Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interneuronal In Vivo Transfer of Synaptic Proteins

Neuron-to-neuron transfer of pathogenic α-synuclein species is a mechanism of likely relevance to Parkinson’s disease development. Experimentally, interneuronal α-synuclein spreading from the low brainstem toward higher brain regions can be reproduced by the administration of AAV vectors encoding for α-synuclein into the mouse vagus nerve. The aim of this study was to determine whether α-synuclein’s spreading ability is shared by other proteins. Given α-synuclein synaptic localization, experiments involved intravagal injections of AAVs encoding for other synaptic proteins, β-synuclein, VAMP2, or SNAP25. Administration of AAV-VAMP2 or AAV-SNAP25 caused robust transduction of either of the proteins in the dorsal medulla oblongata but was not followed by interneuronal VAMP2 or SNAP25 transfer and caudo-rostral spreading. In contrast, AAV-mediated β-synuclein overexpression triggered its spreading to more frontal brain regions. The aggregate formation was investigated as a potential mechanism involved in protein spreading, and consistent with this hypothesis, results showed that overexpression of β-synuclein, but not VAMP2 or SNAP25, in the dorsal medulla oblongata was associated with pronounced protein aggregation. Data indicate that interneuronal protein transfer is not a mere consequence of increased expression or synaptic localization. It is rather promoted by structural/functional characteristics of synuclein proteins that likely include their tendency to form aggregate species.
Use of Galleria mellonella as a Model for Insect Vector Transmission of the Foodborne Pathogen Campylobacter jejuni in Broiler Chickens: A Pilot Study

There is growing pressure to find a way to eradicate or reduce the levels of foodborne pathogens such as Campylobacter in broiler chickens, whilst limiting the use of antimicrobials. For Campylobacter, there is currently no vaccine and on-farm biosecurity alone is insufficient to prevent colonization of broiler chicken flocks. Dipteran flies are proven carriers of Campylobacter and their entry into broiler houses may contribute to its transmission to broiler chickens. As there is currently no experimental vector transmission model for Campylobacter and chickens, we decided to examine experimentally whether Galleria mellonella could be used as vector to transmit Campylobacter to broiler chickens. More recently, the use of live insect feed has been proposed both for its nutritional qualities and improving bird welfare through the encouragement of natural foraging behaviours and it is unclear any risk this poses in terms of pathogen transmission. In this study, day-old chicks (n = 29) were obtained from a commercial hatchery. At three weeks of age, birds were split into 4 This groups; Group 1 was infected via oral gavage with 106 cells of C. jejuni-M1, Group 2 was fed Galleria mellonella infected with 106 cells of C. jejuni-M1, Group 3 was fed uninfected Galleria mellonella, whilst the remaining group was unchallenged. Cloacal swabs were taken at 2, 4, and 6 days post-infection (dpi) to follow transmission and at 8 dpi birds culled and C. jejuni load quantified in the caeca and liver. At 8 dpi, all birds in both the Campylobacter gavage group and those in the group fed the Campylobacter infected Galleria mellonella were Campylobacter positive, whereas those fed uninfected Galleria mellonella and the control group were all Campylobacter negative. The mean caecal Campylobacter load in the Campylobacter gavage group was 1.7 × 1010 per gram compared with 8.6 × 109 in the group fed the Campylobacter-infected Galleria mellonella. No liver positives were found in any of the groups. Our findings indicate that feeding broiler chickens with the vector Galleria mellonella infected with C. jejuni-M1 is sufficient to establish colonisation with C. jejuni. We propose that Galleria can be used as an easy and flexible model for vector transmission of foodborne pathogens in chicken.
Use of Outpatient Health Services by Mexicans Aged 15 Years and Older, According to Ethnicity

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of health needs and use of outpatient services for indigenous (IP) and non-indigenous (NIP) populations aged ≥15 years, and to explore the associated factors and types of need. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on the 2018-19 National Health and Nutrition Survey. The population aged ≥15 years who had health needs and used outpatient services was identified. Logistic models were developed to explore the factors underlying the use of outpatient services. For both populations, being a woman increased the likelihood of using health services, and having health insurance was the most important variable in explaining the use of public health services. Compared to the NIP, a lower proportion of IP reported health needs during the month prior to the survey (12.8% vs. 14.7%); a higher proportion refrained from using outpatient services (19.6% vs. 12.6%); and a slightly higher proportion used public health services (56% vs. 55.4%). For the NIP, older age and belonging to a household that had received cash transfers from a social program, had few members, a high socioeconomic level, and a head with no educational lag, all increased the likelihood of using public health services. It is crucial to implement strategies that both increase the use of public health services by the IP and incorporate health-insurance coverage as a universal right.
Error rates of non-Bayes classification rules and the robustness of Fisher's linear discriminant function

