Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Why Does Anti VEGF Treatment Fail in Age Related Macular Degeneration ( AMD )

The treatment of choroidal neovascularisation (CNVM) has changed considerably with the introduction of intravitreal anti vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents. In 2004 Gragoudas et al. showed that pegaptanib (Macugen), which binds one isoform of VEGF (VEGF 165), was able to reduce the risk of visual loss in patients with CNVM while a small percentage of patients gained or remained stable1. More recent reports on other pan anti-VEGF agents (ranibizumab, Lucentis) have proven that long term improvement in visual acuity is possible2,3. Initial reports on the intravitreal use of bevacizumab (Avastin), a full-size antibody related to ranibizumab, in patients with CNVM have demonstrated a beneficial morphological and functional outcome and offlabel use of bevacizumab has also gained popularity4. Studies have also demonstrated the beneficial effects of anti VEGF agents following a loading dose schedule followed by an OCT based SOS therapy (PRONTO) 5. Compared with previous treatment modalities such as photodynamic therapy (PDT), which caused vision stabilisation but rarely demonstrated an improvement of visual acuity6, anti-VEGF agents have raised the standards of treatment and can improve visual acuity. The proportion of patients with improving visual acuity has ranged from 28% to 43%1,2,3,4.So far it is not known why more than half of patients do not improve after anti VEGF therapy and can be considered as poor responders. In this retrospective study we investigated the causes of treatment failures in eyes that received anti VEGF agents.
Passive Back Support Exoskeleton Improves Range of Motion Using Flexible Beams

In the EU, lower back pain affects more than 40% of the working population. Mechanical loading of the lower back has been shown to be an important risk factor. Peak mechanical load can be reduced by ergonomic interventions, the use of cranes and, more recently, by the use of exoskeletons. Despite recent advances in the development of exoskeletons for industrial applications, they are not widely adopted by industry yet. Some of the challenges, which have to be overcome are a reduced range of motion, misalignment between the human anatomy and kinematics of the exoskeleton as well as discomfort. A body of research exists on how an exoskeleton can be designed to compensate for misalignment and thereby improve comfort. However, how to design an exoskeleton that achieves a similar range of motion as a human lumbar spine of up to 60° in the sagittal plane, has not been extensively investigated. We addressed this need by developing and testing a novel passive back support exoskeleton, including a mechanism comprised of flexible beams, which run in parallel to the spine, providing a large range of motion and lowering the peak torque requirements around the lumbo-sacral (L5/S1) joint. Furthermore, we ran a pilot study to test the biomechanical (N = 2) and functional (N = 3) impact on subjects while wearing the exoskeleton. The biomechanical testing was once performed with flexible beams as a back interface and once with a rigid structure. An increase of more than 25% range of motion of the trunk in the sagittal plane was observed by using the flexible beams. The pilot functional tests, which are compared to results from a previous study with the Laevo device, suggest, that the novel exoskeleton is perceived as less hindering in almost all tested tasks.
Curry plant, Murraya koenigii L.: An indigenous spice plant with versatile medicinal property: A minireview

This communication states the biological activities, phytochemical spectrum, medicinal properties, and nutritional potentiality of curry plant, Murraya koenigii L. (Family: Rutaceae). The M. koenigii is a valued dietary plant used as spice since the ancient times for its characteristic aroma, and in medicine because of its possession of several bioactive compounds with health promoting properties. Curry leaves are rich source of natural antioxidant substances such as tocopherol, β-carotene, lutein, flavonoids, and phenolics. The extracts and essential oil of the plant exhibit antibacterial and antifungal activities. The curry leaves possess potential anticancer activities because of their strong antioxidative properties in various systems. The nutritional potentiality contained in the plant includes minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins, and fatty acids. Additional information on the bioactive components in M. koenigii will help evaluate the health benefits from this functional food plant, and thus, this review updates the facts and phenomena related to the bioactive compounds in curry plant along with their biological activities, due to the web-based search on the topic in SCI and non-SCI journals.
Hybridization strategies for routing problems with pairwise synchronization constraints

