Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motor unit estimates obtained using the new “MUESA” method

Motor unit number estimates were obtained from the extensor digitorum brevis and thenar muscles using a new method called MUESA. MUESA is distinguished from other estimation methods in the manner in which it deals with probabilistic motor unit activation, which is more commonly referred to as “alternation. ” Because of “alternation,” incremental increases in the observed muscle potentials often cannot be interpreted in terms of the successive activation of single motor units. In the MUESA method, the nerve is subjected to a number of constant‐intensity stimulus trains, and the resultant muscle response sequences are decomposed into their constituent motor unit action potentials. In general, if a stimulus train results in the probabilistic activation of n motor units, we can expect to see up to 2n different potentials, with each potential representing a unique combination of active and/or inactive motor units. If all 2n potentials are indeed observed, the decomposition of the observed potential sequence into its constituent motor unit action potentials is very straightforward. For the majority of the cases in which the number of observed potentials is not an integer power of 2, we have developed a novel decomposition method based on the analysis of the relative firing rates of the motor units. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Intercepting mobile communications: the insecurity of 802.11

The 802.11 standard for wireless networks includes a Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol, used to protect link-layer communications from eavesdropping and other attacks. We have discovered several serious security flaws in the protocol, stemming from mis-application of cryptographic primitives. The flaws lead to a number of practical attacks that demonstrate that WEP fails to achieve its security goals. In this paper, we discuss in detail each of the flaws, the underlying security principle violations, and the ensuing attacks.
PID controller tuning based on disturbance attenuation FRIT using one-shot experimental data due to a load change disturbance

Abstract A direct design approaches based on input-output measurements with no need for help from a plant model have attracted attention from several researchers. We have recently proposed such a disturbance attenuation FRIT method using input-output data generated by disturbances. The approach has advantages that it can tune PID gains to improve feedback properties, such as disturbance attenuation. Furthermore, the method has been applied to PID control gain tuning. The method tunes PID gains using one-shot experimental data generated by a known step-type disturbance added at the input signal. However, additive known step-type signal implies a test signal to identify the characteristic of the control systems, so the case where the method can be applied may be restricted. The paper, therefore, gives a tuning method using a one-shot experimental data generated by a load change. Such a disturbance has a possibility that the data can be collected during a full operation. The proposed method can be realized by estimating the magnitude of an impulse and step signal for a load change disturbance from one-shot experimental data. The proposed method realizes the approach by modeling a load change disturbance as a linear combination of a step signal and an impulse signal, where the weighting parameters are unknown. The paper also gives the way how unknown parameters are estimated from the one-shot initial input-output data. Finally, this paper shows the efficiency of the disturbance attenuation FRIT through the experimental result of a helicopter attitude control model when the disturbance is known or correctly estimated.
Noduliprevenone: a novel heterodimeric chromanone with cancer chemopreventive potential.

Chemoprevention is considered a new strategy in fighting diverse types of cancer. To influence cancer development and progression, signaling pathways, for example, enzymes like cyclooxygenase-2, transcription factors like NF-kB, and several metabolic processes leading to activation or deactivation of carcinogenic agents, are envisaged as promising approaches. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes activate xenobiotics and thus contribute to the generation of potent carcinogens. Accordingly, inhibition of cytochrome P450 isoforms, such as CYP1A enzymes, which play an important role in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) induced cancer forms, is advantageous for chemoprevention. In contrast, the induction of phase II enzymes inactivates carcinogens and accelerates their renal or biliar elimination, forming conjugates with polar ligands, such as glutathione, glucuronic acid, and acetic or sulfuric acid. NAD(P)H:quinone reductase (QR) contributes in detoxification by catalysing the two-electronaccepted reduction of quinones to their corresponding, lowmutagenic hydroquinones and is therefore often used as biomarker. Accordingly, the aim of cancer chemopreventive strategy can include the inhibition of phase I enzymes accompanied with an increased phase II metabolism. The fungus Nodulisporium sp. is an endophyte of a Mediterranean alga, and produces the novel polyketide noduliprevenone (1), an unprecedented structure consisting of two
Primary Linitis Plastica of the Rectum: Focus on Magnetic Resonance Imaging Patterns and Treatment Options

