Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Zero-Shot Learning Using Synthesised Unseen Visual Data with Diffusion Regularisation

Sufficient training examples are the fundamental requirement for most of the learning tasks. However, collecting well-labelled training examples is costly. Inspired by Zero-shot Learning (ZSL) that can make use of visual attributes or natural language semantics as an intermediate level clue to associate low-level features with high-level classes, in a novel extension of this idea, we aim to synthesise training data for novel classes using only semantic attributes. Despite the simplicity of this idea, there are several challenges. First, how to prevent the synthesised data from over-fitting to training classes? Second, how to guarantee the synthesised data is discriminative for ZSL tasks? Third, we observe that only a few dimensions of the learnt features gain high variances whereas most of the remaining dimensions are not informative. Thus, the question is how to make the concentrated information diffuse to most of the dimensions of synthesised data. To address the above issues, we propose a novel embedding algorithm named Unseen Visual Data Synthesis (UVDS) that projects semantic features to the high-dimensional visual feature space. Two main techniques are introduced in our proposed algorithm. (1) We introduce a latent embedding space which aims to reconcile the structural difference between the visual and semantic spaces, meanwhile preserve the local structure. (2) We propose a novel Diffusion Regularisation (DR) that explicitly forces the variances to diffuse over most dimensions of the synthesised data. By an orthogonal rotation (more precisely, an orthogonal transformation), DR can remove the redundant correlated attributes and further alleviate the over-fitting problem. On four benchmark datasets, we demonstrate the benefit of using synthesised unseen data for zero-shot learning. Extensive experimental results suggest that our proposed approach significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.
The impact of renal function on platelet reactivity and clinical outcome in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with stenting

Summary Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Previous studies have suggested that patients with CKD have less therapeutic benefit of antiplatelet therapy. However, the relation between renal function and platelet reactivity is still under debate. On-treatment platelet reactivity was determined in parallel by ADP- and AA-induced light transmittance aggregometry (LTA) and the VerifyNow® System (P2Y12 and Aspirin) in 988 patients on dual antiplatelet therapy, undergoing elective coronary stenting. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of moderate/severe CKD (GFR<60 ml/min/1.73 m2). Furthermore, the incidence of all-cause death, non-fatal acute myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis and stroke at one-year was evaluated. Patients with CKD (n=180) had significantly higher platelet reactivity, regardless of the platelet function test used. Patients with CKD more frequently had high on-clopidogrel platelet reactivity (HCPR) and high on-aspirin platelet reactivity (HAPR) regardless of the platelet function test used. After adjustment for potential confounders, this was no longer significant. The event-rate was the highest in patients with both high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HPR) and CKD compared to those with neither high on-treatment platelet reactivity nor CKD. In conclusion, the magnitude of platelet reactivity as well as the incidence of HPR was higher in patients with CKD. However, since the incidence of HPR was similar after adjustment, a higher rate of co-morbidities in patients with CKD might be the major cause for this observation rather than CKD itself. CKD-patients with HCPR were at the highest risk of long-term cardiovascular events. Clinical Trial Registration: www.clinicaltrials. gov: NCT00352014.
Disrupting antibiotic resistance propagation by inhibiting the conjugative DNA relaxase