s 159 Hybridization strategies for routing problems with pairwise synchronization constraints Sophie N. Parragh ⇤ University of Vienna, Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics. Bruenner Str. 72 – 1210 Vienna, Austria, sophie.parragh@univie.ac. at Karl F. Doerner l Johannes Kepler University Linz, Production and Logistics Management. Altenberger Strasse 69 – 4040 Linz, Austria, karl.doerner@jku.at This research is motivated by a problem situation commonly encountered in the area of field sta↵ routing and scheduling. It concerns the issue of pairwise route synchronization in both space and time. Many companies plan individual daily tours for each of their field employees since most tasks require only a single sta↵ member. However, both in the service technician field and in the area of mobile care, for some of the tasks to be completed, two sta↵ members are necessary [1]. Pairwise time and space route synchronization introduces timely interrelationships between all those routes serving a client requiring a synchronized visit. We consider two routing problems with pairwise synchronization constraints. The first problem is a generic problem based on the well-known vehicle routing problem with time windows (VRPTW) [3]. The second problem is motivated by a real-world problem encountered by an Austrian infrastructure and maintenance service provider: the service technician routing and scheduling problem (STRSP) [2], which is closely related to the site-dependent VRP. In the following, we denote the first problem as VRPTW with pairwise synchronization (VRPTWPS) and the second problem as STRSP with pairwise synchronization (STRSPPS). We propose a hybrid method in order to deal with pairwise route synchronization constraints. The metaheuristic component consists of an adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) algorithm which corresponds to the ALNS of [2]. In order to deal with pairwise synchronization issues, we integrate an exact component into the ALNS. During the execution of the ALNS, time windows of synchronized tasks are narrowed to points in time. The exact synchronization component is used to improve this point in time for each synchronized task individually in every newly generated solution if it constitutes a new best solution. In addition, it is employed with a certain probability (controlled by a frequency parameter i freq ), regardless of the quality of the newly generated solution. In the synchronization component, for each synchronized task or customer, we first determine the two routes serving it (r
Noise as a Public Health Problem Annoyance response to helicopter noise

Exposure-response relationships for aircraft noise may not be directly valid for specific sources such as helicopters. In addition to several non-acoustic attitudinal factors, acoustic characteristics of helicopter noise may influence its perception and the annoyance response. The present study investigates the role of helicopter noise-induced rattle (i.e. sounds of rattling objects or windows within the dwelling induced by low frequency components impacting the building) in heightening the annoyance response. This was done by asking 120 subjects to compare the annoyance due to recorded helicopter noise (either with or without rattle) with that due to fixed-wing aircraft noise in a paired comparison test. Subjects were seated in one of three dwelling types which differed substantially in their susceptibility to produce rattle or vibration. The present findings confirm earlier evidence that rattle noise and vibration increase the annoyance induced by helicopter noise above a certain LA,max level.
Automatic cloud service monitoring and management with prediction-based service provisioning

As the number of users is increasing day by day over the cloud environment, service providers might be unable to offer service as per the agreement. Hence, cloud services being offered should be monitored to detect service level agreement violation. Most existing cloud service monitoring frameworks are developed to support the service provider only, which raises the question of correctness and fairness. On the other hand, if monitoring is applied at user side, then it creates overhead to the clients. To manage such issue, ontology-based automatic cloud services monitoring and management with prediction-based service provisioning approach is proposed in this paper. In this approach, monitoring is performed at cloud broker, which is an intermediate entity between the user and service provider. When service level agreement violation is detected, it sends alert to both clients and service providers, and broker automatically reschedules the tasks to reduce the further violations.
Using Public-Private Partnerships to Expand Subways: Madrid-Barajas International Airport Case Study

In the beginning of 2006, the regional government of Madrid decided to expand the subway network to the new Terminal T-4 in Madrid-Barajas International Airport using a public-private partnership PPP approach. Owing to the peculiar characteristics of this new access as the enlargement of an existing subway line, the PPP approach was based on separating infrastructure management from transportation service operation. The PPP contractor was entrusted with the infrastructure construction and maintenance while Madrid's public subway company remained in charge of operating the trains. This paper examines the theoretical foundation that justifies the implementation of different PPP approaches to deal with urban rail projects. The paper then explains the reasons why a nonintegrated PPP approach was ultimately adopted for the expansion of Madrid's subway network to the airport. From the outcome of the tender and the present operation performance, we find that nonintegrated PPP contracts have important advantages for urban rail PPPs, particularly for conventional subway networks. These advantages are notable in terms of encouraging economies of scale and density, boosting compe- tition, and reducing the financial costs.
User-centric traffic engineering in software defined networks

ion in software-defined networks. In Proceedings of the ninth ACM conference on Emerging networking experiments and technologies (CoNEXT '13). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 13-24. doi: http://dx.doi. org/10.1145/2535372.2535373 [297] Y. Kanizo, D. Hay and I. Keslassy, "Palette: Distributing tables in software-defined networks," INFOCOM, 2013 Proceedings IEEE, Turin, 2013,pp.545-549.doi: http://dx.doi. org/10.1109/INFCOM.2013. 6566832 [298] Li, Jian, Yoo, Jae-Hyoung and Hong, James Won-Ki, "Dynamic control plane management for softwaredefined networks", International Journal of Network Management 2016; 26(2): 111-130. doi: http://dx.doi. org/10.1002/nem.1924 [299] K. Benton, L. J. Camp, and C. Small, “OpenFlow vulnerability assessment,”in Proc. 2nd ACM SIGCOMM Workshop Hot Topics Software Defined Networking, 2013, pp. 151–152. [300] P. H. Isolani, J. A. Wickboldt, C. B. Both, J. Rochol and L. Z. Granville, "Interactive monitoring, visualization, and configuration of OpenFlow-based SDN," 2015 IFIP/IEEE International Symposium on Integrated Network Management (IM), Ottawa, ON, 2015, pp. 207-215. [301] N. L. M. van Adrichem, C. Doerr and F. A. Kuipers, "OpenNetMon: Network monitoring in OpenFlow Software-Defined Networks," 2014 IEEE Network Operations and Management Symposium (NOMS), Krakow,
Voices of Invisibles : Coping responses of Men who Have Sex with Men ( MSM )

