Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quaternion-based extended Kalman filter for determining orientation by inertial and magnetic sensing

In this paper, a quaternion based extended Kalman filter (EKF) is developed for determining the orientation of a rigid body from the outputs of a sensor which is configured as the integration of a tri-axis gyro and an aiding system mechanized using a tri-axis accelerometer and a tri-axis magnetometer. The suggested applications are for studies in the field of human movement. In the proposed EKF, the quaternion associated with the body rotation is included in the state vector together with the bias of the aiding system sensors. Moreover, in addition to the in-line procedure of sensor bias compensation, the measurement noise covariance matrix is adapted, to guard against the effects which body motion and temporary magnetic disturbance may have on the reliability of measurements of gravity and earth's magnetic field, respectively. By computer simulations and experimental validation with human hand orientation motion signals, improvements in the accuracy of orientation estimates are demonstrated for the proposed EKF, as compared with filter implementations where either the in-line calibration procedure, the adaptive mechanism for weighting the measurements of the aiding system sensors, or both are not implemented.
DDoS tolerant networks

The nature of the threats posed by distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on large networks, such as the Internet, demands effective detection and response methods. These methods must be deployed not only at the edge but also at the core of the network. The DDoS tolerant networks technology incorporates methods to detect, characterize, and respond to DDoS attacks by computing entropy and frequency-sorted distributions of selected packet attributes. Preliminary results indicate that these methods can be effective against current attacks and suggest directions for improving detection of more stealthy attacks.
Meal Simulation Model of the Glucose-Insulin System

A simulation model of the glucose-insulin system in the postprandial state can be useful in several circumstances, including testing of glucose sensors, insulin infusion algorithms and decision support systems for diabetes. Here, we present a new simulation model in normal humans that describes the physiological events that occur after a meal, by employing the quantitative knowledge that has become available in recent years. Model parameters were set to fit the mean data of a large normal subject database that underwent a triple tracer meal protocol which provided quasi-model-independent estimates of major glucose and insulin fluxes, e.g., meal rate of appearance, endogenous glucose production, utilization of glucose, insulin secretion. By decomposing the system into subsystems, we have developed parametric models of each subsystem by using a forcing function strategy. Model results are shown in describing both a single meal and normal daily life (breakfast, lunch, dinner) in normal. The same strategy is also applied on a smaller database for extending the model to type 2 diabetes.
The IDP-Specific Force Field ff14IDPSFF Improves the Conformer Sampling of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) or intrinsically disordered regions do not have a fixed tertiary structure but play key roles in signal regulation, molecule recognition, and drug targeting. However, it is difficult to study the structure and function of IDPs by traditional experimental methods because of their diverse conformations. Limitations of current generic protein force fields and solvent models were reported in the previous simulations of IDPs. We have also explored overcoming these limitations by developing the ff99IDPs and ff14IDPs force fields to correct the dihedral distribution for eight disorder-promoting residues often observed in IDPs and found encouraging improvements. Here we extend our correction of backbone dihedral terms to all 20 naturally occurring amino acids in the IDP-specific force field ff14IDPSFF to further improve the quality of the modeling of IDPs. Extensive tests of seven IDPs and 14 unstructured short peptides show that the simulated Cα chemical shifts obtained with the ff14IDPSFF force field are in quantitative agreement with those from NMR experiments and are more accurate than those obtained with the base generic force field and also our previous ff14IDPs that only corrects the eight disorder-promoting amino acids. The influence of the solvent model was also investigated and found to be less important. Finally, our explicit-solvent MD simulations further show that ff14IDPSFF can still be used to model structural and dynamical properties of two tested folded proteins, with a slightly better agreement in the loop regions for both structural and dynamical properties. These findings confirm that the newly developed IDP-specific force field ff14IDPSFF can improve the conformer sampling of intrinsically disordered proteins.
IFPTarget: A Customized Virtual Target Identification Method Based on Protein-Ligand Interaction Fingerprinting Analyses

Small-molecule target identification is an important and challenging task for chemical biology and drug discovery. Structure-based virtual target identification has been widely used, which infers and prioritizes potential protein targets for the molecule of interest (MOI) principally via a scoring function. However, current "universal" scoring functions may not always accurately identify targets to which the MOI binds from the retrieved target database, in part due to a lack of consideration of the important binding features for an individual target. Here, we present IFPTarget, a customized virtual target identification method, which uses an interaction fingerprinting (IFP) method for target-specific interaction analyses and a comprehensive index (Cvalue) for target ranking. Evaluation results indicate that the IFP method enables substantially improved binding pose prediction, and Cvalue has an excellent performance in target ranking for the test set. When applied to screen against our established target library that contains 11,863 protein structures covering 2842 unique targets, IFPTarget could retrieve known targets within the top-ranked list and identified new potential targets for chemically diverse drugs. IFPTarget prediction led to the identification of the metallo-β-lactamase VIM-2 as a target for quercetin as validated by enzymatic inhibition assays. This study provides a new in silico target identification tool and will aid future efforts to develop new target-customized methods for target identification.
Nonlinear Modeling and Control of Human Heart Rate Response During Exercise With Various Work Load Intensities