Conjugative transfer of plasmid DNA via close cell–cell junctions is the main route by which antibiotic resistance genes spread between bacterial strains. Relaxases are essential for conjugative transfer and act by cleaving DNA strands and forming covalent phosphotyrosine linkages. Based on data indicating that multityrosine relaxase enzymes can accommodate two phosphotyrosine intermediates within their divalent metal-containing active sites, we hypothesized that bisphosphonates would inhibit relaxase activity and conjugative DNA transfer. We identified bisphosphonates that are nanomolar inhibitors of the F plasmid conjugative relaxase in vitro. Furthermore, we used cell-based assays to demonstrate that these compounds are highly effective at preventing DNA transfer and at selectively killing cells harboring conjugative plasmids. Two potent inhibitors, clodronate and etidronate, are already clinically approved to treat bone loss. Thus, the inhibition of conjugative relaxases is a potentially novel antimicrobial approach, one that selectively targets bacteria capable of transferring antibiotic resistance and generating multidrug resistant strains.
Rapid effect of inhaled ciclesonide in asthma: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND Ciclesonide is a novel inhaled corticosteroid for the treatment of asthma, and it is important to measure the onset of effect of this therapy on airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), exhaled nitric oxide (NO), and levels of eosinophils in induced sputum. METHODS In a randomized, double-blind, crossover study, 21 patients with mild asthma inhaled ciclesonide 320 microg (ex-actuator) qd, ciclesonide 640 microg (ex-actuator) bid, and placebo for 7 days. Exhaled NO and AHR to adenosine monophosphate (AMP), measured as the provocative concentration of AMP producing a 20% reduction in FEV1 (PC20FEV1), were assessed after inhalation on days 1, 3 and 7. Eosinophil levels in induced sputum were also measured. RESULTS Ciclesonide 320 microg qd and 640 microg bid produced significantly greater improvements in PC20FEV1 compared with placebo on day 1 (within 2.5 h), and on days 3 and 7 (all p < 0.0001). On day 3, both ciclesonide doses significantly reduced exhaled NO levels by - 17.7 parts per billion (p < 0.0001) and - 15.4 parts per billion (p < 0.003) vs placebo, respectively. Significant reductions were maintained during the study with both ciclesonide doses (p < 0.01). A nonsignificant trend towards a decrease in eosinophil cell numbers was observed after 7 days of ciclesonide treatment, especially in patients receiving the higher dose. CONCLUSIONS A single dose of ciclesonide decreased AHR to AMP and exhaled NO within 3 h, while FEV, improved at 3 days and 7 days.
A novel monolithically integrated pressure, accelerometer and temperature composite sensor

The paper presents a novel single-side micromachined composite sensor, with a piezoresistive pressure sensor, a thermal-convection accelerometer and a thermometer monolithically integrated in one 2.5×2.5mm2 chip, for low-cost production and applications such as tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). The accelerometer is based on heat convection, including a micro heater and two pairs of micro machined thermopile sensors for temperature difference sensing. The convective accelerometer sensitivities at the heater power of 10.90mW, 19.56mW and 30.12mW are 37. 92µv/g, 85. 04µv/g and 134. 08µv/g, respectively. The pressure sensor sensitivity range 450KPa is about 0.038mV/V/KPa . The Non-linearity is less than ±1.06 % FS (Full Scale) and even in over load case of 700KPa Non-linearity is under ± 1. 62 % FS. In this boron ion implantation case, the temperature coefficient of polysilicon resistor is −578 ppm/°0.
Growth, Structural and Optical Properties of GaAs/AlGaAs Core/Shell Nanowires with and without Quantum Well Shells

We have investigated the growth, structural properties and photoluminescence of novel GaAs/AlGaAs radial heterostructure nanowires, fabricated by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition. The effect of growth temperature on nanowire morphology is discussed. Strong photoluminescence is observed from GaAs nanowires with AlGaAs shells. Core/multishell nanowires, of GaAs cores clad in several alternating layers of thick AlGaAs barrier shells and thin GaAs quantum well shells, exhibit a blue-shifted photoluminescence peak believed to arise from quantum confinement effects. A novel two-temperature growth procedure for obtaining GaAs cores is introduced, and other nanowire heterostructures are addressed.
A Sequential Trial Comparing Two Plasma Levels of Nortriptyline*

Pairs of depressed patients were matched for age, sex, and severity of depression, and treated for four weeks with nortriptyline so that plasma levels of below 49 ng/ml and above 140 ng/ml were, obtained. Comparisons of pairs of patients as regards to improvement of depression, using a sequential skew restricted design, suggested that it was unlikely that a significant difference between the two treatment regimes would be detected.
A comprehensive view of expression profiles dynamics of capsaicinoid biosynthesis-related genes during pepper fruit development and under MeJA treatment.

