Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Capabilities of the dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator for multi-frequency excitations

Natural instability mechanisms are inherent in most laminar and turbulent flow configurations. Usually, these instabilities result in the formation of flow structures occurring at diverse spatial and time scales. An effective control requires an actuator able to bring momentum transfer over a wide range of frequencies to act on these instabilities. Promising results are expected for such control strategy because, according to stability theory, a small amplitude perturbation can be large enough to produce significant effects even at high Reynolds number. Moreover, simultaneous production of small perturbations at several frequencies can enhance or cancel non-linear interactions; this opens alternative methods for flow control. The focus of this study is to demonstrate the ability of plasma actuators to introduce flow perturbations at single and dual frequencies by simply adjusting the waveform of the voltage applied to the plasma actuator. The flows produced by a dielectric barrier discharge supplied by burst, superposition and ring modulations are described in temporal and frequential domains. The results confirm the potential of non-thermal plasma actuators to produce highly unsteady flows at single, double or multiple frequencies.
Cell-free translation of murine coronavirus RNA

The coding assignments of the intracellular murine hepatitis virus-specific subgenomic RNA species and murine hepatitis virion RNA have been investigated by cell-free translation. The six murine hepatitis virus-specific subgenomic RNAs were partially purified by agarose gel electrophoresis and translated in an mRNA-dependent rabbit reticulocyte lysate, and the cell-free translation products were characterized by gel electrophoresis, immunoprecipitation, and tryptic peptide mapping. These studies have shown that RNA 7 codes for the nucleocapsid protein, RNA 6 codes for the E1 protein, RNA 3 codes for the E2 protein, and RNA 2 codes for a 35,000-dalton nonstructural protein. Genomic RNA directs the cell-free synthesis of three structurally related polypeptides of greater than 200,000 in molecular weight.
Glycemic index and phenolics of partially-baked frozen bread with sourdough

Different lactic acid bacteria starters were used to prepare sourdough to make partially-baked frozen wholemeal wheat bread. The sourdough was prepared with a pure culture of Lactobacillus plantarum or with commercial starters containing Lactobacillus brevis combined with Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. chevalieri (LV4), Lactobacillus fermentum (PL1), or Lactobacillus fermentum with phytase (PL3). We determined the acetic and lactic acid concentrations in sourdough, bread chemical composition, total phenolics content and glycemic index (GI) in vivo. Depending on the starter, the lactic to acetic acid ratio in the sourdough was significantly different. The GI of control bread without sourdough (70) was significantly higher than that of bread containing sourdough prepared with LV4 starter (50), PL1 starter (56) or PL3 starter (56), but not from bread with L. plantarum sourdough (60). The addition of 10% sourdough with a lower molar ratio of lactic to acetic acid ( ≤ 4) and higher total phenolics content is preferable for generating bread with medium and low GI.
Metastatic melanoma patients’ sensitivity to ipilimumab cannot be predicted by tumor characteristics

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have dramatically changed the prognosis for patients with metastatic melanoma. However, not all patients respond to therapy and toxicities can be severe leaving need for reliable clinical predictive markers. Methods: We examined primary tumor characteristics including ulceration, BRAF mutation status, and Breslow depth in patients who subsequently developed stage IV disease and were treated with ipilimumab at 3 institutions. Patients in this study were not treated on clinical trials. To investigate the relationship between patient characteristics at the time of diagnosis and survival following melanoma diagnosis we utilized Cox proportional hazards models, accounting for delayed entry into the study cohort. Cox models estimate the age and institution adjusted hazard ratios for risk of death. Results: Of patients (n=385) treated with ipilimumab for stage IV melanoma, 302 met inclusion criteria. The complete response to ipilimumab was 5%, partial response was 13%, 18% had stable disease, 62% had progressive disease, and 5 unknown. The median overall survival rate was 2.03 years [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.13, 3.05]. Primary tumor Breslow depth, lymphovascular invasion, BRAF status, and ulceration did not predict sensitivity to ipilimumab. In this study patient cohort, BRAF mutation (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.43, 95% CI: 0.98, 2.07) and presence of ulceration (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.47, 95% CI: 0.95, 2.26) contributed to an increased risk of death. Conclusions: The presence of ulceration did not correlate with sensitivity to ipilimumab. Ulceration of the primary tumor and a BRAF mutation were moderately associated with worse survival in patients with metastatic melanoma treated with ipilimumab.
Is there a difference in subjective experience of cognitive function in patients with unipolar disorder versus bipolar disorder?

