Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Split ring resonator metamaterial antenna for WiMax/WLAN applications

A split ring resonator metamaterial antenna for WiMax/WLAN applications was proposed in this paper. Antenna 1 takes a spit ring resonator as its radiator fed by a coplanar waveguide (CPW). Antenna 1 covers the frequency range of 1.7–1.8GHz which is used for WiMax applications. Antenna 2 is further developed, which adds a complementary spit ring resonator on the ground, and the improved design has a good impedance matching and covers the frequency range of 5.8 GHz which is used for WLAN applications. The proposed two metamaterials antennas have the advantages of simple design, miniaturization and compactness, which can be applied to wireless communication system.
The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Chinese lizard gudgeon (Saurogobio dabryi)

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of Saurogobio dabryi is 16,604 bp in length with 55.88% AT content, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 1 control region. The termination-associated sequence and six conserved sequence blocks were also identified. Compared all protein-coding genes and whole genome sequence with four species, Saurogobio dabryi has higher similarity with Gobio gobio than others. The mitogenome sequence of Saurogobio dabryi would play an important role in population structure and conservation genetic studies.
Iron-induced Local Complement Component 3 (C3) Up-regulation via Non-canonical Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-β Signaling in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium*

Background: Human age-related macular degeneration (AMD) retinas exhibit iron overload and localized C3 accumulation in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Results: Iron induces C3 expression via ERK1/2, SMAD3, and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-δ (C/EBP-δ) in a non-canonical TGF-β signaling pathway. Conclusion: An iron-mediated pathway leads to complement dysregulation, an etiologic feature of AMD. Significance: Regulating iron-induced C3 expression suggests a novel therapeutic approach for AMD. Dysregulation of iron homeostasis may be a pathogenic factor in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Meanwhile, the formation of complement-containing deposits under the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell layer is a pathognomonic feature of AMD. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which complement component 3 (C3), a central protein in the complement cascade, is up-regulated by iron in RPE cells. Modulation of TGF-β signaling, involving ERK1/2, SMAD3, and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-δ, is responsible for iron-induced C3 expression. The differential effects of spatially distinct SMAD3 phosphorylation sites at the linker region and at the C terminus determined the up-regulation of C3. Pharmacologic inhibition of either ERK1/2 or SMAD3 phosphorylation decreased iron-induced C3 expression levels. Knockdown of SMAD3 blocked the iron-induced up-regulation and nuclear accumulation of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-δ, a transcription factor that has been shown previously to bind the basic leucine zipper 1 domain in the C3 promoter. We show herein that mutation of this domain reduced iron-induced C3 promoter activity. In vivo studies support our in vitro finding of iron-induced C3 up-regulation. Mice with a mosaic pattern of RPE-specific iron overload demonstrated co-localization of iron-induced ferritin and C3d deposits. Humans with aceruloplasminemia causing RPE iron overload had increased RPE C3d deposition. The molecular events in the iron-C3 pathway represent therapeutic targets for AMD or other diseases exacerbated by iron-induced local complement dysregulation.
The effects of common input characteristics and discharge rate on synchronization in rat hypoglossal motoneurones

Synchronous discharges between a pair of concurrently active motoneurones are thought to arise from the spike‐triggering effects of synaptic inputs shared by the pair. Although there are a number of quantitative indices that have been developed to estimate the strength of this common input, there is still some debate as to whether motoneurone discharge rate affects the values of these indices. The aim of the present study was to test the effects of motoneurone discharge rate on these synchronization indices using known common inputs. To achieve this aim we elicited repetitive discharge in rat hypoglossal motoneurones by combining a suprathreshold injected current step with superimposed noise to mimic the synaptic drive likely to occur during physiological activation. The amplitude of the current step was varied in different trials to achieve discharge rates from 5 to 22 Hz. We first examined the effect of discharge rate on the spike‐triggering efficacy of individual EPSPs. Motoneurones were more responsive to large EPSPs delivered at a low rate when their background discharge rate was relatively low and the probability of the EPSPs evoking an extra spike decreased with increasing discharge rate. However, the opposite dependence was found for small, high‐frequency EPSPs. We then compared the discharge records obtained in several trials in which the same EPSP train was applied repeatedly to the same cell firing at different background discharge rates. The effect of this ‘common input’ on motoneurone discharge probability was determined by compiling cross‐correlation histograms (CCHists) between the discharges of the same cell at different times. The common inputs induced synchronous discharge that gave rise to large central peaks in the CCHists. The relationship between the discharge rate and the level of synchronization changed depending on the synchronization indices used and the amplitude of the common EPSPs. When large EPSPs were used as the common input, the normalized probability of synchronous spikes declined as the discharge rate increased, regardless of the method of normalization used. In contrast, when the common input was composed of a large number of small EPSPs, similar to that likely to occur during physiological activation of motoneurones, different synchronization indices exhibited a positive, a negative or no dependence on the background discharge rate. Indices based on normalizing the number of synchronous spikes by either the number of discharges in the lower frequency train (E), or by the total number of discharges in both trains (S) showed no dependence on background discharge rate and therefore may be the most suitable for quantifying motoneurone synchrony over a range of background discharge rates.
Number Local binary pattern: An Extended Local Binary Pattern