Background: Capsaicinoid are a group of compounds and widely used in the food, medical, and pharmaceutical industries. Capsaicinoid are unique synthesized and accumulated in the pepper fruits. MeJA can enhance the capsaicinoid production. Temporal and spatial expression of capsaicinoid biosynthetic genes are helpful to understand the molecular mechnism of capsaicinoid biosynthesis in the fruits of pepper. Although some of the capsaicinoid biosynthetic genes in pepper have been identified, the expression of these genes at different developing stages of fruit has not been systemically investigated, and little is known about the molecular basis of MeJA inducing capsaicinoid biosynthesis. Results: HPLC study revealed that the capsaicinoid accumulation in the developing fruit of pepper initially appeared at 24 DAP (day after pollination), was actively development at 36 DAP and peaked at 48 DAP. 11 genes that encoded enzymes involved in capsaicinoid biosynthesis were isolated and characterized. Gene expression with quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that the CaCS was unique expressed in placenta and the other 10 genes were expressed in all selected tissues and 9 of 11 genes (except CaCa4H and CaCa3H) were strongly expressed in placenta tissue. Spatial expression analysis demostrated that the 11 gene could be collectively grouped into four categories based on the patterns of relative expression of the genes during fruit development. Category I has 2 and they displayed a bell-shaped expression pattern with the peak expression at 24 DAP, Category II contains 5 genes and expression of the 5 genes was constantly increased from 0 to 36 DAP and peaked at 36 DAP. Category III comprises of 2 genes and both genes reached the peak at 48 DAP. Category IV consists of 2 genes and they showed a high expression at 36 and 48 DAF, but unexpressed from 0 to
Heuristic evaluation for Virtual Museum on smartphone

Virtual Museum can present user experience in visualizing the real museum. This technology can give better communication and interaction with visitors. According to the preliminary study, most tourists have difficulty getting information about Muzium Negara and the website of Muzium Negara which does not provide enough information about galleries and collections before, during and after visiting the museum. In this study, heuristic evaluation was conducted with six experts in evaluating Virtual Muzium Negara prototyping. Several comments from experts for improving the prototyping obtained. The findings show the experts' comments are helpful in improving the prototype and the result of the Content Validity Index is acceptable. Hence, it is hoped that the Virtual Muzium Negara prototyping can give several information to tourist and this can encourage them to visit Muzium Negara.
Electronic Word-of-mouth Marketing in E-commerce based on Online Product Reviews

In E-commerce, purchase decisions of consumers are often strongly influenced by people who consumers know and trust, and word-of-mouth (WOM) is the most important factor when consumers are making a purchase decision. Many online consumers tend to wait for the opinions of early consumers before making a purchase decision to reduce the risk of buying products. So numerous E-commerce websites provide product reviews function for consumers to publicize their personal reviews of purchased products and thus facilitate word-of-mouth communication among consumers. This paper describes wordof-mouth, as a potentially cost-effective means for marketing, especially influence of opinion leaders in electronic word-of-mouth marketing.
Loose coupling between calcium channels and sites of exocytosis in chromaffin cells