Background: Cognitive dysfunction in unipolar disorder (UD) and bipolar disorder (BD) may persist into remission and affect psychosocial function. Executive and memory deficits during remission may be more pronounced in BD than UD. However, patients’ subjective experience of cognitive difficulties is poorly understood, and it is unclear whether BD and UD patients experience different cognitive difficulties. Aims: To investigate whether there are differences in the quality and magnitude of subjective cognitive difficulties between UD and BD, and which factors influence the subjective cognitive difficulties in these patients. Methods: Patients with BD (n = 54) or UD (n = 45) were referred to the outpatient mood disorder clinic at Department of Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital, following hospital discharge. Affective symptoms and patients’ experience of cognitive symptoms were assessed at their initial consultation at the clinic. Results: Patients experienced mild to moderate cognitive impairment despite being in partial or full remission, but there were no differences in subjective difficulties between BD and UD. Subjective cognitive dysfunction was predicted by depression severity, anxiety and mania symptoms rather than by diagnosis, age, gender or alcohol misuse. Conclusion: The absence of difference in subjective cognitive difficulties between UD and BD contrasts with evidence of greater objective dysfunction in BD. This highlights a potential discord between subjective and objective measures of cognitive function. Subjective cognitive function was predicted by affective symptoms, perhaps suggesting that this reflects mood symptoms rather than objective deficits. This points to a clinical need for objective assessment of cognitive function in these patient groups.
Body compositional and cardiometabolic effects of testosterone therapy in obese men with severe obstructive sleep apnoea: a randomised placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND The combination of male gender, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and obesity magnifies cardiometabolic risk. There has been no systematic study evaluating whether testosterone therapy can improve cardiometabolic health in obese men with OSA by improving body composition, visceral abdominal fat and insulin sensitivity. OBJECTIVE To assess body compositional and cardiometabolic effects of testosterone treatment in obese men with severe OSA. DESIGN An 18-week randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled and parallel group trial in 67 men. METHODS Participants (age=49 ± 12 years, apnoea hypopnoea index=39.9 ± 17.7 events/h, BMI=31.3 ± 5.2 kg/m(2)) were placed on a hypocaloric diet and received i.m. injections of either 1000 mg testosterone undecanoate (n=33) or placebo (n=34) for 18 weeks. Outcomes were the changes in body composition (total muscle mass, total and abdominal fat, total body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and computerised tomography (CT)), weight, insulin sensitivity (homeostasis model assessment), abdominal liver fat (CT), arterial stiffness (pulse wave analysis), resting metabolic rate and respiratory quotient (indirect calorimetry) and blood lipids and metabolic syndrome from baseline to week 18. RESULTS After 18 weeks, testosterone treatment increased insulin sensitivity (-1.14 units, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) -2.27 to -0.01, P<0.05), reduced liver fat (0.09 Hounsfield attenuation ratio, 95% CI 0.009 to 0.17, P=0.03) and increased muscle mass (1.6 kg, 95% CI 0.69 to 2.5, P=0.0009) to a greater extent than placebo. Other measures of body composition and regional adiposity as well as the number of participants with metabolic syndrome did not change. Testosterone also decreased arterial stiffness (augmentation index) by 3.2% (95% CI -6.01 to -0.46%, P=0.02) and decreased the respiratory quotient (95% CI -0.04, -0.08 to -0.001, P=0.04) after 18 weeks compared with placebo. CONCLUSION Eighteen weeks of testosterone therapy in obese men with OSA improved several important cardiometabolic parameters but did not differentially reduce overall weight or the metabolic syndrome. Longer term studies are required.
Contrasting the effects of organic matter removal and soil compaction on root biomass of 9-year-old red oak, white oak, and shortleaf pine in a Missouri Ozark forest

