Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards a modified consumer haptic device for robotic-assisted fine-motor repetitive motion training

Purpose. To develop, test and evaluate affordable haptic technology to provide robotic-assisted repetitive motion fine-motor training. Methods. A haptic computer/user interface was modified by adding a pantograph to hold a pen and to increase the haptic workspace. Custom software moves a pen attached to the device through prescribed three-dimensional (3D) stroke sequences to create two-dimensional glyphs. The pen's position is recorded in 3D coordinates at 1 kHz. Twenty-one healthy child volunteers were taught a standard handwriting curriculum in a group setting, two times per week for 45–60 min each session over 8 wks. The curriculum was supplemented by the device under the supervision of occupational therapy students. Outcomes were measured using the Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting (ETCH), and the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of visual-motor integration. Results. Word legibility made significant gains on near point copying task (p = 0.04; effect size = 0.95). Letter legibility made no significant improvement. One healthy volunteer with illegible handwriting improved significantly on 8 of 14 ETCH measures. The children found the device engaging, but made several recommendations to redesign the pantograph and scribing movements. Conclusions. A consumer haptic device can be modified for robotic-assisted repetitive motion training for children. The device is affordable, portable, and engaging. It is safe for healthy volunteers. Objective time-stamped data offer the potential for telerehabilitation between a remote therapist and the school or home.
Combined Determination of Sharing and Freeness of Program Variables through Abstract Interpretation

In this paper, abstract interpretation algorithms are described for computing the sharmg as well as the freeness information about the run-time instantiations of program variables. An abstract domain is proposed which accurately and concisely represents combined freeness and sharing information for program variables. Abstract unification and all other domain-specific functions for an abstract interpreter working on this domain are presented. These functions are illustrated with an example. The importance of inferring freeness is stressed by showing (1) the central role it plays in non-strict goal independence, and (2) the improved accuracy it brings to the analysis of sharing information when both are computed together. Conversely, it is shown that keeping accurate track of sharing allows more precise inference of freeness, thus resulting in an overall much more powerful abstract interpreter.
Intracellularly generated amyloid‐β peptide counteracts the antiapoptotic function of its precursor protein and primes proapoptotic pathways for activation by other insults in neuroblastoma cells

Most mutations in amyloid precursor proteins (APPs) linked to early onset familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) increase the production of amyloid‐β peptides ending at residue 42 (Aβ42), which are released from APP by β‐ and γ‐secretase cleavage. Stably transfected cells expressing wild‐type human APP (APPWT) were more resistant to apoptosis‐inducing treatments than cells expressing FAD‐mutant human APP (APPFAD). Preventing Aβ42 production with an M596I mutation (β–), which blocks β‐secretase cleavage of APP, or by treatment with a γ‐secretase inhibitor increased the resistance of APPFAD‐expressing cells to apoptosis. Exposing hAPPFAD/β– cells to exogenous Aβ42 or conditioned medium from Aβ42‐producing APPFAD cells did not diminish their resistance to apoptosis. Preventing APP from entering the distal secretory pathway, where most Aβ peptides are generated, by retaining APP in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)/intermediate compartment (IC) increased the resistance of APPFAD‐expressing cells to apoptosis and did not alter the resistance of APPWT‐expressing cells. p53‐mediated gene transactivation after apoptosis‐inducing treatments was much stronger in APPFAD cells than in hAPPWT or hAPPFAD/β– cells. In contrast, upon induction of ER stress, cells expressing APPFAD, hAPPFAD/β–, or APPWT had comparable levels of glucose‐regulated protein‐78 mRNA, an unfolded protein response indicator. We conclude that Aβ, especially intracellular Aβ, counteracts the antiapoptotic function of its precursor protein and predisposes cells to p53‐mediated, and possibly other, proapoptotic pathways.
Fermentation of Jamun ( Syzgium cumini L . ) Fruits to Form Red Wine

