Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How taxel-based displaying devices can help visually impaired people to navigate safely

This paper reports on the studies we are conducting to help visually impaired people in the challenging task of safely navigating in a partially or totally unknown environemnt. We present here some results showing how a single taxel-based display can participate to acquire geometrical information of the environment dealing with low level navigation. Specifically, we designed a mouse-shaped device, which allows users to navigate in a virtual environment mirroring real sites. In the design, we first quantify users tactile intrinsic sensitivity in terms of the well known JND (just noticeable difference). We then move to qualify the device in a simple height classification task. This allows to see how users utilize our device for the simplest low level navigation task, i.e. determining if a straight pathway is free of obstacles or not. In a third experiment, we test a combination of memorization and localization processes, namely objects recognition and reconstruction tasks. This help us to verify or/and establish hypotheses on how users construct a model of their surroundings while navigating. Finally we test a complex task including objects recognition and obstacles avoidance within a realistic environment.
Networks of autobiographical memories

A standard example is priming, whereby a previous experience (e.g., seeing the picture of an apple) makes further performance easier or quicker (e.g., completing the word "P L E"). Although priming is easy to produce, its explanation is far from simple but it is also crucial, as the phenomenon gives us access to the way memory works. Priming reveals what kinds of mental representations and processes are activated, such that they could transfer to the further test (Roediger, Weldon, & Challis, 1989; Schacter, this volume) and therefore how memories are constructed on the hoof, as it were. In the course of investigating specificity in memory, Schacter and his colleagues also take us back to the domain of self-representation as the richest and most specific information domain accessible to memory.
Power Doppler sonography in the diagnosis of hemophilic synovitis – a promising tool

Summary. Background: Recurrent hemarthroses in hemophilia results in synovitis and joint arthropathy. Primary prophylaxis when universally instituted at current doses can prevent joint deterioration but is expensive. Alternatively, the selective implementation of prophylaxis would require a more sensitive tool for detecting synovitis than possible with clinical surveillance or plain radiographs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is such a tool and is utilized for the evaluation of hemophilic joint disease (HJD). However, it is expensive, and requires sedation in younger children precluding its utility for monitoring of synovitis. Ultrasonography (USG) with power Doppler (USG‐PDS) has been utilized to detect and quantitate synovial vascularity in other arthritides and could provide an equally effective but less costly tool for HJD, particularly in children who would not require sedation. Objectives: To determine whether USG‐PDS is comparable to MRI in the evaluation of hemophilic synovitis. Patients: A prospective cohort of 31 subjects including 33 joints (knees, elbows, ankles) underwent dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE)‐MRI and USG‐PDS. Results: USG‐PDS measurements of synovial thickness(r = 0.70, P < 0.0001) and synovial vascularity (r = 0.73, P < 0.0001) correlated strongly with those obtained with DCE‐MRI. A cutoff of PDS intensity of 1.3 decibels (dB) per mm2 was found to yield a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 94.1% in 17 joints with/without a history of hemarthroses. Pettersson radiographic scores correlated significantly with synovial thickness in adults but not children. Conclusions: Our data suggest that USG‐PDS may be an inexpensive and easily implemented imaging tool for detecting hemophilic synovitis and could be useful in tailoring effective prophylaxis.
Oncogenic Functions of Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 2 in Human Renal Cancer

