Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seminal plasma levels of copper and its relationship with seminal parameters

Background: The trace element copper has been identified as a highly toxic element for sperm. It is known to affect sperm motility in humans, and experimental implantation of copper in the epididymis, vas deferens, and scrotum of mammals has been demonstrated to affect fertility detrimentally. Objective: Sperm concentration, motility, vitality and morphology are parameters used to evaluate potential male fertility. Since, copper is believed to be important for spermatogenesis; we conducted a study to investigate the correlation between seminal plasma copper concentration and human semen parameters in 232 males. Materials and Methods: We selected 232 subfertile or infertile men who referred to Omid Fertility Clinic, randomly. Samples were categorized into normospermic (n=32), oligozospermic (n=73), asthenozospermic (n=111) and azospermic (n=16) groups according to their spermiogrames. Total seminal plasma copper concentration was determined by furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results: The results showed that seminal plasma copper concentrations in oligozospermic, asthenozospermic and azospermic groups are significantly higher than normozospermic group (p<0.01). Also, negative correlations were found between seminal plasma copper concentration and sperm count (p<0.05), sperm motility (p<0.01), sperm vitality (p<0.01), normal morphology (p<0.01) and pH (p<0.01) in all groups. Conclusion: It was suggested that excess copper in seminal plasma was detrimental for male reproductive capacity by reducing sperm count, motility, vitality and morphology.
Common Gating of Both CLC Transporter Subunits Underlies Voltage-dependent Activation of the 2Cl−/1H+ Exchanger ClC-7/Ostm1*

Background: ClC-7 is a homodimeric lysosomal chloride transporter important for lysosomal function and bone degradation. Results: Altered gating kinetics of one subunit affect the kinetics of the other subunit. Conclusion: Gating of ClC-7 involves both CLC subunits and requires noncovalent binding of cytoplasmic domains. Significance: Osteopetrosis and lysosomal storage disease are associated with accelerating mutations in the ClC-7 C terminus and the contacting intramembrane part. CLC anion transporters form dimers that function either as Cl− channels or as electrogenic Cl−/H+ exchangers. CLC channels display two different types of “gates,” “protopore” gates that open and close the two pores of a CLC dimer independently of each other and common gates that act on both pores simultaneously. ClC-7/Ostm1 is a lysosomal 2Cl−/1H+ exchanger that is slowly activated by depolarization. This gating process is drastically accelerated by many CLCN7 mutations underlying human osteopetrosis. Making use of some of these mutants, we now investigate whether slow voltage activation of plasma membrane-targeted ClC-7/Ostm1 involves protopore or common gates. Voltage activation of wild-type ClC-7 subunits was accelerated by co-expressing an excess of ClC-7 subunits carrying an accelerating mutation together with a point mutation rendering these subunits transport-deficient. Conversely, voltage activation of a fast ClC-7 mutant could be slowed by co-expressing an excess of a transport-deficient mutant. These effects did not depend on whether the accelerating mutation localized to the transmembrane part or to cytoplasmic cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) domains of ClC-7. Combining accelerating mutations in the same subunit did not speed up gating further. No currents were observed when ClC-7 was truncated after the last intramembrane helix. Currents and slow gating were restored when the C terminus was co-expressed by itself or fused to the C terminus of the β-subunit Ostm1. We conclude that common gating underlies the slow voltage activation of ClC-7. It depends on the CBS domain-containing C terminus that does not require covalent binding to the membrane domain of ClC-7.
EFFECTS OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL FABRICS ON CARDIAC AUTONOMIC TONE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE

Heart rate variability was compared in 20 subjects wearing multifunctional fabric (experimental sessions) and cotton (control sessions) clothing. - Anxiety, depression, fatigue, and stress levels were lower and emotional levels were higher during the experimental sessions than in the control sessions. Multifunctional fabrics reduced the low-frequency/high-frequency power ratio of heart rate variability. These results support the hypothesis that multifunctional fabrics increase cardiac parasympathetic tone. In addition, subjects had lower heart rates during the experimental sessions compared with controls, suggesting a stabilizing effect on the autonomic nervous system. In conclusion, multifunctional fabrics may act to stabilize both the autonomic nervous system and psychological state.
Bayesian Inference for Origin-Destination Matrices of Transport Networks Using the EM Algorithm

