Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
3D-printed upper limb prostheses: a review

Abstract Goal: This paper aims to provide an overview with quantitative information of existing 3D-printed upper limb prostheses. We will identify the benefits and drawbacks of 3D-printed devices to enable improvement of current devices based on the demands of prostheses users. Methods: A review was performed using Scopus, Web of Science and websites related to 3D-printing. Quantitative information on the mechanical and kinematic specifications and 3D-printing technology used was extracted from the papers and websites. Results: The overview (58 devices) provides the general specifications, the mechanical and kinematic specifications of the devices and information regarding the 3D-printing technology used for hands. The overview shows prostheses for all different upper limb amputation levels with different types of control and a maximum material cost of $500. Conclusion: A large range of various prostheses have been 3D-printed, of which the majority are used by children. Evidence with respect to the user acceptance, functionality and durability of the 3D-printed hands is lacking. Contrary to what is often claimed, 3D-printing is not necessarily cheap, e.g., injection moulding can be cheaper. Conversely, 3D-printing provides a promising possibility for individualization, e.g., personalized socket, colour, shape and size, without the need for adjusting the production machine. Implications for rehabilitation Upper limb deficiency is a condition in which a part of the upper limb is missing as a result of a congenital limb deficiency of as a result of an amputation. A prosthetic hand can restore some of the functions of a missing limb and help the user in performing activities of daily living. Using 3D-printing technology is one of the solutions to manufacture hand prostheses. This overview provides information about the general, mechanical and kinematic specifications of all the devices and it provides the information about the 3D-printing technology used to print the hands.
Consensus Control of mobile sensor networks with Markov switching topology under a given energy budget

This paper investigates consensus seeking of mobile sensor networks (MSNs) with random switching topologies under a given energy budget. The network topology by which the sensors communicate with each other at any time is a directed graph (or digraph) with a spanning tree. The switching of topology is governed by a Markov chain. A set of distributed switching controllers for consensus seeking is derived in the context of stochastic stability analysis of Markovian jump systems. This is realized by defining a topology-aware energy cost function of the sensors and reducing the initial MSN dynamics to a Markovian jump system via state transformation. The obtained control protocol is topology-aware and hence applicable to MSNs with Markov switching topology, as illustrated by a numerical example.
Prevalence of sexualized violence among women

In order to estimate the prevalence of sexual and physical abuse, postal questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 251 adult women in a primary care district. Three yes/no-questions were asked on these topics, and a fourth inquired into effects on health. Space was left for open-ended answers in which yes-responders were invited to write about their experiences. A total of 175 women (70%) answered, and 25 (14%) of these reported abuse. Nine (5%) had experienced women battering. Thirteen (7.5%) reported sexual abuse as an adult, and 12 (7%) as a child. Many told their stories. Methodological shortcomings in this study might explain why the rates are somewhat lower than in other investigations. However, our figures verified that abuse of women is a common social phenomenon. They also confirmed abuse as a major health problem for women. One-third of respondents explicitly reported effects on health. Others, though negating such effects, described them in written narratives. In order to study this contradiction, in-depth interviews with abused women are recommended.
Quality of Life of Chinese Heart Failure Patients and Their Family Caregivers

Quality of life has become an important aspect in the assessment and treatment process of chronic disease. The aims of this study were to determine the factors affecting patients and their caregivers’ QOL and compare the QOL of participants. The data were collected using Short Form 36 in Chinese version one. QOL of the Heart failure patients was less than their family caregivers and HF patients’. QOL was affected by gender, employment status and education level and it was not to be affected by marital status and New York heart association classification, Also this study was determined that heart failure family caregivers’ QOL was affected by gender. HF seriously affects patients’ and their family caregivers’ QOL and caregivers have better QOL than patients.
Road geometry estimation for urban semantic maps using open data

