Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Blind subjects implanted with the Argus II retinal prosthesis are able to improve performance in a spatial-motor task

Background/aims To determine to what extent subjects implanted with the Argus II retinal prosthesis can improve performance compared with residual native vision in a spatial-motor task. Methods High-contrast square stimuli (5.85 cm sides) were displayed in random locations on a 19″ (48.3 cm) touch screen monitor located 12″ (30.5 cm) in front of the subject. Subjects were instructed to locate and touch the square centre with the system on and then off (40 trials each). The coordinates of the square centre and location touched were recorded. Results Ninety-six percent (26/27) of subjects showed a significant improvement in accuracy and 93% (25/27) show a significant improvement in repeatability with the system on compared with off (p<0.05, Student t test). A group of five subjects that had both accuracy and repeatability values <250 pixels (7.4 cm) with the system off (ie, using only their residual vision) was significantly more accurate and repeatable than the remainder of the cohort (p<0.01). Of this group, four subjects showed a significant improvement in both accuracy and repeatability with the system on. Conclusion In a study on the largest cohort of visual prosthesis recipients to date, we found that artificial vision augments information from existing vision in a spatial-motor task. Clinical trials registry no NCT00407602.
Heating at the Nanoscale through Drug‐Delivery Devices: Fabrication and Synergic Effects in Cancer Treatment with Nanoparticles

Nanocarriers for cancer therapy have been extensively studied, but there is still some research that must be addressed in order to achieve their safe application. In this field, hyperthermia thermal treatments mediated by the us of responsive nanomaterials are not different, and researchers have carried out many attempts to overcome their drawbacks due to the valuable potential of these techniques. Here, an overview is presented of nanodevices based on magnetic- and photoresponsive nanocrystals that respond to magnetic fields and/or near-infrared stimuli for cancer therapies. Special attention is given to the synergic effect that can be achieved with nanoscale heating in combination with chemotherapy through drug-delivery devices to effectively kill cancer cells. In this way, the nanoparticles act as heating sources or “hot spots,” which can trigger cellular responses in the absence of a global temperature rise, making the tumor cells more sensitive to chemotherapeutics. The fabrication of optical and magnetic drug-delivery devices, the heating mechanisms, and their applications in tumor treatment are also summarized.
Niosome as a drug carrier for topical delivery of N-acetyl glucosamine

Niosomes are non-ionic surfactant vesicles that have potential applications in the delivery of hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. The topical form of N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG) recently has been considered in the treatment of hyperpigmentation disorders due to its inhibitory effect on thyrosinase enzymes in melanocytes. To improve NAG penetration into the skin we formulated the drug in niosomes and investigated its flux across excised rat skin using Franz diffusion cells. The drug assay was performed by a novel and specific high performance liquid chromatography method. Niosomal vesicles were further characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy and particle size analysis. Niosomes prepared with Span 40 produced a drug encapsulation of about 50%. The vesicle size was markedly dependent on the composition of the niosome formulations and was in range of 500-4500 nm (Span 80 < Span 60 < Span 40 niosomes). Span 40-niosomes provided a higher NAG flux across the skin than Span 60- and Span 80-nisomes. All formulations significantly improved the extent of drug assessed to be localized in the skin (P< 0.05), as compared to NAG hydroalcoholic (HA) solution. Our study demonstrated the potential of niosomes for improved NAG localization in the skin, as needed in hyperpigmentation disorders.
TCR-Ligand koff Rate Correlates with the Protective Capacity of Antigen-Specific CD8+ T Cells for Adoptive Transfer

A Streptamer-based koff rate assay identifies T cells with high protective capacity for the adoptive transfer. Knocking Off T Cell Avidity Adoptive cell transfer is a burgeoning therapeutic approach being used for everything from cancer immunotherapy to treating chronic infections. However, selecting the most effective T cells for a given antigen has remained a challenge. T cell receptors (TCRs) with higher avidity for their cognate ligands recognize their targets earlier and faster than lower-avidity TCRs, but rapid screening of TCR avidity has been difficult. Now, Nauerth et al. use real-time microscopy to measure the dissociation of monomeric peptide-MHC molecules and determine that these measures can be correlated with efficacy of adoptive immunotherapy. The authors use Streptamer-based assay to determine avidity on living T cells. They found a surprising diversity of avidity in cytomegalovirus (CMV)–specific T cells derived from different individuals. What’s more, their measure of avidity (koff rate) correlated with in vivo protectivity of T cells in animal models of CMV and Listeria monocytogenes infection. These data suggest that this method may help not only to determine which cells are most suitable for adoptive transfer but also to measure the quality of an endogenous immune response. Adoptive immunotherapy is a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of chronic infections and cancer. T cells within a certain range of high avidity for their cognate ligand are believed to be most effective. T cell receptor (TCR) transfer experiments indicate that a major part of avidity is hardwired within the structure of the TCR. Unfortunately, rapid measurement of structural avidity of TCRs is difficult on living T cells. We developed a technology where dissociation (koff rate) of truly monomeric peptide–major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) molecules bound to surface-expressed TCRs can be monitored by real-time microscopy in a highly reliable manner. A first evaluation of this method on distinct human cytomegalovirus (CMV)–specific T cell populations revealed unexpected differences in the koff rates. CMV-specific T cells are currently being evaluated in clinical trials for efficacy in adoptive immunotherapy; therefore, determination of koff rates could guide selection of the most effective donor cells. Indeed, in two different murine infection models, we demonstrate that T cell populations with lower koff rates confer significantly better protection than populations with fast koff rates. These data indicate that koff rate measurements can improve the predictability of adoptive immunotherapy and provide diagnostic information on the in vivo quality of T cells.
Big Software on the Run In Vivo Software Analytics Based on Process Mining (Keynote)

