Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficient disparity-based gaze control with foveate wavelet transform

A new variable resolution technique-foveate wavelet transform (FWT)-is proposed in this paper to represent images in an effort to emulate the animate visual systems. With the FWT representation and a simplified configuration of the stereo rig, efficient disparity-based algorithms to achieve gaze control of the rig are developed. With these algorithms, the attention of the stereo rig can be centered around the object of most interest with desired resolution for both the static and moving objects. Experiments based on the algorithms have demonstrated their efficacies in the gaze control of the stereo rig.
The effects of HIV and combination antiretroviral therapy on white matter integrity

Objective:HIV preferentially affects white matter in the brain. Although combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) reduces HIV viral load within the brain, continued inflammation can persist. We investigated the effect of HIV and cART on white matter integrity. Design:We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to examine the effects of HIV and cART on white matter integrity within the corpus callosum and centrum semiovale (CSO). Methods:Neuropsychological testing and DTI measures (fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, radial diffusivity) were obtained from 21 HIV-uninfected controls, 21 HIV-infected patients naive to cART (HIV+/cART−), and 21 HIV+ patients receiving stable cART (HIV+/cART+). A subset of the HIV+/cART− individuals (n = 10) was assessed before and 6 months after receiving medications. Differences among the cross-sectional groups were assessed using an analysis of variance, whereas paired t-tests evaluated longitudinal changes. Results:HIV+/cART− participants had significantly lower mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity for the corpus callosum and CSO compared to HIV− controls and HIV+/cART+ individuals. No significant difference existed between HIV− controls and HIV+/cART+ patients. cART initiation significantly improved mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity, but not fractional anisotropy, in the corpus callosum and CSO in some HIV-infected patients. Conclusion:Observed decreases in DTI parameters between HIV+/cART+ and HIV+/cART− individuals could reflect the presence of inflammatory cells or cytotoxic edema in HIV+/cART− patients. Initiating cART could lead to a reduction in neuro-inflammation and improvement in DTI measures. Future DTI studies may be useful for evaluating the efficacy higher brain penetrating cART regimens.
A new system for the automatic estimation of endothelial cell density in donor corneas

Aims: The problem of automatic estimation of endothelial cell density from microscopy images in donor corneas was addressed. Methods: The spatial frequencies contained in digital endothelium images are extracted with a two dimension discrete Fourier transform (DFT) technique. A circular band in the DFT of the images is shown to contain the frequency information related to the cell density. An algorithm for reliably recovering this spatial frequency information and for extracting from it an estimate of endothelial cell density has been developed and implemented in a computer program. An evaluation was performed on a data set containing 100 donor corneas, by comparing automatic values with manual counts performed by three eye bank experts on two images for each cornea. Results: The mean difference of automatic densities v manual ones was 14 cells/mm2 (0.9%), with a standard deviation of 119 cells/mm2 (5.1%) and mean absolute difference of 92 cells/mm2(3.9%). The ANOVA based overall inter-rater reliability was 0.935. The algorithm was also capable of identifying all non-processable images. Running times were in the order of 1–2 seconds per image. Conclusion: A new algorithm was developed for the fully automatic estimation of endothelial cell density. The results of a clinical evaluation on 100 corneas suggest that it is capable of reliably estimating endothelium cell density in donor corneas.
Interference management for cognitive radio systems exploiting primary IR-HARQ: A Constrained Markov Decision Process approach

In this paper we propose to address the problem of joint optimal rate and power allocation for secondary user in an Opportunistic Spectrum Sharing (OSS) context with a primary user implementing an Incremental Redundancy Hybrid ReQuest (IR-HARQ) access protocol. We start from the description of an IR-HARQ protocol using ACcumulated Mutual Information to propose a Constrained Markov Decision Process (CMDP) model. We show that in this particular context CMDP can be used to efficiently solve this problem. And we finally give the algorithm to compute joint optimal rate and power allocation for secondary users.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp120 induces anergy in human peripheral blood lymphocytes by inducing interleukin-10 production

