Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Sparse and Low-Rank Near-Isometric Linear Embedding Method for Feature Extraction in Hyperspectral Imagery Classification

A sparse and low-rank near-isometric linear embedding (SLRNILE) method has been proposed to make dimensionality reduction and extract proper features for hyperspectral imagery (HSI) classification. The SLRNILE stands on the theory of the John-Lindenstrauss lemma, and tries to estimate a sparse and low-rank projection matrix that satisfies the restricted isometric property (RIP) condition on all secants of the HSI data. The RIP condition guarantees that the desired linear mapping near-isometrically preserves nearest neighbor points of all HSI pixels. Seeking the desired mapping is then modeled into minimizing a Lagrange multipliers formulation. The alternating direction method of multipliers framework is utilized to solve the above convex program, and column generation techniques are adopted to alleviate the computation memory burden during the optimization procedure. Five experiments on three widely used HSI data sets are designed to completely test the performance of SLRNILE, and experimental results are compared against those of six state-of-the-art feature extraction methods, including principal component analysis, Laplacian eigenmaps, locality preserving projections, neighborhood preserving embedding, sparse nonnegative matrix underapproximation, and random projections. The results show that SLRNILE performs best among all the seven methods, and its computational time is longest of all but still bearable for regular users. Therefore, the SLRNILE can be a good choice for feature extraction in HSI classification.
Orexin-A Suppresses Signal Transmission to Dopaminergic Amacrine Cells From Outer and Inner Retinal Photoreceptors

Purpose The neuropeptides orexin-A and orexin-B are widely expressed in the vertebrate retina; however, their role in visual function is unclear. This study investigates whether and how orexins modulate signal transmission to dopaminergic amacrine cells (DACs) from both outer retinal photoreceptors (rods and cones) and inner retinal photoreceptors (melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells [ipRGCs]). Methods A whole-cell voltage-clamp technique was used to record light-induced responses from genetically labeled DACs in flat-mount mouse retinas. Rod and cone signaling to DACs was confirmed pharmacologically (in wild-type retinas), whereas retrograde melanopsin signaling to DACs was isolated either pharmacologically (in wild-type retinas) or by genetic deletion of rod and cone function (in transgenic mice). Results Orexin-A attenuated rod/cone-mediated light responses in the majority of DACs and inhibited all DACs that exhibited melanopsin-based light responses, suggesting that exogenous orexin suppresses signal transmission from rods, cones, and ipRGCs to DACs. In addition, orexin receptor 1 antagonist SB334867 and orexin receptor 2 antagonist TCS OX229 enhanced melanopsin-based DAC responses, indicating that endogenous orexins inhibit signal transmission from ipRGCs to DACs. We further found that orexin-A inhibits melanopsin-based DAC responses via orexin receptors on DACs, whereas orexin-A may modulate signal transmission from rods and cones to DACs through activation of orexin receptors on DACs and their upstream neurons. Conclusions Our results suggest that orexins could influence visual function via the dopaminergic system in the mammalian retina.
The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality

ajp.psychiatryonline. org is broad and ranges from a summary of what works in treating persons with substance use disorders to the treatment system in England, including also a discussion of stimulant use, adverse effects of khat, pathological gambling, laboratory testing, treatment of patients with dual diagnoses, motivational interviewing, substance misuse in adolescents and pregnancy, legal defenses in substance-related cases, and the role of forensic psychiatry in addiction medicine. The scope of the areas that are addressed and the information that each chapter presents is a wonderful overview of the growth of addiction medicine over the past 50 years. Each chapter contains recent information and many details that will be of interest to a wide range of practitioners, both within the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Of special interest to me were the excellent chapter on stimulants, the discussion on emerging efforts aimed at reducing the reincarceration of drug abusing criminal offenders by expanding access to treatment in the criminal justice system, and the discussions of studies showing that integrated care is the most effective way to deliver services to patients with co-occurring psychiatric and medical disorders. On the latter topic, the authors emphasize the need to better involve primary care physicians in screening for substance-related problems and referring patients who have a substance use disorder to treatment, but without the expectation that this process will decrease the need for specialty care. The inclusion of a chapter on pathological gambling and the similarities that are drawn between its clinical features and those of substance dependence might be of particular interest to those working on DSM-V, in view of the longstanding uncertainties about whether this condition should be classified as an addictive disorder. A final area that I found of particular interest was the discussions found in various chapters about the mechanism by which national efforts are being made to improve the treatment system in the United Kingdom. These efforts are reflected in the work of various commissions who are charged with addressing specific topics and making recommendations based on a review of published studies. It is difficult for an “outsider” to understand the degree to which the recommendations are carried out, but it was interesting to read about how England’s National Health Service seems to be a vehicle through which systematic, evidence-based recommendations to improve treatment can be coordinated and implemented on a national level. This book presents a great deal of specific, current, and clinically relevant information on a wide range of topics that are relevant to the practice of addiction medicine and is likely to be of interest to clinicians, administrators, and researchers. In addition, this book makes the reader think about the potential of a national health care system to implement evidence-based medicine, improve treatment for persons with substance use disorders, and improve public health.
Maternal Anthropometric Study of Low Birth Weight Newborns in Saudi Arabia: A Hospital-Based Case-Control Study