Nine-year old artifi cially regenerated red oak (Quercus rubra L.), white oak (Q. alba L.), and shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) trees were excavated from plot borders of a U.S. Forest Service long-term soil productivity study in the Carr Creek State Forest near Ellington, MO, to quantify treatment eff ects on above- and belowground tree biomass. Th e study consists of factorial combinations of soil compaction and organic matter removal treatments that are replicated three times. Seventy-two trees were removed from treatments containing two levels each of soil compaction (SC) and organic matter removal (OMR) with weed control (WC) and without weed control (NWC). Except for red oak, neither SC nor OMR alone aff ected root or shoot biomass production (weights) for trees in the study. However, biomass for both root and shoot were aff ected by interactions between SC and OMR with and without weed control. Regardless of the SC or OMR treatments, root biomass was higher with WC than NWC. Only the root:shoot ratio of red oak was aff ected by treatments, where it was higher for trees in the severe SC treatment than for trees in the no soil compaction treatment. Overall, measurements of above- and belowground biomass on plot border trees indicate that after nine growing seasons, site productivity has been aff ected more by the WC treatment than by SC or OMR.
Distribution of fast myosin heavy chain‐based muscle fibres in the gluteus medius of untrained horses: mismatch between antigenic and ATPase determinants

The distribution of muscle fibres classified on the basis of their content of different myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms was analysed in muscle biopsies from the gluteus medius of adult untrained horses by correlating immunohistochemistry with specific anti‐MHC monoclonal antibodies and standard myofibrillar ATPase (mATPase) histochemistry. Percutaneous needle biopsies were taken at 3 depths (20, 40 and 60 mm) from 4 4‐y‐old Andalusian stallions. The percentage of ‘pure’ I MHC fibres increased whereas that for pure IIX MHC fibres decreased from the most superficial to the deepest sampling site. Within the fast fibres, types IIA and IIAX MHC‐classified fibres were proportionately more abundant in the deepest sampling site than in the superficial region of the muscle. The immunohistochemical and histochemical characterisation of a large number of single fibres (n=1375) was compared and correlated on a fibre‐to‐fibre basis. The results showed that 40% of the fibres analysed were pure type I (expressing only MHC‐I); they showed correct matching between their antigenic and mATPase determinants. In contrast, within the fast fibres, a considerable proportion of fibres were found showing a mismatch between their immunohistochemical and mATPase profiles. The most common mismatched fibre phenotypes comprised fibres displaying coexpression of both fast MHCs when analysed by immunocytochemistry, but showing an mATPase profile similar to typical IIX fibres (moderate mATPase reaction after preincubation at pH 4.4). Considered altogether, the total mismatched fibres represented only 4.2% of the whole fast fibre population in the superficial region of the muscle, but their proportion increased to 15.6% and 38.4% in the middle and deep regions, respectively, of gluteus medius. It is concluded that a considerable number of hybrid fast MHC IIAX fibres are present in the gluteus medius of untrained horses, suggesting that equine type II fibres have probably been misclassified in numerous previous publications based on the use of histochemistry alone. This has important implications in attempts to study the physiological properties of fast fibre types adequately in horses.
Expanding the Limits of Vision‐based Localization for Long‐term Route‐following Autonomy

