Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A watch-type human activity detector for the aged care

Human activity recognition is widely researched in the various filed these days. For the aged care, the one of the most important activities of old people is fall, since it causes often serious physical and psychological results. Many researchers have studied human activity recognition techniques in various domains; however none released to a commercial product satisfying the old people requirements, which are comfortable to wear it, weight-lighted and having exact accuracy to detect emergency activity and longer battery durance. Thus, to address them, we propose a systematic evaluating procedure for getting best minimum feature sets and best classification accuracy. We also do experiments for comparing the two features reduction techniques and four classification techniques in order to discriminate four each basic human activities, such as fall for the aged care, walking, hand related shocks and lastly general activity which is just last all arbitrary behaviour except existed three other patterns.
A CMOS RF Programmable-Gain Amplifier for Digital TV With a  $+$9-dBm IIP3 Cross-Coupled Common-Gate LNA

A CMOS RF programmable-gain amplifier (RFPGA) is designed for a digital television receiver. In order to obtain high linearity with wide bandwidth, a common-gate (CG) low-noise amplifier (LNA) with transconductance nonlinearity cancellation is proposed for the RFPGA. The proposed LNA achieves high linearity while maintaining low-noise and low-power characteristics by applying a g"m nonlinearity cancellation technique to the cross-coupled CG configuration. The proposed RFPGA is designed with a 0.13-μm CMOS process and measured. The measurement result at maximum gain mode shows a gain of 17.5-19.8 dB, a noise figure of 1.9-3.9 dB, an input-referred third-order intercept point of 6-9.1 dBm, an input-referred second-order intercept point of 22.4-25 dBm, and an input impedance matching of less than -10 dB over the range of 48-860 MHz with 5.4-mW power consumption at a 1.8-V supply voltage. The total gain range of the proposed RFPGA covers 55 dB with a 1-dB resolution.
PCR enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for diagnosis of leishmaniasis in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients

A PCR enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) involving the use of bone marrow aspirates (BMA) and blood samples (BS) for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients was developed with primers selected from the sequence of the small-subunit rRNA gene and compared with direct examination and in vitro cultivation. The PCR was optimized for routine diagnosis: processing of samples with lysis of erythrocytes without isolation of leukocytes, enzymatic prevention of contamination, internal control of the reaction, and ELISA testing in a microtitration plate hybridization. Of 79 samples (33 BMA and 46 BS) from 77 patients without VL, all the results were negative. Fifty-three samples (9 BMA and 44 BS) were obtained from 13 patients with VL: 6 samples drawn during anti-Leishmania treatment were negative whatever the technique used, and 47 samples (9 BMA and 38 BS) were positive with at least one technique. The sensitivities were 51% (24 of 47), 81% (38 of 47), and 98% (46 of 47) for direct examination, culture, and PCR, respectively. Thus, PCR ELISA is reliable for diagnosing VL in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients, and blood sampling should be sufficient for the follow-up.
Characterization of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis PbDfg5p, a cell‐wall protein implicated in filamentous growth

The dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the causative agent of the most frequent systemic mycosis in Latin America. In humans, infection starts by inhalation of fungal propagules, which reach the pulmonary epithelium and differentiate into the yeast parasitic phase. Here we describe the characterization of a Dfg5p (defective for filamentous growth) homologue of P. brasiliensis, a predictable cell wall protein, first identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The protein, the cDNA and genomic sequences were analysed. The cloned cDNA was expressed in Escherichia coli and the purified rPbDfg5p was used to obtain polyclonal antibodies. Immunoelectron microscopy and biochemical studies demonstrated the presence of PbDfg5p in the fungal cell wall. Enzymatic treatments identified PbDfg5p as a β‐glucan linked protein that undergoes N‐glycosylation. The rPbDfg5p bound to extracellular matrix components, indicating that those interactions could be important for initial steps leading to P. brasiliensis attachment and colonization of host tissues. The P. brasiliensis dfg5 nucleotide and deduced protein, PbDfg5p, sequences reported in this paper had been submitted to the GenBank database under Accession Nos AY307855 (cDNA) and DQ534495 (genomic). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy mitigates the adverse effect of cigarette smoking on the bone healing of tibial lengthening: an experimental study on rabbits.

