Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanical determinants of the minimum energy cost of gradient running in humans.

The metabolic cost and the mechanical work of running at different speeds and gradients were measured on five human subjects. The mechanical work was partitioned into the internal work (Wint) due to the speed changes of body segments with respect to the body centre of mass and the external work (Wext) due to the position and speed changes of the body centre of mass in the environment. Wext was further divided into a positive part (W+ext) and a negative part (W-ext), associated with the energy increases and decreases, respectively, over the stride period. For all constant speeds, the most economical gradient was -10.6 +/-0.5% (S.D., N = 5) with a metabolic cost of 146.8 +/- 3.8 ml O2 kg-1 km-1. At each gradient, there was a unique W+ext/W-ext ratio (which was 1 in level running), irrespective of speed, with a tendency for W-ext and W+ext to disappear above a gradient of +30% and below a gradient of -30%, respectively. Wint was constant within each speed from a gradient of -15% to level running. This was the result of a nearly constant stride frequency at all negative gradients. The constancy of Wint within this gradient range implies that Wint has no role in determining the optimum gradient. The metabolic cost C was predicted from the mechanical experimental data according to the following equation: [formula: see text] where eff- (0.80), eff+ (0.18) and effi (0.30) are the efficiencies of W-ext, W+ext and Wint, respectively, and el- and el+ represent the amounts of stored and released elastic energy, which are assumed to be 55J step-1. The predicted C versus gradient curve coincides with the curve obtained from metabolic measurements. We conclude that W+ext/W-ext partitioning and the eff+/eff- ratio, i.e. the different efficiency of the muscles during acceleration and braking, explain the metabolic optimum gradient for running of about -10%.
Power Control with Rank Based Censoring in Cognitive Radio Network

The transmit power of secondary users (SUs) in an underlay cognitive radio network (CRN) needs to be controlled to limit the interference on primary users (PUs). The performance of spectrum sensing plays an important role in controlling the cognitive radio (CR) transmission power. Co-operative spectrum sensing (CSS) improves the performance of spectrum sensing. Incorporation of Rank-based censoring with CSS reduces the transmission overhead as well as improves the decision regarding the presence of primary user (PU) by eliminating the reporting channels whose SNR condition is bad. The efficient spectrum sensing leads to control the secondary transmission power accurately. In a co-existing network the controlled power from CR network minimize the interference to PU. The maximum allowable transmission powers of CRs have also been investigated with respect to distance between PU receiver and CRs in a co-operative spectrum sensing framework. The impact of reporting channel (R- channel) SNR on maximum allowable transmission power has been investigated.
Levosimendan: a parenteral calcium-sensitising drug with additional vasodilatory properties

Levosimendan (Simdax®) is a new inodilator developed specifically for the treatment of decompensated heart failure. Its inotropic mechanism is based on calcium sensitisation of myofilaments and its vasodilator actions are related to the opening of ATP-dependent K-channels in the vasculature. Since the inotropic action of levosimendan does not require an increase in cytosolic free calcium, it is less arrhythmogenic than the conventional parenteral β-agonist inotropes or PDE III inhibiting drugs. Due to the calcium-dependent binding of the drug to troponin C, levosimendan, unlike some other calcium-sensitising drugs, does not prolong diastolic relaxation of the myocytes but acts in synergy with the intramyocellular calcium levels. Furthermore, due to the anti-ischaemic effects of the K-channel opening in myocytes, levosimendan can be used during myocardial ischaemia. In clinical trials, levosimendan has dose-dependently increased cardiac output and decreased pulmonary capillary wedge pressure in patients with heart failure. On the other hand, it also increases heart rate and decreases blood pressure in these patients. In major clinical trials, where patients with decompensated heart failure have been treated with levosimendan, a reduction of overall mortality in comparison to placebo or dobutamine has been seen. This interesting finding should be verified in prospective outcome trials. In any case, the safety of levosimendan during myocardial ischaemia makes this drug valuable in the short-term treatment of decompensated heart failure.
Gaze-Triggered Orienting as a Tool of the Belongingness Self-Regulation System

Social-psychological theories of belongingness self-regulation suggest that when one's need for interpersonal relationships is not being met, one begins to monitor the social environment more closely. Presumably, this serves to increase awareness of the likelihood of social acceptance versus rejection and to inform later social decision-making processes. The current investigation tested whether low belongingness increases a particular form of social monitoring that has recently been documented in the cognitive literature: gaze-triggered orienting. Low belongingness was operationalized either in terms of low trait self-esteem (Studies 1a and 1b) or in terms of the priming of rejection-related thoughts (Study 2). Across the studies, the normal tendency to orient attention in accordance with another individual's eye gaze was augmented under conditions of low belongingness. However, belongingness had no influence on a nonsocial form of orienting. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for theories of belongingness self-regulation and social attention.
The rhythm of sleep.

