Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A 3D-Printed Sensor for Monitoring Biosignals in Small Animals

Although additive manufacturing technologies, also known as 3D printing, were first introduced in the 1980s, they have recently gained remarkable popularity owing to decreased costs. 3D printing has already emerged as a viable technology in many industries; in particular, it is a good replacement for microfabrication technology. Microfabrication technology usually requires expensive clean room equipment and skilled engineers; however, 3D printing can reduce both cost and time dramatically. Although 3D printing technology has started to emerge into microfabrication manufacturing and medical applications, it is typically limited to creating mechanical structures such as hip prosthesis or dental implants. There have been increased interests in wearable devices and the critical part of such wearable devices is the sensing part to detect biosignals noninvasively. In this paper, we have built a 3D-printed sensor that can measure electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram from zebrafish. Despite measuring biosignals noninvasively from zebrafish has been known to be difficult due to that it is an underwater creature, we were able to successfully obtain electrophysiological information using the 3D-printed sensor. This 3D printing technique can accelerate the development of simple noninvasive sensors using affordable equipment and provide an economical solution to physiologists who are unfamiliar with complicated microfabrication techniques.
A Survey on Secure Communication Protocols for IoT Systems

The Internet of Things (IoT) integrates a large number of physical objects that are uniquely identified, ubiquitously interconnected and accessible through the Internet. IoT aims to transform any object in the real-world into a computing device that has sensing, communication and control capabilities. There is a growing number of IoT devices and applications and this leads to an increase in the number and complexity of malicious attacks. It is important to protect IoT systems against malicious attacks, especially to prevent attackers from obtaining control over the devices. A large number of security research solutions for IoT have been proposed in the last years, but most of them are not standardized or interoperable. In this paper, we investigate the security capabilities of existing protocols and networking stacks for IoT. We focus on solutions specified by well-known standardization bodies such as IEEE and IETF, and industry alliances, such as NFC Forum, ZigBee Alliance, Thread Group and LoRa Alliance.
ARANDOMHIERARCHICAL LATTICE : THE SERIES-PARALLEL GRAPH AND ITS PROPERTIES

We consider a sequence of random graphs constructed by a hierarchical procedure. The construction replaces existing edges by pairs of edges in series or parallel with probability p and 1−p respectively. We investigate the effective resistance across the graphs, first-passage percolation on the graphs and the Cheeger constants of the graphs as the number of edges tends to infinity. In each case we find a phase transition at p = 1 2 .
Routing and admission control in general topology networks with Poisson arrivals

Emerging high speed Broadband Integrated Services Digital Networks (B-ISDN) will carry traffic for services such as video-on-demand and video teleconferencing -- that require resource reservation along the path on which the traffic is sent. As a result, such networks will need effective {\em admission control} algorithms. The simplest approach is to use greedy admission control; in other words, accept every resource request that can be physically accommodated. However, in the context of symmetric loss networks (networks with a complete graph topology), non-greedy admission control has been shown to be more effective than greedy admission control. This paper suggests a new {\em non-greedy} routing and admission control algorithm for {\em general topology} networks. In contrast to previous algorithms, our algorithm does not require advance knowledge of the traffic patterns. Our algorithm combines key ideas from a recently developed theoretical algorithm with a stochastic analysis developed in the context of reservation-based algorithms. We evaluate the performance of our algorithm using extensive simulations on an existing commercial network topology and on variants of that topology. The simulations show that our algorithm outperforms greedy admission control over a broad range of network environments. The simulations also illuminate some important characteristics of our algorithm. For example, we characterize the importance of the implicit routing effects of the admission control part of our algorithm.
Implications of Land Use Change on River Flow in South West England

Assessing the impacts of future changes in land use on the hydrological cycle is an important issue for the proper management of water resources, since land use changes have implications on both water quantity and quality. Land use changes, in particular the expansion of urban areas, can significantly affect river flow increasing flood risk, whereas, the development of woodland areas could have positive effects on the reduction of peak flow. The present study has been carried out to assess and quantify the impact of land use changes on the water resources of a river basin located in South West England. With this aim, a hydrological model has been applied to some land use scenarios. In particular, two scenarios have been investigated: the first includes the increase of agricultural areas and the decrease of woodlands, the second includes the increase of urban areas and the decrease of woodlands. Results showed that, in the area of study, river flow would likely to be affected by future land use changes, mainly in the case of urban areas increase.
Tumor Stromal Phenotypes Define VEGF Sensitivity—Letter

With great interest, we read the article “Tumor Stromal Architecture Can Define the Intrinsic Tumor Response to VEGF-Targeted Therapy” by Smith and colleagues ([1][1]) in which the response to VEGF-targeted therapy was linked to the vascular/stromal architecture of primary tumors. We previously
Microbial Community Composition in a Simultaneous Nitrification and Denitrification Bioreactor for Domestic Wastewater Treatment