Case series Patient: Male, 59 • Male, 85 • Male, 27 Final Diagnosis: refractory metastatic rectal cancer Symptoms: — Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Chemotherapy Specialty: Oncology Objective: Challenging differential diagnosis Background: Rectal linitis plastica (RLP) is a rare disease with poor outcome. It is often accompanied by a delayed histopathological diagnosis, primarily due to submucosal disease. A concentric ring pattern or “target sign” on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been proposed as being characteristic for early suspicion. Even though RLP is more aggressive and has poorer survival than other rectal adenocarcinomas, no specific treatment is recommended. In this case report of 3 patients, we challenge the sensitivity of the characteristic radiological pattern, and we review the existing data for a treatment strategy. Case Report: One patient presented classic clinical characteristics of RLP with young age and advanced stage at diagnosis, with chemo-refractory disease and rapid fatal evolution. Biopsies confirmed the RLP with the presence of signet-ring cells (SRC) in a strong desmoplastic stromal reaction. However, the characteristic concentric ring pattern was absent. Instead, he had a large vegetative lesion with important tumor infiltration in mesorectum and pelvic organs, with major lymph node involvement. The 2 other patients presented resectable locally advanced disease with characteristic concentric ring pattern. No clinical and radiological responses were observed to neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT), including 1 patient with non-resectable disease at surgery and another with upstaged disease at pathological specimen after resection. However, data suggest 2 types of RLP: about half of patients are extremely sensitive to CRT with pathological complete response, and the other half are highly resistant with no response to CRT. Current data are insufficient to distinguish between these 2 populations. Conclusions: The absence of a concentric ring pattern should not eliminate the suspicion of RLP, especially in young patients with aggressive clinical presentation. There are probably 2 types of RLP in terms of chemoradiosensitivity, and neoadjuvant CRT could delay the curative-intent surgery in refractory patients. Future molecular analysis of the tumor and its environment are required to characterize the 2 different forms of RLP to develop more personalized treatment strategies.
On tracking personalized Web services using views

This paper presents a view-based approach for tracking personalized Web services. Web services are subject to personalization when there is a need to accommodate user preferences during these Web services performance and delivery of this performance's outcome. Preferences are of multiple types such as when the execution of a Web service should be initiated and where the outcome of this execution should be returned. To guarantee that these preferences are handled during Web services execution, a view offers the opportunity of zooming into the specification that composes Web services. As time advances, location changes, or constraint on the environment becomes satisfied, the deployment of a view over a specification progresses, featuring the dynamic nature of tracking personalized Web services.
Kin-mediated reconciliation substitutes for direct reconciliation in female baboons

It has been hypothesized that group-living mammals engage in reconciliation (post-conflict affiliation between former opponents) to reduce the disruptive costs of aggression and restore opponents' tolerance to baseline levels. Recipients of aggression are sometimes reluctant to tolerate the proximity of a recent opponent, however, in apparent fear that aggression will be renewed. In such cases, reconciliatory behaviour by the aggressor's close kin may substitute for direct reconciliation. We describe a playback experiment with free-ranging baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) that examines whether friendly behaviour by the aggressor's kin can substitute for direct reconciliation by the aggressor herself. In the test condition, female subjects who had recently been threatened heard the friendly grunt of one of their aggressor's relatives, mimicking kin-mediated vocal reconciliation. In the control condition, subjects heard the grunt of a dominant female from a different matriline. Subjects responded significantly more strongly in test than in control trials. Moreover, in the next hour they were significantly more likely to tolerate the proximity of both their aggressor and the relative whose grunt they had heard. In contrast, subjects' behaviour towards both control females and other members of their aggressor's matriline was unaffected. We conclude that kin-mediated vocal reconciliation can substitute for direct reconciliation in baboons.
Cybersafe: Gamifying Cybersecurity Training with a Training App

The rapidly evolving digital landscape has triggered a surge in cybersecurity threats, particularly social engineering techniques which demand innovative and accessible countermeasures to combat them in an accessible and real-time format. We present "Cybersafe," a mobile application designed to empower users to identify and combat common social engineering exploits effectively. The transformative concept behind this initiative aims to reshape traditional cybersecurity training by introducing a gamified, user-friendly platform suitable for all age groups. Cybersafe’s application's functionality revolves around interactive quizzes that assess users' ability to identify threats. The findings from the research serve as a valuable resource for cybersecurity trainers, application developers, and organizations striving for a secure digital environment.
A novel mouse model of rectal cancer established by orthotopic implantation of colon cancer cells