An extension of local binary pattern, named Number Local binary pattern (NLBP), is presented for texture analysis. First, the method divides the patterns into uniform and non-uniform according to the uniform measure. Second, the non-uniform pattern is further divided into different groups based on the numbers of ‘1’ bits and ‘0’ bits. The experiment shows that NLBP achieves a good texture discrimination compared with the state of the art methods such as Uniform Local Binary Pattern (ULBP) and Extended Local Binary Pattern (ELBP).
Similar slow down in running speed progression in species under human pressure

Running speed in animals depends on both genetic and environmental conditions. Maximal speeds were here analysed in horses, dogs and humans using data sets on the 10 best performers covering more than a century of races. This includes a variety of distances in humans (200–1500 m). Speed has been progressing fast in the three species, and this has been followed by a plateau. Based on a Gompertz model, the current best performances reach 97.4% of maximal velocity in greyhounds to 100.3 in humans. Further analysis based on a subset of individuals and using an ‘animal model’ shows that running speed is heritable in horses (h2 = 0.438, P = 0.01) and almost so in dogs (h2 = 0.183, P = 0.08), suggesting the involvement of genetic factors. Speed progression in humans is more likely due to an enlarged population of runners, associated with improved training practices. The analysis of a data subset (40 last years in 800 and 1500 m) further showed that East Africans have strikingly improved their speed, now reaching the upper part of the human distribution, whereas that of Nordic runners stagnated in the 800 m and even declined in the 1500 m. Although speed progression in dogs and horses on one side and humans on the other has not been affected by the same genetic/environmental balance of forces, it is likely that further progress will be extremely limited.
Mini‐dystrophin restores L‐type calcium currents in skeletal muscle of transgenic mdx mice

L‐type calcium currents (iCa) were recorded using the two‐microelectrode voltage‐clamp technique in single short toe muscle fibres of three different mouse strains: (i) C57/SV129 wild‐type mice (wt); (ii) mdx mice (an animal model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy; and (iii) transgenically engineered mini‐dystrophin (MinD)‐expressing mdx mice. The activation and inactivation properties of iCa were examined in 2‐ to 18‐month‐old animals. Ca2+ current densities at 0 mV in mdx fibres increased with age, but were always significantly smaller compared to age‐matched wild‐type fibres. Time‐to‐peak (TTP) of iCa was prolonged in mdx fibres compared to wt fibres. MinD fibres always showed similar TTP and current amplitudes compared to age‐matched wt fibres. In all three genotypes, the voltage‐dependent inactivation and deactivation of iCa were similar. Intracellular resting calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and the distribution of dihydropyridine binding sites were also not different in young animals of all three genotypes, whereas iCa was markedly reduced in mdx fibres. We conclude, that dystrophin influences L‐type Ca2+ channels via a direct or indirect linkage which may be disrupted in mdx mice and may be crucial for proper excitation–contraction coupling initiating Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. This linkage seems to be fully restored in the presence of mini‐dystrophin.
Recovery of Pathogenic Measles Virus from Cloned cDNA

ABSTRACT Reverse genetics technology so far established for measles virus (MeV) is based on the Edmonston strain, which was isolated several decades ago, has been passaged in nonlymphoid cell lines, and is no longer pathogenic in monkey models. On the other hand, MeVs isolated and passaged in the Epstein-Barr virus-transformed marmoset B-lymphoblastoid cell line B95a would retain their original pathogenicity (F. Kobune et al., J. Virol. 64:700–705, 1990). Here we have developed MeV reverse genetics systems based on the highly pathogenic IC-B strain isolated in B95a cells. Infectious viruses were successfully recovered from the cloned cDNA of IC-B strain by two different approaches. One was simple cotransfection of B95a cells, with three plasmids each encoding the nucleocapsid (N), phospho (P), or large (L) protein, respectively, and their expression was driven by the bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase supplied by coinfecting recombinant vaccinia virus vTF7-3. The second approach was transfection with the L-encoding plasmid of a helper cell line constitutively expressing the MeV N and P proteins and the T7 polymerase (F. Radecke et al., EMBO J. 14:5773–5784, 1995) on which B95a cells were overlaid. Virus clones recovered by both methods possessed RNA genomes identical to that of the parental IC-B strain and were indistinguishable from the IC-B strain with respect to growth phenotypes in vitro and the clinical course and histopathology of experimentally infected cynomolgus monkeys. Thus, the systems developed here could be useful for studying viral gene functions in the context of the natural course of MeV pathogenesis.
Estimates of Genetic and Environmental Contribution to 43 Quantitative Traits Support Sharing of a Homogeneous Environment in an Isolated Population from South Tyrol, Italy

