Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of haptic and non-speech audio feedback

We report a usability study which investigated the use of haptic versus non-speech audio interface to identify different geometric shapes. The study used simple graphics containing one to three geometric shapes (line, triangle, rectangle and circle). We presented the graphics to 11 participants in two different modes, audio and haptic, in a counterbalanced design. The participants were asked to identify the number and the types of the shapes. Error rates with audio and haptic feedback were very similar. The time to answer the overview task was generally faster with audio feedback, however it was generally faster with haptic feedback for detailed view task. These results need to be considered with some care because they were not statistically significant because of the small number of participants.
Sex determination of human mandible using metrical parameters.

INTRODUCTION Determination of sex from an unknown human bone is an important role in forensic and anthropology field. The mandible is the largest and hardest facial bone, that commonly resist post mortem damage and forms an important source of information about sexual dimorphism. AIM To determine the sex of unknown human adult mandible using metrical parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS A random collection of 250 dry, complete, undamaged human adult mandibles of South Indian population were subjected to metrical parameters like Bigonial breadth, Bicondylar breadth and Mandibular length using Mandibulometer and Vernier caliper. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED The data's were expressed as Mean ± SD and then analyzed by t-test by using SPSS software. Discriminating point and limiting points were also calculated. RESULTS The mandibular length, bigonial breadth and bicondylar breadth showed significant statistical gender difference. CONCLUSION The present study revealed that the sex of human mandible can be assessed by using metrical parameters as an additional tool to establish the identity of a person.
Prevalence and severity of microbleeds in a memory clinic setting

Objective: To determine prevalence and severity of microbleeds (MBs) in a large cohort of patients attending a memory clinic. Methods: The authors consecutively included patients attending their memory clinic between January 2002 and April 2005. They analyzed prevalence and number of MBs according to demographic, diagnostic, and MRI data. Results: The authors included 772 patients (53% men, age 66 ± 11). One hundred twenty-seven patients (17%) exhibited at least one MB. The prevalence differed according to diagnostic groups (p < 0.0001): Sixty-five percent of patients with vascular dementia exhibited MBs vs 18% of Alzheimer disease patients, 20% of mild cognitive impairment patients, and 10% of patients with subjective complaints. The presence of MBs was associated with age, white matter hyperintensities, lacunar infarcts, and infarcts. Conclusion: The prevalence of microbleeds (MBs) in a large cohort of patients attending a memory clinic is higher than previously described in community samples and lower than reported in stroke patients. This finding of a relatively high proportion of MBs in Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment provides further evidence for the involvement of vascular factors in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease.
Formal rules for selecting prior distributions: A review and annotated bibliography

Subjectivism has become the dominant philosophical foundation for Bayesian infer ence Yet in practice most Bayesian analyses are performed with so called noninfor mative priors that is priors constructed by some formal rule We review the plethora of techniques for constructing such priors and discuss some of the practical and philo sophical issues that arise when they are used We give special emphasis to Je reys s rules and discuss the evolution of his point of view about the interpretation of priors away from unique representation of ignorance toward the notion that they should be chosen by convention We conclude that the problems raised by the research on priors chosen by formal rules are serious and may not be dismissed lightly when sample sizes are small relative to the number of parameters being estimated it is dangerous to put faith in any default solution but when asymptotics take over Je reys s rules and their variants remain reasonable choices We also provide an annotated bibliography
Mean platelet volume and red cell distribution width in autoimmune gastritis: Confounding factors should be considered

We read the article by Tuzun et al. with great interest [1]. They investigated whether mean platelet volume (MPV), plateletcrit and red cell distribution width (RDW) have any predictive role in the discrimination of autoimmune gastritis patients with and without gastric carcinoid tumors. Plateletcrit and RDW were significantly higher in autoimmune gastritis patients compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in MPV between two groups. There was also no significant difference in MPV, plateletcrit and RDW between autoimmune gastritis patients without carcinoid tumor and patients with carcinoid tumors. This is an interesting study and we congratulate the authors. However, we want to make minor criticism about this study from methodological aspect. Basically, the method used for MPV assessment is correct. However, it has to be kept in mind that there are significant associations of MPV with smoking, obesity, coronary artery disease, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, statin use and atrial fibrillation [2–4]. Although they pointed out that they excluded the hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease and antiplatelet drug use, they did not mention about the body mass index, smoking status, presence and incidence of metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Previous studies showed that obesity, smoking, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and metabolic syndrome increase MPV [2–4]. Moreover, they did not mention about the hemoglobin concentration. They found that Vit B12 and ferritin levels were significantly lower in autoimmune gastritis patients compared to the control group. There might be anemia in autoimmune gastritis patients. However, data of hemoglobin levels are lacking. Elevation of RDW in patients with autoimmune gastritis may result from iron deficiency or vitamin B12 deficiency anemia. As a result, these factors must have been taken into account. MPV is universally available with routine blood counts by automated hemograms and a simple and easy method of assessing platelet function. In comparison to smaller ones, larger platelets have more granules, aggregate more rapidly with collagen, have higher thromboxane A2 level and express more glycoprotein Ib and IIb/IIIa receptors [2, 5]. Platelet activation plays a major role in the pathophysiology of diseases prone to thrombosis and inflammation, and in line with this MPV might be a link between thrombosis and inflammation [6]. We believe that MPV can be affected by many inflammatory and cardiovascular risk factors. If the authors had taken into account the above mentioned confounding factors, they might have found different results.
Calorimetric Study of Avalanche Criticality in the Martensitic Phase Transition of Cu67.64Zn16.71Al15.65

