Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Cooperative Search and Coverage Algorithm with Controllable Revisit and Connectivity Maintenance for Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

In this paper, we mainly study a cooperative search and coverage algorithm for a given bounded rectangle region, which contains several unknown stationary targets, by a team of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with non-ideal sensors and limited communication ranges. Our goal is to minimize the search time, while gathering more information about the environment and finding more targets. For this purpose, a novel cooperative search and coverage algorithm with controllable revisit mechanism is presented. Firstly, as the representation of the environment, the cognitive maps that included the target probability map (TPM), the uncertain map (UM), and the digital pheromone map (DPM) are constituted. We also design a distributed update and fusion scheme for the cognitive map. This update and fusion scheme can guarantee that each one of the cognitive maps converges to the same one, which reflects the targets’ true existence or absence in each cell of the search region. Secondly, we develop a controllable revisit mechanism based on the DPM. This mechanism can concentrate the UAVs to revisit sub-areas that have a large target probability or high uncertainty. Thirdly, in the frame of distributed receding horizon optimizing, a path planning algorithm for the multi-UAVs cooperative search and coverage is designed. In the path planning algorithm, the movement of the UAVs is restricted by the potential fields to meet the requirements of avoiding collision and maintaining connectivity constraints. Moreover, using the minimum spanning tree (MST) topology optimization strategy, we can obtain a tradeoff between the search coverage enhancement and the connectivity maintenance. The feasibility of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by comparison simulations by way of analyzing the effects of the controllable revisit mechanism and the connectivity maintenance scheme. The Monte Carlo method is employed to validate the influence of the number of UAVs, the sensing radius, the detection and false alarm probabilities, and the communication range on the proposed algorithm.
BUCCAL CAPNOMETRY FOR QUANTITATING THE SEVERITY OF HEMORRHAGIC SHOCK

We have recently demonstrated that measurement of buccal mucosal PCO2 (PBUCO2) is a reliable alternative to sublingual mucosal PCO2 for measuring the severity of hemorrhagic shock. We hypothesized that measurement of PBUCO2 would serve as a continuous and a more sensitive and specific measurement for predicting survival during hemorrhagic shock than conventional measurements and thereby better guide initial management. Four groups of five pentobarbital anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to be bled over 30 min in amounts estimated to be 25%, 30%, 35%, or 40% of total blood volume. With an optical PCO2 sensor applied noninvasively to the mucosa of the left inner cheek, PBUCO2 was continuously measured together with arterial pressure, end-tidal PCO2, and intermittent measurement of cardiac output, arterial blood lactate, and base deficit. Surviving animals had free access to water and food but no other treatment during the 72-h interval after recovery from anesthesia. After an estimated 40% blood loss, all animals died within 1 h. In the remaining animals, arterial pressure, end-tidal carbon dioxide, cardiac index, blood lactate, and base deficit each failed to discriminate among animals with 35%, 30%, and 25% acute blood losses. This contrasted with PBUCO2, which discriminated between the magnitude of massive blood loss and untreated survival. Buccal mucosal PCO2 was predictive of outcome after rapid bleeding when compared with arterial pressure, end-tidal carbon dioxide, cardiac index, arterial blood lactate, and base deficit. This measurement is therefore likely to serve as a useful guide for the immediate management of hemorrhagic shock.
Robust Cell Detection for Large-Scale 3D Microscopy Using GPU-Accelerated Iterative Voting

High-throughput imaging techniques, such as Knife-Edge Scanning Microscopy (KESM),are capable of acquiring three-dimensional whole-organ images at sub-micrometer resolution. These images are challenging to segment since they can exceed several terabytes (TB) in size, requiring extremely fast and fully automated algorithms. Staining techniques are limited to contrast agents that can be applied to large samples and imaged in a single pass. This requires maximizing the number of structures labeled in a single channel, resulting in images that are densely packed with spatial features. In this paper, we propose a three-dimensional approach for locating cells based on iterative voting. Due to the computational complexity of this algorithm, a highly efficient GPU implementation is required to make it practical on large data sets. The proposed algorithm has a limited number of input parameters and is highly parallel.
CREBH Regulates Systemic Glucose and Lipid Metabolism

The cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-responsive element-binding protein H (CREBH, encoded by CREB3L3) is a membrane-bound transcriptional factor that primarily localizes in the liver and small intestine. CREBH governs triglyceride metabolism in the liver, which mediates the changes in gene expression governing fatty acid oxidation, ketogenesis, and apolipoproteins related to lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activation. CREBH in the small intestine reduces cholesterol transporter gene Npc1l1 and suppresses cholesterol absorption from diet. A deficiency of CREBH in mice leads to severe hypertriglyceridemia, fatty liver, and atherosclerosis. CREBH, in synergy with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), has a crucial role in upregulating Fgf21 expression, which is implicated in metabolic homeostasis including glucose and lipid metabolism. CREBH binds to and functions as a co-activator for both PPARα and liver X receptor alpha (LXRα) in regulating gene expression of lipid metabolism. Therefore, CREBH has a crucial role in glucose and lipid metabolism in the liver and small intestine.
The relationship of renal function to segmental vascular stiffness, ankle‐brachial index, and peripheral artery disease