The first objective of this paper is to introduce a nonlinear system to model the heart rate (HR) response during and after treadmill walking exercise. The model is a feedback interconnected system that has components to describe the central and peripheral local responses to exercise and their interactions. The parameters of the model were experimentally identified from subjects walking on a treadmill at different speeds. The stability of the obtained nonlinear model was mathematically proven. The modeling results demonstrate that the proposed model can be useful in examining the cardiovascular response to exercise. Based on the nonlinear model, the second objective is to present a computer-controlled treadmill system for the regulation of HR during treadmill exercise. The proposed nonlinear controller consists of feedforward and feedback components. The designed control system was experimentally verified and the results demonstrated that the proposed computer-controlled treadmill system regulated the HR of the experimental subjects according to two different exercising HR profiles, indicating that it can play an important role in the design of exercise protocols for individuals.
Authors response to Tripodo et al.‘Reply to Pich et al.: Intrasinusoidal bone marrow infiltration and splenic marginal zone lymphoma: a quantitative study’

To the Editor: We thank Tripodo et al. for their interest in our paper and for the comments, in particular for suggesting the ratio between the intrasinusoidal bone marrow infiltration (ISI) and the total percentage of bone marrow infiltration (TI) as a new parameter of analysis. According to Tripodo et al., this parameter (ISI-to-TI ratio), that takes into account the relative amount of intrasinusoidal infiltration, would give a more precise information on the quantity of ISI and greatly improve our analysis leading to different results. We applied this parameter to our series of 54 cases previously studied (1). The mean ISI-to-TI ratio for the whole series was 0.24 (median 0.21; SD 0.17) with a very wide range (0.02–0.76). Unfortunately, the new parameter was not able to detect any significant difference between primary and non-primary splenic lymphomas. Indeed, the mean ISI-to-TI ratio for the 35 primary splenic lymphomas was 0.23 (median 0.21; SD 0.17; range 0.02–0.71) compared with 0.26 (median 0.21; SD 0.19; range 0.04–0.76) for the 19 non-primary splenic lymphomas (P 1⁄4 0.52). Considering primary splenic lymphomas as a group, the ISI-to-TI ratio for the 28 splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) (mean 0.25; median 0.24; SD 0.18; range 0.05–0.71) was greater than that for the seven non-SMZL (mean 0.15; median 0.15; SD 0.08; range 0.02–0.25), but the difference was not statistically significant (P 1⁄4 0.14). In conclusion, we agree that ISI is suggestive of a splenic lymphoma, as previously reported (2) and that most SMZL show an intrasinusoidal pattern of bone marrow invasion. However, the results of the present analysis further support our conclusions stated in Pich et al. (1) that ISI is not a strictly specific pattern for SMZL and therefore pathologists should be careful in referring a ISI pattern to a SMZL based on the bone marrow biopsy alone.
Insights into the Dynamics and Dissociation Mechanism of a Protein Redox Complex Using Molecular Dynamics

Leishmania major peroxidase (LmP) is structurally and functionally similar to the well-studied yeast Cytochrome c peroxidase (CCP). A recent Brownian dynamics study showed that L. major Cytochrome c (LmCytc) associates with LmP by forming an initial complex with the N-terminal helix A of LmP, followed by a movement toward the electron transfer (ET) site observed in the LmP-LmCytc crystal structure. Critical to forming the active electron transfer complex is an intermolecular Arg-Asp ion pair at the center of the interface. If the dissociation reaction is effectively the reverse of the association reaction, then rupture of the Asp-Arg ion pair should be followed by movement of LmCytc back toward LmP helix A. To test this possibility, we have performed multiple molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the LmP-LmCytc complex. In five separate simulations, LmCytc is observed to indeed move toward helix A, and in two of the simulations, the Asp-Arg ion pair breaks, which frees LmCytc to fully associate with the LmP helix A secondary binding site. These results support the "bind and crawl" or "velcro" mechanism of association, wherein LmCytc forms a nonspecific electrostatic complex with LmP helix A, followed by a "crawl" toward the ET-active site, where the Asp-Arg ion pair holds the LmCytc in position for rapid ET. These simulations also point to Tyr134LmP as being important in the association/dissociation reactions. Experimentally mutating Tyr134 to Phe was found to decrease Km by 3.6-fold, which is consistent with its predicted role in complex formation by MD simulations.
Research Transparency. Why null results rarely see the light of day.

