Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kidney volume and functional outcomes in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is characterized by increased total kidney volume (TKV) and renal failure. This study aimed to determine if height-adjusted TKV (htTKV) predicts the onset of renal insufficiency. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS This prospective, observational, longitudinal, multicenter study included 241 adults with ADPKD and preserved renal function. Magnetic resonance imaging and iothalamate clearance were used to measure htTKV and GFR, respectively. The association between baseline htTKV and the attainment of stage 3 CKD (GFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2)) during follow-up was determined. RESULTS After a mean follow-up of 7.9 years, stage 3 CKD was attained in 30.7% of the enrollees. Using baseline htTKV, negative correlations with GFR increased from -0.22 at baseline to -0.65 at year 8. In multivariable analysis, a baseline htTKV increase of 100 cc/m significantly predicted the development of CKD within 8 years with an odds ratio of 1.48 (95% confidence interval: 1.29, 1.70). In receiver operator characteristic curve analysis, baseline htTKV of 600 cc/m most accurately defined the risk of developing stage 3 CKD within 8 years with an area under the curve of 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.79, 0.90). htTKV was a better predictor than baseline age, serum creatinine, BUN, urinary albumin, or monocyte chemotactic protein-1 excretion (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Baseline htTKV ≥600 cc/m predicted the risk of developing renal insufficiency in ADPKD patients at high risk for renal disease progression within 8 years of follow-up, qualifying htTKV as a prognostic biomarker in ADPKD.
The Conceptual Model and Its Empirical Studies of Sustainable Carrying Capacity of Water Resources: A Case Study of China Mainland

Abstract: Based on the interactive development of new industrialization, rapid urbanization and agricultural modernization (IUAM), and from the viewpoint of interactive responses and supply-demand relationships between regional water resources carrying capacity and economic-social development, this paper puts forward the concepts and characterization methods of water resources relative intensity (WRI), water resources carrying rate (WCR) and sustainable index of water resources system (WSI). Considering the catastrophic trait of water resources carrying capacity and its contradictory relationship with WRI, a modified Catastrophe Model, which combines Catastrophe Theory and Fuzzy Mathematic Theory, was introduced to perform a multi-objective and multi-criterion comprehensive assessment of the sustainability of water resources carrying capacity (WSCC) based on benchmarking. According to these concepts and models, land WSCC for the China mainland was set as an example for empirical analysis. The results showed that at the scale of first-grade water regions, Liaohe River, Yangtze River and Pearl River regions had high WRI of domestic water, while Northwestern Rivers, Southeastern Rivers regions and Yangtze River region in some years had high WRI of eco-environment water. However, they were all in a downtrend, while the other four northern regions had low WRI in an uptrend. The agricultural WRI in Songhua River, Yellow River and Northwestern Rivers regions were relatively high and industrial WRI in Songhua River, Yangtze River and Pearl River regions were also relatively high. At the provincial scale, WSCC of urban domestic water was relatively stable, WSCC of eco-environment was obviously fluctuating, and WSCC of agriculture and industry were constantly rising. Overall, WRI in the China mainland generally decreased. The convergence of provinces with high consumption intensity of water resources and spatial spillover of WUE in high WCR provinces promotes water resources development and utilization, progressing toward doubly sustainable development. In the future, China should try to find new ideas and methods of dynamic management of regional water resources and unified management of basin water resources, building on the foundation of traditional water resources planning. Meanwhile, water resources should be considered in regional PRED (population, resources, ecology and development) systems for integrated dispatching and optimizing configuration so that the improvements of WSCC and harmonious development of water resources and regional populations, eco-environment, economy and society can be achieved.
G-Quadruplex Structures Formed at the HOX11 Breakpoint Region Contribute to Its Fragility during t(10;14) Translocation in T-Cell Leukemia

ABSTRACT The t(10;14) translocation involving the HOX11 gene is found in several T-cell leukemia patients. Previous efforts to determine the causes of HOX11 fragility were not successful. The role of non-B DNA structures is increasingly becoming an important cause of genomic instability. In the present study, bioinformatics analysis revealed two G-quadruplex-forming motifs at the HOX11 breakpoint cluster. Gel shift assays showed formation of both intra- and intermolecular G-quadruplexes, the latter being more predominant. The structure formation was dependent on four stretches of guanines, as revealed by mutagenesis. Circular dichroism analysis identified parallel conformations for both quadruplexes. The non-B DNA structure could block polymerization during replication on a plasmid, resulting in consistent K+-dependent pause sites, which were abolished upon mutation of G-motifs, thereby demonstrating the role of the stretches of guanines even on double-stranded DNA. Extrachromosomal assays showed that the G-quadruplex motifs could block transcription, leading to reduced expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) within cells. More importantly, sodium bisulfite modification assay showed the single-stranded character at regions I and II of HOX11 in the genome. Thus, our findings suggest the occurrence of G-quadruplex structures at the HOX11 breakpoint region, which could explain its fragility during the t(10;14) translocation.
CSMA/CD/TDMA: a dynamic combination for voice and data integration

