Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Technical Note: A 3‐D rendering algorithm for electromechanical wave imaging of a beating heart

Purpose Arrhythmias can be treated by ablating the heart tissue in the regions of abnormal contraction. The current clinical standard provides electroanatomic 3‐D maps to visualize the electrical activation and locate the arrhythmogenic sources. However, the procedure is time‐consuming and invasive. Electromechanical wave imaging is an ultrasound‐based noninvasive technique that can provide 2‐D maps of the electromechanical activation of the heart. In order to fully visualize the complex 3‐D pattern of activation, several 2‐D views are acquired and processed separately. They are then manually registered with a 3‐D rendering software to generate a pseudo‐3‐D map. However, this last step is operator‐dependent and time‐consuming. Methods This paper presents a method to generate a full 3‐D map of the electromechanical activation using multiple 2‐D images. Two canine models were considered to illustrate the method: one in normal sinus rhythm and one paced from the lateral region of the heart. Four standard echographic views of each canine heart were acquired. Electromechanical wave imaging was applied to generate four 2‐D activation maps of the left ventricle. The radial positions and activation timings of the walls were automatically extracted from those maps. In each slice, from apex to base, these values were interpolated around the circumference to generate a full 3‐D map. Results In both cases, a 3‐D activation map and a cine‐loop of the propagation of the electromechanical wave were automatically generated. The 3‐D map showing the electromechanical activation timings overlaid on realistic anatomy assists with the visualization of the sources of earlier activation (which are potential arrhythmogenic sources). The earliest sources of activation corresponded to the expected ones: septum for the normal rhythm and lateral for the pacing case. Conclusions The proposed technique provides, automatically, a 3‐D electromechanical activation map with a realistic anatomy. This represents a step towards a noninvasive tool to efficiently localize arrhythmias in 3‐D.
A development framework for rapid meta-heuristics hybridization

While meta-heuristics are effective for solving large-scale combinatorial optimization problems, they result from time-consuming trial-and-error algorithm design tailored to specific problems. For this reason, a software tool for rapid prototyping of algorithms would save considerable resources. This work presents a generic software framework that reduces development time through abstract classes and software reuse, and more importantly, aids design with support of user-defined strategies and hybridization of meta-heuristics. Most interestingly, we propose a novel way of redefining hybridization with the use of the "request and response" metaphor, which form an abstract concept for hybridization. Different hybridization schemes can now be formed with minimal coding, which gives our proposed metaheuristics development framework its uniqueness. To illustrate the concept, we restrict to two popular metaheuristics ants colony optimization and tabu search, and demonstrate MDF through the implementation of various hybridized models to solve the traveling salesman problem.
Regional patterns of postwildfire streamflow response in the Western United States: The importance of scale‐specific connectivity

Wildfires can impact streamflow by modifying net precipitation, infiltration, evapotranspiration, snowmelt, and hillslope run‐off pathways. Regional differences in fire trends and postwildfire streamflow responses across the conterminous United States have spurred concerns about the impact on streamflow in forests that serve as water resource areas. This is notably the case for the Western United States, where fire activity and burn severity have increased in conjunction with climate change and increased forest density due to human fire suppression. In this review, we discuss the effects of wildfire on hydrological processes with a special focus on regional differences in postwildfire streamflow responses in forests. Postwildfire peak flows and annual water yields are generally higher in regions with a Mediterranean or semi‐arid climate (Southern California and the Southwest) compared to the highlands (Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest), where fire‐induced changes in hydraulic connectivity along the hillslope results in the delivery of more water, more rapidly to streams. No clear streamflow response patterns have been identified in the humid subtropical Southeastern United States, where most fires are prescribed fires with a low burn severity, and more research is needed in that region. Improved assessment of postwildfire streamflow relies on quantitative spatial knowledge of landscape variables such as prestorm soil moisture, burn severity and correlations with soil surface sealing, water repellency, and ash deposition. The latest studies furthermore emphasize that understanding the effects of hydrological processes on postwildfire dynamic hydraulic connectivity, notably at the hillslope and watershed scales, and the relationship between overlapping disturbances including those other than wildfire is necessary for the development of risk assessment tools.
Association between pre-diagnostic circulating vitamin D concentration and risk of colorectal cancer in European populations:a nested case-control study

