Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Primary limbal stem cell transplantation in the surgical management of extensive ocular surface squamous neoplasia involving the limbus

Purpose: To determine the role of primary limbal stem cell transplantation (LSCT) in managing extensive ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) with more than 3 quadrants of limbal involvement to prevent manifestations of limbal stem cell deficiency. Methods: A multi-center, comparative, and interventional clinical study of cases and historical controls was done. Patients with a limbal mass suggestive of OSSN involving more than 3 quadrants of limbus (> 9 clock hours) and no local, regional or systemic metastasis, who underwent primary surgical excision with or without adjuvant chemotherapy and had a minimum follow-up of 12 months were included in this study. Two historical controls underwent tumor excision with only amniotic membrane grafting. Three cases underwent tumor excision along with LSCT in the form of conjunctival limbal autograft (CLAG) or simple limbal epithelial transplant (SLET). Results: None of the eyes had any recurrences of OSSN during the follow-up period. Cases with primary LSCT with tumor excision showed better ocular surface stability in the long term. Conclusion: Concomitant LSCT either in the form of CLAG or SLET appears to provide better long-term outcomes and is advocated while excision of extensive OSSN involving the limbus.
Comparison of the Efficacy of Ultra-Mini PCNL, Flexible Ureteroscopy, and Shock Wave Lithotripsy on the Treatment of 1–2 cm Lower Pole Renal Calculi

Objective: To compare the efficacy of new percutaneous technique (“ultra-mini PCNL”, UMP), shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) and flexible ureteroscopy (FURS) on the treatment of 1–2 cm lower pole kidney stones, and to determine the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was based on data collected from the files of patients between March 2015 and March 2017. This study recruited a total of 180 patients with single radio-opaque lower caliceal calculi of 1–2 cm. All patients were randomly divided into 3 groups: group A was treated with UMP, group B was treated with FURS by using holmium laser and group C was treated with SWL by using the electromagnetic lithotripter. The average age, sex, size of the stone, the time of operation, the rate of no stone, the time of hospitalization, the rate of retreatment, the cost and the complications of the 3 groups were compared. The success of the operation was defined as no residual stone or < 0.3 cm on computed tomography at 3 months postoperatively. Results: The stone burdens of the groups were equivalent. The re-treatment rate in group C was significantly higher than that in group A and B (30 vs. 1.6%, 5%). The average operating time in group B (93.35 ± 21.64 min) was statistically significantly longer than that in group A and C (68.58 ± 15.82 min, 46.33 ± 5.81 min). Although the time of hospitalization of group A (5.32 ± 1.20 day) was longer than that of group B (3.22 ± 0.52 day) and C (1.08 ± 0.28 day; p < 0.05). The stone-free rate (SFR) in UMP, FURS, SWL were 98, 92, and 73% respectively; the highest SFR was in the UMP group (p < 0.05). The complication rates were evaluated by using the Clavien grading system, which were determined to be 16.67% in UMP, 6.67% in SWL and 8.33% in FURS. In particular, the complications of GI and GII were more common in group A (p < 0.05). Conclusions: UMP, FURS, and SWL are all safe and effective in the treatment of 1–2 cm lower pole kidney stones. UMP and FURS had a better SFR than SWL, but the time of hospitalization in UMP group was longer and there were more complications in the UMP group. In addition, the operation time of FURS is longer as compared to UMP and SWL, and there is a higher rate of postoperative fever. The invasiveness and cost of SWL were lower than that of UMP and FURS, but the re-treatment rate was higher.
Intravascular Photothermal Strain Imaging for Lipid Detection

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the major threats to humanity, accounting for one-third of the world’s deaths. For patients with high-risk CVD, plaque rupture can lead to critical condition. It is therefore important to determine the stability of the plaque and classify the patient’s risk level. Lipid content is an important determinant of plaque stability. However, conventional intravascular imaging methods have limitations in finding lipids. Therefore, new intravascular imaging techniques for plaque risk assessment are urgently needed. In this study, a novel photothermal strain imaging (pTSI) was applied to an intravascular imaging system for detecting lipids in plaques. As a combination of thermal strain imaging and laser-induced heating, pTSI differentiates lipids from other tissues based on changes in ultrasound (US) velocity with temperature change. We designed an optical pathway to an intravascular ultrasound catheter to deliver 1210-nm laser and US simultaneously. To establish the feasibility of the intravascular pTSI system, we experimented with a tissue-mimicking phantom made of fat and gelatin. Due to the difference in the strain during laser heating, we can clearly distinguish fat and gelatin in the phantom. The result demonstrates that pTSI could be used with conventional intravascular imaging methods to detect the plaque lipid.
Unifying terrain awareness through real-time semantic segmentation

