Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VNect

We present the first real-time method to capture the full global 3D skeletal pose of a human in a stable, temporally consistent manner using a single RGB camera. Our method combines a new convolutional neural network (CNN) based pose regressor with kinematic skeleton fitting. Our novel fully-convolutional pose formulation regresses 2D and 3D joint positions jointly in real time and does not require tightly cropped input frames. A real-time kinematic skeleton fitting method uses the CNN output to yield temporally stable 3D global pose reconstructions on the basis of a coherent kinematic skeleton. This makes our approach the first monocular RGB method usable in real-time applications such as 3D character control---thus far, the only monocular methods for such applications employed specialized RGB-D cameras. Our method's accuracy is quantitatively on par with the best offline 3D monocular RGB pose estimation methods. Our results are qualitatively comparable to, and sometimes better than, results from monocular RGB-D approaches, such as the Kinect. However, we show that our approach is more broadly applicable than RGB-D solutions, i.e., it works for outdoor scenes, community videos, and low quality commodity RGB cameras.
XbarGen: A memristor based boolean logic synthesis tool

The shrinking process of CMOS technology is reaching its physical limits, thus impacting on several aspects, such as performances, power consumption and many others. Alternative solutions are under investigation in order to overcome CMOS limitations. Among them, the memristor is one of the promising technologies. Several works have been proposed so far, describing how to implement boolean logic functions employing memristors in a crossbar architecture. In this paper, we propose a tool able to automatically map any boolean function to a memristor based crossbar implementation. The proposed tool helps to perform a design space exploration to identify the best implementation w.r. t. performances and area overhead.
ERYTHROPOIETIN AND ANEMIA IN AGING AND FRAILTY

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Climate and land use change impacts on plant distributions in Germany

We present niche-based modelling to project the distribution of 845 European plant species for Germany using three different models and three scenarios of climate and land use changes up to 2080. Projected changes suggested large effects over the coming decades, with consequences for the German flora. Even under a moderate scenario (approx. +2.2°C), 15–19% (across models) of the species we studied could be lost locally—averaged from 2995 grid cells in Germany. Models projected strong spatially varying impacts on the species composition. In particular, the eastern and southwestern parts of Germany were affected by species loss. Scenarios were characterized by an increased number of species occupying small ranges, as evidenced by changes in range-size rarity scores. It is anticipated that species with small ranges will be especially vulnerable to future climate change and other ecological stresses.
Monte Carlo Bayesian Reinforcement Learning

Bayesian reinforcement learning (BRL) encodes prior knowledge of the world in a model and represents uncertainty in model parameters by maintaining a probability distribution over them. This paper presents Monte Carlo BRL (MC-BRL), a simple and general approach to BRL. MC-BRL samples a priori a finite set of hypotheses for the model parameter values and forms a discrete partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) whose state space is a cross product of the state space for the reinforcement learning task and the sampled model parameter space. The POMDP does not require conjugate distributions for belief representation, as earlier works do, and can be solved relatively easily with point-based approximation algorithms. MC-BRL naturally handles both fully and partially observable worlds. Theoretical and experimental results show that the discrete POMDP approximates the underlying BRL task well with guaranteed performance.
Acquisition of Chemoresistance and EMT Phenotype Is Linked with Activation of the Endothelin A Receptor Pathway in Ovarian Carcinoma Cells

Purpose: Emerging evidence suggests molecular and phenotypic association between chemoresistance and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer. Endothelin-1 (ET-1)/endothelin A receptor (ETAR) axis is implicated in the pathobiology of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) by driving tumor-promoting effects, including EMT. Here, we analyzed how ETAR regulates chemoresistance and EMT in EOC. Experimental Design: The effects of ET-1 axis on cell proliferation, drug-induced apoptosis, invasiveness, and EMT were analyzed in cultured EOC cells sensitive and resistant to cisplatinum and taxol. Tumor growth in response to ETAR antagonist was examined in EOC xenografts. ETAR expression was examined in 60 human EOC tumors by immunohistochemistry and correlated with chemoresistance and EMT. Results: In resistant EOC cells ET-1 and ETAR are upregulated, paralleled by enhanced mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Akt phosphorylation and cell proliferation. Moreover, in these cells the expression of E-cadherin transcriptional repressors, including Snail, Slug, and Twist, as well as of mesenchymal markers, such as vimentin and N-cadherin, were upregulated and linked with enhanced invasive behavior. Interestingly, ETAR blockade with zibotentan, a specific ETAR antagonist, or its silencing, downregulated Snail activity, restored drug sensitivity to cytotoxic-induced apoptosis, and inhibited the invasiveness of resistant cells. In vivo, zibotentan inhibited tumor growth of sensitive and resistant EOC xenografts, and sensitized to chemotherapy. Analysis of EOC human tissues revealed that ETAR is overexpressed in resistant tumors and is associated with EMT phenotype. Conclusions: Our data provide the first evidence that blockade of ETAR-driven EMT can overcome chemoresistance and inhibit tumor progression, improving the outcome of EOC patients' treatment. Clin Cancer Res; 17(8); 2350–60. ©2011 AACR.
Entropic effect on the rate of dislocation nucleation

