Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gated technetium-99m-tetrofosmin SPECT and cine MRI to assess left ventricular contraction.

UNLABELLED This study investigates the value of ECG-gated 99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT in the assessment of resting left ventricular (LV) function by comparison with cine MRI. METHODS Twenty-eight patients were recruited prospectively from those referred for routine myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. Eight had three-vessel coronary artery disease, two had two-vessel disease, five had single-vessel disease and thirteen had not previously undergone coronary angiography. Twelve patients had previous myocardial infarction. After i.v. injection at rest of 750 MBq 99mTc-tetrofosmin, ECG-gated tomograms (16 frames per cardiac cycle) were acquired after 30 min. A nine-segment model of the LV was used and images were interpreted by two observers independently. Wall motion was assessed using a six-point scale (including unclassified where no judgment was possible), and systolic wall thickening was assessed from count changes through the cycle using a five-point scale. Tracer uptake was scored using a four-point scale. Diastolic wall thickness was assessed using a four-point scale. Cine magnetic resonance images were acquired in the same planes and analyzed in an identical fashion. RESULTS There was good overall agreement between the techniques for wall motion, thickness and thickening (kappa = 0.55-0.66), although 15 of the 252 (6%) segments were unclassified on radionuclide imaging. While there was absolute agreement in the assessment of all parameters in 10 patients with normal wall motion by MRI, agreement was less good in the 8 patients with three-vessel disease and poor left ventricular function (mean LVEF = 26%, mean LVEDV = 241 ml) (kappa = 0.37-0.48). Where tracer uptake was normal, there was good agreement between imaging, techniques (kappa = 0.64-0.75), but where uptake was absent or nearly absent, agreement was poor (kappa = 0-0.61), and 15 of 22 segments were unclassified on SPECT. CONCLUSION Gated 99mTc-tetrofosmin imaging provides an accurate assessment of myocardial wall motion, thickening and thickness in normal left ventricles but is less valuable in poorly functioning ventricles. Six percent of segments could not be assessed because of inadequate tracer uptake.
Time‐Dependent 2‐D Vector Field Topology: An Approach Inspired by Lagrangian Coherent Structures

This paper presents an approach to a time‐dependent variant of the concept of vector field topology for 2‐D vector fields. Vector field topology is defined for steady vector fields and aims at discriminating the domain of a vector field into regions of qualitatively different behaviour. The presented approach represents a generalization for saddle‐type critical points and their separatrices to unsteady vector fields based on generalized streak lines, with the classical vector field topology as its special case for steady vector fields. The concept is closely related to that of Lagrangian coherent structures obtained as ridges in the finite‐time Lyapunov exponent field. The proposed approach is evaluated on both 2‐D time‐dependent synthetic and vector fields from computational fluid dynamics.
Complex Interaction of Sensory and Motor Signs and Symptoms in Chronic CRPS

Spontaneous pain, hyperalgesia as well as sensory abnormalities, autonomic, trophic, and motor disturbances are key features of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). This study was conceived to comprehensively characterize the interaction of these symptoms in 118 patients with chronic upper limb CRPS (duration of disease: 43±23 months). Disease-related stress, depression, and the degree of accompanying motor disability were likewise assessed. Stress and depression were measured by Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Score and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Test. Motor disability of the affected hand was determined by Sequential Occupational Dexterity Assessment and Michigan Hand Questionnaire. Sensory changes were assessed by Quantitative Sensory Testing according to the standards of the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain. Almost two-thirds of all patients exhibited spontaneous pain at rest. Hand force as well as hand motor function were found to be substantially impaired. Results of Quantitative Sensory Testing revealed a distinct pattern of generalized bilateral sensory loss and hyperalgesia, most prominently to blunt pressure. Patients reported substantial motor complaints confirmed by the objective motor disability testings. Interestingly, patients displayed clinically relevant levels of stress and depression. We conclude that chronic CRPS is characterized by a combination of ongoing pain, pain-related disability, stress and depression, potentially triggered by peripheral nerve/tissue damage and ensuing sensory loss. In order to consolidate the different dimensions of disturbances in chronic CRPS, we developed a model based on interaction analysis suggesting a complex hierarchical interaction of peripheral (injury/sensory loss) and central factors (pain/disability/stress/depression) predicting motor dysfunction and hyperalgesia.
Dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithms in EPON: a simulation study

