Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lightweight Data Compression for Mobile Flash Storage

Data compression is beneficial to flash storage lifespan. However, because the design of mobile flash storage is highly cost-sensitive, hardware compression becomes a less attractive option. This study investigates the feasibility of data compression on mobile flash storage. It first characterizes data compressibility based on mobile apps, and the analysis shows that write traffic bound for mobile storage volumes is highly compressible. Based on this finding, a lightweight approach is introduced for firmware-based data compression in mobile flash storage. The controller and flash module work in a pipelined fashion to hide the data compression overhead. Together with this pipelined design, the proposed approach selectively compresses incoming data of high compressibility, while leaving data of low compressibility to a compression-aware garbage collector. Experimental results show that our approach greatly reduced the frequency of block erase by 50.5% compared to uncompressed flash storage. Compared to unconditional data compression, our approach improved the write latency by 10.4% at a marginal cost of 4% more block erase operations.
Regulation of Na+/K+-ATPase by Estradiol and IGF-1 in Cardio-Metabolic Diseases.

BACKGROUND The sodium/potassium- adenosine- triphosphatase (Na+/K+-ATPase) is an important mediator in vasculature tone and contractility, and its abnormal regulation has been implicated in many diseases such as obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, and hypertension. Decreased Na+/K+-ATPase abundance and its altered isoform expression induce cardiomyocytes death and cardiac dysfunction, possibly leading to the development of myocardial dilation and heart failure. Therefore, the regulation of Na+/K+-ATPase activity/expression could be important in treatment and possible prevention of cardio-metabolic diseases. A number of hormones and environmental factors regulate the function of Na+/K+-ATPase in response to changing cellular requirements. Estradiol and insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are among potent hormones that positively regulate Na+/K+- ATPase activity or de novo synthesis of α - and β - subunits. Both estradiol and IGF-1 have a huge therapeutic potential in treatment of vasculopathy in cardio-metabolic diseases. METHODS We searched the MEDLINE and PUBMED databases for all English and non-English articles with an English abstract from April 1978 to May 2016. The main data search terms were: Na+/K+-ATPase; estradiol and Na+/K+-ATPase; estradiol, Na+/K+-ATPase and CVS; estradiol, Na+/K+-ATPase and CVD; estradiol, Na+/K+- ATPase and obesity; estradiol, Na+/K+-ATPase and diabetes; estradiol, Na+/K+-ATPase and hypertension; IGF-1; IGF-1 and Na+/K+-ATPase; IGF-1, Na+/K+-ATPase and CVS; IGF-1, Na+/K+-ATPase and CVD; IGF-1, Na+/K+- ATPase and obesity; IGF-1, Na+/K+-ATPase and diabetes; IGF-1, Na+/K+-ATPase and hypertension. RESULTS The present review discusses the latest data from animal and human studies which focus on the effects of estradiol and IGF-1 on Na+/K+-ATPase regulation in physiological and pathophysiological conditions in cardiovascular system. CONCLUSION Understanding the molecular mechanisms of estradiol and IGF-1 action on Na+/K+-ATPase in humans, may help resolving outstanding issues and developing new strategies for the protection and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
A LoOP based outlier detection method for high dimensional fuzzy data set

Regarding the magnificent ability of the fuzzy logic in explanation and analyzing the real phenomena, using fuzzy data is growing rapidly. But the tools for doing data mining in a fuzzy data set; especially in high dimension, are not sufficient. Considering the remarkable ability of the LoOP (Local Outlier Probabilities) method in outlier detecting in high dimensional crisp data set, like supplying for each data object, determining outlier probability as scar which is easily explainable competitor on various synthetic and real world data sets, the aim of this article is to present an extended version of this method for using in high dimensional fuzzy database. In order to provide a completely fuzzy strategy, first we propose a new approach to assigning distance between fuzzy high dimension data based on Hausdorff and Vertex distance. After proving that this distance measuring is a metric, since LoOP is a distance based method, we redefined the LoOP algorithm step by step based on the new meter. Then we allocate an outlier score in the range of [0,1] to each data based on LoOP idea, to identify the outliers. The presented numerical tests show the efficiency of the new method, for random cases of knowing and unknowing the outlier and a real case. The results shows also the stability and robustness of the presented method more that its accuracy.
Translational pancreatic cancer research: A comparative study on patient-derived xenograft models

