Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Greater Anteroposterior Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity in Long-Term Elderly Yoga Practitioners

Large-scale brain networks exhibit changes in functional connectivity during the aging process. Recent literature data suggests that Yoga and other contemplative practices may revert, at least in part, some of the aging effects in brain functional connectivity, including the Default Mode Network (DMN). The aim of this cross-sectional investigation was to compare resting-state functional connectivity of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex—precuneus (PCC-Precuneus) in long-term elderly Yoga practitioners and healthy paired Yoga-naïve controls. Two paired groups: yoga (Y-20 women, Hatha Yoga practitioners; practicing a minimum of twice a week with a frequency of at least 8 years) and a control group (C-20 women, Yoga-naïve, matched by age, years of formal education, and physical activity) were evaluated for: Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), and open-eyes resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)—seed to voxel connectivity analysis (CONN toolbox 17.f) with pre-processing—realignment and unwarping, slice-timing correction, segmentation, normalization, outlier detection, and spatial filtering. The analysis included a priori regions of interest (ROI) of DMN main nodes—MPFC and PCC-Precuneus. There was no difference between groups in terms of: age, years of formal education, MMSE, BDI and IADL. The Yoga group had a higher correlation between MPFC and the right angular gyrus (AGr), compared to the controls. Elderly women with at least 8 years of yoga practice presented greater intra-network anteroposterior brain functional connectivity of the DMN. This finding may contribute to the understanding of the influences of practicing Yoga for a healthier cognitive aging process.
Proposal of trajectory generation for redundant manipulators using variational approach applied to minimization of consumed electrical energy

A method to solve the trajectory generation problem in redundant degree of freedom manipulators has been proposed, in which the variational approach and the B-Spline curve are introduced for minimization of the consumed electrical energy of a robot manipulator system. The application of this method is oriented to repeated jobs realized by industrial robot manipulators. Through simulations and experiments, the energy minimization of the proposed method was verified.
Genomic Characterization of Jumbo Salmonella Phages That Effectively Target United Kingdom Pig-Associated Salmonella Serotypes

A common cause of human food poisoning is through ingestion of pork products contaminated with Salmonella spp. Worryingly multi-drug resistant (MDR) Salmonella strains have been isolated from pigs, which motivates the need for alternative antimicrobials. In this study isolation and characterization of 21 lytic Salmonella phages is described. All 21 phages, labeled as SPFM phages were shown to efficiently infect MDR Salmonella strains isolated from United Kingdom pigs and phages SPFM1, SPFM3, SPFM10, SPFM14, SPFM15, SPFM17, and SPFM19 could lyse 100% of strains tested. The phage genome sizes range from 233 to 242 Kb, which qualifies them as jumbo phages. All SPFM phage genomes are approximately 95% similar to each other by average nucleotide identity, they encode between 258–307 coding sequences and share 188 core genes. Phylogenetic analysis shows these phages are most similar to phages of the genus Seoulvirus and to further characterize phages within the genus, genes under positive selection were identified. Several of the genes under evolutionary selection pressure were predicted to encode for proteins that interact with bacteria. We describe the phenotypic and genetic characterization of this novel Salmonella phage set. As the phages efficiently kill MDR Salmonella strains, they may offer a promising alternative to antibiotics.
Recalling the Future: Immunological Memory Toward Unpredictable Influenza Viruses

Persistent and durable immunological memory forms the basis of any successful vaccination protocol. Generation of pre-existing memory B cell and T cell pools is thus the key for maintaining protective immunity to seasonal, pandemic and avian influenza viruses. Long-lived antibody secreting cells (ASCs) are responsible for maintaining antibody levels in peripheral blood. Generated with CD4+ T help after naïve B cell precursors encounter their cognate antigen, the linked processes of differentiation (including Ig class switching) and proliferation also give rise to memory B cells, which then can change rapidly to ASC status after subsequent influenza encounters. Given that influenza viruses evolve rapidly as a consequence of antibody-driven mutational change (antigenic drift), the current influenza vaccines need to be reformulated frequently and annual vaccination is recommended. Without that process of regular renewal, they provide little protection against “drifted” (particularly H3N2) variants and are mainly ineffective when a novel pandemic (2009 A/H1N1 “swine” flu) strain suddenly emerges. Such limitation of antibody-mediated protection might be circumvented, at least in part, by adding a novel vaccine component that promotes cross-reactive CD8+ T cells specific for conserved viral peptides, presented by widely distributed HLA types. Such “memory” cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) can rapidly be recalled to CTL effector status. Here, we review how B cells and follicular T cells are elicited following influenza vaccination and how they survive into a long-term memory. We describe how CD8+ CTL memory is established following influenza virus infection, and how a robust CTL recall response can lead to more rapid virus elimination by destroying virus-infected cells, and recovery. Exploiting long-term, cross-reactive CTL against the continuously evolving and unpredictable influenza viruses provides a possible mechanism for preventing a disastrous pandemic comparable to the 1918-1919 H1N1 “Spanish flu,” which killed more than 50 million people worldwide.
Neonatal Intermittent Hypoxia Induces Lasting Sex-Specific Augmentation of Rat Microglial Cytokine Expression

