Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Video Frame Interpolation Using Recurrent Convolutional Layers

Frame interpolation attempts to generate intermediate frames given existing ones, which is challenging because of complex video scenes and motion. Standard methods first estimate motion between two continuous frames and then synthesize new ones. In this paper, we propose a novel frame interpolation method based on a video synthesis approach deep voxel flow (DVF). In DVF, a deep convolutional encoder-decoder predicts 3D voxel flow, and then a volume sampling layer synthesizes the intermediate frame guided by the flow. To improve the accuracy of voxel flow, we employ recurrent convolutional layers (RCL) in the encoder-decoder module to refine the flow step by step, called DVF-RCL. We also incorporate perceptual loss to increase the visual quality. Experiments demonstrate that our method greatly improves the performance of original DVF and produce results that compare favorably to state-of-the-art methods both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Identifying musculoskeletal issues and associated risk factors among clay brick kiln workers

The present study is aimed to investigate the musculoskeletal issues and association of risk-factors with these problems among manual brick kiln workers. A modified Nordic Questionnaire was administered among 376 traditional brick kiln workers to collect data. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between musculoskeletal problems and risk-factors. Majority of workers (76.19%) involved in mould evacuating task reported wrist issues whereas lower back issues were reported by 62.35% of spading task workers. Age was a factor associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in the majority of the body regions. Gender was significantly associated with lower back (OR=3.71, CI: 1.51–9.11) MSDs. Spading task was associated with the wrist (OR=2.42, CI: 51.03–5.66), and lower back (OR=3.97, CI: 1.75–8.98) problems. Mould filling was a contributing factor for the wrist (OR=4.27, CI: 1.81–10.09) and knee (OR=6.88, CI: 2.40–19.70) issues. MSDs in wrist (OR=12.22, CI: 4.82–30.98) and fingers (OR=3.57, CI: 1.23–10.36) were significant in mould evacuating workers. Workers having less than 5 yr of experience were less prone to the neck (OR= 0.03, CI: 0.00–0.72) and upper back (OR=0.08, CI: 0.01–0.76) MSDs. For prevention of problems, ergonomic interventions such as workers’ training, use of protecting aids, modification in hand tools and work practices are needed.
Pembrolizumab as Neoadjuvant Therapy Before Radical Cystectomy in Patients With Muscle-Invasive Urothelial Bladder Carcinoma (PURE-01): An Open-Label, Single-Arm, Phase II Study.

PURPOSE To determine the activity of pembrolizumab as neoadjuvant immunotherapy before radical cystectomy (RC) for muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma (MIBC) for which standard cisplatin-based chemotherapy is poorly used. PATIENTS AND METHODS In the PURE-01 study, patients had a predominant urothelial carcinoma histology and clinical (c)T≤3bN0 stage tumor. They received three cycles of pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks before RC. The primary end point in the intention-to-treat population was pathologic complete response (pT0). Biomarker analyses included programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression using the combined positive score (CPS; Dako 22C3 pharmDx assay), genomic sequencing (FoundationONE assay), and an immune gene expression assay. RESULTS Fifty patients were enrolled from February 2017 to March 2018. Twenty-seven patients (54%) had cT3 tumor, 21 (42%) cT2 tumor, and two (4%) cT2-3N1 tumor. One patient (2%) experienced a grade 3 transaminase increase and discontinued pembrolizumab. All patients underwent RC; there were 21 patients with pT0 (42%; 95% CI, 28.2% to 56.8%). As a secondary end point, downstaging to pT<2 was achieved in 27 patients (54%; 95% CI, 39.3% to 68.2%). In 54.3% of patients with PD-L1 CPS ≥ 10% (n = 35), RC indicated pT0, whereas RC indicated pT0 in only 13.3% of those with CPS < 10% (n = 15). A significant nonlinear association between tumor mutation burden (TMB) and pT0 was observed, with a cutoff at 15 mutations/Mb. Expression of several genes in pretherapy lesions was significantly different between pT0 and non-pT0 cohorts. Significant post-therapy changes in the TMB and evidence of adaptive mechanisms of immune resistance were observed in residual tumors. CONCLUSION Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab resulted in 42% of patients with pT0 and was safely administered in patients with MIBC. This study indicates that pembrolizumab could be a worthwhile neoadjuvant therapy for the treatment of MIBC when limited to patients with PD-L1-positive or high-TMB tumors.
An Adaptive and Hybrid End-Point/Joint Impedance Controller for Lower Limb Exoskeletons

