Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Keratinocyte conditioned medium abrogates the modulatory effects of IGF‐1 and TGF‐β1 on collagenase expression in dermal fibroblasts

Overexpression of wound healing‐promoting factors such as transforming growth factor‐1 (TGF‐β1) and insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) during the healing process has been implicated in the development of dermal fibrosis in patients following thermal injury, surgical incision, and deep trauma. However, the mechanism through which the expression of these two fibrogenic factors is slowed down and/or abrogated in the late stages of the healing process is not known. Here, we hypothesize that keratinocyte‐releasable factors counteract the fibrogenic role of both IGF‐1 and TGF‐β1 in fibroblasts. To test this hypothesis, the levels of collagenase (MMP‐1), as an index for extracellular matrix degradation, in dermal fibroblasts in response to either keratinocyte‐conditioned medium (KCM) or our recently identified keratinocyte‐releasable stratifin in the presence and absence of either IGF‐1, TGF‐β1, or both were evaluated. The results of Northern analysis showed a significant increase in collagenase mRNA expression in cells treated with KCM in the presence of both IGF‐1 and TGF‐β1. The effect was, at least in part, due to keratinocyte‐derived stratifin that was present in KCM. This was ascertained as the levels of MMP‐1 mRNA were markedly reduced when cells were treated with stratifin‐immuno‐depleted KCM. The results of Western blot analysis showed an increase in the level of MMP‐1 protein in stratifin‐treated fibroblasts and this was consistent with the level of MMP‐1 mRNA expression detected by Northern analysis. However, in contrast to KCM, whose efficacy on MMP‐1 expression was modestly reduced by either IGF‐1 and TGF‐β1, or a combination of both, these factors abrogated the MMP‐1 stimulatory effect of stratifin in fibroblasts. In summary, the results of this study revealed that both stratifin and KCM stimulate the expression of MMP‐1‐in fibroblasts and this effect can be abrogated by either IGF‐1, TGF‐β1, or a combination of both.
Molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from skin and soft tissue infections samples and healthy carriers in the Central Slovenia region

Staphylococcus aureus is among the most important human pathogens. It is associated with different infections and is a major cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). The aim of our study was to compare S. aureus isolates associated with SSTIs with isolates obtained from healthy carriers in the Central Slovenia region in terms of antimicrobial susceptibility, genetic diversity by clonal complex (CC)/sequence type, spa type, and by toxin gene profiling. In total, 274 S. aureus isolates were collected prospectively by culturing wound samples from 461 SSTI patients and nasal samples from 451 healthy carriers. We have demonstrated high heterogeneity in terms of CCs and spa type in both groups of isolates. The main clone among SSTI strains was Panton–Valentine leukocidin gene (pvl) positive CC121, whereas the main clone among carrier strains was CC45 carrying a large range of toxin genes. The main spa type in both groups was t091. Pvl was more frequently present in SSTI strains (31.2% SSTI vs 3.6% carrier strains) and staphylococcal enterotoxin C was more frequently present in carrier strains (1.6% SSTI vs 17.0% carrier strains). We have also demonstrated that methicillin‐resistant S. aureus was a rare cause (2.8%) of SSTIs in our region.
Multi-view video plus depth representation with saliency depth video

Saliency represents a region where viewers tend to put more focus on compared to other regions in an image or video. Although there are many saliency models available, very few exploit the saliency model based on depth video sequences. This paper proposed a saliency depth based video by utilizing selected saliency maps and fusing it into depth video sequences. The proposed saliency depth based model is used with multi-view video plus depth (MVD) and compressed using the latest High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) compression method. The proposed method showed a notable quality improvement on the virtual view video compared to other saliency model such as the frequency-tuned saliency model.
Design and fabrication of an insect-scale flying robot for control autonomy