Vision‐based, autonomous, route‐following algorithms enable robots to autonomously repeat manually driven routes over long distances. Through the use of inexpensive, commercial vision sensors, these algorithms have the potential to enable robotic applications across multiple industries. However, in order to extend these algorithms to long‐term autonomy, they must be able to operate over long periods of time. This poses a difficult challenge for vision‐based systems in unstructured and outdoor environments, where appearance is highly variable. While many techniques have been developed to perform localization across extreme appearance change, most are not suitable or untested for vision‐in‐the‐loop systems such as autonomous route following, which requires continuous metric localization to keep the robot driving. In this paper, we present a vision‐based, autonomous, route‐following algorithm that combines multiple channels of information during localization to increase robustness against daily appearance change such as lighting. We explore this multichannel visual teach and repeat framework by adding the following channels of information to the basic single‐camera, gray‐scale, localization pipeline: images that are resistant to lighting change and images from additional stereo cameras to increase the algorithm's field of view. Using these methods, we demonstrate robustness against appearance change through extensive field deployments spanning over 26 km with an autonomy rate greater than 99.9%. We furthermore discuss the limits of this system when subjected to harsh environmental conditions by investigating keypoint match degradation through time.
Leptin Signaling in GABA Neurons, But Not Glutamate Neurons, Is Required for Reproductive Function

The adipocyte-derived hormone leptin acts in the brain to modulate the central driver of fertility: the gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) neuronal system. This effect is indirect, as GnRH neurons do not express leptin receptors (LEPRs). Here we test whether GABAergic or glutamatergic neurons provide the intermediate pathway between the site of leptin action and the GnRH neurons. Leptin receptors were deleted from GABA and glutamate neurons using Cre-Lox transgenics, and the downstream effects on puberty onset and reproduction were examined. Both mouse lines displayed the expected increase in body weight and region-specific loss of leptin signaling in the hypothalamus. The GABA neuron-specific LEPR knock-out females and males showed significantly delayed puberty onset. Adult fertility observations revealed that these knock-out animals have decreased fecundity. In contrast, glutamate neuron-specific LEPR knock-out mice displayed normal fertility. Assessment of the estrogenic hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis regulation in females showed that leptin action on GABA neurons is not necessary for estradiol-mediated suppression of tonic luteinizing hormone secretion (an indirect measure of GnRH neuron activity) but is required for regulation of a full preovulatory-like luteinizing hormone surge. In conclusion, leptin signaling in GABAergic (but not glutamatergic neurons) plays a critical role in the timing of puberty onset and is involved in fertility regulation throughout adulthood in both sexes. These results form an important step in explaining the role of central leptin signaling in the reproductive system. Limiting the leptin-to-GnRH mediators to GABAergic cells will enable future research to focus on a few specific types of neurons.
Identification of structural motifs from protein coordinate data: Secondary structure and first‐level supersecondary structure *

A computer program is described that produces a description of the secondary structure and supersecondary structure of a polypeptide chain using the list of alpha carbon coordinates as input. Restricting the term “secondary structure” to the conformation of contiguous segments of the chain, the program determines the initial and final residues in helices, extended strands, sharp turns, and omega loops. This is accomplished through the use of difference distance matrices. The distances in idealized models of the segments are compared with the actual structure, and the differences are evaluated for agreement within preset limits. The program assigns 90–95% of the residues in most proteins to at least one type of secondary element
Genetics of Type 2 Diabetes and Clinical Utility

A large proportion of heritability of type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been attributed to inherent genetics. Recent genetic studies, especially genome-wide association studies (GWAS), have identified a multitude of variants associated with T2D. It is thus reasonable to question if these findings may be utilized in a clinical setting. Here we briefly review the identification of risk loci for T2D and discuss recent efforts and propose future work to utilize these loci in clinical setting—for the identification of individuals who are at particularly high risks of developing T2D and for the stratification of specific health-care approaches for those who would benefit most from such interventions.
Site-specific Approach to Reducing Emergency Department Visits Following Surgery