The secreted Frizzled-related proteins (sFRP) are modulators of the Wnt signaling pathway, which is involved in embryonic development and tumor progression. The functions of sFRP2 have not been studied in renal cancer. Transient transfection of sFRP2 promoted cell growth in renal carcinoma cells, whereby the largest effect was observed in A498 cells. To further study the functions of sFRP2 gene in renal carcinoma cells, we established A498 renal cancer cell lines, which stably expressed sFRP2. Stably expressed sFRP2 significantly promoted cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo tumor growth. The stably expressed sFRP2 cells were also found to have reduced UV-induced apoptosis and increased G2 phase of the cell cycle. The phosphorylation level at Ser33/37/Thr41 of β-catenin was lower in the stable sFRP2 cell lines compared with the control cell line. sFRP2 significantly activated T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor transcriptional activity. In the stable sFRP2 cell line, expression of c-Fos, Bcl2, Bcl-w, cyclin B2, and cyclin E2 genes was significantly increased and p53 expression was decreased. This is the first report documenting that sFRP2 activates the canonical Wnt pathway and promotes cell growth by evoking diverse signaling cascades in renal cancer cells. This study may provide better strategies for the management of renal cancer through regulation of sFRP2 pathways. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(6); 1680–7. ©2010 AACR.
Current Research and Potential Applications of the Concealed Information Test: An Overview

Research interest in psychophysiological detection of deception has significantly increased since the September 11 terror attack in the USA. In particular, the concealed information test (CIT), designed to detect memory traces that can connect suspects to a certain crime, has been extensively studied. In this paper I will briefly review several psychophysiological detection paradigms that have been studied, with a focus on the CIT. The theoretical background of the CIT, its strength and weaknesses, its potential applications as well as research finings related to its validity (based on a recent meta-analytic study), will be discussed. Several novel research directions, with a focus on factors that may affect CIT detection in realistic settings (e.g., memory for crime details; the effect of emotional stress during crime execution) will be described. Additionally, research focusing on mal-intentions and attempts to detect terror networks using information gathered from groups of suspects using both the standard CIT and the searching CIT will be reviewed. Finally, implications of current research to the actual application of the CIT will be discussed and several recommendations that can enhance the use of the CIT will be made.
Aquagenic pruritus responding to intermittent photochemotherapy

Aquagenic pruritus is a rare but distinct entity in which intense itching develops after contact with water, in the absence of cutaneous signs or underlying disorders that could explain the symptoms. The aetiology is currently unknown, and treatment difficult, with a poor response to antihistamines. Psoralen‐ultra violet A (PUVA) photochemotherapy can be effective, but frequent maintenance therapy may be required to prevent relapse of symptoms. We present a patient with typical aquagenic pruritus who responded well to PUVA, and who has remained well controlled on infrequent maintenance.
ICOS Deficiency Is Associated with a Severe Reduction of CXCR5+CD4 Germinal Center Th Cells1

ICOS is expressed on activated T cells and particularly on CXCR5+ follicular Th cells in germinal centers (GC). Its deletion leads to a profound deficiency in memory B cell formation and switched Ab response in humans. Here, we show that in ICOS-deficient patients the generation of GCs is severely disturbed, and the numbers of circulating CXCR5+CD45RO+ memory CD4 T cells are significantly reduced, indicating an essential role of ICOS in the differentiation of CXCR5+CD4 T cells. The GC-specific CD57+CXCR5+ subpopulation is virtually absent. In ICOS−/− mice, the decrease of circulating CXCR5+CD4 T cells reflects the reduction of CXCR5+ follicular Th cells in lymph nodes and spleen. Therefore, in concurrence with the absence of CXCR5+ T cells in the blood of CD40L-deficient patients, these data support the hypothesis that circulating CD57+CXCR5+ T cells are GC derived and thus may serve as a surrogate marker for the presence of functional GCs in humans.
A Survey Of Mood-Based Music Classification

Mood based music classification is an important application area in MIR. The purpose is to classify songs into different emotional groups like happy, sad, and angry. Despite its importance, it is rather difficult to evaluate the performance of mood classification algorithms. Acquiring emotional or mood information from music data is an important topic of music retrieval area. We have described the difference in the features and the types of classifiers used for different mood based classification systems.
Cell body and flagellar agglutinins in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: the cell body plasma membrane is a reservoir for agglutinins whose migration to the flagella is regulated by a functional barrier

