Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VizWiz: nearly real-time answers to visual questions

The lack of access to visual information like text labels, icons, and colors can cause frustration and decrease independence for blind people. Current access technology uses automatic approaches to address some problems in this space, but the technology is error-prone, limited in scope, and quite expensive. In this paper, we introduce VizWiz, a talking application for mobile phones that offers a new alternative to answering visual questions in nearly real-time - asking multiple people on the web. To support answering questions quickly, we introduce a general approach for intelligently recruiting human workers in advance called quikTurkit so that workers are available when new questions arrive. A field deployment with 11 blind participants illustrates that blind people can effectively use VizWiz to cheaply answer questions in their everyday lives, highlighting issues that automatic approaches will need to address to be useful. Finally, we illustrate the potential of using VizWiz as part of the participatory design of advanced tools by using it to build and evaluate VizWiz::LocateIt, an interactive mobile tool that helps blind people solve general visual search problems.
Optimum Design Criteria for Maximum Torque Density and Minimum Torque Ripple of SynRM According to the Rated Wattage Using Response Surface Methodology

This paper deals with optimum design criteria for maximum torque density and minimum torque ripple of synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) according to the rated wattage using response surface methodology (RSM). The RSM has been achieved to use the experimental design method in combination with the finite element method and well adapted to make analytical model for a complex problem considering a lot of interaction of design variables. The proposed procedure allows to define the rotor optimum shape for maximum torque density and minimum torque ripple starting from an existing motor or a preliminary design.
Ki67 Predicts Progression in Early CIN: Validation of a Multivariate Progression-Risk Model

This study of early CIN biopsies (25 CIN1 and 65 CIN2) with long follow-up was done to validate, in a new group of patients, the value of Ki67 immuno-quantitative features to predict high CIN grade in a follow-up biopsy (often denoted to as “progression”), as described in a previous study. Each biopsy in the present study was classified with the previously described Ki67-model (consisting of the stratification index and the % positive nuclei in the middle third layer of the epithelium) as “low-risk” or “high-risk”, and matched with the follow-up outcome (progression-or-not). Furthermore, it was studied whether subjective evaluation of the Ki67 sections by experienced pathologists, who were aware of the prognostic quantitative Ki67 features, could also predict the outcome. Thirdly, the reproducibility of routine use of the quantitative Ki67-model was assessed. Fifteen cases progressed (17%) to CIN3, 2/25 CIN1 (8%) and 13/65 CIN2 (20%), indicating that CIN grade (as CIN1 or CIN2) is prognostic and that the percentage of CIN1 and CIN2 cases with progression in the present study is comparable to many previous studies. However, the quantitative Ki67 model had stronger prognostic value than CIN grade as none of the 40 “Ki67-model low-risk” patients progressed, in contrast to 15 (30%) of the 50 “Ki67-model high-risk” patients (p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, neither CIN grade nor any of the other quantitative Ki67 features added to the abovementioned prognostic Ki67-model. Subjective analysis of the Ki67 features was also prognostic, although quantitative assessments gave better results. Routine application of the quantitative Ki67-model in CIN1 and CIN2 was well reproducible. In conclusion, the results confirm that quantitative Ki67 features have strong prognostic value for progression in early CIN lesions.
Kernel Mean Embedding of Distributions: A Review and Beyonds

