Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motoneuron degeneration after facial nerve avulsion is exacerbated in presymptomatic transgenic rats expressing human mutant Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase

We investigated motoneuron degeneration after proximal nerve injury in presymptomatic transgenic (tg) rats expressing human mutant Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1). The right facial nerves of presymptomatic tg rats expressing human H46R or G93A SOD1 and their non‐tg littermates were avulsed, and facial nuclei were examined at 2 weeks postoperation. Nissl‐stained cell counts revealed that facial motoneuron loss after avulsion was exacerbated in H46R‐ and G93A‐tg rats compared with their non‐tg littermates. The loss of motoneurons in G93A‐tg rats after avulsion was significantly greater than that in H46R‐tg rats. Intense cytoplasmic immunolabeling for SOD1 in injured motoneurons after avulsion was demonstrated in H46R‐ and G93A‐tg rats but not in their littermates. Facial axotomy did not induce significant motoneuron loss nor enhance SOD1 immunoreactivity in these tg rats and non‐tg littermates at 2 weeks postoperation, although both axotomy and avulsion elicited intense immunolabeling for activating transcription factor‐3, phosphorylated c‐Jun, and phosphorylated heat shock protein 27 in injured motoneurons of all these animals. The present data indicate the increased vulnerability of injured motoneurons after avulsion in the presymptomatic mutant SOD1‐tg rats. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A novel, fast and accurate approach for coupling factor computation between square open loop resonators using fuzzy inference method

Coupling factor computation is the first and most important step in filter design process. Extraction of the coupling factor curves versus physical parameters of the coupled resonators, especially when there is no analytical solution, make this process very time consuming and cumbersome. In this paper in order to over come this draw back, a surprisingly fast, accurate and general approach based on fuzzy inference method is introduced to model the coupling factor. The developed method is applied to the coupled square open loop resonators to extract the coupling factor curves. The extracted coupling factor curves are used to design a four pole band pass Chebychev filter. The simulated response of the designed filter is compared with an ideal four pole Chebychev one. There is good agreement between the response of an ideal Chebychev filter and the designed one, while the computing time is vanishingly short.
Epidemiology of diarrhea among expatriate residents living in a highly endemic environment.

OBJECTIVE To determine the etiology of diarrhea among expatriate residents living in a developing country and identify risk factors for travelers' diarrhea that are difficult to evaluate in tourist populations. DESIGN Clinic based case-control study. SETTING Primary care travel medicine clinic in Kathmandu, Nepal. PARTICIPANTS A total of 69 expatriate residents with diarrhea, compared with 120 tourists with diarrhea, and 112 asymptomatic resident and tourist controls, selected systematically during a 1-year period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Risk factors for diarrhea assessed by questionnaire and pathogen prevalence assessed by microbiologic analysis of stool specimens. RESULTS The dominant risk factors for diarrhea among expatriate residents included younger age (P = .003), shorter duration of stay in Nepal (P < .001), and eating out in restaurants (P = .01). Eating raw vegetables, salads, fresh fruit, or ice served in restaurants was not significantly associated with diarrhea. Longer duration of residence was linearly correlated with protection. Enteric pathogens were identified in 44 (64%) of 69 residents with diarrhea compared with 100 (83%) of 120 tourists with diarrhea, with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, and Shigella predominant for both groups. Pathogens were also found in stools from 32 (37%) of 87 asymptomatic resident controls and 13 (52%) of 25 tourist controls. The attack rate of diarrhea among expatriates was estimated to be 49% (95% confidence interval, 37% to 61%) per month during the first 2 years of residence. The highest-risk months were April through July. CONCLUSIONS Diarrhea among expatriates in a highly endemic environment is a persistent risk. The extremely high prevalence of enteric pathogens among asymptomatic persons reflects widespread exposure. The most important risk factors for travellers' diarrhea are difficult to modify, including younger age, duration of stay, eating in restaurants, and seasonality. Preventive dietary recommendations may not be fully protective, suggesting that pretravel advice should emphasize empiric treatment in addition to strategies to avoid exposure.
NEAR Laser Rangefinder: a tool for the mapping and topologic study of asteroid 433 Eros.

