Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glioblastoma targeted therapy: updated approaches from recent biological insights

Glioblastoma (WHO grade IV astrocytoma) is the most frequent primary brain tumor in adults, representing a highly heterogeneous group of neoplasms that are among the most aggressive and challenging cancers to treat. An improved understanding of the molecular pathways that drive malignancy in glioblastoma has led to the development of various biomarkers and the evaluation of several agents specifically targeting tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment. A number of rational approaches are being investigated, including therapies targeting tumor growth factor receptors and downstream pathways, cell cycle and epigenetic regulation, angiogenesis and antitumor immune response. Moreover, recent identification and validation of prognostic and predictive biomarkers have allowed implementation of modern trial designs based on matching molecular features of tumors to targeted therapeutics. However, while occasional targeted therapy responses have been documented in patients, to date no targeted therapy has been formally validated as effective in clinical trials. The lack of knowledge about relevant molecular drivers in vivo combined with a lack of highly bioactive and brain penetrant-targeted therapies remain significant challenges. In this article, we review the most promising biological insights that have opened the way for the development of targeted therapies in glioblastoma, and examine recent data from clinical trials evaluating targeted therapies and immunotherapies. We discuss challenges and opportunities for the development of these agents in glioblastoma.
Improving EMI shielding effectiveness and dielectric properties of polyaniline-coated polyester fabric by effective doping and redoping procedures

Conductive polymers with their medium level of conductivity are synthetic materials that can be used as electromagnetic wave absorber. In this work, the effect of aging and washing on the surface resistivity and also the influence of efficient doping and redoping procedure on the dielectric properties and electromagnetic radiation shielding of uniformly polyaniline coated polyester fabric are investigated in the X-band frequency range. They can affect the shielding effectiveness by changing the surface resistivity and dielectric permittivity. It is found that lightweight, flexible, and thin polyaniline-coated polyester fabric sample prepared in 1:1:7 monomer:oxidant:dopant molar ratio and redoped with concentrated HCl vapor shows the highest transmission loss (53–43%) in 8.2–12.4 GHz. Compared to single layer, double and triple layer samples attenuated 71–61% and 83–77% of incident wave, respectively. Absorption was the dominant shielding mechanism. It is also demonstrated that the increment of surface resistivity due to washing of samples is compensated by the redoping process.
Classifying Chinese Questions Related to Health Care Posted by Consumers Via the Internet

Background In question answering (QA) system development, question classification is crucial for identifying information needs and improving the accuracy of returned answers. Although the questions are domain-specific, they are asked by non-professionals, making the question classification task more challenging. Objective This study aimed to classify health care–related questions posted by the general public (Chinese speakers) on the Internet. Methods A topic-based classification schema for health-related questions was built by manually annotating randomly selected questions. The Kappa statistic was used to measure the interrater reliability of multiple annotation results. Using the above corpus, we developed a machine-learning method to automatically classify these questions into one of the following six classes: Condition Management, Healthy Lifestyle, Diagnosis, Health Provider Choice, Treatment, and Epidemiology. Results The consumer health question schema was developed with a four-hierarchical-level of specificity, comprising 48 quaternary categories and 35 annotation rules. The 2000 sample questions were coded with 2000 major codes and 607 minor codes. Using natural language processing techniques, we expressed the Chinese questions as a set of lexical, grammatical, and semantic features. Furthermore, the effective features were selected to improve the question classification performance. From the 6-category classification results, we achieved an average precision of 91.41%, recall of 89.62%, and F1 score of 90.24%. Conclusions In this study, we developed an automatic method to classify questions related to Chinese health care posted by the general public. It enables Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents to understand Internet users’ information needs on health care.
use a Gaussian random walk to capture drift in the underlying language model ; for example

Word embeddings are a powerful approach for unsupervised analysis of language. Recently, Rudolph et al. [35] developed exponential family embeddings, which cast word embeddings in a probabilistic framework. Here, we develop dynamic embeddings, building on exponential family embeddings to capture how the meanings of words change over time. We use dynamic embeddings to analyze three large collections of historical texts: the U.S. Senate speeches from 1858 to 2009, the history of computer science ACM abstracts from 1951 to 2014, and machine learning papers on the ArXiv from 2007 to 2015. We find dynamic embeddings provide better fits than classical embeddings and capture interesting patterns about how language changes.
Fast Cylinder and Plane Extraction from Depth Cameras for Visual Odometry

