Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gaussian processes for flow modeling and prediction of positioned trajectories evaluated with sports data

Kernel-based machine learning methods are gaining increasing interest in flow modeling and prediction in recent years. Gaussian process (GP) is one example of such kernel-based methods, which can provide very good performance for nonlinear problems. In this work, we apply GP regression to flow modeling and prediction of athletes in ski races, but the proposed framework can be generally applied to other use cases with device trajectories of positioned data. Some specific aspects can be addressed when the data is periodic, like in sports where the event is split up over multiple laps along a specific track. Flow models of both the individual skier and a cluster of skiers are derived and analyzed. Performance has been evaluated using data from the Falun Nordic World Ski Championships 2015, in particular the Men's cross country 4 × 10 km relay. The results show that the flow models vary spatially for different skiers and clusters. We further demonstrate that GP regression provides powerful and accurate models for flow prediction.
A Hierarchical RAID Architecture Towards Fast Recovery and High Reliability

Disk failures are very common in modern storage systems due to the large number of inexpensive disks. As a result, it takes a long time to recover a failed disk due to its large capacity and limited I/O. To speed up the recovery process and maintain a high system reliability, we propose a hierarchical code architecture with erasure codes, OI-RAID, which consists of two layers of codes, outer layer code and inner layer code. Specifically, the outer layer code is deployed with disk grouping technique based on Balanced Incomplete Block Design (BIBD) or complete graph with skewed data layout to provide efficient parallel I/O of all disks for fast failure recovery, and the inner layer code is deployed within each group of disks to provide high reliability. As an example, we deploy RAID5 in both layers to achieve fault tolerance of at least three disk failures, which meets the requirement of data availability in practical systems, as well as much higher speed up ratio for disk failure recovery than existing approaches. Besides, OI-RAID also keeps the optimal data update complexity and incurs low storage overhead in practice.
Managing Wireless Fog Networks using Software-Defined Networking

Fog computing has recently emerged as a new cyber foraging technique to offload resource-intensive tasks from mobile devices to mobile cloudlets in close proximity to endusers. Since the one-hop communication in the network edge is predominantly wireless, Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) are being considered to build wireless fog networks. However, WMNs use distributed hop-by-hop routing protocols to reflect a partial visibility of the network, which limits their ability to perform global network management and monitoring needed by fog networks. Software Defined Networking (SDN) provides a centralized control and management of the entire network, which makes it a good candidate to support fog communication. Unfortunately, the SDN OpenFlow protocol does not support any functionalities for wireless fog networks as it is primarily targeted to wired networks. To address these issues, this paper presents a SDN-enabled wireless fog architecture that combines both OpenFlow and distributed wireless protocols. The proposed solution provides lower latency and efficient load balancing to offload the network load by enabling programmable fog routers.
Sporulation Temperature Reveals a Requirement for CotE in the Assembly of both the Coat and Exosporium Layers of Bacillus cereus Spores

ABSTRACT The Bacillus cereus spore surface layers consist of a coat surrounded by an exosporium. We investigated the interplay between the sporulation temperature and the CotE morphogenetic protein in the assembly of the surface layers of B. cereus ATCC 14579 spores and on the resulting spore properties. The cotE deletion affects the coat and exosporium composition of the spores formed both at the suboptimal temperature of 20°C and at the optimal growth temperature of 37°C. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that ΔcotE spores had a fragmented and detached exosporium when formed at 37°C. However, when produced at 20°C, ΔcotE spores showed defects in both coat and exosporium attachment and were susceptible to lysozyme and mutanolysin. Thus, CotE has a role in the assembly of both the coat and exosporium, which is more important during sporulation at 20°C. CotE was more represented in extracts from spores formed at 20°C than at 37°C, suggesting that increased synthesis of the protein is required to maintain proper assembly of spore surface layers at the former temperature. ΔcotE spores formed at either sporulation temperature were impaired in inosine-triggered germination and resistance to UV-C and H2O2 and were less hydrophobic than wild-type (WT) spores but had a higher resistance to wet heat. While underscoring the role of CotE in the assembly of B. cereus spore surface layers, our study also suggests a contribution of the protein to functional properties of additional spore structures. Moreover, it also suggests a complex relationship between the function of a spore morphogenetic protein and environmental factors such as the temperature during spore formation.
Coenzyme Q10: From bench to clinic in aging diseases, a translational review

