Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Release of Lungworm Larvae from Snails in the Environment: Potential for Alternative Transmission Pathways

Background Gastropod-borne parasites may cause debilitating clinical conditions in animals and humans following the consumption of infected intermediate or paratenic hosts. However, the ingestion of fresh vegetables contaminated by snail mucus and/or water has also been proposed as a source of the infection for some zoonotic metastrongyloids (e.g., Angiostrongylus cantonensis). In the meantime, the feline lungworms Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Troglostrongylus brevior are increasingly spreading among cat populations, along with their gastropod intermediate hosts. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of alternative transmission pathways for A. abstrusus and T. brevior L3 via the mucus of infected Helix aspersa snails and the water where gastropods died. In addition, the histological examination of snail specimens provided information on the larval localization and inflammatory reactions in the intermediate host. Methodology/Principal Findings Twenty-four specimens of H. aspersa received ~500 L1 of A. abstrusus and T. brevior, and were assigned to six study groups. Snails were subjected to different mechanical and chemical stimuli throughout 20 days in order to elicit the production of mucus. At the end of the study, gastropods were submerged in tap water and the sediment was observed for lungworm larvae for three consecutive days. Finally, snails were artificially digested and recovered larvae were counted and morphologically and molecularly identified. The anatomical localization of A. abstrusus and T. brevior larvae within snail tissues was investigated by histology. L3 were detected in the snail mucus (i.e., 37 A. abstrusus and 19 T. brevior) and in the sediment of submerged specimens (172 A. abstrusus and 39 T. brevior). Following the artificial digestion of H. aspersa snails, a mean number of 127.8 A. abstrusus and 60.3 T. brevior larvae were recovered. The number of snail sections positive for A. abstrusus was higher than those for T. brevior. Conclusions Results of this study indicate that A. abstrusus and T. brevior infective L3 are shed in the mucus of H. aspersa or in water where infected gastropods had died submerged. Both elimination pathways may represent alternative route(s) of environmental contamination and source of the infection for these nematodes under field conditions and may significantly affect the epidemiology of feline lungworms. Considering that snails may act as intermediate hosts for other metastrongyloid species, the environmental contamination by mucus-released larvae is discussed in a broader context.
Scaling laws of single-hop cognitive networks

We consider a cognitive network consisting of n cognitive users uniformly distributed with constant density among primary users. Each user has a single transmitter and a single receiver, and the primary and cognitive users transmit concurrently. The cognitive users use single-hop transmission in two scenarios: (i) with constant transmit power, and (ii) with transmit power scaled according to the distance to a designated primary transmitter. We show that, in both cases, the cognitive users can achieve a throughput scaled linearly with the number of users n. The first scenario requires the cognitive users to have the transmitter-receiver (Tx-Rx) distance bounded, but it can be arbitrarily large. Then with high probability, any network realization has the throughput scaling linearly with n. The second scenario allows the cognitive Tx-Rx distance to grow with the network at a feasible exponent as a function of the path loss and the power scaling factors. In this case, the average network throughput grows at least linearly with n and at most as n log(n). These results suggest that single-hop transmission may be a suitable choice for cognitive transmission.
Butterfly and Benes-Based on-Chip Communication Networks for Multiprocessor Turbo Decoding

Several research activities have recently emerged aiming to propose multiprocessor implementations in order to achieve flexible and high throughput parallel iterative decoding. Besides application algorithm optimizations and application-specific instruction-set processor design, the on-chip communication network constitutes a major issue in this application domain. In this paper, the authors propose to use multistage interconnection networks as on-chip communication networks for parallel turbo decoding. Adapted benes and butterfly networks are proposed with detailed hardware implementation of network interfaces, routers, and topologies. In addition, appropriate packet format and routing for interleaved/deinterleaved extrinsic information exchanges are proposed. The flexibility of these on-chip communication networks enables their use for all turbo code standards and constitutes a promising feature for their reuse for any similar interleaved/deinterleaved iterative communication profile
The Role of the Ocean in Midlatitude, Interannual-to-Decadal-Timescale Climate Variability of a Coupled Model

Abstract Three 1000-yr climate simulations with an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) coupled to, respectively, a slab mixed layer model, an ocean GCM, and responding to yearly repeating daily sea surface temperature (SST) and sea-ice coverage climatology derived from the fully coupled run were analyzed and compared. When coupled to a slab mixed layer, surface air temperature (SAT) and SST are strongly coupled and the reddening is significantly larger than in the case of coupling to a dynamically active ocean. A simple one-dimensional stochastic model is developed to explain the different spectra of SAT above land and ocean. It is argued that ocean advection generating SST variability that does not match the principal modes of SAT above the ocean is the main factor in damping SAT variability. The variability of SAT and 800-hPa geopotential height (GEO) and covariability of SST–SAT and SST–GEO have been analyzed, and it is found that coupling does not change the dominant patterns of atmospheric v.
Evaluation of macular and retinal nerve fiber layer thicknesses in episodic-type cluster headache patients by optical coherence tomography