Active research on computer vision accelerates the progress in autonomous driving. Following this trend, we aim to leverage the recently emerged methods for Intelligent Vehicles (IV), and transfer them to develop navigation assistive technologies for the Visually Impaired (VI). This topic grows notoriously challenging as it requires to detect a variety of scenes towards higher level of assistance. Computer vision based techniques with monocular detectors or depth sensors sprung up within years of research. These separate approaches achieved remarkable results with relatively low processing time, and improved the mobility of visually impaired people to a large extent. However, running all detectors jointly increases the latency and burdens the computational resources. In this paper, we put forward to seize pixel-wise semantic segmentation to cover the perception needs of navigational assistance in a unified way. This is critical not only for the terrain awareness regarding traversable areas, sidewalks, stairs and water hazards, but also for the avoidance of short-range obstacles, fast-approaching pedestrians and vehicles. At the heart of our proposal is a combination of efficient residual factorized network (ERFNet), pyramid scene parsing network (PSPNet) and 3D point cloud based segmentation. This approach proves to be with qualified accuracy and speed for real-world applications by a comprehensive set of experiments on a wearable navigation system.
Quantum chemistry reveals thermodynamic principles of redox biochemistry

Thermodynamics dictates the structure and function of metabolism. Redox reactions drive cellular energy and material flow. Hence, accurately quantifying the thermodynamics of redox reactions should reveal design principles that shape cellular metabolism. However, only few redox potentials have been measured, and mostly with inconsistent experimental setups. Here, we develop a quantum chemistry approach to calculate redox potentials of biochemical reactions and demonstrate our method predicts experimentally measured potentials with unparalleled accuracy. We then calculate the potentials of all redox pairs that can be generated from biochemically relevant compounds and highlight fundamental trends in redox biochemistry. We further address the question of why NAD/NADP are used as primary electron carriers, demonstrating how their physiological potential range fits the reactions of central metabolism and minimizes the concentration of reactive carbonyls. The use of quantum chemistry can revolutionize our understanding of biochemical phenomena by enabling fast and accurate calculation of thermodynamic values.
The Antiosteoporosis Effects of Zhuanggu Guanjie Pill In Vitro and In Vivo

We investigated the beneficial effects and underlying mechanisms of Zhuanggu Guanjie (ZGGJ) pill in osteoporosis in vitro and in vivo. Bone marrow macrophages from 4–6-week-old mice were cultured in the presence of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (15 ng/mL) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (30 ng/mL). Osteoclast differentiation was determined by quantification of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity. Gelatin zymography was used to detect the activity of matrix metalloproteinases in osteoclasts. Ovariectomized rats were administered orally with estradiol valerate or ZGGJ for 8 weeks. Blood was collected to measure serum indices. Tibiae were harvested to carry out bone microcomputed tomography scanning, histomorphological analysis, and bone strength determination. ZGGJ inhibited tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity, matrix metalloproteinase 9 expression, and bone resorption in vitro. At doses of 0.55, 1.1, and 2.2 g/kg, ZGGJ exerted significant osteoprotective effects including inhibition of bone turnover markers and improved tibia bone strength in ovariectomized rats. Microcomputed tomographic analysis showed that ZGGJ improved the trabecular architecture with increased connectivity density and trabecular thickness and decreased trabecular spacing. These results revealed that ZGGJ prevents bone loss induced by ovariectomy in rats and that inhibition of bone resorption is involved in the bone-protective effects of ZGGJ.
Pre-Ribosomal RNA Processing in Human Cells: From Mechanisms to Congenital Diseases

Ribosomal RNAs, the most abundant cellular RNA species, have evolved as the structural scaffold and the catalytic center of protein synthesis in every living organism. In eukaryotes, they are produced from a long primary transcript through an intricate sequence of processing steps that include RNA cleavage and folding and nucleotide modification. The mechanisms underlying this process in human cells have long been investigated, but technological advances have accelerated their study in the past decade. In addition, the association of congenital diseases to defects in ribosome synthesis has highlighted the central place of ribosomal RNA maturation in cell physiology regulation and broadened the interest in these mechanisms. Here, we give an overview of the current knowledge of pre-ribosomal RNA processing in human cells in light of recent progress and discuss how dysfunction of this pathway may contribute to the physiopathology of congenital diseases.
Reaching for the stars – rating the quality of systematic reviews with the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) 2

T he number of published systematic reviews and metaanalyses in the urological literature has dramatically increased in recent years [1]. This is good news given their importance in guiding clinical decision-making, guideline development and health policy. However, many of these studies are of low quality, raising concerns about the trustworthiness of their results. As with other research studies, it is therefore important for readers to have a framework for determining the quality of a given systematic review. Therefore, in 2017 BJU International launched a scoring system for systematic reviews that provides readers with a summary assessment as to whether established methodological safeguards against bias for systematic reviews have been met [2]. This is based on the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR), a validated instrument that assesses methodological quality on an 11-point scale (0–11), with higher scores reflecting greater methodological rigor and all criteria being given the same relative weight [3].
Haloperidol and Ziprasidone for Treatment of Delirium in Critical Illness

