Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute functional reorganisation of the human motor cortex during resection of central lesions: a study using intraoperative brain mapping

Objectives —Brain plasticity is supposed to allow the compensation of motor function in cases of rolandic lesion. The aim was to analyse the mechanisms of functional reorganisation during surgery in the central area. Methods —A motor brain mapping was performed in three right handed patients without any neurological deﬁcit, operated on for a slow growing lesion near the rolandic region (two precentral resected under general anaesthesia and one retro- central removed under local anaesthesia to allow also sensory mapping) using intraoperative direct electrical stimulations (5 mm space tips bipolar stimulator probe, biphasic square wave pulse current: 1 ms/phase, 60 Hz, 4 to 18 mA). Results —For each patient, the motor areas of the hand and forearm in the primary motor cortex (M1) were identiﬁed before and after lesion removal with the same stimulation parameters: the same eloquent sites were found, plus the appearance after resection of additional sites in M1 inducing the same movement during stimulations as the previous areas. Conclusions —Multiple cortical representations for hand and forearm movements in M1 seem to exist. In addition, the results demonstrate the short term capac- ity of the brain to make changes in local motor maps, by sudden unmasking after tumour resection of a second redundant site participating in the same movement. Finally, it seems not necessary for the whole of the redundant sites to be func- tional to provide normal movement, a concept with potential implications for surgery within the central region. ( :506–513)
1 Background : Information Diffusion in Village Networks

Several recent research initiatives in the field of Development Economics have studied and provided substantial insight into the mechanics of information diffusal in small village social networks, in particular those without formal mass communication infrastructure in place (i.e., email, television). This research aims to further explore the dynamics of communication in these networks, focusing on the possibility that village households share and withold information strategically, only sharing with neighbors exhibiting certain characteristics, in an individually rational manner. A model of probabilistic information diffusion is developed, the parameters of which are estimated via the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and tested with empirical data. 1 Background: Information Diffusion in Village Networks Banerjee, et al. (2013) studied the way in which the spread of information about microfinance programs is affected by whom in the community the information is given to initially (the “information injection point”), finding that giving the information to more central figures in the community significantly increases the diffusal of the information throughout the village [1]. Conley and Udry (2008) studied the adoption of new agricultural technology in Ghana from a social network standpoint, and concluded that “information has value in these villages, as do the network connections through which that information flows” [4]. Most recently, Breza and Chandrasekhar (2013) explored the possibility that microloan recipients in rural villages of Karnataka, India can be influenced to save and invest these loans more efficiently if they are paired with a peer monitor who is influential in the village, and indeed found that “randomly assigned central monitors generate considerably larger increases in savings attainment” [2]. 2 Generalized Method of Moments Estimation Before presenting the model, we describe the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) Estimation framework, as this is the crucial statistical (and CS229-related) tool used in this work. GMM is a generalization of Maximum Likelihood Estimation, which is used primarily in econometrics to learn optimal model parameter estimates when the probability distribution of the data is not fully specified or completely unknown and thus MLE is not feasible. We will see, however, that if this distribution is specified we can recover the maximum likelihood estimator from within the GMM framework. The efficacy of a particular GMM estimation depends upon the specification of informative moment conditions, characteristics of the data which will be used to “match up” the data generated by the model
Online incremental attribute-based zero-shot learning

The paper presents a new online incremental zero-shot learning method for applications in robotics and mobile communications where attribute labeling is obtained via online interaction with users, and where the potential for inconsistency exists. Unique to most previous offline batch learning methods, the proposed method is based on the indirect-attribute-prediction (IAP) model instead of the direct-attribute-prediction (DAP). Using self-organizing and incremental neural networks (SOINN) as the learning mechanism, our method can learn new attributes and update existing attributes in an online incremental manner while retaining as high accuracy as that of the state-of-the-art offline method. Compared to the offline methods, the computation time has also been reduced by more than 99%. Two experiments evaluated two aspects of the proposed method. First, our method clearly outperforms the previous IAP-based offline method in terms of both time and accuracy, and yield approximately the same accuracy as the DAP-based offline method. Second, the proposed method can deal with situations where object attributes are gradually labeled via interaction with many users and where some of them may be incorrect. This scenario is very important for applications in mobile communications and robotics where some objects and attributes may be initially unknown and must be learnt online.
BRCA 1 & 2 mutations in Sudanese secondary school girls with known breast cancer in their families.

