Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms underlying extremely fast muscle V˙O2 on‐kinetics in humans

The time constant of the primary phase of pulmonary V˙ O2 on‐kinetics (τp), which reflects muscle V˙ O2 kinetics during moderate‐intensity exercise, is about 30 s in young healthy untrained individuals, while it can be as low as 8 s in endurance‐trained athletes. We aimed to determine the intramuscular factors that enable very low values of t0.63 to be achieved (analogous to τp, t0.63 is the time to reach 63% of the V˙ O2 amplitude). A computer model of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in skeletal muscle was used. Muscle t0.63 was near‐linearly proportional to the difference in phosphocreatine (PCr) concentration between rest and work (ΔPCr). Of the two main factors that determine t0.63, a huge increase in either OXPHOS activity (six‐ to eightfold) or each‐step activation (ESA) of OXPHOS intensity (>3‐fold) was needed to reduce muscle t0.63 from the reference value of 29 s (selected to represent young untrained subjects) to below 10 s (observed in athletes) when altered separately. On the other hand, the effect of a simultaneous increase of both OXPHOS activity and ESA intensity required only a twofold elevation of each to decrease t0.63 below 10 s. Of note, the dependence of t0.63 on OXPHOS activity and ESA intensity is hyperbolic, meaning that in trained individuals a large increase in OXPHOS activity and ESA intensity are required to elicit a small reduction in τp. In summary, we postulate that the synergistic action of elevated OXPHOS activity and ESA intensity is responsible for extremely low τp (t0.63) observed in highly endurance‐trained athletes.
The Influence of a Particular Error Pattern on the Error Correction Performance of RS+Convolutional Concatenated Code

Our paper introduces a typical concatenated code, analyzes its performance about the error correcting capability and possible vulnerability. Moreover, an error pattern is proposed based on its coding structure. We also made a simulation to compare the influence to the decoding performance of concatenated code between the proposed error pattern and the traditional random error patterns. The simulation results show that the effect degree of erroneous pattern proposed on the concatenated code is higher than that of the random error pattern.
Increasing Anti-Tobacco Industry Attitudes Among Youth: A Pilot Study of a Multiplayer Educational Board Game.

OBJECTIVE An anti-tobacco educational board game, Smoke Stacks, was designed to engage youth in critical thinking regarding marketing practices of tobacco companies and tobacco's harmful effects. A pilot study was conducted to examine whether playing this theoretically informed that board game increased knowledge about tobacco use and negative attitudes toward tobacco companies, and decreased behavioral intentions to use tobacco. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty-seven teenagers aged 14-18 participated in the game assessment. Pre-/postevaluation methods were used to assess change in participant attitudes, knowledge, and intentions following gameplay. RESULTS Compared to baseline, participants reported substantially increased self-perceived knowledge of the health effects of tobacco (P = 0.001) and were significantly more likely to agree that tobacco companies encourage young people to start smoking (P = 0.001), and that tobacco companies deny that cigarettes cause cancer and other diseases (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION This pilot study demonstrates that youth who played Smoke Stacks gained perceived knowledge and increased negative attitudes toward tobacco company tactics for encouraging smoking and discounting potential health risks of cigarettes.
Simultaneous stimulation in bilateral leg motor areas with intermittent theta burst stimulation to improve functional performance after stroke: a feasibility pilot study.