Software-related problems have an incredible impact on society, organizations, and users that increasingly rely on information technology. Speciﬁcation, veriﬁcation and testing techniques aim to avoid such problems. However, the growing complexity, scale, and diversity of software complicate matters. Since software is evolving and operates in a changing environment, one cannot anticipate all problems at design-time. Hence, we propose to analyze software “in vivo”, i.e., we study systems in their natural habitat rather than through testing or software design. We propose to observe running systems, collect and analyze data on them, generate descriptive models, and use these to respond to failures. We focus on process mining as a tool for in vivo software analytics. Process discovery techniques can be used to capture the real behavior of software. Conformance checking techniques can be used to spot deviations. The alignment of models and real software behavior can be used to predict problems related to performance or conformance. Recent developments in process mining and instrumentation of software make this possible. This keynote paper provides pointers to process mining literature and introduces the“Big Software on the Run”( BSR ) research program that just started.
Vitamin D Economy in Blacks

The fact that fracture risk is lower and BMD is higher in blacks compared with whites is surprising in light of what is known about vitamin D status in blacks. Mean 25(OH)D levels are lower in blacks than whites at all stages of life, and a greater proportion of blacks meet criteria for vitamin D deficiency. The racial difference in serum 25(OH)D level is primarily caused by increased pigmentation reducing vitamin D production in the skin. In response to lower 25(OH)D levels and lower average calcium intake, blacks have higher average PTH levels and a higher prevalence of secondary hyperparathyroidism (twice the prevalence compared with whites for both sexes). This is associated with higher average levels of 1,25(OH)2D and lower urinary calcium excretion but not higher biochemical indices of bone turnover. In fact, in general, biochemical indices of bone formation (particularly osteocalcin levels) are lower in blacks. Bone formation rates assessed histomorphometrically are also lower, although wall thickness is maintained. During a 24‐h PTH infusion, increments in levels of three different bone resorption markers are significantly lower in blacks than in whites, providing direct confirmation of the thesis that the black skeleton is resistant to the bone‐resorbing effects of PTH, whereas renal sensitivity to PTH is maintained or perhaps even enhanced. Vitamin D supplementation studies in black women have shown inconsistent benefits to BMD. Skeletal and renal adaptations to vitamin D deficiency in blacks might be so effective that vitamin D supplementation might not confer any further benefit to the black skeleton. Benefits of vitamin D supplements in blacks may still play a role, however, in the prevention of other chronic diseases.
Calculation of the effect of plastic deformation on thermo-kinetic electromotive force in TiNi alloy

It is known that the thermo-kinetic electromotive force (EMF) in TiNi is induced due to thermoelastic phase transformations. The occurrence of the thermo-kinetic EMF is possible with the movement of both the local heating and cooling zones along the extended TiNi sample. Local heating of the conductor determines the reverse phase transformation (T ≥ Аs ), while cooling determines the forward one (T ≤ Мs ). When the thermo-kinetic EMF is induced in a TiNi wire sample, two successive EMF peaks opposite in sign are observed when the cooling zone moves through the deformation zone (Ldef < 1.4 cm); after the cooling zone passes through the deformation zone, the thermo-kinetic EMF parameter returns to its initial value. This paper presents a physical model according to which the change in the thermo-kinetic EMF value when the cooling zone moves through the deformation zone is associated with the appearance of the potential difference at the boundaries of the deformation zone due to changes in temperature and differences between the thermo-EMF coefficient values on the plastically deformed (due to the accumulated defects) and undeformed zones of the TiNi wire sample. Mathematical expressions were obtained to calculate the change of the thermo-kinetic EMF value during the movement of the cooling zone through the zone of deformation in TiNi alloy, as well as the dependence of this value on the deformation degree, the length of the deform zone, and the temperature in the cooling zone. The calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental data and can be used to develop methods and tools for homogeneity control of TiNi products.
Arousal and the attentional network in panic disorder

