Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An optimal parallel algorithm for computing moments on arrays with reconfigurable optical buses

Computing the moments of a two-dimensional (2-D) image involves a significant amount of multiplications and additions in a direct method. In this paper, we use the suffix sums to compute the 2-D moments instead of using a direct method. This method can reduce the number of multiplications tremendously. By integrating the advantages of both optical transmission and electronic computation, the 2-D moments can be computed in constant time on a 2-D arrays with reconfigurable optical buses (AROB). This result achieves optimal speed-up.
Intrinsic properties of lumbar motor neurones in the adult G127insTGGG superoxide dismutase‐1 mutant mouse in vivo: evidence for increased persistent inward currents

Aim: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by a preferential loss of motor neurones. Previous publications using in vitro neonatal preparations suggest an increased excitability of motor neurones in various superoxide dismutase‐1 (SOD1) mutant mice models of ALS which may contribute to excitotoxicity of the motor neurones.
Optimization and evaluation of a random walks-based community detection algorithm

The evolution of web technology has caused huge amounts of data to be available on the internet, and especially in social networks. Data mining is used in helping to extract valuable information from large amounts of data. One problem of great interest in mining social networks is community detection which can be understood as the unsupervised discovery of densely connected subgroups within the network. This paper focuses on algorithms used for detecting implicit communities in social networks. We propose an optimization method for a random walks based algorithm. Experiments conducted on synthetic networks and real-world networks show that the optimized algorithm is more efficient in finding accurate communities.
Prevalence of narcolepsy symptomatology and diagnosis in the European general population

Objective: To determine the prevalence of narcolepsy in the general population of five European countries (target population 205,890,882 inhabitants). Methods: Overall, 18,980 randomly selected subjects were interviewed (participation rate 80.4%). These subjects were representative of the general population of the UK, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. They were interviewed by telephone using the Sleep-EVAL expert system, which provided narcolepsy diagnosis according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD). Results: Excessive daytime sleepiness was reported by 15% of the sample, with a higher prevalence in the UK and Germany. Napping two times or more in the same day was reported by 1.6% of the sample, with a significantly higher rate in Germany. Cataplexy (episodes of loss of muscle function related to a strong emotion), a cardinal symptom of narcolepsy, was found in 1.6% of the sample. An ICSD narcolepsy diagnosis was found in 0.047% of the sample: The narcolepsy was severe for 0.026% of the sample and moderate in 0.021%. Conclusion: This is the first epidemiologic study that estimates the prevalence of narcolepsy in the general population of these five European countries. The disorder affects 47 individuals/100,000 inhabitants.
Toxicology of nanoparticles: A historical perspective

The rapid expansion of nanotechnology promises to have great benefits for society, yet there is increasing concern that human and environmental exposure to engineered nanomaterials may result in significant adverse effects. That is why the field of nanotoxicology – dealing with effects and potential risks of particulate structures <100 nm in size – has emerged, growing significantly over the past decade from long-standing foundations of well established knowledge on the toxicology of fibrous and non-fibrous particles and the interactions of viruses with cells. This review places nanoparticles in the context of conventional particle toxicology and so includes references to other types of particles, such as silica and asbestos, which have been extensively studied and can provide useful lessons relevant to newly engineered nanoparticles (NP). Discoveries of nanoparticle-specific concepts of toxicology related to their small size and large specific surface area go back to the early parts of the past century, although the distinctive biological effects and kinetics of NP were not recognized until the last decade of the past century. Today, the propensity of NP to cross cell barriers, enter cells and interact with subcellular structures is well established, as is the induction of oxidative stress as a major mechanism of nanoparticle effects. In addition to the significance of small size and surface area of NP, uncovering the impact of many other physico-chemical characteristics – in particular NP surface properties – for initiating effects in the mammalian organism and the environment is now an active area of research. The article aims to cover hazards relevant to humans, provides an introduction to some of the newly emerging literature on fate and behavior of NP in the environment, as well as describing their ecotoxicology in a variety of species. Major milestones in the research leading to our present understanding of nanotoxicology and the potential risks of NP to humans and the environment are summarized. These risks are likely to be different for different nanomaterials, ranging from perceived and very low for most, to real and very high for some. There are many questions that remain to be addressed, and we foresee for the future a continuing extended research in nanotoxicology. A full understanding of the hazard of NP will make a major contribution to the risk assessment that is so urgently needed to ensure that products that utilize NP are made safely, are exploited to their full potential and then disposed of safely.
Follicle Loss and Apoptosis in Cyclophosphamide-Treated Mice: What’s the Matter?