SUMMARY We call a classification procedure non-Bayes if it does not converge to the Bayes classification procedure. An asymptotic expansion is found for the expected error rate of such a classification rule. This is used to compare the estimates of Fisher's linear discriminant rule, F, and the quadratic discriminant rule, Q, under departures from the equal variance matrices assumption. It is found that F is quite robust to departures from the equal variances assumption.
Numerical properties of the LLL method

The LLL algorithm is widely used to solve the integer least squares problems that arise in many engieering applications. As most practitioners did not understand how the LLL algorithm works, they avoided the issue by referring to the method as an integer Gram Schmidt approach (without explaining what they mean by this term). Luk and Tracy1 were first to describe the behavior of the LLL algorithm, and they presented a new numerical implementation that should be more robust than the original LLL scheme. In this paper, we compare the numerical properties of the two different LLL implementations.
Territorial Dispossession in Mexico: Mining and the New Latifundism

Three multibillionaire-owned consortia in Mexico—Carlos Slim Helu’s Minera Frisco, Germán Larrea’s Grupo México, and Alberto Baillères’s Industrias Peñoles—have played a leading role in the process of accumulation through dispossession by perpetrating violence against indigenous and peasant communities in the form of the expulsion of thousands of people from their land, attacks on their security, health and ways of life, environmental depredation, fraud, criminalization, and murder. Examination of media reports of the most recent socio-environmental conflicts and corporate documents reveals the tension between profit accumulation through dispossession and territorial depredation in mining and various forms of resistance. Los consorcios multimillonarios mexicanos—Minera Frisco de Carlos Slim Helu, Grupo México de Germán Larrea e Industrias Peñoles de Alberto Baillères—han desempeñado un papel protagónico en el proceso de acumulación a través del despojo efectuado a través de la perpetración de actos de violencia contra las comunidades indígenas y campesinas. Esto se ha manifestado en la expulsión de miles de personas de sus tierras, ataques a su seguridad, salud y formas de vida, así como depredación ambiental, fraude, criminalización y asesinato. Un análisis de los informes hechos por los medios de comunicación en torno a los conflictos socioambientales más recientes así como de documentos corporativos revela la tensión existente entre la acumulación de ganancias a través del despojo y la depredación territorial en el rubro de la minería, al igual que diversas formas de resistencia.
Use of Machine Learning with Fused Spectral Data for Prediction of Product Sensory Characteristics: The Case of Grape to Wine

Generations of sensors have been developed for predicting food sensory profiles to circumvent the use of a human sensory panel, but a technology that can rapidly predict a suite of sensory attributes from one spectral measurement remains unavailable. Using spectra from grape extracts, this novel study aimed to address this challenge by exploring the use of a machine learning algorithm, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), to predict twenty-two wine sensory attribute scores from five sensory stimuli: aroma, colour, taste, flavour, and mouthfeel. Two datasets were obtained from absorbance-transmission and fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (A-TEEM) spectroscopy with different fusion methods: variable-level data fusion of absorbance and fluorescence spectral fingerprints, and feature-level data fusion of A-TEEM and CIELAB datasets. The results for externally validated models showed slightly better performance using only A-TEEM data, predicting five out of twenty-two wine sensory attributes with R2 values above 0.7 and fifteen with R2 values above 0.5. Considering the complex biotransformation involved in processing grapes to wine, the ability to predict sensory properties based on underlying chemical composition in this way suggests that the approach could be more broadly applicable to the agri-food sector and other transformed foodstuffs to predict a product’s sensory characteristics from raw material spectral attributes.
Modification of critical current density of MgB2 films irradiated with 200 MeV Ag ions

The effect of 200 MeV Ag ion irradiation on the temperature and field dependence of critical current density (JC) of high quality MgB2 thin films is studied. Substantial increase in JC is observed over a certain field range for the film irradiated at a dose of 1012 ions/cm2. Our analysis suggests that columnar defects are not formed under irradiation conditions used in these studies, which correspond to an electronic energy loss of about 16 keV/nm. Defects clusters are likely to be responsible for the observed improvement in JC.
Robust predictive tracking control of networked control systems with time-varying delays and data dropouts

This study deals with a robust trajectory tracking control problem of discrete-time networked control systems. The systems have time-varying interval-bounded uncertainties, random network-induced delays and data dropouts in both sensor-to-controller channel and controller-to-buffer/actuator channel. A dynamic predictive feedback linearisation controller is proposed so that the system dynamics and delays caused by networked communication time and data dropouts are compensated, and the system output can perfectly track the reference trajectory when uncertainties are absent. Tracking errors caused by the time-varying parameter uncertainties are suppressed in the H ∞ sense. Finally, the proposed method is illustrated by two numerical examples which show the application procedure and effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
The first coil embolization ratio is the key factor for retreatment for unruptured cerebral aneurysms