Although a great deal of information about the neurobiology of panic disorder is now available, there is a need for an updated etiological model integrating recent findings on the neurobiology of the arousal system and its relationship with higher cortical functions in panic disorder. The current mini‐review presents psychophysiological, molecular biological/genetic and functional neuroimaging evidence for dysfunction in major arousal systems of the brain. Such dysfunction may influence the development of panic disorder by precipitating autonomic bodily symptoms and at the same time increasing vigilance to these sensations by modulating cortical attentional networks. A multilevel model of arousal, attention and anxiety—including the norepinephrine, orexin, neuropeptide S and caffeine‐related adenosine systems—may be useful in integrating a range of data available on the pathogenesis of panic disorder. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Image reconstruction: An overview for clinicians

Image reconstruction plays a critical role in the clinical use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The MRI raw data is not acquired in image space and the role of the image reconstruction process is to transform the acquired raw data into images that can be interpreted clinically. This process involves multiple signal processing steps that each have an impact on the image quality. This review explains the basic terminology used for describing and quantifying image quality in terms of signal‐to‐noise ratio and point spread function. In this context, several commonly used image reconstruction components are discussed. The image reconstruction components covered include noise prewhitening for phased array data acquisition, interpolation needed to reconstruct square pixels, raw data filtering for reducing Gibbs ringing artifacts, Fourier transforms connecting the raw data with image space, and phased array coil combination. The treatment of phased array coils includes a general explanation of parallel imaging as a coil combination technique. The review is aimed at readers with no signal processing experience and should enable them to understand what role basic image reconstruction steps play in the formation of clinical images and how the resulting image quality is described. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;41:573–585. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
CONCURRENT ENGINEERING : Research and Applications Sensor-based Remote Quality Control Application in Automotive Components Assembly

Many global enterprises are now operating their production facilities in foreign countries in an effort to capitalize on the merits that each country provides. In such environment, where design, production, supply chains, and other business functions are geographically separated, great challenges exist in terms of how to effectively measure, control, and monitor the product quality on remotely situated production lines. In this context, this article presents a novel, holistic, network-based quality control strategy, which is called EQM (short for e-quality for manufacture). With EQM, remotely situated designers can access real-time quality data and update quality control processes as changes in production occur. EQM also allows the quality data to be integrated within the company’s information network with other related business functions. Such integration enables instant generation of corrective actions, such as automatic notification to supply chains/vendors for nonconformities. EQM relieves human operators from laborious, tedious, and error-prone tasks of quality monitoring and sampling practices, hence greatly improves the overall efficiency of production operations. The proposed remote-quality control strategy has been tested using the networked-robotic cell, which produces automotive starter gear housing assemblies. The results vindicate the notion of EQM, manifesting many potential benefits for industry.
Playing in the wild: enhancing user engagement in field evaluation methods

In this paper we want to describe the possibility to introduce game mechanics within the methodologies commonly used in the evaluations of interactive systems. Through the set up of a "gamified user field test" we intended to show how it is possible to increase the engagement and self-motivation of people that take part in evaluation activities.
Efficient face orientation discrimination

The paper presents efficient methods to address the problem of discriminating between live facial orientations. We present the most efficient methods for this task to date, which can accurately discriminate between five facial orientations with approximately 92% accuracy using fewer than 30 pixel comparisons and greater than 99% accuracy using 150 pixel comparisons. We achieve these rates by using a boosting method to select from a large set of extremely simple features. Comparisons to other methods are given.
Development of a Vaccine against Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Based on Combinations of Virulence Proteins of Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT Current global efforts are focused on exploring alternative pneumococcal vaccine strategies, aimed at addressing the shortcomings of existing formulations, without compromising efficacy. One such strategy involves the use of one or more pneumococcal protein antigens common to all serotypes, to provide cheap, non-serotype-dependent protection. In this study, we evaluated the protective efficacy of immunization of mice with PdB (a pneumolysin toxoid), PspA, PspC (CbpA), PhtB, and PhtE in an invasive-disease model. The antigens were administered in alum adjuvant, either alone or in various combinations. Protection against intraperitoneal challenge with virulent type 2 and 6A strains was assessed in two murine strains. Our findings show that in some situations, different individual proteins gave the best (and worst) protection. However, in many cases, a synergistic/additive effect was seen by using multiple proteins even where the individual proteins showed little value by themselves. For instance, the median survival times for mice immunized with combinations of PdB and PspA, PdB and PspC, or PspA and PspC were significantly longer than those for mice immunized with any of the single antigens. To date, the combination of PdB, PspA, and PspC offers the best protection.
ID3 Modification and Implementation in Data Mining

