Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Subretinal Gene Transfer at Different Time Points in a Mouse Model of Retinal Degeneration

Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 (LPCAT1) is necessary for photoreceptors to generate an important lipid component of their membranes. The absence of LPCAT1 results in early and rapid rod and cone degeneration. Retinal degeneration 11 (rd11) mice carry a mutation in the Lpcat1 gene, and are an excellent model of early-onset rapid retinal degeneration (RD). To date, no reports have documented gene therapy administration in the rd11 mouse model at different ages. In this study, the AAV8 (Y733F)-smCBA-Lpcat1 vector was subretinally injected at postnatal day (P) 10, 14, 18, or 22. Four months after injection, immunohistochemistry and analysis of retinal morphology showed that treatment at P10 rescued about 82% of the wild-type retinal thickness. However, the diffusion of the vector and the resulting rescue were limited to an area around the injection site that was only 31% of the total retinal area. Injection at P14 resulted in vector diffusion that covered approximately 84% of the retina, and we found that gene therapy was more effective against RD when exposure to light was limited before and after treatment. We observed long-term preservation of electroretinogram (ERG) responses, and preservation of retinal structure, indicating that early treatment followed by limited light exposure can improve gene therapy effectiveness for the eyes of rd11 mice. Importantly, delayed treatment still partially preserved M-cones, but not S-cones, and M-cones in the rd11 retina appeared to have a longer window of opportunity for effective preservation with gene therapy. These results provide important information regarding the effects of subretinal gene therapy in the mouse model of LPCAT1-deficiency.
Dense Disparity Maps Respecting Occlusions and Object Separation Using Partial Differential Equations

In this work, we present substantial enhancements to solve the stereo correspondence problem using a minimization and regulariza- tion formulation with a partial differential equations approach. For the first time it allows to respect occlusions and separation of objects. We introduce a boundary condition that makes it possible to estimate disparities of arbitrarily shaped regions and thus to explicitely handle occlusions. After calculating a dense disparity map, we detect occlusions and object boundaries, cut the disparity map at these boundaries, and minimize the energy functional once more resulting in more accurate estimates. We show that we can achieve a speed up of a factor of four by rectified image pairs and a correlation based algorithm to calculate an initial estimate. In addition, a priori knowledge provided as region of interest or location of object boundaries further improves both the speed and the quality of the estimation. The results demonstrate that the quality is greatly improved with the proposed approach.
The Development of the Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire (POGQ)

Background Online gaming has become increasingly popular. However, this has led to concerns that these games might induce serious problems and/or lead to dependence for a minority of players. Aim: The aim of this study was to uncover and operationalize the components of problematic online gaming. Methods A total of 3415 gamers (90% males; mean age 21 years), were recruited through online gaming websites. A combined method of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was applied. Latent profile analysis was applied to identify persons at-risk. Results EFA revealed a six-factor structure in the background of problematic online gaming that was also confirmed by a CFA. For the assessment of the identified six dimensions – preoccupation, overuse, immersion, social isolation, interpersonal conflicts, and withdrawal – the 18-item Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire (POGQ) proved to be exceedingly suitable. Based on the latent profile analysis, 3.4% of the gamer population was considered to be at high risk, while another 15.2% was moderately problematic. Conclusions The POGQ seems to be an adequate measurement tool for the differentiated assessment of gaming related problems on six subscales.
A Simple Technique for Partial Elimination of Unit Productions from LR(k) Parsers

A simplified version of Aho and Ullman's algorithm [1] is presented for the elimination of unit productions of the form A::= B from LR(k) parsers. The algorithm does not eliminate all such unit productions, but it is applicable in practical instances not handled by Aho and Ullman's technique.
Surface EMG as a method for following-up sports training efficiency

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the applicability of surface electromyography (EMG) for evaluation of training related changes in muscle contractile properties. Eight nationally ranked junior tennis players participated in a six weeks training program designed to increase speed and explosiveness. Their physical characteristics were evaluated before and after the training period by: tennis-specific field tests, measuring isometric twitch contraction of the medial gastrocnemius muscle, and by monitoring the frequency spectrum of the EMG at 50% of the maximal voluntary contraction. All the players improved the results of tennis specific field tests after the training period, but only three players were recognized to increase contractile speed of the medial gastrocnemius muscle expressed by shorter twitch contraction times after the training period. The same three players exhibited higher characteristic frequency (defined as the mean frequency lying between the sixth and ninth decile of the spectral distribution function) and a wider EMG amplitude spectrum after the training period. A good correlation was found between the number of the parameters of the isometric twitch contraction that were improved by more than 2% after the training period (NP) and the ratio between characteristic frequency after the training period (fA) and characteristic frequency before the training period (fB) (fA/fB) (p = 0.0065), as well as between NP and the slope of the linear approximation of the dependence between decile frequencies of the EMG signal after the training period (dAf) and decile frequencies of the EMG signal before the training period (dBf) (dAf = f(dBf)) (p = 0.0035). The correlation between the number of parameters of the isometric twitch contraction that were improved after the training period and the changes in characteristic parameters of EMG suggests the applicability of EMG for following-up sports training efficiency.
Urea co‐inclusion compounds of 13 cis‐retinoic acid for simultaneous improvement of dissolution profile, photostability and safe handling characteristics