In this paper we present a dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithm for EPON, which makes use of the Multipoint Control Protocol (MPCP) with threshold reporting and with inter- and intra-ONU priority scheduling. Three varieties of this algorithm are compared, by means of a detailed simulation program, regarding average packet delay for several priorities, delay variation for constant bit rate (CBR) traffic and bandwidth utilization. We show that by introducing a specific intra-ONU priority scheduling algorithm, which takes the reported values into account, the bandwidth can be fully utilized. However, this scheduling algorithm causes an increased packet delay and delay variation for CBR traffic. In order to eliminate this drawback, we combine this scheduling algorithm with a rate-based scheme for the highest priority (CBR) traffic. This combined algorithm provides an interesting tradeoff between the efficiency, which is still near to the optimal, and the delay characteristics of time critical applications. Finally, we also include a comparison with a standard intra-ONU priority scheme.
Data Entry for Mobile Devices Using Soft Keyboards: Understanding the Effects of Keyboard Size and User Tasks

As mobile, handheld computing devices become more common and are used for an ever-increasing variety of tasks, new mechanisms for data entry must be investigated. Personal digital assistants often provide a small stylus-activated soft keyboard, as do some mobile phones that include touch screens. However, there is little data regarding the importance of keyboard size or the users' tasks, the effectiveness of these keyboards, or user reactions to these keyboards. In this article, an experiment designed to investigate these issues in the context of a palm-style QWERTY keyboard is described. In this study, 30 novices completed 6 realistic tasks using either a small, medium, or large soft keyboard. The results not only confirm that keyboard size does not affect data entry rates but that making the keyboard smaller does not increase error rates or negatively impact preference ratings. However, tasks that required users to switch between the alphabetic keyboard and the numeric keyboard do result in significantly slower data entry rates. A model that accurately predicts the time required to enter predefined text is presented, and directions for future research are discussed.
Single-baseline polarimetric SAR interferometry

The objective of this paper is to examine the application of single-baseline polarimetric SAR interferometry to the remote sensing and measurement of structure over forested terrain. For this, a polarimetric coherent scattering model for vegetation cover suitable for the estimation of forest parameters from interferometric observables is introduced, discussed and validated. Based on this model, an inversion algorithm which allows the estimation of forest parameters such as tree height, average extinction, and underlying topography from single-baseline fully polarimetric interferometric data is addressed. The performance of the inversion algorithm is demonstrated using fully polarimetric single baseline experimental data acquired by DLR's E-SAR system at L-band.
Absence of Nitric Oxide Synthase 3 Increases Amyloid β-Protein Pathology in Tg-5xFAD Mice.

AIM The abnormal accumulation, assembly and deposition of the amyloid β-protein (Aβ) are prominent pathological features of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders. A number of factors in the brain can influence Aβ accumulation and associated pathologies. The aim of the present study was to determine the consequences of deleting nitric oxide synthase (NOS) 3, the endothelial form of NOS, in Tg-5xFAD mice, a model of parenchymal AD-like amyloid pathology. METHODS Tg-5xFAD mice were bred with NOS3-/- mice. Cohorts of Tg-5xFAD mice and bigenic Tg-5xFAD/NOS3-/- mice were aged to six months followed by collection of the blood and brain tissues from the mice for biochemical and pathological analyses. RESULTS ELISA analyses show that the absence of NOS3 results in elevated levels of cerebral and plasma Aβ peptides in Tg-5xFAD mice. Immunohistochemical analyses show that the absence of NOS3 increased the amount of parenchymal Aβ deposition and fibrillar amyloid accumulation in Tg-5xFAD mice. The elevated levels of Aβ were not due to changes in the expression levels of transgene encoded human amyloid precursor protein (APP), endogenous β-secretase, or increased proteolytic processing of APP. CONCLUSIONS The results from this study suggest that the loss of NOS3 activity enhances Aβ pathology in Tg-5xFAD mice. These findings are similar to previous studies of NOS2 deletion suggesting that reduced NOS activity and NO levels enhance amyloid-associated pathologies in human APP transgenic mice.
is current as Myeloid Cells + Ly-6 G + Th 1 Immunity through Promotion of CD 11 b Tim-3 / Galectin-9 Pathway : Regulation of

