Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deregulated Renal Calcium and Phosphate Transport during Experimental Kidney Failure

Impaired mineral homeostasis and inflammation are hallmarks of chronic kidney disease (CKD), yet the underlying mechanisms of electrolyte regulation during CKD are still unclear. Here, we applied two different murine models, partial nephrectomy and adenine-enriched dietary intervention, to induce kidney failure and to investigate the subsequent impact on systemic and local renal factors involved in Ca2+ and Pi regulation. Our results demonstrated that both experimental models induce features of CKD, as reflected by uremia, and elevated renal neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) expression. In our model kidney failure was associated with polyuria, hypercalcemia and elevated urinary Ca2+ excretion. In accordance, CKD augmented systemic PTH and affected the FGF23-αklotho-vitamin-D axis by elevating circulatory FGF23 levels and reducing renal αklotho expression. Interestingly, renal FGF23 expression was also induced by inflammatory stimuli directly. Renal expression of Cyp27b1, but not Cyp24a1, and blood levels of 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 were significantly elevated in both models. Furthermore, kidney failure was characterized by enhanced renal expression of the transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 5 (TRPV5), calbindin-D28k, and sodium-dependent Pi transporter type 2b (NaPi2b), whereas the renal expression of sodium-dependent Pi transporter type 2a (NaPi2a) and type 3 (PIT2) were reduced. Together, our data indicates two different models of experimental kidney failure comparably associate with disturbed FGF23-αklotho-vitamin-D signalling and a deregulated electrolyte homeostasis. Moreover, this study identifies local tubular, possibly inflammation- or PTH- and/or FGF23-associated, adaptive mechanisms, impacting on Ca2+/Pi homeostasis, hence enabling new opportunities to target electrolyte disturbances that emerge as a consequence of CKD development.
Genome-Wide Linkage Study Suggests a Susceptibility Locus for Isolated Bilateral Microtia on 4p15.32–4p16.2

Microtia is a congenital deformity where the external ear is underdeveloped. Genetic investigations have identified many susceptibility genes of microtia-related syndromes. However, no causal genes were reported for isolated microtia, the main form of microtia. We conducted a genome-wide linkage analysis on a 5-generation Chinese pedigree with isolated bilateral microtia. We identified a suggestive linkage locus on 4p15.32–4p16.2 with parametric LOD score of 2.70 and nonparametric linkage score (Zmean) of 12.28 (simulated occurrence per genome scan equal to 0.46 and 0.47, respectively). Haplotype reconstruction analysis of the 4p15.32–4p16.2 region further confined the linkage signal to a 10-Mb segment located between rs12505562 and rs12649803 (9.65–30.24 cM; 5.54–15.58 Mb). Various human organ developmental genes reside in this 10-Mb susceptibility region, such as EVC, EVC2, SLC2A9, NKX3-2, and HMX1. The coding regions of three genes, EVC known for cartilage development and NKX3-2, HMX1 involved in microtia, were selected for sequencing with 5 individuals from the pedigree. Of the 38 identified sequence variants, none segregates along with the disease phenotype. Other genes or DNA sequences of the 10-Mb region warrant for further investigation. In conclusion, we report a susceptibility locus of isolated microtia, and this finding will encourage future studies on the genetic basis of ear deformity.
High spatial resolution monitoring of the activity of BA supergiant winds

Abstract There are currently two optical interferometry recombiners that can provide spectral resolutions better than 10000, AMBER/VLTI operating in the H-K bands, and VEGA/CHARA, recently commissioned, operating in the visible. These instruments are well suited to study the wind activity of the brightest AB supergiants in our vicinity, in lines such as Hα or Brγ. We present here the first observations of this kind, performed on Rigel (B8Ia) and Deneb (A2Ia). Rigel was monitored by AMBER in two campaigns, in 2006-2007 and 2009-2010, and observed in 2009 by VEGA; whereas Deneb was monitored in 2008-2009 by VEGA. The extension of the Hα and Brγ line forming regions were accurately measured and compared with CMFGEN models of both stars. Moreover, clear signs of activity were observed in the differential visibility and phases. These pioneer observations are still limited, but show the path for a better understanding of the spatial structure and temporal evolution of localized ejections using optical interferometry.
Simultaneously Improving Electrical Properties and Stabilizing Contact Resistance of Electrically Conductive Adhesives by Using Aminoaldehydes

