Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Manifold learning for dimension reduction of electronic nose data

Electronic nose is a system based on the sense of smell, which is consisted of several metal oxide semiconductor sensors based on the characteristic odor or volatile components in the air. Its structure includes gas acquisition system, sensor array, signal conditioning circuit and data processing. Compared with other systems, it has the advantages of sensitive detection, simple operation, and high cost performance, etc. However, the materials of sensors are non-linear metal-semiconductor, the obtained odor information must also include non-linear characteristic. Traditional linear feature extraction algorithm can't extract the nonlinear characteristics, so this work proposed four manifold learning algorithms for extracting odor information characteristics. In order to verify feature extraction results, electronic nose measurement data based on the living Chinese mitten crab was processed. The prediction model based on support vector machine (SVM) algorithm according to the guide of the above classification was presented. Total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) of the samples was measured and its results acted as reference information. Experimental results illustrated that the system based on electronic nose with manifold learning can assess the freshness of the living crab.
Barriers to Initiation of Antiretrovirals during Antituberculosis Therapy in Africa

Background In the developing world, the principal cause of death among HIV-infected patients is tuberculosis (TB). The initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) during TB therapy significantly improves survival, however it is not known which barriers prevent eligible TB patients from initiating life-saving ART. Method Setting. A South African township clinic with integrated tuberculosis and HIV services. Design. Logistic regression analyses of a prospective cohort of HIV-1 infected adults (≥18 years) who commenced TB therapy, were eligible for ART, and were followed for 6 months. Findings Of 100 HIV-1 infected adults eligible for ART during TB therapy, 90 TB patients presented to an ART clinic for assessment, 66 TB patients initiated ART, and 15 TB patients died. 34% of eligible TB patients (95%CI: 25–43%) did not initiate ART. Male gender and younger age (<36 years) were associated with failure to initiate ART (adjusted odds ratios of 3.7 [95%CI: 1.25–10.95] and 3.3 [95%CI: 1.12–9.69], respectively). Death during TB therapy was associated with a CD4+ count <100 cells/µL. Conclusion In a clinic with integrated services for tuberculosis and HIV, one-third of eligible TB patients – particularly young men – did not initiate ART. Strategies are needed to promote ART initiation during TB therapy, especially among young men.
Sensing, Compression, and Recovery for WSNs: Sparse Signal Modeling and Monitoring Framework

We address the problem of compressing large and distributed signals monitored by a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) and recovering them through the collection of a small number of samples. We propose a sparsity model that allows the use of Compressive Sensing (CS) for the online recovery of large data sets in real WSN scenarios, exploiting Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to capture the spatial and temporal characteristics of real signals. Bayesian analysis is utilized to approximate the statistical distribution of the principal components and to show that the Laplacian distribution provides an accurate representation of the statistics of real data. This combined CS and PCA technique is subsequently integrated into a novel framework, namely, SCoRe1: Sensing, Compression and Recovery through ON-line Estimation for WSNs. SCoRe1 is able to effectively self-adapt to unpredictable changes in the signal statistics thanks to a feedback control loop that estimates, in real time, the signal reconstruction error. We also propose an extensive validation of the framework used in conjunction with CS as well as with standard interpolation techniques, testing its performance for real world signals. The results in this paper have the merit of shedding new light on the performance limits of CS when used as a recovery tool in WSNs.
Comparison of the Diagnostic Performance of Power Doppler Ultrasound and a New Microvascular Doppler Ultrasound Technique (AngioPLUS) for Differentiating Benign and Malignant Breast Masses

This study was performed to compare the diagnostic performance of power Doppler ultrasound (US) and a new microvascular Doppler US technique (AngioPLUS; SuperSonic Imagine, Aix‐en‐Provence, France) for differentiating benign and malignant breast masses. Power Doppler US and AngioPLUS findings were available in 124 breast masses with confirmed pathologic results (benign, 80 [64.5%]; malignant, 44 [35.5%]). The diagnostic performance of each tool was calculated to distinguish benign from malignant masses using a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and compared. The area under the curve showed that AngioPLUS was superior to power Doppler US in differentiating benign from malignant breast masses, but the difference was not statistically significant.
Movement state classification for bimanual BCI from non-human primate's epidural ECoG using three-dimensional convolutional neural network

