Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
End-to-end Global to Local CNN Learning for Hand Pose Recovery in Depth data

Despite recent advances in 3D pose estimation of human hands, especially thanks to the advent of CNNs and depth cameras, this task is still far from being solved. This is mainly due to the highly non-linear dynamics of fingers, which make hand model training a challenging task. In this paper, we exploit a novel hierarchical tree-like structured CNN, in which branches are trained to become specialized in predefined subsets of hand joints, called local poses. We further fuse local pose features, extracted from hierarchical CNN branches, to learn higher order dependencies among joints in the final pose by end-to-end training. Lastly, the loss function used is also defined to incorporate appearance and physical constraints about doable hand motion and deformation. Finally, we introduce a non-rigid data augmentation approach to increase the amount of training depth data. Experimental results suggest that feeding a tree-shaped CNN, specialized in local poses, into a fusion network for modeling joints correlations and dependencies, helps to increase the precision of final estimations, outperforming state-of-the-art results on NYU and SyntheticHand datasets.
Knowledge of Risks Associated with Dental Implants Failure

Implant-based dental treatment to restore oral health and function is a widely used treatment option in contemporary dental practice. Since their introduction in 1950, many systems and designs were used, and different success rates have been reported [1]. Basic guidelines of successful implant treatment include: good patient selection criteria, good implant system surface selection, implant system design and configuration, neat surgical procedures, nondisturbed healing phase and excellent prosthetic reconstructions [2-6]. Applying these guidelines should allow good osseointegration, stability and survival of the implants and increase the success rate of this treatment modality [7, 8].
Adipose tissue: between the extremes

Adipose tissue represents a critical component in healthy energy homeostasis. It fulfills important roles in whole‐body lipid handling, serves as the body's major energy storage compartment and insulation barrier, and secretes numerous endocrine mediators such as adipokines or lipokines. As a consequence, dysfunction of these processes in adipose tissue compartments is tightly linked to severe metabolic disorders, including obesity, metabolic syndrome, lipodystrophy, and cachexia. While numerous studies have addressed causes and consequences of obesity‐related adipose tissue hypertrophy and hyperplasia for health, critical pathways and mechanisms in (involuntary) adipose tissue loss as well as its systemic metabolic consequences are far less understood. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of conditions of adipose tissue wasting and review microenvironmental determinants of adipocyte (dys)function in related pathophysiologies.
Use of cell wall degrading enzymes for the production of high-quality functional products from tomato processing waste

The feasibility of using tomato pomace, the solid waste resulting from the industrial processing of tomatoes, to produce a tomato oleoresin and a lycopene-enriched seed oil was investigated. The oil was obtained by cold-pressing the seeds, while the oleoresin was produced by pretreating the peel fraction of the waste with cell wall degrading enzymes. The latter consisted of polygalacturonase, pectin methylesterase, cellulase and hemicellulase. The enzymatic treatment followed by hexane extraction and solvent evaporation allowed the production of an oleoresin with a lycopene content of about 7% by weight. The oleoresin was incorporated in different proportions into tomato seed oil so as to obtain a functional oil with a lycopene content ranging from 30 to 600 ppm. The lycopene-enriched oil was characterized by official analytical methods and its potential use in the nutraceutical and cosmetic sectors was discussed.
Epichloë hybrida, sp. nov., an emerging model system for investigating fungal allopolyploidy

