Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deer Carcass Decomposition and Potential Scavenger Exposure to Chronic Wasting Disease

Abstract Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy afflicting the Cervidae family in North America, causing neurodegeneration and ultimately death. Although there are no reports of natural cross-species transmission of CWD to noncervids, infected deer carcasses pose a potential risk of CWD exposure for other animals. We placed 40 disease-free white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) carcasses and 10 gut piles in the CWD-affected area of Wisconsin (USA) from September to April in 2003 through 2005. We used photos from remotely operated cameras to characterize scavenger visitation and relative activity. To evaluate factors driving the rate of carcass removal (decomposition), we used Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and a generalized linear mixed model. We recorded 14 species of scavenging mammals (6 visiting species) and 14 species of scavenging birds (8 visiting species). Prominent scavengers included American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), raccoons (Procyon lotor), and Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana). We found no evidence that deer consumed conspecific remains, although they visited gut piles more often than carcasses relative to temporal availability in the environment. Domestic dogs, cats, and cows either scavenged or visited carcass sites, which could lead to human exposure to CWD. Deer carcasses persisted for 18 days to 101 days depending on the season and year, whereas gut piles lasted for 3 days. Habitat did not influence carcass decomposition, but mammalian and avian scavenger activity and higher temperatures were positively associated with faster removal. Infected deer carcasses or gut piles can serve as potential sources of CWD prions to a variety of scavengers. In areas where surveillance for CWD exposure is practical, management agencies should consider strategies for testing primary scavengers of deer carcass material.
The role of interleukin‐6, endothelins, and apoptotic genes in small bowel transplantation, in a swine model of ischemia and reperfusion injury

de Pinho‐Apezzato ML, Maksoud‐Filho JG, Valinetti EA, Santos MM, Tannuri ACA, Mello ES, Silva LF, de Mendonça Coelho MC, Gibelli NEM, Rocha RM, Nonogaki S, Guimarães RRN, Tannuri U. The role of interleukin‐6, endothelins, and apoptotic genes in small bowel transplantation, in a swine model of ischemia and reperfusion injury. Pediatr Transplantation 2011: 15: 617–627. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Active impedance control of a knee-joint orthosis during swing phase

In this paper, an active impedance control strategy for a knee-joint orthosis is proposed to assist individuals suffering from lower-limb muscular weaknesses during the swing phase of walking activities. The goal of the proposed strategy is to decrease the human effort required for ensuring a successful knee joint movement during walking without sacrificing the wearer's control priority. In this study, a gait-phase based desired knee-joint admittance model is designed by analyzing the kinematic and kinetic characteristics of the wearer's shank-foot segment during walking. Moreover, the mechanical impedance of the human/orthosis system is adapted to the desired one using an active impedance compensation. The control approach was implemented using a knee joint orthosis and tested with four healthy subjects. The EMG signals of the short head of the biceps femoris and the vastus medialis are used as metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. The experimental results show that the human effort can be significantly decreased when the wearers are assisted using the proposed approach.
Extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms directing epithelial cell sheet replacement during Drosophila metamorphosis

The fusion of epithelial sheets is an essential morphogenetic event. Here, we study the development of the abdomen of Drosophila as a model of bounded epithelia expansion and uncover a complex multistep process for the generation of the adult epidermis from histoblasts, founder cells that replace the larval cells during metamorphosis. We find that histoblasts experience a biphasic cell cycle and emit apical projections that direct their invasive planar intercalation in between larval cells. Coordinately, the larval cells extrude from the epithelia by apical constriction of an actomyosin ring and as a consequence die by apoptosis and are removed by circulating haemocytes. We demonstrate that the proliferation of histoblasts and the death of larval cells are triggered by two independent extrinsic Ecdysone hormonal pulses. Finally, we show that histoblast spreading and the death of larval cells depend on a mutual exchange of signals and are non-autonomous processes.
Population Improvement of Pearl Millet and Sorghum: Current Research, Impact and Issues for Implementation

