Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A New Class of Robust Two-Sample Wald-Type Tests

Abstract Parametric hypothesis testing associated with two independent samples arises frequently in several applications in biology, medical sciences, epidemiology, reliability and many more. In this paper, we propose robust Wald-type tests for testing such two sample problems using the minimum density power divergence estimators of the underlying parameters. In particular, we consider the simple two-sample hypothesis concerning the full parametric homogeneity as well as the general two-sample (composite) hypotheses involving some nuisance parameters. The asymptotic and theoretical robustness properties of the proposed Wald-type tests have been developed for both the simple and general composite hypotheses. Some particular cases of testing against one-sided alternatives are discussed with specific attention to testing the effectiveness of a treatment in clinical trials. Performances of the proposed tests have also been illustrated numerically through appropriate real data examples.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis–specific quality of life–short form (ALSSQOL‐SF): A brief, reliable, and valid version of the ALSSQOL‐R

Introduction: The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)‐Specific Quality of Life instrument and its revised version (ALSSQOL and ALSSQOL‐R) have strong psychometric properties, and have demonstrated research and clinical utility. In this study we aimed to develop a short form (ALSSQOL‐SF) suitable for limited clinic time and patient stamina. Methods: The ALSSQOL‐SF was created using Item Response Theory and confirmatory factor analysis on 389 patients. A cross‐validation sample of 162 patients assessed convergent, divergent, and construct validity of the ALSSQOL‐SF compared with psychosocial and physical functioning measures. Results: The ALSSQOL‐SF consisted of 20 items. Compared with the ALSSQOL‐R, optimal precision was retained, and completion time was reduced from 15–25 minutes to 2–4 minutes. Psychometric properties for the ALSSQOL‐SF and its subscales were strong. Discussion: The ALSSQOL‐SF is a disease‐specific global QOL instrument that has a short administration time suitable for clinical use, and can provide clinically useful, valid information about persons with ALS. Muscle Nerve 58: 646–654, 2018
Validity of the RSA-RANDOM Test for Young Soccer Players

Abstract The present study aimed to examine the reliability, usefulness, responsiveness, age-related differences and construct validity of a novel decision-making RSA test (RSA-RANDOM test) in young soccer players. Twenty-five young male soccer players performed the RSA-RANDOM test on 2 occasions separated by 5–7 days to assess test-retest reliability and determine a priori usefulness. Furthermore, the same players executed the RSA-RANDOM test 4 times throughout the season to analyse responsiveness. Forty-five players (U–13 to U–17) were evaluated in such test to examine age-related differences. Finally, 9 players were used to determine the construct validity of the test. Reliability scores showed a high intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC=0.88 to 0.90) and low coefficient of variation (CV=1.0–1.2%). The responsiveness of the RSA-RANDOM test was good, as the typical short- (1.2–1.9%), mid- (1.4–2.4%) and long-term (2.3–3.2%) changes in RSA-RANDOM performance were higher than the CV. Age-related differences analysis showed better RSA-RANDOM performance as age increased in young soccer players. Low (r=−0.50) to moderate (r=−0.75) relationships were found between the RSA-RANDOM test variables (RSA best and mean times) with high-intensity and total distance covered, respectively. A novel decision-making RSA test (RSA-RANDOM) has shown to be reliable and valid in young soccer players.
Muscle endurance deficits in myositis patients despite normal manual muscle testing scores

Introduction: It is unclear whether quantitating muscle endurance adds nonredundant information useful for the care of patients with muscular disease. Methods: Records were retrospectively reviewed for all Johns Hopkins Myositis Center patients with a muscle endurance assessment (n = 128, 226 patient‐visits). Muscle endurance and strength were quantitated with the Myositis Functional Index‐2 (FI2) and manual muscle testing (MMT), respectively. Results: Composite FI2 muscle endurance scores were comparable in inclusion body myositis (n = 58), dermatomyositis (n = 31), and polymyositis (n = 39). Overall, muscle endurance correlated with and evolved similarly to strength, inversely to serum creatine kinase. However, in patients with normal or near‐normal strength (mean MMT > 9.75/10), muscle endurance was typically abnormal and highly variable (mean FI2, 5.6/10; interquartile range, 3.3‐7.8/10). Discussion: Muscle endurance testing may identify muscle impairment inadequately described by MMT, particularly in patients with high MMT scores. Muscle Nerve 59:70–75, 2019
Planar cell polarity gene Fuz triggers apoptosis in neurodegenerative disease models

