Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A measurement method of the 2DOF joint angles and angular velocities using inertial sensors

This paper proposes a measurement method of the 2DOF (two degrees of freedom) joint angles and angular velocities using inertial sensors. A 3-axis gyro sensor and a 3-axis accelerometer are attached on the base link, and two 3-axis accelerometers are attached on the motion link in this method. The 2DOF joint angles and the angular velocities such as the hand and finger joints can be measured by applying Extended Kalman filter. The nonlinear state equation and the nonlinear measurement equation are established by the rotational component, the translational and gravity components of acceleration on the motion link and the angular velocity and the acceleration on the base link. The rotational component and the translational and gravity components on the motion link are calculated from accelerometers attaching on the motion link. The experiment was conducted to clarify the precision of the proposed method using the experimental setup installing the rotary encoders. The results indicated the effectiveness of this method.
Novel insights into the mechanism of chaperone-assisted protein disaggregation

Abstract Cell survival under severe thermal stress requires the activity of a bi-chaperone system, consisting of the ring-forming AAA+ chaperone ClpB (Hsp104) and the DnaK (Hsp70) chaperone system, which acts to solubilize and reactivate aggregated proteins. Recent studies have provided novel insight into the mechanism of protein disaggregation, demonstrating that ClpB/Hsp104 extracts unfolded polypeptides from an aggregate by threading them through its central pore. This translocation activity is necessary but not sufficient for aggregate solubilization. In addition, the middle (M) domain of ClpB and the DnaK system have essential roles, possibly by providing an unfolding force, which facilitates the extraction of misfolded proteins from aggregates.
Blistering barnacles ! What language do multilinguals swear in ? !

The present contribution focuses on the effects of language dominance / attrition, context of acquisition, age of onset of learning, frequency of general use of a language and sociodemographic variables on self-reported language choice for swearing. The analysis is based on a database to which 1039 multilinguals contributed through a web based questionnaire. Results suggest that, according to the self-reports, swearing happens most frequently in the multilinguals’ dominant language. Mixed instruction, an early start in the learning process, and frequent use of a language all contribute to the choice of that language for swearing. Sociodemographic variables were not found to have any effect. Frequency of language choice for swearing was found to be positively correlated with perceived emotional force of swearwords in that language. Quantitative results based on answers to close-ended questions corresponded to participants’ responses to open-ended questions.
Basement membrane regulation of Sertoli cells.

MOST vertebrate cells are in contact with an extracellular matrix (ECM) composed of both protein and carbohydrate in the form of glycoproteins and proteoglycans (1). The glycoproteins are defined by the attachment of relatively small carbohydrate moieties and include the major structural proteins laminin, fibronectin, collagen, and elastin. The proteoglycans, on the other hand, are characterized by a covalent linkage between a core protein and one or more glycosaminoglycans, which are large, negatively charged polymers of repeating disaccharide units such as heparan and chondroitin sulfate. In addition, many ECMs contain the glycosaminoglycan, hyaluronan, which does not appear to be covalently linked to protein. The various components of the ECM interact with each other in a complex fashion to form a meshwork-like structure. Some cell types, such as muscle cells and chondrocytes, are completely surrounded by ECM while others, such as simple epithelial cells and endothelial cells, are exposed to the ECM on.
Climate and Geographic Trends in Hatch Delay of the Treehole Mosquito, Aedes triseriatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae)