Assist-as-needed (AAN) algorithms for the control of lower extremity rehabilitation robots can promote active participation of patients during training while adapting to their individual performances and impairments. The implementation of such controllers requires the adaptation of a control parameter (often the robot impedance) based on a performance (or error) metric. The choice of how an adaptive impedance controller is formulated implies different challenges and possibilities for controlling the patient's leg movement. In this paper, we analyze the characteristics and limitations of controllers defined in two commonly used formulations: joint and end-point space, exploring especially the implementation of an AAN algorithm. We propose then, as a proof-of-concept, an AAN impedance controller that combines the strengths of working in both spaces: a hybrid joint/end-point impedance controller. This approach gives the possibility to adapt the end-point stiffness in magnitude and direction in order to provide a support that targets the kinematic deviations of the end-point with the appropriate force vector. This controller was implemented on a two-link rehabilitation robot for gait training—the Lokomat®Pro V5 (Hocoma AG, Switzerland) and tested on 5 able-bodied subjects and 1 subject with Spinal Cord Injury. Our experiments show that the hybrid controller is a feasible approach for exoskeleton devices and that it could exploit the benefits of the end-point controller in shaping a desired end-point stiffness and those of the joint controller to promote the correct angular changes in the trajectories of the joints. The adaptation algorithm is able to adapt the end-point stiffness based on the subject's performance in different gait phases, i.e., the robot can render a higher stiffness selectively in the direction and gait phases where the subjects perform with larger kinematic errors. The proposed approach can potentially be generalized to other robotic applications for rehabilitation or assistive purposes.
Contact Allergy to Propylene Glycol and Cross-Reactions.

The adolescent girl was referred for patch testing before placement of a permanent retainer. One year ago, she experienced a severe adverse reaction to the application of standard braces. Two days after placement, she noted a pruritic and burning rash on her forehead that spread down her face and then to her neck and arms. The braces were removed 5 days after placement, leaving the brackets adhered to the teeth. With the rash worsening, the brackets were then removed, and subsequently, the rash resolved completely within a week. Dental alignment was achieved using Invisalign for 1 year, and the patient experienced no further problems. Having completed alignment, a permanent retainer was now planned for maintenance care. The patient and her mother were concerned about the potential risk of allergic reaction to retainer components. The orthodontist provided details on all materials to be used and included samples of the wires, adhesives, curing agents, and other retainer components for product patch testing. The patient was patch tested with the North American Core Allergen Series, dental screening patient grouping, and all retainer components intended for direct application to the oral mucosa. At 48 and 96 hours, she had a 1+ reaction with erythema and pruritis to a 3MTransbond Light Cure adhesive sample provided by the orthodontist, which at 96 hours evolved to a 3+ reaction with blistering and epidermal erosion. No reaction was observed to metal wires or other retainer and installation components. The adhesive ingredients include silane-treated quartz, bisphenol A diglycidyl ether dimethacrylate (Bis-GMA), triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, dichlorodimethylsilane, N,Ndimethylbenzocaine, and diphenyliodoniumhexafluorophosphate. Notably, the same adhesive was used in the original brace brackets, so the patient had a previous exposure, and the timing of both her reaction and recovery implicated the adhesive as the cause of the braces-related rash. Previous similar case reports of dental adhesive reactions identified Bis-GMA as the responsible allergen based on patch testing results. However, the dental screening grouping tested on this patient includes Bis-GMA, which was negative on patch testing, suggesting that either a different ingredient was responsible or the concentration differed. One limitation in the current case is that the adhesive sample was applied undiluted and was not light cured, so the more reactive unpolymerized material was in contact with the epidermis, potentially generating a stronger reaction than if light cured. Based on the patch testing results, a removable Invisalign retainer was chosen for maintenance. With increasing reports of allergies to dental devices, patch testing should be considered in individuals with a history of contact reactions to metals or acrylics. In this case, patch testing was performed after a severe reaction to traditional braces containing metal wires and acrylic bonding materials. Patch testing revealed contact allergies to the dental acrylic adhesive, effectively ruling out installation of a
Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral profile in children and adolescents with chronic pain associated with rheumatic diseases: A case-control study

Background: The prevalence of chronic pain is about 30% in children and adolescents which suffer from severe emotional distress. The aim of this observational study is to investigate cognitive, emotional and behavioral consequences of benign chronic pain in children and adolescents suffering of reumathologic diseases. Materials and Methods: A total of 49 participants, chronic pain participants (CPPs) and controls (CGPs), affected by rheumatic diseases, were enrolled. Assessment included collection of sociodemographic data, pain characteristics, and administration of Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Depression Inventory for Children and Adolescents (CDI), Conners’ Parent Rating Scales–Revised (CPRS-R), Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and Screen for Child Anxiety–Related Disorders (SCARED). For the statistical analysis, Student’s t-test for independent samples and Pearson’s correlation were used. The significance value was set at p less than . 05. Results: A significant difference of mean scores of CBCL items and of CPRS items between the two groups was found. In CPPs, a significant correlation between VAS and mean scores of several CBCL items and between VAS and mean scores of several CPRS items was found. Conclusion: Chronic pain is a real syndrome in which an interdisciplinary treatment should be applied, considering the psychopathological risk, especially in developmental age.
Novel ceramic primer vs. conventional treatment methods: Effects on roughness and bond strength of all-ceramic restorations.