In order to simultaneously improve the conductivity and stabilize the contact resistance of electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs) containing silver flakes, different types of aminoaldehydes as multifunctional additives, N, N-dimethyl-4-aminobenzaldehyde (DABA), benzaldehyde (BA) as a comparison, and formamide (FA), were introduced into ECAs formulations. The results showed that when the optimal levels of FA, BA, and DABA were individually added into ECAs, the decrease in the resistivities of the ECAs were 34.8%, 67.2%, and 41.7%, respectively, compared to the control sample. This is because, during the curing process, the aldehyde acts as a reducing agent and reduces the oxidized silver flakes. Furthermore, the ECAs with FA or DABA had better contact resistance stability than that of the control sample under the condition of 85°C/85% relative humidity, but ECAs with BA could not stabilize the contact resistance on tin finish, The results indicate that FA and DABA can be adsorbed onto the tin surface and inhibit the occurrence of the galvanic corrosion on the interface between ECA and tin finish. The rheological results showed the processability of ECAs with FA, BA, and DABA were better than that of the control sample. However, the shear strength of ECAs with BA and DABA slightly declined.
Rethinking refugia: Tree topology, divergence dates, and demographic history trace the distribution of the endangered Plymouth gentian (Sabatia kennedyana) from the Pleistocene glaciation to present day.

PREMISE OF STUDY Molecular population genetics is a powerful tool to infer how species responded to past environmental change. In the northern hemisphere, interest is increasing in how species responded to changes in ice coverage and temperature during the last glaciation maximum (LGM, between 18000-21000 yr ago) with a common assumption that glacial refugia were located at the southern edge of a species range. METHODS We reconstructed the glacial and postglacial phylogeography of Sabatia kennedyana, a member of the Atlantic Coastal Plains Flora with a current distribution from Nova Scotia (NS) to South Carolina, using both cpDNA and nuclear markers. We also examined clinal variation in morphological traits, in particular relative investment in asexual vs sexual growth. KEY RESULTS We find strong evidence that the species did not reside in southern glacial refugia, but rather in primary glacial refugia off the exposed continental shelf extending from Cape Cod and that this area was responsible for the founding of modern populations across the range from Nova Scotia (NS) to the United States. Additionally, based on the finding of higher cpDNA diversity and older cpDNA lineages in NS, we propose that multiple founder events occurred in NS, while only a single lineage gave rise to current populations in the United States. CONCLUSIONS By understanding how S. kennedyana responded to past shifts in climate and by identifying areas of high genetic diversity in the northern range edge, we discuss the potential response of the species to future climate change scenarios.
Outdoor thermographic survey of historic structures

Frequently, on outdoor thermographic surveys long wavelength infrared-thermal imaging systems are employed. When such systems are cooled, that are ideal for outdoor measurements, since they eliminate the effects of similar reflections and enhance the accuracy of the measurement. In this research study, long wavelength infrared thermography was used in the assessment of historic porous stones' masonries, either consolidated or untreated, in the Medieval City of Rhodes, in Greece. Due to the difference between the thermal diffusivities of consolidated and untreated stones or even of moist and dry stones, infrared thermography was capable of imaging large areas, displaying qualitative variations in penetration depth (i.e., consolidation) and/or respiration behavior (i.e. moisture impact), appearing as surface temperature fluctuations in the thermal image(s). The obtained thermal images provided significant information in the assessment of materials concerning moisture and consolidation treatments: monitoring of the physicochemical behavior of porous materials. Conclusively, thermography ought to be considered as a powerful nondestructive assessment tool on the investigation of historic structures.
Linear-Memory and Decomposition-Invariant Linearly Convergent Conditional Gradient Algorithm for Structured Polytopes