Planar cell polarity (PCP) describes a cell–cell communication process through which individual cells coordinate and align within the plane of a tissue. In this study, we show that overexpression of Fuz, a PCP gene, triggers neuronal apoptosis via the dishevelled/Rac1 GTPase/MEKK1/JNK/caspase signalling axis. Consistent with this finding, endogenous Fuz expression is upregulated in models of polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases and in fibroblasts from spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) patients. The disruption of this upregulation mitigates polyQ‐induced neurodegeneration in Drosophila. We show that the transcriptional regulator Yin Yang 1 (YY1) associates with the Fuz promoter. Overexpression of YY1 promotes the hypermethylation of Fuz promoter, causing transcriptional repression of Fuz. Remarkably, YY1 protein is recruited to ATXN3‐Q84 aggregates, which reduces the level of functional, soluble YY1, resulting in Fuz transcriptional derepression and induction of neuronal apoptosis. Furthermore, Fuz transcript level is elevated in amyloid beta‐peptide, Tau and α‐synuclein models, implicating its potential involvement in other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Taken together, this study unveils a generic Fuz‐mediated apoptotic cell death pathway in neurodegenerative disorders.
Closed-loop insulin delivery: current status of diabetes technologies and future prospects

ABSTRACT Introduction: Type 1 diabetes is characterised by destruction of pancreatic beta cells, leading to insulin deficiency and hyperglycaemia. The mainstay of treatment remains lifelong insulin therapy as a sustainable cure has as yet proven elusive. The burden of daily management of type 1 diabetes has contributed to suboptimal outcomes for people living with the condition. Innovative technological approaches have been shown to improve glycaemic and patient-related outcomes. Areas covered: We discuss recent advances in technologies in type 1 diabetes including closed-loop systems, also known as the 'artificial pancreas. Its various components, technical aspects and limitations are reviewed. We also discuss its advent into clinical practice, and other systems in development. Evidence from clinical studies are summarised. Expert commentary: The recent approval of a hybrid closed-loop system for clinical use highlights the significant progress made in this field. Results from clinical studies have shown safety and glycaemic benefit, however challenges remain around improving performance and acceptability. More data is required to establish long-term clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness, to fulfil the expectations of people with type 1 diabetes.
Physical Activity, Well-Being, and the Basic Psychological Needs: Adopting the SDT Model of Eudaimonia in a Post-Cardiac Rehabilitation Sample.

BACKGROUND The theoretical conceptualisation of hedonic (HWB; pleasure) and eudaimonic (EWB; meaning) well-being has rarely been examined among cardiac rehabilitation (CR) graduates, including its relationship with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). First, this study examined the potential bidirectional relationship between MVPA and HWB/EWB. Second, this study tested the self-determination theory (SDT) model of eudaimonia where MVPA was set to predict the model's pathway between eudaimonic motives (seeking meaning), the basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), and both types of well-being. METHODS Individuals who completed a CR program within the last five years (N = 57) answered well-being and basic psychological needs questionnaires and wore an accelerometer to measure MVPA at baseline and three months later. RESULTS MVPA predicted changes in both HWB (β = .13) and EWB (β = .13) three months later. Only the EWB-MVPA relationship (β = .16) approached significance, hinting at a bidirectional relationship. The SDT model of eudaimonia was supported and MVPA had a moderate to small relationship with eudaimonic motives. CONCLUSION This study showed a potential bidirectional relationship between MVPA and EWB and tested the SDT model of eudaimonia with MVPA in post-cardiac rehabilitation. Future interventions could look to simultaneously promote eudaimonia and MVPA among this population.
miR-34a Promotes Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Calcification by Downregulating SIRT1 (Sirtuin 1) and Axl (AXL Receptor Tyrosine Kinase)