A red wine from anthocyanin-rich tropical jamun fruit having medicinal (anti-diabetic and curing bleeding piles) properties was prepared by fermentation using wine yeast (Saccharomyees cerevisiae) and the quality attributes compared with commercial grape red wines. The wine was sparkling red in colour, acidic in taste [titratable acidity (1.11 ± 0.07 g tartaric acid. 100 ml-1)], high tannin (1.7 ± 0.15 mg. 100ml-1) and low alcohol (6%) concentration. Though sensory evaluation rated the jamun wine quite acceptable as an alcoholic beverage, significant differences (P< 0.05) exist between the jamun wine and the commercial grape wine particularly in taste, flavour and after taste probably due to the high tannin content in the jamun wine.
Task Dissociation in Prospective Memory Performance in Individuals With ADHD

Objective: The present study investigated, for the first time, event- and time-based prospective memory (PM) in the same sample of adults with ADHD within one paradigm using parallel task constraints. Method: A total of 25 individuals with ADHD and 25 matched neurotypical controls completed a computerized version of the Dresden Breakfast Task, which required participants to prepare breakfast following a set of rules and time restrictions. Results: Although groups did not differ in event-based PM, results demonstrated a large-sized impairment in individuals with ADHD in time-based PM. Conclusion: Findings suggest a task-specific impairment in PM functioning and are discussed in an executive control framework of neurocognitive functioning in ADHD.
Specific nature of Trichomonas vaginalis parasitism of host cell surfaces

The adherence of Trichomonas vaginalis NYH 286 to host cells was evaluated by using monolayer cultures of HeLa and HEp-2 epithelial cells and human fibroblast cell lines. Saturation of sites on HeLa cells was achieved, yielding a maximal T. vaginalis NYH 286-to-cell ratio of two. The ability of radiolabeled NYH 286 to compete with unlabeled trichomonads for attachment and the time, temperature, and pH-dependent nature of host cell parasitism reinforced the idea of specific parasite-cell associations. Other trichomonal isolates (JH31A, RU375, and JHHR) were also found to adhere to cell monolayers, albeit to different degrees, and all isolates produced maximal contact-dependent HeLa cell cytotoxicity. The avirulent trichomonad, Trichomonas tenax, did not adhere to cell monolayers and did not cause host cell damage. Interestingly, parasite cytadherence was greater with HeLa and HEp-2 epithelial cells than with fibroblast cells. In addition, cytotoxicity with fibroblast cells never exceeded 20% of the level of cell killing observed for epithelial cells. Elucidation of properties of the pathogenic human trichomonads that allowed for host cell surface parasitism was also attempted. Treatment of motile T. vaginalis NYH 286 with trypsin diminished cell parasitism. Incubation of trypsinized organisms in growth medium allowed for regeneration of trichomonal adherence, and cycloheximide inhibited the regeneration of attachment. Organisms poisoned with metronidazole or iodoacetate failed to attach to host cells, and adherent trichomonads exposed to metronidazole or iodoacetate were readily released from parasitized cells. Coincubation experiments with polycationic proteins and sugars and pretreatment of parasites or cells with neuraminidase or periodate had no effect on host cell parasitism. Colchicine and cytochalasin B, however, did produce some inhibition of adherence to HeLa cells. The data suggest that metabolizing T. vaginalis adheres to host cells via parasite surface proteins in a specific receptor-ligand fashion. Furthermore, parasitism of epithelial cells appears to render this cell type more susceptible than fibroblast cell types to contact-dependent cytotoxicity.
Tailored balance exercises on people with multiple sclerosis: A pilot randomized, controlled study

