Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epistasis correlates to genomic complexity

Whether systematic genetic interactions (epistasis) occur at the genomic scale remains a challenging topic in evolutionary biology. Epistasis should make a significant contribution to variation in complex traits and influence the evolution of genetic systems as sex, diploidy, dominance, or the contamination of genomes with deleterious mutations. We have collected data from widely different organisms and quantified epistasis in a common, per-generation scale. Simpler genomes, such as those of RNA viruses, display antagonistic epistasis (mutations have smaller effects together than expected); bacterial microorganisms do not apparently deviate from independent effects, whereas in multicellular eukaryotes, a transition toward synergistic epistasis occurs (mutations have larger effects together than expected). We propose that antagonistic epistasis might be a property of compact genomes with few nonpleiotropic biological functions, whereas in complex genomes, synergism might emerge from mutational robustness.
Multimedia Human-Computer Interaction for Presence and Exploration in a Telemuseum

It is not always feasible or practical to be present at a location of interest. Telepresence makes such possible. This paper presents the design and implementation of a telepresence system in which a mobile manipulator robot is utilized to explore a museum at a remote site, sending live video and audio on demand to a user at the local site. The user's sense of presence is also enhanced through the capability to manipulate objects remotely via the robot's gripper. The display system is a slightly modified, off-the-shelf mediascope, a television display system that can be worn like a pair of glasses. The head movements of the user are monitored using color tracking, and the displayed images are updated according to the motions of the head. This is achieved by interpreting the human head movements and transforming them into control signals for appropriate movements of the robot and its mounted color camera. Novel features of the presented system include utilization of human implicit commands, availability and cost-effectiveness of the system, feeling of presence, and intelligence fusion of the human user (where to go and what to do) with the robot's intelligence (local obstacle avoidance and navigation). The multimedia interface and control of the system are described in detail. Additionally, a number of research issues that require further investigation in order to realize attainable, high fidelity telepresence systems are discussed in this paper.
Bacterial vaginosis, ethnicity, and the use of genital cleaning agents: a case control study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Bacterial vaginosis and vaginal douching are both reported to be more common in African-American and Caribbean than white women. It is also thought that douching alters the vaginal milieu. This study was conducted to examine associations between genital cleaning practices, bacterial vaginosis, and ethnic group. STUDY DESIGN Case-control study of 100 women with bacterial vaginosis, diagnosed by Nugent's criteria, and 100 women without bacterial vaginosis attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic in an ethnically heterogeneous inner-city area in London, England. RESULTS Bacterial vaginosis was more common among black Caribbean than white women (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1-4.1). Vulval use of bubble bath or antiseptic solutions and douching with proprietary or homemade solutions were significantly more common in women with bacterial vaginosis than without. After controlling for use of vulval and vaginal antiseptics and bubble bath, douching, and a history of bacterial vaginosis, there was no ethnic difference in the occurrence of the condition (adjusted OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.5-2.5). CONCLUSIONS Ethnic differences in genital hygiene behaviors can explain a twofold increase in the risk of bacterial vaginosis in black Caribbean compared with white women. The role of vulval and vaginal cleaning practices in the development of bacterial vaginosis should be examined further in longitudinal or randomized controlled studies.
Human Immune Proteome in Experimental Colonization with Staphylococcus aureus

ABSTRACT More than 20% of adults are persistently colonized with Staphylococcus aureus. When hospitalized, these carriers have increased risks of infection with their own strains. However, a recent study demonstrated a lower incidence of bacteremia-related death among carriers than among noncarriers, raising the question whether the adaptive immune system plays a protective role. In fact, S. aureus carriers mount a highly specific neutralizing antibody response against superantigens of their colonizing strains. We now used 2-dimensional immunoblotting to investigate the profiles of antibodies from healthy individuals against S. aureus extracellular proteins. Moreover, we tested whether symptom-free experimental colonization of these individuals with an S. aureus strain of low virulence, 8325-4, is sufficient to induce an antibody response. Sera obtained before and 4 weeks after colonization were screened for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody binding to extracellular staphylococcal proteins. At baseline, most volunteers harbored IgG directed against conserved virulence factors, including alpha-hemolysin (Hla), beta-hemolysin (Hlb), phospholipase C (Plc), staphylococcal serine protease (SspA), and cysteine protease (SspB). However, the variability of spot patterns and intensities was striking and could be important in case of infection. Experimental nasal colonization with S. aureus 8325-4 did not elicit new antibodies or boost the humoral response. Thus, the high antibody prevalence in humans is likely not induced by short-term nasal colonization, and presumably minor infections are required to trigger anti-S. aureus antibody responses.
Pain and bleeding associated with trephine biopsy

