Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Template-update-based visual tracking for automatic cell manipulation in FluidFM

Abstract Visual tracking is an essential process for performing automated cell manipulation tasks. However, Real-time accurate cell tracking in FluidFM is challenging due to probe occlusion during manipulation. This study presents a correlation filtering-based tracking method for real-time, high-precision position tracking of cells and probes. In this method, a target template update strategy is proposed to realize cell tracking under probe occlusion, which abandons the use of pixel values in the occlusion area and reduces the interference of the occlusion area in model learning. Cell tracking and automated manipulation experiments were carried out to validate the proposed method. The Experimental results show that the proposed tracking method can accurately measure the positions of occlusion cells and probe. Furthermore, combined with the precise force control of the FluidFM’s probe, the automated cell Pick & Place experiments was accomplished with high accuracy and robustness.
The effects of electric field and strain on the BP/GeTe van der Waals heterojunction

Recently, van der Waals heterojunctions (vdWHs) constructed from two two-dimensional materials have attracted considerable attention. In particular, vdWHs based on black phosphorus (BP) have shown excellent photoelectric properties. In this work, we construct a BP/GeTe vdWH and investigate its electronic and optical properties. We find that the BP/GeTe vdWH has a type-II band alignment. Its optical absorption exhibits a red shift compared to the freestanding BP and GeTe monolayers. The electric field and strain effects on the BP/GeTe vdWH are also investigated. The band offsets can be modulated by the electric field and the strain. The BP/GeTe vdWH will convert from type-II to type-I when applying an electric field and to type-III under strain, which will expand the application of BP/GeTe vdWHs in transistor devices. Furthermore, the strain can significantly enhance the optical absorption and induce the red shift of the absorption edge, which indicates the broad applications of the BP/GeTe vdWH in photodetector devices.
Low-Cost Indoor Wireless Fingerprint Location Database Construction Methods: A Review

The fingerprint positioning has achieved remarkable results in indoor localization tasks, but the method usually relies on a large amount of fingerprint data to build a fingerprint database, and the amount and diversity of fingerprint data will directly affect the effectiveness of fingerprint positioning. Since fingerprint acquisition is limited and disturbed by space and time, it consumes a lot of labor and time costs to collect fingerprint data in the localization environment, and wireless fingerprint data is time-sensitive and environment-dependent, and changes in the localization environment will reduce the usability of the existing fingerprint database. The complex and repetitive fingerprint acquisition work seriously affects the feasibility of practical deployment of fingerprint positioning systems in the positioning environment. Therefore, the study of low-cost wireless fingerprint database construction methods has become an inevitable part of promoting the widespread deployment of indoor fingerprint positioning systems. In this paper, we introduce the traditional data augmentation-based approach and the advanced machine learning model-based approach, systematically presenting the underlying models and algorithms of both. The former reviews the application of two traditional data enhancement methods, namely channel propagation models and interpolation or regression, to the construction of low-cost wireless fingerprint databases, while the latter taps into techniques for reducing the cost of fingerprint database construction by combining generative adversarial networks and small-sample learning models with the indoor localization domain. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and future research directions for achieving high-performance indoor localization based on low-cost wireless fingerprint databases, and suggest some useful research guidelines.
The pupil as a window to the mind’s eye: Greater emotionality of episodic imagery than verbal visualisation of rewarding activities

Episodic imagery has been shown to amplify emotion more than abstract verbal representations. This may prove useful for clinical interventions aiming to motivate adaptive behaviours. However, most findings rely on self-report measures and verbal control conditions not designed to actively prevent automatic engagement in episodic imagery. We thus investigated the difference in emotionality between Episodic Imagery (EI) and Verbal Visualisation (VV) using pupil dilation as a physiological measure of emotional arousal. A sample of 75 participants listened to audio recordings describing activities in a positive manner. Subjects were randomly assigned to the EI or VV condition. Participants in the EI condition imagined performing the described activity, while participants in the VV condition visualised the words constituting the descriptions. As predicted, EI led to greater pupil dilation than VV, independent of mental effort. Self-reported anticipatory reward assessed throughout the task was also greater for EI than VV, yet no difference was found for arousal, anticipated reward or motivation. Our findings extend previous work demonstrating the property of episodic imagery to amplify emotion to a physiological level using pupillometry. However, we did not find a transfer to motivation, which is in line with previous studies using verbal control conditions for episodic imagery.
Transcriptomic analysis of spinal cord regeneration after injury in Cynops orientalis