OBJECT We investigated whether -intermittent hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy can mitigate the adverse effects of cigarette smoking on the bone healing of tibial lengthening by using a previously validated rabbit model. METHODS Eighteen male rabbits were randomly divided into three groups of six animals each. Group 1 (smoking plus HBO) went through intermittent cigarette smoke inhalation and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, group 2 (control) did not go through intermittent cigarette smoke inhalation or hyperbaric oxygen therapy and group 3 (smoking) went through intermittent cigarette smoke inhalation. Each animal's right tibia was lengthened 5 mm by using an uniplanar lengthening device. Bone mineral density (BMD) study was performed for all the animals at 1 day before operation and 3, 4, 5, and 6 weeks after operation. All of the animals were killed at 6 weeks postoperatively for biomechanical testing. RESULTS By using the preoperative BMD as an internal control, we found that the BMD of group 1 (smoking plus HBO)and group 2 (control) was superior to that of group 3 (smoking). The mean %BMD at 3, 4, 5, and 6 weeks were 58.6%, 66.6%, 73.7%, and 83.8%, respectively, in group 1, whereas the mean %BMD were 52.0%, 64.3%, 70.1%, and 76.2%, respectively, in group 2, and the mean %BMD were 46.2%, 54.0%, 64.9%, and 69.4%, respectively, in group 3 (two-tailed t test, p > 0.05, p > 0.05, p > 0.05, and p < 0.05 at 3, 4, 5, and 6 week respectively between group 1 and group 2, p < 0.01,p < 0.01,p < 0.01, and p < 0.01 at 3, 4, 5, and 6 week, respectively, between group 1 and group 3 and p < 0.05, p < 0.05, p < 0.05, and p < 0.05 at 3, 4, 5, and 6 week respectively between group 2 and group 3). By using the contralateral nonoperated tibia as an internal control, we found that the torsional strength of group 1 (smoking plus HBO) and group 2 (control) was superior to that of group 3 (smoking). The mean percentage of maximum torque was 80.9% in group 1 (smoking plus HBO) and was 78.0% in group 2 (control), whereas the mean percentage of maximum torque was 59.6 % in group 3 (smoking) (two-tailed t test, p < 0.05 between groups land 3 and between groups 2 and 3, whereas p > 0.05 between groups 1 and 2). CONCLUSION This study suggests that smoke inhalation delays the bone healing in tibial lengthening; however, HBO mitigates the delayed healing effect of smoke inhalation and, thus, helps the smoking animal in achieving an expeditious bone healing in tibial lengthening.
Conditionality and Endogenous Policy Formation in a Political Setting

The paper examines two issues associated with aid and fiscal policy. First, how best the conditionality behind foreign aid, sometimes non-economic, is complied with in a principal-agent framework. In a multiple task and multiple principal framework, principals are better off cooperating and making the agent’s efforts more complementary. Secondly, I examine endogenous policy formation in the context of domestic politics. This involves interaction between policy makers and domestic special interest groups. Outside donors need to be aware of these processes, so that they can ultimately influence it. I examine 3 endogenous policy processes: median voter, lobbying, and a combination of political contributions as well as altruism.
A Live Diarrheal Vaccine Imprints a Th2 Cell Bias and Acts as an Anti-Inflammatory Vaccine1

An experimental vaccine for enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) composed of a live, attenuated Salmonella vector-expressing enterotoxigenic E. coli fimbriae, colonization factor Ag I (CFA/I), stimulated a biphasic Th cell response when given orally and suppressed the normally produced proinflammatory response. Such suppression was also evident upon the Salmonella-CFA/I infection of macrophages resulting in diminished TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6 production and suggesting that the CFA/I fimbrial expression by Salmonella may protect against a proinflammatory disease. To test this hypothesis, SJL/J mice were vaccinated with Salmonella-CFA/I construct 1 or 4 wk before induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis using an encephalitogenic proteolipid protein peptide, PLP139–151. Mice receiving Salmonella-CFA/I vaccine recovered completely from mild acute clinical disease and showed only mild inflammatory infiltrates in the spinal cord white and gray matter. This protective effect was accompanied by a loss of encephalitogenic IFN-γ-secreting Th cells and was replaced with an increase in IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13 secretion. Collectively, these data suggested that Salmonella-CFA/I is an anti-inflammatory vaccine that down-regulates proinflammatory cells and confers protection against a proinflammatory disease, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, via immune deviation.
Heavy pollution suppresses light rain in China: Observations and modeling

