Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling and analysis of an electro-pneumatic braided muscle actuator

The present study deals with static modeling and analysis of a novel electro-pneumatic braided muscle (EPBM) actuator. The EPBM actuator is a hybrid McKibben-type actuator, made of a dielectric polymeric bladder enclosed in a braided mesh sleeve. A continuum mechanics-based electromechanical model is developed to predict the response of the actuator for a combined pressure and voltage loading. The model also incorporates braid-to-braid frictional effects. The model agrees well with existing experimental results for the special case of zero input voltage. Parametric studies are subsequently performed for varying braid angle, input pressure, and voltage. Finally, the model is utilized to study the impact of fiber-reinforcement in the bladder on the actuator performance.
Novel electromagnetic-based navigation for percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic lumbar decompression in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis reduces radiation exposure and enhances surgical efficiency compared to fluoroscopy: a randomized controlled trial

Background Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic lumbar decompression (PTELD) is an emerging surgical alternative for treating lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). However, the foraminoplasty procedure often requires repeated fluoroscopy, and endoscopy just offers a local view. No studies have focused on decreasing radiation exposure with electromagnetic navigation assistance. This study introduces a novel electromagnetic-based navigation (EMN) endoscopic system for PTELD in patients with LSS and compares the results in navigation and fluoroscopy groups. Methods Eighty-eight patients with LSS were randomized into either a navigation (44 patients) or fluoroscopy group. Duration of surgery, cannula placement time, radiation dose, blood loss, intraoperative pain assessment, and postoperative hospitalization stay were evaluated. The clinical outcomes were evaluated using a visual analogue scale (VAS), the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), 6-minute walk test, and modified Macnab criteria. Results Eighty-five patients were followed-up for at least 12 months. The duration of surgery and cannula placement time were significantly more efficient in the navigation group (P=0.03 and P<0.001). Intraoperative pain assessment showed significantly less pain in the navigation group (P=0.038). The radiation dose was significantly higher in the fluoroscopy group than the navigation group (P<0.001). The VAS scores for back (P<0.001) and leg (P<0.001) pain improved significantly in both groups after surgery, as did the ODI (P<0.001) scores. Improvements in walking ability and Macnab criteria assessments at the 12-month follow-up, assessed subjective by patient assessments did not differ between the two groups. Conclusions The EMN system used in PTELD for patients with LSS compared to fluoroscopy enhances efficiency for foraminoplasty, reduces intraoperative pain and levels of radiation exposure. It results in outcomes comparable with results using fluoroscopy.
Caenorhabditis elegans BMP Transcriptional Program Implicates Collagen Genes in Body Size Regulation

Body size is a tightly regulated phenotype in metazoans that is dependent on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. While signaling pathways such as insulin, Hippo, and myostatin are known to control organ and body size, the downstream effectors that mediate their effects are still poorly understood. In the nematode C. elegans, a Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP)-related signaling pathway is the major regulator of growth and body size. DBL-1, the BMP-related ligand, is secreted by neurons and body wall muscle, and acts as a dose-dependent regulator of body size. We investigated the transcriptional network through which the DBL-1/BMP pathway regulates body size and identified cuticle collagen genes as major effectors of growth control. Here we demonstrate that cuticle collagen genes can act as positive regulators (col-41), dose-sensitive regulators (rol-6), and negative regulators (col-141, col-142) of body size. Moreover, we show requirement of DBL-1/BMP signaling for stage-specific expression of cuticle collagen genes. We used chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high throughput sequencing (ChIP-Seq) and electrophoretic mobility shift assays to show that the Smad signal transducers directly associate with conserved Smad binding elements in regulatory regions of col-141 and col-142, but not of col-41. Hence, cuticle collagen genes are directly and indirectly regulated via the DBL-1/BMP pathway. These results provide the first direct regulatory link between this conserved signaling pathway and the collagen genes that act as its downstream effectors in body size regulation. Since collagen mutations and misregulation are implicated in numerous human genetic disorders and injury sequelae, understanding how collagen gene expression is regulated has broad implications. Author Summary Body size in humans and other animals is determined by the combined influence of genetic and environmental factors. Failure to regulate growth and body size appropriately can lead to a variety of functional impairments and reduced fitness. Progress has been made in identifying genetic determinants of body size, but these have not often been connected into functional pathways. In the nematode model Caenorhabditis elegans, single gene mutations in the BMP signaling pathway have profound effects on body size. Here we have elucidated the BMP transcriptional network and identified cuticle collagen genes as downstream effectors of body size regulation through the BMP pathway. Collagens play diverse roles in biology; mutations are often associated with rare heritable diseases such as osteogenesis imperfecta and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Our work thus connects a conserved signaling pathway with its critical downstream effectors, advancing insight into how body size is specified.
Geochemical description and sulfur isotope data for Shahrak intrusive body and related Fe‐mineralization (east Takab), northwest Iran