Calcium microdomains generated by tight clusters of calcium channels regulate fusion of small vesicles at the synaptic terminal and have also been suggested to trigger exocytosis of large dense‐core vesicles from neuroendocrine cells. To test this idea, we have compared sites of exocytosis and the spatial distribution of calcium channels in chromaffin cells. Fusion of individual vesicles was visualized using interference reflection microscopy and the submembranous calcium signal was assessed using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. Depolarization triggered a burst of exocytosis from up to seven sites in a membrane area of 11 μm2, but these sites did not colocalize with calcium microdomains. Instead, calcium influx occurred in large patches (averaging 34 μm2) containing a mixture of P/Q‐ and N‐type channels. About 20% of fusion events occurred outside calcium channel patches. Further, the delay between the onset of stimulation and a burst of exocytosis was prolonged for several seconds by increasing the concentration of the slow calcium chelator EGTA from 1.5 to 5 mm. These results demonstrate that while calcium channels and release sites tend to congregate in specialized regions of the surface membrane, these have dimensions of several micrometres. The dominant calcium signal regulating release in chromaffin cells is generated by the cooperative action of many channels operating over distances of many micrometres rather than discrete clusters of calcium channels generating localized microdomains.
Changes in tibial plateau angles after tibial plateau-levelling osteotomy in dogs with cranial cruciate deficiency

Abstract AIM: To investigate changes in tibial plateau angles measured immediately after surgery and at follow-up in dogs treated for cranial cruciate ligament deficiency using tibial plateau-levelling osteotomy, and to determine the association of host and external factors with this change. METHODS: Records were analysed from dogs treated using tibial plateau-levelling osteotomy. Data included the dog's age, gender, breed, and bodyweight; the tibial plateau angle and mechanical medial proximal tibial angle measured in medio-lateral and caudo-cranial radiographs, respectively, pre- and post-operatively and at follow-up; interval to follow-up, use of a tibial tuberosity pin, type of plate, diameter of the osteotomy blade, and use of the alignment jig during surgery. RESULTS: Data from 364 stifles were analysed, including 163 from male dogs; 52 had bilateral tibial plateau-levelling osteotomy. Mean weight was 35.9 (SD 9.8) kg and age was 5.4 (SD 2.6) years. Mean interval to follow-up was 47 (SD 5.7) days. Overall, the mean tibial plateau angle was reduced from 26.2° (SD 4.7) pre-operatively to 4.5° (SD 3.5) post-operatively, and increased to 7.2° (SD 4.1) at follow-up (p<0.001). The mean mechanical medial proximal tibial angle was reduced from 4.1° (SD 2.4) pre-operatively to 2.7° (SD 2.2) post-operatively, and increased to 3.1° (SD 2.5) at follow-up (p<0.001). The type of plate used was associated with the change in angles between post-operative and follow-up measurements (p = 0.03), but there was no association with any other variables examined. Post-operatively, the tibial plateau angle was 4–6° for 112/364 (30.8%) stifles, and was 4–14° for 125/364 (34.3%) stifles. Type of plate used was associated with the odds of achieving these recommended angles. CONCLUSION: The angular changes in the proximal tibia after tibial plateau-levelling osteotomy were affected by the type of plate used for osteosynthesis, but no significant host factors were identified. Changes in the mechanical medial proximal tibial angle following surgery were also observed despite the use of an alignment jig during surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Loss in angular reduction following plateau-levelling osteotomy should be expected when using the plate designs included in this study. Placement of a pin through the tibial tuberosity did not prevent the increase in tibial plateau angle between immediate post-operative and follow-up measurements. The use of the alignment jig did not affect the induction of a varus change in the mechanical medial proximal tibial angle during surgery nor the change between immediate post-operative and follow-up measurement.
The dynamic range of protein expression: A challenge for proteomic research

Proteomic research, for its part, is benefiting enormously from the last decade of genomic research as we now have archived, annotated and audited sequence databases to correlate and query experimental data. While the two‐dimensional electrophoresis (2‐DE) gels are still a central part of proteomics, we reflect on the possibilities and realities of the current 2‐DE technology with regard to displaying and analysing proteomes. Limitations of analysing whole cell/tissue lysates by 2‐DE alone are discussed, and we investigate whether extremely narrow pI ranges (1 pH unit/25 cm) provide a solution to display comprehensive protein expression profiles. We are confronted with a challenging task: the dynamic range of protein expression. We believe that most of the existing technology is capable of displaying many more proteins than is currently achievable by integrating existing and new techniques to prefractionate samples prior to 2‐DE display or analysis. The availability of a „proteomics toolbox”︁, consisting of defined reagents, methods, and equipment, would assist a comprehensive analysis of defined biological systems.
A new method for absolute accuracy evaluation of a US-guided HIFU system with heterogeneous phantom

