Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reference Frame Preferences in Haptics Differ for the Blind and Sighted in the Horizontal but Not in the Vertical Plane

We investigated which reference frames are preferred when matching spatial language to the haptic domain. Sighted, low-vision, and blind participants were tested on a haptic-sentence-verification task where participants had to haptically explore different configurations of a ball and a shoe and judge the relation between them. Results from the spatial relation “above”, in the vertical plane, showed that various reference frames are available after haptic inspection of a configuration. Moreover, the pattern of results was similar for all three groups and resembled patterns found for the sighted on visual sentence-verification tasks. In contrast, when judging the spatial relation “in front”, in the horizontal plane, the blind showed a markedly different response pattern. The sighted and low-vision participants did not show a clear preference for either the absolute/relative or the intrinsic reference frame when these frames were dissociated. The blind, on the other hand, showed a clear preference for the intrinsic reference frame. In the absence of a dominant cue, such as gravity in the vertical plane, the blind might emphasise the functional relationship between the objects owing to enhanced experience with haptic exploration of objects.
Derandomizing Isolation Lemma for $K_{3, 3}$-free and $K_5$-free Bipartite Graphs

The perfect matching problem has a randomized NC algorithm, using the celebrated Isolation Lemma of Mulmuley, Vazirani and Vazirani. The Isolation Lemma states that giving a random weight assignment to the edges of a graph, ensures that it has a unique minimum weight perfect matching, with a good probability. We derandomize this lemma for $K_{3,3}$-free and $K_5$-free bipartite graphs, i.e. we give a deterministic log-space construction of such a weight assignment for these graphs. Such a construction was known previously for planar bipartite graphs. Our result implies that the perfect matching problem for $K_{3,3}$-free and $K_5$-free bipartite graphs is in SPL. It also gives an alternate proof for an already known result -- reachability for $K_{3,3}$-free and $K_5$-free graphs is in UL.
Th17 expression and IL-17 levels in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients

ABSTRACT Conclusion The Th17 cell frequency in peripheral blood and levels of IL-17 showed significant differences between patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and those with vocal cords polyps. Serum levels of IL-17 were correlated with laryngocarcinoma staging. Objectives To investigate associations among the frequency of Th17 cells, levels of IL-17, and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Method Eighty in-patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and 114 in-patients with polypus of the vocal cord were enrolled. Th17 cell frequencies in peripheral blood and serum levels of IL-17 were measured by flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The tissue expression levels of IL-17 mRNA transcripts and protein were measured using quantitative RT-PCR or immunohistochemical detection, respectively. Results Th17 cell frequencies in peripheral blood and serum concentrations of IL-17 were significantly higher in patients with laryngocarcinoma compared with those in patients with polyps (p < 0.01 for both Th17 cells and IL-17 levels). Serum concentrations of IL-17 were significantly higher in patients with advanced laryngocarcinoma than in patients with early laryngocarcinoma (p < 0.01). The mRNA and protein levels of IL-17 were significantly higher in laryngocarcinoma tissues than in adjacent normal tissues (p < 0.01 for mRNA levels, p < 0.05 for protein levels).
HIV-1 Clinical Isolates Resistant to CCR5 Antagonists Exhibit Delayed Entry Kinetics That Are Corrected in the Presence of Drug