Fertilization in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is initiated when gametes of opposite mating types adhere to each other via adhesion molecules (agglutinins) on their flagella. Adhesion leads to loss of active agglutinins from the flagella and recruitment of new agglutinins from a pool associated with the cell body. We have been interested in determining the precise cellular location of the pool and learning more about the relationship between agglutinins in the two domains. In the studies reported here we describe methods for purification of mt+ cell body agglutinins by use of ammonium sulfate precipitation, chromatography (molecular sieve, ion exchange, and hydrophobic interaction), and sucrose gradient centrifugation. About 90% of the total agglutinins were associated with the cell body and the remainder were on the flagella. Cell body agglutinins were indistinguishable from mt+ flagellar agglutinins by SDS-PAGE, elution properties on a hydrophobic interaction column, and in sedimentation properties on sucrose gradients. The nonadhesiveness of cell bodies suggested that the cell body agglutinins would be intracellular, but our results are not consistent with this interpretation. We have demonstrated that brief trypsin treatment of deflagellated gametes destroyed all of the cell body agglutinins and, in addition, we showed that the cell body agglutinins were accessible to surface iodination. These results indicated that C. reinhardtii agglutinins have a novel cellular disposition: active agglutinins, representing approximately 10% of the total cellular agglutinins, are found only on the flagella, whereas the remaining 90% of these molecules are on the external surface of the cell body plasma membrane in a nonfunctional form. This segregation of cell adhesion molecules into distinct membrane domains before gametic interactions has been demonstrated in sperm of multicellular organisms and may be a common mechanism for sequestering these critical molecules until gametes are activated for fusion. In experiments in which surface- iodinated cell bodies were permitted to regenerate new flagella, we found that the agglutinins (as well as the 350,000 Mr, major flagellar membrane protein) on the newly regenerated flagella were iodinated. These results indicate that proteins destined for the flagella can reside on the external surface of the cell body plasma membrane and are recruited onto newly forming flagella as well as onto preexisting flagella during fertilization.
Thin domain wide electrode (TDWE) phantoms for Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT)

Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is a nonlinear ill posed inverse problem which is very prone to modeling errors. 2D-EIT reconstructs the spatial distribution of the object impedance profile comparing the measurements of boundary voltage data collected from a 3D object with the calculated data generated from an absolute 2D domain in computer. As the 2D-EIT assumes current conduction in two dimensional plane of EIT electrode array, the 2D EIT systems working with a practical 3D phantom produce some error and hence the forward modeling should be modified accordingly. On the other hand, the 3D error can be reduced by using long electrodes but in long electrode system, the electrode to electrode gap (EEGR) ratio required to be maintained to attain a good sensitivity is found difficult. In this direction the thin domain wide electrode (TDWE) phantoms are proposed for electrical impedance tomography (EIT) to reduce the 3D error by maintaining the required EEGR. A LabVIEW based multifrequency EIT instrumentation has been developed and a number of TDWE phantoms with different inhomogeneity configurations have been studied. Absolute impedance images reconstructed in EIDORS, demonstrate that developed TDWE phantom improves image quality by reducing the 3D error.
Delay-dependent non-fragile L2 — L∞ control for continuous-time systems with state delays

This paper addresses the memory delay-dependent non-fragile L2 - L∞ control for continuous-time systems with state delays. The additive controller gain variations are considered, where a more general type of controller gain variations is introduced with less conservativeness. The objective is to derive tractable synthesis conditions for the non-fragile design of controllers such that a prescribed energy-to-peak disturbance-attenuation level is attained for all admissible controller gain variations. The design results are developed for delay-dependent case via linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique. It is worth pointing out that the information about the upper bound of delay derivative is taken into consideration even if this upper bound is not smaller than 1. Finally, we illustrate the proposed method with a numerical example.
Red Blood Cell Distribution Width Is Associated with Severity of Leukoaraiosis