n 1999, after a 3-year transit through space, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft will place a scientific payload consisting of five instruments into a low-altitude orbit (≈35 km) about the asteroid 433 Eros for 1 year. One instrument, the NEAR Laser Rangefinder (NLR), will use infrared laser pulses to provide astrophysicists with precision altimetry data, measurements that were previously unavailable from asteroid observations. These data will accurately map Eros’s topology, identify and characterize small-scale surface features, and precisely determine overall volume and mass once they are combined with navigation data. Objectives associated with the NLR science mission are presented along with performance specifications and instrument design details. The method by which NLR performance was analyzed is described, as are tests used to verify its performance and operability. During performance testing, an “end-to-end” test was conducted, where the integrated NLR instrument was operated in free space using a 216.4-m hallway. Test results fully verified all instrument interfaces and indicated that NLR performance parameters were well within all specifications. In addition, range noise and biases were repeatable to 1 count, which is the minimum level possible for a direct-detection rangefinder. (
Designing sustainable futures

This paper discusses how future studies and design could enable a more conscious and participatory engagement in our common future. The starting point being that representations of the future are often done in an abstract and quantitative manner, which hinders a broad engagement, and understanding of the implications of the scenarios presented. We discuss how on-going research including experimental design methodologies can be used to make images of the future more concrete and accessible. Finally, we argue, not only for prototyping as a method to make the ungraspable future more concrete, but foremost for a designerly approach to the most important of all stakes - the future.
Minimum-Congestion Hypergraph Embedding in a Cycle

The minimum-congestion hypergraph embedding in a cycle (MCHEC) problem is to embed the n edges in an m-vertex hypergraph as paths in a cycle on the same number of vertices, such that congestion-the maximum number of paths that use any single edge in the cycle-is minimized. The MCHEC problem has applications in electronic design automation and parallel computing. In this paper, it is proven that the MCHEC problem is NP-complete. An O((nm)/sup k+1/) algorithm is described that computes an embedding with congestion k or determines that such an embedding does not exist. Finally, a linear-time approximation algorithm for arbitrary instances is presented that computes an embedding whose congestion is at most three times optimal.
Cochlear implantation in single-sided deafness for enhancement of sound localization and speech perception

Purpose of reviewTo examine the current literature regarding application of cochlear implantation in patients with single-sided deafness for improvement in sound localization. Recent findingsAs familiarity of the technical and biological capabilities of cochlear implantation improves and criteria for use broaden, investigators have begun examining usage of cochlear implantation in patients with single-sided deafness as a viable solution in attempts to improve sound localization and speech perception. Although studies of such application are limited, from the available published literature, modest benefits have been described in both sound localization and speech perception. Patients consistently report improvement in quality of life after cochlear implantation for single-sided deafness. SummaryAlthough single-sided deafness is not a currently approved indication for cochlear implantation, limited investigational studies to date have demonstrated patient improvement in both sound localization and speech perception.
ON A DUBIOUS THEORY OF CROSS-COUNTRY DIFFERENCES IN INTELLIGENCE

Kanazawa (2007) offers an explanation for the variation across countries of average intelligence. It is based on the idea human intelligence is a domain specific adaptation and that both temperature and the distance from some putative point of origin are proxies for the degree of novelty that humans in a country have experienced. However the argument ignores many other considerations and is a priori weak and the data used questionable. A particular problem is that in calculating distances between countries it implicitly assumes that the earth is flat. This makes all the estimates biased and unreliable.
Smoothing algorithms for mean-flow extraction in large-eddy simulation of complex turbulent flows

