Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantification of Slackia and Eggerthella spp. in Human Feces and Adhesion of Representatives Strains to Caco-2 Cells

Eggerthella and Slackia spp. are gut associated bacteria that have been suggested to play roles in host lipid and xenobiotic metabolism. A quantitative PCR method for the selective enumeration of bacteria belonging to either the genus Eggerthella or Slackia was developed in order to establish the numbers of these bacteria occurring in human feces. The primers developed for selective amplification of these genera were tested first in conventional PCR to test for their specificity. Representative species of Eggerthella and Slackia, as well as closely related genera of the Coriobacteriia, were included in the investigation. The selected primers were shown to be capable of specific amplification of species of the genera Eggerthella and Slackia, but not all species of the genera may be amplified by the respective primers. Their use in qPCR experiments to assess the levels of Slackia equolifaciens and Eggerthella lenta in the feces of 19 human volunteers showed they occurred at mean counts of 7 × 105 and 3.1 × 105 CFU/g for Eggerthella spp. and Slackia spp. , respectively. Electron microscopy investigations showed that while E. lenta cells exhibited slender and very regular shaped rods, Slackia cells showed a remarkably pleomorphic phenotype. Both species did not appear to have fimbriae or pili. Some S. equolifaciens cells showed a characteristic “ribbon” of presumably extracellular material around the cells, particularly at the areas of cell division. The two species also differed markedly in their adhesion behavior to Caco-2 cells in cell culture, as E. lenta DSMZ 15644 showed a high adhesion capacity of 74.2% adherence of the bacterial cells added to Caco-2 cells, while S. equolifaciens DSM 24851T on the other hand showed only low adhesion capability, as 6.1% of bacterial cells remained bound. Speculatively, this may imply that the ecological compartments where these bacteria reside in the gut may be different, i.e., E. lenta may be associated more with the gut wall, while Slackia may be free living in the lumen.
It's Not Whether you Win or Lose, It's how you Play the Game? the Role of Process and Outcome in Experience Consumption

Many firms attempt to enhance experience consumption by facilitating the consumption outcome (i.e., the end state achieved, such as the final score of a basketball game) and the consumption process (i.e., the course through which the end is achieved, such as how the game is played). The authors propose that the roles of outcome and process in the evaluation of experience consumption are dependent not only on consumers’ role in the experience (participant vs. spectator) but also on their self-construal (independent vs. interdependent). As a spectator (e.g., watching a game), independents’ (vs. interdependents') experience consumption evaluations are more likely to be influenced by outcome, while interdependent (vs. independent) consumers are more likely to be affected by process. The reverse is true when consumers assume the role of a participant in the experience (e.g., playing a game). The authors’ theorizing is supported across three studies.
Variation-Aware Task and Communication Mapping for MPSoC Architecture

As technology scales, the delay uncertainty caused by process variations has become increasingly pronounced in deep submicrometer designs. As a result, a paradigm shift from deterministic to statistical design methodology at all levels of the design hierarchy is inevitable. In this paper, we propose a variation-aware task and communication mapping methodology for multiprocessor system-on-chips that uses network-on-chip communication architecture so that the impact of parameter variations can be mitigated. Our mapping scheme accounts for variability in both the processing cores and the communication links to ensure a complete and accurate model of the entire system. A new design metric, called performance yield and defined as the probability of the assigned schedule meeting the predefined performance constraints, is used to guide both the task scheduling and the routing path allocation procedure. An efficient yield computation method for this mapping complements and significantly improves the effectiveness of the proposed variation-aware mapping algorithm. Experimental results show that our variation-aware mapper achieves significant yield improvements over worst-case and nominal-case deterministic mapper.
Parallel Matching of 3D Articulated Object Recognition

In dealing with large volume image data, sequential methods usually are too slow and unsatisfactory. This paper introduces a new system employing parallel matching in high-level recognition of 3D articulated objects. A new structural strategy using linear combination and parallel graphic matching techniques is presented for 3D polyhedral objects representable by 2D line-drawings. It solves one of the basic concerns in diffusion tomography complexities, i.e. patterns can be reconstructed through fewer projections, and 3D objects can be recognized by a few learning sample views. It also improves some of the current methods while overcoming their drawbacks. Furthermore, it can distinguish very similar objects and is more accurate than other methods in the literature. An online webpage system for understanding and recognizing 3D objects is also illustrated.
Structural Insights into High Density Lipoprotein: Old Models and New Facts

