Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On pain assessment from facial videos using spatio-temporal local descriptors

Automatically recognizing pain from spontaneous facial expression is of increased attention, since it can provide for a direct and relatively objective indication to pain experience. Until now, most of the existing works have focused on analyzing pain from individual images or video-frames, hence discarding the spatio-temporal information that can be useful in the continuous assessment of pain. In this context, this paper investigates and quantifies for the first time the role of the spatio-temporal information in pain assessment by comparing the performance of several baseline local descriptors used in their traditional spatial form against their spatio-temporal counterparts that take into account the video dynamics. For this purpose, we perform extensive experiments on two benchmark datasets. Our results indicate that using spatio-temporal information to classify video-sequences consistently shows superior performance when compared against the one obtained using only static information.
Evaluation of thermometric monitoring for intradiscal laser ablation in an open 1.0 T MR scanner

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate different methods of magnetic resonance thermometry (MRTh) for the monitoring of intradiscal laser ablation therapy in an open 1.0 Tesla magnetic resonance (MR) scanner. Material and methods: MRTh methods based on the two endogenous MR temperature indicators of spin-lattice relaxation time T1 and water proton resonance frequency (PRF) shift were optimised and compared in vitro. For the latter, we measured the effective spin-spin relaxation times T2* in intervertebral discs of volunteers. Then we compared four gradient echo-based imaging techniques to monitor laser ablations in human disc specimens. Criteria of assessment were outline of anatomic detail, immunity against needle artefacts, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and accuracy of the calculated temperature. Results: T2* decreased in an inverse and almost linear manner with the patients’ age (r = 0.9) from 70 to 30 ms (mean of 49 ms). The optimum image quality (anatomic details, needle artefacts, SNR) and temperature accuracy (±1.09°C for T1-based and ±1.11°C for PRF-based MRTh) was achieved with a non-spoiled gradient-echo sequence with an echo time of TE = 10 ms. Conclusion: Combination of anatomic and thermometric non-invasive monitoring of laser ablations in the lumbar spine is feasible. The temperature accuracy of the investigated T1- and PRF-based MRTh methods in vitro is high enough and promises to be reliable in vivo as well.
Improving implicit parallelism

Using static analysis techniques compilers for lazy functional languages can be used to identify parts of a program that can be legitimately evaluated in parallel and ensure that those expressions are executed concurrently with the main thread of execution. These techniques can produce improvements in the runtime performance of a program, but are limited by the static analyses’ poor prediction of runtime performance. This paper outlines the development of a system that uses iterative profile-directed improvement in addition to well-studied static analysis techniques. This allows us to achieve higher performance gains than through static analysis alone.
Retrograde, Transneuronal Spread of Pseudorabies Virus in Defined Neuronal Circuitry of the Rat Brain Is Facilitated by gE Mutations That Reduce Virulence

ABSTRACT The pseudorabies virus (PRV) gE gene encodes a multifunctional membrane protein found in infected cell membranes and in the virion envelope. Deletion of the gE gene results in marked attenuation of the virus in almost every animal species tested that is permissive for PRV. A common inference is that gE mutants are less virulent because they have reduced ability to spread from cell to cell; e.g., gE mutants infect fewer cells and, accordingly, animals live longer. In this report, we demonstrate that this inference does not hold in a rat experimental model for virus invasion of the brain. We find that animals infected with gE mutants live longer despite extensive retrograde, transneuronal spread of virus in the rat brain. In this model of brain infection, virus is injected into the stomach musculature and virions spread to the brain in long axons of brain stem neurons that give rise to the tenth cranial nerve (the vagus). The infection then spreads from neuron to neuron in well-defined, and physically separated, areas of the brain involved in autonomic regulation of the viscera. We examined the progression of infection of five PRV strains in this circuitry: the wild-type PRV-Becker strain, the attenuated PRV-Bartha vaccine strain, and three gE mutants isogenic with the PRV-Becker strain. By 60 to 67 h after infection, all PRV-Becker-infected animals were dead. Analysis of Becker-infected rats killed prior to virus-induced death demonstrated that the virus had established an infection only in the primary vagal neurons connected directly to the stomach and synaptically linked neurons in the immediate vicinity of the caudal brain stem. There was little spread to other neurons in the vagus circuitry. In contrast, rats infected with PRV-Bartha or PRV-Becker gE mutants survived to at least 96 h and exhibited few overt signs of disease. Despite this long survival and the lack of symptoms, brains of animals sacrificed at this time revealed extensive transsynaptic infection not only of the brain stem but also of areas of the forebrain synaptically linked to neurons in the brain stem. This finding provides evidence that the gE protein plays a role in promoting symptoms of infection and death in animals that is independent of neuron-to-neuron spread during brain infection. When this early virulence function is not active, animals live longer, resulting in more extensive spread of virus in the brain.
Outstanding As-deposited surface passivation by industrial PECVD aluminum oxide