PURPOSE To compare the influence of various surface treatments on the shear bond strength and surface roughness of lithium disilicate glass-ceramics. METHODS 60 lithium disilicate ceramic samples were prepared according to the manufacturers' instructions and were divided into six groups according to the surface treatment:Control (C), 5% HF etching for 20 and 60 seconds (E20, E60), Monobond Etch & Prime etching (MEP), Nd:YAG (ND) and Er:YAG (ER) laser irradiation. All groups were treated with a universal primer except group MEP. A self-adhesive resin cement was bonded to all groups. The shear bond strengths of the specimens were measured using a universal testing machine while surface roughness was measured using a profilometer. RESULTS Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests revealed significant differences (P< 0.05). The shear bond strength of group E60 was higher than the other groups while surface roughness of groups MEP and ER were highest. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Monobond Etch & Prime might be a useful method in order to obtain adequate bond strength values.
Secure Satellite-Terrestrial Transmission Over Incumbent Terrestrial Networks via Cooperative Beamforming

In this paper, we consider a scenario where the satellite-terrestrial network is overlaid over the legacy cellular network. The established communication system is operated in the millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies, which enables the massive antennas arrays to be equipped on the satellite and terrestrial base stations (BSs). The secure communication in this coexistence system of the satellite-terrestrial network and cellular network through the physical-layer security techniques is studied in this paper. To maximize the achievable secrecy rate of the eavesdropped fixed satellite service, we design a cooperative secure transmission beamforming scheme, which is realized through the satellite’s adaptive beamforming, artificial noise, and BSs’ cooperative beamforming implemented by terrestrial BSs. A non-cooperative beamforming scheme is also designed, according to which BSs implement the maximum ratio transmission beamforming strategy. Applying the designed secure beamforming schemes to the coexistence system established, we formulate the secrecy rate maximization problems subjected to the power and transmission quality constraints. To solve the nonconvex optimization problems, we design an approximation and iteration-based genetic algorithm, through which the original problems can be transformed into a series of convex quadratic problems. Simulation results show the impact of multiple antenna arrays at the mmWave on improving the secure communication. Our results also indicate that through the cooperative and adaptive beamforming, the secrecy rate can be greatly increased. In addition, the convergence and efficiency of the proposed iteration-based approximation algorithm are verified by the simulations.
Blind Authentication at the Physical Layer Under Time-Varying Fading Channels

Authentication is a key requirement for secure communications in modern wireless systems. Compared with the conventional authentication at the upper layer using a cryptographic tool, authentication at the physical layer has many advantages, including enhanced security through the introduction of uncertainty to adversaries and increased efficiency and compatibility through the avoidance of operations at the upper layer, particularly in heterogeneous coexistence environments, e.g., 5G wireless systems. In this paper, we investigate authentication at the physical layer under time-varying fading channels. Conventional authentication schemes at the physical layer operate poorly under fast fading or frequency selective fading channels. Furthermore, conventional schemes require additional complicated preprocessing such as channel estimation and message symbol recovery through demodulation and decoding. This paper proposes a new blind authentication scheme at the physical layer that combines the techniques of blind known interference cancellation (BKIC) and differential processing to implement authentication without requiring any of the above-described preprocessing. The proposed scheme utilizes both the smoothing (SM) technique and belief propagation (BP) technique to achieve BKIC through the distinct blind authentication schemes with a superimposed tag over pilots (BSUPs) referred to, respectively, as BSUP-SM and BSUP-BP. The proposed scheme not only effectively suppresses the deteriorate effect of fading channels without any additional preprocessing but is also covert to unaware users, robust to interference, and secure for identity verification. The tradeoffs of using the proposed system with respect to various goals are discussed and analyzed. The performance of the BSUP-SM scheme depends on the channel fading and the length of the pilot cluster, while the performance of the BSUP-BP scheme is not sensitive to the above factors but depends instead on the quantization step used. The BSUP-BP scheme works well in fast fading channels, even in frequency selective fading channels.
Distributed Coordination of EV Charging With Renewable Energy in a Microgrid of Buildings