ABSTRACT HIV CCR5 antagonists select for env gene mutations that enable virus entry via drug-bound coreceptor. To investigate the mechanisms responsible for viral adaptation to drug-bound coreceptor-mediated entry, we studied viral isolates from three participants who developed CCR5 antagonist resistance during treatment with vicriviroc (VCV), an investigational small-molecule CCR5 antagonist. VCV-sensitive and -resistant viruses were isolated from one HIV subtype C- and two subtype B-infected participants; VCV-resistant isolates had mutations in the V3 loop of gp120 and were cross-resistant to TAK-779, an investigational antagonist, and maraviroc (MVC). All three resistant isolates contained a 306P mutation but had variable mutations elsewhere in the V3 stem. We used a virus-cell β-lactamase (BlaM) fusion assay to determine the entry kinetics of recombinant viruses that incorporated full-length VCV-sensitive and -resistant envelopes. VCV-resistant isolates exhibited delayed entry rates in the absence of drug, relative to pretherapy VCV-sensitive isolates. The addition of drug corrected these delays. These findings were generalizable across target cell types with a range of CD4 and CCR5 surface densities and were observed when either population-derived or clonal envelopes were used to construct recombinant viruses. V3 loop mutations alone were sufficient to restore virus entry in the presence of drug, and the accumulation of V3 mutations during VCV therapy led to progressively higher rates of viral entry. We propose that the restoration of pre-CCR5 antagonist therapy HIV entry kinetics drives the selection of V3 loop mutations and may represent a common mechanism that underlies the emergence of CCR5 antagonist resistance.
TransitLabel: A Crowd-Sensing System for Automatic Labeling of Transit Stations Semantics

We present TransitLabel, a crowd-sensing system for automatic enrichment of transit stations indoor floorplans with different semantics like ticket vending machines, entrance gates, drink vending machines, platforms, cars' waiting lines, restrooms, lockers, waiting (sitting) areas, among others. Our key observations show that certain passengers' activities (e.g., purchasing tickets, crossing entrance gates, etc) present identifiable signatures on one or more cell-phone sensors. TransitLabel leverages this fact to automatically and unobtrusively recognize different passengers' activities, which in turn are mined to infer their uniquely associated stations semantics. Furthermore, the locations of the discovered semantics are automatically estimated from the inaccurate passengers' positions when these semantics are identified. We evaluate TransitLabel through a field experiment in eight different train stations in Japan. Our results show that TransitLabel can detect the fine-grained stations semantics accurately with 7.7% false positive rate and 7.5% false negative rate on average. In addition, it can consistently detect the location of discovered semantics accurately, achieving an error within 2.5m on average for all semantics. Finally, we show that TransitLabel has a small energy footprint on cell-phones, could be generalized to other stations, and is robust to different phone placements; highlighting its promise as a ubiquitous indoor maps enriching service.
Health Implications of High Dietary Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

Omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (e.g., arachidonic acid (AA)) and omega-3 (n-3) PUFA (e.g., eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)) are precursors to potent lipid mediator signalling molecules, termed “eicosanoids,” which have important roles in the regulation of inflammation. In general, eicosanoids derived from n-6 PUFA are proinflammatory while eicosanoids derived from n-3 PUFA are anti-inflammatory. Dietary changes over the past few decades in the intake of n-6 and n-3 PUFA show striking increases in the (n-6) to (n-3) ratio (~15 : 1), which are associated with greater metabolism of the n-6 PUFA compared with n-3 PUFA. Coinciding with this increase in the ratio of (n-6) : (n-3) PUFA are increases in chronic inflammatory diseases such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cardiovascular disease, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease (AD). By increasing the ratio of (n-3) : (n-6) PUFA in the Western diet, reductions may be achieved in the incidence of these chronic inflammatory diseases.
PLASMA B-ESTERASE ACTIVITIES IN EUROPEAN RAPTORS