A hybrid decentralized packet switching protocol for integrated real-time voice and data services on a bus topology local area network is presented. The bus has two states. State transitions depend on the existence of active voice users. Voice follows a modified version of time-division multiple-access (TDMA), whereas carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) is adopted for the channel access policy for data. The real-time requirement for voice is satisfied and a loss will not occur if the maximum number of calls is set properly. A fraction of the bandwidth is always reserved for data. Silence periods are detected and saved for data. Analytical results are derived by steady-state equivalent queuing models. Simulation results are close to analytical results. <<ETX>>
Value Function Approximation using Multiple Aggregation for Multiattribute Resource Management

We consider the problem of estimating the value of a multiattribute resource, where the attributes are categorical or discrete in nature and the number of potential attribute vectors is very large. The problem arises in approximate dynamic programming when we need to estimate the value of a multiattribute resource from estimates based on Monte-Carlo simulation. These problems have been traditionally solved using aggregation, but choosing the right level of aggregation requires resolving the classic tradeoff between aggregation error and sampling error. We propose a method that estimates the value of a resource at different levels of aggregation simultaneously, and then uses a weighted combination of the estimates. Using the optimal weights, which minimizes the variance of the estimate while accounting for correlations between the estimates, is computationally too expensive for practical applications. We have found that a simple inverse variance formula (adjusted for bias), which effectively assumes the estimates are independent, produces near-optimal estimates. We use the setting of two levels of aggregation to explain why this approximation works so well.
EISCAT Observation of Wave‐Like Fluctuations in Vertical Velocity of Polar Mesospheric Summer Echoes Associated With a Geomagnetic Disturbance

By analyzing a data set from the European Incoherent SCATter (EISCAT) Very High Frequency (VHF) radar at Tromsø, we find that both radar reflectivity and upward ion velocity in a polar mesospheric summer echo (PMSE) layer simultaneously increased at the commencement of a local geomagnetic disturbance, which occurred at midnight on 9 July 2013. The onset of the upward velocity was followed by periodic repetition of ~5 min during the initial 30‐min stage, and then at later stage the vertical velocity oscillated with ~7‐ and ~20‐min periodicities at 85‐ to 90‐km altitudes. The ~5‐min periodicity is close to the buoyancy period, and the ~7‐ and ~20 min periodicities are consistent with gravity waves, thus suggesting that gravity waves can be generated by the effects of the geomagnetic disturbance. On the other hand, the variation of PMSE intensity (85–90 km) was in phase with fluctuations of electron densities (90–110 km) with ~12‐ and ~13‐min periodicities at the initial and later stages, respectively. The initial creation of PMSE can be attributed to both the sudden onset of particle precipitation and ice particles produced by adiabatic cooling during the rapid updraft, as detected by large upward velocity. Our periodogram analysis suggests that variations of PMSE intensity seem to follow the same periods with E region electron density, which is moduled by energetic electron precipitation, while vertical velocity oscillates at atmospheric gravity wave periods.
An Integrative Framework of Human Hand Gesture Segmentation for Human–Robot Interaction

This paper proposes a novel framework to segment hand gestures in RGB-depth (RGB-D) images captured by Kinect using humanlike approaches for human–robot interaction. The goal is to reduce the error of Kinect sensing and, consequently, to improve the precision of hand gesture segmentation for robot NAO. The proposed framework consists of two main novel approaches. First, the depth map and RGB image are aligned by using the genetic algorithm to estimate key points, and the alignment is robust to uncertainties of the extracted point numbers. Then, a novel approach is proposed to refine the edge of the tracked hand gestures in RGB images by applying a modified expectation–maximization (EM) algorithm based on Bayesian networks. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed alignment method is capable of precisely matching the depth maps with RGB images, and the EM algorithm further effectively adjusts the RGB edges of the segmented hand gestures. The proposed framework has been integrated and validated in a system of human–robot interaction to improve NAO robot's performance of understanding and interpretation.
Locomotion Monitoring Using Body Sensor Networks

Body sensor networks (BSNs) create an enormous opportunity to revolutionalize the way we learn, work, entertain and live today. A particularly promising application of BSNs is in health monitoring. Research indicates that various disorders in aging ranging from mild cognitive impairment to dementia and Alzheimer's could be diagnosed early based on the study of locomotion. Sensor platforms integrated into clothing provide the possibility of reliable locomotion monitoring. In this work, we demonstrate a real-time wireless sensor system that quantitatively measures some of the factors involved in locomotion.
The Effect of Silicon on the Symptoms of Manganese Toxicity in Maize Plants