The authors consecutively assessed various arterial pulse‐wave velocity (PWV) indices and ankle‐brachial index (ABI) by an automatic device (VP2000, OMRON Health Care Co. Ltd., Kyota, Japan) in outpatients with ≥ 1 cardiovascular risk. PAD was defined as ABI ≤ 0.9. Among 2309 outpatients (mean age 62.4 years), worse renal function was associated with higher brachial‐ankle PWV, heart‐carotid PWV, heart‐femoral PWV (hf‐PWV), and lower ABI (all P < .001). Multivariate regression models showed independent associations between lower eGFR, lower ABI (Coef: 0.42 & 0.41 for right and left), higher hf‐PWV (Coef: −11.4 [95% CI: −15.4, −7.3]) and greater PAD risk (adjusted OR: 0.83 [95% CI: 0.76, 0.91], all P < .05). eGFR set at 77 mL/min/1.73m2 was observed to be useful clinical cutoff (c‐statistics: 0.67) for identifying PAD (P for ΔAUROC: .009; likelihood X2: 93.82 to 137.43, P < .001) when superimposed on clinical risks. This study suggested early renal insufficiency is tightly linked to region‐specific vascular stiffness and PAD.
Loss of cerebellar glutamate transporters EAAT4 and GLAST differentially affects the spontaneous firing pattern and survival of Purkinje cells

Abstract Loss of excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) has been implicated in a number of human diseases including spinocerebellar ataxias, Alzhiemer’s disease and motor neuron disease. EAAT4 and GLAST/EAAT1 are the two predominant EAATs responsible for maintaining low extracellular glutamate levels and preventing neurotoxicity in the cerebellum, the brain region essential for motor control. Here using genetically modified mice we identify new critical roles for EAAT4 and GLAST/EAAT1 as modulators of Purkinje cell (PC) spontaneous firing patterns. We show high EAAT4 levels, by limiting mGluR1 signalling, are essential in constraining inherently heterogeneous firing of zebrin-positive PCs. Moreover mGluR1 antagonists were found to restore regular spontaneous PC activity and motor behaviour in EAAT4 knockout mice. In contrast, GLAST/EAAT1 expression is required to sustain normal spontaneous simple spike activity in low EAAT4 expressing (zebrin-negative) PCs by restricting NMDA receptor activation. Blockade of NMDA receptor activity restores spontaneous activity in zebrin-negative PCs of GLAST knockout mice and furthermore alleviates motor deficits. In addition both transporters have differential effects on PC survival, with zebrin-negative PCs more vulnerable to loss of GLAST/EAAT1 and zebrin-positive PCs more vulnerable to loss of EAAT4. These findings reveal that glutamate transporter dysfunction through elevated extracellular glutamate and the aberrant activation of extrasynaptic receptors can disrupt cerebellar output by altering spontaneous PC firing. This expands our understanding of disease mechanisms in cerebellar ataxias and establishes EAATs as targets for restoring homeostasis in a variety of neurological diseases where altered cerebellar output is now thought to play a key role in pathogenesis.
Prevalence of Schizophrenia in Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

Abstract BACKGROUND Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a progressive and potentially treatable neurodegenerative disease affecting elderly people, characterized by gait impairment and ventricular enlargement in brain imaging. Similar findings are seen in some patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of SCZ among patients suffering from probable or possible iNPH and the specific effects of comorbid SCZ on the outcome of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunting. METHODS All medical records of the 521 iNPH patients in the NPH registry were retrospectively analyzed from 1991 until 2017. The prevalence of comorbidity of SCZ was determined and compared to that of general aged (≥65 yr) population in Finland. RESULTS We identified a total of 16 (3.1%) iNPH patients suffering from comorbid SCZ. The prevalence of SCZ among the iNPH patients was significantly higher compared to the general population (3.1% vs 0.9%, P < .001). All iNPH patients with comorbid SCZ were CSF shunted and 12 (75%) had a clinically verified shunt response 3 to 12 mo after the procedure. The CSF shunt response rate did not differ between patients with and without comorbid SCZ. CONCLUSION SCZ seems to occur 3 times more frequently among iNPH patients compared to the general aged population in Finland. The outcome of the treatment was not affected by comorbid SCZ and therefore iNPH patients suffering from comorbid SCZ should not be left untreated. These results merit validation in other populations. In addition, further research towards the potential connection between these chronic conditions is warranted.
IN SEARCH OF A PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR COVARIATIONS IN LIGHT‐LIMITED AND LIGHT‐SATURATED PHOTOSYNTHESIS 1

