Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retention of NMDA receptor NR2 subunits in the lumen of endoplasmic reticulum in targeted NR1 knockout mice

Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system, and the N-methyl-d-aspartate-selective glutamate receptor (NR) consisting of the NR1 subunit and an NR2 or NR3 subunit plays crucial roles in synaptic transmission, plasticity, and learning and memory. By using a knockout mouse strain, in which the NR1 gene deletion is primarily targeted to the CA1 pyramidal cells of the hippocampus, we investigated the in vivo effect of the loss of the NR1 subunit on the cellular expression and intracellular distribution of the NR2 subunits. The NR1 gene deletion had no apparent effect on the levels of NR2A or NR2B mRNA but led to severe reductions of NR2A and NR2B protein in dendrites of CA1 pyramidal cells. This reduced dendritic distribution of the NR2 subunits accompanied their robust accumulation in perikarya, where they were condensed in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum as electron-dense granules. These granules were also observed in CA1 pyramidal cells of the control mice but they were much fewer and contained no detectable levels of the NR2 subunit. The effect of the NR1 knockout on intracellular localization of the NR2 subunits was specific in that no such effect was observed for the GluR1 and PSD-95, two other major postsynaptic proteins. These results suggest that the NR1 subunit plays a crucial role in the release of the NR2 subunit from the endoplasmic reticulum in hippocampal pyramidal cells in vivo, and when the NR1 subunit is unavailable, the NR2 subunits are retained and aggregate into intracisternal granules.
Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the gross motor function measure (GMFM-66) by Thai pediatric physical therapists.

OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to determine inter-rater reliability and intra-rater reliability of the 66-item version of the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66) in assessing motor ability of Thai children with cerebral palsy. MATERIAL AND METHOD Ten children, aged 2-10 years, were recruited in the present study. Eight children with spastic diplegia from an outpatient department of Thammasat University Hospital, and two normal children were recruited. The motor abilities of the subjects were recorded on a video camera. Three pediatric physical therapists independently watched the video recordings and scored each child according to the GMFM assessment. The video clips often children were assessed on two occasions at an interval of one week by the same therapists. The inter-rater and intra-rater reliability were analyzed using an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS The inter-rater reliability and intra-rater reliability of the GMFM-66 were both high. The ICC for inter-rater reliability was 0.93 and for intra-rater reliability were 0.99-1.00 for the total scores. CONCLUSION The present study confirms high inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the GMFM-66 measured by Thai pediatric physical therapists. Therefore, in clinical practice, we recommend Thai pediatric physical therapists to use the GMFM-66 in assessing motor ability of cerebral palsy patients.
Identifying statistically anomalous regions in time series of network traffic

Traffic anomalies are specific types of events and conditions which differ from the normal or expected network behavior, and therefore should be brought to the attention of network operators. Examples of such events include, but are not limited to link or router outages, Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks, flash crowds, port scans and misconfigured devices.
Ethical issues surrounding do not attempt resuscitation orders: decisions, discussions and deleterious effects

Since their introduction as ‘no code’ in the 1980s and their later formalisation to ‘do not resuscitate’ orders, such directions to withhold potentially life-extending treatments have been accompanied by multiple ethical issues. The arguments for when and why to instigate such orders are explored, including a consideration of the concept of futility, allocation of healthcare resources, and reaching a balance between quality of life and quality of death. The merits and perils of discussing such decisions with patients and/or their relatives are reviewed and the unintended implications of ‘do not attempt resuscitation’ orders are examined. Finally, the paper explores some alternative methods to approaching the resuscitation decision, and calls for empirical evaluation of such methods that may reduce the ethical dilemmas physicians currently face.
Computational Design of Protein-Based Inhibitors of Plasmodium vivax Subtilisin-Like 1 Protease

Background Malaria remains a major global health concern. The development of novel therapeutic strategies is critical to overcome the selection of multiresistant parasites. The subtilisin-like protease (SUB1) involved in the egress of daughter Plasmodium parasites from infected erythrocytes and in their subsequent invasion into fresh erythrocytes has emerged as an interesting new drug target. Findings Using a computational approach based on homology modeling, protein–protein docking and mutation scoring, we designed protein–based inhibitors of Plasmodium vivax SUB1 (PvSUB1) and experimentally evaluated their inhibitory activity. The small peptidic trypsin inhibitor EETI-II was used as scaffold. We mutated residues at specific positions (P4 and P1) and calculated the change in free-energy of binding with PvSUB1. In agreement with our predictions, we identified a mutant of EETI-II (EETI-II-P4LP1W) with a Ki in the medium micromolar range. Conclusions Despite the challenges related to the lack of an experimental structure of PvSUB1, the computational protocol we developed in this study led to the design of protein-based inhibitors of PvSUB1. The approach we describe in this paper, together with other examples, demonstrates the capabilities of computational procedures to accelerate and guide the design of novel proteins with interesting therapeutic applications.
The Minimal Compression Rate for Similarity Identification