13‐cis Retinoic acid (cis‐RA), a synthetic retinoid used in the treatment of severe acne, is known to exhibit extremely low aqueous solubility and high photosensitivity. In this study, urea, a well‐known adductor for linear compounds, was successfully employed for the adduction of cis‐RA — a substituted cyclic organic compound. Formation of urea inclusion compounds was confirmed by FTIR, DSC and XRD. A modified Zimmerschied calorimetric method was employed for the estimation of the minimum amount of rapidly adductible endocyte (RAE) required for adduction of cis‐RA in urea. Urea–cis‐RA‐RAE inclusion compounds containing varying proportions of guests were prepared and their thermal behaviour studied by DSC. The inclusion compounds were found to have an improved dissolution profile as demonstrated by an overall increase in the dissolution efficiency. An accelerated photostability study, conducted as per Q1B ICH guidelines, revealed that co‐inclusion of cis‐RA in urea delayed photo‐degradation of the drug when compared with that of the pure drug. The results suggest the possibility of exploiting co‐inclusion of the drug in a urea host lattice for improved solubility, stability and reduced handling problems for cis‐RA.
Functional evidence that the Ser-195 residue of staphylococcal exfoliative toxin A is essential for biological activity

The substitution of the serine 195 residue of staphylococcal exfoliative toxin A by a cysteine residue led to a biologically inactive protein. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that exfoliative toxin A could be a protease or a lipase. However, no protease or lipase activity was detected with the native toxin.
Longitudinal study of susceptibilities of species of the Bacteroides fragilis group to five antimicrobial agents in three medical centers

A total of 579 clinical isolates of the Bacteroides fragilis group collected from three Canadian hospitals were tested for susceptibility to five antimicrobial agents by using an agar dilution method. During the 4-year survey, isolates from intra-abdominal infections were collected from the following sites: abdominal abscesses (48%), peritoneal fluid (39%), blood (10%), and bile (3%). B. fragilis was the most prevalent species (35.4%), followed by B. thetaiotaomicron (19.2%), B. ovatus (15.9%), and B. vulgatus (11%). No metronidazole- or imipenem-resistant strains were found during the survey. Resistance profiles varied among the different species tested: 7.8, 2.9, and 7.3% of B. fragilis strains (n = 205) and 68.1, 17.2, and 9.4% of non-B. fragilis strains (n = 373) were resistant to cefotetan, cefoxitin, and clindamycin, respectively. B. fragilis and B. vulgatus demonstrated lower resistance rates than B. thetaiotaomicron, B. ovatus, B. distasonis, and B. caccae. During the study, rates of resistance to cefotetan and clindamycin fluctuated but rates of resistance to cefoxitin increased, particularly at one center. These data indicate a need to determine the susceptibility patterns of the B. fragilis group periodically at each hospital.
Expression of miRNA-122 Induced by Liver Toxicants in Zebrafish

MicroRNA-122 (miRNA-122), also known as liver-specific miRNA, has recently been shown to be a potent biomarker in response to liver injury in mammals. The objective of this study was to examine its expression in response to toxicant treatment and acute liver damage, using the zebrafish system as an alternative model organism. For the hepatotoxicity assay, larval zebrafish were arrayed in 24-well plates. Adult zebrafish were also tested and arrayed in 200 mL cages. Animals were exposed to liver toxicants (tamoxifen or acetaminophen) at various doses, and miRNA-122 expression levels were analyzed using qRT-PCR in dissected liver, brain, heart, and intestine, separately. Our results showed no significant changes in miRNA-122 expression level in tamoxifen-treated larvae; however, miRNA-122 expression was highly induced in tamoxifen-treated adults in a tissue-specific manner. In addition, we observed a histological change in adult liver (0.5 μM) and cell death in larval liver (5 μM) at different doses of tamoxifen. These results indicated that miRNA-122 may be utilized as a liver-specific biomarker for acute liver toxicity in zebrafish.
Compact Ultra Wide Band Microstrip Bandpass Filter Based on Multiple-Mode Resonator and Modified Complementary Split Ring Resonator