During bimanual movement, brain state is known to be different from the unimanual movement. Thus the conventional arm movement classifier for unimanual arm movement decoding method seems to be insufficient to decode bimanual movement. In this research, we suggested the convolutional neural network (CNN) for movement state classification to improve the decoding accuracy for bimanual movement estimation. We recorded the monkey's cortical signal while the bimanual task, and convert to spectrogram dataset for decoding. To evaluate the CNN, we stacked several layers for deep structure and figured out the best configuration. As a result, this method showed improved the arm movement state classification performance for bimanual tasks. This technique could be applied to arm movement brain computer interfaces (BCIs) in real world and the various neuro-prosthetics fields.
Prevalence of agenesis of frontal sinus in human skulls with metopism.

BACKGROUND The frontal bone is an anatomical structure of the skull separated by the metopic suture in the childhood. The scientific literature indicates that metopic suture consolidates with closure in the early stages of life. Metopism is the term used to describe a metopic suture that persists up to the adulthood. Persistent metopic suture is associated potentially with the agenesis of the frontal sinus. AIM To investigate the prevalence of absent frontal sinuses in dry skulls with metopism. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present study was performed after the approval of the local Committee of Ethics in Research. The sample consisted of dry skulls (n=245), aging between 17 and 50 years old, of the Forensic Medical Institute of Goiânia, Brazil. The skulls underwent anthropological exam in the search for metopism. Radiographic exam was performed in the skulls with metopism to verify the presence or absence of the frontal sinus. The radiographic assessment was performed with a Mobile DaRt Evolution device (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) with protocol set in 64 kV and 16 mA). RESULTS From the 245 dry skulls, 17 presented metopism. The length of the metopic suture in the skulls, considering the distances between nasio and bregma craniometric landmarks, ranged between 114 mm and 137 mm. Radiographic exams were performed on 16 skulls (one skull was not analysed radiographically because of extensive destruction). Only one skull (6.25%) had the frontal sinus absent. Besides the agenesis, the present study also found four (12.5%) skulls with aplasia and eight (25.0%) hyperplasia of the frontal sinus in dry skulls with metopism. CONCLUSION The present study found a low prevalence rate of the agenesis of frontal sinuses in dry skulls with metopism.
Highly directive dielectric resonator rod array antenna at terahertz frequency for imaging applications

In this paper, a dielectric resonator rod antenna is proposed at terahertz frequency for imaging application. The proposed antenna resonates at 0.171 THz and 0.228 THz due to the excitation of HEM11 and higher mode. Further to enhance the directivity, a 4×4 DRRA phased array is implemented for better coverage. Initially, the progressive phase shift is performed in single direction (x-axis), further the progressive phase shift is applied in both the directions (x-axis and y-axis). For the side-lobe level to be less than −10dB, the Taylor current distribution is applied to individual array element. The enhancement in the directivity with higher efficiency is observed. Further, the frequency downscaling is performed to validate the proposed antennas results. The design is enhanced by 15 times. Moreover, the frequency downscaled DRRA array is implemented and approximately same radiation characteristics are observed as the proposed DRRA.
Interactive robotic platform for education and language skill rehabilitation

In this paper, we present the mechanism and system design of a robot that is suitable for rehabilitation process for autistic children. Through some researches, robot seems to have the ability to improve the communication skills of the children with autism. An interactive robotic platform has been developed taking into consideration the robot appearance and features to encourage positive outcome in the rehabilitation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children. The interaction between the robot and the child included language skills, eye contact, imitation behavior, facial expression and movement of the robot. Here, a high-level controller is integrated to the system to help therapist monitors the children's reactions towards the robot. In result, the developed robot has the ability to help therapist to diagnose and conclude the therapy session in a shorter period.
Type II Heat-Labile Enterotoxins from 50 Diverse Escherichia coli Isolates Belong Almost Exclusively to the LT-IIc Family and May Be Prophage Encoded

