Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Endocrine Pancreas: insights into development, differentiation and diabetes.

In the developing embryo, appropriate patterning of the endoderm fated to become pancreas requires the spatial and temporal coordination of soluble factors secreted by the surrounding tissues. Once pancreatic progenitor cells are specified in the developing gut tube epithelium, epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, as well as a cascade of transcription factors, subsequently delineate three distinct lineages, including endocrine, exocrine and ductal cells. Simultaneous morphological changes, including branching, vascularization, and proximal organ development, also influence the process of specification and differentiation. Decades of research using mouse genetics have uncovered many of the key factors involved in pancreatic cell fate decisions. When pancreas development or islet cell functions go awry, due to mutation in genes important for proper organogenesis and development, the result can lead to a common pancreatic affliction, diabetes mellitus. Current treatments for diabetes are adequate but not curative. Therefore researchers are utilizing the current understanding of normal embryonic pancreas development in vivo, to direct embryonic stem cells toward a pancreatic fate with the goal of transplanting these in vitro generated "islets" into patients. Mimicking development in vitro has proven difficult; however, significant progress has been made and the current differentiation protocols are becoming more efficient. The continued partnership between developmental biologists and stem cell researchers will guarantee that the in vitro generation of insulin-producing beta cells is a possible therapeutic option for the treatment of diabetes.
Intercell radio interference studies in CDMA-based LMDS networks

Among the various alternatives investigated for enhancing the capacity of the millimeter wave segment of broadband wireless access (BWA) networks is the use of orthogonal direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) instead of time division multiple access (TDMA), the dominant multiple access scheme to date. This paper aims at contributing to the ongoing research on the feasibility of CDMA-based Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS) by presenting an analytical study of intercell interference, which is the major factor limiting capacity. The study is focused on the statistical properties of the carrier-to-interference ratio (CIR) in both the downstream and the upstream channel. Since the propagation phenomena affecting LMDS are quite different than those affecting narrowband wireless networks, emphasis is placed on incorporating the spatial inhomogeneity of rain attenuation in the interference analysis and on estimating the additional CIR degradation not taken into account in the conventional clear sky approach. The proposed model is accompanied by illustrative simulations identifying worst case interference scenarios and clarifying various aspects of the system.
Communication and Cooperation in Repeated Games

We study the role of communication in repeated games with private monitoring. We first show that without communication, the set of Nash equilibrium payoffs in such games is a subset of the set ofε‐coarse correlated equilibrium payoffs (ε‐CCE) of the underlying one‐shot game. The value ofεdepends on the discount factor and the quality of monitoring. We then identify conditions under which there are equilibria with “cheap talk” that result in nearly efficient payoffs outside the setε‐CCE. Thus, in our model, communication is necessary for cooperation.
Photogrammetry with an Unmanned Aerial System to Assess Body Condition and Growth of Blainville's Beaked Whales

Abstract : We propose to use the NOAA APH-22 marine hexacopter as an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to obtain vertical images of whale lengths and width profiles. This small, battery-powered platform is quiet, cost-effective and safe to operate from small boats, and can hover over animal groups. We will launch the hexacopter from a boat platform to fly short missions over beaked whales when they are sighted close-by at the surface, obtaining high resolution digital images from a height of approximately 30m. We will validate this system for beaked whales during a field trial in summer 2016 south of Great Abaco Island, northern Bahamas, where a photo-identification study over 18 years has demonstrated high site-fidelity of Md.
A recurrent germline BAP1 mutation and extension of the BAP1 tumor predisposition spectrum to include basal cell carcinoma

We report four previously undescribed families with germline BRCA1‐associated protein‐1 gene (BAP1) mutations and expand the clinical phenotype of this tumor syndrome. The tumor spectrum in these families is predominantly uveal malignant melanoma (UMM), cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) and mesothelioma, as previously reported for germline BAP1 mutations. However, mutation carriers from three new families, and one previously reported family, developed basal cell carcinoma (BCC), thus suggesting inclusion of BCC in the phenotypic spectrum of the BAP1 tumor syndrome. This notion is supported by the finding of loss of BAP1 protein expression by immunochemistry in two BCCs from individuals with germline BAP1 mutations and no loss of BAP1 staining in 53 of sporadic BCCs consistent with somatic mutations and loss of heterozygosity of the gene in the BCCs occurring in mutation carriers. Lastly, we identify the first reported recurrent mutation in BAP1 (p.R60X), which occurred in three families from two different continents. In two of the families, the mutation was inherited from a common founder but it arose independently in the third family.
Integrin‐dependent translational control: Implication in cancer progression

