Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study of selective ensemble learning method and its diversity based on decision tree and neural network

Diversity among base classifiers is known to be a necessary condition for improving ensemble learning performance. In this paper, methods of selective ensemble learning including hill-climbing selection, ensemble forward sequential selection, ensemble backward sequential selection and clustering selection are studied. To measure the diversity among base classifiers in ensemble learning, the entropy E is selected as measuring method of diversity. The results of experiment show that classifiers which have the highest diversity are obtained using selective methods, and the ensemble performance is superior to the best single classifier. In addition, the classifiers selected by clustering selective technology also have the above characteristics, and the changes of the diversity are smaller when the accuracy has smaller fluctuations. Meanwhile, the number of clusters also impacts on the ensemble performance.
A NEW PARALLELIZABLE DEFORMATION METHOD - Automatic Comparision between Foot and Last

This document shows the research project developed by the Computer Graphics and Vision Group in collaboration with Inescop. The main objective of this project is to define a new methodology to design shoes exactly adapted to the shape foot. The system proposed is based on a biomechanical anatomical structure of the foot and using a deformable shape. Using with several joints adapted the different foots to different shoe last evaluating the error between the surfaces. The system is automatic driven in the selection of significant foot points. We consider several anthropometrical parts of the foot in order to apply the deformations of the shape with different axis. The proposed system is implemented in software. An associated Application Programming Interface (API) is also developed for commercial use of the system. Also the results presented evaluate the error between deformations.
Subclinical myopathy in patients affected with early stage colorectal cancer at disease onset: No evidence of inflammatory cells infiltration in the skeletal muscle biopsies harvested during diagnostic laparoscopy

Skeletal muscle biopsies harvested from asymptomatic patients affected with early stage colorectal cancer present centralized and central myonuclei, a feature that may be indicative of tumor associated muscle disorders, potentially leading to cachexia. Biopsy of the rectus abdominis muscle were harvested during elective laparoscopic tumor resection, before any chemotherapeutic treatment. , thus excluding the most trivial ethiologic hypothesis. On the other hands, anestetics and other medications could induce a mild myopathy that we may exclude on the basis of morphometric analyses, ATPase histochemichemistry, and
Effects of dietary vitamin E type on the growth performance and antioxidant capacity in cyclophosphamide immunosuppressed broilers

&NA; Reactive oxygen species and free radicals play multiple roles in some immune‐pathological events. Vitamin E, as a very potent antioxidant, perhaps deceases the potentially negative effects of such oxidative stress to prevent immune‐pathological damage to broilers. Therefore, the current study investigated the effects of dietary natural (D‐&agr;‐tocopherol) and synthetic (DL‐&agr;‐tocopherol acetate) vitamin E on the growth performance and antioxidant capacity in cyclophosphamide (CY) immunosuppressed broilers. 192 one‐day‐old male Arbor Acre broilers were randomly distributed into 4 groups: 1) non‐CY‐challenged control; 2) CY‐challenged control; 3) CY‐challenged group+20 IU DL‐&agr;‐tocopherol acetate per kg feed; and 4) CY‐challenged group+20 IU D‐&agr;‐tocopherol per kg feed. The maize‐soybean basal diet in the control group contained &agr;‐tocopherol (7.12 mg/kg). Broilers were intramuscularly injected with 80 mg/kg body weight of CY or sterile saline at 16, 17, and 18 d of age. CY decreased (P < 0.05) the average daily gain and average daily feed intake, but vitamin E did not alter the growth performance of broilers before or after CY injection (P > 0.05). The decreased absolute weight of the spleen, thymus and bursa, serum interleukin 2 (IL‐2), and interleukin 6 (IL‐2) concentrations in CY‐treated broilers were alleviated by vitamin E (P < 0.05). The decreased relative weight (g/kg body weight) of the bursa in the CY‐treated broilers was increased by natural vitamin E (P < 0.05). The CY‐induced increases in malondialdehyde (MDA) content and decreases in total antioxidant capacity (T‐AOC), glutathione, vitamin C, and &agr;‐tocopherol levels, and total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities in both serum and the liver were attenuated by vitamin E (P < 0.05). Additionally, natural vitamin E increased &agr;‐tocopherol and T‐AOC levels and decreased MDA content in the liver of CY‐treated broilers (P < 0.05) when compared to the synthetic form. In summary, both synthetic and natural vitamin E supplementation improved lymphoid organ weights, serum IL‐2 and IL‐6 levels, and antioxidant capacity of immunosuppressed broilers induced by CY. Especially, natural vitamin E was superior to the synthetic form and enhanced &agr;‐tocopherol and T‐AOC levels, reduced MDA concentration in the liver, and alleviated the immune damage of the bursa.
MRI study of the size, symmetry and function of the trunk muscles among elite cricketers with and without low back pain

