Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moraxella catarrhalis is internalized in respiratory epithelial cells by a trigger‐like mechanism and initiates a TLR2‐ and partly NOD1‐dependent inflammatory immune response

Moraxella catarrhalis is an important pathogen in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). While M. catarrhalis has been categorized as an extracellular bacterium so far, the potential to invade human respiratory epithelium has not yet been explored. Our results obtained by electron and confocal microscopy demonstrated a considerable potential of M. catarrhalis to invade bronchial epithelial (BEAS‐2B) cells, type II pneumocytes (A549) and primary small airway epithelial cells (SAEC). Moraxella invasion was dependent on cellular microfilament as well as on bacterial viability, and characterized by macropinocytosis leading to the formation of lamellipodia and engulfment of the invading organism into macropinosomes, thus indicating a trigger‐like uptake mechanism. In addition, the cells examined expressed TLR2 as well as NOD1, a recently found cytosolic protein implicated in the intracellular recognition of bacterial cell wall components. Importantly, inhibition of TLR2 or NOD1 expression by RNAi significantly reduced the M. catarrhalis‐induced IL‐8 secretion. The role of TLR2 and NOD1 was further confirmed by overexpression assays in HEK293 cells. Overall, M. catarrhalis may employ lung epithelial cell invasion to colonize and to infect the respiratory tract, nonetheless, the bacteria are recognized by cell surface TLR2 and the intracellular surveillance molecule NOD1.
Asynchronous adaptive conditioning for visual–inertial SLAM

This paper is concerned with real-time monocular visual–inertial simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). In particular a tightly coupled nonlinear-optimization-based solution that can match the global optimal result in real time is proposed. The methodology is motivated by the requirement to produce a scale-correct visual map, in an optimization framework that is able to incorporate relocalization and loop closure constraints. Special attention is paid to achieve robustness to many real world difficulties, including degenerate motions and unobservablity. A variety of helpful techniques are used, including: a relative manifold representation, a minimal-state inverse depth parameterization, and robust non-metric initialization and tracking. Importantly, to enable real-time operation and robustness, a novel numerical dog-leg solver is presented that employs multi-threaded, asynchronous, adaptive conditioning. In this approach, the conditioning edges of the SLAM graph are adaptively identified and solved for both synchronously and asynchronously. In this way one thread focuses on a small number of temporally immediate parameters and hence constitute a natural “front-end”; the other thread adaptively focuses on larger portions of the SLAM problem, and hence is able to re-estimate past parameters in the presence of new information: an ability that is useful for self-calibration, during degenerate motions, or when bias and the direction of gravity are poorly observed. Experiments with real and simulated data for both indoor and outdoor scenarios demonstrate that asynchronous adaptive conditioning is accurate, and able to closely track the batch SLAM maximum likelihood solution in real time.
An Approach to Refine Translation Candidates for Emotion Estimation in Japanese-English Language

Researches on emotion estimation from text mostly use machine learning method. Because machine learning requires a large amount of example corpora, how to acquire high quality training data has been discussed as one of its major problems. The existing language resources include emotion corpora; however, they are not available if the language is different. Constructing bilingual corpus manually is also financially difficult. We propose a method to convert a training data into different language using an existing Japanese-English parallel emotion corpus. With a bilingual dictionary, the translation candidates are extracted against every word of each sentence included in the corpus. Then the extracted translation candidates are narrowed down into a set of words that highly contribute to emotion estimation and we used the set of words as training data. As the result of the evaluation experiment using the training data created by our proposed method, the accuracy of emotion estimation increased up to 66.7% in Naive Bayes. 1 INTRODUCTION Recently, there have been many researches on emotion estimation from text in the field of sentiment analysis or opinion mining (Ren, 2009), (Ren and Quan, 2015), (Ren and Wu, 2013), (Quan and Ren, 2010), (Quan and Ren, 2014), (Ren and Matsumoto, 2015) and many of them adopted machine learning methods that used words as a feature. When the type of the target sentence for emotion estimation and the type of the sentence prepared as training data are different, as in the case of terminology in the problem of domain adaptation for document classification, the appearance tendency of the emotion words differs. This causes a problem in fluctuation of accuracy. On the other hand, when a word is used as a feature for emotion estimation, the sentence structure does not have to be considered. As a result, it is easy to apply the method to other languages. Only if we prepare a large number of corpora with annotation of emotion tags on each sentence, emotion would be easily estimated by using the machine learning method. In the machine learning method, because manual definition of a rule is not necessary, we can reduce costs to apply the method to other languages. However, just like the problem in the domain, depending on the
Depressive symptoms in oldest-old women: risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