ABSTRACT Endophytes of the genus Epichloë (Clavicipitaceae, Ascomycota) frequently occur within cool-season grasses and form interactions with their hosts that range from mutualistic to antagonistic. Many Epichloë species have arisen via interspecific hybridization, resulting in species with two or three subgenomes that retain all or nearly all of their original parental genomes, a process termed allopolyploidization. Here, we characterize Epichloë hybrida, sp. nov., a mutualistic species that has increasingly become a model system for investigating allopolyploidy in fungi. The Epichloë species so far identified as the closest known relatives of the two progenitors of E. hybrida are E. festucae var. lolii and E. typhina. We confirm that the nuclear genome of E. hybrida contains two homeologs of most protein-coding genes from E. festucae and E. typhina, with genome-wide gene expression analysis indicating a slight bias in overall gene expression from the E. typhina subgenome. Mitochondrial DNA is detectable only from E. festucae, whereas ribosomal DNA is detectable only from E. typhina. Inheriting ribosomal DNA from just one parent might be expected to preferentially favor interactions with ribosomal proteins from the same parent, but we find that ribosomal protein genes from both parental subgenomes are nearly all expressed equally in E. hybrida. Finally, we provide a comprehensive set of resources for this model system that are intended to facilitate further study of fungal hybridization by other researchers.
Relationship of Enhanced Butyrate Production by Colonic Butyrate-Producing Bacteria to Immunomodulatory Effects in Normal Mice Fed an Insoluble Fraction of Brassica rapa L

ABSTRACT This study was performed to determine the effects of feeding a fiber-rich fraction of Brassica vegetables on the immune response through changes in enteric bacteria and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in normal mice. The boiled-water-insoluble fraction of Brassica rapa L. (nozawana), which consists mainly of dietary fiber, was chosen as a test material. A total of 31 male C57BL/6J mice were divided into two groups and housed in a specific-pathogen-free facility. The animals were fed either a control diet or the control diet plus the insoluble B. rapa L. fraction for 2 weeks and sacrificed to determine microbiological and SCFA profiles in lower-gut samples and immunological molecules. rRNA-based quantification indicated that the relative population of Bacteroidetes was markedly lower in the colon samples of the insoluble B. rapa L. fraction-fed group than that in the controls. Populations of the Eubacterium rectale group and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, both of which are representative butyrate-producing bacteria, doubled after 2 weeks of fraction intake, accompanying a marginal increase in the proportion of colonic butyrate. In addition, feeding with the fraction significantly increased levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tended to increase splenic regulatory T cell numbers but significantly reduced the population of cells expressing activation markers. We demonstrated that inclusion of the boiled-water-insoluble fraction of B. rapa L. can alter the composition of the gut microbiota to decrease the numbers of Bacteroidetes and to increase the numbers of butyrate-producing bacteria, either of which may be involved in the observed shift in the production of splenic IL-10.
The effect of RAD allele dropout on the estimation of genetic variation within and between populations

Inexpensive short‐read sequencing technologies applied to reduced representation genomes is revolutionizing genetic research, especially population genetics analysis, by allowing the genotyping of massive numbers of single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) for large numbers of individuals and populations. Restriction site–associated DNA (RAD) sequencing is a recent technique based on the characterization of genomic regions flanking restriction sites. One of its potential drawbacks is the presence of polymorphism within the restriction site, which makes it impossible to observe the associated SNP allele (i.e. allele dropout, ADO). To investigate the effect of ADO on genetic variation estimated from RAD markers, we first mathematically derived measures of the effect of ADO on allele frequencies as a function of different parameters within a single population. We then used RAD data sets simulated using a coalescence model to investigate the magnitude of biases induced by ADO on the estimation of expected heterozygosity and FST under a simple demographic model of divergence between two populations. We found that ADO tends to overestimate genetic variation both within and between populations. Assuming a mutation rate per nucleotide between 10−9 and 10−8, this bias remained low for most studied combinations of divergence time and effective population size, except for large effective population sizes. Averaging FST values over multiple SNPs, for example, by sliding window analysis, did not correct ADO biases. We briefly discuss possible solutions to filter the most problematic cases of ADO using read coverage to detect markers with a large excess of null alleles.
Hba 1 c as a Diagnostic Criteria in Diabetes Mellitus A Comparison with Mini-Ogtt Dr