Objective To examine the association between pre-diagnostic circulating vitamin D concentration, dietary intake of vitamin D and calcium, and the risk of colorectal cancer in European populations. Design Nested case-control study. Setting The study was conducted within the EPIC study, a cohort of more than 520 000 participants from 10 western European countries. Participants 1248 cases of incident colorectal cancer, which developed after enrolment into the cohort, were matched to 1248 controls Main outcome measures Circulating vitamin D concentration (25-hydroxy-vitamin-D, 25-(OH)D) was measured by enzyme immunoassay. Dietary and lifestyle data were obtained from questionnaires. Incidence rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the risk of colorectal cancer by 25-(OH)D concentration and levels of dietary calcium and vitamin D intake were estimated from multivariate conditional logistic regression models, with adjustment for potential dietary and other confounders. Results 25-(OH)D concentration showed a strong inverse linear dose-response association with risk of colorectal cancer (P for trend <0.001). Compared with a pre-defined mid-level concentration of 25-(OH)D (50.0-75.0 nmol/l), lower levels were associated with higher colorectal cancer risk (<25.0 nmol/l: incidence rate ratio 1.32 (95% confidence interval 0.87 to 2.01); 25.0-49.9 nmol/l: 1.28 (1.05 to 1.56), and higher concentrations associated with lower risk (75.0-99.9 nmol/l: 0.88 (0.68 to 1.13); ≥100.0 nmol/l: 0.77 (0.56 to 1.06)). In analyses by quintile of 25-(OH)D concentration, patients in the highest quintile had a 40% lower risk of colorectal cancer than did those in the lowest quintile (P<0.001). Subgroup analyses showed a strong association for colon but not rectal cancer (P for heterogeneity=0.048). Greater dietary intake of calcium was associated with a lower colorectal cancer risk. Dietary vitamin D was not associated with disease risk. Findings did not vary by sex and were not altered by corrections for season or month of blood donation. Conclusions The results of this large observational study indicate a strong inverse association between levels of pre-diagnostic 25-(OH)D concentration and risk of colorectal cancer in western European populations. Further randomised trials are needed to assess whether increases in circulating 25-(OH)D concentration can effectively decrease the risk of colorectal cancer.
A Framework for the Comparison of Complex Patterns

Data mining and knowledge discovery techniques are commonly used to extract condensed artifacts representing huge volumes of data. The comparison of such compact and rich in semantics representations (which we call patterns) can be useful to avoid the direct comparison of underlying raw data. In this paper, we present a general framework for the assessment of similarity between patterns, by identifying the common features that characterize approaches proposed in the literature for particular applications. We also propose an implementation of the framework using an UML formalism, and discuss efficiency issues that arise when similarity queries are considered, i.e. when a similarity predicate is used to query a collection of pattern.
Visual Path Following with a Catadioptric Panoramic Camera

In this paper we describe the use of a catadioptric panoramic system, built with a spherical mirror, for navigation tasks, namely visual path following. We define Visual Path Following as a method whereby once a robot has arrived at the start of a previously specified path, it can perform path following to a given location relying on visual tracking of features (landmarks) alone. The geometry of the catadioptric sensor and the method of image unwarping to obtain a bird's eye view of the ground plane are presented. The ground unwarp representation significantly simplifies the solution to navigational problems, since the image coordinates differ from ground coordinates by a simple scale factor, thus eliminating any perspective effects. Preliminary experiments with a mobile robot equiped with the described catadioptric panoramic sensor are detailed. Finally, encouraging and promising results obtained are presented.
Battery life enhancement using hybridization of battery and UC

Battery life depends on peak power drawn by load. Peak power drawn from battery can be reduced by connecting Ultra capacitor along with battery. Ultra capacitor can provide peak power demands of the load. Base demand will be provided by battery which reduces battery current by almost 50% and enhance life, endurance and energy capacity of storage system.
Selective sparing of hippocampal CA3 cells following in vitro ischemia is due to selective inhibition by acidosis