Populations o f pearl millet and sorghum are being developed and improved fo r a variety o f purposes. In this paper, we present a global review o f current populations, their composition, and methods for improvement. The potential impact o f these programs is indicated by recent results regarding responses to recurrent selection and the linkages ofpopulation improvement with development o f lines and varieties in these two crops. Recent research on generating interpool populations and modeling responses to alternative recurrent selection methods are presented fo r population improvement o f pearl millet.
Assessment of adrenoleukodystrophy lesions by high field MRS in non-sedated pediatric patients

Background: Early detection of white matter lesions in childhood-onset cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is important as hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), currently the only effective treatment, is beneficial only if performed early in the disease course. Objective: To establish reliable biochemical markers of cerebral disease progression in patients with ALD to aid in treatment planning. Methods: The authors used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in combination with LCModel analysis to quantify brain metabolites in small volumes (3 to 16 mL) in the occipital and frontal white matter and the splenium of the corpus callosum of 17 unsedated patients and 26 healthy volunteers (adult n = 21, age-matched n = 5) at 4 tesla. Results: Absolute concentrations of 12 metabolites were reliably determined, seven of which were established as markers of lesion development. Among these, creatine and choline containing compounds were the weakest markers while N-acetylaspartate, glutamine, and lipids + lactate were the strongest. The large extent of changes in the markers enabled detection of early neurochemical changes in lesion formation prior to detection of abnormalities by conventional MRI. Concentrations of a number of metabolites were also significantly different between normal appearing white matter of patients and controls indicating biochemical alterations in the absence of cerebral disease. Neurochemical improvements following HCT were measured in six patients. Conclusions: The progression of adrenoleukodystrophy, as well as effectiveness of its treatment, can be assessed with high precision using high field 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy in individual patients without the need for sedation.
Functional inhibition related to structure of a highly potent insulin-specific CD8 T cell clone using altered peptide ligands

Insulin‐reactive CD8 T cells are amongst the earliest islet‐infiltrating CD8 T cells in NOD mice. Cloned insulin B15–23‐reactive cells (designated G9C8), restricted by H‐2Kd, are highly diabetogenic. We used altered peptide ligands (APL) substituted at TCR contact sites, positions (p)6 and 8, to investigate G9C8 T cell function and correlated this with structure. Cytotoxicity and IFN‐γ production assays revealed that p6G and p8R could not be replaced by any naturally occurring amino acid without abrogating recognition and functional response by the G9C8 clone. When tested for antagonist activity with APL differing from the native peptide at either of these positions, the peptide variants, G6H and R8L showed the capacity to reduce the agonist response to the native peptide. The antagonist activity in cytotoxicity and IFN‐γ production assays can be correlated with conformational changes induced by different structures of the MHC‐peptide complexes, shown by molecular modeling. We conclude that p6 and p8 of the insulin B15–23 peptide are very important for TCR stimulation of this clone and no substitutions are tolerated at these positions in the peptide. This is important in considering the therapeutic use of peptides as APL that encompass both CD4 and CD8 epitopes of insulin.
Time-Hopping M-Walsh UWB transmission scheme for a one-bit non-coherent receiver

We propose a Time-Hopping (TH) M-ary Walsh transmission scheme using a one-bit non-coherent receiver for power efficient and low complexity low data rate Ultra Wideband (UWB) communications. The analytical Bit Error Rate (BER) bounds of the M-Walsh modulation and the widely used M-ary Pulse Position Modulation (M-PPM) are derived and validated in the multipath scenario. We compare both schemes in terms of the receiver implementation and complexity, the quantization loss due to the one-bit receiver, and the multiple access performance. Taking into account the perfect/imperfect power control, the Multi-User Interference (MUI) resistance is evaluated via Monte Carlo simulations. According to the performance comparison and analysis, we show the suitability of the proposed TH M-Walsh scheme using a one-bit non-coherent UWB receiver to achieve a high power efficiency.
High‐level expression of active HIV‐1 integrase from a synthetic gene in human cells