ABSTRACT: Eggs of Aedes triseriatus mosquitoes are stimulated to hatch when inundated with water, but only a small fraction of eggs from the same batch will hatch for any given stimulus. Similar hatching or germination patterns are observed in desert plants, copepods, rotifers, insects, and many other species. Bet hedging theory suggests that parents stagger offspring emergence into vulnerable life history stages in order to avoid catastrophic reproductive failures. For Ae. triseriatus, a treehole breeding mosquito, immediate hatching of an entire clutch leaves all of the parent's progeny vulnerable to extinction in the event of a severe drought. Natural selection has likely favored parents that pursued a bet hedging strategy where the risk of reproductive failure is distributed over time. Considering treehole mosquitoes, bet hedging theory could be used to predict that hatch delay would be positively correlated with the likelihood of drought. To test this prediction, we collected Ae. triseriatus from habitats that varied widely in mean annual precipitation and exposed them to several hatch stimuli in the laboratory. Here we report that, as predicted, Ae. triseriatus eggs from high precipitation regions showed less hatch delay than areas of low precipitation. This strategy probably allows Ae. triseriatus to cope with the wide variety of climatic conditions that it faces in its extensive geographical range.
Suppressed Disassembly of Autolyzing p94/CAPN3 by N2A Connectin/Titin in a Genetic Reporter System*

p94/calpain 3 is a skeletal muscle-specific member of the Ca2+-regulated cytosolic cysteine protease family, the calpains. Defective p94 protease activity originating from gene mutations causes a muscular dystrophy called calpainopathy, indicating the indispensability of p94 for muscle survival. Because of the existence of the p94-specific regions IS1 and IS2, p94 undergoes very rapid and exhaustive autolysis. To elucidate the physiological relevance of this unique activity, the autolytic profiles of p94 and the effect of the p94 binding protein, connectin/titin, on this process were investigated. In vitro analysis of p94 autolysis showed that autolysis in IS1 proceeds without immediate disassembly into fragments and that the newly identified cryptic autolytic site in IS2 is critical for disassembling autolyzed fragments. As a genetic system to assay p94 autolysis semiquantitatively, p94 was expressed in yeast as a hybrid protein between the DNA binding and activation domains of the yeast transcriptional activator Gal4. Transcriptional activation by the Gal4-p94:WT hybrid protein is precluded by p94 autolysis. Complete or partial loss of autolytic activity by C129S active site mutation, limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A pathogenic missense mutations, or PCR-based random mutagenesis could be detected by semiquantitative restoration of Gal4-dependent β-galactosidase gene expression. Using this system, the N2A connectin fragment that binds to p94 was shown to suppress p94 autolytic disassembly. The proximity of the IS2 autolytic and connectin-binding sites in p94 suggested that N2A connectin suppresses IS2 autolysis. These data indicate the importance of p94-connectin interaction in the control of p94 functions by regulating autolytic decay of p94.
Mapping Metaphor with the Historical Thesaurus: a new resource for investigating metaphor in names

The AHRC-funded ‘Mapping Metaphor with the Historical Thesaurus’ project has traced the development of metaphor in English from Anglo-Saxon times to the present day using the unique evidence base of the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary. The Historical Thesaurus organises the contents of the OED semantically, making it possible to see how vocabulary for any given concept has developed over time. One of the major outputs of the Mapping Metaphor project is the online Metaphor Map, which can be used to investigate metaphor in names and is freely available at: http://mappingmetaphor.arts. gla.ac. uk/.
Study of New Connectivity Measure for fMRI Based Cortical Clustering

Resting state Functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) provides complementary information to the sulcal brain anatomy about the cytoarchitecture and function of the human brain. Hence due to this parcellation based on rsfMRI is popular for potential application. This paper presents a comparison of correlation based connectivity measures and addresses the question what connectivity measure should be used for fMRI based connectivity analysis. It is observed that the popularly used functional connectivity measure does not show an adequate performance and is also computationally expensive. A new measure of connectivity is suggested and evaluated in the present work based on geodesic distance. A quantitative performance provides evidence that the proposed geodesic distance measure performs best for the connectivity studies.
Individual End-User Training For Information Systems Using Learning Styles

End-user trainings account for an important part of teaching how to use information systems effectively in practice. This paper examines which individual characteristics and differences between end-users can be leveraged to improve end-user trainings further. Therefore, relevant literature on end-user trainings is used to define relationships between individual characteristics (i.e. learning styles) of trainees and matching training methods. Following a design-based research methodology, two different end-user trainings are developed in the domain of electronic negotiation support systems to define and evaluate design principles and theories for individual end-user trainings. The trainings follow either an exploration-based approach or an instruction-based approach. For the evaluation of these trainings a general concept implementing a negotiation experiment assessing learning outcomes and acceptance of the target information system is developed and first descriptive results are presented.
Postdischarge growth failure among extremely low birth weight infants: Correlates and consequences.