Aim: This study evaluated macular and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNLF) thicknesses using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in patients with episodic-type cluster headaches. Material and Methods: In total, 33 eyes of 33 patients with episodic-type cluster headaches were included in this study. The eyes were ipsilateral to the pain, and all measurements were performed during attacks. The control group consisted of 33 eyes of 33 ageand sex-matched healthy individuals. The average RNFL thickness and macular thickness (MT) obtained from nine macular areas in the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) were evaluated using SD-OCT (RS-3000; Nidek Inc., Fremont, CA, USA) following a detailed ophthalmologic examination. The results of the two groups were then compared. Results: The mean RNFL thickness was 104.73 ± 8.7 in the cluster headache patients and 106.86 ± 8.6 in the controls. The difference in RNFL thickness between the groups was not significant (p = 0.418). The MT measurements according to the ETDRS showed statistically significant thinning of the outer temporal area in the cluster headache patients (295.95 ± 13.5 vs. 312.77 ± 15.9 in the controls, p = 0.001). The differences between the two groups with respect to the other ETDRS areas (central macula, superior-inner, inferior-inner, nasal-inner, temporal-inner, superior-outer, inferior-outer, nasal-outer, and total average macula) were not significant (p = 0.482, p = 0.672, p = 0.65, p = 0.679, p = 0.062, p = 0.455, p = 0.818, p = 0.845, and p = 0.189, respectively). Conclusion: Although the difference in thinning of the internal temporal region was not statistically significant between the patient and control groups, a vascular aetiology leading to thinning of the temporal region and thus to cell damage may contribute to the aetiology of episodic-type cluster headaches.
The Role of Clock Genes in Cardiometabolic Disease Diurnal physiology : core principles with application to the pathogenesis , diagnosis , prevention , and treatment of myocardial hypertrophy and failure

Sole MJ, Martino TA. Diurnal physiology: core principles with application to the pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of myocardial hypertrophy and failure. J Appl Physiol 107: 1318 –1327, 2009. First published June 25, 2009; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00426. 2009. —The circadian system has been shown to be fundamentally important in human health and disease. Recently, there have been major advances in our understanding of daily rhythmicity, and its relevance to human physiology, and to the pathogenesis and treatment of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. Cardiovascular tissues, such as heart and blood vessels, show remarkable daily variation in gene expression, metabolism, growth, and remodeling. Moreover, synchrony of daily molecular and physiological rhythms is integral to healthy organ growth and renewal. Disruption of these rhythms adversely affects normal growth, also the remodeling mechanisms in disease, leading to gross abnormalities in heart and vessels. These observations provide new insights into the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of heart disease. In this review, we focus on the recent advances in circadian biology and cardiovascular function, with particular emphasis on how this applies to human myocardial hypertrophy and heart failure, and the implications and importance for translational medicine.
Basic Mechanisms of TMS

Summary Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is now established as an important noninvasive measure for neurophysiologic investigation of the central and peripheral nervous systems in humans. Magnetic stimulation can be used for stimulating peripheral nerves with a similar mechanism of activation as for electrical stimulation. When TMS is applied to the cerebral cortex, however, some features emerge that distinguish it from transcranial electrical stimulation. One of the most important features is designated the D and I wave hypothesis, which is now widely accepted as a mechanism of TMS of the motor cortex. Transcranial electrical stimulation excites the pyramidal tract axons directly, either at the initial segment of the neuron or at proximal internodes in the subcortical white matter, giving rise to D (direct) waves, whereas TMS excites the pyramidal neurons transsynaptically, giving rise to I (indirect) waves. There are still other phenomena with mechanisms that remain to be elucidated. First, not only excitatory effects but also inhibitory effects can be elicited by TMS of the cerebral cortex (e.g., the silent period and intracortical inhibition). The inhibitory effect may also be used to investigate cerebral functions other than the motor cortex, such as the visual, sensory cortices, and the frontal eye field, from which no overt response like the motor evoked potential can be elicited. Second, there is an abundance of intraregional functional connectivities among different cortical areas that can also be revealed by TMS, or TMS in combination with neuroimaging techniques. Last, repetitive transcranial stimulation exerts a lasting effect on brain function even after the stimulation has ceased. With further investigation of the neural mechanisms of TMS, these techniques will open up new possibilities for investigating the physiologic function of the brain as well as opportunities for clinical application.
Distributed under Creative Commons Cc-by 4.0 Phalangeal Joints Kinematics during Ostrich (struthio Camelus) Locomotion

