Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prosthetic Command Signals Following Targeted Hyper-Reinnervation Nerve Transfer Surgery

High-level upper-limb amputations result in prostheses with many degrees-of-freedom to be controlled, with very few control signals. A novel method for the control of myoelectric upper limb prostheses has been developed. By transferring the residual nerves to spare muscles in or near the residual limb, additional myoelectric control signals are created that allow the simultaneous control of multiple degrees-of-freedom in the prostheses. Since the nerve function correlates physiologically to the prosthetic function, operation is more natural and thus easier than current control paradigms. This surgical procedure and subsequent prosthetic fitting have been successfully completed on one shoulder disarticulation and one transhumeral amputee. The shoulder disarticulation amputee has also been fit with a unique 6 motor system, allowing him to control 3 motors (hand, elbow, and humeral rotator) with the use of 6 myoelectric signals; there was marked increase in functional range-of-motion. He was able to control multiple joints simultaneously and could perform tasks that he could not do before, including reaching out to pick up objects
Evaluation of the rapid strep system for species identification of streptococci

The Rapid Strep system (API System S.A., Montalieu-Vercieu, France) was evaluated, without additional tests, in the identification of 209 streptococci. Organisms included 59 beta-hemolytic, 36 group D, 24 Streptococcus pneumoniae, and 90 viridans group streptococci. The Rapid Strep system correctly identified to species level 69.5% of the beta-hemolytic strains, 100% of the group D strains, none of the S. pneumoniae strains, and 84.5% of the viridans group streptococci. The method provided excellent identification rates of groups A, B, and D but failed to differentiate between groups C and G. The method for preparation of suspensions for the Rapid Strep system, as initially recommended by the manufacturer, was responsible for the failure to identify S. pneumoniae. This method was subsequently modified to yield a heavier inoculum; all 10 pneumococcal strains tested with the revised inoculum method were correctly identified. Good identification rates of commonly encountered viridans strains were found. The Rapid Strep system represents a worthwhile advance in streptococcal species identification, especially for group D and viridans strains.
Impaired Cholesterol Biosynthesis in a Neuronal Cell Line Persistently Infected with Measles Virus

ABSTRACT Measles virus remains a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality, producing acute infection with a potential for development of viral persistence. To study the events underlying acute and persistent measles virus infection, we performed a global transcriptional analysis on murine neuroblastoma cells that were acutely or persistently infected with measles virus. In general, we found that acute infection induced significantly more gene expression changes than did persistent infection. A functional enrichment analysis to identify which host pathways were perturbed during each of these infections identified several pathways related to cholesterol biosynthesis, including cholesterol metabolic processes, hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (CoA) reductase activity, and acetyl-CoA C-acetyltransferase activity. We also found that measles virus colocalized to lipid rafts in both acute and persistent infection models and that the majority of genes associated with cholesterol synthesis were downregulated in persistent infection relative to acute infection, suggesting a possible link with the defective viral budding in persistent infection. Further, we found that pharmacological inhibition of cholesterol synthesis resulted in the inhibition of viral budding during acute infection. In summary, persistent measles viral infection was associated with decreased cholesterol synthesis, a lower abundance of cholesterol and lipid rafts in the cell membrane, and inhibition of giant-cell formation and release of viral progeny.
Taxonomic richness and abundance of cryptic peracarid crustaceans in the Puerto Morelos Reef National Park, Mexico