As part of the genomic health care program ‘GenNova’, we measured 43 quantitative traits in 1,136 subjects living in three isolated villages in South Tyrol (Italy), for which extended genealogical information was available. Thirty-seven of the studied traits had been previously investigated in other populations, while six of them are, to the best of our knowledge, studied here for the first time. For all 43 traits we estimated narrow-sense heritability, individual-specific environmental effects, and shared environmental effects. Estimates of narrow-sense heritability were in good agreement with previous findings. We found significant heritability for all traits; after correcting for multiple testing, all traits except serum concentration of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and potassium still showed significant heritability. In contrast, the effect of living in the same sibship or village (the so-called sibship and household effects, respectively) was significant for a few traits only, and after correcting for multiple testing no trait showed significant shared environment effect. We suggest that the sharing of a highly similar environment by the subjects included in this study explains the low contribution of the household effects to the overall trait variation. This peculiarity should provide an advantage in gene-mapping projects by reducing environmental bias.
Occupational accidents in the Netherlands: incidence, mental harm, and their relationship with psychosocial factors at work

This study investigated the incidence of mental harm due to occupational accidents and the relation between psychosocial factors at work and the occurrence of occupational accidents in the Netherlands for the construction industry and health and welfare sector. Analyses revealed that occupational accidents in the construction industry more often involved physical harm, whereas accidents in the health and welfare sector relatively more often resulted in mental harm, in comparison to other sectors. Results showed that psychosocial factors were associated with occupational accidents in both sectors. For the construction industry, high time pressure and exposure to violence and harassment by colleagues or supervisors were associated with occupational accidents. For the health and welfare sector, low autonomy and exposure to violence and harassment by colleagues or supervisors or by people outside the organization were associated with occupational accidents. The present paper stresses the importance of also taking psychological consequences and psychosocial factors at work into account in assessing the occurrence of occupational accidents.
Object detection and segmentation using data from time-of-flight cameras

The problems of object detection on an image and labeling of pixels, corresponding to each detected object (segmentation) are solved. In the work we have examined such issues as filtering and preparation depth data, extraction of semantically rich features vectors from the RGB-D images and classification methods, allowing implementing the objects detection and segmentation.
Modeling impurity-assisted chain creation in noble-metal break junctions

In this work we present the generalization of the model for chain formation in break junctions, introduced by Thiess et al (2008 Nano Lett. 8 2144), to zigzag transition-metal chains with s and p impurities. We apply this extended model to study the producibility trends for noble-metal chains with impurities, often present in break junction experiments, namely, Cu, Ag and Au chains with H, C, O and N adatoms. Providing the material-specific parameters for our model from systematic full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave first-principles calculations, we find that the presence of such impurities crucially affects the binding properties of the noble-metal chains. We reveal that both the impurity-induced bond strengthening and the formation of zigzag bonds can lead to a significantly enhanced probability for chain formation in break junctions.
Human Metapneumovirus: Lessons Learned over the First Decade

SUMMARY It has been 10 years since human metapneumovirus (HMPV) was identified as a causative agent of respiratory illness in humans. Since then, numerous studies have contributed to a substantial body of knowledge on many aspects of HMPV. This review summarizes our current knowledge on HMPV, HMPV disease pathogenesis, and disease intervention strategies and identifies a number of areas with key questions to be addressed in the future.
Effect of Grip Force and Training in Unstable Dynamics on Micromanipulation Accuracy

This paper investigates whether haptic error amplification using unstable dynamics can be used to train accuracy in micromanipulation. A preliminary experiment first examines the possible confounds of visual magnification and grip force. Results show that micromanipulation precision is not affected by grip force in both naive and experienced subjects. On the other hand, precision is increased by visual magnification of up to 10×, but not further for larger magnifications. The main experiment required subjects to perform small-range point-to-point movements in 3D space in an unstable environment which amplified position errors to the straight line between start and end point. After having trained in this environment, subjects performing in the free conditions show an increase in success rate and a decrease in error and its standard deviation relative to the control subjects. This suggests that this technique can improve accuracy and reliability of movements during micromanipulation.
The impact of obsessive-compulsive disorder in pregnancy on quality of life

