Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic detection of pole-like structures in 3D urban environments

This work aims at automatic detection of man-made pole-like structures in scans of urban environments acquired by a 3D sensor mounted on top a moving vehicle. Pole-like structures, such as e.g. road signs and streetlights, are widespread in these environments, and their reliable detection is relevant to applications dealing with autonomous navigation, facility damage detection, city planning and maintenance. Yet, due to the characteristic thin shape, detection of man-made pole-like structures is significantly prone to both noise as well as occlusions and clutter, the latter being pervasive nuisances when scanning urban environments. Our approach is based on a “local” stage, whereby local features are classified and clustered together, followed by a “global” stage aimed at further classification of candidate entities. The proposed pipeline turns out effective in experiments on a standard publicly available dataset as well as on a challenging dataset acquired during the project for validation purposes.
CLICKS: an effective algorithm for mining subspace clusters in categorical datasets

We present a novel algorithm called CLICKS, that finds clusters in categorical datasets based on a search for k-partite maximal cliques. Unlike previous methods, CLICKS mines subspace clusters. It uses a selective vertical method to guarantee complete search. CLICKS outperforms previous approaches by over an order of magnitude and scales better than any of the existing method for high-dimensional datasets. These results are demonstrated in a comprehensive performance study on real and synthetic datasets.
Genipin-Crosslinked Gelatin-Based Emulgels: an Insight into the Thermal, Mechanical, and Electrical Studies

The present study discusses about the preparation and characterization (thermal, mechanical, and electrical) of the genipin-crosslinked gelatin emulgels. Emulgels have gained importance in recent years due to their improved stability than emulsions and ability to control the drug release. Mustard oil was used as the representative oil. A decrease in the enthalpy and entropy of the formulations was observed with the increase in the oil fraction. The mechanical studies suggested formation of softer emulgels as the oil fraction was increased. As the proportion of the oil fraction was increased in the emulgels, there was a corresponding increase in the impedance. The drug release properties from the emulgels were also studied. Ciprofloxacin was used as the model antimicrobial drug. The drug release was higher from the emulgels whose electrical conductivity was higher.
Maintaining node consistency in the face of dynamic change

With the increasing demand for long running and highly available distributed services, interest in systems which can undergo dynamic reconfiguration has risen. However for dynamic change to yield valid systems, change actions must be carried out such that the consistency of the software modules making up the system is not breached. This can be ensured if the subset of the system which is to undergo change is in a state amenable to reconfiguration. This paper presents an algorithm which imposes a safe state over the part of the system undergoing change. The algorithm suits a particular class of transactional systems and places special emphasis on minimising the interference to the rest of the system and reducing the programmer contribution necessary for achieving this safe state.
Insights from the experiences of older people with hearing impairment in the United Kingdom: recommendations for nurse-led rehabilitation.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study aims to explore, and develop a greater understanding of the experience of living with age-related hearing impairment from the perspectives of older people themselves to highlight possible recommendations for the improvement of hearing aid (HA) services and rehabilitation. BACKGROUND Hearing impairment (HI) is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting older people. HI can have a huge impact on a wide variety of life factors including physical, mental and social health and can lead to a reduction in quality of life. With the current ageing population, the numbers living with hearing impairment in old age is likely to increase. Currently, the diagnosis of hearing impairment in older people can be slow with individuals living with hearing impairment for around 10 years before being diagnosed. METHODS The research utilises a descriptive qualitative method in the form of descriptive thematic analysis. Findings are reported from semi-structured interviews with nine participants with self-reported HI, aged 61-93. RESULTS Themes include; the loss itself, communication, using HAs, isolation, and coping strategies. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE The results highlight the need for early diagnosis of HI and the development of nurse-led rehabilitation strategies and support services that address the felt stigma and potentially isolating experiences of older people with HI.
A severe form of amyloidotic polyneuropathy in a Costa Rican family with a rare transthyretin mutation (Glu54Lys)

