Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimation of the Noise Level Function Based on a Nonparametric Detection of Homogeneous Image Regions

We propose a two-step algorithm that automatically estimates the noise level function of stationary noise from a single image, i.e., the noise variance as a function of the image intensity. First, the image is divided into small square regions and a non-parametric test is applied to decide weather each region is homogeneous or not. Based on Kendall's τ coefficient (a rank-based measure of correlation), this detector has a non-detection rate independent on the unknown distribution of the noise, provided that it is at least spatially uncorrelated. Moreover, we prove on a toy example, that its overall detection error vanishes with respect to the region size as soon as the signal to noise ratio level is non-zero. Once homogeneous regions are detected, the noise level function is estimated as a second order polynomial minimizing the l 1 error on the statistics of these regions. Numerical experiments show the efficiency of the proposed approach in estimating the noise level function, with a relative error under 10% obtained on a large data set. We illustrate the interest of the approach for an image denoising application.
Bone-targeted methotrexate–alendronate conjugate inhibits osteoclastogenesis in vitro and prevents bone loss and inflammation of collagen-induced arthritis in vivo

Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a disease that causes joint destruction and bone erosion, is related to osteoclast activity. RA is generally treated with methotrexate (MTX). In this study, a MTX–Alendronate (ALN) conjugate was synthesized and characterized. The conjugate dramatically inhibited osteoclast formation and bone resorption compared with MTX and ALN used alone or in combination. Due to the characteristics of ALN, the MTX–ALN conjugate can adhere to the exposed bone surface and enhance drug accumulation in the pathological region for targeted therapy against osteoclastogenesis. Additionally, MTX was rapidly released in the presence of lysozyme under mildly acidic conditions, similar to inflammatory tissue and osteoclast-surviving conditions, which contributes to inflammatory inhibition; this was confirmed by the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Our study highlights the use of the MTX–ALN conjugate as a potential therapeutic approach for RA by targeting osteoclastogenesis.
Weighted Means Based on Triangular Conorms

Generalizing the construction of weighted quasi–arithmetic means from generated t–conorms, we propose a new class of weighted means related to continuous t–conorms. By duality, t–norm based weighted means can be obtained, too. Our method fits also in the case of finite ordinal scales. Several examples are given.
` Dual Gravity ' , Spatial Interdependence of Trade Flows among European Countries

In this paper, we adopt the `dual gravity' model proposed in Behrens et al. (2012) and apply it to the trade ows data for European countries. We use new methodology and estimation techniques from the spatial econometric literature to study the e ect of spatial distribution of countries on trade ows within Europe. Regression result on data from 2006 to 2010 suggests that distance, wage, membership of EU do have di erent, but expected e ects on the normalized trade volumes.
Effect of Dietary Stress on Fecal Shedding ofEscherichia coli O157:H7 in Calves

ABSTRACT Two groups of calves were subjected to dietary stress by withholding of food beginning 1 or 14 days after inoculation with 1010 CFU of Escherichia coli O157:H7. Following treatment, neither group had a significant increase in fecal shedding of E. coli O157:H7. A third group of calves had food withheld for 48 h prior to inoculation with 107 CFU ofE. coli O157:H7. These calves were more susceptible to infection and shed significantly more E. coli O157:H7 organisms than calves maintained on a normal diet.
A Primal-Dual First-Order Method for Minimization Problems with Linear Constraints

We consider a class of optimization problems with a strongly convex objective function. The feasible set in this class is given as an intersection of a simple convex set with a set given by a number of linear equality and inequality constraints. This class of problems often arises in applications covering the problems of entropylinear programming, ridge regression, elastic net, regularized optimal transport, etc. We propose a method which can solve such problems with a given accuracy in terms of both the primal objective and the linear constraints infeasibility. Unlike existing methods it can deal with the case when no bound for the norm of any dual solution is available. We estimate the complexity of our method in terms of the number of iterations which is required to achieve the desired accuracy of the approximate solution.
Exercise Training in Cardiovascular Disease : Mechanisms and Outcomes Aerobic training normalizes autonomic dysfunction , HMGB 1 content , microglia activation and inflammation in hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of SHR