The first-order diffusionless structural phase transition in Cu67.64Zn16. 71Al15.65 is characterized by jerky propagation of phase front related to the appearance of avalanches. In this work we describe a full analysis of this avalanche behaviour using calorimetric heat-flux measurements and the results are compared with acoustic emission (AE) measurements.
Optimization of the observer motion using dynamic programming

Classical bearings-only target motion analysis (TMA) are restricted to constant motion parameters (usually: position and velocity). However most of the interesting sources have maneuvering abilities, degrading, thus, dramatically the TMA performance. A basic idea consists of modelling the states of the source by a hidden Markov model (HMM). The main point is then to optimize the observer trajectory using methods derived from the general theory of dynamic programming.
Low Dose Radiation Epidemiology: What Can It Tell Us?

A small workshop entitled ‘‘Low Dose Radiation Epidemiology—What Can it Tell Us? ’’ was held at the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel, December 10–11, 2008. The workshop was organized and funded by the Department of Energy’s Low Dose Radiation Research Program, and the Organizing Committee consisted of a member each from DOE, EPA and NCI, plus one member from an academic institution. Participants were chosen for their acknowledged expertise and included 29 epidemiologists, four dosimetrists, and five radiation biologists. The impetus for holding the workshop was the following: There is some suggestion from research in cellular and animal systems that the biological response may differ after highand low-dose/dose-rate radiation exposure. There is no consensus, however, as to whether these differences would result in higher or lower risks of cancer or other diseases than would be predicted from the linear extrapolation defined by current epidemiological data. The workshop participants discussed the value of current human epidemiological data at lower doses and the possibilities for improving and expanding lowdose data obtained from epidemiological studies. On the first day, the selected existing epidemiological studies of low-dose/low-dose-rate exposed populations were reviewed.
Development of Volcanic Ash Concrete: Strength, Durability, and Microstructural Investigations

This report investigates the possibility of using volcanic ash as a cement replacement material in concrete production. Comprehensive tests on the durability of volcanic concrete mixtures and the performance of fresh and hardened concrete properties were conducted. The concrete mixtures were assessed by slump, air content, and compressive strength. The durability characteristics studied were: rapid chloride permeability, drying shrinkage, water permeability, mercury intrusion porosimetry and differential scanning calorimetry tests. The development of acceptable strength and durable volcanic ash concrete that is inexpensive and environmentally friendly would be helpful for the rehabilitation of volcanic disaster areas and sustainable development.
Multi-rate Based Channel Assignment Algorithm for Multi-radio Multi-channel Wireless Mesh Networks

Much attention has been paid to efficiently use channel assignment algorithm to enhance throughput of multi-radio multi-channel (MRMC) wireless Mesh networks (WMNs). However, most prior works on channel assignment assume that all links work on a same rate. In this paper, a multi-rate based channel assignment algorithm called Multi-Rate Based Channel Assignment (MRBCA) is proposed to solve problems caused by multi-rate links. Firstly a proper root node is selected and then a multi-rate topology is established with consideration of connectivity and avoidance of single-direction links. After that, links are ordered and bandwidth loss function is proposed. At last, channels are assigned to links according to the order and minimization of bandwidth loss. Simulation results using ns-3 show that MRBCA outperforms other two classic channel assignment algorithms.
Insulin induces upregulation of vascular AT1 receptor gene expression by posttranscriptional mechanisms.