Background: Altered integration of signals from visual (VIS), somatosensory (PROP) and vestibular system (VEST) lead to balance control impairments affecting the daily living activities of patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). As a consequence, tailored interventions could be crucial in improving efficacy of balance rehabilitation treatments. Objective: The objective of this paper is to assess the efficacy of tailored rehabilitation treatments for balance disorders based on visual, somatosensory and vestibular deficits versus traditional rehabilitation exercises. Methods: Thirty-two PwMS were assessed with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the composite score (CS) obtained by computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) test and the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS). Based on CDP analysis, prevalent VIS, PROP or VEST deficits were identified and patients randomly allocated to a personalized (PRG) or traditional (TRG) rehabilitation group. Results: BBS score showed a significant difference between pre- and post-treatment scores of 6.3 and 2.0 points respectively for PRG and TRG. CS showed a significant difference between pre- and post-treatment scores of 16.6 and 7.6 points respectively for PRG and TRG. No interaction effect was found for MFIS score. Conclusions: BBS and CS showed changes in the PRG group that met clinical relevant difference, underlining that tailored rehabilitation interventions based on patient-specific sensory system impairment could improve balance and postural control in PwMS.
Stacked RNNs for Encoder-Decoder Networks : Accurate Machine Understanding of Images

We address the image captioning task by combining a convolutional neural network (CNN) with various recurrent neural network architectures. We train the models on over 400,000 training examples ( roughly 80,000 images, with 5 captions per image) from the Microsoft 2014 COCO challenge. We demonstrate that stacking a 2-Layer RNN provides better results on image captioning tasks than both a Vanilla LSTM and a Vanilla RNN.
Polymorphism of mitochondrial COI and nuclear ribosomal ITS2 in the Culex pipiens complex and in Culex torrentium (Diptera: Culicidae)

Polymorphism of the mtDNA gene COI encoding cytochrome C oxidase subunit I was studied in the mosquitoes Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 and C. torrentium Martini, 1925 from sixteen locations in Russia and in three laboratory strains of subtropical subspecies of the C. pipiens complex. Representatives of this complex are characterized by a high ecological plasticity and there are signifi cant ecophysiological differences between its morphologically similar members. The full-size DNA sequence of the gene COI spans 1548 bp and has a total A+T content of 70.2 %. The TAA is a terminating codon in all studied representatives of the C. pipiens complex and C. torrentium. 64 variable nucleotide sites (4 %) were found, fi fteen haplotypes were detected, and two heteroplasmic specimens of C. torrentium were recorded. COI haplotype diversity was low in Wolbachia–infected populations of the C. pipiens complex. Monomorphic haplotypes were found in C. p. quinquefasciatus and C. p. pipiens f. molestus. Three haplotypes were detected for the C. p. pipiens, but these haplotypes were not population-specifi c. On the other hand, each of the ten studied Wolbachia-uninfected C. torrentium individuals from three different populations had unique mitochondrial haplotypes. Polymorphism of the 478-bp ITS2 nucleotide sequences was similar in infected C. p. pipiens and C. p. pipiens f. molestus and uninfected C. torrentium specimens. The ITS2 genetic distance between C. p. pipiens and C. torrentium reached 12.5 %. Possible effects of Wolbachia invasion on C. pipiens populations are discussed.
A three-layer model of skin and its application in simulating wrinkling

Human skin is a complex multi-layer material. Many existing numerical skin models accurately simulate several of its complex mechanical characteristics. However, few models simulate wrinkling – a phenomenon common to all human skin. In this study, a multi-layer model of skin was developed to simulate wrinkling. The model consisted of the stratum corneum, dermis and underlying hypodermis. The results of the simulations were compared with results of in vivo wrinkling experiments performed on the volar forearm. The proposed three-layer skin model simulates wrinkling more realistically than models of fewer layers. The size of the wrinkles predicted by the model fell within the range of the wrinkle sizes measured in the experiments. The maximum range and average roughness differed by 34 and 43% from the corresponding mean experimental results, respectively. Applications of the model include simulating skin aging, designing more realistic artificial skin and the development of surgical simulators.
Estimating HIV incidence rates from age prevalence data in epidemic situations