OBJECTIVE To describe the prevalence and correlates of postdis-charge growth failure among extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants (weighing less than 1 kg) and its impact on growth and development. METHODS One hundred fifty-four ELBW infants were followed to 20 months corrected age. Growth failure was defined as a decrease in weight z score (standard deviation score) of over 0.67 during one of three periods: between 40 weeks and four months (period I), between four and eight months (period II), and between eight and 20 months corrected age (period III). A decrease in weight z score of this magnitude is comparable to crossing major growth percentiles (eg, from 25th to 10th percentile). Developmental outcomes were assessed at 20 months. RESULTS Growth failure occurred in 8% of infants during period I, 28% during period II and 12% during period III. This resulted in poorer growth attainment and motor function at 20 months. Significant predictors of growth failure included chronic lung disease during periods I and III, and cerebral palsy during period III. Growth failure during period II, while more common, was not associated with specific sequelae of prematurity. It may represent a physiological process comparable to shifts in weight percentiles in term-born infants. CONCLUSIONS Postdischarge growth failure is common among ELBW infants and contributes to poorer growth outcomes. It is associated with poorer motor outcomes when it occurs early after discharge or later in infancy. A decrease in weight z score of over 0.67 can serve as a useful indicator of growth failure in ELBW infants.
Avasimibe Induces CYP3A4 and Multiple Drug Resistance Protein 1 Gene Expression through Activation of the Pregnane X Receptor

In vitro and clinical studies were conducted to characterize the potential of avasimibe, an acyl-CoA/cholesterol acyltransferase inhibitor to cause drug-drug interactions. Clinically, 3- and 6-fold increases in midazolam (CYP3A4 substrate) oral clearance were observed after 50 and 750 mg of avasimibe daily for 7 days, respectively. A 40% decrease in digoxin (P-glycoprotein substrate) area under the curve was observed with 750 mg of avasimibe daily for 10 days. In vitro studies were conducted to define the mechanisms of these interactions. Induction was observed in CYP3A4 activity and immunoreactive protein (EC50 of 200-400 nM) in primary human hepatocytes treated with avasimibe. Rifampin treatment yielded similar results. Microarray analysis revealed avasimibe (1 μM) increased CYP3A4 mRNA 20-fold, compared with a 23-fold increase with 50 μM rifampin. Avasimibe induced P-glycoprotein mRNA by about 2-fold and immunoreactive protein in a dose-dependent manner. Transient transfection assays showed that avasimibe is a potent activator of the human pregnane X receptor (hPXR) and more active than rifampin on an equimolar basis. Drug-drug interaction studies for CYP3A4 using pooled human hepatic microsomes and avasimibe at various concentrations, revealed IC50 values of 20.7, 1.6, and 3.1 μM using testosterone, midazolam, and felodipine as probe substrates, respectively. Our results indicate that avasimibe causes clinically significant drug-drug interactions through direct activation of hPXR and the subsequent induction of its target genes CYP3A4 and multiple drug resistance protein 1.
Predictive Value of Neonatal Neurological Examination for Cerebral Function in Infancy

Five days after birth, 144 clinically normal infants were examined according to Prechtl's ‘optimality’ method. 118 were classified as neurologically optimal and 26 as sub‐optimal. At the ages of 12, 22 and 36 months, parents' reports indicated differences in behaviour between the two groups; and at age 22 months observed behaviour and some neurological variables also differed.
Epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate delivers hydrogen peroxide to induce death of ovarian cancer cells and enhances their cisplatin susceptibility