Gustavo Santos Masson, Anand R. Nair, Pedro Paulo Silva Soares, Lisete Compagno Michelini,* and Joseph Francis* Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Fluminense Federal University, Niteroi, Brazil
Dynamical characterization of residual and non‐native structures in a partially folded protein by 15N NMR relaxation using a model based on a distribution of correlation times

A spectral density model based on a truncated lorentzian distribution of correlation times is used to analyze the nanosecond time‐scale dynamics of the partially unfolded domain 2 of annexin I from its 15N NMR relaxation parameters measured at three magnetic field strengths. The use of a distribution of correlation times enables the characterization of the dynamical features of the NH bonds of the protein in terms of heterogeneity of dynamical states in the nanosecond range. The variation along the sequence of the two dynamical parameters introduced, namely the center and the width of the distribution, points out the different types of residual secondary structures present in the D2 domain. Moreover, it allows a physically sensible interpretation of the dynamical behavior of the different residual helices and of the non‐native structures. Also, a striking correspondence is found between the parameters obtained using an extended Lipari and Szabo model and the parameters obtained using the distribution of correlation times. This result led us to propose a specific interpretation of the model‐free order parameter for internal motions in the nanosecond range in the case of unfolded states.
A novel eye drop of alpha tocopherol to prevent ocular oxidant damage: improve the stability and ocular efficacy

Abstract The aim of this study was to design novel mixed micelles as an ophthalmic delivery system for alpha-tocopherol (TOC) to prevent its degradation and improve ocular efficacy. The nonionic polymers, Polyoxyl 15 Hydroxystearate (Solutol® HS15) and Pluronic® F127, were discovered to be the most effective agents for retaining the activity and solubilization of TOC, respectively. Prepared by a thin-film hydration method, HS15/Pluronic® F127 yielded good encapsulation percentages of TOC, with a 27.7% drug loading efficiency. Incorporation of cetalkonium chloride (CKC) into HS15/Pluronic® F127 mixed micelles made the zeta potential of the micelles +17 mV, potentially prolonging the residence time of formulations on ocular surfaces. The optimized micelle preparation remained stable when diluted in a synthetic tear solution. It is known that the antioxidant ability of TOC in typical formulations reduces to around 85% of its initial value after 1 month when stored at 4 or 25 °C under an air atmosphere, which limits ophthalmic applications to less than 1 month. However, encapsulated TOC in investigated micelles remained stable for at least 6 months when sealed with N2. Finally, the cationic micelles were well tolerated after multiple administrations in rabbits, and they improved ocular accumulation of TOC. Taken together, these data suggest that the optimized micelle preparations described in this study may be suitable drug carriers for the treatment of ocular oxidant damage.
Towards a wireless and fully-implantable ECoG system

This paper presents a wireless system, designed for electrocortical (ECoG) neural recordings, consisting of an implantable flex-rigid ECoG array and a wireless electronic platform. The array is designed for implantation on top of the visual cortex of a Rhesus monkey. The electronic platform contains pre-amplifiers and multiplexer stages, analog-digital converters (ADCs), an inhouse developed and reconfigurable ASIC, an RF data transceiver and an inductive energy link. Our ASIC provides user-defined selection of channels (≤128), adjustable channel resolution (1-16bit), sample rate (39S/s-10kS/s), and configurable analog filters. The functionality of the whole system is successfully demonstrated by an in vitro test.
Temperature-Tolerant COLD-PCR Eliminates Temperature Stringency and Enables Robust Mutation Enrichment