A new class of broadband microstrip filters for Ultra Wide Band (UWB) applications is proposed. In the design, different stages of parallel-coupled microstrip line and other stages with a Modified Complementary Split Ring Resonator (MCSRR)—a concept proposed here for the first time—are adjusted to obtain the desired response with broadband, sharp rejection, low insertion loss, and low return loss. Full wave simulation results as well as measurement results from fabricated prototypes are presented, showing good agreement. The proposed technique offers a new alternative to implement low-cost high-performance filter devices, applicable to a wide range of communication systems.
A NEUROIMAGING APPROACH TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTENTION AND SPEED-ACCURACY TRADEOFF

People are able to trade off speed and accuracy when performing a task; that is, they can either focus on performing accurately at the cost of being slow, or on being fast at the cost of decreased accuracy. Performance can be varied along this speed-accuracy tradeoff (SAT) continuum. The present set of studies were designed to, first, test the effects of speed versus accuracy emphasis on attentional processes and the underlying neural activity, and, second, to investigate how the brain achieves the desired level of SAT. In Experiment 1 it was found that attentional adjustments on trials following difficult trials or error trials, and their associated neural activation in the anterior cingulate and lateral prefrontal cortices were modulated by SAT. The conflict adaptation effect and associated anterior cingulate and prefrontal activation were greater under speed emphasis, whereas post-error slowing and associated anterior cingulate and prefrontal activation were greater under accuracy emphasis. Experiment 2 tested how people achieve a desired level of SAT by measuring neural activity in response to cues instructing participants whether to either emphasize speed or accuracy during a subsequent set of trials. Increased activation to speed cues was found in brain regions related to the preparation and execution of actions, which was furthermore sustained throughout speeded performance. This suggests that the level of baseline activation in these areas increased under speed emphasis. Moreover, transient, response-related activation of the dorsal premotor cortices was increased during accuracy emphasis. The results of Experiment 2 support computational theories of decision making according to which evidence for one or another decision builds from a baseline to a threshold, and different levels of SAT are achieved by varying the distance between this baseline and threshold. Together, these studies provide novel data that help us better understand how people are able to regulate their performance.
Volume Upscaling Using Local Self-Examples for High Quality Volume Visualization

Volume up scaling enlarges the size of a volume to make feature analysis more accurate and efficient. Linear interpolation, widely used in volume up scaling, result in jagged artifacts around features and losses of high-frequency components. Based on the example-based up scaling framework, this paper presents a new high-quality volume up scaling technique, predicting the high-frequency components by searching for the best matched patch in the input volume. As each slice can be taken as an image, the existing image up scaling technique based on the local self-similarity assumption can be directly applied to achieve slice up scaling. We further validate that the local self-similarity assumption is still valid for 3D volumes, and we extend this technique to 3D volume up scaling, i.e., isotropic volume up scaling. We compare our volume up scaling technique with traditional linear and cubic spline interpolations, and demonstrate that our method can generate a higher quality volume with better shape and details preserved. The proposed volume up scaling technique is well suitable for legacy low-resolution volumes to improve their visual qualities in visualization and analysis.
Choir singing and health status in people affected by cancer

&NA; Cancer survival rates have improved dramatically over recent years, however, health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) for many patients, survivors and their families remains low even after successful treatment. This mixed‐methods observational study explored the effects of participation in community choirs on HRQoL in individuals who have had cancer (patients) or have been affected by cancer (non‐patients). This included a longitudinal analysis of choristers commencing the Tenovus Cancer Care “Sing with Us” choirs across Wales and a series of semi‐structured interviews and focus groups. Participants completed the Short‐form 36 and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale on commencement of the choir and 3 and 6 months later. On joining the choir, several domains of the SF36 were lower, indicating worse HRQoL and greater depression in patients than non‐patients (p < .05). In patients, choir participation improved vitality, overall mental health and anxiety. In non‐patients, choir participation improved anxiety (p < .05). Participants experienced the choirs as both an uplifting musical activity and a supportive community group. The results support the provision of a spectrum of support options to meet the different needs and preferences of people affected by cancer.
Data Selection Using Genetic Algorithm to Improve Transfer Learning Efficiency in Brain-Machine-Interface Systems