OBJECTIVE Breast cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. In Sudan, it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer. This study assesses the prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations among female students with a family history of breast cancer, in secondary schools of Marawi Locality, Northern State, Sudan. METHODS From a survey of 2370 students, 67 cases (47 with family history and 20 controls) were analyzed for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations with a single-stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) mutation detection method applied to peripheral blood. Eighteen subjects knew of first degree female relatives with breast cancer, 23 with second degree female family members affected and 6 with related male sufferers. Twenty randomly selected girls from the remainder of the survey population with no known family history were also tested. RESULTS The breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 accounted, respectively, for 1.21% of responders or 51% of those claiming a family history. Mutations were found in 20% of the group selected with no family history. Only 2 BRCA 2 mutations were found, both in girls with no known afflicted relatives. Six girls knew of male relatives with breast cancer; five of these girls carried mutant BRCA 1. Most of the BRCA1- mutations located to exon 11 fragments 11.9 and 11.1. CONCLUSION The study indicates a high prevalence of genetically associated breast cancer in the Marawi locality suggesting a need to focus on the two mutation sites in developing screening protocols for at least this area of Sudan.
Induced Reporter Gene Activity, Enhanced Stress Resistance, and Competitive Ability of a Genetically Modified Pseudomonas fluorescens Strain Released into a Field Plot Planted with Wheat

The fates of Pseudomonas fluorescens R2fR and its mutant derivative RIWE8, which contains a lacZ reporter gene responsive to wheat root exudate, were compared in a field microplot. Inoculant survival, root colonization, translocation, resistance to stress factors, and reporter gene activity were assessed in bulk and wheat rhizosphere soils. Populations of both strains declined gradually in bulk and wheat rhizosphere soils and on the wheat rhizoplane as determined by specific CFU and immunofluorescence (IF). In samples from both bulk soil and wheat rhizosphere, IF cell counts were up to 3 orders of magnitude greater than the corresponding numbers of CFU after 120 days, indicating the presence of nonculturable inoculant cells. Estimates of RIWE8-specific target DNA molecule numbers in bulk soil samples 3 and 120 days after inoculation by most-probable-number PCR coincided with the corresponding CFU values. Transport of both strains to deeper soil layers was observed by 3 days after introduction into the microplot. Both strains colonized wheat roots similarly, and cells were seen scattered on the surface of 1-month-old wheat seedling roots by immunogold labelling-scanning electron microscopy. On average, reporter gene activity was significantly higher in wheat rhizosphere soil containing RIWE8 cells than in bulk soil or in soils containing R2fR cells. For both strains, resistance to the four stress factors ethanol, high temperature, high osmotic tension, and oxidative stress increased progressively with residence in soil. Cells from the rhizosphere of 11-day-old seedlings showed similar levels of resistance to osmotic and oxidative stresses and enhanced resistance to ethanol and heat as compared to cells from bulk soil. By 37 days, populations of R2fR and RIWE8 in the rhizosphere were significantly more sensitive to osmotic stress than were populations in bulk soil, whereas differences in response to the other stress factors were less evident. Hence, except for the induction of reporter gene expression in strain RIWE8 in the wheat rhizosphere, the data indicated that there were no great differences in the ecological properties in soil between the lacZ-modified and parental strains.
Block processing with iterative correction filters for time-interleaved ADCs

This paper presents a systematic approach to block processing with iterative correction filters for time-interleaved analog-to-digital converters (TI-ADCs). TI-ADCs consist of several channels and can significantly increase the achievable sampling rate, but suffer from mismatches among the channels. Iterative digital correction filters are a general approach to mitigate the impact of mismatches in TI-ADCs. To reduce the requirements on the digital hardware, we introduce block processing for such filters. To this end, the transformation of a single-input single-output linear time-varying (LTV) finite impulse response filter into a multiple-input multiple-output LTV filter is described as a design equation and applied to two representative iterative correction structures from the literature. Finally, the beneficial properties and advantages of the transformation are high-lighted.
A Pilot Test of Self-Affirmations to Promote Smoking Cessation in a National Smoking Cessation Text Messaging Program