B-esterases are serine hydrolases composed of cholinesterases, including acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and carboxylesterase (CbE). These esterases, found in blood plasma, are inhibited by organophosphorus (OP) and carbamate (CB) insecticides and can be used as nondestructive biomarkers of exposure to anticholinesterase insecticides. Furthermore, B-esterases are involved in detoxification of these insecticides. In order to establish the level of these enzymes and to have reference values for their normal activities, total plasma cholinesterase (ChE), AChE and BChE activities, and plasma CbE activity were determined in 729 European raptors representing 20 species, four families, and two orders. The diurnal families of the Falconiforme order were represented by Accipitridae and Falconidae and the nocturnal families of the Strigiforme order by Tytonidae and Strigidae. Intraspecies differences in cholinesterase activities according to sex and/or age were investigated in buzzards (Buteo buteo), sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus), kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), barn owls (Tyto alba), and tawny owls (Strix aluco). Sex-related differences affecting ChE and AChE activities were observed in young kestrels (2–3-mo-old) and age-related differences in kestrels (ChE and AChE), sparrowhawks (AChE), and tawny owls (ChE, AChE, and BChE). The interspecies analysis yielded a negative correlation between ChE activity and body mass taking into account the relative contribution of AChE and BChE to ChE activity, with the exception of the honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus). The lowest ChE activities were found in the two largest species, Bonelli's eagle (Hieraaëtus fasciatus) and Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) belonging to the Accipitridae family. The highest ChE activities were found in the relatively small species belonging to the Tytonidae and Strigidae families and in honey buzzard of the Accipitridae family. Species of the Accipitridae, Tytonidae, and Strigidae families were characterized by a BChE contribution that dominated the total ChE activity, while in the species of the Falconidae family, AChE activity dominated. With the exception of the barn owl, CbE activity (eserine-insensitive α-naphthyl acetate esterase [α-NAE] activity) in all species was almost absent or very low. The values obtained in this study for ChE, AChE, and BChE activities and the AChE:BChE ratios for buzzard, kestrel, barn owl, and tawny owl provide a good estimate of the normal values in free-living individuals of these European species. They can be used as a baseline to evaluate the effect of anticholinesterase insecticides in the field.
Modification and Application of Valuation Methods for the Value of Ecosystem Services

Based on parts of R. Costanzas results of ecosystem services value, this paper mainly discusses the calculative method for the value of natural ecosystem services. Appling some relative research and used substitution cost methods, prevented cost methods, shadow price methods, indirect market methods to estimate influences on constructive land ecosystem services in order to provided the basis for modification of atmosphere and climate and applying substitution cost methods to estimate the values of water regulation. By taking Taicang county in Jiangsu province as an application example, by identifying the functions of ecosystem services within this zone, and by calculating the value of ecosystem services through different years in the whole region , the annual tendency was then analysed. The results indicate that unmodified eco-service value represent theoretical levels of eco-service value, and can not show the changes of the ecosystem as a result of outside influences. But when the degree and size of influences on ecosystem by human activities on the constructional land are taken into account, and the eco-services values are considered as the results of original eco-service value plus outside influencing actions, the modified valuation methods for eco-service Values seem fairly suitable for the ecosystem itself and for the actual eco-service values shown by the ecosystem.
Identification of Small Molecule Inhibitors of Jumonji AT-rich Interactive Domain 1B (JARID1B) Histone Demethylase by a Sensitive High Throughput Screen*

Background: JARID1B is an H3K4 histone demethylase and an attractive target for cancer therapy. Results: High throughput screen identified novel compounds that can inhibit JARID1B demethylase activity. Conclusion: Drug-like small molecules can be identified to inhibit JARID1B. Significance: The identified JARID1B inhibitors are lead compounds that can be developed into anti-cancer epigenetic drugs. JARID1B (also known as KDM5B or PLU1) is a member of the JARID1 family of histone lysine demethylases responsible for the demethylation of trimethylated lysine 27 in histone H3 (H3K4me3), a mark for actively transcribed genes. JARID1B is overexpressed in several cancers, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer. In addition, JARID1B is required for mammary tumor formation in syngeneic or xenograft mouse models. JARID1B-expressing melanoma cells are associated with increased self-renewal character. Therefore, JARID1B represents an attractive target for cancer therapy. Here we characterized JARID1B using a homogeneous luminescence-based demethylase assay. We then conducted a high throughput screen of over 15,000 small molecules to identify inhibitors of JARID1B. From this screen, we identified several known JmjC histone demethylase inhibitors, including 2,4-pyridinedicarboxylic acid and catechols. More importantly, we identified several novel inhibitors, including 2-4(4-methylphenyl)-1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one (PBIT), which inhibits JARID1B with an IC50 of about 3 μm in vitro. Consistent with this, PBIT treatment inhibited removal of H3K4me3 by JARID1B in cells. Furthermore, this compound inhibited proliferation of cells expressing higher levels of JARID1B. These results suggest that this novel small molecule inhibitor is a lead compound that can be further optimized for cancer therapy.
Hydrogen sulphide pathway contributes to the enhanced human platelet aggregation in hyperhomocysteinemia