Some enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) produce a type II heat-labile enterotoxin (LT-II) that activates adenylate cyclase in susceptible cells but is not neutralized by antisera against cholera toxin or type I heat-labile enterotoxin (LT-I). LT-I variants encoded by plasmids in ETEC from humans and pigs have amino acid sequences that are ≥95% identical. In contrast, LT-II toxins are chromosomally encoded and are much more diverse. Early studies characterized LT-IIa and LT-IIb variants, but a novel LT-IIc was reported recently. Here we characterized the LT-II encoding loci from 48 additional ETEC isolates. Two encoded LT-IIa, none encoded LT-IIb, and 46 encoded highly related variants of LT-IIc. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the predicted LT-IIc toxins encoded by these loci could be assigned to 6 subgroups. The loci corresponding to individual toxins within each subgroup had DNA sequences that were more than 99% identical. The LT-IIc subgroups appear to have arisen by multiple recombinational events between progenitor loci encoding LT-IIc1- and LT-IIc3-like variants. All loci from representative isolates encoding the LT-IIa, LT-IIb, and each subgroup of LT-IIc enterotoxins are preceded by highly-related genes that are between 80 and 93% identical to predicted phage lysozyme genes. DNA sequences immediately following the B genes differ considerably between toxin subgroups, but all are most closely related to genomic sequences found in predicted prophages. Together these data suggest that the LT-II loci are inserted into lambdoid type prophages that may or may not be infectious. These findings raise the possibility that production of LT-II enterotoxins by ETEC may be determined by phage conversion and may be activated by induction of prophage, in a manner similar to control of production of Shiga-like toxins by converting phages in isolates of enterohemmorhagic E. coli.
Inflammatory Cytokine Profile in Crohn’s Disease Nonresponders to Optimal Antitumor Necrosis Factor Therapy

Background: A significant number of patients receiving therapy with antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents for Crohn’s disease experience primary or secondary nonresponse. The aim of this study was to assess whether patients with nonresponse to anti-TNF agents have increased expression of alternative cytokine pathways. Methods: We designed a prospective, cross-sectional study that included patients with Crohn’s disease receiving anti-TNF undergoing colonoscopy with adequate serum trough drug levels (≥8 µg/mL) and without anti-drug antibodies. Inflammatory cytokines and cell adhesions markers measured included intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, interleukin (IL)-8, IL-1&bgr;, and IL-6. The primary outcome was the presence of active endoscopic inflammation defined as the presence of at least 1 ulceration ≥5 mm. Results: In total, 47 patients were included. Patients with active inflammation had significantly higher levels of ICAM-1 and IL-1&bgr; when compared with those without intestinal inflammation (45.9 vs. 35.8 ng/mL, P<0.0001 and 3.2 vs. 1.5 pg/mL, P=0.002, respectively). There were no significant differences in the other study variables. Using receiving operating curves, ICAM and IL-1&bgr; had a good correlation (receiver operating characteristic ≥0.8) with inflammation in this cohort of patients with “anti-TNF resistance. ” The results were similar in the group of patients with previous anti-TNF exposure. Conclusion: Our study suggests that patients who have active inflammation with seemingly adequate serum anti-TNF levels have increased levels of specific inflammatory pathways that may serve as biomarkers of nonresponse as well as potential targets of therapy in anti-TNF nonresponders.
Anatomical Wiring and Functional Networking Changes in the Visual System Following Optic Neuritis

