Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating kidney donation as a risk factor for hypertension and microalbuminuria: findings from the Swiss prospective follow-up of living kidney donors

Objectives To assess the role of nephrectomy as a risk factor for the development of hypertension and microalbuminuria. Design Prospective, long-term follow-up study. Setting Swiss Organ Living-Donor Health Registry. Participants All living kidney donors in Switzerland between 1993 and 2009. Interventions Data on health status and renal function before 1 year and biennially after donation were collected. Primary and secondary outcome measures Comparison of 1-year and 5-year occurrences of hypertension among normotensive donors with 1-year and 5-year estimates from the Framingham hypertension risk score. Multivariate random intercept models were used to investigate changes of albumin excretion after donation, correcting for repeated measurements and cofactors such as age, male gender and body mass index. Results A total of 1214 donors contributed 3918 data entries with a completed biennial follow-up rate of 74% during a 10-year period. Mean (SD) follow-up of donors was 31.6 months (34.4). Median age at donation was 50.5 years (IQR 42.2–58.8); 806 donors (66.4%) were women. Donation increased the risk of hypertension after 1 year by 3.64 (95% CI 3.52 to 3.76; p<0.001). Those participants remaining normotensive 1 year after donation return to a risk similar to that of the healthy Framingham population. Microalbuminuria before donation was dependent on donor age but not on the presence of hypertension. After nephrectomy, hypertension became the main driver for changes in albumin excretion (OR 1.19; 95% CI 0.13 to 2.25; p=0.03) and donor age had no effect. Conclusions Nephrectomy propagates hypertension and increases susceptibility for the development of hypertension-induced microalbuminuria.
Path Planning and Decision-making Control for AUV with Complex Environment

Efficient path planning algorithms and decision-making control system are crucial issues for modern autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in complex underwater environment. In this paper, Fast Marching (FM) algorithm is used to extract cost optimal paths from complex and continuous environments, and meanwhile, we design a decision-making control system with reactive structure based on behavior. This system divides AUV’s behavior into two classes-Rational Behavior set and Perceptual Behavior set. Furthermore, in order to avoid dynamic obstacles, improved artificial potential field (APF) is used to implement secondary path planning in local environments. At last, we combine path planning method based on FM with decision-making control system with reactive structure based on behavior. This approach is not only capable of path planning but also of obstacle avoidance and navigation in complex environments which include fast moving obstacles. The effectiveness of proposed methods is verified by simulation results. Keywords-AUV; Path planning; Fast Marching algorithm; Decision-making control system; Artificial potential field
Distribution of transcript and protein isoforms of the synaptic glycoprotein neuroplastin in rat retina.

PURPOSE To examine the expression and localization of the neuroplastins (np), two synapse-enriched members of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily of cell-adhesion molecules, in the developing and adult retina and optic nerve. METHODS Expressions of the two isoforms np55 and np65 and carboxyl-terminal splice variants were investigated by immunocytochemistry, Western blot analysis, RT-PCR, and in situ hybridization. RESULTS Immunoreactivity for both neuroplastins was confined to the two synaptic layers of the retina: the inner (IPL) and outer plexiform layer (OPL). Significant overlap was found in staining at synaptic structures with synaptophysin. A large proportion of immunoreactivity for both isoforms, however, was of perisynaptic origin. In situ hybridization studies were suggestive of a pre- and postsynaptic localization of np65 in the OPL. Transcripts for np55 were already present at birth in the inner retina, but the hybridization signals increased during postnatal development. Np65 transcripts and immunosignals appeared at later developmental ages, concomitant with synapse formation in the OPL. Several C-terminal neuroplastin cDNA clones harbor an insert of 12 bp, coding for four amino acids (DDEP) in the intracellular domain of neuroplastins. Splice isoforms containing the insert exhibited a developmental expression pattern similar to that of np55; however, both neuroplastins could harbor the C-terminal insert. Neuroplastins were also detected in optic nerve homogenates. RT-PCR and blockade of axonal transport by nerve crush confirmed transcript and protein expression in optic nerve tissue. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest a role for neuroplastins in cell adhesion in the plexiform layers during histogenesis, as well as in maintenance of connections between specific cellular structures.
Algorithm comparison for Karcher mean computation of rotation matrices and diffusion tensors

This paper concerns the computation, by means of gradient and Newton methods, of the Karcher mean of a finite collection of points, both on the manifold of 3×3 rotation matrices endowed with its usual bi-invariant metric and on the manifold of 3×3 symmetric positive definite matrices endowed with its usual affine invariant metric. An explicit expression for the Hessian of the Riemannian squared distance function of these manifolds is given. From this, a condition on the step size of a constant step gradient method that depends on the data distribution is derived. These explicit expressions make a more efficient implementation of the Newton method possible and it is shown that the Newton method outperforms the gradient method in some cases.
The Tomato spotted wilt virus cell-to-cell movement protein (NSM ) triggers a hypersensitive response in Sw-5-containing resistant tomato lines and in Nicotiana benthamiana transformed with the functional Sw-5b resistance gene copy.