Background and Aims Cryptic peracarids are an important component of the coral reef fauna in terms of diversity and abundance, yet they have been poorly studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the taxonomic richness and abundance of cryptic peracarids in coral rubble in the Puerto Morelos Reef National Park, Mexico (PMRNP), and their relationship with depth. Methods Three reef sites were selected: (1) Bonanza, (2) Bocana, and (3) Jardines. At each site six kilograms of coral rubble were collected over four sampling periods at three depths: 3 m (back-reef), 6–8 m (fore-reef), and 10–12 m (fore-reef). Results A total of 8,887 peracarid crustaceans belonging to 200 taxa distributed over five orders and 63 families was obtained; 70% of the taxa were identified to species and 25% to genus level. Fifty species of those collected represent new records for the Mexican Caribbean Sea. Isopoda was the most speciose order while Tanaidacea was the most abundant. Discussion Cryptic peracarid taxonomic richness and abundance were related to depth with higher values of both parameters being found in the shallow (3 m) back-reef, possibly due to a higher reef development and a greater accumulation of coral rubble produced during hurricanes. Peracarid data obtained in the present study can be used as a baseline for future monitoring programs in the PMRNP.
Fluid Removal With Ultrasound Guided Protocol Improves the Efficacy and Safety of Dehydration in Post-Resuscitated Critically Ill Patients: A Quasi-Experimental, Before and After Study

ABSTRACT Fluid overload is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. However, researches rarely study the precise start or end point of fluid removal and no protocol was developed to control the fluid removal process. We hypothesized that individualized fluid removal with ultrasound-guided protocol could improve the efficacy and safety of fluid removal in post-resuscitated critically ill patients. A quasi-experimental, before and after trial was conducted to identify the benefits of ultrasound-guided fluid removal. Fluid removal was performed either following the doctor's experience in Control group, or abiding the ultrasound guided protocol in Ultrasound group. The study end points were the start time, end time, length of fluid removal, and the complications related to fluid removal. A total of 85 subjects were finally analyzed in this study. The fluid removal was started earlier, completed quicker and ended earlier (21.0 ± 14.6 h vs. 35.1 ± 26.5 h, 49.8 ± 32.6 vs. 93.0 ± 42.8 h, 69.0 ± 32.2 h vs. 126.4 ± 52.5 h, P < 0.05) in Ultrasound group than in Control. The subjects had more daily negative fluid balance and urine output (−990.4 ± 636.1 mL vs. −723.6 ± 549.5 mL, 2425.8 ± 886.7 mL vs. 1560.7 ± 1125.3 mL, P < 0.05) in Ultrasound group. The time of lung B-lines to reduce to zero was shorter and B-line at the end point was less (49.5 ± 36.6 h vs. 75.6 ± 58.8 h, 0[1] vs. 0[0], P < 0.05) in Ultrasound group. The length of intensive care unit stay in shock subgroup had a tendency to shorten (96.1 ± 61.5 h vs. 174.6 ± 132.0 h, P > 0.05) in Ultrasound group. We concluded that fluid removal with individualized ultrasound-guided protocol improves the efficacy and safety of dehydration in critically ill patients.
D-dimer as a tumor marker in pre-operative assessment of adnexal masses.

OBJECTIVE To determine the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value ofserum D-dimer testing in preoperative assessment of adnexal masses. MATERIAL AND METHOD D-dimer levels were measured pre-operatively in 200 women diagnosed with adnexal masses who underwent surgical treatment at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital between June 2007 and May 2008. The CA-125 level was also recorded RESULTS When using cut-off value at 500 ng/ml, D-dimer has 91.8% sensitivity, 71.9% specificity, 58.9% PPV and 95.2% NPV of the tests in differentiating benign from malignant adnexal masses, compared with CA-125, which had 75.4%, 73.0%, 59.7%, and 84.8% respectively (cut-off 65 U/ml). Furthermore, the likelihood ratio to be negative ofD-dimer test is high at 0.11. In patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, D-dimer is increased in 83% of early stage (stage 1) ovarian cancer while only 39% of early stage patients have CA-125 level above cut-off value. CONCLUSION D-dimer could be a useful test in pre-operative assessment of adnexal masses. In this study D-dimer seems to be better than CA-125 in diferentiating benign from malignant adnexal tumors.
A Reputation-Based Approach to Improve QoS in Cloud Service Composition

Cloud Computing is a versatile computing paradigm capable of attracting a wide variety of applications. However, the necessity to provide a wide range of complex services led providers to establish mutual agreements to provide large-scale distributed multi-cloud environments. Providers gain the opportunity to compose service workflows that are effective and efficient, taking resources of their own competitors, and the capability to satisfy unexpected workload peaks. In this paper, we propose a reputation-based model aiming at supporting the service composition by considering measures of QoS collected by the measuring systems, and reputation measures collected with the customers by means of users feedback.
Neural Networks for Natural Language Inference