The green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG) has cancer chemopreventive properties against various types of cancers. The compound is known to attack various targets in transformed cells. In this report, we examined the action of EGCG on ovarian cancer cells. Eight ovarian cancer cell lines were tested (SKOV3, CAOV3, OVCAR3, OVCAR10, A2780, CP70, C30, and C200) and showed IC50s for EGCG at the micromolar range, including ones that are resistant to the chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin. The ovarian cancer cells were sensitive to H2O2 at similar concentrations, and EGCG treatment led to enhanced intracellular H2O2. Neutralization with pyruvate, a scavenger of H2O2, suggests that the toxicity of EGCG may be mediated by oxidative stress from the free radical. Addition of Tempol, a superoxide dismutase mimetic, demonstrates that H2O2 might be generated endogenously from superoxide. The toxicity of cisplatin and the development of cisplatin resistance are major obstacles in treatment of ovarian cancer. We found that addition of EGCG amplified the toxicity of cisplatin. EGCG increased cisplatin potency by three to six‐fold in SKOV3, CAOV3, and C200 cells, the latter being a cell line induced to have several hundred fold resistant to cisplatin above the parental line. Our findings suggest that EGCG may accentuate oxidative stress to inhibit growth of ovarian cancer cells and sensitize them to cisplatin. J. Cell. Physiol. 207: 389–396, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Process of Healing Transformations

This article presents an emerging model of healing transformations to guide nurses in caring for those living with a chronic illness. A review of the literature on chronic illness and its relationship to lifestyle behavior change and transformative nursing practice is included. Derived from qualitative narratives, this work reports the clusters of phenomena within each phase of the model. The model emerged from data gathered during 36 in-depth interviews with 18 men and women living with chronic skin wounds. During two interviews, each participant shared important life stories and meaningful reflections on living with a chronic skin wound. Using the theory of health as expanding consciousness, analysis of each participant’s life story revealed individual life patterns and patterns across participants. These patterns were validated and reflected on with participants during the second interview. Synthesizing participants’ patterns of responses, the model of healing transformations emerged. Developed from clients’ experiences, the model of healing transformations provides rich insight into the nature of healing and the central role of the nurse practicing from a holistic perspective in this process. Nurses make a positive difference in the healing trajectory of those living with chronic illnesses such as chronic skin wounds.
Diclofenac prevents an early event of macular thickening after cataract surgery in patients with diabetes.

PURPOSE This study compares the effect of topical diclofenac with that of betamethasone against postoperative cystoid macular edema (CME) following cataract surgery in patients with non- and mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy. METHODS Forty-six (46) consecutive patients with mild nonproliferative- or nondiabetic retinopathy who had bilateral and symmetrical cataracts underwent uncomplicated cataract surgery in both eyes (92 eyes in total). Postoperatively, topical diclofenac was applied 4 times daily for 1 eye, and topical betamethasone 4 times daily for the other eye in each patient. Best corrected logMAR visual acuity (BCVA), averaged foveal thickness (FT) as measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT), and intraocular pressure (IOP) were monitored preoperatively, and also postoperatively at 1 day and 1, 4, and 8 weeks. RESULTS VA in both the diclofenac- and betamethasone-treated eyes significantly improved following the cataract surgery; however, no statistical difference of VA was noted between the diclofenac- and betamethasone-treated eyes throughout the observational period (before and after the surgery until 8 weeks postoperatively). FT in both eyes increased after the cataract surgery. FT in the diclofenac-treated eyes did not increase 1 week after surgery, but gradually increased at week 4 and week 8. In contrast, the FT in the betamethasone-treated eyes increased during 1-8 weeks postoperatively. IOP in the diclofenac-treated eyes decreased with time, but IOP in the betamethasone-treated eyes showed no change throughout the observational period. CONCLUSIONS Postoperative macular thickening following cataract surgery in patients with non- or mild nonproliferative-diabetic retinopathy cannot be fully suppressed by either topical diclofenac or betamethasone. Nonetheless, diclofenac protected against an early event of postoperative CME and also a decrease of IOP.
REAL-TIME 3 D AMBISONICS USING FAUST , PROCESSING , PURE DATA , AND OSC