Background: The aim of the study is to investigate the role of socio-demographic, life-style and clinical risk factors of low birth weight (LBW) among pregnant women in Saudi Arabia. It is a hospital-based, case-control study of mothers of 135 LBW and 65 normal birth weight neonates at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit of the Maternity and Children Hospital, KSA. Methods: On comparison by Duncan’s test, the gestational age of three LBW groups was found to be significantly different (P = 0.0026). The mean duration of hospital stay of the infants also increased for the LBW, very LBW and extreme LBW groups, and their difference was statistically significant (P = 0.0012). Results: A statistically significant, progressive decline was observed in the weight, length and circumference of the head of infants in the LBW to VLBW to ELBW groups. Conclusion: The present study has assessed the state of this significant public health problem of LBW in KSA, and identified several maternal modifiable risk factors. There is an urgent need for the development of reference charts using current data for the Middle Eastern population.
InSAR imaging of displacement on flexural‐slip faults triggered by the 2013 Mw 6.6 Lake Grassmere earthquake, central New Zealand

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data reveal surface slip on multiple faults triggered by the 2013 Mw 6.6 Lake Grassmere earthquake, New Zealand. Surface offsets of 1–2 cm occurred on previously inferred flexural‐slip faults located ∼4 km from the epicenter. We document dip slip on at least three different northeast striking, northwest dipping, flexural‐slip faults located in the western limb of a syncline. The along‐strike extent of the triggered slip is 1–1.5 km for each fault. Dislocation models suggest that triggered slip is confined to shallow depths (∼800 m). Coulomb stress analysis indicates that slip was not triggered by the static stress change of the main shock but was likely caused by dynamic shaking during the passage of seismic waves. Our finding also provides an important clue on how some slip on shallow flexural‐slip faults takes place.
A Randomized Trial of a Church-Based Diabetes Self-management Program for African Americans With Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose This study developed and tested a culturally appropriate, church-based intervention to improve diabetes self-management. Research Design and Methods This was a randomized trial conducted at 24 African American churches in central North Carolina. Churches were randomized to receive the special intervention (SI; 13 churches, 117 participants) or the minimal intervention (MI; 11 churches, 84 participants). The SI included an 8-month intensive phase, consisting of 1 individual counseling visit, 12 group sessions, monthly phone contacts, and 3 encouragement postcards, followed by a 4-month reinforcement phase including monthly phone contacts. The MI received standard educational pamphlets by mail. Outcomes were assessed at 8 and 12 months; the primary outcome was comparison of 8-month A1C levels. Results At baseline, the mean age was 59 years, A1C 7.8%, and body mass index 35.0 kg/m2; 64% of participants were female. For the 174 (87%) participants returning for 8-month measures, mean A1C (adjusted for baseline and group randomization) was 7.4% for SI and 7.8% for MI, with a difference of 0.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1-0.6, P = .009). In a larger model adjusting for additional variables, the difference was 0.5% (95% CI, 0.2-0.7, P < .001). At 12 months, the difference between groups was not significant. Diabetes knowledge and diabetes-related quality of life significantly improved in the SI group compared with the MI group. Among SI participants completing an acceptability questionnaire, intervention components and materials were rated as highly acceptable. Conclusions The church-based intervention was well received by participants and improved short-term metabolic control.
A study in the pragmatics of persuasion: a game theoretical approach

A speaker wishes to persuade a listener to take a certain action. The conditions under which the request is justified, from the listener’s point of view, depend on the state of the world, which is known only to the speaker. Each state is characterized by a set of statements from which the speaker chooses. A persuasion rule specifies which statements the listener finds persuasive. We study persuasion rules that maximize the probability that the listener accepts the request if and only if it is justified, given that the speaker maximizes the probability that his request is accepted. We prove that there always exists a persuasion rule involving no randomization and that all optimal persuasion rules are ex-post optimal. We relate our analysis to the field of pragmatics.
Impact of donor–recipient phylogenetic distance on bacterial genome transplantation