Predicting whether a sentence entails another sentence, contradicts another sentence, or is in a neutral entailment relation with another sentence is both an important NLP task as well as a sophisticated way of testing semantic sentence encoding models. In this project, I evaluate three sentence encoding models on the Stanford Natural Language Inference (SNLI) corpus. In particular, I investigate whether the incorporation of syntactic information in the form of dependency tree labels into a recurrent model leads to better sentence representations. I confirm previous results that show that LSTM-RNNs outperform a simple sum-of-words baseline but my results also suggest that this simple method of incorporating syntactic information has no stable positive effects on the performance of the model.
Geographical Variation and Factors Associated to Seroprevalence of Canine Leishmaniosis in an Endemic Mediterranean Area

This article retrospectively analyses the spatial distribution and dog‐ and environmental‐level risk factors associated to Leishmania infantum seroprevalence among 807 asymptomatic dogs in the Municipality of Crevillente in Alicante in southeast Spain in 1999. They represented 60% of the dogs in this 103 km2 area, with a human census of 27 034 people and 90% lived in Crevillente town. The estimated seroprevalence (95% confidence interval) in 714 dogs ≥1‐year old was 22% (19–25) however; it was 12% (8–15) in town dogs and 0–100% in other administrative zones. High–medium seroprevalence zone clustered along a northeast–southwest fringe and around the town. They comprised the highest and driest inhabited part of the municipality, where farmland was interspersed by residential detached houses, whilst null–low seroprevalence zones included larger farmland extensions and two small rural villages. Predominant vegetation and ground soil type were bush, non‐irrigated fruit trees and conglomerate crust and sandstone in medium–high seroprevalence zones and irrigated grassland and fruit trees and colluvial deposits in null–low seroprevalence zones. Random effects logistic regression indicated that the prevalence of infection with L. infantum was higher for dogs sharing residence with infected dogs, increased until 5–6 years old and with body weight and was associated to increasing conglomerate crust and low surface water in the dog’s zone of residence. The study confirms that L. infantum infection is endemic in this part of Spain and shows that prevalence can vary significantly within a small area depending on specific demographic and environmental factors conditioning the habitat of the local L. infantum vector, Phlebotomus perniciosus. It suggests similar low‐scale variability is present in other geographically variable endemic areas and should be investigated to design Leishmaniosis risk maps and cost‐effective, evidence‐based, targeted control interventions.
Acknowledging the Other Side in Negotiation

In a negotiation study, we investigated the efficacy of acknowledging an opponent’s role in securing a concession made to that opponent. The study featured a face-to-face, one-shot bargaining session between a student favoring marijuana legalization and a confederate playing the role of a legalization opponent. When the confederate acknowledged the student’s putative influence in producing a concession by the confederate, the student perceived the magnitude of the concession to be greater and was more likely to accept it.The student negotiators also reported that they liked the other party more following acknowledgement, and our mediational analysis suggested that enhanced interpersonal sentiments played a role in facilitating agreement. In this article, in addition to documenting these findings, we also discuss their implications, both for theoretical analyses of conflict and negotiation and for the practical problem of settling disputes.
GPU based cloud system for high-performance arrhythmia detection with parallel k-NN algorithm

In this paper, we propose an GPU based Cloud system for high-performance arrhythmia detection. Pan-Tompkins algorithm is used for QRS detection and we optimized beat classification algorithm with K-Nearest Neighbor (K-NN). To support high performance beat classification on the system, we parallelized beat classification algorithm with CUDA to execute the algorithm on virtualized GPU devices on the Cloud system. MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database is used for validation of the algorithm. The system achieved about 93.5% of detection rate which is comparable to previous researches while our algorithm shows 2.5 times faster execution time compared to CPU only detection algorithm.
Mechanisms of scavenging reactions of alizarin with hydroperoxyl and methylperoxyl radicals