Long-term observational data reveal that both the frequency and amount of light rain have decreased in eastern China (EC) for 1956-2005 with high spatial coherency. This is different from the trend of total rainfall observed in EC, which decreases in northern EC and increases in southern EC. To examine the cause of the light rain trends, we analyzed the long-term variability of atmospheric water vapor and its correlation with light rain events. Results show very weak relationships between large-scale moisture transport and light rain in EC. This suggests that light rain trend in EC is not driven by large-scale circulation changes. Because of human activities, pollutant emission has increased dramatically in China for the last few decades, leading to significant reductions in visibility between 1960 and 2000. Cloud-resolving model simulations show that aerosols corresponding to heavily polluted conditions can significantly increase the cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and reduce droplet sizes compared to pristine conditions. This can lead to a significant decline in raindrop concentration and delay raindrop formation because smaller cloud droplets are less efficient in the collision and coalescence processes. Together with weaker convection, the precipitation frequency and amount are significantly reduced in the polluted case. Satellite datamore » also reveal higher CDNC and smaller droplet size over polluted land in EC relative to pristine regions, which is consistent with the model results. This evidence suggests that the significantly increased aerosol particles produced by air pollution are at least partly responsible for the decreased light rain events observed in China over the past fifty years. « less
Escherichia coli Enterotoxin B Subunit Triggers Apoptosis of CD8+ T Cells by Activating Transcription Factor c-Myc

ABSTRACT Heat-labile enterotoxin from enterotoxinogenic Escherichia coli is not only an important cause of diarrhea in humans and domestic animals but also possesses potent immunomodulatory properties. Recently, the nontoxic, receptor-binding B subunit of heat-labile enterotoxin (EtxB) was found to induce the selective death of CD8+ T cells, suggesting that EtxB may trigger activation of proapoptotic signaling pathways. Here we show that EtxB treatment of CD8+ T cells but not of CD4+ T cells triggers the specific up-regulation of the transcription factorc-myc, implicated in the control of cell proliferation, differentiation, and death. A concomitant elevation in Myc protein levels was also evident, with peak expression occurring 4 h posttreatment. Preincubation with c-myc antisense oligodeoxynucleotides demonstrated that Myc expression was necessary for EtxB-mediated apoptosis. Myc activation was also associated with an increase of IκBα turnover, suggesting that elevated Myc expression may be dependent on NF-κB. When CD8+ T cells were pretreated with inhibitors of IκBα turnover and NF-κB translocation, this resulted in a marked reduction in both EtxB-induced apoptosis and Myc expression. Further, a non-receptor-binding mutant of EtxB, EtxB(G33D), was shown to lack the capacity to activate Myc transcription. These findings provide further evidence that EtxB is a signaling molecule that triggers activation of transcription factors involved in cell survival.
Cytokine changes after a marathon race.

The influence of carbohydrate (1 l/h of a 6% carbohydrate beverage), gender, and age on pro- and anti-inflammatory plasma cytokine and hormone changes was studied in 98 runners for 1.5 h after two competitive marathon races. The marathoner runners were randomly assigned to carbohydrate (C, n = 48) and placebo (P, n = 50) groups, with beverages administered during the races in a double-blind fashion using color codes. Plasma glucose was higher and cortisol was lower in the C than in the P group after the race (P < 0.001). For all subjects combined, plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-10, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), IL-6, and IL-8 rose significantly immediately after the race and remained above prerace levels 1.5 h later. The pattern of change in all cytokines did not differ significantly between the 12 women and 86 men in the study and the 23 subjects > or =50 yr of age and the 75 subjects <50 yr of age. The pattern of change in IL-10, IL-1ra, and IL-8, but not IL-6, differed significantly between the C and the P group, with higher postrace values measured for IL-10 (109% higher) and IL-1ra (212%) in the P group and for IL-8 (42%) in the C group. In conclusion, plasma levels of IL-10, IL-1ra, IL-6, and IL-8 rose strongly in runners after a competitive marathon, and this was not influenced by age or gender. Carbohydrate ingestion, however, had a major effect in attenuating increases in cortisol and two anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-10 and IL-1ra.
Actigraphic Evaluation of Motor Fluctuations in Patients with Parkinson's Disease