With increasing numbers of young female cancer survivors following chemotherapy, chemotherapy-induced fertility loss must be considered. Menstrual disorder and infertility are of particular concern in female cancer patients. We showed that treatment with the alkylating agent cyclophosphamide (CTX) could cause severe primordial follicle loss and growing follicle apoptosis, resulting in loss of ovarian reserve. SPF C57BL/6 female mice were treated with a single dose of 120 mg/kg of CTX or saline as a control, and both sides of ovaries were collected three or seven days after injection. Following CTX treatment, the ovaries were mostly composed of collapsed oocytes and presented marked cortical fibrosis and a reduced number of follicles, especially primordial follicles. The loss of primordial follicles was confirmed by primordial follicle counting, immunohistochemistry and Western blot detection of DDx4/MVH. Follicle apoptosis was tested by a TUNEL assay and the number of TUNEL-positive follicle cells increased, as expected, in CTX-treated mice. Furthermore, expression of APAF-1 and cleaved caspase-3 was also increased after CTX treatment. Analysis of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway showed that CTX increased phosphorylation of Akt, mTOR and downstream proteins without affecting total levels. These results demonstrated that the CTX treatment led to the hyperactivation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in ovaries which may be related to primordial follicle loss and growing follicle apoptosis.
Application of optical fibers and CCD array for measurement of luminance distribution

The paper presents a design model of a photometric head of luminance distribution meter. For the construction of this model optical fibers and CCD array were used. Such a photometric head makes it possible to obtain data about the distribution of optical radiation coming from the light sources located in a very large solid angle (even in the whole halfspace) only by a single measurement.
Parametric Domain-theoretic models of Linear Abadi & Plotkin Logic

We present a formalization of a linear version of Abadi and Plotkin’s logic for parametricity for a polymorphic dual intuitionistic / linear type theory with fixed points, and show, following Plotkin’s suggestions, that it can be used to define a wide collection of types, including solutions to recursive domain equations. We further define a notion of parametric LAPL-structure and prove that it provides a sound and complete class of models for the logic. Finally, we present a concrete parametric parametric LAPL-structure based on suitable categories of partial equivalence relations over a universal model of the untyped lambda calculus.
A Google-like model of road network dynamics and its application to regulation and control

Inspired by the ability of Markov chains to model complex dynamics and handle large volumes of data in Google's PageRank algorithm, a similar approach is proposed here to model road network dynamics. The central component of the Markov chain is the transition matrix which can be completely constructed by easily collecting traffic data. The proposed model is validated using the popular mobility simulator SUMO. Markov chain theory and spectral analysis of the transition matrix are then shown to reveal non-evident properties of the underlying road network and to correctly predict consequences of road network modifications. Preliminary results from possible applications are shown and simple practical examples are provided throughout this article to clarify and support the theoretical expectations.
Detection of Human Papillomavirus DNA in Patients with Breast Tumor in China

The presence of HPV in breast tissue and the potential causal association between human papillomavirus (HPV) and breast cancer (BC) remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to compare the HPV prevalence in BC tissues, adjacent normal breast tissues and breast benign disease tissues and to investigate the possible association between HPV and breast tumor development in Chinese women. Paraffin-embedded specimens from 187 pairs of BCs including tumor and normal breast tissue adjacent to tumors and 92 breast benign lesions between June 2009 and July 2014 were investigated by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and type-specific PCR, respectively. With strictly quality control, HPV positive infection was detected in three BC tissues. No HPV positive infection was detected in all normal breast tissue adjacent to tumors and benign breast tissues. Through our detailed analysis, rare HPV infection in this study suggests that HPV might not be associated with BC progression.
An Adaptive Memoryless Protocol for RFID Tag Collision Arbitration

A radio frequency identification (RFID) reader recognizes objects through wireless communications with RFID tags. Tag collision arbitration for passive tags is a significant issue for fast tag identification due to communication over a shared wireless channel. This paper presents an adaptive memoryless protocol, which is an improvement on the query tree protocol. Memoryless means that tags need not have additional memory except ID for identification. To reduce collisions and identify tags promptly, we use information obtained from the last process of tag identification at a reader. Our performance evaluation shows that the adaptive memoryless protocol causes fewer collisions and takes shorter delay for recognizing all tags while preserving lower communication overhead than other tree based tag anticollision protocols
Gestion des croyances de l'homme et du robot et architecture pour la planification et le contrôle de la tâche collaborative homme-robot