Dislocation nucleation is essential to our understanding of plastic deformation, ductility, and mechanical strength of crystalline materials. Molecular dynamics simulation has played an important role in uncovering the fundamental mechanisms of dislocation nucleation, but its limited timescale remains a significant challenge for studying nucleation at experimentally relevant conditions. Here we show that dislocation nucleation rates can be accurately predicted over a wide range of conditions by determining the activation free energy from umbrella sampling. Our data reveal very large activation entropies, which contribute a multiplicative factor of many orders of magnitude to the nucleation rate. The activation entropy at constant strain is caused by thermal expansion, with negligible contribution from the vibrational entropy. The activation entropy at constant stress is significantly larger than that at constant strain, as a result of thermal softening. The large activation entropies are caused by anharmonic effects, showing the limitations of the harmonic approximation widely used for rate estimation in solids. Similar behaviors are expected to occur in other nucleation processes in solids.
Nightmare Frequency, Nightmare Distress and the Efficiency of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Background Up to 71% of trauma victims diagnosed with PTSD have frequent nightmares (NM), compared to only 2% to 5% of the general population. Objectives The present study examined whether nightmares before the beginning of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could influence overall PTSD symptom reduction for 71 individuals with PTSD and different types of traumatic events. Patients and Methods Participants received a validated CBT of 20 weekly individual sessions. They were evaluated at five measurement times: at pre-treatment, after the third and ninth session, at post-treatment, and at 6 months follow-up. Results The presence of nightmares did not impact overall CBT efficiency. Specific CBT components were efficient in reducing the frequency and distress of nightmares. Conclusions Most participants no longer had PTSD but some still had nightmares.
Tmc1 Point Mutation Affects Ca2+ Sensitivity and Block by Dihydrostreptomycin of the Mechanoelectrical Transducer Current of Mouse Outer Hair Cells

The transduction of sound into electrical signals depends on mechanically sensitive ion channels in the stereociliary bundle. The molecular composition of this mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channel is not yet known. Transmembrane channel-like protein isoforms 1 (TMC1) and 2 (TMC2) have been proposed to form part of the MET channel, although their exact roles are still unclear. Using Beethoven (Tmc1Bth/Bth) mice, which have an M412K point mutation in TMC1 that adds a positive charge, we found that Ca2+ permeability and conductance of the MET channel of outer hair cells (OHCs) were reduced. Tmc1Bth/Bth OHCs were also less sensitive to block by the permeant MET channel blocker dihydrostreptomycin, whether applied extracellularly or intracellularly. These findings suggest that the amino acid that is mutated in Bth is situated at or near the negatively charged binding site for dihydrostreptomycin within the permeation pore of the channel. We also found that the Ca2+ dependence of the operating range of the MET channel was altered by the M412K mutation. Depolarization did not increase the resting open probability of the MET current of Tmc1Bth/Bth OHCs, whereas raising the intracellular concentration of the Ca2+ chelator BAPTA caused smaller increases in resting open probability in Bth mutant OHCs than in wild-type control cells. We propose that these observations can be explained by the reduced Ca2+ permeability of the mutated MET channel indirectly causing the Ca2+ sensor for adaptation, at or near the intracellular face of the MET channel, to become more sensitive to Ca2+ influx as a compensatory mechanism. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In the auditory system, the hair cells convert sound-induced mechanical movement of the hair bundles atop these cells into electrical signals through the opening of mechanically gated ion channels at the tips of the bundles. Although the nature of these mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channels is still unclear, recent studies implicate transmembrane channel-like protein isoform 1 (TMC1) channels in the mammalian cochlea. Using a mutant mouse model (Beethoven) for progressive hearing loss in humans (DFNA36), which harbors a point mutation in the Tmc1 gene, we show that this mutation affects the MET channel pore, reducing its Ca2+ permeability and its affinity for the permeant blocker dihydrostreptomycin. A number of phenomena that we ascribe to Ca2+-dependent adaptation appear stronger, in compensation for the reduced Ca2+ entry.
Role of prediabetes in stroke

