Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuroimaging Determinants of Cognitive Performances in Stroke Associated With Small Vessel Disease

Background and Purpose. Controversies still exist as to the neuroimaging determinants of cognitive impairment in cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). The authors studied the neuroimaging correlates of cognitive performances among patients with stroke associated with SVD. Methods. The authors per formed cerebral computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and diffusion‐weighted imaging among 74 consecu tive patients admitted to the acute stroke unit because of stroke associated with SVD. They examined the association between cognitive performances and the following neuroimaging features: volume of white matter changes (WMC), multiplicity of lacunae, location of lacunae, total cerebral atrophy, and frontal and medial temporal lobe atrophy. Results. Apart from age and education, univariate linear regression analyses revealed that WMC volume, presence of thalamic lacunae, cerebral atrophy, and left frontal lobe atrophy predicted performance on the Mini‐Mental State Examination while WMC volume, presence of thalamic infarcts, cerebral atrophy, and frontal lobe atrophy of both sides predicted performance on the Mattis Dementia Rat ing Scale‐Initiation/Preservation subscale. In the multivariate analyses, education (R2= 0.22, P < .001), left frontal lobe atrophy (R2= 0.10, P= .004), and presence of thalamic lacunae (R2= 0.04, P= .049) were found to predict performance on the Mini‐Mental State Examination while age (R2= 0.23, P < .001) and presence of thalamic lacunae (R2= 0.08, P= .011) were found to predict performance on the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale‐Initiation/Preservation. Conclusions. Among patients with stroke associated with SVD, thalamic lacunae and frontal lobe atrophy are key determinants of cognitive performances.
Re-OPSEC: Real time opportunistic scheduler framework for energy aware mobile crowdsensing

In opportunistic mobile crowdsensing, data can be collected by leveraging human mobility and smartphones' sensors. In this paper, we propose Re-OPSEC, a framework for tasking effective providers from the crowd at real time in energy efficient way. Re-OPSEC piggybacks sensing tasks with volunteer-specific connectivity patterns called online episodes. That is those times when smartphones have a mobile broadband access, a high level of battery power and a volunteer activity adequate to the required detected sample. Tasks allocation is based on the expected opportunity to succeed the sensing task in the online episode underlying region, but without exhausting smartphones energy. Exhaustive experiments are conducted while adopting a realistic mobility data set extended with additional information simulation. The results demonstrate that timeliness of detected data and coverage rate are achieved in spite of energy saving mechanisms restriction.
Agreement in Human Factoid Annotation for Summarization Evaluation

Factoid analysis was introduced by (van Halteren and Teufel, 2003) as an objective, yet semantics-oriented way of measuring overlap of information rather than surface strings in summaries. In this paper, we report on annotation experiments with two sets of summaries, and on a factoid-pairing program which finds correlations between factoids semi-automatically.
Color-Binding Errors During Rivalrous Suppression of Form

How does a physical stimulus determine a conscious percept? Binocular rivalry provides useful insights into this question because constant physical stimulation during rivalry causes different visual experiences. For example, presentation of vertical stripes to one eye and horizontal stripes to the other eye results in a percept that alternates between horizontal and vertical stripes. Presentation of a different color to each eye (color rivalry) produces alternating percepts of the two colors or, in some cases, a color mixture. The experiments reported here reveal a novel and instructive resolution of rivalry for stimuli that differ in both form and color: perceptual alternation between the rivalrous forms (e.g., horizontal or vertical stripes), with both eyes' colors seen simultaneously in separate parts of the currently perceived form. Thus, the colors presented to the two eyes (a) maintain their distinct neural representations despite resolution of form rivalry and (b) can bind separately to distinct parts of the perceived form.
Maximum Local Energy Based Multifocus Image Fusion in Mirror Extended Curvelet Transform Domain