ABSTRACT Background: There is growing interest in developing inexpensive and objective motor fluctuation evaluation methods for Parkinson's disease (PD). Objectives: We aim to compare activity level in the off state, on state, and dyskinetic periods as evaluated either by a physician during a levodopa challenge or by a 72-hr on–off diary self-evaluation in the ambulatory setting. Finally, the effect of daily activities on motor activity in PD and healthy controls was further explored. Methods: The study was conducted in three consecutive phases. For phase I, in which the on state, off state, and dyskinesia were evaluated using actigraphy, recordings were made during standard acute levodopa challenge in nine dyskinetic PD patients. For phase II, a different set of 16 dyskinetic PD patients was monitored in the ambulatory setting for 72 consecutive hours by actigraphy and a standardized on–off diary. For phase III, 62 PD patients and 14 age- and sex-matched healthy controls wore an actigraph and completed a daily activities diary for 7 days. Results: No differences in activity level between on state and off state during the acute levodopa challenge (phase I) or the 72-hr ambulatory period (phase II) were found. Activity during dyskinesia periods was significantly higher than during on state periods without dyskinesia (p < .01). During the third phase, dyskinetic PD patients and healthy controls showed higher actigraphy-measured activity as compared to de novo, stable, or fluctuating PD (p < .0001), which remained unaltered by daily activities performed during the study period. Tremor UPDRS scores did not correlate with activity level. Conclusions: These results confirm the lack of specificity of simple wrist-worn actigraphy and further suggest it may be suitable for dyskinesia assessment but not for on state and off state evaluation.
Lack of Primary Mutations Associated With Integrase Inhibitors Among HIV-1 Subtypes B, C, and F Circulating in Brazil

Background:Antiretroviral drugs targeting integrase (IN) have recently been approved for use in combined and salvage therapeutic interventions. Objective:To evaluate the presence of natural polymorphisms and resistance mutations associated with IN inhibitors among HIV-1 subtypes B, C, and F samples obtained from drug-naive individuals and patients failing highly active antiretroviral therapy in Brazil. Methods:Proviral DNA was obtained from blood samples of 105 HIV-1-positive drug-naive patients infected by B, C, or F subtypes and plasma viral RNA from 30 subtype B-infected individuals failing highly active antiretroviral therapy. The IN region was amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction and automatically sequenced for subtype determination. Translated amino acid sequences were inspected for IN mutations associated with antiretroviral resistance. Results:Eleven mutations described as conferring in vitro resistance to IN strand transfer inhibitors were detected among the HIV-1 Brazilian samples. V72I and V201I were considered as polymorphisms. Major mutations associated with elvitegravir or raltegravir in vivo resistance (Q148K/H/R, N155H) were not detected. Conclusions:Although some naturally occurring polymorphisms were observed, the absence of major resistance mutations for the current IN inhibitors provides a good rationale for the introduction of these drugs in Brazil. These results highlight the importance of the continuous surveillance of IN genetic diversity.
Eradication of Helicobacter pylori induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation of heterotopic proliferative glands in infected Mongolian gerbils

Mongolian gerbils infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) develop heterotopic proliferative glands (HPGs) in the glandular stomach submucosa. To investigate the effects of H. pylori eradication on cell turnover in HPGs, three antibiotics, lansoprazole, amoxicillin and clarithromycin, were administered at 50 or 75 weeks after inoculation of H. pylori, and the stomachs were excised for histological examination at 1, 2, 4, 8 or 25 weeks thereafter. The HPGs were classified into gastric type (G‐type) and others (Gl+I‐type), which included both pure intestinal (I‐type) and gastric‐and‐intestinal mixed type (Gl‐type). Apoptosis and cell proliferation were evaluated by means of TUNEL assay and BrdU labeling, respectively. At 8 weeks post‐eradication, apoptotic indices were significantly increased in the eradication group (G‐type: 2.5%; Gl+I‐type: 7.2%) compared to the non‐eradication group (G‐type: 0.6%; Gl+I‐type: 2.1%: P<0.01), while BrdU labeling indices were significantly decreased (G‐type: 1.9%; Gl+I‐type: 6.8% as compared with 4.3% and 13.2%, respectively, P<0.01 for both). At 25 weeks, the apoptotic indices were similarly higher [G‐type: 0.4 (eradication group) vs. 0.2% (non‐eradication group); Gl+I‐type: 5.8 vs. 1.1%, both P<0.01], and the BrdU labeling indices (G‐type: 0.8 vs. 2.2%, P<0.01; Gl+I‐type: 5.1 vs. 11%, P<0.05) continued to be lower in HPGs. Furthermore, there were highly significant reductions in the areas of HPGs at 8 and 25 weeks post‐eradication. These findings demonstrated that eradication results in apoptosis and reduction of proliferation of HPGs in H. pylori‐infected gerbils, these lesions thus being apparently reversible through regulation of cell kinetics.
Organization of the zebra finch song control system: Functional organization of outputs from nucleus robustus archistriatalis