Objective— Vascular calcification (VC) is age dependent and a risk factor for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. VC involves the senescence-induced transdifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) toward an osteochondrogenic lineage resulting in arterial wall mineralization. miR-34a increases with age in aortas and induces vascular SMC senescence through the modulation of its target SIRT1 (sirtuin 1). In this study, we aimed to investigate whether miR-34a regulates VC. Approach and Results— We found that miR-34a and Runx2 (Runt-related transcription factor 2) expression correlates in young and old mice. Mir34a+/+ and Mir34a−/− mice were treated with vitamin D, and calcium quantification revealed that Mir34a deficiency reduces soft tissue and aorta medial calcification and the upregulation of the VC Sox9 (SRY [sex-determining region Y]-box 9) and Runx2 and the senescence p16 and p21 markers. In this model, miR-34a upregulation was transient and preceded aorta mineralization. Mir34a−/− SMCs were less prone to undergo senescence and under osteogenic conditions deposited less calcium compared with Mir34a+/+ cells. Furthermore, unlike in Mir34a+/+ SMC, the known VC inhibitors SIRT1 and Axl (AXL receptor tyrosine kinase) were only partially downregulated in calcifying Mir34a−/− SMC. Strikingly, constitutive miR-34a overexpression to senescence-like levels in human aortic SMCs increased calcium deposition and enhanced Axl and SIRT1 decrease during calcification. Notably, we also showed that miR-34a directly decreased Axl expression in human aortic SMC, and restoration of its levels partially rescued miR-34a-dependent growth arrest. Conclusions— miR-34a promotes VC via vascular SMC mineralization by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing senescence through direct Axl and SIRT1 downregulation, respectively. This miRNA could be a good therapeutic target for the treatment of VC.
The actin cortex at a glance

ABSTRACT Precisely controlled cell deformations are key to cell migration, division and tissue morphogenesis, and have been implicated in cell differentiation during development, as well as cancer progression. In animal cells, shape changes are primarily driven by the cellular cortex, a thin actomyosin network that lies directly underneath the plasma membrane. Myosin-generated forces create tension in the cortical network, and gradients in tension lead to cellular deformations. Recent studies have provided important insight into the molecular control of cortical tension by progressively unveiling cortex composition and organization. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster, we review our current understanding of cortex composition and architecture. We then discuss how the microscopic properties of the cortex control cortical tension. While many open questions remain, it is now clear that cortical tension can be modulated through both cortex composition and organization, providing multiple levels of regulation for this key cellular property during cell and tissue morphogenesis. Summary: A summary of the composition, architecture, mechanics and function of the cellular actin cortex, which determines the shape of animal cells, and, thus, provides the foundation for cell and tissue morphogenesis.
Strengthening the One Health Agenda: The Role of Molecular Epidemiology in Aspergillus Threat Management

The United Nations’ One Health initiative advocates the collaboration of multiple sectors within the global and local health authorities toward the goal of better public health management outcomes. The emerging global health threat posed by Aspergillus species is an example of a management challenge that would benefit from the One Health approach. In this paper, we explore the potential role of molecular epidemiology in Aspergillus threat management and strengthening of the One Health initiative. Effective management of Aspergillus at a public health level requires the development of rapid and accurate diagnostic tools to not only identify the infecting pathogen to species level, but also to the level of individual genotype, including drug susceptibility patterns. While a variety of molecular methods have been developed for Aspergillus diagnosis, their use at below-species level in clinical settings has been very limited, especially in resource-poor countries and regions. Here we provide a framework for Aspergillus threat management and describe how molecular epidemiology and experimental evolution methods could be used for predicting resistance through drug exposure. Our analyses highlight the need for standardization of loci and methods used for molecular diagnostics, and surveillance across Aspergillus species and geographic regions. Such standardization will enable comparisons at national and global levels and through the One Health approach, strengthen Aspergillus threat management efforts.
Relative CNN-RNN: Learning Relative Atmospheric Visibility From Images

