Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flexible substrate sensors for multiplex biomarker monitoring

Wearable healthcare technologies should be non-invasive, robust to daily activity/environments, easy to use, and comfortable to wear. Flexible substrate devices for biomarker monitoring can contribute to wearable diagnostic applications. Single-target biosensors have extensively been developed for health-monitoring applications; however, recently multiplex biomarker tests have generated clinical interest. Targeting multiple biomarkers in diagnostic systems (wearable or point of care) offers more focused diagnosis and treatment as changes in a single biomarker can be caused by a series of physiologic conditions. This review highlights flexible substrates that have been successfully demonstrated for multiplex biomarker detection with potential for healthcare monitoring.
Evidence for association of two variants of the nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor gene OPRL1 with vulnerability to develop opiate addiction in Caucasians

Objectives The OPRL1 gene encodes the nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor, which plays a role in regulating tolerance and behavioral responses to morphine. However, there is limited information on whether variants of OPRL1 are associated with vulnerability to develop opiate addiction. In this study, we examined five variants of OPRL1 and their role in determining vulnerability to develop opiate addiction. Methods We recruited 447 individuals: 271 former severe heroin addicts and 176 healthy controls. Using a 5′-fluorogenic exonuclease assay, we genotyped individuals at five variants in OPRL1. It was then determined whether there was a significant association of allele, genotype, or haplotype frequency with vulnerability to develop opiate addiction. Results When the cohort was stratified by ethnicity, we found that, in Caucasians but not in African–Americans or Hispanics, the allele frequency of rs6090041 and rs6090043 were significantly associated point-wise with opiate addiction (P=0.03 and 0.04, respectively). Of the haplotypes formed by these two variants, one haplotype was found to be associated with protection from developing opiate addiction in both African–Americans (point-wise P=0.04) and Caucasians (point-wise P=0.04), and another haplotype with vulnerability to develop opiate addiction in Caucasians only (P=0.020). Conclusion This study provides evidence for an association of two variants of the OPRL1 gene, rs6090041 and rs6090043, with vulnerability to develop opiate addiction, suggesting a role for nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor in the development of opiate addiction.
Routing table stability prediction in mobile ad hoc networks

Ad hoc networks play important roles in next generation mobile systems. They have not any wired infrastructure support. In ad hoc networks, nodes change their position frequently and each node can act as a router. Due to high mobility and frequently links breakage, selecting the reliable path is a critical challenge. Multimedia applications need robust path as a key issue for achieving higher performance. In this paper, we propose a new metric to add to the routing table to achieve this. By exploiting the routing table stability parameter (RTSP) in each node, we can predict fragile routes and thus provide a mechanism to select robust path to increase efficiency. Each node computes RTSP in a distribution mechanism and adds this metric to route request and reply packets. We use Global Mobile Simulation (GloMoSim) environment to simulate our method. Routing in mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) with considering RTSP factor improves packet delivery ratio. Simulation results also demonstrate that adding RTSP factor to routing table improves throughput and but slightly increases end-to-end delay with increasing mobility.
Human bone marrow stromal cells simultaneously support B and T/NK lineage development from human haematopoietic progenitors: a principal role for flt3 ligand in lymphopoiesis

The regulation of human early lymphopoiesis remains unclear. B‐ and T‐lineage cells cannot develop simultaneously with conventional stromal cultures. Here we show that telomerized human bone marrow stromal cells supported simultaneous generation of CD19+CD34lo/−CD10+cyCD79a+CD20+/−VpreB− pro‐B cells and CD7+CD34+ CD45RA+CD56−cyCD3− early T/Natural Killer (NK) cell precursors from human haematopoietic progenitors, and the generation of both lymphoid precursors was promoted by flt3 ligand (flt3L). On the other hand, stem cell factor or thrombopoietin had little or no effect when used alone. However, both acted synergistically with flt3L to augment the generation of both lymphoid precursors. Characteristics of these lymphoid precursors were evaluated by gene expression profiles, rearrangements of IgH genes, or replating assays. Similar findings were observed with primary human bone marrow stromal cells. Notably, these two lymphoid‐lineage precursors were generated without direct contact with stromal cells, indicating that early B and T/NK development can occur, at least in part, by stromal cell‐derived humoral factors. In serum‐free cultures, flt3L elicited similar effects and appeared particularly important for B cell development. The findings of this study identified the potential of human bone marrow stromal cells to support human early B and T lymphopoiesis and a principal role for flt3L during early lymphopoiesis.
Long-term human hematopoiesis in the SCID-hu mouse