Data selection has a great effect on the performance of trained Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for Brain Machine Interface systems. In this paper, we combine transfer learning and Genetic Algorithms to optimize the training data of CNNs. We implement transfer learning between different subjects. The data selected by GA to improve the performance of the CNN after transfer learning can be used to compare the similarity of the brain activity between subjects. The results show that brain data selected by GA improves the CNN recognition accuracy and reduces the training time. In addition, the performance of trained CNN using transfer learning on different days shows that although the performance deteriorates still it is acceptable.
SRP Based Natural Interaction between Real and Virtual Worlds in Augmented Reality

In current video see-through augmented reality system, natural interaction between real and virtual worlds is impossible. We analyze its cause and propose a new mode which is named mix before projection to combine real and virtual worlds for AR. Under this framework, we develop a tool named space registration particle (SRP) and speed multi-pass GPU algorithms to retrieve the pre-projection real world so as to achieve the natural interaction between real and virtual worlds in real time. The correctness of this method is proven by experiments based on our algorithms and theorem-proof of SRP Theorem in this paper. Experiments results and discussion about the experiments are also given.
Optimization of Chip Interconnect Area by using Interconnect Length and Width

paper presents methodologies that provide better correlation between the apriori and posteriori estimation of interconnect length, width, area and power. A method to generate random realistic benchmark circuits for analysis is implemented. A prediction model that predicts the length, width, area and power of the benchmark circuit is developed. The net list is passed through the placement and routing phases to obtain the actual length. From the estimated length, the width, area and power are estimated. The effectiveness of the prediction technique used is validated from the results obtained. We postulate that the predicted area which comes out with a smaller error percentage than predicted length can be used as a termination condition in Simulated Annealing for placement. Results are compared for proving optimization with Lagrange's Method.
Regional citrate anticoagulation in continuous venovenous hemofiltration in critically ill patients with a high risk of bleeding.

BACKGROUND Systemic heparinization is associated with a high rate of bleeding when used to maintain patency of the extracorporeal circuit during continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in critically ill patients. Regional anticoagulation can be achieved with citrate, but previously described techniques are cumbersome and associated with metabolic complications. METHODS We designed a simplified system for delivering regional citrate anticoagulation during continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH). We evaluated filter life and hemorrhagic complications in the first 17 consecutive patients who received this therapy at our institution. Blood flow rate was set at 180 ml/min. Ultrafiltration rate was maintained at 2.0 liters/hr and citrate-based replacement fluid (trisodium citrate 13.3 mM, sodium chloride 100 mM, magnesium chloride 0.75 mM, dextrose 0.2%) was infused proximal to the filter to maintain the desired fluid balance. Calcium gluconate was infused through a separate line to maintain a serum-ionized calcium level of 1.0 to 1.1 mM. RESULTS All patients were critically ill and required mechanical ventilation and vasopressor therapy. Systemic heparin anticoagulation was judged to be contraindicated in all of the patients. A total of 85 filters were used, of which 64 were lost because of clotting, with a mean life span of 29.5 +/- 17.9 hours. The remaining 21 filters were discontinued for other reasons. Control of fluid and electrolyte balance and azotemia was excellent (mean serum creatinine after 48 to 72 hr of treatment was 2.4 +/- 1.2 mg/dl). No bleeding episodes occurred. Two patients, one with septic shock and the other with fulminant hepatic failure, developed evidence for citrate toxicity without a significant alteration in clinical status. Nine patients survived (52.9%). CONCLUSION Our simplified technique of regional anticoagulation with citrate is an effective and safe form of anticoagulation for CVVH in critically ill patients with a high risk of bleeding.
Antiviral Activity and Mode of Action of Propolis Extracts and Selected Compounds

Aqueous and ethanol extracts of propolis were analysed phytochemically and examined for their antiviral activity in vitro. Different polyphenols, flavonoids and phenylcarboxylic acids were identified as major constituents. The antiviral effect of propolis extracts and selected constituents, e.g. caffeic acid (1), p‐coumaric acid (2), benzoic acid (3), galangin (4), pinocembrin (5) and chrysin (6) against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1) was analysed in cell culture. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of aqueous and ethanol propolis extracts for HSV‐1 plaque formation was determined at 0.0004% and 0.000035%, respectively. Both propolis extracts exhibited high levels of antiviral activity against HSV‐1 in viral suspension tests, plaque formation was significantly reduced by >98%. In order to determine the mode of antiviral action of propolis, the extracts were added at different times during the viral infection cycle. Both propolis extracts exhibited high anti‐HSV‐1 activity when the viruses were pretreated with these drugs prior to infection. Among the analysed compounds, only galangin and chrysin displayed some antiviral activity. However, the extracts containing many different components exhibited significantly higher antiherpetic effects as well as higher selectivity indices than single isolated constituents. Propolis extracts might be suitable for topical application against herpes infection. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.