) the cumulative bio-methane curves obtained from three BMP tests, concerning respectively two pure organic substrates (swine manure-SM and greengrocery waste-GW) and an organic substrate obtained by mixing buffalo manure (BM) and maize silage (MS); iii) the procedure used to calibrate a mathematical model proposed by the authors to simulate the anaerobic digestion process; iv) the results of the calibration process. This paper shows that BMP tests are extremely helpful to determine the amount of bio-methane obtainable from different organic solids and under different operational conditions as well as the biodegradability of the investigated sub- strate, the relative specific rate of bio-methanation and the synergic effect of multiple co-digested substrates. Furthermore BMP tests represent an interesting tool for the technical and economical optimization of bio-methane producing plants.
Stability of a multi-diamond type family of quasipolynomials

A reduced stability-testing set for a diamond-like quasipolynomial family is obtained. This family is a generalization of a multivariate diamond-like family, and is the extension to the case of multiple uncertainty bounds. Both delay dependent and delay independent stability conditions are given, based on a finite set of vertices and a set of edges, respectively.
41 ’ Advances in Genetic Programming III , Research and Educational use only ’

In this chapter we present a novel way of addressing the issue of variable complexity of evolved solutions and a revised interpretation of how Genetic Programming (GP) constructs solutions, based on the rooted-tree schema concept. A rooted-tree schema is a simple relation on the space of tree-shaped structures which provides a quantifiable partitioning of the search space. Formal manipulation of rooted-tree schemata allows: (1) The role of the size in the selection and survival of evolved expressions to be made explicit; (2) The interrelationship between parsimony penalty, size, and fitness of evolved expressions to be clarified and better understood; (3) The introduction of alternative approaches to evolving parsimonious solutions by preventing rooted-tree schema from bloating. The rooted-tree schema concept provides a top-down perspective of how program expressions are evolved, contrary to the common belief that small pieces of code, or building blocks, are gradually assembled to create solutions. Analysis shows that GP, while it improves solutions, combines both bottom-up and top-down refinement strategies.
Learning from the value of your mistakes: evidence for a risk-sensitive process in movement adaptation

Risk frames nearly every decision we make. Yet, remarkably little is known about whether risk influences how we learn new movements. Risk-sensitivity can emerge when there is a distortion between the absolute magnitude (actual value) and how much an individual values (subjective value) a given outcome. In movement, this translates to the difference between a given movement error and its consequences. Surprisingly, how movement learning can be influenced by the consequences associated with an error is not well-understood. It is traditionally assumed that all errors are created equal, i.e., that adaptation is proportional to an error experienced. However, not all movement errors of a given magnitude have the same subjective value. Here we examined whether the subjective value of error influenced how participants adapted their control from movement to movement. Seated human participants grasped the handle of a force-generating robotic arm and made horizontal reaching movements in two novel dynamic environments that penalized errors of the same magnitude differently, changing the subjective value of the errors. We expected that adaptation in response to errors of the same magnitude would differ between these environments. In the first environment, Stable, errors were not penalized. In the second environment, Unstable, rightward errors were penalized with the threat of unstable, cliff-like forces. We found that adaptation indeed differed. Specifically, in the Unstable environment, we observed reduced adaptation to leftward errors, an appropriate strategy that reduced the chance of a penalizing rightward error. These results demonstrate that adaptation is influenced by the subjective value of error, rather than solely the magnitude of error, and therefore is risk-sensitive. In other words, we may not simply learn from our mistakes, we may also learn from the value of our mistakes.
An Automatic Dysarthric Speech Recognition Approach using Deep Neural Networks

Transcribing dysarthric speech into text is still a challenging problem for the state-of-the-art techniques or commercially available speech recognition systems. Improving the accuracy of dysarthric speech recognition, this paper adopts Deep Belief Neural Networks (DBNs) to model the distribution of dysarthric speech signal. A continuous dysarthric speech recognition system is produced, in which the DBNs are used to predict the posterior probabilities of the states in Hidden Markov Models (HMM) and the Weighted Finite State Transducers framework was utilized to build the speech decoder. Experimental results show that the proposed method provides better prediction of the probability distribution of the spectral representation of dysarthric speech that outperforms the existing methods, e.g., GMM-HMM based dysarthric speech recogniztion approaches. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first time to build a continuous speech recognition system for dysarthric speech with deep neural network technique, which is a promising approach for improving the communication between those individuals with speech impediments and normal speakers. Keywords—Dysarthric speech recognition; deep neural networks; hidden markov models
Tetraploid Wheat Landraces in the Mediterranean Basin: Taxonomy, Evolution and Genetic Diversity

