Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving MEG Performance With Additional Tangential Sensors

Recently, the signal space separation (SSS) method, based on the multipole expansion of the magnetic field, has become increasingly important in magnetoencephalography (MEG). Theoretical arguments and simulations suggest that increasing the asymmetry of the MEG sensor array from the traditional, rather symmetric geometry can significantly improve the performance of the method. To test this concept, we first simulated addition of tangentially oriented standard sensor elements to the existing 306-channel Elekta Neuromag sensor array, and evaluated and optimized the performance of the new sensor configuration. Based on the simulation results, we then constructed a prototype device with 18 additional tangential triple-sensor elements and a total of 360 channels. The experimental results from the prototype are largely in agreement with the simulations. In application of the spatial SSS method, the 360-channel device shows an approximately 100% increase in software shielding capability, while residual reconstruction noise of evoked responses is decreased by 20%. Further, the new device eliminates the need for regularization while applying the SSS method. In conclusion, we have demonstrated in practice the benefit of reducing the symmetry of the MEG array, without the need for a complete redesign.
Effect of Ileal Infusion of Short-Chain Fatty Acids on Pancreatic Prandial Secretion and Gastrointestinal Hormones in Pigs

Objectives: Nutrients passing the ileum induce mechanisms regulating pancreatic secretion, but the effect of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) present in the ileum because of either intestinal fermentation or due to the cecoileal reflux is still unclear. This study investigated the effect of ileal SCFAs on pancreatic secretion and plasma levels of peptide YY, cholecystokinin, motilin, and neurotensin. Methods: The pigs were fitted with pancreatic duct, ileal, and jugular vein catheters, and a duodenal T-shaped cannula. Saline, 85.0 or 170.0 mM acetate, 5.0 or 10.0 mM butyrate, 7.5 or 15.0 mM propionate were infused into the ileum during feeding. Results: The ileal infusions of SCFAs did not affect the pancreatic juice outflow and the lipase output. The protein output was lower when 10.0 mM butyrate or 170.0 mM acetate were infused. The trypsin output decreased for most of the SCFA infusions. The &agr;-amylase output decreased for the infusion of 10.0 mM butyrate and tended to decrease for 170.0 mM acetate. The infusions did not change gut hormone level. Conclusions: Ileal SCFAs might induce an inhibition of pancreatic enzyme secretion under prandial conditions. Ileal SCFAs do not inhibit pancreatic secretion by a hormonal pathway involving the release of peptide YY, motilin, neurotensin, or cholecystokinin.
Ex Uno Plures: Clonal Reinforcement Drives Evolution of a Simple Microbial Community

A major goal of genetics is to define the relationship between phenotype and genotype, while a major goal of ecology is to identify the rules that govern community assembly. Achieving these goals by analyzing natural systems can be difficult, as selective pressures create dynamic fitness landscapes that vary in both space and time. Laboratory experimental evolution offers the benefit of controlling variables that shape fitness landscapes, helping to achieve both goals. We previously showed that a clonal population of E. coli experimentally evolved under continuous glucose limitation gives rise to a genetically diverse community consisting of one clone, CV103, that best scavenges but incompletely utilizes the limiting resource, and others, CV101 and CV116, that consume its overflow metabolites. Because this community can be disassembled and reassembled, and involves cooperative interactions that are stable over time, its genetic diversity is sustained by clonal reinforcement rather than by clonal interference. To understand the genetic factors that produce this outcome, and to illuminate the community's underlying physiology, we sequenced the genomes of ancestral and evolved clones. We identified ancestral mutations in intermediary metabolism that may have predisposed the evolution of metabolic interdependence. Phylogenetic reconstruction indicates that the lineages that gave rise to this community diverged early, as CV103 shares only one Single Nucleotide Polymorphism with the other evolved clones. Underlying CV103's phenotype we identified a set of mutations that likely enhance glucose scavenging and maintain redox balance, but may do so at the expense of carbon excreted in overflow metabolites. Because these overflow metabolites serve as growth substrates that are differentially accessible to the other community members, and because the scavenging lineage shares only one SNP with these other clones, we conclude that this lineage likely served as an “engine” generating diversity by creating new metabolic niches, but not the occupants themselves.
Development of a reverse transcriptase PCR-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for quantification of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA in plasma: comparison with commercial quantitative assays

A quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR assay with automated detection by nonradioactive hybridization was developed for the determination of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 RNA levels. This assay is based on the use of an external standard curve with an internal standard. The accuracy of quantification was verified by comparison with reference commercial tests, the Chiron branched-DNA and Roche AMPLICOR HIV MONITOR assays. This assay was able to quantify viremia in patients with CD4 cell numbers below and above 500/mm3 and to quantify some HIV strains which could not be titrated by the MONITOR assay.
Characterization of neural stem cells on electrospun poly(L-lactic acid) nanofibrous scaffold

Nanofibrous poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffolds were fabricated by an electrospinning technique and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, mercury porosimeter, atomic force microscopy and contact-angle test. The produced PLLA fibers with diameters ranging from 150 to 350 nm were randomly orientated with interconnected pores varying from several μm to about 140 μm in-between to form a three-dimensional architecture, which resembles the natural extracellular matrix structure in human body. The in vitro cell culture study was performed and the results indicate that the nanofibrous scaffold not only supports neural stem cell (NSC) differentiation and neurites out-growth, but also promotes NSC adhesion. The favorable interaction between the NSCs and the nanofibrous scaffold may be due to the greatly improved surface roughness of the electrospun nanofibrous scaffold. As evidenced by this study, the electrospun nanofibrous scaffold is expected to play a significant role in neural tissue engineering.
Micronutrient status of female adolescent school dropouts

Objectives No data exists for nutritional status of female adolescent school dropouts despite one in seven adolescent girls in Sri Lanka being an early school leaver. The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status of working and non-working female adolescent school dropouts. Methods A cross-sectional design was used to recruit 613 female adolescent school dropouts, aged 15-19 years, in two districts of the Western Province of Sri Lanka. BMI was calculated by assessment of weight and height. Haemoglobin, serum ferritin, serum folic acid, vitamin B12, and serum zinc were measured. Results When girls were grouped into age specific BMI categories, 32.8% of girls were underweight, while 6.1% were overweight. Prevalence of anaemia (haemoglobin <120 g/l) in the study population was 17 %. Low iron status (serum ferritin <20 μg/l) was noted in 29.4 % of girls, low serum folate in 28% (folic acid <3 μg/l) and zinc deficiency in 28.8% (zinc <66 μg/dl). Regression modeling indicated that dropping out of school early (at <14 years of age) was a significant risk factor for low serum ferritin (p=0.001, odds ratio=2.1). Working adolescents were at greater risk of low micronutrient status: low serum ferritin (p=0.009; odds ratio=1.8) serum folic acid (p=0.006; odds ratio=1.9) and zinc deficiency (p=0.001; odds ratio=2.1) than non-working adolescents. Micronutrient status of female adolescent school dropouts M de Lanerolle-Dias1, A de Silva2, P Lanerolle1, C Arambepola3, S Atukorala1 (Index words: adolescent school dropouts) Departments of 1Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2Physiology, and 3Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Correspondence: SA, e-mail: <sunethra@eol.lk>. Received 17 November 2011 and revised version accepted 12 March 2012. Competing interests: none declared. Conclusions Dropping out of school early and being employed increases the risk of micronutrient deficiencies. Ceylon Medical Journal 2012; 57: 74-78
Fractal Based Modelling and Analysis of Electromyography (EMG) To Identify Subtle Actions