Without sufficient payload capacity to carry necessary electronic components, flying robots at the scale of insects cannot fly autonomously. Using a simple scaling heuristic to determine a few salient vehicle properties, we develop a vehicle design that possesses the requisite payload capacity for the full suite of required components for control autonomy. We construct the vehicle using state-of-the-art methods, producing a 380 mg vehicle with a 115 mg payload capacity, and demonstrate controlled hovering of the fully-loaded vehicle. The payload-capable vehicle demonstrated here establishes a scalable vehicle design and validates current fabrication methods, laying a foundation for an eventual, fully-integrated robotic system.
Serological Evidence of Discrete Spatial Clusters of Plasmodium falciparum Parasites

Background Malaria transmission may be considered to be homogenous with well-mixed parasite populations (as in the classic Ross/Macdonald models). Marked fine-scale heterogeneity of transmission has been observed in the field (i.e., over a few kilometres), but there are relatively few data on the degree of mixing. Since the Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1 (PfEMP1) is highly polymorphic, the host's serological responses may be used to infer exposure to parasite sub-populations. Methods and Findings We measured the antibody responses to 46 individual PfEMP1 domains at four time points among 450 children in Kenya, and identified distinct spatial clusters of antibody responses to individual domains. 35 domains showed strongly significant sero-clusters at p = 0.001. Individuals within the high transmission hotspot showed the greatest diversity of anti-PfEMP1 responses. Individuals outside the hotspot had a less diverse range of responses, even if as individuals they were at relatively intense exposure. Conclusions We infer that antigenically distinct sub-populations of parasites exist on a fine spatial scale in a study area of rural Kenya. Further studies should examine antigenic variation over longer periods of time and in different study areas.
Using Corpus Statistics and WordNet Relations for Sense Identification

Corpus-based approaches to word sense identification have flexibility and generality but suffer from a knowledge acquisition bottleneck. We show how knowledge-based techniques can be used to open the bottleneck by automatically locating training corpora. We describe a statistical classifier that combines topical context with local cues to identify a word sense. The classifier is used to disambiguate a noun, a verb, and an adjective. A knowledge base in the form of WordNet's lexical relations is used to automatically locate training examples in a general text corpus. Test results are compared with those from manually tagged training examples.
Flexible Channel Coding Approach for Short-Length Codewords

This letter introduces a channel coding design framework for short-length codewords which can achieve lower error floor than previous approaches. The proposed code is based on combining convolutional coding with a q-ary linear combination and unequal energy allocation. Simulation results suggest that for very low Bit Error Rates (BER) the proposed system will exhibit lower error floors than previous approaches, with a small performance penalty at mid-range BERs. On the other hand, when selecting an error floor higher than the previous approaches, the loss in performance at mid-range BERs is negligible.
Development of Fast-Hardening Calcium Phosphate Cements using Micro/Nano Horse Bone Powders

Abstract. Bone cements composed of calcium phosphate materials have been used to substitute bone defects from traumas or accidents. Here, we report that horse bones can be used as efficient sources to fabricate bone cements for animal or human bone regeneration. We first developed new calcium phosphate materials using sintered horse bones. The horse bones were soaked in oxygenated water for 48 h to eliminate soft tissues and other organic components. Then, the bones were annealed in an electric furnace at 1200 degree for 2 h. After fabricating bone powders with controlled micro/nano sizes, we next developed fast-hardening phosphate cements for bone tissue regeneration using them. The calcium phosphate cement (CPC) consists of a solid phase (powder) and an aqueous phase (solution). For controlling hardening speed and mechanical property of CPCs, we used chitosan (CS), a biocompatible and biodegradable natural polymer, which allowed shortening a hardening time as well as high mechanical property of CPCs. The 2.0, 3.0, 3.5% chitosan solutions (CS) in 2% lactic acid were used as an aqueous phase for preparation of CPCs. The CPCs fabricated was evaluated via in vitro biological activities and in vivo animal studies. We demonstrated that the horse CPCs provide good environments for adhesion, spreading, and proliferation of human osteoblast-like cells (MG63). We also demonstrated the great potentials of horse CPCs as an enabling tool for regeneration of bone via in vivo study. We propose that the bone cements consisted of micro/nano sintered horse bone powders and CS will be one of the promising sources for animal or human bone regeneration.
Employing Sentence Structure: Syntax Trees as Prosody Generators

