Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An improved classification scheme for chromosomes with missing data

Karyotyping, or the automatic classification of human chromosomes, is mostly based on the analysis of the chromosome specific banding pattern. Unfortunately, the most informative phases of the cell division cycle are composed of long chromosomes that easily overlap: the involved banding pattern information is corrupted, resulting in a drastic increase of the classification error. Assuming the availability of a probabilistic classifier, the improvement of the classification of chromosomes with corrupted data would require the additional estimation of the joint probability density of the observed and missing data for each chromosome class. Given the number of classes, the possible position and extension of the corrupted data within a chromosome, and the dimensionality of the feature space, a reliable estimation would need an impossible number of training samples. We chose to circumvent the estimation problem by developing a statistical generative model of the pattern of each class, so that the corrupted part can be substituted with a partial pattern synthetically generated from the model. This allows to obtain a Monte Carlo estimate of the maximum a posteriori probability for the class given the observation and the missing data, which reduces to a simple voting scheme if the a priori probability for each class is equal. Moreover, this Monte Carlo classification is superior to the voting scheme based on the simple imputation of the classes mean to the missing data.
Robust video-oculography for non-invasive autonomic nerve quantification

A relationship between autonomic nerves activity and depression or Alzheimer's disease has been reported. The quantification of autonomic nerves is expected to serve as a tool for quantifying the of severity of the disease or for early detection. Video-oculography is known as a non-invasive and reliable procedure of measurement of pupil response and is used in clinical practice. However, measuring the transition of pupil areas accurately is often difficult due to eyelid overlap, effects of blinking, eyelashes etc. Current video-oculography only performs thresholding to split pupil area and backgrounds and therefore sometimes has difficult in measuring accurate transitions of pupil reflex. In this study, we developed a robust and accurate method to measure the transition of pupil size. The proposed method introduces an interpolation process using an active contour model and ellipse estimation with selection of reliable contour points and attains robust measurement of pupil area against the abovementioned difficulties. We confirmed our method achieved an extraction accuracy of 98.3 % in precision and 98.9% in recall in average on the tested a total of 8,518 image frames from 30 movies.
Excitation of self-localized spin-wave bullets by spin-polarized current in in-plane magnetized magnetic nanocontacts : A micromagnetic study

Abstract : It was shown by micromagnetic simulation that a current-driven in-plane magnetized magnetic nanocontact, besides a quasilinear propagating "Slonczewski" spin-wave mode, can also support a nonlinear self-localized spin-wave "bullet" mode that exists in a much wider range of bias currents. The frequency of the bullet mode lies below the spectrum of linear propagating spin waves, which makes this mode evanescent and determines its spatial localization. The threshold current for the excitation of the self-localized bullet is substantially lower than for the linear propagating mode, but finite-amplitude initial perturbations of magnetization are necessary to generate a bullet in our numerical simulations, where thermal fluctuations are neglected. Consequently, in these simulations the hysteretic switching between the propagating and localized spin-wave modes is found when the bias current is varied.
Biosynthetic Potential of Bioactive Streptomycetes Isolated From Arid Region of the Thar Desert, Rajasthan (India)

Acquisition of Actinobacteria, especially Streptomyces from previously underexplored habitats and the exploration of their biosynthetic potential have gained much attention in the rejuvenated antibiotics search programs. Herein, we isolated some Streptomyces strains, from an arid region of the Great Indian Thar Desert, which possess an ability to produce novel bioactive compounds. Twenty-one morphologically distinctive strains differing in their aerial and substrate mycelium were isolated by employing a stamping method. Among them, 12 strains were identified by a two-level antimicrobial screening method, exerting antimicrobial effects against a panel of indicator strains including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus species. Based on their potent antimicrobial activity, four isolates were further explored by 16S rRNA gene-based identification, genetic screening, and metabolomic analysis; and it was found that these strains belong to the genus Streptomyces. The selected strains were found to have polyketide synthase and non-ribosomal peptide synthetase systems. In addition, extracellular metabolomic screening revealed that the isolates produced analogs of doxorubicinol, pyrromycin, erythromycin, and 6-13 other putative novel metabolites. These results demonstrate the significance of Streptomyces inhabiting the arid region of Thar Desert, suggesting that similar arid environments can be considered as the reservoirs of novel Streptomyces strains that could have biotechnological significance.
Tissue engineered organoids for neural network modelling

The increased prevalence of neurological diseases across the world has stimulated a great deal of research into the physiological and pathological brain, both at clinical and pre-clinical level. This has led to the development of many sophisticated tissue engineered neural models, presenting greater cellular complexity to better mimic the central nervous system niche environment. These have been developed with the ambition to improve pre-clinical assessment of pharma and cellular therapies, as well as better understand this tissue type and its function/dysfunction. This review covers the necessary considerations in in vitro model design, along with recent advances in 2Dculture systems, to 3D organoids and bio-artificial organs.
Flip-Chip (FC) and Fine-Pitch-Ball-Grid-Array (FPBGA) Underfills for Application in Aerospace Electronics—Brief Review