The physiological link between circulating high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels and cardiovascular disease is well-documented, albeit its intricacies are not well-understood. An improved appreciation of HDL function and overall role in vascular health and disease requires at its foundation a better understanding of the lipoprotein's molecular structure, its formation, and its process of maturation through interactions with various plasma enzymes and cell receptors that intervene along the pathway of reverse cholesterol transport. This review focuses on summarizing recent developments in the field of lipid free apoA-I and HDL structure, with emphasis on new insights revealed by newly published nascent and spherical HDL models constructed by combining low resolution structures obtained from small angle neutron scattering (SANS) with contrast variation and geometrical constraints derived from hydrogen–deuterium exchange (HDX), crosslinking mass spectrometry, electron microscopy, Förster resonance energy transfer, and electron spin resonance. Recently published low resolution structures of nascent and spherical HDL obtained from SANS with contrast variation and isotopic labeling of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) will be critically reviewed and discussed in terms of how they accommodate existing biophysical structural data from alternative approaches. The new low resolution structures revealed and also provided some answers to long standing questions concerning lipid organization and particle maturation of lipoproteins. The review will discuss the merits of newly proposed SANS based all atom models for nascent and spherical HDL, and compare them with accepted models. Finally, naturally occurring and bioengineered mutations in apoA-I, and their impact on HDL phenotype, are reviewed and discuss together with new therapeutics employed for restoring HDL function.
Improved management of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in neutropenic patients using early thoracic computed tomographic scan and surgery.

PURPOSE The prognosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) occurring in neutropenic patients remains poor. We studied whether new strategies for early diagnosis could improve outcome in these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty-three histologically proven and 14 highly probable IPAs in 37 hematologic patients (neutropenic in 36) were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS The most frequent clinical signs associated with IPA were cough (92%), chest pain (76%), and hemoptysis (54%). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was positive in 22 of 32 cases. Aspergillus antigen test was positive in 83% of cases when tested on BAL fluid. Since October 1991, early thoracic computed tomographic (CT) scans were systematically performed in febrile neutropenic patients with pulmonary x-ray infiltrates. This approach allowed us to recognize suggestive CT halo signs in 92% of patients, compared with 13% before this date, and the mean time to IPA diagnosis was reduced dramatically from 7 to 1.9 days. Among 36 assessable patients, 10 failed to respond (amphotericin B [AmB] plus fluorocytosyne, n = 2; itraconazole + AmB, n = 8) and died of aspergillosis. Twenty-six patients were cured or improved by antifungal treatment (itraconazole with or without AmB, n = 22; voriconazole, n = 4). In 15 of 16 cases, surgical resection was combined successfully with medical treatment. Achievement of hematologic response, early diagnosis, unilateral pulmonary involvement, and highest level of fibrinogen value < 9 g/L were associated with better outcome. CONCLUSION In febrile neutropenic patients, systematic CT scan allows earlier diagnosis of IPA. Early antifungal treatment, combined with surgical resection if necessary, improves IPA prognosis dramatically in these patients.
Biomechanical and Physiological Evaluation of Multi-Joint Assistance With Soft Exosuits

To understand the effects of soft exosuits on human loaded walking, we developed a reconfigurable multi-joint actuation platform that can provide synchronized forces to the ankle and hip joints. Two different assistive strategies were evaluated on eight subjects walking on a treadmill at a speed of 1.25 m/s with a 23.8 kg backpack: 1) hip extension assistance and 2) multi-joint assistance (hip extension, ankle plantarflexion and hip flexion). Results show that the exosuit introduces minimum changes to kinematics and reduces biological joint moments. A reduction trend in muscular activity was observed for both conditions. On average, the exosuit reduced the metabolic cost of walking by ${\hbox{0.21}} \pm {\hbox{0.04}}~$ and ${\hbox{0.67}} \pm {\hbox{0.09}}~{\hbox{W/kg}}$ for hip extension assistance and multi-joint assistance respectively, which is equivalent to an average metabolic reduction of 4.6% and 14.6%, demonstrating that soft exosuits can effectively improve human walking efficiency during load carriage without affecting natural walking gait. Moreover, it indicates that actuating multiple joints with soft exosuits provides a significant benefit to muscular activity and metabolic cost compared to actuating single joint.
Web-Based Virtual Patients in Nursing Education: Development and Validation of Theory-Anchored Design and Activity Models

