Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal Immune Activation Causes Social Behavior Deficits and Hypomyelination in Male Rat Offspring with an Autism-Like Microbiota Profile

Maternal immune activation (MIA) increases the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. Microbial dysbiosis is associated with ASD symptoms. However, the alterations in the brain–gut–microbiota axis in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced MIA offspring remain unclear. Here, we examined the social behavior, anxiety-like and repetitive behavior, microbiota profile, and myelination levels in LPS-induced MIA rat offspring. Compared with control offspring, MIA male rat offspring spent less time in an active social interaction with stranger rats, displayed more anxiety-like and repetitive behavior, and had more hypomyelination in the prefrontal cortex and thalamic nucleus. A fecal microbiota analysis revealed that MIA offspring had a higher abundance of Alistipes, Fusobacterium, and Ruminococcus and a lower abundance of Coprococcus, Erysipelotrichaies, and Actinobacteria than control offspring, which is consistent with that of humans with ASD. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method was applied to determine the relative importance of the microbiota, which indicated that the abundance of Alistipes and Actinobacteria was the most relevant for the profile of defective social behavior, whereas Fusobacterium and Coprococcus was associated with anxiety-like and repetitive behavior. In summary, LPS-induced MIA offspring showed an abnormal brain–gut–microbiota axis with social behavior deficits, anxiety-like and repetitive behavior, hypomyelination, and an ASD-like microbiota profile.
In Vivo Confirmation of the Antimicrobial Effect of Probiotic Candidates against Gardnerella vaginalis

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is caused by a microbial imbalance of the vaginal ecosystem, causing genital discomfort and potentially even various complications in women. Moreover, research on the treatment or prevention of BV is increasing. In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial and anti-inflammation effects of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) Ligilactobacillus salivarius MG242, Limosilactobacillus fermentum MG901, and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum MG989 in a BV-induced mice model. The oral administration of the LAB significantly inhibited the growth of Gardnerella vaginalis up to 43% (p < 0.05). The LAB downregulated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) and myeloperoxidase (p < 0.05). Upon histological examination, the exfoliation of epithelial cells in the vaginal tissues was found to be reduced in the probiotic administration group compared to the infected group. In addition, the LAB tolerated the gastric and/or intestinal simulated conditions and proliferated, showing potential in promoting health based on hemolysis activity, antibiotic susceptibility, enzyme activity, and lactic acid production. Altogether, our results showed that the investigated LAB may be a good food ingredient candidate for ameliorating BV in women.
Development of Prototype Electric-driven 2-DoF Monopod Robot for Hopping Motion

The purpose of this study is to develop a one-legged hopping robot MH-1, which is the smallest configuration of a legged robot, with the long-term goal of developing a multi-legged robot capable of jumping and running. In this study, we aim to make MH-1 realize hopping while MH-1 is constrained so that it could only move in the vertical direction. The leg is a 2-DoF serial link mechanism with pitch axes at the hip and knee joints. Based on the simulation and experimental results of the prototype called MH-1P, the actuators and reduction gears were selected. We then designed and fabricated an electrically driven 2-DoF monopod robot (height: 510 mm, mass: 6.9 kg) that can withstand the impact of hopping and landing. As a result of the experiment on the actual robot, it was confirmed that MH-1 realized hopping based on the floor reaction force obtained from the force plate during hopping.
Serotonin Signalling in Flatworms: An Immunocytochemical Localisation of 5-HT7 Type of Serotonin Receptors in Opisthorchis felineus and Hymenolepis diminuta

The study is dedicated to the investigation of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and 5-HT7 type serotonin receptor of localisation in larvae of two parasitic flatworms Opisthorchis felineus (Rivolta, 1884) Blanchard, 1895 and Hymenolepis diminuta Rudolphi, 1819, performed using the immunocytochemical method and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Using whole mount preparations and specific antibodies, a microscopic analysis of the spatial distribution of 5-HT7-immunoreactivity(-IR) was revealed in worm tissue. In metacercariae of O. felineus 5-HT7-IR was observed in the main nerve cords and in the head commissure connecting the head ganglia. The presence of 5-HT7-IR was also found in several structures located on the oral sucker. 5-HT7-IR was evident in the round glandular cells scattered throughout the larva body. In cysticercoids of H. diminuta immunostaining to 5-HT7 was found in flame cells of the excretory system. Weak staining to 5-HT7 was observed along the longitudinal and transverse muscle fibres comprising the body wall and musculature of suckers, in thin longitudinal nerve cords and a connective commissure of the central nervous system. Available publications on serotonin action in flatworms and serotonin receptors identification were reviewed. Own results and the published data indicate that the muscular structures of flatworms are deeply supplied by 5-HT7-IR elements. It suggests that the 5-HT7 type receptor can mediate the serotonin action in the investigated species and is an important component of the flatworm motor control system. The study of the neurochemical basis of parasitic flatworms can play an important role in the solution of fundamental problems in early development of the nervous system and the evolution of neuronal signalling components.
Effects of tensile strain on P3HT:PCBM coated PET/ITO flexible substrates