The importance of translational control in cancer progression has been underscored by a number of recent studies. However, little is known how cancer cells maintain their high efficiency of translation. Here, we summarize studies that support the role of integrins in translational control, especially at the initiation step, and discuss the various mechanisms by which integrins regulate the recruitment of translational machinery. This review also examines the hypothesis that integrins contribute to various aspects of cancer progression such as proliferation, survival, angiogenesis, and invasion through translational control. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Flying Fox Pteropus seychellensis of Mayotte (Comoros): Method of Capture and Blood Sampling

Pteropus seychellensis comorensis is the only Pteropodidae bat species on the island of Mayotte (Comoros Archipelago), and most aspects of its biology are unknown. In order to catch this large bat, we used a simple and low-cost method, consisting of raised mist nets that were set close to foraging sites. Major factors driving catch success were high food availability, good positioning of mist nets, and careful observation of movement patterns to identify foraging sites where the chances of capture are high. Blood was collected from the alar and humeral veins, which appear to be more practical for this purpose than other parts of the venous system.
α-RuCl3: A spin-orbit assisted Mott insulator on a honeycomb lattice

We examine the role of spin-orbit coupling in the electronic structure of $\alpha$-RuCl3, in which Ru ions in 4d5 configuration form a honeycomb lattice. The measured optical spectra exhibit a clear optical gap and excitations within the t2g orbitals. The spectra can be described very well with first-principles electronic structure calculations obtained by taking into account both spin orbit coupling and electron correlations. Furthermore, our X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements at the Ru L-edges exhibit distinct spectral features associated with the presence of substantial spin- orbit coupling, as well as an anomalously large branching ratio. We propose that $\alpha$-RuCl3 is a spin-orbit assisted Mott insulator, and the bond-dependent Kitaev interaction may be relevant for this compound.
The 4 th International Conference on Ambient Systems , Networks and Technologies ( ANT 2013 ) Wireless BAN on a Bipedal Robot

This paper describes a wireless approach to “wiring” a bipedal robot. The use of a body area network (BAN) based on RF technology saves substantial weight and prevents failures due to broken cables near moving parts. Despite using wireless technology, the resulting system features low latency, high throughput and a fast refresh rate. Energy consumption has been kept at a low level by using off-the-shelf single chip transceivers. Two different network topologies have been experimented with and compared against each other. Using BAN technology, a custom-designed FPGA multi-core processor constantly receives and processes 3D acceleration measurements from sensors mounted on the seven limbs of the robot. The same BAN is also used by the FPGA to send commands back to the limbs. c © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Characterization of a Large Group of Individuals with Huntington Disease and Their Relatives Enrolled in the COHORT Study

Background Careful characterization of the phenotype and genotype of Huntington disease (HD) can foster better understanding of the condition. Methods We conducted a cohort study in the United States, Canada, and Australia of members of families affected by HD. We collected demographic and clinical data, conducted the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale and Mini-Mental State Examination, and determined Huntingtin trinucleotide CAG repeat length. We report primarily on cross-sectional baseline data from this recently completed prospective, longitudinal, observational study. Results As of December 31, 2009, 2,318 individuals enrolled; of these, 1,985 (85.6%) were classified into six analysis groups. Three groups had expanded CAG alleles (36 repeats or more): individuals with clinically diagnosed HD [n = 930], and clinically unaffected first-degree relatives who had previously pursued [n = 248] or not pursued [n = 112] predictive DNA testing. Three groups lacked expanded alleles: first-degree relatives who had previously pursued [n = 41] or not pursued [n = 224] genetic testing, and spouses and caregivers [n = 430]. Baseline mean performance differed across groups in all motor, behavioral, cognitive, and functional measures (p<0.001). Clinically unaffected individuals with expanded alleles weighed less (76.0 vs. 79.6 kg; p = 0.01) and had lower cognitive scores (28.5 vs. 29.1 on the Mini Mental State Examination; p = 0.008) than individuals without expanded alleles. The frequency of “high normal” repeat lengths (27 to 35) was 2.5% and repeat lengths associated with reduced penetrance (36 to 39) was 2.7%. Conclusion Baseline analysis of COHORT study participants revealed differences that emerge prior to clinical diagnosis. Longitudinal investigation of this cohort will further characterize the natural history of HD and genetic and biological modifiers. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00313495
Network under limited energy: New technique for using limited number of mobile devices for charging and collecting data

