Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal-fetal weight relationships in primates.

Analysis of maternal-fetal weight relationships in primates based on the regression equation F (fetal weight) = b · M (maternal weight)a indicates that prosimian and anthropoid primates are separated by an allometric shift which can be interpreted as a result of differences in placental structures. The regular occurrence of multiple births in both prosimians and anthropoids is limited to small-sized species only, and is considered to be the result of selective pressure against oversized dimensions of the fetus at term to guarantee successful delivery. Twinning in callithricids is demonstrated as having developed secondarily as a byproduct of evolutionary miniaturization, rather than as a retention of a primitive mammalian feature.
Semantic indoor scenes recognition based on visual saliency and part-based features

This paper presents a semantic indoor scene recognition method used for an autonomous mobile robot. The proposed method comprises feature description using accelerated KAZE (AKAZE), saliency maps (SMs) for feature selection, creating bags of visual words (BoVWs) using self-organizing maps (SOMs), and incorporating scene recognition based on category maps using counter propagation networks (CPNs). Saliency-based features are used in semantic indoor scene recognition. This study was conducted to evaluate the combination of salient features. We conducted evaluation experiments using a public benchmark dataset for comparison of feature sets of three types. We demonstrated basic properties of feature combination using part-based key-point feature descriptors according to saliency local regions consisted of generic objects.
Vaccines against Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus for humans and camels

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoV) is caused by a novel betacoronavirus that was isolated in late 2012 in Saudi Arabia. The viral infections have been reported in more than 1700 humans, ranging from asymptomatic or mild cases to severe pneumonia with a mortality rate of 40%. It is well documented now that dromedary camels contract the infection and shed the virus without notable symptoms, and such animals had been infected by at least the early 1980s. The mechanism of camel to human transmission is still not clear, but several primary cases have been associated with camel contact. There is no approved antiviral drug or vaccine against MERS‐CoV despite the active research in this area. Vaccine candidates have been developed using various platforms and regimens and have been tested in several animal models. Here, this article reviews the published studies on MERS‐CoV vaccines with more focus on vaccines tested in large animals, including camels. It is foreseeable that the 1‐health approach could be the best way of tackling the MERS‐CoV endemic in the Arabian Peninsula, by using the mass vaccination of camels in the affected areas to block camel to human transmission. Camel vaccines can be developed in a faster time with fewer regulations and lower costs and could clear this virus from the Arabian Peninsula if accompanied by efficient public health measures.
GATA1 Binding Kinetics on Conformation-Specific Binding Sites Elicit Differential Transcriptional Regulation

ABSTRACT GATA1 organizes erythroid and megakaryocytic differentiation by orchestrating the expression of multiple genes that show diversified expression profiles. Here, we demonstrate that GATA1 monovalently binds to a single GATA motif (Single-GATA) while a monomeric GATA1 and a homodimeric GATA1 bivalently bind to two GATA motifs in palindromic (Pal-GATA) and direct-repeat (Tandem-GATA) arrangements, respectively, and form higher stoichiometric complexes on respective elements. The amino-terminal zinc (N) finger of GATA1 critically contributes to high occupancy of GATA1 on Pal-GATA. GATA1 lacking the N finger-DNA association fails to trigger a rate of target gene expression comparable to that seen with the wild-type GATA1, especially when expressed at low level. This study revealed that Pal-GATA and Tandem-GATA generate transcriptional responses from GATA1 target genes distinct from the response of Single-GATA. Our results support the notion that the distinct alignments in binding motifs are part of a critical regulatory strategy that diversifies and modulates transcriptional regulation by GATA1.
Plant transcription factors from the homeodomain‐leucine zipper family I. Role in development and stress responses