P3HT:PCBM layers deposited on PET/ITO flexible substrates were subjected to increasing tensile deformations to elucidate the interaction between mechanical and electrical properties as strains surpass the elastic region. Micrographs after tensile experiments showed that cracks start to form (up to 1 nm of thickness) when the unitary strain surpass 0.648%, which is the crack onset strain (COS). Coupled electrical measurements showed that electric conduction degrades as the crack density increases. COS determination is crucial for a reliable application of these layers on the fabrication of flexible photovoltaic solar cells, because manufacturing techniques, such as roll-to-roll, evolve tensioning the layers.
Nanoarchitectonics for Hierarchical Fullerene Nanomaterials

Nanoarchitectonics is a universal concept to fabricate functional materials from nanoscale building units. Based on this concept, fabrications of functional materials with hierarchical structural motifs from simple nano units of fullerenes (C60 and C70 molecules) are described in this review article. Because fullerenes can be regarded as simple and fundamental building blocks with mono-elemental and zero-dimensional natures, these demonstrations for hierarchical functional structures impress the high capability of the nanoarchitectonics approaches. In fact, various hierarchical structures such as cubes with nanorods, hole-in-cube assemblies, face-selectively etched assemblies, and microstructures with mesoporous frameworks are fabricated by easy fabrication protocols. The fabricated fullerene assemblies have been used for various applications including volatile organic compound sensing, microparticle catching, supercapacitors, and photoluminescence systems.
Knowledge base formation for automation of dispatch control over power systems of the mining and metallurgical complex

Purpose. The research is aimed at developing and introducing methods of knowledge extraction concerning online control over power systems under emergency modes and building smart complexes of automatizing managerial decision making based on incorporated ontological knowledge bases. Methodology. The authors use the calculated planned experiment method applied to building sensitivity matrices of controlled parameters of power systems in sensor points to controlled factors and introduction of sensitivity coefficients into knowledge bases. Findings. The research suggests methods for obtaining and building a knowledgebase of professional ontologies for online control over power system modes. The problem of calculating sensitivity of controlled parameters to controlling actions is solved. Calculation results for the emergency mode enable building impact functions and determining sensitivity matrix coefficients. The smart system knowledgebase is built to provide decision support for dispatch control over power system modes under standard and emergency conditions. There are obtained sets of mode data used as knowledgebase components enabling efficient assessment of the emergency mode rate and its dispatch correction. Besides calculation parameters of intensity of controlling actions, the knowledgebase also comprises linguistic concepts, facts and rules of instructive dispatch materials. A knowledge base has been built on the basis of a subset of the linguistic corpus of concepts for the professional area of emergency response in the power system. Originality. For the first time, there is suggested an approach to incorporating various linguistic knowledge forms represented by a single ontological model and numerical parameters of sensitivity of the power system mode to controlling actions into an integrated knowledgebase, which enables building effective smart systems of dispatch decision support and implementing them into the operating automatized dispatch control system. Practical value. The ontological knowledgebase of online dispatch control is built that enables realizing a software complex of a decision support system aimed at automatizing online dispatch control over standard and emergency modes of power systems. Application of the suggested approach to building the knowledgebase and its use with online dispatch personnels decision support enhance reliability and increase maximum accessible time of personnels non-stop work by 1.5 years with absolute accident elimination, thus providing a significant economic effect.
Novel Human Podocyte Cell Model Carrying G2/G2 APOL1 High-Risk Genotype

Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) high-risk genotypes (HRG), G1 and G2, increase the risk of various non-diabetic kidney diseases in the African population. To date, the precise mechanisms by which APOL1 risk variants induce injury on podocytes and other kidney cells remain unclear. Trying to unravel these mechanisms, most studies have used animal or cell models created by gene editing. We developed and characterised conditionally immortalised human podocyte cell lines derived from urine of a donor carrying APOL1 HRG G2/G2. Following induction of APOL1 expression by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)), we assessed functional features of APOL1-induced podocyte dysfunction. As control, APOL1 wild type (G0/G0) podocyte cell line previously generated from a Caucasian donor was used. Upon exposure to poly(I:C), G2/G2 and G0/G0 podocytes upregulated APOL1 expression resulting in podocytes detachment, decreased cells viability and increased apoptosis rate in a genotype-independent manner. Nevertheless, G2/G2 podocyte cell lines exhibited altered features, including upregulation of CD2AP, alteration of cytoskeleton, reduction of autophagic flux and increased permeability in an in vitro model under continuous perfusion. The human APOL1 G2/G2 podocyte cell model is a useful tool for unravelling the mechanisms of APOL1-induced podocyte injury and the cellular functions of APOL1.
Research on Nonlinear Ultrasonic Testing Technology of Microcracks in Metallic Materials