Graphical Abstract Abstract Complex robotic tasks require the use of knowledge that cannot be acquired with the sensor repertoire of a mobile, autonomous robot alone. For robots navigating in urban environments, geospatial open data repositories such as OpenStreetMap (OSM) provide a source for such knowledge. We propose the integration of a 3D metric environment representation with the semantic knowledge from such a database. The application we describe uses street network information from OSM to improve street geometry information determined from laser data. This approach is evaluated on a challenging data-set of the Munich inner city.
A study on fault-tolerant operation of a two-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor based on structual alteration

The paper proposes a fault-tolerant control strategy for a two-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) by a structural alteration. Firstly, a two-phase PMSM is designed with a structure of combination with two conventional single-phase U-core PMSMs. Each has a self-start ability because of the step air gap design on the inner side of stator, and two sets of magnet in the motor are placed as 90 electrical angle shift. If one is fault, the other can work continually. Secondly, a drive with the space vector modulation (SVM) technique is designed for the proposed system. Considering the possible faults, a fault-tolerant technique is proposed to improve the system robustness. The experimental results show the validity of the proposed system.
Functioning and well-being of middle-aged and older patients with schizophrenia: measurement with the 36-item short-form (SF-36) health survey.

OBJECTIVE The authors compared the subjective functioning of 137 middle-aged and elderly outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder with that of 77 normal subjects, using the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) Health Survey. The SF-36 is a generic outcome measure that provides a profile of functioning in several different domains. METHODS Measures included the MOS-SF-36, along with standardized instruments for assessing psychopathology, cognition, dyskinesia, quality of well-being, and everyday functioning. RESULTS Schizophrenia patients reported greater disability than normal subjects in all areas (mental and physical) assessed by the SF-36 except for bodily pain. Logistic-regression analysis suggested that the best predictors for being in the schizophrenia group were 1) physical and emotional functioning and 2) pain. Among patients, age at onset of illness, depressive symptoms, and cognitive functioning predicted 39% of the variance in the SF-36 Mental Health Composite score. CONCLUSIONS Subjective functioning of older people with schizophrenia is affected by perceived physical health, depressive symptoms, and cognitive impairment.
Parenting stress of caregivers of young children who are HIV Positive.

OBJECTIVE Paediatric HIV remains a major challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa. Paediatric HIV is a multi-generational disorder with far-reaching implications for the whole family. Parenting stress in caregivers of HIV infected children has been studied in developed countries but never in South Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of parenting stress in caregivers of children infected with HIV in South Africa. Further objectives were to monitor the levels of stress over one year after caregivers started attending a paediatric HIV clinic and to ascertain what factors were predictive of a decrease in parenting stress over that time. METHOD One hundred and twenty two caregiver and children dyads were recruited into this study. Caregivers completed the Parenting Stress Index/ Short form at baseline and after six and 12 months. Demographic information was collected and the children's heights, weights and CD4 counts were recorded at each visit. RESULTS The families that participated in this study came from very poor socio-economic backgrounds. Eighty five percent of the children were still being cared for by their biological mothers. The parenting stress levels of the caregivers in this study were extremely high at baseline. Although the parenting stress levels did come down significantly over the study period (p< 0.001) they remained high and warrant further investigation and management. A better level of education, better housing facilities and fewer adults living in the household were the three most important factors predicting a decrease in parenting stress over a one year period. CONCLUSION Parenting stress of caregivers of young children infected with HIV is extremely high and warrants further investigation and long term management.
Meta-Analysis and Indirect Comparisons of Levetiracetam With Other Second-Generation Antiepileptic Drugs in Partial Epilepsy