[INLINE:1] Cynops orientalis (C. orientalis) has a pronounced ability to regenerate its spinal cord after injury. Thus, exploring the molecular mechanism of this process could provide new approaches for promoting mammalian spinal cord regeneration. In this study, we established a model of spinal cord thoracic transection injury in C. orientalis, which is an endemic species in China. We performed RNA sequencing of the contused axolotl spinal cord at two early time points after spinal cord injury – during the very acute stage (4 days) and the subacute stage (7 days) – and identified differentially expressed genes; additionally, we performed Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses, at each time point. Transcriptome sequencing showed that 13,059 genes were differentially expressed during C. orientalis spinal cord regeneration compared with uninjured animals, among which 4273 were continuously down-regulated and 1564 were continuously up-regulated. Down-regulated genes were most enriched in the Gene Ontology term “multicellular organismal process” and in the ribosome pathway at 10 days following spinal cord injury. We found that multiple genes associated with energy metabolism were down-regulated and multiple genes associated with the lysosome were up-regulated after spinal cord injury, indicating the importance of low metabolic activity during wound healing. Immune response-associated pathways were activated during the early acute phase (4 days), while the expression of extracellular matrix proteins such as glycosaminoglycan and collagen, as well as tight junction proteins, was lower at 10 days post-spinal cord injury than 4 days post-spinal cord injury. However, compared with 4 days post-injury, at 10 days post-injury neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions were no longer down-regulated, up-regulated differentially expressed genes were enriched in pathways associated with cancer and the cell cycle, and SHH, VIM, and Sox2 were prominently up-regulated. Immunofluorescence staining showed that glial fibrillary acidic protein was up-regulated in axolotl ependymoglial cells after injury, similar to what is observed in mammalian astrocytes after spinal cord injury, even though axolotls do not form a glial scar during regeneration. We suggest that low intracellular energy production could slow the rapid amplification of ependymoglial cells, thereby inhibiting reactive gliosis, at early stages after spinal cord injury. Extracellular matrix degradation slows cellular responses, represses the expression of neurogenic genes, and reactivates a transcriptional program similar to that of embryonic neuroepithelial cells. These ependymoglial cells act as neural stem cells: they migrate and proliferate to repair the lesion and then differentiate to replace lost glial cells and neurons. This provides the regenerative microenvironment that allows axon growth after injury.
Loss of In Vivo Replication Fitness of HIV-1 Variants Resistant to the Tat Inhibitor, dCA

HIV resistance to the Tat inhibitor didehydro-cortistatin A (dCA) in vitro correlates with higher levels of Tat-independent viral transcription and a seeming inability to enter latency, which rendered resistant isolates more susceptible to CTL-mediated immune clearance. Here, we investigated the ability of dCA-resistant viruses to replicate in vivo using a humanized mouse model of HIV infection. Animals were infected with WT or two dCA-resistant HIV-1 isolates in the absence of dCA and followed for 5 weeks. dCA-resistant viruses exhibited lower replication rates compared to WT. Viral replication was suppressed early after infection, with viral emergence at later time points. Multiplex analysis of cytokine and chemokines from plasma samples early after infection revealed no differences in expression levels between groups, suggesting that dCA-resistance viruses did not elicit potent innate immune responses capable of blocking the establishment of infection. Viral single genome sequencing results from plasma samples collected at euthanasia revealed that at least half of the total number of mutations in the LTR region of the HIV genome considered essential for dCA evasion reverted to WT. These results suggest that dCA-resistant viruses identified in vitro suffer a fitness cost in vivo, with mutations in LTR and Nef pressured to revert to wild type.
A validation study for the utility of serum microRNA as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in patients with osteosarcoma

In our previous study, osteosarcoma advanced locally, and metastasis was promoted through the secretion of large number of small extracellular vesicles, followed by suppressing osteoclastogenesis via the upregulation of microRNA (miR)-146a-5p. An additional 12 miRNAs in small extracellular vesicles were also detected ≥6× as frequently in high-grade malignancy with the capacity to metastasize as in those with a low metastatic potential. However, the utility of these 13 miRNAs for determining the prognosis or diagnosis of osteosarcoma has not been validated in the clinical setting. In the present study, the utility of these miRNAs as prognostic and diagnostic markers was therefore assessed. In total, 30 patients with osteosarcoma were retrospectively reviewed, and the survival rate was compared according to the serum miRNA levels in 27 patients treated with chemotherapy and surgery. In addition, to confirm diagnostic competency for osteosarcoma, the serum miRNA levels were compared with those in patients with other bone tumors (n=112) and healthy controls (n=275). The patients with osteosarcoma with high serum levels of several miRNAs (miR-146a-5p, miR-1260a, miR-487b-3p, miR-1260b and miR-4758-3p) exhibited an improved survival rate compared with those with low levels. In particular, patients with high serum levels of miR-1260a exhibited a significantly improved overall survival rate, metastasis-free survival rate and disease-free survival rate compared with those with low levels. Thus, serum miR-1260a may potentially be a prognostic marker for patients with osteosarcoma. Moreover, patients with osteosarcoma had higher serum miR-1261 levels than those with benign or intermediate-grade bone tumors and thus may be a potential therapeutic target, in addition to being useful for differentiating whether or not a bone tumor is high-grade. A larger investigation is required to clarify the actual utility of these miRNAs in the clinical setting.
Connecting Micro- and Macropartisanship

