Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell–Derived Podocyte-Like Cells as Models for Assessing Mechanisms Underlying Heritable Disease Phenotype: Initial Studies Using Two Alport Syndrome Patient Lines Indicate Impaired Potassium Channel Activity

Renal podocyte survival depends upon the dynamic regulation of a complex cell architecture that links the glomerular basement membrane to integrins, ion channels, and receptors. Alport syndrome is a heritable chronic kidney disease where mutations in α3, α4, or α5 collagen genes promote podocyte death. In rodent models of renal failure, activation of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) can protect podocytes from stress-related death. In this study, we assessed CaSR function in podocyte-like cells derived from induced-pluripotent stem cells from two patients with Alport Syndrome (AS1 & AS2) and a renal disease free individual [normal human mesangial cell (NHMC)], as well as a human immortalized podocyte-like (HIP) cell line. Extracellular calcium elicited concentration-dependent elevations of intracellular calcium in all podocyte-like cells. NHMC and HIP, but not AS1 or AS2 podocyte-like cells, also showed acute reductions in intracellular calcium prior to elevation. In NHMC podocyte-like cells this acute reduction was blocked by the large-conductance potassium channel (KCNMA1) inhibitors iberiotoxin (10 nM) and tetraethylammonium (5 mM), as well as the focal adhesion kinase inhibitor PF562271 (N-methyl-N-(3-((2-(2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-5-ylamino)-5-trifluoromethyl-pyrimidin-4-ylamino)-methyl)-pyridin-2-yl)-methanesulfonamide, 10 nM). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and immunolabeling showed the presence of KCNMA1 transcript and protein in all podocyte-like cells tested. Cultivation of AS1 podocytes on decellularized plates of NHMC podocyte-like cells partially restored acute reductions in intracellular calcium in response to extracellular calcium. We conclude that the AS patient–derived podocyte-like cells used in this study showed dysfunctional integrin signaling and potassium channel function, which may contribute to podocyte death seen in Alport syndrome.
Learning Discriminative Hashing Codes for Cross-Modal Retrieval based on Multiorder Statistical Features

Hashing techniques have been applied broadly in large-scale retrieval tasks due to their low storage requirements and high speed of processing. Many hashing methods have shown promising performance but as they fail to exploit all structural information in learning the hashing function, they leave a scope for improvement. The paper proposes a novel discrete hashing learning framework which jointly performs classifier learning and subspace learning for cross-modal retrieval. Concretely, the framework proposed in the paper includes two stages, namely a kernelization process and a quantization process. The aim of kernelization is to learn a common subspace where heterogeneous data can be fused. The quantization process is designed to learn discriminative unified hashing codes. Extensive experiments on three publicly available datasets clearly indicate the superiority of our method compared with the state-of-the-art methods.
Optimisation of green synthesis of MnO nanoparticles via utilising response surface methodology.

This study concerns the optimisation of green synthesis of manganese oxide nanoparticles (MnO NPs) with Dittrichia graveolens (L.) extract via response surface methodology (RSM). Central composite design was used to evaluate the effect of pH, time, and the extract to the metal ratio on the synthesised nanoparticles (NPs). Nine runs were designed to investigate the effect of each parameter while NPs were synthesised under different conditions. Considering the p-values (p-value < 0.05), it is indicated that the extract to the metal ratio was the most effective parameter. The synthesised NPs were characterised using UV-vis. Synthesis of the NPs by polyphenolic compounds of green reducing agent and their stabilisation by curcumin was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectra and the surface morphology of the spherical MnO NPs was studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscope techniques. The present researchers claimed the optimal condition as follows: time = 56.7 min, pH = 7.2, and the extract to the metal ratio = 87.9 v/v. MnO NPs at optimum condition were then employed for degradation of industrial dyes and they showed high dye degradation activity against Rhodamine B and light green dye. The average size of the synthesised MnO NPs at optimal condition was claimed to be nearly 38 nm.
Non-Gaussian hyperplane tessellations and robust one-bit compressed sensing

We show that a tessellation generated by a small number of random affine hyperplanes can be used to approximate Euclidean distances between any two points in an arbitrary bounded set $T$, where the random hyperplanes are generated by subgaussian or heavy-tailed normal vectors and uniformly distributed shifts. We derive quantitative bounds on the number of hyperplanes needed for constructing such tessellations in terms of natural metric complexity measures of $T$ and the desired approximation error. Our work extends significantly prior results in this direction, which were restricted to Gaussian hyperplane tessellations of subsets of the Euclidean unit sphere. As an application, we obtain new reconstruction results in memoryless one-bit compressed sensing with non-Gaussian measurement matrices. We show that by quantizing at uniformly distributed thresholds, it is possible to accurately reconstruct low-complexity signals from a small number of one-bit quantized measurements, even if the measurement vectors are drawn from a heavy-tailed distribution. Our reconstruction results are uniform in nature and robust in the presence of pre-quantization noise on the analog measurements as well as adversarial bit corruptions in the quantization process. Moreover we show that if the measurement matrix is subgaussian then accurate recovery can be achieved via a convex program.
Risk assessment model constructed by differentially expressed lncRNAs for the prognosis of glioma