Coimplantation of small fragments of human fetal thymus and fetal liver into immunodeficient SCID mice resulted in the formation of a unique structure (Thy/Liv). Thereafter, the SCID-hu mice showed reproducible and long-term reconstitution of human hematopoietic activity. For periods lasting 5-11 mo after transplantation, active T lymphopoiesis was observed inside the grafts and cells that were negative for T cell markers were found to have colony-forming units for granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) and erythroid burst-forming unit (BFU- E) activity in the methylcellulose colony assay. In addition, structures similar to normal human bone marrow were observed inside the Thy/Liv grafts, consisting of blast cells, mature and immature forms of myelomonocytic cells, and megakaryocytes. These data indicate long-term maintenance, in vivo, of human progenitor cells for the T lymphoid, myelomonocytic, erythroid, and megakaryocytic lineages. The role of the implanted fetal liver fragments was analyzed using HLA-mismatched Thy/Liv implants. The HLA type of the liver donor was found on T cells and macrophages in the graft. In addition, cells grown in the methylcellulose colony assay and cells in a bone marrow-like structure, the "thymic isle," expressed the HLA type of the liver donor. Thus, the Thy/Liv implants provided a microenvironment in which to follow human hematopoietic progenitor cells for multiple lineages. The formation of the Thy/Liv structures also results in a continuous source of human T cells in the peripheral circulation of the SCID-hu mouse. Though present for 5-11 mo, these cells did not engage in a xenograft (graft- versus-host) reaction. This animal model, the first in which multilineage human hematopoietic activity is maintained for long periods of time, should be useful for the analysis of human hematopoiesis in vivo.
Performance of decremental antenna selection algorithms for spatial multiplexing MIMO systems with linear receiver over correlated fading channels

This study proposes enhanced suboptimal transmit antenna selection algorithms based on eigenvalue decomposition for spatial multiplexing multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems with linear receivers over correlated MIMO flat fading channels. The suboptimal algorithms presented are based on the n th rooting of maximal ratio combined full channel matrix, in which the condition number significantly decreases, and the decremental selection strategy. The first algorithm exploits channel gains obtained by the channel scaling technique, and is further simplified with much lower complexity in the second algorithm. It is shown that they outperform other suboptimal algorithms in terms of bit error rate minimisation under doubly correlated channels. Moreover, their computational complexities are compared with those of other fast antenna selection algorithms. In addressing channel estimation errors on doubly correlated channels, the proposed decremental selection approaches are shown to offer more robustness than other algorithms.
Pulse compression using direct feedback of the spectral phase from photonic crystal fiber output without the need for the Taylor expansion method

Characterization and compensation of the complex spectral phase and the temporal profile of output pulses from a photonic crystal fiber (620-945-nm spectral broadening) were performed using a computer-controlled feedback system that combines a modified spectral-phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction apparatus and only a 4-f chirp compensator having a spatial light modulator. These pulses were adaptively compressed from 12-fs input pulses to 6.8-fs. In addition, the compressed pulse profile showed excellent agreement with results measured independently with fringe-resolved autocorrelation.
Herpes simplex virus 2 serostatus and viral loads of HIV-1 in blood and semen as risk factors for HIV transmission among men who have sex with men

Objective:Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 blood plasma viral load is correlated with the sexual transmission of HIV, although transmission from men involves virus from semen instead of blood. We quantified HIV-1 RNA in the blood and semen of men who did or did not transmit HIV to their sex partners. We compared the relationships of HIV-1 transmission risk with blood plasma viral load, seminal plasma viral load, herpes simplex virus 2 serostatus and other factors. Design:A case–control study. Methods:Participants were men evaluated for primary HIV infection and their recent male sex partners. They were interviewed, and clinical specimens were collected. Epidemiologic and phylogenetic linkages were determined by history and molecular techniques. Couples were grouped on the basis of transmission after exposure. Fisher's exact test and Wilcoxon tests were used for comparisons between groups. Multivariable logistic regressions were fit to identify independent predictors of transmission. Results:HIV-transmitting partners (n = 15) had a higher median seminal plasma viral load (P < 0.015) and median blood plasma viral load (P < 0.001) than nontransmitting partners (n = 32). Herpes simplex virus 2 serostatus was associated with transmission only when the HIV-infected source partner was herpes simplex virus 2 seropositive and the HIV-exposed partner was not (odds ratio 16, P < 0.03). Adjusting for other factors, HIV transmission was significantly associated with blood plasma viral load (odds ratio 13.4, P < 0.02) but not seminal plasma viral load (odds ratio 0.69, P = not significant). Conclusion:Blood and seminal plasma viral load were both associated with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transmission, but blood plasma viral load was the stronger predictor in this cohort. Herpes simplex virus 2 coinfection was associated with the risk of transmission but not acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1.
A Timely Shift from Shotgun to Targeted Proteomics and How It Can Be Groundbreaking for Cancer Research