Traditional domestic wastewater treatments rely on aerobic processes followed by anaerobic processes. The aerobic step in which ammonium and organic carbon are oxidized, calls for large oxygen input, while the anaerobic process often requires extra carbon input. The challenge of synchronizing both processes is to maintain an active nitrifiers sludge under low dissolved oxygen (DO) condition. In this study, a membrane bioreactor was established and operated stable with low DO of 0.1-0.4 mg L-1. Chemical indicators were determined daily, and bacterial community was checked by qPCR and 16S rDNA sequencing every month. After 2 months incubation, the bioreactor reached to a stable removal rate of total nitrogen around 50% and total organic carbon around 90% with the retaining time of 12 h. The sludge showed enrichment of low DO nitrifiers (Nitrosomonadaceae, Chitinophagaceae, and Nitrospiraceae) which were different from sludge in other regular wastewater treatment plants with aerobic and anaerobic cycles.
Hepatitis B virus X protein targets Bcl-2 proteins to increase intracellular calcium, required for virus replication and cell death induction

Infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) promotes the development of hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. HBV X protein (HBx) is an important effector for HBV pathogenesis, but its cellular targets and acting mechanisms remain elusive. We show here that HBx interacts with the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL through a Bcl-2 homology 3 (BH3)-like motif in mammalian cells. Importantly, mutations in the BH3-like motif that prevent HBx binding to Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL abrogate cytosolic calcium elevation and cell death induced by HBx expression in hepatocytes and severely impair HBV viral replication, which can be substantially rescued by restoring cytosolic calcium. These results suggest that HBx binding to Bcl-2 family members and subsequent elevation of cytosolic calcium are important for HBV viral replication. Consistently, RNAi knockdown of Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL results in reduced calcium elevation by HBx and decreased viral replication in hepatocytes. Our results suggest that HBx targets Bcl-2 proteins through its BH3-like motif to promote cytosolic calcium elevation, cell death, and viral replication during HBV pathogenesis, which presents an excellent therapeutic intervention point in treating patients with chronic HBV.
A phylogenetic comparison of urease‐positive thermophilic Campylobacter (UPTC) and urease‐negative (UN) C. lari

In the present study, the reliability of full‐length gene sequence information for several genes including 16S rRNA was examined, for the discrimination of the two representative Campylobacter lari taxa, namely urease‐negative (UN) C. lari and urease‐positive thermophilic Campylobacter (UPTC). As previously described, 16S rRNA gene sequence are not reliable for the molecular discrimination of UN C. lari from UPTC organisms employing both the unweighted pair group method using arithmetic means analysis (UPGMA) and neighbor joining (NJ) methods. In addition, three composite full‐length gene sequences (ciaB, flaC and vacJ) out of seven gene loci examined were reliable for discrimination employing dendrograms constructed by the UPGMA method. In addition, all the dendrograms of the NJ phylogenetic trees constructed based on the nine gene information were not reliable for the discrimination. Three composite full‐length gene sequences (ciaB, flaC and vacJ) were reliable for the molecular discrimination between UN C. lari and UPTC organisms employing the UPGMA method, as well as among four thermophilic Campylobacter species. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Information systems strategy and configurational technologies: cases from the UK public sector

This paper draws upon symbolic interactionism in order to assess and discuss the findings from a longitudinal, single sector, case-based analysis of information system strategy (ISS) formation within two public sector institutions institutions that are often characterised as bureaucratic in form, and culture. Each case acquired sought large, complex applications off-the-shelf that required customisation. These are discussed as configurational technologies. The research has been informed by differences in perspective about the nature of ISS formation as reported in the literature with discussions of ISS often portrayed in bipolar terms; e.g. ISS as either planned or emergent. Literature suggests that the greater the sectoral stability, and the more oriented towards bureaucracy the institutional form, the more likely ISS planning will be formal as opposed to emergent or evolutionary for example. First, an argument is presented against the logic of bi-polarity that is evident in many debates about ISS. Second, a case is made for the use of interactionist thinking as a means of better understanding the political processes that shape ISS formation. From symbolic interactionism, we utilise concepts of social worlds, trajectories, and boundary objects. Findings from the empirical study are presented, from which the discussion focuses upon the social shaping of trajectories, and the politics of configuration as constituents of the complex practice of ISS formation.
IKM - An Identity based Key Management Scheme for Heterogeneous Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks applications are growing and so are their security needs. However, due to severe memory, computing and communication limitations, wireless sensor networks security presents tremendous challenges. Central to any security service, key management is a fundamental cryptographic primitive to provide other security operations. In this paper, we propose IKM, an identity based key management scheme designed for heterogeneous sensor networks. This scheme provides a high level of security as it is based on a variant of public key cryptography named pairing identity based cryptography. The IKM scheme supports the establishment of two types of keys, pairwise key to enable point to point communication between pairs of neighbouring nodes, and cluster key to make in-network processing feasible in each cluster of nodes. IKM also supports the addition of new nodes and re-keying mechanism. A security analysis is presented to prove the scheme resilience against several types of attacks especially the node compromise attack. We also perform an overhead analysis of the proposed scheme in terms of storage, communication, and computation requirements. To demonstrate the feasibility of this scheme, we present implementation and performance evaluation of the proposed scheme on Crossbow TelosB motes running TinyOS. The results indicate that it can be deployed efficiently in resource-constrained sensor networks that need a high level of security.
Cryo-EM Analysis of the Conformational Landscape of Human P-glycoprotein (ABCB1) During its Catalytic Cycle