In this paper, ID3 algorithm of decision trees is modified due to some shortcomings. The algorithm is implemented to create a decision tree for bank loan seekers.ID3 algorithm is an existing algorithm which is modified because the dataset cannot be implemented in the existing conditions. Some changes are done in order to remove the shortcomings of the algorithm. Now the modified version is implemented in the dataset taken. With the help of the modified algorithm a decision tree is created which is helpful to the bankers to predict the credit risk of the loan seekers from the bank.
Exploiting Structure and Content of Wikipedia for Query Expansion in the Context

Retrieving answer containing passages is a challenging task in Question Answering. In this paper we describe a novel query expansion method which aims to rank the answer containing passages better. It uses content and structured information (link structure and category information) of Wikipedia to generate a set of terms semantically related to the question. As Boolean model allows a fine-grained control over query expansion, these semantically related terms are added to the original query to form an expanded Boolean query. We conducted experiments on TREC 2006 QA data. The experimental results show significant improvements of about 24.6%, 11.1% and 12.4% in precision at 1, MRR at 20 and TDRR scores respectively using our query expansion method.
Morphological Identification of TRPC7 in Cardiomyocytes From Normal and Renovascular Hypertensive Rats [RETRACTED]

OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate the expression characteristics of transient receptor potential canonical 7 (TRPC7) in normal and hypertrophic cardiac myocytes. METHODS The 2-kidney 1-clip (2K1C) method was used to induce renovascular hypertension. Losartan, the potent inhibitor of angiotensin II (Ang II) receptor, was applied to the drinking water of 2K1C rats to inhibit Ang II-mediated responses. TRPC7 expression was examined by immunohisto/cytochemistry and Western blot analyses in normal and hypertrophic hearts. The expression level of protein kinase C (PKC), a negative regulator of TRPC7 channel in in vitro study, was also evaluated. RESULTS In normal rat ventricles, strong TRPC7 immunoreactivity was distributed in the surface sarcolemma of cardiomyocytes, and a moderate but striated TRPC7 immunoreactivity was also detected in the subcellular regions. The 2K1C operation caused significant hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy as demonstrated by respective biophysical or biochemical assays. At this stage, expression of TRPC7 was significantly downregulated at both tissue and cell levels, whereas that of PKC was upregulated. Further analysis revealed a negative correlation between TRPC7 and PKC expression patterns. Oral application of losartan ameliorated the extent of experimentally induced hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy. Simultaneously, it effectively reversed the downregulation of TRPC7 and mildly antagonized the upregulation of PKC. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results for the first time show that TRPC7 localizes in the surface and tubular sarcolemma of cardiomyocytes in normal adult rats and its expression significantly decreases in hypertrophied cardiomyocytes from renovascular hypertensive rats. TRPC7 may thus play a significant role in normal physiological settings in the heart.
Physiological Outperformance at the Morphologically-Transformed Edge of the Cyanobacteriosponge Terpios hoshinota (Suberitidae: Hadromerida) when Confronting Opponent Corals

Terpios hoshinota, an encrusting cyanosponge, is known as a strong substrate competitor of reef-building corals that kills encountered coral by overgrowth. Terpios outbreaks cause significant declines in living coral cover in Indo-Pacific coral reefs, with the damage usually lasting for decades. Recent studies show that there are morphological transformations at a sponge’s growth front when confronting corals. Whether these morphological transformations at coral contacts are involved with physiological outperformance (e.g., higher metabolic activity or nutritional status) over other portions of Terpios remains equivocal. In this study, we compared the indicators of photosynthetic capability and nitrogen status of a sponge-cyanobacteria association at proximal, middle, and distal portions of opponent corals. Terpios tissues in contact with corals displayed significant increases in photosynthetic oxygen production (ca. 61%), the δ13C value (ca. 4%), free proteinogenic amino acid content (ca. 85%), and Gln/Glu ratio (ca. 115%) compared to middle and distal parts of the sponge. In contrast, the maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm), which is the indicator usually used to represent the integrity of photosystem II, of cyanobacteria photosynthesis was low (0.256~0.319) and showed an inverse trend of higher values in the distal portion of the sponge that might be due to high and variable levels of cyanobacterial phycocyanin. The inconsistent results between photosynthetic oxygen production and Fv/Fm values indicated that maximum quantum yields might not be a suitable indicator to represent the photosynthetic function of the Terpios-cyanobacteria association. Our data conclusively suggest that Terpios hoshinota competes with opponent corals not only by the morphological transformation of the sponge-cyanobacteria association but also by physiological outperformance in accumulating resources for the battle.