A novel intraluminal colon tumor model was established in mice by intrarectal instillation of colon cancer cells followed by short term induction of colitis by an irritant agent. Male BALB/c mice were fed a diet containing 3% (w/w) dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) for 7 days to induce colitis, and colon 26 cells (1–2±106 cells/mouse) were infused intrarectally after the mice had been deprived of food for the last 18 h of DSS treatment. The tumor incidence (%) and size (mean volume±SD, mm3) at the rectal mucosa were 35% (2±3), 95% (96±79), 95% (141 ±137) and 94% (325±270) at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after instillation of tumor cells, respectively. Histopathological analyses revealed that a solid tumor was formed initially at the rectal mucosa at 1 week after instillation, then became invasive into the submucosal and muscular tissues at 3 weeks after implantation. Intrarectal instillation of human colon cancer cells, LS174T (1x107 cells/mouse), mixed with “Matrigel” (0±5 mg/mouse), an extracellular matrix solution, in SCID mice led to formation of rectal tumors at 4 weeks after instillation, and immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the tumor cells expressed human carcinoembryonic antigen, suggesting that the tumor nodule was derived from the instilled LS174T cells. Oral or intravenous administration of a camptothecin (CPT) derivative, CPT‐11, resulted in a significant reduction in tumor incidence and tumor volume in the colon 26‐in‐traluminal implantation system. In conclusion, it was suggested that the present intraluminal colon tumor model is useful for examination of chemotherapeutic agents and also intraluminal factors (dietary compounds, intestinal microflora, etc.) that might function to suppress or enhance the growth of colorectal cancer in situ.
Visual-Evoked Response, Pattern Electroretinogram, and Psychophysical Magnocellular Thresholds in Glaucoma, Optic Atrophy, and Dyslexia

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to compare visual-evoked response (VEP) pattern electroretinogram (PERG) and psychophysical thresholds to the same stimulus, designed to be optimal for the magnocellular system, in suspects and patients with early glaucoma, patients with optic nerve disease, dyslexic children, and age-matched controls. Methods. Stimuli were low spatial frequency sinusoidal luminance profile gratings abruptly phase reversing at 7.14 Hz. Electrophysiological recordings were made at 50%, 30%, 20%, 10%, and 5% contrast. Threshold was the lowest contrast evoking a clear response at the stimulus frequency. Three independent judges scored the traces. Psychophysical thresholds were obtained by ascending and descending method of limits. VEPs and PERGs to International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) standards and to increasing spatial frequencies were obtained as parvocellular specific controls. Patients were diagnosed independently by the referring professionals. Results. Parvocellular-specific responses were normal, except in cases with explicable visual acuity loss. The judges scores correlated highly (>0.9). VEPs and PERGs correlated highly and each correlated less well with psychophysics in normals, glaucoma, and dyslexia but the opposite occurred in optic nerve disease. VEPs had the lowest normal values and least variance (all adults <5%, children <10%, PERGs <20%). In glaucoma, VEP magnocellular deficits occurred in 85% of recently diagnosed positive cases, 48% of high-risk suspects, 39% of low-risk suspects, and ocular hypertensives. Approximately 28% of dyslexics had VEP magnocellular deficits. PERG losses were less frequent. There was a clear dichotomy and low correlations between psychophysics and electrophysiology both within and between groups. Psychophysical threshold elevations were absent in all glaucoma groups, often large in optic atrophy and small (2.5%) but highly significant in dyslexia. Conclusion. Contrast thresholds to magnocellular-specific stimuli are consistent in cortex and retina. VEPs are more reliable. Psychophysics seems to tap different mechanisms. VEPs are very sensitive to early glaucoma. The lack of VEP loss in dyslexia suggests the other losses are artifactual. Further research is needed to see if stimuli even more like the frequency-doubling technology are more useful clinically.
Parametric Construction of Episode Networks from Pseudoperiodic Time Series Based on Mutual Information

Recently, the construction of networks from time series data has gained widespread interest. In this paper, we develop this area further by introducing a network construction procedure for pseudoperiodic time series. We call such networks episode networks, in which an episode corresponds to a temporal interval of a time series, and which defines a node in the network. Our model includes a number of features which distinguish it from current methods. First, the proposed construction procedure is a parametric model which allows it to adapt to the characteristics of the data; the length of an episode being the parameter. As a direct consequence, networks of minimal size containing the maximal information about the time series can be obtained. In this paper, we provide an algorithm to determine the optimal value of this parameter. Second, we employ estimates of mutual information values to define the connectivity structure among the nodes in the network to exploit efficiently the nonlinearities in the time series. Finally, we apply our method to data from electroencephalogram (EEG) experiments and demonstrate that the constructed episode networks capture discriminative information from the underlying time series that may be useful for diagnostic purposes.
Extensive Capsule Locus Variation and Large-Scale Genomic Recombination within the Klebsiella pneumoniae Clonal Group 258