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) affects 3–5% of the pediatric population, including neonates who are highly susceptible due to an underdeveloped ventilatory control system, and REM-dominated sleep. Although pediatric SDB is associated with poor cognitive outcomes, very little research has focused on models of pediatric SDB, particularly in neonates. In adults and neonates, intermittent hypoxia (IH), a hallmark of SDB, recapitulates multiple physiological aspects of severe SDB, including neuronal apoptosis, sex-specific cognitive deficits, and neuroinflammation. Microglia, resident CNS immune cells, are important mediators of neurodevelopment and neuroinflammation, but to date, no studies have examined the molecular properties of microglia in the context of neonatal IH. Here, we tested the hypothesis that neonatal IH will enhance microglial inflammation and sex-specifically lead to long-term changes in working memory. To test this hypothesis, we exposed post-natal day (P1) neonates with dams to an established adult model of pathological IH consisting of 2 min cycles of 10.5% O2 followed by 21% O2, 8 h/day for 8 days. We then challenged the offspring with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at P9 or at 6–8 weeks of age and immunomagnetically isolated microglia for gene expression analyses and RNA-sequencing. We also characterized neonatal CNS myeloid cell populations by flow cytometry analyses. Lastly, we examined working memory performance using a Y-maze in the young adults. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that neonatal IH acutely augmented basal levels of microglial anti-inflammatory cytokines, attenuated microglial responses to LPS, and sex-specifically altered CNS myeloid populations. We identified multiple sex differences in basal neonatal microglial expression of genes related to chemotaxis, cognition, and aging. Lastly, we found that basal, but not LPS-induced, anti-inflammatory cytokines were augmented sex-specifically in the young adults, and that there was a significant interaction between sex and IH on basal working memory. Our results support the idea that neonates may be able to adapt to IH exposures that are pathological in adults. Further, they suggest that male and female microglial responses to IH are sex-specific, and that these sex differences in basal microglial gene expression may contribute to sexual dimorphisms in vulnerability to IH-induced cognitive disruption.
Stratification Has Strengthened in the Baltic Sea – An Analysis of 35 Years of Observational Data

Stratification of the water column, consisting of the three layers (upper, intermediate, and deep layer), is an important factor for the functioning of the brackish Baltic Sea. In the present work, changes in the vertical structure of temperature and salinity, as well as heat content, salt mass and stratification conditions were estimated on the basis of in-situ and remote sensing data in 1982-2016. The seasonal thermocline and the halocline have strengthened in most of the sea by a rate of 0.33 – 0.39 kg m-3 and 0.70 – 0.88 kg m-3, respectively, during 35 years. The upper layer has warmed by 0.03 – 0.06 °C year-1 and sub-halocline deep layer 0.04 – 0.06 °C year-1 in most of the sea. The total warming trend in the whole Baltic has been 1.07 °C for 35 years, being approximately twice higher compared to the upper 100 m in the Atlantic Ocean. Average upper layer warming of the sea from May to September has been 0.07 – 0.08 °C year-1 while in winter, trends were mostly statistically not significant. More rapid warming during summers has occurred in shallower, closed-end areas of gulfs. Possible reasons for high warming there might be shallow depths and limited water exchange, stronger stratification, and/or higher turbidity. Sea surface temperature trends estimated by in-situ and satellite data agree well. Trends of freshening (-0.005 to -0.014 g kg-1 year-1) of the upper layer and increasing salinity (0.02 to 0.04 g kg-1 year-1) in the sub-halocline deep layer were detected. Increased salinity in the deep layer is likely caused by the increased lateral import of saltier water from the North Sea. Changes in the upper layer salinity might not be related to the accumulated river runoff only, but decadal changes of vertical salt flux might also contribute. The vertically distinct changes cancel each other and no significant trend in the mean salinity of the Baltic Sea was detected. No remarkable changes have occurred in the cold intermediate layer. In conclusion, different dominating processes have caused distinct long-term trends in the three layers of the Baltic Sea.
Oxygen Saturation Targeting During Delivery Room Stabilization: What Does This Mean for Regional Cerebral Oxygenation?

