Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonparametric Regression for Learning

In recent years, learning theory has been increas ingly influenced by the fact that many learning algorithms have at least in part a comprehensive interpretation in terms of well established statistical theories. Furthermore, with little modification, several statistical methods can be directly cast into learning algorithms. One family of such methods stems from nonparametric regression. This paper compares nonparametric learning with the more widely used parametric counterparts and investigates how these two families differ in their properties and their applicability.
Polyacrylamide gel plugs enabling 2‐D microfluidic protein separations via isoelectric focusing and multiplexed sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis

In situ photopolymerized polyacrylamide (PAAm) gel plugs are used as hydrodynamic flow control elements in a multidimensional microfluidic system combining IEF and parallel SDS gel electrophoresis for protein separations. The PAAm gel plugs offer a simple method to reduce undesirable bulk flow and limit reagent/sample crosstalk without placing unwanted constraints on the selection of separation media, and without hindering electrokinetic ion migration in the complex microchannel network. In addition to improving separation reproducibility, the discrete gel plugs integrated into critical regions of the chip enable the use of a simple pressure‐driven sample injection method which avoids electrokinetic injection bias. The gel plugs also serve to greatly simplify operation of the spatially multiplexed system by eliminating the need for complex external fluidic interfaces. Using an FITC‐labeled Escherichia coli cell lysate as a model system, the use of gel plugs is shown to significantly enhance separation reproducibility in a chip containing five parallel CGE channels, with an average variance in peak elution time of only 4.1%.
Molecular phylogenetics of the Chytridiomycota supports the utility of ultrastructural data in chytrid systematics

The chytrids (Chytridiomycota) are morphologically simple aquatic fungi that are unified by their possession of zoospores that typically have a single, posteriorly directed flagellum. This study addresses the systematics of the chytrids by generating a phylogeny of ribosomal DNA sequences coding for the small subunit gene of 54 chytrids, with emphasis on sampling the largest order, the Chytridiales. Selected chytrid sequences were also compared with se- quences from Zygomycota, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota to derive an overall fungal phylogeny. These analyses show that the Chytridiomycota is probably not a monophyletic group; the Blastocladiales cluster with the Zygomycota. Analyses did not resolve relationships among chytrid orders, or among clades within the Chytridiales, which suggests that the divergence times of these groups may be ancient. Four clades were well supported within the Chytridiales, and each of these clades was coincident with a group previously identified by possession of a common subtype of zoospore ultrastructure. In contrast, the analyses revealed homoplasy in several developmental and zoosporangial characters.
Novel Pseudo-Wavelet Function for MMG Signal Extraction during Dynamic Fatiguing Contractions

The purpose of this study was to develop an algorithm to classify muscle fatigue content in sports related scenarios. Mechanomyography (MMG) signals of the biceps muscle were recorded from thirteen subjects performing dynamic contractions until fatigue. For training and testing purposes, the signals were labeled in two classes (Non-Fatigue and Fatigue). A genetic algorithm was used to evolve a pseudo-wavelet function for optimizing the detection of muscle fatigue. Tuning of the generalized evolved pseudo-wavelet function was based on the decomposition of 70% of the conducted MMG trials. After completing 25 independent pseudo-wavelet evolution runs, the best run was selected and then tested on the remaining 30% of the data to measure the classification performance. Results show that the evolved pseudo-wavelet improved the classification rate of muscle fatigue by 4.70 percentage points to 16.61 percentage points when compared to other standard wavelet functions, giving an average correct classification of 80.63%, with statistical significance (p < 0.05).
High Prevalence of Prothrombotic Abnormalities in Multifocal Osteonecrosis