Four affected siblings in a Costa Rican family presented an aggressive polyneuropathy with widespread involvement of many visceral organs and onset during the third decade of life with rapid loss of muscle mass in the lower limbs and severe dysautonomy. The medical histories include vitreous opacity, cardiac enlargement, dermal and gastrointestinal infiltration, and autonomic dysfunction including circulatory compromise and gastrointestinal disturbances. Histological studies using Congo red stain and immunohistochemical assays with antibodies against the transthyretin (TTR) protein showed widespread deposition of amyloid in extracellular areas, including dermis and gastrointestinal lamina propia, endo‐ and perineural spaces, and vascular walls. A mutation search in the transthyretin (ttr) gene was performed seeking the cause of this severe form of familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP). We applied single‐stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP)‐analyses followed by sequencing of the four exons of the ttr gene, revealing a point mutation in exon 3, a G to A transition that causes a Glu54Lys codon change. Western blots of plasma proteins incubated with anti‐transthyretin antibodies after gel electrophoresis provided separation of wild‐type and mutant TTR protein in affected family members. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Enhanced Susceptibility to Acute Pneumococcal Otitis Media in Mice Deficient in Complement C1qa, Factor B, and Factor B/C2

ABSTRACT To define the roles of specific complement activation pathways in host defense against Streptococcus pneumoniae in acute otitis media (AOM), we investigated the susceptibility to AOM in mice deficient in complement factor B and C2 (Bf/C2−/−), C1qa (C1qa−/−), and factor B (Bf−/−). Bacterial titers of both S. pneumoniae serotype 6A and 14 in the middle ear lavage fluid samples from Bf/C2−/−, Bf−/−, and C1qa−/− mice were significantly higher than in samples from wild-type mice 24 h after transtympanical infection (P < 0.05) and remained persistently higher in samples from Bf/C2−/− mice than in samples from wild-type mice. Bacteremia occurred in Bf/C2−/−, Bf−/−, and C1qa−/− mice infected with both strains, but not in wild-type mice. Recruitment of inflammatory cells was paralleled by enhanced production of inflammatory mediators in the middle ear lavage samples from Bf/C2−/− mice. C3b deposition on both strains was greatest for sera obtained from wild-type mice, followed by C1qa−/− and Bf−/− mice, and least for Bf/C2−/− mice. Opsonophagocytosis and whole-blood killing capacity of both strains were significantly decreased in the presence of sera or whole blood from complement-deficient mice compared to wild-type mice. These findings indicate that both the classical and alternative complement pathways are critical for middle ear immune defense against S. pneumoniae. The reduced capacity of complement-mediated opsonization and phagocytosis in the complement-deficient mice appears to be responsible for the impaired clearance of S. pneumoniae from the middle ear and dissemination to the bloodstream during AOM.
Comparable patterns of muscle facilitation evoked by individual corticomotoneuronal (CM) cells and by single intracortical microstimuli in primates: evidence for functional groups of CM cells.

We compared the averaged responses of forelimb muscles to action potentials of single motor cortex cells and to single intracortical microstimuli (S-ICMS). Activity of precentral neurons and 12 identified forelimb muscles (6 flexors and 6 extensors of wrist and fingers) was recorded in macaques while they performed alternating ramp-and-hold wrist movements. Action potentials of cells that covaried reliably with wrist flexion or extension were used to compile spike-triggered averages (spike-TAs) of rectified electromyographic (EMG) activity of six synergistically coactivated muscles. Cells whose spikes were followed by a clear postspike facilitation (PSF) of rectified muscle activity were designated corticomotoneuronal (CM) cells. CM cells typically facilitated a subset of the coactivated muscles called the cell's target muscles. The relative strength of the PSF in different target muscles ranged from clear increases above base-line fluctuations to weak but significant effects. For each CM cell we characterized the "PSF profile" of facilitation across different muscles, defined as the relative strength of PSF in each of the coactivated agonist muscles. After identifying the CM cell's target muscles, we delivered S-ICMS through the microelectrode at the same site. Biphasic stimuli were delivered during the same wrist movements in which the recorded CM cell had been active. Stimulus intensities were too weak (typically 5-10 microA) and their repetition rate too slow (5-15 Hz) to evoke muscle excitation evident in the raw EMG record. However, stimulus-triggered averages (stimulus-TAs) of the rectified EMGs of coactivated muscles revealed consistent patterns of poststimulus facilitation (PStimF). In most cases the muscles facilitated by the CM cell in spike-TAs (n = 60) were also facilitated by S-ICMS in stimulus-TAs. At sites of CM cells the threshold stimulus intensities for evoking a statistically significant effect were between 0.5 and 2 microA. S-ICMS of 5 microA evoked PStimF that was, on the average, six times stronger than the PSF of the CM cell. The height of the facilitation peak relative to base-line fluctuations was 5-60 times greater for the stimuli than the spikes of the CM cell. The average onset latency of PStimF (8.0 +/- 1.2 ms) was 1.3 ms longer than the mean latency of PSF (6.7 +/- 1.4 ms). At two-thirds of the cortical sites where both spike- and stimulus-TAs were computed (n = 30), the PStimF profile exactly matched the PSF profile. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Progressive and spatially differentiated stability of microtubules in developing neuronal cells

