Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pattern of Macular Ganglion Cell-Inner Plexiform Layer Defect Generated by Spectral-Domain OCT in Glaucoma Patients and Normal Subjects

Purpose:To elucidate patterns of macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) defects by Cirrus optical coherence tomography (OCT) and examine the spatial relationship between GCIPL defect and visual field (VF) defect patterns. Methods:A total of 116 eyes of 116 normal subjects and 111 eyes of 111 glaucoma patients were included. The 227 study subjects underwent Cirrus OCT imaging in macular cube mode and reliable standard VF testing. Two ophthalmologists blindly classified GCIPL defect patterns and VF defects. The frequency distribution of GCIPL defect patterns and spatial relationships between GCIPL defects and VF defects were investigated. Results:GCIPL defect patterns were classified as minimal, inner, outer, diffuse mild, diffuse severe, inferior confined, inferior dominant, superior confined, and superior dominant defects in normal controls (71.6%, 7.8%, 4.3%, 1.7%, 0%, 10.3%, 1.7%, 1.7%, and 0.9%, respectively) and in glaucoma patients (11.7%, 3.6%, 4.5%, 7.2%, 21.6%, 22.5%, 18.0%, 4.5%, and 6.3%, respectively). In mild and moderate glaucoma patients, the inferior confined type was most frequent (21.9% and 50.0%, respectively). However, the diffuse severe type was most frequent (59.1%) in advanced glaucoma patients. The locations of the VF defects corresponded to the locations of the GCIPL defects in glaucoma patients (P=0.012). Conclusions:Glaucomatous damage of the macula was common and more frequent in the inferior retina. GCIPL defect patterns as determined by SD-OCT imaging corresponded well with central VF defects. It seems macular GCIPL analysis may be useful for evaluating glaucomatous optic neuropathy.
Transformed Anti-Sparse Learning for Unsupervised Hashing

Anti-sparse representation was recently considered for unsupervised hashing, due to its remarkable robustness to the binary quantization error. We relax the existing spread property [4, 22] for anti-sparse solutions, to a new Relaxed Spread Property (RSP) that demands milder conditions. We then propose a novel Transformed Anti-Sparse Hashing (TASH) model to overcome several major bottlenecks, that have significantly limited the effectiveness of anti-sparse hashing models. TASH jointly learns a dimension-reduction transform, a dictionary and the anti-sparse representations in a unified formulation. We have conducted extensive experiments on real datasets and practical settings, and demonstrate the highly promising performance of TASH.
[Lengthening of the phalanges by callus distraction in traumatic amputations of the fingers].

OBJECTIVES We evaluated the results of lengthening of the phalanges by callus distraction in traumatic amputations of the fingers. METHODS We treated traumatic amputations of 16 fingers of 13 male patients (mean age 27.7 years; range 12 to 43 years) by callotasis of the phalanges. Callus distraction was performed with a rate of 1 mm/day using a unilateral dynamic external fixation device. The mean follow-up period was 42 months (range 12 to 80 months). RESULTS The mean lengthening was 24 mm (range 18 to 26 mm) and 21 mm (range 18 to 26 mm) for the thumbs and the other fingers, respectively. The achieved thumb length provided adequate depth and width of the first web space and enabled functional improvement in the ability of gripping, and pulp-to-pulp and pulp-to-side pinching. In the absence of flexor pollicis longus, the mean strength of the thumbs was 7 kg (range 5 to 9 kg), amounting to 65% of the normal side. Lengthening of the other fingers resulted in improved functioning of the hand. The mean healing index (number of months per centimetre of lengthening) was 1.7 months/cm (range 1.6 to 2.1 months/cm) and 1.6 months/cm (range 1.4 to 1.9 months/cm) in the thumbs and the other fingers, respectively. Pin tract infections were observed in four phalanges. CONCLUSION Callotasis of the proximal phalanx of the thumb is an effective reconstruction method to compensate for the loss of distal phalanx and to alleviate functional problems due to shortness. It may also be applied to the phalanges of the other fingers in patients who do not accept ray resection with or without transposition.
An Approach to Understand Rural Advisory Services in a Decentralised Setting