Although the Sw-5 gene cluster has been cloned, and Sw-5b has been identified as the functional gene copy that confers resistance to Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), its avirulence (Avr) determinant has not been identified to date. Nicotiana tabacum 'SR1' plants transformed with a copy of the Sw-5b gene are immune without producing a clear visual response on challenge with TSWV, whereas it is shown here that N. benthamiana transformed with Sw-5b gives a rapid and conspicuous hypersensitive response (HR). Using these plants, from all structural and non-structural TSWV proteins tested, the TSWV cell-to-cell movement protein (NSM ) was confirmed as the Avr determinant using a Potato virus X (PVX) replicon or a non-replicative pEAQ-HT expression vector system. HR was induced in Sw-5b-transgenic N. benthamiana as well as in resistant near-isogenic tomato lines after agroinfiltration with a functional cell-to-cell movement protein (NSM ) from a resistance-inducing (RI) TSWV strain (BR-01), but not with NSM from a Sw-5 resistance-breaking (RB) strain (GRAU). This is the first biological demonstration that Sw-5-mediated resistance is triggered by the TSWV NSM cell-to-cell movement protein.
Multiple Instance Learning-Based Birdsong Classification Using Unsupervised Recording Segmentation

Traditional techniques for monitoring wildlife populations are temporally and spatially limited. Alternatively, in order to quickly and accurately extract information about the current state of the environment, tools for processing and recognition of acoustic signals can be used. In the past, a number of research studies on automatic classification of species through their vocalizations have been undertaken. In many of them, however, the segmentation applied in the preprocessing stage either implies human effort or is insufficiently described to be reproduced. Therefore, it might be unfeasible in real conditions. Particularly, this paper is focused on the extraction of local information as units -called instances- from audio recordings. The methodology for instance extraction consists in the segmentation carried out using image processing techniques on spectrograms and the estimation of a needed threshold by the Otsu's method. The multiple instance classification (MIC) approach is used for the recognition of the sound units. A public data set was used for the experiments. The proposed unsupervised segmentation method has a practical advantage over the compared supervised method, which requires the training from manually segmented spectrograms. Results show that there is no significant difference between the proposed method and its baseline. Therefore, it is shown that the proposed approach is feasible to design an automatic recognition system of recordings which only requires, as training information, labeled examples of audio recordings.
TOMP a total ordering multicast protocol

A Reliable Multicast Transport layer (connection oriented or connection-less oriented ) must provide two major, well-defined classes of functions. The first one called[ the T r a n s m i s s i on Fun c t i on , must provide a service that ensures message transmission from one host to a set of hosts belonging to a Multicast Group. The Multicast Group is assumed to be known in advance. The second class, called the R e l i a b l e M u l t i c a s t F u n c t i o n , concerns the quality of service, the primitives provided to the user layer and the expected level of reliability. As opposed to the first class, the functions we find here depend on the ,aims of applications and their environment constraints. Birman & Joseph [BirJos88] had established a classification of the Reliable Multicast Functions. They assumed that a reliable service of the data transmission is provided by the lower layer. (In the case of ISIS system [Birman88], the reliable transfer service is provided by the TCP/IP layers or by UDP/IP layers and an extra module.). The 3 classes defined in [BirJos88] are the following:
Model Selection in Gaussian Graphical Models: High-Dimensional Consistency of l1-regularized MLE

We consider the problem of estimating the graph structure associated with a Gaussian Markov random field (GMRF) from i.i. d. samples. We study the performance of study the performance of thel1-regularized maximum likelihood estimator in the high-dimensional setting, where the number of nodes in the graph p, the number of edges in the graph s and the maximum node degree d, are allowed to grow as a function of the number of samples n. Our main result provides sufficient conditions on (n, p, d) for thel1-regularized MLE estimator to recover all the edges of the graph with high probability. Under some conditions on the model covariance, we show that model selection can be achieved for sample sizes n = Ω(d log(p)), with the error decaying as O(exp(−c log(p))) for some constant c. We illustrate our theoretical results via simulations and show good correspondences between the theoretical predictions and behavior in simulations.
Bismuth oxide aqueous colloidal nanoparticles inhibit Candida albicans growth and biofilm formation