Objectives: To determine if asymmetry of trunk muscles and deficits of motor control exist among elite cricketers with and without low back pain (LBP). Design: Single-blinded observational quasi-experimental design study Setting: Assessments were conducted in a hospital setting. Participants: Among a total eligible sample of 26 male elite cricketers (mean age 21.2 (SD 2.0) years), selected to attend a national training camp, 21 participated in the study. Risk factors: The independent variables were ‘group’ (LBP or asymptomatic) and ‘cricket position’ (fast bowler versus the rest of the squad). Main outcome measurements: The dependent variables were the cross-sectional areas (CSA) of the quadratus lumborum (QL), lumbar erector spinae plus multifidus (LES + M) and psoas muscles, the thickness of the internal oblique (IO) and transversus abdominis (TrA) muscles, and the amount of lateral slide of the anterior abdominal fascia. Results: The QL and LES + M muscles were larger ipsilateral to the dominant arm. In the subgroup of fast bowlers with LBP, the asymmetry in the QL muscle was the greatest. The IO muscle was larger on the side contralateral to the dominant arm. No difference between sides was found for the psoas and TrA muscles. Cricketers with LBP showed a reduced ability to draw in the abdominal wall and contract the TrA muscle independently of the other abdominal muscles. Conclusions: This study provides new insights into trunk muscle size and function in elite cricketers, and evidence of impaired motor control in elite cricketers with LBP. Rehabilitation using a motor control approach has been shown to be effective for subjects with LBP, and this may also benefit elite cricketers.
[Effects of absorption enhancers on intestinal absorption of lumbrokinase].

AIM To explore the intestinal absorption characteristics of lumbrokinase (YJM-I) in the absence or presence of various absorption enhancers and to find the optimum intestinal site for YJM-I absorption. METHODS The absorption kinetics and absorption intestinal sites for YJM-I absorption were investigated with the method of diffusion cell in vitro, duodenum bolus injection, recirculating perfusion and in situ duodenum perfusion in vivo. RESULTS YJM-I could be transported into blood and kept its biological activity across intestinal endothelial membrane after administration via duodenum site, whereas with lower bioavailability. Some of the absorption enhancers were shown good enhancement effects on intestinal absorption of YJM-I in vitro and in situ experiments. The order of enhanced efficiencies of various enhancers on duodenum, ileum and jejunum in vitro permeation experiments were shown as follows: 1% chitosan > 1% SDCh > 1% Na2EDTA > 1% SDS > 1% sodium caprylate > 1% poloxamer > 1% HP-beta-CD. The order of enhanced efficiencies of various enhancers on duodenum absorption of YJM-I in vivo were as follows: 2.5% SDCh > 2.5% Na2EDTA > 2.0% chitosan > 2.5% SDS > 2.5% sodium caprylate > 2.5% Poloxamer > 2.5% HP-beta-CD. CONCLUSION The results indicated that the absorption of YJM-I could be enhanced by various enhancers, and duodenum was the optimum absorption site of YJM-I. Furthermore, bio-adhesive chitosan might be a potential enhancer of intestinal YJM-I absorption.
A Novel Uniform Discrete Multitone Transceiver with Power-Allocation for Digital Subscriber Line

A novel Uniform Discrete Multitone (DMT) transceiver is proposed, utilizing a wavelet packet based filter bank transmultiplexer in conjunction with a DMT transceiver. The proposed transceiver decomposes the channel spectrum into subbands of equal bandwidth. The objective is to minimize the bit error rate (BER), which is increased by channel-noise amplification. This noise amplification is due to the Zero-Forcing equalization (ZFE) technique. Quantization of the channel-noise amplification is presented, based on post-equalization signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and probability of error in all subbands of the Uniform DMT system. A modified power loading algorithm is applied to allocate variable power according to subband gains. A BER performance comparison of the Uniform DMT with variable and uniform power-loading and with a conventional DMT system in a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) channel is presented.
Role of programmed cell death in normal neuronal development and function

