Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calcium transients induce spatially coordinated increases in traction force during the movement of fish keratocytes

The coordination of protrusion with retraction is essential for continuous cell movement. In fish keratocytes the activation of stretch-activated calcium channels, and the resulting increase in intracellular calcium, trigger release of the rear cell margin when forward movement is impeded. Although it is likely that retraction involves a calcium-dependent increase in cytoskeletal contractility, it is not known how the timing, magnitude and localization of contractile forces are organized during retraction. We have addressed this question using a new gelatin traction force assay in combination with calcium imaging to determine what changes in cytoskeletal force production accompany calcium-induced retraction. We find that individual calcium transients are followed within seconds by a rapid increase in traction stress that is maintained, or increases in a stepwise manner, until retraction occurs. Increases in traction stress are accompanied by a distinct sequence of changes in the spatial distribution of large traction stresses. Regions of increased traction stress enlarge at the lateral cell margins and expand forward along the cell margin. In particular, rearward facing propulsive' tractions at the leading edge of the cell, which are normally very low, increase several fold. Following retraction, a precipitous drop in traction stress is observed. Such distinct variations in traction stress are not observed in cells when calcium transients are absent. These results suggest a mechanism by which global increases in intracellular calcium can locally regulate contractile force production, in order to maintain a rapid highly directed mode of movement.
Fabrication and characterization of a metal-packaged regenerated fiber Bragg grating strain sensor for structural integrity monitoring of high-temperature components

Assessment of the structural integrity of components operating at high temperatures requires the development of novel sensors to measure strain. A metal-packaged regenerated fiber Bragg grating (RFBG) sensor is developed for measurement of strain using titanium–silver magnetron sputtering and nickel electroplating. The strain response of the sensor mounted onto a flat tensile specimen by spot welding is evaluated by uniaxial tensile tests at constant temperatures ranging from room temperature to 400 °C. Similar tests are performed on a bare RFBG sensor for comparison. The metal-packaged RFBG strain sensor exhibits higher strain sensitivity than that of the bare RFBG sensor, as well as good linearity, stability and repeatability of strain measurements. A three-dimensional finite element model of the sensor is established to predict the strain sensitivity based on the sensing principle of the fiber Bragg grating. Comparisons of the experimental results with the numerical predictions for the strain sensitivity show a satisfactory agreement. These results demonstrate that the metal-packaged RFBG strain sensors can be successfully fabricated by combining magnetron sputtering with electroplating, and provide great promise for structural integrity monitoring of high-temperature components.
Heterogeneity in Tandem Octanucleotides within Haemophilus influenzae Lipopolysaccharide Biosynthetic Gene losA Affects Serum Resistance

ABSTRACT Haemophilus influenzae is subject to phase variation mediated by changes in the length of simple sequence repeat regions within several genes, most of which encode either surface proteins or enzymes involved in the synthesis of lipopolysaccharides (LPS). The translational repeat regions that have been described thus far all consist of tandemly repeated tetranucleotides. We describe an octanucleotide repeat region within a putative LPS biosynthetic gene, losA. Approximately 20 percent of nontypeable H. influenzae strains contain copies of losA and losB in a genetic locus flanked by infA and ksgA. Of 30 strains containing losA at this site, 24 contained 2 tandem copies of the octanucleotide CGAGCATA, allowing full-length translation of losA (on), and 6 strains contained 3, 4, 6, or 10 tandem copies (losA off). For a serum-sensitive strain, R3063, with losA off (10 repeat units), selection for serum-resistant variants yielded a heterogeneous population in which colonies with increased serum resistance had losA on (2, 8, or 11 repeat units), and colonies with unchanged sensitivity to serum had 10 repeats. Inactivation of losA in strains R3063 and R2846 (strain 12) by insertion of the cat gene decreased the serum resistance of these strains compared to losA-on variants and altered the electrophoretic mobility of LPS. We conclude that expression of losA, a gene that contributes to LPS structure and affects serum resistance, is determined by octanucleotide repeat variation.
A Framework for the Analysis of Mass Finishing Processes

The aim of this paper is to introduce, in broad strokes, a framework – constructed from a fusion of granular flow (GFD) dynamics, tribology and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) techniques – for the practical analysis of mass finishing processes. The presentation opens with a short introduction to typical mass finishing processes, followed by a brief discussion on their respective correspondences to GFD regimes, and ends which some illustrative results arising from the application of this framework to vibratory finishing, which is perhaps the most industrially pervasive mass finishing process.
Implementation Details for Frequent Batch Auctions: Slowing Down Markets to the Blink of an Eye †