The effects of recombinant gp120 on the proliferative responses and cytokine production by normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were investigated. gp120 inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion the anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (MAb)- and concanavalin A-induced proliferative responses. The production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-4 was diminished by gp120 in the anti-CD3- and concanavalin A-stimulated cultures. In unstimulated PBMC, gp120 induced the production of considerable amounts of IL-10, gamma interferon, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. The gp120-induced reduction in the proliferative responses of PBMC was at least partially reversed by the addition of IL-2, anti-CD28 MAb, or transfectants expressing CD80, CD86, or CD40 but not with exogenous IL-4. Also, a neutralizing anti-IL-10 MAb reversed the inhibitory effect of gp120 on the proliferative responses whereas exogenous IL-10 further enhanced this inhibitory effect. These findings indicate that IL-10 plays an important role in the inhibitory effect of gp120 on PBMC proliferation. The ratio of CD3+CD4+ to CD3+CD8+ T cells was the same in gp120-treated and untreated cell cultures. No apoptosis in these two T-cell populations was observed. However, the number of activated CD3+CD4+ T cells and CD3+CD8+ T cells, as judged by CD25, CD69, and HLA-DR expression, was consistently reduced. gp120 induced the expression of IL-10 in the monocyte/macrophage population, and therefore gp120 also reduced the proliferative responses of CD4+ T-cell-depleted PBMC. Taken together, our observations point to the importance of the cytokine pattern changes and, in particular, the role of IL-10 (produced by the monocytes) in the inhibitory effect of gp120. This mechanism of gp120-induced immunosuppression, if operative in vivo, could contribute to the depressed immune responses associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection and thus have important implications for immunotherapeutic strategies to slow down disease progression in AIDS.
A Stochastic Game-Theoretic Approach for Interference Mitigation in Small Cell Networks

In this letter, we investigate the distributed channel selection for interference mitigation in small cell networks considering the random deployment and dynamic on-off activity. Game theory is adopted to analyze the distributed and interactive decision making, and the problem is formulated as an exact potential game, in which the Nash equilibrium (NE) minimizes the expected network interference, either globally or locally. Furthermore, we design a fully distributed, no-regret channel selection algorithm to find the NE solution in dynamic environment.
Meta-analyses: what they can and cannot do.

Meta-analyses overcome the limitation of small sample sizes or rare outcomes by pooling results from a number of individual studies to generate a single best estimate. As long as a meta-analysis is not limited by poor quality of included trials, unexplainable heterogeneity and/or reporting bias of individual trials, meta-analyses can be instrumental in reliably demonstrating benefit or harm of an intervention when results of individual randomised controlled trials are conflicting or inconclusive. Therefore meta-analyses should be conducted as part of a systematic review, i.e., a systematic approach to answer a focused clinical question. Important features of a systematic review are a comprehensive, reproducible search for primary studies, selection of studies using clear and transparent eligibility criteria, standardised critical appraisal of studies for quality, and investigation of heterogeneity among included studies. Cumulative meta-analysis may prevent delays in the introduction of effective treatments and may allow for early detection of harmful effects of interventions. As opposed to meta-analysis based on aggregate study data, individual patient data meta-analyses offer the advantage to use standardised criteria across trials and reliably investigate subgroup effects of interventions. Network meta-analysis allows the integration of data from direct and indirect comparisons in order to compare multiple treatments in a comprehensive analysis and determine the best treatment among several options. We conclude that meta-analysis has become a popular, versatile, and powerful tool. If rigorously conducted as part of a systematic review, it is essential for evidence-based decision making in clinical practice as well as on the health policy level.
Dipole tensor-based atomic-resolution structure determination of a nanocrystalline protein by solid-state NMR