Aluminum oxide has been highlighted as a promising surface passivation layer for p-type silicon surface. To-date, most of the studies have focused on aluminum oxide layers deposited with atomic layer deposition systems which have lower throughput than industrial plasma-based systems. In this study, the effects of deposition conditions on the electrical and optical properties of aluminum oxide deposited by an industrial plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system are presented. Low saturation current density of 1.9 fA/cm2 was achieved by as deposited layer on p-type Czochralski wafer. The most significant deposition process factor for high quality surface passivation was found to be the gas flow rate ratio between nitrous oxide and tri-methyl-aluminum.
Low Cost and Manufacturable Complete Microtas for Detecting Bacteria †

In this paper, we present a fully integrated lab-on-a-chip and associated instrument for the detection of bacteria from liquid samples. The system conducts bacterial lysis, nucleic acid isolation and concentration, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and end-point fluorescent detection. To enable truly low-cost manufacture of the single-use disposable chip, we designed the plastic chip in a planar format without any active components to be amenable to injection molding and utilized a novel porous polymer monolith (PPM) embedded with silica that has been shown to lyse bacteria and isolate the nucleic acids from clinical samples (M. 1 The chip is made of ZeonexÒ, a thermoplastic with a high melting temperature to allow PCR, good UV transmissibility for UV-curing of the PPM, and low auto-fluorescence for fluorescence detection of the amplicon. We have built a prototype instrument to automate control of the fluids, temperature cycling, and optical detection with the capability of accommodating various chip designs. To enable fluid control without including valves or pumps on the chip, we utilized a remote valve switching technique. To allow fluid flow rate changes on the valveless chip, we incorporated speed changing fluid reservoirs. The PCR thermal cycling was achieved with a ceramic heater and air cooling, while end-point fluorescence detection was accomplished with an optical spectrometer; all integrated in the instrument. The chip seamlessly and automatically is mated to the instrument through an interface block that presses against the chip. The interface block aligns and ensures good contact of the chip to the temperature controlled region and the optics. The integrated functionality of the chip was demonstrated using Bacillus subtilis as a model bacterial target. A Taqman assay was employed on-chip to detect the isolated bacterial DNA.
Towards Automated Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring Performance Evaluation

In the past couple of years Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring has been gaining special attention from the research community playing an important role in the solution of problems related to energy sustainability and smart-grids. However despite its notoriety, until recently no efforts were made towards having formal methods for evaluating its performance. In this paper we present our hardware-software framework for creating extensive fully labeled datasets for non-intrusive load monitoring evaluation where raw Current and Voltage waveforms are stored in audio files and a commercial sub-metering solution is used to collect appliance level ground-truth data. Towards the end we present our insights on what should be the future of NILM performance evaluation and present a four-step approach towards the automation of this process.
Influence of Different Carbohydrates on Flavonoid Accumulation in Hairy Root Cultures of Scutellaria baicalensis