HbA1c is not merely a marker for monitoring diabetes but has been accepted as a marker for its diagnosis too. The diagnostic efficiency of the 6.5 % cutoff recommended by ADA was evaluated against the standard mini oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in our local population to find an optimum cutoff of HbA1c in Bhopal. Estimation of HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose and 2 hour post 75 gms oral glucose challenge plasma glucose was done in 270 subjects. HbA1c diagnosed comparable but insignificantly fewer number of patients as diabetic (p>0.05) but significantly more as pre-diabetic. (p<0.001). ROC analysis of various HbA1c cutoffs against the standard mini-OGTT showed 60% sensitivity and 92% specificity at recommended cutoff of HbA1c>= 6.5. Negative Predictive Value (NPV) and Positive Predictive Value (PPV) were found to be 83% and 77% respectively. The optimum sensitivity of 72% and specificity of 82% was obtained at HbA1 cut off 6.1; for which NPV and PPV were found to be 85% and 57% respectively. In conclusion, HbA1c proved to be slightly inferior but comparable to mini-OGTT in detecting diabetes. The use of the lower optimum cutoff 6.1 is recommended in this population to increase the yield of diabetics and minimize the gap with mini-OGTT. HbA1c detected significantly more pre-diabetics than mini-OGTT, hence it may be used to screen the local population.
Gamma radiation effects on crude oil yield of some soybean seeds: Functional properties and chemical composition of glycine max-ataem-7 seeds

Purpose: To investigate the crude oil yield of eight different varieties of soybean ( Glycine max L.) seeds after gamma radiation, and also to evaluate the antimicrobial activity and the chemical composition of G.max -Ataem7. Methods: The seeds were irradiated with doses of 0 (control), 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 Gy gamma radiation. Irradiation was performed in a cesium (Ce137) source. Extraction of the seeds was done with Soxhlet apparatus using petroleum ether. Antimicrobial activity was determined by the standard disc diffusion method. The chemical composition of the extracts was elucidated using gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GS-MS) Results: The highest crude oil yield was obtained at 300 Gy and and content of 35.09 % in Ataem7 seeds. There was a decrease in the total content of chlorophyll in Mutant1 (M1) plants after gamma radiation. However, the level of carotenoid increased in M1 plants. Extracts of the G.max -Ataem7 demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus ATCC 25923 and E.coli ATCC 25922. The major components of G.max -Ataem7 were linoliec acid (C18:2n6) and oleic acid (C18:1n9) with a content of 60.31 and 21.64 %, respectively. Conclusion: The results show that irradiation of is also can be improved if treated with appropriate doses of irradiation. Keywords: Gamma Rays; Soybean, Glycine max -Ataem-7, Oil yield, Chemical composition
Extended dynamical mean-field study of the Hubbard model with long-range interactions

Using extended dynamical mean-field theory and its combination with the $GW$ approximation, we compute the phase diagrams and local spectral functions of the single-band extended Hubbard model on the square and simple cubic lattices, considering long-range interactions up to the third nearest neighbors. The longer-range interactions shift the boundaries between the metallic, charge-ordered insulating, and Mott insulating phases, and lead to characteristic changes in the screening modes and local spectral functions. Momentum-dependent self-energy contributions enhance the correlation effects and thus compete with the additional screening effect from longer-range Coulomb interactions. Our results suggest that the influence of longer-range intersite interactions is significant, and that these effects deserve attention in realistic studies of correlated materials.
Increased susceptibility to metabolic syndrome in adult offspring of angiotensin type 1 receptor autoantibody-positive rats.