A brief global ischemic insult to the brain leads to a selective degeneration of the pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region while the neurons in the neighbouring CA3 region are spared. The reason for this difference is not known. The selective vulnerability of CA1 neurons to ischemia can be reproduced in vitro in murine organotypic slice cultures, if the ion concentrations in the medium during the anoxic/aglycemic insult are similar to that in the brain extracellular fluid during ischemia in vivo. As acidosis develops during ischemia, we studied the importance of extracellular pH for selective vulnerability. We found that cell death in the CA1 and CA3 regions was equally prevented by removal of calcium from the medium or following blockade of the N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor by d‐2 amino‐5‐phosphonopentanoic‐acid (D‐APV). On the other hand, damage to the CA3 neurons markedly decreased with decreasing pH following in vitro ischemia, while the degeneration of CA1 neurons was less pH dependent. Patch‐clamp recordings from pyramidal neurons in the CA1 and CA3 regions, respectively, revealed a pronounced inhibition of NMDA‐receptor mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) at pH 6.5 that was equally pronounced in the two regions. However, when changing pH from 6.5 to 7.4 the recovery of the EPSCs was significantly slower in the CA3 region. We conclude that acidosis selectively protects CA3 pyramidal neurons during in vitro ischemia, and differentially affects the kinetics of NMDA receptor activation, which may explain the difference in vulnerability between CA1 and CA3 pyramidal neurons to an ischemic insult.
AmphiPax3/7, an amphioxus paired box gene: insights into chordate myogenesis, neurogenesis, and the possible evolutionary precursor of definitive vertebrate neural crest

SUMMARY Amphioxus probably has only a single gene (AmphiPax3/7 ) in the Pax3/7 subfamily. Like its vertebrate homologs (Pax3 and Pax7 ), amphioxus AmphiPax3/7 is probably involved in specifying the axial musculature and muscularized notochord. During nervous system development, AmphiPax3/7 is first expressed in bilateral anteroposterior stripes along the edges of the neural plate. This early neural expression may be comparable to the transcription of Pax3 and Pax7 in some of the anterior neural crest cells of vertebrates. Previous studies by others and ourselves have demonstrated that several genes homologous to genetic markers for vertebrate neural crest are expressed along the neural plate–epidermis boundary in embryos of tunicates and amphioxus. Taken together, the early neural expression patterns of AmphiPax3/7 and other neural crest markers of amphioxus and tunicates suggest that cell populations that eventually gave rise to definitive vertebrate neural crest may have been present in ancestral invertebrate chordates. During later neurogenesis in amphioxus, AmphiPax3/7, like its vertebrate homologs, is expressed dorsally and dorsolaterally in the neural tube and may be involved in dorsoventral patterning. However, unlike its vertebrate homologs, AmphiPax3/7 is expressed only at the anterior end of the central nervous system instead of along much of the neuraxis; this amphioxus pattern may represent the loss of a primitive chordate character.
Ligand Binding Turns Moth Pheromone-binding Protein into a pH Sensor

In moths, pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) are responsible for the transport of the hydrophobic pheromones to the membrane-bound receptors across the aqueous sensillar lymph. We report here that recombinant Antheraea polyphemus PBP1 (ApolPBP1) picks up hydrophobic molecule(s) endogenous to the Escherichia coli expression host that keeps the protein in the “open” (bound) conformation at high pH but switches to the “closed” (free) conformation at low pH. This finding has bearing on the solution structures of undelipidated lepidopteran moth PBPs determined thus far. Picking up a hydrophobic molecule from the host expression system could be a common feature for lipid-binding proteins. Thus, delipidation is critical for bacterially expressed lipid-binding proteins. We have shown for the first time that the delipidated ApolPBP1 exists primarily in the closed form at all pH levels. Thus, current views on the pH-induced conformational switch of PBPs hold true only for the ligand-bound open conformation of the protein. Binding of various ligands to delipidated ApolPBP1 studied by solution NMR revealed that the protein in the closed conformation switches to the open conformation only at or above pH 6.0 with a protein to ligand stoichiometry of ∼1:1. Mutation of His70 and His95 to alanine drives the equilibrium toward the open conformation even at low pH for the ligand-bound protein by eliminating the histidine-dependent pH-induced conformational switch. Thus, the delipidated double mutant can bind ligand even at low pH in contrast to the wild type protein as revealed by fluorescence competitive displacement assay using 1-aminoanthracene and solution NMR.
Research on CMOS mm-wave circuits and systems for wireless communications