In this paper, we describe a prosody generation system for speech synthesis that makes direct use of syntax trees to obtain duration and pitch. Instead of transforming the tree through special rules or extracting isolated features from the tree, we make use of the tree structure itself to construct a superpositional model that is able to learn the relation between syntax and prosody. We implemented the system in our SVOX text-tospeech system and evaluated it against the existing rule-based system. Informal listening tests showed that structural information from the tree is carried over to the prosody.
Sensor design and signal processing for an advanced sonar ring

SUMMARY A conventional sonar ring measures the range to objects based on the ﬁrst echo and is widely used in indoor mobile robots. In contrast, advanced sonar sensing can produce accurate range and bearing (incidence angle) measurements to multiple targets using multiple receivers and multiple echoes per each receiver at the expense of intensive computation. This paper presents an advanced sonar ring that employs a low receiver sample rate to achieve processing of 48 receiver channels at near real time repetition rates of 11.5 Hz. The sonar ring sensing covers 360 degrees around the robot for specular targets for ranges up to six metres, with simultaneously ﬁring of all its 24 transmitters. Digital Signal Processing (DSP) techniques and interference rejection ideas are applied in this sensor to produce a fast and accurate sonar ring. Seven custom designed DSP boards process the receivers sampled at 250 kHz to maximize the speed of processing and to limit memory requirements. This paper presents the new sensor design, the hardware structure, the software architecture, and signal processing of the advanced sonar ring. Repeatability and accuracy of the measurements are tested to characterize the proposed sensor. Due to the low sample rate of 250 kHz, a problem called cycle hopping can occur. The paper presents a solution to cycle hopping and a new transmit coding based on pulse duration to differentiate neighbouring transmitters in the ring. Experimental data show the effectiveness of the designed sensor in indoor environments.
The Influence of Arthroscopic Remplissage for Engaging Hill-Sachs Lesions Combined with Bankart Repair on Redislocation and Shoulder Function Compared with Bankart Repair Alone

Background Recurrence of glenohumeral dislocation after arthroscopic Bankart repair can be associated with a large osseous defect in the posterosuperior part of the humeral head. Our hypothesis is that remplissage is more effective to prevent recurrence of glenohumeral instability without a severe motion deficit. Methods Engaging Hill-Sachs lesions were observed in 48 of 737 patients (6.5%). Twenty-four patients underwent arthroscopic Bankart repair combined with remplissage (group I) and the other 24 patients underwent arthroscopic Bankart repair alone (group II). Clinical outcomes were prospectively evaluated by assessing the range of motion. Complications, recurrence rates, and functional results were assessed utilizing the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, Rowe score, and the Korean Shoulder Score for Instability (KSSI) score. Capsulotenodesis healing after remplissage was evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging. Results The average ASES, Rowe, and KSSI scores were statistically significantly higher in group I than group II. The frequency of recurrence was statistically significantly higher in group II. The average loss in external rotation measured with the arm positioned at the side of the trunk was greater in group II and that in abduction was also higher in group II. Conclusions Compared to single arthroscopic Bankart repair, the remplissage procedure combined with arthroscopic Bankart repair was more effective to prevent the recurrence of anterior shoulder instability without significant impact on shoulder mobility in patients who had huge Hill-Sachs lesions.
Prevalence and psychosocial correlates of suicidal ideation among pregnant women living with HIV in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