Sleep is a complex biological rhythm that is intricately related to other biological rhythms and body functions. If existing knowledge of sleep is used when planning nursing care, the quality of that care will be greatly enhanced. Sleep occurs in five stages. In Stage I, the person is still somewhat aware of his surroundings but is very relaxed and dreamy. Frequently, persons in this stage jerk involuntarily and may awaken in the process. Stage I only lasts a few minutes.
Bridging the gap between the immune and glutamate hypotheses of schizophrenia and major depression: Potential role of glial NMDA receptor modulators and impaired blood–brain barrier integrity

Abstract Objectives. Previous studies have suggested that the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and major depression involves an altered peripheral immune system. It is not clear, however, whether such changes are associated with corresponding neuroinflammatory responses and disturbances of neurotransmission. Methods. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge about the involvement of immune alterations in schizophrenia and major depression and a possible link to disturbances of glutamatergic transmission. Results. Inflammatory endogenous modulators of the NMDA receptor, the kynurenine pathway metabolites, are potential candidates for such a link. Studies of the blood and cerebrospinal fluid have suggested a schizophrenia-related upregulation of the NMDA receptor antagonist kynurenic acid in astrocytes, analogous to the ketamine psychosis model. Conversely, it has been proposed that there is depression-related microglial synthesis of the NMDA receptor agonist quinolinic acid, which is consistent with the observation that ketamine has therapeutic effects in major depression. Few publications have studied NMDA receptor modulating kynurenines in the brain, however. Conclusions. Future research on the cerebral cell-type specific distribution of kynurenine metabolites and their brain-regional concentration imbalances will be required to connect peripheral immune changes, the hypotheses of blood–brain barrier dysfunction and glial pathology with concepts of altered neurotransmission in schizophrenia and major depression.
Performance Evaluation of a Topology Control Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks

A main design challenge in the area of sensor networks is energy efficiency to prolong the network operable lifetime. Since most of the energy is spent for radio communication, an effective approach for energy conservation is scheduling sleep intervals for extraneous nodes, while the remaining nodes stay active to provide continuous service. Assuming that node position information is unavailable, we present a topology control algorithm, termed OTC, for sensor networks. It uses two-hop neighborhood information to select a subset of nodes to be active among all nodes in the neighborhood. Each node in the network selects its own set of active neighbors from among its one-hop neighbors. This set is determined such that it covers all two-hop neighbors. OTC does not assume the network graph to be a Unit Disk Graph; OTC also works well on general weighted network graphs. OTC is evaluated against two well-known algorithms from the literature, namely, Span and GAF through realistic simulations using TOSSIM. In terms of operational lifetime, load balancing and Spanner property OTC shows promising results. Apart from being symmetric and connected, the resulting graph when employing OTC shows good spanner properties.
Active waveguides for mid-IR (3–4 µm) wavelengths fabricated by femtosecond laser inscription in Dy3+ doped tellurite glass

The wavelength range between 3 - 4 μm is a highly sensitive window for environmental monitoring, bio medical application and spectroscopy. Glasses though can offer high bandwidths are often difficult to maneuver in mid IR wavelengths due to its high phonon energies. Tellurite glass have low phonon energies with high transparency up to 6 - 7 μm. We present the successful production of channel waveguides in a rare-earth doped tellurite glass obtaining active operation within the 3 - 4 μm wavelength window.
Parallel Rectangular Open Slots Structure in Multiband Printed Antenna Design

Three parallel rectangular open slots (PROSs), etched on the ground plate of the printed antennas, is presented for multiband applications. By employing the differential evolution (DE) algorithm to optimize the size and position of the PROSs, the reflection coefficient less than -10 dB at the global positioning system (GPS), Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) bands, can be achieved without using the trial and error method. To evaluate performance of the proposed PROSs structure, a triple-band antenna (Ant I) is fabricated and measured together with a four-band antenna (Ant II). The measured results, which agree well with the simulated ones, show good impedance matching and nearly omnidirectional radiation patterns for each antenna.
Metallothionein 2 A genetic polymorphism and its correlation to coronary heart disease