In this review, some major aspects of the current underfill technologies for flip-chip (FC) and fine-pitch-ball-grid-array (FPBGA), including chip-size packaging (CSP), are addressed, with an emphasis on applications, such as aerospace electronics, for which high reliability level is imperative. The following aspects of the FC and FPGGA technologies are considered: attributes of the FC and FPBGA structures and technologies; underfill-induced stresses; the roles of the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the underfill materials; some major attributes of the lead-free solder systems with underfill; reliability-related issues; thermal fatigue of the underfilled solder joints; warpage-related issues; attributes of accelerated life testing of solder joint interconnections with underfills; and predictive modeling, both finite-element-analysis (FEA)-based and analytical (“mathematical”). It is concluded particularly that the application of the quantitative assessments of the effect of the fabrication techniques on the reliability of solder materials, when high reliability is imperative, is critical and that all the three types of research tools that an aerospace reliability engineer has at his/her disposal, should be pursued, when appropriate and possible: experimental/testing, finite-element-analysis(FEA) simulations, and the “old-fashioned” analytical (“mathematical”) modeling. These two modeling techniques are based on different assumptions, and if the computed data obtained using these techniques result in the close output information, then there is a good reason to believe that this information is both accurate and trustworthy. This effort is particularly important for high-reliability FC and FPBGA applications, such as aerospace electronics, as the aerospace IC packages become more complex, and the requirements for their failure-free operations become more stringent.
A spice-based approach to steady state circuit analysis

A new SPICE-based approach for steady state circuit analysis is presented which uses SPICE computational capabilities and a master programme to carry out the periodic response. the master programme implements a suitable method for steady state analysis and is linked with SPICE only via I/O SPICE files. This allows the use of all SPICE analyses together with the new one simply by adding a new statement in the input SPICE file. In this paper the bases of this technique, including the chosen steady state method and the whole system structure, are discussed. Simulation results produced by this technique have been compared, by means of two meaningful examples, with those obtained both by SPICE and by a dedicated simulator for steady state analysis working in the frequency domain.
Effects of interleukin‐7/interleukin‐7 receptor on RANKL‐mediated osteoclast differentiation and ovariectomy‐induced bone loss by regulating c‐Fos/c‐Jun pathway

To explore the effects of IL‐7/IL‐7R on the RANKL‐mediated osteoclast differentiation in vitro and OVX‐induced bone loss in vivo. BMMs and RAW264.7 were transfected with IL‐7, IL‐7R siRNA, c‐Fos siRNA, and c‐jun siRNA and later stimulated by RANKL. TRAP and toluidine blue staining were used to observe osteoclast formation and bone resorption, respectively. HE and TRAP staining were used to detect trabecular bone microstructure and osteoclasts of mice, respectively. qRT‐PCR and Western blot analysis were used to examine expression. IL‐7 unregulated the expression of CTSK, NFATc1, MMP9, and the phosphorylation of p38 and Akt by activating the c‐Fos/c‐Jun pathway, which increased osteoclast numbers and bone resorption in RANKL‐stimulated macrophages. While IL‐7R siRNA and c‐Fos siRNA decreased the expression, as well as and the phosphorylation of p38 and Akt.IL‐7 decreased the BMD and OPG expression in OVX‐induced mice and increased the TRAP positive cells, the mRNA expression of c‐fos, c‐jun, and RANKL, which was contradictory to IL‐7R siRNA, and c‐Fos siRNA. Furthermore, IL‐7R siRNA and c‐Fos siRNA caused thicker trabeculae, increased trabecular number, and decreased osteolysis in OVX mice. IL‐7/IL‐7R can promote RANKL‐mediated osteoclast formation and bone resorption by activating the c‐Fos/c‐Jun pathway, as well as inducing bone loss in OVX mice.
Genetic Variants Associated with Hyperandrogenemia in PCOS Pathophysiology

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a multifactorial endocrine disorder whose pathophysiology baffles many researchers till today. This syndrome is typically characterized by anovulatory cycles and infertility, altered gonadotropin levels, obesity, and bulky multifollicular ovaries on ultrasound. Hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance are hallmark features of its complex pathophysiology. Hyperandrogenemia is a salient feature of PCOS and a major contributor to cosmetic anomalies including hirsutism, acne, and male pattern alopecia in affected women. Increased androgen levels may be intrinsic or aggravated by preexisting insulin resistance in women with PCOS. Studies have reported augmented ovarian steroidogenesis patterns attributed mainly to theca cell hypertrophy and altered expression of key enzymes in the steroidogenic pathway. Candidate gene studies have been performed in order to delineate the association of polymorphisms in genes, which encode enzymes in the intricate cascade of steroidogenesis or modulate the levels and action of circulating androgens, with risk of PCOS development and its related traits. However, inconsistent findings have impacted the emergence of a unanimously accepted genetic marker for PCOS susceptibility. In the current review, we have summarized the influence of polymorphisms in important androgen related genes in governing genetic predisposition to PCOS and its related metabolic and reproductive traits.
Super bright light emitting diode of nanorod array structure having ingan quantum well and method for manufacturing the same

