Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Numerical Approximation of the Karhunen-Loève Expansion for Random Fields with Random Discrete Data

Many physical and mathematical models involve random fields in their input data. Examples are ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations and integro--differential equations with uncertainties in the coefficient functions described by random fields. They also play a dominant role in problems in machine learning. In this article, we do not assume to have knowledge of the moments or expansion terms of the random fields but we instead have only given discretized samples for them. We thus model some measurement process for this discrete information and then approximate the covariance operator of the original random field. Of course, the true covariance operator is of infinite rank and hence we can not assume to get an accurate approximation from a finite number of spatially discretized observations. On the other hand, smoothness of the true (unknown) covariance function results in effective low rank approximations to the true covariance operator. We derive explicit error estimates that involve the finite rank approximation error of the covariance operator, the Monte-Carlo-type errors for sampling in the stochastic domain and the numerical discretization error in the physical domain. This permits to give sufficient conditions on the three discretization parameters to guarantee that an error below a prescribed accuracy $\varepsilon$ is achieved.
A novel approach for detecting facial image spoofing using local ternary pattern

Biometrie spoofing is widely understood as the ability to fool a biometric system in recognizing an illegitimate user as a genuine one. To keep a goodlevel of security, reliable spoofing detection tools are necessary. Immense growth of technology permitted the use of biometrics in diverse fields such as forensics, access control, surveillance or online commerce. The new biometric paradigm has transformed passwords and cards into human as the best key. The proposed approach considers facial texture as a feature. Further the microtextural features of the facial images are extracted using Local Ternary Pattern approach and the extracted Local Ternary patterns are converted into upper pattern and lower pattern. Further the patterns are used to generate histograms. The feature histograms are fed into SVM classifier to classify the features from which the outlier is detected i.e whether any spoofing is done with the image or it is a real image.
Targeted removal of migratory tumor cells by functionalized magnetic nanoparticles impedes metastasis and tumor progression.

AIMS To slow tumor progression by reducing migratory tumor cell burden using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) functionalized with ligands selective for malignant cell surface receptors. MATERIALS & METHODS Three groups of female C57BL/6 mice (control group I, control group II and experimental group) were intraperitoneally injected with a murine ovarian cancer cell line (ID8[VEGF160(+)/eGFP(+)]). Control group I received no intervention. MNPs were functionalized with ephrin-A1 mimetic peptides selective for the EphA2 receptor that is highly expressed by several cancers. Peritoneal fluids were removed by paracentesis from the experimental group and mixed with the functionalized MNPs. Magnetic filtration was used to remove particle/malignant cell conjugates and filtered peritoneal fluids were re-introduced intraperitoneally. Control group II received the same treatment as the experimental group without MNPs. RESULTS Experimental group tumor progression was 10.77-times slower than that of control group I. CONCLUSION Reduction of malignant cell titer significantly prolonged time to end point in a metastatic ovarian cancer model.
CMOS in-pixel optical pulse frequency modulator

This paper covers the design of a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) pixel readout circuit with a built-in frequency conversion feature. A single pixel was designed containing all of the signal-to-frequency conversion circuitry, after which an array of 64 pixels was designed. The on-chip frequency modulation technique is preferred over analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) techniques due to its smaller size and the possibility of a higher dynamic range. Considerations are made regarding the size of the components, as various characteristics of CMOS devices are limited by decreasing the scale of the components [1]. All components of the pixel are designed from first principles to meet the requirements of a small pixel size of 30 × 30 square micrometers and an output resolution greater than that of an 8-bit ADC. The photodetector is realized by an n+-p+/p-substrate diode with a parasitic capacitance of 3.3 fF. The analog front-end was designed around a Schmitt-trigger circuit. The photo current is integrated on an integration capacitor of 200 fF. The circuit schematic and layout were designed using Cadence Virtuoso and the process used was the ams CMOS 350 nm process. The results were confirmed to comply with the required size and resolution specifications and the layout passed all verification checks. The dynamic range achieved was 58.828 dB with an output frequency range between 12.341 kHz and 10.783 MHz. It was also found that the output frequency in this range has a linear relationship to the photocurrent generated by the photodiode.
The functional significance of centrosomes in mammalian meiosis, fertilization, development, nuclear transfer, and stem cell differentiation