ABSTRACT Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a ubiquitous molecule present in all eukaryotic organisms whose principal role in the cell is related to its participation in the electron transport chain in the inner mitochondrial membrane. CoQ10 plays a major role in the control of cell redox status, and both the amount and functionality of this molecule have been related to the regulation of reactive oxygen species generation. Numerous reports can be found discussing the implications of CoQ10 supplementation in human studies and clinical trials related to aging. However, few reviews have made an updating through the translational point of view to integrate both basic and clinical aspects. The aim of this paper is to review our current knowledge from CoQ10 implications at biochemical and physiological level, in order to unravel the molecular mechanisms involved in its application in clinical practice. Although the importance of CoQ10 has been mainly attributed to its role as an agent for energy transduction in mitochondria, new functions for CoQ10 have been described in the recent past years, including anti-inflammatory effects, gene expression regulation and lipid bilayer membranes stabilization, which explain its involvement in aging and age-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, renal failure and neurodegenerative diseases.
Identifying Unique Neighborhood Characteristics to Guide Health Planning for Stroke and Heart Attack: Fuzzy Cluster and Discriminant Analyses Approaches

Background Socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic factors are known determinants of stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) risk. Clustering of these factors in neighborhoods needs to be taken into consideration during planning, prioritization and implementation of health programs intended to reduce disparities. Given the complex and multidimensional nature of these factors, multivariate methods are needed to identify neighborhood clusters of these determinants so as to better understand the unique neighborhood profiles. This information is critical for evidence-based health planning and service provision. Therefore, this study used a robust multivariate approach to classify neighborhoods and identify their socio-demographic characteristics so as to provide information for evidence-based neighborhood health planning for stroke and MI. Methods and Findings The study was performed in East Tennessee Appalachia, an area with one of the highest stroke and MI risks in USA. Robust principal component analysis was performed on neighborhood (census tract) socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, obtained from the US Census, to reduce the dimensionality and influence of outliers in the data. Fuzzy cluster analysis was used to classify neighborhoods into Peer Neighborhoods (PNs) based on their socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Nearest neighbor discriminant analysis and decision trees were used to validate PNs and determine the characteristics important for discrimination. Stroke and MI mortality risks were compared across PNs. Four distinct PNs were identified and their unique characteristics and potential health needs described. The highest risk of stroke and MI mortality tended to occur in less affluent PNs located in urban areas, while the suburban most affluent PNs had the lowest risk. Conclusions Implementation of this multivariate strategy provides health planners useful information to better understand and effectively plan for the unique neighborhood health needs and is important in guiding resource allocation, service provision, and policy decisions to address neighborhood health disparities and improve population health.
Impact of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Catabolism on Fatty Acid and Alkene Biosynthesis in Micrococcus luteus

Micrococcus luteus naturally produces alkenes, unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons, and represents a promising host to produce hydrocarbons as constituents of biofuels and lubricants. In this work, we identify the genes for key enzymes of the branched-chain amino acid catabolism in M. luteus, whose first metabolic steps lead also to the formation of primer molecules for branched-chain fatty acid and olefin biosynthesis, and demonstrate how these genes can be used to manipulate the production of specific olefins in this organism. We constructed mutants of several gene candidates involved in the branched-chain amino acid metabolism or its regulation and investigated the resulting changes in the cellular fatty acid and olefin profiles by GC/MS. The gene cluster encoding the components of the branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase (BCKD) complex was identified by deletion and promoter exchange mutagenesis. Overexpression of the BCKD gene cluster resulted in about threefold increased olefin production whereas deletion of the cluster led to a drastic reduction in branched-chain fatty acid content and a complete loss of olefin production. The specificities of the acyl-CoA dehydrogenases of the branched amino acid degradation pathways were deduced from the fatty acid and olefin profiles of the respective deletion mutant strains. In addition, growth experiments with branched amino acids as the only nitrogen source were carried out with the mutants in order to confirm our annotations. Both the deletion mutant of the BCKD complex, responsible for the further degradation of all three branched-chain amino acids, as well as the deletion mutant of the proposed isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase (specific for leucine degradation) were not able to grow on leucine in contrast to the parental strain. In conclusion, our experiments allow the unambigous assignment of specific functions to the genes for key enzymes of the branched-chain amino acid metabolism of M. luteus. We also show how this knowledge can be used to engineer the isomeric composition and the chain lengths of the olefins produced by this organism.
Experimental Evidence for Nutrition Regulated Stress Resistance in Drosophila ananassae