Recently, the problem of using efficient limited number of mobile devices to go to charge and collect data of sensors such that sensors can work forever has received a great deal of attention in Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Network (WRSN). Many methods have been proposed for the WRSN systems such that mobile device can charge and collect data from sensors. However, most of previous works often require lots of mobile devices while the cost of mobile device is very high. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm, called the Mobile Device Traveling Algorithm (MDTA), to using limited number of mobile devices for charging and collecting data for sensors. Simulation results show that the MDTA has better performance than other method.
A comparison of the CogState Schizophrenia Battery and the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Battery in assessing cognitive impairment in chronic schizophrenia

This study examined the criterion and construct validity of a brief computerized cognitive test battery (CogState Schizophrenia Battery) compared to a conventional cognitive test battery recommended by the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) consensus. The CogState and MATRICS batteries yielded comparable effect sizes in comparing patients with schizophrenia to healthy controls (Cohen's ds = −1.50 for both batteries). Moderate to large correlations were observed between CogState and MATRICS measures of processing speed, attention/vigilance, working memory, verbal and visual learning, reasoning/problem solving, and social cognition (rs = .56–.79). CogState and MATRICS composite scores also correlated strongly with scores on the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA; rs = .76 and .79, respectively) in patients with schizophrenia. Results of this study suggest that the CogState Schizophrenia Battery provides valid measurement of the cognitive domains nominated by the MATRICS consensus group as being important to consider in the context of pharmacological treatments for cognitive impairment in schizophrenia.
The bacterial porin superfamily: sequence alignment and structure prediction

The porins of Gram‐negative bacteria are responsible for the ‘molecular sieve’ properties of the outer membrane. They form large water‐filled channels which allow the diffusion of hydrophilic molecules into the periplasmic space. Owing to the strong hydrophilicity of their amino acid sequence and the nature of their secondary structure (beta strands), conventional hydropathy methods for predicting membrane topology are useless for this class of protein. The large number of available porin amino acid sequences was exploited to improve the accuracy of the prediction In combination with tools detecting amphipathicity of secondary structure. Using the constraints of β‐sheet structure these porins are predicted to contain 16 membrane‐spanning strands, 14 of which are common to the two (enteric and the neisserial) porin subfamilies.
A Novel Segmentation Method for CT Head Images Using PSFCM-ES

With an expert system, a novel fuzzy c-means clustering method based on PSO and expert system (PSFCM-ES) is proposed in this paper. The algorithm is formulated by incorporating the spatial neighborhood information into the standard FCM clustering algorithm. The k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) algorithm is introduced for calculating the weight in the spatially weighted FCM algorithm so as to improve the performance of image clustering. To speed up the FCM algorithm, the iteration is carried out with the gray level histogram of image instead of the conventional whole data of image. PSO algorithm is included to select optimal cluster centers and expert system is also introduced to solve the labeling problems. Experimental results indicate the proposed approach is effective and efficient.
Electrophysiological Correlates of the Retrieval of Emotional and Non-emotional Context

In two experiments, words were presented in negatively or neutrally valenced sentences. At test, subjects made old/new recognition judgments to these words. In Experiment 2 only, for words judged old, subjects also indicated whether the words had been studied in a neutral or a negative context. In Experiment 1, left parietal old/new event-related brain potential (ERP) effects were larger and more sustained when elicited by words that had been studied in negative sentences, and a right frontal old/new effect was elicited by these words exclusively. In Experiment 2, the left parietal and right frontal effects elicited by old words correctly assigned to their study context were equivalent in size regardless of the nature of the context; a third ERP old/new effect, maximal over posterior scalp regions, was seen only for words from negative contexts. The findings indicate that incidental retrieval of emotional context gives rise to greater activation in neural systems supporting conscious recollection than does retrieval of nonemotional context. When contextual retrieval is intentional, recollection of emotional and non-emotional information are associated with equivalent engagement of these systems. The findings from Experiment 2 suggest that additional neural circuitry may be activated selectively by emotionally valenced episodic information.
Characterization of small RNAs in Xenopus tropicalis gastrulae

Here, we report and characterize deep sequencing data and bioinformatics analysis of small RNAs from Xenopus tropicalis gastrula. A total of 17,553,124 reads with perfect match to the genome derived from 2,616,053 unique sequences were identified. Seventy‐seven percent of theses sequences were not found in previous reports from X. tropicalis oocytes and somatic tissues. Bioinformatics analyses indicate that a large fraction of the small RNAs are PIWI‐interacting RNAs. Up to 23.9% of small RNAs mapped to transposable elements and 27% to genic regions. Most of abundant transposable derived small RNAs are found in oocyte and gastrula libraries, suggesting that transposon needs to be silenced also during early development. Additionally, miRNAs were identified and many of them are not present in oocytes, suggesting that miRNA expression is stage specific. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first high throughput data release and bioinformatics characterization of small RNAs during Xenopus development. genesis 50:260–270, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Stochastic beamforming via compact antenna arrays

