Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Imaging F-Actin in Fixed Glial Cells with a Combined Optical Fluorescence/Atomic Force Microscope

A prototype combined optical fluorescence/atomic force microscope (OFAFM) designed for use in neurobiology and related disciplines has been constructed and used to study filamentous actin (F-actin) and other cellular structures in fixed Xenopus retinal glial cells (XR1 glial cell line). F-actin was readily observed by both fluorescence and AFM. AFM images of nuclei and other cellular structures were also obtained. The OFAFM consists of an AFM with an interferometer detection mechanism mounted on an inverted optical microscope. Integration of optical and scanned probe imaging methods provides a unique and useful approach to studying glial (and other) cell structure and function.
A New Preprocessing Algorithm for the Computation of the Generalized Singular Value Decomposition

In this note a new algorithm is proposed for the preprocessing phase of Paige’s algorithm for computing the generalized singular value decomposition (GSVD). This new algorithm substantially reduces the complexity of Paige’s algorithm and makes it much easier to implement. It is also proved that the preprocessing phase is backward stable and a numerical example is demonstrated.
Contributions to the Theory of Thermostated Systems II: Least Dissipation of Helmholtz Free Energy in Nano-Biology

In this paper, we develop further the theory of thermostated systems along the lines of our earlier paper. Two results are highlighted: 1) in the Markov limit of the contracted description, a least dissipation of Helmholtz free energy principle is established; and 2) a detailed account of the appropriateness of this principle for nano-biology, including the evolution of life, is presented.
Self-perceived oral health among three subgroups of Asian-Americans in New York City: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this preliminary study was to compare the perception of oral health among subgroups of Asian-American residents of New York City, USA. METHODS A close-ended questionnaire was administered to 255 Chinese, 134 Indian and 84 Pakistani adults, aged 18-65 years, during 1994-95. A comprehensive dental and oral examination was also performed. The associations of demographic and oral health variables with perceived oral health were evaluated using multivariate ordinal regression models. RESULTS When data were analyzed in a multivariate context, only ethnicity and income were significant predictors of perceived oral health, after adjusting for DMFT. The within-group multivariate analysis of the three ethnic subgroups' results were as follows: Among the Chinese there were no significant predictors, only income was strongly suggestive; among the Indians, number of missing teeth and number of years in the USA were significant predictors; and within the Pakistani group, DMFT was the only significant predictor. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that there are ethnic differences in the perception of oral health status even after adjusting for clinical variables as well as for demographic variables in this particular group of Asian-American residents of New York City. Predictors associated with the perception of oral health are different for each ethnic group. When designing oral health promotion activities to diverse ethnic groups, the cultural characteristics of each subgroup should be considered.
High-speed laser velocimeter realized by a near-field grating

A novel Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) has been developed, by means of an optical phase-grating. Standard LDV generates a fringes pattern by means of two laser beams, colliding at a set angle. When the speed is very high, the fringe period has to be very long, in order to avoid too high output frequencies, therefore a very low angle should be required. For the realization of such pattern we propose a different approach, employing an optical grating, working in the near-field range. This technique has been demonstrated by measuring the speed distribution of a water-jet machine.
Improvement of target resolution in azimuth by LMMSE technique

Azimuth target separation is of crucial importance in many applications of radar. The azimuth resolution is determined by the antenna beamwidth. However, in practice, standard signal processing techniques require the distance between targets to be more than one resolution cell. This can prove inadequate for several relevant applications. In this paper the problem of improving the azimuth resolution for rotating surveillance radar is addressed. A data model for the case is described and a novel application of the linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) processing technique is evaluated. The antenna pattern used is obtained from real measurements and the received signal is synthesized to produce target profiles with spacing smaller and larger than the resolution cell. Results show the capabilities of this technique of separating targets in azimuth spaced closer or further than one azimuth resolution cell. The processing scheme shows a large improvement in the resolution capability with respect to standard techniques.
Using the h-index to rank influential British researchers in information science and librarianship

The recently developed h-index has been applied to the literature produced by senior British-based academics in librarianship and information science. The majority of those evaluated currently hold senior positions in UK information science and librarianship departments; however, a small number of staff in other departments and retired "founding fathers" were analyzed as well. The analysis was carried out using the Web of Science (Thomson Scientific, Philadelphia, PA) for the years from 1992 to October 2005, and included both second-authored papers and self-citations. The top-ranking British information scientist, Peter Willett, has an h-index of 31. However, it was found that Eugene Garfield, the founder of modern citation studies, has an even higher h-index of 36. These results support other studies suggesting that the h-index is a useful tool in the armory of bibliometrics.
Conservative Congruence Transformation for Joint and Cartesian Stiffness Matrices of Robotic Hands and Fingers