Traditionally, data compression deals with the problem of concisely representing a data source, e.g. a sequence of letters, for the purpose of eventual reproduction (either exact or approximate). In this work we are interested in the case where the goal is to answer similarity queries about the compressed sequence, i.e. to identify whether or not the original sequence is similar to a given query sequence. We study the fundamental tradeoff between the compression rate and the reliability of the queries performed on compressed data. For i.i. d. sequences, we characterize the minimal compression rate that allows query answers, that are reliable in the sense of having a vanishing false-positive probability, when false negatives are not allowed. The result is partially based on a previous work by Ahlswede et al., and the inherently typical subset lemma plays a key role in the converse proof. We then characterize the compression rate achievable by schemes that use lossy source codes as a building block, and show that such schemes are, in general, suboptimal. Finally, we tackle the problem of evaluating the minimal compression rate, by converting the problem to a sequence of convex programs that can be solved efficiently.
Efficient and Reliable Power Line Communications through Coding and Diversity Techniques

Recognizing the resemblance of power line communication (PLC) channels and the frequency-selective radio-frequency (RF) fading channels, this paper considers efficient and reliable PLC through the joint exploitation of coding and diversity techniques. A serial concatenation is constructed which comprises a nonbinary low-density parity-check (LDPC) code, one of the best-performing error correction codes known to date, a higher-order modulation matched to the LDPC code, and the signal space diversity (SSD), a powerful and bandwidth-efficient diversity technique. Soft iterative decoding and equalization is exploited to maximize the performance gain, and simulations on realistic PLC channel models are performed to confirm the efficiency of the proposed scheme.
Draft Genome Sequence of the Gluconobacter oxydans Strain DSM 2003, an Important Biocatalyst for Industrial Use

ABSTRACT Gluconobacter oxydans strain DSM 2003 can efficiently produce some industrially important building blocks, such as (R)-lactic acid and (R)-2-hydroxybutyric acid. Here, we present a 2.94-Mb assembly of its genome sequence, which might provide further insights into the molecular mechanism of its biocatalysis in order to further improve its biotechnological applications.
Size, Inheritance, Change and Fault-proneness in C\# software

This paper documents a study of change in commercial, proprietary C# software and attempts to determine whether a relationship exists between class changes and faults and the design context of a class, namely its size and inheritance relationships. Results showed a strong positive correlation between the size of a class and change-proneness but not for all the class features studied. Classes within a specific range of a) inheritance depth and b) number of children were found to be relatively more prone to change. For the fault data and for the same class features, similar results were found. The most striking result to emerge however was the existence of an inheritance depth 'interval' between which change (and fault- proneness) were at their highest. Below and above that interval, both features were less prominent. The results thus add weight to the claims of other previous studies which suggest that there is an optimal level of inheritance, beyond which maintenance may become problematic from both a change and fault perspective.
Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Polyurethanes and Polyimides

Four novel high performance soft thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers utilizing methylene bis(4-cyclohexylisocyanate) as a hard segment, 1,4 butanediol as a chain extender and modified low crystallinity carbonate copolymer as a soft segment were synthesized. The samples were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), tensile, elongation, hardness, abrasion resistance and atomic force microscopy (AFM). SAXS data shows evidence of an interdomain "center-to-center" distance of 45A. DSC traces show evidence of one glass transition temperature and a weak melting region. DMA analysis reveals a low temperature secondary relaxation and the glass to rubber transition followed by a rubbery plateau. All samples demonstrated the ability to maintain excellent physical and mechanical properties in hardness below 70 Shore A. Thermoplastic polyurethanes in this study do not possess surface tackiness usually observed in soft polyurethanes. Biocompatability testing showed no toxicity of these samples as indicated by USP Class VI, MEM Elution Cytotoxicity and Hemolysis toxicology reports. This novel type of polyurethane material targets growing markets of biocompatible polymers and can be utilized as peristaltic pump tubing, balloon catheters, enteral feeding tubes and medical equipment gaskets and seals. Polyimides are a family of engineering polymers with temperature stability, high polarity and solvent resistance. These high-performance materials are used in aerospace applications, in the production of semi-dry battery binders, and in a host of other high temperature demanding situations. However, their glass transition and melt temperatures are characteristically very high and close to one another, making them difficult to melt process and limiting them to thin film formulations from their polyamic acid precursors. Here, a new series of thermoplastic polyether-polyimides (PE-PIs) are synthesized by incorporating a polyetherdiamine monomer to reduce rigidity and break up an otherwise fully aromatic backbone as seen with most conventional polyimides. It will be shown that control of the stoichiometric ratio between the aromatic 4,4'-methylenebis(2,6-dimethylaniline) and aliphatic polyetherdiamines relative to PMDA (pyromellitic dianhydride), along with the molecular weight of the polyetheramine, can be used to tune the Tg to best balance between temperature performance and processability.
PhD THESIS Experimental Characterization, Modeling and Simulation of Magneto-Rheological Elastomers