In front of stressful conditions plants display adaptation mechanisms leading to changes in their morphology, physiology, development and molecular composition. Transcription factors (TFs) play crucial roles in these complex adaptation processes. This work is focused in the homeodomain‐leucine zipper I (HD‐Zip I) family of TFs, unique to plants. First discovered in 1991, they were identified and isolated from monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants showing high structural similarity and diversified functions. These TFs have, besides the homeodomain and leucine zipper, conserved motifs in their carboxy‐termini allowing the interaction with the basal machinery and with other regulatory proteins. The model dicotyledonous plant Arabidopsis thaliana has 17 HD‐Zip I members; most of them regulated by external stimuli and hormones. These TFs are involved in key developmental processes like root and stem elongation, rosette leaves morphology determination, inflorescence stem branching, flowering and pollen hydration. Moreover, they are key players in responses to environmental stresses and illumination conditions. Several HD‐Zip I encoding genes from different species were protected in patents because their overexpression or mutation generates improved agronomical phenotypes. Here we discuss many aspects about these TFs including structural features, biological functions and their utilization as biotechnological tools to improve crops. © 2017 IUBMB Life, 69(5):280–289, 2017
Anatomical and functional effects of lateral cervical hemicontusion in adult rats.

PURPOSE Cervical injuries are the most common form of spinal cord injury (SCI), and are often complicated by pathological secondary damage. Therefore, cervical SCI is of great clinical importance for understanding pathology and potential therapies. Here we utilize a weight drop cervical hemi-contusion injury model using a NYU/MASCIS impactor that produced graded anatomical and functional deficits. METHODS Three groups of rats were established: 1) Sham (laminectomy only) (n = 6), 12.5 mm weight drop (n = 10), and 25 mm weight drop (n = 10) SCI groups. Forelimb functional assessments of grooming ability, cereal manipulation, and forepaw adhesive removal were performed weekly after injury. Using transcranial magnetic motor evoked potentials (tcMMEPs), supraspinal motor stimulations were recorded in both forelimbs and hindlimbs at 5 and 28d post-injury. Lesion volume and myelinated tissue area were assessed through histological analysis. RESULTS A 12.5 mm weight drop height produced considerable tissue damage compared to Sham animals, while a 25 mm drop induced even greater damage than the 12.5 mm drop (p < 0.05). Forelimb functional assessments showed that increased injury severity and tissue damage was correlated to the degree of forelimb functional deficits. Interestingly, the hindlimbs showed little to no motor function loss. Upon tcMMEP stimulation, surprisingly little motor signal was recorded in the hindlimbs despite outward evidence of hindlimb motor recovery. CONCLUSIONS Our findings highlight a correlation between anatomical damage and functional outcome in a graded cervical hemi-contusion model, and support a loss of descending motor control from supraspinal inputs and intraspinal plasticity that promote spontaneous hindlimb functional recovery in this model.
Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound Examination in Dogs with Suspected Intracranial Hypertension Caused by Neurologic Diseases

Background Transcranial Doppler ultrasound examination (TCD) is a rapid, noninvasive technique used to evaluate cerebral blood flow and is useful for the detection of intracranial hypertension in humans. However, the clinical usefulness of TCD in diagnosing intracranial hypertension has not been demonstrated for intracranial diseases in dogs. Objectives To determine the association between the TCD variables and intracranial hypertension in dogs with intracranial diseases. Animals Fifty client‐owned dogs with neurologic signs. Methods Cross‐sectional study. All dogs underwent TCD of the basilar artery under isoflurane anesthesia after magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dogs were classified into 3 groups based on MRI findings: no structural diseases (group I), structural disease without MRI evidence of intracranial hypertension (group II), and structural disease with MRI evidence of intracranial hypertension (group III). The TCD vascular resistance variables (resistive index [RI], pulsatility index [PI], and the ratio of systolic to diastolic mean velocity [Sm/Dm]) were measured. Results Fifteen, 22, and 13 dogs were classified into groups I, II, and III, respectively. Dogs in group III had significantly higher Sm/Dm (median, 1.78; range, 1.44–2.58) than those in group I (median, 1.63; range, 1.43–1.75) and group II (median, 1.62; range, 1.27–2.10). No significant differences in RI and PI were identified among groups. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Our findings suggest that increased Sm/Dm is associated with MRI findings of suspected intracranial hypertension in dogs with intracranial diseases and that TCD could be a useful tool to help to diagnose intracranial hypertension.
The object of the sensory cortex.