Carbohydrate sources play important roles in energy and growth of plants. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the optimal carbohydrate source in hairy root cultures (HRCs) of Scutellaria baicalensis infected with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain R1000. The hairy roots were cultured in half-strength B5 liquid medium supplemented with seven different carbohydrates sources (sucrose, fructose, glucose, galactose, sorbitol, mannitol and maltose), each at a concentration of 100 mM, in order to identify the best carbon sources for the production of major flavones, such as wogonin, baicalin and baicalein. Sucrose, galactose and fructose markedly influenced the production of major flavones and were therefore chosen for subsequent experiments. HRC growth and flavone accumulation were examined following culture with 30, 100 and 150 mM sucrose, galactose and fructose, respectively. From these data, 150 mM sucrose was found to be the optimal carbon source for the enhancement of baicalein production and growth of S. baicalensis HRCs. Fructose caused the greatest increase in baicalin accumulation. Additionally, galactose was the optimal carbon source for wogonin production. These results provide important insights into the optimal growth conditions, particularly the appropriate carbohydrate source, for S. baicalensis.
Ethylene signalling affects susceptibility of tomatoes to Salmonella

Fresh fruits and vegetables are increasingly recognized as important reservoirs of human pathogens, and therefore, significant attention has been directed recently to understanding mechanisms of the interactions between plants and enterics, like Salmonella. A screen of tomato cultivars for their susceptibility to Salmonella revealed significant differences in the ability of this human pathogen to multiply within fruits; expression of the Salmonella genes (cysB, agfB, fadH) involved in the interactions with tomatoes depended on the tomato genotype and maturity stage. Proliferation of Salmonella was strongly reduced in the tomato mutants with defects in ethylene synthesis, perception and signal transduction. While mutation in the ripening‐related ethylene receptor Nr resulted only in a modest reduction in Salmonella numbers within tomatoes, strong inhibition of the Salmonella proliferation was observed in rin and nor tomato mutants. RIN and NOR are regulators of ethylene synthesis and ripening. A commercial tomato variety heterozygous for rin was less susceptible to Salmonella under the greenhouse conditions but not when tested in the field over three production seasons.
Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin Subfamily Member 2 Cation Channel Regulates Detrimental Immune Cell Invasion in Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— Brain injury during stroke results in oxidative stress and the release of factors that include extracellular Ca2+, hydrogen peroxide, adenosine diphosphate ribose, and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate. These alterations of the extracellular milieu change the activity of transient receptor potential melastatin subfamily member 2 (TRPM2), a nonselective cation channel expressed in the central nervous system and the immune system. Our goal was to evaluate the contribution of TRPM2 to the tissue damage after stroke. Methods— In accordance with current quality guidelines, we independently characterized Trpm2 in a murine ischemic stroke model in 2 different laboratories. Results— Gene deficiency of Trpm2 resulted in significantly improved neurological outcome and decreased infarct size. Besides an already known moderate neuroprotective effect of Trpm2 deficiency in vitro, ischemic brain invasion by neutrophils and macrophages was particularly reduced in Trpm2-deficient mice. Bone marrow chimeric mice revealed that Trpm2 deficiency in the peripheral immune system is responsible for the protective phenotype. Furthermore, experiments with mixed bone marrow chimeras demonstrated that Trpm2 is essential for the migration of neutrophils and, to a lesser extent, also of macrophages into ischemic hemispheres. Notably, the pharmacological TRPM2 inhibitor, N-(p-amylcinnamoyl)anthranilic acid, was equally protective in the stroke model. Conclusions— Although a neuroprotective effect of TRPM2 in vitro is well known, we can show for the first time that the detrimental role of TRPM2 in stroke primarily depends on its role in activating peripheral immune cells. Targeting TRPM2 systemically represents a promising therapeutic approach for ischemic stroke.
, during Colitis α Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4 Network Shifts and a Protective Role for Chromatin Profiling Reveals Regulatory