The ostrich is a highly cursorial bipedal land animal with a permanently elevated metatarsophalangeal joint supported by only two toes. Although locomotor kinematics in walking and running ostriches have been examined, these studies have been largely limited to above the metatarsophalangeal joint. In this study, kinematic data of all major toe joints were collected from gaits with double support (slow walking) to running during stance period in a semi-natural setup with two selected cooperative ostriches. Statistical analyses were conducted to investigate the effect of locomotor gait on toe joint kinematics. The MTP3 and MTP4 joints exhibit the largest range of motion whereas the first phalangeal joint of the 4th toe shows the largest motion variability. The interphalangeal joints of the 3rd and 4th toes present very similar motion patterns over stance phases of slow walking and running. However, the motion patterns of the MTP3 and MTP4 joints and the vertical displacement of the metatarsophalangeal joint are significantly different during running and slow walking. Because of the biomechanical requirements, osctriches are likely to select the inverted pendulum gait at low speeds and the bouncing gait at high speeds to improve movement performance and energy economy. Interestingly, the motions of the MTP3 and MTP4 joints are highly synchronized from slow to fast locomotion. This strongly suggests that the 3rd and 4th toes really work as an ''integrated system'' with the 3rd toe as the main load bearing element whilst the 4th toe as the complementary load sharing element with a primary role to ensure the lateral stability of the permanently elevated metatarsophalangeal joint.
Inviscid dyadic model of turbulence: The fixed point and Onsager’s conjecture

Properties of an infinite system of nonlinearly coupled ordinary differential equations are discussed. This system models some properties present in the equations of motion for an inviscid fluid such as the skew symmetry and the three-dimensional scaling of the quadratic nonlinearity. It is proved that the system with forcing has a unique equilibrium and that every solution blows up in finite time in H5∕6 norm. Onsager’s [Nuovo Cimento 6, 279–287 (1949)] conjecture is confirmed for the model system.
Inter-particle interactions in partially densified compacts of electrically conductive materials during spark plasma sintering

Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) is normally carried out to obtain consolidated materials of low residual porosity. SPS can also be used for the preparation of partially densified (porous) materials. Partial densification is achieved during SPS by using relatively low sintering temperatures or pressureless conditions. For a pressureless assembly, short punches are used; in addition, sintering without the upper punch is possible. It was shown that the number of contacts between the nickel and synthetic diamond particles was higher in the compacts partially sintered by SPS than in those cold-pressed and vacuum-annealed at the same temperature. During pressureless SPS, conditions for non-uniform current distribution can be realized causing non-uniformities in the microstructure of the compacts. It was shown that SPS of metals without the upper punch produces porous gradient structures. Electric current passing through the porous compacts and interfaces between the compacts and the punches/foils under pressureless conditions induces specific local effects evidenced by the morphology evolution of the particles and microstructure of the sintered material in those areas of the compacts.
Sleepy Genes

wake states. Importantly, several conditions were used in this research including normal wakefulness (W), sleep deprivation (SD), SD followed by recovery sleep, and sleep in undisturbed mice. In most previous research, SD was generally considered simply a way to maximize wake (W), and in general, natural periods of W at night and periods of forced wake during SD had similar increased levels of IEG mRNAs, allaying concerns that the stress of SD might produce gene changes not seen with natural W. However, the improved topographic resolution in this current study shows for the first time that SD and W often have subtle but important differences throughout the cortex, and throughout the brain, suggesting the activation of at least some distinct pathways. This is perhaps not too surprising given that SD induces stress responses, such as increased corticosterone, and a recent study by one of us (Valerie Mongrain) has found that adrenalectomy reduces or in some cases eliminates the changes in gene expression associated with SD (Mongrain et al., 2010). In addition to a comprehensive examination of many different IEGs such as Arc, Nr4a1, and fos, this article examined 222 other genes that were selected from both the literature and their own detailed microarray study in seven laser dissected brain regions. Microarray studies are often criticized for the lack of follow-up or reproducibility of the hundreds of mRNAs identified to change under the assayed conditions. However, the use of microarrays in the search for sleep related genes has been generally fruitful and reproducible (Mackiewicz et al., 2010; Mongrain et al., 2010). Interestingly, while microarray data indicate that a roughly equal number of genes have their expression increased or decreased by SD, a majority of IEGs show an increase in conditions where waking predominates and, many of these appear to be directly linked to the regulation of neuronal functions during sleep Sleepy genes
Time Optimization of Multiple Knowledge Transfers in the Big Data Environment