Background Research has shown that nursing students find it difficult to translate and apply their theoretical knowledge in a clinical context. Virtual patients (VPs) have been proposed as a learning activity that can support nursing students in their learning of scientific knowledge and help them integrate theory and practice. Although VPs are increasingly used in health care education, they still lack a systematic consistency that would allow their reuse outside of their original context. There is therefore a need to develop a model for the development and implementation of VPs in nursing education. Objective The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a virtual patient model optimized to the learning and assessment needs in nursing education. Methods The process of modeling started by reviewing theoretical frameworks reported in the literature and used by practitioners when designing learning and assessment activities. The Outcome-Present State Test (OPT) model was chosen as the theoretical framework. The model was then, in an iterative manner, developed and optimized to the affordances of virtual patients. Content validation was performed with faculty both in terms of the relevance of the chosen theories but also its applicability in nursing education. The virtual patient nursing model was then instantiated in two VPs. The students’ perceived usefulness of the VPs was investigated using a questionnaire. The result was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results A virtual patient Nursing Design Model (vpNDM) composed of three layers was developed. Layer 1 contains the patient story and ways of interacting with the data, Layer 2 includes aspects of the iterative process of clinical reasoning, and finally Layer 3 includes measurable outcomes. A virtual patient Nursing Activity Model (vpNAM) was also developed as a guide when creating VP-centric learning activities. The students perceived the global linear VPs as a relevant learning activity for the integration of theory and practice. Conclusions Virtual patients that are adapted to the nursing paradigm can support nursing students’ development of clinical reasoning skills. The proposed virtual patient nursing design and activity models will allow the systematic development of different types of virtual patients from a common model and thereby create opportunities for sharing pedagogical designs across technical solutions.
Ring Models Of Atoms, Molecules And Nanomaterials

The classical approach in particle physics is based on the fact that the electron has some parameters like charge, mass, etc. but does not have a structure. In our calculations, the electron is assumed as structured particle having magnetic properties. VFRT (Vortex Fractal Ring Theory) uses the electron, proton, and neutron as a particle with a toroidal (ring) shape, which is formed by fractal substructures connected to each other by vortex electromagnetic fields. The atomic nucleus can be built from the ring protons and neutrons. Combining knowledge of physical chemistry, evolutionary optimization, 3D graphic, programming in Python, and mathematics makes it possible to create programs for designing new nanostructure models. The first testing proposal for the nanostructure prediction program is limited to carbon structures. The aim was to verify whether the proposed program is capable of generating known carbon nanostructures, such as graphene. The following versions of the program will no longer have this limitation. Copyright © 2019 VBRI Press.
Energy balance in elderly patients after surgery for a femoral neck fracture.

To study energy and protein balances in elderly patients after surgery, spontaneous energy and protein intake and resting energy expenditure (REE) were measured in 20 elderly female patients with a femoral neck fracture (mean age 81 +/- 4, SD, range 74-87 years; weight 53 +/- 8, range 42-68 kg) during a 5-6 day period following surgery. REE, measured over 20-40 min by indirect calorimetry using a ventilated canopy, averaged 0.98 +/- 0.15 kcal/min on day 3 and decreased to 0.93 +/- 0.15 kcal/min on day 8-9 postsurgery (p less than 0.02). REE was positively correlated with body weight (r = 0.69, p less than 0.005). Mean REE extrapolated to 24 hr (24-REE) was 1283 +/- 194 kcal/day. Mean daily food energy intake measured over the 5-day follow-up period was 1097 +/- 333 kcal/day and was positively correlated with 24-REE (r = 0.50, p less than 0.05). Daily energy balance was -235 +/- 351 kcal/day on day 3 (p less than 0.01 vs zero) and -13 +/- 392 kcal/day on day 8-9 postsurgery (NS vs zero) with a mean over the study period of -185 +/- 289 kcal/day (p less than 0.01 vs zero). When an extra 100 kcal/day was allowed for the energy cost of physical activity, mean daily energy balance over the 5-day study period was calculated to be -285 +/- 289 kcal/day (p less than 0.01 vs zero). Measurements of total 24-hr urinary nitrogen (N) excretion were obtained in a subgroup of 14 patients. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Weighted Theta Functions and Embeddings with Applications to Max-Cut, Clustering and Summarization

We introduce a unifying generalization of the Lovasz theta function, and the associated geometric embedding, for graphs with weights on both nodes and edges. We show how it can be computed exactly by semidefinite programming, and how to approximate it using SVM computations. We show how the theta function can be interpreted as a measure of diversity in graphs and use this idea, and the graph embedding in algorithms for Max-Cut, correlation clustering and document summarization, all of which are well represented as problems on weighted graphs.
Defining the Search Space for Conceptual Software Designs

1. Introduction Conceptual software designs are widely expressed using notations specified by the Unified Modelling Language (UML) [1]. However, UML notations are inadequate as an effective basis for search-based approaches for design. The richness and expressiveness of UML notation exist primarily for human comprehension and precision rather than the systematic exploration of the design space. Building upon the fundamentals of UML notation, this technical report defines a representation of the search space for conceptual software designs in a systematic manner that enables search and the quantification of the search space. Use cases [2], [3] are widely used to denote the scope and context of a software design problem. Use cases are scenarios of interaction between an actor and the software system-to-be and express the goal (behavioural requirement) of value that the actor wishes to achieve by interacting with the software system as a whole. A use case describes a set of scenarios of interaction by means of chronological sequences of steps. Such steps may be recorded as text in a number of possible formats reflecting the formality and granularity of system behaviour being elicited. Cockburn [2] (pp 90-92) refers to a step as an " action step " and suggests that the textual grammar of an action step should be: " Subject…verb…direct object…prepositional phrase. For example: The system…deducts.the amount…from the account balance. " In any scenario, the subject of an action step is either the actor or the system, depending on where the control lies at that point in the sequence. The granularity of the nouns in the object and prepositional phrase presents the human designer with a dilemma however: should such nouns be recorded as individual atomic elements of the problem, or a compound abstraction of the atomic elements? For example, should a problem concept of " postal address " be represented by individual atomic elements such as house number, street, district, city, and code, or by a
Quinoa: Nutritional, functional, and antinutritional aspects