Information on the origin-destination (OD) matrix of a transport network is a fundamental requirement in much transportation planning. A relatively inexpensive method for updating an OD matrix is to draw inference about the OD matrix based on a single observation of traffic flows on a specific set of network links, where the Bayesian approach is a natural choice for combining the prior knowledge about the OD matrix and the current observation of traffic flows. The existing approaches of Bayesian modeling of OD matrices include using normal approximations to Poisson distributions, which leads to the posterior being intractable even under some simple special cases, and using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation, which incurs extreme demand of computational efforts. In this article, through the EM algorithm, Bayesian inference is reinvestigated for a transport network for estimating the population means of traffic flows, reconstructing traffic flows, and predicting future traffic flows. It is shown that the resultant estimates have very simple forms with minimal computational costs.
Super-resolution video restoration with model uncertainties

To solve the problem of super-resolution restoration that algorithm performances are strongly affected by model uncertainties, e.g. inaccurate motion estimations, a new super-resolution algorithm is presented. The video restoration problem is modeled as a time-varying discrete linear dynamical system, and the model uncertainties are considered as perturbations to the system. The algorithm to solve this model is based on a modified Kalman filter, and perturbations are estimated from the motion-compensated prediction residual (MCPR). Experiments for real world video were taken to show the robustness of this algorithm to model uncertainties.
A multiresolution analysis framework for breast tumor classification based on DCE-MRI

In this paper, a multiresolution approach is proposed for texture characterization of breast tumors in dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance images. The decomposition scheme represented by the stationary wavelet transform (SWT) is investigated in terms of its' ability to discriminate between malignant and benign tumors. The mean and entropy of the detail subimages produced for the specific decomposition scheme are used as texture features. The extracted features are subsequently provided into a linear classifier in a leave-one-out cross-validation setting. The experimental results for the proposed features exhibit high performance, when compared to the existing approaches, with the classification accuracy approaching 0.91.
Statistical modeling, optimization and characterization of solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system of lopinavir using design of experiment

Abstract Objective: Lopinavir (LPV), an antiretroviral protease inhibitor shows poor bioavailability because of poor aqueous solubility and extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism. The aim of the present work was to investigate the potential of the solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (S-SNEDDS) in improving dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of LPV. Materials and methods: Liquid SNEDDS (L-SNEDDS) of LPV were prepared using Capmul MCM C8, Cremophor RH 40 and propylene glycol and their amounts were optimized by Scheffe’s mixture design. L-SNEDDS formulations were evaluated for different physicochemical and in vitro drug release parameters. S-SNEDDS were prepared by adsorbing L-SNEDDS on Neusilin US2 and characterized for solid-state properties. In vivo bioavailability of S-SNEDDS, marketed Lopinavir + Ritonavir (LPV/RTV) formulation and pure LPV was studied in Wistar rats. Stability study of S-SNEDDS was performed as per ICH guidelines. Results and discussion: Optimized L-SNEDDS obtained by Scheffe design had drug loading 160 ± 1.15 mg, globule size 32.9 ± 1.45 nm and drug release >95% within 15 min. Solid state studies suggested the transformation of the crystalline drug to amorphous drug. The size and zeta potential of globules obtained on dilution S-SNEDDS remained similar to L-SNEEDS. In vivo bioavailability study revealed that S-SNEDDS has 2.97 and 1.54-folds higher bioavailability than pure LPV and LPV/RTV formulation, respectively. The optimized S-SNEDDS was found to be stable and had a shelf life of 2.85 years. Conclusion: The significant increase in drug dissolution and bioavailability by prepared SNEDDS suggest that the developed S-SNEDDS is a useful solid platform for improving oral bioavailability of poorly soluble LPV.
Dentisterie restauratrice a minima