Significance Here we have demonstrated that the l-cysteine/H2S pathway contributes to the increased thrombotic events associated with hyperhomocysteinemia. In particular, by using platelets harvested from hyperhomocysteinemic patients, H2S generated within the platelets in turn activates the arachidonic acid cascade by phosphorylating phospholipase A2. This cascade of events primes the platelet that becomes more responsive (reactive) to endogenous stimuli. Finally, our study also suggests that H2S could represent a unique biomarker in patients affected with hyperhomocystinemia to define the susceptibility of a cardiovascular event driven by platelets. Homocysteine is metabolized to methionine by the action of 5,10 methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). Alternatively, by the transulfuration pathway, homocysteine is transformed to hydrogen sulphide (H2S), through multiple steps involving cystathionine β-synthase and cystathionine γ-lyase. Here we have evaluated the involvement of H2S in the thrombotic events associated with hyperhomocysteinemia. To this purpose we have used platelets harvested from healthy volunteers or patients newly diagnosed with hyperhomocysteinemia with a C677T polymorphism of the MTHFR gene (MTHFR++). NaHS (0.1–100 µM) or l-cysteine (0.1–100 µM) significantly increased platelet aggregation harvested from healthy volunteers induced by thrombin receptor activator peptide–6 amide (2 µM) in a concentration-dependent manner. This increase was significantly potentiated in platelets harvested from MTHFR++ carriers, and it was reversed by the inhibition of either cystathionine β-synthase or cystathionine γ-lyase. Similarly, in MTHFR++ carriers, the content of H2S was significantly higher in either platelets or plasma compared with healthy volunteers. Interestingly, thromboxane A2 production was markedly increased in response to both NaHS or l-cysteine in platelets of healthy volunteers. The inhibition of phospholipase A2, cyclooxygenase, or blockade of the thromboxane receptor markedly reduced the effects of H2S. Finally, phosphorylated–phospholipase A2 expression was significantly higher in MTHFR++ carriers compared with healthy volunteers. In conclusion, the H2S pathway is involved in the prothrombotic events occurring in hyperhomocysteinemic patients.
Effects of N-acetylcysteine on First-Line Sequential Therapy for Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Background/Aims To evaluate the adjuvant effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on first-line sequential therapy (SQT) for Helicobacter pylori infection. Methods Patients with H. pylori infections were randomly assigned to receive sequential therapy with (SQT+NAC group, n=49) or without (SQT-only group, n=50) NAC. Sequential therapy consisted of rabeprazole 20 mg and amoxicillin 1 g for the first 5 days, followed by rabeprazole 20 mg, clarithromycin 500 mg and metronidazole 500 mg for the remaining 5 days; all drugs were administered twice daily. For the SQT+NAC group, NAC 400 mg bid was added for the first 5 days of sequential therapy. H. pylori eradication was evaluated 4 weeks after the completion of therapy. Results The eradication rates by intention-to-treat analysis were 58.0% in the SQT-only group and 67.3% in the SQT+NAC group (p=0.336). The eradication rates by per-protocol analysis were 70.0% in the SQT-only group and 80.5% in the SQT+NAC group (p=0.274). Compliance was very good in both groups (SQT only/SQT+NAC groups: 95.2%/100%, p=0.494). There was no significant difference in the adverse event rates between groups (SQT-only/SQT+NAC groups: 26.2%/26.8%, p=0.947). Conclusions The H. pylori eradication rate was numerically higher in the SQT+NAC group than in the SQT-only group. As our data did not reach statistical significance, larger trials are warranted.
Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Analysis More Pressure in the Finite Element Discretization of the Stokes Problem