OBJECTIVES Increasing evidence suggests that depression is a risk factor for cognitive impairment, but it is unclear if this is true among the oldest old. We determined whether elevated depressive symptoms predicted 5-year incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, and neuropsychological test performance among oldest-old women. DESIGN Prospective. SETTING Three study sites. PARTICIPANTS 302 women ≥85 years (mean, 87 ± 2). MEASUREMENTS Depressive symptoms were measured with the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS); scores of 6 or more indicated elevated symptoms. Five years later, participants completed neuropsychological testing and clinical cognitive status was adjudicated. RESULTS In analyses of MCI versus normal cognition, 70% of women with GDS score 6 or more at baseline developed MCI versus 37% with GDS score less than 6. After adjustment for age, education, alcohol, and benzodiazepine use, and study site, GDS score 6 or more remained independently associated with much greater likelihood of developing MCI (multivariable odds ratio [MOR] = 3.71, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.30-10.59). In analyses of dementia versus normal cognition, 65% of women with GDS score 6 or more developed dementia compared with 37% of those with GDS score less than 6 (MOR = 3.15, 95% CI: 1.03-9.65). Only 19% of women with GDS score 6 or more had normal cognitive status 5 years later, compared with 46% of those with GDS score less than 6 (MOR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.11-0.73). Women with elevated depressive symptoms had worse scores on tests of global cognition and working memory. CONCLUSION Elevated depressive symptoms are an important risk factor for cognitive disorders and lower cognitive performance among women living to their ninth and tenth decades.
Store-and-forward data communications using small terminals and microsatellites

While most interest in constellations of satellites in low Earth orbit has been for systems providing global mobile or fixed broadband communication services, there is also a role for small, inexpensive systems providing specialized services. At the smallest level this is represented by a single microsatellite offering a "store and forward" or messaging service for users who require regular low to medium volume data transfers. We describe the major characteristics of a typical store-and-forward system and outline some of the technological challenges that designers face. We provide a justification for using on-board buffering and focus on the selection of an appropriate channel multiple access scheme that offers certain advantages over conventional Aloha random access.
A Single Chip Implementation of AES Cipher and Whirlpool Hash Function

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is adopted as the standard for symmetric key cryptosystem. Hash functions are used as building blocks in various cryptographic applications. Whirlpool is one of the best known hash function reported in the literature. Many hardware based implementations of AES and Whirlpool have been proposed on separate chips. This paper presents an efficient hardware design for the AES and Whirlpool algorithm on a single chip which reduces the overall chip area. The design is implemented in verilog and synthesized using Xilinx ISE 10.1.
Yield optimization via trust region and quadratic interpolation algorithm

Fluctuations in manufactured circuit parameters may dramatically reduce the parametric yield. Yield maximization can be formulated as an unconstrained optimization problem. The high expense of yield evaluations, the absence of any gradient information, and the presence of some numerical noise obstruct the traditional derivative-based optimizers. In this paper we present a yield maximization algorithm that consists of a nonderivative unconstrained optimizer coupled with a variance reduction technique. The used optimizer combines trust region mechanism with quadratic interpolation and requires few yield evaluations. The stratified sampling technique is used to develop a lower variance yield estimator that reduces the number of circuit simulations required to reach a desired accuracy level. Numerical and practical circuit examples are used to investigate the proposed algorithm.
Treatment Mitigation Strategies for Poly-and Perfluoroalkyl Substances [ Project # 4322 ]