In this paper, we develop the theoretical work on the properties and mapping of stiffness matrices between joint and Cartesian spaces of robotic hands and fingers, and propose the conservative congruence transformation (CCT). In this paper, we show that the conventional formulation between the joint and Cartesian spaces, K θ = J T θ K p J θ , first derived by Salisbury in 1980, is only valid at the unloaded equilibrium configuration. Once the grasping configuration is deviated from its unloaded configuration (for example, by the application of an external force), the conservative congruence transformation should be used. Theoretical development and numerical simulation are presented. The conservative congruence transformation accounts for the change in geometry via the differential Jacobian (Hessian matrix) of the robot manipulators when an external force is applied. The effect is captured in an effective stiffness matrix, K g , of the conservative congruence transformation. The results of this paper also indicate that the omission of the changes in Jacobian in the presence of external force would result in discrepancy of the work and lead to contradiction to the fundamental conservative properties of stiffness matrices. Through conservative congruence transformation, conservative and consistent physical properties of stiffness matrices can be preserved during mapping regardless of the usage of coordinate frames and the existence of external force.
Low-Complexity Joint Channel Estimation and LDPC Decoding for Block Fading Channel

This paper presents a low-complexity iterative joint channel estimation and LDPC decoding algorithm for block-fading channel. Normalized min-sum algorithm, which has a much lower complexity than sum-product algorithm, is used as LDPC decoding algorithm. By choosing an optimal normalization factor, the performance of our algorithm can be as good as its counterpart using sum-product algorithm, and only 0.3-0.5 dB away from the case where perfect CSI is known
Facile synthesis of copper nanostructures through simple replacement reaction

Copper, an old material, is still extensively used nowadays. In this paper, through extremely simple replacement reaction approach, we synthesized various copper nanostructures under ambient atmosphere at room temperature. Pure copper, with splendid structures at nanoscale, was acquired by dipping iron plate into solution with copper ions. With different reactant, copper chloride, copper sulfate, copper nitrite and copper acetate, different copper nanostructures are obtained. Using copper chloride, dendrite structure is prepared; and copper sulfate leads to sponge-like structure; while both copper nitrite and copper acetate result into no copper structure. What's more, we discovered that enough long reaction time will lead to the transformation of dendrite copper into sponge-like copper, no matter what copper salt is employed. Addition of silver ions into the reaction system demonstrated the significant influence of copper salt into the synthesis of dendrite silver structures. Finally, the mechanism of the nanostructures formation is investigated thoroughly.
CORRELATION ANALYSIS BETWEEN TIBET AS-γ TeV COSMIC RAY AND WMAP NINE-YEAR DATA

The WMAP team subtracted template-based foreground models to produce foreground-reduced maps, and masked point sources and uncertain sky regions directly; however, whether foreground residuals exist in the WMAP foreground-reduced maps is still an open question. Here, we use Pearson correlation coefficient analysis with AS-γ TeV cosmic ray (CR) data to probe possible foreground residuals in the WMAP nine-year data. The correlation results between the CR and foreground-contained maps (WMAP foreground-unreduced maps, WMAP template-based, and Maximum Entropy Method foreground models) suggest that: (1) CRs can trace foregrounds in the WMAP data; (2) at least some TeV CRs originate from the Milky Way; (3) foregrounds may be related to the existence of CR anisotropy (loss-cone and tail-in structures); (4) there exist differences among different types of foregrounds in the decl. range of <15°. Then, we generate 10,000 mock cosmic microwave background (CMB) sky maps to describe the cosmic variance, which is used to measure the effect of the fluctuations of all possible CMB maps to the correlations between CR and CMB maps. Finally, we do correlation analysis between the CR and WMAP foreground-reduced maps, and find that: (1) there are significant anticorrelations; and (2) the WMAP foreground-reduced maps are credible. However, the significant anticorrelations may be accidental, and the higher signal-to-noise ratio Planck SMICA map cannot reject the hypothesis of accidental correlations. We therefore can only conclude that the foreground residuals exist with ∼95% probability.
Cost-Effectiveness of Alternative Methods for Diabetic Retinopathy Screening

sensitivity and specificity are proportions, the 95% CIs can be calculated with the general formula for the SE of a proportion (2), yielding the results shown in Table 1. The problem of accurately estimating the sensitivity of a test where the sensitivity is low is of particular relevance to screening for diabetic retinopathy because sensitivity is a major determinant of cost-effectiveness. Including CIs in the estimate of the cost per truepositive case detected is a critical step in the production of evidence with which to make important health-care policy deci-
Kinetics of Cytokine Release and Expression of Lymphocyte Cell‐Surface Activation Markers After In Vitro Stimulation of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells with Streptococcus pneumoniae