The fatigue micro-cracks produced by metal materials in the process of long-term tensile, compression or alternating loads can induce major safety accidents. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out research on early fatigue crack damage detection methods in metal structures. Due to the non-linear acoustic response of cracked materials, the detection of early microcracks in the structure can be achieved based on the changes of other frequency components in the non-excitation bandwidth of the detection signal. This paper takes 6061 aluminum alloy plate as the research object, then uses COMSOL finite element simulation software to simulate the propagation of surface waves in uncracked and cracked samples, and observe the nonlinear response waveforms. Then we set up an ultrasonic nonlinear detection platform, excite the pulse signal modulated by the Hanning window, and calculate the relative nonlinear coefficient corresponding to the second harmonic signal by analyzing the frequency domain waveform of the response signal, so as to verify the nonlinear acoustic response characteristics of the cracked material.
Tracking heart surface features to determine myocardial contrast agent enrichment

Abstract Fluorescent cardiac imaging can be applied for intraoperative quality control after a coronary bypass grafting surgery to ensure the myocardial perfusion by evaluating the increasing contrast agent enrichment in the heart. The motion due to the beating heart impedes the interpretation of the contrast agent enrichment in the vessels and leads to noisy enrichment curves. We propose tracking of the heart surface features to compensate for the motion of the beating heart and thereby improve the analysis of the contrast agent enrichment. Furthermore, we propose a vessel segmentation pipeline for a local evaluation of contrast agent enrichment directly in the vessels.
Efficiency Improvement With Off-Time Discrete Control for GaN-Based MHz-Operated Discontinuous Current Mode Grid-Tied Inverter

This article proposes to apply an improved modulation based on a discontinuous current mode (DCM) to grid-tied inverters for efficiency improvement. The losses caused by the parasitic capacitance of the devices can be nonnegligible in MHz-operated converters even with Gallium Nitride high-electron-mobility transistors (GaN-HEMTs). The proposed off-time discrete control can achieve ZVS by discretely adjusting the oscillation period. This article reviews the principles of the proposed modulation, and the mechanism of the losses caused by the parasitic capacitance of semiconductor devices and printed circuit board. This article also reports some experimental verification with a 400-W fabricated converter, which consists of GaN-HEMT devices and is operated at 1 MHz. The loss reduction by the proposed off-time discrete control was verified in the experiments, and it was confirmed that the experimentally measured loss reduction agreed with the estimated loss reduction based on the model and device characteristics.
Study on Hydrodynamic Characteristics and Dynamics Model of Underwater Spherical Robot

In order to simplify parameter adjustment process of the AUV controller in the pool experiments, many researchers established the robot dynamics model and pre-adjusted the parameters in the simulation. This paper mainly studied the characteristics of underwater spherical robot hydrodynamic model and the verification of the model through experiments. First, we obtained the hydrodynamic force acting of the robot in different fluid environments through Computational Fluid Dynamic method. Then, the hydrodynamic coefficients of the dynamic model were calculated by the regression of the above force data. Finally, these hydrodynamic coefficients obtained from the above simulation were verified by pool experiments. The experimental results showed that these coefficients obtained by this method was well fitted with the experimental data and may be used as a reference for the hydrodynamic model. In addition, the nonlinear characteristics of hydrodynamic coefficients under different disturbances were also studied. This will provide further reference for model identification and control in complex underwater environment.
A Test Procedure to Evaluate Magnets Thermal Time Constant of Permanent Magnet Machines

Thanks to their high torque density, permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) currently represent the most competitive solution in the electrification processes involving transports and energy production. However, it is known how the torque production of PMSMs is strictly related to the temperature of the permanent magnets (PMs) since the latter affects control performance and efficiency. This issue thus makes necessary the thermal analysis of the machine under consideration. In this scenario, the determination of the PM's thermal time constant covers a pivotal role in implementing an accurate thermal model of PMSMs. Therefore, this article aims at proposing an experimental test procedure to evaluate the PM's thermal time constant of PMSMs. The proposed procedure can be applied to any PMSM type without being affected by factors such as rotor lamination, shaft, and PM distribution. In this way, accurate and reliable results are obtained. The experimental validation has been carried out on four PMSMs, with different rotor structures, sizes, power, and voltage/current levels. Experimental results demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.
The Relationship between Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, Intake of Specific Foods and Depression in an Adult Population (45–75 Years) in Primary Health Care. A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