In this paper, we firstly propose the maximum local energy (MLE) method to calculate the low frequency coefficients of images and compare the results with those of mirror extended curve let transform, which enhance the edge features and details of images. An image fusion step was performed as follows: First, we obtained the coefficients of two different types of images through mirror extended curve let transform. Second, we selected the low frequency coefficients by maximum local energy and obtaining the high-frequency coefficients using the absolute maximum value (AMV) method. Finally, the fused image was obtained by performing an inverse mirror extended curve let transform. In addition to human vision analysis, the images were also compared through quantitative analysis. multifocus images were used in the experiments to compare the results among the beyond wavelets. The numerical experiments reveal that maximum local energy is a new strategy for attaining image fusion with satisfactory performance.
Mitochondrial Glycerol Phosphate Acyltransferase Contains Two Transmembrane Domains with the Active Site in the N-terminal Domain Facing the Cytosol*

The topography of mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) was determined using rat liver mitochondria and mutagenized recombinant rat GPAT (828 aa (amino acids)) expressed in CHO cells. Hydrophobicity analysis of GPAT predicts two transmembrane domains (TMDs), residues 472–493 and 576–592. Residues 224–323 correspond to the active site of the enzyme, which is believed to lie on the cytosolic face of the outer mitochondrial membrane. Protease treatment of rat liver mitochondria revealed that GPAT has a membrane-protected segment of 14 kDa that could correspond to the mass of the two predicted TMDs plus a loop between aa 494 and 575. Recombinant GPAT constructs containing tagged epitopes were transiently expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells and immunolocalized. Both the C and N termini epitope tags could be detected after selective permeabilization of only the plasma membrane, indicating that both termini face the cytosol. A 6–8-fold increase in GPAT-specific activity in the transfected cells confirmed correct protein folding and orientation. When the C terminus and loop-tagged GPAT construct was immunoassayed, the epitope at the C terminus could be detected when the plasma membrane was permeabilized, but loop-epitope accessibility required disruption of the outer mitochondrial membrane. Similar results were observed when GPAT was truncated before the second TMD, again consistent with an orientation in which the loop faces the mitochondrial intermembrane space. Although protease digestion of the HA-tagged loop resulted in preservation of a 14-kDa fragment, consistent with a membrane protected loop domain, neither the truncated nor loop-tagged enzymes conferred GPAT activity when overexpressed, suggesting that the loop plays a critical structural or regulatory role for GPAT function. Based on these data, we propose a GPAT topography model with two transmembrane domains in which both the N (aa 1–471) and C (aa 593–end) termini face the cytosol and a single loop (aa 494–575) faces the intermembrane space.
Dendritic Spine Dynamics Regulate the Long-Term Stability of Synaptic Plasticity

Long-term synaptic plasticity requires postsynaptic influx of Ca2+ and is accompanied by changes in dendritic spine size. Unless Ca2+ influx mechanisms and spine volume scale proportionally, changes in spine size will modify spine Ca2+ concentrations during subsequent synaptic activation. We show that the relationship between Ca2+ influx and spine volume is a fundamental determinant of synaptic stability. If Ca2+ influx is undercompensated for increases in spine size, then strong synapses are stabilized and synaptic strength distributions have a single peak. In contrast, overcompensation of Ca2+ influx leads to binary, persistent synaptic strengths with double-peaked distributions. Biophysical simulations predict that CA1 pyramidal neuron spines are undercompensating. This unifies experimental findings that weak synapses are more plastic than strong synapses, that synaptic strengths are unimodally distributed, and that potentiation saturates for a given stimulus strength. We conclude that structural plasticity provides a simple, local, and general mechanism that allows dendritic spines to foster both rapid memory formation and persistent memory storage.
Major Depression and Injury Risk

