Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multivariate discriminant analysis for branching classification of colonic tubular adenoma glands

Many morphologic findings of histology can be translated into mathematically computerized data, and identifying important parameters is primarily pathologists' task as users. Shape‐specific parameters based on computational geometry properties of glands can be used in the field of pathology. We evaluated the diagnostic utility of three shape‐specific parameters: the chord intersection ratio, convexity ratio, and maximum concave area ratio for branching classification of glands.
Longitudinal Neuroimaging over 30 Days: Temporal Characteristics of Migraine

Although migraine is defined by the headache and headache‐associated symptoms, the true beginning of a migraine attack lies in the premonitory phase. To understand the generation of attacks, one needs to investigate the phase before headache starts. The premonitory phase of migraine is characterized by a well‐described complex of symptoms. Its duration, however, is not clearly defined, and there are no biomarkers to help define when this phase starts.
Association of occupational exposures with ex vivo functional immune response in workers handling carbon nanotubes and nanofibers

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between carbon nanotube and nanofiber (CNT/F) exposure and ex vivo responses of whole blood challenged with secondary stimulants, adjusting for potential confounders, in a cross-sectional study of 102 workers. Multi-day exposure was measured by CNT/F structure count (SC) and elemental carbon (EC) air concentrations. Demographic, lifestyle and other occupational covariate data were obtained via questionnaire. Whole blood collected from each participant was incubated for 18 hours with and without two microbial stimulants (lipopolysaccharide/LPS and staphylococcal enterotoxin type B/SEB) using TruCulture technology to evaluate immune cell activity. Following incubation, supernatants were preserved and analyzed for protein concentrations. The stimulant:null response ratio for each individual protein was analyzed using multiple linear regression, followed by principal component (PC) analysis to determine whether patterns of protein response were related to CNT/F exposure. Adjusting for confounders, CNT/F metrics (most strongly, the SC-based) were significantly (p < 0.05) inversely associated with stimulant:null ratios of several individual biomarkers: GM-CSF, IFN-γ, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-17, and IL-23. CNT/F metrics were significantly inversely associated with PC1 (a weighted mean of most biomarkers, explaining 25% of the variance in the protein ratios) and PC2 (a biomarker contrast, explaining 14%). Among other occupational exposures, only solvent exposure was significant (inversely related to PC2). CNT/F exposure metrics were uniquely related to stimulant responses in challenged whole blood, illustrating reduced responsiveness to a secondary stimulus. This approach, if replicated in other exposed populations, may present a relatively sensitive method to evaluate human response to CNT/F or other occupational exposures.
The off-prescription use of modafinil: An online survey of perceived risks and benefits

Cognitive enhancing drugs are claimed to improve cognitive functions such as learning and attention. However, little is known presently about the characteristics of off-prescription cognitive enhancing drug users or their perceived everyday experience with these drugs. As modafinil is the most commonly used off-prescription cognitive enhancing drug, the current study aimed to provide a detailed profile of modafinil users and their experiences and perceptions of this drug. To this end, an online survey, targeting cognitive enhancing drug users and students, was advertised on forum sites. Information was obtained regarding demographic data, illicit drug use, psychiatric diagnosis and experience of modafinil. Of the 404 respondents, 219 reported taking modafinil. Of these the majority were male, American or British, university-educated and currently employed, with a mean age of 27. Overall, modafinil was perceived by users as being safe. Modafinil users reported higher levels of illicit drug use and psychiatric diagnosis than would be expected from population-based data. More frequent reported modafinil use was associated with higher numbers of perceived benefits whilst reported frequency of use was not associated with the number of perceived risks. There was also a tentative link between the reported use of modafinil and the reported presence of psychiatric disorders, largely depression and anxiety. Respondents who had reported a psychiatric diagnosis declared higher subjective benefits of modafinil. This may suggest further beneficial effects of modafinil or it may reflect insufficient medical treatment for psychiatric disorders in some people. Overall, the findings of the current study should be beneficial in informing clinicians and legislative bodies about the modafinil user profile and how modafinil is perceived.
Aesthetic Image Statistics Vary with Artistic Genre