This paper discusses some challenges in the design of millimeter-wave (mmwave) circuits and systems for 5th generation (5G) wireless systems in CMOS process. The properties of some passive and active devices such as inductors, capacitors, transmission lines, transformers and transistors in mm-wave frequency band are discussed. Self-healing technique dealing with PVT variation, resonant mode switching technique to enhance frequency tuning range of voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and dual mode technique for power amplifier (PA) efficiency enhancement are introduced. At last, A fully-integrated 60 GHz 5 Gb/s QPSK transceiver with the transmit/receive (T/R) switch in 65nm CMOS process is introduced. The measured error vector magnitude (EVM) of the TX is -21.9 dB while the bit error rate (BER) of the RX with a -52 dBm sine-wave input is below 8e-7 when transmitting/receiving 5 Gb/s data. The transceiver is powered by 1.0 V and 1.2 V supply (except the phase-frequency detector and charge-pump in the frequency synthesizer which are powered by 2.5 V supply) and consumes 135 mW in TX mode and 176 mW in RX mode.
Asymptotic Analysis of Successive versus Parallel Interference Cancellation Schemes for Block Precoded OFDM

This contribution derives the theoretical asymptotic performance of successive interference cancellation (SIC) and parallel interference cancellation (PIC) decoding schemes in the context of Linear Precoded OFDM systems. Linear Precoding consists in multiplying by a N K isometric matrix a K-dimensional vector obtained by serial to parallel conversion of a symbol sequence to be transmitted. Using new tools, borrowed from the so-called Free Probability Theory, the Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio at each iteration of the non-linear detection process is derived when N ∞ and K N α 1 assuming both ergodic and non-ergodic fading channels. These asymptotic results aim at adjusting the different parameters involved in the two decoding schemes.
When Aging Reaches CD4+ T-Cells: Phenotypic and Functional Changes

Beyond midlife, the immune system shows aging features and its defensive capability becomes impaired, by a process known as immunosenescence that involves many changes in the innate and adaptive responses. Innate immunity seems to be better preserved globally, while the adaptive immune response exhibits profound age-dependent modifications. Elderly people display a decline in numbers of naïve T-cells in peripheral blood and lymphoid tissues, while, in contrast, their proportion of highly differentiated effector and memory T-cells, such as the CD28null T-cells, increases markedly. Naïve and memory CD4+ T-cells constitute a highly dynamic system with constant homeostatic and antigen-driven proliferation, influx, and loss of T-cells. Thymic activity dwindles with age and essentially ceases in the later decades of life, severely constraining the generation of new T-cells. Homeostatic control mechanisms are very effective at maintaining a large and diverse subset of naïve CD4+ T-cells throughout life, but although later than in CD8 + T-cell compartment, these mechanisms ultimately fail with age.
Cross-Resistance between Triclosan and Antibiotics inPseudomonas aeruginosa Is Mediated by Multidrug Efflux Pumps: Exposure of a Susceptible Mutant Strain to Triclosan Selects nfxB Mutants Overexpressing MexCD-OprJ