Alizarin is anthraquinone with moderate antioxidative capacity. In this work mechanisms of antioxidative activity of alizarin with hydroperoxy and methylperoxy radicals are investigated. All calculations are carried out using B3LYP-D2 method and 6-311+G(d, p) basis set. It is affirmed based on several parameters that hydroxyl group at position 2 is predominant for antiradical activity. PCET mechanism is estimated as favorable mechanism for scavenging activity of alizarin with two selected radicals.
New model for analysis of mucosal immunity: intestinal secretion of specific monoclonal immunoglobulin A from hybridoma tumors protects against Vibrio cholerae infection

Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) plays a role in defense against Vibrio cholerae and other microorganisms that infect mucosal surfaces, but it is not established whether sIgA alone can prevent disease. We report here a strategy for identifying the antigen specificities of monoclonal sIgA antibodies that are capable of providing such protection. IgA hybridomas were generated from Peyer's patch lymphocytes after oral immunization with V. cholerae Ogawa 395. A clone was selected that produced dimeric monoclonal IgA antibodies directed against an Ogawa-specific lipopolysaccharide carbohydrate antigen exposed on the bacterial surface. Hybridoma cells were used to produce subcutaneous "backpack" tumors in syngeneic mice, resulting in secretion of monoclonal sIgA onto mucosal surfaces. Neonatal mice bearing anti-lipopolysaccharide hybridoma backpack tumors were specifically protected against oral challenge with 100 50% lethal doses of virulent Ogawa 395 organisms. Thus, the IgA hybridoma backpack tumor method identifies protective epitopes in the mucosal system and demonstrates that a single monoclonal sIgA can be sufficient to protect against intestinal disease.
Insertion of Mitochondrial DNA-encoded F1F0-ATPase Subunit 8 across the Mitochondrial Inner Membrane in Vitro *

Cytochrome oxidase subunits I, II, and III, the mitochondrial DNA-encoded proteins, are inserted across the inner membrane by the Oxa1p-containing translocator in a membrane potential-dependent manner. Oxa1p is also involved in the insertion of the cytoplasmically synthesized precursor of Oxa1p itself into the inner membrane from the matrix via the conservative sorting pathway. The mechanism of insertion of the other mitochondrially synthesized proteins, however, is unexplored. The insertion of the mitochondrial DNA-encoded subunit 8 of F1F0-ATPase (Su8) across the inner membrane was analyzed in vitro using the inverted inner membrane vesicles and the Escherichia colilysate-synthesized substrate. This assay revealed that the N-terminal segment of Su8 inserted across the membrane to the intermembrane space and assumed the correct trans-cistopology depending on the mitochondrial matrix fraction. This translocation reaction was similar to those of Sec-independent, direct insertion pathways of E. coli and chloroplast thylakoid membranes. (i) It required neither nucleotide triphosphates nor membrane potential, and hydrophobic forces drove the process. (ii) It did not require protease-sensitive membrane components facing the matrix space. (iii) It could be inserted across liposomes in the correct topology in a matrix fraction-dependent manner. Thus, a novel mechanism conserved in bacteria and chloroplasts also functions in the insertion of Su8 across the mitochondrial inner membrane.
RNA sequencing identifies fusion of the EWSR1 and YY1 genes in mesothelioma with t(14;22)(q32;q12)