Research to date has not found strong evidence for a universal link between any single low-level image statistic, such as fractal dimension or Fourier spectral slope, and aesthetic ratings of images in general. This study assessed whether different image statistics are important for artistic images containing different subjects and used partial least squares regression (PLSR) to identify the statistics that correlated most reliably with ratings. Fourier spectral slope, fractal dimension and Shannon entropy were estimated separately for paintings containing landscapes, people, still life, portraits, nudes, animals, buildings and abstracts. Separate analyses were performed on the luminance and colour information in the images. PLSR fits showed shared variance of up to 75% between image statistics and aesthetic ratings. The most important statistics and image planes varied across genres. Variation in statistics may reflect characteristic properties of the different neural sub-systems that process different types of image.
Tongue-Strengthening Exercises in Healthy Older Adults: Effect of Exercise Frequency – A Randomized Trial

Introduction: Positive effects from tongue-strengthening exercises (TSE) are widely described, but dose-dependent studies concerning exercise frequency have not yet been reported. This study aimed to determine the training and detraining effects of TSE with exercise frequencies of respectively 3 and 5 times per week on maximum isometric anterior and posterior tongue pressures (MIPA and MIPP) and on anterior and posterior tongue strength during an effortful saliva swallow (PswalA and PswalP). Method: Twenty healthy adults were randomly assigned to two exercise groups, training 3 (EX3, n = 10) or 5 (EX5, n = 10) times per week with the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument. MIPA, MIPP, PswalA, and PswalP were measured at baseline, after 4 and 8 weeks of training and 4 and 8 weeks after the last training session to document detraining effects. Descriptive statistics, linear mixed model effects, and post hoc analyses were calculated. Results: Significant increases in MIPA, MIPP, PswalA, and PswalP were measured for training both 3 and 5 times per week. No significant differences on any parameter were found between EX3 and EX5 groups. No significant detraining effects were found after 4 or 8 weeks in any treatment arm either for MIPs or for effortful swallow pressures. Conclusion: This randomized study demonstrated a positive effect of TSE on MIP and Pswal in healthy older adults, without detraining effects. No superiority of exercise frequency was identified based on significance testing, although some trends are discussed.
Pulsed Radiofrequency Neuromodulation Contributes to Activation of Platelet‐Rich Plasma in In Vitro Conditions

Recent years have brought new developments in interventional chronic pain management, namely regenerative orthopedics utilizing platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) as well as further evolution of pulsed radiofrequency neuromodulation (PRF). Both methods have been used separately. Here, we investigated whether PRF may potentiate the activation of platelets in PRP samples when both these techniques are combined together in in vitro conditions.
Neural entrainment to music is sensitive to melodic spectral complexity.

During auditory perception, neural oscillations are known to entrain to acoustic dynamics but their role in the processing of auditory information remains unclear. As a complex temporal structure that can be parameterized acoustically, music is particularly suited to address this issue. In a combined behavioral and EEG experiment in human participants, we investigated the relative contribution of temporal (acoustic dynamics) and non-temporal (melodic spectral complexity) dimensions of stimulation on neural entrainment, a stimulus-brain coupling phenomenon operationally defined here as the temporal coherence between acoustical and neural dynamics. We first highlight that low-frequency neural oscillations robustly entrain to complex acoustic temporal modulations, which underscores the fine-grained nature of this coupling mechanism. We also reveal that enhancing melodic spectral complexity, in terms of pitch, harmony and pitch variation, increases neural entrainment. Importantly, this manipulation enhances activity in the theta (5 Hz) range, a frequency-selective effect independent of the note rate of the melodies, which may reflect internal temporal constraints of the neural processes involved. Moreover, while both emotional arousal ratings and neural entrainment were positively modulated by spectral complexity, no direct relationship between arousal and neural entrainment was observed. Overall, these results indicate that neural entrainment to music is sensitive to the spectral content of auditory information and indexes an auditory-level of processing that should be distinguished from higher-order emotional processing stages.
Analysis of zebrafish periderm enhancers facilitates identification of a regulatory variant near human KRT8/18

Genome wide association studies for non-syndromic orofacial cleft (OFC) have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at loci where the presumed risk-relevant gene is expressed in oral periderm. The functional subsets of such SNPs are difficult to predict because the sequence underpinnings of periderm enhancers are unknown. We applied ATAC-seq to models of human palate periderm, including zebrafish periderm, mouse embryonic palate epithelia, and a human oral epithelium cell line, and to complementary mesenchymal cell types. We identified sets of enhancers specific to the epithelial cells and trained gapped-kmer support-vector-machine classifiers on these sets. We used the classifiers to predict the effect of 14 OFC-associated SNPs at 12q13 near KRT18. All the classifiers picked the same SNP as having the strongest effect, but the significance was highest with the classifier trained on zebrafish periderm. Reporter and deletion analyses support this SNP as lying within a periderm enhancer regulating KRT18/KRT8 expression.
Lack of RAN-mediated toxicity in Huntington’s disease knock-in mice