The phenomenon of "transfer" is used to draw attention to the point that whereas the brain stem animal can solve a variety of individual problem ad hoc, only the intact animal appears to be able to use the result of one problem to solve a closely related problem. It is suggested that this is because information is organized in the cortex as objects and concepts, rather than as a set of more or less elaborate features. The shortcomings of a hierarchical system of feature detectors as a model of cortical organization are examined, and compared with a distributive model. It is pointed out that our ways of thinking about complex tones--e.g. their pitch and harmonic structure--is related to the fact that sound suffers a Fourier transform at the cochlea, and it is this transform which is represented in the brain stem. It is suggested that an analogous integral transform may equally naturally represent the data as "objects" in the cortex. The resistance of such transforms to degradation by ablation, and the implication for single neurone behaviour are discussed.
Verification of effect of sleep health education program in workplace: a quasi-randomized controlled trial

Short sleep duration is a serious problem that not only enhances the risk of various mental and physical disorders, but also affects the productivity in the workplace. However, in terms of studies focused on workers, there are few reports that evaluated sleeping conditions in an objective way. The purpose of this study is to implement sleep health education in the workplace in terms of primary prevention of mental health disorder and then to investigate the subjective and objective effectiveness of the education using self-administered questionnaires (sleep duration, ESS, AIS, PHQ-9, SF-8) and an activity monitor (MTN-210). Study design is a quasi-randomized controlled trial. Sleep health education was provided through three 50-min lectures (total 150 min) as a single cycle for five months in the Intervention group. We obtained baseline data and then six months later. The study analyzed 70 subjects (36 Intervention group, 34 Control group). The weekday sleep duration for the Control group decreased by 12.9 min, whereas that of the Intervention group increased by 14.3 min (difference of 27.2 min), resulting in a significantly increase in score for the Intervention group. The present study suggests that sleep health education may be beneficial for good sleep habits in workers.
The Regulatory Role of the Oral Commensal Streptococcus mitis on Human Monocytes

Streptococcus mitis colonizes all niches of the human oral cavity from early infancy and throughout life. Monocytes patrol blood vessels, lymphoid and non‐lymphoid tissues and migrate into infected tissue where they participate in the inflammatory cascade and immune regulation. Here, we studied the effect of S. mitis on monocytes. Transcriptome analysis of monocytes exposed to S. mitis (SmMo) revealed increased transcription of chemotactic factors (CCL2, CCL3, CCL20, CXCL1, CXCL2) and cytokines (IL1A, IL1B, IL6, IL23, IL36G, TNF), indicating that S. mitis may trigger recruitment of leucocytes and initiate inflammation. Increased transcription in SmMo of IL1B, IL6 and IL23 indicated that S. mitis may participate in the induction of Th17 responses and agreed with our earlier findings of S. mitis‐mediated memory Th17 reactivity. Furthermore, S. mitis inhibited tetanus toxoid‐specific CD4 T cell proliferation. This can be due to the increased secretion of IL‐10 and expression of PD‐L1 that was observed in SmMo. PGE2 can modulate IL‐10 and PD‐L1 expression, concomitant with that of CCR7, IL‐12 and IL‐23 that also were changed. This, along with increased SmMo transcription of PTGS2 (COX2) and PTGER4 (EP4), pointed to a role of PGE2. Measurement of PGE2 secretion by SmMo showed indeed a marked increase, and chemical inhibition of PGE2 production lowered the PD‐L1 expression on SmMo. In conclusion, our findings show that S. mitis may trigger immune modulation by recruiting immune cells to the site of infection, while at the same time dampening the severity of the response through expression of IL‐10, PGE2 and PD‐L1.
Title A cohort study of Plasmodium falciparum infection dynamics in Western Kenya Highlands Permalink