AbstractMultifocal or multiple osteonecrosis (ON), defined by the involvement of 3 or more anatomic sites, is unusual, being observed in only 3%–10% of patients diagnosed with ON. We report the clinical characteristics of a cohort of 29 patients with multifocal ON from a single center and evaluate the prevalence of associated prothrombotic abnormalities in 26 of these patients. We conducted a retrospective study of all patients diagnosed with multifocal ON evaluated in our institution during the last 20 years. We recorded clinical manifestations and underlying diagnoses. A wide thrombophilic profile was performed, including antithrombin, protein C, protein S, lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin antibodies, activated protein C resistance, factor V Leiden, mutation G-20210-A of the prothrombin gene, and factor VIII. Coagulation test results were compared with those in a healthy control group and a group of patients with history of lower-extremity deep venous thrombosis.The mean age of the patients was 49.2 ± 15 years (range, 28–81 yr). The mean number of ON localizations per patient was 5.2 ± 2.3 (range, 3–11). Hips were the most commonly affected joint (82%), followed by knees (58%), shoulders (37%), and ankles (13%). Most patients had an underlying disease process, and 12 of 25 (48%) patients had coagulation test abnormalities. The most common alterations were high factor VIII levels and antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) positivity in 24% and 20% of cases, respectively. These abnormalities were more prevalent in patients with multifocal ON compared with patients in the control groups.Sixty-one percent of patients had a history of corticosteroid treatment. Patients with coagulation abnormalities had a higher number of ON localizations per patient (6.5 ± 2.7 vs. 3.88 ± 0.8; p = 0.002) and a higher prevalence of atypical ON localizations (25% vs. 0%; p = 0.05). In conclusion, in the present cohort of patients with multifocal ON, 48% of the patients had at least 1 prothrombotic factor, especially high levels of factor VIII and aPL. These findings have major implications for the diagnosis and treatment of multifocal ON and clearly indicate the need to perform a thrombophilic profile in these patients.
Advances in Genetical Genomics of Plants

Natural variation provides a valuable resource to study the genetic regulation of quantitative traits. In quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses this variation, captured in segregating mapping populations, is used to identify the genomic regions affecting these traits. The identification of the causal genes underlying QTLs is a major challenge for which the detection of gene expression differences is of major importance. By combining genetics with large scale expression profiling (i.e. genetical genomics), resulting in expression QTLs (eQTLs), great progress can be made in connecting phenotypic variation to genotypic diversity. In this review we discuss examples from human, mouse, Drosophila, yeast and plant research to illustrate the advances in genetical genomics, with a focus on understanding the regulatory mechanisms underlying natural variation. With their tolerance to inbreeding, short generation time and ease to generate large families, plants are ideal subjects to test new concepts in genetics. The comprehensive resources which are available for Arabidopsis make it a favorite model plant but genetical genomics also found its way to important crop species like rice, barley and wheat. We discuss eQTL profiling with respect to cis and trans regulation and show how combined studies with other ‘omics’ technologies, such as metabolomics and proteomics may further augment current information on transcriptional, translational and metabolomic signaling pathways and enable reconstruction of detailed regulatory networks. The fast developments in the ‘omics’ area will offer great potential for genetical genomics to elucidate the genotype-phenotype relationships for both fundamental and applied research.
Course Update for Nurse Anesthetists Radiation Safety for Anesthesia Providers

Objectives At the completion of this course, the reader should be able to: 1. Recognize the differences between ionizing and nonionizing radiation and be able to identify the medical imaging modalities using each. 2. Understand the 4 units used to measure radiation quantity and the definitions of mAs and kV(p) and their influence on the x-ray beam and occupational exposure. 3. Articulate the concepts contained in the law of Bergonié and Tribondeau and apply the concepts to accurately predict which tissues will be most susceptible to the detrimental effects of ionizing radiation. 4. Understand the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) concept in terms of time, distance, and shielding, and be able to apply the inverse square law to effectively reduce one’s radiation exposure. 5. State the maximum annual dose of occupational ionizing radiation allowed for anesthesia providers, including pregnant anesthesia providers.
Respiratory health of elite athletes – preventing airway injury: a critical review