BACKGROUND There are conflicting data on the effects of antipsychotic medications on delirium in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS In a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial, we assigned patients with acute respiratory failure or shock and hypoactive or hyperactive delirium to receive intravenous boluses of haloperidol (maximum dose, 20 mg daily), ziprasidone (maximum dose, 40 mg daily), or placebo. The volume and dose of a trial drug or placebo was halved or doubled at 12‐hour intervals on the basis of the presence or absence of delirium, as detected with the use of the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU, and of side effects of the intervention. The primary end point was the number of days alive without delirium or coma during the 14‐day intervention period. Secondary end points included 30‐day and 90‐day survival, time to freedom from mechanical ventilation, and time to ICU and hospital discharge. Safety end points included extrapyramidal symptoms and excessive sedation. RESULTS Written informed consent was obtained from 1183 patients or their authorized representatives. Delirium developed in 566 patients (48%), of whom 89% had hypoactive delirium and 11% had hyperactive delirium. Of the 566 patients, 184 were randomly assigned to receive placebo, 192 to receive haloperidol, and 190 to receive ziprasidone. The median duration of exposure to a trial drug or placebo was 4 days (interquartile range, 3 to 7). The median number of days alive without delirium or coma was 8.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.6 to 9.9) in the placebo group, 7.9 (95% CI, 4.4 to 9.6) in the haloperidol group, and 8.7 (95% CI, 5.9 to 10.0) in the ziprasidone group (P=0.26 for overall effect across trial groups). The use of haloperidol or ziprasidone, as compared with placebo, had no significant effect on the primary end point (odds ratios, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.64 to 1.21] and 1.04 [95% CI, 0.73 to 1.48], respectively). There were no significant between‐group differences with respect to the secondary end points or the frequency of extrapyramidal symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The use of haloperidol or ziprasidone, as compared with placebo, in patients with acute respiratory failure or shock and hypoactive or hyperactive delirium in the ICU did not significantly alter the duration of delirium. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the VA Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center; MIND‐USA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01211522.)
A Structureless Approach for Visual Odometry

A local bundle adjustment is an important proce- dure to improve the accuracy of a visual odometry solution. However, it is computationally very expensive as it jointly optimize all the poses of cameras and locations of map points. To reduce the computational complexity of a local bundle adjustment, the state-of-the-art algorithms [1]–[3] were proposed to manipulate the map point variables, using extra matrix operations, from their linearized optimization solutions. Instead of relying on complex matrix manipulations, this paper proposes a novel way of addressing this complexity issue-we represent a map point as a function of two camera poses, and uses the triangulated location of the map point when needed. Our method is more efficient than ones in the full-SLAM formulation in solving the visual odometry problem in that 1) the complexity of our solution is lower than those of the state-of-the-art methods, 2) no extra matrix operations required to eliminate map points, 3) no need guesses on map points' initial locations. Experiemental results, through simulated experiments and experiments with the KITTI dataset, demonstrated that our results are more accurate than those of a full-SLAM approach with lower runtime complexities.
Signs and symptoms, evaluation, and management of genitourinary tract consequences of premature ovarian insufficiency

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) occurs in 1% of women under 40 years old. Hypoestrogenism associated with this condition may result in vaginal atrophy and urine incontinence, called genitourinary syndrome. The symptoms include: vaginal dryness, irritation, dyspareunia, and dysuria. There is relative lack of studies on the occurrence and treatment of genitourinary problems in women with POI. Prevalence rates vary from 17 to 54% depending on cause, duration of oestrogen depletion, and the treatment used. Patients with POI gain lower scores in tests measuring vaginal health or sexual function in comparison to healthy peers. Hormonal treatment in premature ovarian insufficiency is recommended until the natural age of menopause. The vaginal route of oestrogen administration is supposed to be the criterion standard in treating genitourinary symptoms. Androgen supplementation is not routinely recommended.
A mathematical theory of semantic development in deep neural networks