Background The amount and quality of nutrients consumed by organisms have a strong impact on stress resistance, life-history traits and reproduction. The balance between energy acquisition and expenditure is crucial to the survival and reproductive success of animals. The ability of organisms to adjust their development, physiology or behavior in response to environmental conditions, called phenotypic plasticity, is a defining property of life. One of the most familiar and important examples of phenotypic plasticity is the response of stress tolerance and reproduction to changes in developmental nutrition. Larval nutrition may affect a range of different life-history traits as well as responses to environmental stress in adult. Principal Findings Here we investigate the effect of larval nutrition on desiccation, starvation, chill-coma recovery, heat resistance as well as egg to adult viability, egg production and ovariole number in Drosophila ananassae. We raised larvae on either protein rich diet or carbohydrate rich diet. We found that flies consuming protein rich diet have higher desiccation and heat shock resistance whereas flies developed on carbohydrate rich diet have higher starvation and cold resistance. Egg production was higher in females developed on protein rich diet and we also found trade-off between egg production and Egg to adult viability of the flies. Viability was higher in carbohydrate rich diet. However, sex specific viability was found in different nutritional regimes. Higher Egg production might be due to higher ovariole number in females of protein rich diet. Conclusion Thus, Drosophila ananassae adapts different stress tolerance and life-history strategies according to the quality of the available diet, which are correlated with phenotypic adjustment at anatomical and physiological levels.
ALD Enabled Wafer Level Polymer Packaging for MEMS

Wafer level polymer packaging for MEMS is a cost-effective approach that is also compatible with microelectronic packaging technologies. However, polymer packages are not hermetic and cannot be used for MEMS devices, which usually demand vacuum or low moisture environment inside the packages. This problem can be solved by applying atomic layer deposition (ALD) of nano-scaled Al2O3 or other inorganic materials over the polymer packages. Defects and mechanical cracks in ALD coatings are major concerns for hermetic/vacuum sealing. Several techniques have been developed to inspect such defects and cracks. Assisted by the electroplating copper technique, we have reduced the defect density by 1000 times for an ultra-thin, 2-nm ALD Al2O3 film. Such an ultra-thin coating is essential to enhance coating’s mechanical toughness. The toughness is usually determined by monitoring coating’s crack initiation and growth in a bending test. A real-time, non-destructive inspection technique has been developed for in-situ characterization of an ALD film coated on a surface or buried in a multilayer structure. With the knowledge and technology established, we have successfully demonstrated a wafer-level polymer packaging process for MEMS using a Pirani gauge as the vacuum sensor. The leak rate through the polymer package has been reduced by 100 times by the ALD Al2O3 coating. More importantly, we have developed models and identified issues that are critical to ALD-enabled wafer level polymer packaging for MEMS.
Genetic variation for maternal effects on parasite susceptibility

The expression of infectious disease is increasingly recognized to be impacted by maternal effects, where the environmental conditions experienced by mothers alter resistance to infection in offspring, independent of heritability. Here, we studied how maternal effects (high or low food availability to mothers) mediated the resistance of the crustacean Daphnia magna to its bacterial parasite Pasteuria ramosa. We sought to disentangle maternal effects from the effects of host genetic background by studying how maternal effects varied across 24 host genotypes sampled from a natural population. Under low‐food conditions, females produced offspring that were relatively resistant, but this maternal effect varied strikingly between host genotypes, i.e. there were genotype by maternal environment interactions. As infection with P. ramosa causes a substantial reduction in host fecundity, this maternal effect had a large effect on host fitness. Maternal effects were also shown to impact parasite fitness, both because they prevented the establishment of the parasites and because even when parasites did establish in the offspring of poorly fed mothers, and they tended to grow more slowly. These effects indicate that food stress in the maternal generation can greatly influence parasite susceptibility and thus perhaps the evolution and coevolution of host–parasite interactions.
Effect of Cattle on Salmonella Carriage, Diversity and Antimicrobial Resistance in Free-Ranging Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) in Northeastern Spain