Polyand perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs, commonly referred to as perfluorinated chemicals or PFCs) are a class of anthropogenic chemicals with past and current uses in industrial processes and consumer products. One of the most frequently utilized classes of PFASs are the perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), where their structure consists of a completely fluorinated carbon chain of varying length and a charged functional group, such as carboxylic or sulfonic acid. The PFAAs are extremely resistant to degradation and occur in many environmental media worldwide. Unlike most other persistent and bioaccumulative organic pollutants, PFAAs are water-soluble and are commonly detected in drinking water sources. PFAAs can be found in source waters via industrial releases, discharges from wastewater treatment plants, street and stormwater runoff, release of aqueous firefighting foams, and the land application of biosolids. Several PFAAs have human half-lives of several years and are detected ubiquitously in human serum. Even relatively low drinking water concentrations of biologically persistent PFAAs can substantially increase total human exposure. Human exposure to PFAAs is associated with numerous health effects in the general population, communities with contaminated drinking water, and/or workers exposed through the production of PFAAs. In experimental animals, PFAAs cause hepatic, developmental, immune, neurobehavioral, endocrine, and metabolic toxicity, with similarities and differences in toxicological effects and varying potencies among the individual compounds. PFAAs are present in human breast milk and umbilical cord blood, and serum levels in infants and children are generally higher than in adults. These prenatal and early-life exposures are relevant to potential developmental effects, which are sensitive endpoints for toxicity for some PFAAs. A few states, including Minnesota and New Jersey, have issued regulatory standards or guidance values for chronic exposure to one or more PFAAs in drinking water. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed Provisional Health Advisories for shortterm exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in drinking water, and is currently developing Lifetime (chronic) Health Advisories. EPA is also considering
Bow-tie patch antenna with complementary edge couple split ring resonator (EC-SRR) for 2.4 GHz application

This paper investigates the effect of the complementary, split ring resonator (CSRR) structure on a bow-tie patch antenna. This CSRR structure potentially reduces the size of the patch antenna by shifted to the lower frequency. This proposed antenna has been designed for wireless LAN communication at 2.4 GHz. Firstly, the work is designing the antenna (without and with CSRR) using CST Microwave Studio where it involves a matching network with the microstrip transmission line feeding. Then, the reflection coefficient magnitudes performance of the simulation had been compared with the fabricated antenna. The reflection coefficient magnitudes of the antenna are − 30.700 dB and 3.85 dB of gain.
Efficiency of traps for Stomoxys calcitrans and Stomoxys niger niger on Reunion Island

Abstract The main objective of this study was to compare the trapping efficiency of two Alsynite sticky traps (modified Williams and modified Broce) and two phtalogen blue cloth traps (Vavoua and Nzi) to be used in an integrated control programme of Stomoxys spp. (Diptera: Muscidae) on Reunion Island. Mean daily catches of these flies on two dairy farms differed significantly between the four types of trap. The Broce trap was the least efficient and had the lowest specificity for Stomoxys spp. The Vavoua, Nzi and Williams traps performed significantly better but could not be ranked on the basis of the numbers of Stomoxys caught because their respective performances differed between farms. Given the various practical criteria, it is concluded that, as control tools, blue cloth traps (Vavoua and Nzi) have practical advantages over the Williams trap. The Vavoua trap, which is less expensive and easier to use for farmers, seems adequate to complement other methods of fly control on Reunion Island.
The effect of spine morphology on rapid acceleration in quadruped robots

An actuated spine appears to be a critical component for maneuverability in quadruped animals. However, robotic systems have yet to capitalize on this mechanism. This research compares three different spine morphologies in the planar case, namely the rigid, revolute and prismatic spine. Using a wide range of robots sampled from the design space (200 robots sampled at random), large-scale trajectory optimization (60 seed points per robot per spine morphology) was used to determine the best spine morphology in terms of stride averaged acceleration. Bootstrapping was performed on the results to achieve a better statistical representation and this revealed that for 75% of the robots, a prismatic spine design is the most effective at rapid acceleration, followed by the revolute spine at 6% and rigid spine at 18%.
Choline acetyltransferase activity in murine thymus

Murine thymus has been demonstrated to contain both cholinergic receptors and acetylcholinesterase activity. In the present study we have investigated the presence of the enzyme choline acetyltransferase in this organ, which is responsible for the synthesis of acetylcholine. Results reported here demonstrate that (1) an appreciable amount of the enzyme is already present in the thymus on the day of birth; (2) its expression is developmentally regulated; and (3) thymic atrophy, induced in young (2‐week‐old) and adult (6‐week‐old) mice by i.p. injection of hydrocortisone for 2 days, is accompanied by significant reduction of choline acetyltransferase activity only in young mice.
Hepatocellular carcinoma in alcoholic liver disease: No evidence for a pathogenetic role of hepatitis B virus infection