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the efficacy of current bariatric perioperative measures at reducing emergency department (ED) visits following bariatric surgery in the state of Michigan. Summary of Background Data: Many ED visits following bariatric surgery do not result in readmission and may be preventable. Little research exists evaluating the efficacy of perioperative measures aimed at reducing ED visits in this population. Therefore, understanding the driving factors behind these preventable ED visits may be a fruitful approach to prevention. Furthermore, evaluating the efficacy of current perioperative measures may shed light on how to achieve meaningful reductions in ED visits. Methods: We studied 48,035 eligible bariatric surgery patients across 37 Michigan Bariatric Surgical Collaborative (MBSC) sites between January 2012 and October 2015. Hospitals were ranked according to their risk- and reliability-adjusted ED visit rates. For hospitals in each ED visit rate tercile, several patient, surgery, and hospital summary characteristics were compared. We then studied whether a hospital's compliance with specific perioperative measures was significantly associated with reduced ED visit rates. Results: Only 3 of the 30 surgery, hospital, and patient summary characteristics studied were significant predictors of a hospital's ED visit rate: rate of sleeve gastrectomies, rate of readmissions, and rate of venous thromboembolism complications (P = 0.04, P = 0.0065, and P = 0.0047, respectively). Also, a hospital's compliance with the perioperative measures evaluated was not a significant predictor of ED visit rates (P = 0.12). Conclusions: Current practices aimed at reducing ED visits appear to be ineffective. Due to heterogeneity in patient populations and local infrastructure, a more tailored approach to ED visit reduction may be more successful.
Dual-Band/Tri-Band/Broadband CPW-Fed Stepped-Impedance Slot Dipole Antennas

In this study, two multi-band antennas and one broadband antenna using slot stepped-impedance resonators (SIRs) and coplanar waveguide (CPW) feeding have been investigated. All of the proposed antennas are fabricated on 1-mm FR4 substrates with a relative dielectric constant of 4.4 and a loss tangent of 0.02. In comparison to the conventional uniform-impedance resonator (UIR), the SIR shows a better control over spurious response. In this way, a dual-band antenna (antenna A) and a tri-band antenna (antenna B) could be designed at desired bands. Antenna A is implemented with center frequencies (f0, f√) = (1.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz), and Antenna B is realized with center frequencies (f0, fS1, fS2) = (1.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz, 5.5 GHz), where f0 is the fundamental frequency. The broadband antenna (antenna C) is designed by allocating the first three resonant frequencies close enough to achieve a 98.7% fractional bandwidth with a return loss of greater than 6 dB from 1.5 GHz to 4.4 GHz. Furthermore, to tackle the null radiation problem at the broadside direction of antennas A and B, parasitic slots are added near the main radiating resonators so as to achieve nearly omni-directional radiation patterns at the high-order mode frequencies.
Electrical Impedance Tomography for Artificial Sensitive Robotic Skin: A Review

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a nondestructive imaging technique used to estimate the internal conductivity distribution of a conductive domain by taking potential measurements only at the domain boundaries. If a thin electrically conductive material that responds to pressure with local changes in conductivity is used as a conductive domain, then EIT can be used to create a large-scale pressure-sensitive artificial skin for robotics applications. This paper presents a review of EIT and its application as a robotics sensitive skin, including EIT excitation and image reconstruction techniques, materials, and skin fabrication techniques. Touch interpretation via EIT-based artificial skins is also reviewed.
La Autoantigen Is Necessary for Optimal Function of the Poliovirus and Hepatitis C Virus Internal Ribosome Entry Site In Vivo and In Vitro

ABSTRACT Translation of poliovirus and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNAs is initiated by recruitment of 40S ribosomes to an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) in the mRNA 5′ untranslated region. Translation initiation of these RNAs is stimulated by noncanonical initiation factors called IRES trans-activating factors (ITAFs). The La autoantigen is such an ITAF, but functional evidence for the role of La in poliovirus and HCV translation in vivo is lacking. Here, by two methods using small interfering RNA and a dominant-negative mutant of La, we demonstrate that depletion of La causes a dramatic reduction in poliovirus IRES function in vivo. We also show that 40S ribosomal subunit binding to HCV and poliovirus IRESs in vitro is inhibited by a dominant-negative form of La. These results provide strong evidence for a function of the La autoantigen in IRES-dependent translation and define the step of translation which is stimulated by La.