The geographic distribution of genetic diversity and the population structure of tetraploid wheat landraces in the Mediterranean basin has received relatively little attention. This is complicated by the lack of consensus concerning the taxonomy of tetraploid wheats and by unresolved questions regarding the domestication and spread of naked wheats. These knowledge gaps hinder crop diversity conservation efforts and plant breeding programmes. We investigated genetic diversity and population structure in tetraploid wheats (wild emmer, emmer, rivet and durum) using nuclear and chloroplast simple sequence repeats, functional variations and insertion site-based polymorphisms. Emmer and wild emmer constitute a genetically distinct population from durum and rivet, the latter seeming to share a common gene pool. Our population structure and genetic diversity data suggest a dynamic history of introduction and extinction of genotypes in the Mediterranean fields.
The Role of Elastic Stresses on Leaf Venation Morphogenesis

We explore the possible role of elastic mismatch between epidermis and mesophyll as a driving force for the development of leaf venation. The current prevalent ‘canalization’ hypothesis for the formation of veins claims that the transport of the hormone auxin out of the leaves triggers cell differentiation to form veins. Although there is evidence that auxin plays a fundamental role in vein formation, the simple canalization mechanism may not be enough to explain some features observed in the vascular system of leaves, in particular, the abundance of vein loops. We present a model based on the existence of mechanical instabilities that leads very naturally to hierarchical patterns with a large number of closed loops. When applied to the structure of high-order veins, the numerical results show the same qualitative features as actual venation patterns and, furthermore, have the same statistical properties. We argue that the agreement between actual and simulated patterns provides strong evidence for the role of mechanical effects on venation development.
Differential expression and upregulation of interleukin-1alpha, interleukin-1beta and interleukin-6 by freshly isolated human small intestinal epithelial cells.

BACKGROUND: Small intestinal epithelial cells (SIEC) may contribute to local immune regulation. AIM: To examine production of interleukin (IL)-1alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 by freshly isolated human SIEC. METHODS: IL-1alpha and IL-1beta mRNA in epithelial layers (EL) prepared from small intestine and in intestinal epithelial cell (EC) lines were examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. IL-1alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 protein expression by SIEC was examined by flow cytometry before and after activation with lipopolysaccharide and epithelial growth factor. RESULTS: IL-1alpha and IL-1beta mRNA was detected in EL and EC lines. Background expression of IL-1alpha and IL-1beta protein by SIEC was observed, which did not increase even following activation. IL-6 protein was expressed by SIEC, in a proportion that increased in two out of three samples following activation. CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 expression and the presence of IL-1alpha and IL-1beta mRNA suggest a role for SIEC in the regulation of local inflammation.
Label Fusion in Atlas-Based Segmentation Using a Selective and Iterative Method for Performance Level Estimation (SIMPLE)

In a multi-atlas based segmentation procedure, propagated atlas segmentations must be combined in a label fusion process. Some current methods deal with this problem by using atlas selection to construct an atlas set either prior to or after registration. Other methods estimate the performance of propagated segmentations and use this performance as a weight in the label fusion process. This paper proposes a selective and iterative method for performance level estimation (SIMPLE), which combines both strategies in an iterative procedure. In subsequent iterations the method refines both the estimated performance and the set of selected atlases. For a dataset of 100 MR images of prostate cancer patients, we show that the results of SIMPLE are significantly better than those of several existing methods, including the STAPLE method and variants of weighted majority voting.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Electroacupuncture in the Respiratory System of a Symptomatic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Animal Model