Cliniquement, la pratique d’une dentisterie invasive a minima correspond a la stricte application du principe : respect systematique des tissus originels. La dentisterie invasive a minima devient un concept operatoire applicable quotidiennement avec comme denominateur commun a toutes les techniques : la preservation des tissus tout en privilegiant la prevention sur toute forme de therapeutique. Cela implique une meilleure connaissance du processus carieux, l’utilisation des performances croissantes des systemes adhesifs et de faire un choix parmi de nombreux outils : ozonotherapie, inserts soniques et ultrasoniques, etc. Ces nouveaux outils ameliorent le diagnostic pour certains et minimisent les formes de preparations pour d’autres. L’objectif de ce travail est de serier toute la problematique de la dentisterie invasive a minima. Ces differents outils et leur efficacite ainsi que leurs avantages et inconvenients y sont detailles, tout en decrivant leur utilisation clinique. Il demeure raisonnable d’appliquer les techniques preventives de la dentisterie a minima (ameloplastie partielle, sterilisation des sillons, etc.) pour les risques carieux moyens et eleves et d’oser les preparations a minima qu’en deuxieme intention, une fois le risque carieux controle et minore. Pour les risques carieux nuls a faibles, toutes les therapeutiques a minima sont applicables en premiere intention.
Offset free model predictive control

This work addresses the problem of offset-free model predictive control (MPC) when tracking a constant reference. It builds on the work in (G. Pannocchia, 2003), (G. Pannocchia, et al., 2002) and summarizes in a compact and intuitive manner the conditions that need to be satisfied to obtain offset-free MPC by using the arguments of the internal model principle.
A Dynamic Model for Handstand in Gymnastics

The aim of the present study was to the analysis of handstand movement in gymnastics by developing the dynamic model. One elite gymnast participated in this study.Seventeenspherical reflective markers were placed on the anatomical landmark of the body to represent the segments. The high-speed video based system was equipped with two cameras.Customized body segment inertia parameters were generated from anthropometric measurements by using the inertia model.Programming for inverse dynamics was by using MATLAB software.Calculations were performed in the MATLAB/SimMechanics environment after recorded the position (handstand) for simulation.We used theDLT for reconstructing 3D from two 2D photographs.The most angular changes were observed in the wrist, whereas the shoulder, hip, and elbow joints were observed, consequently. The most changes in torque were observed in the wrist, shoulder, and hip, respectively.
Fabrication and characterization of active plasmonic antennas

We present a bottom-up approach to fabricate single active optical antennas as well as antenna arrays consisting of semiconductor quantum dots and plasmonic nanostructures. It is based on a two-step lithographic process in combination with chemical functionalization of the substrate and allows for the deposition of quantum dots with high accuracy relative to arbitrary metal nanostructures. Examples of such active optical antennas are presented and proof of their functionality via polarization measurements is given.
A Comparative Study of Image Classification Algorithms for Landscape Assessment of the Niger Delta Region

A critical problem associated with the southern part of Nigeria is the rapid alteration of the landscape as a result of logging, agricultural practices, human migration and expansion, oil exploration, exploitation and production activities. These processes have had both positive and negative effects on the economic and socio-political development of the country in general. The negative impacts have led not only to the degradation of the ecosystem but also posing hazards to human health and polluting surface and ground water resources. This has created the need for the development of a rapid, cost effective and efficient land use/land cover (LULC) classification technique to monitor the biophysical dynamics in the region. Due to the complex land cover patterns existing in the study area and the occasionally indistinguishable relationship between land cover and spectral signals, this paper introduces a combined use of unsupervised and supervised image classification for detecting land use/land cover (LULC) classes. With the continuous conflict over the impact of oil activities in the area, this work provides a procedure for detecting LULC change, which is an important factor to consider in the design of an environmental decision-making framework. Results from the use of this technique on Landsat TM and ETM+ of 1987 and 2002 are discussed. The results reveal the pros and cons of the two methods and the effects of their overall accuracy on post-classification change detection.
Looking down or Looking Up: Status and Subjective Well-Being among Asian and Latino Immigrants in the United States 1