This paper presents several digital signal processing (DSP) tools for the real-time synthesis of a 3D sound pressure field using Ambisonics technologies. The spatialization of monophonic signal or the reconstruction of natural 3D recorded sound pressure fields is considered. The DSP required to generate the loudspeaker signals is implemented using the FAUST programming language. FAUST enables and simplifies the compilation of the developed tools on several architectures and on different DSP tool format. In this paper, a focus is made on the near-field filters implementation which allows for the encoding of spherical waves with distance information. The gain variation with distance is also taken into account. The control of the synthesis can be made by software controllers or hardware controllers, such as joystick, by the mean of PURE DATA and OPEN SOUND CONTROL (OSC) messages. A visual feedback tool using the PROCESSING programming language is also presented in the most recent implementation. The aim of this research derives from a larger research project on physically-accurate sound field reproduction for simulators in engineering and industrial applications.
Fair Downlink Traffic Management for Hybrid LAA-LTE/Wi-Fi Networks

Due to the scarcity of the licensed spectrum, Licensed-Assisted Access Long-Term Evolution (LAA- LTE) network can be deployed in unlicensed spectrum, which is currently occupied by different Wi-Fi systems. It is a very challenging problem to ensure fair coexistence between LAA-LTE and Wi-Fi networks, in terms of spectrum sharing and traffic management. To solve this problem, a Fair Downlink Traffic Management (FDTM) scheme is proposed in this paper for hybrid LAA-LTE/Wi-Fi networks. By using the genetic algorithm, FDTM tunes the minimum Contention Window (CW min ) values and assigns feasible weights for the LAA eNBs with different traffic loads, thus to achieve (1) fair spectrum sharing with the existing Wi-Fi networks in unlicensed bands, and (2) fair service differentiation for downlink LAA-LTE traffic. Numerical results show our FDTM scheme can guarantee the throughput of WiFi networks in shared unlicensed spectrum, while supporting proportional fairness for the LAA eNBs with different weights and CW min values.
Bees swarm optimisation using multiple strategies for association rule mining

Association rules mining has been largely studied by the data mining community. ARM aims to extract the interesting rules from any given transactional database. This problem is well known to be time consuming in general. This paper deals with association rules mining algorithms to cope with very large databases and especially for those existing on the web. Many polynomial exact algorithms already proposed in literature have shown their efficiency when dealing with small and medium datasets. Unfortunately, their efficiency is not enough for handling the huge amount of data in the web context requiring a real time response. Not surprisingly, some bio-inspired methods seem to be clearly more appropriate. This paper mainly proposes a new ARM algorithm based on an improved version of bees swarm optimisation with three different heuristics for exploring the search area. This approach has been implemented and experimented on different dataset benchmarks with small size, medium size and large size. These first empirical results highlighted that our approach outperforms some other existing algorithms both in terms of fitness criterion and CPU time.
Isolation and characterization of saponins from Moringa oleifera (Moringaeceae) pods

Objective: Moringa oleifera Lam. is the most widely cultivated species of the monogeneric family Moringaceae and has an impressive range of medicinal uses with high nutritional value. In this study saponin was isolated from Moringa oleifera pods. Methods: Thin layer chromatography (TLC) was performed using a mobile phase of Chloroform: methanol: H2O (7:3:1) on silica gel glass plates. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of isolated compound from benzene extract obtained by Successive extraction method was carried out to confirm its nature by analyzing HPLC chromatograms. Results: Characterization of isolated saponin was done using IR and 1H NMR. Saponin from M. oleifera pods was isolated having Rf 0.90. The IR spectrum of isolated compound exhibited the presence for hydroxyl group (-OH), carboxylic acids, alkynes, presence of –C=O (esters) and >C-O (ethers) and the ring involvement or aromatic structure of the compound. 1NMR spectrum of isolated compound revealed presence of protons in the compound. Conclusion: The isolated compound was then nomenclatured as SM (saponin from Moringa pods) and was further used to determine its biological and pharmacological properties.