The paper reports the use of fractal theory and fractal dimension to study the non-linear properties of surface electromyogram (sEMG) and to use these properties to classify subtle hand actions. The paper reports identifying a new feature of the fractal dimension, the bias that has been found to be useful in modelling the muscle activity and of sEMG. Experimental results demonstrate that the feature set consisting of bias values and fractal dimension of the recordings is suitable for classification of sEMG against the different hand gestures. The scatter plots demonstrate the presence of simple relationships of these features against the four hand gestures. The results indicate that there is small inter-experimental variation but large inter-subject variation. This may be due to differences in the size and shape of muscles for different subjects. The possible applications of this research include use in developing prosthetic hands, controlling machines and computers.
Effect of combination therapy with enalapril and the TGF-antagonist 1 D 11 in unilateral ureteral obstruction

El Chaar M, Chen J, Seshan SV, Jha S, Richardson I, Ledbetter SR, Vaughan ED Jr, Poppas DP, Felsen D. Effect of combination therapy with enalapril and the TGFantagonist 1D11 in unilateral ureteral obstruction. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 292: F1291–F1301, 2007. First published December 12, 2006; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00327. 2005. —In unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), the kidney is characterized by increased fibrosis and apoptosis. Both transforming growth factor(TGF) and ANG II have been implicated, and ANG II may mediate its effects through TGF. Previous studies demonstrated amelioration of renal damage when either TGFor ANG II has been individually targeted. In this study, we sought to determine whether combining 1D11 (monoclonal antibody to TGF) and an ACE inhibitor, enalapril, would be more effective in UUO than either individual treatment, as has been shown in diabetic and glomerulonephritic models. Rats underwent UUO and were given either control monoclonal antibody, 1D11 or enalapril, or 1D11/enalapril combination, for 14 days. Kidneys were harvested and examined for fibrosis [trichrome; collagen (real-time PCR, Sircol assay) and fibroblast-specific protein expression (immunohistochemistry), apoptosis (TUNEL), macrophage infiltration (immunohistochemistry), and TGFexpression (real-time PCR and tubular localization with immunohistochemistry)]. UUO was found to induce fibrosis, apoptosis, macrophage infiltration, and TGFexpression in the obstructed kidney. Administration of either 1D11 or enalapril individually significantly decreased all these changes; when 1D11 and enalapril were combined, there was little additive effect, and the combination did not provide full protection against damage. The results demonstrate that, for the most part, combination therapy is not additive in UUO. This could be due to the continued presence of a physical obstruction or to biochemical differences between UUO and other renal disease models. Furthermore, it suggests that other targets may be amenable to pharmacological manipulation in UUO.
The T3/T cell receptor complex: antigenic distinction between the two 20‐kd T3 (T3‐delta and T3‐epsilon) subunits.

Clonally distributed (clonotypic) antigen receptors on human T lymphocytes (alpha and beta chains) are associated with three invariable T3 polypeptide chains (T3 gamma, delta and epsilon), together forming the T3/T cell receptor complex. Monoclonal antibodies prepared against the two 20‐kd T3 polypeptide chains demonstrated that T3‐delta and T3‐epsilon are distinct polypeptide chains. Only one monoclonal antibody (anti‐T3‐delta chain) reacted with the T cell surface as judged by indirect immunofluorescence, and by its mitogenicity for quiescent peripheral blood lymphocytes. Immunohistological staining and immunoprecipitation experiments showed that both the T3‐delta and T3‐epsilon chains are T cell‐specific. As seen with the anti‐alpha/beta chain reagent WT‐31, anti‐T3‐delta chain monoclonal antibodies stained medullary thymocytes more intensely than cortical thymocytes, whereas the difference between the staining of cortical and medullary thymocytes was generally not apparent with anti‐T3‐epsilon chain antibodies. Because of this specificity and their ability to react with both the denatured and the native forms of each polypeptide chain, these new monoclonal reagents will be useful tools in studies of the biosynthesis and cell surface expression of the T3/T cell receptor complex during normal and malignant thymic differentiation.
A contribution to Arabic Named Entity Recognition