Based on physical arguments, the importance of separating the mean-flow from turbulence in the modeling of the subgrid-scale eddy-viscosity is emphasized. Therefore, two distinct time-domain smoothing algorithms are proposed to estimate the mean-flow as the simulation progresses, namely, an exponentially weighted moving average (or exponential smoothing) and an adaptive low-pass Kalman filter. These algorithms highlight the longer-term evolution or cycles of the flow but erase short-term fluctuations. Indeed, it is our assumption that the mean-flow (in the statistical sense) may be approximated as the low-frequency component of the velocity field and that the turbulent part of the flow adds itself to this “unsteady mean. ” The cutoff frequency separating these two components is fixed according to some characteristic time-scale of the flow in the exponential smoothing, but inferred dynamically from the recent history of the flow in the Kalman filter. In practice, these two algorithms are implemented in larg.
Peak detection of GPR data with lifting wavelet transform (LWT)

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a technique based on sending electromagnetic (EM) waves through the structure and then recording the reflected signals, which present at dielectric discontinuities into the structure. Peak detection of GPR data is important for the diagnosis of ground infrastructures. This paper describes the application of lifting wavelet transform (LWT) to detect peaks in GPR signals. These peaks are used to calculate the two-way travel times ti of the EM waves between the antenna and the layers i. Then distances di are calculated from these times. The measured values (distances) are compared with the manually determined values. The performance of peak detection with Lifting Wavelet Transform was evaluated by computing the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The results clearly indicate that this method is perfectly able to estimate thickness within 14.27%, mean average error rate which justifies and validates the model used.
The silent killer: an assessment of level of industrial noise and associated health effects on workers

The aim of this study is to assess the level of industrial noise and associated health effects on workers within the Tema Industrial Area, Ghana. A calibrated noise meter, Integrated Average Sound Level Meter, was used to measure noise emanating from each operating machine from plastic, can, food, and cutlass manufacturing industries within the study area. A structured questionnaire was administered to 98 workers to assess the socio-economic and health related characteristics. The results showed that mean noise levels from all 4 industries was 90.0 dB which exceeded the allowable level of 70 dB recommended for heavy industrial area. The noise levels ranged from 78.0 dB recorded at the food processing to 108.5 dB also from the same place. The results of the survey showed that most workers were aged >30 years. Though most of the workers were aware of the effects of noise on human health, few workers used ear-protecting devices during work period. More than half (63.3%) of workers cannot hear words clearly at normal conversation. It is clear from the study that workers were exposed to noise levels beyond recommended and they were likely to experienced auditory and non-auditory effects of such exposure.
A Review on Effective Requirement Elicitation Techniques

Requirements elicitation (RE) is the most critical phase in requirement engineering. Most of systems fail just because of wrong elicitation practice. Effective techniques are used to determine creative and innovative requirements to understand client's expectation. In this paper, a systematic review on journal and conference publications those are related to effectiveness, effective techniques, requirements Elicitation and empirical evaluation on effective techniques for requirements Elicitation is performed. In the systematic literature review, IEEE, Springer Link and Science Direct are used as a source. Then, relevant search terms are using to search the journals and conference papers (open access articles or archive articles) since 2014 until 2015. The search result is minimized by combining effective and Requirements Elicitation Techniques and then goes through the title and keywords, abstract and selected articles for review using inclusion and exclusion criteria. From the systematic review, the roles of effectiveness are determined and the impacts of effective techniques in requirements Elicitation area are identified.
Null-steering reflectarrays for 5G backhaul networks limited by interference

Future 5G backhaul networks in dense small cell deployments will require high gain antennas with beam- and null-steering capabilities. In this framework this paper analyzes the null-steering capabilities of reflectarray antennas, as a low cost alternative to traditional antenna arrays. In particular, a random search algorithm is used to show that null-steering can be performed even with 1-bit reflectarrays, but that the synthesized null-depth and width is much more sensitive to aperture phase errors than the main beam gain. Multi-feed reflectarrays are then proposed to overcome this sensitivity but at the expense of higher system complexity and cost.
Direct Evidence for a Parietal-Frontal Pathway Subserving Spatial Awareness in Humans