Aim. To examine the effects of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) on quality of life in pregnant women. Material and method. Twenty-five pregnant women diagnosed as OCD in two university outpatient clinics were included for the study. Twenty-five pregnant women with no mental disorders and the same sociodemographic properties were taken as the control group. The diagnosis of OCD was confirmed with the DSM-IV Axis-I Disorders Structured Clinic Interview Diagnosis/Clinic Version (SCID-I/CV). In order to measure the severity of OCD Yale-Brown Obsession and Compulsion Scale was performed. Quality of life was evaluated by WHO (World Health Organisation) Life Quality Scale – Short Form (WHOQOL-Brief). Results. The whole subgroup of points of WHOQOL-Brief was significantly lower in OCD patients compared to control group (in all subgroups P<0.01). There was a negative correlation between the Y-BOCS obsession and compulsion subpoints and total points with the physical health (P <0.05), psychological health (P <0.001) and social relationship (P <0.01) of WHOQOL-Brief. No significant association was found with enviromental areas. Besides, there was a negative correlation between the duration of OCD and WHOQOL-Brief psychological health subarea (P <0.05). Conclusion. OCD negatively effects the quality of life in pregnant women and is correlated with the severity of the disorder.
Effects of strength training on muscle fatigue mapping from surface EMG and blood metabolites.

PURPOSE this study examined the effects of heavy resistance training on the relationships between power loss and surface EMG (sEMG) indices and blood metabolite concentrations on dynamic exercise-induced fatigue with the same relative load as in pretraining. METHODS twelve trained subjects performed five sets consisting of 10 repetitions in the leg press, with 2 min of rest between sets before and after a strength training period. sEMG variables (the mean average voltage, the median spectral frequency, and the Dimitrov spectral index of muscle fatigue) from vastus medialis and lateralis muscles and metabolic responses (i.e., blood lactate, uric acid, and ammonia concentrations) were measured. RESULTS the peak power loss after the posttraining protocol was greater (61%) than the decline observed in the pretraining protocol (46%). Similar sEMG changes were found for both protocols, whereas higher metabolic demand was observed during the posttraining exercise. The linear models on the basis of the relations found between power loss and changes in sEMG variables were significantly different between pretraining and posttraining, whereas the linear models on the basis of the relations between power loss and changes in blood metabolite concentrations were similar. CONCLUSIONS linear models that use blood metabolites to map acute exercise-induced peak power changes were more accurate in detecting these changes before and after a short-term training period, whereas an attempt to track peak power loss using sEMG variables may fail after a strength training period.
The Relationship Between Geographic Variations and Overuse of Healthcare Services: A Systematic Review

Objective:To examine the relationship between overuse of healthcare services and geographic variations in medical care. Design:Systematic Review. Data Sources:Articles published in Medline between 1978, the year of publication of the first framework to measure quality, and January 1, 2009. Study Selection:Four investigators screened 114,830 titles and 2 investigators screened all selected abstracts and articles for possible inclusion and extracted all data. Data Extraction:We extracted data on rates of overuse in different geographic areas. We also extracted data on underuse, if available, for the same population in which overuse was measured. Results:Five papers examined the relationship between geographic variations and overuse of healthcare services. One study in 2008 compared the appropriateness of coronary angiography (CA) for acute myocardial infarction in high-cost areas versus low cost areas in the Medicare population and found largely similar rates of inappropriateness (12.2% vs. 16.2%). A study in 2000 using national data concluded that overuse of CA explained little of the geographic variations in the use of this procedure in the Medicare program. An older study of Medicare patients found similar rates of inappropriate use of CA (15% to 17% vs. 18%), endoscopy (15% vs. 18% 19%), and carotid endarterectomy (29% vs. 30%) in low-use and high-use regions. A small area reanalysis of data from this study of 3 procedures found no evidence of a relationship between inappropriate use of procedures and volume in 23 adjacent counties of California. Another 2008 study found that inappropriate chemotherapy for stage I cancer was less common in low-cost areas compared with high-cost areas (3.1% vs. 6.3%). Conclusions:The limited available evidence does not lend support to the hypothesis that inappropriate use of procedures is a major source of geographic variations in intensity and/or costs of care. More research is needed to improve our understanding of the relationship between geographic variations and the quality of care.
Reflections on early requirements gathering themes from analyst-client conversation

This paper discusses various themes in analyst-client communication as they emerged in six case studies of early requirements gathering. Conversations between analysts and clients were videotaped, and participants then reflected on those conversations together and individually. The paper draws on these and other data sources to give an overview of themes in the case studies. Some sample situations that may vary those themes are also provided. The paper concludes with a brief exploration of how those themes might be presented to practitioners, in order to assist effective communication at an early stage in the systems development life cycle.