The Shahrak intrusive body (SIB) occurs at the intersection of the Urumieh–Dokhtar Volcanic Belt and the Sanandaj–Sirjan metamorphic belt in northwest Iran. This intrusive body consists of granodiorite, monzonite, monzodiorite, and monzogabbro, that intruded Oligo‐Miocene sedimentary units and Cretaceous and Precambrian metamorphic rocks. Iron mineralization has occurred as magnetite skarn with hematite and pyrite in calcareous units at the contact with the SIB. The Rb–Sr age dating shows that the age of the SIB is about 24.9 Ma (Chattian). Whole rock geochemical studies indicate that the magma has calc‐alkaline to high‐K calc‐alkaline affinities and is metaluminous. The multi‐elements spider diagrams normalized to chondrite and primitive mantle show significant enrichment of light rare earth element against heavy rare earth element and depletion of Ti, P, Ta, and Nb, indicating characteristic features of the volcanic arc rocks in a subduction setting. Furthermore, the various types of tectonomagmatic diagrams show that these rocks are generated in an active continental margin. The parental magma of the rocks probably originated from an enriched mantle on the basis of the geochemistry of the REE elements. The average Sr isotopic composition of the SIB is 87Sr/86Sr(i) = 0.706. Therefore, the parent magma of the SIB may be the result of partial melting of enriched mantle or subducted slab contaminated with the continental crust. The sulfur isotope composition of pyrite grains (ave., +5.29 ‰) in the Korkora‐1 iron deposit indicates that the sulfides are formed from magma or due to in situ dissolution and leaching of igneous sources. Dehydration melting of the subducted part of oceanic crust has likely produced the fluids that are necessary for melting of the mantle wedge to produce mafic‐intermediate melts. The generated melts penetrated into the crust, and during their ascent they underwent a little crustal contamination and eventually were emplaced as intrusive bodies comprising gabbrodiorite to granodiorite.
City, narratives, and nation: The representation of Karachi in H.M. Naqvi’s The Selected Works of Abdullah the Cossack

ABSTRACT H.M. Naqvi’s 2019 novel The Selected Works of Abdullah the Cossack interweaves anthropological, historical, spatial, religious, cultural, and political narratives in comic fashion. Drawing on the tropes of the postcolonial city and “decolonization”, this article analyses Naqvi’s text in terms of political, cultural, and religious factors significant to urban centres like Karachi, and their implications for post-Independence Pakistan in its struggle to achieve a pluralistic and inclusive democratic system. Abdullah, the novel’s protagonist, seeks to present himself as a secular counterpart to the prevalent Sunni/Wahhabi orthodoxies in Pakistani culture. However, alongside his dramatization of a secular challenge to religious orthodoxy, Naqvi constructs a paradoxical representation of the enunciation of Islam at a Sufi Shrine, through the glorification of Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s tomb in Karachi. Thus, the novel’s representation of Islam contains unresolved paradoxes, in that it alternates between secularist denunciation of orthodox Sunni Wahhabism and a sympathetic representation of Brelvi/Shia sects.
Use of multivariate statistics to determine fertilization practices that affect fruit quality of naranjilla (Solanum quitoense Lam.)