Background Although effective smoking cessation treatments, including mHealth interventions, have been empirically validated and are widely available, smoking relapse is likely. Self-affirmation, a process through which individuals focus on their strengths and behaviors, has been shown to reduce negative effects of self-threats and to promote engagement in healthier behavior. Objective To assess the feasibility of incorporating self-affirmations into an existing text messaging-based smoking cessation program (Smokefree TXT) and to determine whether self-affirmation led to greater engagement and higher cessation rates than the standard intervention. Methods Data were collected from smokers (n=1261) who subscribed to a free smoking cessation program and met eligibility criteria. The intervention lasted 42 days. The original design was a 2 (Baseline affirmation: 5-item questionnaire present vs absent) × 2 (Integrated affirmation: texts present vs absent) factorial design. Only 17 eligible users completed all baseline affirmation questions and these conditions did not influence any outcomes, so we collapsed across baseline affirmation conditions in analysis. In the integrated affirmation conditions, affirmations replaced approximately 20% of texts delivering motivational content. Results In all, 687 users remained enrolled throughout the 42-day intervention and 81 reported smoking status at day 42. Among initiators (n=1261), self-affirmation did not significantly improve (1) intervention completion, (2) days enrolled, (3) 1-week smoking status, or (4) 6-week smoking status (all Ps>.10); and among the 687 completers, there were no significant effects of affirmation on cessation (Ps>.25). However, among the 81 responders, those who received affirmations were more likely to report cessation at 6 weeks (97.5%; 39 of 40) than those not given affirmations (78.1%; 32 of 41; χ2(1)=7.08, P=. 008). Conclusion This proof-of-concept study provides preliminary evidence that self-affirmation can be integrated into existing text-based cessation programs, as the affirmations did not lead to any adverse effects (ie, less engagement or lower rates of cessation). Among those who reported smoking status at the end of the intervention period (6.4% of eligible respondents), affirmations facilitated cessation. This study provides a “proof-of-concept” that brief, low-touch interventions may be integrated into a text messaging program with potential benefits, minimal disruption to the program or users, and little cost. Many questions remain regarding how self-affirmation and similar approaches can promote engagement in population interventions.
Accurate cell segmentation in microscopy images using membrane patterns

MOTIVATION Identifying cells in an image (cell segmentation) is essential for quantitative single-cell biology via optical microscopy. Although a plethora of segmentation methods exists, accurate segmentation is challenging and usually requires problem-specific tailoring of algorithms. In addition, most current segmentation algorithms rely on a few basic approaches that use the gradient field of the image to detect cell boundaries. However, many microscopy protocols can generate images with characteristic intensity profiles at the cell membrane. This has not yet been algorithmically exploited to establish more general segmentation methods. RESULTS We present an automatic cell segmentation method that decodes the information across the cell membrane and guarantees optimal detection of the cell boundaries on a per-cell basis. Graph cuts account for the information of the cell boundaries through directional cross-correlations, and they automatically incorporate spatial constraints. The method accurately segments images of various cell types grown in dense cultures that are acquired with different microscopy techniques. In quantitative benchmarks and comparisons with established methods on synthetic and real images, we demonstrate significantly improved segmentation performance despite cell-shape irregularity, cell-to-cell variability and image noise. As a proof of concept, we monitor the internalization of green fluorescent protein-tagged plasma membrane transporters in single yeast cells. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION Matlab code and examples are available at http://www.csb. ethz.ch/tools/cellSegmPackage.zip.
Guided Tissue Regeneration in Heart Valve Replacement: From Preclinical Research to First-in-Human Trials

Heart valve tissue-guided regeneration aims to offer a functional and viable alternative to current prosthetic replacements. Not requiring previous cell seeding and conditioning in bioreactors, such exceptional tissue engineering approach is a very fascinating translational regenerative strategy. After in vivo implantation, decellularized heart valve scaffolds drive their same repopulation by recipient's cells for a prospective autologous-like tissue reconstruction, remodeling, and adaptation to the somatic growth of the patient. With such a viability, tissue-guided regenerated conduits can be delivered as off-the-shelf biodevices and possess all the potentialities for a long-lasting resolution of the dramatic inconvenience of heart valve diseases, both in children and in the elderly. A review on preclinical and clinical investigations of this therapeutic concept is provided with evaluation of the issues still to be well deliberated for an effective and safe in-human application.
Distances in multimedia phylogeny

The distance between two objects determines how far apart they are with respect to each other. In this paper, we provide an overview of the distance concept in multimedia phylogeny, a novel research field that aims at discovering the phylogenetic relationships among digital objects that belong to the same population. With applications in digital forensics, copyright enforcement, and security, existing approaches are often based on dissimilarity computations among digital objects in a nonmetric space, but with enough information to correctly reconstruct the underlying relationships of these objects. As we discuss throughout the paper, a proper and well-designed dissimilarity is paramount for differentiating whether two multimedia objects are related and, also, the directionality of such relationship. In phylogeny setups, there is also the additional requirement of low complexity: fast and accurate dissimilarity measures to cope with the massive amount of data we often have to handle.
Effect of enteral vs. parenteral glucose delivery on initial splanchnic glucose uptake in nondiabetic humans.