This paper extends models of micro- and macropartisanship in two ways. It first develops a model of individual partisanship that accommodates changes in partisan utilities. Achen's Bayesian partisan updating is a special case of our model. This more general micromodel is then aggregated to create a model of macropartisanship. This macromodel is a more general version of the models of macropartisanship estimated by various authors. The less restricted version incorporates possible individual and temporal heterogeneity. We present an example using real data that offers a possible way to estimate the parameters in the full aggregate model.
Mapping the Genomic Regions Controlling Germination Rate and Early Seedling Growth Parameters in Rice

Seed vigor is the key performance parameter of good quality seed. A panel was prepared by shortlisting genotypes from all the phenotypic groups representing seedling growth parameters from a total of 278 germplasm lines. A wide variation was observed for the traits in the population. The panel was classified into four genetic structure groups. Fixation indices indicated the existence of linkage disequilibrium in the population. A moderate to high level of diversity parameters was assessed using 143 SSR markers. Principal component, coordinate, neighbor-joining tree and cluster analyses showed subpopulations with a fair degree of correspondence with the growth parameters. Marker–trait association analysis detected eight novel QTLs, namely qAGR4.1, qAGR6.1, qAGR6.2 and qAGR8.1 for absolute growth rate (AGR); qRSG6.1, qRSG7.1 and qRSG8.1 for relative shoot growth (RSG); and qRGR11.1 for relative growth rate (RGR), as analyzed by GLM and MLM. The reported QTL for germination rate (GR), qGR4-1, was validated in this population. Additionally, QTLs present on chromosome 6 controlling RSG and AGR at 221 cM and RSG and AGR on chromosome 8 at 27 cM were detected as genetic hotspots for the parameters. The QTLs identified in the study will be useful for improvement of the seed vigor trait in rice.
Transcriptome Profiling of Different Developmental Stages on Longissimus Dorsi to Identify Genes Underlying Intramuscular Fat Content in Wannanhua Pigs

Intramuscular fat (IMF) is a key index to measure the tenderness and flavor of pork. Wannanhua pig, a famous indigenous pig breed in Anhui Province, is renowned for its high lipid deposition and high genetic divergence, making it an ideal model for investigating the lipid position trait mechanisms in pigs. However, the regulatory mechanisms of lipid deposition and development in pigs remain unclear. Furthermore, the temporal differences in gene regulation are based on muscle growth and IMF deposition. The purpose of this study was to study the expression changes of longissimus dorsi (LD) at different growth stages of WH pigs at the molecular level, to screen the candidate genes and signaling pathways related to IMF during development by transcriptome sequencing technology, and to explore the transcriptional regulation mechanism of IMF deposition-related genes at different development stages. In total, 616, 485, and 1487 genes were differentially expressed between LD60 and LD120, LD120 and LD240, and LD60 and LD240, respectively. Numerous differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with lipid metabolism and muscle development were identified, and most of them were involved in IMF deposition and were significantly up-regulated in LD120 and LD240 compared to LD60. STEM (Short Time-series Expression Miner) analysis indicated significant variations in the mRNA expression across distinct muscle development stages. The differential expression of 12 selected DEGs was confirmed by RT-qPCR. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanism of IMF deposition and provide a new way to accelerate the genetic improvement of pork quality.
Synergistic Action of MCL-1 Inhibitor with BCL-2/BCL-XL or MAPK Pathway Inhibitors Enhances Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cell Apoptosis and Differentiation