Hepatocellular carcinoma tissues from HBsAg‐negative patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease were investigated for the presence of hepatitis B virus DNA. Southern blot analyses of DNA extracted from the hepatocellular carcinomas were negative for hepatitis B virus DNA in all 17 patients examined, at a level of sensitivity of less than 0.01 genome equivalent per cell. Similarly, in liver tissues from another 30 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis without hepatocellular carcinoma, no hepatitis B virus DNA was detectable. We conclude that in our patients there is no molecular evidence for a contribution of hepatitis B virus infection to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in alcoholic liver disease.
Kremen proteins interact with Dickkopf1 to regulate anteroposterior CNS patterning

A gradient of Wnt/β-catenin signalling formed by posteriorising Wnts and anteriorising Wnt antagonists regulates anteroposterior (AP) patterning of the central nervous system (CNS) during Xenopus gastrulation. In this process, the secreted Wnt antagonist Dkk1 functions in the Spemann organiser and its anterior derivatives by blocking Wnt receptors of the lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) 5 and 6 class. In addition to LRP6, Dkk1 interacts with another recently identified receptor class, the transmembrane proteins Kremen1 (Krm1) and Kremen2 (Krm2) to synergistically inhibit LRP6. We have investigated the role of Krm1 and Krm2 during early Xenopus embryogenesis. Consistent with a role in zygotic Wnt inhibition, overexpressed Krm anteriorises embryos and rescues embryos posteriorised by Wnt8. Antisense morpholino oligonucleotide (Mo) knockdown of Krm1 and Krm2 leads to deficiency of anterior neural development. In this process, Krm proteins functionally interact with Dkk1: (1) in axis duplication assays krm2 synergises with dkk1 in inhibiting Wnt/LRP6 signalling; (2) krm2 rescues microcephalic embryos induced by injection of inhibitory anti-Dkk1 antibodies; and (3) injection of krm1/2 antisense Mo enhances microcephaly induced by inhibitory anti-Dkk1 antibodies. The results indicate that Krm proteins function in a Wnt inhibition pathway regulating early AP patterning of the CNS.
Strengths of artificial neural networks in modeling complex plant processes

Commonly, simple mathematical models can not be used to describe exactly the biological processes due to their higher complexity. In fact, most biological interactions cannot be elucidated by a simple stepwise algorithm or a precise formula, particularly when the data are complex or noisy. ANNs allows an accurate description of those kind of biological processes in plant science, offering new advantages over traditional treatments as the possibility of a model, prediction and optimize results. Different kind of data can be analyzed using a unique and “easy to use” technology. Researchers with a high specialized mathematical background are not required and ANNs offer the possibility of achieving the whole view of the experimental study with a limited number of experiments and costs. Additionally, it is possible to add new inputs and outputs to the database to reach a new understanding.
Association of HLA‐DQ7 antigen with cow milk protein allergy in Italian children

In this study we investigated the HLA association with cow milk allergy. Thirty‐seven Italian children with cow milk allergy and 35 randomly selected age‐matched healthy children as control group were included in the study. DNA typing was performed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique. We show the first statistically significant positive association between the expression of the HLA‐DQ7 antigen and cow milk allergy. Several immunological tests (skin prick test, RIA, radioallergosorb‐ent test (RAST) and ELISA) were performed to evaluate the humoral immune responses of DQ7 positive and DQ7 negative allergic patients. Our results show that among the DQ7 positive patients the majority presented a high humoral response. Furthermore, the in vitro proliferative response of patients to the †‐lactoglobulin antigen was performed to evaluate their cell‐mediated immune response. We observed that the number of the nonre‐sponders was higher in the DQ7 positive patients when compared to the DQ7 negative patients.
Public health importance and risk factors for cercarial dermatitis associated with swimming in Lake Leman at Geneva, Switzerland

Fifteen cohorts of healthy bathers were recruited at four Lake Leman beaches between 3 July and 23 August 1996 to assess the public health importance of cercarial dermatitis in Geneva, Switzerland. Telephone follow-up interviews were carried out after 2–7 days. Overall, 153 bathers out of 555 reported probable cercarial dermatitis at follow-up. Median daily attack rate was 27·7% (2·2–57·7%). Of the cases, 11·1% noticed more than 30 skin lesions, 19·6% described severe itching, 50·3% used a drug treatment, 3·9% visited a doctor and 15% claimed they would reduce their bathing activities. History of cercarial dermatitis, time spent in the water, hour of the day, barometric pressure and maximum daily atmospheric temperature predicted disease occurrence in multivariate analysis. While a benign disease, cercarial dermatitis may have a negative impact on the local water recreation industry. The identification of risk factors for the disease may help produce better preventive recommendations for the bathers.