Centrosomes had been discovered in germ cells and germ cells continue to provide excellent but also challenging material in which to study complex centrosomal dynamics. The present review highlights the importance of centrosomes for meiotic spindle integrity and the susceptibility of meiotic spindle centrosomes to aging and drugs or toxic agents which may be associated with female infertility, aneuploidy, and developmental abnormalities. We discuss cell and molecular aspects of centrosomes during fertilization, a critical stage in which centrosomes play crucial roles in precisely organizing the sperm aster that allows apposition of male and female genomes followed by formation of the zygote aster that is important for the formation of the bipolar spindle apparatus during cell division. Development of an embryo involves sequential cell divisions in which centrosomes play a critical role in establishing asymmetry that allows differentiation of cells and targeted signal transductions for the developing embryo. Asymmetric centrosome dynamics are also critical for stem cell division to maintain one daughter cell as a stem cell while the other daughter cell undergoes centrosome growth in preparation for differentiation. This review also discusses the complex interactions of somatic cell centrosomes with the recipient oocyte in reconstructed (cloned) embryos in which centrosome remodeling is crucial to fulfill functions that are carried out by the zygote centrosome in fertilized eggs. We close our discussion with a look at centrosome dysfunctions and implications for male fertility and assisted reproduction. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Personality traits assessed by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) as part of the perinatal depression screening program.

BACKGROUND As pre- and postnatal depression is a multifactorial disorder, the screening programmes which are currently in use in obstetric clinics remain problematic due to their inadequate standardization and limited efficacy. The evaluation of core risk factors for perinatal depression in the screening process, in addition to routine questionnaire-based tools such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), might improve the diagnosis and early treatment of women affected by depression. This study was undertaken to analyze the relationship between personality traits and the risk of perinatal depression in pregnant and postpartum women. MATERIAL/METHODS For the study, 229 patients (pregnant and postpartum women) admitted to an obstetric hospital in Poland were recruited. Two self-report questionnaires were used: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) as a screening tool for depressive symptoms and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) for the evaluation of five personality traits in the studied patients. RESULTS Neuroticism significantly increased the risk of perinatal depressive symptoms in both pregnant and postpartum women (OR=1.23 and OR=1.11, respectively). Personality traits related to a lower risk of perinatal depression in the group of pregnant women included extraversion, openness to experience, high degree of agreeableness and conscientiousness (OR=0.90, OR=0.92, OR=0.90 and OR=0.91, respectively). However, among at-risk postpartum women no additional factors, except neuroticism, affected the prevalence of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Personality trait like neuroticism as measured by the NEO-FFI is associated with a greater risk of perinatal depression. The NEO-FFI is a useful tool, potentially adding significant value to the program of perinatal depression screening.
Prevention of cardiovascular events and death with pravastatin in patients with coronary heart disease and a broad range of initial cholesterol levels.