To determine if enteral delivery of glucose influences splanchnic glucose metabolism, 10 subjects were studied when glucose was either infused into the duodenum at a rate of 22 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1) and supplemental glucose given intravenously or when all glucose was infused intravenously while saline was infused intraduodenally. Hormone secretion was inhibited with somatostatin, and glucose (approximately 8.5 mmol/l) and insulin (approximately 450 pmol/l) were maintained at constant but elevated levels. Intravenously infused [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose was used to trace the systemic appearance of intraduodenally infused [3-(3)H]glucose, whereas UDP-glucose flux (an index of hepatic glycogen synthesis) was measured using the acetaminophen glucuronide method. Despite differences in the route of glucose delivery, glucose production (3.5 +/- 1.0 vs. 3.3 +/- 1.0 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) and glucose disappearance (78.9 +/- 5.7 vs. 85.0 +/- 7.2 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) were comparable on intraduodenal and intravenous study days. Initial splanchnic glucose extraction (17.5 +/- 4.4 vs. 14.5 +/- 2.9%) and hepatic UDP-glucose flux (9.0 +/- 2.0 vs. 10.3 +/- 1.5 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) also did not differ on the intraduodenal and intravenous study days. These data argue against the existence of an "enteric" factor that directly (i.e., independently of circulating hormone concentrations) enhances splanchnic glucose uptake or hepatic glycogen synthesis in nondiabetic humans.
Stochastic Model of In-Vivo X4 Emergence during HIV Infection: Implications for the CCR5 Inhibitor Maraviroc

The emergence of X4 tropic viral strains throughout the course of HIV infection is associated with poorer prognostic outcomes and faster progressions to AIDS than for patients in whom R5 viral strains predominate. Here we investigate a stochastic model to account for the emergence of X4 virus via mutational intermediates of lower fitness that exhibit dual/mixed (D/M) tropism, and employ the model to investigate whether the administration of CCR5 blockers in-vivo is likely to promote a shift towards X4 tropism. We show that the proposed stochastic model can account for X4 emergence with a median time of approximately 4 years post-infection as a result of: 1. ) random stochastic mutations in the V3 region of env during the reverse transcription step of infection; 2. ) increasing numbers of CXCR4-expressing activated naive CD4+ T cells with declining total CD4+ T cell counts, thereby providing increased numbers of activated target cells for productive infection by X4 virus. Our model indicates that administration of the CCR5 blocker maraviroc does not promote a shift towards X4 tropism, assuming sufficient efficacy of background therapy (BT). However our modelling also indicates that administration of maraviroc as a monotherapy or with BT of suboptimal efficacy can promote emergence of X4 tropic virus, resulting in accelerated progression to AIDS. Taken together, our results demonstrate that maraviroc is safe and effective if co-administered with sufficiently potent BT, but that suboptimal BT may promote X4 emergence and accelerated progression to AIDS. These results underscore the clinical importance for careful selection of BT when CCR5 blockers are administered in-vivo.
Osmoregulated Periplasmic Glucans ofErwinia chrysanthemi

ABSTRACT We report the initial characterization of the osmoregulated periplasmic glucans (OPGs) of Erwinia chrysanthemi. OPGs are intrinsic components of the bacterial envelope necessary to the pathogenicity of this phytopathogenic enterobacterium (F. Page, S. Altabe, N. Hugouvieux-Cotte-Pattat, J.-M. Lacroix, J. Robert-Baudouy and J.-P. Bohin, J. Bacteriol. 183:0000–0000, 2001 [companion in this issue]). OPGs were isolated by trichloracetic acid treatment and gel permeation chromatography. The synthesis of these compounds appeared to be osmoregulated, since lower amounts of OPGs were produced when bacteria were grown in media of higher osmolarities. However, a large fraction of these OPGs were recovered in the culture medium. Then, these compounds were characterized by compositional analysis, high-performance anion-exchange chromatography, matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry, and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. OPGs produced by E. chrysanthemi are very heterogeneous at the level of both backbone structure and substitution of these structures. The degree of polymerization of the glucose units ranges from 5 to 12. The structures are branched, with a linear backbone consisting of β-1,2-linked glucose units to which a variable number of branches, composed of one glucose residue, are attached by β-1,6 linkages in a random way. This glucan backbone may be substituted by O-acetyl andO-succinyl ester-linked residues.
Culture and Consensus : England, Art and Politics since 1940

Tracing the history of the relationship between the arts and politics in England since 1940, this book shows how the concept of an English national identity is reflected in official and unofficial attitudes to the arts, landscape and architecture. In the post-war years great institutions such as the monarchy and the BBC were accepted as embodiments of English values, with the Arts Council reflecting the tastes of "The great and the good". But the 70s and Thatcherism introduced to public institutions the concept of value for money. Now, in the post-Thatcher years before the new millenium, English identity and official attitudes to culture are once again in crisis.