– OBJECTIVE: To investigate the gene polymorphism of metallothionein 2A (MT2A)838G/C and its correlation to coronary heart disease in the Han population of Jiangsu, China. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The MT2A-838G/C was examined in 287 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD group) and 226 healthy controls (control group) by using mono-labeled fluorescent probes. Meanwhile, relevant variables of all subjects were measured, including blood lipid and glucose profiles and body mass index (BMI). The extent of the coronary artery disease was evaluated based on Gensini's coronary artery scoring method. RESULTS: Three distinct genotypes were identified. The highest frequency was observed for genotype GG, followed by genotype GC and CC. There were statistically significant differences in the genotype and allele frequency distribution of the MT2A gene-838G/C polymorphism between the CHD and the control group (p < 0.05). The allele frequency of MT2A-838C in the CHD patients were higher than that in the healthy controls (31.4% vs 24.6%, p = 0.016). The CHD risk in C allele carriers (including genotype GC+CC) was 1.562 folds as high as in GG allele carriers (OR = 1.562, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.099-2.218, p = 0.013). According to the results of logistic regression analysis, the C allele was an independent risk factor for CHD (p < 0.05). Gensini's coronary artery disease score were higher in C allele carriers than in non-C allele carriers (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The gene polymorphism of MT2A-838G/C is correlated to CHD. The C allele might be a CHD-susceptible gene and might also have an effect on the extent of coronary artery disease.
Single image haze removal using content-adaptive dark channel and post enhancement

As a challenging problem, image haze removal plays an important role in computer vision applications. The dark channel prior has been widely studied for haze removal since it is simple and effective; however, it still suffers from over-saturation, artefacts and dark-look. To resolve these problems, this study proposes a method of single image haze removal using content-adaptive dark channel and post enhancement. The main contributions of this work are as follows: first, an associative filter, which can transfer the structures of a reference image and the grey levels of a coarse image to the filtering output, is employed to compute the dark channel efficiently and effectively. Secondly, the dark channel confidence is utilised to restrict the dark channel based on the content of the image. Finally, a post enhancement method is devised to map the luminance of the restored haze-free image with the preservation of local contrast. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method significantly improves the visibility of the hazy image.
Overcoming the Japanese “Vaccine Gap”: An Analysis of Medical Leaders’ Witness

Objective: To evaluate the structural challenges in the Japanese national immunization program (NIP) that has caused the “Vaccine Gap”. Methods: Medical opinion leaders out of four stakeholder categories (political, policy, practice, and public) were selected and interviewed. Their observations were analyzed and applied to a case of policy change of replacing oral polio vaccine with inactivated vaccine. Results: Three issues were identified as the cause of the vaccine gap . First was the lack of evidence-based policy making, derived from the lack of public health human resources and shortage of cost effectiveness studies, as well as the weak surveillance and risk management of adverse events related to immunization. Second was the inappropriate public perception and education for public that can be improved by the strong communication strategy. Third was the weak vaccine development and manufacturing capacities. The case study pointed out that the interaction of public perception and political dynamism at local level can successfully plug the scientific evidence into the national policy. Conclusions: The Japanese vaccine gap can be improved by strengthening public health infrastructures. Political leadership can facilitate the national policy change.
Effect of sunlight on survival of indicator bacteria in seawater

The stability of the natural populations of fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci in raw sewage diluted 1:1,000 in seawater or phosphate-buffered water at 24 +/- 2 degrees C was markedly affected by the absence or presence of sunlight. In the absence of sunlight, these bacteria survived for days, whereas in the presence of sunlight 90% of the fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci were inactivated within 30 to 90 min and 60 to 180 min, respectively. The bactericidal effect of sunlight was shown to penetrate glass, translucent polyethylene, and at least 3.3 m of clear seawater, suggesting that the visible rather than the ultraviolet light spectrum of sunlight was primarily responsible for the observed bactericidal effect. However, these same sewage-borne bacteria were relatively resistant to the bactericidal effect of sunlight when diluted in fresh mountain stream waters. These results indicate that the presence of sunlight is a major factor controlling the survival of fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci in seawater.
Geospatial Object Detection in High Resolution Satellite Images Based on Multi-Scale Convolutional Neural Network