BACKGROUND In patients with coronary heart disease and a broad range of cholesterol levels, cholesterol-lowering therapy reduces the risk of coronary events, but the effects on mortality from coronary heart disease and overall mortality have remained uncertain. METHODS In a double-blind, randomized trial, we compared the effects of pravastatin (40 mg daily) with those of a placebo over a mean follow-up period of 6.1 years in 9014 patients who were 31 to 75 years of age. The patients had a history of myocardial infarction or hospitalization for unstable angina and initial plasma total cholesterol levels of 155 to 271 mg per deciliter. Both groups received advice on following a cholesterol-lowering diet. The primary study outcome was mortality from coronary heart disease. RESULTS Death from coronary heart disease occurred in 8.3 percent of the patients in the placebo group and 6.4 percent of those in the pravastatin group, a relative reduction in risk of 24 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 12 to 35 percent; P<0.001). Overall mortality was 14.1 percent in the placebo group and 11.0 percent in the pravastatin group (relative reduction in risk, 22 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 13 to 31 percent; P<0.001). The incidence of all cardiovascular outcomes was consistently lower among patients assigned to receive pravastatin; these outcomes included myocardial infarction (reduction in risk, 29 percent; P<0.001), death from coronary heart disease or nonfatal myocardial infarction (a 24 percent reduction in risk, P<0.001), stroke (a 19 percent reduction in risk, P=0.048), and coronary revascularization (a 20 percent reduction in risk, P<0.001). The effects of treatment were similar for all predefined subgroups. There were no clinically significant adverse effects of treatment with pravastatin. CONCLUSIONS Pravastatin therapy reduced mortality from coronary heart disease and overall mortality, as compared with the rates in the placebo group, as well as the incidence of all prespecified cardiovascular events in patients with a history of myocardial infarction or unstable angina who had a broad range of initial cholesterol levels.
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: from mechanisms to prevention

Purpose of reviewTo discuss the pathophysiology and potential prevention of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. Recent findingsLong-term electrocardiogram monitoring over several months has detected ictal asystole in three out of 20 (15%) patients with refractory epilepsy, suggesting that high-risk ictal arrhythmias occur in a greater proportion of patients with refractory epilepsy than previously thought. In case–control studies, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy was found to be associated with frequent generalized tonic–clonic seizures and greater ictal maximal heart rate, especially during nocturnal attacks. Conversely, supervision at night was associated with a lower risk of occurrence. The impact of epilepsy surgery on the risk of death and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy remains unclear, with comparable long-term survival in an epilepsy surgery cohort compared with a matched population of patients with refractory epilepsy who did not undergo surgery. Previous results may have been partly confounded by the association observed between preoperative decreased heart rate variability and poor postoperative seizure outcome. SummaryIctal arrhythmias may represent a more prevalent cause of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy than previously thought. No clear recommendations have emerged from the literature regarding the most appropriate therapeutic strategies to prevent the event, apart from the supervision at night of patients with refractory epilepsy.
A Novel EEG Artifact in the Intensive Care Unit

Summary The authors describe a novel EEG artifact in two patients whose records were otherwise suppressed. The saw-toothed waveform, containing 5.5- and 11-Hz rhythms, was induced as a movement artifact by a hemoperfusion machine connected to the patient. The artifact is highly characteristic, but could be easily misinterpreted as a cerebral rhythm if one is not aware of the entity. The artifact should be suspected when invariant, saw-toothed rhythms appear beyond the temporal and occipital lobes, and also contaminate the electrocardiographic channel. It can be proved by its disappearance on stopping and reemergence with starting the rotary pump action of the device.
New Approaches for Defining the Molecular Basis of Anticoagulantly Active Heparan Sulfate Production

Mammalian cells synthesize heparan sulfate proteoglycans, which consist of core proteins with covalently linked glycosaminoglycans of 50-150 disaccharide units. The GAGs exhibit great structural diversity, which arises from differing arrangements of alternate disaccharide units. It has been hypothesized that HSPG may be involved in regulating the most basic aspects of cell biologic systems, such as adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. However, considerable doubt exists about the specific nature of the above interactions because of a failure to isolate GAGs of unique monosaccharide sequence with appropriate biologic activities. We have demonstrated that mouse LTA cells synthesize cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans with regions of defined monosaccharide sequence that specifically interact with antithrombin (HSPGact). However, it remains unclear how HSPGact can be generated by a biosynthetic pathway with no simple template for directing the ordered assembly of monosaccharide units. To examine this issue, we treated LTA cells with ethylmethane sulfonate and then identified mutants that exhibit decreased antithrombin binding to heparan sulfate chains but possess no gross defects in glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis. After screening 40,000 colonies, we isolated seven stable mutants that synthesize 8-27% of the wild type HSPGact but produce normal amounts of other HSPG. These mutants are recessive in nature and fall into at least two different complementation groups. The delineation of the molecular basis of these defects should greatly improve our understanding of how cells synthesize HSPG with regions of defined monosaccharide sequence.
Combined Count- and Size-Based Analysis of Maternal Plasma DNA for Noninvasive Prenatal Detection of Fetal Subchromosomal Aberrations Facilitates Elucidation of the Fetal and/or Maternal Origin of the Aberrations.