ABSTRACT Pregnant women living with HIV (WLHIV) in South Africa (SA) report higher rates of suicidal ideation than those who are HIV uninfected, and antenatal suicidal ideation has been previously associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Few studies have attempted to identify correlates and psychosocial predictors of suicidal ideation in this population. In this study, we sought to estimate the prevalence of and identify risk factors for suicidal ideation among pregnant WLHIV in rural SA (N = 673). Thirty-nine percent of women endorsed suicidal ideation (95% CI: 35.2% to 42.3%) and in multivariable logistic regression analysis, suicidal ideation was associated with intimate partner violence and stigma, which interacted to multiplicatively increase the odds of suicidal thoughts. Given the high rates of reported suicidal ideation identified in this sample, and the potential harm to mothers and neonates, suicide risk assessment and management protocols for pregnant WLHIV should be considered for inclusion in the standard of care in rural SA.
Using stacked generalization and complementary neural networks to predict Parkinson's disease

This paper proposes the integration between stacked generalization and complementary neural networks to diagnose Parkinson's disease. The Parkinson speech dataset acquired from the UCI machine learning repository is used in our study. Complementary neural networks compose of the truth and the falsity neural networks which are trained to predict the truth output and the falsity output. Stacked generalization consists of two levels. They are level 0 and 1. Ten-fold cross validation is used for training complementary neural networks created in level 0. All outputs produced from each fold are merged to create new input feature. Five sets of machines are trained to create five features which are used as input used to train complementary neural networks created in level 1 of stacked generalization. It is found that the combination between stacked generalization and complementary neural networks provides better performance than using only the traditional stacked generalization or neural network in the prediction of Parkinson's disease.
Design of a Multimode QC-LDPC Decoder Based on Shift-Routing Network

A reconfigurable message-passing network is proposed to facilitate message transportation in decoding multimode quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check (QC-LDPC) codes. By exploiting the shift-routing network (SRN) features, the decoding messages are routed in parallel to fully support those specific 19 and 3 submatrix sizes defined in IEEE 802.16e and IEEE 802.11n applications with less hardware complexity. A 6.22- mm2 QC-LDPC decoder with SRN is implemented in a 90-nm 1-Poly 9-Metal (1P9M) CMOS process. Postlayout simulation results show that the operation frequency can achieve 300 MHz, which is sufficient to process the 212-Mb/s 2304-bit and 178-Mb/s 1944-bit codeword streams for IEEE 802.16e and IEEE 802.11n systems, respectively.
Great Expectations: MicroRNA-30d and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy.

There seem to be as many approaches to managing heart failure as there are causal factors. Heart failure management is evolving from a one-size-fits-all approach centered around therapy with neurohormonal antagonists toward strategies tailored to provide the optimal clinical benefit based on the individual patient profile. Thus, a major collective enterprise of the translational research community has been to identify subsets of patients that will derive greater benefit from one or another management scheme. The initial observation that, like cancer and other pathologies, microRNAs are regulated in heart disease was coupled with observations that microRNAs are found circulating in stable form in the blood to raise expectations that microRNAs would prove useful as disease biomarkers, providing insights into the aspects of heart disease not revealed through traditional clinical testing. In the current issue of Circulation, Melman et al propose miR-30d as a biomarker for heart failure responsiveness to cardiac resynchronization therapy. This article aptly illustrates the promise, problems, and pitfalls with the current state of evaluating microRNAs as biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. To quote Pip’s sister in Great Expectations: “Answer him one question, and he’ll ask you a dozen directly. ”
Resource Auto-Scaling and Sparse Content Replication for Video Storage Systems