In this thesis, we study a class of active materials named Magneto-Rheological Elastomers (MREs) with a main focus on their coupled magneto-mechanical response up to large strains and up to high magnetic fields. With the purpose of achieving a coupled characterization of MREs behavior for the design of haptic interface devices, this work encompasses experimental, theoretical and numerical developments. The first part of this work is dedicated to aspects pertaining to sample fabrication. Isotropic and magnetic field-cured MREs, composed of soft silicone rubber and micrometric carbonyl iron powder, are manufactured using a reliable and repeatable process. A special sample geometry is designed in order to obtain both homogeneous mechanical and magnetic fields during the coupled-field characterization. The interfacial adhesion between the iron fillers and the silicone matrix in MREs submitted to large deformations is investigated and a critical strain threshold is identified beyond which a primer treatment of the particles is needed to prevent debonding between the particles and the matrix. The second part of this thesis focuses on the coupled magneto-mechanical characterization of MREs and involves both theoretical and experimental developments. Based on the general theoretical framework for transversely isotropic magneto-elastic continua proposed by Kankanala, Danas and Triantafyllidis [Kan04, Dan12, Dan14], the coupled magneto-mechanical constitutive laws for both isotropic and anisotropic MREs are used to determine experimentally the corresponding constitutive model’s material parameters. The actual characterization of MREs is conducted thanks to a specially designed and novel experimental setup allowing tensile tests up to large strains and under high magnetic fields. The experimental data thus obtained provide the constitutive models for the isotropic and anisotropic MREs needed as input for the subsequent numerical simulations. The third part of this work pertains to the experiments, modeling and numerical calculations for boundary value problems corresponding to the design of a haptic interface prototype. A coupled variational formulation for a non-uniform applied magnetic field, using displacement, magnetic vector potential and magnetization as independent variables, is proposed and subsequently applied to the solution of the boundary value problem of an MRE layer subjected to the spatially localized magnetic field produced by an electromagnetic coil. The axisymmetric problem is solved numerically using finite element analysis. The device has been built and experimental results are compared to numerical simulations, thus providing a benchmark for the validation of the axisymmetric simulations as well as a proof of concept for the design of haptic interface applications.
Detection of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus from Three Water Buffalo Fetuses (Bubalus Bubalis) in Southern Italy

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is an important pathogen that primarily infects ruminants, leading to several clinical problems including abortion. BVDV-specific antibodies were reported in a wide range of hosts within domestic and wildlife animal populations, and serological studies also indicated BVDV infection in buffaloes. The purpose of this study was to analyze the presence of BVDV in 2 water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) herds with a history of abortion. Virus isolation from aborted fetuses and from maternal buffy coat and the molecular characterization of the isolates confirmed the presence of BVDV in these animals. The sequence analysis based on the 5′ UTR and Npro coding regions of the Pestivirus genome revealed that the isolates belong to subgenotype 1b of BVDV. The findings of this study also suggest a possible role of BVDV in causing congenital infection in water buffalo. Its presence in fetal tissues as well as in maternal blood raises questions about the possible development of clinical disease or its influence in abortions in water buffalo.
Using advanced industrial robotics for spacecraft Rendezvous and Docking simulation

One of the most challenging and risky missions for spacecraft is to perform Rendezvous and Docking (RvD) autonomously in space. To ensure a safe and reliable operation, such a mission must be carefully designed and thoroughly verified before a real space mission can be launched. This paper describes a new, robotics-based, hardware-in-the-loop RvD simulation facility which uses two industrial robots to simulate the 6-DOF dynamic maneuvering of the docking satellites. The facility is capable of physically simulating the final approaching within 25-meter range and the entire docking/capturing process in a satellite on-orbit servicing mission. The paper briefly discusses the difficulties of using industrial robots for HIL contact dynamics simulation and how these problems are solved.
Draft Genome Sequence of Oceanobacillus picturae Heshi-B3, Isolated from Fermented Rice Bran in a Traditional Japanese Seafood Dish

ABSTRACT Oceanobacillus picturae strain Heshi-B3 was isolated from rice bran in a traditional fermented seafood dish named Heshiko, which was produced in Fukui Prefecture in Japan. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of O. picturae strain Heshi B-3.
Discovering human places of interest from multimodal mobile phone data