Named Entity Recognition (NER) is a clue task for improving the automatic text processing, required in a wide variety of applications. NER techniques range from hand-crafted rules to machine learning approaches. In this paper, we describe the development and the implementation of an Arabic Named Entity Recognition (ANER) System, based on machine learning approach. We use SVM classifier with a set of dependent and independent language features. We also investigate the use of patterns to ameliorate the ANER task by implementing an automatic pattern extractor framework based on Part Of Speech (POS) Information and linguistic filters. Finally, we explore the impact of several features combinations on the performances of the developed system. Our system achieves an overall average F-measure value of 83,20%. To measure the effectiveness of the developed ANER system in Topic Detection (TD) context, we conduct several experiments using NEs as features. The obtained results were very encouraging.
Connecting Corresponding Identities across Communities

One of the most interesting challenges in the area of social computing and social media analysis is the so-called community analysis. A well known barrier in cross-community (multiple website) analysis is the disconnectedness of these websites. In this paper, our aim is to provide evidence on the existence of a mapping among identities across multiple communities, providing a method for connecting these websites. Our studies have shown that simple, yet effective approaches, which leverage social media's collective patterns can be utilized to find such a mapping. The employed methods successfully reveal this mapping with 66% accuracy.
On the scaling of congestion in the internet graph

As the Internet grows in size, it becomes crucial to understand how the speeds of links in the network must improve in order to sustain the pressure of new end-nodes being added each day. Although the speeds of links in the core and at the edges improve roughly according to Moore's law, this improvement alone might not be enough. Indeed, the structure of the Internet graph and routing in the network might necessitate much faster improvements in the speeds of key links in the network. In this paper, using a combination of analysis and extensive simulations, we show that the worst congestion in the Internet AS-level graph in fact scales poorly with the network size (<i>n</i><sup>1+ω(1)</sup>, where <i>n</i> is the number of nodes), when shortest-path routing is used to route traffic between ASes. We also show, somewhat surprisingly, that policy-based routing <i>does not</i> exacerbate the maximum congestion when compared to shortest-path routing. Our results show that it is crucial to identify ways to alleviate this congestion to avoid some links from being perpetually congested. To this end, we show that the congestion scaling properties of Internet-like graphs can be improved dramatically by introducing moderate amounts of redundancy in the graph in terms of parallel edges between pairs of adjacent nodes.
Computer simulation of strength and ductility of nanotwin-strengthened coarse-grained metals

The superior strength-ductility combination in nanotwin (NT)-strengthened metals has provided a new potential for optimizing the mechanical properties of coarse-grained (CG) metals. In this paper computer simulations based on the mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity and the Johnson–Cook failure criterion have been carried out to uncover the critical factors that serve to provide this dual function. Our results indicate that both the distribution characteristics of the NT regions and the constitutive relations of the NT phase can have a significant impact on the strength and ductility of the CG Cu strengthened by the NT regions. In particular, twin spacing, distribution characteristics such as arrangement, shape and orientation, together with volume fraction of the NT regions, can all have significant effects. Along the way, we also discovered that microcrack initiation, coalescence and deflection constituted the entire failure process. Significant insights into the morphology of NT regions that could deliver superior strength and ductility combination for CG metals have been established.
A Hardware Relaxation Paradigm for Solving NP-Hard Problems

Digital circuits with feedback loops can solve some instances of NP-hard problems by relaxation: the circuit will either oscillate or settle down to a stable state that represents a solution to the problem instance. This approach differs from using hardware accelerators to speed up the execution of deterministic algorithms, as it exploits stabilisation properties of circuits with feedback, and it allows a variety of hardware techniques that do not have counterparts in software. A feedback circuit that solves many instances of Boolean satisfiability problems is described, with experimental results from a preliminary simulation using a hardware accelerator.
Constitutive Modeling of Concrete by Using Nonassociated Plasticity