This paper presents CAPE, a method to extract planes and cylinder segments from organized point clouds, which processes 640 × 480 depth images on a single CPU core at an average of 300 Hz, by operating on a grid of planar cells. While, compared to state-of-the-art plane extraction, the latency of CAPE is more consistent and 4–10 times faster, depending on the scene, we also demonstrate empirically that applying CAPE to visual odometry can improve trajectory estimation on scenes made of cylindrical surfaces (e.g. tunnels), whereas using a plane extraction approach that is not curve-aware deteriorates performance on these scenes. To use these geometric primitives in visual odometry, we propose extending a probabilistic RGB-D odometry framework based on points, lines and planes to cylinder primitives. Following this framework, CAPE runs on fused depth maps and the parameters of cylinders are modelled probabilistically to account for uncertainty and weight accordingly the pose optimization residuals.
Towards a Flying Assistant Paradigm: the OTHex

This paper presents the OTHex platform for aerial manipulation developed at LAAS-CNRS. The OTHex is probably the first multi-directional thrust platform designed to act as Flying Assistant which can aid human operators and/or Ground Manipulators to move long bars for assembly and maintenance tasks. The work emphasis is on task-driven custom design and experimental validations. The proposed control framework is built around a low-level geometric controller, and includes an external wrench estimator, an admittance filter, and a trajectory generator. This tool gives the system the necessary compliance to resist external force disturbances arising from contact with the surrounding environment or to parameter uncertainties in the load. A set of experiments validates the real-world applicability and robustness of the overall system.
Trajectories of alcohol consumption prior to the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes: a longitudinal case–cohort study

Abstract Background Non-linear associations have been reported between baseline measures of alcohol consumption and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, given that drinking varies over the adult life course, we investigated whether differences existed in the longitudinal trajectory of alcohol consumption according to T2DM status. Methods For a case–cohort (916 incident cases; 7376 controls) of British civil servants nested within the Whitehall II cohort, the self-reported weekly volume of alcohol consumption was traced backwards from the date of diagnosis or censoring to the beginning of the study, covering a period of up to 28 years. Mean trajectories of alcohol intake were estimated separately by diagnosis status using random-effects models. Results Drinking increased linearly among male cases before diagnosis, but declined among male non-cases prior to censoring. At the time of diagnosis or censoring, consumption among those who developed T2DM was 33.4 g/week greater on average. These patterns were not apparent among women. Here, alcohol intake among female cases was consistently below that of non-cases, with the difference in consumption most pronounced around 15 years prior to diagnosis or censoring, at ∼28.0 g/week. Disparities by diagnosis status were attenuated following adjustment for potential confounders, including the frequency of consumption and metabolic factors. Drinking among male and female cases declined following diagnosis. Conclusions Differences in the weekly volume of alcohol consumption are reported in the years leading up to diagnosis or censoring. Although male and female cases predominantly consumed alcohol at volumes lower than or equal to those who were not diagnosed, these disparities appear to be largely explained by a range of socio-demographic and lifestyle factors. Where disparities are observed between cases and non-cases, adjusted absolute differences are small in magnitude. The decision to drink alcohol should not be motivated by a perceived benefit to T2DM risk.
Universal Influenza Vaccines, a Dream to Be Realized Soon

Due to frequent viral antigenic change, current influenza vaccines need to be re-formulated annually to match the circulating strains for battling seasonal influenza epidemics. These vaccines are also ineffective in preventing occasional outbreaks of new influenza pandemic viruses. All these challenges call for the development of universal influenza vaccines capable of conferring broad cross-protection against multiple subtypes of influenza A viruses. Facilitated by the advancement in modern molecular biology, delicate antigen design becomes one of the most effective factors for fulfilling such goals. Conserved epitopes residing in virus surface proteins including influenza matrix protein 2 and the stalk domain of the hemagglutinin draw general interest for improved antigen design. The present review summarizes the recent progress in such endeavors and also covers the encouraging progress in integrated antigen/adjuvant delivery and controlled release technology that facilitate the development of an affordable universal influenza vaccine.
A Role of Metastable Regions and Their Connectivity in the Inactivation of a Redox-Regulated Chaperone and Its Inter-Chaperone Crosstalk.