BACKGROUND: Low-level mutations in clinical tumor samples often reside below mutation detection limits, thus leading to false negatives that may impact clinical diagnosis and patient management. COLD-PCR (coamplification at lower denaturation temperature PCR) is a technology that magnifies unknown mutations during PCR, thus enabling downstream mutation detection. However, a practical difficulty in applying COLD-PCR has been the requirement for strict control of the denaturation temperature for a given sequence, to within 0.3 °C. This requirement precludes simultaneous mutation enrichment in sequences of substantially different melting temperature (Tm) and limits the technique to a single sequence at a time. We present a temperature-tolerant (TT) approach (TT-COLD-PCR) that reduces this obstacle.
Thrombosis in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Role of Inherited Thrombophilia

BACKGROUND:Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are characterized by an increased risk for venous and arterial thrombosis. Although the pathogenetic mechanisms of this predisposition are unclear, a possible role of inherited risk factors for thrombosis in determining this predisposition has been suggested.AIM:To evaluate the role of factor V Leiden (G1691A) and G20210A prothrombin gene mutations in determining the occurrence of thrombosis in IBD patients.PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-seven IBD patients (30 ulcerative colitis and 17 Crohn's disease) with a positive history for thrombosis (9 at arterial sites and 38 at venous sites) were enrolled in the study. For each patient, two non-IBD subjects matched for sex and age, type, and site of thrombosis were used as controls. Peripheral blood DNA specimens were amplified by PCR using appropriate primers and analyzed by restriction analysis on agarose gel electrophoresis. Statistical analysis was performed by means of Fisher's exact test.RESULTS:The total number of subjects with one or both mutations was significantly lower in IBD patients with thrombosis than in control subjects (12.8%vs 29.8%, respectively; p= 0.035, OR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.13–0.90). The total frequency of the mutated alleles was also significantly lower in IBD than in controls (7.4%vs 16.5%, respectively; p= 0.041, OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.17–0.96). Prothrombotic mutations were particularly unfrequent in IBD patients with active disease at the time of thrombosis compared with patients with quiescent disease (8.0%vs 36.4%, respectively; p= 0.057, OR = 0.15, 95% CI 0.02–1.01). CONCLUSIONS:The major inherited risk factors for thrombosis are significantly less frequent in thrombotic IBD patients than in thrombotic non-IBD subjects, suggesting that acquired risk factors play the most relevant role in determining thromboembolic events observed in IBD patients, particularly during active phases of the disease.
A new derivation, from split-dose data, of the complete survival curve for clonogenic normal cells in vivo.

clonogenic cells that are grouped into multicellular structures, for which the multiplicity produces a threshold region at low single doses, which masks the shoulder of the singlecell survival curve. The method uses split-dose irradiation, with a time interval considered sufficient for restitution of the original dose-response relationship. First, large equal split doses are used to provide a surviving fraction for the second dose (assumed equal to that for the first), and survival values for higher single doses are calculated with reference to the latter. Second, survival levels for lower single doses are deduced from the additional effect of small doses over their large-dose counterparts. New data are presented and analyzed for mouse jejunal crypts, and published data for gastric crypts and spermatogonia (which regenerate tubules) are similarly analyzed. A clcse similarity is seen between the response of gastric cryptogenic cells and spermatogenic cells, with jejunal
Prediction of IEEE802.16 performance for emergency vehicles to indoor from radio channel measurements in the 4.9 GHz band

Work reported herein contributes to the prediction of achievable performance of the IEEE 802.16 standard using time series of 50 Mchps PN channel sounder measurements at 4.9 GHz on radio channels in a scenario in which emergency vehicles are parked outside a building and operate as a centre for communications with rescue crews and equipment inside the building. Predicted error rates are presented for different modulation schemes used in accordance with the standard, including QPSK, 16QAM and 64QAM and for different coding rates. Probability of error rates are presented for Rician channels that exhibited envelope fading with different K ratios.
Design of High Efficiency Green Mode SMPS Regulator