Intraoperative electrical stimulation, which temporarily inactivates restricted regions during brain surgery, can map cognitive functions in humans with spatiotemporal resolution unmatched by other methods. Using this technique, we found that stimulation of the right inferior parietal lobule or the caudal superior temporal gyrus, but not of its rostral portion, determined rightward deviations on line bisection. However, the strongest shifts occurred with subcortical stimulation. Fiber tracking identified the stimulated site as a section of the superior occipitofrontal fasciculus, a poorly known parietal-frontal pathway. These findings suggest that parietal-frontal communication is necessary for the symmetrical processing of the visual scene.
Ideal Three‐Dimensional Electrode Structures for Electrochemical Energy Storage

Three‐dimensional electrodes offer great advantages, such as enhanced ion and electron transport, increased material loading per unit substrate area, and improved mechanical stability upon repeated charge–discharge. The origin of these advantages is discussed and the criteria for ideal 3D electrode structure are outlined. One of the common features of ideal 3D electrodes is the use of a 3D carbon‐ or metal‐based porous framework as the structural backbone and current collector. The synthesis methods of these 3D frameworks and their composites with redox‐active materials are summarized, including transition metal oxides and conducting polymers. The structural characteristics and electrochemical performances are also reviewed. Synthesis of composite 3D electrodes is divided into two types — template‐assisted and template‐free methods — depending on whether a pre‐made template is required. The advantages and drawbacks of both strategies are discussed.
Mechanism and application of capillary-force self-assembly micro/nanofabrication

Self-assembly has attracted increasing attention as an effective strategy for fabrication of functional micro/nanostructures in recent years. Capillary-force as a significant driving force of self-assembly has become a versatile and scalable approach to build complex geometries at the micro/nanoscales. In order to take full advantage of capillary-force to fabricate specific micro/nanoscales devices, we have done a thorough research on the mechanism of capillary-force self-assembly and analyzed the impact factors of micro/nanostructures suffered during the self-assembly process. In the aspect of application, we classified the main assembly methods, micro/nanostructures which can be got and their potential applications. Finally, we indicated that capillary-force self-assembly would have broad utilization in micro/nanofabrication due to its tunability and simplicity. Meanwhile, we put forward some issues that need to be solved in the further research.
Improving Stereo Vision Odometry for Mobile Robots in Outdoor Dynamic Environments

This article presents a method for localization able to provide the pose in 3D using stereo vision. The method offers a better and inexpensive alternative to classical localization methods such as wheel odometry or GPS. Using only a calibrated stereo camera, the method integrates both optical flow based motion computation and SURF features detector for stereo reconstruction and motion computation. Robustness is obtained by finding correspondences using both feature descriptors and RANSAC inlier selection for the reconstructed points. Least squares optimization is used to obtain the final computed motion. World scale pose estimation is obtained by computing successive motion vectors characterized through their orientation and magnitude. The method involves fast algorithms capable to function at real time frequency. We present results supporting global consistency, localization performance and speed as well as the robustness of the approach by testing it in unmodified, real life, very crowded outdoor dynamic environments.
PIM and AKT kinase inhibitors show synergistic cytotoxicity in acute myeloid leukaemia that is associated with convergence on mTOR and MCL1 pathways