Objective: To investigate if preterm neonates with arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2)<80% at 5 min after birth show different regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (rcStO2), compared to infants reaching the target. Methods: Retrospective analysis of four prospective observational studies. Preterm neonates needing respiratory support during delivery room stabilization were included. Regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation was measured with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during the first 15 min after birth along with SpO2 and heart rate (HR). Neonates were divided into two groups: those with a 5-min SpO2 ≥ 80% (“≥80% group”) and those with a 5-min SpO2 < 80% (“<80% group”). Groups were compared regarding rcStO2, SpO2, and HR. Furthermore, we analyzed whether a 5-min SpO2 < 80% was associated with a rcStO2 below the 10th percentile at the same time point. Results: 146 neonates were included, with 68 (47%) in the “≥80% group” and 78 (53%) in the “<80% group. ” Neonates in the “ <80% group” had a significantly lower rcStO2 (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 80.3% of neonates in the “ <80% group” and 23.4% in the “≥80% group” had rcStO2 values below the 10th percentile at 5 min (p < 0.001). HR was significantly lower at minute 3 and 4 in the “ <80% group” (p < 0.002). Conclusion: Preterm infants needing respiratory support, who do not reach the SpO2 target of 80% at 5 min after birth, show significantly diminished rcStO2 values compared to neonates reaching the target.
ConceptCloud 2.0 Visualisation and Exploration of Geolocation-Rich Semi-Structured Data Sets

ConceptCloud is a flexible interactive tool for exploring, visualising, and analysing semi-structured data sets. It uses a combination of an intuitive tag cloud visualisation with an underlying concept lattice to provide a formal structure for navigation through a data set. ConceptCloud 2.0 extends the tool with an integrated map view to exploit the geolocation aspect of data. The tool’s implementation of exploratory search does not require prior knowledge of the structure of the data or compromise on scalability, and provides seamless navigation through the tag cloud and the map viewer.
Conceptual Alignment with Formal Concept Analysis

Endres et al. (2009) use concept lattices as a model for neural decoding. This paper continues with that idea and presents a thought experiment of how certain structures (associative concepts) and certain processes (conceptual alignment and filtering) might be used to model mental concepts. Several examples from the neuroscientific literature are discussed with respect to such a modelling
Biseau: An Answer Set Programming Environment for High-Level Specification and Graph Visualization applied to FCA

When studying mathematical relations, soon arise the need to visualize the resulting structures. This often leads to tedious development or time consuming copy-pasting of visualization routines. This paper presents Biseau, a programming environment aiming at simplifying the visualization task. Biseau takes advantage of Answer Set Programming, enabling user to write, maintain, debug and reuse close to speciﬁcation encodings, and eventually obtain a graphical display of mathematical relations. This paper shows as a use-case how Formal Concept Analysis can be eﬃciently described at the level of its properties, without needing a costly development process. Biseau uses the graphviz software to render in real-time the calculated graphs to user, thanks to an Answer Set Programming to (graphviz) dot compiler. More generally, it is shown that Biseau leads on to a general method to prototypes new software features, which could unify the development process before the eﬃciency race. As such, it reproduces the core results of existing tools like LatViz or In-Close. We hope that it will help to speed up the prototyping process and simplify the exchange and reuse of proof of concept implementations.
An architecture for context-aware reactive systems based on run-time semantic models

In recent years, new classes of highly dynamic, complex systems are gaining momentum. These systems are characterized by the need to express behaviors driven by external and/or internal changes, i.e. they are reactive and context-aware. These classes include, but are not limited to IoT, smart cities, cyber-physical systems and sensor networks. An important design feature of these systems should be the ability of adapting their behavior to environment changes. This requires handling a runtime representation of the context enriched with variation points that relate different behaviors to possible changes of the representation. In this paper, we present a reference architecture for reactive, context-aware systems able to handle contextual knowledge (that defines what the system perceives) by means of virtual sensors and able to react to environment changes by means of virtual actuators, both represented in a declarative manner through semantic web technologies. To improve the ability to react with a proper behavior to context changes (e.g. faults) that may influence the ability of the system to observe the environment, we allow the definition of logical sensors and actuators through an extension of the SSN ontology (a W3C standard). In our reference architecture a knowledge base of sensors and actuators (hosted by an RDF triple store) is bound to real world by grounding semantic elements to physical devices via REST APIs. The proposed architecture along with the defined ontology try to address the main problems of dynamically reconfigurable systems by exploiting a declarative, queryable approach to enable runtime reconfiguration with the help of (a) semantics to support discovery in heterogeneous environment, (b) composition logic to define alternative behaviors for variation points, (c) bi-causal connection life-cycle to avoid dangling links with the external environment. The proposal is validated in a case study aimed at designing an edge node for smart buildings dedicated to cultural heritage preservation.
MATHEMATICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF HYBRID FAST FOURIER TRANSFORM AND DISCRETE WAVELET TRANSFORM FOR DEVELOPING GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE USING VISUAL BASIC FOR SIGNAL PROCESSING APPLICATIONS