With the rapid development of electric vehicles (EVs), the consequent charging demand represents a significant new load on the power grids. The huge number of high-rise buildings in big cities and modern technological advances have created conditions to mount on-site wind power generators on the buildings. Since modern buildings are usually equipped with large parking lots for EVs, it shows vital practical significance to utilize the on-site wind power generation to charge EVs parked in the buildings. In this paper, we first use a case study in Beijing to show that the on-site wind power generation of high-rise buildings can potentially support all the EVs in the city. Considering that the charging demand of EVs usually does not align with the uncertain wind power, the coordination of EV charging with the locally generated wind power in a microgrid of buildings is investigated and three main contributions are made. First, we investigate the problem and formulate it as a Markov decision process, which incorporates the random driving requirements of EVs among the buildings. Second, we develop a distributed simulation-based policy improvement (DSBPI) method, which can improve from heuristic and experience-based policies. Third, the performance of the distributed policy improvement method is proved. We compare DSBPI with a central version method on two case studies. The DSBPI method demonstrates good performance and scalability.
A Single Bout of Aerobic Exercise Improves Motor Skill Consolidation in Parkinson’s Disease

Background: Motor learning is impaired in Parkinson’s disease (PD), with patients demonstrating deficits in skill acquisition (online learning) and consolidation (offline learning) compared to healthy adults of similar age. Recent studies in young adults suggest that single bouts of aerobic exercise (AEX), performed in close temporal proximity to practicing a new motor task, may facilitate motor skill learning. Thus, we aimed at investigating the effects of a single bout of aerobic cycling on online and offline learning in PD patients. Methods: 17 PD patients (Hoehn and Yahr 1 – 2.5, age: 64.4 ± 6.2) participated in this crossover study. Immediately prior to practicing a novel balance task, patients either performed 30 min of (i) moderate intensity (60–70% VO2max) aerobic cycling, or (ii) seated rest (order counterbalanced). The task required patients to stabilize a balance platform (stabilometer) in a horizontal position for 30 s. For each experimental condition, patients performed 15 acquisition trials, followed by a retention test 24 h later. We calculated time in balance (platform within ± 5° from horizontal) for each trial, and analyzed within- and between-subjects differences in skill acquisition (online learning) and skill retention (offline learning) using mixed repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: We found that the exercise bout had no effect on performance level or online gains during acquisition, despite affecting the time course of skill improvements (larger initial and reduced late skill gains). Aerobic cycling significantly improved offline learning, as reflected by larger 24-h skill retention compared to the rest condition. Conclusion: Our results suggest that a single bout of moderate-intensity AEX is effective in improving motor skill consolidation in PD patients. Thus, acute exercise may represent an effective strategy to enhance motor memory formation in this population. More work is necessary to understand the underlying mechanisms, the optimal scheduling of exercise, and the applicability to other motor tasks. Further, the potential for patients in later disease stages need to be investigated. The study was a priori registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03245216).
Effects of different bone marrow stimulation techniques on avascular zone meniscal defects.

OBJECTIVES In this study, we sought to investigate the effect of different amounts of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs), obtained by different BMSCs, on the healing of avascular zone meniscal defects. BACKGROUND Treating avascular zone meniscal injuries has gained popularity. BMSCs contribute to the healing of avascular zone meniscal defects. The amount of BMSCs derived from different bone marrow stimulation techniques (BMSTs) varies, which could affect the therapeutic efficacy of this treatment. METHODS Fifty-four skeletally mature female New Zealand White rabbits were used after local ethical committee approval. A full thickness, 1.5 mm diameter defect was produced in the inner two-thirds of the anterior portion of the medial meniscus avascular zone using a biopsy punch. Animals were enrolled into three different groups according to BMST (0.8 mm, 1.5 mm, and 4 mm). Medial menisci were harvested and prepared for histomorphometric, histologic and immune-histologic analyses. RESULTS Larger bridging tissues across the defect were detected in the 1.5-mm and 4-mm groups at 4 weeks (p < 0.05). The best quality score at the 1-,4- and 12-week endpoints was in 0.8 mm, 4 mm and 0.8 mm, 1.5 mm, respectively (p 0.05)CONCLUSION: The largest amount of BMSCs did not correlate with best quality and largest quantity of bridging tissue at the avascular zone in meniscal defects (Tab. 3, Fig. 4, Ref. 30).
Protection of Smart DC Microgrid With Ring Configuration Using Parameter Estimation Approach

In a smart dc microgrid, power electronic devices limit the current during fault and therefore, an overcurrent-based relaying scheme cannot provide required sensitivity and selectivity for such a system. For a dc microgrid with ring configuration having bidirectional power flow, the protection design is further complicated. For reliable supply to customers and to avoid unwanted disconnection of renewable resources, selectivity of a protection scheme is important. In this paper, using local voltage and current data, a least square-based technique estimates the parameter of the fault path, from which the direction of the fault is inferred. Using the direction of fault information of both ends of a line segment in a ring system, internal and external faults are discriminated for network protection. Using PSCAD/EMTDC simulations for a ring system, proposed method is tested for various fault situations including high resistance fault, close-in fault, signals with noise, and considering different modes of distributed generation operations. The proposed algorithm is also validated on a scaled-down hardware setup in the laboratory. The method is found to be more accurate compared to available technique.