PIM kinases (PIM1, 2 and 3) are involved in cell proliferation and survival signalling and are emerging targets for the therapy of various malignancies. We found that a significant proportion of primary acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) samples showed PIM1 and PIM2 expression by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Therefore, we investigated the effects of a novel ATP‐competitive pan‐PIM inhibitor, AZD1897, on AML cell growth and survival. PIM inhibition showed limited single agent activity in AML cell lines and primary AML cells, including those with or without FLT3‐internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutation. However, significant synergy was seen when AZD1897 was combined with the Akt inhibitor AZD5363, a compound that is in early‐phase clinical trials. AML cells from putative leukaemia stem cell subsets, including CD34+38− and CD34+38+ fractions, were equivalently affected by dual PIM/Akt inhibition when compared with bulk tumour cells. Analysis of downstream signalling pathways showed that combined PIM/Akt inhibition downregulated mTOR outputs (phosphorylation of 4EBP1 and S6) and markedly reduced levels of the anti‐apoptotic protein MCL1. The combination of PIM and Akt inhibition holds promise for the treatment of AML.
GROWTH AND PRODUCTION OF TROPANE ALKALOIDS BY CELL SUSPENSION CUTURES OF HYOSCYAMUS ALBUS

Cell suspension of Hyoscyamus a/bus L. were investigated for growth and production of tropane alkaloids in three different media. The effects of sucrose concentration and initial pH were also studied. 2,4Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 1% sucrose enhanced the production of tropane alkaloids. The percent of alkaloids (0.75%) was higher than in the cultivated plant (0.352 %).
Institutional Repository Human activity recognition for physical rehabilitation

The recognition of human activity is a challenging topic for machine learning. We present an analysis of Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Random Forests (RF) in their ability to accurately classify Kinect kinematic activities. Twenty participants were captured using the Microsoft Kinect performing ten physical rehabilitation activities. We extracted the kinematic location, velocity and energy of the skeletal joints at each frame of the activity to form a feature vector. Principle Component Analysis (PCA) was applied as a pre-processing step to reduce dimensionality and identify significant features amongst activity classes. SVM and RF are then trained on the PCA feature space to assess classification performance; we undertook an incremental increase in the dataset size. We analyse the classification accuracy, model training and classification time quantitatively at each incremental increase. The experimental results demonstrate that RF outperformed SVM in classification rate for six out of the ten activities. Although SVM has performance advantages in training time, RF would be more suited to real-time activity classification due to its low classification time and high classification accuracy when using eight to ten participants in the training set.
Annular Anionic Lipids Stabilize the Integrin αIIbβ3 Transmembrane Complex*

Background: Anionic lipids compete for electrostatic interaction in membrane proteins. Results: Despite competition, anionic lipids stabilize the integrin αIIbβ3 transmembrane complex. Conclusion: Stabilizing anionic lipid-protein interactions exist and supersede destabilizing effects. Significance: Anionic lipid-mediated stabilization of membrane proteins may be of a general nature. Cationic membrane-proximal amino acids determine the topology of membrane proteins by interacting with anionic lipids that are restricted to the intracellular membrane leaflet. This mechanism implies that anionic lipids interfere with electrostatic interactions of membrane proteins. The integrin αIIbβ3 transmembrane (TM) complex is stabilized by a membrane-proximal αIIb(Arg995)-β3(Asp723) interaction; here, we examine the influence of anionic lipids on this complex. Anionic lipids compete for αIIb(Arg995) contacts with β3(Asp723) but paradoxically do not diminish the contribution of αIIb(Arg995)-β3(Asp723) to TM complex stability. Overall, anionic lipids in annular positions stabilize the αIIbβ3 TM complex by up to 0.50 ± 0.02 kcal/mol relative to zwitterionic lipids in a headgroup structure-dependent manner. Comparatively, integrin receptor activation requires TM complex destabilization of 1.5 ± 0.2 kcal/mol, revealing a sizeable influence of lipid composition on TM complex stability. We implicate changes in lipid headgroup accessibility to small molecules (physical membrane characteristics) and specific but dynamic protein-lipid contacts in this TM helix-helix stabilization. Thus, anionic lipids in ubiquitous annular positions can benefit the stability of membrane proteins while leaving membrane-proximal electrostatic interactions intact.