Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Higher Responsiveness of Pattern Generation Circuitry to Sensory Stimulation in Healthy Humans Is Associated with a Larger Hoffmann Reflex

Simple Summary Individual differences in the sensorimotor circuitry play an important role for understanding the nature of behavioral variability and developing personalized therapies. While the spinal network likely requires relatively rigid organization, it becomes increasingly evident that adaptability and inter-individual variability in the functioning of the neuronal circuitry is present not only in the brain but also in the spinal cord. In this study we investigated the relationship between the excitability of pattern generation circuitry and segmental reflexes in healthy humans. We found that the high individual responsiveness of pattern generation circuitries to tonic sensory input in both the upper and lower limbs was related to larger H-reflexes. The results provide further evidence for the importance of physiologically relevant assessments of spinal cord neuromodulation and the individual physiological state of reflex pathways. Abstract The state and excitability of pattern generators are attracting the increasing interest of neurophysiologists and clinicians for understanding the mechanisms of the rhythmogenesis and neuromodulation of the human spinal cord. It has been previously shown that tonic sensory stimulation can elicit non-voluntary stepping-like movements in non-injured subjects when their limbs were placed in a gravity-neutral unloading apparatus. However, large individual differences in responsiveness to such stimuli were observed, so that the effects of sensory neuromodulation manifest only in some of the subjects. Given that spinal reflexes are an integral part of the neuronal circuitry, here we investigated the extent to which spinal pattern generation excitability in response to the vibrostimulation of muscle proprioceptors can be related to the H-reflex magnitude, in both the lower and upper limbs. For the H-reflex measurements, three conditions were used: stationary limbs, voluntary limb movement and passive limb movement. The results showed that the H-reflex was considerably higher in the group of participants who demonstrated non-voluntary rhythmic responses than it was in the participants who did not demonstrate them. Our findings are consistent with the idea that spinal reflex measurements play important roles in assessing the rhythmogenesis of the spinal cord.
Detection of Specific Immune Cell Subpopulation Changes Associated with Systemic Immune Inflammation–Index Level in Germ Cell Tumors

The tumor microenvironment (TME) and the host inflammatory response are closely interconnected. The interplay between systemic inflammation and the local immune response may influence tumor development and progression in various types of cancer. The systemic immune–inflammation index (SII) represents a prognostic marker for germ cell tumors (GCTs). The aim of the present study was to detect specific immune cell subpopulation changes which were associated with the SII level in chemotherapy-naïve GCT patients. In total, 51 GCT patients, prior to cisplatin-based chemotherapy, were included in the present study. Immunophenotyping of peripheral blood leukocyte subpopulations was performed using flow cytometry. The SII level was correlated with the percentage of various leukocyte subpopulations. The obtained results demonstrated that SII levels above the cut-off value of SII ≥ 1003 were associated with higher neutrophil percentages. An inverse correlation was found between the SII and the peripheral lymphocyte percentage that logically reflects the calculations of the SII index. Furthermore, the presented data also showed that in the lymphocyte subpopulation, the association with the SII was driven by T-cell subpopulations. In innate immunity–cell subpopulations, we observed a correlation between SII level and neutrophils as well as associations with eosinophil, basophil, natural killer cell and dendritic cell percentages. We suppose that the described interactions represent a manifestation of cancer-induced immune suppression. The results of the present study contribute to the elucidation of the interrelationship between tumor cells and the innate/adaptive immune system of the host.
Evaluation of the dietary behavioral attitudes and common dietary pattern among Children with autism spectrum disorders

he main objective of conducting the current study is to investigate the dietary behavioral attitudes and common dietary pattern that occur among autistic children. Fifty-six subjects diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) involved in the study aged from 3-20 years old. All the participants filled out a survey that included questions about lifestyle, family history with ASD, dietary patterns of a specific food, allergies, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and measured body mass index (BMI). The collected data showed that dietary attitudes of autistic children are almost normal as 50% of participants consume 3 meals per day, and 14.3% have 4 meals per day. In addition, 80.4% (n= 45) of children were having breakfast every day. Also, based on the collected data GI problems were been prevalence among 32% of the participants. Most of the subjects (85.7%) do not suffer from milk allergies; also, most of them (91%) are not following either casein or gluten free diets. There are no significant differences in BMI between the children with and without GI problems (p=.838, independent samples t-test). In addition, BMI is not associated with the severity level of GI problems (p=0.884, ANOVA test).
Sex Differences in Mate Choice Preference Characteristics of Aequidens rivulatus

