Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image Quality Assessment Based on Local Linear Information and Distortion-Specific Compensation

Image Quality Assessment (IQA) is a fundamental yet constantly developing task for computer vision and image processing. Most IQA evaluation mechanisms are based on the pertinence of subjective and objective estimation. Each image distortion type has its own property correlated with human perception. However, this intrinsic property may not be fully exploited by existing IQA methods. In this paper, we make two main contributions to the IQA field. First, a novel IQA method is developed based on a local linear model that examines the distortion between the reference and the distorted images for better alignment with human visual experience. Second, a distortion-specific compensation strategy is proposed to offset the negative effect on IQA modeling caused by different image distortion types. These score offsets are learned from several known distortion types. Furthermore, for an image with an unknown distortion type, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based method is proposed to compute the score offset automatically. Finally, an integrated IQA metric is proposed by combining the aforementioned two ideas. Extensive experiments are performed to verify the proposed IQA metric, which demonstrate that the local linear model is useful in human perception modeling, especially for individual image distortion, and the overall IQA method outperforms several state-of-the-art IQA approaches.
Cholera Toxin Regulates a Signaling Pathway Critical for the Expansion of Neural Stem Cell Cultures from the Fetal and Adult Rodent Brains

Background New mechanisms that regulate neural stem cell (NSC) expansion will contribute to improved assay systems and the emerging regenerative approach that targets endogenous stem cells. Expanding knowledge on the control of stem cell self renewal will also lead to new approaches for targeting the stem cell population of cancers. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we show that Cholera toxin regulates two recently characterized NSC markers, the Tie2 receptor and the transcription factor Hes3, and promotes the expansion of NSCs in culture. Cholera toxin increases immunoreactivity for the Tie2 receptor and rapidly induces the nuclear localization of Hes3. This is followed by powerful cultured NSC expansion and induction of proliferation both in the presence and absence of mitogen. Conclusions/Significance Our data suggest a new cell biological mechanism that regulates the self renewal and differentiation properties of stem cells, providing a new logic to manipulate NSCs in the context of regenerative disease and cancer.
HIV-Infected Langerhans Cells Preferentially Transmit Virus to Proliferating Autologous CD4+ Memory T Cells Located within Langerhans Cell-T Cell Clusters

Langerhans cells (LC) are likely initial targets for HIV following sexual exposure to virus and provide an efficient means for HIV to gain access to lymph node T cells. The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of the CD4+ T cell that becomes infected by HIV-infected LC. We infected human LC within tissue explants ex vivo and then, 3 days later, cocultured HIV-infected LC with different subsets of autologous CD4+ T cells. Using multicolor flow cytometric analyses of LC-CD4+ T cell cocultures, we documented that HIV-infected LC preferentially infected memory (as compared with naive) CD4+ T cells. Proliferating and HIV-infected CD4+ memory T cells were more frequently detected in conjugates of LC and autologous CD4+ T cells, suggesting that T cells become activated and preferentially get infected through cluster formation with infected LC, rather than getting infected with free virus produced by single HIV-infected LC or T cells. p24+ Memory CD4+ T cells proliferated well in the absence of superantigen; by contrast, p24+ T cells did not divide or divided only once in the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin B, suggesting that virus production was rapid and induced apoptosis in these cells before significant proliferation could occur. These results highlight that close interactions between dendritic cells, in this case epidermal LC, and T cells are important for optimal HIV replication within specific subsets of CD4+ T cells. Disrupting cluster formation between LC and memory CD4+ T cells may be a novel strategy to interfere with sexual transmission of HIV.
The vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser incorporating a high contrast grating mirror as a sensing device

