Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spiking Neural Network for Event camera ego-motion estimation

Event cameras mimic the workings of the human bio visual pathway by sending image intensity change pulses to the neural system. They are a promising alternative to conventional frame-based cameras for detecting ultra fast motion with low latency, robustness to changes in illumination conditions, and low power consumption. These characteristics make them ideal for mobile robotic tasks. However, exploiting to its full capacity their unconventional sparse and asynchronous spatio-temporal data flow efficiently still challenges the computer vision community. Deep Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), especially, the recent architecture of visual transformers (ViT) have achieved state-of-the-art performance for various visual tasks [1]. However, the straight-forward use of ANNs on event input data needs a preprocessing step that constraints its sparse and asynchronous nature. Inspired by computational neuroscience, Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) turn out to be a natural match for event cameras due to their sparse event-driven and temporal processing characteristics. SNNs have been applied mostly for classification tasks [2]. Some other works involve regression tasks for optical flow estimation [3, 4], depth estimation [5] angular velocity estimation [6], and video reconstruction [7]. However, limited work has been done to incorporate SNNs for full 3D ego-motion estimation. We first present an optimization-based ego-motion estimation framework that exploits the event-based optical flow outputs of a trained SNN model [8]. Our method successfully estimates pure rotation and pure translation motion from input events only and shows the potential of using SNNs for continuous ego-motion estimation tasks. Secondly, we show our Hybrid RNN-ViT architecture for optical flow estimation which uses ViT to learn global context yielding better results than SoA. We further present its SNN counterpart which combines SNNs to directly process the event data.
The Adjoint of the Semi-Lagrangian Treatment of the Passive Tracer Equation

A semi-Lagrangian treatment of the 1D passive tracer equation using prescribed piecewise-continuous interpolating functions is considered. Whether the process of localizing the upstream position affects the adjoint counterpart of the associated tangent linear model when the Courant number varies spatially is evaluated. An analysis is done and the accuracy of the numerical adjoint is found to be reduced when the upstream positions are irregularly distributed around the grid point at which the adjoint is evaluated. This irregular distribution follows an acceleration or a deceleration pattern and is a consequence of a discontinuity in the integer value of the Courant number. The cubic Lagrange interpolation reduces this lack of accuracy when compared to the linear interpolation. Numerical 1D adjoint experiments confirm the analysis. The adjoint of the 2D passive tracer equation on the sphere is studied in the context of a solid body rotation. Numerous irregular distributions are induced by a sequence of discontinuities in the integer value of the longitudinal Courant number near the poles. Numerical 2D adjoint experiments reveal that the cubic spline interpolation could also be affected, but to a lesser extent than the cubic Lagrange interpolation. Those errors are visible even if the Lipschitz criterion giving bounds to the intensity in the variation of the Courant number is respected.
The Influence of Maternal KIR Haplotype on the Reproductive Outcomes after Single Embryo Transfer in IVF Cycles in Patients with Recurrent Pregnancy Loss and Implantation Failure—A Single Center Experience

(1) Background: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and recurrent implantation failure (RIF) have in common a deficient maternal adaptation to the semi-allogeneic fetus, in which killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) family expressed by natural killer (NK) cells play an important role. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of maternal KIR haplotype on the reproductive outcomes after single embryo transfer in IVF cycles in patients with RPL and RIF. (2) Methods: Patients with RIF and RPL who presented at Origyn Fertility Center from Iasi, Romania, were prospectively enrolled between January 2020 and December 2022. Clinical and paraclinical data was examined. Descriptive statistics and a conditional logistic regression model were used to analyze our data. (3) Results: Patients with a KIR AA haplotype had significantly more chances of miscarriage if they underwent an IVF procedure (aOR: 4.15, 95% CI: 1.39–6.50, p = 0.032) compared with those who spontaneously achieved a pregnancy. Moreover, it appeared that the same haplotype increased the chances of obtaining a pregnancy for patients who underwent an IVF procedure (aOR: 2.57, 95% CI: 0.85–6.75, p = 0.023). (4) Conclusions: Determination of KIR haplotype could be beneficial for patients with RPL or RIF in order to offer an individualized management.
Extended cleavage specificities of human granzymes A and K, two closely related enzymes with conserved but still poorly defined functions in T and NK cell-mediated immunity

