Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new apparatus and method for measuring the myocardial electrical impedance spectrum

Myocardial electrical impedance (MI) is correlated to the vitality of the tissue. The authors describe a new apparatus and method for measuring MI in a clinically applicable way. The apparatus is embedded-controller-based and connects to the heart via two cardiac pacing leads. Impedance spectra are obtained from fast Fourier transform analysis of a current impressed on the myocardium and the resultant voltage drop. New spectra are determined automatically in real-time succession. The impedance measurement is unaffected by electrode polarization. This apparatus has its greatest potential use in determining the need for and type of resuscitation following coronary artery graft surgery intraoperatively and monitoring the viability of cardiac transplant surgery postoperatively. <<ETX>>
Effect of diet on vascular health

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the Western world in older people. Diet and lifestyle change can reduce CVD risk in older people, and this evidence base is reviewed. For example, diets low in trans fats can reduce CVD risk, while for saturated fats the CVD-lowering effect depends on what is substituted for the saturated fat. Diets rich in fish reduce CVD risk, although n-3 supplements have not been shown to have a consistent effect on CVD end-points. Antioxidant and B-group vitamin supplementation are unlikely to reduce CVD risk, but diets rich in these micronutrients (e.g. rich in fruits and vegetables and the Mediterranean diet) are associated with lower CVD risk, while, for the Mediterranean diet, this has been supported by randomized controlled trials. Maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active reduce CVD risk factors and CVD incidence and mortality.
Modeling Retail Transaction Data for Personalized Shopping Recommendation

Retail transaction data conveys rich preference information on brands and goods from customers. How to mine the transaction data to provide personalized recommendation to customers becomes a critical task for retailers. Previous recommendation methods either focus on the user-product matrix and ignore the transactions, or only use the partial information of transactions, leading to inferior performance in recommendation. Inspired by association rule mining, we introduce association pattern as a basic unit to capture the correlation between products from both intra- and intertransactions. A Probabilistic model over the Association Patterns (PAP for short) is then employed to learn the potential shopping interests and also to provide personalized recommendations. Experimental results on two real world retail data sets show that our proposed method can outperform the state-of-the-art recommendation methods.
Structural and functional insights into the fly microRNA biogenesis factor Loquacious

In the microRNA (miRNA) pathway, Dicer processes precursors to mature miRNAs. For efficient processing, double-stranded RNA-binding proteins support Dicer proteins. In flies, Loquacious (Loqs) interacts with Dicer1 (dmDcr1) to facilitate miRNA processing. Here, we have solved the structure of the third double-stranded RNA-binding domain (dsRBD) of Loqs and define specific structural elements that interact with dmDcr1. In addition, we show that the linker preceding dsRBD3 contributes significantly to dmDcr1 binding. Furthermore, our structural work demonstrates that the third dsRBD of Loqs forms homodimers. Mutations in the dimerization interface abrogate dmDcr1 interaction. Loqs, however, binds to dmDcr1 as a monomer using the identified dimerization surface, which suggests that Loqs might form dimers under conditions where dmDcr1 is absent or not accessible. Since critical sequence elements are conserved, we suggest that dimerization might be a general feature of dsRBD proteins in gene silencing.
An RNA matchmaker protein regulates the activity of the long noncoding RNA HOTAIR

The human long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HOTAIR acts in trans to recruit the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) to the HOXD gene cluster and to promote gene silencing during development. In breast cancers, overexpression of HOTAIR increases metastatic potential via the repression of many additional genes. It has remained unclear what factors determine HOTAIR-dependent PRC2 activity at specific genomic loci, particularly when high levels of HOTAIR result in aberrant gene silencing. To identify additional proteins that contribute to the specific action of HOTAIR, we performed a quantitative proteomic analysis of the HOTAIR interactome. We found that the most specific interaction was between HOTAIR and the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) A2/B1, a member of a family of proteins involved in nascent mRNA processing and RNA matchmaking. Our data suggest that A2/B1 are key contributors to HOTAIR-mediated chromatin regulation in breast cancer cells: A2/B1 knockdown reduces HOTAIR-dependent breast cancer cell invasion and decreases PRC2 activity at the majority of HOTAIR-dependent loci. We found that the B1 isoform, which differs from A2 by 12 additional amino acids, binds with highest specificity to HOTAIR. B1 also binds chromatin and associates preferentially with RNA transcripts of HOTAIR gene targets. We furthermore demonstrate a direct RNA–RNA interaction between HOTAIR and a target transcript that is enhanced by B1 binding. Together, these results suggest a model in which B1 matches HOTAIR with transcripts of target genes on chromatin, leading to repression by PRC2.
Scalability, fidelity and stealth in the DRAKVUF dynamic malware analysis system