AIMS A recently discovered group of conditionally disordered chaperones share a very unique feature; they need to lose structure to become active as chaperones. This activation mechanism makes these chaperones particularly suited to respond to protein-unfolding stress conditions, such as oxidative unfolding. However, the role of this disorder in stress-related activation, chaperone function, and the crosstalk with other chaperone systems is not yet clear. Here, we focus on one of the members of the conditionally disordered chaperones, a thiol-redox switch of the bacterial proteostasis system, Hsp33. RESULTS By modifying the Hsp33's sequence, we reveal that the metastable region has evolved to abolish redox-dependent chaperone activity, rather than enhance binding affinity for client proteins. The intrinsically disordered region of Hsp33 serves as an anchor for the reduced, inactive state of Hsp33, and it dramatically affects the crosstalk with the synergetic chaperone system, DnaK/J. Using mass spectrometry, we describe the role that the metastable region plays in determining client specificity during normal and oxidative stress conditions in the cell. Innovation and Conclusion: We uncover a new role of protein plasticity in Hsp33's inactivation, client specificity, crosstalk with the synergistic chaperone system DnaK/J, and oxidative stress-specific interactions in bacteria. Our results also suggest that Hsp33 might serve as a member of the house-keeping proteostasis machinery, tasked with maintaining a "healthy" proteome during normal conditions, and that this function does not depend on the metastable linker region. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 27, 1252-1267.
Monitoring of Myocutaneous Flaps by Measuring Capillary Glucose and Lactate Levels: Experimental Study

Introduction In surgery, certain defects require reconstruction with a microsurgical flap. The free flap failure rate varies between 2% and 5%. Vascular thrombosis is the most frequent complication and represents 15% to 73% of failures. The success rate of salvage therapy is greater when salvage surgery is early. Currently, clinical monitoring is the criterion standard but many noninvasive or minimally invasive techniques have been developed to improve early diagnosis of complications of vascular thrombosis. The aim of our experimental study was to compare clinical assessments with measurements of capillary glycemia and lactatemia during the monitoring of free flaps. Materials and Methods Myocutaneous latissimus dorsi flaps with skin paddles were created in pigs under general anesthesia. For each animal, 2 flaps were created (right and left) using the same technique. Four groups were made: group 1 (no flap ligation: control group), group 2 (flap with permanent ligation of the artery), group 3 (flap with permanent ligation of the two veins), group 4 (flap with transient ligation of the artery and 2 veins for 1 hour). The postoperative monitoring protocol consisted of monitoring the clinical, biological (glucose and lactate), and histological parameters. Results Eight animals were operated on and sixteen flaps were created. Each flap was clinically and biologically tested 25 times. Clinical, biological, and histological monitoring showed significant variations between the groups. The analysis of variance of capillary glycemia and lactatemia showed statistically significant difference between control group and group 2 (P < 0,0001), group 3 (P < 0,0001), or group 4 (P < 0,0001). There were no histological abnormalities after transient ligature at different times contrary to permanent ligature. Discussion-Conclusion Measuring capillary levels of lactate and glucose associated with clinical monitoring may shorten the time to diagnosis of flap failure. Ultimately, this will save lives and achieve better functional and aesthetic results.
RSSI Measurements for RFID Tag Classification in Smart Storage Systems

This paper presents a measurement method for tagged item classification in radio frequency identification (RFID)-based smart drawers. Specifically, the amplitude of the signal backscattered by the UHF-RFID passive tags attached to the items inside the drawer is used to identify at which of an assigned set of drawer subregions each detected tag belongs to. The received signal strength indicator (RSSI) may be acquired by almost any UHF-RFID commercial reader chipset compatible with the Electronic Product Code (EPC) Class1 Gen2 protocol. The RSSI model in terms of the position of the tag inside the drawer is introduced, and its selective properties are discussed through both numerical data and measurements. The cases of a single reader antenna measuring during natural opening/closing operations as well as of multiple reader antennas measuring when the drawer is static are investigated. The measurement method performance is shown through an experimental analysis in a realistic scenario, where the RSSI values are collected by using commercial UHF-RFID hardware components, and then used as the feature vector of the classification algorithm. As an example, two different classifiers are used to map each detected tag to one of the regions that the drawer is subdivided into. The classification performance of the method based on a single antenna exploiting the drawer natural sliding movements is comparable to that achievable with multiple reader antennas, while representing a cost-effective and easy-to-implement practical solution.
Epiretinal Membrane: Prevalence and Risk Factors from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2008 through 2012

Purpose To investigate the prevalence and risk factors for an epiretinal membrane (ERM) in Korean population. Methods Using the database of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2008 through 2012, 14,772 participants 40 years of age or older with gradable fundus photographs were included. The presence of ERM was determined by using fundus photographs. The prevalence of ERM was estimated and possible risk factors including systemic factors, nutritional status, and blood tests were analyzed via multiple logistic regression analyses. Results The prevalence of ERM was 2.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.6% to 3.3%). On multiple logistic regression analysis, the prevalence of ERM was affected by age. The odds ratios (ORs) against the forties were 2.70, 5.48, and 5.69 in the fifties, sixties, and seventies, respectively. ERM was also significantly affected by cataract surgery (OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 2.08 to 3.81) and by the increase in intake of 100-mg calcium (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.11). ERM had negative associations with red blood cell count (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.95). Conclusions The estimated nation-wide prevalence of ERM in Korea is 2.9%. The presence of ERM in the general population is associated with age, cataract surgery, increased dietary calcium, and a low red blood cell count.
Geographical Affinities of the HapMap Samples