Elite athletes, particularly those engaged in endurance sports and those exposed chronically to airborne pollutants/irritants or allergens, are at increased risk for upper and lower airway dysfunction. Airway epithelial injury may be caused by dehydration and physical stress applied to the airways during severe exercise hyperpnoea and/or by inhalation of noxious agents. This is thought to initiate an inflammatory cascade/repair process that, ultimately, could lead to airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and asthma in susceptible athletes. The authors review the evidence relating to prevention or reduction of the risk of AHR/asthma development. Appropriate measures should be implemented when athletes exercise strenuously in an attempt to attenuate the dehydration stress and reduce the exposure to noxious airborne agents. Environmental interventions are the most important. Non-pharmacological strategies can assist, but currently, pharmacological measures have not been demonstrated to be effective. Whether early prevention of airway injury in elite athletes can prevent or reduce progression to AHR/asthma remains to be established.
Standard of practice: embolization of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms

Since its inception, coil embolization of cerebral aneurysms was designed and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for aneurysms considered to be high risk for microsurgical clip ligation, but it is now increasingly considered as the first line of treatment. The techniques for endovascular aneurysm treatment have evolved: new devices have been developed that allow treatment of aneurysms with anatomy previously unfavorable for endovascular occlusion, and indications for endovascular treatment have expanded. Nevertheless, intrasaccular coil embolization has become the mainstay of endovascular aneurysm treatment at the present time, and the medical literature demonstrates better outcomes with treatment by coiling than with clipping in specific patient groups.1–3 In a recent scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA),4 either endovascular or microsurgical treatment of cerebral aneurysms amenable to treatment was indicated with AHA Class I level of recommendation for ruptured aneurysms and Class IIa for unruptured aneurysms. In both groups the evidence suggests that the benefit of treatment outweighs the risks. A multidisciplinary team experienced in vascular microneurosurgery, neurocritical care and neurointerventional surgery most appropriately applies best techniques to the management of intracranial aneurysms. The Neurovascular Coalition Writing Group has previously published recommendations for training and competence in cerebrovascular intervention with a joint statement.5 The progressive adoption of endovascular techniques for the treatment of the majority of cerebral aneurysms and the availability of new endovascular devices do not necessarily correspond to continuously improving outcomes. A recent study comparing patient outcomes in New York State showed that patient outcomes have not improved significantly over the last decade despite the association of endovascular coiling with better patient outcomes compared with clipping for patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs). 6 This finding raises the concern that the quality of endovascular treatment is at a plateau, thus justifying the need …
Diagnostic caveats of immunoreactivity for Ki67 and chromogranin A in hyalinizing trabecular tumour of the thyroid

Hyalinizing trabecular tumour (HTT) of the thyroid is a rare tumour having a prominent trabecular growth pattern and stromal hyalinisation.1 ,2 However, these histologic features can be seen in other thyroid tumours, such as follicular neoplasm, follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), and primary thyroid paraganglioma.3 ,4 Therefore, HTT should be differentially diagnosed from these other tumour types. When making a diagnosis of HTT, the expression of Ki67 in the cell membrane could be helpful. Principally, Ki67 is used to assess the proportion of a given tumour population that is growing and could be used for the diagnosis or grading of malignant tumours.5 ,6 However, in HTT, Ki67 is characteristically expressed in the cell membrane but not in the nuclei of the tumour cells.7 ,8 Therefore, we evaluated the expression of Ki67 in eight cases of HTT with two types of automated immunohistochemical staining (IHC) systems and a manual method. This study obtained Institutional Review Board approval, and informed consent was obtained according to the Declaration of Helsinki. Eight cases of HTT and two control cases of MTC were used for this study. The histologic sections were made from the largest cross-sectional area of the tumour, and the IHC was performed with the serially sectioned histologic slides. Antibodies against thyroglobulin, thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1), cytokeratin 19 (CK19), high-molecular weight cytokeratin (HMW-CK), galectin-3, chromogranin A (CgA), synaptophysin, calcitonin, thyroglobulin (TG), and Ki67 were used in the staining processes of a fully automated IHC system with the BOND …
Image editing in the contour domain