The study objectives were to determine the intensity and duration of pain, factors that may influence pain experience during and after trephine biopsy, and to assess bleeding and infectious complications related to the procedure. Patients scheduled for trephine biopsy were recruited to the study. Local anesthesia was applied in all patients. Pain intensity was recorded twice daily by the patients using the numeric rating scale (NRS). Bleeding was graded into four grades. Median age of 184 patients was 63 yr. Maximum NRS level was measured at time of biopsy (T0); 167 (91%) patients experienced pain at T0. Median (Q1 : Q3) NRS was 3 (1; 5). Median duration of pain was 36 h. Fourteen patients reported pain for more than 7 d. Significant inverse correlation was found between NRS at T0 and age. Pain duration at rest correlated with NRS at T0 and age, while pain duration in activity correlated with NRS at T0, age, and with body mass index (BMI). Mild and moderate bleeding at T0 occurred in 97 (54%) and 18 (10%) patients, respectively; no severe bleeding or infectious complications were registered. Secondary bleeding occurred in two patients; both required hospitalization. In conclusion, the study shows that despite the application of local anesthetic, more than 50% of the patients experienced pain of ≥3 points. Procedure‐related bleeding is mild to moderate and managed by local pressure only.
Synthesis and characterization of novel carboxymethyl Assam Bora rice starch for the controlled release of cationic anticancer drug based on electrostatic interactions

Carboxymethyl Assam Bora rice starch (CM-ABRS) was chemically synthesized in non-aqueous medium with the optimum degree of substitution (DS) of 1.23, and physicochemically characterized by FT-IR, DSC, XRD, and SEM analysis. Comparative evaluation of CM-ABRS with native starch (ABRS) for powder flow characteristics, swelling index, apparent solubility, rheological properties, textural properties, and mucoadhesive studies were carried out. The aim of the current work was to investigate the potential of CM-ABRS as a novel carrier for the water-soluble chemotherapeutic, doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX). Formation of drug/polymer complex (DOX-CM-ABRS) via electrostatic interaction has been evaluated for the controlled release of DOX in three different pH media (phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), pH 7.4, 6.8, and 5.5). In vitro drug release studies illustrated faster release of drug in PBS at pH 5.5 as compared to pH 6.8 and pH 7.4, respectively, indicating the importance of pH-sensitive drug release from the DOX-CM-ABRS complex in malignant tissues.
Simulation-based Evaluation of the Topic-Specific Trust Open Rating System

In order to understand how algorithms work in different scenarios, it is important to test them both on real and on synthetic data. This technical report provides the description of the simulation-based evaluation of the Topic-Specfic Open Rating System. It includes a complete description of the experiment setup, a motivation and also a detailed analysis of the results.
Promises and limitations of telepsychiatry in rural adult mental health care

Pioneers in telemedicine demonstrated as early as in the 1960s the effectiveness and acceptance of mental health administration, education and clinical treatment through the electronic medium. Two-way television was conducted in black and white, with limited audio fidelity and often on fairly small video screens. Furthermore, it was expensive. None the less, these early pioneers designed experiments to address the main problem of the time, access to quality health care.
Influence of Sawtooth Patterns on the Detection Properties of Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors

Sawtooth patterns in the I-V curves of superlattices result from the bistability induced by the negative differential resistance of the local J-F curve. This behavior has been extensively studied in weakly coupled superlattices from a transport point of view. In this paper, we show that the sawtooth patterns not only affect the dark current but also the noise and responsivity properties of a quantum well infrared photodetector. Their impact on the imaging properties of the detector is also quantified.
Eye Gaze Tracking Based on Pattern Voting Scheme for Mobile Device

In this paper, we proposed a novel and simple gaze calibration procedure, namely Pattern Voting Scheme (PVS), for reducing the computing complex. The proposed method doesn't require multiple spatial coordinates to estimate the inner and outer parameters of the camera and without regard to the evaluation of accuracy. The iris location can be determined easy by using the voting weight. The PVS is a simple and feasible method applying in mobile device.
Changes in the structure of synaptic junctions during climbing fiber synaptogenesis

Synaptogenesis between climbing fiber axons and Purkinje cells involves both an orderly translocation of synaptic junctions over the Purkinje cell surface and an elimination of all but one innervating axon. We used thin‐section and freeze‐fracture electron microscopic techniques to study structural changes in synaptic junctions during this interval of synapse translocation and elimination. In freeze‐fractured preparations, virtually all climbing fiber synaptic junctions with the perisomatic processes and somatic spines lacked the particle aggregates that characterized the extracellular half of the postsynaptic membrane of mature synaptic junctions with dendritic spines. Some climbing fiber junctions with the dendritic shaft in the second postnatal week were associated with such aggregates, despite the fact that these junctions are transient. Thus, during the interval when Purkinje cells initially were innervated by multiple climbing fibers, and subsequently denervated of all but one climbing fiber afferent per cell, only a few of the transient synaptic junctions on the cell body and proximal dendrites have associated particles. The presence of a particle aggregate at a synaptic junction does not appear to be correlated with the permanence of that junction and probably is not correlated with the capacity to support synaptic transmission. The particle aggregates might be indicative of relatively long‐lived junctions, or might occur only at junctions formed by the climbing fiber that will persist in synaptic contact with the mature Purkinje cell.
The critical role of type‐1 innate and acquired immunity in tumor immunotherapy

The discovery of a large array of tumor antigens has demonstrated that host lymphocytes can indeed recognize and destroy tumor cells as originally proposed in the cancer immunosurveillance hypothesis. Recent reports that led to the cancer immuno‐editing concept also strongly support the immunosurveillance hypothesis, and they further indicate that the host immune system plays a critical role not only in promoting host protection against cancer but also in selecting tumors that can better escape from immune attack. Thus, it is now clear that T cells have the ability to recognize and destroy spontaneously arising tumors. However, the generation of antitumor immunity is often difficult in the tumor‐bearing host because of various negative regulatory mechanisms. Here, we review our recent work on tumor immunotherapy, which utilizes the activation of type‐1 innate and/or acquired immunity as a potent strategy to overcome immunosuppression in the tumor‐bearing host. We have established a variety of tumor therapeutic protocols that aim to activate type‐1 immunity, such as tumor‐vaccine therapy with CpG encapsulated in liposomes, cell therapy using tumor‐specific Th1 cells, and gene therapy using gene‐engineered Th1 cells. We found that CpG encapsulated in liposomes stimulated IL‐12‐producing DC and induced IFN‐γ‐producing NK cells, NKT cells, and tumor‐specific CTL. Th1 cell therapy was also shown to be beneficial for acceleration of APC/Th1 cell‐cell interaction in the DLN, which was critical for inducing tumor‐specific CTL at the tumor site. Therefore, we conclude that the activation of type‐1 innate and acquired immunity is crucial for tumor immunotherapy in order to overcome strong immunosuppression in the tumor‐bearing host.
Detecting Geographically Dispersed Overlay Communities Using Community Networks