A risk assessment model was constructed using differentially expressed long non-coding (lnc)RNAs for the prognosis of glioma. Transcriptome sequencing of the lncRNAs and mRNAs from glioma samples were obtained from the TCGA database. The samples were divided into bad and good prognosis groups based on survival time, then differently expressed lncRNAs between these two groups were screened using DEseq and edgeR packages. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to establish a risk assessment system according to the weighted regression coefficient of lncRNA expression. Survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve were conducted for the risk assessment model. Furthermore, the co-expression network of the screened lncRNAs was constructed, followed by the functional enrichment analysis for associated genes. A total of 117 lncRNAs were screened using edgeR and DEseq packages. Among all differently expressed lncRNAs, five lncRNAs (RP3-503A6, LINC00940, RP11-453M23, AC009411 and CDRT7) were identified to establish the risk assessment model. The risk assessment model demonstrated a good prognostic function with high area under the curve values in the training, validation and entire sets. The risk score was certified as an independent prognostic factor for gliomas. Multiple genes were screened to be co-expressed with these five lncRNAs. Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that they were involved in cytoskeleton, adhesion and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling pathway-associated processes. The present study established a risk assessment model integrating five significantly different expressed lncRNAs, which may help to assess the prognosis of patients with glioma with increased accuracy.
Audiovisual semantic congruency effect with onomatopoeia

It has been reported that when a congruent natural sound precedes briefly presented visual stimuli, it promotes performance in psychophysics detection tasks. Onomatopoeias refer to words that phonetically mimic or suggest actual sounds. Onomatopoeic words are a form of sound symbolism and are frequently used in Japanese language. In this study, we examined whether the presentation of spoken Japanese onomatopoeia to Japanese native-speakers results in visual detection sensitivity changes. Results indicate that when onomatopoeias are presented 227 ms before a visual stimulus, they have a modulatory audiovisual effect. This effect is closer to the results observed with natural sounds than spoken words, with d’ being lower for onomatopoeias when compared with natural sounds. Such suggests that Japanese spoken onomatopoeias may be processed in a manner that is closer to natural sounds than spoken words and points to behavioral consequences of sound symbolism.
The mitochondrial genomes of the mesozoans Intoshia linei, Dicyema sp., and Dicyema japonicum

The Dicyemida and Orthonectida are two groups of tiny, simple, vermiform parasites that have historically been united in a group named the Mesozoa. Both Dicyemida and Orthonectida have just two cell layers and appear to lack any defined tissues. They were initially thought to be evolutionary intermediates between protozoans and metazoans but more recent analyses indicate that they are protostomian metazoans that have undergone secondary simplification from a complex ancestor. Here we describe the first almost complete mitochondrial genome sequence from an orthonectid, Intoshia linei, and describe nine and eight mitochondrial protein-coding genes from Dicyema sp. and Dicyema japonicum, respectively. The 14,247 base pair long I. linei sequence has typical metazoan gene content, but is exceptionally AT-rich, and has a divergent gene order compared to other metazoans. The data we present from the Dicyemida provide very limited support for the suggestion that dicyemid mitochondrial genes are found on discrete mini-circles, as opposed to the large circular mitochondrial genomes that are typical across the Metazoa. The cox1 gene from dicyemid species has a series of conserved in-frame deletions that is unique to this lineage. Using cox1 genes from across the genus Dicyema, we report the first internal phylogeny of this group. Key Findings We report the first almost-complete mitochondrial genome from an orthonectid parasite, Intoshia linei, including 12 protein-coding genes; 20 tRNAs and putative sequences for large and small subunit rRNAs. We find that the I. linei mitochondrial genome is exceptionally AT-rich and has a novel gene order compared to other published metazoan mitochondrial genomes. These findings are indicative of the rapid rate of evolution that has occurred in the I. linei mitochondrial genome. We also report nine and eight protein-coding genes, respectively, from the dicyemid species Dicyema sp. and Dicyema japonicum, and use the cox1 genes from both species for phylogenetic inference of the internal phylogeny of the dicyemids. We find that the cox1 gene from dicyemids has a series of four conserved in-frame deletions which appear to be unique to this group.
Exposure to Yeast Shapes the Intestinal Bacterial Community Assembly in Zebrafish Larvae