The fact that cancer is a leading cause of death all around the world has naturally sparked major efforts in the pursuit of novel and more efficient biomarkers that could better serve as diagnostic tools, prognostic predictors, or therapeutical targets in the battle against this type of disease. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics has proven itself as a robust and logical alternative to the immuno-based methods that once dominated the field. Nevertheless, intrinsic limitations of classic proteomic approaches such as the natural gap between shotgun discovery-based methods and clinically applicable results have called for the implementation of more direct, hypothesis-based studies such as those made available through targeted approaches, that might be able to streamline biomarker discovery and validation as a means to increase survivability of affected patients. In fact, the paradigm shifting potential of modern targeted proteomics applied to cancer research can be demonstrated by the large number of advancements and increasing examples of new and more useful biomarkers found during the course of this review in different aspects of cancer research. Out of the many studies dedicated to cancer biomarker discovery, we were able to devise some clear trends, such as the fact that breast cancer is the most common type of tumor studied and that most of the research for any given type of cancer is focused on the discovery diagnostic biomarkers, with the exception of those that rely on samples other than plasma and serum, which are generally aimed toward prognostic markers. Interestingly, the most common type of targeted approach is based on stable isotope dilution-selected reaction monitoring protocols for quantification of the target molecules. Overall, this reinforces that notion that targeted proteomics has already started to fulfill its role as a groundbreaking strategy that may enable researchers to catapult the number of viable, effective, and validated biomarkers in cancer clinical practice.
The frequency content of common synaptic inputs to motoneurones studied during voluntary isometric contraction in man.

1. The discharges of pairs of individual motor units were recorded from intrinsic hand muscles in man. Single motor unit recordings were obtained either when both members of the motor unit pair were within first dorsal interosseous muscle (1DI:1DI recordings) or where one motor unit was within 1DI and the other in second dorsal interosseous muscle (1DI:2DI recordings). The pairs of motor unit spike trains were cross‐correlated in the time domain and the results compared to those of coherence analysis performed on the same spike train data. Central peaks were present in the cross‐intensity functions, indicating the presence of common synaptic input to the motoneurone pair. Coherence analysis of these data indicated significant association between motor unit firing in the frequency ranges 1‐12 and 16‐32 Hz. 2. Analysis of sequential non‐overlapping segments of data recorded from individual motor unit pairs, demonstrated that both the central cross‐intensity peak and coherence in the frequency bands 1‐12 and 16‐32 Hz were consistent features throughout a long recording. In these sequential recordings, the size of the central cross‐intensity peak and the maximal value of coherence in the frequency band 16‐32 Hz covaried from segment to segment. Analysis of the entire population of motor unit pairs confirmed a positive relationship between the magnitude of peak coherence and the size of the central cross‐intensity peak. 3. Voluntary sinusoidal co‐modulation of the firing rates of pairs of individual motor units recorded from within 1DI was found to produce significant values of coherence corresponding to the frequency of the common modulation. However, firing rate co‐modulation was not found to affect either the size of the central cross‐intensity peak or the maximum value of coherence in the frequency band 16‐32 Hz. 4. Pairs of single motor units were recorded from within 1DI and biceps brachii muscles of healthy subjects. The number and size of the central cross‐intensity peaks and coherence peaks detected were compared for the two muscles. The incidence and size of central cross‐intensity peaks and the incidence and magnitude of 16‐32 Hz coherence peaks were both found to be greater for 1DI recordings when compared to biceps brachii recordings. 5. Single motor unit recordings were made from the intrinsic hand muscles of a patient with severe peripheral deafferentation. Time‐ and frequency‐domain analysis of these recordings revealed cross‐intensity peaks and frequency bands of coherence similar to those seen in healthy subjects. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Trustworthy Parking Communities: Helping Your Neighbor to Find a Space

Cooperation between vehicles facilitates traffic management, road safety and infotainment applications. Cooperation, however, requires trust in the validity of the received information. In this paper, we tackle the challenge of securely exchanging parking spot availability information. Trust is crucial in order to support the decision of whether the querying vehicle should rely on the received information about free parking spots close to its destination and thus ignore other potentially free spots on the way. Therefore, we propose Parking Communities, which provide a distributed and dynamic means to establish trusted groups of vehicles helping each other to securely find parking in their respective community area. Our approach is based on high-performance state-of-the-art encryption and signature algorithms as well as a well-understood mathematical trust rating model. This approach allows end-to-end encrypted request-response communications in combination with geocast and can be used as an overlay to existing vehicular networking technologies. We provide a comprehensive comparison with other security architectures and simulation results showing the feasibility of our approach.
Brand Personality and Brand Engagement