Background: The relationship between the quality of the diet and the adherence to the Mediterranean diet with the presence of persistent or recurrent depressive symptoms have been described. The objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the intake of specific foods in primary care patients aged 45 to 75, having subclinical or major depression. The study also specifically analyzes this relationship in individuals suffering from chronic diseases. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. 3062 subjects met the inclusion criteria from the EIRA study. Sociodemographic variables, clinical morbidity, depression symptomatology (PHQ-9) and adherence to Mediterranean diet (MEDAS) were collected. Results: Being female, younger, with a higher BMI, consuming more than 1 serving of red meat a day and drinking more than one carbonated or sugary drink daily, not consuming 3 servings of nuts a week and not eating 2 vegetables cooked in olive oil a week are predictors of having higher depressive symptomatology. Conclusions: Assessing the type of diet of patients presenting depressive symptoms and promoting adherence to a healthy diet is important, especially in patients with chronic diseases. However, depression is a very complex issue and the relationship between nutrition and depression must be further examined.
Complementary Functions of Plant AP Endonucleases and AP Lyases during DNA Repair of Abasic Sites Arising from C:G Base Pairs

Abasic (apurinic/apyrimidinic, AP) sites are ubiquitous DNA lesions arising from spontaneous base loss and excision of damaged bases. They may be processed either by AP endonucleases or AP lyases, but the relative roles of these two classes of enzymes are not well understood. We hypothesized that endonucleases and lyases may be differentially influenced by the sequence surrounding the AP site and/or the identity of the orphan base. To test this idea, we analysed the activity of plant and human AP endonucleases and AP lyases on DNA substrates containing an abasic site opposite either G or C in different sequence contexts. AP sites opposite G are common intermediates during the repair of deaminated cytosines, whereas AP sites opposite C frequently arise from oxidized guanines. We found that the major Arabidopsis AP endonuclease (ARP) exhibited a higher efficiency on AP sites opposite G. In contrast, the main plant AP lyase (FPG) showed a greater preference for AP sites opposite C. The major human AP endonuclease (APE1) preferred G as the orphan base, but only in some sequence contexts. We propose that plant AP endonucleases and AP lyases play complementary DNA repair functions on abasic sites arising at C:G pairs, neutralizing the potential mutagenic consequences of C deamination and G oxidation, respectively.
Energy Conserving Path when Chasing an Intruder by Autonomous Guards

The rapid deployment of autonomous mobile guards require the guards to smartly use their energy in order to patrol and chase intruders where applicable. This paper provides solutions and strategies for conserving energy when a guard robot is chasing a mobile robot intruder while having limited information about the intruder's location. In this paper we look at energy conservation of the Moving Target Search with Snapshots problem where a mobile guard Ah is chasing a mobile intruder At in R2. Here, Ah can obtain At's location either by requesting a snapshot or by sensing At if Ah is close enough to At. The objective is to reduce the amount of energy that the guard robot is spending, where the total energy consists of the energy spent to roam around and the energy for taking/receiving a snapshot. In this paper we present 1) Solution for computing the minimum amount of energy required to catch the intruder in the worst case. 2) Algorithmic solutions for conserving energy used by Ah when using a limited number of snapshots computing the path, the locations and the time that Ah should take the snapshots.
AR tooth brushing system to promote oral care habits of children

It is needed to be careful about the places where bacteria can accumulate while brushing teeth [1]. But it is difficult to teach young children to brush their teeth properly. By the way, the system about hand-washing for children that superimposes bacteria illustrations on the route of contact infection has been proposed in our laboratory [2]. In this study, we propose new AR system to promote oral care habits of children. It detects tooth areas easily soiled in real time using machine learning technique first, and superimposes bacteria illustrations to show easily soiled areas. It is expected that children learn good tooth brushing habit.
Gait Analysis Using Animal Models of Peripheral Nerve and Spinal Cord Injuries

The present review discusses recent data regarding rodent models of spinal cord and peripheral nerve injuries in terms of gait analysis using the CatWalk system (CW), an automated and exceptionally reliable system for assessing gait abnormalities and motor coordination. CW is a good tool for both studying improvements in the walking of animals after suffering a peripheral nerve and spinal cord lesion and to select the best therapies and procedures after tissue destruction, given that it provides objective and quantifiable data. Most studies using CW for gait analysis that were published in recent years focus on injuries inflicted in the peripheral nerve, spinal cord, and brain. CW has been used in the assessment of rodent motor function through high-resolution videos, whereby specialized software was used to measure several aspects of the animal’s gait, and the main characteristics of the automated system are presented here. CW was developed to assess footfall and gait changes, and it can calculate many parameters based on footprints and time. However, given the multitude of parameters, it is necessary to evaluate which are the most important under the employed experimental circumstances. By selecting appropriate animal models and evaluating peripheral nerve and spinal cord lesion regeneration using standardized methods, suggestions for new therapies can be provided, which represents the translation of this methodology into clinical application.