Recently, several works have shown that natural modifications of the classical conditional gradient method (aka Frank-Wolfe algorithm) for constrained convex optimization, provably converge with a linear rate when: i) the feasible set is a polytope, and ii) the objective is smooth and strongly-convex. However, all of these results suffer from two significant shortcomings: large memory requirement due to the need to store an explicit convex decomposition of the current iterate, and as a consequence, large running-time overhead per iteration, and worst case convergence rate that depends unfavorably on the dimension. In this work we present a new conditional gradient variant and a corresponding analysis that improves on both of the above shortcomings. In particular: both memory and computation overheads are only linear in the dimension. Moreover, in case the optimal solution is sparse, the new convergence rate replaces a factor which is at least linear in the dimension in previous works, with a linear dependence on the number of non-zeros in the optimal solution. At the heart of our method, and corresponding analysis, is a novel way to compute decomposition-invariant away-steps. While our theoretical guarantees do not apply to any polytope, they apply to several important structured polytopes that capture central concepts such as paths in graphs, perfect matchings in bipartite graphs, marginal distributions that arise in structured prediction tasks, and more. Our theoretical findings are complemented by empirical evidence which shows that our method delivers state-of-the-art performance.
Stacked Arrangement of Rectangular Microstrip Patches for Circularly Polarized Broadband Performance

Design and analysis of a single-feed arrangement of stacked rectangular patches is proposed, which is capable of providing circular polarization along with broadband performance. An antenna is designed on a glass epoxy FR-4 substrate with overall thickness of the structure less than 8 mm or 0. 11λ0. The patch area of the corner truncated driven patch is marginally smaller than that of a parasitic patch to achieve improved performance. Both driven and stacked patches have narrow slots of unequal size in a way that their centers lie one over the other. The locations of the feed point, the amount of corner truncation of the driven patch, and the size of slots on both the driven and the stacked patches are optimized. Axial ratio bandwidth better than 11% and impedance bandwidth better than 27% may be achieved with the proposed geometry. Measured gain and axial ratio variations of the proposed antenna with frequency are compared to simulated results for better understanding. The measured E- and H-plane radiation patterns in the entire impedance bandwidth are identical in shape, and the direction of maximum radiations is normal to the patch geometry. In the entire axial ratio bandwidth range of the proposed antenna, the E-plane left circularly polarized patterns are nearly 15 dB higher than the corresponding right circularly polarized patterns .
Lower bounds on the size of semi-quantum automata

In the literature, there exist several interesting hybrid models of finite automata which have both quantum and classical states. We call them semi-quantum automata. In this paper, we compare the descriptional power of these models with that of DFA. Specifically, we present a uniform method that gives a lower bound on the size of the three existing main models of semi-quantum automata, and this bound shows that semi-quantum automata can be at most exponentially more concise than DFA. Compared with a recent work (Bianchi, Mereghetti, Palano, Theoret. Comput. Sci., 551(2014), 102-115), our method shows the following two advantages: (i) our method is much more concise; and (ii) our method is universal, since it is applicable to the three existing main models of semi-quantum automata, instead of only a specific model.
Capturing ground truth super-resolution data

Super-resolution (SR) offers an effective approach to boost quality and details of low-resolution (LR) images to obtain high-resolution (HR) images. Despite the theoretical and technical advances in the past decades, it still lacks plausible methodology to evaluate and compare different SR algorithms. The main cause to this problem lies in the missing ground truth data for SR. Unlike in many other computer vision tasks, where existing image datasets can be utilized directly, or with a little extra annotation work, evaluating SR requires that the dataset contain both LR and the corresponding HR ground truth images of the same scene captured at the same time. This work presents a novel prototype camera system to address the aforementioned difficulties of acquiring ground truth SR data. Two identical camera sensors equipped with a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens respectively, share the same optical axis by placing a beam splitter in the optical path. The back-end program can then trigger their shutters simultaneously and precisely register the region of interests (ROIs) of the LR and HR image pairs in an automated manner free of sub-pixel interpolation. Evaluation results demonstrate the special characteristics of the captured ground truth HR-LR face images compared to the simulated ones. The dataset is made freely available for noncommercial research purposes.
Graphene RF transistors with buried bottom gate