The aim of this study was to describe the kinetics of the cytokine release and the expression of activation markers on lymphocytes after stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with whole killed Streptococcus pneumoniae. The cytokine release and the expression of CD25 and HLA‐DR on T cells, and CD69 on T cells, B cells and NK cells, were measured at different times. Our results show that tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐10 and IL‐12 reached maximal levels at 24 h, while IL‐6, IL‐8, TNF‐β and interferon (IFN)‐γ increased throughout the 1‐week test period. The strains tested gave an increased expression of CD69 on all cell types, as well as an increase of CD25 and HLA‐DR expression on T cells. The maximal CD69 expression was seen after 24 h on T cells and NK cells, while the B‐cell expression of CD69 reached a plateau at the same time. All the cells still expressed CD69 on their surfaces after 1 week. In conclusion the results indicate that there was probably an early activation of monocytes leading to a polyclonal activation of lymphocytes.
Mental stress assessment based on pulse photoplethysmography

Mental stress is accompanied by dynamic changes in autonomic nervous system activity. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is fast emerging as a non-invasive research and clinical tool for assessing cardiac and autonomic nervous system function. However, in this study describes a method of stress assessment based on Pulse photoplethysmography (PPG). We assessed the possibility of using the pulse rate variability (PRV) extracted from the PPG signal as an alternative measurement of the HRV signal. Further, to demonstrate the accuracy and feasibility of HRV extraction from PPG signal, finger-tip PPG and standard lead II ECG signals were simultaneously. A comparative analysis of time domain and frequency domain measures of PRV was carried out. Finally, we present a method of PRV analysis to evaluate mental stress by simple PPG. These results suggest that PRV based on PPG could be used as a
Cognitive Decline and Oral Health in Middle-aged Adults in the ARIC Study

Even before dementia becomes apparent, cognitive decline may contribute to deterioration in oral health. This cohort study of middle-aged adults evaluated associations of six-year change in cognitive function with oral health behaviors and conditions in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Cognitive function was measured at study visits in 1990-1992 and 1996-1998 with three tests: (a) Delayed Word Recall (DWR), (b) Digit Symbol Substitution (DSS), and (c) Word Fluency (WF). Cognitive decline scores were computed as ‘studentized’ residuals of 1996-1998 scores regressed against 1990-1992 scores. In 1996-1998, 10,050 participants answered dental screening questions, and 5,878 of 8,782 dentate participants received a comprehensive oral examination. Multiple regression models used cognitive change to predict oral health behaviors and conditions with adjustment for covariates. In the fully adjusted models, greater decline in all three measures of cognitive function was associated with increased odds of complete tooth loss. Greater decline in DSS and WF scores was associated with infrequent toothbrushing. Decline in WF scores was also associated with higher plaque levels. In these middle-aged adults, six-year cognitive decline was modestly associated with less frequent toothbrushing, plaque deposit, and greater odds of edentulism, but not with other oral behaviors or diseases.
Referral rates in Swiss primary care with a special emphasis on reasons for encounter.

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY Referrals from primary to secondary care reflect a crucial role of primary care physicians (PCPs). Most referral rates are based on the number of consultations, rather than on the number of problems addressed during consultations (reasons for encounter = RFE). The aim of the study was to update data on consultations, RFE and referrals in Swiss primary care and calculate a referral rate based on RFE rather than on the number of consultations. METHOD Cross-sectional study in Swiss primary care. PCPs collected data on consultations on 15 different days in three nonconsecutive months in 2012/2013. Demographic data of patients and up to six RFE per consultation were collected. For each RFE the PCP had to indicate whether a referral was initiated. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS Ninety PCPs (18.9% females) participated and 24 774 consultations with 42 890 RFE (corresponding to 1.73 [standard deviation 1.07] RFE per consultation) were recorded. A total of 2 427 RFE (of 2 341 consultations) led to a referral, corresponding to a referral rate of 9.44% (95% confidence interval [CI] 9.08-9.81%) based on consultations and 5.65% (95% CI 5.43-5.87%) based on the number of RFE. CONCLUSIONS An average of 1.7 RFE per consultation and a broad clinical spectrum of problems were presented in primary care; nevertheless, 94.3% of all problems were solved in primary care, reflecting the crucial role of PCPs as a coordinator of healthcare.
Comparison of Systemic and Intramammary Dry Cow Treatments

The non-lactating (dry) period is an important time for udder health in that infections can be either acquired or cleared. Intramammary dry cow therapy with antibiotics is routinely used. The inclusion of systemic antibiotics with intramammary therapy in a previous study gave better cures during the dry period. The use of tylosin administered in the dry period has been previously proposed because it is able to penetrate udder tissue. The objective of this study was to compare the use of tylosin in the dry period alone, or in combination with intramammary antibiotics, as compared to the use of intramammary treatment alone.
A Web GIS Framework for Participatory Sensing Service: An Open Source-Based Implementation