Introduction – Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense Lam.) is a native fruit of the Andes and is cultivated in several provinces of the Ecuadorian Amazon. It constitutes a crop of economic importance for the small farmers of this region of Ecuador. There is a lack of information on the nutrients required by this crop species in Amazonian soil conditions, as well as the effect on nutrition and fruit quality. Materials and methods – This study assessed a complete fertilization regime (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S + lime), as well as the omission of nutrients to determine effects on fruit quality. Data was analyzed using multivariate statistics (main component analysis) by R 3.2. 4 statistical software and the responses were examined using a statistical model run in SAS 9.3 software. Results and discussion – We found
An evolutionary system of mineralogy. Part II: Interstellar and solar nebula primary condensation mineralogy (>4.565 Ga)

Abstract The evolutionary system of mineralogy relies on varied physical and chemical attributes, including trace elements, isotopes, solid and fluid inclusions, and other information-rich characteristics, to understand processes of mineral formation and to place natural condensed phases in the deep-time context of planetary evolution. Part I of this system reviewed the earliest refractory phases that condense at T > 1000 K within the turbulent expanding and cooling atmospheres of highly evolved stars. Part II considers the subsequent formation of primary crystalline and amorphous phases by condensation in three distinct mineral-forming environments, each of which increased mineralogical diversity and distribution prior to the accretion of planetesimals >4.5 billion years ago. (1) Interstellar molecular solids: Varied crystalline and amorphous molecular solids containing primarily H, C, O, and N are observed to condense in cold, dense molecular clouds in the interstellar medium (10 < T < 20 K; P < 10–13 atm). With the possible exception of some nanoscale organic condensates preserved in carbonaceous meteorites, the existence of these phases is documented primarily by telescopic observations of absorption and emission spectra of interstellar molecules in radio, microwave, or infrared wavelengths. (2) Nebular and circumstellar ice: Evidence from infrared observations and laboratory experiments suggest that cubic H2O (“cubic ice”) condenses as thin crystalline mantles on oxide and silicate dust grains in cool, distant nebular and circumstellar regions where T ~100 K. (3) Primary condensed phases of the inner solar nebula: The earliest phase of nebular mineralogy saw the formation of primary refractory minerals that solidified through high-temperature condensation (1100 < T < 1800 K; 10–6 < P < 10–2 atm) in the solar nebula more than 4.565 billion years ago. These earliest mineral phases originating in our solar system formed prior to the accretion of planetesimals and are preserved in calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions, ultra-refractory inclusions, and amoeboid olivine aggregates.
Enhancement of death receptor-mediated apoptosis in multiple myeloma cells

Background: Multiple Myeloma (MM) is currently incurable despite many novel therapies. Tumour Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) is a potential anti-tumour agent although the effects as a single agent are limited. This investigation determined whether the Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor SAHA, or inhibitors of the histone methyltransferases G9a and EZH2 (BIX 01294 and GSK343) and Nuclear export inhibitor (NEI) LMB, enhance TRAIL-induced apoptosis and overcome TRAIL resistance in both suspension culture, and 3D cell culture as a model of solid disseminated MM lesions that form in bone. Methods: The effects of TRAIL sensitizers and/or TRAIL treatment were investigated in both suspension cultures and in an alginate-based 3D culture model. Apoptosis was detected by assessment of nuclear morphology using Hoechst 33342/PI staining. TRAIL-resistant cells were generated by acute exposure of TRAIL sensitive cells to TRAIL followed by the selection of TRAIL-resistant cells (TRAILR). Apoptotic effects in quiescent cells (labelled as PKH26Hi) were also determined. Subsequently, an investigation was undertaken to identify potential mechanisms of action of these agents when used alone and in combination with TRAIL. Results: TRAIL significantly induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in OPM2, RPMI 8226, NCI-H 929, U266, JJN3 human MM cell lines and ADC-1 plasma cell leukaemia cells. All epigenetic modifiers and NEI synergistically enhanced TRAIL responses in several lines and responses were potentiated in 3D culture. Interestingly, TRAILR cells were sensitive to BIX 01294 and LMB; however, TRAIL responses in cells that had been selected for TRAILR were not further enhanced by SAHA and GSK343. Quiescent PKH26Hi cells were resistant to dual therapy. Mechanistically, TRAIL and TRAIL sensitizers induced apoptosis via both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways in addition to decreasing the expression of oxidative enzyme catalase. Conclusions: Inhibitors of HDAC, EZH2 and G9a and NEI are potent sensitisers of TRAIL responses both in suspension, and crucially in 3D cell culture, which may mimic physiological aspects of bone metastases. These agents may be a therapeutic option in combination with TRAIL and may increase TRAIL sensitivity in insensitive cells, but not in cells that have specifically been selected for acquired TRAIL-resistance, and not in quiescent cells.
Genetic diversity in peach cultivars