Multiresistance among microorganisms to common antimicrobials has become one of the most significant concerns in modern medicine. Nanomaterials are a new alternative to successfully treat the multiresistant microorganisms. Nanostructured materials are used in many fields, including biological sciences and medicine. Recently, it was demonstrated that the bactericidal activity of zero-valent bismuth colloidal nanoparticles inhibited the growth of Streptococcus mutans; however the antimycotic potential of bismuth nanostructured derivatives has not yet been studied. The main objective of this investigation was to analyze the fungicidal activity of bismuth oxide nanoparticles against Candida albicans, and their antibiofilm capabilities. Our results showed that aqueous colloidal bismuth oxide nanoparticles displayed antimicrobial activity against C. albicans growth (reducing colony size by 85%) and a complete inhibition of biofilm formation. These results are better than those obtained with chlorhexidine, nystatin, and terbinafine, the most effective oral antiseptic and commercial antifungal agents. In this work, we also compared the antimycotic activities of bulk bismuth oxide and bismuth nitrate, the precursor metallic salt. These results suggest that bismuth oxide colloidal nanoparticles could be a very interesting candidate as a fungicidal agent to be incorporated into an oral antiseptic. Additionally, we determined the minimum inhibitory concentration for the synthesized aqueous colloidal Bi2O3 nanoparticles.
Clipping value estimate for iterative tree search detection

The clipping value, defined as the log-likelihood ratio (LLR) in the case wherein all the list of candidates have the same binary value, is investigated, and an effective method to estimate it is presented for iterative tree search detection. The basic principle behind the method is that the clipping value of a channel bit is equal to the LLR of the maximum probability of correct decision of the bit to the corresponding probability of erroneous decision. In conjunction with multilevel bit mappings, the clipping value can be calculated with the parameters of the number of transmit antennas, Nt; number of bits per constellation point, Mc; and variance of the channel noise, σ2, per real dimension in the Rayleigh fading channel. Analyses and simulations show that the bit error performance of the proposed method is better than that of the conventional fixed-value method.
Gene-environment interaction: definitions and study designs.

Study of gene-environment interaction is important for improving accuracy and precision in the assessment of both genetic and environmental influences. This overview presents a simple definition of gene-environment interaction and suggests study designs for detecting it. Gene-environment interaction is defined as "a different effect of an environmental exposure on disease risk in persons with different genotypes," or, alternatively, "a different effect of a genotype on disease risk in persons with different environmental exposures. " Under this strictly statistical definition, the presence or absence of interaction depends upon the scale of measurement (additive or multiplicative). The decision of which scale is appropriate will be governed by many factors, including the main objective of an investigation (discovery of etiology, public health prediction, etc.) and the hypothesized pathophysiologic model. Five biologically plausible models are described for the relations between genotypes and environmental exposures, in terms of their effects on disease risk. Each of these models leads to a different set of predictions about disease risk in individuals classified by presence or absence of a high-risk genotype and environmental exposure. Classification according to the exposure is relatively easy, using conventional epidemiologic methods. Classification according to the high-risk genotype is more difficult, but several alternative strategies are suggested.
Harnessing the Heterogeneity of T Cell Differentiation Fate to Fine-Tune Generation of Effector and Memory T Cells

Recent studies show that naïve T cells bearing identical T cell receptors experience heterogeneous differentiation and clonal expansion processes. The factors controlling this outcome are not well characterized, and their contributions to immune cell dynamics are similarly poorly understood. In this study, we develop a computational model to elaborate mechanisms occurring within and between two important physiological compartments, lymph nodes and blood, to determine how immune cell dynamics are controlled. Our multi-organ (multi-compartment) model integrates cellular and tissue level events and allows us to examine the heterogeneous differentiation of individual precursor cognate naïve T cells to generate both effector and memory T lymphocytes. Using this model, we simulate a hypothetical immune response and reproduce both primary and recall responses to infection. Increased numbers of antigen-bearing dendritic cells (DCs) are predicted to raise production of both effector and memory T cells, and distinct “sweet spots” of peptide-MHC levels on those DCs exist that favor CD4+ or CD8+ T cell differentiation toward either effector or memory cell phenotypes. This has important implications for vaccine development and immunotherapy.
Duodenal lipid‐induced symptom generation in gastroesophageal reflux disease: role of apolipoprotein A‐IV and cholecystokinin

Background Duodenal lipid intensifies the perception of esophageal acid perfusion. Recently, we showed that genes implicated in lipid absorption were upregulated in the duodenum of fasting gastro‐esophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients. This suggests that chylomicron production and secretion may be enhanced and, consequently, the release of apolipoprotein A‐IV (apoA‐IV), a chylomicron‐derived signaling protein. ApoA‐IV may stimulate release of cholecystokinin (CCK), an activator of vagal afferents. This study evaluated putative involvement of abnormal apoA‐IV and CCK responses to lipid in GERD.
Energy Efficient Wireless Sensor MAC Protocol for Collision Avoidance