The establishment of neural circuits requires both stable and plastic properties in the neuronal cytoskeleton. In this study we show that properties of stability and lability reside in microtubules and these are governed by cellular differentiation and intracellular location. After culture for 3, 7, and 14 d in nerve growth factor-containing medium, PC-12 cells were microinjected with X-rhodamine-labeled tubulin. 8-24 h later, cells were photobleached with a laser microbeam at the cell body, neurite shaft, and growth cone. Replacement of fluorescence in bleached zones was monitored by digital video microscopy. In 3-d cultures, fluorescence recovery in all regions occurred by 26 +/- 17 min. Similarly, in older cultures, complete fluorescence recovery at the cell body and growth cone occurred by 10- 30 min. However, in neurite shafts, fluorescence recovery was markedly slower (71 +/- 48 min for 7-d and 201 +/- 94 min for 14-d cultures). This progressive increase in the stability of microtubules in the neurite shafts correlated with an increase of acetylated microtubules. Acetylated microtubules were present specifically in the neurite shaft and not in the regions of fast microtubule turnover, the cell body and growth cone. During the recovery of fluorescence, bleached zones did not move with respect to the cell body. We conclude that the microtubule component of the neuronal cytoskeleton is differentially dynamic but stationary.
Young and Older Observers Show Similar Perceived Contrast Functions for Isoluminat Stimuli

Abstract : Previous research from our laboratory has demonstrated an age-related difference in the perceived brightness of brief, low intensity flashes of light. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the age-related brightness differences would generalize to isoluminant conditions. Thus, the effect of age on visual system contrast gain was examined by use of sinusoidal grating stimuli with the method of contrast estimation. Ten young and 10 older males (mean ages 20 and 64.5 yrs) viewed counterphase flickered gratings of 0.6 and 6.0 c/deg ranging in contrast from 1 to 50 percent. The resulting linear functions of log perceived contrast as a function of log stimulus contrast showed no age-related differences and suggest equivalent contrast gain with age. These results, placed within the context of previous research, suggest that the largest age-related differences in visual performance are found when subjects must perform a detection/recognition task that is embedded in a flashing background.
Dynamics of Hepatitis B Virus Quasispecies in Association with Nucleos(t)ide Analogue Treatment Determined by Ultra-Deep Sequencing

Background and Aims Although the advent of ultra-deep sequencing technology allows for the analysis of heretofore-undetectable minor viral mutants, a limited amount of information is currently available regarding the clinical implications of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genomic heterogeneity. Methods To characterize the HBV genetic heterogeneity in association with anti-viral therapy, we performed ultra-deep sequencing of full-genome HBV in the liver and serum of 19 patients with chronic viral infection, including 14 therapy-naïve and 5 nucleos(t)ide analogue(NA)-treated cases. Results Most genomic changes observed in viral variants were single base substitutions and were widely distributed throughout the HBV genome. Four of eight (50%) chronic therapy-naïve HBeAg-negative patients showed a relatively low prevalence of the G1896A pre-core (pre-C) mutant in the liver tissues, suggesting that other mutations were involved in their HBeAg seroconversion. Interestingly, liver tissues in 4 of 5 (80%) of the chronic NA-treated anti-HBe-positive cases had extremely low levels of the G1896A pre-C mutant (0.0%, 0.0%, 0.1%, and 1.1%), suggesting the high sensitivity of the G1896A pre-C mutant to NA. Moreover, various abundances of clones resistant to NA were common in both the liver and serum of treatment-naïve patients, and the proportion of M204VI mutants resistant to lamivudine and entecavir expanded in response to entecavir treatment in the serum of 35.7% (5/14) of patients, suggesting the putative risk of developing drug resistance to NA. Conclusion Our findings illustrate the strong advantage of deep sequencing on viral genome as a tool for dissecting the pathophysiology of HBV infection.
Towards improving statistical model based voice activity detection