The better efficiency means less heat dissipation and longer battery lifetime in wireless communication products and other portable systems powered by batteries. Therefore, the power management system with high efficiency is of great importance. As a solution, a green mode SMPS (switch mode power supply) buck regulator is proposed in this paper. Its efficiency is enhanced by so called multi-mode operation, witch controls the regulator to operate in PWM (pulse width modulation) mode under heavy or medium loads and in burst mode under light load. In addition, the use of internal synchronous rectifier is also beneficial to increase of the efficiency. Some new functions including on-chip current sensing technique and over voltage suppression have been introduced into the control strategy. Simulation results show that all expected performances are successfully achieved. The regulator is designed and fabricated in 1.5-mum BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) technology with the area of 6.5 mm2.
Maternal intravenous immunoglobulin treatment does not prevent intracranial haemorrhage in fetal alloimmune thrombocytopenia

SUMMARY. In fetal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FAIT) the fetus is threatened by intracranial haemorrhage (ICH); therefore early diagnostic and therapeutic intervention is required. We followed the clinical course of a 30‐year‐old woman during her fifth pregnancy after she had given birth to a child with alloimmune thrombocytopenia due to anti‐Zwa. The fetus was monitored by 13 fetal blood samplings (FBS) always followed by transfusion of either maternal or compatible donor platelets. Intravenous immunoglobulin (ivIg) treatment of the mother was begun at 20 weeks of gestation when the fetal platelet count was 36 times 109/1. The fetal platelets were typed Zwa positive by DNA analysis. Despite 11 weeks of maternal ivIg treatment fetal platelet counts progressively declined to 6 times 10/1 and ICH occurred. Subsequently, the fetus was successfully managed by intrauterine platelet transfusions at shorter intervals (3–5 days) and elective Cesarean section was carried out at 35 weeks of gestation. We conclude that maternal ivIg treatment does not prevent ICH in FAIT. The treatment of choice for severely affected cases is serial FBS combined with transfusion of compatible platelets.
RNA replication kinetics, genetic polymorphism and selection in the case of the hepatitis C virus

We show in a simple theoretical quasispecies model that the replication dynamics of hepatitis C virus and a related model–system, the bovine viral diarrhoea virus, result in an effective reduction of RNA templates in infected cells. Viral fitness does not translate directly into RNA sequence replication efficiency, and hence the abundance of the viral master sequences diminishes over time. Our results suggest that genes not involved in RNA replication accumulate mutations over time because they do not undergo selection during this phase. The selection of viral RNA occurs not only during replication but also during the ensuing stages of the viral life cycle: (i) envelopment of viral RNA and (ii) successful infection of other cells, which also requires functionality of non–replicative genes. In particular, viral fitness requires the ability of the genome to encode structural proteins which do not encounter selective pressure during RNA replication. We conclude by discussing the potential value of antiviral drugs which inhibit selection on parts of the viral genome.
Is a stable disease according to RECIST criteria a real stable disease in GIST patients treated with imatinib mesylate (IM) included in the intergroup EORTC/ISG/AGITG trial?