IFN-g plays a central role in antitumor immunity. T cell Ig and mucin domain (Tim-3) is expressed on IFN-g–producing Th1 cells; on interaction with its ligand, galectin-9, Th1 immunity is terminated. In this study, we show that transgenic overexpression of Tim-3 on T cells results in an increase in CD11b + Ly-6G + cells and inhibition of immune responses. Molecular characterization of CD11b + Ly-6G + cells reveals a phenotype consistent with granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Accordingly, we find that modulation of the Tim-3/galectin-9 (Gal-9) pathway impacts on tumor growth. Similarly, overexpression of Tim-3 ligand, Gal-9, results in an increase in CD11b + Ly-6G + cells and inhibition of immune responses. Loss of Tim-3 restores normal levels of CD11b + Ly-6G + cells and normal immune responses in Gal-9 transgenic mice. Our data uncover a novel mechanism by which the Tim-3/Gal-9 pathway regulates immune responses and identifies this pathway as a therapeutic target in diseases where myeloid-derived suppressor cells are disadvantageous. A fter encountering specific Ag, naive T cells activate, expand , and differentiate into various effector T cell subsets such as, Th1, Th2, and Th17, which are characterized by distinct patterns of cytokine secretion. These T cell subsets have specific effector functions and recruit different cell types as a result of the cytokines they produce. Th1 cells produce IFN-g, Th2 cells produce IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and Th17 cells produce IL-17, IL-21, and IL-22. Th1 cells are critical in protection against intracellular pathogens and have long been associated with the pathogenesis of many organ-specific autoimmune diseases as IFN-g was found to be present in the target organ during the peak of disease and Th1 cells were shown to adoptively transfer disease (reviewed in Ref. 1). Moreover, IFN-g plays a central role in the immune response to tumors (reviewed in Ref. 2). Although it is clear that IFN-g can be immune stimulatory in that it upregulates the expression of MHC and activates macrophages and neutrophils, IFN-g has also been suggested to have immunosuppressive properties. Indeed, IFN-g 2/2 and IFN-gR 2/2 mice develop more severe organ-specific au-toimmunity than wild-type (WT) mice (3–5) suggesting that IFN-g is in some way involved in suppressing immune responses. Indeed, IFN-g has been shown to be involved in the induction of myeloid cells with suppressive properties (6–12), but how IFN-g or IFN-g– producing Th1 cells induce myeloid cells with suppressive function is not well understood. To better …
Detection of Oral Human Papillomavirus in HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex with Men 3 Years after Baseline: A Follow Up Cross-Sectional Study

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a causative agent in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The natural history of oral HPV in HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) is unclear. Methods Detection of oral human papillomavirus in 173 HIV-positive MSM using oral rinse samples 3 years apart was investigated. HPV DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction, and genotyped by Roche Linear Array. Results Of 173 men tested in 2010, 30 had at least one HPV genotype (17%, 95% CI: 12–23), 15 at least one hr-HPV (9%, 95% CI: 5–14) and 8 had HPV 16 (5%, 95% CI: 2–9) detected. In 2013, 33 had at least one HPV genotype (19%, 95% CI: 14–26), 20 had at least one hr-HPV (12%, 95% CI: 7–17) and 7 had HPV 16 (4%, 95% CI: 2–8) detected. Of 30 men at baseline (2010) with any HPV detected, 14 (47%, 95% CI: 28–66) had at least one persistent genotype. Of the 15 men in 2010 with high risk (hr-) HPV, 6 men (40%, 95% CI: 16–68) had at least one persistent hr-HPV genotype. The incidence rate of detection of at least one new HPV genotype was 4.8 per 100 person years (95% CI: 3.1–7.0), of at least one hr-HPV genotype was 3.2 per 100 person years (95% CI: 1.8–5.1) and of HPV 16 was 0.8 per 100 person years (95% CI: 0.2–2.0). The clearance rate was 14.9 per 100 person years (95% CI: 8.2–24.2) for any HPV, 18.2 per 100 person years (95% CI: 8.2–32.7) for hr-HPV and 17.4 per 100 person years (95% CI: 5.0–38.8) for HPV-16. Persistent HPV detection was associated with duration of HIV (OR 1.13 (per additional year), 95% CI: 1.00–1.26) and tonsillectomy (OR 8.17, 95% CI: 1.30–51.40). Conclusion The same oral HPV genotype was detected again after 3 years in nearly half of HIV-positive men who have sex with men.
Cystatin C or Creatinine for Detection of Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease in Anorexia Nervosa