The multidrug transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1) is an ATP-dependent pump that mediates the efflux of structurally diverse drugs and xenobiotics across cell membranes, affecting drug pharmacokinetics and contributing to the development of multidrug resistance. Structural information about the conformational changes in human P-gp during the ATP hydrolysis cycle has not been directly demonstrated, although mechanistic information has been inferred from biochemical and biophysical studies conducted with P-gp and its orthologs, or from structures of other ATP-binding cassette transporters. Using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, we report the surprising discovery that, in the absence of the transport substrate and nucleotides, human P-gp can exist in both open [nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) apart; inward-facing] and closed (NBDs close; outward-facing) conformations. We also probe conformational states of human P-gp during the catalytic cycle, and demonstrate that, following ATP hydrolysis, P-gp transitions through a complete closed conformation to a complete open conformation in the presence of ADP.
Cross-Cultural Communication: Perspectives from Translation Studies and Applied Linguistics

This paper has emerged out of the conviction that linguistic theory has more to offer to translation theory than is so far recognized and vice versa. One reason for the relative separation between the two fields is, perhaps, the domination of formal approaches to language study for a considerable period of time. But, with the spread of functional linguistics in the last three decades, there have been growing hopes for establishing links between linguistics and translation studies. Accordingly, the discussion, in the present study, proceeds primarily from the perspectives of “Translation Studies” and “Applied Linguistics”. One major goal is to show the interrelationships between linguistics and translation, and how they benefit from each other. The basic underlying theme, here, is that “inside or between languages, human communication equals translation. A study of translation is a study of language” (Bassnett-McGuire, 1980: 23). In addition, both translators and linguists deal with two linguistic systems, each with, perhaps, a different cultural system. So, if we agree that ‘all communicators are translators’ (Bell, 1994), we must remember that the role of the translator is different from that of the ‘normal communicator’: the translator is a bilingual mediating agent between monolingual communication participants in two different language communities. On the other hand, there has been a great focus on using English only as a medium of instruction in all courses taught in the UAE University. Accordingly, the second goal of this study is to try to answer the questions, “How much translation from L1 is permitted in FL teaching? and “What are the factors that determine the quantity to be used? ”. The view adopted in the present study is that disregarding L2 learners’ mother-tongue and considering it “a bogey to be shunned at all costs” is a myth. And, providing maximum exposure to the foreign language may help in learning that language (Krashen, 1982, 1985), but, sometimes, at the expense of understanding and intelligibility.
Do ultrasonic contrast agents artificially increase maximum Doppler shift? In vivo study of human common carotid arteries.

The aim of this study was to establish whether an increase of maximum Doppler shift occurs in the human common carotid artery after the administration of Levovist, an ultrasonographic echo enhancer. Twenty common carotid arteries of 10 patients were examined. Spectral Doppler waveform examinations were performed before and after administration of Levovist using an Acuson 128 XP 10 and a 7.0 MHz transducer probe. Time averaged mean velocity, peak velocity, maximum Doppler shift, and spectral Doppler indices (pulsatility index, resistive index, systolic‐diastolic ratio) were assessed. No significant changes in any of the measured parameters, including maximum Doppler shifts, peak velocity (P = 0.35, Wilcoxon rank sum test), pulsatility indices (P = 0.70), resistive indices (P = 0.98), or other spectral indices, were found. We conclude that an increase in Doppler shift does not inevitably occur after the administration of a signal enhancer when examining the human common carotid artery.
Incremental training of CDHMMs using bayesian learning

The Bayesian Learning approach (MAP Maximum A Posteriori) can be used for the incremental training of Continuous Density Hidden Markov Models (CDHMM), performed through speech data collected in real applications. The effectiveness of MAP is heavily conditioned by the correct balance between the a-priori knowledge and the field training data. In this paper we propose and evaluate several optimization methods of the MAP combination function, based either on maximum likelihood (ML) and heuristics criteria. To adjust the relevance of the a-priori knowledge we use the exponential forgetting technique into the MAP framework. We present several tests that compare the error rate reduction as a function of the selected optimization method and of the size of adaptation data.
A Novel Myosin Essential Light Chain Mutation Causes Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy with Late Onset and Low Expressivity