Few comparative clinical trials of newer antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in patients with refractory partial epilepsy are available. Therefore, meta-analysis is a widely used and useful method for comparing them. Despite the limitations of indirect comparisons, and recognizing that these drugs were tested at different doses, such comparisons can be helpful to physicians making practical treatment decisions. The purposes of this study were to present newer meta-analysis results for add-on levetiracetam compared with placebo and to estimate its efficacy and tolerability compared with other new AEDs (gabapentin, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, tiagabine, topiramate, and zonisamide) in a meta-analysis using methods for making indirect comparisons. Randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials of add-on therapy with levetiracetam, gabapentin, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, tiagabine, topiramate, and zonisamide in patients with refractory partial epilepsy were identified in the Cochrane Library 2002. A fixed-effects model was used to estimate Mantel-Haenszel odds ratios for the responder rate (efficacy measure) and withdrawal rate (mainly tolerability measure) of levetiracetam and other new AEDs versus placebo. Because no head-to-head clinical trials comparing these new AEDs exist, adjusted indirect comparisons were then made between levetiracetam and each other AED using the meta-analysis results. At the doses tested, levetiracetam was more effective in terms of responder rate than gabapentin (odds ratio 2.64 with 95% CI 1.51-4.63) and lamotrigine (odds ratio 1.86 with 95% CI 1.04-3.34) and equally well tolerated. Levetiracetam had a significantly lower withdrawal rate than topiramate (odds ratio 0.52 with 95% CI 0.29-0.93) and oxcarbazepine (odds ratio 0.55 with 95% CI 0.33-0.92), with comparable efficacy. Although levetiracetam did not differ significantly from the other AEDs, numerical trends favoring levetiracetam were obtained in response rate and in withdrawal rate (tiagabine, zonisamide). Indirect comparisons based on meta-analysis suggest that add-on therapy with levetiracetam has a favorable responder and/or withdrawal rate relative to several AEDs in patients with partial epilepsy with doses used in clinical trials. These meta-analyses give only short-term efficacy and safety data. Comparative clinical trials and long-term studies of these agents are needed to confirm these findings.
Translocation of cell‐penetrating peptides into Candida fungal pathogens

Cell‐penetrating peptides (CPPs) are small peptides capable of crossing cellular membranes while carrying molecular cargo. Although they have been widely studied for their ability to translocate nucleic acids, small molecules, and proteins into mammalian cells, studies of their interaction with fungal cells are limited. In this work, we evaluated the translocation of eleven fluorescently labeled peptides into the important human fungal pathogens Candida albicans and C. glabrata and explored the mechanisms of translocation. Seven of these peptides (cecropin B, penetratin, pVEC, MAP, SynB, (KFF)3K, and MPG) exhibited substantial translocation (>80% of cells) into both species in a concentration‐dependent manner, and an additional peptide (TP‐10) exhibiting strong translocation into only C. glabrata. Vacuoles were involved in translocation and intracellular trafficking of the peptides in the fungal cells and, for some peptides, escape from the vacuoles and localization in the cytosol were correlated to toxicity toward the fungal cells. Endocytosis was involved in the translocation of cecropin B, MAP, SynB, MPG, (KFF)3K, and TP‐10, and cecropin B, penetratin, pVEC, and MAP caused membrane permeabilization during translocation. These results indicate the involvement of multiple translocation mechanisms for some CPPs. Although high levels of translocation were typically associated with toxicity of the peptides toward the fungal cells, SynB was translocated efficiently into Candida cells at concentrations that led to minimal toxicity. Our work highlights the potential of CPPs in delivering antifungal molecules and other bioactive cargo to Candida pathogens.
Enhanced gain metamaterial-based Leaky-wave beam-forming antenna for the V2X communication

In this paper, a (Composite Right/ Left Hand) CRLH Leaky-wave two-dimensional array antenna for hemispherical beam-forming aimed at V2X communication is proposed. This antenna is composed of 4×4 feed-network and 4 rows of CRLH leaky-wave radiating structures that adopt the capacitive inter-element coupled mushrooms. Every single capacitive coupling uses 0.75 pF. We will show beam-forming and enhanced gain performances.
Cadmium-Induced Sulfate Uptake in Maize Roots1