We present a method of estimating HIV incidence rates in epidemic situations from data on age‐specific prevalence and changes in the overall prevalence over time. The method is applied to women attending antenatal clinics in Hlabisa, a rural district of KwaZulu/Natal, South Africa, where transmission of HIV is overwhelmingly through heterosexual contact. A model which gives age‐specific prevalence rates in the presence of a progressing epidemic is fitted to prevalence data for 1998 using maximum likelihood methods and used to derive the age‐specific incidence. Error estimates are obtained using a Monte Carlo procedure. Although the method is quite general some simplifying assumptions are made concerning the form of the risk function and sensitivity analyses are performed to explore the importance of these assumptions. The analysis shows that in 1998 the annual incidence of infection per susceptible woman increased from 5.4 per cent (3.3–8.5 per cent; here and elsewhere ranges give 95 per cent confidence limits) at age 15 years to 24.5 per cent (20.6–29.1 per cent) at age 22 years and declined to 1.3 per cent (0.5–2.9 per cent) at age 50 years; standardized to a uniform age distribution, the overall incidence per susceptible woman aged 15 to 59 was 11.4 per cent (10.0–13.1 per cent); per women in the population it was 8.4 per cent (7.3–9.5 per cent). Standardized to the age distribution of the female population the average incidence per woman was 9.6 per cent (8.4–11.0 per cent); standardized to the age distribution of women attending antenatal clinics, it was 11.3 per cent (9.8–13.3 per cent). The estimated incidence depends on the values used for the epidemic growth rate and the AIDS related mortality. To ensure that, for this population, errors in these two parameters change the age specific estimates of the annual incidence by less than the standard deviation of the estimates of the age specific incidence, the AIDS related mortality should be known to within ±50 per cent and the epidemic growth rate to within ±25 per cent, both of which conditions are met. In the absence of cohort studies to measure the incidence of HIV infection directly, useful estimates of the age‐specific incidence can be obtained from cross‐sectional, age‐specific prevalence data and repeat cross‐sectional data on the overall prevalence of HIV infection. Several assumptions were made because of the lack of data but sensitivity analyses show that they are unlikely to affect the overall estimates significantly. These estimates are important in assessing the magnitude of the public health problem, for designing vaccine trials and for evaluating the impact of interventions. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Play in Wild and Captive Cetaceans

Although play behavior is difficult to define, it has been abundantly documented in the cetacean literature. Play behavior is prevalent among the various taxa and is exhibited by individuals of all age classes. However, it is often difficult to follow individuals, observe underwater behavior, and obtain multiple sightings of individuals when investigating free-ranging populations. Captive studies allow for the systematic manipulation of variables and the collection of detailed data with regard to individuals, age, and gender by being able to observe behavior both at the surface and underwater. Pooling information from both wild and captive studies of play allows for more robust theories, conclusions and understanding. In this paper, we provide a review of play behavior in both wild and captive cetacean populations as a first step toward a more complete understanding of the significance of cetacean play. The ability to study a particular phenomenon in both wild and captive populations of animals provides a greater depth of knowledge than would be possible with data gleaned from only one population type. The study of wild animals is typically based on naturalistic observation and although these types of studies provide a magnificent window into the lives of free-ranging animals and are a crucial component in the study of behavior, they often do not allow for true experimental design with the ability to manipulate variables. The study of captive animals provides this valuable scientific component. Therefore, combining studies of wild animals with those of captive individuals results in a more comprehensive understanding of the behaviors in question. Indeed, studies from wild and captive populations have provided insight into the lives of numerous species of animals (e.g., Brown & Norris, 1956; Saayman, Tayler, & Bower, 1973; Veasey, Waran, & Young, 1996). To illustrate the value of this approach for the study of cetacean behavior, we explore the contributions of studies of play in both wild and captive
An Analysis of Psychological Models of Chinese and Western Culture