We propose a deep learning approach for directly estimating relative atmospheric visibility from outdoor photos without relying on weather images or data that require expensive sensing or custom capture. Our data-driven approach capitalizes on a large collection of Internet images to learn rich scene and visibility varieties. The relative CNN–RNN coarse-to-fine model, where CNN stands for convolutional neural network and RNN stands for recurrent neural network, exploits the joint power of relative support vector machine, which has a good ranking representation, and the data-driven deep learning features derived from our novel CNN–RNN model. The CNN–RNN model makes use of shortcut connections to bridge a CNN module and an RNN coarse-to-fine module. The CNN captures the global view while the RNN simulates human’s attention shift, namely, from the whole image (global) to the farthest discerned region (local). The learned relative model can be adapted to predict absolute visibility in limited scenarios. Extensive experiments and comparisons are performed to verify our method. We have built an annotated dataset consisting of about 40000 images with 0.2 million human annotations. The large-scale, annotated visibility data set will be made available to accompany this paper.
Distributed $H_\infty$ Filtering for Switched Stochastic Delayed Systems Over Sensor Networks With Fading Measurements

This paper is concerned with the problem of distributed <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${H}_{{\infty }}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> filtering for switched stochastic time-delay systems with fading measurements over sensor networks. The underlying target plants are subject to fading measurements where the fading rates are described by continuous-time random variables with known statistical properties dependent on the system modes. The adjacency matrices characterizing the topology of the sensor networks are also allowed to be mode-dependent. Based on the multiple Lyapunov functional approach and average dwell-time concept, the distributed <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${H}_{{\infty }}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> filter is designed by means of the convex optimization scheme. A dedicated technique is developed via a simple algebraic equality in order to avoid solving a transcendental equation used in the existing results. With the designed filter, the error dynamics of the state estimation is guaranteed to have the mean-square exponential stability with a prescribed <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${H}_{{\infty }}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> disturbance attenuation level. Finally, a numerical example is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.
Estrategias para mejorar la fertilidad en bovinos: Inseminación artificial después del estro versus inseminación artificial a tiempo fijo

Actualmente la inseminación artificial (AI) es la técnica más usada en el mundo para diseminar la genética superior y para mejorar la eficiencia reproductiva en hatos bovinos. No obstante, los reportes de diferentes partes del mundo indican una performance de baja tasa de preñez post inseminación, debido a errores en la detección de celo o una alta incidencia de anestros. En ganado lechero, el uso de AI seguido de una detección visual de celo es relativamente simple para su aplicación en un programa de manejo rutinario e intensivo (ordeños 2 a 3 veces por día), permitiendo un frecuente contacto con vacas en celo. Sin embargo, en ganado de carne, la implementación de programas de AI basados en detección de celo es difícil por el sistema de manejos de estos animales. Las vacas de carne son frecuentemente criadas en condiciones extensivas, con grandes distancias entre las zonas de pastoreo y el lugar de inseminación artificial, asimismo el número de operarios para el manejo es el mínimo y con funciones adicionales al manejo reproductivo. El programa de IA con celo natural requiere mínimo el manejo de dos peridos de observación de celo por día y la conducción de la vaca al lugar de inseminación dentro de las 12h siguientes a la detección de celo. El desarrollo de la inseminación a tiempo fijo en vacas a escala comercial permite programar un nuero grande de inseminaciones en pocos días, sin la necesidad de detección de estro. Asimismo, el uso de TAI en los días post parto temprano en ganado chero y carne reduce el intervalo parto concepción y consecuentemente el intervalo entre partos, lo cual causa un efecto dramático en el retorno económico. En ganado de carne la inseminación a tiempo fijo, tiene la ventaja de concentrar a las hembras en su mejor momento de fertilidad y estimulando la ciclicidad y sincronización de estros en vacas vacías. Otra de las ventajas, es que los partos son concentrados en el mejor periodo del año para generar un nacimiento exitoso con una potencialidad de desarrollo. La inseminación a tiempo fijo es una herramienta muy importante para mejorar la performance reproductiva en ganado lechero. Una adecuada incorporación de los programas de AI tienen el potencial de mejorar la fertilidad y consecuente incrementar la productividad.
Binary Codification Design for Compressive Imaging by Uniform Sensing