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is caused by mutations in genes encoding sarcomere proteins. Mutations in MYL3, encoding the essential light chain of myosin, are rare and have been associated with sudden death. Both recessive and dominant patterns of inheritance have been suggested. We studied a large family with a 38-year-old asymptomatic HCM-affected male referred because of a murmur. The patient had HCM with left ventricular hypertrophy (max WT 21 mm), a resting left ventricular outflow gradient of 36 mm Hg, and left atrial dilation (54 mm). Genotyping revealed heterozygosity for a novel missense mutation, p.V79I, in MYL3. The mutation was not found in 300 controls, and the patient had no mutations in 10 sarcomere genes. Cascade screening revealed a further nine heterozygote mutation carriers, three of whom had ECG and/or echocardiographic abnormalities but did not fulfil diagnostic criteria for HCM. The penetrance, if we consider this borderline HCM the phenotype of the p.V79I mutation, was 40%, but the mean age of the nonpenetrant mutation carriers is 15, while the mean age of the penetrant mutation carriers is 47. The mutation affects a conserved valine replacing it with a larger isoleucine residue in the region of contact between the light chain and the myosin lever arm. In conclusion, MYL3 mutations can present with low expressivity and late onset.
Update of the Diatom EST Database: a new tool for digital transcriptomics

The Diatom Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) Database was constructed to provide integral access to ESTs from these ecologically and evolutionarily interesting microalgae. It has now been updated with 130 000 Phaeodactylum tricornutum ESTs from 16 cDNA libraries and 77 000 Thalassiosira pseudonana ESTs from seven libraries, derived from cells grown in different nutrient and stress regimes. The updated relational database incorporates results from statistical analyses such as log-likelihood ratios and hierarchical clustering, which help to identify differentially expressed genes under different conditions, and allow similarities in gene expression in different libraries to be investigated in a functional context. The database also incorporates links to the recently sequenced genomes of P. tricornutum and T. pseudonana, enabling an easy cross-talk between the expression pattern of diatom orthologs and the genome browsers. These improvements will facilitate exploration of diatom responses to conditions of ecological relevance and will aid gene function identification of diatom-specific genes and in silico gene prediction in this largely unexplored class of eukaryotes. The updated Diatom EST Database is available at http://www.biologie. ens.fr/diatomics/EST3.
How do winter thundercloud systems generate sprite‐inducing lightning in the Hokuriku area of Japan?

Lightning and thundercloud systems leading to the generation of sprites were examined on the basis of analyses on the interrelation among radar reflectivity, lightning, and static electric field during the winter of 2004/2005 in the Hokuriku area of Japan. Eleven cases from the observed fifteen sprite events exhibit similar characteristics, so we present a typical case study of the thundercloud system. The analysis results are summarized as follows: (1) The sprite‐inducing +CG was triggered by a cloud flash produced by an active cell. (2) The sprite‐inducing +CG removed large positive charge from the stratiform region of another thunderstorm cell by the long linear lightning channel. (3) The origin of sprite‐inducing large positive charge appears to be located in the stratiform region.
Modelling the effects of the weather on admissions to UK trauma units: a cross-sectional study

Objective To assess the relationship between daily trauma admissions and observed weather variables, using data from the Trauma Audit and Research Network of England and Wales and the UK Meteorological Office. Design A cross-sectional study. Setting Twenty-one accident and emergency departments (ED) located across England. Participants All patients arriving at one of the selected ED, with a subsequent death, inpatient stay of greater than 3 days, interhospital transfer or requiring critical care between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2006. Main Outcome Measures Daily counts of adult and paediatric trauma admissions. Results Multivariate regression analysis indicated that there were strong seasonal trends in paediatric (χ2 likelihood ratio test p<0.001), and adult (p=0.016) trauma admissions. For adults, each rise of 5°C in the maximum daily temperature and each additional 2 h of sunshine caused increases in trauma admissions of 1.8% and 1.9%. Effects in the paediatric group were considerably larger, with similar increases in temperature and hours of sunshine causing increases in trauma admissions of 10% and 6%. Each drop of 5°C in the minimum daily temperature, eg, due to a severe night time frost, caused adult trauma admissions to increase by 3.2%. Also the presence of snow increased adult trauma admissions by 7.9%. Conclusion This is the largest study of its kind to investigate and quantify the relationship between trauma admissions and the weather. The results show clear associations that have direct application for planning and resource management in UK ED.