Simple Summary Generally, animals prefer mating with partners of the opposite sex with specific features, which suggests that animals tend to choose mates with particular phenotypic traits. However, there are some differences in mate choice behavior and criteria between males and females. This study analyzed these differences between males and females in Aequidens rivulatus by quantifying body size, behavioral intention, and appearance. The results showed that males paid more attention to preference degree and female attractiveness, whereas females focused on ability and physical strength displays. Consequently, males who chose to mate were primarily associated with body size, behavioral intention, and appearance, whereas the preferences of females were body size, appearance, and behavioral intention. Collectively, our initial findings revealed that males and females have different criteria for mate choice, which is vital in determining successful mating and improving artificial mating. Abstract The mating roles of males and females, to a certain extent, are dynamic and variable. Several factors influence the mate choice process. Nonetheless, the main preference features have not yet been fully understood in Aequidens rivulatus. In this study, because of its natural pairing characteristics, A. rivulatus was selected to explore the mate choice preferences of different sexes. Specifically, male and female behavioral performances were described and quantified through a “no-choice paradigm” during mate choice. A total of 12 behavioral performances were defined in male mate choice (experiment 1), whereas 14 behavioral performances were defined in female mate choice (experiment 2). According to the obtained results, unselected females did not display any proactive behaviors in experiment 1, whereas unselected males exhibited proactive behaviors in experiment 2, including quivering, nipping, tail beating, swimming up and down, and aggression. It was also found that both male and female individuals tend to express dislike rather than like. Those behaviors with higher frequencies (e.g., quivering) often mean less energy expenditure, thus easier repeatability. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to extract and identify mate choice preference features. Preliminary results indicated that male preferences for a mate were mainly associated with body size, behavioral intention, and appearance, whereas the intensity of female preferences was in the order of body size, appearance, and behavioral intention. In addition, sex hormone levels were associated with mate choices.
Multiomic Profiling Identified EGF Receptor Signaling as a Potential Inhibitor of Type I Interferon Response in Models of Oncolytic Therapy by Vesicular Stomatitis Virus

Cancer cell lines responded differentially to type I interferon treatment in models of oncolytic therapy using vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). Two opposite cases were considered in this study, glioblastoma DBTRG-05MG and osteosarcoma HOS cell lines exhibiting resistance and sensitivity to VSV after the treatment, respectively. Type I interferon responses were compared for these cell lines by integrative analysis of the transcriptome, proteome, and RNA editome to identify molecular factors determining differential effects observed. Adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing was equally induced in both cell lines. However, transcriptome analysis showed that the number of differentially expressed genes was much higher in DBTRG-05MG with a specific enrichment in inflammatory proteins. Further, it was found that two genes, EGFR and HER2, were overexpressed in HOS cells compared with DBTRG-05MG, supporting recent reports that EGF receptor signaling attenuates interferon responses via HER2 co-receptor activity. Accordingly, combined treatment of cells with EGF receptor inhibitors such as gefitinib and type I interferon increases the resistance of sensitive cell lines to VSV. Moreover, sensitive cell lines had increased levels of HER2 protein compared with non-sensitive DBTRG-05MG. Presumably, the level of this protein expression in tumor cells might be a predictive biomarker of their resistance to oncolytic viral therapy.
Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography and Attenuation Imaging for Label-Free Observation of Functional Changes in the Intestine after Sympathectomy: A Pilot Study

We present in this study optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and OCT attenuation imaging (OCTAI) for in vivo non-destructive visualization of intramural blood and lymphatic vessels of the intestine wall. Rabbit small intestine in the norm and after thoracolumbar sympathectomy served as the object of the intraoperative study. Compared to OCTA real-time imaging, OCTAI takes several minutes and can be termed as “nearly real time”. OCTAI signal processing was modified to take into account the signal-to-noise ratio and the final thickness of the intestine wall. The results showed that, after sympathectomy, changes in functioning of intramural blood and lymphatic vessels were observed with a high statistical significance. The occurrence of trauma-induced constriction of the blood and lymphatic vessels led to an especially pronounced decrease in the length of small-caliber (<30 µm) blood vessels (p < 10−5), as well as in the volumetric density of lymphatic vessels (on average by ~50%) compared to their initial state. Remarkably, OCTA/OCTAI modalities provide the unique ability for “nearly-instant detection” of changes in functional status of the tissues, long before they become visible on histology. The proposed approach can be used in further experiments to clarify the mechanisms of changes in intestinal blood and lymph flows in response to trauma of the nervous system. Furthermore, potentially it can be used intraoperatively in patients requiring express diagnosis of the state of intramural blood and lymph circulation.
On Data Collection in SIC-Capable Space–Air–Ground Integrated IoT Networks