The paper investigates the average beamforming (BF) gain of compact antenna arrays when statistical channel knowledge is available. The optimal excitation (precoding vector) and impedance termination that maximize the average BF gain are a compromise between the ones that maximize the array efficiency and the ones that maximize the array distributed directivity. Simulation results using a symmetric uniform circular array (UCA) operating in an indoor clustering environment are provided.
Nerve Function and Metabolic Control in Teenage Diabetics

Peripheral somatic and autonomic nerve function have been studied in 79 teenage (16–19 yr) diabetics and 20 age- and sex-matched normal controls. Almost three-quarters of the diabetics (72%) had abnormal peripheral somatic nerve function tests, and one-third (31%) had abnormal cardiac parasympathetic tests. Both motor and sensory peripheral somatic nerve abnormalities were related to poor prevalling glycemic control (HbA1) and duration of diabetes. Thus, the 27 patients with three or more (maximum six) peripheral nerve abnormalities had significantly higher HbA1 levels (P < 0.001) and longer duration of diabetes (P < 0.01) than the 22 with no abnormalities. Individual peripheral somatic nerve tests almost invariably correlated only with HbA1 (median motor, P < 0.05; peroneal motor, P < 0.001; sural sensory, P < 0.001) or duration of diabetes (median sensory, P < 0.001). Sensory potential amplitude, as well as conduction velocity, was frequently reduced, implying axonal involvement. These findings suggest that abnormal peripheral and autonomic nerve function are common in young insulin-dependent diabetics and that poor metabolic control is a major determinant of the damage.
Factors influencing customer repeated purchase behavior in the e-commerce context

Predicting customer purchase behavior in the e-commerce activities is an important task. However, this effort requires fulfillment of a lot of problems. Recommendation systems have become a common way how to help people when they have to decide in complex selections. But they are not able to perform predictive tasks in this context satisfactorily. In this paper, we deal with a design of a predictive framework for customer purchase behavior in e-commerce context. The aim is to understand customer behavior for online shopping. It means this research seeks to explain the relationship between Internet shopping and customer’s behavior, i.e., to identify the determinants of the relationship between online shopping and business customers based model which includes factors, for example perceived value, satisfaction, and behavior (purchase intent). Experiments performed on a real dataset show that these factors play a key role in the decision-making process.
Designing simplified exergame for muscle and balance training in seniors: a concept of 'out in nature'

If exergames are to be used successfully to improve physical function in senior citizens, they need to be designed specifically for this target group. Muscle strength and balance training are the key components of exercise to prevent falling in seniors. The aim of this study was to design a new, simplified exergame concept for senior citizens, which focuses on physical activity in general, and balance and muscle strength in particular. The study provides a new design concept of an exergame on the basis of assessment of 7 senior participants' (70.6 ± 7.9 years) experience with three commercially available exergames. The participants stated that the design of the existing exergames should be simplified and closely related to activities that can be associated with their daily life. The feedback was qualitatively analyzed to enlist the requirements of a new exergame. A new simplified exergame design concept, Out in Nature, was created on the basis of the seniors' feedback. The new design focused on a simplistic design, playing games for balance and muscle training related to real life activities. The study demonstrates a concept for a game developed for seniors that can be used to train aspects of balance and gait as part of natural tasks.
[Effects of fructus cnidii coumarins compared with nilestriol on osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats].

AIM To compare the total coumarins from dried fruits of Cnidium monnieri (TCCM) and nilestriol (Nil) against osteoporosis. METHODS SD rats (40, female, 3-month-old) were randomly divided into basal control, age control, ovariectomized (Ova), Ova + TCCM 67 mg.kg-1, Ova + TCCM 200 mg.kg-1, 6 times a week, and Ova + Nil 1 mg.kg-1, i.g. once a week. After 12 wk, sections (20 microns) of proximal tibiae were examined histologically. RESULTS Ova reduced markedly the trabecular bone mass due to bone resorption excessed bone formation (% Tb. Ar -59%). Treatment with TCCM 67 mg.kg-1 partly suppressed bone turnover, but did not inhibit bone loss in Ova rats (% Tb.Ar -43%). Treatment with TCCM 200 mg.kg-1 and Nil 1 mg.kg-1 increased the trabecular area (% Tb. Ar +100% and +274%). CONCLUSION Nil was more potent than TCCM in protecting against osteoporosis in Ova rats via supression of bone turnover.