Granzymes A and K are two highly homologous serine proteases expressed by mammalian cytotoxic T cells (CTL) and natural killer cells (NK). Granzyme A is the most abundant of the different granzymes (gzms) expressed by these two cell types. Gzms A and K are found in all jawed vertebrates and are the most well conserved of all hematopoietic serine proteases. Their potential functions have been studied extensively for many years, however, without clear conclusions. Gzm A was for many years thought to serve as a key component in the defense against viral infection by the induction of apoptosis in virus-infected cells, similar to gzm B. However, later studies have questioned this role and instead indicated that gzm A may act as a potent inducer of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Gzms A and K form clearly separate branches in a phylogenetic tree indicating separate functions. Transcriptional analyses presented here demonstrate the presence of gzm A and K transcripts in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. To enable screening for their primary biological targets we have made a detailed analysis of their extended cleavage specificities. Phage display analysis of the cleavage specificity of the recombinant enzymes showed that both gzms A and K are strict tryptases with high selectivity for Arg over Lys in the P1 position. The major differences in the specificities of these two enzymes are located N-terminally of the cleavage site, where gzm A prefers small amino acids such as Gly in the P3 position and shows a relatively relaxed selectivity in the P2 position. In contrast, gzm K prefers large amino acids such as Phe, Tyr, and Trp in both the P2 and P3 positions and does not tolerate negatively charged residues in the P2 position. This major distinction in extended specificities is likely reflected also in preferred in vivo targets of these two enzymes. This information can now be utilized for high-precision screening of primary targets for gzms A and K in search of their highly conserved but still poorly defined functions in vertebrate immunity.
Transcranial stimulation of the frontal lobes increases propensity of mind-wandering without changing meta-awareness

Transcranial stimulation of the frontal lobes increases propensity of mind-wandering without changing meta-awareness Csifcsák, G. ; Boayue, N.M. ; Aslaksen, P.M. ; Turi, Z. ; Antal, A. ; Groot, J.; Hawkins, G.E. ; Forstmann, B.U. ; Opitz, A. ; Thielscher, A. ; Mittner, M. DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2019. 00130 Publication date 2019 Document Version Final published version Published in Frontiers in Psychology License CC BY
This item is the archived preprint of: Artisanal or industrial conflict minerals? Evidence from Eastern Congo Reference:

from LSM expansions. To create a time invariant LSMi variable, we follow the same two strategies as Berman et al. (2017). First, we only consider cells for which the LSM status did not change in the period of study; i.e. those cells in which LSM was either always or never present. Second, we consider all cells, but use a time-invariant dummy to indicate cells that have LSM presence at any point over the period 2004-2015. The identifying assumption underlying Equation (1) is that variation in world mineral prices provides us with exogenous variation in the value of artisanal and industrial mines in the locations where these minerals are extracted. In our context, this assumption rests on two conditions. First, world mineral prices should not be affected by local conflict events in Eastern Congo. This condition is reasonable, since the majority of ASM (68%) and LSM (69%) sites in our sample focus on the production of gold, for which the DRC supplies less than 1% of world production (USGS, 2013, 2012). One might argue, however, that it does not hold for tantalum, since production volumes for the DRC fluctuate between 10-20% of total world production (USGS, 2015, 2013). Cells dominated by tantalum mining represent about 6% of cells with ASM sites and about 0.6% of cells with LSM concessions. In Appendix 2 we show that our results remain stable when dropping these cells from the analysis. A second condition for our identifying assumption to hold is that local Congolese mineral prices should follow international price trends. While we do not have detailed information on local mineral prices, Geenen (2014) shows that local mineral traders in Eastern Congo closely monitor world mineral prices and use them to set local prices. It is thus 25 Diamonds are excluded since panel data on diamond prices is not available. This does not bias the results because diamonds are the main LSM mineral in only 0.1% of the grid cells. 26 “Even small traders who are based near the mining sites say they regularly check the price online, on their phone, or on TV5 Afrique” (Geenen 2014: p.249). Geenen (2014: p.249) further quotes a local mineral trader stating that “Following the world market price is the least we can do. If you don’t do it, you lose money”.
Morbid obesity: medical or surgical treatment? The case for medical treatment.