The feature of Chinese culture is normally regarded as"Heaven and Man all in one",though there are also some cases when they are divided,but ultimately which are all in one,or even chaos where they become a whole.Whereas,western culture is 3-dimension model of god-nature-man where those three issues are from indivisibility to divisibility,and its final aim is to achieve being one entity.But the three items must go through a process of contradictions,where they can't go back to the status of being undivided.In ancient times,all nations around the world were"Heaven and Man all in one"while"Heaven"referred to both Nature and God,so it was"Natural Religion",and Nature,God,Man became a whole entity.In China,ancient"Heaven and Man all in one"or Chaotic undivided situation was not changed,but followed.God and Nature were referred as"Heaven-Tao",in which the aspects of God and Man amalgamated was"Santos",and the aspect of Nature and Man amalgamated was called"Genuine Human". Confucianism promotes being Santos while Taoism promotes being Genuine Human.Those are two different meanings to"Heaven and Man all in one". In the West,from Greek myth,there developed a division between the old gods representing nature and the new gods representing spiritual lives,and 3D model of"God-Nature-Man" was constructed.Nevertheless,this division was seen in different means in medieval Christianity and modern times,which reflects different features from Chinese culture.
Protective effect of erythropoietin on type II pneumocyte cells after traumatic brain injury in rats.

BACKGROUND The main objective was to evaluate the protective effect of erythropoietin on lung ultrastructure against damage in rats after traumatic brain injury. METHODS We used forty Wistar-Albino female rats weighing 170-200 gr. The rats were allocated into five groups. The first group was the control and the second was the craniotomy without trauma. The third group was the trauma group. The fourth and fifth groups were erythropoietin (1000 IU/kg) and vehicle (0.4 mL/rat) groups, respectively. A weight-drop method was used for achieving head trauma. Samples were obtained from pulmonary lobes 24-hour post injury. Lipid peroxidation levels were determined and electron microscopic scoring model was used to reveal the ultrastructural changes. RESULTS Ultrastructural evaluation revealed pathologic changes in the trauma group compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Lipid peroxidation levels were found to be higher in the trauma group (p < 0.05). Erythropoietin significantly reduced both the ultrastructural pathologic changes and the lipid peroxidation levels in the treatment group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Erythropoietin protects the ultrastructure of pneumocyte type II cells against damage after traumatic brain injury.
Mixed-reality shopping system using HMD and smartwatch

This research proposes a mixed-reality shopping system to assist disadvantaged shoppers. Using a smartwatch as a controller, the user can move freely around the store while viewing the panoramic photo image of the store displayed on a head mounted display (HMD). Products can be selected and freely viewed from any angle by tapping the smartwatch. Furthermore, by utilizing a photo-based augmented reality (Photo AR) system, the product can be displayed as if it were in the hands of the user. This system is developed and user evaluations are carried out. Evaluation results verify that the proposed system with layaway service will be in high demand.
Oral mucosal lesions in denture wearers.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions (OMLs) and denture-related mucosal lesions (DMLs) in denture wearers and to co-relate the prevalence with age, gender, type of denture and any systemic conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Dental records of 380 denture wearers were retrospectively reviewed for OMLs and DMLs. RESULTS We found 45% of the denture wearers had DMLs and 60.8% had OMLs not related to denture wearing. Although the prevalence of DMLs was higher in complete denture wearers than in partial denture wearers (49% vs. 42.2%), this difference was not significant. The most common DMLs were traumatic ulcer (19.5%) and denture-induced stomatitis (18.1%). When analysed by type, traumatic ulcer, denture hyperplasia, frictional keratosis and candidiasis were more common in complete denture wearers, whereas denture-induced stomatitis was more common in partial denture wearers. Frictional keratosis was more common in men than in women. The prevalence of OMLs not related to denture wearing was higher in complete denture wearers than in partial denture wearers, and the most common OML was fissured tongue (27.6%). No association between DMLs and systemic conditions or xerostomic drugs was noted. CONCLUSION No differences in the prevalence of DMLs in association with denture type were found. The prevalence of OMLs not related to denture wearing was higher in complete denture wearers than in partial denture wearers. This difference was affected by age, and the data were similar to the findings observed in the elderly.