—Community detection is an extremely useful technique in understanding the structure and function of a social network. Louvain algorithm, which is based on Newman-Girman modularity optimization technique, is extensively used as a computationally efﬁcient method extract the communities in social networks. It has been suggested that the nodes that are in close geographical proximity have a higher tendency of forming communities. Variants of the Newman-Girman modularity measure such as dist-modularity try to normalize the effect of geographical proximity to extract geographically dispersed communities, at the expense of losing the information about the geographically proximate communities. In this work, we propose a method to extract geographically dispersed communities while preserving the information about the geographically proximate communities, by analyzing the ‘community network’, where the centroids of communities would be considered as network nodes. We suggest that the inter-community link strengths, which are normalized over the community sizes, may be used to identify and extract the ‘overlay communities’. The overlay communities would have relatively higher link strengths, despite being relatively apart in their spatial distribution. We apply this method to the Gowalla online social network, which contains the geographical signatures of its users, and identify the overlay communities within it.
Management and Pharmacotherapy of Chronic Pain Syndromes Including Opioid Pharmacotherapy

Abstract Emphasizing the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in the treatment and management of patients with chronic pain syndromes (CPS), this article reviews, first, non-pharmacologic approaches and modalities for CPS patients, and next, pharmacologic approaches for CPS patients. Flexibility and the use of multiple modalities are emphasized. The article concludes with the controversial subject of the use of long-term analgesic opioid pharmacotherapy in patients with chronic benign pain syndromes.
The Continuum of Psychosis and its Implication for the Structure of the Gene

Three observations challenge Kraepelin's binary view of the functional psychoses: a bimodal distribution of the clinical features of manic-depressive illness and schizophrenia has not been demonstrated; affective illness appears to predispose to schizophrenia in later generations; and “schizoaffective’ illnesses cannot be separated in family studies from either of the prototypical psychoses. The alternative concept is that psychosis is a continuum extending from unipolar, through bipolar affective illness and schizoaffective psychosis, to typical schizophrenia, with increasing degrees of defect. According to this concept the genes predisposing to psychosis have a degree of stability that ensures that the form of the psychosis tends to remain the same within families, but there is also the possibility of change, implying that the genetic mechanisms themselves are variable. It is proposed that quantal changes in the “virogene’ are due to replications within the genome (e.g. the generation of tandem repeats of the element or a component of it); that such replications occur at a critical stage (e.g. gametogenesis, fertilisation, very early embryogenesis) in the course of reproduction; and that the “season of birth effect’ reflects the operation of the mechanism responsible for these replications.
[Intraosseous infusion in children].

BACKGROUND Intravenous access in critically ill patients may be very difficult to obtain. The intraosseous route is an alternate way to administer fluids and drugs. CASE REPORT A five month old infant was brought to the emergency department in profound hypovolemia requiring immediate tracheal intubation. A peripheral venous access was established and 35 ml of colloid were rapidly infused. Unfortunately, fluid extravasated and the intravenous line had to be removed. As further attempts to gain intravenous access were unsuccessful, an intraosseous needle was inserted into the left tibia 1 cm below the tibial tuberosity, and colloid and human albumin solution were infused rapidly, followed by 1.4% sodium bicarbonate. After ninety minutes of intraosseous rehydration, 2 peripheral venous lines were inserted, and the intraosseous needle was removed. Bacteriological and viral cultures were negative. Four days after admission, the child was discharged in good condition. CONCLUSIONS Intraosseous infusion provides safe, rapid and reliable access to the circulation for administration of fluids and drugs in the critically ill child or during cardiac arrest.
A GENETIC ALGORITHM FOR P 300 FEATURE EXTRACTION UN ALGORITHME GÉNÉTIQUE POUR L ’ EXTRACTION DES CARACTÉRISTIQUES DU P 300

Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) systems collect and classify electroencephalogram (EEG) data to predict the desired command of the user. The P300 EEG signal is passively produced when a user observes or hears a desired stimulus. The P300 can be used with a visual display to allow a BMI user to select commands from an array of selections. P300 signal to noise ratios are low, to increase classification accuracy repeated unclassified signals, epochs, are often averaged before classification. The process of epoch averaging reduces the number of commands a user can select in a given amount of time. To improve command rate we explored classification of singleepoch P300 signals. An EEG BMI system was constructed to allow offline training and live testing. Using a genetic algorithm to select features of data we classified P300 signals with 78.3% accuracy using a Support Vector Machine classifier. Using multi-epoch averaging improved classification and enabled a simulated mobile-robot steering system. In live testing users were able to achieve 7.5 commands per minute and complete the steering challenge. The features selected by the genetic algorithm are discussed for use in future minimum-epoch P300 systems.
Type-2 fuzzy neural network controller for a class of nonlinear systems

