Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The attentional window configures to object boundaries

Research on attentional capture has shown the efficiency of task-relevant target selection is often affected by salient task-irrelevant events. The attentional window hypothesis (Belopolsky, Zwaan, Theeuwes, & Kramer, 2007) offers one explanation for why targets are, at times, selected efficiently in the face of more salient events. In this hypothesis, observers’ attention can be diffuse or focused and only irrelevant events within this window-like space can capture attention. One unanswered question is whether the attentional window can be configured to noncontiguous spatial locations within an object or functions as a zoom-lens, which must maintain a spotlight like distribution (Eriksen & St. James, 1986). Object-based attention research has shown objects control attentional selection (e.g., Egly, Driver, & Rafal, 1994; Vecera, 1994). In fact, Cosman and Vecera (2012) demonstrated object-based attention modulates the extent of distractor processing. These findings suggest an observer’s attentional windows may naturally configure to objects. For example, Figure 1b represents a situation where attention might spread through a cued object. If the attentional window functions like a zoom-lens and is unable to configure to object boundaries, then colour singletons at all the locations will capture attention. On the other hand, if the attentional window accommodates object boundaries, then only colour singletons on the cued object will capture attention. Kerzel, Born, and Schonhammer (in press) recently found observers were able to constrain the attentional window to only an inner or outer ring of items, but observers were not able to constrain capture to a set of items without this spatial separation between the relevant groups. We suggest that observers were not able to constrain capture to the relevant groups because there were not strong enough perceptual grouping cues (e.g., object boundaries).
Co-creation of tourist experiences: a literature review

This paper reviews the literature concerning co-creation of tourism experiences. It analyses the theoretical underpinnings of co-creation and discusses key dimensions of the concept from the tourist's perspective, highlighting the importance of active participation and interaction. The aim is to propose a psychology-focused definition of on-site co-creation tourism experience on which to base a conceptual framework relating important constructs. Opportunities for future empirical research in this area are suggested.
Defects in Aortic Fusion and Craniofacial Vasculature in the Holoprosencephalic Mouse Embryo under Inhibition of Sonic Hedgehog Signaling

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is a well-known morphogen indispensable in facial and nervous development, and recently it has also garnered much attention as a potent angiogenic factor. We previously created an animal model of holoprosencephaly by administration of cyclopamine, a specific inhibitor of hedgehog signaling, to the mouse embryos cultured in vitro, and found several types of angiogenic defects. In this study, we focused on other angiogenic phenotypes in the same model. When cyclopamine was added for embryonic day (E) 8.0-9.5, a pair of immature dorsal aortae, which normally fuse to form the single aorta by E9.5, remained to be separated. Expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor and bone morphogenetic protein 4, putative mediators of aortic fusion, were also reduced around the aorta by blockade of Shh signaling. When cyclopamine was added for E8.5-10.5, vessels on the surface of craniofacial region (possibly external cardinal veins) were extended and malformed. These results suggest that Shh signaling is essential for some aspects of embryonic angiogenesis, and that pathophysiology of holoprosencephaly may involve, at least in part, the Shh-dependent angiogenesis.
Pili-like proteins of Akkermansia muciniphila modulate host immune responses and gut barrier function

Gut barrier function is key in maintaining a balanced response between the host and its microbiome. The microbiota can modulate changes in gut barrier as well as metabolic and inflammatory responses. This highly complex system involves numerous microbiota-derived factors. The gut symbiont Akkermansia muciniphila is positively correlated with a lean phenotype, reduced body weight gain, amelioration of metabolic responses and restoration of gut barrier function by modulation of mucus layer thickness. However, the molecular mechanisms behind its metabolic and immunological regulatory properties are unexplored. Herein, we identify a highly abundant outer membrane pili-like protein of A. muciniphila MucT that is directly involved in immune regulation and enhancement of trans-epithelial resistance. The purified Amuc_1100 protein and enrichments containing all its associated proteins induced production of specific cytokines through activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4. This mainly leads to high levels of IL-10 similar to those induced by the other beneficial immune suppressive microorganisms such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii A2-165 and Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1. Together these results indicate that outer membrane protein composition and particularly the newly identified highly abundant pili-like protein Amuc_1100 of A. muciniphila are involved in host immunological homeostasis at the gut mucosa, and improvement of gut barrier function.
Techniques to evolve a C++ based system design language