Background: In coil embolization, a high volume embolization ratio prevents recanalization that may require retreatment. However, patients with a high volume embolization ratio may also require retreatment. Patients with inadequate framing with the first coil may experience recanalization of the aneurysm. We analyzed the relationship between embolization ratio of the first coil and recanalization requiring retreatment. Methods: We reviewed data from 181 patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms who underwent initial coil embolization between 2011 and 2021. We retrospectively analyzed the correlation between neck width, maximum aneurysm size, width, aneurysm volume, volume embolization ratio of the framing coil (first volume embolization ratio [1st VER]), and final volume embolization ratio (final VER) of cerebral aneurysms in patients and their retreatment. Results: Recanalization requiring retreatment was observed in 13 patients (7.2%). The factors related to recanalization were neck width, maximum aneurysm size, width, aneurysm volume, and 1st VER, but not the final VER. Multivariate analysis of the five factors showed a significant difference in the 1st VER (P = 0.002). The cutoff value for recanalization was a 1st VER of 5.8%. There were 162 cases with a VER ≥ 20% or higher, and the same analysis yielded similar results. Conclusion: The 1st VER was significantly correlated with recanalization of cerebral aneurysms requiring retreatment. In coil embolization of unruptured cerebral aneurysms, it is important to achieve an embolization rate of at least 5.8% using a framing coil to prevent recanalization.
Trajectory Design using Differential Parameterizations

A trajectory for the position of an underactuated ship is considered which leads to singularities when using exact input‐output linearization. This paper shows that on the basis of a differential parameterization with a non‐flat output, such singularities can be avioded using a reparameterization of the trajectory. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Personalized Biomarkers and Neuropsychological Status Can Predict Post-Stroke Fatigue

Post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is a common complication of stroke that has a negative impact on prognosis and recovery. We aimed to investigate the relationship between PSF and demographics, mood disorders, sleep disorders, and other clinical characteristics of patients with stroke. In this exploratory cross-sectional study, we collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, biological indicators, and imaging features and evaluated patients using neuropsychological scales. Patients were assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were primarily used to evaluate infarctions and white matter lesions. The correlation between the PSF of patients with stroke and clinical indicators was obtained by logistic regression analysis and power analysis. We observed an independent association between fatigue severity and female sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14–3.94), depressive state (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.01–1.73), and sleep disorders (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.01–1.98). High levels of blood glucose, serum uric acid, and homocysteine and low levels of serum triiodothyronine were strongly associated with poor functional outcomes in patients with stroke. Further studies are needed to elucidate how specific structural lesions and anxiety symptoms are related to early PSF.
Investigation of the Degeneracy Phenomenon of the Maximum Principle for Optimal Control Problems with State Constraints

In this paper we study the degeneracy phenomenon in optimal control problems with state constraints. It is shown that this phenomenon occurs because of the incompleteness of the standard variants of Pontryagin's maximum principle for problems with state constraints. A new maximum principle containing additional information about the behavior of the Hamiltonian at the endtimes is developed. We also obtain some sufficient and necessary conditions for nondegeneracy and pointwise nontriviality of the maximum principle. The results obtained pertain to optimal control problems with systems described by differential inclusions and ordinary differential equations.
Magneto-optic effects in silica core microstructured fibers with a ferrofluidic cladding

Studies of magneto-optic effects in ferrofluid-filled silica core microstructured optical fibers are reported. Amplitude, frequency, and polarization dependencies of magneto-optic responses were measured for both the transverse and longitudinal geometries of the applied AC magnetic field. Magneto-optic responses of two types, i.e., the fast and slow one, were observed. A qualitative model based on the Neel rotation for the fast response and on particle motion and agglomeration for the slow response is proposed.
High performance slit-less spectrometer for soft x-ray emission spectroscopy

We have designed and constructed a new flat-field-type slit-less soft x-ray emission spectrometer that enables high detection efficiency and high energy resolution in the energy range of 250–1000eV. The energy resolution is optimized in the C 1s and O 1s regions, where the maximum energy resolution of 2500 (E∕ΔE) is expected using a focused beam whose spot size is 5μm full width at half maximum in the vertical direction. A distortion of the linear profile of the focused image on the charge-coupled device (CCD) detector is successfully removed by using a cylindrical grating. This enabled us to apply a super-resolution reconstruction technique to compensate for the lack of spatial resolution of the CCD detector.We have designed and constructed a new flat-field-type slit-less soft x-ray emission spectrometer that enables high detection efficiency and high energy resolution in the energy range of 250–1000eV. The energy resolution is optimized in the C 1s and O 1s regions, where the maximum energy resolution of 2500 (E∕ΔE) is expected using a focused beam whose spot size is 5μm full width at half maximum in the vertical direction. A distortion of the linear profile of the focused image on the charge-coupled device (CCD) detector is successfully removed by using a cylindrical grating. This enabled us to apply a super-resolution reconstruction technique to compensate for the lack of spatial resolution of the CCD detector.
Commercially Available Cell-Free Permeability Tests for Industrial Drug Development: Increased Sustainability through Reduction of In Vivo Studies