This article considers routing and uplinks scheduling in space–air–ground integrated networks. Specifically, it considers a successive interference cancellation-capable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that collects data from ground devices operating in an Internet of Things network. Its objective is to maximize the minimum flow rate to a terrestrial gateway over a fixed time horizon. It outlines a mixed integer linear program (MILP) to optimize in each time slot: the routing from the UAV to the gateway, the set of links from ground devices to the UAV, and the flow rate over links. It also proposes a novel algorithm, called iterative flow and path reservation (IFPR), for use by the UAV to select paths. Further, IFPR uses two methods to schedule communications between ground devices and the UAV. The first method, called simplified MILP (SMILP), aims to maximize the sum rate from ground devices. The second method, called less data schedule first, prioritizes ground devices that have uploaded the least amount of data to the gateway. Numerical results show satellite links help the UAV collects 61% more data from ground devices. Moreover, as compared to the MILP, IFPR collects 23% less data. Further, for both MILP and IFPR, their Jain’s fairness index reaches around one when the number of time slots is sufficiently large. Finally, when IFPR uses SMILP, the gateway collects more data but at the expense of fairness.
Contactless remote monitoring of sleep: evaluating the feasibility of an under-mattress sensor mat in a real-life deployment

ABSTRACT Sleep is so important, particularly for the elderly. The lack of sleep may increase the risk of cognitive decline. Similarly, it may also increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Nonetheless, many people underestimate the importance of getting enough rest and sleep. In-laboratory polysomnography is the gold-standard method for assessing the quality of sleep. This method is considered impractical in the clinical environment, seen as labour-intensive and expensive owing to its specialised equipment, leading to long waiting lists. Hence, user-friendly (remote and non-intrusive) devices are being developed to help patients monitor their sleep at home. In this paper, we first discuss commercially-available non-wearable devices that measure sleep, in which we highlight the features associated with each device, including sensor type, interface, outputs, dimensions, power supply, and connectivity. Second, we evaluate the feasibility of a non-wearable device in a free-living environment. The deployed device comprises a sensor mat with an integrated micro-bending multimode fibre. Raw sensor data were gathered from five senior participants living in a senior activity centre over a few to several weeks. We were able to analyse the participants’ sleep quality using various sleep parameters deduced from the sensor mat. These parameters include the wake-up time, bedtime, the time in bed, nap time. Vital signs, namely heart rate, respiratory rate, and body movements, were also reported to detect abnormal sleep patterns. We have employed pre-and post-surveys reporting each volunteer’s sleep hygiene to confirm the proposed system’s outcomes for detecting the various sleep parameters. The results of the system were strongly correlated with the surveys for reporting each sleep parameter. Furthermore, the system proved to be highly effective in detecting irregular patterns that occurred during sleep.
Applications of Battery Management System (BMS) in Sustainable Transportation: A Comprehensive Approach from Battery Modeling to Battery Integration to the Power Grid

The growing oil demand and serious environmental concerns have promoted the concept of the usage of electric vehicles (EVs) across the globe. EVs can be integrated into the grid for power transaction and to support the grid requirements, thereby drawing the attention of researchers, policy makers and industries. EVs are not only a transportation tool but also act as a distributed source or load. The EV battery plays a prominent role in grid integration and sustainable transportation. The monitoring and control aspect of the battery management system (BMS) plays a vital role in the successful deployment and usage of EVs. In this paper, an equivalent circuit model (ECM) of battery is proposed and analyzed that describes the battery behavior at various temperatures, considering the internal resistance of the battery. A stochastic model was developed for the battery ageing and replacement to ensure that systematic replacement of batteries based on the calendar ageing was performed. A reliability assessment of EV accessibility and availability was carried out by using Markov chain. A case study of a Diesel-renewable powered Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS) in a micro-grid was carried out that suits the requirement of large-scale EV fleet integration to the grid for power transaction. The holistic approach of BMS was considered for the sustainable transportation and grid integration
Study of Building Deformation in Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station