Complex systems-on-chip present one of the most challenging design problems. To meet this challenge, new design languages capable of modelling such heterogeneous, dynamic systems are needed. For implementation of such a language, the use of an object oriented C++ class library has proven to be a promising approach, since new classes dealing with design- and platform-specific problems can be added in a conceptual and seamlessly reusable way. This paper shows the development of such an extension aimed to provide a platform-independent high-level structured storage object through hiding of the low-level implementation details. It results in a completely virtualised, user-extendible component, suitable for use in heterogeneous systems.
Pneumocystis jiroveci Internal Transcribed Spacer Types in Patients Colonized by the Fungus and in Patients with Pneumocystosis from the Same French Geographic Region

ABSTRACT Pneumocystis jiroveci (human-derived Pneumocystis) infections can display a broad spectrum of clinical presentations, of which pulmonary colonization with the fungus may represent an important part, occurring frequently in patients with various underlying diseases and presenting alternative diagnoses of acute pneumocystosis (Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia [PCP]). There are few data concerning the P. jiroveci genotypes involved in pulmonary colonization, whereas several genotypes responsible for PCP in immunocompromised patients have been described. In this study, P. jiroveci genotypes have retrospectively been investigated and compared in 6 colonized patients and in 11 patients with PCP who were in the same hospital. Seventeen archival bronchoalveolar lavage samples were genotyped at internal-transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and ITS2 of the nuclear rRNA operon. Fourteen different genotypes were identified, of which 1 was found only in colonized patients, 10 were found only in patients with PCP, and 3 were found in both patient populations. Mixed infections were diagnosed in 2 of the 6 colonized patients and in 6 of the 11 patients with PCP. The results show that similar genotypes can be responsible for PCP as well as pulmonary colonization. There is a high diversity of genotypes in colonized patients and in patients with PCP. Mixed infections may occur in these two patient populations. These shared features of P. jiroveci ITS genotypes in colonized patients and patients with PCP suggest that human populations infected by P. jiroveci, whatever the clinical manifestation, may play a role as a common reservoir for the fungus.
Augmenting training sets with still images for video concept detection

Accessing the visual information of video content is a challenging task. Automatic annotation techniques have made significant progress, however they still suffer from the lack of appropriate training data. To overcome this problem we propose the use of still images taken from a photo sharing website as an additional resource for training. However, a mere extension of the training set with still images does not yield a large gain in classification accuracy. We show that using a combination of techniques for bridging the differences between still images and video keyframes improves classification performance compared to simply augmenting the training set.
The Human Cationic Peptide LL-37 Induces Activation of the Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase and p38 Kinase Pathways in Primary Human Monocytes1

LL-37 is a cationic peptide that is found in the granules of neutrophils and is secreted by epithelial cells from a variety of tissues. Levels of LL-37 in vivo increase upon infection, and its production and secretion are increased upon stimulation with proinflammatory mediators. It has been postulated that LL-37 modulates the immune response by interacting with the effector cells of innate immunity; however, the mechanism of this interaction is unknown. LL-37 induced phosphorylation and activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and p38, in human peripheral blood-derived monocytes and a human bronchial epithelial cell line, but not in B or T lymphocytes. Phosphorylation was not dependent on the G protein-coupled formyl peptide-like receptor 1, which was previously proposed to be the receptor for LL-37-induced chemotaxis on human monocytes and T cells. Activation of ERK1/2 and p38 was markedly increased by the presence of GM-CSF, but not M-CSF. Exposure to LL-37 also led to the activation of Elk-1, a transcription factor that is downstream of and activated by phosphorylated ERK1/2, the up-regulation of various Elk-1-controlled genes, and the transcription and secretion of IL-8. Inhibition of either p38 or ERK1/2 kinases led to a reduction in LL-37-induced IL-8 secretion and inhibition of the transcription of various chemokine genes. The ability of LL-37 to signal through these pathways has broad implications in immunity, monocyte activation, proliferation, and differentiation.
Deductions from "Axiomatic Theory"

Axiomatic theories, following Zetterberg, derive propositions according to the logic of classes. This procedure is valid if postulated relationships are perfect, but is subject to serious error when postulates are stated, or derivations are tested via correlation or association coefficients with absolute values less than unity. Given variables A, B, and C, with rAB and rBo treated as independent, the potential range of rAo is explored. If no further assumptions are made, r*AB+r2BC1 is a necessary and sufficient condition for validation of the axiomatic deductions. But when asymmetric, causal relations in a closed system are assumed, axiomatic deductions are validated regardless of the magnitude of the independent correlations. A similar examination of systems of association, as measured by Q, is undertaken, including operating curves specifying the range of QAC for varying magnitudes of QAB and QBo, and for varying marginal conditions.
Unifying approach and interface for spline-based snakes