The consequences of eliminating the process of programmed cell death during the development of the nervous system is examined by reviewing studies in the genetic model organisms Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Danio rerio and Mus musculus, where mutations of cell death genes have eliminated or reduced programmed cell death in the nervous system. In many cases, genetic elimination of cell death leads to embryonic mortality or gross anatomical malformations; however, there are cases where animals develop normally but with excess neurons and glia in the nervous system. Undead cells either differentiate and function as working neurons, in some instances being of smaller size, or fail to differentiate and lack normal connections with their targets. Changes in motor control and sensory processing are generally not observed, except for during the most complex of behaviors. Examination of organisms where death genes have been genetically eliminated reveals that programmed cell death may play an important role in sculpting gross brain structure during early development of the neural tube. In contrast, the consequences of preventing neuronal cell death at later developmental stages (e.g. during vertebrate synapse formation) are just beginning to be understood.
Preparation of a blue luminescent nanosheet derived from layered perovskite Bi2SrTa2O9.

We succeeded in the exfoliation of Bi2SrTa2O9 to a mono-nanosheet for the first time. The thickness of the nanosheet obtained by AFM measurement was about 1.3 nm. The nanosheet itself showed visible blue luminescence under excitation at 285 nm at room temperature. The luminescence property of the nanosheet was largely sensitive to the change in the surface environment such as adsorption of H+ and/or OH-.
A low-voltage design of digitally-controlled oscillator based on the gm/ID methodology

A low-voltage digitally-controlled oscillator (DCO) utilized in a medical implant communication service (MICS) frequency band is designed. A DCO core operating in sub-threshold region is designed based on the gm/ID methodology for optimization. The oscillation frequency is tuned by digital logic block. Thermometer coder with data-weighted averaging and delta-sigma modulator (DSM) are implemented for frequency tuning. High frequency resolution is achieved by using the DSM. The DCO fabricated in a 130-nm CMOS technology has achieved a phase noise of -115.3 dBc/Hz at 200 kHz offset frequency with tuning range of 382 MHz to 412 MHz for the MICS band. It consumes 840 μW from a 0.7-V supply voltage and has a high frequency resolution of 18 kHz.
Coaggregation Facilitates Interspecies Hydrogen Transfer between Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum and Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus

ABSTRACT A thermophilic syntrophic bacterium, Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum strain SI, was grown in a monoculture or coculture with a hydrogenotrophic methanogen, Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus strain ΔH. Microscopic observation revealed that cells of each organism were dispersed in a monoculture independent of the growth substrate. In a coculture, however, these organisms coaggregated to different degrees depending on the substrate; namely, a large fraction of the cells coaggregated when they were grown on propionate, but relatively few cells coaggregated when they were grown on ethanol or 1-propanol. Field emission-scanning electron microscopy revealed that flagellum-like filaments of SI cells played a role in making contact with ΔH cells. Microscopic observation of aggregates also showed that extracellular polymeric substance-like structures were present in intercellular spaces. In order to evaluate the importance of coaggregation for syntrophic propionate oxidation, allowable average distances between SI and ΔH cells for accomplishing efficient interspecies hydrogen transfer were calculated by using Fick's diffusion law. The allowable distance for syntrophic propionate oxidation was estimated to be approximately 2 μm, while the allowable distances for ethanol and propanol oxidation were 16 μm and 32 μm, respectively. Considering that the mean cell-to-cell distance in the randomly dispersed culture was approximately 30 μm (at a concentration in the mid-exponential growth phase of the coculture of 5 × 107 cells ml−1), it is obvious that close physical contact of these organisms by coaggregation is indispensable for efficient syntrophic propionate oxidation.
A Randomized, Double-Blinded Comparison of Thoracic Epidural Ropivacaine, Ropivacaine/Fentanyl, or Bupivacaine/Fentanyl for Postthoracotomy Analgesia