ABSTRACT Triclosan is an antiseptic frequently added to items as diverse as soaps, lotions, toothpaste, and many commonly used household fabrics and plastics. Although wild-type Pseudomonas aeruginosaexpresses the triclosan target enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase, it is triclosan resistant due to expression of the MexAB-OprM efflux system. Exposure of a susceptible Δ(mexAB-oprM) strain to triclosan selected multidrug-resistant bacteria at high frequencies. These bacteria hyperexpressed the MexCD-OprJ efflux system due to mutations in its regulatory gene, nfxB. The MICs of several drugs for these mutants were increased up to 500-fold, including the MIC of ciprofloxacin, which was increased 94-fold. Whereas the MexEF-OprN efflux system also participated in triclosan efflux, this antimicrobial was not a substrate for MexXY-OprM.
Bandwidth skimming: a technique for cost-effective video on demand

This paper proposes a new technique for on-demand delivery of streaming media. The idea is to hold in reserve, or `skim', a portion of the client reception bandwidth that is sufficiently small that display quality is not impacted significantly, and yet that is nonetheless enough to support substantial reductions in server and network bandwidth through near-optimal hierarchical client stream merging. In this paper we show that this objective is feasible, and we develop practical techniques that achieve it. The results indicate that server and network bandwidth can be reduced to on the order of the logarithm of the number of clients who are viewing the object, using a small `skim' (e.g., 15%) of client reception bandwidth. These low server and network bandwidths are achieved for every media file, while providing immediate service to each client, and without having to pre-load initial portions of the video at each client.
Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

The basic design used in our human fear-conditioning studies on disrupting reconsolidation includes testing over different phases across three consecutive days. On day 1 - the fear acquisition phase, healthy participants are exposed to a series of picture presentations. One picture stimulus (CS1+) is repeatedly paired with an aversive electric stimulus (US), resulting in the acquisition of a fear association, whereas another picture stimulus (CS2-) is never followed by an US. On day 2 - the memory reactivation phase, the participants are re-exposed to the conditioned stimulus without the US (CS1-), which typically triggers a conditioned fear response. After the memory reactivation we administer an oral dose of 40 mg of propranolol HCl, a β-adrenergic receptor antagonist that indirectly targets the protein synthesis required for reconsolidation by inhibiting the noradrenaline-stimulated CREB phosphorylation. On day 3 - the test phase, the participants are again exposed to the unreinforced conditioned stimuli (CS1- and CS2-) in order to measure the fear-reducing effect of the manipulation. This retention test is followed by an extinction procedure and the presentation of situational triggers to test for the return of fear. Potentiation of the eye blink startle reflex is measured as an index for conditioned fear responding. Declarative knowledge of the fear association is measured through online US expectancy ratings during each CS presentation. In contrast to extinction learning, disrupting reconsolidation targets the original fear memory thereby preventing the return of fear. Although the clinical applications are still in their infancy, disrupting reconsolidation of fear memory seems to be a promising new technique with the prospect to persistently dampen the expression of fear memory in patients suffering from anxiety disorders and other psychiatric disorders.
Sample to answer: a fully integrated nucleic acid identification system for bacteria monitoring

A fully integrated microfluidic system was developed and incorporates an EC-MWCNT (electrochemical multiwalled carbon nanotube) sensor for the detection of bacteria. Sample metering, reagent metering and delivery was implemented with microvalves and pumps embedded inside the microfluidic system. The nucleic acid extraction was performed using microchannels controlled using automated platforms and a disposable microfluidic silica cartridge. The target samples were flowed and hybridized with probe ssDNA (single strand DNA) across the MWCNT-EC sensor (built on a silicon chip), which was embedded in a microfluidic cell. The 9-pad sensor was scanned before and after hybridization to measure the quantity of RNA (Ribonucleic acid) bound to the array surface. A rapid and accurate sample-in answer-out nucleic acid system was realized with automated volume metering, microfluidic sample preparation, and integrated nano-biosensors.
Hydrodynamic Modelling of Fluidised Bed Spray Granulation

9 1. The fluidised bed spray granulation process 11 2. Modelling of spray granulation processes 13 3. Hydrodynamic modelling of dense gas-fluidised beds 15 4. Research objectives 17 5. Outline of the thesis 18 2. TWO-FLUID CONTINUUM MODELLING OF DENSE GAS-FLUIDISED BEDS: EFFECT OF COEFFICIENT OF RESTITUTION ON BED DYNAMICS Abstract 23