Objective: Cross-sectional epidemiologic studies have inconsistently reported associations between injuries and depressive symptoms. The significance of these findings remains unclear. Major depressive episodes (MDEs) may increase the risk of injury and injuries may increase the risk of MDEs. Longitudinal data are needed to distinguish between these possibilities. Method: Data from the Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS) were used in this analysis. The NPHS is a prospective study based on a representative sample of household residents in Canada. Injuries were evaluated using self-report items. MDE was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form for major depression. Results: During each round of interviews, an association between MDE and injuries was evident. In longitudinal analyses a bidirectional association was found. MDEs increased the risk of injury (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.6, 95% CI 1.3 to 2.0) and injury increased the risk of MDEs (adjusted HR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.8). Conclusions: Injury prevention efforts may benefit from consideration of MDE as an injury determinant. For example, particular occupational or recreational activities may have a higher risk of injury during depressive episodes. Improved access to mental health resources in clinical settings where injuries are treated may also be valuable. However, additional studies are necessary to confirm these observations and to develop evidence-based interventions.
Face exemplars selection from video streams for online learning

This paper tackles the problem of online acquisition of exemplars for dynamic updating of classifiers for facial analysis. Most facial analysis systems apply a previously computed classifier to a set of images, or recently to the output of real-time face detection systems. Here we describe an approach to select significant detected faces during interactive sessions in order to learn and modify online, with the initial help of an expert, a classifier for a given task. Preliminary experiments are reported related to gender recognition.
EMG-based hands-free wheelchair control with EOG attention shift detection

This paper presents a novel hands-free control system for an electric-powered wheelchair, which is based on EMG (Electromyography) signals recorded from eyebrow muscle activity. By using a simple CyberLink device, one-dimensional continuous EMG signals are obtained, analysed, and then translated into multi-directional control commands (forward, left, right, etc.) for the wheelchair that supports multi-directional control. At the same time, EOG (Electrooculography) signals detected from eye movements are used to adjust wheelchair speed. The system also allows a user to choose either control state or non-control state so that any non-intended muscle activity can be ignored during the non-control state. The system is reliable, easy to set up, and easy to use.
Measuring Software Screen Complexity: Relating Eye Tracking, Emotional Valence, and Subjective Ratings

Enterprise software pages, routinely used to conduct a variety of business-relevant tasks, must be clear and nonconfusing to experienced end users. A study was conducted to consider the impact of several page design factors (background gradient, font, and font size) on perceived ratings of page clarity, completion time, emotional valence (EV) from video, and several eye-tracking parameters. Twenty professional managers each completed 25 tasks on enterprise web pages designed with specific combinations of these factors. Highly rated pages had Tahoma and Larger fonts, compared to Calibri and Smaller fonts. The Gradient background did not influence ratings but did increase the search area and completion time. Although EV was not a sensitive measure across tasks, it was influenced by font differences in the first few seconds of page presentation. Overall, the use of background gradient was not supported, but both Tahoma and Larger fonts were supported for these enterprise pages.
Small world network based dynamic topology for particle swarm optimization

A new particle optimization algorithm with dynamic topology is proposed based on `small world' network. The technique imitates the dissemination of information in a `small world network' by dynamically updating the neighborhood topology of particle swarm optimization. The proposed dynamic neighborhood strategy can effectively coordinate the exploration and exploitation ability of particle swarm optimization. Simulations demonstrated that convergence of the swarms is guaranteed. Experiments demonstrated that the proposed method maintained the population diversity and enhanced the global search ability.
Maternal Vitamin D, Folate, and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Status and Bacterial Vaginosis during Pregnancy

Objective. To investigate associations among serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25-OH-D), folate, omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio and bacterial vaginosis (BV) during pregnancy. Methods. Biospecimens and data were derived from a random sample (N = 160) of women from the Nashville Birth Cohort. We compared mean plasma nutrient concentrations for women with and without BV during pregnancy (based on Nugent score ≥7) and assessed the odds of BV for those with 25-OH-D <12 ng/mL, folate <5 ug/L, and omega-6/omega-3 ratio >15. Results. The mean plasma 25-OH-D was significantly lower among women with BV during pregnancy (18.00±8.14 ng/mL versus 24.34±11.97 ng/mL, P = 0.044). The adjusted odds of BV were significantly increased among pregnant women with 25-OH-D <12 ng/mL (aOR 5.11, 95% CI: 1.19–21.97) and folate <5 ug/L (aOR 7.06, 95% CI: 1.07–54.05). Conclusion. Vitamin D and folate deficiencies were strongly associated with BV (Nugent score ≥7) during pregnancy.
Engineering Nano‐ and Microparticles to Tune Immunity