Epidural ropivacaine has not been compared with bupivacaine for postthoracotomy analgesia. Eighty patients undergoing elective lung surgery were randomized in a double-blinded manner to receive one of three solutions for high thoracic epidural analgesia. A continuous epidural infusion of 0.1 mL · kg−1 · h−1 of either 0.2% ropivacaine, 0.15% ropivacaine/fentanyl 5 &mgr;g/mL, or 0.1% bupivacaine/fentanyl 5 &mgr;g/mL was started at admission to the intensive care unit. We assessed pain scores (rest and spirometry), IV morphine consumption, spirometry, hand grip strength, Paco2, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and side effects (sedation, nausea, vomiting, and pruritus) for 48 h. Thoracic epidural ropivacaine/fentanyl provided adequate pain relief similar to bupivacaine/fentanyl during the first 2 postoperative days after posterolateral thoracotomy. The use of plain 0.2% ropivacaine was associated with worse pain control during spirometry, larger consumption of IV morphine, and increased incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Morphine requirements were larger in the ropivacaine group, with no differences between bupivacaine/fentanyl and ropivacaine/fentanyl groups. Patients in the ropivacaine group experienced more pain and performed worse in spirometry than patients who received epidural fentanyl. There was no significant difference in motor block. We conclude that epidural ropivacaine/fentanyl offers no clinical advantage compared with bupivacaine/fentanyl for postthoracotomy analgesia.
Role of the vagus nerve in the development and treatment of diet‐induced obesity

This review highlights evidence for a role of the vagus nerve in the development of obesity and how targeting the vagus nerve with neuromodulation or pharmacology can be used as a therapeutic treatment of obesity. The vagus nerve innervating the gut plays an important role in controlling metabolism. It communicates peripheral information about the volume and type of nutrients between the gut and the brain. Depending on the nutritional status, vagal afferent neurons express two different neurochemical phenotypes that can inhibit or stimulate food intake. Chronic ingestion of calorie‐rich diets reduces sensitivity of vagal afferent neurons to peripheral signals and their constitutive expression of orexigenic receptors and neuropeptides. This disruption of vagal afferent signalling is sufficient to drive hyperphagia and obesity. Furthermore neuromodulation of the vagus nerve can be used in the treatment of obesity. Although the mechanisms are poorly understood, vagal nerve stimulation prevents weight gain in response to a high‐fat diet. In small clinical studies, in patients with depression or epilepsy, vagal nerve stimulation has been demonstrated to promote weight loss. Vagal blockade, which inhibits the vagus nerve, results in significant weight loss. Vagal blockade is proposed to inhibit aberrant orexigenic signals arising in obesity as a putative mechanism of vagal blockade‐induced weight loss. Approaches and molecular targets to develop future pharmacotherapy targeted to the vagus nerve for the treatment of obesity are proposed. In conclusion there is strong evidence that the vagus nerve is involved in the development of obesity and it is proving to be an attractive target for the treatment of obesity.
Subwavelength Substrate-Integrated Fabry-Pérot Cavity Antennas Using Artificial Magnetic Conductor

This paper presents the high-gain low-profile subwavelength substrate-integrated Fabry-Pérot (FP) cavity antennas with artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) sheets. A partially reflective planar AMC sheet and a ground plane are used as the two reflectors of the FP-type resonant cavity for an ultra-thin planar design. The cavity is fully filled with dielectric substrate for further reduction of thickness of the antenna and easy integration. A microstrip patch antenna is embedded into the cavity as a feed. As design examples, the antennas are designed to operate at 10 GHz with a fixed overall thickness of λ0/9 (where λ0 is the operating wavelength in free space) and an aperture of 2λ0 × 2λ0. The losses caused by both dielectric and conductors are analyzed, which are critical for a fully dielectric substrate antenna design. The via-walls surrounding the radiating aperture are introduced to improve radiation patterns and gain by suppressing the surface waves, which are another critical loss for a thin fully dielectric substrate antenna design. Measured results show that such dielectric-integrated subwavelength cavity antennas feature the high gain of 12.5 dBi, low profile, easy integration into circuit board, and mechanical robustness, which makes them suitable for low-cost mass production.
[Metabolic changes in patients with hereditary fructose intolerance. A contribution to the topic of fructose administration for parenteral feeding].