BACKGROUND Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) was widely used in stroke rehabilitation and was more efficient than repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in terms of inducing larger motor evoked potential and producing longer effects. To our knowledge, the outcomes are not available combining rehabilitation and iTBS for improving motor function of lower extremities in patients with stroke. AIM To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of intermittent theta burst stimulation aiming to stimulate bilateral leg motor cortex and promote functional improvements. DESIGN A single blind, randomized controlled pilot study. SETTING Rehabilitation ward. POPULATION Twenty patients with chronic stroke finally enrolled for analyzed. METHODS Participants were randomized into two groups to receive 10 sessions of iTBS group and sham group over a 5-week period. The iTBS was delivered over the midline of skull to stimulate bilateral leg motor cortex. The outcome measures included balance, mobility, and leg motor functions were measured before and after interventions. RESULTS Within-group differences were significant in the Berg Balance Scale for both groups (Z=-2.442, P=0.015 in iTBS group; Z=-2.094, P=0.036 in sham group), in the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (Z=-2.264, P=0.024) and Overall Stability Index of Biodex Balance System of iTBS group (Z=-2.124, P=0.034). However, no significant between-group differences were found. CONCLUSIONS There was no powerful evidence to support the effectiveness of iTBS group better than sham control group. Some essential technical issues should be considered for future studies applying iTBS to stimulate bilateral leg motor cortex. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT iTBS combined with stroke rehabilitation are probably expected to be useful to promote brain plasticity and functional performance but some technical issues should be carefully considered.
Lysophosphatidic acid acts on LPA1 receptor to increase H2O2 during flow‐induced dilation in human adipose arterioles

NO produces arteriolar flow‐induced dilation (FID) in healthy subjects but is replaced by mitochondria‐derived hydrogen peroxide (mtH2O2) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is elevated in patients with risk factors for CAD, but its functional effect in arterioles is unknown. We tested whether elevated LPA changes the mediator of FID from NO to mtH2O2 in human visceral and subcutaneous adipose arterioles.
Impact of RF Processing and Switching Errors in Lens-Based Massive MIMO Systems

Lens-based massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems have considerable potential to reduce signal processing cost at millimeter-wave frequencies. As a result, they are able to lower the effective channel dimension via beam selection, realized with a network of radio-frequency (RF) switches. However, lens arrays suffer from the inherent quantization of the beamspace, as well as errors due to imperfections in the lens construction itself. Unlike prior works, we model the above effects in the context of a Rotman lens-enabled massive MIMO system. Assuming line-of-sight propagation, we derive analytical approximations of the expected (average) signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) of a terminal and ergodic sum spectral efficiency of the system. Our analysis caters for spillover losses in the Rotman lens and imperfections in the RF switching matrix, caused by impedance mismatches, as well as poor port isolation. The presented numerical results show large degradation in the expected SINR and ergodic spectral efficiency when considering the above imperfections, yielding more accurate performance assessment of lens-based massive MIMO systems.
Management of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding by an Internist

Nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) carries high morbidity and mortality, which can be lowered by timely evaluation and management. This article presents a comprehensive literature review and current guidelines for the management of nonvariceal UGIB by an internist. Pre-endoscopic management includes optimal resuscitation, and making a decision about holding the anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy versus continuation due to risk of thrombosis. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are beneficial for both ulcer and nonulcer diseases as they reduce the risk of re-bleeding by clot stabilization. Endoscopy should only be performed after hemodynamic stability has been achieved and should not be delayed by more than 24 hours. Resumption of anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy is based on endoscopic findings and thromboembolic risk. The patient should be discharged on PPIs and should be followed up by a primary care physician.
Modeling Natural Language Controlled Robotic Operations

There are multiple ways to control a robotic system. Most of them require the users to have prior knowledge about robots. Natural language based control is a very promising method due to its versatility, ease of use, and without the need for extensive training for novice users. Since natural language instructions from users cannot be understood by the robots directly, the linguistic input has to be processed into a formal representation which captures the task specification and removes the ambiguity inherent in natural language. For most of existing natural language controlled robotic system, they assume the given language instructions are already in correct orders. However, it is very likely for untrained users to give commands in a mixed order based on their direct observation and intuitive thinking. Simply following the order of the commands can lead to failures of tasks. To provide a remedy for the problem, we propose a framework named Dependency Relation Matrix (DRM) to model and organize the linguistic input, in order to figure out a feasible subtask sequence for later execution. Besides, the proposed approach projects both linguistic input and sensory information into the same space, and use the difference between the goal specification and temporal sensory feedback to drive the system moving forward. It also helps to monitor the progress of task execution by comparing the temporal sensory feedback and the goal configuration. In this paper, we describe the DRM framework in detail, and illustrate the utility of this approach with experiment results.
An Op-Amp Approach for Bandpass VGAs With Constant Bandwidth