The present invention relates to a GaN light emitting diode, GaN LED according to the present invention, a pn junction by inserting the InGaN quantum well (quantum well) to the pn junction surface of the GaN nanorods, n-type GaN nanorods, InGaN quantum well, and the p-type GaN nanorods uses a GaN nanorods formed continuously in the longitudinal direction in this order. In addition, by placing these GaN nanorods in a plurality of arrays of LED it provides a much high luminance, high luminous efficiency as compared to GaN LED of the conventional laminated film type.
Rendering driven depth reconstruction

Previous work on image-based rendering suggests that there is a tradeoff between the number of images and the amount of geometry required for anti-aliased rendering. For instance, plenoptic sampling theory indicates that visually acceptable rendering can be achieved when the input images are undersampled, if sufficient depth information is available for all the pixels. In this paper, we propose a novel vision reconstruction approach, rendering-driven depth recovery, to recover the amount of geometry that is necessary for anti-aliased rendering. Our approach contrasts conventional stereo reconstruction in that we do not intend to accurately reconstruct the depth for each and every single pixel, leading to a very efficient reconstruction algorithm. Our algorithm uses a block-based multi-layer depth representation, and searches in the depth space based on the causality criterion, by detecting double images. Experiments show that rendering systems using our rendering driven depth recovery algorithm can synthesize satisfactory novel views efficiently by using 'just enough geometry' recovered from undersampled input images.
Analysis of Embedded Prefilters in Motion Profiles

In this study, representative motion profiles are analyzed to explain why smoother movement can enable a system to be silent, accurate, and reliable. Previous studies have indicated that abrupt changes in motion profiles are sources of system vibration and are directly connected to performance such as degraded efficiency and decreased machine's lifetime. Therefore, efforts to generate smoother motion profiles based on various functions such as polynomial and trigonometric functions are ongoing. However, a comprehensive analytical comparison of previous studies has not been performed. In this study, the relationship between the design of the motion profiles and their characteristics is analyzed in Laplace domain with well-defined comparison tools that are frequently employed in input shaping technique. From the analysis, the characteristics of each motion profile and the tradeoffs between the cost and benefit of generating smoother movement can be explained.
Efflux Attenuates the Antibacterial Activity of Q203 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

ABSTRACT New and improved treatments for tuberculosis (TB) are urgently needed. Recently, it has been demonstrated that verapamil, an efflux inhibitor, can reduce bacterial drug tolerance caused by efflux pump activity when administered in combination with available antituberculosis agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of verapamil in combination with the antituberculosis drug candidate Q203, which has recently been developed and is currently under clinical trials as a potential antituberculosis agent. We evaluated changes in Q203 activity in the presence and absence of verapamil in vitro using the resazurin microplate assay and ex vivo using a microscopy-based phenotypic assay for the quantification of intracellular replicating mycobacteria. Verapamil increased the potency of Q203 against Mycobacterium tuberculosis both in vitro and ex vivo, indicating that efflux pumps are associated with the activity of Q203. Other efflux pump inhibitors also displayed an increase in Q203 potency, strengthening this hypothesis. Therefore, the combination of verapamil and Q203 may be a promising combinatorial strategy for anti-TB treatment to accelerate the elimination of M. tuberculosis.
Indwelling Pleural Catheters for Patients with Hematologic Malignancies. A 14‐Year, Single‐Center Experience

Rationale: Placement of an indwelling pleural catheter is an established modality for symptom relief and pleurodesis in the treatment of malignant pleural effusion. Concerns remain regarding possible infectious complications, risk of hemorrhage, and the rate of pleurodesis with the use of pleural catheters in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Objectives: The goals of our study were: (1) to evaluate the safety and cumulative incidence of pleurodesis with indwelling pleural catheters for patients with hematologic malignancies, and (2) to evaluate overall survival of this cohort of patients with pleural effusions. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 172 patients with a hematologic malignancy who underwent placement of an indwelling pleural catheter between September 1997 and August 2011 at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. A competing risk model analysis was used for complications and pleurodesis. Analysis was based on each patient's first intrapleural catheter. Results: There were 172 patients with lymphoma (58%), acute (16%) or chronic leukemia (16%), or multiple myeloma (10%). The effusions were characterized as malignant (85.5%), infectious (4.1%), volume overload (4.7%), or therapy‐related (4.7%). Chylothorax was found in 20.1%. Pleural biopsies were obtained from 13 patients. The cumulative incidence of all complications was 13.6%, and the cumulative incidence of all significant catheter‐related complications was 9.5%. The incidence of empyema was 2.9%, and major bleeding (requiring transfusion or intervention) was 1.7%. Thirty‐day procedure‐associated mortality was 0.6%. The cumulative incidence of pleurodesis at 180 days was 50%, with a median time to pleurodesis of 81 days for the entire cohort. Conclusions: Indwelling pleural catheters appear to be safe for patients with hematologic malignancies. Complications and the cumulative incidence of pleurodesis are comparable to those reported for patients with solid organ malignancies.
An Opportunistic Push Scheme for Online Social Networking Services in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