In recent years, the theory of plasticity has been widely adopted in the constitutive modeling of plain concrete. Unfortunately, the fundamental hypothesis that forms the basis of associated plasticity does not hold for concrete in some loading conditions, so that the associated plasticity models sometimes lead to great discrepancies between predicted and measured response (Chen 1981; Vermeer and de Borst 1984; Hu and Schnobrich 1988). In order to study a nonassociated plasticity for plane stress‐state concrete under short‐term monotonic loading, an elastic strain‐hardening plastic model is derived herein. This concrete material model has been tested against the experimental results of Kupfer et al. (1969). It has been demonstrated that the results achieved using an associated flow rule are usually poor, while the predictions based on the nonassociated flow rule show very good agreement with the test data.
Design and Evaluation of an Interactive Proof-of-Concept Dashboard for General Practitioners

Targeted follow-up meetings in general practice are important and missed often, because of both patient and general practitioners (GPs) related reasons. In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept interactive visualization dashboard that provides GPs with a powerful, yet easy to use method to identify those patients in need of follow-up. We applied a user centered, rapid prototyping methodology with 12 information visualization students and 15 GPs. We evaluated the final design using the evaluation framework by O'Leary et al., as well as a System Usability Scale questionnaire. Results indicate that there is indeed a need for a follow-up tool and that a dashboard is a right kind of tool. Our proof-of-concept shows useful insights into patient records and can indeed help GPs recognize patients in need of follow-up. The major strengths of the design are the ease with which GPs can query patient records using interactive visualizations, such as parallel coordinates, and the ability to check if the number of patients diagnosed with certain diseases differs from the amount predicted in evidence-based guidelines.
The Near-1600 Dry / wet Knock-out : Linking Terrestrial and Near-shore Ecosystems

We present here a series of sediment mass accumulation rate (MAR) for the Santa Barbara Basin, California. The 1117-1992 series was computed from varve thickness and water content to account for the compaction trend. Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) was employed to investigate multi-annual oscillations, as was previously done on varve thickness alone (Biondi et al. 1997). Singular spectrum analysis revealed the same major oscillations identified in varve thickness, with periods of ~58, ~26.5, and ~12 years. The amplitude of those oscillations increased after 1600, and remained high for the following two centuries. Based on recent evidence that significant landscape changes can occur after periods of severe drought, it is possible that the late 1500s drought disrupted vegetation cover over large areas, allowing for major erosion during floods in the following years. The large influx of sediments and organic carbon to the near-shore basins could then have altered the structure of their sedimentary record for many years to follow.
How climate change affects extreme weather events

Research can increasingly determine the contribution of climate change to extreme events such as droughts Human-induced climate change has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of daily temperature extremes and has contributed to a widespread intensification of daily precipitation extremes (1, 2). But has it also made specific extreme weather and climate events—such as floods, droughts, and heat waves—more likely? Although it has been said that individual climate events cannot be attributed to anthropogenic climate change (3), a recent assessment by the National Academies of Science concludes that “this is no longer true as an unqualified blanket statement” (4). Robust event attribution can support decisions such as how to rebuild after a disaster and how to price insurance by quantifying the current risk of such events.
DartCSim+: Enhanced CloudSim with the Power and Network Models Integrated

CloudSim is one of the most powerful simulation platforms for cloud computing. It supports the energy-conscious scheduling and network simulation in the latest version. However, it still faces several limitations: 1) Current CloudSim cannot support both the power model and the network model at the same time. 2) The network components in current CloudSim do not support power-aware simulation. 3) The simulation of migration does not take into account the network overheads. To overcome these limitations, we design and implement an enhanced cloud simulation platform called DartCSim+ that supports the energy-aware network simulation and network-aware live migration. Further, we also implement a resubmit mechanism for packets transmission to provide a more real network behavior to solve transmission failure which is caused by migration or network failure. Finally, three groups of experiments are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of DartCSim+.