Our recent research (Budish, Cramton, and Shim 2013) proposes frequent batch auctions—uniform-price sealed-bid double auctions conducted at frequent but discrete time intervals—as a market design alternative to continuous-time trading in financial markets. This short paper discusses the implementation details of frequent batch auctions. We outline the process flow for frequent batch auctions, discuss a modification to the market design that accommodates market fragmentation and Reg NMS, and discuss the engineering and economic considerations relevant for determining the batch interval. Open questions are discussed throughout.
Ectopic Overexpression of an AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID (Aux/IAA) Gene OsIAA4 in Rice Induces Morphological Changes and Reduces Responsiveness to Auxin

Auxin has pleiotropic effects on plant growth and development. AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID (Aux/IAA) proteins are short-lived transcriptional regulators that mediate auxin responses through interaction with an auxin receptor, the F-box protein transport inhibitor response 1 (TIR1). Most functions of Aux/IAA proteins have been identified in Arabidopsis by studying the gain-of-function mutants in domain II. In this study, we isolated and identified an Aux/IAA protein gene from rice, OsIAA4, whose protein contains a dominant mutation-type domain II. OsIAA4 has very low expression in the entire life cycle of rice. OsIAA4-overexpressing rice plants show dwarfism, increased tiller angles, reduced gravity response, and are less sensitive to synthetic auxin 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D).
SCAN: SNP and copy number annotation

MOTIVATION Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) generate relationships between hundreds of thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and complex phenotypes. The contribution of the traditionally overlooked copy number variations (CNVs) to complex traits is also being actively studied. To facilitate the interpretation of the data and the designing of follow-up experimental validations, we have developed a database that enables the sensible prioritization of these variants by combining several approaches, involving not only publicly available physical and functional annotations but also multilocus linkage disequilibrium (LD) annotations as well as annotations of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). RESULTS For each SNP, the SCAN database provides: (i) summary information from eQTL mapping of HapMap SNPs to gene expression (evaluated by the Affymetrix exon array) in the full set of HapMap CEU (Caucasians from UT, USA) and YRI (Yoruba people from Ibadan, Nigeria) samples; (ii) LD information, in the case of a HapMap SNP, including what genes have variation in strong LD (pairwise or multilocus LD) with the variant and how well the SNP is covered by different high-throughput platforms; (iii) summary information available from public databases (e.g. physical and functional annotations); and (iv) summary information from other GWAS. For each gene, SCAN provides annotations on: (i) eQTLs for the gene (both local and distant SNPs) and (ii) the coverage of all variants in the HapMap at that gene on each high-throughput platform. For each genomic region, SCAN provides annotations on: (i) physical and functional annotations of all SNPs, genes and known CNVs within the region and (ii) all genes regulated by the eQTLs within the region. AVAILABILITY http://www.scandb. org. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Hop Distance Analysis in Partially Connected Wireless Sensor Networks

Network connectivity, as a fundamental issue in a wireless sensor network(WSN), has been receiving considerable attention during the past decade. Most works focused on how to maintain full connectivity while conserving network resources. However, full connectivity is actually a sufficient but not necessary condition for many WSNs to communicate and function successfully. In addition, full connectivity requires high-demand in network cost as more sensors will be needed. Further, it is subject to high energy consumption and communication interference as higher communication power might be needed to connect the most isolated sensors. In view of this, this work investigates the hop distance in a randomly deployed WSN with partial network connectivity through modeling, analysis, and simulation perspectives. The results help in selecting critical network parameters for practical WSN designs of diverse WSN applications.
Hypoglycemia associated with insulin hypersecretion following the addition of olanzapine to conventional antipsychotics

After a violent episode, a 47-year-old Japanese man with chronic treatment-resistant schizophrenia was admitted to our hospital and treated with conventional antipsychotics. After 3 years, olanzapine was added. Four days later, he lost consciousness and blood tests revealed marked hypoglycemia, increased insulin levels, and a homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance of 2.5. He recovered rapidly after intravenous injection of glucose. He had no history of loss of consciousness, was not obese and did not have any risk factors for hypoglycemia. Similar episodes occurred in the early morning of the fifth and sixth days following the olanzapine administration. Each time there was the same response to intravenous glucose. Olanzapine was discontinued on the seventh day and, after one year, replaced by risperidone. Since then (2 years ago), his schizophrenic symptoms have been in partial remission and he has had no further hypoglycemic episodes. In view of the possible induction of hypoglycemia with olanazapine, even in the absence of any risk factors, and in the absence of any major differences in efficacy, it is a reasonable strategy to select an agent such as risperidone which has more favorable side-effect profile.
Tiered attestation for Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices

Remote attestation is the procedure in which a relying party verifies the environment in which a device is carrying out cryptographic operations. Relying parties can leverage attestation data as part of their authentication and authorization procedures. However many Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices either do not have direct connectivity to relying parties, or may simply not be able to provide reliable attestation data. This paper introduces the concept of tiered attestation, where edge routing entities (i.e. gateways) can augment attestation data for relying parties while still accounting for limitations in the actual IoT devices.
Axial and appendicular bone density predict fractures in older women

To determine whether measurement of hip and spine bone mass by dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA) predicts fractures in women and to compare the predictive value of DEXA with that of single‐photon absorptiometry (SPA) of appendicular sites, we prospectively studied 8134 nonblack women age 65 years and older who had both DEXA and SPA measurements of bone mass. A total of 208 nonspine fractures, including 37 wrist fractures, occurred during the follow‐up period, which averaged 0.7 years. The risk of fracture was inversely related to bone density at all measurement sites. After adjusting for age, the relative risks per decrease of 1 standard deviation in bone density for the occurrence of any fracture was 1.40 for measurement at the proximal femur (95% confidence interval 1.20–1.63) and 1.35 (1.15–1.58) for measurement at the spine. Results were similar for all regions of the proximal femur as well as SPA measurements at the calcaneus, distal radius, and proximal radius. None of these measurements was a significantly better predictor of fractures than the others. Furthermore, measurement of the distal radius was not a better predictor of wrist fracture (relative risk 1.64: 95% CI 1.13–2.37) than other sites, such as the lumbar spine (RR 1.56; CI 1.07–2.26), the femoral neck (RR 1.65; CI 1.12–2.41), or the calcaneus (RR 1.83; CI 1.26–2.64). We conclude that the inverse relationship between bone mass and risk of fracture in older women is similar for absorptiometric measurements made at the hip, spine, and appendicular sites.
Incremental Building of a Polyhedral Feature Model for Programming by Human Demonstration of Force-Controlled Tasks

This paper describes the construction of a local polyhedral 3-D feature model derived from pose and wrench sensor measurements collected during a force-controlled execution of a sequence of polyhedral contact formations. The procedure consists of two steps: 1) the sensor measurements are filtered, resulting in a (nonminimal) representation of a 3-D feature model; and 2) identification of a reduced set of geometric parameters (vertices and faces) of the rigid polyhedral objects in the environment is performed. The following improvements with respect to the state of the art are made: 1) creation of a polyhedral 3-D feature model of a previously unknown polyhedral environment; 2) estimation of a force decomposition useful for feedback in a force controller or for monitoring the contact forces; and 3) reduction of the number of model parameters, leading to a computational reduction, a better precision of the geometric parameters, and a higher level description of the contact topology
A Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model approach to vision-based control of a micro helicopter

This paper presents hovering control of an indoor micro helicopter only using single visual sensor feedback. The control technique is based on the parallel tracking and mapping (PTAM), a kind of visual simultaneous localization and mapping, using a small single wireless camera on the helicopter. The six degree of freedom of the helicopter is detected via the PTAM. The nonlinear dynamics of the helicopter is converted to a Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model. To design the guaranteed cost (stable) controller, a Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model-based design is carried out via a linear matrix inequality approach. The hovering control results demonstrate the utility of our approach even though single wireless vision sensor based stabilization is extremely a difficult task in practice.
Weaknesses in the temporal key hash of WPA

This article describes some weaknesses in the key scheduling in Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) put forward to secure the IEEE standard 802.11-1999. Given a few RC4 packet keys in WPA it is possible to find the Temporal Key (TK) and the Message Integrity Check (MIC) key. This is not a practical attack on WPA, but it shows that parts of WPA are weak on their own. Using this attack it is possible to do a TK recovery attack on WPA with complexity O(2105) compared to a brute force attack with complexity O (2128).
State of the Art in Artistic Editing of Appearance, Lighting and Material

Mimicking the appearance of the real world is a longstanding goal of computer graphics, with several important applications in the feature film, architecture and medical industries. Images with well‐designed shading are an important tool for conveying information about the world, be it the shape and function of a computer‐aided design (CAD) model, or the mood of a movie sequence. However, authoring this content is often a tedious task, even if undertaken by groups of highly trained and experienced artists. Unsurprisingly, numerous methods to facilitate and accelerate this appearance editing task have been proposed, enabling the editing of scene objects' appearances, lighting and materials, as well as entailing the introduction of new interaction paradigms and specialized preview rendering techniques. In this review, we provide a comprehensive survey of artistic appearance, lighting and material editing approaches. We organize this complex and active research area in a structure tailored to academic researchers, graduate students and industry professionals alike. In addition to editing approaches, we discuss how user interaction paradigms and rendering back ends combine to form usable systems for appearance editing. We conclude with a discussion of open problems and challenges to motivate and guide future research.
Embedded Sensor for Detecting Corrosion of Reinforcement in Concrete