For the Stokes problem in a two-or three-dimensional bounded domain, we propose a new mixed finite element discretization which relies on a nonconforming approximation of the velocity and a more accurate approximation of the pressure. We prove that the velocity and pressure discrete spaces are compatible, in the sense that they satisfy an inf-sup condition of Babuška and Brezzi type, and we derive some error estimates. Résumé. Pour leprobì eme de Stokes dans un ouvert borné bi-ou tridimensionnel, on propose une discrétisation par un nouveí elément fini mixte, qui utilise une approximation non conforme de la vitesse et une approximation plus riche de la pression. On prouve que les espaces discrets de vitesse et de pression sont compatibles, au sens qu'ils vérifient une condition inf-sup de Babuška et Brezzi, et on en déduit des majorations d'erreur.
Blood oxygen estimation from compressively sensed photoplethysmograph

In this work, we consider low power, wearable pulse oximeter sensors for ambulatory, remote vital signs monitoring applications. It is extremely important for such sensors to maintain clinical accuracy and yet provide power savings to enable non-intrusive, long lasting sensors. Our contributions in this work include sub-Nyquist, random sampling of evanescent red and infra red (IR) photoplethysmograph (PPG) signals in real time under the Compressed Sensing (CS) paradigm. We describe the real time platform and demonstrate that the SpO2 accuracy is not compromised due to aliasing of ambient light artifacts, even when average number of measurements is much below that of Nyquist rate. We briefly discuss the various modules contributing to overall power consumption of a wireless pulse oximeter sensor and show that 10x reductions in LED power and radio power are possible, without sacrificing the SpO2 accuracy.
Nitrogen- and Boron-Doped Carbon Nanotube Electrodes in a Thermo-Electrochemical Cell

We explore the prospects of using doped carbon nanotube (CNT) electrodes to increase the output power of thermo-electrochemical cells (TECs). CNT buckypaper electrodes doped with nitrogen and boron were characterized using cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy, and TEC test with potassium ferri/ferrocyanide electrolyte. Both doping states increased the electrochemically active surface area of CNT electrodes. Electrostatic interactions with potassium ions altered the charge transfer kinetics for doped CNT electrodes;yet,thesymmetryofthechargetransferremainedapproximatelyequaltothatofpristineCNTs.InTECtest,accumulation of potassium ions at doped CNT electrodes was found to reduce short-circuit current. ©2012 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/2.043205jes] All rights reserved.
Punishing manipulation attacks in mobile agent systems

Mobile agents are software entities consisting of code, data and state that can migrate autonomously from host to host performing some actions on behalf of a user. Unfortunately, security issues restrict the use of mobile agents, despite the benefits. The protection of mobile agents against the attacks of malicious hosts is considered the most difficult security problem to solve in mobile agent systems. Previously, the mobile agent watermarking approach (MAW) was presented as a new attack detection technique to aid solving the problem of malicious hosts. That approach was based on embedding a fixed watermark into the mobile agent. Some improvements are now introduced to MAW. Instead of a fixed watermark, the origin host embeds a watermark that can change dynamically during execution. In each host, the marked code creates a data container where the watermark is transferred and the results are hidden. When the agent returns home, the origin host verifies the execution integrity by applying a set of integrity rules to the containers. The paper also explains how MAW can be used to punish malicious hosts by using a trusted third party, the host revocation authority.
Reconstructing Shape and Motion from Asynchronous Cameras

We present an algorithm for scene ﬂow reconstruction from multi-view data. The main contribution is its ability to cope with asynchronously captured videos. Our holistic approach simultaneously estimates depth, orientation and 3D motion, as a result we obtain a quasi-dense surface patch representation of the dynamic scene. The reconstruction starts with the generation of a sparse set of patches from the input views which are then iteratively expanded along the object surfaces. We show that the approach performs well for scenes ranging from single objects to cluttered real world scenarios