The literature contains a number of reports of death following the intravenous administration of fructose in patients with hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI). The aim of the present study was, therefore, to investigate the metabolic changes occurring during intravenous administration of fructose to patients with HFI, with the aim of identifying metabolic parameters that would permit the early diagnosis of HFI. Also, the deaths reported in the literature were analyzed. In three of our own patients with fruit intolerance known since childhood, and in volunteers with normal metabolism, a one-hour intravenous fructose tolerance test (1.7 g fructose/min) was performed. An analysis was done using the usual enzymatic and chemical methods: blood glucose, fructose, lactic acid, serum uric acid, ammonia, free fatty acids, inorganic phosphate, and serum amino acids (ion exchange chromatography). During fructose infusion, the following metabolic changes were detected: hypoglycemia (20 to 60 mg/dl), increase in blood fructose levels (up to 350 mg/dl), hypophosphatemia (2 to 3 mg/dl), hyperlacticacidemia (up to 60 mg/dl), elevation of plasma ammonia levels (up to 120 mg/dl), increased serum glutamate, and a decrease in serum glutamine, as also hyperuricemia (up to 10 mg/dl). On termination of the fructose infusion, these changes were completely reversible. Analysis of the deaths reported in the literature revealed a known intolerance to fruit or sweets, and that no regular metabolic studies were apparently performed. Although HFI is rare, use should be made of the known advantages of sugar substitutes in post-aggression metabolism. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Rewarming from hypothermia leads to elevated plasma lipopolysaccharide concentrations.

Rewarming victims of hypothermia such as divers or immersion victims, participants in winter sports and military operations, and surgical patients on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) may lead to vascular instability, multiorgan failure, shock, and even death. While the causes of these rewarming symptoms are unknown, they may be related to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) translocated from the intestines into the circulation due to splanchnic ischemia. We have determined LPS during the cooling (to 31.5 degrees-34.0 degrees C) and rewarming phases of hypothermic surgery in 11 patients at the Stanford University Medical Center. During rewarming, there was an LPS spike in 6/11, in one more patient there was an LPS spike during surgery but not during rewarming, and in 4/11 there was no rise in LPS, i.e., a temporary endotoxemia occurred in 7/11 (63.6%) patients, usually at the commencement of rewarming. All four patients with no LPS spike received dexamethasone for at least 7 days before surgery. We propose that hypothermia reduced splanchnic blood flow (BF), causing ischemic damage to the gut wall and translocation of LPS from the gut into the vascular space. Upon rewarming, splanchnic BF is restored, the translocated LPS transits from the splanchnic to the systemic circulations as a bolus, and the gut wall is healed. No sequelae occurred in these patients because of their adequately functioning immune systems. However, had they been immunocompromised, symptoms might have occurred. Rewarming of accident victims probably also incurs a similar risk of endotoxemia, and dexamethasone may have protected the gut wall. Further studies are indicated.
The yeast zinc finger regulators Pdr1p and Pdr3p control pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) as homo‐ and heterodimers in vivo

The transcription factors Pdr1p and Pdr3p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae mediate pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) by controlling expression of ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporters such as Pdr5p, Snq2p and Yor1p. Previous in vitro studies demonstrated that Pdr1p and Pdr3p recognize so‐called pleiotropic drug resistance elements (PDREs) in the promoters of target genes. In this study, we show that both Pdr1p and Pdr3p are phosphoproteins; Pdr3p isoforms migrate as two bands in gel electrophoresis, reflecting two distinct phosphorylation states. Most importantly, native co‐immunoprecipitation experiments, using functional epitope‐tagged Pdr1p/Pdr3p variants, demonstrate that Pdr1p and Pdr3p can form both homo‐ and heterodimers in vivo. Furthermore, in vivo footprinting of PDRE‐containing promoters demonstrate that Pdr1p/Pdr3p constitutively occupy both perfect and degenerate PDREs in vivo. Thus, in addition to interaction with other regulators, differential dimerization provides a plausible explanation for the observation that Pdr3p and Pdr1p can both positively and negatively control PDR promoters with different combinations of perfect and degenerate PDREs.