Malware is one of the biggest security threats on the Internet today and deploying effective defensive solutions requires the rapid analysis of a continuously increasing number of malware samples. With the proliferation of metamorphic malware the analysis is further complicated as the efficacy of signature-based static analysis systems is greatly reduced. While dynamic malware analysis is an effective alternative, the approach faces significant challenges as the ever increasing number of samples requiring analysis places a burden on hardware resources. At the same time modern malware can both detect the monitoring environment and hide in unmonitored corners of the system. In this paper we present DRAKVUF, a novel dynamic malware analysis system designed to address these challenges by building on the latest hardware virtualization extensions and the Xen hypervisor. We present a technique for improving stealth by initiating the execution of malware samples without leaving any trace in the analysis machine. We also present novel techniques to eliminate blind-spots created by kernel-mode rootkits by extending the scope of monitoring to include kernel internal functions, and to monitor file-system accesses through the kernel's heap allocations. With extensive tests performed on recent malware samples we show that DRAKVUF achieves significant improvements in conserving hardware resources while providing a stealthy, in-depth view into the behavior of modern malware.
Changes in Land Use System and Environmental Factors Affect Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Density and Diversity, and Enzyme Activities in Rhizospheric Soils of Acacia senegal (L.) Willd.

The responses of the soil microbial community features associated to the legume tree Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. including both arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) diversity and soil bacterial functions, were investigated under contrasting environmental conditions. Soil samples were collected during dry and rainy seasons in two contrasting rainfall sites of Senegal (Dahra and Goudiry, in arid and semiarid zone, resp.). Soils were taken from the rhizosphere of A. senegal both in plantation and natural stands in comparison to bulk soil. A multiple analysis revealed positive correlations between soil physicochemical properties, mycorrhizal potential and enzyme activities variables. The positive effects of A. senegal trees on soil mycorrhizal potential and enzyme activities indicates that in sahelian regions, AMF spore density and diversity as well as soil microbial functions can be influenced by land-use systems (plantation versus natural population of A. senegal) and environmental conditions such as moisture and soil nutrient contents. Our study underlines the importance of prior natural AMF screening for better combinations of A. senegal seedlings with AMF species to achieve optimum plant growth improvement, and for restoration and reforestation of degraded lands.
An Incomplete Cold‐Reactive γG Antibody with i Specificity in Infectious Mononucleosis 1

Summary. A new cold reactive antibody directed against fetal (i) cells is described in 90% of patients with infectious mononucleosis. It appears to be the 7S counterpart of the previously described 19S anti‐i antibody. The 7S anti‐i antibody interacts with a 19S anti γ globulin and the combination is responsible for the majority of the cold agglutinin phenomena previously shown in this disorder. The highest titers were detected in patients with severe hemolytic anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia or combinations thereof.
The RNA modification landscape in human disease

RNA modifications have been historically considered as fine-tuning chemo-structural features of infrastructural RNAs, such as rRNAs, tRNAs, and snoRNAs. This view has changed dramatically in recent years, to a large extent as a result of systematic efforts to map and quantify various RNA modifications in a transcriptome-wide manner, revealing that RNA modifications are reversible, dynamically regulated, far more widespread than originally thought, and involved in major biological processes, including cell differentiation, sex determination, and stress responses. Here we summarize the state of knowledge and provide a catalog of RNA modifications and their links to neurological disorders, cancers, and other diseases. With the advent of direct RNA-sequencing technologies, we expect that this catalog will help prioritize those RNA modifications for transcriptome-wide maps.
EIF2B2 mutations in vanishing white matter disease hypersuppress translation and delay recovery during the integrated stress response

Mutations in eIF2B genes cause vanishing white matter disease (VWMD), a fatal leukodystrophy that can manifest following physical trauma or illness, conditions that activate the integrated stress response (ISR). EIF2B is the guanine exchange factor for eIF2, facilitating ternary complex formation and translation initiation. During the ISR, eIF2α is phosphorylated and inhibits eIF2B, causing global translation suppression and stress-induced gene translation, allowing stress adaptation and recovery. We demonstrate that VWMD patient cells hypersuppress translation during the ISR caused by acute ER stress, delaying stress-induced gene expression and interrupting a negative feedback loop that allows translational recovery by GADD34-mediated dephosphorylation of phospho-eIF2α. Thus, cells from VWMD patients undergo a prolonged state of translational hyperrepression and fail to recover from stress. We demonstrate that small molecules targeting eIF2B or the eIF2α kinase PERK rescue translation defects in patient cells. Therefore, defects in the ISR could contribute to white matter loss in VWMD.
Queuosine modification protects cognate tRNAs against ribonuclease cleavage