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and probably the greatest cause of adult disability worldwide. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a state of accelerated aging of blood vessels. Patients with diabetes have increased risk of stroke. Hyperglycemia represents a risk factor for poor outcome following stroke, and probably is just a marker of poor outcome rather than a cause. Lowering of blood glucose levels has not been shown to improve prognosis. Also, prevention of stroke risk among patients with DM is not improved with therapy for reduction of glucose levels. On the other hand, prediabetes, a metabolic state between normal glucose metabolism and diabetes, is a risk factor for the development of DM type 2 and subsequently for stroke. Several methods are known to identify prediabetes patients, including fasting plasma glucose levels, 2-hour post load glucose levels, and glycosylated hemoglobin levels. In this text, we tried to summarize known data about diagnosis, epidemiology, risk factors, pathophysiology, and prevention of prediabetes in relation to DM and stroke.
The Prophylactic Treatment of Thrombocytopenic Leukemic Patients with Platelets: a Double Blind Study

Eighteen patients with thrombocytopenia and acute leukemia were randomized in a double blind study to receive either platelets or platelet‐poor plasma as prophylaxis against bleeding. Despite no significant differences in platelet counts between patients of the two groups, the frequency of bleeding in the two groups was significantly different, affirming the value of prophylactic platelet transfusions. Fever preceded substantial hemorrhage in 10 of 13 patients, suggesting that infection may initiate bleeding in thrombocytopenic patients.
A Fetus and Infant Developmental Scenario: Self-organization of Goal-directed Behaviors Based on Sensory Constraints

To gain a synthetic understanding of the emergence of babies’ goal-directed behaviors that are important for early development, we constructed an early developmental scenario for self-organization of these behaviors. This scenario is guided by a principle of sensorimotor integration based on sensory constraints. We constructed a neural model to represent our proposed scenario with simplified but essential and realistic biological features. To test this early developmental scenario, we performed simulations with musculoskeletal body models. In a series of experiments we found that sensory constraints triggered two important developmental transitions. First, in a fetus model, the non-uniform distribution of tactile sensors generated hand-face contact behaviors, as a result of the self-organizing process. Second, in an infant model, the limitation of visual field produced hand regard behaviors, also in a self-organizing manner. Our results suggest that sensory constraints may drive goal-directed behaviors and consequently trigger human early development in an embodied and self-organized manner.
Getting controls under control: the time is now for immunohistochemistry

For several decades, immunohistochemistry (IHC), more specifically diagnostic IHC (dIHC), has been considered an art rather than a laboratory test. There was no clarity about what test performance characteristics are relevant to dIHC, test performance characteristics were not fully defined for dIHC and partly as a consequence of that, there were no standardised controls or reference standards. Herein, we discuss the role of standardisation of external controls for test performance characteristics and the role of standardised controls and reference standards for overall standardisation of IHC.
Effect of Rabbit Epididymal Antimicrobial Peptide, REHbβP, on LPS-Induced Proinflammatory Cytokine Responses in Human Vaginal Cells In Vitro

Antimicrobial peptides (AMP's) protect epithelial surfaces including epididymis against pathogens and play a key role in orchestrating various defensive responses. Recently, we have identified one such AMP, rabbit epididymal hemoglobin-β subuit (REHbβP) from the epididymal fluid of rabbit, Oryctologus cuniculus. The demonstration of a protective role of REHbβP in epididymal epithelial cells (EPEC's) led us to investigate: (1) the identification of LPS interactive domain in REHbβP, and (2) whether the REHbβP of rabbit origin mediates vaginal cellular immune responses of another species (human). HeLa-S3, human vaginal epithelial cells (hVECs) were exposed to LPS or the LPS-stimulated cells treated with REHbβP or neutral peptide, nREHbβP. Effect of LPS and cytokines (IL-6 and IL-1α) and chemokines (IL-8, MCP-1) levels was determined in the culture supernatants. In response to the LPS, hVECs synthesized these mediators and the levels were significantly higher than controls. This enhancing effect was ameliorated when the LPS-induced hVECs were treated with REHbβP. Similar results were obtained on NF-κB protein and hBD-1 mRNA expression. Confocal microscopy studies revealed that REHbβP attenuated the LPS-induced internalization of E. coli by macrophages. The chemotaxis studies performed using Boyden chamber Transwell assay, which showed elevated migration of U937 cells when the supernatants of LPS-induced hVECs were used, and the effect was inhibited by REHbβP. REHbβP was found to be localized on the acrosome of rabbit spermatozoa, suggesting its role in sperm protection beside sperm function. In conclusion, REHbβP may have the potential to develop as a therapeutic agent for reproductive tract infections (RTI's).
A culture of involving the vox populi for evolution of workforce policy

In this paper, we present a pilot study of software and other industries – such as research, advertising and education – designed to understand factors influencing work ethics, policy making, employee engagement and organizational culture, and to begin uncovering the interaction effects thereof. Past research reveals that these factors are highly relevant to both productivity and attrition. So we collected and analyzed data from 56 employees via a survey on self-beliefs and reports of work ethics related to both self and team. Preliminary analyses using demographics and psychographics were undertaken. Interestingly, we found that the two industries differed very little, on the variables measured. An interactionist perspective – according to which human attitude and behavior are a function of the fit between personality and the environment – and paying close heed to the voice of the employees or the vox populi are recommended.
Methodology for Intraoperative Laser Doppler Vibrometry Measurements of Ossicular Chain Reconstruction