Image editing systems are essentially pixel-based. In this paper we propose a novel method for image editing in which the primitive working unit is not a pixel but an edge. The feasibility of this proposal is suggested by recent work showing that a grey-scale image can be accurately represented by its edge map if a suitable edge model and scale selection method are employed. In particular, an efficient algorithm has been reported to invert such an edge representation to yield a high-fidelity reconstruction of the original image. We have combined these algorithms together with an efficient method for contour grouping and an intuitive user interface to allow users to perform image editing operations directly in the contour domain. Experimental results suggest that this novel combination of vision algorithms may lead to substantial improvements in the efficiency of certain classes of image editing operations.
Tif1γ regulates the TGF-β1 receptor and promotes physiological aging of hematopoietic stem cells

Significance Hematopoietic stem cell aging has been directly linked to the development of several hematological disorders, including myeloproliferative diseases. Here we show that in elderly mice (20 mo old), physiological aging of the hematopoietic system is linked to a decreased expression of transcription intermediary factor 1γ (Tif1γ) in HSCs. In turn, in young Tif1γ−/− mice (4 mo old), the hematopoiesis aging phenotype is exacerbated. In both sets of mice, Tif1γ level controls the TGF-β receptor 1 (Tgfbr1) turnover and subtly regulates the number of myeloid-biased HSCs in bone marrow. We establish that young Tif1γ−/− mice develop a phenotype of premature hematopoietic aging that may explain their predisposition to myeloproliferative disease. The hematopoietic system declines with age. Myeloid-biased differentiation and increased incidence of myeloid malignancies feature aging of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), but the mechanisms involved remain uncertain. Here, we report that 4-mo-old mice deleted for transcription intermediary factor 1γ (Tif1γ) in HSCs developed an accelerated aging phenotype. To reinforce this result, we also show that Tif1γ is down-regulated in HSCs during aging in 20-mo-old wild-type mice. We established that Tif1γ controls TGF-β1 receptor (Tgfbr1) turnover. Compared with young HSCs, Tif1γ−/− and old HSCs are more sensitive to TGF-β signaling. Importantly, we identified two populations of HSCs specifically discriminated by Tgfbr1 expression level and provided evidence of the capture of myeloid-biased (Tgfbr1hi) and myeloid-lymphoid-balanced (Tgfbr1lo) HSCs. In conclusion, our data provide a new paradigm for Tif1γ in regulating the balance between lymphoid- and myeloid-derived HSCs through TGF-β signaling, leading to HSC aging.
The Effect of Intervertebral Cartilage on Neutral Posture and Range of Motion in the Necks of Sauropod Dinosaurs

The necks of sauropod dinosaurs were a key factor in their evolution. The habitual posture and range of motion of these necks has been controversial, and computer-aided studies have argued for an obligatory sub-horizontal pose. However, such studies are compromised by their failure to take into account the important role of intervertebral cartilage. This cartilage takes very different forms in different animals. Mammals and crocodilians have intervertebral discs, while birds have synovial joints in their necks. The form and thickness of cartilage varies significantly even among closely related taxa. We cannot yet tell whether the neck joints of sauropods more closely resembled those of birds or mammals. Inspection of CT scans showed cartilage:bone ratios of 4.5% for Sauroposeidon and about 20% and 15% for two juvenile Apatosaurus individuals. In extant animals, this ratio varied from 2.59% for the rhea to 24% for a juvenile giraffe. It is not yet possible to disentangle ontogenetic and taxonomic signals, but mammal cartilage is generally three times as thick as that of birds. Our most detailed work, on a turkey, yielded a cartilage:bone ratio of 4.56%. Articular cartilage also added 11% to the length of the turkey's zygapophyseal facets. Simple image manipulation suggests that incorporating 4.56% of neck cartilage into an intervertebral joint of a turkey raises neutral posture by 15°. If this were also true of sauropods, the true neutral pose of the neck would be much higher than has been depicted. An additional 11% of zygapophyseal facet length translates to 11% more range of motion at each joint. More precise quantitative results must await detailed modelling. In summary, including cartilage in our models of sauropod necks shows that they were longer, more elevated and more flexible than previously recognised.
Making a Shallow Network Deep: Growing a Tree from Decision Regions of a Boosting Classifier