Foundational theories of international migration rest on the assumption that immigrants maintain reference groups in their country of origin even after settling in a new place, while the transnationalism perspective suggests that immigrants maintain a dual frame of reference. This article uses the nationally representative National Latino and Asian American Survey to test the location of immigrants’ reference groups. I find that the relationship between various measures of subjective social standing and subjective well-being suggests that immigrants maintain simultaneous reference groups in both the United States and the country of origin, supporting transnational theories, and refuting earlier theories.
Influence of walking in groups in gait recognition

This contribution presents an evaluation on the performance of wearable gait recognition of individuals walking in groups. Three case scenarios are presented: Individual, when the user walks alone; Group, in which a group of users walk at the same time at a normal pace; and Formation, in which users walk in military formation. The evaluation was performed with the collaboration of the University Center of the Civil Guard (CUGC), whose students were used to form our database. Since all of their students are instructed to walk in formation, it was possible to perform a study on this particular pattern. This scenario is of interest as it simulates users trying to mimic each other's gait, for instance in a spoofing attack. The database consists of 10 students (7 males, 3 females), and every participant recreated each scenario 8 times The data was collected by a smartphone attached to the waist by means of a holster. With this database, a study on the influence of walking in groups was possible. Results obtained show similar accuracy in the cases of individual and group walking. However, when walking in formation, there is a significant drop in accuracy. These results point out that there is no significant influence of walking alone or with someone else, but, that there is a plausible vulnerability if users decide to walk imitating someone else.
Genre Classification via Machine Learning Category : Audio and Music

Many music listeners create playlists based on genre, leaving potential applications such as playlist recommendation and management. Despite previous study on music genre classification with machine learning approaches, there is still room to delve into and build sophisticated models for Music Information Retrieval (MIR) problems. In this work, we apply a variety of machine learning techniques on the recently published FMA dataset to classify 16 music genres given input features from music tracks, raising classification accuracy by more than 30% compared to the previously proposed baseline model.
Induction of macrophage activation and opsonizing antibodies by Trypanosoma cruzi subpopulations

Summary Macrophage activation and production of opsonizing antibodies were studied in mice either infected with a lethal and reticulotropic Trypanosoma cruzi strain, RA, or with a non lethal and myotropic strain, CA‐I, as well as with a clone, K98 (derived from CA‐I), similar to the parental strain. Measurement of macrophage respiratory burst by chemiluminiscence disclosed that T. cruzi infection induced an enhancement of the respiratory burst, no matter the parasite subpopulation employed. But, while in mice surviving RA infection the respiratory burst was higher than during the acute period and parasitaemia was efficiently controlled, in mice infected with K98 enhanced respiratory burst coexisted with measurable levels of parasitaemia either at acute or chronic infection periods. Macrophage activation was also proved by enhanced trypanocidal activity in macrophages derived from mice infected with any of the parasite subpopulations. Sera from RA mice opsonized and lysed T. cruzi bloodstream forms efficiently, whereas sera from CA‐I or K98 mice neither lysed nor opsonized this parasite stage. All three subpopulations assayed here showed IgG bound to their membranes in vivo and similar capping kinetics, but only antibodies bound to RA parasites invariably triggered lysis. Therefore, the role played by macrophage activation in resistance and control of Pm levels is related to some features of each T. cruzi subpopulation, such as its capacity to invade macrophages and to elicit opsonizing antibodies.
Exponential stability for fuzzy time-delay systems with delayed impulses

This paper is concerned with the exponential stability problem of Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy time-delay systems with delayed impulses. The time-dependent Lyapunov function method, together with the Razumikhin technique, is utilized to develop a sufficient condition for guaranteeing exponential stability of Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy time-delay systems with delayed impulses. The new exponential stability condition is not only represented by linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) but also characterized by the lower bound and the upper bound of impulsive intervals. The workability of the theoretical results is demonstrated by an illustrative example.
Discrete Tracking Control of Nonholonomic Mobile Robots: Backstepping Design Approach

Abstract—In this paper we propose a discrete tracking control of nonholonomic mobile robots with two degrees of freedom. The electromechanical model of a mobile robot moving on a horizontal surface without slipping, with two rear wheels controlled by two independent DC electric, and one front roal wheel is considered. We present backstepping design based on the Euler approximate discretetime model of a continuous-time plant. Theoretical considerations are verified by numerical simulation.
CATECHINS PROFILE, CAFFEINE CONTENT AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF CAMELLIA SINENSIS TEAS COMMERCIALIZED IN ROMANIA.