BACKGROUND Noninvasive prenatal detection of fetal subchromosomal copy number aberrations (CNAs) can be achieved through massively parallel sequencing of maternal plasma DNA. However, when a mother herself is a carrier of a CNA, one cannot discern if her fetus has inherited the CNA. In addition, false-positive results would become more prevalent when more subchromosomal regions are analyzed. METHODS We used a strategy that combined count- and size-based analyses of maternal plasma DNA for the detection of fetal subchromosomal CNAs in 7 target regions for 10 test cases. RESULTS For the 5 cases in which CNAs were present only in the fetus, the size-based approach confirmed the aberrations detected by the count-based approach. For the 5 cases in which the mother herself carried an aberration, we successfully deduced that 3 of the fetuses had inherited the aberrations and that the other 2 fetuses had not inherited the aberrations. No false positives were observed in this cohort. CONCLUSIONS Combined count- and size-based analysis of maternal plasma DNA permits the noninvasive elucidation of whether a fetus has inherited a CNA from its mother who herself is a carrier of the CNA. This strategy has the potential to improve the diagnostic specificity of noninvasive prenatal testing.
Inequality in the access to social housing in Cameroon: A decomposition of the poverty effect

This article studies the gap of access to social housing between the poor and the non poor in Cameroon. The data used is from the third Cameroonian survey of households (ECAM, 2007). We use the non linear decomposition model of inequalities. The results show a strong discrimination with regards to poor households. The differences in the access to social housing between the poor and the non poor are highly influenced by the distribution of variables such as: the residential area (61.22%), the income (34.18%), age (23,50%), the socio-professional category (22.39%) and the sector of activity (21.11%). These results put into question public policies on social housing. Keywords: Inequality, social housing, non-linear decomposition, the poor JEL Classification: H4, R2
[Effects of quercetin on the proliferation and apoptosis in transplantation tumor of breast cancer in nude mice].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of quercetin on tumour growth, cell proliferation and apoptosis in transplantation tumor of breast cancer cell line MCF-7 in nude mice. METHODS MCF-7 cells were inoculated into the mammary fatty pad of nude mice to establish breast cancer model, then twenty-four BALB/c nude mice with xenograft tumor were randomized into four groups: Control group, Quercetin group, 5-Fu group and Quercetin + 5-Fu group. After 15 days treatment, samples of tumor were collected. The sections of tumor were observed under light microscope and electron microscope. Cell apoptosis in situ was examined by a Tunel assay, and the expressions of ki67 antigen and B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2) were detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS 1. The tumor weight of Control group was significantly higher than those of Quercetin group, 5-Fu group and Quercetin + 5-Fu group (P < 0.05). 2. Immunohistochemical staining of ki67 showed that the ki67 label index (ki67-LI) displayed significant difference between Control group and Quercetin group, 5-Fu group, Quercetin + 5-Fu group, and so did the staining of Bcl-2. 3. Detection of apoptosis in situ showed that apoptosis index (AI) was significantly higher in Quercetin group, 5-Fu group and Quercetin + 5-Fu group than in control group (P < 0.01), and higher AI was observed in Quercetin + 5-Fu group as compared with the AI in Quercetin group and 5-Fu group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Quercetin can inhibit the growth of transplantation tumor of breast cancer cell line MCF-7 in nude mice.
Average absorption cross-section of the human body measured at 1–12 GHz in a reverberant chamber: results of a human volunteer study