In this paper, a new framework to discover places-of-interest from multimodal mobile phone data is presented. Mobile phones have been used as sensors to obtain location information from users' real lives. Two levels of clustering are used to obtain places of interest. First, user location points are grouped using a time-based clustering technique which discovers stay points while dealing with missing location data. The second level performs clustering on the stay points to obtain stay regions. A grid-based clustering algorithm has been used for this purpose. To obtain more user location points, a client-server system has been installed on the mobile phones, which is able to obtain location information by integrating GPS, Wifi, GSM and accelerometer sensors, among others. An extensive set of experiments have been performed to show the benefits of using the proposed framework, using data from the real life of 8 users over 5 continuous months of natural phone usage.
Multi-robot coordination in the robot soccer environment

MAPS (Multi-Agent Planning system) is a system developed for multi-agent coordination developed for use in the robot soccer domain. The system operates without explicit communication of strategy between agents, relying upon observation of team members to produce meaningful coordinated behaviour. Each robot is coordinated with the others by MAPS choosing goal actions that most benefit the team. The choice of goal action is based on the robot's observations of the rest of the team and their behaviours. The various observations are modelled by superposition of potential fields, where the fields represent the influence of the team, other robots, and components of the environment. This paper outlines the system as it functioned in the UQ RoboRoos entry in the real robot small-size league of RoboCup '98. Testing and competition results show that this coordination model keeps the robots in good field position in both attack and defence. The improved field position is shown to provide better opportunities for improving ball position and shooting at goal, as well as preventing collisions between robots.
Critical Period for Cross-Modal Plasticity in Blind Humans: A Functional MRI Study

The primary visual cortex (V1) in congenitally blind humans has been shown to be involved in tactile discrimination tasks, indicating that there is a shift in function of this area of cortex, but the age dependency of the reorganization is not fully known. To investigate the reorganized network, we measured the change of regional cerebral blood flow using 3.0 Tesla functional MRI during passive tactile tasks performed by 15 blind and 8 sighted subjects. There was increased activity in the postcentral gyrus to posterior parietal cortex and decreased activity in the secondary somatosensory area in blind compared with sighted subjects during a tactile discrimination task. This suggests that there is a greater demand for shape discrimination processing in blind subjects. Blind subjects, irrespective of the age at onset of blindness, exhibited higher activity in the visual association cortex than did sighted subjects. V1 was activated in blind subjects who lost their sight before 16 years of age, whereas it was suppressed in blind subjects who lost their sight after 16 years of age during a tactile discrimination task. This suggests that the first 16 years of life represent a critical period for a functional shift of V1 from processing visual stimuli to processing tactile stimuli. Because of the age-dependency, V1 is unlikely to be the "entry node" of the cortex for the redirection of tactile signals into visual cortices after blinding. Instead, the visual association cortex may mediate the circuitry by which V1 is activated during tactile stimulation.
Safety of Hemodynamic Augmentation in Patients Treated With Guglielmi Detachable Coils After Acute Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose— Guglielmi detachable coils (GDC) used in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms do not always completely occlude the aneurysm. Thus, after an acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), there is a theoretical risk of rebleeding from coiled aneurysms, especially when blood pressure is elevated. The aim of this study is to determine whether use of hemodynamic augmentation (HA) to treat delayed ischemic deficits (DID) will increase the risk of rebleeding in these patients. Methods— Delayed ischemic deficits developed in 12 (7 women and 5 men, aged 31 to 64 years) of 51 patients treated with GDC for acute SAH over a 4-year period. Aneurysms in all 12 patients were ≥80% obliterated with GDC, and there was ≥90% obliteration of 78% of the aneurysms. Hemodynamic augmentation with fluids, phenylephrine, dopamine, and/or dobutamine was used to treat DID for a mean duration of 3 days (range 1 to 11 days). Results— With HA, mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) rose 15% (range 0 to 30%) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) rose 13% (range 0 to 29%) above baseline. MAP was maintained at >10% above baseline for 65% of the treatment period. The maximum MAP was 104 to 170 mm Hg (mean 140 mm Hg), and maximum SBP was 154 to 261 mm Hg (mean 210 mm Hg). No patient had rebleeding or any significant complication during the course of therapy. Conclusions— Based on this limited series of patients, we believe that it may be safe to use HA in patients treated with GDC for SAH.
Hybrid Intrusion Detection System for enhancing the security of a cluster-based Wireless Sensor Network

Recent advances in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) make them more important to apply. Therefore, security issues are more significant in WSNs. WSNs are susceptible to some types of attacks since they are consisted of cheap and small devices and are deployed in open and unprotected environments. In this research, an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) created in cluster head is proposed. The proposed IDS is a Hybrid Intrusion Detection System (HIDS). It consists of anomaly and misuse detection module. The goal is to raise the detection rate and lower the false positive rate by the advantages of misuse detection and anomaly detection. However, a decision-making module is used to integrate the detect results and to report the types of attacks.