A Hilbert space embedding of a distribution---in short, a kernel mean embedding---has recently emerged as a powerful tool for machine learning and inference. The basic idea behind this framework is to map distributions into a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) in which the whole arsenal of kernel methods can be extended to probability measures. It can be viewed as a generalization of the original "feature map" common to support vector machines (SVMs) and other kernel methods. While initially closely associated with the latter, it has meanwhile found application in fields ranging from kernel machines and probabilistic modeling to statistical inference, causal discovery, and deep learning. The goal of this survey is to give a comprehensive review of existing work and recent advances in this research area, and to discuss the most challenging issues and open problems that could lead to new research directions. The survey begins with a brief introduction to the RKHS and positive definite kernels which forms the backbone of this survey, followed by a thorough discussion of the Hilbert space embedding of marginal distributions, theoretical guarantees, and a review of its applications. The embedding of distributions enables us to apply RKHS methods to probability measures which prompts a wide range of applications such as kernel two-sample testing, independent testing, and learning on distributional data. Next, we discuss the Hilbert space embedding for conditional distributions, give theoretical insights, and review some applications. The conditional mean embedding enables us to perform sum, product, and Bayes' rules---which are ubiquitous in graphical model, probabilistic inference, and reinforcement learning---in a non-parametric way. We then discuss relationships between this framework and other related areas. Lastly, we give some suggestions on future research directions.
Algorithm 897: VTDIRECT95: Serial and parallel codes for the global optimization algorithm direct

VTDIRECT95 is a Fortran 95 implementation of D. R. Jones' deterministic global optimization algorithm called DIRECT, which is widely used in multidisciplinary engineering design, biological science, and physical science applications. The package includes both a serial code and a data-distributed massively parallel code for different problem scales and optimization (exploration vs. exploitation) goals. Dynamic data structures are used to organize local data, handle unpredictable memory requirements, reduce the memory usage, and share the data across multiple processors. The parallel code employs a multilevel functional and data parallelism to boost concurrency and mitigate the data dependency, thus improving the load balancing and scalability. In addition, checkpointing features are integrated into both versions to provide fault tolerance and hot restarts. Important algorithm modifications and design considerations are discussed regarding data structures, parallel schemes, error handling, and portability. Using several benchmark functions and real-world applications, the software is evaluated on different systems in terms of optimization effectiveness, data structure efficiency, parallel performance, and checkpointing overhead. The package organization and usage are also described in detail.
Design and Implementation of Haptic Tele-mentoring over the Internet

Haptic tele-mentoring refers to an educational technique in which the mentor can teach the mentee, in a hand-by-hand manner over communication networks, through the coupling of two haptic devices. Essentially, the realization of tele-mentoring relies on the efficient transmission of haptic information, such that either end of the network can sense and/or impart forces. A few of obstacles in developing the tele-mentoring applications over the internet are network delay, jitter, and packet loss. These impairments potentially affect the stability of the tele-mentoring system and degrade the feeling of guiding. This paper analyzes the design and implementation constraints of the system, as well as the simulation and experimental results. To compensate for the network latency, a novel approach based on the behaviors of the human arm trajectory is proposed to lower the overshoot so as to improve the overall system stability. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the anti-overshoot algorithm.
Decomposition of Adsorbed Xylene on Adsorbents Using Nonthermal Plasma With Gas Circulation