Background: The Kenyan highlands were malaria-free before the 1910s, but a series of malaria epidemics have occurred in the highlands of western Kenya since the 1980s. Longitudinal studies of the genetic structure, complexity, infection dynamics, and duration of naturally acquired Plasmodium falciparum infections are needed to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of malaria epidemiology in the complex Kenyan highland ecoepidemiological systems where malaria recently expanded, as well as the evaluation of control measures. Methods: We followed a cohort of 246 children residing in 3 villages at altitudes 1430 1580 m in western Kenya. Monthly parasitological surveys were undertaken for one year, yielding 866 P. falciparum isolates that were analyzed using 10 microsatellite markers. Results: Infection complexity and genetic diversity were high (HE = 0.787-0.816), with ≥83% of infections harboring more than one parasite clone. Diversity remained high even during the low malaria transmission season. There was no significant difference between levels of genetic diversity and population structure between high and low transmission seasons. Infection turn-over rate was high, with the average infection duration of single parasite genotypes being 1.11 months, and the longest genotype persistence was 3 months. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that despite the relatively recent spread of malaria to the highlands, parasite populations seem to have stabilized with no evidence of bottlenecks between seasons, while the ability of residents to clear or control infections indicates presence of effective anti-plasmodial immune mechanisms.
Chemoprevention of Prostate Cancer: Concepts and Strategies

Chemoprevention is the administration of agents to prevent induction and inhibit or delay progression of cancers. For prostate, as for other cancer targets, successful chemopreventive strategies require well-characterized agents, suitable cohorts, and reliable intermediate biomarkers of cancer for evaluating chemopreventive efficacy. Agent requirements are experimental or epidemiological data showing chemopreventive efficacy, safety on chronic administration, and a mechanistic rationale for the observed chemopreventive activity. On this basis, promising chemopreventive drugs in prostate include retinoids, antiandrogens, antiestrogens, steroid aromatase inhibitors, 5α-reductase inhibitors, vitamins D and E, selenium, lycopene, and 2-difluoromethylornithine. Phase II trials are critical for evaluating chemopreventive efficacy. Cohorts in these trials should be suitable for measuring the chemopreventive activity of the agent and the intermediate biomarkers chosen as endpoints. Many cohorts proposed for phase II trials are patients with previous cancers or premalignant lesions. For such patients, trials should be conducted within the context of standard treatment. Two cohorts currently used in phase II prostate cancer chemoprevention trials are patients with PIN and patients scheduled for prostate cancer surgery. Biomarkers should fit expected biological mechanisms, be assayed reliably and quantitatively, measured easily, and correlate to decreased cancer incidence. Protocols for adequately sampling tissue are essential. Changes in PIN provide prostate biomarkers with the ability to be quantified and a high correlation to cancer. PIN measurements include nuclear polymorphism, nucleolar size and number of nucleoli/nuclei, and DNA ploidy. Other potentially useful biomarkers are associated with cellular proliferation kinetics (e.g. PCNA and apoptosis), differentiation (e.g. blood group antigens, vimentin), genetic damage (e.g. LOH on chromosome 8), signal transduction (e.g. TGFα, TGFβ, IGF-I, c-erbB-2 expression), angiogenesis, and biochemical changes (e.g. PSA levels).
A national survey of infectious disease practitioners on their use of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT)