The photosynthesis‐irradiance (PE) relationship links indices of phytoplankton biomass (e.g. chl) to rates of primary production. The PE curve can be characterized by two variables: the light‐limited slope (αb) and the light‐saturated rate (Pbmax) of photosynthesis. Variability in PE curves can be separated into two categories: that associated with changes in the light saturation index, Ek (=Pbmax/αb) and that associated with parallel changes in αband Pbmax (i.e. no change in Ek). The former group we refer to as “Ek‐dependent” variability, and it results predominantly from photoacclimation (i.e. physiological adjustments in response to changing light). The latter group we refer to as “Ek‐independent” variability, and its physiological basis is unknown. Here, we provide the first review of the sporadic field and laboratory reports of Ek‐independent variability, and then from a stepwise analysis of potential mechanisms we propose that this important yet largely neglected phenomenon results from growth rate–dependent variability in the metabolic processing of photosynthetically generated reductants (and generally not from changes in the oxygen‐evolving PSII complexes). Specifically, we suggest that as growth rates decrease (e.g. due to nutrient stress), reductants are increasingly used for simple ATP generation through a fast (<1s) respiratory pathway that skips the carbon reduction cycle altogether and is undetected by standard PE methodologies. The proposed mechanism is consistent with the field and laboratory data and involves a simple new “twist” on established metabolic pathways. Our conclusions emphasize that simple reductants, not reduced carbon compounds, are the central currency of photoautotrophs.
Measuring short term memory for serial order and incidental learning as aptitudes for L2 idiomaticity

Recent investigations of the mechanism underlying the relationship between new word learning and phonological short term memory (pSTM) suggest that word learning depends not only on the short term maintenance of phonological material, but also on the incidental or implicit abstraction of phonological structure (Service et al 2007). Other research has proposed that the creation of new chunks in long term memory is particularly reliant on the maintenance of serial order in STM, even in individuals with a highly developed phonological knowledge base (Majerus et al 2008). This poster reports on methodological issues arising from the use of two versions of a short term memory task which simultaneously measures serial recall of order information and incidental learning of statistical structure, a partial replication of Karpicke and Pisoni 2004. This instrument was used as an individual difference measure in two studies (n=80 and n=33) investigating ultimate attainment in knowledge of L2 conventional word combinations in bilingual adults with advanced proficiency and long experience in their L2 (between 12 and 70 years). The use of a task as an aptitude measure for ultimate attainment (where past learning processes are inferred on the basis of present relationships) raises issues of the stability of the measured ability and reliability of the measure. This poster reports on whether task performance is related to participant characteristics such as age at testing, language of testing and length of exposure to the L2. It also explores whether serial recall performance is related to the magnitude of incidental learning when stimuli and response modes differ and whether either is related to performance on operation span and non word repetition tasks. Karpicke, J.D. , & Pisoni, D.B. (2004). Using immediate memory span to measure implicit learning. Memory & Cognition, 32, 956-964. Majerus, S. , Poncelet, M. , Van der Linden, M. , & Weekes, B. S. (2008). Lexical learning in bilingual adults: The relative importance of short-term memory for serial order and phonological knowledge. Cognition 107 (2), 395-419. Service, E. , Maury, S. , Luotoniemi, E. (2007). Individual differences in phonological learning and verbal STM span. Memory & Cognition, 35, 1122–1135.
A Low Power IoT Sensor Node Architecture for Waste Management Within Smart Cities Context

This paper focuses on the realization of an Internet of Things (IoT) architecture to optimize waste management in the context of Smart Cities. In particular, a novel typology of sensor node based on the use of low cost and low power components is described. This node is provided with a single-chip microcontroller, a sensor able to measure the filling level of trash bins using ultrasounds and a data transmission module based on the LoRa LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) technology. Together with the node, a minimal network architecture was designed, based on a LoRa gateway, with the purpose of testing the IoT node performances. Especially, the paper analyzes in detail the node architecture, focusing on the energy saving technologies and policies, with the purpose of extending the batteries lifetime by reducing power consumption, through hardware and software optimization. Tests on sensor and radio module effectiveness are also presented.
Effectiveness of Adjuvanted Influenza Vaccination in Elderly Subjects in Northern Italy