Two approaches to implement variable gain amplifiers based on Miller op-amps are discussed. One has true constant bandwidth while the other has essentially reduced bandwidth variations with varying gain. Servo-loops and ac coupling techniques with quasi floating gate transistors are used to provide a bandpass response with very low cutoff frequency in the range of hertz. In practice, one of the schemes is shown to have bandwidth variations close to a factor two while the second one has true constant bandwidth over the gain tuning range. Experimental results of test chip prototypes in 180-nm CMOS technology verify the theoretical claims.
An Improved Gain Perturbation Method for Common-Mode Rejection Ratio Analysis

Common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) analysis in analytical form requires a careful treatment on the differential component in an operational amplifier (opamp) circuit. If not carefully modeled, inaccurate numerical result will be generated. In this work we improve an existing gain perturbation method by introducing a systematic procedure and show the improvement via an example.
Modeling and Combating Blockage in Millimeter Wave Systems

There has been substantial interest in understanding the impact of blockage for millimeter wave systems. The 3GPP standard proposes a flat 30 dB blockage model for hand (or self) blockage, and a double knife-edge diffraction (DKED) model-based loss estimation for other humans, vehicles, etc. The 30 dB flat model is based on horn antenna measurements which typically correspond to narrower beamwidths and the DKED model typically assumes omni-antenna measurements. In this work, using measurements from a 28 GHz experimental prototype with phased antenna arrays, we propose more realistic and considerably more optimistic models for hand and body blockage. We also study the time-scales over which millimeter wave links stay coherent and non-degrading due to Doppler and blockage dynamics. We show that dynamic subarray switching provides a reasonable solution to handle these impairments in millimeter wave systems.
A Real-time and Low-cost 3D SLAM System Based on a Continuously Rotating 2D Laser Scanner

This paper presents a real-time and low-cost 3D SLAM system which is suitable for autonomous navigation and large scale environment reconstruction. The 3D SLAM system is based on a rotating 2D planar laser scanner driven by a step motor. The challenge is that the range measurements are received at different times when the 3D Lidar is moving, which will result in big distortion of the local 3D point cloud and making accurate registration very diffcult. To solve this problem, we first propose a robust laser odometry by using local map instead of keyframe to reduce the local drift. Then, we propose a coarse-to-fine graph optimization method to minimize the global drift. The proposed 3D SLAM system is advantageous due to its mechanical simplicity, mobility, low weight, low cost and real-time estimation. To validate the performance of the proposed system, we carried out several experiments to verify its accuracy, robustness and efficiency. The experimental results show that our system can accurately estimate the trajectory of the sensor and build a quality 3D point cloud map simultaneously.
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Knowledge Assessment among Saudi Women

BACKGROUND: IDF estimates that 16.2% of women giving live births in 2015 had some form of hyperglycemia during pregnancy. In Saudi, a study estimated that the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is 39.4%. AIM: We aimed to assess Saudi women’s GDM knowledge and awareness. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between August and December 2016 in Saudi Arabia using a validated questionnaire that included 12 questions focused on awareness and knowledge about GDM. Their responses were scored, and participants were divided poor knowledge (≤ 4/12) fair/good knowledge (≥ 5/12). RESULTS: A total of 9002 adult female participated. Mean age was 27.8 ± 7.9, and they were mainly married urban residents with bachelor’s degrees or higher. The mean overall score was 5.5 ± 2.5 with most of them in the fair GDM knowledge category. Participants were mostly aware of the GDM risk factors (54%) while they were least aware of the GDM diagnosis (15.9%). Multigravida and a prior history of GDM were the two risk factors about which participants were most aware (67.7%). Compared to those with poor knowledge, those with fair/good knowledge were more likely to live in urban areas, live in the central region of Saudi Arabia, work in medical fields, and be married, educated, and have personal and/or family histories of chronic diseases (all P values < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study showed a high prevalence of poor awareness and knowledge, mainly in those areas relating to GDM diagnosis.
Compact Polarimetric SAR Interferometry Target Decomposition With the Freeman–Durden Method