Abstract Background: The use of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) is standard medical practice; however, significant heterogeneity in practice exists. We hypothesized that formal OPAT programs are associated with increased physician participation in patient safety activities. Methods: United States Infectious Disease (ID) physicians were contacted and asked to participate in an electronic survey from April through June 2012. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: In all, 3718 physicians were contacted and 316 (8.5%) responded. Respondents practice in 47 states; the majority (79%) practice adult ID, 11% pediatric ID, 10% a combination of the two. Sixty percent reported that ID consultation was not mandatory before OPAT, and 75% of these respondents thought it should be compulsory. The most common indications were osteomyelitis, prosthetic joint infections, and endocarditis, and the most common antibiotics were vancomycin, ceftriaxone, and ertapenem. Most respondents (59%) discharge patients with OPAT weekly, and have a median number of 11 OPAT patients (95% confidence interval (CI) 8.5–13.4). Half of respondents have a formal OPAT program. Fifty-two percent report no systematic method of communication between inpatient and outpatient physicians when patients are discharged with OPAT, 49% have no systematic method of lab tracking, and 34% have no method of ensuring patient adherence to clinic visits. All of these patient safety measures were more likely to be present in practice sites with formal OPAT programs (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Opportunities exist for improving OPAT monitoring and patient safety. Formal OPAT programs provide the framework for safe and effective care and are to be encouraged.
Seasonal reservoir management in hydro dominant power systems to enhance availability

This paper presents reliability evaluation techniques and models for a hydro dominant system using analytical methods. Generation adequacy evaluation is done using the IEEE reliability test system modeled as a hydro dominant system, taking into account energy storage limitations of hydro plants. Seasonal analysis of storage type hydro is performed to save and have less water spillage when water inflow is high, and use it to supply load in dry months when water inflow is low and system is not capable to supply load. Studies represented in this paper specifically utilize different operating policies to save and transfer energy from wet season to dry season, and analyze its reliability benefits.
Accurate determination of dielectric permittivity of polymers from 75  GHz to 1.6  THz using both S-parameters and transmission spectroscopy.

Interactions of terahertz (THz) electromagnetic radiation with polymer materials have been studied recently with increasing depth and breadth, for purposes of both using polymers in fabricating THz optical components such as lenses, waveplates, waveguides, and sample holders/containers, and employing THz spectral imaging as a new tool for nondestructive testing of polymer composite structures. Either endeavor cannot even begin without a quantitative knowledge of the complex dielectric permittivity, i.e., the propagation and attenuation properties of such polymers in the requisite wave band. In this paper, a number of non-polar and non-magnetic polymers, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, and polymethyl methacrylate, are studied for the purpose of determining their complex dielectric permittivity, including its real part and imaginary parts, in the wide frequency band from millimeter wave to THz wave (75 GHz-1.6 THz), in two ways. The first is a free space method based on a vector network analyzer covering the frequency region from 75 to 500 GHz, and the second is the THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS), effective for the region of 100 GHz-1.6 THz. The results are consistent with existing data (with discrepancies less than 1% in most cases for both the index of refraction and the absorption coefficient), and where they overlap in frequency coverage, the two methods yield identical results to within measurement error.
Wearable device for literacy activities with people with down syndrome

This paper investigates the use of Wearable Computing in the development of tools that can aid in learning activities. We propose an embedded system in the form of a smart glove that takes advantage of body movement to create the persistence of vision effect. This allows for the display of letters and words in literacy activities. Other functionalities have been added to the system, such as a laser emitter for interaction with the classroom environment and Bluetooth capabilities which allows for remote configuration. It is also possible to use the glove to control other systems in the environment, such as multimedia projectors. The device proposed in this work was preliminary evaluated for literacy activities with people with Down's Syndrome. The usability tests were automated by AffDex. This software allowed for the quantification of attention and engagement during activities.
Dynamic model of an interleaved modular multilevel DC-DC converter for MVDC and HVDC systems

The first comprehensive dynamic state-space model of an interleaved DC-MMC is presented. The DC-MMC is one of a new class of non-isolated modular multilevel dc-dc converters that are rapidly gaining traction for deployment in MVDC and HVDC systems. A non-linear time-averaged model of a two-string interleaved DC-MMC is derived that fully represents internal capacitor voltage dynamics and converter terminal dynamics. Simulation results verify the time-averaged model exactly captures the low-frequency dynamics of a full switched converter model implemented in PLECS. The model can be used for a variety of applications, for example, rapid time-domain simulation of the DC-MMC, study of internal cell power transfer mechanisms, and analysis of harmonics and circulating currents.