In sensor networks communication by broadcast method involves many hazards, especially collision. Several MAC layer protocols have been proposed to resolve the problem of collision namely ARBP, where the best achieved success rate is 90%. We hereby propose a MAC protocol which achieves a greater success rate (Success rate is defined as the percentage of delivered packets at the source reaching the destination successfully) by reducing the number of collisions, but by trading off the average propagation delay of transmission. Our proposed protocols are also shown to be more energy efficient in terms of energy dissipation per message delivery, compared to the currently existing protocol.
The Elevated Rate of Cesarean Section and Its Contribution to Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases in Latin America: The Growing Involvement of the Microbiota

The current recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding cesarean section (C-section) is that this clinical practice should be carried out only under specific conditions, when the health or life of the mother/newborn dyad is threatened, and that its use should not exceed 10–15% of the total deliveries. However, over the last few decades, the frequency of C-section delivery in medium- and high-income countries has rapidly increased worldwide. This review describes the evolution of this procedure in Latin American countries, showing that today more than half of newborns in the region are delivered by C-section. Given that C-section delivery is more expensive than vaginal delivery, its use has increased more rapidly in the private than the public sector; nevertheless, the prevalence of C-section deliveries in the public sector is higher than the WHO’s recommendations and continues to increase, representing a growing challenge for Latin America. Although the medium- and long-term consequences of C-section delivery, as opposed to vaginal delivery, on the infant health are unclear, epidemiological studies suggest that it is associated with higher risk of developing asthma, food allergy, type 1 diabetes, and obesity during infancy. These findings are important, as the incidence of these diseases in the Latin American pediatric population is also increasing, particularly obesity. Although the link between these diseases and delivery mode remains controversial, recent studies indicate that the establishment of the gut microbiota is delayed in infants born by C-section during the postnatal period, i.e., during a critical developmental window for the maturation of the newborn’s immune system. This delay may favor the subsequent development of inflammatory and metabolic disorders during infancy. Accordingly, from a public health perspective, it is important to slow down and eventually reverse the pattern of increased C-section use in the affected populations.
Explore the Adequate and Concise Information from Communication Signals in Terms of Graphs

In this paper, a novel adequate and concise information extraction approach is explored to provide a promising alternative for manifesting the intrinsic structure of the cyclostationary signals, such as communication signals. A novel graph-based signal representation is proposed to interpret the spectral correlation function into a graph and its adjacency matrix. This graph can represent the proposed adequate and concise information about the communication signals in practice. A typical application, namely modulation classification, can be implemented using our proposed new graph-based approach. According to Monte Carlo simulation results, the proposed graph-based modulation classification method leads to the promising performance in both additive noise channels and difficult multipath fading channels, compared to other existing techniques also using the spectral correlation functions.
The Speedup Theorem in a Primitive Recursive Framework

Blum's speedup theorem is a major theorem in computational complexity, showing the existence of computable functions for which no optimal program can exist: for any speedup function r there exists a function fr such that for any program computing fr we can find an alternative program computing it with the desired speedup r. The main corollary is that algorithmic problems do not have, in general, a inherent complexity. Traditional proofs of the speedup theorem make an essential use of Kleene's fix point theorem to close a suitable diagonal argument. As a consequence, very little is known about its validity in subrecursive settings, where there is no universal machine, and no fixpoints. In this article we discuss an alternative, formal proof of the speedup theorem that allows us to spare the invocation of the fix point theorem and sheds more light on the actual complexity of the function fr.
Genetic resistance to murine cryptococcosis: increased susceptibility in the CBA/N XID mutant strain of mice

In a survey of 301 normocomplementemic inbred mice (belonging to nine different strains: BALB/cN nu/nu and nu/+, CBA/N, C57BL/KsJ, C57BR/cdJ, CBA/CaJ, BRVR, DW/+, and C57BL/6J) for natural resistance to Cryptococcus neoformans, cumulative survival values were found to range from 12 to 22 days. When the average organ weights of infected animals were compared with reference values obtained in uninfected mice of the same age and genetic lineage, the following changes were documented. In the CBA/N strain, the mean spleen and brain weights increased 313 and 13.5%, respectively, whereas the mean liver weight remained unchanged. In the CBA/Ca strain, cerebral cryptococcosis was the dominant clinical feature, and a 54% increase in mean brain weight was recorded at the time of death. The averaged liver weight was drastically lower, whereas spleen weight values evinced a biphasic pattern of transient splenomegaly followed by involution. At the median time of death, CBA/N mice had significantly more cryptococci in the liver and spleen than corresponding CBA/Ca mice. In the (CBA/N X CBA/Ca)F1 mice, susceptibility to C. neoformans segregated according to the sex-linked inheritance of the X-linked immunodeficiency (xid) gene. It is concluded that (i) susceptibility to cryptococcosis is under multigenic control, (ii) the xid locus on the X chromosome influences susceptibility to cryptococcosis, and (iii) xid mice behave differently than CBA/Ca mice in their organ response during the course of the infection.