We propose a novel optical sensing system based on one device that both emits and detects light consisting of a verticalcavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) incorporating an high contrast grating (HCG) as a top mirror. Since HCGs can be very sensitive to the optical properties of surrounding media, they can be used to detect gases and liquid. The presence of a gas or a liquid around an HCG mirror causes changes of the power reflectance of the mirror, which corresponds to changes of the VCSEL’s cavity quality factor and current-voltage characteristic. By observation of the current-voltage characteristic we can collect information about the medium around the HCG. In this paper we investigate how the properties of the HCG mirror depend on the refractive index of the HCG surroundings. We present results of a computer simulation performed with a three-dimensional fully vectorial model. We consider silicon HCGs on silica and designed for a 1300 nm VCSEL emission wavelength. We demonstrate that our approach can be applied to other wavelengths and material systems.
microRNA-29a induces aberrant self-renewal capacity in hematopoietic progenitors, biased myeloid development, and acute myeloid leukemia

The function of microRNAs (miRNAs) in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), committed progenitors, and leukemia stem cells (LSCs) is poorly understood. We show that miR-29a is highly expressed in HSC and down-regulated in hematopoietic progenitors. Ectopic expression of miR-29a in mouse HSC/progenitors results in acquisition of self-renewal capacity by myeloid progenitors, biased myeloid differentiation, and the development of a myeloproliferative disorder that progresses to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). miR-29a promotes progenitor proliferation by expediting G1 to S/G2 cell cycle transitions. miR-29a is overexpressed in human AML and, like human LSC, miR-29a-expressing myeloid progenitors serially transplant AML. Our data indicate that miR-29a regulates early hematopoiesis and suggest that miR-29a initiates AML by converting myeloid progenitors into self-renewing LSC.
Primary neoplasms of the cervical spine. Diagnosis and treatment of twenty-three patients.

The records of twenty-three patients with a primary benign or malignant osseous neoplasm of the cervical spine were reviewed in an attempt to clarify the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment methods for such tumors. Thirteen patients had a benign tumor and ten patients had a malignant tumor. Nineteen patients had been followed for two to eighteen years (average, six years), and four had died from the malignant disease between one and five months after its discovery. In addition to surgery, medical treatment in the ten patients with a malignant tumor included radiation therapy in seven and chemotherapy in two. Surgical treatment consisted of an anterior and posterior partial resection combined with an arthrodesis in four patients; an anterior partial resection in three, two with an arthrodesis; a posterior partial resection and an arthrodesis in two; and a biopsy but no further treatment in one patient. The duration of survival ranged from one to five months for four patients and from two to three years for four, and was eight and sixteen years in two patients. Two of the thirteen patients with a benign tumor received radiation therapy. Surgical treatment included both an anterior and a posterior resection with arthrodesis in four, an anterior resection in three (with arthrodesis in two), a posterior resection in four (with arthrodesis in three), and a biopsy without surgical resection in two. At follow-up, twelve patients were pain-free and had a solid arthrodesis, although one had required a repeat excision posteriorly. One patient with Gorham's disease (diffuse hemangiomatosis) died. During the period of thirty years (1953 to 1983) when these patients were seen, both the diagnostic methods available and the surgical approaches used have changed. Our present opinion is that all primary osseous lesions of the cervical spine should be carefully defined by arteriography, tomography, bone-scanning, computed tomographic scanning, and myelography in order to properly plan the surgical approach. Total excision of suspect malignant lesions is not attempted, but a major intralesional excision should be carried out to decompress neural and vascular structures and to obtain a biopsy specimen, followed by an arthrodesis to stabilize the spine. For both malignant and benign tumors, an anterior resection should be performed if the tumor is located anteriorly, and a posterior approach should be used if the tumor is predominantly in the posterior vertebral elements. Both of these procedures should be combined with an arthrodesis. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Super-harmonic imaging: development of an interleaved phased-array transducer