To improve process induced mobility degradation of graphene, radio frequency (RF) transistors with buried bottom gates have been fabricated and characterized. In this process, graphene is transferred to the top of finished gates and source/drains as almost the very last step of the entire fabrication process. A unit graphene transistor shows the on-current of 130 μA/μm the I<sub>on</sub>/I<sub>off</sub> ratio of 5.31, and the maximum transconductance of 6. 85μS/μm at V<sub>D</sub>= 0.1 V. The graphene RF transistor with a channel length of 600 nm shows a maximum oscillation frequency (f<sub>max</sub>) of 13 GHz and a cut-off frequency (f<sub>T</sub>) of 2 GHz after de-embedding. The higher f<sub>max</sub> than f<sub>T</sub> is due to less source-drain resistance (R<sub>DS</sub>) made by a fully-covered channel region by the buried gate. Because of the higher f<sub>max</sub> the proposed device structure can be a promising candidate for graphene RF transistors and RF amplifiers.
Epidemic Plasmid Carrying bla CTX-M-15 in Klebsiella penumoniae in China

Objective To investigate the local epidemiology of Klebsiella penumoniae carrying bla CTX-M-15 in southern China and to characterize the genetic environment of bla CTX-M-15. Methods PCR and DNA sequencing were used to detect and characterize the genetic contexts of bla CTX-M-15. The clonal relatedness of isolates carrying bla CTX-M-15 was determined by pulse-field gel electrophoresis. Conjugative plasmids carrying bla CTX-M-15 were obtained by mating and were further subject to restriction analysis and replicon typing. Results A total of 47CTX-M-15 ESBL-producing isolates of K. pneumoniae were collected from nine hospitals in China from October 2007 to October 2008. Isolates were clustered into various clonal groups. The local spread of bla CTX-M-15 was mainly mediated by one major conjugative plasmid as determined by S1-PFGE and restriction analysis. A 90-kb plasmid belonging to incompatible group FII was the major carrier of bla CTX-M-15 in K. pneumoniae. Except bla TEM-1, the resistance genes such as bla SHV, bla DHA-1, bla OXA-1, qnrB, qnrS, aac(3)-II, and aac(6′)-Ib were not found in the plasmid. In the comparing of conjugative gene sequence, it is 100% identical with the plasmid pKF3–94, which was found in K. pneumonia from Zhejiang province of china previously. Conclusions bla CTX-M-15 was prevalent in K. pneumonia of southern China. The dissemination of bla CTX-M-15 appeared to be due to the horizontal transfer of a 90-kb epidemic plasmid.
Movement awareness for a sentient environment

This paper describes a system that can observe, recognise and analyse human movements, to provide this awareness to context-aware applications. The movement recognition and characterisation components of this sentient system are described in detail. The system uses the ground reaction force to classify and analyse movements in a non-clinical environment. The signal is classified using statistical pattern recognition. Equipped with knowledge of the movement, characterisation is the process of analysing the ground reaction force to extract parameters of the movement. The components of the movement awareness system operate in a distributed computing environment.
Star-forming protoclusters associated with methanol masers

We present a multiwavelength study of five methanol maser sites which are not directly associated with a strong (>100 mJy) radio continuum source: G 31.28+0.06, G 59.78+0.06, G 173.49+2.42 (S231, S233IR), G 188.95+0.89 (S252, AFGL5180) and G 192.60-0.05 (S255IR). These radio-quiet methanol maser sites are often interpreted as precursors of ultra- compact H  regions or massive protostar sites. In this work, the environment of methanol masers is probed from mid-IR to millimetre wavelengths at angular resolutions of 8 �� −34 �� . Spectral energy distribution (SED) diagrams for each site are pre- sented, together with mass and luminosity estimates. Each radio-quiet maser site is always associated with a massive (>50 M� ), deeply embedded (Av > 40 mag) and very luminous (>10 4 L� ) molecular clump, with Ltotal ∝ M 0.75 gas . These physical properties characterise massive star-forming clumps in earlier evolutionary phases than H  regions. In addition, colder gas clumps seen only at mm-wavelengths are also found near the methanol maser sites. These colder clumps may represent an even earlier phase of massive star formation. These results suggest an evolutionary sequence for massive star formation from a cold clump, seen only at mm wavelengths, evolving to a hot molecular core with a two-component SED with peaks at far-IR and mid-IR wave- lengths, to an (ultra-compact) H  region. Alternatively, the cold clumps might be clusters of low-mass YSOs, in formation near the massive star-forming clusters. Finally, the values of the dust grain emissivity index (β) range between 1.6 and 1.9.
The Ebola Spatial Care Path™: Accelerating point-of-care diagnosis, decision making, and community resilience in outbreaks.