Background: Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) are at a high risk of renal failure. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is often missed in these patients because the serum creatinine is a poor marker of kidney function. We studied the utility of cystatin C to detect renal failure in this population. Method: Twenty-seven AN patients were studied. Glomerular filtration rates (GFR) were measured with the chromium-51- ethylenediaminetetraacetate (51Cr-EDTA) method. We compared the ability of creatinine and cystatin C to detect stage 3 CKD (GFR below 60 ml/min) by ROC curve analysis. Results: In this cohort, there is no correlation between GFR and serum creatinine, but there is a significant correlation between cystatin C and GFR. By ROC analysis, the cystatin C concentration is better than the serum creatinine concentration for the detection of stage 3 CKD (area under the curve of 0.86 vs. 0.61, p = 0.05). Conclusion: Plasma cystatin C is better than serum creatinine in detecting stage 3 CKD in patients with AN.
Robust Grayscale Conversion for Vision-substitution Systems

Substitution systems have proved an important potential in mobility assistance for visually disable persons. Particularly, proficient users of auditory-vision substitution are able to identify and reconstruct visual targets. The content of non-visual image is simplified with the purpose to minimize the cognitive process for recognition and also to reduce the duration of the sound patterns. Motivated by these facts, many of the existing substitution systems discard the color information by dealing with grayscale images. This paper presents a robust and effective method of color-to-gray transformation, that preserves the original color contrast of the initial images but also the original saliency. The study is focused taken into consideration the hypothesis that visual salient areas are tightly connected with visual attention. We show that an appropriate translation allows a more accurate rendering of the important image regions but that creates a better mental representation of the
The capacity of foodstuffs to induce innate immune activation of human monocytes in vitro is dependent on food content of stimulants of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4

The ingestion of fatty meals is associated with a transient, low-grade systemic inflammatory response in human subjects, involving the activation of circulating monocytes and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, it is not yet clear how different foodstuffs may promote inflammatory signalling. In a screen of forty filter-sterilised soluble extracts from common foodstuffs, seven were found to induce the secretion of TNF-α and IL-6 from human monocytes in vitro. To investigate what may differentiate inflammatory from non-inflammatory food extracts, stimulants of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4 were quantified using human embryonic kidney-293 cells transfected with each TLR, and calibrated with defined bacterial lipopeptide (BLP) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) standards. These assays revealed that while most foods contained undetectable levels of TLR2 or TLR4 stimulants, all TNF-α-inducing foods contained stimulants of either TLR2 (up to 1100 ng BLP-equivalent/g) or TLR4 (up to 2700 ng LPS-equivalent/g) in both the soluble and insoluble fractions. TLR stimulants were present mainly in meat products and processed foods, but were minimal or undetectable in fresh fruit and vegetables. The capacity of food extracts to induce TNF-α secretion in monocytes correlated with the content of both TLR2 (r 0·837) and TLR4 stimulants (r 0·748), and was completely abolished by specific inhibition of TLR2 and TLR4. LPS and BLP were found to be highly resistant to typical cooking times and temperatures, low pH and protease treatment. In conclusion, apparently unspoiled foodstuffs can contain large quantities of stimulants of TLR2 and TLR4, both of which may regulate their capacity to stimulate inflammatory signalling.
Chronicler: Lightweight recording to reproduce field failures