For several years, the standard in ultrasound imaging has been second-harmonic imaging. A new imaging technique dubbed "super-harmonic imaging" (SHI) was recently proposed. It takes advantage of the higher-third to fifth-harmonics arising from nonlinear propagation or ultrasound-contrast-agent (UCA) response. Next to its better suppression of near-field artifacts, tissue SHI is expected to improve axial and lateral resolutions resulting in clearer images than second-harmonic imaging. When SHI is used in combination with UCAs, a better contrast-to-tissue ratio can be obtained. The use of SHI implies a large dynamic range and requires a sufficiently sensitive array over a frequency range from the transmission frequency up to its fifth harmonic (bandwidth > 130%). In this paper, we present the characteristics and performance of a new interleaved dual frequency array built chiefly for SHI. We report the rationale behind the design choice, frequencies, aperture, and piezomaterials used. The array is efficient both in transmission and reception with well-behaved transfer functions and a combined -6-dB bandwidth of 144%. In addition, there is virtually no contamination of the harmonic components by spurious transducer transmission, due to low element-to-element crosstalk (< 30 dB) and a low transmission efficiency of the odd harmonics (< 46 dB). The interleaved array presented in this article possesses ideal characteristics for SHI and is suitable for other methods like second-harmonic, subharmonic, and second-order ultrasound field (SURF) imaging.
CMOS Vertical Hall Magnetic Sensors on Flexible Substrate

This paper presents the realization of different vertical Hall sensors (VHSs) implemented using a 0.18-μm CMOS technology and mounted on flexible substrates. Various geometries of VHS have been studied to obtain the optimum sensor device dimension and shape. COMSOL multiphysics simulation results are validated with respect to the electrical behaviour of an eight-resistor Verilog-A model implemented in Cadence environment. Simulation and measurement results are in good agreement. The use of polymeric foils and current spinning technique compensate for the effects caused by mechanical stress and possible fabrication imperfections. Measurement results for a low-offset basic VHS in planar state show a sensitivity of 59 ± 1 V(AT)-1 in voltage mode and of 8 ± 0.1 %T-1 in current mode.
The creation and persistence of a misaligned gas disc in a simulated early-type galaxy

Massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) commonly have gas discs which are kinematically misaligned with the stellar component. These discs feel a torque from the stars and the angular momentum vectors are expected to align quickly. We present results on the evolution of a misaligned gas disc in a cosmological simulation of a massive ETG from the feedback in realistic environments project. This galaxy experiences a merger which, together with a strong galactic wind, removes most of the original gas disc. The galaxy subsequently reforms a gas disc through accretion of cold gas, but it is initially 120° misaligned with the stellar rotation axis. This misalignment persists for about 2 Gyr before the gas–star misalignment angle drops below 20°. The time it takes for the gaseous and stellar components to align is much longer than previously thought, because the gas disc is accreting a significant amount of mass for about 1.5 Gyr after the merger, during which the angular momentum change induced by accreted gas dominates over that induced by stellar torques. Once the gas accretion rate has decreased sufficiently, the gas disc decouples from the surrounding halo gas and realigns with the stellar component in about six dynamical times. During the late evolution of the misaligned gas disc, the centre aligns faster than the outskirts, resulting in a warped disc. We discuss the observational consequences of the long survival of our misaligned gas disc and how our results can be used to calibrate merger rate estimates from observed gas misalignments.
Effects of Local Anesthetic Concentration and Dose on Continuous Interscalene Nerve Blocks: A Dual-Center, Randomized, Observer-Masked, Controlled Study