The immune system can be a cure or cause of disease, fulfilling a protective role in attacking cancer or pathogenic microbes but also causing tissue destruction in autoimmune disorders. Thus, therapies aimed to amplify or suppress immune reactions are of great interest. However, the complex regulation of the immune system, coupled with the potential systemic side effects associated with traditional systemic drug therapies, has presented a major hurdle for the development of successful immunotherapies. Recent progress in the design of synthetic micro‐ and nano‐particles that can target drugs, deliver imaging agents, or stimulate immune cells directly through their physical and chemical properties is leading to new approaches to deliver vaccines, promote immune responses against tumors, and suppress autoimmunity. In addition, novel strategies, such as the use of particle‐laden immune cells as living targeting agents for drugs, are providing exciting new approaches for immunotherapy. This progress report describes recent advances in the design of micro‐ and nano‐particles for immunotherapies and diagnostics.
Thy1+IL-7+ lymphatic endothelial cells in iBALT provide a survival niche for memory T-helper cells in allergic airway inflammation

Significance A substantial proportion of people have intractable chronic allergic diseases for which no curative treatment exists. A clear understanding of how these allergic diseases develop and persist is lacking. Here, unique ectopic lymphoid-like structures called inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue were found to be formed during chronic airway inflammation, and were critical in persistent inflammation. In addition, we identified a Thy1+IL-7+IL-33+ subset of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) that support the maintenance of memory-type pathogenic T helper 2 (Tpath2) cells. A similar population of IL-7+IL-33+ LECs was found in nasal polyps of patients with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis. Thus, we revealed that Thy1+IL-7–producing LECs control chronic allergic airway inflammation by supporting memory-type Tpath2 cells in human and mouse systems. Memory CD4+ T helper (Th) cells are central to long-term protection against pathogens, but they can also be pathogenic and drive chronic inflammatory disorders. How these pathogenic memory Th cells are maintained, particularly at sites of local inflammation, remains unclear. We found that ectopic lymphoid-like structures called inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (iBALT) are formed during chronic allergic inflammation in the lung, and that memory-type pathogenic Th2 (Tpath2) cells capable of driving allergic inflammation are maintained within the iBALT structures. The maintenance of memory Th2 cells within iBALT is supported by Thy1+IL-7–producing lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). The Thy1+IL-7–producing LECs express IL-33 and T-cell–attracting chemokines CCL21 and CCL19. Moreover, ectopic lymphoid structures consisting of memory CD4+ T cells and IL-7+IL-33+ LECs were found in nasal polyps of patients with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis. Thus, Thy1+IL-7–producing LECs control chronic allergic airway inflammation by providing a survival niche for memory-type Tpath2 cells.
Mechanisms governing the control of mRNA translation

The translation of cellular mRNA to protein is a tightly controlled process often deregulated in diseases such as cancer. Furthering our understanding of mRNA structural elements and the intracellular proteins and signaling pathways that affect protein expression is crucial in the development of new therapies. In this review, we discuss the current state-of-the-art of detecting and determining the role of mRNA sequence elements in regulating the initiation of mRNA translation and the therapeutic strategies that exploit this knowledge to treat disease.
Greater Pre-Stimulus Effective Connectivity from the Left Inferior Frontal Area to other Areas is Associated with Better Phonological Decoding in Dyslexic Readers