Statistical model based voice activity detection (VAD) is commonly used in various speech related research and applications. In this paper, we try to improve the performance of statistical model based VAD via new feature extraction method. Our main innovation focuses on that we apply Mel-frequency subband co-efﬁcients with power-law nonlinearity as feature for statistical model based VAD instead of Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) coefﬁcients. This proposed feature is then modeled by Gaussian distribution. Performances of this method are comprehensively compared with existing methods. Meanwhile we also test power-law nonlinearity on existing methods. Experimental re-sults prove that with proposed subband coefﬁcients the performance of statistical model based VAD could be improved a lot. Power-law nonlinearity on DFT coefﬁcients could also bring some improvement.
Comparative analysis of genome-wide association studies signals for lipids, diabetes, and coronary heart disease: Cardiovascular Biomarker Genetics Collaboration

Aims To evaluate the associations of emergent genome-wide-association study-derived coronary heart disease (CHD)-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with established and emerging risk factors, and the association of genome-wide-association study-derived lipid-associated SNPs with other risk factors and CHD events. Methods and results Using two case–control studies, three cross-sectional, and seven prospective studies with up to 25 000 individuals and 5794 CHD events we evaluated associations of 34 genome-wide-association study-identified SNPs with CHD risk and 16 CHD-associated risk factors or biomarkers. The Ch9p21 SNPs rs1333049 (OR 1.17; 95% confidence limits 1.11–1.24) and rs10757274 (OR 1.17; 1.09–1.26), MIA3 rs17465637 (OR 1.10; 1.04–1.15), Ch2q36 rs2943634 (OR 1.08; 1.03–1.14), APC rs383830 (OR 1.10; 1.02, 1.18), MTHFD1L rs6922269 (OR 1.10; 1.03, 1.16), CXCL12 rs501120 (OR 1.12; 1.04, 1.20), and SMAD3 rs17228212 (OR 1.11; 1.05, 1.17) were all associated with CHD risk, but not with the CHD biomarkers and risk factors measured. Among the 20 blood lipid-related SNPs, LPL rs17411031 was associated with a lower risk of CHD (OR 0.91; 0.84–0.97), an increase in Apolipoprotein AI and HDL-cholesterol, and reduced triglycerides. SORT1 rs599839 was associated with CHD risk (OR 1.20; 1.15–1.26) as well as total- and LDL-cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B. ANGPTL3 rs12042319 was associated with CHD risk (OR 1.11; 1.03, 1.19), total- and LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and interleukin-6. Conclusion Several SNPs predicting CHD events appear to involve pathways not currently indexed by the established or emerging risk factors; others involved changes in blood lipids including triglycerides or HDL-cholesterol as well as LDL-cholesterol. The overlapping association of SNPs with multiple risk factors and biomarkers supports the existence of shared points of regulation for these phenotypes.
DSM: A Heuristic Dynamic Spiral Mapping algorithm for network on chip

In this paper, a heuristic Dynamic Spiral Mapping (DSM) algorithm for 2-D mesh topologies is proposed. Based on the DSM we have presented two different approaches: the Full Dynamic Spiral Mapping (FDSM) and the Partial Dynamic Spiral Mapping (PDSM). To compare the efficacy of the algorithm, the reconfiguration time of the FDSM and PDSM are compared. The experimental results of almost 100 simple and complex scenarios with synthetic traffic profiles reveal that in 82% of simulation cases, the PDSM has less reconfiguration time comparing to the FDSM.
Considerations for Accurate Identification of Adult Culex restuans (Diptera: Culicidae) in Field Studies