A synthetic gene encoding for HIV‐1 integrase was designed to circumvent the intrinsic instability and the repressor elements present in the wild‐type gene. High‐level expression of HIV‐1 integrase was obtained in various human cell lines independently of viral accessory proteins. A human 293T cell line was selected that stably expresses HIV‐1 integrase and has growth kinetics comparable to the parental cell line. The enzyme was localized in the nucleus and remained stably associated with the chromosomes during mitosis. Lentiviral vector particles carrying the inactivating D64V mutation in the integrase gene were capable of stably transducing 293T cells when complemented in the producer cells with integrase expressed from the synthetic gene. When the cell line that stably expresses integrase was infected with the defective viral particles, complementation of integrase activity was detected as well. Expression of active HIV‐1 integrase in human cells will facilitate the study of the interplay between host and viral factors during integration. —Cherepanov, P., Pluymers, W. , Claeys, A. , Proost, P., De Clercq, E. , Debyser, Z. High‐level expression of active HIV‐1 integrase from a synthetic gene in human cells. FASEB J. 14, 1389–1399 (2000)
Cellular & molecular Ca2+ microdomains in olfactory cilia support low signaling amplification of odor transduction

Signal transduction depends critically on the spatial localization of protein constituents. A key question in odor transduction is whether chemotransduction proteins organize into discrete molecular complexes throughout olfactory cilia or distribute homogeneously along the ciliary membrane. Our recordings of Ca2+ changes in individual cilia with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution, by the use of two‐photon microscopy, provide solid evidence for Ca2+ microdomains (transducisomes). Dissociated frog olfactory neurons were preloaded with caged‐cAMP and fluo‐4 acetoxymethyl ester probe Ca2+ indicator. Ca2+ influx through cyclic nucleotide‐gated (CNG) channels was evoked by uniformly photoreleasing cAMP, while ciliary Ca2+ was measured. Discrete fluorescence events were clearly resolved. Events were missing in the absence of external Ca2+, consistent with the absence of internal Ca2+ sources. Fluorescence events at individual microdomains resembled single‐CNG channel fluctuations in shape, mean duration and kinetics, indicating that transducisomes typically contain one to three CNG channels. Inhibiting the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger or the Ca2+‐ATPase prolonged the decay of evoked intraciliary Ca2+ transients, supporting the participation of both transporters in ciliary Ca2+ clearance, and suggesting that both molecules localize close to the CNG channel. Chemosensory transducisomes provide a physical basis for the low amplification and for the linearity of odor responses at low odor concentrations.
A pr 2 00 1 Gromov-Witten invariants and pseudo symplectic capacities

We define the concept of pseudo symplectic capacities that is a mild generalization of that of the symplectic capacities. In particular a typical pseudo symplectic capacity, whose special case is a variant of the Hofer-Zehnder symplectic capacity, is constructed and estimated in terms of the Gromov-Witten invariants. An example is also given to illustrate that using the pseudo symplectic capacity may get better estimation result than doing the Hofer-Zehnder capacity. Among various potential applications of these estimations four typical ones are given. The first one is to derive some general nonsqueezing theorems that generalize and unite many past versions. The second is to prove the Weinstein conjecture in cotangent bundles of the uniruled manifolds and their Lagrange submanifolds. The third is to give an alternate generalization of Lalonde-McDuff theorem on length minimizing Hamiltonian paths to a general closed symplectic manifold. In the fourth application we give the new symplectic packing obstructions for a wider class of symplectic manifolds.
GPR40 agonists for the treatment of type 2 diabetes: life after ‘TAKing’ a hit