The electromagnetic absorption cross-section (ACS) averaged over polarization and angle-of-incidence of 60 ungrounded adult subjects was measured at microwave frequencies of 1–12 GHz in a reverberation chamber. Average ACS is important in non-ionizing dosimetry and exposure studies, and is closely related to the whole-body averaged specific absorption rate (WBSAR). The average ACS was measured with a statistical uncertainty of less than 3% and high frequency resolution for individuals with a range of body shapes and sizes allowing the statistical distribution of WBSAR over a real population with individual internal and external morphologies to be determined. The average ACS of all subjects was found to vary from 0.15 to 0.4 m2; for an individual subject it falls with frequency over 1–6 GHz, and then rises slowly over the 6–12 GHz range in which few other studies have been conducted. Average ACS and WBSAR are then used as a surrogate for worst-case ACS/WBSAR, in order to study their variability across a real population compared to literature results from simulations using numerical phantoms with a limited range of anatomies. Correlations with body morphological parameters such as height, mass and waist circumference have been investigated: the strongest correlation is with body surface area (BSA) at all frequencies above 1 GHz, however direct proportionality to BSA is not established until above 5 GHz. When the average ACS is normalized to the BSA, the resulting absorption efficiency shows a negative correlation with the estimated thickness of subcutaneous body fat. Surrogate models and statistical analysis of the measurement data are presented and compared to similar models from the literature. The overall dispersion of measured average WBSAR of the sample of the UK population studied is consistent with the dispersion of simulated worst-case WBSAR across multiple numerical phantom families. The statistical results obtained allow the calibration of human exposure assessments made with particular phantoms to a population with a range of individual morphologies.
CYCLOPS, a mediator of symbiotic intracellular accommodation

The initiation of intracellular infection of legume roots by symbiotic rhizobia bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungi is preceded by the induction of calcium signatures in and around the nucleus of root epidermal cells. Although a calcium and calmodulin-dependent kinase (CCaMK) is a key mediator of symbiotic root responses, the decoding of the calcium signal and the molecular events downstream are only poorly understood. Here, we characterize Lotus japonicus cyclops mutants on which microbial infection was severely inhibited. In contrast, nodule organogenesis was initiated in response to rhizobia, but arrested prematurely. This arrest was overcome when a deregulated CCaMK mutant version was introduced into cyclops mutants, conferring the development of full-sized, spontaneous nodules. Because cyclops mutants block symbiotic infection but are competent for nodule development, they reveal a bifurcation of signal transduction downstream of CCaMK. We identified CYCLOPS by positional cloning. CYCLOPS carries a functional nuclear localization signal and a predicted coiled-coil domain. We observed colocalization and physical interaction between CCaMK and CYCLOPS in plant and yeast cell nuclei in the absence of symbiotic stimulation. Importantly, CYCLOPS is a phosphorylation substrate of CCaMK in vitro. Cyclops mutants of rice were impaired in AM, and rice CYCLOPS could restore symbiosis in Lotus cyclops mutants, indicating a functional conservation across angiosperms. Our results suggest that CYCLOPS forms an ancient, preassembled signal transduction complex with CCaMK that is specifically required for infection, whereas organogenesis likely requires additional yet-to-be identified CCaMK interactors or substrates.
Elderly inpatients

We examined postural reflexes in 50 patients in a geriatric care facility. Patients aged 60 years and older who did not have orthostatic hypotension were subjected to a standing postural perturbation, and the degree of postural instability was recorded. Sixteen patients with leg amputations, recent stroke, and leg deformities were excluded. Of the remaining 34 patients, 44% had severe postural reflex impairment, and 24% had moderate impairment. Although the etiology for postural reflex impairment may be multivariant, the high percentage suggests that postural reflex dysfunction may be an important cause of unexplained falls in the elderly.