The effect of cadmium (Cd) on high-affinity sulfate transport of maize (Zea mays) roots was studied and related to the changes in the levels of sulfate and nonprotein thiols during Cd-induced phytochelatin (PC) biosynthesis. Ten micromolar CdCl2 in the nutrient solution induced a 100% increase in sulfate uptake by roots. This was not observed either for potassium or phosphate uptake, suggesting a specific effect of Cd2+ on sulfate transport. The higher sulfate uptake was not dependent on a change in the proton motive force that energizes it. In fact, in Cd-treated plants, the transmembrane electric potential difference of root cortical cells was only slightly more negative than in the controls, the external pH did not change, and the activity of the plasma membrane H+-ATPase did not increase. Kinetics analysis showed that in the range of the high-affinity sulfate transport systems, 10 to 250 μm, Cd exposure did not influence the K m value (about 20 μm), whereas it doubled theV max value with respect to the control. Northern-blot analysis showed that Cd-induced sulfate uptake was related to a higher level of mRNA encoding for a putative high-affinity sulfate transporter in roots. Cd-induced sulfate uptake was associated to both a decrease in the contents of sulfate and glutathione and synthesis of a large amount of PCs. These results suggest that Cd-induced sulfate uptake depends on a pretranslational regulation of the high-affinity sulfate transporter gene and that this response is necessary for sustaining the higher sulfur demand during PC biosynthesis.
TRAF6 Stimulates the Tumor-Promoting Effects of TGFβ Type I Receptor Through Polyubiquitination and Activation of Presenilin 1

Preventing the cleavage of the TGFβ type I receptor by presenilin 1 could limit prostate tumor growth. Blocking Oncogenic Receptor Cleavage The surface receptor for transforming growth factor–β (TGFβ) can be cleaved, generating a fragment of the receptor containing the intracellular domain that enters the nucleus and mediates transcription of genes that encode tumor-promoting factors. Gudey et al. found that presenilin 1, a component of the γ-secretase complex, which cleaves various transmembrane proteins, also targeted the TGFβ receptor. TGFβ treatment increased the abundance and activity of presenilin 1 and the production of the receptor intracellular domain, which transcriptionally activated genes involved in invasion and metastasis. Treatment of mice bearing tumors formed from prostate cancer cells with a γ-secretase inhibitor decreased the production of the intracellular domain of the TGFβ receptor and tumor growth. Thus, blocking γ-secretase activity could attenuate the tumor-promoting effects of TGFβ signaling and decrease the growth of prostate tumors. Transforming growth factor–β (TGFβ) can be both a tumor promoter and suppressor, although the mechanisms behind the protumorigenic switch remain to be fully elucidated. The TGFβ type I receptor (TβRI) is proteolytically cleaved in the ectodomain region. Cleavage requires the combined activities of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor–associated factor 6 (TRAF6) and TNF-α–converting enzyme (TACE). The cleavage event occurs selectively in cancer cells and generates an intracellular domain (ICD) of TβRI, which enters the nucleus to mediate gene transcription. Presenilin 1 (PS1), a γ-secretase catalytic core component, mediates intramembrane proteolysis of transmembrane receptors, such as Notch. We showed that TGFβ increased both the abundance and activity of PS1. TRAF6 recruited PS1 to the TβRI complex and promoted lysine-63–linked polyubiquitination of PS1, which activated PS1. Furthermore, PS1 cleaved TβRI in the transmembrane domain between valine-129 and isoleucine-130, and ICD generation was inhibited when these residues were mutated to alanine. We also showed that, after entering the nucleus, TβRI-ICD bound to the promoter and increased the transcription of the gene encoding TβRI. The TRAF6- and PS1-induced intramembrane proteolysis of TβRI promoted TGFβ-induced invasion of various cancer cells in vitro. Furthermore, when a mouse xenograft model of prostate cancer was treated with the γ-secretase inhibitor DBZ {(2S)-2-[2-(3,5-difluorophenyl)-acetylamino]-N-(5-methyl-6-oxo-6,7-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[b,d]azepin-7-yl)-propionamide}, generation of TβRI-ICD was prevented, transcription of the gene encoding the proinvasive transcription factor Snail1 was reduced, and tumor growth was inhibited. These results suggest that γ-secretase inhibitors may be useful for treating aggressive prostate cancer.
A Constructive Lovász Local Lemma for Permutations