This study aimed to evaluate the genetic diversity among 28 peach cultivars and two nectarine cultivars, describing the most important characters in the diversity evaluation. The study was developed at the Federal University of Vicosa - Brazil, and the following characteristics were evaluated: fruit mass, suture, equatorial and polar diameters, firmness, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), SS/TA, ascorbic acid and carotenoids contents, skin and flesh color (coordinate b* and hue angle - °h). Genetic diversity in peach and nectarine cultivars enabled the formation of seven, six and six groups in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 crop years, respectively. The features that most contributed to this diversity were fruit mass, skin and flesh °h and firmness. The greatest genetic divergence was observed between ‘Marli’ and ‘Rubrosol’, ‘Josefina’ and ‘Maciel’ and ‘Maciel’ and ‘Rubrosol’ during the 2011, 2012 and 2013 crop years, respectively.
Swarm Robotics Target Searching Strategy Based on Extended Bat Algorithm

A swarm robotics system can consists of at least two or up to hundreds or thousands number of robots. To build a system that is able to perform target searching task, it needs a robust algoritm and communication strategy. A wrong strategy can lead to unsatisfactory performance in which the swarm robots would unable to move efficiently and arrive at the target position precisely. This work aims to develop a new method for target searching strategy for swarm robotics system by adapting Extended Bat Algorithm (EBA) to the system. EBA is the low level hybrid algorithm of Bat Algorithm (BA) and Spiral Dynamic Algoruthm (SDA), and therefore its exploration and exploitation method is better than BA and SDA. EBA had proven its ability to solve general mathematical problem, however, for swarm robotics system application, its performance and effectiveness still needs to be comprehensively investigated. The investigation result shows that EBA can prove its potentiality to develop the best target searching strategy to the swarm robotics system with 5 number of iterations within 49 seconds. This is found to be the lowest number of iterations in the shortest of time. The accuracy is 99% to arrive at the desired location. Hence, the proposed EBA method is able to perform a target searching task for swarm robotics system.
Analyse transcriptomique de l'expression des antigènes de groupe sanguin

Over the last two decades, red cell biologists witnessed a vast expansion of genetic-based information pertaining to blood group antigens and their carrier molecules. Genetic progress has led to a better comprehension of the associated antigens. To assist with studies concerning the integrated regulation and function of blood groups, transcript levels for each of the 36 associated genes were studied. Profiles using mRNA from directly sampled reticulocytes and cultured primary erythroblasts are summarized in this report. Transcriptome profiles suggest a highly regulated pattern of blood group gene expression during erythroid differentiation and ontogeny. Approximately one-third of the blood group carrier genes are transcribed in an erythroid-specific fashion. Low-level and indistinct expression was noted for most of the carbohydrate-associated genes. Methods are now being developed to further explore and manipulate expression of the blood group genes at all stages of human erythropoiesis. © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Upscaling Statistical Patterns from Reduced Storage in Social and Life Science Big Datasets