Recently, an important set of high dimensional signals (HDS) applications has successfully implemented compressive sensing (CS) sensors in which their efficiency depends on physical elements that perform a binary codification over the HDS. The structure of the binary codification is crucial as it determines the HDS sensing matrices. For a correct reconstruction, this class of matrices drastically differs from the dense or i.i. d. assumptions usually made in CS. Therefore, current CS matrix design algorithms are impractical. This paper proposes a novel strategy to design structured, sparse, and binary HDS measurement matrices based on promoting linear independence between rows by minimizing the number of its zero singular values. The design constraints lead to keep uniform both, the number of non-zero elements per row and also the number of non-zero elements per column. An algorithm based on an optimal selection of non-zero entries positions is developed to implement this strategy. Simulations show that the proposed optimization improves the quality of the reconstructed HDS in up to 8 dB of PSNR compared with non-optimized matrices.
Multilevel Feature Representation of FDG-PET Brain Images for Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease

Using a single imaging modality to diagnose Alzheimer's disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a challenging task. FluoroDeoxyGlucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET) is an important and effective modality used for that purpose. In this paper, we develop a novel method by using single modality (FDG-PET) but multilevel feature, which considers both region properties and connectivities between regions to classify AD or MCI from normal control. First, three levels of features are extracted: statistical, connectivity, and graph-based features. Then, the connectivity features are decomposed into three different sets of features according to a proposed similarity-driven ranking method, which can not only reduce the feature dimension but also increase the classifier's diversity. Last, after feeding the three levels of features to different classifiers, a new classifier selection strategy, maximum Mean squared Error (mMsE), is developed to select a pair of classifiers with high diversity. In order to do the majority voting, a decision-making scheme, a nested cross validation technique is applied to choose another classifier according to the accuracy. Experiments on Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database show that the proposed method outperforms most FDG-PET-based classification algorithms, especially for classifying progressive MCI (pMCI) from stable MCI (sMCI).
Finding the sweet spot via personalised Achilles tendon training: the future is within reach

Musculoskeletal tissues, including tendon, are sensitive to their mechanical environment, with both excessive and insufficient loading resulting in reduced tissue strength. Although further research is required to elucidate the specific loading conditions (ie, magnitude, duration, frequency and rate) that maximise tendon adaptation, in vitro 1 2 and in vivo 3–6 evidence indicates tendon has an optimal range or ‘sweet spot’7 within which mechanical loading promotes positive tissue adaptation or homeostasis, with either too much or too little loading being detrimental (figure 1). In vitro bioreactor studies of rabbit Achilles tendon have shown that continuous 8 hours/day for 6 days of 6% cyclic strain at 0.25 Hz maintains1 and promotes2 tendon health, but the same duration and frequency with strain magnitude of 3% and 9% disrupted the extracellular matrix. Tendons that were load-deprived for 12 days increased their expression of collagen of inferior material properties (ie, type III) and had diminished mechanical performance. Health of these load-deprived tendons, represented by increased expression of type I collagen, was restored following the same loading regime (6 days, 8 hours/day, magnitude 6%, 0.25 Hz). In vivo studies have also systematically modulated Achilles tendon training regime by varying strain magnitude,3 6 8 duration,6 rate6 and frequency.3 6 Training at a frequency of 0.17 Hz and strain magnitude of 6.5% resulted in superior …