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound as a non-invasive treatment method has gaining its popularity in various clinical application. HIFU is usually used with navigation system with which to make pre-operative plan. Our group developed a US-guided HIFU system for breast cancer treatment. In order to precisely remove the tumor region and reduce the damage to the surrounding normal tissue to minimal level, it is important to evaluate the absolute accuracy of the treatment system, i.e. the spatial difference between the planned target region and the actual treated one. However, this task is often hard and there is few related work. In this research, we provide a method to quantitatively evaluate the accuracy of the US-guided HIFU treatment on 2D treatment plane. We use heterogeneous phantom which contains chicken meat surrounded by porcine liver to mimic tumor surrounded by normal tissue, and 3D printed markers to serve as spatial reference. The simulated tumor and simulated surrounding normal tissue as well as the markers are embedded into transparent gel with breast shape. With this setting, the boundary and shape of the treated region can be preserved. Moreover, the planned treatment region on the US image and the actual treated region can be registered into the same reference coordinate frame for comparison. The result demonstrates that the proposed method is capable of evaluating the absolute accuracy of the US-guided HIFU treatment on 2D treatment plane and our US-guided HIFU system has achieved high accuracy.
Associations between small dams and mollusk assemblages in Alabama streams

Abstract Small dams are ubiquitous yet poorly understood features in many streams. Dam removal is being used increasingly in stream restoration projects as a means to enhance habitat connectivity and ecosystem function. However, habitat- and assemblage-level effects of small dams on stream mollusk assemblages are poorly documented. We examined associations between stream physicochemical habitat variables and mollusk assemblages at 22 small (<10 m) dams in 3rd–5th order Alabama streams. We sampled 66 reaches (3 reaches/dam) associated with intact, breached, and relict small dams. For each dam, we designated 3 study reaches: 1) immediately downstream from the dam, 2) 500 to 5000 m downstream, and 3) 500 to 5000 m upstream from the impounded or formerly impounded zone. We used principal components analysis (PCA) to examine variation in physical-habitat conditions across all sites. Four principal components accounted for ∼72% of the variation in physical-habitat conditions across sites. One PC score (PC1, corresponding to increased substrate size) was negatively associated with several mollusk metrics including total mussel abundance, taxon richness, catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE), and density. We observed few significant differences between simple habitat variables at sites up- and downstream of dams. However, streams with intact dams had significantly higher mussel catch rates (CPUE) and taxon richness than did streams with breached or relict dams. We used forward-stepwise multiple regression to model the effects of habitat variables (as standardized PC scores) on mollusk assemblage metrics. PCs representing substrate composition were the strongest predictors of total mussel abundance and richness. Abundance of other mollusks including deposit-feeding snails, the exotic bivalve Corbicula fluminea, and fingernail clams was correlated with PC scores describing variability in substrate organic matter composition or stream gradient. We think these data indicate that some intact dams enhance mollusk habitat in downstream reaches. Streams with intact dams appear to be more geomorphically stable than streams with breached or relict dams and conditions in the mill reach may reflect preconstruction stream conditions. Breached dams warrant higher prioritization for removal than intact structures because habitat degradation may persist for decades and impede re-establishment of native mollusk populations.
Quantification of Positive and Negative Attacker's Information

Different techniques for expressing an amount of information on secrete data which can be obtained by a process observation are presented. They are based on information theory and they express certainty about sets of private actions which execution is guaranteed by a given observation and sets of actions which execution is excluded by a given observation. Moreover, the case when an intruder has same preliminary belief on secrete data is discussed. It is shown how the presented technique could be applied for such case. As regards working formalism, probabilistic process algebra is used for description of systems as well as attacker's belief.