This paper presents a novel way to speed up the classification time of a boosting classifier. We make the shallow (flat) network deep (hierarchical) by growing a tree from the decision regions of a given boosting classifier. This provides many short paths for speeding up and preserves the reasonably smooth decision regions of the boosting classifier for good generalisation. We express the conversion as a Boolean optimisation problem, which has been previously studied for circuit design but limited to a small number of binary variables. In this work, a novel optimisation method is proposed for several tens of variables, i.e. weak-learners of a boosting classifier. The method is then used in a two stage cascade allowing the speed-up of a boosting classifier with any larger number of weak-learners. Experiments on the synthetic and face image data sets show that the obtained tree significantly speeds up both a standard boosting classifier and Fast-exit, a prior-art for fast boosting classification, at the same accuracy. The proposed method as a general meta-algorithm is also shown useful for a boosting cascade, since it speeds up individual stage classifiers by different gains. The proposed method is further demonstrated for rapid object tracking and segmentation problems.
Going back to the roots: the fourth generation of Swedish eco-villages

ABSTRACT Local reactions to climate change and sustainable development take various forms. The literature on grassroots innovation has grown recently, and it illustrates the myriad of initiatives that are actively working with the issues. The eco-village movement is one example of a grassroots innovation that reacts and adapts to its prerequisites, all striving for an alternative living with reduced environmental impact. This paper focuses on the development of eco-villages in Sweden, arguing that in recent years a fourth generation of initiatives has emerged, with ideals close to the pioneers of the first generation’s idealistic views and ambitions for alternative living as a way of reacting to global trends. The fourth generation is highly diverse in form and goals, but with an emphasis on outreach and networking as well as more focus on small-scale agriculture and permaculture. This paper presents, through literature reviews, database searches and interviews, how the eco-village idea has moved between initiatives and has taken various forms over the generations. In the first generation via books, reports and personal contacts, in the second and third also via contractors and professionals, and in the fourth via the internet and social media in order to attract members and have impact.
Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization for Multi-objective Design Space Exploration

Platform-based design represents the most widely used approach to design System-On-Chip (SOC) applications. In this context, the Design Space Exploration (DSE) phase consists of optimally configure a parameterized SOC platform in terms of system-level requirements depending on the target application. In this paper, we introduce the Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization methodology (DPSO) for supporting the DSE of an hardware platform. The proposed technique aims at efficiently profiling the target application and deriving an approximated Pareto set of system configurations with respect to the selected figures of merit. Once the approximated Pareto set has been built, the designer can quickly select the best system configuration satisfying the constraints. Experimental results show that the proposed DPSO technique can speed up the design space exploration time up to 5X with an accuracy of up to 70% with respect to a full search exploration for the selected benchmarks.
Virtual Deadline Scheduling Algorithm on Window-Constrained Constant Bandwidth Server

Advances in computing applications in recent years have prompted the demand for more flexible scheduling models. The DWCS (Dynamic Window-Constrained Scheduling) is a flexible scheduling algorithm. This paper applies VDS (Virtual Deadline Scheduling) and DWCS into the open real-time system. The paper analyzes the CBS (Constant Bandwidth Server) which the open real-time scheduling is based on. To evaluate the performance of the new server, the two server mechanisms have been implemented on the Linux kernel. The experimental results show that the new server is better than the old server. In the end, the future research directions are discussed.