In recent years, the application of discrete wavelet transform (DWT) on biosignal processing has made a significant impact on developing several applications. However, the existing user-friendly software based on graphical user interfaces (GUI) does not allow the freedom of saving the wavelet coefficients in . txt or . xls format and to analyze the frequency spectrum of wavelet coefficients at any desired wavelet decomposition level. This work describes the development of mathematical models for the implementation of DWT in a GUI environment. This proposed software based on GUI is developed under the visual basic (VB) platform. As a preliminary tool, the end user can perform "j" level of decomposition on a given input signal using the three most popular wavelet functions — Daubechies, Symlet, and Coiflet over "n" order. The end user can save the output of wavelet coefficients either in . txt or . xls file format for any further investigations. In addition, the users can gain insight into the most dominating frequency component of any given wavelet decomposition level through fast Fourier transform (FFT). This feature is highly essential in signal processing applications for the in-depth analysis on input signal components. Hence, this GUI has the hybrid features of FFT with DWT to derive the frequency spectrum of any level of wavelet coefficient. The novel feature of this software becomes more evident for any signal processing application. The proposed software is tested with three physiological signal — electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), and electromyogram (EMG) — samples. Two statistical features such as mean and energy of wavelet coefficient are used as a performance measure for validating the proposed software over conventional software. The results of proposed software is compared and analyzed with MATLAB wavelet toolbox for performance verification. As a result, the proposed software gives the same results as the conventional toolbox and allows more freedom to the end user to investigate the input signal.
Validity of Activity Tracker Step Counts during Walking, Running, and Activities of Daily Living

ABSTRACT The popularity of activity trackers has grown in recent years, and health-conscious consumers are interested in using them for personal motivation and goal setting. Although these devices can estimate several variables, steps are the simplest and easiest to understand. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of activity tracker step counts during treadmill locomotion (walking and running on a treadmill), overground walking (walking in a hallway), and activities of daily living (ADL). Twenty-one adults (mean ± SD, 26 ± 9 yr) wore six consumer-grade devices (Garmin Vivofit 2, Fitbit Charge, Withings Pulse Ox, Yamax Digi-Walker SW-200, Fitbit Zip, and Omron HJ-322U) and four research-grade devices (two ActiGraph WGT3X-BT [AG] and two StepWatch [SW]). They performed 15 activities for 2 min each, separated by a 1-min rest. Hand-counted (HC) steps served as the criterion measure. Agreement between devices and HC was assessed with 95% equivalence testing. This was done within each category and for all categories combined. For treadmill trials, the SW-modified was significantly equivalent to the criterion, estimating 104.7% of HC steps. For overground walking trials, Fitbit Zip, Yamax Digi-Walker SW-200, and both SW devices were significantly equivalent to the criterion, estimating 98.2% to 102.2% of HS steps. For ADL, the AG-hip (low-frequency extension) was statistically equivalent to the criterion. For all activities combined, the SW-modified (99.5% of HC steps) and AG-hip (low-frequency extension; 94.4% of HC steps) were equivalent to the criterion. In conclusion, a research-grade device (SW) had the greatest accuracy for step counts, making it suitable for clinical research applications. Consumer-grade trackers performed better than expected, and the step count error (10%–15%) may be acceptable for those wanting to track behavior change.
High-performance acute care hospitals: Excelling across multiple emergency general surgery operations in the geriatric patient.

BACKGROUND As the geriatric population grows, the need for hospitals performing high quality emergency general surgery (EGS) on older patients will increase. Identifying clusters of high-performing geriatric emergency general surgery hospitals would substantiate the need for in-depth analyses of hospital-specific structures and practices that benefit older EGS patients. The objectives of this study were therefore to identify clusters of hospitals based on mortality performance for geriatric patients undergoing common EGS operations and to determine if hospital performance was similar for all operation types. METHODS Hospitals in the California State Inpatient Database were included if they performed a range of eight common EGS operations in patients 65 years or older, with a minimum requirement of three of each operation performed over 2 years. Multivariable beta regression models were created to define hospital-level risk-adjusted mortality. Centroid cluster analysis was used to identify groups of hospitals based on mortality and to determine if mortality-performance differed by operation. RESULTS One hundred seven hospitals were included, performing a total of 24,279 operations in older patients. Hospitals separated into three distinct clusters: high, average, and low performers. The high-performing hospitals had survival rates 1 to 2 standard deviations better than the low-performers (p < 0.001). For each cluster, high performance in any one EGS operation consistently translated into high performance across all EGS operations. CONCLUSION Hospitals conducting EGS operations in the geriatric patient population cluster into three distinct groups based on their survival performance. High-performing hospitals significantly outperform the average and low performers across every operation. The high-performers achieve reliable, high-quality results regardless of operation type. Further qualitative research is needed to investigate the perioperative drivers of hospital performance in the geriatric EGS population. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Study Type Prognostic, level III.