The organization of projections from nucleus robustus archistriatalis (RA) was mapped by a combination of anatomical tracer techniques. After injections of retrograde tracers in the syringeal part of the hypoglossal motor nucleus (nXIIts), labelled cells were seen in ipsilateral RA, in agreement with previous work. However, a shallow band in the dorsal and dorsocaudal part of RA did not contain labelled cells. Cells in this “cap” area were labelled following tracer injections in the dorsomedial nucleus of midbrain ICo (DM), the other known target of RA projections. The topography of outputs to nXIIts was further examined by making small injections of retrograde tracer into physiologically identified control zones for individual syringeal muscles in nXIIts. The distribution of labelled cells in RA revealed bands of cells that cross RA in approximately horizontal layers and project to different parts of nXIIts. This topography was confirmed with the anterograde tracer PHA‐L. Thus RA contains two functional subdivisions, one related to midbrain centers for vocalization and the other directly controlling syringeal motorneurons. The latter area can be further divided into zones that preferentially engage particular syringeal muscles.
Impact of the Fåhraeus Effect on NO and O2 Biotransport: A Computer Model

Nitric oxide (NO) and oxygen (O2) transport in the microcirculation are coupled in a complex manner, since enzymatic production of NO depends on O2 availability, NO modulates vascular tone and O2 delivery, and tissue O2 consumption is reversibly inhibited by NO. The authors investigated whether NO bioavailability is influenced by the well‐known Fåhraeus effect, which has been observed for over 70 years. This phenomenon occurs in small‐diameter blood vessels, where the tube hematocrit is reduced below systemic hematocrit as a plasma boundary layer forms near the vascular wall when flowing red blood cells (rbcs) migrate toward the center of the bloodstream. Since hemoglobin in the bloodstream is thought to be the primary scavenger of NO in vivo, this might have a significant impact on NO transport. To investigate this possibility, the authors developed a multilayered mathematical model for mass transport in arterioles using finite element numerical methods to simulate coupled NO and O2 transport in the blood vessel lumen, plasma layer, endothelium, vascular wall, and surrounding tissue. The Fåhraeus effect was modeled by varying plasma layer thickness while increasing core hematocrit based on conservation of mass. Key findings from this study are that (1) despite an increase in the NO scavenging rate in the core with higher hematocrit, the model predicts enhanced vascular wall and tissue NO bioavailability due to the relatively greater resistance for NO diffusion through the plasma layer; (2) increasing the plasma layer thickness also increases the resistance for O2 diffusion, causing a larger PO2 gradient near the vascular wall and decreasing tissue O2 availability, although this can be partially offset with inhibition of O2 consumption by higher tissue NO levels; (3) the Fåhraeus effect can become very significant in smaller blood vessels (diameters < 30 μm); and (4) models that ignore the Fåhraeus effect may underestimate NO concentrations in blood and tissue.
A High-Fidelity Computationally Efficient Transient Model of Interior Permanent-Magnet Machine With Stator Turn Fault

An accurate transient model of interior permanent-magnet (IPM) machine with stator turn fault with due account of magnetic saturation is essential to develop robust and sensitive interturn fault detection algorithms and to evaluate drive controller performance and stability under fault conditions. This paper proposes a general method of modeling stator turn fault using flux linkage map of IPM machine under fault extracted from finite-element (FE) analysis. Simulation results from the proposed fault model are compared against FE and experimental results. The results show that the proposed model matches well with experimental data.