As populations increase, so do the challenges in feeding the world. Rural Advisory Services (RAS) contribute positively to food security by ensuring rural populations have access to vital knowledge increasing yields and rural incomes. For historical reasons however, national RAS have often developed into complex networks of stakeholders which can confuse, and even in some cases provide conflicting advice. In order to improve internal and external knowledge of an advisory service, this article investigates the benefits and limitations of an approach that combines qualitative and quantitative stakeholder perception activities at a local and national level. Local and national workshops were held using focus group and open fora techniques in order to portray and visualise a crop health advisory system in Pakistan, a dynamic and complex case study. The approach manages to expose key differences between local and national perceptions of a crop health RAS: whilst both local and national workshop participants decidedly agree on the importance of local (provincial and district level) extension departments, local perceptions clearly identified the strength and value of private sector and community level interactions. At the national workshop, interpretations of ground level activities were vague, yet their mentions of microcredit initiatives, large scale Non-Government Organisation activities and semi-autonomous institutions demonstrate knowledge at a different scale. This approach demonstrates the value of an accessible methodology to measure and understand RAS. Whilst this approach is a key component in assessing the system’s dynamism prior to any future development initiative, it needs to refine its integration of gendered perceptions.
A Two‐Biomarker Model Predicts Mortality in the Critically Ill with Sepsis

Rationale: Improving the prospective identification of patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis at low risk for organ dysfunction and death is a major clinical challenge. Objectives: To develop and validate a multibiomarker‐based prediction model for 28‐day mortality in critically ill patients with SIRS and sepsis. Methods: A derivation cohort (n = 888) and internal test cohort (n = 278) were taken from a prospective study of critically ill intensive care unit (ICU) patients meeting two of four SIRS criteria at an academic medical center for whom plasma was obtained within 24 hours. The validation cohort (n = 759) was taken from a prospective cohort enrolled at another academic medical center ICU for whom plasma was obtained within 48 hours. We measured concentrations of angiopoietin‐1, angiopoietin‐2, IL‐6, IL‐8, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor‐1, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1, granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor, and soluble Fas. Measurements and Main Results: We identified a two‐biomarker model in the derivation cohort that predicted mortality (area under the receiver operator characteristic curve [AUC], 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74‐0.83). It performed well in the internal test cohort (AUC, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.65‐0.85) and the external validation cohort (AUC, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.72‐0.83). We determined a model score threshold demonstrating high negative predictive value (0.95) for death. In addition to a low risk of death, patients below this threshold had shorter ICU length of stay, lower incidence of acute kidney injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and need for vasopressors. Conclusions: We have developed a simple, robust biomarker‐based model that identifies patients with SIRS/sepsis at low risk for death and organ dysfunction.
A controlled trial of selegiline, alpha-tocopherol, or both as treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study.

BACKGROUND There is evidence that medications or vitamins that increase the levels of brain catecholamines and protect against oxidative damage may reduce the neuronal damage and slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. METHODS We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicenter trial in patients with Alzheimer's disease of moderate severity. A total of 341 patients received the selective monoamine oxidase inhibitor selegiline (10 mg a day), alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E, 2000 IU a day), both selegiline and alpha-tocopherol, or placebo for two years. The primary outcome was the time to the occurrence of any of the following: death, institutionalization, loss of the ability to perform basic activities of daily living, or severe dementia (defined as a Clinical Dementia Rating of 3). RESULTS Despite random assignment, the baseline score on the Mini-Mental State Examination was higher in the placebo group than in the other three groups, and this variable was highly predictive of the primary outcome (P<0.001). In the unadjusted analyses, there was no statistically significant difference in the outcomes among the four groups. In analyses that included the base-line score on the Mini-Mental State Examination as a covariate, there were significant delays in the time to the primary outcome for the patients treated with selegiline (median time, 655 days; P=0.012), alpha-tocopherol (670 days, P=0.001) or combination therapy (585 days, P=0.049), as compared with the placebo group (440 days). CONCLUSIONS In patients with moderately severe impairment from Alzheimer's disease, treatment with selegiline or alpha-tocopherol slows the progression of disease.
"Mutagenesis" by peptide aptamers identifies genetic network members and pathway connections.

We selected peptide aptamers from combinatorial libraries that disrupted cell-cycle arrest caused by mating pheromone in yeast. We used these aptamers as baits in two-hybrid hunts to identify genes involved in cell-cycle arrest. These experiments identified genes known to function in the pathway, as well as a protein kinase, the CBK1 product, whose function was not known. We used a modified two-hybrid system to identify specific interactions disrupted by these aptamers. These experiments demonstrate a means to perform "genetics" on the protein complement of a cell without altering its genetic material. Peptide aptamers can be identified that disrupt a process. These aptamers can then be used as affinity reagents to identify individual proteins and protein interactions needed for the process. Forward genetic analysis with peptide aptamer "mutagens" should be particularly useful in elucidating genetic networks in organisms and processes for which classical genetics is not feasible.
A new perspective on John Snow's communicable disease theory.