Background and Objectives: It is currently unknown if the primary determinant of continuous peripheral nerve block effects is simply total drug dose, or whether local anesthetic concentration and/or volume have an influence. We therefore tested the null hypothesis that providing ropivacaine at different concentrations and rates — but at an equal total basal dose — produces similar effects when used in a continuous interscalene nerve block. Methods: Preoperatively, an anterolateral interscalene perineural catheter was inserted using the anterolateral approach in patients undergoing moderately painful shoulder surgery. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive a postoperative perineural infusion of either 0.2% ropivacaine (basal 8 mL/h, bolus 4 mL) or 0.4% ropivacaine (basal 4 mL/h, bolus 2 mL) through the second postoperative day. Our primary endpoint was the incidence of an insensate hand/finger during the 24 hours beginning the morning following surgery. Results: The incidence of an insensate hand/finger did not differ between the treatment groups (n = 50) to a statistically significant degree (0.2% ropivacaine, mean [SD] of 0.8 [1.3] times; 0.4% ropivacaine, mean 0.3 [0.6] times; estimated difference = 0.5 episodes, 95% confidence interval, −0.1 to 1.1 episodes; P = .080). However, this is statistically inconclusive given the confidence interval. In contrast, pain (P = .020) and dissatisfaction (P = .011) were greater in patients given 0.4% ropivacaine. Conclusions: For continuous interscalene nerve blocks, given the statistically inconclusive primary endpoint results and design limitations of the current study, further research on this topic is warranted. In contrast, providing a lower concentration of local anesthetic at a higher basal rate provided superior analgesia.
On elections with robust winners

We study the sensitivity of election outcomes to small changes in voters' preferences. We assume that a voter may err by swapping two adjacent candidates in his vote; we would like to check whether the election outcome would remain the same given up to delta errors. We show that this problem can be viewed as the destructive version of the unit-cost swap bribery problem, and demonstrate that it is polynomial-time solvable for all scoring rules as well as for the Condorcet rule. We are also interested in identifying elections that are maximally robust with respect to a given voting rule. We define the robustness radius of an election with respect to a given voting rule as the maximum number of errors that can be made without changing the election outcome; the robustness of a voting rule is defined as the robustness radius of the election that is maximally robust with respect to this rule. We derive bounds on the robustness of various voting rules, including Plurality, Borda, and Condorcet.
Clinical decision support system for Parkinson's disease and related movement disorders

The goal of this study is to accurately distinguish between finger tremors of Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders using a tri-axial gyroscope. Finger tremor is specifically studied here as compared to hand tremor since farther distance from radio-carpal joint results in better acquisition of tremor signal. This study is an effort towards providing physicians with a clinical decision support system to facilitate them in accurate diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and help them in discriminating between other movement disorders and PD. We designed the hardware to acquire angular displacement from tri-axial gyroscope and apply a series of techniques to extract different features in time and frequency domains. Both resting and postural tremor is studied for analysis. A total of 104 people participated in our study, using features from this data we were able to create a Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) with overall accuracy of 82.43%. Additionally, CDSS was also used as a first hand diagnostic tool in a real hospital setting with an accuracy of 77.78%.
Nonlinear observer for INS aided by time-delayed GNSS measurements: Implementation and UAV experiments

A nonlinear observer structure for estimating position, velocity and attitude in a GNSS/INS system with delayed GNSS-measurements is proposed. The structure consists of an inertial measurement data buffer, a nonlinear state observer and a fast simulator. The inertial and magnetometer measurements are synchronized and delayed to coincide in time with the GNSS-measurements. The state observer will hence estimate the delayed states, and a fast simulator is employed to recover the current states using inertial measurements. The nonlinear observer is semi-global exponentially stable. The magnitude and effect of the GNSS delay is investigated, and implementation aspect of the nonlinear observer and the fast simulator are discussed. The proposed observer structure is verified by comparison to an observer without time-synchronization through use of simulations and experimental data from a UAV flight test.
Distribution of erm genes among Staphylococcus aureus isolates with inducible resistance to clindamycin in Isfahan, Iran