AIMS Abnormal fetal and early postnatal growth is closely associated with adult-onset metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the underlying etiological factors remain complex. The presence of the autoantibody against the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1-Ab), a known risk factor for pre-eclampsia, may create a suboptimal intrauterine fetal environment. The current study investigated whether middle-aged offspring of AT1-Ab-positive mothers were prone to metabolic disorder development. RESULTS The AT1-Abs was detected in placental trophoblastic cells, capillary endothelium, and milk of pregnant rats actively immunized with the second extracellular loop of the AT1 receptor. AT1-Abs in newborn rats induced vasoconstriction, increased intracellular-free Ca(2+) in vitro, and was undetectable 7 weeks later. Immunized group offspring exhibited increased weight variability and insulin resistance at 40 weeks of age under a normal diet, evidenced by elevated fasting serum insulin and homeostasis model assessment score compared with the vehicle control. To further observe metabolic alterations, the offspring were given a high-sugar diet (containing 20% sucrose) 40-48 weeks postnatally. The fasting plasma glucose in immunized group offspring was markedly increased. Concomitantly, these offspring manifested increased visceral adipose tissue, increased fatty liver, increased triglycerides, decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and decreased adiponectin levels, indicative of MetS. INNOVATION AT1-Abs could be transferred from mother to offspring via the placenta and milk. Moreover, offspring of an AT1-Ab-positive mother were more vulnerable to MetS development in middle age. CONCLUSION AT1-Ab-positivity of mothers during pregnancy is a previously unrecognized "silent" risk factor for MetS development in their offspring.
Phase I Evaluation of Intravenous Ascorbic Acid in Combination with Gemcitabine and Erlotinib in Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Background Preclinical data support further investigation of ascorbic acid in pancreatic cancer. There are currently insufficient safety data in human subjects, particularly when ascorbic acid is combined with chemotherapy. Methods and Findings 14 subjects with metastatic stage IV pancreatic cancer were recruited to receive an eight week cycle of intravenous ascorbic acid (three infusions per week), using a dose escalation design, along with standard treatment of gemcitabine and erlotinib. Of 14 recruited subjects enrolled, nine completed the study (three in each dosage tier). There were fifteen non-serious adverse events and eight serious adverse events, all likely related to progression of disease or treatment with gemcitabine or erlotinib. Applying RECIST 1.0 criteria, seven of the nine subjects had stable disease while the other two had progressive disease. Conclusions These initial safety data do not reveal increased toxicity with the addition of ascorbic acid to gemcitabine and erlotinib in pancreatic cancer patients. This, combined with the observed response to treatment, suggests the need for a phase II study of longer duration. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00954525
Primary Care Physicians' Struggle with Current Adult Pneumococcal Vaccine Recommendations

Introduction: In 2012, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in series with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) for at-risk adults ≥19; in 2014, it expanded this recommendation to adults ≥65. Primary care physicians' practice, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding these recommendations are unknown. Methods: Primary care physicians throughout the U.S. were surveyed by E-mail and post from December 2015 to January 2016. Results: Response rate was 66% (617 of 935). Over 95% of respondents reported routinely assessing adults' vaccination status and recommending both vaccines. A majority found the current recommendations to be clear (50% “very clear,” 38% “somewhat clear”). Twenty percent found the upfront cost of purchasing PCV13, lack of insurance coverage, inadequate reimbursement, and difficulty determining vaccination history to be “major barriers” to giving these vaccines. Knowledge of recommendations varied, with 83% identifying the PCV13 recommendation for adults ≥65 and only 21% identifying the recommended interval between PCV13 and PPSV23 in an individual <65 at increased risk. Conclusions: Almost all surveyed physicians reported recommending both pneumococcal vaccines, but a disconnect seems to exist between perceived clarity and knowledge of the recommendations. Optimal implementation of these recommendations will require addressing knowledge gaps and reported barriers.
Aalborg Universitet Improved modelling of atmospheric ammonia over Denmark using the coupled modelling system