A team at Stanford University reports online this week in Science that scientists are unlikely to even write up an experiment that produces so-called null results. A study of 221 survey-based experiments funded by the TESS (Time-sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences) program at the National Science Foundation has found that almost two-thirds of the experiments yielding null findings are stuck in a file drawer rather than being submitted to a journal, and only 21% are published. In contrast, 96% of the experiments that yield strong results are written up, and 62% of them are published. Such practices by researchers can skew the literature and lead to wasteful duplication, the authors argue. To combat the problem, the authors call for a social science registry that would contain all such data, as well as descriptions of the methodology used to analyze the results.
An In Vitro Model of a Retinal Prosthesis

Epiretinal prostheses are being developed to bypass a degenerated photoreceptor layer and excite surviving ganglion and inner retinal cells. We used custom microfabricated multielectrode arrays with 200-mum-diameter stimulating electrodes and 10-mum-diameter recording electrodes to stimulate and record neural responses in isolated tiger salamander retina. Pharmacological agents were used to isolate direct excitation of ganglion cells from excitation of other inner retinal cells. Strength-duration data suggest that, if amplitude will be used for the coding of brightness or gray level in retinal prostheses, shorter pulses (200 mus) will allow for a smaller region in the area of the electrode to be excited over a larger dynamic range compared with longer pulses (1 ms). Both electrophysiological results and electrostatic finite-element modeling show that electrode-electrode interactions can lead to increased thresholds for sites half way between simultaneously stimulated electrodes (29.4 plusmn 6.6 nC) compared with monopolar stimulation (13.3 plusmn 1.7 nC, < 0.02). Presynaptic stimulation of the same ganglion cell with both 200- and 10- m-diameter electrodes yielded threshold charge densities of 12 plusmn 6 and 7.66 plusmn 1.30 nC/cm2, respectively, while the required charge was 12.5 plusmn 6.2 and 19 plusmn 3.3 nC.
The Hyperbolic Strength–Duration Relationship of Defibrillation Threshold

Defibrillation with square-wave pulses has proved to possess hyperbolic strength-duration relationship. Does such a hyperbolic relation also exist for exponentially decaying pulses as they are commonly used today? This paper hypothesizes that exponentially decaying pulses obey hyperbolic strength-duration relationship, calculates the consequences, and advises of how such thresholds should be investigated. If the strength-duration relationship exists for current, the corresponding charge threshold must be a Weisspsila straight threshold line. In analogy, for exponentially decaying pulses, the integral of the amplitude over pulse duration (PD) must be calculated as a function of PD. If this function is linearly correlated, the mean voltage possesses a hyperbolic strength-duration relationship, whereas the peak voltage does not. Peak amplitude curves possess minima shifting to the right with increasing time constant RC limiting the allowed range of useful PDs. To prove that exponentially decaying pulses have a hyperbolic relationship, testing must be done in six steps that are demonstrated with results published in literature. Mean voltages have, indeed, hyperbolic strength-duration relationship. Chronaxie is not calculated correctly as long as peak voltage thresholds are correlated and PDs are greater than allowed.
Scientific community. Who are the science stars of Twitter?

Genomicist Neil Hall sparked an online tempest this summer by proposing a "Kardashian Index," or K-index, which compares a scientist9s number of Twitter followers with their citation counts. Intrigued by the ensuing debate, Science compiled a list of the 50 most followed scientists on the social media platform and calculated their K-index. The analysis reveals that a majority of these star scientists on Twitter are dedicated to science communication. Many also have thousands of citations and use the social media tool to keep up with new research and gather rapid critique from peers. Though Hall meant his metric lightheartedly, some suggest the K-index gets it wrong by implying that science communication and research productivity are incompatible.
Denoising by Averaging Reconstructed Images: Application to Magnetic Resonance Images

A novel denoising approach is proposed that is based on averaging reconstructed images. The approach first divides the spectrum of the image to be denoised into different parts. From every such partial spectrum is then reconstructed an image using a 2-D singularity function analysis model. By expressing each of the reconstructed images as the sum of the same noise-free image and a different smaller noise, the denoising is achieved through averaging the reconstructed images. The theoretical formulation and experimental results on both simulated and real images consistently demonstrated that the proposed approach can efficiently denoise while maintaining high image quality, and presents significant advantages over conventional denoising methods.
Bipolar Disorder in 10–17 Year Old Patients: Treatment Options and Cautions

In recent years, bipolar disorder (BD) has been diagnosed with increasing frequency in the pediatric population. BD requires a multimodal treatment plan to address complex symptoms and the associated comorbidities. Pharmacological intervention assists the core symptoms of the illness and psychotherapeutic intervention may be beneficial as an adjunctive treatment. Controlled studies corroborate the comparable short-term efficacy of several second generation antipsychotics and mood stabilizers for treating mania, but major dissimilarities exist with respect to the kind and severity of side effects. The selected treatment option is determined by the tolerance and safety. In addition, data suggests that youth may be more vulnerable to the adverse effects of psychotropic medications than adults. More clinical trials, that focus on risk-benefit ratios of these medications and that clarify assessment and management of their comorbidities are needed to find safer and more effective treatment options for long-term treatment.
A 3-D Mixed-Reality System for Stereoscopic Visualization of Medical Dataset