AIM To assess the viability of orthotopic and heterotopic patient-derived pancreatic cancer xenografts implanted into nude mice. METHODS This study presents a prospective experimental analytical follow-up of the development of tumours in mice upon implantation of human pancreatic adenocarcinoma samples. Specimens were obtained surgically from patients with a pathological diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Tumour samples from pancreatic cancer patients were transplanted into nude mice in three different locations (intraperitoneal, subcutaneous and pancreatic). Histological analysis (haematoxylin-eosin and Masson’s trichrome staining) and immunohistochemical assessment of apoptosis (TUNEL), proliferation (Ki-67), angiogenesis (CD31) and fibrogenesis (α-SMA) were performed. When a tumour xenograft reached the target size, it was re-implanted in a new nude mouse. Three sequential tumour xenograft generations were generated (F1, F2 and F3). RESULTS The overall tumour engraftment rate was 61.1%. The subcutaneous model was most effective in terms of tissue growth (69.9%), followed by intraperitoneal (57.6%) and pancreatic (55%) models. Tumour development was faster in the subcutaneous model (17.7 ± 2.6 wk) compared with the pancreatic (23.1 ± 2.3 wk) and intraperitoneal (25.0 ± 2.7 wk) models (P = 0.064). There was a progressive increase in the tumour engraftment rate over successive generations for all three models (F1 28.1% vs F2 71.4% vs F3 80.9%, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in tumour xenograft differentiation and cell proliferation between human samples and the three experimental models among the sequential generations of tumour xenografts. However, a progressive decrease in fibrosis, fibrogenesis, tumour vascularisation and apoptosis was observed in the three experimental models compared with the human samples. All three pancreatic patient-derived xenograft models presented similar histological and immunohistochemical characteristics. CONCLUSION In our experience, the faster development and greatest number of viable xenografts could make the subcutaneous model the best option for experimentation in pancreatic cancer.
Performances of Water Management, Foliage Dressing, and Variation Screening in Controlling the Accumulation of As and Cd and Maintaining the Concentrations of Essential Elements in the Grains of Rice Plant

This study was conducted to understand why and how the technologies of variety screening, foliar dressing, and water management can reduce As/Cd accumulation and affect the concentrations of essential elements in different rice plants. In Trial I (variety screening), the grain As and Cd concentrations in Zhongguyou1361 variety (P3) were both lower than their individual National Food Hygiene Standard of China (NFHSC) under insufficient field drying condition. The P3 also had a relatively high yield and high essential element contents among 15 selected rice varieties. In Trial II (foliar dressing), selenite foliar spray showed a better ability than silicate to reduce the grain As content in Guangliangyou1128 variety (P1). However, spraying Se and Si onto the Fengliangyou1 variety (P2) both showed a limited effect on the grain As and Cd contents, suggesting a different effect of Se on grain As content in various rice varieties. The insufficient field drying in Trial II resulted in the grain Cd content being lower but the grain As content being higher than their individual NFHSC in both P1 and Fengliangyou1 (P2) varieties. Se or Si did not affect the yields and the grain contents of most essential elements in P1 and P2. In Trial III (water management), increasing field drying time enhanced the Cd content but reduced the As content in the grains of P1, P2 and P3, and maintained their yields. Similar to the results of Trial II, the changes in soil pH, organic matter concentration and elemental available concentrations could hardly be used to explain why the contents of corresponding essential elements kept approximately constant in the grains of different rice varieties. Foliar dressing with selenite combined with water regulation can simultaneously reduce the As and Cd contents, and maintain the yields and the essential element contents in the grains of rice plants cultivated in As- and Cd- contaminated soil.
The Reliability and Validity of a Modified Squat Test to Predict Cardiopulmonary Fitness in Healthy Older Men