Although vaccination against influenza is recommended for elderly and high-risk patients in many countries, efficacy in the elderly has been suboptimal. The MF59 adjuvanted trivalent inactivated vaccine (ATIV) was developed to increase the immune response of elderly subjects to influenza vaccination, but its effectiveness has not yet been well documented. This prospective, observational study evaluated the relative effectiveness of ATIV versus nonadjuvanted trivalent inactivated vaccine (TIV) in individuals at least 65 years of age in Lombardy, northern Italy. Hospitalizations for influenza or pneumonia (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, codes 480–487) during the 2006–2007, 2007–2008, and 2008–2009 influenza seasons were identified from administrative databases. Stratified and regression analyses, including the propensity score to adjust for confounding, as well as generalized estimating equations to account for repeated vaccination, were used. Overall, 107,661 records were evaluated, contributing 170,988 person-seasons of observation. Since ATIV is preferentially recommended for more frail individuals, subjects vaccinated with ATIV were older and had more functional impairment and comorbidities. In the primary analysis, risk of hospitalization for influenza or pneumonia was 25% lower for ATIV relative to TIV (relative risk = 0.75, 95% confidence interval: 0.57, 0.98). To the extent that there is residual bias, ATIV is likely to be even more protective than this result suggests.
Characterization of SLC26A9, Facilitation of Cl- Transport by Bicarbonate

SLC26 family members are anionic transporters involved in Cl<sup>-</sup> and HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> absorption or secretion in epithelia. SLC26A9, preferentially expressed in the lung, is a poorly characterized member of this family. In this study, we investigated the transport properties of human SLC26A9 to determine its functional and pharmacological characteristics. SLC26A9 protein expression results in the appearance of an anionic current exhibiting an apparently linear current/voltage relationship and increases in <sup>36</sup>Cl influxes and effluxes. The sequences of conductivity, Cl<sup>-</sup> >I<sup>-</sup> > NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> ≧ gluconate > SO<sub>4</sub> <sup>2-</sup> and selectivity (P<sub>x</sub>/P<sub>CI</sub>), I<sup>-</sup> > NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> > Cl<sup>-</sup> > gluconate > SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup> are found. Cl<sup>-</sup> channel inhibitors DIDS and NS 3623 inhibit SLC26A9 associated currents while the specific CFTR inhibitor (CFTR(inh)-172) or glybenclamide has little effect. Elevation of intracellular cAMP (a CFTR activator) is also ineffective whereas increasing intracellular calcium blocks the SLC26A9 associated currents. The HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> conductance mediated by the SLC26A9 protein expression is low and no intracellular pHi changes are detectable under conditions favoring a Cl<sup>-</sup>/HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> exchange. However, the presence of HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>/CO<sub>2</sub> stimulates the Cl<sup>-</sup>-transporting activity of SLC26A9 in Xenopus laevis oocytes or SLC26A9-transduced COS-7 cells. As an important initial step in characterizing SLC26A9 function, we conclude that SLC26A9 is a Cl<sup>-</sup> channel and we suggest that HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> acts as a modulator of the channel. SLC26A9 physiological role in airway epithelia and its potential interaction with CFTR remain to be elucidated.
Automatic Evaluation of Presenters' Discussion Performance based on Their Heart Rate

Heart rate (HR) variability (HRV) has recently seen a surge in interest regarding the evaluation of cognitive performance as it always be used to measure the autonomic nervous system function. In this study, we argue that a presenters’ HR data can be used to effectively evaluate their cognitive performance, specifically presenters’ performance of discussion which consists of several Q&A segments (question and answer pairs) compared with using traditional natural language processing (NLP) such as semantic analysis. To confirm this, we used a non-invasive device, i.e., Apple Watch, to collect real-time updated HR data of presenters during discussions in our lab-seminar environment, their HR data were analyzed based on Q&A segments, and three machine-learning models were generated for evaluation: logistic regression, support vector machine, and random forest. We also discuss the meaningful HR and HRV features (metrics). Comparative experiments were conducted involving semantic data of Q&A statements alone and a combination of HR and semantic data. The HR data of presenters resulted in effective evaluation of discussion performance compared with using only semantic data. The combination of these two types of data could improve the discussion performance evaluation ability to some extent.
L'apprentissage d'un mode évaluatif versus descriptif de jugement des personnes : Conséquences sur l'estimation des différences inter-individuelles

Cette contribution a pour but de demontrer que le jugement des differences individuelles est surtout de nature evaluative (ou utilitaire) plutot que descriptive. Au cours d'une premiere phase, les sujets apprenaient la signification de pseudo-mots soit avec des definitions descriptives (i.e. des comportements emis par une personne), soit avec des definitions evaluatives (i.e. des comportements que l'on peut avoir envers une personne). Ensuite (phase 2), les sujets devaient juger 12 individus photographies (appeles « cibles » en utilisant ces pseudo-mots. Les resultats montrent que les cibles sont davantage discriminees sous le mode evaluatif que sous le mode descriptif. Ces resultats permettent de concevoir l'activite de premiere impression comme relevant d'une detection de l'utilite des personnes.