Many brand theorists argue that a brand’s personality plays an important role in generating consumer engagement with the brand. Although anecdotal evidence and logical arguments support this assertion, researchers have published few empirical studies to verify it. The present study used data from a survey of 132 U.S. college students to show that, indeed, personality dimensions perceived to be characteristic of the North Face brand of clothing do seem to increase engagement with this brand. The consumers viewed North Face as characterized by several positive dimensions, but the most crucial appeared to be that it is not ordinary and that it is a responsible brand. These results not only support the claimed importance of brand personality, but also imply that North Face managers could stress these characteristics of their brand in their promotions to enhance its appeal to engaged and profitable consumers.
Resonant dynamics of arbitrarily shaped meta-atoms

Meta-atoms, nano-antennas, plasmonic particles and other small scatterers are commonly modeled in terms of their modes. However these modal solutions are seldom determined explicitly, due to the conceptual and numerical difficulties in solving eigenvalue problems for open systems with strong radiative losses. Here these modes are directly calculated from Maxwell's equations expressed in integral operator form, by finding the complex frequencies which yield a homogenous solution. This gives a clear physical interpretation of the modes, and enables their conduction or polarization current distribution to be calculated numerically for particles of arbitrary shape. By combining the modal current distribution with a scalar impedance function, simple yet accurate models of scatterers are constructed which describe their response to an arbitrary incident field over a broad bandwidth. These models generalize both equivalent-dipole and and equivalent-circuit models to finite sized structures with multiple modes. They are applied here to explain the frequency-splitting for a pair of coupled split rings, and the accompanying change in radiative losses. The approach presented in this paper is made available in an open-source code.
Generating Maude Specifications From UML Use Case Diagrams

This paper presents a systematic approach supporting the translation of UML use case diagrams, describing the functional requirements of a system, into a Maude formal specification. The proposed approach also considers the static and dynamic features of object-oriented systems. The formal and object-oriented language Maude, based on rewriting logic, supports formal specification and programming of concurrent systems. The major motivations of this work are: (1) translating the functional requirements of an object-oriented system, specified using UML use case diagrams, into a Maude specification, (2) translating its static and dynamic aspects, described using UML class, communication and state-transitions diagrams respectively, into a Maude specification, and (3) integrating the formal verification of the consistency of the models, since the analysis phase. A case study is presented to illustrate our approach.
Environmental Complexity and Social Organization Sculpt the Brain in Lake Tanganyikan Cichlid Fish

Complex brains and behaviors have occurred repeatedly within vertebrate classes throughout evolution. What adaptive pressures drive such changes? Both environmental and social features have been implicated in the expansion of select brain structures, particularly the telencephalon. East African cichlid fishes provide a superb opportunity to analyze the social and ecological correlates of neural phenotypes and their evolution. As a result of rapid, recent, and repeated radiations, there are hundreds of closely-related species available for study, with an astonishing diversity in habitat preferences and social behaviors. In this study, we present quantitative ecological, social, and neuroanatomical data for closely-related species from the (monophyletic) Ectodini clade of Lake Tanganyikan cichlid fish. The species differed either in habitat preference or social organization. After accounting for phylogeny with independent contrasts, we find that environmental and social factors differentially affect the brain, with environmental factors showing a broader effect on a range of brain structures compared to social factors. Five out of seven of the brain measures show a relationship with habitat measures. Brain size and cerebellar size are positively correlated with species number (which is correlated with habitat complexity); the medulla and olfactory bulb are negatively correlated with habitat measures. The telencephalon shows a trend toward a positive correlation with rock size. In contrast, only two brain structures, the telencephalon and hypothalamus, are correlated with social factors. Telencephalic size is larger in monogamous species compared to polygamous species, as well as with increased numbers of individuals; monogamy is also associated with smaller hypothalamic size. Our results suggest that selection or drift can act independently on different brain regions as the species diverge into different habitats and social systems.
Wide-area recognition using hybrid motion stereo outlier rejection for motion stereo: outlier rejection for motion stereo using sequential data

Robots working in complex environment require accurate perception of a wide field of view. Using cameras, hybrid motion stereo, which combines the computations by stereo vision and motion stereo, is capable of acquiring positional information of the whole field of view. However, the technique generates errors in computation by motion stereo when tracking feature points fails. This paper describes a method to reject the outliers to avoid erroneous recognition. The method uses computation results from several previous images, computing the spatial deviation and temporal deviation of points, and rejecting those considered to be deviated. The evaluation function is composed with a weighted average of the sequential results, each with a weight of the total number of points existing in the neighboring space, which represents the spatial deviation. Experimental results using the humanoid robot HRP-2 denote the effectiveness of the method.