Klebsiella pneumoniae clonal group (CG) 258, comprising sequence types (STs) 258, 11, and closely related variants, is associated with dissemination of the K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC). Hospital outbreaks of KPC CG258 infections have been observed globally and are very difficult to treat. As a consequence, there is renewed interest in alternative infection control measures such as vaccines and phage or depolymerase treatments targeting the K. pneumoniae polysaccharide capsule. To date, 78 immunologically distinct capsule variants have been described in K. pneumoniae. Previous investigations of ST258 and a small number of closely related strains suggested that capsular variation was limited within this clone; only two distinct ST258 capsule polysaccharide synthesis (cps) loci have been identified, both acquired through large-scale recombination events (>50 kb). In contrast to previous studies, we report a comparative genomic analysis of the broader K. pneumoniae CG258 (n = 39). We identified 11 different cps loci within CG258, indicating that capsular switching is actually common within the complex. We observed several insertion sequences (IS) within the cps loci, and show further intraclone diversification of two cps loci through IS activity. Our data also indicate that several large-scale recombination events have shaped the genomes of CG258, and that definition of the complex should be broadened to include ST395 (also reported to harbor KPC). As only the second report of extensive intraclonal cps variation among Gram-negative bacterial species, our findings alter our understanding of the evolution of these organisms and have key implications for the design of control measures targeting K. pneumoniae capsules.
Factors affecting the utilization of antenatal care in developing countries: systematic review of the literature.

AIM This paper is a report of a systematic review to identify and analyse the main factors affecting the utilization of antenatal care in developing countries. BACKGROUND Antenatal care is a key strategy for reducing maternal mortality, but millions of women in developing countries do not receive it. DATA SOURCES A range of electronic databases was searched for studies conducted in developing countries and published between 1990 and 2006. English-language publications were searched using relevant keywords, and reference lists were hand-searched. REVIEW METHODS A systematic review was carried out and both quantitative and qualitative studies were included. RESULTS Twenty-eight papers were included in the review. Studies most commonly identified the following factors affecting antenatal care uptake: maternal education, husband's education, marital status, availability, cost, household income, women's employment, media exposure and having a history of obstetric complications. Cultural beliefs and ideas about pregnancy also had an influence on antenatal care use. Parity had a statistically significant negative effect on adequate attendance. Whilst women of higher parity tend to use antenatal care less, there is interaction with women's age and religion. Only one study examined the effect of the quality of antenatal services on utilization. None identified an association between the utilization of such services and satisfaction with them. CONCLUSION More qualitative research is required to explore the effect of women's satisfaction, autonomy and gender role in the decision-making process. Adequate utilization of antenatal care cannot be achieved merely by establishing health centres; women's overall (social, political and economic) status needs to be considered.
International volunteerism and development in Asia-Pacific

In Asia, and across the “global South”, volunteerism has grown enormously in the last two decades. Hundreds of thousands of people now undertake work on development projects in poorer areas of the global South, and volunteerism has become a key way in which cross‐cultural encounters form relations of development between poor and rich countries and between marginal and empowered subjects. Reflecting this growth, geographical discussions of volunteerism have expanded over the past decade. While initial work lauded the benefits and positive potentials of international volunteerism, more recent work and popular media have increasingly questioned such views and suggested that, instead, international volunteerism has the propensity to replicate colonial relationships, and benefits are heavily skewed towards volunteers. These criticisms themselves bear witness to deeper structural and ideological concerns principally centred around the pervasive neoliberalisation of international volunteering and volunteer tourism. Yet, despite its critics, international volunteering remains one of the most common and easily accessible ways in which (any)one can “care for” or “do their part” to address social and economic injustices in the global South. This themed section extends critical discussions of volunteerism in Asia‐Pacific by questioning its developmental effects – including effects that are material, relational and discursive. Through the six papers in this themed section, and insights gained from fieldwork in Singapore, Japan, Cambodia and India, we consider the impacts of international volunteerism; the infrastructure and organisations promoting volunteerism; the subjective positionalities of volunteers; and how marginal populations experience volunteerism.
Strong coupling in massive gravity by direct calculation

We consider four-dimensional massive gravity with the Fierz-Pauli mass term. The analysis of the scalar sector has revealed recently that this theory becomes strongly coupled above the energy scale $\ensuremath{\Lambda}{=(M}_{\mathrm{Pl}}{m}^{4}{)}^{1/5}$ where m is the mass of the graviton. We confirm this scale by explicit calculations of the four-graviton scattering amplitude and of the loop correction to the interaction between conserved sources.