Many video-on-demand (VoD) providers are relying on public cloud providers for video storage, access, and streaming services. In this article, we investigate how a VoD provider may make optimal bandwidth reservations from a cloud service provider to guarantee the streaming performance while paying for the bandwidth, storage, and transfer costs. We propose a predictive resource auto-scaling system that dynamically books the minimum amount of bandwidth resources from multiple servers in a cloud storage system to allow the VoD provider to match its short-term demand projections. We exploit the anti-correlation between the demands of different videos for statistical multiplexing to hedge the risk of under-provisioning. The optimal load direction from video channels to cloud servers without replication constraints is derived with provable performance. We further study the joint load direction and sparse content placement problem that aims to reduce bandwidth reservation cost under sparse content replication requirements. We propose several algorithms, and especially an iterative L1-norm penalized optimization procedure, to efficiently solve the problem while effectively limiting the video migration overhead. The proposed system is backed up by a demand predictor that forecasts the expectation, volatility, and correlation of the streaming traffic associated with different videos based on statistical learning. Extensive simulations are conducted to evaluate our proposed algorithms, driven by the real-world workload traces collected from a commercial VoD system.
Estimation and visualization of sagittal kinematics of lower limbs orientation using body-fixed sensors

A new method of estimating lower limbs orientations using a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes is presented. The model is based on estimating the accelerations of ankle and knee joints by placing virtual sensors at the centers of rotation. The proposed technique considers human locomotion and biomechanical constraints, and provides a solution to fusing the data of gyroscopes and accelerometers that yields stable and drift-free estimates of segment orientation. The method was validated by measuring lower limb motions of eight subjects, walking at three different speeds, and comparing the results with a reference motion measurement system. The results are very close to those of the reference system presenting very small errors (Shank: rms=1.0, Thigh: rms=1.6/spl deg/) and excellent correlation coefficients (Shank: r=0.999, Thigh: r=0.998). Technically, the proposed ambulatory system is portable, easily mountable, and can be used for long term monitoring without hindrance to natural activities. Finally, a gait analysis tool was designed to visualize the motion data as synthetic skeletons performing the same actions as the subjects.
Reward-based learning under hardware constraints—using a RISC processor embedded in a neuromorphic substrate

In this study, we propose and analyze in simulations a new, highly flexible method of implementing synaptic plasticity in a wafer-scale, accelerated neuromorphic hardware system. The study focuses on globally modulated STDP, as a special use-case of this method. Flexibility is achieved by embedding a general-purpose processor dedicated to plasticity into the wafer. To evaluate the suitability of the proposed system, we use a reward modulated STDP rule in a spike train learning task. A single layer of neurons is trained to fire at specific points in time with only the reward as feedback. This model is simulated to measure its performance, i.e., the increase in received reward after learning. Using this performance as baseline, we then simulate the model with various constraints imposed by the proposed implementation and compare the performance. The simulated constraints include discretized synaptic weights, a restricted interface between analog synapses and embedded processor, and mismatch of analog circuits. We find that probabilistic updates can increase the performance of low-resolution weights, a simple interface between analog synapses and processor is sufficient for learning, and performance is insensitive to mismatch. Further, we consider communication latency between wafer and the conventional control computer system that is simulating the environment. This latency increases the delay, with which the reward is sent to the embedded processor. Because of the time continuous operation of the analog synapses, delay can cause a deviation of the updates as compared to the not delayed situation. We find that for highly accelerated systems latency has to be kept to a minimum. This study demonstrates the suitability of the proposed implementation to emulate the selected reward modulated STDP learning rule. It is therefore an ideal candidate for implementation in an upgraded version of the wafer-scale system developed within the BrainScaleS project.
The Evolution of Professional Nursing Culture in Italy

We explored the perceptions of Italian nurses regarding their developing culture as a health profession. We sought to understand the ongoing evolution of the nursing profession and the changes that were central to it becoming an intellectual discipline on par with the other health professions in Italy. In 2010, the Regulatory Board of Nursing established a center of excellence to build evidence-based practice, advocate for interdisciplinary health care, and champion health profession reforms for nursing. In this study, focus groups—involving 66 nurse participants from various educational, clinical, and administrative backgrounds—were utilized to better ascertain how the profession has changed. Six themes, three of them metaphors—“vortex,” “leopard spots,” and “deductive jungle”—explain nurses’ experiences of professional change in Italy between 2001 and 2011 and the multiple dimensions that characterize their professional identity and autonomy.