Eukaryotic transfer RNAs (tRNA) contain on average 13 modifications that perform a wide range of roles in translation and in the generation of tRNA fragments that regulate gene expression. Queuosine (Q) modification occurs in the wobble anticodon position of tRNAs for amino acids His, Asn, Tyr, and Asp. In eukaryotes, Q modification is fully dependent on diet or on gut microbiome in multicellular organisms. Despite decades of study, cellular roles of Q modification remain to be fully elucidated. Here we show that in human cells, Q modification specifically protects its cognate tRNAHis and tRNAAsn against cleavage by ribonucleases. We generated cell lines that contain completely depleted or fully Q-modified tRNAs. Using these resources, we found that Q modification significantly reduces angiogenin cleavage of its cognate tRNAs in vitro. Q modification does not change the cellular abundance of the cognate full-length tRNAs, but alters the cellular content of their fragments in vivo in the absence and presence of stress. Our results provide a new biological aspect of Q modification and a mechanism of how Q modification alters small RNA pools in human cells.
A neurobehavioural framework for autonomous animation of virtual human faces

We describe a neurobehavioural modeling and visual computing framework for the integration of realistic interactive computer graphics with neural systems modelling, allowing real-time autonomous facial animation and interactive visualization of the underlying neural network models. The system has been designed to integrate and interconnect a wide range of computational neuroscience models to construct embodied interactive psychobiological models of behaviour. An example application of the framework combines models of the facial motor system, physiologically based emotional systems, and basic neural systems involved in early interactive behaviour and learning and embodies them in a virtual infant rendered with realistic computer graphics. The model reacts in real time to visual and auditory input and its own evolving internal processes as a dynamic system. The live state of the model which generates the resulting facial behaviour can be visualized through graphs and schematics or by exploring the activity mapped to the underlying neuroanatomy.
Brachytherapy - Past, Present And Future

Discovery of radioactivity by Henry Becquerel and radium by Madame and Pierre Curie was probably the greatest event of 19th century in the field of medical science. Radium was used for brachytherapy as early as 1901. Today almost every organ is amenable to brachytherapy procedure. High dose rate remote afterloading systems have increased the patients comfort and complete radiation protection to the staff during treatment. Computers have not only improved the precision of treatment but also made 3 D conformal brachytherapy possible. As the goal of cancer management is changing from just life preservation to organ and function preservation without compromising cure rate, the role of brachytherapy is becoming more and more prominent. Intensive efforts will be needed meet with the future challenges.
The Feasibility of a Randomized Trial Using a Progressive Exercise Program in Patients with Severe Hip Osteoarthritis

Objectives: To examine the feasibility of a home strengthening program in severe hip osteoarthritis [OA] patients. Methods: We randomized patients to progressive resistance exercise or control and measured the Western Ontario and MacMaster Osteoarthritis Index [WOMAC], timed 50-foot walk, and timed stair climb. Results: Several strength tests were too painful in the first few patients and, therefore, were not considered feasible and dropped. Although not statistically significant in the 15 subjects completing the pilot study, there was less deterioration in the strengthening group for WOMAC function subscale and stair climb test. Conclusions: A strength program is feasible in patients with severe hip osteoarthritis, but patients may be unable to perform some common strength exercises. Future studies may show that home resistance exercise programs improve function in these patients and should identify specific effective exercises that sedentary subjects can easily learn.
Benchmark data for evaluating visualization and analysis techniques for eye tracking for video stimuli

For the analysis of eye movement data, an increasing number of analysis methods have emerged to examine and analyze different aspects of the data. In particular, due to the complex spatio-temporal nature of gaze data for dynamic stimuli, there has been a need and recent trend toward the development of visualization and visual analytics techniques for such data. With this paper, we provide benchmark data to test visualization and visual analytics methods, but also other analysis techniques for gaze processing. In particular, for eye tracking data from video stimuli, existing datasets often provide few information about recorded eye movement patterns and, therefore, are not comprehensive enough to allow for a faithful assessment of the analysis methods. Our benchmark data consists of three ingredients: the dynamic stimuli in the form of video, the eye tracking data, and annotated areas of interest. We designed the video stimuli and the tasks for the participants of the eye tracking experiments in a way to trigger typical viewing patterns, including attentional synchrony, smooth pursuit, and switching of the focus of attention. In total, we created 11 videos with eye tracking data acquired from 25 participants.
Annotating RGBD images of indoor scenes

Annotating RGBD images with high quality semantic annotations plays a crucial key to the advanced scene understanding and image manipulation. While the popularity of affordable RGBD sensors has eased the process to acquire RGBD images, annotating them, automatically or manually, is still a challenging task. State-of-the-art annotation tools focus only on 2D operations and provide at most image segmentation and object labels even with the presence of depth data. In this work, we present an interactive system to exploit both color and depth cues and facilitate annotating RGBD images with image and scene level segmentation, object labels and 3D geometry and structures. With our system, the users only have to provide few scribbles to identify object instances and specify the label and support relationships of objects, while the system performs those tedious tasks of segmenting image and estimating the 3D cuboids. We test the system on a subset of benchmark RGBD dataset and demonstrate that our system provides a convenient way to generate a baseline dataset with rich semantic annotations.
A multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes health care team: perspectives on adolescent care