Background Shortcomings are noted in currently available cardiopulmonary field tests for the older adult and thus relevant research is still ongoing. Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a modified squat test and to establish a regression model for predicting aerobic fitness in the older adult. Methods Twenty-five healthy men aged 60 to 75 years completed this study. Each subject performed two modified squat tests with a prototype testing equipment and a maximal exercise test to determine maximal oxygen consumption. Recovery heart rates (HR) (0~30, 60~90, and 120~150 seconds) were measured following the modified squat tests. The fitness indexes included the sum of recovery HR, recovery HR index, age-adjusted recovery HR index, and immediate HR. Results The results revealed that the age-adjusted recovery HR index fitness had the highest intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of 0.9 and Pearson's correlation coefficients of 0.71, which suggested the modified squat test can reasonably assess cardiopulmonary fitness for the older adult. The regression equation for estimating aerobic power was V˙O2max = 16.781 + 16.732 × (age-adjusted recovery HR index) + 0.02467 × (physical activity level). Conclusion The modified squat test is a valid and reliable field test and thus can be an option to assess the cardiopulmonary fitness level of healthy older men in clinics or communities.
Pharmacological and Genotoxic Evaluation of Calea clematidea and Calea uniflora

SUMMARY. Calea clematidea and Calea uniflora are native shrubs found in the southern Brazil. In previous study, C. zacatechichi extracts showed psychopharmacologic properties. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of these two plants on CNS and genotoxic effects in rats. Methanolic extracts of C. clematidea and C. uniflora showed apparent efficacy in decreasing the number of entries in closed arms, but no species tested affected the number of entries or time spent in the open arms in the elevated plusmaze test. C. clematideae and C. uniflora did not change the number of crossings and rearings performed in the open field task. Both extracts did not induce DNA damage in brain tissue from treated animals, assessed by comet assay. The results suggest C. clematidea and C. uniflora do not induce anxiolytic and genotoxic effects, nor do they alter locomotor activity in rats.
Large-Scale Wearable Sensor Deployment in Parkinson’s Patients: The Parkinson@Home Study Protocol

Background Long-term management of Parkinson’s disease does not reach its full potential because we lack knowledge about individual variations in clinical presentation and disease progression. Continuous and longitudinal assessments in real-life (ie, within the patients’ own home environment) might fill this knowledge gap. Objective The primary aim of the Parkinson@Home study is to evaluate the feasibility and compliance of using multiple wearable sensors to collect clinically relevant data. Our second aim is to address the usability of these data for answering clinical research questions. Finally, we aim to build a database for future validation of novel algorithms applied to sensor-derived data from Parkinson’s patients during daily functioning. Methods The Parkinson@Home study is a two-phase observational study involving 1000 Parkinson’s patients and 250 physiotherapists. Disease status is assessed using a short version of the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative protocol, performed by certified physiotherapists. Additionally, participants will wear a set of sensors (smartwatch, smartphone, and fall detector), and use these together with a customized smartphone app (Fox Insight), 24/7 for 3 months. The sensors embedded within the smartwatch and fall detector may be used to estimate physical activity, tremor, sleep quality, and falls. Medication intake and fall incidents will be measured via patients’ self-reports in the smartphone app. Phase one will address the feasibility of the study protocol. In phase two, mathematicians will distill relevant summary statistics from the raw sensor signals, which will be compared against the clinical outcomes. Results Recruitment of 300 participants for phase one was concluded in March, 2016, and the follow-up period will end in June, 2016. Phase two will include the remaining participants, and will commence in September, 2016. Conclusions The Parkinson@Home study is expected to generate new insights into the feasibility of integrating self-collected information from wearable sensors into both daily routines and clinical practices for Parkinson’s patients. This study represents an important step towards building a reliable system that translates and integrates real-life information into clinical decisions, with the long-term aim of delivering personalized disease management support. ClinicalTrial ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02474329; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02474329 (Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/6joEc5P1v)
Analysis of 3-D Effects in Segmented Cylindrical Quasi-Halbach Magnet Arrays