Significance Repeat-associated non-AUG (RAN) translation enables protein translation independent of an AUG start codon. Previous studies identified RAN-translated products in cellular models of CAG repeat expansion diseases, including Huntington’s disease (HD). However, whether RAN-translated products, when expressed at the endogenous level, truly contribute to disease pathogenesis remains unknown. In the present study, we established knock-in mouse models for HD, which enable the expression of mutant Huntingtin (HTT) and RAN-translated products or only RAN-translated products at endogenous levels. We were unable to detect RAN-translated products in these mouse models, and found only the mouse model that expresses expanded polyQ peptides showed HD pathological phenotypes, suggesting that RAN-translated products do not critically contribute to HD pathogenesis. Identification of repeat-associated non-AUG (RAN) translation in trinucleotide (CAG) repeat diseases has led to the emerging concept that CAG repeat diseases are caused by nonpolyglutamine products. Nonetheless, the in vivo contribution of RAN translation to the pathogenesis of CAG repeat diseases remains elusive. Via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing, we established knock-in mouse models that harbor expanded CAG repeats in the mouse huntingtin gene to express RAN-translated products with or without polyglutamine peptides. We found that RAN translation is not detected in the knock-in mouse models when expanded CAG repeats are expressed at the endogenous level. Consistently, the expanded CAG repeats that cannot be translated into polyglutamine repeats do not yield the neuropathological and behavioral phenotypes that were found in knock-in mice expressing expanded polyglutamine repeats. Our findings suggest that RAN-translated products do not play a major role in the pathogenesis of CAG repeat diseases and underscore the importance in targeting polyglutamine repeats for therapeutics.
Italian versions of the Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7: translation and validation in women with urinary incontinence

Abstract Purpose To culturally adapt and validate the Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 (short forms) for use in Italian-speaking women with urinary incontinence. Methods We developed Italian versions of the two questionnaires through forward-backward translation, expert review and cognitive interviews. We then administered them to 100 women with urinary incontinence (mean age 58.02 ± 11.9 years) to assess the internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient), standard error of measurement, minimum detectable change, and construct validity by hypothesis testing. Results No difficulties in acceptability emerged. Internal consistency was 0.61 for Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 and 0.88 for Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7. Test–retest reliability was respectively 0.79 and 0.91. The minimum detectable change was respectively 22.9 and 18.1 points (on a 0–100 scale). Nine out of 10 a priori hypotheses regarding construct validity were confirmed. Conclusions The Italian versions of the Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 showed reliability levels in line with the literature and good construct validity. Thus, we think that the present study extends the evidence for both questionnaires as useful tools for assessing women with urinary incontinence. Implications for rehabilitation The Italian versions of the short forms of the Urogenital Distress Inventory and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire have never been validated in Italian-speaking women with urinary incontinence. After translation and cross-cultural adaptation, the Italian versions of these two questionnaires showed reliability levels in line with the literature and good construct validity. The Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 produces a summary index of overall symptom distress, whereas the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 is a unidimensional questionnaire measuring the adverse effects of urinary incontinence on health-related quality of life.
Virtual Implant Rehabilitation of the Severely Atrophic Maxilla: A Radiographic Study