Importance Clinical outcome in multiple sclerosis was suggested to be driven by not only remyelination but also adaptive reorganization. This mechanism needs to be further understood. Objective To explore anatomical and functional visual networks in patients with optic neuritis (ON) to assess the relative weight of each connectivity modality to expedite visual recovery. Design, Setting, and Participants Between March 11, 2011, and May 26, 2014, 39 patients with either clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) ON (n = 18) or other CIS (non-ON) (n = 21) were recruited 1 to 28 months following an initial clinical event. These patients enrolled in an ongoing prospective cohort study (107 participants at the time of this present study) about the disease course of CIS and multiple sclerosis. Inclusion criteria were an age of 18 to 65 years, the suggestive clinical and paraclinical diagnosis of CIS or multiple sclerosis after relevant differential diagnoses have been ruled out, the existence of complete imaging data, and no ocular comorbidities. Anatomical connectivity was evaluated by diffusion tensor imaging, and functional connectivity was evaluated by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The visual pathways, including optic tracts, optic radiations, and splenial fibers, were delineated, and the resting-state visual networks were detected. Data analysis took place from September 1, 2015, to December 1, 2015. Main Outcomes and Measures Connectivity changes were quantified and compared to determine the association of ON with the visual network. Results This study included 18 patients with CIS ON, 11 (61%) of whom were women with a mean (SD) age of 32.83 (8.53) years, and 21 patients with CIS non-ON (11 [52%] of whom were women with a mean [SD] age of 30.86 [7.54] years). With the use of diffusion tensor imaging, reduced diffusivity (mean [SD] fractional anisotropy, 0.35 [0.03] vs 0.38 [0.03]; P < .01) was evident along the optic tracts of patients with ON, suggesting the extension of axonal injury from the damaged optic nerve. Neither the optic radiations nor the splenial fibers showed evidence of loss of integrity. Yet, in the presence of an intact postgeniculate anatomical network, the functional connectivity within the visual network was higher in the ON cohort. Functional connectivity observed in cortical motion–related areas was inversely correlated with the visual evoked potential–measured conduction velocity (r = −0.59; P < .05). Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort, local optic nerve demyelinating damage does not affect distant wiring, but even in the presence of an intact anatomical network, functional modification may occur. These functional network changes may be part of the recovery process, but further research is needed to elucidate this process.
Birth Weight and Long-Term Overweight Risk: Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis Including 643,902 Persons from 66 Studies and 26 Countries Globally

Background Overweight is among the major challenging health risk factors. It has been claimed that birth weight, being a critical indicator of prenatal developmental conditions, is related to long-term overweight risk. In order to check this important assumption of developmental and preventive medicine, we performed a systematic review and comprehensive meta-analysis. Methods and Findings Relevant studies published up to January 2011 that investigated the relation between birth weight and later risk of overweight were identified through literature searches using MEDLINE and EMBASE. For meta-analysis, 66 studies from 26 countries and five continents were identified to be eligible, including 643,902 persons aged 1 to 75 years. We constructed random-effects and fixed-effects models, performed subgroup-analyses, influence-analyses, assessed heterogeneity and publication bias, performed meta-regression analysis as well as analysis of confounder adjusted data. Meta-regression revealed a linear positive relationship between birth weight and later overweight risk (p<0.001). Low birth weight (<2,500 g) was found to be followed by a decreased risk of overweight (odds ratio (OR) = 0.67; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59–0.76). High birth weight (>4,000 g) was associated with increased risk of overweight (OR = 1.66; 95% CI 1.55–1.77). Results did not change significantly by using normal birth weight (2,500–4,000 g) as reference category (OR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.63–0.84, and OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.45–1.77, respectively). Subgroup- and influence-analyses revealed no indication for bias/confounding. Adjusted estimates indicate a doubling of long-term overweight risk in high as compared to normal birth weight subjects (OR = 1.96, 95% CI 1.43–2.67). Conclusions Findings demonstrate that low birth weight is followed by a decreased long-term risk of overweight, while high birth weight predisposes for later overweight. Preventing in-utero overnutrition, e.g., by avoiding maternal overnutrition, overweight and/or diabetes during pregnancy, might therefore be a promising strategy of genuine overweight prevention, globally.
Transferring picture exchange requests to receptive identification for children with ASD