This paper presents a direct adaptive type-2 fuzzy neural network controller to control nonlinear affine systems using feedback linearization theory and type-2 fuzzy neural networks. In this method, feedback linearization control input is approximated using a type-2 fuzzy neural network. The designed controller is applied to control the liquid level of the Twin-tank system and the results are compared to that of Adaptive-Network-Based Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). Simulation results show the ability of the proposed method to control nonlinear affine systems, especially in the presence of noisy data.
Evaluation of Methyl Fluoride and Dimethyl Ether as Inhibitors of Aerobic Methane Oxidation

Methyl fluoride (MF) and dimethyl ether (DME) were effective inhibitors of aerobic methanotrophy in a variety of soils. MF and DME blocked consumption of CH4 as well as the oxidation of 14CH4 to 14CO2, but neither MF nor DME affected the oxidation of [14C]methanol or [14C]formate to 14CO2. Cooxidation of ethane and propane by methane-oxidizing soils was also inhibited by MF. Nitrification (ammonia oxidation) in soils was inhibited by both MF and DME. Production of N2O via nitrification was inhibited by MF; however, MF did not affect N2O production associated with denitrification. Methanogenesis was partially inhibited by MF but not by DME. Methane oxidation was ∼100-fold more sensitive to MF than was methanogenesis, indicating that an optimum concentration could be employed to selectively block methanotrophy. MF inhibited methane oxidation by cell suspensions of Methylococcus capsulatus; however, DME was a much less effective inhibitor.
[Expression of NKG2A and NKG2C receptors and their ligand HLA-E in decidua of preeclampsia patients].

OBJECTIVE To investigatethe expressions of NKG2A, NKG2C receptors and their ligand HLA-E in decidua of preeclampsia patients. METHODS Decidua tissues were collected from 30 patients with mild preeclampsia, 42 patients with severe preeclampsia and 46 normal pregnancy as contrast. The expressions of NKG2A, NKG2C protein were detected by immunohistochemitry and mRNAs of NKG2A, NKG2C and HLA-E genes were detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS The expression of HLA-E mRNA was significantly decreased in preeclampsia, especially in severe preeclampsia patients (P < 0.05); The mRNA and protein expression of NKG2A, NKG2C in severe preeclampsia group were significantly higher than that in normal pregnancy group (P < 0.05); In the severe preeclampsia group, the ratio of expression level of NKG2A and NKG2C was significantly lower than that of normal group and the mRNA and protein expression of NKG2C receptor were both significantly higher than that of NKG2A (P < 0.05); The mRNA expression level of HLA-E, NKG2A and NKG2C were closely related with clinical and biochemical indexes,such as blood pressure of late pregnancy and 24-hour proteinuria. CONCLUSION The decreased expression of HLA-E and the unevenly increase of NKG2A and NKG2C may involve in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.
Survey on robotics and automation technologies for civil infrastructure

Over the past several decades, substantial amounts of sensors and sensing systems have been developed for civil infrastructure systems. This special issue focuses on state-of-the-art robotics and automation technologies, including construction automation, robotics, instrumentation, monitoring, inspection, control, and rehabilitation for civil infrastructure. The issue also covers construction informatics supporting sensing, analysis and design activities needed to operate smart and sustainable civil infrastructure. Examples include robotic systems applied to civil infrastructure and equipped with various sensing technologies, such as optical sensors, laser sensors, wireless sensors, multi-sensor fusion, etc. This special issue is published in an effort to disseminate current advances of various robotics and automation technologies for civil infrastructure and built environment.