This paper focuses on a qualitative study of the experiences of a multidisciplinary health care team caring for adolescents with type 1 diabetes in a hospital in the North West of England. It builds upon previous research which has explored the lived experiences of young people and their parents/guardians with the aim of better understanding blood glucose control in this age group. Findings emphasise lack of human resources, the importance of effective team working, and the need for meaningful education which acknowledges adolescents' unique and complex social worlds. Given these findings we are now developing a computer-based ‘Adolescent Diabetes Needs Assessment Tool’ (ADNAT study), with a view to individualising self-directed education and support. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons.
ProbKnot: fast prediction of RNA secondary structure including pseudoknots.

It is a significant challenge to predict RNA secondary structures including pseudoknots. Here, a new algorithm capable of predicting pseudoknots of any topology, ProbKnot, is reported. ProbKnot assembles maximum expected accuracy structures from computed base-pairing probabilities in O(N(2)) time, where N is the length of the sequence. The performance of ProbKnot was measured by comparing predicted structures with known structures for a large database of RNA sequences with fewer than 700 nucleotides. The percentage of known pairs correctly predicted was 69.3%. Additionally, the percentage of predicted pairs in the known structure was 61.3%. This performance is the highest of four tested algorithms that are capable of pseudoknot prediction. The program is available for download at: http://rna.urmc. rochester.edu/RNAstructure.html.
Language Migration in non-CS Introductory Programming through Mutual Language Translation Environment

In the past decade, improvements have been made to the environments used for introductory programming education, including by the introduction of visual programming languages such as Squeak and Scratch. However, migration from these languages to text-based programming languages such as C and Java is still a problem. Hence, using the OpenBlocks framework proposed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, we developed a system named BlockEditor, which can translate bidirectionally between Block (the block language used here) and Java. We conducted an empirical study of this system in an introductory programming course taken by approximately 100 university students not majoring in computer science. When students were given opportunities to select the language to solve their programming assignments, we traced their selection by tracking working time with BlockEditor or Java for each individual student. The results illustrate the nature of the seamless migration from Block to Java, and show that there is great diversity in the timing and speed of migration to Java by each individual. Additionally, we found that students with low self-evaluation of their skill chose to use Block at a significantly higher rate than did students with high self-evaluation. This suggests that BlockEditor can act as scaffolding for students by promoting mixed programming between Block and Java in their migration phase.
SSH Compromise Detection using NetFlow/IPFIX

Flow-based approaches for SSH intrusion detection have been developed to overcome the scalability issues of host-based alternatives. Although the detection of many SSH attacks in a flow-based fashion is fairly straightforward, no insight is typically provided in whether an attack was successful. We address this shortcoming by presenting a detection algorithm for the flow-based detection of compromises, i.e., hosts that have been compromised during an attack. Our algorithm has been implemented as part of our open-source IDS SSHCure and validated using almost 100 servers, workstations and honeypots, featuring an accuracy close to 100%.
The biological basis of headache

This article covers the remarkable recent decades as clinicians and scientists have grappled with understanding headache. It is a challenge to understand how a ‘normal’ brain can become dysfunctional, incapacitating an individual, and then become ‘normal’ again. Does the answer lie in the anatomy, electrical pathways, the chemistry or a combination? How do the pieces fit together? The components are analyzed in this article. Animal models have provided potential answers. However, these processes have never been proven in man. The dynamic imaging of pain and headache is rapidly evolving and providing new insights and directions of research.
Developing multimedia applications with the WinWin spiral model

Fifteen teams recently used the WinWin Spiral Model to perform the system engineering and architecting of a set of multimedia applications for the USC Library Information Systems. Six of the applications were then developed into an Initial Operational Capability. The teams consisted of USC graduate students in computer science. The applications involved extensions of USC's UNIX-based, text-oriented, client-server Library Information System to provide access to various multimedia archives (films, videos, photos, maps, manuscripts, etc.).
Outcomes of adoption from public care: research and practice issues

The article covers the state of play of adoption from local authority care in the UK and research into the factors influencing placement outcomes. The major contentious issues about placement are discussed in relation to competing opinions and available evidence. Ways of intervening in adoptive families in difficulty are considered, together with current efforts to establish what makes for effective support services. This article recommends comprehensive assessments of the children to be placed and carefully targeted adoption-aware psychosocial interventions.