A local-scale Gaussian dispersion-deposition model (OML-DEP) has been coupled to a regional chemistry-transport model (DEHM with a resolution of approximately 6 km× 6 km over Denmark) in the Danish Ammonia Modelling System, DAMOS. Thereby, it has been possible to model the distribution of ammonia concentrations and depositions on a spatial resolution down to 400 m× 400 m for selected areas in Denmark. DAMOS has been validated against measured concentrations from the dense measuring network covering Denmark. Here measured data from 21 sites are included and the validation period covers 2–5 years within the period 2005–2009. A standard time series analysis (using statistic parameters like correlation and bias) shows that the coupled model system captures the measured time series better than the regionalscale model alone. However, our study also shows that about 50 % of the modelled concentration level at a given location originates from non-local emission sources. The local-scale model covers a domain of 16 km× 16 km, and of the locally released ammonia (NH3) within this domain, our simulations at five sites show that 14–27 % of the locally (within 16 km × 16 km) emitted NH3 also deposits locally. These results underline the importance of including both high-resolution local-scale modelling of NH3 as well as the regional-scale component described by the regional model. The DAMOS system can be used as a tool in environmental management in relation to assessments of total nitrogen load of sensitive nature areas in intense agricultural regions. However, high spatio-temporal resolution in input parameters like NH 3 emissions and landuse data is required.
Visualization of Capsule Reentry Vehicle Heat Shield Ablation Using Naphthalene PLIF

The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) will use an ablative heat shield and improved understanding of the ablation process would be beneficial for design purposes. Given that ablation is a multi-physics process involving heat and mass transfer, codes aiming to predict heat shield ablation are in need of experimental data pertaining to the turbulent transport of ablation products for validation. At The University of Texas at Austin, a technique is being developed that uses planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of a low-temperature sublimating ablator (naphthalene) to visualize the transport of ablation products in a supersonic flow. Since ablation at reentry temperatures can be difficult to recreate in a laboratory setting it is desirable to create a limited physics problem and simulate the ablation process at relatively low temperature conditions using naphthalene. A scaled Orion MPCV model with a solid naphthalene heat shield has been tested in a Mach 5 wind tunnel at various angles of attack in the current work. PLIF imaging reveals the distribution of the ablation products as they are transported into the heat-shield boundary layer and over the capsule shoulders into the separated shear layer and backshell recirculation region. Visualizations of the capsule shear layer using both naphthalene PLIF and Schlieren imaging compared favorably. High concentrations of naphthalene in the capsule separated flow region, intermittent turbulent structures on the heat shield surface, and interesting details of the capsule shear layer structure were observed using the naphthalene PLIF technique. The capsule shear layer was also shown to generally appear to be more turbulent at lower angles of attack. Furthermore, the PLIF signal increased steadily over the course of a run indicating that during a wind tunnel run the model heated up and the rate of naphthalene ablation increased. The shear layer showed increasing signs of turbulence over the course of a wind tunnel run as well, likely because of the combination of increased surface roughness and surface blowing rate. PLIF imaging also detected regions with a relatively low concentration of naphthalene in the capsule backshell recirculation region that are most likely the result of cross-flow-induced vortices on the capsule afterbody.
Childhood Trauma, Social Anxiety, Absorption and Fantasy Dependence: Two Potential Mediated Pathways to Maladaptive Daydreaming

The concept of maladaptive daydreaming (MD) was first introduced in a study on six patients with severe impairment of daily functioning who preferred to avoid hardships associated with abusive childhoods by developing inner worlds of fantasy. The current study aims to shed further light on potential developmental pathways to MD, defined as a pathological form of fantasy that can cause distress and “replaces human interaction and/or interferes with academic, interpersonal or vocational functioning”.
Towards a method for automatically evolving bayesian network classifiers

When faced with a new machine learning problem, selecting which classifier is the best to perform the task at hand is a very hard problem. Most solutions proposed in the literature are based on meta-learning, and use meta-data about the problem to recommend an effective algorithm to solve the task. This paper proposes a new approach to this problem: to build an algorithm tailored to the application problem at hand. More specifically, we propose an evolutionary algorithm (EA) to automatically evolve Bayesian Network Classifiers (BNCs). The method receives as input a list of the main components of BNC algorithms, and uses an EA to encode these components. Given an input dataset, the method tests different combinations of components to that specific application domain. The method was tested in 10 UCI datasets, and compared to three classical BNCs and a greedy search algorithm. Results show that the current algorithms can indeed be improved, but that the EA is currently outperformed by the greedy search.