We developed a simple, light, and cheap 3-D visualization device based on mixed reality that can be used by physicians to see preoperative radiological exams in a natural way. The system allows the user to see stereoscopic ldquoaugmented images,rdquo which are created by mixing 3-D virtual models of anatomies obtained by processing preoperative volumetric radiological images (computed tomography or MRI) with real patient live images, grabbed by means of cameras. The interface of the system consists of a head-mounted display equipped with two high-definition cameras. Cameras are mounted in correspondence of the user's eyes and allow one to grab live images of the patient with the same point of view of the user. The system does not use any external tracker to detect movements of the user or the patient. The movements of the user's head and the alignment of virtual patient with the real one are done using machine vision methods applied on pairs of live images. Experimental results, concerning frame rate and alignment precision between virtual and real patient, demonstrate that machine vision methods used for localization are appropriate for the specific application and that systems based on stereoscopic mixed reality are feasible and can be proficiently adopted in clinical practice.
Glomus Tympanicum Tumors: Contemporary Concepts in Conservation Surgery

At the meeting of the Western Section of the Triological Society in Laguna Niguel, Calif, conservation surgery of glomus tympanicum tumors was discussed by D. Brad Welling, MD, and collaborators, Nashville, Tenn. The motivation for this report was twofold: continuing referrals of misdiagnosed patients to the authors, and recent reports in the literature supporting radiation therapy for cure. In 1945, Rosenwasser first described surgical treatment for the lesion he called "glomus tympanicum. " This lesion arises in the middle ear and causes tinnitus, hearing loss, and a visible mass behind the tympanic membrane. Diagnosis is confirmed by a third-generation computed tomographic scanner using 1.5-mm cuts in both the axial and coronal planes. Angiography is useful to identify feeding vessels. At its present state of development, magnetic resonance imaging will help identify extension into the brain cavity as well as multiple tumors (2 of 60 cases). Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging may prove
Lac‐43 and Tetracaine in Spinal Anaesthesia

The study was carried out on 40 patients from the general surgical, gynaecological and orthopaedic departments of the Regional Hospital, Orebro. No patients with spinal deformities, mental, neurological or significant circulatory or respiratory disturbances were included in the series. Table 1 shows the material and its distribution as to age, weight, height and sex. As can be seen from the table, the two groups are comparable.
A Testbed for Evaluating LTE in High-Speed Trains

LTE is expected to substitute GSM as the basis technology for railway communications. Recently, special attention has been deserved to HST as this particular environment (mainly due to the high speed condition) can severely impact wireless systems performance. Although several channel models have been derived during the few last years, most of them are not accurate enough as they are not supported by measurement campaigns. In this paper, the main requirements for HST environments are analyzed and a flexible, cost-affordable, and easily-scalable software and hardware architecture for a test bed suitable for assessing LTE at high speeds is proposed.
Quantification of Motion Artifact Rejection Due to Active Electrodes and Driven-Right-Leg Circuit in Spike Detection Algorithms

Identification of spikes in the EEG plays an important role during the diagnosis of neurological disorders, such as epilepsy. Automatic spike detection (ASD) is attractive because it reduces the diagnostic time and improves objectivity of the scoring. Unfortunately, automatic detection is sometimes confounded by artifacts, particularly motion artifacts, which can be frequent in ambulatory recording, in the ICU, when recording from restless patients or children, etc. EEG systems have recently been improved by using active electrodes and driven-right-leg circuits (DRL) to reduce motion artifacts. However, the performances of ASD algorithms, both with unimproved and improved EEG systems, are difficult to quantify in patients because of poor reproducibility of the results. In this paper, a test setup was used to evaluate the performance of active electrodes and DRL, and assess if they can be complemented or substituted by a spike detection algorithm in avoiding motion artifact. Results show that motion artifacts can largely degrade spike detection when a traditional EEG system is used, whereas an EEG fitted with active electrodes and a DRL allows high-quality detection. When using a traditional EEG, the choice of a spike detection algorithm has a large influence on detection quality.
Parent Involvement with African American Families in Expanded School Mental Health Practice

The positive impact of parental involvement on academic success has been well documented, but less is known about parental involvement with African American families. The studies that do exist often label African American families as uninvolved in their children's education. They often overlook the different aspects of participation that are critical to understanding the involvement of African American families. This article discusses the literature on African American parental involvement. Based on the Multicultural Counseling Competencies framework, an approach for working with African American families is described. Specific implications for practitioners working in expanded school mental health are provided.