A xylene decomposition system that combines a process of adsorption with a process of decomposition by nonthermal plasma with gas circulation is investigated for treating volatile organic compounds exhaust from indoor small-scale sources. An ac 60-Hz neon transformer and an inverter-type neon transformer are used for the generation of the nonthermal plasma. After p-xylene or a xylene mixture consisting of o-, m -, and p-xylene is adsorbed by an adsorbent, nonthermal plasma is generated with gas circulation, and adsorbed xylene is decomposed. The performance of this system is evaluated in terms of the conversion ratio of adsorbed xylene to CO and CO2 and the energy efficiency of the xylene decomposition process. The energy efficiency of the xylene decomposition process carried out using the inverter-type neon transformer is found to be better than that of the process carried out using the ac 60-Hz neon transformer. However, the stable operation of the plasma reactor is difficult, and a large amount of NOx is generated as a byproduct when the inverter-type neon transformer is used. Thus, the results obtained in this research suggest that the ac 60-Hz neon transformer is suitable for this system.
miR-509-3p is clinically significant and strongly attenuates cellular migration and multi-cellular spheroids in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer presents as an aggressive, advanced stage cancer with widespread metastases that depend primarily on multicellular spheroids in the peritoneal fluid. To identify new druggable pathways related to metastatic progression and spheroid formation, we integrated microRNA and mRNA sequencing data from 293 tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) ovarian cancer cohort. We identified miR-509-3p as a clinically significant microRNA that is more abundant in patients with favorable survival in both the TCGA cohort (P = 2.3E–3), and, by in situ hybridization (ISH), in an independent cohort of 157 tumors (P < 1.0E–3). We found that miR-509-3p attenuated migration and disrupted multi-cellular spheroids in HEYA8, OVCAR8, SKOV3, OVCAR3, OVCAR4 and OVCAR5 cell lines. Consistent with disrupted spheroid formation, in TCGA data miR-509-3p's most strongly anti-correlated predicted targets were enriched in components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). We validated the Hippo pathway effector YAP1 as a direct miR-509-3p target. We showed that siRNA to YAP1 replicated 90% of miR-509-3p-mediated migration attenuation in OVCAR8, which contained high levels of YAP1 protein, but not in the other cell lines, in which levels of this protein were moderate to low. Our data suggest that the miR-509-3p/YAP1 axis may be a new druggable target in cancers with high YAP1, and we propose that therapeutically targeting the miR-509-3p/YAP1/ECM axis may disrupt early steps in multi-cellular spheroid formation, and so inhibit metastasis in epithelial ovarian cancer and potentially in other cancers.
Imitation of nonwords by hearing‐impaired children with cochlear implants: segmental analyses

The phonological processing skills of 24 pre‐lingually deaf 8‐ and 9‐year‐old experienced cochlear implant users were measured using a nonword repetition task. The children heard recordings of 20 nonwords and were asked to repeat each pattern as accurately as possible. Detailed segmental analyses of the consonants in the children's imitation responses were carried out. Overall, 39% of the consonants were imitated correctly. Coronals were produced correctly more often than labials or dorsals. There was no difference in the proportion of correctly reproduced stops, fricatives, nasals, and liquids, or voiced and voiceless consonants. Although nonword repetition performance was not correlated with the children's demographic characteristics, the nonword repetition scores were strongly correlated with other measures of the component processes required for the immediate reproduction of a novel sound pattern: spoken word recognition, language comprehension, working memory, and speech production.
Physiological and genetic analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana anthocyanin biosynthesis mutants under chronic adverse environmental conditions

Anthocyanin production is a characteristic response of flowering plants to unfavourable environmental conditions. The potential roles of flavonoids and anthocyanins in plant growth were investigated by growing Arabidopsis thaliana anthocyanin production mutants (transparent testa) under limiting nitrogen and high light conditions. Inability to produce kaempferol or subsequent intermediate compounds by some transparent testa lines was correlated with less biomass accumulation in mature plants compared with wild-type control plants under all growth conditions tested. However, under both limiting nitrogen and high light chronic stress conditions, mutant lines defective in later steps of the anthocyanin production pathway produced the same or more biomass than wild-type plants. No difference in senescence between transparent testa and wild-type plants was found using chlorophyll catabolism and SAG12 expression measurements, and no mutants were impaired in the ability to remobilize nutrients from the vegetative to reproductive tissues. Moreover, the absence of anthocyanin and/or upstream flavonoids does not affect the ability of plants to respond to limiting nitrogen by reducing photosynthetic capacity. These results support a role for kaempferol and quercetin accumulation in normal plant growth and development. Further, the absence of anthocyanins has no effect on plant growth under the chronic stress conditions tested.
Facial aesthetic analysis in beautiful Persian female subjects aged 13 to 30 years by means of photogrammetry.