The effect of exogenously applied silicon (Si) on plant growth, lipid peroxidation, total phenolic compounds and non-protein thiols was studied in two maize varieties (Zea mays L. vars. Kneja 605, 434) differing in sensitivity to excess manganese (Mn). Based on the density of brown spots per leaf area and relative shoot weight (RSW) used to define Mn tolerance var. Kneja 434 was found to be more Mn-toler-ant than Kneja 605. The lipid peroxidation level and total phenolic compounds were enhanced with increasing Mn concentration in the nutrient solution. In addition, the Mn-sensitive var. Kneja 605 with markedly expressed first visible Mn toxicity symptoms had higher levels of total phenolic acids than var. Kneja 434 thus supporting the hypothesis that a stimulating effect of Mn on phenol content reflected rather a stress response to Mn excess than a tolerance mechanism. In contrast, non-protein SH content increased to a higher extent in the Mn-tolerant var. Kneja 434. The increased amount of non-protein SH compounds was accompanied by a much stronger oxidative stress in the Mn-sensitive plants when compared with the Mn-tolerant variety, thus suggesting that non-protein SH compounds may play a role in Mn tolerance in maize. The addition of silicon (Si) reduced the density of brown spots per leaf area as well as lipid peroxidation level and improved plant growth in Mn-treated plants.
A GENERAL FORMULATION F OR ROBUST AND EFFICIENT INTEGRATION OF FINITE DIFFERENCES AND PHASE UNWRAPPING ON SPARSE MULTIDIMENSIONAL DOMAINS

Phase unwrapping and integration of finite differences are key problems in several technical fields. In SAR interferometry and differential and persistent scatterers interferometry digital elevation models and displacement measurements can be obtained after unambiguously determining the phase values and reconstructing the mean velocities and elevations of the observed targets, which can be performed by integrating differential estimates of these quantities (finite differences between neighboring points). In this paper we propose a general formulation for robust and efficient integration of finite differences and phase unwrapping, which includes standard techniques methods as sub-cases. The proposed approach allows obtaining more reliable and accurate solutions by exploiting redundant differential estimates (not only between nearest neighboring points) and multidimensional information (e.g. multitemporal, multifrequency, multi-baseline observations), or external data (e.g. GPS measurements). The proposed approach requires the solution of linear or quadratic programming problems, for which computationally efficient algorithms exist. The validation tests obtained on real SAR data confirm the validity of the method, which was integrated in our production chain and successfully used also in massive productions.
Nesprin-2 Giant (NUANCE) maintains nuclear envelope architecture and composition in skin

Giant isoforms, encoded by Nesprin-1 (Syne1) and Nesprin-2 (Syne2), are multifunctional actin-binding and nuclear-envelope-associated proteins belonging to the spectrin superfamily. Here, we investigate the function of Nesprin-2 Giant (NUANCE) in skin by generating mice lacking the actin-binding domain of Nesprin-2 (Nesprin-2ΔABD). This loss results in a slight but significant thickening of the epidermis, which is a consequence of the increased epithelial nuclear size. Nonetheless, epidermal proliferation and differentiation appear normal in the knockout epidermis. Surprisingly, Nesprin-2 C-terminal-isoform expression and nuclear envelope localization were affected in certain tissues. Nuclei of primary dermal knockout fibroblasts and keratinocytes were heavily misshapen, displaying a striking similarity to nuclear deformations characteristic of laminopathies. Furthermore, emerin, the protein involved in the X-linked form of Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD), was unevenly distributed along the nuclear envelope in mutant fibroblasts, often forming aggregates in the deformed nuclear envelope areas. Thus, Nesprin-2 is an important scaffold protein implicated in the maintenance of nuclear envelope architecture. Aged knockout fibroblasts readily generated, by alternative splicing and alternative translation initiation, aberrant Nesprin-2 Giant isoforms that lacked an ABD but that were sufficient to restore nuclear shape and emerin localization; this suggests that other regions of Nesprin-2 Giant, potentially including its spectrin repeats, are crucial for these functions.
Selected Subunits of the Cytosolic Chaperonin Associate with Microtubules Assembled in Vitro *

The molecular chaperone activities of the only known chaperonin in the eukaryotic cytosol (cytosolic chaperonin containing T-complex polypeptide 1 (CCT)) appear to be relatively specialized; the main folding substrates in vivo andin vitro are identified as tubulins and actins. CCT is unique among chaperonins in the complexity of its hetero-oligomeric structure, containing eight different, although related, gene products. In addition to their known ability to bind to and promote correct folding of newly synthesized and denatured tubulins, we show here that CCT subunits α, γ, ζ, and θ also associated with in vitro assembled microtubules, i.e. behaved as microtubule-associated proteins. This nucleotide-dependent association between microtubules and CCT polypeptides (K d ∼ 0.1 μm CCT subunit) did not appear to involve whole oligomeric chaperonin particles, but rather free CCT subunits. Removal of the tubulin COOH termini by subtilisin digestion caused all eight CCT subunits to associate with the microtubule polymer, thus highlighting the non-chaperonin nature of the selective CCT subunit association with normal microtubules.
Optimal 3D Kinematic Analysis for Human Lower Limb Rehabilitation