Article synchronization is one of the most fundamental issues in online social networking services (SNSs). In particular, when deploying multiple access networks with different transmission costs, an efficient synchronization scheme should be devised for users to enjoy SNSs in heterogeneous wireless networks. In this paper, we propose an opportunistic push scheme (OPS) that aggregates published articles, opportunistically pushing them through low-cost access networks (e.g., open Wi-Fi networks). To balance the reduced transmission costs and the increased page loading time, we formulate a Markov decision process problem that considers a mobility model based on the users’ social contact pattern. Evaluation results demonstrate that OPS with the optimal policy can reduce the number of transmissions in high-cost access networks, while satisfying users’ quality of experience in terms of the page loading time.
Trends in net survival from cervical cancer in six European Latin countries: results from the SUDCAN population-based study

Cancer survival is a key measure of the effectiveness of a healthcare system. As differences in healthcare systems are present among European Latin countries, it is of interest to look specifically at their similarities and differences in terms of cancer survival. Incident cases were extracted from the EUROCARE-V database for France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, and Belgium. One and 5-year net survivals (NS) were calculated for the period 2000–2004 using the Pohar-Perme estimator. Trends in NS over the 1992–2004 period and changes in the pattern of cancer excess mortality rate until 5 years after diagnosis were examined using a multivariate excess mortality rate model. There were moderate differences in age-standardized NS between countries (5-year NS range: 83–88%), but significant differences in the age groups 15–54 and 55–74 years (at 5 years up to +16 and +18% between any two countries). During the study period, excess mortality and NS improved in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. In Italy and Portugal, this improvement was slightly similar at ages 40, 55, and 70 whereas, in Spain, there was a sharp increase in NS at age 55. Because of this improvement, excess mortality and NS were similar in all six countries in 2004. Excess mortality peaked around 1 year after diagnosis in the youngest ages, but decreased gradually in the elderly. Detailed analyses showed differences in excess mortality and NS from cervical cancer between European Latin countries. However, these differences decreased over the study period because of the considerable improvement in Spain, Italy, and Portugal.
An advanced pseudo excitation method and application in analyzing stochastic wind-induced response of slender bridge tower

Based on the theory of pseudo excitation method, a so-called stochastic pseudo excitation method is proposed to acquire the sampling results of stochastic dynamic response of uncertain bridge structure directly, which cannot be achieved by the classical pseudo excitation method. In order to reduce the computational cost of the dynamic finite element analysis of the samples to gain the probability density function of structural responses, the response surface method was adopted to handle the sampling results. The stochastic pseudo excitation method combing response surface method is verified by comparing with Monte Carlo method in good agreement. As an example, the stochastic response of a super-high slender bridge tower subjected to the Davenport fluctuating wind excitations is evaluated taking into account the uncertainties of material properties and wind speed. Numerical results show that the effect of uncertainties of structure or excitations plays a constant role in the stochastic response at the different levels of external excitations.
Deterministic Memory Abstraction and Supporting Multicore System Architecture

Poor time predictability of multicore processors has been a long-standing challenge in the real-time systems community. In this paper, we make a case that a fundamental problem that prevents efficient and predictable real-time computing on multicore is the lack of a proper memory abstraction to express memory criticality, which cuts across various layers of the system: the application, OS, and hardware. We, therefore, propose a new holistic resource management approach driven by a new memory abstraction, which we call Deterministic Memory. The key characteristic of deterministic memory is that the platform - the OS and hardware - guarantees small and tightly bounded worst-case memory access timing. In contrast, we call the conventional memory abstraction as best-effort memory in which only highly pessimistic worst-case bounds can be achieved. We propose to utilize both abstractions to achieve high time predictability but without significantly sacrificing performance. We present deterministic memory-aware OS and architecture designs, including OS-level page allocator, hardware-level cache, and DRAM controller designs. We implement the proposed OS and architecture extensions on Linux and gem5 simulator. Our evaluation results, using a set of synthetic and real-world benchmarks, demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of our approach.