Magic-angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR (SSNMR) techniques have emerged in recent years for solving complete structures of uniformly labeled proteins lacking macroscopic order. Strategies used thus far have relied primarily on semiquantitative distance restraints, analogous to the nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) routinely used in solution NMR. Here, we present a complementary approach for using relative orientations of molecular fragments, determined from dipolar line shapes. Whereas SSNMR distance restraints typically have an uncertainty of ≈1 Å, the tensor-based experiments report on relative vector (pseudobond) angles with precision of a few degrees. By using 3D techniques of this type, vector angle (VEAN) restraints were determined for the majority of the 56-residue B1 immunoglobulin binding domain of protein G [protein GB1 (a total of 47 HN-HN, 49 HN-HC, and 12 HA-HB restraints)]. By using distance restraints alone in the structure calculations, the overall backbone root-mean-square deviation (bbRMSD) was 1.01 ± 0.13 Å (1.52 ± 0.12 Å for all heavy atoms), which improved to 0.49 ± 0.05 Å (1.19 ± 0.07 Å) on the addition of empirical chemical shift [torsion angle likelihood obtained from shift and sequence similarity (TALOS)] restraints. VEAN restraints further improved the ensemble to 0.31 ± 0.06 Å bbRMSD (1.06 ± 0.07 Å); relative to the structure with distances alone, most of the improvement remained (bbRMSD 0.64 ± 0.09 Å; 1.29 ± 0.07 Å) when TALOS restraints were removed before refinement. These results represent significant progress toward atomic-resolution protein structure determination by SSNMR, capabilities that can be applied to a large range of membrane proteins and fibrils, which are often not amenable to solution NMR or x-ray crystallography.
Studying molecular machines by TIRF microscopy

A prominent interface between physics and biology is the field of optical microscopy. Over the past centuries advances in light microscopy have often enabled a closer look on biological questions, while at the same time questions arising from biology have inspired technical or conceptual improvements for microscopy. This symbiosis has constantly been driven by the wish to better separate the desired optical signals from the surrounding background. One success story along these lines is fluorescence microscopy.
Micro- and nanoscale technologies for tissue engineering and drug discovery applications

Micro- and nanoscale technologies are emerging as powerful enabling tools for tissue engineering and drug discovery. In tissue engineering, micro- and nanotechnologies can be used to fabricate biomimetic scaffolds with increased complexity and vascularization. Furthermore, these technologies can be used to control the cellular microenvironment (i.e., cell–cell, cell–matrix and cell–soluble factor interactions) in a reproducible manner and with high temporal and spatial resolution. In drug discovery, miniaturized platforms based on micro- and nanotechnology can be used to precisely control the fluid flow, enable high-throughput screening, and minimize sample or reagent volumes. In addition, these systems enhance reproducibility and significantly reduce reaction times. This paper reviews the recent developments in the field of micro- and nanoscale technology and gives examples of their tissue engineering and drug discovery applications.
Europium doping induced symmetry deviation and its impact on the second harmonic generation of doped ZnO nanowires

In this work, we investigated the effects of europium doping on the second harmonic generation (SHG) of ZnO nanowires (NWs). A non-monotonic enhancement in the SHG is observed with the increase of the europium concentration. Maximum SHG is observed from the 1 at. % europium doped ZnO NWs with an enhancement factor of 4.5. To understand the underlying mechanism, the effective second order non–linear coefficient (deff) is calculated from the theoretical fitting with consideration of the absorption effect. Microstructural characterization reveals the structural deformation of the ZnO NWs caused by europium doping. We estimated the deviation in the crystal site symmetry around the Eu3+ ions (defined as the asymmetric factor) from photoluminescence measurement and it is found to be strongly correlated with the calculated deff value. A strong linear dependence between the magnitudes of deff and the asymmetric factor suggests that deviation in the local site symmetry of the ZnO crystal by europium doping could be the most probable origin of the observed large second order non-linearity.
Multimodality bronchoscopic diagnosis of peripheral lung lesions: a randomized controlled trial.