AIM Catechins profile, caffeine content and antioxidant activity of different green tea and white tea samples commercialized on the Romanian market were investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS Five green tea samples and five white tea samples commonly available on the Romanian market were processed by infusion and the lyophilisates of infusions were analyzed. Total phenolic content was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Catechins and caffeine profile was analyzed by RP-HPLC-DAD (Agilent Eclipse XDB-C18 column, binary mobile phase (A) 3% acetic acid and (B) methanol). In vitro antioxidant activity was assessed by free radical scavenging and ferrous ion chelating assays. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Total phenolic content ranged between 44.73 +/- 0.63 and 63.57 +/- 0.45 GAE% in green tea samples and between 9.69 +/- 0.90 and 52.99 +/- 0.45 GAE% in white tea samples. RP-HPLC-DAD analysis allowed the identification of epigallocatechin gallate (45.18-118.58 mg/g lyophilisate) and caffeine (47.79-108.07 mg/g lyophilisate) in all tea samples; epicatechin was detected in all samples (5.04-31.04 mg/g lyophilisate) except for two white teas infusions. Green tea samples scavenged DPPH radical and chelated ferrous ion with EC50=9.68 +/- 0.02-16.11 +/- 0.02 microg/mL and 10.91 +/- 0.04-18.65 +/- 0.03 microg/mL, respectively. For white teas, EC50 values varied between 9.50 +/- 0.02-20.95 +/- 0.02 microg/mL in DPPH assay and 12.49 +/- 0.03-20.32 +/- 0.07 microg/mL in ferrous ion chelating assay. CONCLUSIONS This study showed a large variability in the content of catechins and caffeine and in the antioxidant capacity of both green and white tea samples.
Mathematical contributions to the theory of evolution, On the law of ancestral heredity

(1) Introductory. — In Mr. Galton’s ‘Natural Inheritance’ we find theory of regression based upon the “mid-parent. ” This formed starting point of my own theory of biparental inheritance. the time Mr. Galton published his theory I venture to think that had not clearly in view some of the laws of multiple correlation which we are now more familiar.
Messenger ribonucleic acid of rat testicular retinoic acid receptors: developmental pattern, cellular distribution, and testosterone effect.

In order to understand the physiological importance and molecular mechanisms of retinoic acid regulation of spermatogenesis, we examined the ontogeny of the steady-state level of the mRNAs of retinoic acid receptor (RAR) alpha and gamma in testes; we also used Northern blot cDNA hybridization to examine the distribution of RAR alpha and RAR gamma in spermatogenic cells isolated from 60-day-old rats. In addition, we investigated the effects of exogenous testosterone on the steady-state levels of mRNA of RAR alpha and gamma in testes of 20-day-old rats. The steady-state levels of both the 3.4- and 2.7-kb mRNA transcripts of RAR alpha in rat testes remained relatively unchanged until 20-21 days of age, then declined thereafter. Comparison of the relative abundance of the RAR alpha transcripts in Sertoli cells isolated from 20-day-old rats with that found in mixed spermatogenic cells isolated from 40-day-old rats suggests that both the 3.4- and the 2.7-kb transcripts were expressed more abundantly in Sertoli cells. Whereas young and pachytene spermatocytes, as well as young and elongated spermatids, all contained the 3.4-kb transcript of RAR alpha, only trace amounts of the 2.7-kb transcript was detected in spermatogenic cells. In addition, trace amounts of a smaller transcript of RAR alpha (1.8 kb) was detected in both Sertoli cells and spermatogenic cells, and two larger transcripts (4.0 and 7.0 kb) were detected exclusively in spermatogenic cells. In contrast, a single 3.4-kb mRNA transcript of RAR gamma was detected in rat testes. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)