In this paper, we apply the Freeman–Durden decomposition method to the compact polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry (C-PolInSAR) data. The complex cross-correlation matrix of the single-baseline C-PolInSAR is decomposed into three <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2\times 2$</tex-math></inline-formula> covariance matrices, which correspond to the surface, the dihedral and the volume scattering, respectively. Under reasonable assumptions, each model of the three scattering mechanisms are derived and formulated in term of the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\pi /4$</tex-math></inline-formula> C-PolInSAR mode and the circular polarization transmitting and linear polarization reception (CTLR) C-PolInSAR mode. Prior to the target decomposition, detailed steps to retrieve the volume scattering amplitude are given, which are remarkably different for the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\pi /4$</tex-math></inline-formula> mode and the CTLR mode. In addition, the topographic phase is also retrieved based on the random volume over ground (RVoG) model with the C-PolInSAR data. Finally, a numerical method is applied to solve the system of nonlinear equations in the target decomposition procedure, and the amplitude contributions, as well as the vertical phase center heights are retrieved for each of the three scattering mechanisms with the C-PolInSAR data. The proposed target decomposition method has been verified both with a simulated forest data, and with the <italic>L</italic>-band BioSAR2008 airborne data acquired by the DLR E-SAR system of a forest site in the north of Vindeln municipality, Sweden, wherein detailed performance results for the proposed method are presented as compared to the more usual quad polarimetric SAR interferometry target decomposition.
Optimal Hand-Arm Robot Grasping Area Prediction Using Support Vector Machine

Hand-arm robot have been widely used in many fields to replace humanbeings to perform various tasks. Abundant researches have been made to better the robot services. However, when providing the same service, robot grasping process should be optimized to save robot labor like human movements. In this paper, we proposed a support vector machine (SVM) based algorithm to train hand-arm robot to perform optimal grasping process. Grasping experiments using a JACO2 robot arm and a KG-3 gripper are made. Joint torque data are recorded and labeled. SVM is used to separate the optimal label from nonoptimal label. The optimal grasping area are thereafter found. In this case, we could save robot labor and serving life is extended. The effectiveness and accuracy of the support vector machine based algorithm were further verified by a branch of following grasping experiments. The results show that the proposed method could correctly predict the optimal grasping area.
Select gp120 V2 domain specific antibodies derived from HIV and SIV infection and vaccination inhibit gp120 binding to α4β7

The GI tract is preferentially targeted during acute/early HIV-1 infection. Consequent damage to the gut plays a central role in HIV pathogenesis. The basis for preferential targeting of gut tissues is not well defined. Recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides derived from HIV and SIV gp120 bind directly to integrin α4β7, a gut-homing receptor. Using both cell-surface expressed α4β7 and a soluble α4β7 heterodimer we demonstrate that its specific affinity for gp120 is similar to its affinity for MAdCAM (its natural ligand). The gp120 V2 domain preferentially engages extended forms of α4β7 in a cation -sensitive manner and is inhibited by soluble MAdCAM. Thus, V2 mimics MAdCAM in the way that it binds to α4β7, providing HIV a potential mechanism to discriminate between functionally distinct subsets of lymphocytes, including those with gut-homing potential. Furthermore, α4β7 antagonists developed for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases, block V2 binding to α4β7. A 15-amino acid V2 -derived peptide is sufficient to mediate binding to α4β7. It includes the canonical LDV/I α4β7 binding site, a cryptic epitope that lies 7–9 amino acids amino terminal to the LDV/I, and residues K169 and I181. These two residues were identified in a sieve analysis of the RV144 vaccine trial as sites of vaccine -mediated immune pressure. HIV and SIV V2 mAbs elicited by both vaccination and infection that recognize this peptide block V2-α4β7 interactions. These mAbs recognize conformations absent from the β- barrel presented in a stabilized HIV SOSIP gp120/41 trimer. The mimicry of MAdCAM-α4β7 interactions by V2 may influence early events in HIV infection, particularly the rapid seeding of gut tissues, and supports the view that HIV replication in gut tissue is a central feature of HIV pathogenesis.
A Miniature Smart Home Testbed for Research and Education