Genome transplantation (GT) allows the installation of purified chromosomes into recipient cells, causing the resulting organisms to adopt the genotype and the phenotype conferred by the donor cells. This key process remains a bottleneck in synthetic biology, especially for genome engineering strategies of intractable and economically important microbial species. So far, this process has only been reported using two closely related bacteria, Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri (Mmc) and Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum (Mcap), and the main factors driving the compatibility between a donor genome and a recipient cell are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the impact of the evolutionary distance between donor and recipient species on the efficiency of GT. Using Mcap as the recipient cell, we successfully transplanted the genome of six bacteria belonging to the Spiroplasma phylogenetic group but including species of two distinct genera. Our results demonstrate that GT efficiency is inversely correlated with the phylogenetic distance between donor and recipient bacteria but also suggest that other species-specific barriers to GT exist. This work constitutes an important step toward understanding the cellular factors governing the GT process in order to better define and eventually extend the existing genome compatibility limit.
The genetics of circadian rhythms, sleep and health

Abstract Circadian rhythms are 24-h rhythms in physiology and behaviour generated by molecular clocks, which serve to coordinate internal time with the external world. The circadian system is a master regulator of nearly all physiology and its disruption has major consequences on health. Sleep and circadian rhythm disruption (SCRD) is a ubiquitous feature in today’s 24/7 society, and studies on shift-workers have shown that SCRD can lead not only to cognitive impairment, but also metabolic syndrome and psychiatric illness including depression (1,2). Mouse models of clock mutants recapitulate these deficits, implicating mechanistic and causal links between SCRD and disease pathophysiology (3–5). Importantly, treating clock disruption reverses and attenuates these adverse health states in animal models (6,7), thus establishing the circadian system as a novel therapeutic target. Significantly, circadian and clock-controlled gene mutations have recently been identified by Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) in the aetiology of sleep, mental health and metabolic disorders. This review will focus upon the genetics of circadian rhythms in sleep and health.
Clinical and Histopathologic Characteristics Associated with Renal Outcomes in Lupus Nephritis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The prognostic significance of histopathologic (sub)classes in the current classification of lupus nephritis (LN) is controversial. We analyzed clinical and histopathologic predictors of renal outcome in LN outside the framework of the classification. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Variables (50 histopathologic and ten clinical) were tested in mixed, linear, and Cox regression models for their association with renal flare, ESRD, and eGFR during follow-up (1, 5, and 10 years) in 105 patients with LN who underwent biopsy from 1987 to 2011. The Cockcroft-Gault (normalized to a body surface area of 1.73 m2) and Schwartz formulas were used to calculate eGFR for adults and children, respectively. RESULTS During median follow-up of 9.9 years (25th-75th percentile, 5.9-13.8), 47 patients experienced a renal flare and 21 progressed to ESRD. Renal flare was predicted by fibrinoid necrosis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.04 per %; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.00 to 1.07) and nonwhite race (HR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.23 to 4.04). ESRD was predicted by fibrinoid necrosis (HR, 1.08 per %; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.13), fibrous crescents (HR, 1.09 per %; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.17), interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy (IF/TA) ≥25% (HR, 3.89; 95% CI, 1.25 to 12.14), eGFR at baseline (HR, 0.98 per ml/min per 1.73 m2; 95% CI, 0.97 to 1.00), and nonwhite race (HR, 7.16; 95% CI, 2.34 to 21.91). A higher mean eGFR during follow-up was associated with normal glomeruli (+0.2 ml/min per 1.73 m2 per %; 95% CI, 0.1 to 0.4). Like ESRD, a lower eGFR during follow-up was associated with fibrous crescents, IF/TA≥25%, and nonwhite race, as well as with cellular/fibrocellular crescents (-0.4 ml/min per 1.73 m2 per %; 95% CI, -0.6 to -0.2) and age (-0.8 ml/min per 1.73 m2 per year; 95% CI, -1.2 to -0.4). CONCLUSION The LN classification should include an index of evidence-based prognosticators. Awaiting validation of a formal index, we suggest that at least fibrinoid necrosis, fibrous crescents, and IF/TA warrant explicit independent scoring to assess the risk of progressive renal dysfunction in conjunction with clinical findings.
EXGbuds: Universal Wearable Assistive Device for Disabled People to Interact with the Environment Seamlessly

Current assistive technologies need complicated, cumbersome, and expensive equipment, which are not user-friendly, not portable, and often require extensive fine motor control. Our approach aims at solving these problems by developing, a compact, non-obtrusive and ergonomic wearable device, to measure signals associated with human physiological gestures, and thereafter generate useful commands to interact with the environment. Our innovation uses machine learning and non- invasive biosensors on top of the ears to identify eye movements and facial expressions with over 95% accuracy. Users can control different applications, such as a robot, powered wheelchair, cell phone, smart home, or other Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Combined with VR headset and hand gesture recognition devices, user can use our technology to control a camera-mounted robot (e.g., telepresence robot, drones, or any robotic manipulator) to navigate around the environment in first-person's view simply by eye movements and facial expressions. It enables a human- intuitive way of interaction totally 'touch-free'. The experimental results show satisfactory performance in different applications, which can be a powerful tool to help disabled people interact with the environment and measure other physiological signals as a universal controller and health monitoring device.
On the Immortality of Television Sets: “Function” in the Human Genome According to the Evolution-Free Gospel of ENCODE