GUIDELINES Viewpoints, pertaining to issues of general interest, are welcome, even if they are not related to items previously published. Viewpoints may present unique techniques, brief technology updates, technical notes, and so on. Viewpoints will be published on a space-available basis because they are typically less timesensitive than Letters and other types of articles. Please note the following criteria: • Text—maximum of 500 words (not including references) • References—maximum of five • Authors—no more than five • Figures/Tables—no more than two figures and/or one table Authors will be listed in the order in which they appear in the submission. Viewpoints should be submitted electronically via PRS’ enkwell, at www.editorialmanager. com/ prs/. We strongly encourage authors to submit figures in color. We reserve the right to edit Viewpoints to meet requirements of space and format. Any financial interests relevant to the content must be disclosed. Submission of a Viewpoint constitutes permission for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and its licensees and assignees to publish it in the Journal and in any other form or medium. The views, opinions, and conclusions expressed in the Viewpoints represent the personal opinions of the individual writers and not those of the publisher, the Editorial Board, or the sponsors of the Journal. Any stated views, opinions, and conclusions do not reflect the policy of any of the sponsoring organizations or of the institutions with which the writer is affiliated, and the publisher, the Editorial Board, and the sponsoring organizations assume no responsibility for the content of such correspondence.
OPG and RANK Polymorphisms Are Both Associated with Cortical Bone Mineral Density: Findings from a Metaanalysis of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and Gothenburg Osteoporosis and Obesity Determinants Cohorts

Context: Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reliably associated with areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in genome-wide association studies of mostly older subjects. Objective: We aimed to test those SNPs for an association with peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) bone measures in two young cohorts. Design and Study Participants: We genotyped nine SNPs from the most promising aBMD candidates in a cohort of 15-yr-olds [in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)] and carried out association analysis with several tibial pQCT measures to determine whether these candidates were important during adolescent growth and which particular skeletal parameters each of the candidates were acting upon. We also carried out a metaanalysis of the SNPs for association with cortical bone mineral density (BMDC) in ALSPAC and a similar male-only study (Gothenburg Osteoporosis and Obesity Determinants). Results: In the ALSPAC cohort, we found a significant association between RANK SNP (rs3018362) and BMDC but not any of the other pQCT bone measures. In the metaanalysis, we found the OPG SNP (rs4355801) and the RANK SNP (rs3018362) to be significantly associated with BMDC. We also found suggestive evidence of an association between the MARK3 SNP (rs2010281) and BMDC but with a direction of effect opposite to that previously reported. Conclusion: The association of genes from the RANK/RANKL/OPG pathway and BMDC provides new insight into how this system might affect the skeleton, confirming it to be associated with volumetric cortical bone density but observing no relationship with bone size.
TASER Electronic Control Devices and Cardiac Arrests: Coincidental or Causal?

Being arrested is a highly emotional event and can result in a fatal, adrenergically supercharged physiological state.1 The exertion of arrest-related struggle is several-fold greater than that seen with normal exercise and leads to numerous extreme metabolic and electrolytic derangements, including elevated levels of lactate, CO2, potassium, creatine kinase, and myoglobin.2 Only 1.6% of US law-enforcement interactions involve the use or threats of force, and annually there are ≈700 000 cases in which force is used or threatened.3 There are ≈700 arrest-related deaths per year in the United States, yielding a mortality rate of ≈1 in 1000 for a law-enforcement interaction associated with force.4 Response by Zipes on p 100 The electronic control device (ECD) has gained widespread acceptance as the force option for law enforcement because of its dramatic reduction in both suspect and officer injury. At the same time, advocacy groups post statements on the Internet listing the hundreds of arrest-related deaths after ECD use with the implication that the ECD involvement was causal. Studies covering a total of >48 000 forceful arrests have consistently found suspect injury rate reductions of ≈65%. 5,6 Of the 250 000 annual ECD field uses in the United States, only 1 in 4000 is involved in an arrest-related death. This reduction in fatality rate is consistent with published data showing that 5.4% of ECD uses “clearly prevented the use of lethal force by police. ”7 Of the >3 million total ECD applications, there have been 12 published case reports suggesting a potential cardiac arrest link, giving an incidence of 4×10−6 per application.8–13 In most cases, those authors did not consider important factors that are now better understood. These include separating postural from cardiovascular collapse, the latency of electrically induced ventricular …
STUDIES ON THE CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF THE STREPTOCOCCAL CELL WALL