Recent technological and computational advances have enabled the collection of data at an unprecedented rate. On the one hand, the large amount of data suddenly available has opened up new opportunities for new data-driven research but, on the other hand, it has brought into light new obstacles and challenges related to storage and analysis limits. Here, we strengthen an upscaling approach borrowed from theoretical ecology that allows us to infer with small errors relevant patterns of a dataset in its entirety, although only a limited fraction of it has been analysed. In particular we show that, after reducing the input amount of information on the system under study, by applying our framework it is still possible to recover two statistical patterns of interest of the entire dataset. Tested against big ecological, human activity and genomics data, our framework was successful in the reconstruction of global statistics related to both the number of types and their abundances while starting from limited presence/absence information on small random samples of the datasets. These results pave the way for future applications of our procedure in different life science contexts, from social activities to natural ecosystems.
Development and Application of a Motion Analysis Protocol for the Kinematic Evaluation of Basic and Functional Hand and Finger Movements Using Motion Capture in a Clinical Setting—A Repeatability Study

The purpose of this study was to develop a motion analysis protocol that allows the simultaneous assessment of all hand and finger joint movements. The objective was to demonstrate repeatability for future clinical applications in functional assessments. This study includes selection of marker positions, movement tasks, kinematic approaches and a comparison of the two most commonly used finger marker sets. By using a test–retest measurement of the range of motion in twenty healthy volunteers, the repeatability of the developed protocol was validated. Estimated errors of the presented method ranged from 1.2° to 6.4°. Finger joint angles derived from the marker set with two markers per segment showed better repeatability (3.7°) than with markers located on the joints (5.1°). Given the high repeatability found, the presented method appears to be suitable for clinical applications. For the fingers, measurement repeatability can be improved by using at least two markers per segment. Within this study, advanced kinematic approaches, such as functional determination of joint centers and axes, are applied to the analysis of hand movements. The provided standard values and estimate of the minimal detectable differences provide a valuable basis for meaningful data interpretation and may be used for future comparison with other protocols.
Deep Learning-Based Action Recognition Using 3D Skeleton Joints Information

Human action recognition has turned into one of the most attractive and demanding fields of research in computer vision and pattern recognition for facilitating easy, smart, and comfortable ways of human-machine interaction. With the witnessing of massive improvements to research in recent years, several methods have been suggested for the discrimination of different types of human actions using color, depth, inertial, and skeleton information. Despite having several action identification methods using different modalities, classifying human actions using skeleton joints information in 3-dimensional space is still a challenging problem. In this paper, we conceive an efficacious method for action recognition using 3D skeleton data. First, large-scale 3D skeleton joints information was analyzed and accomplished some meaningful pre-processing. Then, a simple straight-forward deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) was designed for the classification of the desired actions in order to evaluate the effectiveness and embonpoint of the proposed system. We also conducted prior DCNN models such as ResNet18 and MobileNetV2, which outperform existing systems using human skeleton joints information.
Temporal stability in macroalgal assemblage standing stock despite high species turnover

: Species populations are variable in time and space as a response to biotic and/or environmental conditions. However, ecological stability is regarded as an important asset of diversity in natural communities. Here, we followed seasonal variation in a mid-shore rocky intertidal algal-dominated assemblage at 2 sites in the Azores for 1 yr. The assemblage went through significant taxa turnover as a response to the seasonal loss of its dominant species. Yet, assemblage aggregate biomass (assemblage standing stock) remained remarkably stable through the study period. A diverse mixture of algae comprising 77 taxa, including species with contrasting life histories, was found, although only a handful of species appeared to be responsible for ensuring assemblage stability. This study highlights the role of taxa diversity and their compensatory dynamics in maintaining temporal stability in these assemblages. Future direct tests should be done through manipulative experiments to understand the mechanisms underlying community stability in this system.