In this paper, we present different solutions for improving spline-based snakes. First, we demonstrate their minimum curvature interpolation property, and use it as an argument to get rid of the explicit smoothness constraint. We also propose a new external energy obtained by integrating a non-linearly pre-processed image in the closed region bounded by the curve. We show that this energy, besides being efficiently computable, is sufficiently general to include the widely used gradient-based schemes, Bayesian schemes, their combinations and discriminant-based approaches. We also introduce two initialization modes and the appropriate constraint energies. We use these ideas to develop a general snake algorithm to track boundaries of closed objects, with a user-friendly interface.
The Consistency of MDL for Linear Regression Models With Increasing Signal-to-Noise Ratio

Recent work by Ding and Kay has demonstrated that the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) is an inconsistent estimator of model order in nested model selection as the noise variance τ*→ 0. Unfortunately, Ding and Kay have erroneously concluded that the minimum description length (MDL) principle also leads to inconsistent estimates of model order in this setting by equating BIC with MDL. This correspondence shows that only the earlier MDL criterion based on asymptotic assumptions has this problem, and proves that the new MDL linear regression criteria based on normalized maximum likelihood and Bayesian mixture codes satisfy the notion of consistency as τ*→ 0. The main result may be used as a basis to easily establish similar consistency results for other closely related information theoretic regression criteria.
Intrapartum ST Segment Analyses (STAN) Using Simultaneous Invasive and Non-Invasive Fetal Electrocardiography: A Report of 6 Cases

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze ST segment analyses (STAN) using simultaneous traditional – gold standard invasive (fetal scalp electrode) and newly available non-invasive abdominal fetal electrocardiography (fECG) during delivery. Study Design: This was a prospective observational study of non-invasive fetal ECG using 5 abdominally sited electrodes (Monica AN24TM) against the traditional fetal scalp electrodes (STAN S31TM) on 6 patients. Data were analyzed when the STAN S31TM found the baseline and when there was a baseline rise. Results: Successful fECG signal acquisition was achieved in 6/6 (100%) patients. Using the non-invasive fECG, P and QRS waves were seen in all cases, and T waves in 3/6 (50%). ST segment analysis analysis was possible in 6/6 (100%) and 3/6 (50%) using invasive and non-invasive fECG, respectively. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that ST segment analysis is feasible using invasive and non-invasive fECG. Further studies are warranted to confirm the preliminary results and improve ECG morphology of non-invasive fECG.
Apoptosis and cell proliferation after porcine coronary angioplasty.

BACKGROUND Angioplasty initiates a number of responses in the vessel wall including cellular migration, proliferation, and matrix accumulation, all of which contribute to neointima formation and restenosis. Cellular homeostasis within a tissue depends on the balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis. METHODS AND RESULTS Profiles of apoptosis and proliferation were therefore examined in a porcine PTCA injury model over a 28-day period. Forty-two arteries from 21 pigs, harvested at the site of maximal injury at 1, 6, and 18 hours, and 3, 7, 14, and 28 days after PTCA, were examined (n=3 animals per time point). Uninjured arteries were used as controls. Apoptosis was demonstrated by the terminal uridine nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and DNA fragmentation. Cells traversing the cell cycle were identified by immunostaining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Apoptosis was not detected in control vessels at all time points nor at 28 days after PTCA. Apoptotic cells were identified at all early time points with a peak at 6 hours (5.1+/-0.26%; compared to uninjured artery, P<0.001) and confirmed by characteristic DNA ladders and TEM findings. Regional analysis showed apoptosis within the media, adventitia, and neointima peaked at 18 hours, 6 hours, and 7 days after PTCA, respectively. In comparison, PCNA staining peaked at 3 days after PTCA (7.16+/-0.29%; compared to 1.78+/-0.08% PCNA-positive cells in the uninjured artery, P<0.001). Profiles of apoptosis and cell proliferation after PTCA were discordant in all layers of the artery except the neointima. These profiles also differed between traumatized and nontraumatized regions of the arterial wall. Immunostaining with cell-type specific markers and TEM analysis revealed that apoptotic cells included vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), inflammatory cells, and adventitial fibroblasts. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the profile of apoptosis and proliferation after PTCA is regional and cell specific, and attempts to modulate either of these events for therapeutic benefit requires recognition of these differences.
Control of the ratio of midline parietal to midline frontal EEG alpha rhythms through auditory feedback.