Establishment of the early-life gut microbiota has a large influence on host development and succession of microbial composition in later life stages. The effect of commensal yeasts - which are known to create a conducive environment for beneficial bacteria - on the structure and diversity of fish gut microbiota still remains unexplored. The present study examined the intestinal bacterial community of zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae exposed to two fish-derived yeasts by sequencing the V4 hypervariable region of bacterial 16S rRNA. The first stage of the experiment (until 7 days post-fertilization) was performed in cell culture flasks under sterile and conventional conditions for germ-free (GF) and conventionally raised (CR) larvae, respectively. The second phase was carried out under standard rearing conditions, for both groups. Exposure of GF and CR zebrafish larvae to one of the yeast species Debaryomyces or Pseudozyma affected the bacterial composition. Exposure to Debaryomyces resulted in a significantly higher abundance of core bacteria. The difference was mainly due to shifts in relative abundance of taxa belonging to the phylum Proteobacteria. In Debaryomyces-exposed CR larvae, the significantly enriched taxa included beneficial bacteria such as Pediococcus and Lactococcus (Firmicutes). Furthermore, most diversity indices of bacterial communities in yeast-exposed CR zebrafish were significantly altered compared to the control group. Such alterations were not evident in GF zebrafish. The water bacterial community was distinct from the intestinal microbiota of zebrafish larvae. Our findings indicate that early exposure to commensal yeast could cause differential bacterial assemblage, including the establishment of potentially beneficial bacteria.
Variable Interlock Mechanism Joining Shoulder Rotation and Elbow Flexion for Body-Powered Upper Limb Prostheses

People with upper limb amputations wearing body-powered prostheses perform elbow joint flexion and opening/closing the terminal device by pulling one control cable with the contralateral shoulder. When moving the terminal device close to the mouth during eating, the socket obstructs shoulder rotation motion. In this paper, we developed the variable interlock mechanism to realize shoulder rotation and elbow flexion simultaneously by pulling only one control cable for a body-powered prosthesis. We propose a mechanism consisting of a differential bevel gear and a continuous variable transmission (CVT) unit with a conical cone and roller. With the CVT unit, the user can change the interlocking relationship without multiple steps. The number of teeth of the bevel gear, the radius of conical cone, and roller were designed to realize the interlocking motion of the inner rotation of the shoulder joint at 80° when the elbow flexion angle is 145°. We measure the terminal device trajectory and each joint angle by fixing the prosthesis with the proposed mechanism in an aluminum frame and by pulling the control cable from the top using a motion capture system. For the two conditions of the designed CVT ratio (kσ=1.00, 3.46), the measured CVT ratio becomes ki=1.04, 1.54. We confirm the interlocking motion of our mechanism, and the error between designed and measured CVT ratio can be improved by reducing the backlash of the bevel gear and the slip between the conical cone and the roller at the CVT unit.
Structured Priors for Structure Learning

Traditional approaches to Bayes net structure learning typically assume little regularity in graph structure other than sparseness. However, in many cases, we expect more systematicity: variables in real-world systems often group into classes that predict the kinds of probabilistic dependencies they participate in. Here we capture this form of prior knowledge in a hierarchical Bayesian framework, and exploit it to enable structure learning and type discovery from small datasets. Specifically, we present a nonparametric generative model for directed acyclic graphs as a prior for Bayes net structure learning. Our model assumes that variables come in one or more classes and that the prior probability of an edge existing between two variables is a function only of their classes. We derive an MCMC algorithm for simultaneous inference of the number of classes, the class assignments of variables, and the Bayes net structure over variables. For several realistic, sparse datasets, we show that the bias towards systematicity of connections provided by our model yields more accurate learned networks than a traditional, uniform prior approach, and that the classes found by our model are appropriate.
Visual “playback” of colorful signals in the field supports sensory drive for signal detectability

Abstract Colorful visual signals are important systems for investigating the effects of signaling environments and receiver physiology on signal evolution as predicted by the sensory drive hypothesis. Support for the sensory drive hypothesis on color signal evolution is mostly based on documenting correlations between the properties of signals and habitat conditions under which the signals are given (i.e., a correlational approach) and less commonly on the use of mathematical models that integrate representations of visual environments, signal properties, and sensory systems (i.e., a functional approach). Here, we used an experimental approach in the field to evaluate signal efficacy of colorful lizard throat fans called dewlaps that show geographic variation in the lizard Anolis cristatellus. We used a remote controlled apparatus to display “fake dewlaps” to wild lizards to test for adaptive divergence in dewlap brightness (i.e., perceived intensity) among populations in situ. We found evidence of local adaptation in dewlap brightness consistent with the sensory drive hypothesis. Specifically, dewlaps that had the brightness characteristics of local lizards were more likely to be detected than those with the brightness characteristics of non-local lizards. Our findings indicate that simplified mathematical representations of visual environments may allow robust estimates of relative detectability or conspicuousness in natural habitats. We have shown the feasibility of evaluating color signal efficacy experimentally under natural conditions and demonstrate the potential advantages of presenting isolated components of signals to an intended receiver to measure their contribution to signal function.
Software Support for Heterogeneous Computing