The majority of the kinematics analysis carried out on the human body are usually available only for use in the sagittal plane. Limited studies were interested in this analysis in all three planes (sagittal, transverse, and frontal) where motions of all joints occur. The aim of this paper is to develop a new optimal kinematic analysis of human lower limbs in threedimensional space for a rehabilitation end. The proposed approach is focused on optimizing the manipulability and the human performance of the human leg, as being a physiologically constrained three-link arm. The obtained forward kinematic model leads to define the feasible workspace of the human leg in the considered configuration. Using an effective optimization-based human performance measure that incorporates a new objective function of musculoskeletal discomfort, the optimal inverse kinematic (IK) model is obtained.
Design optimization on passive exoskeletons through musculoskeletal model simulation

Exoskeleton is a new trend of robotic applications for the human welfare. Designing exoskeletons encounters many challenges including structure design, actuation configuration, human-exoskeleton interactions, and coupling to human limbs. In this paper, an approach of designing robotic exoskeletons on the basis of simulation a musculoskeletal human body model is proposed. Symptoms of neuromuscular injuries are simulated through deactivating particular muscles in the model. An exoskeleton model is integrated with the musculoskeletal model to evaluate design parameters and human body's reaction to the exoskeleton. Optimization method is adopted to determine optimal design parameters and performance of the exoskeleton.
On the Maximum Number of Touching Pairs in a Finite Packing of Translates of a Convex Body

A Minkowski space Md=(Rd, ? ) is just Rd with distances measured using a norm ? A norm ? is completely determined by its unit ball {x? Rd? x? 1} which is a centrally symmetric convex body of the d-dimensional Euclidean space Ed. In this note we give upper bounds for the maximum number of times the minimum distance can occur among n points in Md, d? 3. In fact, we deal with a somewhat more general problem namely, we give upper bounds for the maximum number of touching pairs in a packing of n translates of a given convex body in Ed, d? 3.
Detection of trichothecene-producing Fusarium species in cereals in northern Europe and Asia.

Several toxigenic trichothecene-producing and nonproducing Fusarium species are involved in Fusarium head blight, which reduces both crop yield and quality in cereals. Climate change has altered crop production in many countries, and this in turn influences the pathogen populations. E.g. in northern areas a risk will be new toxigenic Fusarium species spreading to the north due to higher temperatures and the increased use of alternative hosts, such as maize, winter barley and winter oats. Traditional identifications and classifications of Fusarium species have been used for grouping isolates to species and grouping species according to shared morphological and cultural characteristics. During the last years researchers have started to use alternative ways for species identification and classification based on molecular data and phylogenetic analyses. The best way to identify and classify Fusarium isolates is the polyphasic approach by using all available characters.
PODEA: Power delivery efficient analysis with realizable model reduction

The huge number of independent sources of power delivery systems prevents the use of traditional model reduction algorithms due to the port domination nature. This paper presents an innovative RC model reduction method, PODEA, to analyze RC linear circuits with many dynamic independent sources. Based on the multi-port Norton theorem and model order reduction techniques, we develop and apply current source transformation algorithms to transform attached current sources from one node to neighboring nodes. Since there is no source attached, general RC reduction algorithms can be applied to eliminate the node. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed PODEA algorithm. With linear running time, for an example with over 50,000 nodes, our reduction method only takes about 0.6 seconds while maintaining 1% error and 88% reduction ratio.
Human-Centered Scheduling of Interactive and Multimedia Applications on a Loaded Desktop

Desktop operating systems such as Windows or Linux base scheduling decisions on the CPU usage of competing processes. Processes that exhibit low CPU usage are given prior ity, under the assumption that they are interactive and spen d most of their time waiting for user input. However, this doesn’t work for modern multimedia applications, which require significant CPU resources, so playing a DVD movie while running a heavy background job will usually result in poor graphical quality. We therefore suggest a new way to identify interactive processes, by explicitly measuring d irect interactions with the user. For example, for each process we measure the rate at which it draws pixels on the screen. Given this data, CPU resources can be allocated preferentially to processes that perform user I/O. A scheduler following thes e principles has been implemented in a Linux environment, and measurements indicate that it is very effective in distingu shing between competing interactive and non-interactive pro cesses, and allocating CPU accordingly. It also handles com petition between multiple interactive jobs by allocations that lead to equal I/O rates. This is completely automatic and transparent to the different applications, but requires so me system modifications.