Abstract Understanding the ecology and behavior of different mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae) is essential for identifying their role in disease transmission cycles and public health risk. Two species of Culex mosquitoes in the northeastern United States, Culex pipiens L. and Culex restuans Theobald, have been implicated in enzootic transmission of West Nile virus (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, WNV). Despite the difficulty of differentiating these two species as adults, many public health workers and vector biologists collecting adults in the field separate these species based on external morphology. This approach is often used rather than examination of dissected male genitalia or polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostics due to time or cost constraints. We evaluated the reliability of seven published morphological characters to differentiate adults of these species by comparing blindly scored morphology with PCR-based confirmations. Our study demonstrates that morphological identification of Cx. pipiens is marginal and often not reliable for Cx. restuans. We also examined error rates with molecular-based approaches. DNA samples were contaminated with as little as one leg from another species. We conclude that to fully understand the respective roles of Culex species in the epidemiology of WNV and other pathogens, more attention should be paid to these considerations for accurate species identification.
Endfeet Serve as Diffusion-Limited Subcellular Compartments in Astrocytes

Astrocytes extend their processes to make contact with neurons and blood vessels and regulate important processes associated with the physiology/pathophysiology of the brain. Their elaborate morphology, with numerous fine processes, could allow them to perform complex signal transductions with distinct compartments or to function as a spatial buffer depending on the diffusion properties of their intracellular molecules. Apart from calcium ions, however, the diffusion dynamics of molecules within astrocytes are poorly understood. In this study, we applied two-photon uncaging and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching of fluorescent molecules to acute cortical brain slices from mice to investigate the diffusion dynamics of molecules within astrocytes. We found that diffusion was significantly more restricted at the endfeet than at trunks and distal ends of other processes. Slow diffusion dynamics at the endfeet resulted in a large population of molecules being retained in a small region for tens of seconds, creating subcellular compartments that were isolated from other regions. In contrast, diffusion was fast and free at other processes. The same patterns were observed with the diffusions of a higher molecular weight (10 kDa) molecule and 2-NBDG, a fluorescent analog of glucose. These findings suggest that molecular diffusion is not uniform across the intracellular environment and that subcellular compartments are present in astrocytes. Therefore, similar to neurons, the elaborate and specialized structures of astrocytes may enable them to perform complex computations by providing distinct information storage/processing capacity among processes.
Bone resorption is decreased postprandially by intestinal factors and glucagon-like peptide-2 is a possible candidate

Objective. Food intake inhibits bone resorption by a mechanism thought to involve gut hormones, and the intestinotrophic glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) is a candidate because exogenous GLP-2 inhibits bone resorption in humans. The purpose of the study was to investigate patients with short-bowel syndrome (SBS) or total gastrectomy in order to elucidate whether the signal for the meal-induced reduction of bone resorption is initiated from the stomach or the intestine. Material and methods. Bone resorption was assessed from the serum concentration of collagen type I C-telopeptide cross-links (s-CTX) and compared with the plasma concentrations of GLP-2. Bone formation was assessed from serum osteocalcin concentrations. Seven SBS patients with a preserved colon and 7 with SBS and colectomy and 7 healthy controls were given a breakfast test meal (936 kcal). Eight patients who had undergone total gastrectomy had an oral glucose load (75 g in 150 ml). Results. The SBS patients without a colon showed no reduction in bone resorption (s-CTX) to a meal, whereas SBS patients with a colon had an intermediate response with a 27% (p<0.05) reduction of s-CTX from baseline after 120 min as compared with 66% (p<0.001) for normal controls. A significant reduction of 53% (p<0.001) was seen in gastrectomized patients after receiving oral glucose, which is comparable with the published data for the oral glucose tolerance test (OGGT) in healthy subjects (50% reduction over 120 min). Bone formation was unchanged for both SBS and gastrectomy patients. GLP-2 concentrations increased significantly in all groups with the exception of the SBS plus colectomy group. Conclusions. An intestinal factor is responsible for the postprandial reduction in bone resorption, and our findings are compatible with such a function for GLP-2.