The free fatty acid receptor GPR40 has been proposed as a potential target for type 2 diabetes (T2D) pharmacotherapy. This idea has been validated in both preclinical and clinical studies, in which activation of GPR40 was shown to improve glycaemic control by stimulating glucose‐dependent insulin secretion; however, the recent termination of phase III clinical trials using the GPR40 agonist TAK‐875 (fasiglifam) has raised important questions regarding the long‐term safety and viability of targeting GPR40 and, more specifically, about our understanding of this receptor's basic biology. In the present review, we provide a summary of established and novel concepts related to GPR40's pharmacobiology and discuss the current status and future outlook for GPR40‐based drug development for the treatment of T2D.
Design of Different Self-Integrating and Differentiating Rogowski Coils for Measuring Large-Magnitude Fast Impulse Currents

This paper presents the design and calibration of seven new Rogowski coils, namely, three air-cored coaxial-cable wound coils (RC1-RC3), one ferrite-cored varnished-wire wound coil (RC4), and three air-cored varnished-wire-wound coils (RC5- RC7). All coils are wound in a single layer and operated in the self-integrating mode, especially RC1-RC4. RC5-RC7 are mainly operated in the differentiating mode with external passive integrators. The designed seven coils are calibrated using different impulse currents up to 8.5 kA. These currents are simultaneously measured by different methods, namely, an impulse current transformer and a commercial Rogowski coil (ICT and CRC, respectively). Winding pitch advancement errors and magnetic fields into the plane of the coil are compensated by using a one-turn return loop placed inside the helical winding in the opposite direction to the pitch advancement for all coils except for RC4. It is found that all designed coils have a constant sensitivity of 0.2-4.4 V/kA over a certain bandwidth up to few MHz and with a very low sensitivity phase angle. For the self-integrating coils (RC1-RC3), increasing the number of turns and/or the former size enhances the coil response. For the differentiating coils with external integrators, the higher the integrator resistance and/or capacitance, the better the response (less droop effect and time shift) and the lower the sensitivity. The optimized termination resistance for the self-integrating coils and the integrator parameters for the differentiating coils enables the currents measured by RC3, RC4, and RC6 to have excellent agreement with those measured by ICT and CRC for different loads and levels without any droop effect.
Synchronization of Pulse-Coupled Oscillators and Clocks Under Minimal Connectivity Assumptions

Populations of flashing fireflies, claps of applauding audience, cells of cardiac and circadian pacemakers reach synchrony via event-triggered interactions, referred to as pulse couplings. Synchronization via pulse coupling is widely used in wireless sensor networks, providing clock synchronization with parsimonious packet exchanges. In spite of serious attention paid to networks of pulse coupled oscillators, there is a lack of mathematical results, addressing networks with general communication topologies and general phase-response curves of the oscillators. The most general results of this type (Wang et al., 2012, 2015) establish synchronization of oscillators with a delay-advance phase-response curve over strongly connected networks. In this technical note we extend this result by relaxing the connectivity condition to the existence of a root node (or a directed spanning tree) in the graph. This condition is also necessary for synchronization.
Solving Verbal Questions in IQ Test by Knowledge-Powered Word Embedding

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) Test is a set of standardized questions designed to evaluate human intelligence. Verbal comprehension questions appear very frequently in IQ tests, which measure human's verbal ability including the understanding of the words with multiple senses, the synonyms and antonyms, and the analogies among words. In this work, we explore whether such tests can be solved automatically by artificial intelligence technologies, especially the deep learning technologies that are recently developed and successfully applied in a number of fields. However, we found that the task was quite challenging, and simply applying existing technologies (e.g., word embedding) could not achieve a good performance, mainly due to the multiple senses of words and the complex relations among words. To tackle these challenges, we propose a novel framework consisting of three components. First, we build a classifier to recognize the specific type of a verbal question (e.g., analogy, classification, synonym, or antonym). Second, we obtain distributed representations of words and relations by leveraging a novel word embedding method that considers the multi-sense nature of words and the relational knowledge among words (or their senses) contained in dictionaries. Third, for each type of questions, we propose a specific solver based on the obtained distributed word representations and relation representations. Experimental results have shown that the proposed framework can not only outperform existing methods for solving verbal comprehension questions but also exceed the average performance of the Amazon Mechanical Turk workers involved in the study. The results indicate that with appropriate uses of the deep learning technologies we might be a further step closer to the human intelligence.
Unicity Distance of Robust Image Hashing