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to evaluate a procedure to transfer stimulus control from picture exchange requests to receptive identification. Three children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and absent receptive identification repertoires participated. An adapted alternating treatment design was used. During intervention, two high-preferred and two low-preferred targets were available during picture exchange requesting sessions. Participants requested primarily for one or both high-preferred targets. During receptive identification instructional sessions, one participant acquired one high-preferred target, one participant acquired all targets, and one participant demonstrated no improvements. Generalization to novel examples of targets was assessed pre- and post-intervention and programmed if necessary. One participant generalized his acquired high-preferred target without programming. Another participant generalized a high-preferred and a low-preferred target without programming, and acquired a high-preferred target with programming. Potential benefits of this intervention and suggestions for future research are presented.
‘Happy the man, who, studying nature's laws, Thro' known effects can trace the secret cause.’† Do we have enough pieces to solve the pyrazinamide puzzle?

A low pH was assumed to be required for the activity of pyrazinoic acid (the active form of pyrazinamide) against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but recently activity has been demonstrated at neutral pH. Renewed interest in pyrazinamide has led to an increasing number of potential targets and the suspicion that pyrazinamide is a 'dirty drug'. However, it is our opinion that the recent demonstration that pyrazinoic acid is active against PanD provides an alternative explanation for the secret of pyrazinamide's unusual activity. In this article we propose that PanD is the primary target of pyrazinoic acid but expression of pyrazinoic acid susceptibility requires an intact stress response. As the mycobacterial stress response requires the interaction of a number of genes, disruption of any could result in an inability to enter the susceptible phenotype. We believe this model can explain most of the recent observations of the seemingly diverse spectrum of activity of pyrazinamide.
Where is crystallography going?

Macromolecular crystallography has provided results that underpin much biological discovery and there is still scope for further development; however, a revolution in electron imaging now means that it can also routinely provide detailed atomic-level descriptions. This article attempts to tease out where crystallography is going and consider what its place might be in the new landscape.
Reduced Order Modeling for Time-Dependent Optimization Problems with Initial Value Controls

This paper presents a new reduced order model (ROM) Hessian approximation for linear-quadratic optimal control problems where the optimal control is the initial value. Such problems arise in parameter identification and data assimilation, where the parameters to be identified appear in the initial data, and also as subproblems in multiple shooting formulations of more general optimal control problems. The new ROM Hessians can provide a substantially better approximation than the underlying basic ROM approximation, and thus can substantially reduce the computing time needed to solve these optimal control problems. The computation of a Hessian vector product requires the solution of the linearized state equation with initial value given by the vector to which the Hessian is applied, followed by the solution of the second order adjoint equation. Projection-based ROMs of these two linear differential equations are used to generate the Hessian approximation while the objective function and gradient are compute.
A Bayesian Approach to Intervention-Based Clustering

An important task for intelligent healthcare systems is to predict the effect of a new intervention on individuals. This is especially true for medical treatments. For example, consider patients who do not respond well to a new drug or have adversary reactions. Predicting the likelihood of positive or negative response before trying the drug on the patient can potentially save his or her life. We are therefore interested in identifying distinctive subpopulations that respond differently to a given intervention. For this purpose, we have developed a novel technique, Intervention-based Clustering, based on a Bayesian mixture model. Compared to the baseline techniques, the novelty of our approach lies in its ability to model complex decision boundaries by using soft clustering, thus predicting the effect for individuals more accurately. It can also incorporate prior knowledge, making the method useful even for smaller datasets. We demonstrate how our method works by applying it to both simulated and real data. Results of our evaluation show that our model has strong predictive power and is capable of producing high-quality clusters compared to the baseline methods.