Summary. -The study asks whether voluntary control over the relative appearance of EEG alpha in midline frontal and parietal sites can be achieved with auditory biofeedback training. 16 Ss participated in the training and testing regimen. Ss varied in the number of hour-long single-channel feedback training sessions received. In the test period, dual-channel feedback was given, and Ss were asked to increase the ratio of frontal to parietal alpha and then the reverse. Evidence for small bur significant control is presented. Amount of control was correlated with number of practice sessions. In earlier research Kamiya ( 1962), Nowlis and Kamiya (1970), and
A computational investigation of verbs during aging with and without Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease produces alterations of cognitive functions and of processes that are responsible for language and memory. In order to have a better understanding of language changes, we investigate the characteristics of the semantic networks of patients diagnosed with probable Alzheimer, focusing on verbs. The results of comparisons with networks of healthy individuals and patients with Alzheimer disease highlight some topological differences among them. We also constructed classifiers that could capture the differences between the various profiles of speakers, and that can be used to classify unknown speakers according to the closest profile. We made this effort in order to help the diagnosis of diseases that affect language, such as the Alzheimer’s disease.
Links Between Emotional Job Demands and Occupational Well-being: Age Differences Depend on Type of Demand

In the growing health care sector, meeting emotional job demands is crucial to organizational outcomes but may negatively affect employees’ well-being. Drawing on the emotional aging literature, we predicted that two common emotional job demands, display demands (expressing positive, negative, and neutral emotions toward clients) and sensitivity demands (knowing what the client is feeling), affect older health care workers’ occupational well-being differently than young workers, as indicated by their job satisfaction and need for recovery. Survey data from employees of senior care homes (N = 141, aged between 17 and 62 years) confirmed the moderating role of age for links between emotional job demands and occupational well-being indicators. Emotional display demands were generally positively associated with emotional dissonance; however, the association between demands to display neutral emotions and emotional dissonance was stronger among young compared with older employees. In contrast, among older but not young employees, emotional dissonance was negatively associated with job satisfaction, and emotional sensitivity demands were positively associated with need for recovery. These findings suggest that age may confer both advantages (facing neutral display demands) and vulnerabilities (facing emotional dissonance and sensitivity demands) in managing emotional job demands.
Genetic and environmental influences on premature death in adult adoptees.

To assess genetic and environmental influences on adult mortality, we followed 960 families that included children born during the period 1924 through 1926 who were placed early in life with adoptive parents unrelated to them. We evaluated the risks of dying from all causes or from specific groups of causes between the ages of 16 and 58 years for adoptees with a biologic or adoptive parent who died of the same cause before the age of either 50 or 70. We compared these risks with the adoptees' risk of dying from the same causes between the ages of 16 and 58 when either the biologic or adoptive parents were still alive at the ages of 50 and 70. The death of a biologic parent before the age of 50 resulted in relative risks of death in the adoptees of 1.71 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.14 to 2.57) for all causes, 1.98 (1.25 to 3.12) for natural causes, 5.81 (2.47 to 13.7) for infections, 4.52 (1.32 to 15.4) for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular causes, and 1.19 (0.16 to 8.99) for cancers. The death of an adoptive parent resulted in relative risks of death in the adoptees that were close to unity for all causes, natural causes, and infections, 3.02 (0.72 to 12.8) for vascular causes, and 5.16 (1.20 to 22.2) for cancers. A similar but weaker pattern was observed when either a biologic or adoptive parent died before the age of 70. We conclude that premature death in adults has a strong genetic background--especially death due to infections and vascular causes. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A density based membership function for fuzzy clustering

This paper presents a new approach to fuzzy clustering using a membership function sensitive to density. It is a fuzzy membership function which allows the action range of the neural units matching the area they reach, even when the data set is contaminated by uniformly distributed noise points, without a need to fix a priori the number of clusters.
Stereovision and augmented reality for closed-loop control of grasping in hand prostheses

Objective. Technologically advanced assistive devices are nowadays available to restore grasping, but effective and effortless control integrating both feed-forward (commands) and feedback (sensory information) is still missing. The goal of this work was to develop a user friendly interface for the semi-automatic and closed-loop control of grasping and to test its feasibility. Approach. We developed a controller based on stereovision to automatically select grasp type and size and augmented reality (AR) to provide artificial proprioceptive feedback. The system was experimentally tested in healthy subjects using a dexterous hand prosthesis to grasp a set of daily objects. The subjects wore AR glasses with an integrated stereo-camera pair, and triggered the system via a simple myoelectric interface. Main results. The results demonstrated that the subjects got easily acquainted with the semi-autonomous control. The stereovision grasp decoder successfully estimated the grasp type and size in realistic, cluttered environments. When allowed (forced) to correct the automatic system decisions, the subjects successfully utilized the AR feedback and achieved close to ideal system performance. Significance. The new method implements a high level, low effort control of complex functions in addition to the low level closed-loop control. The latter is achieved by providing rich visual feedback, which is integrated into the real life environment. The proposed system is an effective interface applicable with small alterations for many advanced prosthetic and orthotic/therapeutic rehabilitation devices.