We should ask about any therapy: (1) is it safe? and (2) is it effective? The best therapy is that which has the greatest chance to do good with the least chance to cause harm. Medical treatment is certainly safer than surgery, since (by my definition) surgery always involves a general anaesthetic, and morbidly obese patients are bad anaesthetic risks. Obesity also increases other surgical risks, so all published series of surgically-treated obese patients report some mortality. Surgeons will claim that surgery is much more effective than medical treatment, which has negligible success in morbid obesity. However all surgical bypass or banding procedures cause weight loss by restricting food intake, so if food intake can be equally restricted without surgery the results are just as good. In our experience jaw-wiring (which does not require a general anaesthetic) produces similar weight loss to gastroplasty. However the most difficult problem in morbid obesity is the maintenance of reduced weight many years after treatment. We have too few good long-term follow-up data after either medical or surgical treatment, but about half our patients treated with jaw-wiring and a waist cord maintain their weight loss on 3 years follow-up, zero mortality from the procedure. The results of surgical and medical treatments depend on the skill and care with which they are applied, and the way in which patients are selected. If patients are given treatment B if they are considered unsuitable for treatment A then the results from treatment A will be better. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Analytical Investigation of Two Benchmark Resource Allocation Algorithms for LTE-V2V

Short-range wireless technologies will enable vehicles to communicate and coordinate their actions, thus improving people's safety and traffic efficiency. Whereas IEEE 802.11p (and related standards) had been the only practical solution for years, in 2016 a new option was introduced with Release of 14 long-term evolution (LTE), which includes new features to enable direct vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications. LTE-V2V promises a more efficient use of the channel compared to IEEE 802.11p, thanks to an improved PHY layer and the use of orthogonal resources at the MAC layer. In LTE-V2V, a key role is played by the resource allocation algorithm and increasing efforts are being made to design new solutions to optimize the spatial reuse. In this context, an important aspect still little studied, is therefore that of identifying references that allow, first, to have a perception of the space in which the resource allocation algorithms move and, second, to verify the performance of new proposals. In this paper, we focus on a highway scenario and identify two algorithms to be used as a minimum and maximum reference in terms of the packet reception probability (PRP). The PRP is derived as a function of various parameters that describe the scenario and settings, from the application to the physical layer. Results, obtained both in a simplified Poisson point process scenario and with realistic traffic traces, show that the PRP varies considerably with different algorithms and that there is room for the improvement of current solutions.
Routing Virtual Circuits with Temporal QoS Requirements in Virtual Path-Based ATM Networks

Real-time communication with performance guarantees is expected to become an important feature of future computer networks used for embedded real-time systems and/or for interactive multimedia services. Given an ATM network topology, its virtual path (VP) layout, and its traffic demands, we consider in this paper the problem of selecting for each virtual circuit (VC) with user-specified end-to-end temporal QoS requirements a route (i.e., a sequence of VPs) along which sufficient resources are available to meet the delay requirements. Our objective is 1) to provide the temporal QoS guarantee for each VC to be established while not jeopardizing the QoS guarantees to other existing VCs and 2) to reduce the call blocking probability for future VCs by using the minimum possible resources. We adopt the real-time channel model to characterize the traffic characteristics and the temporal QoS requirement of a VC. We impose a deterministic guarantee that every message generated at the source node be delivered to the destination node in a time period no longer than the relative deadline. We then propose a VC routing scheme based on the distributed Bellman-Ford algorithm to identify an "appropriate" route through the network. By "appropriate", we mean that the route traverses a minimum number of VPs among all possible routes that have sufficient resources to fulfill the end-to-end temporal QoS requirement of the VG to be established. To ensure that sufficient bandwidth is available over all the VPs along the selected route, we incorporate in our proposed scheme a priority assignment method to calculate the worst-case delay which messages of a VC will experience on a VP along which the VC is routed. We study the performance of, and the message overhead incurred in, the proposed scheme. We also discuss how to extend the proposed routing scheme to accommodate multicast routing.
The Bidirectional NiFe-hydrogenase in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 Is Reduced by Flavodoxin and Ferredoxin and Is Essential under Mixotrophic, Nitrate-limiting Conditions*