ABSTRACT We have prepared a review of the physical-chemical composition and the functional and anti-nutritional properties of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.). It is a plant of the Chenopodiaceae family, originally from the Andean regions, adaptable to different types of soils and climatic conditions. Its composition has attracted the attention of scientific community for its high nutritional value, being rich in proteins, lipids, fibers, vitamins, and minerals, with an extraordinary balance of essential amino acids. It is also gluten-free, a characteristic that enables its use by celiac patients. In spite of all these attributes, quinoa is not widely used by consumers due to the high cost of imported grain and little knowledge of its benefits. More studies are required to increase knowledge about this “pseudo-cereal” to demonstrate its functional and nutritional benefits and to study its anti-nutritional effects, since it presents high commercial value and excellent nutritional quality.
Portable Trust: biometric-based authentication and blockchain storage for self-sovereign identity systems

We devised a mobile biometric-based authentication system only relying on local processing. Our Android open source solution explores the capability of current smartphones to acquire, process and match fingerprints using only its built-in hardware. Our architecture is specifically designed to run completely locally and autonomously, not requiring any cloud service, server, or permissioned access to fingerprint reader hardware. It involves three main stages, starting with the fingerprint acquisition using the smartphone camera, followed by a processing pipeline to obtain minutiae features and a final step for matching against other locally stored fingerprints, based on Oriented FAST and Rotated BRIEF (ORB) descriptors. We obtained a mean matching accuracy of 55%, with the highest value of 67% for thumb fingers. Our ability to capture and process a finger fingerprint in mere seconds using a smartphone makes this work usable in a wide range of scenarios, for instance, offline remote regions. This work is specifically designed to be a key building block for a self-sovereign identity solution and integrate with our permissionless blockchain for identity and key attestation.
Representation systems for data exchange

The notion of representation systems describes structures that are algebraically closed under queries. It has recently been realized that representation systems are highly relevant also in the context of data exchange. We extend the notion of representation system to encompass data exchange mappings and their composition. Seen through this lens, two major classes of representation systems emerge, namely homomorphic data exchange systems and strong data exchange systems. The homomorphic "OWA" systems encompass the "classical" part of data exchange. Reasoning is modulo homomorphic equivalence (CQ-equivalence), and only unions of conjunctive queries and monotone data exchange mappings are supported. We then develop some new technical tools that allow us to prove that there is a class of '"CWA" strong representation systems in which reasoning is modulo isomorphic equivalence. These systems are based on conditional tables, and they support first order queries and non-monotonic data exchange mappings specified by a large class of second order dependencies. We achieve this by showing that, under a CWA-interpretation, conditional tables are chaseable with the aforementioned class of second order dependencies, and that the class is closed under composition in the CWA-setting. We also introduce a stricter notion of composability, and show that the class of (first order) source-to-target tuple generating dependencies is closed under the stricter notion of composability.
Neuronal Mitophagy in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neuronal homeostasis depends on the proper functioning of different quality control systems. All intracellular components are subjected to continuous turnover through the coordinated synthesis, degradation and recycling of their constituent elements. Autophagy is the catabolic mechanism by which intracellular cytosolic components, including proteins, organelles, aggregates and any other intracellular materials, are delivered to lysosomes for degradation. Among the different types of selective autophagy described to date, the process of mitophagy involves the selective autophagic degradation of mitochondria. In this way, mitophagy is responsible for basal mitochondrial turnover, but can also be induced under certain physiological or pathogenic conditions to eliminate unwanted or damaged mitochondria. Dysfunctional cellular proteolytic systems have been linked extensively to neurodegenerative diseases (ND) like Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), or Huntington’s disease (HD), with autophagic failure being one of the main factors contributing to neuronal cell death in these diseases. Neurons are particularly vulnerable to autophagic impairment as well as to mitochondrial dysfunction, due mostly to their particular high energy dependence and to their post-mitotic nature. The accurate and proper degradation of dysfunctional mitochondria by mitophagy is essential for maintaining control over mitochondrial quality and quantity in neurons. In this report, I will review the role of mitophagy in neuronal homeostasis and the consequences of its dysfunction in ND.