Mesothelioma is a rare but very aggressive tumor derived from mesothelial cells. A number of often complex but nonrandom cytogenetic abnormalities have been found in these tumors, resulting in loss of chromosome bands 14q32 and 22q12 in more than 35% of the cases. In this study, we used RNA sequencing to search for fusion transcripts in a mesothelioma carrying a t(14;22)(q32;q12) as the sole chromosomal aberration and found an EWSR1–YY1 and its reciprocal YY1–EWSR1 fusion transcript. Screening 15 additional cases of mesothelioma from which we had RNA but no cytogenetic information, we identified one more tumor carrying an EWSR1–YY1 fusion gene but not the reciprocal YY1–EWSR1 transcript. RT‐polymerase chain reaction and sequencing showed that in both cases exon 8 of EWSR1 (nucleotide 1,139, accession number NM_013986 version 3, former exon 7 in sequence with accession number X66899) was fused to exon 2 of YY1 (nucleotide 1,160, accession number NM_003403 version 3). The EWSR1 breakpoint in exon 8 in the EWSR1–YY1 chimeric transcript is similar to what is found in other fusions involving EWSR1such as EWSR1–FLI1, EWSR1–DDIT3, and EWSR1–ATF1. The EWSR1–YY1‐encoded protein is an abnormal transcription factor with the transactivation domain of EWSR1 and the DNA‐binding domain of YY1. This is the first study to detect a specific fusion gene in mesothelioma (the reason how frequent the EWSR1–YY1 fusion is remains uncertain) and also the first time that direct involvement of YY1 in oncogenesis has been demonstrated. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Custodian-based information sharing

Information sharing systems such as iCloud, Dropbox, Facebook, and Twitter are ubiquitous today, but all of them depend on massive server infrastructure and always-on Internet connectivity. We have designed and implemented a sharing system that does not require infrastructure yet supports robust, distributed, secure sharing by opportunistically using any and all connectivity, local or global, permanent or transient, to communicate. One key element of this system is a new information routing model that so far has proven to be as scalable and efficient as the best of the current Internet routing protocols, while operating in an environment more complex and dynamic than they can tolerate. The new routing model is made possible by new affordances offered by information-centric networking, in particular, the open source CCN [1] release. This article describes the new system and its routing model, and provides some performance measurements.
Tetramethylpyrazine in the Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases

Ligusticum wallichii, is a Chinese medicinal herb, that possesses the effect of "regulating vital energy and promoting blood flow". In order to study the mechanism of "promoting blood flow and relieving blood stasis", the alkaloid of Ligusticum wallichii (Tetramethylpyrazine) was given in infusions in angina pectoris. During the course of treatment with this preparation, one case got improved incidentally not only in angina but also in hearing which had been impaired by the thrombosis of internal auricular artery. Under electronmicroscope the decreased surface activity and tendency of aggregation of platelets were also revealed
Exosomes from human mesenchymal stem cells conduct aerobic metabolism in term and preterm newborn infants

Exosomes are secreted nanovesicles that are able to transfer RNA and proteins to target cells. The emerging role of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) exosomes as promoters of aerobic ATP synthesis restoration in damaged cells, prompted us to assess whether they contain an extramitochondrial aerobic respiration capacity. Exosomes were isolated from culture medium of human MSCs from umbilical cord of ≥37‐wk‐old newborns or between 28‐ to 30‐wk‐old newborns (i.e., term or preterm infants). Characterization of samples was conducted by cytofluorometry. Oxidative phosphorylation capacity was assessed by Western blot analysis, oximetry, and luminometric and fluorometric analyses. MSC exosomes express functional respiratory complexes I, IV, and V, consuming oxygen. ATP synthesis was only detectable in exosomes from term newborns, suggestive of a specific mechanism that is not completed at an early gestational age. Activities are outward facing and comparable to those detected in mitochondria isolated from term MSCs. MSC exosomes display an unsuspected aerobic respiratory ability independent of whole mitochondria. This may be relevant for their ability to rescue cell bioenergetics. The differential oxidative metabolism of preterm vs. term exosomes sheds new light on the preterm newborn's clinical vulnerability. A reduced ability to repair damaged tissue and an increased capability to cope with anoxic environment for preterm infants can be envisaged. —Panfoli, I. , Ravera, S. , Podestà, M. , Cossu, C. , Santucci, L. , Bartolucci, M. , Bruschi, M. , Calzia, D. , Sabatini, F. , Bruschettini, M. , Ramenghi, L. A. , Romantsik, O. , Marimpietri, D. , Pistoia, V. , Ghiggeri, G. , Frassoni, F. , Candiano, G. Exosomes from human mesenchymal stem cells conduct aerobic metabolism in term and preterm newborn infants. FASEB J. 30, 1416–1424 (2016). www.fasebj. org