Objectives Despite the increasing number of research concerning the applications of the Laser Doppler Vibrometry (LDV) in medicine, its usefulness is still under discussion. The aim of this study is to present a methodology developed in our Department for the LDV intraoperative assessment of ossicular chain reconstruction. Methods Ten patients who underwent “second look” tympanoplasty were involved in the study. The measurements of the acoustic conductivity of the middle ear were performed using the LDV system. Tone bursts with carrier frequencies of 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 Hz set in motion the ossicular chain. The study was divided into four experiments that examined the intra- and interindividual reproducibility, the utility of the posterior tympanotomy, the impact of changes in the laser beam angle, and the influence of reflective tape presence on measurements. Results There were no statistically significant differences between the two measurements performed in the same patient. However, interindividual differences were significant. In all cases, posterior tympanotomy proved to be useful for LDV measurements of the ossicular prosthesis vibrations. In most cases, changing the laser beam angle decreased signal amplitude about 1.5% (not significant change). The reflective tape was necessary to achieve adequate reflection of the laser beam. Conclusion LDV showed to be a valuable noncontact intraoperative tool for measurements of the middle ear conductive system mobility with a very good intraindividual repeatability. Neither a small change in the angle of the laser beam nor performing the measurements through posterior tympanotomy showed a significant influence on the results. Reflective tape was necessary to obtain good quality responses in LDV measurements.
MicroRNA-33a-3p suppresses cell migration and invasion by directly targeting PBX3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to function as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors by negatively regulating target genes involved in tumor initiation and progression. In this study, we demonstrated that down-regulation of miR-33a-3p in human primary hepatocellular cancer (HCC) specimens was significantly associated with metastases and poor survival. Over-expression of miR-33a-3p in HepG2 cells remarkably suppressed not only cell growth, migration and invasion, but also tumor growth and metastases in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay, and down-regulated Pre-B-Cell Leukemia Homeobox 3 (PBX3) expression. Conversely, inhibition of miR-33a-3p in Bel-7402 cells resulted in increased of cell growth, spreading and invasion. Furthermore, rescue experiments by over-expression PBX3 completely eliminated the inhibitory effects of miR-33a-3p on tumor growth and metastasis, both in vitro and in vivo. The luciferase assay showed that 3′-untranslated regions (3′-UTRs) of PBX3 were inhibited significantly by miR-33a-3p, while mutations in the miR-33a-3p pairing residues rescued the luciferase expression. Taken together, our findings suggest that miR-33a-3p suppressed the malignant phenotype while also inhibiting PBX3 expression in hepatocellular cancer, implying that miR-33a-3p may be a promising biomarkers and therapy target for HCC intervention.
Characterization of a Polyclonal Antibody to Human Pituitary Tumor Transforming Gene 1 (PTTG1) Protein

Pituitary tumor transforming gene 1 (PTTG1), recently cloned from human testis, is a potent oncogene that is expressed in most tumors. However, assessment of its potential value as a prognostic marker is dependent on the development of a suitable antibody. We have developed a rabbit polyclonal antibody, SK601, that is highly specific for the PTTG1 gene product using recombinant PTTG1 protein (24 kD) containing an N-terminal His6 tag as the immunogen. The antiserum is capable of detecting recombinant PTTG1 protein in ELISA assays at a titer of 1:100,000. Use of the antibody as the probe in Western blotting analyses revealed a single band with the anticipated relative molecular weights of 52 kD from E. coli expressing the GST-PTTG1 recombinant protein, and 56 kD from COS-7 cells transfected with the PTTG1-GFP chimeric construct. A single band with a relative molecular weight of 28 kD was observed in extract of COS-7 cells transfected with PTTG1 cDNA. The antiserum immunoprecipitated a protein of relative molecular weight of 56 kD from the extracts of COS-7 cells transfected with the PTTG1-GFP chimeric construct. Immunohistochemical analysis of COS-7 cells transfected with this construct confirmed that the antibody detected and was specific for expressing the PTTG1-GFP recombinant protein. Screening of various normal human tissues (testis, ovary, and breast) by immunohistochemistry indicated that these tissues did not exhibit staining with the exception of testis, a tissue that had previously been shown to express PTTG1 mRNA. In contrast all of the tumor tissues (testicular tumor, ovarian tumor, and breast tumor) that were assessed exhibited intense staining. The results suggest that antiserum SK601 is highly specific for the PTTG1 protein and therefore should prove useful in further analysis of the expression and interactions of this protein, including its potential application as an immunohistochemical marker of human tumors.