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is one of the routine hematologic parameters reported in the complete blood count test, which has been recognized as strong prognostic marker for various medical conditions, especially cardiovascular disease. We evaluated that RDW was also associated with the leukoaraiosis; common radiological finding of brain and that has been strongly associated with risk of stroke and dementia. In the present study, we included 1006 non-stroke individuals who underwent brain MRI and routine complete blood count test including RDW. Fazekas scale was used to measure the severity of leukoaraiosis based on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery image, and the severity was dichotomized to mild-degree (Fazekas scale: 0–1) and severe-degree leukoaraiosis (Fazekas scale: 2–3). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to evaluate independent risk factor for severe-degree of leukoaraiosis. Mean age of 1006 subjects was 64.34 ± 9.11 year, and mean of RDW was 12.97 ± 0.86%. The severe-degree of leukoaraiosis (Fazekas scale ≥ 2) was found in 28.83%. In the multivariate logistic regression, 4th quartile of RDW (> 13.3%) were significantly associated with the presence of severe-degree of leukoaraiosis (adjusted odds ratio, 1.87; 95% confidence interval, 1.20–2.92) compared to the 1st quartile of RDW (< 12.5%). The significance was not changed after adjustments for hemoglobin and other hematologic indices. These findings suggest that RDW is independently associated with severity of leukoaraiosis.
Control of Parallel Robots: Towards Very High Accelerations

This paper deals with control of parallel manipulators for very high acceleration tasks including two case studies. The first one is the case of non-redundant parallel manipulators, where we are interested in control of PAR2 robot for 2D pick-andplace trajectories following. The proposed control scheme in this case is a nonlinear dual mode adaptive controller complied with a high gain state observer for the estimation of joint velocities. The second case study concerns redundantly actuated parallel manipulators, where we are interested in control of R4 robot for tracking of 3D pick-and-place trajectories. The proposed solution in this case is a dual-space adpative controller. The proposed controllers have been implemented in real-time on the two prototypes, and their effectiveness has been demonstrated through the obtained experimental results.
Stroke Survivors' Gait Adaptations to a Powered Ankle–Foot Orthosis

Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in the US, and for many it causes loss of gait function. The purpose of this research is to examine stroke survivors' gait adaptations to training on the powered ankle–foot orthosis (PAFO). Of particular interest is the stroke survivors' ability to learn how to store and release energy properly while using the device. The PAFO utilizes robotic tendon technology and supports motion with a single degree of freedom — ankle rotation in the sagittal plane. This actuator comprises a motor and series spring. The user interacts with the output side of the spring while the robot controls the input side of the spring such that typical able-body ankle moments would be generated, assuming able-body ankle kinematics are seen at the output side of the spring. Three individuals post-stroke participated in a 3-week training protocol. Outcome measures (temporal, kinematic and kinetic) were derived from robot sensors and recorded for every step. These data are used to evaluate each stroke survivor's adaptations to robotic gait assistance. The robot was worn only on the paretic ankle. For validation of the kinematic results, motion capture data were collected on the third subject. All subjects showed increased cadence, ankle range of motion and power generation capabilities. Additionally, all subjects were able to achieve a larger power output than power input from the robot. Motion capture data collected from Subject 3 validated the robot sensor kinematic data on the affected side, but also demonstrated an unexpected gait adaptation on the unaffected ankle. Sensors on the gait-assisting robot provide large volumes of valuable information on how gait parameters change over time. We have developed key gait evaluation metrics based on the available robot sensor information that may be useful to future researchers. All subjects adapted their gait to the robotic assistance and many of their key metrics moved closer to typical able-body values. This suggests that each subject learned to utilize the assistive moments generated by the robot, despite having no predefined ankle trajectory input from the robot. The security of being harnessed on the treadmill led to more dramatic and favorable results.
Reevaluation of the Retinal Dystrophy Due to Recessive Alleles of RGR With the Discovery of a Cis-Acting Mutation in CDHR1.