Background: Because amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive inflammatory disease, treatment of the pulmonary system plays a key role in ALS patients’ care. Previous studies have mainly examined the pathological mechanism of ALS in the central nervous system; however, there has been relatively little research regarding the pulmonary system in ALS animal models. In inflammatory diseases, including asthma and arthritis, electroacupuncture (EA) is commonly used for its anti-inflammatory effects. The goal of this study was to determine whether EA treatment affects inflammation in the pulmonary system in an ALS animal model. Methods: EA treatment at ST36 (Zusanli) acupoint was performed with 14-week-old hSOD1G93A transgenic mice. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed using anti-ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1) and anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) antibodies. To investigate the expression level of inflammatory proteins, Western blot analyses were performed using anti-Iba-1, anti-TNF-α, anti-nuclear factor kappa B (NF-ĸB), and anti-interleukin 6 (IL-6) antibodies. The activation of Ser435-phospho-specific RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (pAKT) and the increase of phosphorylated extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (pERK) protein in lung tissues of EA-treated and untreated hSOD1G93A mice were also evaluated by Western blot. Results: EA treatment decreased the expression of the proinflammatory proteins such as TNF-α and IL-6, pNF-ĸB, and Iba-1 and increased the level of activated pAKT and pERK compared to control hSOD1G93A mice. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that EA could be an effective anti-inflammatory treatment for the respiratory impairment that occurs in ALS animal models.
Excessive sleepiness, sleep hygiene, and coping strategies among night bus drivers: A cross-sectional study

Background: Sleep disruption and excessive sleepiness are the known consequences of shift work. The recent spate of night-time road and air accidents, with some being directly attributed to driver sleepiness prompted us to undertake this study. Aims: To screen for excessive sleepiness, coping practices, and post-shift sleep hygiene in night bus drivers. Settings and Design: This prospective study was carried out on night bus drivers of a public transport organization in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Materials and Methods: Bus drivers driving for ≥8 h at night were screened with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and a prevalidated shift work questionnaire. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the compiled data using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Results: One hundred and eighty bus drivers aged 22-63 years were screened. Excessive Sleepiness: Although only 2 (1.1%) drivers scored above the cutoff on ESS, 10 (5.6%) and 103 (57.2%) drivers admitted to feeling sleepy during daytime and night driving respectively. None of the drivers admitted to causing accidents related to sleepiness. The coping strategies for nocturnal sleepiness included consuming coffee/tea (16.7%), chewing tobacco (12.8%), smoking (6.1%), and walking (3.9%). Post-Shift Sleep Practices: Post-shift sleep duration ranged between 1 h and 10 h. Twenty-six (14.4%) and 16 (8.9%) drivers had difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep, respectively, while 9 (5%) reported frequent awakening during daytime sleep. Conclusion and Implications: This study has demonstrated a high incidence of nocturnal sleepiness and daytime sleep disruption among night bus drivers, thus necessitating the need for education about shift work and alertness testing among shift workers in critical professions.
Circadian rhythms in insect disease vectors

Organisms from bacteria to humans have evolved under predictable daily environmental cycles owing to the Earth's rotation. This strong selection pressure has generated endogenous circadian clocks that regulate many aspects of behaviour, physiology and metabolism, anticipating and synchronising internal time-keeping to changes in the cyclical environment. In haematophagous insect vectors the circadian clock coordinates feeding activity, which is important for the dynamics of pathogen transmission. We have recently witnessed a substantial advance in molecular studies of circadian clocks in insect vector species that has consolidated behavioural data collected over many years, which provided insights into the regulation of the clock in the wild. Next generation sequencing technologies will facilitate the study of vector genomes/transcriptomes both among and within species and illuminate some of the species-specific patterns of adaptive circadian phenotypes that are observed in the field and in the laboratory. In this review we will explore these recent findings and attempt to identify potential areas for further investigation.
Infrared Glass–Ceramics With Fine Porous Surfaces for Optical Sensor Applications

GeS 2 -Sb 2 S 3 -CsCl glass-ceramics with fine porous surfaces were synthesized and tested as optical elements. The porosity is obtained through a two-step process, including controlled nucleation of CsCl nuclei in the glass matrix followed by selective etching of the nuclei with an acid solution. The porous surface is several hundred nanometers thick and results in a surface area increase of almost four orders of magnitude. The pores size is approximately 150 nm and can be tailored by controlling the nucleation process and the etching time. It is shown that the creation of the porous surface does not critically affect the optical transmission of these infrared (IR) transparent glass-ceramics. These materials can therefore be used for the design of optical elements and an attenuated total reflexion plate with porous surface was fabricated and tested as an optical IR sensor. The porous element shows higher detection sensitivity in initial experiments with an analyte sprayed at the plate surface and a coating of silane molecules.