Background: Cyanobacterial hydrogenases are claimed to produce hydrogen via NAD(P)H, which contradicts thermodynamic considerations; the physiological function of these hydrogenases is unresolved. Results: Flavodoxin/ferredoxin reduce cyanobacterial hydrogenases, which are essential under mixotrophic, nitrate-limiting conditions. Conclusion: Cyanobacterial bidirectional hydrogenases are electron sinks for reduced flavodoxin/ferredoxin. Significance: This study provides a basis for a target-oriented enhancement of hydrogen production and explains the aquatic distribution of cyanobacterial hydrogenases. Cyanobacteria are able to use solar energy for the production of hydrogen. It is generally accepted that cyanobacterial NiFe-hydrogenases are reduced by NAD(P)H. This is in conflict with thermodynamic considerations, as the midpoint potentials of NAD(P)H do not suffice to support the measured hydrogen production under physiological conditions. We show that flavodoxin and ferredoxin directly reduce the bidirectional NiFe-hydrogenase of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 in vitro. A merodiploid ferredoxin-NADP reductase mutant produced correspondingly more photohydrogen. We furthermore found that the hydrogenase receives its electrons via pyruvate:flavodoxin/ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR)-flavodoxin/ferredoxin under fermentative conditions, enabling the cells to gain ATP. These results strongly support that the bidirectional NiFe-hydrogenases in cyanobacteria function as electron sinks for low potential electrons from photosystem I and as a redox balancing device under fermentative conditions. However, the selective advantage of this enzyme is not known. No strong phenotype of mutants lacking the hydrogenase has been found. Because bidirectional hydrogenases are widespread in aquatic nutrient-rich environments that are capable of triggering phytoplankton blooms, we mimicked those conditions by growing cells in the presence of increased amounts of dissolved organic carbon and dissolved organic nitrogen. Under these conditions the hydrogenase was found to be essential. As these conditions close the two most important sinks for reduced flavodoxin/ferredoxin (CO2-fixation and nitrate reduction), this discovery further substantiates the connection between flavodoxin/ferredoxin and the NiFe-hydrogenase.
VP4 and VP7 Genotyping of Rotavirus Samples Recovered from Infected Children in Ireland over a 3-Year Period

ABSTRACT Between September 1995 and August 1998, the incidence and diversity of the main human rotavirus genotypes (G1, G2, G3, and G4 and P[8], P[4], P[6], and P[9]) among Irish children were determined by using established and adapted reverse transcriptase PCR-based genotyping methods. From a total of 193 rotavirus-positive specimens collected from nine hospitals we successfully identified the P type in 182 (94%) of the samples and the G type in 165 (85.5%) of the samples. Only four samples could not be assigned a G or P type. Two P types existed in Ireland, P[8] (78%) and P[4] (16%), and their relative incidence varied over the 3 years of this study. No P[6] or P[9] types were detected. G1 was the most predominant G type (55%), and the incidences of G2, G3, and G4 isolates were 15.5, 1, and 11%, respectively. Three percent of the samples tested had a mixed G type. A P and G type was assigned to 158 (81.8%) of samples. Of the typeable samples, G1 P[8] was the most prevalent (65%), whereas G2 P[4] (17%), G3 P[8] (1%), G4 P[8] (12%), and mixed types (all G1/ G4 P[8]) (4%) were detected less frequently. In the third year a significant genotypic shift from G1 P[8] to G2 P[4] and G4 P[8] was observed. During the study, we noticed that the inclusion of random primers during cDNA synthesis greatly increased the specificity of the PCR typing assays. No correlation was seen between the contributing hospitals and a specific genotype. In conclusion, the coverage of infection given by the recently licensed tetravalent vaccine would be significantly high in Ireland, although future monitoring of genotypic changes among Irish isolates should be encouraged.
Human embryonic, fetal, and adult hemoglobins have different subunit interface strengths. Correlation with lifespan in the red cell