Participatory sensing is the process in which individuals or communities collect and analyze systematic data using mobile phones and cloud services. To efficiently develop participatory sensing services, some server-side technologies have been proposed. Although they provide a good platform for participatory sensing, they are not optimized for spatial data management and processing. For the purpose of spatial data collection and management, many web GIS approaches have been studied. However, they still have not focused on the optimal framework for participatory sensing services. This paper presents a web GIS framework for participatory sensing service (FPSS). The proposed FPSS enables an integrated deployment of spatial data capture, storage, and data management functions. In various types of participatory sensing experiments, users can collect and manage spatial data in a unified manner. This feature is realized by the optimized system architecture and use case based on the general requirements for participatory sensing. We developed an open source GIS-based implementation of the proposed framework, which can overcome financial difficulties that are one of the major problems of deploying sensing experiments. We confirmed with the prototype that participatory sensing experiments can be performed efficiently with the proposed FPSS.
Perturbing B ezier coefficients for best constrained degree reduction in the L 2-norm

This paper first shows how the B ezier coefficients of a given degree n polynomial are perturbed so that it can be reduced to a degree m ð< nÞ polynomial with the constraint that continuity of a prescribed order is preserved at the two endpoints. The perturbation vector, which consists of the perturbation coefficients, is determined by minimizing a weighted Euclidean norm. The optimal degree n 1 approximation polynomial is explicitly given in B ezier form. Next the paper proves that the problem of finding a best L2-approximation over the interval 1⁄20; 1 for constrained degree reduction is equivalent to that of finding a minimum perturbation vector in a certain weighted Euclidean norm. The relevant weights are derived. This result is applied to computing the optimal constrained degree reduction of parametric B ezier curves in the L2-norm. 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Congestion Avoidance and Control Mechanism Using Border Gateway Protocol

: In the Network for the proper functioning, congestion free network communication is more important issue. In the congestion period data packets loss and delay in sending and receiving the data packets from undelivered data packets are experienced. In this view the traffic on one network is controlled as per the requirement on the other network capacity, which uses the feedback in-between these two networks. By incorporating border routers (ingress router, egress router) on each network, which is connected each other via router, the congestion free environment is maintained in the network.
Effect of living-related donor bone marrow infusion on chimerism and in vitro immunoregulatory activity in kidney transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND In a previously reported series of donor-specific bone marrow cell (DBMC) infusions in cadaver kidney transplant recipients, there appeared to be an improvement in long-term graft survival (6 years) and fewer chronic rejections, which correlated with increasing DBMC chimerism (approximately 1.4% in the iliac crest bone marrow compartment now at 6 years). Prompted by this, we embarked on a study of DBMC infusion in living-related donor (LRD) kidney transplant recipients. METHODS Between November 1996 and May 2000, 47 LRD kidney transplant recipients received donor iliac crest marrow (1.8 x 10(8)+/-1.9 x 10(8) cells/kg body weight+/-SD) in a single infusion 4 days postoperatively. Either OKT3 (n=26) or daclizumab (n=21) were used for induction therapy, with maintenance tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and methylprednisolone immunosuppression. These recipients were prospectively compared with 39 noninfused LRD kidney transplants (control group), which received equivalent immunosuppression in the same time period. Clinical follow-up ranged from 19.0 months to 61.6 months (mean 33.2 months). Polymerase chain reaction-flow chimerism analysis and in vitro assays of immunoregulatory activity of chimeric cells were performed. RESULTS The incidence of acute rejection over this period of time was 10.6% and 10.3%, respectively (i.e., did not differ between groups). Immunosuppressive dosages were somewhat (but not statistically) lower over time in the DBMC group. Four-year actuarial patient and graft survival for the DBMC-infused group was 98% and 98%, and 98% and 95% for the control group, respectively ( =NS). DBMC infusion was well tolerated, with no increase in infectious episodes. DBMC chimerism in recipient iliac crest marrow has increased more rapidly than might be predicted from results previously seen in the cadaver group, despite four times fewer DBMC infused. DBMCs and (donor) peripheral blood mononuclear cells purified by immunobeads from recipient blood or bone marrow (recipient-derived donor cells) inhibited mixed leukocyte responses of the recipient to the donor more strongly than freshly obtained peripheral blood cells drawn from the donors or even compared with bone marrow cells aspirated from the donors in a previously reported group of experiments. Additionally, similarly purified recipient-derived recipient cells from the same chimeric recipient more strongly inhibited the same mixed leukocyte response reactions autologously than a large group of nonchimeric (autologous) bone marrow modulating cells in similar reactions. CONCLUSIONS These observations confirm that an immunoregulatory process appears to have been generated by DBMC infusion, encouraging a further decrease in immunosuppressive dosing using such assays in the future.