Functional neuroimaging studies suggest that neural networks that subserve reading are organized differently in dyslexic readers (DRs) and typical readers (TRs), yet the hierarchical structure of these networks has not been well studied. We used Granger causality to examine the effective connectivity of the preparatory network that occurs prior to viewing a non-word stimulus that requires phonological decoding in 7 DRs and 10 TRs who were young adults. The neuromagnetic activity that occurred 500 ms prior to each rhyme trial was analyzed from sensors overlying the left and right inferior frontal areas (IFA), temporoparietal areas, and ventral occipital–temporal areas within the low, medium, and high beta and gamma sub-bands. A mixed-model analysis determined whether connectivity to or from the left and right IFAs differed across connectivity direction (into vs. out of the IFAs), brain areas, reading group, and/or performance. Results indicated that greater connectivity in the low beta sub-band from the left IFA to other cortical areas was significantly related to better non-word rhyme discrimination in DRs but not TRs. This suggests that the left IFA is an important cortical area involved in compensating for poor phonological function in DRs. We suggest that the left IFA activates a wider-than usual network prior to each trial in the service of supporting otherwise effortful phonological decoding in DRs. The fact that the left IFA provides top-down activation to both posterior left hemispheres areas used by TRs for phonological decoding and homologous right hemisphere areas is discussed. In contrast, within the high gamma sub-band, better performance was associated with decreased connectivity between the left IFA and other brain areas, in both reading groups. Overly strong gamma connectivity during the pre-stimulus period may interfere with subsequent transient activation and deactivation of sub-networks once the non-word appears.
Responses of human mechanoreceptive afferents to embossed dot arrays scanned across fingerpad skin

The spatial resolving capacities of the four classes of mechanoreceptive afferents innervating human fingerpad skin were investigated to determine which class sets the limit of tactile spatial resolution for scanning stimuli. The stimulus consisted of an array of embossed dots (0.7 mm diameter, 0.5 mm high) arranged in a tetragonal pattern with dot spacing decreasing linearly from 6.4 mm at one end of the array to 0.87 mm at the other. The pattern was wrapped around a drum and repeatedly scanned across the receptive field of single afferents by continuously rotating the drum. Responses to many closely spaced scans were obtained by imposing a lateral shift of the pattern between each revolution. Impulses were recorded microneurographically. Responses were plotted in raster form to produce a neural image of the pattern. Responses of rapidly and slowly adapting type I (FAI and SAI) afferents resolved dots down to a spacing of about 1.5 mm. Responses of type II (FAII and SAII) afferents resolved dots down to a spacing of about 3.5 mm. Variation in scanning speed (range, 20–90 mm/sec) and contact force (range, 0.4–1.0 N) had minimal effects on spatial resolution of all afferents. The response clusters associated with individual widely spaced dots were used to investigate receptive field structure. FAI and SAI fields (mean areas, 6.1 and 4.8 mm2, respectively) each contained several zones of maximal sensitivity. FAI fields had five to eight such zones, whereas SAI fields had three to five such zones. As dot spacing decreased, neighboring dots interacted to affect the responses associated with the individual zones within a field. Initially, one or more zones were deactivated, effectively reducing receptive field size and allowing representation of finer spatial detail than would be predicted from the overall area of the receptive field. At very close dot spacings responses were only obtained when more than one sensitive zone within a field were simultaneously activated by different dots.
The Use of Object Labels and Spatial Prepositions as Keywords in a Web-Retrieval-Based Image Caption Generation System

In this paper, a retrieval-based caption generation system that searches the web for suitable image descriptions is studied. Google’s reverse image search is used to find potentially relevant web multimedia content for query images. Sentences are extracted from web pages and the likelihood of the descriptions is computed to select one sentence from the retrieved text documents. The search mechanism is modified to replace the caption generated by Google with a caption composed of labels and spatial prepositions as part of the query’s text alongside the image. The object labels are obtained using an off-the-shelf R-CNN and a machine learning model is developed to predict the prepositions. The effect on the caption generation system performance when using the generated text is investigated. Both human evaluations and automatic metrics are used to evaluate the retrieved descriptions. Results show that the web-retrieval-based approach performed better when describing single-object images with sentences extracted from stock photography websites. On the other hand, images with two image objects were better described with template-generated sentences composed of object labels and prepositions.