The different types of naturally occurring, normal human hemoglobins vary in their tetramer–dimer subunit interface strengths (stabilities) by three orders of magnitude in the liganded (CO or oxy) state. The presence of embryonic ζ‐subunits leads to an average 20‐fold weakening of tetramer–dimer interfaces compared to corresponding hemoglobins containing adult α‐subunits. The dimer–monomer interfaces of these hemoglobins differ by at least 500‐fold in their strengths; such interfaces are weak if they contain ζ‐subunits and exchange with added β‐subunits in the form of β4 (HbH) significantly faster than do those with α‐subunits. Subunit exchange occurs at the level of the dimer, although tetramer formation reciprocally influences the amount of dimer available for exchange. Competition between subunit types occurs so that pairs of weak embryonic hemoglobins can exchange subunits to form the stronger fetal and adult hemoglobins. The dimer strengths increase in the order Hb Portland‐2 (ζ2β2) < Hb Portland‐1 (ζ2γ2) ≅ Hb Gower‐1 (ζ2ε2) < Hb Gower‐2 (α2ε2) < HbF1 < HbF (α2γ2) < HbA2 (α2δ2), i.e., from embryonic to fetal to adult types, representing maturation from weaker to stronger monomer–monomer subunit contacts. This increasing order recapitulates the developmental order in which globins are expressed (embryonic → fetal → adult), suggesting that the intrinsic binding properties of the subunits themselves regarding the strengths of interfaces they form with competing subunits play an important role in the dynamics of protein assemblies and networks.
Prostaglandin E2 Is a Product of Induced Prostaglandin-endoperoxide Synthase 2 and Microsomal-type Prostaglandin E Synthase at the Implantation Site of the Hamster*

Certain uterine prostaglandins (PGs) are elevated at implantation sites and are needed to trigger the events of blastocyst implantation that include blastocyst-uterine attachment and stromal decidualization with vascular permeability changes. Several decades of investigations showed that treatment with PG synthesis inhibitors, prior to or during the time of implantation, resulted in either complete inhibition or a delay in implantation or reduction in the number of implantation sites with diminished decidual tissue. Consistent with these findings, we observed that whereas a selective PG endoperoxide synthase (Ptgs) 1 inhibitor SC-560 failed to inhibit implantation, a selective Ptgs2 inhibitor SC-236 showed significantly reduced number and size of implantation sites in progesterone-treated ovariectomized pregnant hamsters. It is known that Ptgs2 expression and Ptgs2-derived prostacyclin (PGI2) synthesis at implantation sites are needed for implantation in the mouse (a rodent that needs ovarian estrogen for implantation). However, it is unknown which Ptgs and PG synthases produce which PGs at implantation sites of the hamster (a rodent that does not need ovarian estrogen for implantation). Here we demonstrate that as blastocyst implantation proceeds, a reduction in Ptgs1 expression from uterine luminal epithelial cells and a gradual induction in Ptgs2 expression exclusively in luminal epithelial and adjacent decidual cells occurred at implantation sites of hamsters. Results also reveal that PGE2, but not PGI2, is the major PG at implantation sites where Ptgs2 and microsomal type PGE synthases but not PGI synthases are co-expressed. This elevated uterine PGE2 at implantation sites may serve to initiate or amplify physiological signals required for specific aspects of the implantation process in hamsters.