Ce travail de these a eu pour objectif de definir et mettre en oeuvre l'architecture decisionnelle d'un robot realisant une tâche en collaboration avec un homme pour atteindre un but commun. Un certain nombre de fonctionnalites existaient deja ou ont ete developpees conjointement avec ce travail au sein de l'equipe. Ce travail a d'abord consiste en l'etude puis a la formalisation des differentes capacites necessaires. Il s'est traduit concretement par l'approfondissement de certains des modules fonctionnels existants par l'auteur ou par d'autres membres de l'equipe en lien etroit avec l'auteur. La premiere contribution principale de l'auteur a consiste a developper une couche de controle de haut niveau qui a permis l'integration et la mise en oeuvre des differentes capacites du robot decoupee en 3 activites : la construction et la mise a jour de l'etat du monde ; la gestion des buts et des plans de haut niveau ; l'execution et le suivi des mouvements de manipulation. La deuxieme contribution principale a consiste a ameliorer les raisonnement geometriques et temporelles pour d'abord permettre au robot de mieux suivre l'evolution de l'etat du monde puis lui donner la capacite a inferer quand l'homme a des croyances distinctes de celle du robot.
Evidence that Hsc70 Is Associated with Cucumber Necrosis Virus Particles and Plays a Role in Particle Disassembly

ABSTRACT Uncoating of a virus particle to expose its nucleic acid is a critical aspect of the viral multiplication cycle, as it is essential for the establishment of infection. In the present study, we investigated the role of plant HSP70 homologs in the uncoating process of Cucumber necrosis virus (CNV), a nonenveloped positive-sense single-stranded RNA [(+)ssRNA] virus having a T=3 icosahedral capsid. We have found through Western blot analysis and mass spectrometry that the HSP70 homolog Hsc70-2 copurifies with CNV particles. Virus overlay and immunogold labeling assays suggest that Hsc70-2 is physically bound to virions. Furthermore, trypsin digestion profiles suggest that the bound Hsc70-2 is partially protected by the virus, indicating an intimate association with particles. In investigating a possible role of Hsc70-2 in particle disassembly, we showed that particles incubated with Hsp70/Hsc70 antibody produce fewer local lesions than those incubated with prebleed control antibody on Chenopodium quinoa. In conjunction, CNV virions purified using CsCl and having undetectable amounts of Hsc70-2 produce fewer local lesions. We also have found that plants with elevated levels of HSP70/Hsc70 produce higher numbers of local lesions following CNV inoculation. Finally, incubation of recombinant Nicotiana benthamiana Hsc70-2 with virus particles in vitro leads to conformational changes or partial disassembly of capsids as determined by transmission electron microscopy, and particles are more sensitive to chymotrypsin digestion. This is the first report suggesting that a cellular Hsc70 chaperone is involved in disassembly of a plant virus. IMPORTANCE Virus particles must disassemble and release their nucleic acid in order to establish infection in a cell. Despite the importance of disassembly in the ability of a virus to infect its host, little is known about this process, especially in the case of nonenveloped spherical RNA viruses. Previous work has shown that host HSP70 homologs play multiple roles in the CNV infection cycle. We therefore examined the potential role of these cellular components in the CNV disassembly process. We show that the HSP70 family member Hsc70-2 is physically associated with CNV virions and that HSP70 antibody reduces the ability of CNV to establish infection. Statistically significantly fewer lesions are produced when virions having undetectable HSc70-2 are used as an inoculum. Finally incubation of Hsc70-2 with CNV particles results in conformational changes in particles. Taken together, our data point to an important role of the host factor Hsc70-2 in CNV disassembly.
Bleeding Disorders – A Frequent Complication Related to the Use of Intrauterine Device with Low Dose Hormonal Mechanism of Action

Due to fact that an intrauterine device with low dose hormonal mechanism of action - the 13.5 mg levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system has been just launched in Romania, the undesirable reactions have not been studied and reported. This system has a hormonal mechanism of action, releasing progesterone, with a particular delivering rate of levonorgestrel. Bleeding irregularities are among the very common adverse reactions reported by phase II and III studies. We performed this study in order to determine a profile of bleeding disorders after 2 months of therapy with the 13.5 mg levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system.
A dynamic heuristic broadcasting protocol for video-on-demand

Most existing distribution protocols for video-on-demand are tailored for a specific range of video access rates and perform poorly beyond that range. We present a dynamic heuristic broadcasting protocol that performs as well as stream tapping with unlimited extra tapping at low video access rates and has the same average bandwidth requirements as the best existing broadcasting protocols at high video access rates. We also show how our protocol can handle compressed video and adapt itself to the individual bandwidth requirements of each video.
A sensor-enhanced health information system to support automatically controlled exercise training of COPD patients

For an improvement of the quality of life for patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) we developed a concept and prototype of a sensor-enhanced health information system. This system includes a component that is monitoring the rehabilitation training and automatically controls the target load for the exercise on the basis of his or her vital data. The system also detects potentially critical health states and communicates alarms to external users. The component interacts with a personal electronic health record (PHR) that provides additional health related information for the decision making process, as feedback to the user and as an opportunity for physicians to optimize the users exercise plan. The PHR uses current medical informatics standards to store and transmit training data to health care professionals and to provide a maximum of interoperability with their information systems. We have integrated these components in a service oriented platform design that is located in the home environment of the user.
Cardiotoxicity with modern local anaesthetics: is there a safer choice?