In the big data environment, enterprises must constantly assimilate big data knowledge and private knowledge by multiple knowledge transfers to maintain their competitive advantage. The optimal time of knowledge transfer is one of the most important aspects to improve knowledge transfer efficiency. Based on the analysis of complex the characteristics of knowledge transfer in the big data environment, multiple knowledge transfers can be divided into two categories. One is the simultaneous transfer of various types of knowledge, and the other one is multiple knowledge transfers at different time points. Taking into consideration the influence factors, such as the knowledge type, knowledge structure, knowledge absorptive capacity, knowledge update rate, discount rate, market share, profit contributions of each type of knowledge, transfer costs, product life cycle and so on, time optimization models of multiple knowledge transfers in the big data environment are presented by maximizing the total discounted expected profits (DEPs) of an enterprise. Some simulation experiments have been performed to verify the validity of the models, and the models can help enterprises determine the optimal time of multiple knowledge transfer in the big data environment.
School air quality related to dry cough, rhinitis and nasal patency in children

Controls for indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools are not usually performed throughout Europe. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of IAQ on respiratory health of schoolchildren living in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France and Italy. In the cross-sectional European Union-funded HESE (Health Effects of School Environment) Study, particulate matter with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 µm (PM10) and CO2 levels in a day of normal activity (full classroom) were related to wheezing, dry cough at night and rhinitis in 654 children (10 yrs) and to acoustic rhinometry in 193 children. Schoolchildren exposed to PM10 >50 μg·m−3 and CO2 >1,000 ppm (standards for good IAQ) were 78% and 66%, respectively. All disorders were more prevalent in children from poorly ventilated classrooms. Schoolchildren exposed to CO2 levels >1,000 ppm showed a significantly higher risk for dry cough (OR 2.99, 95% CI 1.65–5.44) and rhinitis (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.14–3.73). By two-level (child, classroom) hierarchical analyses, CO2 was significantly associated with dry cough (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.00–1.13 per 100 ppm increment) and rhinitis (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.00–1.11). Nasal patency was significantly lower in schoolchildren exposed to PM10 >50 μg·m−3 than in those exposed to lower levels. A poor IAQ is frequent in European classrooms; it is related to respiratory disturbances and affects nasal patency.
Parameterized decompression hardware for a program memory compression system

Rapidly evolving markets and application demands of digital consumer electronics are pushing more functionality to software, increasing also requirements for memory capacity of systems. There have been efforts to reduce the need for memories by for example compressing the program code and thus also program memory footprint. We have previously introduced an effective code compression scheme, and in this paper, we present parameterized and flexible decompression hardware for decoding the compressed code. On-chip hardware and decoding tables, that are used to store compressed code sequences, bring only about 3% reduction to the compression ratio, which is 53% at best.
Tensile and water absorption properties of solvent cast biofilms of sugarcane leaves fibre-filled poly(lactic) acid

This research covers the preparation of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/sugarcane leaves fibre (SLF) biofilms via a solvent-casting method. The results showed that the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of PLA/SLF biofilms increased with the increasing of SLF content. Nevertheless, the elongation at break showed an opposite trend as compared to tensile strength and Young’s modulus of biofilms. Moreover, water absorption properties of PLA/SLF biofilms increased with the increasing of SLF content. In contrast, the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of biofilms were enhanced after bleaching treatment with hydrogen peroxide on SLF, but the elongation at break and water absorption properties of bleached biofilms were reduced due to the improvement of filler–matrix adhesion in biofilms. The tensile and water properties were further discussed using B-factor and Fick’s law, respectively. Furthermore, the functional groups of unbleached and bleached SLF were characterized by Fourier transform infrared analysis.
Carbon-based materials for thermal management applications

III Abstract The scaling down of device sizes and the increasing in power dissipation make heat transport and removal a major technological impediment to the future development for electronic applications. Limited heat conduction within devices causes severe localized self-heating problems. Temperature increase significantly degrades the device performance, and the thermal stress caused by the mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion shortens the device lifetime drastically. To solve these issues, the development of highly effective heat transfer materials, such as heat sinks, heat spreaders, and thermal interface materials, has received extensive attention. Carbon-based materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and diamonds, become attractive for thermal management applications due to their superior thermal properties. In this dissertation, I have focused my attention on the thermal property investigation of polycrystalline diamonds (PCDs) and CNTs for thermal management applications. For the PCD and CNT thermal property investigation, it includes the growth of PCDs and CNTs, the thermal measurement (technique development), the building up of the thermal model, and the thermal conductivity fitting based on the thermal model. Diamonds have been proposed as advanced heat spreaders and heat sinks for high power density devices. Polycrystalline diamond stands out among all diamond isotopes for its versatility, low production cost and high