BACKGROUND An interaction of insulin with angiotensin II effects could be pathophysiologically important for the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined the effect of insulin on AT1 receptor gene expression in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). A 24-hour incubation with insulin (100 nmol/L) produced a 2-fold increase in AT1 receptor density on VSMCs, as assessed by radioligand binding assays. This enhanced AT1 receptor expression was caused by a time- and concentration-dependent upregulation of the AT1 receptor mRNA levels, as assessed by Northern analysis. The maximal effect was detected after a 24-hour incubation of cells with 100 nmol/L insulin (270+/-20%). AT1 receptor upregulation was caused by a stabilization of the AT1 receptor mRNA, because the AT1 receptor mRNA half-life was prolonged from 5 hours under basal conditions to 10 hours after insulin stimulation. In contrast, insulin had no influence on AT1 receptor gene transcription, as assessed by nuclear run-on assays. The insulin-induced AT1 receptor upregulation was followed by an increased functional response, because angiotensin II evoked a significantly elevated intracellular release of calcium in cells that were preincubated with 100 nmol/L insulin for 24 hours. The insulin-induced AT1 receptor upregulation was dependent on tyrosine kinases, as assessed by experiments with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein. Furthermore, experiments using the intracellular calcium chelator bis(2-amino-5-methylphenoxy)ethane-N, N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetraacetoxymethyl ester suggest that intracellular calcium release may be involved in AT1 receptor regulation. CONCLUSIONS Insulin-induced upregulation of the AT1 receptor by posttranscriptional mechanisms may explain the association of hyperinsulinemia with hypertension and arteriosclerosis, because activation of the AT1 receptor plays a key role in the regulation of blood pressure and fluid homeostasis.
Establishment of B-Cell Lines Latently Infected with Reactivation-Competent Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 Provides Evidence for Viral Alteration of a DNA Damage-Signaling Cascade

ABSTRACT Gammaherpesvirus 68 (γHV68, or MHV68) is a naturally occurring rodent pathogen that replicates to high titer in cell culture and is amenable to in vivo experimental evaluation of viral and host determinants of gammaherpesvirus disease. However, the inability of MHV68 to transform primary murine B cells in culture, the absence of a robust cell culture latency system, and the paucity of MHV68-positive tumor cell lines have limited an understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which MHV68 modulates the host cell during latency and reactivation. To facilitate a more complete understanding of viral and host determinants that regulate MHV68 latency and reactivation in B cells, we generated a recombinant MHV68 virus that encodes a hygromycin resistance protein fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein as a means to select cells in culture that harbor latent virus. We utilized this virus to infect the A20 murine mature B-cell line and evaluate reactivation competence following treatment with diverse stimuli to reveal viral gene expression, DNA replication, and production of progeny virions. Comparative analyses of parental and infected A20 cells indicated a correlation between infection and alterations in DNA damage signaling following etoposide treatment. The data described in this study highlight the potential utility of this new cell culture-based system to dissect molecular mechanisms that regulate MHV68 latency and reactivation, as well as having the potential of illuminating biochemical alterations that contribute to gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis. In addition, such cell lines may be of value in evaluating targeted therapies to gammaherpesvirus-related tumors.
Polymer Adhesion, Friction, and Lubrication

Specifically dedicated to polymer and biopolymer systems, Polymer Adhesion, Friction, and Lubrication guides readers to the scratch, wear, and lubrication properties of polymers and the engineering applications, from biomedical research to automotive engineering. Author Hongbo Zeng details different experimental and theoretical methods used to probe static and dynamic properties of polymer materials and biomacromolecular systems. Topics include the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to analyze nanotribology, polymer thin films and brushes, nanoparticles, rubber and tire technology, synovial joint lubrication, adhesion in paper products, bioMEMS, and electrorheological fluids.
The Neural Organization of Semantic Control: TMS Evidence for a Distributed Network in Left Inferior Frontal and Posterior Middle Temporal Gyrus

Assigning meaning to words, sounds, and objects requires stored conceptual knowledge plus executive mechanisms that shape semantic retrieval according to the task or context. Despite the essential role of control in semantic cognition, its neural basis remains unclear. Neuroimaging and patient research has emphasized the importance of left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)—however, impaired semantic control can also follow left temporoparietal lesions, suggesting that this function may be underpinned by a large-scale cortical network. We used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in healthy volunteers to disrupt processing within 2 potential sites in this network—IFG and posterior middle temporal cortex. Stimulation of both sites selectively disrupted executively demanding semantic judgments: semantic decisions based on strong automatic associations were unaffected. Performance was also unchanged in nonsemantic tasks—irrespective of their executive demands—and following stimulation of a control site. These results reveal that an extended network of prefrontal and posterior temporal regions underpins semantic control.
Neither Helix in the Coiled Coil Region of the Axle of F1-ATPase Plays a Significant Role in Torque Production