Significance Over the course of development, humans learn myriad facts about items in the world, and naturally group these items into useful categories and structures. This semantic knowledge is essential for diverse behaviors and inferences in adulthood. How is this richly structured semantic knowledge acquired, organized, deployed, and represented by neuronal networks in the brain? We address this question by studying how the nonlinear learning dynamics of deep linear networks acquires information about complex environmental structures. Our results show that this deep learning dynamics can self-organize emergent hidden representations in a manner that recapitulates many empirical phenomena in human semantic development. Such deep networks thus provide a mathematically tractable window into the development of internal neural representations through experience. An extensive body of empirical research has revealed remarkable regularities in the acquisition, organization, deployment, and neural representation of human semantic knowledge, thereby raising a fundamental conceptual question: What are the theoretical principles governing the ability of neural networks to acquire, organize, and deploy abstract knowledge by integrating across many individual experiences? We address this question by mathematically analyzing the nonlinear dynamics of learning in deep linear networks. We find exact solutions to this learning dynamics that yield a conceptual explanation for the prevalence of many disparate phenomena in semantic cognition, including the hierarchical differentiation of concepts through rapid developmental transitions, the ubiquity of semantic illusions between such transitions, the emergence of item typicality and category coherence as factors controlling the speed of semantic processing, changing patterns of inductive projection over development, and the conservation of semantic similarity in neural representations across species. Thus, surprisingly, our simple neural model qualitatively recapitulates many diverse regularities underlying semantic development, while providing analytic insight into how the statistical structure of an environment can interact with nonlinear deep-learning dynamics to give rise to these regularities.
End-to-End Steering Controller with CNN-based Closed-loop Feedback for Autonomous Vehicles

Many significant research achievements in the past few decades have demonstrated that convolutional neural networks (CNNs) could be capable of steering wheel control which is the basic and essential maneuver of autonomous vehicles. We propose an end-to-end steering controller with CNN-based closed-loop feedback for autonomous vehicles that improves driving performance compared to traditional CNN-based approaches. This paper demonstrates that the proposed neural network, DAVE-2SKY, is able to learn to inference steering wheel angles for the lateral control of self-driving vehicles through initial supervised pre-training and subsequent reinforced closed-loop post-training with images from a camera mounted on the vehicle. We used the PreScan simulator and Caffe deep learning framework for training under diversified circumstances in a software in the loop (SIL) simulation environment. We used DRIVE TM PX2 computer to implement a self-driving car for an experimental validation of the proposed end-to-end controller. The performance of the proposed system has been investigated under simulations and on-road tests as well. This work shows that the CNN-based end-to-end controller performs robust steering control even under partially observable road conditions, which indicates the possibility of fully self-driving vehicles controlled by CNN-based end-to-end steering controllers.
Mating in wild yeast: delayed interest in sex after spore germination

Studies of laboratory strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have uncovered signaling pathways involved in mating, including information-processing strategies to optimize decisions to mate or to bud. However, lab strains are heterothallic (unable to self-mate), while wild yeast are homothallic. And while mating of lab strains is studied using cycling haploid cells, mating of wild yeast is thought to involve germinating spores. Thus, it was unclear whether lab strategies would be appropriate in the wild. Here, we have investigated the behavior of several yeast strains derived from wild isolates. Following germination, these strains displayed large differences in their propensity to mate or to enter the cell cycle. The variable interest in sex following germination was correlated with differences in pheromone production, which were due to both cis- and trans-acting factors. Our findings suggest that yeast spores germinating in the wild may often enter the cell cycle and form microcolonies before engaging in mating.
Fuzzy steering assistance control for path following of the steer-by-wire vehicle considering characteristics of human driver

The fuzzy full-order dynamic output-feedback steering assistance control is proposed in this paper to follow large-curvature path for the steer-by-wire (SBW) vehicle. The driver-vehicle-road (DVR) model to follow large-curvature path is built under the assumption that the near and far vision information ofthe road for guidance is considered by the human driver. Five parameters describing the driver’s steering characteristics and behaviors are considered as uncertainties of the DVR models with different drivers. The Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model is applied to handle these uncertainties in designing the dynamic output-feedback parallel distributed compensator (DPDC). The compensator design is then reduced to solving several linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Simulation results show that the proposed controller can provide different human drivers with individual steering assistance in following the large-curvature path, and can reduce the driver’s physical and mental workloads.
Cloning and expression of enterovirus 71 capsid protein 1 in a probiotic Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum

This study investigated cloning and expression of enterovirus 71 viral capsid protein 1 (EV71‐VP1) in Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum (B. pseudocatenulatum) M115. To achieve this, a codon‐optimized gene coding for EV71‐VP1 was analysed, designed, synthesized and cloned into a plasmid vector flanked by a transcriptional promoter and terminator sequences. The promoter was based on that of P919, a constitutive promoter of the gene encoding the large ribosomal protein of B. bifidum BGN4, while the terminator was based on that of the peptidase N gene of Lactococcus lactis. The construct was amplified in Escherichia coli XL1‐blue and then transferred into B. pseudocatenulatum M115 by electrotransformation. Western blot analysis revealed that the EV71‐VP1 was intracellularly expressed in B. pseudocatenulatum M115 under the control of the selected heterologous promoter. In addition, plasmid stability analysis showed the construct was maintained stably for more than 160 generations, enough for most future applications. The results derived from this study open the possibility to utilize the bacterium carrying a specific expression plasmid as cell factory for the production of proteins with high commercial and health‐promoting value.