Lysis of trypsinized Group A streptococcal cell walls with phage-associated lysin releases into solution dialyzable and non-dialyzable mucopeptide fractions composed of N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylmuramic acid and alanine, glutamic acid, lysine, and glycine in addition to the characteristic group-specific carbohydrate. The latter substance contains appreciable amounts of N-acetylmuramic acid and the amino acids as well as N-acetylglucosamine and rhamnose. Hot formamide extraction of the cell walls results in a soluble fraction of group-specific carbohydrate and an insoluble residue. The Group A carbohydrate in this instance is composed of rhamnose and N-acetylglucosamine. The composition of the insoluble residue is similar to that of the mucopeptide fractions released from the cell wall by phage-associated lysin. This residue was shown by electron microscopy to be composed of discrete discs which appear similar in structure to the intact cell wall. The specific carbohydrate obtained by hot formamide extraction of Group A-variant cell walls was composed almost exclusively of rhamnose. The residue fraction was similar to that of Group A. The residue of cell walls extracted with hot formamide is extensively solubilized not only by phage-associated lysin and S. albus enzyme, but also by lysozyme, which has no measurable effect on the intact streptococcal cell wall.
Oxford Textbook of clinical pharmacology and drug therapy

This is the third edition of a book of multiple choice questions (MCQs) which was first published in 1971. At that time, MCQs were something of a novelty. They were regarded as light relief from the tedium of long essay questions by the student but often with suspicion by examiners. Now examiners have come to realise the advantages of MCQs in covering a wide range of subjects, and in allowing easy and objective marking. It is the student who is suspicious of the nuances of expression that can tilt the balance between true and false. This suspicion has arisen not because MCQs are a bad method of testing knowledge and understanding, but because of bad MCQs. Sadly, many of those examiners who in the past set MCQs had never had the opportunity themselves to do them in the examination situation. I do not know whether Professors Roddie and Wallace ever had to sit an MCQ examination. Their thoughtful approach, however, has produced a book of very high quality. It gives comprehensive coverage of pure and applied physiology. By providing explanations of most answers, the book becomes more than just a test of knowledge. However, it is for examination practice that the book will be used most. Here, with its avoidance of ambiguity, the student can learn that a straightforward approach to a clearly written question results in a correct answer. He can decondition himself from the all too prevalent paranoia which results from trying to answer badly set questions.
Structural Basis for a Munc13–1 Homodimer to Munc13–1/RIM Heterodimer Switch

C 2 domains are well characterized as Ca 2+/phospholipid-binding modules, but little is known about how they mediate protein–protein interactions. In neurons, a Munc13–1 C 2A-domain/RIM zinc-finger domain (ZF) heterodimer couples synaptic vesicle priming to presynaptic plasticity. We now show that the Munc13–1 C 2A domain homodimerizes, and that homodimerization competes with Munc13–1/RIM heterodimerization. X-ray diffraction studies guided by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments reveal the crystal structures of the Munc13–1 C 2A-domain homodimer and the Munc13–1 C 2A-domain/RIM ZF heterodimer at 1.44 Å and 1.78 Å resolution, respectively. The C 2A domain adopts a β-sandwich structure with a four-stranded concave side that mediates homodimerization, leading to the formation of an eight-stranded β-barrel. In contrast, heterodimerization involves the bottom tip of the C 2A-domain β-sandwich and a C-terminal α-helical extension, which wrap around the RIM ZF domain. Our results describe the structural basis for a Munc13–1 homodimer–Munc13–1/RIM heterodimer switch that may be crucial for vesicle priming and presynaptic plasticity, uncovering at the same time an unexpected versatility of C 2 domains as protein–protein interaction modules, and illustrating the power of combining NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography to study protein complexes.