A recent slew of ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Consortium publications, specifically the article signed by all Consortium members, put forward the idea that more than 80% of the human genome is functional. This claim flies in the face of current estimates according to which the fraction of the genome that is evolutionarily conserved through purifying selection is less than 10%. Thus, according to the ENCODE Consortium, a biological function can be maintained indefinitely without selection, which implies that at least 80 − 10 = 70% of the genome is perfectly invulnerable to deleterious mutations, either because no mutation can ever occur in these “functional” regions or because no mutation in these regions can ever be deleterious. This absurd conclusion was reached through various means, chiefly by employing the seldom used “causal role” definition of biological function and then applying it inconsistently to different biochemical properties, by committing a logical fallacy known as “affirming the consequent,” by failing to appreciate the crucial difference between “junk DNA” and “garbage DNA,” by using analytical methods that yield biased errors and inflate estimates of functionality, by favoring statistical sensitivity over specificity, and by emphasizing statistical significance rather than the magnitude of the effect. Here, we detail the many logical and methodological transgressions involved in assigning functionality to almost every nucleotide in the human genome. The ENCODE results were predicted by one of its authors to necessitate the rewriting of textbooks. We agree, many textbooks dealing with marketing, mass-media hype, and public relations may well have to be rewritten.
Physical activity maintenance and metabolic risk in adolescents

Aim Examine the association between child and adolescent physical activity maintenance categories and metabolic profile in adolescence. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted with 1152 adolescents (57.4% female) aged 10-16 years from Londrina, Brazil. Physical activity was self-reported in childhood (7-10 years old, retrospective data) and adolescence through questionnaires. Cardiorespiratory fitness (20 m shuttle-run test), body fat (skinfolds), waist circumference, blood pressure (automatic instrument) and blood variables (fasting glucose, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides) were measured at adolescence. Results Frequency of physical activity in childhood and adolescence was 50.3 and 17.2%, respectively, and only 25.7% of boys and 10.9% of girls were active at both ages. Adolescents who were physically active in childhood alone were less likely [OR = 0.71 (95% CI: 0.52-0.97)] to present low cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence compared to those who were non-active in childhood. Regardless of controlled, actives in childhood and adolescence were less likely to present low cardiorespiratory fitness [OR = 0.50 (95% CI: 0.34-0.73)], high blood pressure [OR = 0.52 (95% CI: 0.32-0.85)] and high metabolic risk score [OR = 0.44 (95% CI: 0.22-0.90)] compared to the non-actives at both ages. Conclusions Actives through childhood to adolescence are less likely to present low cardiorespiratory fitness, high blood pressure and high metabolic risk.
Appeal and Perceived Naturalness of a Soft Robotic Tentacle

Soft robotics technology has been proposed for a number of applications that involve human-robot interaction. This study investigates how a silicone-based pneumatically actuated soft robotic tentacle is perceived in interaction. Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered from questionnaires (N=47) and video recordings. Results show that the overall appeal of the robot was positively associated with its perceived naturalness. They further indicate a slight user preference for the movements and the tactile qualities of the robot and a slightly negative evaluation of its appearance.
Glycerophospholipid Supplementation as a Potential Intervention for Supporting Cerebral Structure in Older Adults

Modifying nutritional intake through supplementation may be efficacious for altering the trajectory of cerebral structural decline evident with increasing age. To date, there have been a number of clinical trials in older adults whereby chronic supplementation with B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, or resveratrol, has been observed to either slow the rate of decline or repair cerebral tissue. There is also some evidence from animal studies indicating that supplementation with glycerophospholipids (GPL) may benefit cerebral structure, though these effects have not yet been investigated in adult humans. Despite this paucity of research, there are a number of factors predicting poorer cerebral structure in older humans, which GPL supplementation appears to beneficially modify or protect against. These include elevated concentrations of homocysteine, unbalanced activity of reactive oxygen species both increasing the risk of oxidative stress, increased concentrations of pro-inflammatory messengers, as well as poorer cardio- and cerebrovascular function. As such, it is hypothesized that GPL supplementation will support cerebral structure in older adults. These cerebral effects may influence cognitive function. The current review aims to provide a theoretical basis for future clinical trials investigating the effects of GPL supplementation on cerebral structural integrity in older adults.