Published Ahead of Print 30 June 2014. 10.1128/MCB.00349-14. 2014, 34(17):3291. DOI: Mol. Cell. Biol. Michael P. Verzi Serrano, Hyunjin Shin, Mathieu Lupien, Nan Gao and A. Hoffman, Douglas Londono, Berta N. Vazquez, Lourdes Kumar, Kumar, Joshua K. Thackray, Anthony Musolf, Nikhil Namit Richard Cowper-Sal·lari, Yona Kim, Ansu O. Perekatt, Sanjay Chahar, Vishal Gandhi, Shiyan Yu, Kinjal Desai, during Colitis α Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4 Network Shifts and a Protective Role for Chromatin Profiling Reveals Regulatory
Automatic Generation Control of Interconnected Power System with Generation Rate Constraintsby Hybrid Neuro Fuzzy Approach

� Abstract—The design of Automatic Generation Control (AGC) system plays a vital role in automation of power system. This paper proposes Hybrid Neuro Fuzzy (HNF) approach for AGC of two-area interconnected reheat thermal power system with the consideration of Generation Rate Constraint (GRC). The advantage of proposed controller is that it can handle the system non-linearities and at the same time the proposed approach is faster than conventional controllers. The performance of HNF controller has been compared with that of both conventional Proportional Integral (PI) controller as well as Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) both in the absence and presence of Generation Rate Constraint (GRC). System performance is examined considering disturbance in each area of interconnected power system. Keywords—Automatic Generation Control (AGC), Dynamic Response, Generation Rate Constraint (GRC), Proportional Integral (PI) Controller, Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC), Hybrid Neuro-Fuzzy (HNF) Control, MATLAB/SIMULINK.
Monkeys' Recognition Memory for Complex Pictures and the Effect of Fornix Transection

Two monkeys were trained in a running-recognition task with complex pictures. The task was made gradually more difficult by increasing the number of intervening items between the first and second presentation of the same picture. Before undergoing an operation in which the fornix was transected, both monkeys performed above 90% correct even in the most difficult task set, with up to 18 intervening items. After operation neither monkey could reliably perform a much easier task with only 2.7 intervening items on average. This impairment is comparable to that of human amnesic patients in similar tasks.
Two‐dimensional proteome reference map for the radiation‐resistant bacterium Deinococcus geothermalis

2‐DE reference maps for Deinococcus geothermalis cytosolic and cell envelope proteomes were constructed. In total, 403 spots were identified as 299 different proteins. Unique in the proteomes were four subunits of V‐type ATPase and Deinococcus specific proteins constituting one‐fourth of cell envelope proteome. The cytoplasmic proteome included enzymes of the central carbon metabolism, chaperones, enzymes of protein and DNA repair, and oxidative stress. A total of 34 abundant proteins with unknown function may relate to the extreme stress tolerance of D. geothermalis.
Some Results Related to Dense Families of Database Relations

The dense families of database relations were introduced by Jarvinen [7]. The aim of this paper is to investigate some new properties of dense families of database relations, and their applications. That is, we characterize functional dependencies and minimal keys in terms of dense families. We give a necessary and sufficient condition for an abitrary family to be R-- dense family. We prove that with a given relation R the equality set ER is an R-dense family whose size is at most m(m-1)/2, where m is the number of tuples in R. We also prove that the set of all minimal keys of relation R is the transversal hypergraph of the complement of the equality set ER. We give an effective algorithm finding all minimal keys of a given relation R. We aslo give an algorithm which from a given relation R finds a cover of functional dependencies that holds in R. The complexity of these algorithms is also esimated.
Quantum electromechanics: qubits from buckling nanobars

We propose a mechanical qubit based on buckling nanobars—a nano-electromechanical system so small as to be quantum coherent. To establish buckling nanobars as legitimate candidates for qubits, we calculate the effective buckling potential that produces the two-level system and identify the tunnel coupling between the two local states. We propose different designs of nanomechanical qubits and describe how they can be manipulated. Also we outline possible decoherence channels and detection schemes. A comparison between the well-studied charge and flux superconducting qubits suggests several experimental setups which could be realized using available technology.
Patterns of Surgery in Patients Belonging to Amsterdam-Positive Families