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematological malignancy characterized by excessive proliferation of abnormal myeloid precursors accompanied by a differentiation block and inhibition of apoptosis. Increased expression of an anti-apoptotic MCL-1 protein was shown to be critical for the sustained survival and expansion of AML cells. Therefore, herein, we examined the pro-apoptotic and pro-differentiating effects of S63845, a specific inhibitor of MCL-1, in a single-agent treatment and in combination with BCL-2/BCL-XL inhibitor, ABT-737, in two AML cell lines: HL-60 and ML-1. Additionally, we determined whether inhibition of the MAPK pathway had an impact on the sensitivity of AML cells to S63845. To assess AML cells’ apoptosis and differentiation, in vitro studies were performed using PrestoBlue assay, Coulter electrical impedance method, flow cytometry, light microscopy and Western blot techniques. S63845 caused a concentration-dependent decrease in the viability of HL-60 and ML-1 cells and increased the percentage of apoptotic cells. Combined treatment with S63845 and ABT-737 or MAPK pathway inhibitor enhanced apoptosis but also induced differentiation of tested cells, as well as altering the expression of the MCL-1 protein. Taken together, our data provide the rationale for further studies regarding the use of MCL-1 inhibitor in combination with other pro-survival protein inhibitors.
Divergence of healthcare expenditure in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract The study examines the convergence patterns of real healthcare expenditure per capita (RHEPC) for 43 countries of sub-Saharan African (SSA) from the period 2000 and 2017. Conventional absolute and conditional β-convergence models are first applied. Several factors such as income, democracy, urbanisation and ageing population are found to significantly affect relative RHEPC (RRHEPC) within the conditional β-convergence model. The speed of convergence of RRHEPC is higher for the conditional β-convergence model than the absolute β-convergence one. In general, β-convergence and σ-divergence are detected while no support for the stochastic convergence hypothesis is uncovered. These neoclassical models impose restrictive assumptions that countries follow the same growth path. As such the dynamic distribution approach proposed by Quah is applied to analyse the dynamics of RRHEPC. This is followed by the club convergence test as proposed by Phillips and Sul which allows individual countries to follow distinctive growth paths. Both convergence tests point towards the existence of three clubs. In sum, we find strong evidence of divergence of RHEPC among the 43 SSA countries. Policy implementations based on model results are discussed while several aspects of policy reforms in the healthcare sector within the African continent are highlighted.
An adaptive-size median filter for impulse noise removal using neural network-based detector

In this paper, a neural network-based Adaptive-Size Median (ASMED) filter is proposed for impulse noise removal. This method consists of two stages: noise detection and noise filtering. Noise detection is performed by a neural network-based detector, and filtering is applied only to corrupt pixels in the noisy image. Extensive experimental analysis shows that the proposed technique can be used for images with different impulse noise models. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses show the superiority of the proposed filter over other existing filters. The proposed method is applied to both colour images and greyscale images, and better results are obtained.
Playfulness as the antecedent of kindergarten children’s prosocial skills and school readiness

ABSTRACT This study examined the interrelationships among playfulness, prosocial skills, and school readiness of Hong Kong kindergarten children across time. Participants were 106 local children (55.6% boys, mean age = 60.0 months) and their parents and teachers. At time 1, parents reported their child’s age, gender, and playfulness. Six months later at time 2, teachers reported children’s prosocial skills and school readiness. The structural equation model revealed that children’s playfulness at time 1 significantly predicted their prosocial skills at time 2, and that their prosocial skills and school readiness at time 2 were positively associated. The indirect relationship between playfulness and school readiness as mediated through prosocial skills was significant, whereas the direct relationship was non-significant. These findings suggest that children’s playfulness may contribute to school readiness by fostering prosocial skills. Practically, results highlight the utility of promoting children’s playfulness and prosocial skills to support their formal school transition.
Physics-informed machine learning in the determination of effective thermomechanical properties

Abstract. We determine the effective (macroscopic) thermoelastic properties of two-phase composites computationally. To this end, we use a physics-informed neural network (PINN)-mediated first-order two-scale periodic asymptotic homogenization framework. A diffuse interface formulation is used to remedy the lack of differentiability of property tensors at phase interfaces. Considering the reliance on the standard integral solution for the property tensors on only the gradient of the corresponding solutions, the emerging unit cell problems are solved up to a constant. In view of this and the exact imposition of the periodic boundary conditions, it is merely the corresponding differential equation that contributes to minimizing the loss. This way, the requirement of scaling individual loss contributions of different kinds is abolished. The developed framework is applied to a planar thermoelastic composite with a hexagonal unit cell with a circular inclusion by which we show that PINNs work successfully in the solution of the corresponding thermomechanical cell problems and, hence, the determination of corresponding effective properties.
The Stokes system in the incompressible case-revisited

The classical Stokes system is reconsidered and reformulated in a functional analytical setting allowing for low regularity of the data and the boundary. In fact the underlying domain can be any non-empty open subset Ω of R. A suitable solution concept and a corresponding solution theory is developed. 0. Introduction. It may seem somewhat surprising that even for the linearized incompressible Navier-Stokes equations there appears to be no “soft analysis” solution theory as is available e.g. for evolutionary equations. This is partly due to the fact that this system is what is known as a partial differential-algebraic equation (PDAE). In this note we want to analyze the Stokes problem, which is just the leading part of the linearized incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, with functional analytical means in order to develop a solution concept that avoids unnecessary regularity assumptions on data and quality of the boundary. The approach is based on concepts developed in [2, 3]. The Stokes system can be given in the form div v = 0, ∂0v − Div T = f, (1) where the system is completed by the material relation T = C Grad v − p 13×3. (2) 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 35Q30, 76D07.