In this paper, we present a cloud-based smart home testbed using a miniature doll house. The testbed consists of a smart home server, a home controller, a smart home assistant, appliances, and clients communicating with each other using web sockets and existing social network software development kits (SDKs). Particularly, we use this testbed to demonstrate energy conservation with the interconnected network of devices. The proposed testbed allows research and education in areas such as smart grid, wireless sensor network, machine learning, pattern recognition, embedded programming, natural language processing, social media, etc.
Enhanced Power-Delivered-to-Load Through Planar Multiple-Harmonic Wireless Power Transmission

In this brief, a method is presented to enhance the amount of power delivered to load (PDL) by making use of three-harmonic wireless power transmission while it does not occupy larger area than a conventional single-coil system. The proposed system consists of three inductive links each one tuned at a harmonic of the operating frequency. A single power amplifier supplies all of them. Therefore, the sum of the currents flowing through the secondary-side coils becomes almost square-wave and PDL will be 32.5% greater than that of a conventional single-coil system when both systems are supplied with the same voltage source. The parasitic inter-couplings between the coils deform the current waveform and make the PDL enhancement unachievable. Thus, a perpendicular 8-shaped coils structure is proposed to diminish these parasitic couplings and all the coils can be planar and coaxial. A laboratory prototype has been fabricated on printed circuit board operating at the frequency of 200 kHz. The experimental results confirm that the PDL is enhanced from 1.93 to 2.5 W by employing the proposed technique rather than a single-coil system.
Odd skipped-related 1 (Osr1) identifies muscle-interstitial fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) activated by acute injury

Fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) are resident mesenchymal progenitors in adult skeletal muscle that support muscle repair, but also give rise to fibrous and adipose infiltration in response to disease and chronic injury. FAPs are currently identified using cell surface markers that do not distinguish between quiescent FAPs and FAPs actively engaged in the regenerative process. We have shown previously that FAPs are derived from cells that express the transcription factor Osr1 during development. Here we show that adult FAPs express Osr1 at low levels and frequency, however upon acute injury FAPs reactivate Osr1 expression in the injured tissue. Osr1+ FAPs are enriched in proliferating and apoptotic cells demonstrating that Osr1 identifies activated FAPs. In vivo genetic lineage tracing shows that Osr1+ activated FAPs return to the resident FAP pool after regeneration as well as contribute to adipocytes after glycerol-induced fatty degeneration. In conclusion, reporter LacZ or eGFP-CreERt2 expression from the endogenous Osr1 locus serves as marker for FACS isolation and tamoxifen-induced manipulation of activated FAPs. Summary statement Expression of Osr1 specifically in muscle interstitial fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) activated by acute injury provides a tool to isolate and trace this population.
Eye movement velocity and gaze data generator for evaluation, robustness testing and assess of eye tracking software and visualization tools

Eye movements hold information about human perception, intention, and cognitive state. We propose a novel eye movement simulator that i) probabilistically simulates saccade movements as gamma distributions considering different peak velocities and ii) models smooth pursuit onsets with the sigmoid function. Additionally, it is capable of producing velocity and two-dimensional gaze sequences for static and dynamic scenes using saliency maps or real fixation targets. Our approach is also capable of simulating any sampling rate, even with uctuations. The simulation is evaluated against publicly available annotated data. The simulator can be used in EyeTrace or downloaded at this http URL de/Projekte.1801. 0.html.