To improve the performance of permanent magnet (PM) machines, quasi-Halbach PM arrays are used to increase the magnetic loading in these machines. In tubular PM actuators, these arrays are often approximated using segmented magnets resulting in a 3-D magnetic field effect. This paper describes the results of this segmentation obtained from an analytical model. The influence of the number of segments on the magnetic flux density in the air gap is investigated for several actuator dimensions. Furthermore, the effect of this segmentation on the mean value of the radial component of the flux density over the circumference of the cylindrical air gap is analyzed and a 2-D definition of this effect is given. A general rule is presented as a table showing the decrease of the magnetic field as function of the design parameters.
Transcriptomic data reanalysis allows for a contribution of embryonic transcriptional change-induced gene expression reprogramming in transgenerational epigenetic inheritance

Abstract A recent study investigated sperm-mediated inheritance of diet induced metabolic phenotypes, reported underlying regulation of the target genes of the endogenous retroelement MERVL and the ribosomal protein genes in embryos, and suggested that the altered regulation observed may cause placentation defects which can secondarily result in abnormal metabolism. A reanalysis of available transcriptomic data however shows that MERVL targets and the developmentally altered genes are themselves enriched for metabolic pathways, thus connecting embryonic gene expression with offspring phenotypes, and providing an alternative interpretation of the reported findings. This is consistent with a similar study suggesting a contribution of embryonic transcriptional change-induced gene expression reprogramming in altered offspring metabolism.
HWWA Discussion Paper Interactions between National and Regional Development

Williamson (1965) argued that catching up countries experiencing strong national growth tend also to see a widening in regional disparities, whereas in more developed economies strong national growth and falling regional disparities could go hand in hand. We find some evidence of a trade-off between national growth and regional dispersion in the EU’s Cohesion countries, notably in Spain and Ireland. We also find some evidence of spread effects in some richer EU Member States, although no inevitable link between lower regional disparities and stronger national growth. The potential policy implications of this analysis are also examined. JEL-Classification: O18, R11, R58
Coprescribing proton-pump inhibitors with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: risks versus benefits

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are often coadministered with proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) to reduce NSAID-induced gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events. This coadministration is generally regarded as safe, and is included in many of the guidelines on NSAID prescription. However, recent evidence indicates that the GI risks associated with NSAIDs can be potentiated when they are combined with PPIs. This review discusses the GI effects and complications of NSAIDs and how PPIs may potentiate these effects, options for prevention of GI side effects, and appropriate use of PPIs in combination with NSAIDs.
Empirical Evaluation of Approximation Algorithms for Generalized Graph Coloring and Uniform Quasi-wideness

The notions of bounded expansion and nowhere denseness not only offer robust and general definitions of uniform sparseness of graphs, they also describe the tractability boundary for several important algorithmic questions. In this article, we study two structural properties of these graph classes that are of particular importance in this context: the property of having bounded generalized coloring numbers and the property of being uniformly quasi-wide. We provide experimental evaluations of several algorithms that approximate these parameters on real-world graphs. On the theoretical side, we provide a new algorithm for uniform quasi-wideness with polynomial size guarantees in graph classes of bounded expansion and show a lower bound indicating that the guarantees of this algorithm are close to optimal in graph classes with fixed excluded minor.
Androgen interacts with exercise through the mTOR pathway to induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy

This study was designed to investigate the effects of exogenous androgen and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy and the role of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling during the process. A total of 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to sham operation and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) implantation groups with subgroups subjected to sedentary conditions or resistance exercise (SHAM+SED, SHAM+EX, DHT+SED, and DHT+EX). The experimental procedure lasted for 10 days. The mRNA expression of androgen receptor (AR) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), the expression of myosin heavy chain (MHC), as well as the phosphorylation statuses of AR, mTOR, p70 ribosomal S6 kinase (p70S6K), and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1) were determined in the white gastrocnemius muscle. The cross sectional area and wet mass of the muscle were also measured. The cross sectional area and MHC expression were significantly higher in SHAM+EX, DHT+SED, and DHT+EX than in SHAM+SED. There was no significant difference among groups in muscle mass. The mRNA expression of AR and IGF-I and the phosphorylation of mTOR, p70S6K, and 4EBP1 were significantly increased in DHT+SED and SHAM+EX and were significantly enhanced in DHT+EX compared with either DHT or exercise alone. These data show that DHT causes hypertrophy in skeletal muscle and that exercise has a synergistic effect on DHT-induced hypertrophy. Exercise enhances androgen-induced rapid anabolic action, which involves activation of the mTOR pathway.
Translational treatment paradigm for managing non‐unions secondary to radiation injury utilizing adipose derived stem cells and angiogenic therapy

Bony non‐unions arising in the aftermath of collateral radiation injury are commonly managed with vascularized free tissue transfers. Unfortunately, these procedures are invasive and fraught with attendant morbidities. This study investigated a novel, alternative treatment paradigm utilizing adipose‐derived stem cells (ASCs) combined with angiogenic deferoxamine (DFO) in the rat mandible.
Multi-National Banknote Classification Based on Visible-light Line Sensor and Convolutional Neural Network

Automatic recognition of banknotes is applied in payment facilities, such as automated teller machines (ATMs) and banknote counters. Besides the popular approaches that focus on studying the methods applied to various individual types of currencies, there have been studies conducted on simultaneous classification of banknotes from multiple countries. However, their methods were conducted with limited numbers of banknote images, national currencies, and denominations. To address this issue, we propose a multi-national banknote classification method based on visible-light banknote images captured by a one-dimensional line sensor and classified by a convolutional neural network (CNN) considering the size information of each denomination. Experiments conducted on the combined banknote image database of six countries with 62 denominations gave a classification accuracy of 100%, and results show that our proposed algorithm outperforms previous methods.
Angelman syndrome: review of clinical and molecular aspects

“Angelman syndrome” (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder whose main features are intellectual disability, lack of speech, seizures, and a characteristic behavioral profile. The behavioral features of AS include a happy demeanor, easily provoked laughter, short attention span, hypermotoric behavior, mouthing of objects, sleep disturbance, and an affinity for water. Microcephaly and subtle dysmorphic features, as well as ataxia and other movement disturbances, are additional features seen in most affected individuals. AS is due to deficient expression of the ubiquitin protein ligase E3A (UBE3A) gene, which displays paternal imprinting. There are four molecular classes of AS, and some genotype–phenotype correlations have emerged. Much remains to be understood regarding how insufficiency of E6-AP, the protein product of UBE3A, results in the observed neurodevelopmental deficits. Studies of mouse models of AS have implicated UBE3A in experience-dependent synaptic remodeling.
Transcranial Static Magnetic Field Stimulation over the Primary Motor Cortex Induces Plastic Changes in Cortical Nociceptive Processing

Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation (tSMS) is a novel and inexpensive, non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) technique. Here, we performed non-invasive modulation of intra-epidermal electrical stimulation-evoked potentials (IES-EPs) by applying tSMS or sham stimulation over the primary motor (M1) and somatosensory (S1) cortices in 18 healthy volunteers for 15 min. We recorded EPs after IES before, right after, and 10 min after tSMS. The IES-EP amplitude was significantly reduced immediately after tSMS over M1, whereas tSMS over S1 and sham stimulation did not affect the IES-EP amplitude. Thus, tSMS may affect cortical nociceptive processing. Although the results of intervention for experimental acute pain in healthy subjects cannot be directly translated into the clinical situation, tSMS may be a potentially useful NIBS method for managing chronic pain, in addition to standard of care treatments.