OBJECTIVES To present a vision where point-of-care testing (POCT) accelerates an Ebola Spatial Care Path™ (SCP) and future molecular diagnostics enable facilitated-access self-testing (FAST POC); to design an alternate care facility (ACF) for the SCP; to innovate an Ebola diagnostic center (DC); and to propel rapid POCT to the frontline to create resilience that stops future outbreaks. DESIGN PubMed, literature, and web searches. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Medicine Without Frontiers, and World Health Organization (WHO) document analyses. Investigations in China, the Philippines, Thailand, and the United States. Review of SE Asia, US, and West Africa isolation-treatment centers. Innovation of a SCP, ACF, and DC suitable for American and other communities. OUTCOMES The authors designed an ACF and DC to integrate SCP principles for urgent Ebola care. FDA emergency use authorizations for Ebola molecular diagnostics were discovered, but no portable, handheld, or self-contained molecular POC instruments are yet available, although feasible. The WHO initiated design criteria and an acceptance protocol for testing. Financial investment in POCT will downsize Ebola outbreaks. CONCLUSIONS POCT is facilitating global health. Now, global health problems are elevating POCT to new levels of importance for accelerating diagnosis and evidence-based decision making during disease outbreaks. Authorities concur that rapid diagnosis has potential to stop disease spread. With embedded POCT, strategic SCPs planned by communities fulfill CDC recommendations. POC devices should consolidate multiplex test clusters supporting patients with Ebola in isolation. The ultimate future solution is FAST POC. New technologies offer minimally significant risks. Diagnostic centers in ACFs and transportable formats also will optimize Ebola SCPs.
Efficient aggregation of delay-constrained data in wireless sensor networks

Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in the application of wireless sensor networks in unattended environments. Nodes in such applications are equipped with limited energy supply and need careful management in order to extend their lifetime. In order to conserve energy, many of the routing protocols proposed for wireless sensor networks reduce the number of transmitted packets by pursuing in-network data aggregation. Almost all of the aggregation schemes presented in the literature strive to save sensors energy while considering unconstrained data traffic. However, aggregation extends the queuing delay at the relay nodes and can thus complicate the handling of latency-constrained data. In this paper, we analyze the conditions for effective aggregation of data traffic that is subject to end-to-end delay constraints. We present an algorithm for achieving maximal possible energy saving through data aggregation while meeting the desired level of timeliness. A Weighted Fair Queuing based mechanism for packet scheduling is employed at each node in order to perform service differentiation and ensure bounded delay for constrained traffic. The performance of the proposed approach is qualified via simulation. The simulation results have demonstrated that the proposed approach provides a balance between energy consumption and timeliness level.
Phenomenological BRDF modeling for engineering applications

The application of analytical light scattering techniques for virtual prototyping the optical performance of paint coatings provides an effective tool for optimizing paint design for specific optical requirements. This paper describes the phenomenological basis for the scattering coatings computer aided design (ScatCad) code. The ScatCad code predicts the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) and the hemispherical directional reflectance (HDR) of pigmented paint coatings for the purpose of coating design optimization. The code uses techniques for computing the pigment single scattering phase function, multiple scattering radiative transfer, and rough surface scattering to calculate the BRDF and HDR based on the fundamental optical properties of the pigment(s) and binder, pigment number density and size distribution, and surface roughness of the binder-interface and substrate. This is a significant enhancement to the two- flux, Kubelka-Munk analysis that has traditionally been used in the coatings industry. Example calculations and comparison with measurements are also presented.