9510 Background: From 2/2001 to 2/2002, 946 patients (pts) with advanced GIST were randomized to IM at two dose levels within a controlled EORTC/ISG/AGITG trial. This analysis investigates whether achievement of an objective response, according to the RECIST criteria, has any predictive value for time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS). METHODS According to the protocol, the 3 first disease measurements were foreseen at 2, 4, and 6 months (m). Results of those measurements were classified in 6 categories: PR (>30% reduction of the tumor load), MR (10-30% reduction), NC- (0-10% reduction), NC+ (0-20% increase), PD (> 20% increase or new lesions), and subjective PD (clinical PD, no measurements). Pts included the analyses were those still followed at the measurement point, who had not previously progressed. RESULTS A total of 906 pts had measurable disease at entry; from those, 852 were evaluable at 2 m, 681 at 4 m and 642 at 6 m. At all measurement time points, PR and MR resulted in similar TTP and OS; this was also true for NC- and NC+, and for PD and subjective PD. As an example, for the evaluation at 4 m, the median TTP was respectively 2.50, 2.55, 1.86, 1.65, 0.31 and 0.30 years in the 6 groups of pts, while the 3 years OS estimate were 71%, 72%, 57%, 56%, 32% and 0%. Pts were subsequently classified as responders (more than 10% reduction of the tumor load), no change (less than 10% reduction and less than 20% increase) and PD (> 20% increase, new lesions or clinical PD). This new response category is highly predictive of further progression or survival, for the 2 first measurements points, and in both therapeutic arms, but pts stable at 6 m had the same survival as responders at 6 m. In addition, RECIST response documented at 2, 4 and 6 m resulted in similar TTP and OS. CONCLUSIONS The RECIST criteria are only optimal for identifying IM-resistant GISTs (PD > 20%) and not adequate for the evaluation of IM efficacy. All pts exhibiting at least a 10% reduction (until complete response) of the tumor load have to be considered as responders to IM (IM-sensitive GISTs). A real stabilisation of the disease consisting in a less than 10% tumor reduction and a less than 20% tumor increase identifies pts who have an intermediate sensitivity to IM. [Table: see text].
Derivative Free Training of Recurrent Neural Networks - A Comparison of Algorithms and Architectures

The problem of recurrent neural network training is considered here as an approximate joint Bayesian estimation of the neuron outputs and unknown synaptic weights. We have implemented recursive estimators using nonlinear derivative free approximation of neural network dynamics. The computational efficiency and performances of proposed algorithms as training algorithms for different recurrent neural network architectures are compared on the problem of long term, chaotic time series prediction.
Landslide detection and monitoring with insar technique over upper reaches of jinsha river, china

Three InSAR products and DEM data are involved to detect the potential landslides over Wudongde Hydropower Station Section, Jinsha River. More than ten known and unknown landslides are successfully detected. Meanwhile, Small Baseline Subsets (SBAS) InSAR technique is applied to calculate the time-series deformation of the Jinpingzi landslide. Then, in-situ georobot measurements are used for point-wise comparison. The precision in slide direction is 1.8 cm by comparing with in-situ georobot measurements. At last, the Erpingcun landslide is taken as an example to calculate the vertical and horizontal deformation components by fusing the ascending and descending line-of-sight results.
Towards an Assessment of Alternative Divertor Solutions for DEMO

Reference EPFL-CONF-218576 URL: http://www.ipfn. ist.utl. pt/EPS2015/ URL: https://crpplocal.epfl. ch/pinboard/papers/154801904.pdf Record created on 2016-05-28, modified on 2017-05-12
The accuracy of the anxiety inventory respiratory disease scale for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Anxiety disorders are common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Studies have reported that the prevalence of anxiety symptoms range between 6% and 70% (Willgoss and Yohannes, 2013). There is no a valid disease-specific scale to measure anxiety for patients with COPD. In addition, very little evidence is available in studies that examined the occurrence of anxiety disorders using the psychiatric diagnostic tools even after the short-term follow-up. Our group developed the Anxiety Inventory Respiratory Disease scale (AIR) to assess and measure anxiety for patients with COPD (Willgoss et al., 2013). We explored prospectively the accuracy of the newly developed disease-specific the AIR scale in stable COPD patients using the diagnostic criteria the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) at three months in order to establish the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders.
Plasmid instability in regenerating protoplasts of Staphylococcus aureus is caused by aberrant cell division

Elimination of plasmids from regenerating S. aureus protoplasts occurred when the regeneration medium contained sucrose but not when it contained sodium succinate. This difference was caused by the occurrence of cell division prior to regeneration of the cell wall on sucrose but not on succinate. Coexisting compatible plasmids were cured independently; coexisting incompatible plasmids were cured jointly. These results support the hypothesis that plasmid pools exist as physically sequestered units in protoplasts and that curing is a consequence of the segregation of such units during abnormal division of wall-less organisms.