When programs fail in the field, developers are often left with limited information to diagnose the failure. Automated error reporting tools can assist in bug report generation but without precise steps from the end user it is often difficult for developers to recreate the failure. Advanced remote debugging tools aim to capture sufficient information from field executions to recreate failures in the lab but often have too much overhead to practically deploy. We present Chronicler, an approach to remote debugging that captures non-deterministic inputs to applications in a lightweight manner, assuring faithful reproduction of client executions. We evaluated Chronicler by creating a Java implementation, ChroniclerJ, and then by using a set of benchmarks mimicking real world applications and workloads, showing its runtime overhead to be under 10% in most cases (worst case 86%), while an existing tool showed overhead over 100% in the same cases (worst case 2,322%).
Plant growth and oil contamination alter the diversity and composition of bacterial communities in agricultural soils across China

The dynamics of microbial diversity in response to biotic and abiotic disturbances provide a sensitive indicator for evaluating the potential stability and degradation of soils in agro‐ecosystems. To determine the effect on soil bacterial communities of disturbances by plant growth (Robinia pseudoacacia) and oil contamination, we sequenced 16S rRNA genes using MiSeq technology. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using 21 agro‐soils from 19 provinces in China. Abiotic and biotic disturbances, including treating the soils with sterile water, crude oil, and/or an invasive plant, altered the bacterial community structure in the soils, increased bacterial richness, and reduced bacterial dispersion. Oil contamination exerted stronger effects on the bacterial α‐ and β‐diversity than plant growth. The different responses of bacterial communities and the core microbiome indicated that the disturbances shifted the prevalent soil microbial groups in agro‐ecosystems. Among different sampling sites, community dissimilarity increased with spatial distance. Edaphic factors (deterministic processes) exerted the primary influence on the assembly of soil microbiomes in agricultural fields, whereas geographic factors (stochastic processes) were less influential. The bacterial communities in agro‐soils from warmer regions were more sensitive to the disturbances. This study provides new insight into the alteration of soil microbiota by plant growth and oil contamination in agro‐ecosystems across a large spatial scale.
Automated Quantification and Integrative Analysis of 2D and 3D Mitochondrial Shape and Network Properties

Mitochondrial morphology and function are coupled in healthy cells, during pathological conditions and (adaptation to) endogenous and exogenous stress. In this sense mitochondrial shape can range from small globular compartments to complex filamentous networks, even within the same cell. Understanding how mitochondrial morphological changes (i.e. “mitochondrial dynamics”) are linked to cellular (patho) physiology is currently the subject of intense study and requires detailed quantitative information. During the last decade, various computational approaches have been developed for automated 2-dimensional (2D) analysis of mitochondrial morphology and number in microscopy images. Although these strategies are well suited for analysis of adhering cells with a flat morphology they are not applicable for thicker cells, which require a three-dimensional (3D) image acquisition and analysis procedure. Here we developed and validated an automated image analysis algorithm allowing simultaneous 3D quantification of mitochondrial morphology and network properties in human endothelial cells (HUVECs). Cells expressing a mitochondria-targeted green fluorescence protein (mitoGFP) were visualized by 3D confocal microscopy and mitochondrial morphology was quantified using both the established 2D method and the new 3D strategy. We demonstrate that both analyses can be used to characterize and discriminate between various mitochondrial morphologies and network properties. However, the results from 2D and 3D analysis were not equivalent when filamentous mitochondria in normal HUVECs were compared with circular/spherical mitochondria in metabolically stressed HUVECs treated with rotenone (ROT). 2D quantification suggested that metabolic stress induced mitochondrial fragmentation and loss of biomass. In contrast, 3D analysis revealed that the mitochondrial network structure was dissolved without affecting the amount and size of the organelles. Thus, our results demonstrate that 3D imaging and quantification are crucial for proper understanding of mitochondrial shape and topology in non-flat cells. In summary, we here present an integrative method for unbiased 3D quantification of mitochondrial shape and network properties in mammalian cells.