AbstractINTRODUCTION: The phenotype of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer includes an 80 percent lifetime risk of colorectal cancer, a predominance of lesions proximal to the splenic flexure, and a high incidence of synchronous and metachronous neoplasia. Although prophylactic colectomy is rarely advised for patients with a hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer genotype and a normal colon, the presence of advanced neoplasia in the context of a qualifying family history or a hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer genotype has led to such recommendations. We performed this study to document the patterns of colorectal surgery performed for cancer-bearing patients who are part of an Amsterdam criteria–positive family and to compare rates of metachronous cancers that follow index total or segmental colectomy. METHODS: Family trees fulfilling the classic Amsterdam criteria for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer were identified, and all patients for whom surgical and pathology records were available were included in the study. Type of surgery and the outcome of subsequent follow-up were abstracted. Patients were divided into those treated at the Cleveland Clinic and those treated elsewhere. RESULTS: There were 39 families with 93 affected patients. These patients had 127 colorectal cancers, 76 (60 percent) of which were right sided (proximal to the splenic flexure). Median age at diagnosis of the index cancer was 47 (range, 26–81) years. Sixteen patients (17 percent) had metachronous cancers and multiple surgeries, whereas four (4 percent) had synchronous cancers. Median follow-up for patients who underwent surgery at the Cleveland Clinic was 13 (range, 4–49) years, whereas that for those who underwent surgery elsewhere was 14 (range, 1–42) years. Sixteen (48 percent) of the 33 patients who underwent surgery at the Cleveland Clinic had a total colectomy vs. 7 (12 percent) of the 60 who had surgery elsewhere (Fisher’s exact test, P < 0.001). Only one patient who had surgery at the Cleveland Clinic had a second operation for a metachronous cancer (1/17 patients having a segmental resection). Fifteen patients who underwent surgery elsewhere needed a second resection for metachronous cancer (15/53 patients having a segmental resection; Fisher’s exact test, P = 0.094). CONCLUSION: We conclude that there is high risk of metachronous colorectal cancer if an index cancer in a hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer patient (defined according to Amsterdam criteria) is treated by partial colectomy. However, this risk can be lowered by performing a total colectomy at the time of index surgery, or possibly by effective postoperative surveillance.
Improved P-T Algorithm Applied to a Wearable Integrated Physiological Parameters System

This paper presents a wearable physiological parameters monitoring device real time monitoring electrocardiograph (ECG), respiration, blood oxygen saturation, blood pressure, motion state and temperature continuously, online analysis and displaying the result in personal computer. Especially, Improved Pan-Tompkins Algorithm was embedded into wearable physiological parameters monitoring device to detect R peak, and further compute heart rate. Based upon the analysis of QRS frequency, the slope and the threshold decision, the improved algorithm can reliably recognize R peak of QRS complexes. Compared to the traditional Pan-Tompkins, there are three improvements. First one is accurately calculating heart rate even in a slow-moving state; another is wider sampling rate-500 and 1000 sampling rate or any other sampling rate; the last one is effectively avoiding the finite word-length effect during calculation in float type. The improved Pan-Tompkins algorithm makes ECG measurement more accurate and more flexible. Based on 20 volunteers' experimental tests, the fully-integration system with improved Pan-Tompkins Algorithm can accurately monitor the real-time R peak and other physiological indicators in a calm status, even in slow-moving status the system works well.
First-Order Methods for Sparse Covariance Selection

Given a sample covariance matrix, we solve a maximum likelihood problem penalized by the number of nonzero coefficients in the inverse covariance matrix. Our objective is to find a sparse representation of the sample data and to highlight conditional independence relationships between the sample variables. We first formulate a convex relaxation of this combinatorial problem, we then detail two efficient first-order algorithms with low memory requirements to solve large-scale, dense problem instances.