Background: The rising frequency of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has led to an increased use of antibiotics such as macrolide, lincosamide, streptogramin B (MLSB) for the treatment of S. aureus infections. Resistance to MLSBin S. aureus is commonly encoded by erm genes, which can be constitutive MLSB (cMLSB) or inducible MLSB (iMLSB). The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of cMLSB, iMLSB, and MS phenotypes using D-test and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Materials and Methods: A total of 215 isolates of S. aureus were collected from January 2010 to May 2012 from Al-Zahra Hospital in Isfahan. PCR was performed for detection of mecA gene on all isolates using specific primers. The frequency of MLSB-resistant isolates was determined using D-test, and then a multiplex PCR was performed for detection of ermA, ermB, and ermC genes. Results: Among 215 S. aureus isolates examined, 82 (40.9%) were MRSA, and iMLSB, cMLSB, and MS resistance phenotypes had a frequency of 9 (4.18%), 58 (26.9%), and 11 (5.1%), respectively. Among nine isolates with iMLSBresistance phenotype, four isolates contained ermC gene, two isolates ermB gene, and one isolate ermA gene. Two isolates did not have any erm gene. Conclusion: In the current study, cMLSBwas the most frequent phenotype and ermC was the most common gene in iMLSBresistant phenotypes.
Benefits of immunotherapy with a standardized Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract in asthmatic children: a three‐year prospective study

Background: Although widely practiced for over 80 years, the role of specific immunotherapy (SIT) in pediatric asthma treatment is still controversial. We assessed the effects of a 3‐year period of subcutaneous administration of a standardized preparation of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D pt) on the respiratory health in a group of asthmatic children monosensitized to house dust mite (HDM).
Evaluation of Strain-Rate Sensitivity of Selective Laser Melted H13 Tool Steel Using Nanoindentation Tests

This paper demonstrates the successful printing of H13 tool steel by a selective laser melting (SLM) method at a scan laser speed of 200 mm/s for the best microstructure and mechanical behavior. Specifically, the nanoindentation strain-rate sensitivity values were 0.022, 0.019, 0.027, 0.028, and 0.035 for SLM H13 at laser scan speeds of 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600 mm/s, respectively. This showed that the hardness increases as the strain rate increases and, practically, the hardness values of the SLM H13 at the 200 mm/s laser scan speed are the highest and least sensitive to the strain rate as compared to H13 samples at other scan speeds. The SLM processing of this material at 200 mm/s laser scan speed therefore shows the highest potential for advanced tool design. Residual stress is expected to affect the hardness and shall be investigated in future research.
The origin of intrinsic ganglia of trunk viscera from vagal neural crest in the chick embryo

The embryonic origin of the autonomic ganglia located in the walls of the thoracic and abdominal viscera has remained obscure in spite of many reports on the subject (reviewed by van Campenhout, '30; Yntema and Hammond, '47). The earlier descriptions of a vagal ectodermal source for the cardiac and pulmonary ganglia (Kuntz, '10; Abel, '12) have been generally accepted. However, their exact origin, neural crest or tube, has not been settled. As to the enteric ganglia there is no common point of view. Neural crest or tube of various levels as well as local mesenchyme have been described as embryonic sources. These problems can be clarified since in the chick a common embryonic rudiment of these ganglia is confined to a limited region. This part can be extirpated without subsequent reconstitution by adjacent cells. We have found that proper removal of the neural crest from post-otic and anterior spinal levels results in absence of the intramural ganglia of the lungs, heart, and digestive tract.
Social systems in terms of coherent individual neurodynamics: conceptual premises, experimental and simulation scope

After reviewing numerous theories and experiments, our research adopted the field-theoretical deductive approach to shed new light on complex social systems as coherent neurodynamic processes taking place in individual minds. In this interdisciplinary study, we have outlined some general fundamental design principles of the field-theoretical view of the oscillating agent as well as of coherent social systems. From the systems point of view, ordered social systems by their own intrinsic nature are interpreted as coherent activations via the mind-field medium of social agents. Consequently, this study not only provides the major conceptual assumptions of the proposed (Oscillation-Based Multi-Agent System [OSIMAS]) paradigm but also presents an electroencephalography-based inductive experimental validation framework and some empirical results to validate major OSIMAS assumptions. Based on the conceptual and experimental findings, we constructed modelling framework and presented oscillations-based micro (coupled oscillator energy exchange model) and macro (MEPSM1) simulation models. We also systemized some other studies and applications, which are most relevant to the work presented here.