An image hash is a randomized compact representation of image content and finds applications in image authentication, image and video watermarking, and image similarity comparison. Usually, an image-hashing scheme is required to be robust and secure, and the security issue is particularly important in applications, such as multimedia authentication, watermarking, and fingerprinting. In this paper, we investigate the security of image hashing from the perspective of unicity distance, a concept pioneered by Shannon in one of his seminal papers. Using two recently proposed image-hashing schemes as representatives, we show that the concept of unicity distance can be adapted to evaluate the security of image hashing. Our analysis shows that the secret hashing key, or its equivalent form, can be estimated with high accuracy when the key is reused several dozen times. The estimated unicity distance determines the maximum number of key reuses in the investigated hashing schemes. A countermeasure of randomized key initialization is discussed to avoid key reuse and strengthen the security of robust image hashing.
A Controlled Release Codelivery System of MSCs Encapsulated in Dextran/Gelatin Hydrogel with TGF-β3-Loaded Nanoparticles for Nucleus Pulposus Regeneration

Mesenchymal stem cell- (MSC-) based therapy is regarded as a potential tissue engineering strategy to achieve nucleus pulposus (NP) regeneration for the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). However, it is still a challenge to induce MSC differentiation in NP-like cells when MSCs are implanted into the NP. The purpose of this study was to construct poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles as carriers for TGF-β3 controlled release and establish a codelivery system of a dextran/gelatin hydrogel with the nanoparticles for long-term processing of discogenesis differentiation. TGF-β3-loaded PLGA nanoparticles were prepared by the double-emulsion solvent evaporation method and seeded uniformly into the hydrogel. Morphological observations, an assessment of the release kinetics of TGF-β3, a cytotoxic assay, a cell proliferation test, a biochemical content assay, qRT-PCR, and immunohistological analyses of the codelivery system were conducted in the study. The results showed that the TGF-β3-loaded nanoparticles could release TGF-β3 gradually. The codelivery system exhibited favorable cytocompatibility, and the TGF-β3 that was released could induce MSCs to NP-like cells while promoting ECM-related biosynthesis. These results suggest this codelivery system may be employed as a promising carrier for discogenesis of MSCs in situ.
Biomarker validation of a cued recall memory deficit in prodromal Alzheimer disease

Objective: To compare cued recall measures with other memory and nonmemory tests regarding their association with a biomarker profile indicative of Alzheimer disease (AD) in CSF among patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: Data were obtained by the German Dementia Competence Network. A total of 185 memory clinic patients fulfilling broad criteria for MCI (1 SD deficit in memory tests or in nonmemory tests) were assessed with an extended neuropsychological battery, which included the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT), the word list learning task from the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease neuropsychological battery (CERAD-NP), and the Logical Memory (LM) paragraph recall test from the Wechsler Memory Scale–Revised. CSF was obtained from all patients. Results: A total of 74 out of 185 subjects with MCI (40%) had a CSF profile consistent with AD (Aβ1-42/tau ratio; CSF AD+ group). FCSRT measures reflecting both free and cued recall discriminated best between CSF AD+ and CSF AD− patients, and significantly improved CSF AD classification accuracy, as compared with CERAD delayed recall and LM delayed recall. Conclusions: Cued recall deficits are most closely associated with CSF biomarkers indicative of AD in subjects with MCI. This novel finding complements results from prospective clinical studies and provides further empirical support for cued recall as a specific indicator of prodromal AD, in line with recently proposed research criteria.