: While there has been signiﬁcant progress on algorithmic aspects of the Lovász Local Lemma (LLL) in recent years, a noteworthy exception is when the LLL is used in the context of random permutations. The breakthrough algorithm of Moser & Tardos only works in the setting of independent variables, and does not apply in this context. We resolve this by developing a randomized polynomial-time algorithm for such applications. A noteworthy application is for Latin transversals: the best general result known here (Bissacot et al., improving on Erd˝os and Spencer), states that any n × n matrix in which each entry appears at most ( 27 / 256 ) n times, has a Latin transversal. We present the ﬁrst polynomial-time algorithm to construct such a transversal. We also develop RNC algorithms for Latin transversals, rainbow Hamiltonian cycles, strong chromatic number, and hypergraph packing. In addition to efﬁciently ﬁnding a conﬁguration which avoids bad events, the algo-rithm of Moser & Tardos has many powerful extensions and properties. These include a well-characterized distribution on the output distribution, parallel algorithms, and a partial
Attitudes About Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is believed to oppress millions of people worldwide. Despite increased media attention and public awareness campaigns in recent years, no empirical research has examined public attitudes about human trafficking. The present study examined gender, sexual trauma history, and attitudes about human trafficking as they related to belief of a sex-trafficking scenario and willingness to blame the victim for the situation. Undergraduate students (N = 409) at a large private university in the Northeastern United States completed measures in which they responded to a vignette portraying sex trafficking in the United States. Participants also reported their personal trauma history and completed a Human Trafficking Myths Scale. Results indicated that gender and human trafficking myth acceptance, but not sexual trauma history, were significantly related to participants’ belief of the sex-trafficking scenario and their perception of the victim’s responsibility. Potential implications and directions for future research are discussed.
16S Ribosomal DNA-Based Analysis of Bacterial Diversity in Purified Water Used in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Processes by PCR and Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis

ABSTRACT The bacterial community in partially purified water, which is prepared by ion exchange from tap water and is used in pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, was analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). 16S ribosomal DNA fragments, including V6, -7, and -8 regions, were amplified with universal primers and analyzed by DGGE. The bacterial diversity in purified water determined by PCR-DGGE banding patterns was significantly lower than that of other aquatic environments. The bacterial populations with esterase activity sorted by flow cytometry and isolated on soybean casein digest (SCD) and R2A media were also analyzed by DGGE. The dominant bacterium in purified water possessed esterase activity but could not be detected on SCD or R2A media. DNA sequence analysis of the main bands on the DGGE gel revealed that culturable bacteria on these media were Bradyrhizobium sp. , Xanthomonas sp. , and Stenotrophomonas sp. , while the dominant bacterium was not closely related to previously characterized bacteria. These data suggest the importance of culture-independent methods of quality control for pharmaceutical water.
Investigation on the Mechanism of Qi-Invigoration from a Perspective of Effects of Sijunzi Decoction on Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an ancient Chinese medical system that takes a deep understanding of the laws and patterns of nature and applies them to the human body. TCM, which is also considered as an alternative medicine, is gradually being accepted and is practiced even in the Western world, is the quintessence of the Chinese cultural heritage, has made an everlasting contribution to the survival, propagation and prosperity of all ethnic groups in China, thereby enhancing the fertility and prosperity of the nation. TCM has been practiced by the Chinese for five thousands of years and is rooted in meticulous observation of how nature, the cosmos, and the human body are interacting. Major theories include: Qi, Yin and Yang, the Five Phases (Wu Xing), the human body Meridian system (Jingluo) and viscera and bowels (Zang Fu organs) theory.