The recognition that long-acting local anaesthetics, particularly bupivacaine the de facto standard long-acting local anaesthetic, were disproportionately more cardiotoxic than their shorter-acting counterparts stimulated the development of the bupivacaine congeners, ropivacaine and levobupivacaine. These agents, like all local anaesthetics, can produce cardiotoxic sequelae by direct and indirect mechanisms that derive from their mode of local anaesthetic actions, i.e. inhibition of voltage-gated ion channels. While all local anaesthetics can cause direct negative inotropic effects, ropivacaine and levobupivacaine are less cardiotoxic than bupivacaine judging by the larger doses tolerated in laboratory animal preparations before the onset of serious cardiotoxicity (particularly electro-mechanical dissociation or malignant ventricular arrhythmias). Additionally, they are less toxic to the CNS than bupivacaine judging by the larger doses tolerated before the onset of seizures. This may be clinically important because CNS effects may be involved in the production of serious cardiotoxicity. Preclinical studies in humans are a 'blunt instrument' in their ability to distinguish significant differences between these drugs because of the relatively small doses that can be used. Nevertheless, available evidence from human studies corroborates the preclinical laboratory animal studies. Because clinically significant differences between these drugs are more quantitative than qualitative, i.e. toleration of a larger dose before manifestation of toxicity, we have concluded that these newer agents have a lower risk of causing serious cardiotoxicity than bupivacaine. Thus, compared with bupivacaine, the newer agents may be seen as 'safer', but they must not be regarded as 'safe'.
An ILP formulation for yield-driven architectural synthesis

Data flow graph dominant designs, such as communication video and audio applications, are common in today's IC industry. In these designs, the datapath resources (e.g., adders, multipliers) count more than 90% in area. Different datapath resources have very different properties in terms of area, delay, power and yield. Considering yield during system level design can result in significant benefits. A mixed integer linear programming (MILP) formulation for yield-aware architectural synthesis is presented in this paper. The proposed approach attempts to maximize the yield of the design while satisfying other constraints like area and delay. Through experiments on several benchmarks, we show that incorporating the yield as an objective during architectural synthesis can significantly improve the yield compared to conventional methods. Transistor sizing at the circuit level can also be incorporated in our method to further improve the yield.
Two novel Brugada syndrome-associated mutations increase KV4.3 membrane expression and function

The human cardiac fast transient outward K+ channel is composed of the KV4.3 α subunit encoded by KCND3 and the K+ channel-interacting protein 2 (KChIP2) β subunit, and determines the early repolarization of the action potential (AP). Two human mutations (G600R and L450F) in KV4.3 are associated with Brugada syndrome and they increase the KV4.3/KChIP2-encoded fast transient outward K+ current (Ito,f) and cause the stable loss of the AP dome. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying the gain of Ito,f function by these two mutations are largely unknown. The experiments in the present study were undertaken to investigate the effect of these mutations and the underlying mechanism. Whole cell patch-clamp recording was performed in HEK-293 cells expressing KV4.3-wild-type (WT) and KV4.3 mutants with KChIP2. The two individual mutant-encoded currents were significantly increased but the kinetics of the channels affected by the two mutations were different. The two mutations slowed KV4.3/KChIP2-encoded channel inactivation; they did not increase the recovery from the KV4.3/KChIP2-encoded channel inactivation. Western blotting showed that total KV4.3 protein was significantly augmented in HEK-293 cells expressing the two individual mutants with KChIP2. Furthermore, immunofluorescence confocal microscopy demonstrated that the KV4.3 channel protein was expressed more in the cell membrane compared to the cytoplasm in cells that expressed individual mutants with KChIP2. Also, KChIP2 increased the amount of channel protein in the cell membrane of KV4.3 mutants significantly more than KV4.3-WT. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed that KV4.3 mRNA was not significantly changed by individual mutations in the presence of KChIP2. Taken together, the present study revealed that the mutations cause a gain-of-function of KV4.3/KChIP2-encoded channels by increasing membrane protein expression and slowing channel inactivation.