PURPOSE Mutation of RGR, encoding retinal G-protein coupled receptor was originally reported in association with retinal dystrophy in 1999. A single convincing recessive variant segregated perfectly in one family of five affected and two unaffected siblings. At least one further individual, homozygous for the same variant has since been reported. The aim of this report was to reevaluate the findings in consideration of data from a whole genome sequencing (WGS) study of a large cohort of retinal dystrophy families. METHODS Whole genome sequencing was performed on 599 unrelated probands with inherited retinal disease. Detailed phenotyping was performed, including clinical evaluation, electroretinography, fundus photography, fundus autofluorescence imaging (FAF) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). RESULTS Overall we confirmed that affected individuals from six unrelated families were homozygous for both the reported RGR p.Ser66Arg variant and a nearby frameshifting deletion in CDHR1 (p.Ile841Serfs119*). All had generalized rod and cone dysfunction with severe macular involvement. An additional proband was heterozygous for the same CDHR1/RGR haplotype but also carried a second null CDHR1 mutation on a different haplotype. A comparison of the clinical presentation of the probands reported here with other CDHR1-related retinopathy patients shows the phenotypes to be similar in presentation, severity, and rod/cone involvement. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that the recessive retinal disorder previously reported to be due to homozygous mutation in RGR is, at least in part, due to variants in CDHR1 and that the true consequences of RGR knock-out on human retinal structure and function are yet to be determined.
Clinical Features, Diagnosis and Management of Hirsutism

Hirsutism is a common clinical condition encountered in day to day practice. It means excessive growth of terminal hair in women with male characteristics and locations and is usually related to hormonal factors, mainly to increased level of androgens. In female the main sources of androgens, which can produce hirsutism are the adrenal gland (Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate: DHEA-S) and the ovaries ( 4-androstenedione). Pituitary gland (prolactin) and liver (Sex hormone binding globulin) can also cause hirsutism in few cases. Ectopic hormone production by some tumors may also be responsible for hirsutism, but in few patients all biochemical parameters are absolutely normal. Therefore, it may be sometimes very difficult to understand the pathology of hirsutism in a given case. And one may find difficult to establish the cause of hirsutism and so the treatment, because depending on the origin of the hirsutism, the treatment is based on antiandrogens, oral contraceptive pills, glucocorticoids, GnRH antagonists in association of topical or dermato-cosmetic therapy or lasers. We conducted a literature search and analyzed the causes, types, investigations and management aspects of hirsutism that may help one to understand and manage a case of hirsutism.
Cerebritis: An unusual complication of Klebsiella pneumoniae

Cerebritis is part of a continuum of brain infection and is difficult to diagnose. Cerebritis caused by Klebsiella in immunocompetent adults without predisposing factors such as neurosurgery or penetrating brain injury has not been reported before. We report a case of Klebsiella cerebritis in an adult patient with a proven extracranial focus of infection. We suggest considering cerebritis as a differential diagnosis for altered level of consciousness in patients of severe sepsis, even if an extracranial source of infection is proven.
Semiparametric Drift and Diffusion Estimation for Multiscale Diffusions

We consider the problem of statistical inference for the effective dynamics of multiscale diffusion processes with (at least) two widely separated characteristic time scales. More precisely, we seek to determine parameters in the effective equation describing the dynamics on the longer diffusive time scale, i.e., in a homogenization framework. We examine the case where both the drift and the diffusion coefficients in the effective dynamics are space dependent and depend on multiple unknown parameters. It is known that classical estimators, such as maximum likelihood and quadratic variation of the path estimators, fail to obtain reasonable estimates for parameters in the effective dynamics when based on observations of the underlying multiscale diffusion. We propose a novel algorithm for estimating both the drift and the diffusion coefficients in the effective dynamics based on a semiparametric framework. We demonstrate by means of extensive numerical simulations of a number of selected examples that the a.