RATIONALE Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) and electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) have increased the diagnostic yield of bronchoscopic diagnosis of peripheral lung lesions. However, the role of combining these modalities to overcome each individual technique's limitations and, consequently, to further increase the diagnostic yield remains untested. OBJECTIVES A prospective randomized controlled trial involving three diagnostic arms: EBUS only, ENB only, and a combined procedure. METHODS All procedures were performed via flexible bronchoscopy and transbronchial forceps biopsies were obtained without fluoroscopic guidance. In the combined group, after electromagnetic navigation, the ultrasound probe was passed through an extended working channel to visualize the lesion. Biopsies were taken if ultrasound visualization showed that the extended working channel was within the target. Primary outcome was diagnostic yield. The reference "gold standard" was a surgical biopsy if bronchoscopic biopsy did not reveal a definite histological diagnosis compatible with the clinical presentation. Secondary outcomes were yields by size, lobar distribution, and lesion pathology. Complication rates were also documented. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Of the 120 patients recruited, 118 had a definitive histological diagnosis and were included in the final analysis. The diagnostic yield of the combined procedure (88%) was greater than EBUS (69%) or ENB alone (59%; p = 0.02). The combined procedure's yield was independent of lesion size or lobar distribution. The pneumothorax rates ranged from 5 to 8%, with no significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS Combined EBUS and ENB improves the diagnostic yield of flexible bronchoscopy in peripheral lung lesions without compromising safety.
Tn5 insertion in the polynucleotide phosphorylase (pnp) gene in Escherichia coli increases susceptibility to antibiotics

A Tn5 insertional mutation on the Escherichia coli chromosome which caused a severalfold increase in susceptibility to structurally and functionally diverse antibiotics was found to map within the gene for polynucleotide phosphorylase (pnp) and to inactivate this enzyme, which is involved in RNA breakdown. The mutation also decreased the growth rate 10 to 25% and increased the rate of tetracycline uptake about 30%. The hypersensitivity due to the insertion was only partially complemented by a cloned pnp gene.
Plant Sterols and Stanols Improves the Blood Lipid Pro fi le of Adults with Primary Hypercholesterolemia : A Randomized , Double-Blind , Placebo-Controlled Replication Study

Copyright a 2013 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2212-2672/$0.00 http://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.jand. 2013.09. 023 ABSTRACT A well-controlled clinical trial previously demonstrated the efficacy of a novel softgel dietary supplement providing 1.8 g/day esterified plant sterols and stanols, as part of the National Cholesterol Education Program Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet, to improve the fasting lipid profile of men and women with primary hypercholesterolemia (fasting low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol 130 and <220 mg/dL [ 3.37 and <5.70 mmol/L]). The purpose of this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled crossover study (conducted July 2011 to January 2012) was to support these previous findings in a similar, but independent, sample with a different lead investigator and research site. Repeated measures analysis of covariance was used to compare outcomes for sterol/ stanol and placebo treatment conditions using the baseline value as a covariate. Fortynine subjects were screened and 30 (8 men and 22 women) were randomized to treatment (all completed the trial). Baseline (mean standard error of the mean) plasma lipid concentrations were: total cholesterol 236.6 4.2 mg/dL (6.11 0.11 mmol/L), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol 56.8 3.0 mg/dL (1.47 0.08 mmol/L), LDL cholesterol 151.6 3.3 mg/dL (3.92 0.09 mmol/L), non-HDL cholesterol 179.7 4.6 mg/dL (4.64 0.12 mmol/L), and triglycerides 144.5 14.3 mg/dL (1.63 0.16 mmol/L). Mean placebo-adjusted reductions in plasma lipid levels were significant (P<0.01) for LDL cholesterol (e4.3%), non-HDL cholesterol (e4.1%), and total cholesterol (e3.5%), but not for triglycerides or HDL cholesterol. These results support the efficacy of 1.8 g/day esterified plant sterols/stanols in softgel capsules, administered as an adjunct to the National Cholesterol Education Program Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet, to augment reductions in atherogenic lipid levels in individuals with hypercholesterolemia. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2013;-:-.
Locally oriented perceptionwith intact global processingamongadolescentswithhigh-functioning autism : evidence frommultiple paradigms