The deformation law of building in Dayawan Nuclear power station is obtained from the building deformation observation and the deformation monitoring data processing and analysis which is from the site monitoring and data collection of building deformation. The results show that the nuclear power station is sate, its horizontal displacement and settlement amount agree to the deformation law and are normal building deformation.
Nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode control based on neural network with adaptive robust term for robotic manipulators with actuators

For accurate trajectory tracking of robotic manipulators with actuators, a novel nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode control (NFTSMC) strategy based on radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) is put forward and investigated in this paper. Because of the existence of nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode (NFTSM) manifold, the controller possesses high precision and fast convergence. Considering that it is difficult to obtain accurate model parameters owing to modeling errors or external disturbances, RBFNN is used to approximate the nonlinear uncertainties due to its simple structure and great generalization ability. A new adaptive law is designed to adjust RBFNN. In order to compensate the estimation errors and suppress other unstable factors, a robust term is introduced. A new adaptive law is developed to flexibly adjust the robust term. Then, Lyapunov theory is applied to prove the system stability and finite-time convergence. Finally, a small-sized industrial robotic manipulator Epson LS3-401S with its first two joints is taken as the simulation plant, and several simulations between the proposed controller and the other two controllers are performed. External disturbances and other two conditions are considered to simulate the real environment, and the corresponding results verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed controller.
Observer based robust force control in cooperative motion systems

This paper is concerned with the realization of a robust force control scheme in the cooperative motion of multiple manipulator systems. The derivation of the control scheme is based on the adoption of a disturbance force observer to the motion control system which is decomposed into trajectory and internal (grasping) force control subsystems. The force disturbance observer provides the system's robustness by compensating the disturbances of system including the variation of system parameters and also by enhancing the decoupled trajectory and internal force motion controllers. The effectiveness of the proposed systems is verified by several experimental results using two units of SCARA manipulators grasping an object and moving the object according to the desired trajectory in free motion condition as well as in the existence of external interaction force.
The impact of market concentration on competitiveness of the banking sector in Serbia

The concentration level is proof of development and tendencies on the observed market. It determines the existence of competition and fair play among competitors and participants. This paper aims to analyse and measure the concentration level within the banking sector in the Republic of Serbia. The concentration level is measured applying the concentration ratio for four and five biggest banks (Cr4 and Cr5) and Herfindal-Hirschman index (HH index) in the period from 2018 to the third quarter of 2020 for the following banks' balance sheet positions: assets, approved loans, and collected deposits. The banking market is reported to be medium concentrated according to CR5 and low concentrated according to Cr4 and HHI in all observed categories. The empirical research shows that there is competition among banks in Serbia (loose oligopoly), which depends on the concentration level. Furthermore, the acquired results contribute in the comprehension and perception of the direction in which the Serbian banking sector, as an example of an industry in a small emerging country, is progressing towards a modern financial market through bank consolidation.
High efficiency thin‐film amorphous silicon solar cells

Enhancing light absorption within thin film amorphous silicon (a‐Si) solar cells should lead to higher efficiency. This improvement is typically done using various light trapping techniques such as utilizing textured back reflectors for pronounced light scattering within the cell thus achieving higher absorption. It is believed that embedding metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) inside the structure could increase light scattering. However, embedding MNPs can also cause significant structure defects and pronounced efficiency drop as well – it has been indicated by many experiments that disproved this belief. In search of ways to improve efficiency, we have investigated the impact of MNP's size, and location within the solar cell, in addition to the effect of defects, and doping levels on the overall efficiency. On the basis of our 3D multiphysics (optical‐electric) modeling, we developed a design guideline for embedding these MNPs and reducing the impact of defects created in the embedding process. The results of simulations were compared to relevant measured data, and it showed a good agreement. Subsequently, models were used to predict performance, and over 30% improvement in solar cell efficiency (~13% is predicted); which is beyond the state of the art. This was predicted by optimizing the size and location of the MNPs and tailoring the doping levels to have better forward light trapping and absorption.
Smart grid real‐time pricing optimization management on power consumption of building multi‐type air‐conditioners

Real‐time pricing will be one of the demand response methods for the future smart grid. Assuming an advanced building energy management system for air‐conditioning facilities in commercial buildings, a simulated annealing optimization that minimizes an evaluation function consisting of power cost and comfort degradation terms is studied. © 2016 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.