Corrosion of reinforcement is a worldwide problem which causes premature degradations in reinforced concrete structures. Monitoring reinforcement corrosion in concrete can be achieved by embedding corrosion sensor within the concrete cover. In this research, capacitance-based embedded sensor was developed to monitor corrosion potential (Ecorr) and corrosion rate (Icorr) parameters of reinforcement continuously. The sensors were tied to the reinforcement and embedded in concrete slab specimens followed by immersion into NaCl solution for 70 days. During this period, corrosion parameters were weekly recorded. At the same time, half-cell corrosion testing using Portable SRI-CMIII was conducted for calibration purpose. From the research, it was observed that the patterns of Ecorr and Icorrshown by the embedded sensors were similar to that of portable SRI-CMIII device - an indication of suitability of the embedded sensor towards sensing existing corrosion activities around the embedded steel bars. Eventually, the bars were found corroded from the broken specimens to confirm the detection of corrosion activities as recorded by the sensors.
Fatty Acids Intake and Depressive Symptomatology in a Greek Sample: An Epidemiological Analysis

Background: Depression is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but the association with dietary habits is not well understood. The aim of this work was to statistically model the association of depressive symptoms with fatty acids intake in persons free of cardiovascular disease. Method: A random multistage sampling, stratified by gender and age, was performed during 2001–2002. In the present work, psychological and dietary data from 453 men (19–89 years) and 400 women (18–84 years) were analyzed. Depression was assessed with the Zung's Self-rating Depression Scale (ZDRS). After a validation for the investigated population, plasma fatty acids in the form of their methyl esters were determined by gas chromatography, while dietary fatty acids were determined through a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire and local food composition tables. Results: Women had significantly higher scores on the ZDRS as compared with men (47 ± 9 vs. 43 ± 10, p < 0.001). Multiadjusted data analysis after adjusting for age, gender, lifestyle, and dietary habits revealed that increased polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) concentrations, and, more specifically, high concentrations of plasma total n-3 fatty acids (b ± SE: −1.9 ± 0.5, p = 0.03), docosahexaenoic acid (−2.91 ± 1.04, p = 0.02), eicosapentaenoic acid (−2.54 ± 0.84, p = 0.03), α-linoleic acid (−16.8 ± 7.3, p = 0.01), and linoleic acid (−3.97 ± 0.21, p = 0.03), were associated with lower scores in the depression scale used. Conclusion: These results indicate that increased PUFA and MUFA concentrations are associated with diminished depressive symptomatology among apparently healthy adults.
REVIEW: Hepatitis delta

The causative agent of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is the most unusual of all causative agents for all hepatitis viruses. Current knowledge of the molecular biology of HDV strengthens its proposed classification within the satellites, a family of subviral agents, some of which are pathogens of higher plants. Hepatitis delta virus is the only virus in the satellite family known to infect animal species, with hepatitis D having affected more than 10 million people worldwide who are also infected with its helper virus, HBV. Recently, the world map for hepatitis D appears somewhat modified, with decreasing HDV prevalence in certain areas and some new foci of HDV endemicity. Despite changing HDV prevalence, hepatitis D, particularly the chronic form, is still an important health problem worldwide in terms of morbidity and mortality (mainly due to chronic liver disease, including hepatocellular carcinoma). Molecular studies have greatly advanced our understanding of the life cycle of HDV and of the function of its proteins. The new molecular information is of clinical relevance, with implications for the pathogenesis of liver damage, the diagnosis of HDV infection, for the natural course of the disease and, potentially, for therapy. Sensitive assays for HDV‐RNA by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing techniques have clarified the patterns of HDV transmission and have confirmed the existence of unusual clinical forms of the virus and their relationship to replicative levels and genotypes of HDV. Prevention and treatment of hepatitis D are still in their infancy. However, liver transplantation for delta cirrhosis has proven far more successful than in any other viral form of cirrhosis, with few reinfections of the grafted liver, and has given important information on HDV biology and the pathogenesis of liver damage.
Peepholes: low cost awareness of one's community

In distributed communities, media spaces supply people with an awareness of who is around by displaying video or periodic snapshots of common areas and offices. This in turn facilitates casual interaction. Peepholes is a low cost alternative. Instead of video, iconic presence indicators show the availability of people in a virtual community. If people are absent, a user can ‘ambush’ them by asking the system to announce their return. When interaction is desired, people can easily contact one another because communication software is just a button-press away.