When John Snow undertook the studies of the cholera epidemic of 1854 in London, he was testing his theory of communicable disease, which had been enunciated in an oration delivered at the 80th anniversary of the Medical Society of London. Snow had been elected orator of the year for 1853 and, according to his biographer, had spent the better part of a year in preparation. The oration was titled, "On Continuous Molecular Changes, More Particularly in Their Relation to Epidemic Diseases. " Although the text of this oration is readily available in the 1936 Commonwealth Fund facsimile reprint of Snow's more famous cholera studies, few modern epidemiologists are familiar with the work. In it, Snow lays out a theory which includes recognition that for each communicable disease there is a distinct and specific cause, that the causal agent is a living organism which is stable over many generations of propagation, that infection is necessary for communication to occur, and that the quantity of infectious material transmitted is increased by multiplication after infection to produce disease manifestations. Although Snow's theory is similar to Jacob Henle's formulations of a decade earlier, it is more precise, more comprehensive, and more explicit. On the basis of this work alone, Snow deserves broader recognition than he has received.
The interactions of transcription factors and their adaptors, coactivators and accessory proteins

Consistent with the complexity of the temporally regulated processes that must occur for growth and development of higher eukaryotes, it is now apparent that transcription is regulated by the formation of multi‐component complexes that assemble on the promoters of genes. These complexes can include (in addition to the five or more general transcription factors and RNA polymerase II) DNA‐binding proteins, transcriptional activators, coactivators, adaptors and various accessory proteins. The best studied example of a complex that includes a transcriptional adaptor, accessory proteins and a DNA‐binding protein is that involving the herpes simplex virus VP16 protein. Evidence suggests that the adenovirus E1a protein and the cellular Sp1 and CTF/NF1 transcription factors also function through adaptors or coactivators. Each additional component of the transcription complex provides the cell with another point at which to exert control of gene expression.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Role for Arabidopsis PLC 7 in Stomatal Movement , Seed Mucilage Attachment , and Leaf

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Using gamification to teach forecasting in a business school setting

While gamification has been creatively embraced in education, recent studies emphasize the need for more experimental research on gamification impact on learning outcomes. Teaching forecasting is a challenging task due to the complexity that forecasting techniques entail, and due to their popularity in business environment. This study experimentally examines the impact of three preexisting gamified implementations on the students’ comprehension of specific forecasting topics using controlled and treatment groups. Our sample consists of 243 undergraduate students from the Business Administration Department in the School of Business and Economics of the University of Thessaly. Our findings show that gamification improves students’ performance up to almost 15.80%, compared to traditional teaching methods, under certain conditions. These results are not in full alignment with previous findings, a fact which highlights the need for further research on the impact gamification can have in different academic majors.
Energy-Efficient Video Processing for Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) has huge potential to enable radically new applications, behind which spherical panoramic video processing is one of the backbone techniques. However, current VR systems reuse the techniques designed for processing conventional planar videos, resulting in significant energy inefficiencies. Our characterizations show that operations that are unique to processing 360° VR content constitute 40% of the total processing energy consumption. We present EVR, an end-to-end system for energy-efficient VR video processing. EVR recognizes that the major contributor to the VR tax is the projective transformation (PT) operations. EVR mitigates the overhead of PT through two key techniques: semantic-aware streaming (SAS) on the server and hardware-accelerated rendering (HAR) on the client device. EVR uses SAS to reduce the chances of executing projective transformation on VR devices by pre-rendering 360° frames in the cloud. Different from conventional pre-rendering techniques, SAS exploits the key semantic information inherent in VR content that is previously ignored. Complementary to SAS, HAR mitigates the energy overhead of on-device rendering through a new hardware accelerator that is specialized for projective transformation. We implement an EVR prototype on an Amazon AWS server instance and a NVIDA Jetson TX2 board combined with a Xilinx Zynq-7000 FPGA. Real system measurements show that EVR reduces the energy of VR rendering by up to 58%, which translates to up to 42% energy saving for VR devices.
University of Groningen Particle Based Image Segmentation with Simulated Annealing

The Charged Particle Model (CPM) by Jalba et al., is a physically motivated deformable model for shape recovery and segmentation. It simulates a system of charged particles moving in an electric field generated from the input image, whose positions in the equilibrium state are used for curve or surface reconstruction. As an alternative we propose to use simulated annealing to position these particles and present a fast and simple algorithm that is able to match CPM’s results on images with well defined contours.
Using SPARQL – the practitioners ’ viewpoint Conference or Workshop Item

A number of studies have analyzed SPARQL log data to draw conclusions about how SPARQL is being used. To complement this work, a survey of SPARQL users has been undertaken. Whilst confirming some of the conclusions of the previous studies, the current work is able to provide additional insight into how users create SPARQL queries, the difficulties they encounter, and the features they would like to see included in the language. Based on this insight, a number of recommendations are presented to the community. These relate to predicting and avoiding computationally expensive queries; extensions to the language; and extending the search paradigm.
Series VSC-LCC converter with self-commutating and dc fault blocking capabilities