Background The HapMap samples were collected for medical-genetic studies, but are also widely used in population-genetic and evolutionary investigations. Yet the ascertainment of the samples differs from most population-genetic studies which collect individuals who live in the same local region as their ancestors. What effects could this non-standard ascertainment have on the interpretation of HapMap results? Methodology/Principal Findings We compared the HapMap samples with more conventionally-ascertained samples used in population- and forensic-genetic studies, including the HGDP-CEPH panel, making use of published genome-wide autosomal SNP data and Y-STR haplotypes, as well as producing new Y-STR data. We found that the HapMap samples were representative of their broad geographical regions of ancestry according to all tests applied. The YRI and JPT were indistinguishable from independent samples of Yoruba and Japanese in all ways investigated. However, both the CHB and the CEU were distinguishable from all other HGDP-CEPH populations with autosomal markers, and both showed Y-STR similarities to unusually large numbers of populations, perhaps reflecting their admixed origins. Conclusions/Significance The CHB and JPT are readily distinguished from one another with both autosomal and Y-chromosomal markers, and results obtained after combining them into a single sample should be interpreted with caution. The CEU are better described as being of Western European ancestry than of Northern European ancestry as often reported. Both the CHB and CEU show subtle but detectable signs of admixture. Thus the YRI and JPT samples are well-suited to standard population-genetic studies, but the CHB and CEU less so.
Use of glucose biosensors to measure extracellular glucose exudation by intertidal microphytobenthos in southern Tasmania

Micro glucose biosensors were used to measure net extracellular glucose produced by natural microphytobenthos and three diatom cultures (Amphora coffeaeformis, Navicula menisculus, Nitzschia longissima) from southern Tasmania, Australia. They were exposed to a light gradient in either nutrient‐replete or nutrient‐limiting conditions. Glucose exudation in the natural communities increased with increased light but the response in the cultures was variable. Similarly, nutrient‐replete conditions elicited lower rates of glucose exudation in the natural communities but produced variable species‐specific responses in the cultures. Increased glucose exudation mostly correlated with a reduction in maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm). The same trend was observed in the natural communities for relative maximum electron transfer rates (rETRmax) but responses in the cultures were again variable and species‐specific. Responses of the three species to increased light and nutrient deficiency were variable, although glucose exudation, Fv/Fm and rETRmax was mostly lower in the nutrient‐limited media. In a second set of experiments species/communities were treated with/without antibiotics. In the dark, glucose concentrations in treatments with antibiotics remained unchanged, while in those with bacteria, it fell rapidly. In the sediment communities, glucose consumption in the dark was ~25% the rate of exudation at the highest light level. In culture, exudation rates were up to 100% greater than those with active bacteria. Rates of glucose consumption in the dark in the antibiotic–treated samples were negligible and up to 104 times lower than those with active bacteria. These results demonstrate the important role extracellular glucose exudation has on maintaining an active microbial loop.
The energetic cost of mounting an immune response for Pallas’s long-tongued bat (Glossophaga soricina)

The acute phase response (APR) is the first line of defense of the vertebrate immune system against pathogens. Mounting an immune response is believed to be energetically costly but direct measures of metabolic rate during immune challenges contradict this assumption. The energetic cost of APR for birds is higher than for rodents, suggesting that this response is less expensive for mammals. However, the particularly large increase in metabolic rate after APR activation for a piscivorous bat (Myotis vivesi) suggests that immune response might be unusually costly for bats. Here we quantified the energetic cost and body mass change associated with APR for the nectarivorous Pallas’s long-tongued bat (Glossophaga soricina). Activation of the APR resulted in a short-term decrease in body mass and an increase in resting metabolic rate (RMR) with a total energy cost of only 2% of the total energy expenditure estimated for G. soricina. This increase in RMR was far from the large increase measured for piscivorous bats; rather, it was similar to the highest values reported for birds. Overall, our results suggest that the costs of APR for bats may vary interspecifically. Measurement of the energy cost of vertebrate immune response is limited to a few species and further work is warranted to evaluate its significance for an animal’s energy budget.