Daily acquisition of large amounts of aerial and satellite images has facilitated subsequent automatic interpretations of these images. One such interpretation is object detection. Despite the great progress made in this domain, the detection of multi-scale objects, especially small objects in high resolution satellite (HRS) images, has not been adequately explored. As a result, the detection performance turns out to be poor. To address this problem, we first propose a unified multi-scale convolutional neural network (CNN) for geospatial object detection in HRS images. It consists of a multi-scale object proposal network and a multi-scale object detection network, both of which share a multi-scale base network. The base network can produce feature maps with different receptive fields to be responsible for objects with different scales. Then, we use the multi-scale object proposal network to generate high quality object proposals from the feature maps. Finally, we use these object proposals with the multi-scale object detection network to train a good object detector. Comprehensive evaluations on a publicly available remote sensing object detection dataset and comparisons with several state-of-the-art approaches demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented method. The proposed method achieves the best mean average precision (mAP) value of 89.6%, runs at 10 frames per second (FPS) on a GTX 1080Ti GPU.
Beyond the Golden Section and Normative Aesthetics: Why Do Individuals Differ so Much in Their Aesthetic Preferences for Rectangles?

Interest in the experimental aesthetics of rectangles originates in the studies of Fechner (1876), which investigated Zeising’s suggestion that Golden Section ratios determine the aesthetic appeal of great works of art. Although Fechner’s studies are often cited to support the centrality of the Golden Section, a century of subsequent experimental work suggests it has little normative role in rectangle preferences. However, rectangles are still of interest to experimental aesthetics, and McManus (1980) used a paired comparison method to show that although population preferences are weak, there are strong, stable, statistically robust and very varied individual preferences. The present study measured rectangle preferences in 79 participants, particularly assessing their relationship to a wide range of background measures of individual differences. Once again weak population preferences but strong and varied individual rectangle preferences were found, and computer presentation of stimuli, with detailed analyses of response times, confirmed the coherent nature of aesthetic preferences for rectangles. Q-mode factor analysis found two main factors, labeled “square” and “rectangle,” with participants showing different combinations of positive and negative loadings on these factors. However, the individual difference measures, including Big Five personality traits, Need for Cognition, Tolerance of Ambiguity, Schizotypy, Vocational Types, and Aesthetic Activities, showed no correlation at all with rectangle preferences. Individual differences in rectangle preferences are a robust phenomenon that clearly requires explanation, but at present their variability is entirely unexplained.
Regression of Retinopathy by Squalamine in a Mouse Model

The goal of this study was to determine whether an antiangiogenic agent, squalamine, given late during the evolution of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) in the mouse, could improve retinal neovascularization. OIR was induced in neonatal C57BL6 mice and the neonates were treated s.c. with squalamine doses begun at various times after OIR induction. A system of retinal whole mounts and assessment of neovascular nuclei extending beyond the inner limiting membrane from animals reared under room air or OIR conditions and killed periodically from d 12 to 21 were used to assess retinopathy in squalamine-treated and untreated animals. OIR evolved after 75% oxygen exposure in neonatal mice with florid retinal neovascularization developing by d 14. Squalamine (single dose, 25 mg/kg s.c.) given on d 15 or 16, but not d 17, substantially improved retinal neovascularization in the mouse model of OIR. There was improvement seen in the degree of blood vessel tuft formation, blood vessel tortuosity, and central vasoconstriction with squalamine treatment at d 15 or 16. Single-dose squalamine at d 12 was effective at reducing subsequent development of retinal neovascularization at doses as low as 1 mg/kg. Squalamine is a very active inhibitor of OIR in mouse neonates at doses as low as 1 mg/kg given once. Further, squalamine given late in the course of OIR improves retinopathy by inducing regression of retinal neovessels and abrogating invasion of new vessels beyond the inner-limiting membrane of the retina.
Zebrafish muscular disease models towards drug discovery

Background: Zebrafish is an amenable vertebrate model useful for the study of development and genetics. Small molecule screenings in zebrafish have successfully identified several drugs that affect developmental process. Objective: This review covers the basics of zebrafish muscle system such as muscle development and muscle defects. It also reviews the potential use of zebrafish for chemical screening with regards to muscle disorders. Conclusion: During embryogenesis, zebrafish start to coil their body by contracting trunk muscles 17 h postfertilization, indicating that a motor circuit and skeletal muscle are functionally developed at early stages. Mutagenesis screens in zebrafish have identified many motility mutants that display morphological or functional defects in the CNS, clustering defects of acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junctions or pathological defects of muscles. Most of the muscular mutants are useful as animal models of human muscle disease such as muscle dystrophy. As zebrafish live in water, pharmacological drugs are easily assayable during development, and thus zebrafish may be used to determine novel drugs that mitigate muscle disease.