Laurent Mottron, Jacob A. Burack, Grace Iarocci, Sylvie Belleville, and James T. Enns Clinique spécialisée des Troubles Envahissants du Développement, Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies, Montréal, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie, Université de Montréal, Canada; Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Canada; Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Canada; Groupe de recherche en Neuropsychologie Expérimentale, Université de Montréal, Canada; Centre de recherche de l’Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of British Colombia, Canada
Miniaturization of quadrifilar helix antenna for VHF band applications

This paper addresses the miniaturization of the VHF band quadrifilar helix antenna. The design and experimental validation are reported in this paper. Such a helix could be used, e.g., for telemetry link in Space-based Multi-band Variable Object Monitor satellite project. Compared to the reference quarter wavelength quadrifilar helix antenna, a significant height reduction from 48% to 62.5% is obtained. Moreover, the measurement and simulation results reveal the capability of the resulting compact antennas to improve slightly the well-known poor impedance matching of classical quarter wavelength quadrifilar helix antennas. A simple and low-cost manufacturing technique is finally detailed for validation purpose.
Graphical Interpretation and Analysis of Proteins and their Ontologies (GiaPronto): A One-Click Graph Visualization Software for Proteomics Data Sets *

Here we present a free interactive web tool to process and visualize proteomics data sets with a single click. GiaPronto can process all proteomics quantification methods, i.e. label-free, SILAC and isobaric labeling, and analyze post-translational modifications (PTMs). The software performs normalization and statistics, assists determination of regulated proteins, biomarkers and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment, and provides high resolution images and tables for further data analysis. We foresee that GiaPronto will become the most rapid and simple tool for assessing data quality and determining most relevant features of proteomic data sets. GiaPronto is available at giapronto.diskinlab. org.
Scalable multifunction active phased array systems: from concept to implementation

The SMRF (scalable multifunction radio frequency systems) concept has been launched in the WEAG (Western European Armament Group) context, recently restructured into the EDA (European Defence Agency). A derived concept is introduced here, namely the SMRF-APAS (scalable multifunction radio frequency-active phased array system) concept. In this paper, the cost/effectiveness derived from the introduction of the SMRF-APAS concept is compared to an active phased array system which makes no use of scalable techniques. In particular, a comparison is performed between a SMRF-APAS solution and a conventional solution with regard to non recurring cost i.e. cost of radar design and recurring cost i.e. cost of radar construction. We find that the reduction in cost due to the adoption of the SMRF-APAS concept could be about 80% for non recurring cost and 40% for recurring cost. This reduction could become more and more relevant after the insertion of the new technologies still in development.
Lateral Sequestration of Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate by the Basic Effector Domain of Myristoylated Alanine-rich C Kinase Substrate Is Due to Nonspecific Electrostatic Interactions*

A peptide corresponding to the basic (+13), unstructured effector domain of myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) binds strongly to membranes containing phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). Although aromatic residues contribute to the binding, three experiments suggest the binding is driven mainly by nonspecific local electrostatic interactions. First, peptides with 13 basic residues, Lys-13 and Arg-13, bind to PIP2-containing vesicles with the same high affinity as the effector domain peptide. Second, removing basic residues from the effector domain peptide reduces the binding energy by an amount that correlates with the number of charges removed. Third, peptides corresponding to a basic region in GAP43 and MARCKS effector domain-like regions in other proteins (e.g. MacMARCKS, adducin, Drosophila A kinase anchor protein 200, and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor) also bind with an energy that correlates with the number of basic residues. Kinetic measurements suggest the effector domain binds to several PIP2. Theoretical calculations show the effector domain produces a local positive potential, even when bound to a bilayer with 33% monovalent acidic lipids, and should thus sequester PIP2 laterally. This electrostatic sequestration was observed experimentally using a phospholipase C assay. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that MARCKS could reversibly sequester much of the PIP2 in the plasma membrane.