This paper proposes a new topology of converter that possess self-commutating and dc fault blocking capabilities. The converter (SVLC) is composed of series connection of LCC and VSC converters. If connected to wind farms, the VSC converter is used to maintain the ac voltage of wind farm and provide commutation voltage for the LCC while the LCC is used to control the dc voltage of the VSC so as to maintain power balance of the wind farm and the power transmitted by the SVLC. The SVLC combines advantages such as high power, high voltage, low loss, relatively low cost of LCC and the self-commutating ability of VSC. Meanwhile, the SVLC is able to achieve dc fault blocking capability. Simulations in normal operation and during dc faults in PSCAD/EMTDC using detailed switching model verified the feasibility of the proposed topology.
Multisensory Experience with Images

We augment images with additional data allowing us to visualize them with elements of animation as well as interact with the images using haptic devices as if they were actual 3D scenes. First, we apply procedural simulation to simulate image distortions, which are characteristic for various phenomena like blowing wind, fluid flow, etc. Next, we consider how haptic rendering of images can be performed. This in turn includes haptic rendering of forces augmented to the images as well as haptic interaction with haptic objects augmented to the images. The immersive images thus obtained can be exchanged across the internet to realistically simulate 3D virtual scenes while in fact still be 2D images augmented with rather little additional data files in a way how movie subtitles files are added to the video files. The proposed approach is illustrated with a few representative examples.
Cultivation of Citronella ( Cymbopogon winterianus ) and evaluation of its essential oil , yield and chemical composition in Kannauj region

This study was carried to investigate the essential oil yield and contents of Java Citronella plants grown in the region of Kannauj. Moreover, the main components of essential oil as well as oil yield and percentage of these components were also investigated as a result of ideal cultivation in specific region. The sample for essential oil extraction was collected from cultivated region of Kannauj. The essential oil was extracted and consequently its percentage was calculated. The composition of the Java Citronella essential oil was occurred by using GC-MS. The results of this study showed that the percentages of main components were improved and overall oil yield of Citronella essential oil were 0.79%. Moreover, the percentages of the main components and oil yield improved as a result of traditional cultivation process of Kannauj region. The recovered essential oil was richer in Citronellal (29.15%), geraniol (22.52%), citronellol (7.43%), geranyl acetate (2.63%), neral (6.52%), geranial (5.20%) elemol (1.92%) and limonene (1.27%). Apart from these, several other components were also present.
Transient Temperature UpShift Suppresses the Loss of Culturability of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Stressed by Low Temperature and Nutrient Deficiency

We examined the effect of a transient temperature up-shift on Vibrio parahaemolyticus cells that had been stressed by cold and nutrient-deficient conditions. Under these stressful conditions, V. parahaemolyticus entered into a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state. The number of colony forming units (CFU) decreased exponentially with time, whereas the total cell count and the viable cell count remained almost constant. When the cells were exposed to a temperature of 30 C for 20 min, the decrease in the number of CFU was suppressed. This effect was dependent on the growth phase. Addition of nalidixic acid, rifampicin, or erythromycin negated the effect.
Potentiation of Human Estrogen Receptor α Transcriptional Activation through Phosphorylation of Serines 104 and 106 by the Cyclin A-CDK2 Complex*

Both estradiol binding and phosphorylation regulate transcriptional activation by the human estrogen receptor α (ER). We have previously shown that activation of the cyclin A-CDK2 complex by overexpression of cyclin A leads to enhanced ER-dependent transcriptional activation and that the cyclin A-CDK2 complex phosphorylates the ER N-terminal activation function-1 (AF-1) between residues 82 and 121. Within ER AF-1, serines 104, 106, and 118 represent potential CDK phosphorylation sites, and in this current study, we ascertain their importance in mediating cyclin A-CDK2-dependent enhancement of ER transcriptional activity. Cyclin A overexpression does not enhance transcriptional activation by an ER derivative bearing serine-to-alanine changes at residues 104, 106, and 118. Likewise, the cyclin A-CDK2 complex does not phosphorylate this triple-mutated derivative in vitro. Individual serine-to-alanine mutations at residues 104 and 106, but not 118, decrease ER-dependent transcriptional enhancement in response to cyclin A. The same relationship holds for ER phosphorylation by cyclin A-CDK2 in vitro. Finally, enhancement of ER transcriptional activation by cyclin A is evident in the absence and presence of estradiol, as well as in the presence of tamoxifen, suggesting that the effect of the cyclin A-CDK2 on ER transcriptional activation is AF-2-independent. These results indicate that the enhancement of ER transcriptional activation by the cyclin A-CDK2 complex is mediated via the AF-1 domain by phosphorylation of serines 104 and 106. We propose that these residues control ER AF-1 activity in response to signals that affect cyclin A-CDK2 function.