Salmonella is distributed worldwide and is a pathogen of economic and public health importance. As a multi-host pathogen with a long environmental persistence, it is a suitable model for the study of wildlife-livestock interactions. In this work, we aim to explore the spill-over of Salmonella between free-ranging wild boar and livestock in a protected natural area in NE Spain and the presence of antimicrobial resistance. Salmonella prevalence, serotypes and diversity were compared between wild boars, sympatric cattle and wild boars from cattle-free areas. The effect of age, sex, cattle presence and cattle herd size on Salmonella probability of infection in wild boars was explored by means of Generalized Linear Models and a model selection based on the Akaike’s Information Criterion. Prevalence was higher in wild boars co-habiting with cattle (35.67%, CI 95% 28.19–43.70) than in wild boar from cattle-free areas (17.54%, CI 95% 8.74–29.91). Probability of a wild boar being a Salmonella carrier increased with cattle herd size but decreased with the host age. Serotypes Meleagridis, Anatum and Othmarschen were isolated concurrently from cattle and sympatric wild boars. Apart from serotypes shared with cattle, wild boars appear to have their own serotypes, which are also found in wild boars from cattle-free areas (Enteritidis, Mikawasima, 4:b:- and 35:r:z35). Serotype richness (diversity) was higher in wild boars co-habiting with cattle, but evenness was not altered by the introduction of serotypes from cattle. The finding of a S. Mbandaka strain resistant to sulfamethoxazole, streptomycin and chloramphenicol and a S. Enteritidis strain resistant to ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid in wild boars is cause for public health concern.
Measurement-based adaptation protocol with quantum reinforcement learning in a Rigetti quantum computer

We present an experimental realisation of a measurement-based adaptation protocol with quantum reinforcement learning in a Rigetti cloud quantum computer. The experiment in this few-qubit superconducting chip faithfully reproduces the theoretical proposal, setting the first steps towards a semiautonomous quantum agent. This experiment paves the way towards quantum reinforcement learning with superconducting circuits.
The South African dysphagia screening tool (SADS): A screening tool for a developing context

Background Notwithstanding its value, there are challenges and limitations to implementing a dysphagia screening tool from a developed contexts in a developing context. The need for a reliable and valid screening tool for dysphagia that considers context, systemic rules and resources was identified to prevent further medical compromise, optimise dysphagia prognosis and ultimately hasten patients’ return to home or work. Methodology To establish the validity and reliability of the South African dysphagia screening tool (SADS) for acute stroke patients accessing government hospital services. The study was a quantitative, non-experimental, correlational cross-sectional design with a retrospective component. Convenient sampling was used to recruit 18 speech-language therapists and 63 acute stroke patients from three South African government hospitals. The SADS consists of 20 test items and was administered by speech-language therapists. Screening was followed by a diagnostic dysphagia assessment. The administrator of the tool was not involved in completing the diagnostic assessment, to eliminate bias and prevent contamination of results from screener to diagnostic assessment. Sensitivity, validity and efficacy of the screening tool were evaluated against the results of the diagnostic dysphagia assessment. Cohen’s kappa measures determined inter-rater agreement between the results of the SADS and the diagnostic assessment. Results and conclusion The SADS was proven to be valid and reliable. Cohen’s kappa indicated a high inter-rater reliability and showed high sensitivity and adequate specificity in detecting dysphagia amongst acute stroke patients who were at risk for dysphagia. The SADS was characterised by concurrent, content and face validity. As a first step in establishing contextual appropriateness, the SADS is a valid and reliable screening tool that is sensitive in identifying stroke patients at risk for dysphagia within government hospitals in South Africa.
International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care Position Statement: Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide

Abstract Background: Reports about regulations and laws on Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) are becoming increasingly common in the media. Many groups have expressed opposition to euthanasia and PAS while those in favor argue that severely chronically ill and debilitated patients have a right to control the timing and manner of their death. Others argue that both PAS and euthanasia are ethically legitimate in rare and exceptional cases. Given that these discussions as well as the new and proposed laws and regulations may have a powerful impact on patients, caregivers, and health care providers, the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) has prepared this statement. Purpose: To describe the position of the IAHPC regarding Euthanasia and PAS. Method: The IAHPC formed a working group (WG) of seven board members and two staff officers who volunteered to participate in this process. An online search was performed using the terms “position statement”, “euthanasia” “assisted suicide” “PAS” to identify existing position statements from health professional organizations. Only statements from national or pan-national associations were included. Statements from seven general medical and nursing associations and statements from seven palliative care organizations were identified. A working document including a summary of the different position statements was prepared and based on these, an initial draft was prepared. Online discussions among the members of the WG took place for a period of three months. The differences were reconciled by email discussions. The resulting draft was shared with the full board. Additional comments and suggestions were incorporated. This document represents the final version approved by the IAHPC Board of Directors. Result: IAHPC believes that no country or state should consider the legalization of euthanasia or PAS until it ensures universal access to palliative care services and to appropriate medications, including opioids for pain and dyspnea. Conclusion: In countries and states where euthanasia and/or PAS are legal, IAHPC agrees that palliative care units should not be responsible for overseeing or administering these practices. The law or policies should include provisions so that any health professional who objects must be allowed to deny participating.