Heterogeneous computing, materialized in the form of multiprocessor system-on-chips (MPSoC) comprising of various processing elements such as general-purpose cores with differing characteristics, GPUs, DSPs, non-programmable accelerators, and reconfigurable computing, are expected to dominate the current and the future consumer device landscape. The heterogeneity enables a computational kernel with specific requirements to be paired with the processing element(s) ideally suited to perform that computation, leading to substantially improved performance and energy-efficiency. While heterogeneous computing is an attractive proposition in theory, considerable software support at all levels is essential to fully realize its promises. The system software needs to orchestrate the different on-chip compute resources in a synergistic manner with minimal engagement from the application developers. We present compiler time and runtime techniques to unleash the full potential of heterogeneous multi-cores towards high-performance energy-efficient computing on consumer devices.
Embedded Silicon Fan-Out (eSiFO): A Promising Wafer Level Packaging Technology for Multi-chip and 3D System Integration

The demand for miniaturized package size, higher performance and integration density, lower power consumption, and lower manufacturing cost drives the development of various new packaging technologies, such as WLP, 2.5D interposer, 3D WLCSP etc. Recently, Fan-Out Wafer Level Package (FOWLP) has aroused more and more interest since it emerged as a successful technology in providing the solution to meet advanced system packaging and integration requirements. FOWLP has also become a key-enabling technology for multi-chip and 3D system integration. Embedded silicon fan-out (eSiFO®) technology developed by Huatian group was a low cost FOWLP technology, which eliminates molding, temporary bonding and de-bonding in the process flow. The eSiFO® technology for single chip with a high yield of 99.5% was reported. In this paper, the development of eSiFO® technology for multi-chip and 3D system integration was reported. One package in the size of 5.2×4.0 mm2 and containing 5 chips has been successfully produced. Small warpage of ~1mm for eSiFO® 300mm wafer was achieved even with 2 layer thick RDLs. Another 3D-Integration package based on the eSiFO® technology has also been successfully demonstrated, where two dies were stacked on the top of the eSiFO® wafer by die placement and mass reflow processes. For the 3D eSiFO® SiP package, the size and thickness was 4.1×4.1mm, and 0.375 mm respectively. One RDL was formed on both front and backside of the eSiFO®. The interconnection between the embedded chip and the stacked chips was made through micro bumps and through-silicon vias (TSVs) located in the fan-out area of the carrier wafer. The manufactured packages have shown good electrical yield and passed standard reliability tests.
Augmented DDoS Mitigation with Reputation Scores

Network attacks, especially DoS and DDoS attacks, are a significant threat for all providers of services or infrastructure. The biggest attacks can paralyze even large-scale infrastructures of worldwide companies. Attack mitigation is a complex issue studied by many researchers and security companies. While several approaches were proposed, there is still space for improvement. This paper proposes to augment existing mitigation heuristic with knowledge of reputation score of network entities. The aim is to find a way to mitigate malicious traffic present in DDoS amplification attacks with minimal disruption to communication of legitimate traffic.
Microfabricated Racetrack Inductors With Thin-Film Magnetic Cores for On-Chip Power Conversion

This paper presents design methods and electrical performance measurements for microfabricated racetrack power inductors. Magnetic components with sputtered Co–Zr–O thin-film magnetic cores are demonstrated in a multimegahertz dc–dc converter for solid-state lighting applications. The high-power-density and high-efficiency dc–dc converter is designed to transfer 25 W of power at switching frequencies between 1 and 30 MHz. Utilizing our magnetic components, the converter achieves a 90% conversion efficiency at 4 MHz with an inductor power density of 1 W/mm<sup>2</sup> of substrate area. Small-signal measurements of the inductors are compared with modeled predictions to validate the design optimization approach. Fabricated components achieved inductance values of 1.2 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{H}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and peak quality factors of 15.1 at 8.3 MHz.
Virtual Synchronous Generator Control for Damping DC-Side Resonance of VSC-MTDC System

DC-side oscillation is investigated for a voltage source converter-based multiterminal direct current (VSC-MTDC) system. Confronted with this issue, the virtual synchronous generator (VSG) control strategy is proposed to dampen dc-side oscillations and enhance the inertia of an MTDC network. Furthermore, the working mechanism of VSG technology, to provide the virtual inertia and damping, is discussed comprehensively and thoroughly. The proposed VSG control does not require the precise acquirement of system parameters and can eliminate the wide frequency region instead of a specific frequency point. Moreover, the introduction of VSG control can enhance the inertia, damping, as well as the stability margins of the system. Finally, the performance of the proposed control strategy is validated by the simulations of both time domain and frequency domain.