Replacing in vivo with in vitro studies can increase sustainability in the development of medicines. This principle has already been applied in the biowaiver approach based on the biopharmaceutical classification system, BCS. A biowaiver is a regulatory process in which a drug is approved based on evidence of in vitro equivalence, i.e., a dissolution test, rather than on in vivo bioequivalence. Currently biowaivers can only be granted for highly water-soluble drugs, i.e., BCS class I/III drugs. When evaluating poorly soluble drugs, i.e., BCS class II/IV drugs, in vitro dissolution testing has proved to be inadequate for predicting in vivo drug performance due to the lack of permeability interpretation. The aim of this review was to provide solid proofs that at least two commercially available cell-free in vitro assays, namely, the parallel artificial membrane permeability assay, PAMPA, and the PermeaPad® assay, PermeaPad, in different formats and set-ups, have the potential to reduce and replace in vivo testing to some extent, thus increasing sustainability in drug development. Based on the literature review presented here, we suggest that these assays should be implemented as alternatives to (1) more energy-intense in vitro methods, e.g., refining/replacing cell-based permeability assays, and (2) in vivo studies, e.g., reducing the number of pharmacokinetic studies conducted on animals and humans. For this to happen, a new and modern legislative framework for drug approval is required.
Third-order statistics and the dynamics of strongly anisotropic turbulent flows

Anisotropy is induced by body forces and/or mean large-scale gradients in turbulent flows. For flows without energy production, the dynamics of second-order velocity or second-order vorticity statistics are essentially governed by triple correlations, which are at the origin of the anisotropy that penetrates towards the inertial range, deeply altering the cascade and the eventual dissipation process, with a series of consequences on the evolution of homogeneous turbulence statistics: in the case of rotating turbulence, the anisotropic spectral transfer slaves the multiscale anisotropic energy distribution; nonlinear dynamics are responsible for the linear growth in terms of Ωt of axial integral length-scales; third-order structure functions, derived from velocity triple correlations, exhibit a significant departure from the 4/5 Kolmogorov law. We describe all these implications in detail, starting from the dynamical equations of velocity statistics in Fourier space, which yield third-order correlations at three points (triads) and allow the explicit removal of pressure fluctuations. We first extend the formalism to anisotropic rotating turbulence with ‘production’, in the presence of mean velocity gradients in the rotating frame. Second, we compare the spectral approach at three points to the two-point approach directly performed in physical space, in which we consider the transport of the scalar second-order structure function ⟨(δq)2⟩. This calls into play componental third-order correlations ⟨(δq)2δu⟩(r) in axisymmetric turbulence. This permits to discuss inhomogeneous anisotropic effects from spatial decay, shear, or production, as in the central region of a rotating round jet. We show that the above-mentioned important statistical quantities can be estimated from experimental planar particle image velocimetry, and that explicit passage relations systematically exist between one- and two-point statistics in physical and spectral space for second-order tensors, but also sometimes for third-order tensors that are involved in the dynamics.
Convolutive source separation and selective null beamforming using a pilot-based channel estimation technique

In this paper, we propose new convolutive source separation and selective null beamforming methods using a pilot-based channel estimation technique in reverberation environments. First, we show convolutive sound source separation methods in determined and overdetermined cases. For the acoustic channel estimation, we propose a new channel estimation method using pilot sequence conceptually similar to a pilot code in wireless communication. Pilot sequence is composed of sum of sinusoidal sequences at frequencies matching STFT (Short-Time Fourier Transform) frequencies. Proposed channel estimation method considered the effect of spectral sampling with frequencies matching STFT frequencies provides precise channel information we want to know and has less computational loads than other competitive methods. After acoustic channel estimation, we can separate the signals from observations using inverse(or pseudo-inverse) operator of estimated channel matrix at each frequency bins. We show the proposed method has better performance than other competitive methods in various measures. Second, we propose selective null beamforming using a pilot-based channel technique. If we use same pilot sequence at each transmitter, we can obtain relative difference of acoustic channel between transmitters as well as between microphone array. From estimated channel information, we can calculate beamforming weight vectors to null the signals at target location and to transmit the signals to desired location without distortion using singular value decomposition at each frequency bins. We evaluate the performance of proposed methods through experiments as well as the computer simulations.