Background: Advanced maxillary atrophy is one of the most common clinical scenarios where implant placement could become difficult. Nevertheless, a volumetric evaluation using a suitable diagnostic software could facilitate the implant planning. The purpose of the present study is to suggest the potential application of the maxillary retro-canine area as the designated location for virtual tilted implants. Methods: A sample of Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images from the Department of Dentistry (IRCSS San Raffaele, Milan, Italy) was evaluated. After a 3D anatomical evaluation, tilted implants were virtually positioned in the retro-canine regions. All the implants were inserted using the same procedure at 30° and 45° degrees of tilting. The length, palatal angulation and diameter of the placed implant were identified. Results: A total of 220 tilted implants were placed. An average implant measurement of 13.51 mm in length and 3.42 mm in diameter were calculated. Additionally, an average buccal–palatal angulation of 6° was identified. Upon statistical analysis, the implant length was found to be significantly higher at 45° degrees of mesio-distal angulation than at 30° degrees (<0.0001). Conclusions: A considerable number of patients show a significant degree of bone atrophy. The implant-supported treatment plan can rely on three-dimensional imaging of the residual bone as a guiding tool to establish the most effective implant position for each specific case. In this study, it was found that an implant could have a greater length if its mesio–distal angulation was more accentuated. In addition, owing to the volumetric evaluation, it was possible to virtually insert tilted implants in almost all of the cases of atrophy. This could lead clinicians to consider the retro-canine area as a viable place to insert a longer tilted implant.
Fluorescence Sensing of Caffeine in Tea Beverages with 3,5-diaminobenzoic Acid

A rapid, selective and sensitive method for the detection of caffeine in tea infusion and tea beverages are proposed by using 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid as a fluorescent probe. The 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid emits strong fluorescence around 410 nm under the excitation of light at 280 nm. Both the molecular electrostatic potential analysis and fluorescent lifetime measurement proved that the existence of caffeine can quench the fluorescence of 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid. Under the optimal experimental parameters, the 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid was used as a fluorescent probe to detect the caffeine aqueous solution. There exists a good linear relationship between the fluorescence quenching of the fluorescent probe and the concentration of caffeine in the range of 0.1–100 μM, with recovery within 96.0 to 106.2%, while the limit of detection of caffeine is 0.03 μM. This method shows a high selectivity for caffeine. The caffeine content in different tea infusions and tea beverages has been determined and compared with the results from HPLC measurement.
A Model-Based Pose Estimation Framework: From Single Insects to Multiple Hands

Robust pose estimation for objects such as human hands and insects plays a central role in human-computer interaction, virtual reality, augmented reality and behavioral studies of animals such as bees. Estimating poses of insects and hands are challenging because they su er from (self-)similarities, (self-)occlusions, a varying number of targets, etc. Moreover, multi-instance pose estimation is more di cult because it requires the correct detection of all instances while also precisely localizing the corresponding target landmarks. This thesis focuses on pose estimation problems for insects and multiple hands from single images. We present a series of frameworks based on the pictorial structure model in a progressive manner, from the rst framework that can only solve part of the insect pose estimation challenges to the last framework that is able to estimate poses of multiple hands. This thesis rst introduces the rst framework for detailed insect pose estimation from single images. It is an exemplar of the random forestbased pose estimator with data-driven regularization. Given the landmark candidate positions predicted by random forests, a pictorial structure model-based data-driven approach is proposed to select landmark positions. Targeting the drawbacks of our random forest-based method, we present the rst convolutional neural network-based framework for bee pose estimation. This framework utilizes the powerful representation capability of convolutional neural networks, is demonstrably robust and accurate, and is e ective even for images that might be challenging for human annotators. Since human ngers and bee extremities share some similarities, algorithms for one object can be extended to serve the other. With slight modi cation in the problem formulation and the advantages of Mask R-CNN, we present the rst multihand pose estimation framework based on a pictorial structure that allows detection of multihand instances and localization of hand joints simultaneously. Finally, we discuss the limitations of our methods and propose new ideas for future work.
Blockchain-Empowered Secure Spectrum Sharing for 5G Heterogeneous Networks

In the future 5G paradigm, billions of machinetype devices will be deployed to enable wide-area and ubiquitous data sensing, collection, and transmission. Considering the traffic characteristics of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and the spectrum shortage dilemma, a cost-efficient solution is to share the underutilized spectrum allocated to human-to-human (H2H) users with M2M devices in an opportunistic manner. However, the implementation of large-scale spectrum sharing in 5G heterogeneous networks confronts many challenges, including lack of incentive mechanism, privacy leakage, security threats, and so on. This motivates us to develop a privacy-preserved, incentive-compatible, and spectrum-efficient framework based on blockchain, which is implemented in two stages. First, H2H users sign a contract with the base station for spectrum sharing, and receive dedicated payments based on their contributions. Next, the shared spectrum is allocated to M2M devices to maximize the total throughput. We elaborate the operation details of secure spectrum sharing, incentive mechanism design, and efficient spectrum allocation. A case study is presented to demonstrate the security and efficiency of the proposed framework. Finally, we outline several open issues and conclude this article.