F1-ATPase is an ATP-driven rotary molecular motor in which the central γ-subunit rotates inside the cylinder made of α3β3 subunits. The amino and carboxy termini of the γ-subunit form the axle, an α-helical coiled coil that deeply penetrates the stator cylinder. We previously truncated the axle step by step, starting with the longer carboxy terminus and then cutting both termini at the same levels, resulting in a slower yet considerably powerful rotation. Here we examine the role of each helix by truncating only the carboxy terminus by 25–40 amino-acid residues. Longer truncation impaired the stability of the motor complex severely: 40 deletions failed to yield rotating the complex. Up to 36 deletions, however, the mutants produced an apparent torque at nearly half of the wild-type torque, independent of truncation length. Time-averaged rotary speeds were low because of load-dependent stumbling at 120° intervals, even with saturating ATP. Comparison with our previous work indicates that half the normal torque is produced at the orifice of the stator. The very tip of the carboxy terminus adds the other half, whereas neither helix in the middle of the axle contributes much to torque generation and the rapid progress of catalysis. None of the residues of the entire axle played a specific decisive role in rotation.
A Therapeutic Antiviral Antibody Inhibits the Anterograde Directed Neuron-to-Cell Spread of Herpes Simplex Virus and Protects against Ocular Disease

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a leading cause of blindness and viral encephalitis in the developed world. Upon reactivation from sensory neurons, HSV returns via axonal transport to peripheral tissues where it causes, e.g., severe, potentially blinding ocular diseases. In the present study we investigated whether the HSV-1/2 glycoprotein B-specific antibody mAb 2c or its humanized counterpart mAb hu2c can protect from ocular disease in a mouse model of HSV-1-induced acute retinal necrosis (ARN). In this model the viral spread from the initially infected to the contralateral eye resembles the routes taken in humans upon HSV reactivation. Systemic antibody treatment prior or early after infection effectively protected the mice from the development of ARN. These observations suggest that the antibody potently neutralized the infection and inhibited the viral transmission, since there was almost no virus detectable in the contralateral eyes and trigeminal ganglia of antibody treated mice. Besides of neutralizing free virus or limiting the infection via activating the complement or cellular effector functions, blocking of the anterograde directed neuron-to-cell spread of HSV represents a viable mode of action how mAb 2c protected the mice from ARN. We proved this hypothesis using a microfluidic chamber system. Neurons and epithelial cells were cultured in two separate compartments where the neurons sent axons via connecting microgrooves to the epithelial cells. Neurons were infected with a reporter HSV-1 strain expressing mCherry, and the co-culture was treated with neutralizing antibodies. In contrast to commercial polyclonal human HSV-neutralizing immunoglobulins, mAb 2c effectively blocked the anterograde directed neuron-to-cell transmission of the virus. Our data suggest that the humanized HSV-1/2-gB antibody protects mice from ocular disease by blocking the neuronal spread of HSV. Therefore, mAb hu2c may become a potent novel therapeutic option for severe ocular HSV infections.
Resonant Structures in Planetesimal Disks due to Planetary Migration

Context. The observed clumpy structures in debris disks are commonly interpreted as particles trapped in mean-motion resonances with an unseen exo-planet. Populating the resonances requires a migrating process of either the particles (spiraling i nward due to drag forces) or the planet (moving outward). Because the drag time-scale in resolved debris disks is generally long compared to the collisional time-scale, the planet migration scenario mig ht be more likely, but this model has so far only been investigated for planets on circular orbits. Aims. We present a thorough study of the impact of a migrating planet on a planetesimal disk, by exploring a broad range of masses and eccentricities for the planet. We discuss the sensitivi ty of the structures generated in debris disks to the basic pl anet parameters. Methods. We perform many N-body numerical simulations, using the symplectic integrator SWIFT, taking into account the gravitational influence of the star and the planet on massless test pa rticles. A constant migration rate is assumed for the planet . Results. The effect of planetary migration on the trapping of particles in mean motion resonances is found to be very sensitive to the initial eccentricity of the planet and of the planetesim als. A planetary eccentricity as low as 0.05 is enough to smear out all the resonant structures, except for the most massive planets. The planetesimals also initially have to be on orbits with a mean eccentricity of less than than 0.1 in order to keep the resonant clumps visible. Conclusions. This numerical work extends previous analytical studies and provides a collection of disk images that may help in interpreting the observations of structures in debris disk s. Overall, it shows that stringent conditions must be fulfil led to obtain observable resonant structures in debris disks. Theoretical models of the origin of planetary migration will therefore have to explain how planetary systems remain in a suitable configuration to repr oduce the observed structures.
Levy Flights for Particle Swarm Optimisation Algorithms on Graphical Processing Units

Particle S warm Optimisation (PS O) is a powerful algorithm for space search problems such as parametric optimisation. Particles with Levy-Flights have a long-tailed probability of outlier jumps in the problem space that provide a good compromise between local space exploration and local minima avoidance. Generating many particles and their trajectories with Levy-random deviates is computationally expensive, however. We present a data-parallel algorithmic implementation of Levy-flighted particle swarm optimisation and show how it makes use of accelerators such as graphical processing units (GPUs). We discuss the computational tradeoffs, performance achievable using GPUs, and the scalability of such an approach using various uni -modal and multi-modal test functions in a range of dimensions.