An improved understanding of the psychosocial experience of Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) is crucial for creating a scientific reference base for intervention strategies. A study of the coping responses of MSM suggests that most find it difficult to find a comfortable fit between their psychological and emotional needs and the demands of their social environment. This often leads to different stresses in the life course of MSM which demand specific coping strategies. This paper is organized around psychosocial aspects over which MSM experience stress and their coping responses. It is based on a study of 250 case studies of MSM and 4 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The paper discusses multiple stressors such as awareness of one’s sexuality, first sexual experience, pressure of marriage, labelling and comments from others, and partner’s marriage. It discusses generic coping responses such as internalization of homophobia as a result of self hatred and unacceptability of one’s sexuality in society, seeking information on sexuality from peers, networks with support groups, coming out, tolerance of discrimination & abuse, accept/neglect labels, social isolation, multiple sexual partners and addictions. It also identifies common emotional responses such as shame, guilt and secrecy of one’s sexuality, fear of being exposed, self hatred, confusion with identity and depression.
Polar vectors as a method for evaluating the effectiveness of irritable bowel syndrome treatments: An analysis with pinaverium bromide 100 mg plus simethicone 300 mg po bid (cid:2)

Background: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort associated with changes in bowel habit. Currently there are no objective outcome measures for evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for this disorder. Aims: To determine the usefulness of a method of analysis that employs polar vectors to evaluate the effectiveness of IBS treatments. Methods: Data from a Phase IV clinical study with 1677 active IBS-Rome III patients who received 100mg of pinaverium bromide+300mg of simethicone (PB+S) po bid for a period of four weeks Conclusions: Analysis with polar vectors enables treatment response to be measured in different IBS subtypes. All the groups showed improvement with PB+S, but each one had its own characteristic response in relation to vector magnitude and direction. The proposed method can be implemented in clinical studies to evaluate the efﬁcacy of IBS treatments.
DEEP LEARNING BASED METHOD FOR 3 D HUMAN POSE ESTIMATION FROM 2 D FISHEYE IMAGES

In this study, we propose a deep learning based method to directly predict the human joint positions in 3D space from 2D fisheye images captured in an egocentric manner. The core of our method is a modified Inception-v3 convolutional neural network featured the larger convolution filter size, parameter reduction with SELU activation function, long short-term memory module, and the anthropomorphic constraints on the training loss. We also conduct four experiments to study the different effects upon the validation results when using different training settings of our work. The experience of our study may be helpful to develop more complicated deep learning network in a reasonable resource requirement to deal with the computer vision problems.
Force spectroscopy addresses fundamental problems in cell physiology

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become an indispensable technique in biology. It can be used for both imaging of molecular shape and measurement of molecular binding force. Here we focus on picoNewton-scale force measurement, made possible by recently developed cantilever-modification procedures. Application of both AFM operating modes (imaging mode and force mode) is very powerful and provides a novel and potent approach to fundamental problems in biology. A combination of these techniques with the use of recently introduced molecular RNA probes will allow the realtime visualisation of the expression of specific genes in response to mechanical stimuli.
Location of the transition zone of the Barn Owl subspecies Tyto alba alba and Tyto alba guttata (Strigiformes: Tytonidae)

The colouration of the underparts of the Barn Owl ranges in Europe from reddish-brown to white. This character, that shows a clinal variation, is thought to be a marker of subspecies identity. The subspecific identity or transitional state of a total 64 Barn Owl Tyto alba pairs was determined on the basis of their phenotypic characteristics. The present authors investigated the breadth of the transition zone in Hungary on the basis of the distribution of the white-chested subspecies and the transitional phenotype, and it was found to be at least 500 km wide. The width of the transition zone may result from the lack of preferences in mating pair choice. The observed pattern of phenotypic distribution is due to the marginal location of the studied population in the transition zone.
Selection of a novel CD19 aptamer for targeted delivery of doxorubicin to lymphoma cells

CD19 is overexpressed in most human B cell malignancies and considered an important tumor marker for diagnosis and treatment. Aptamers are oligonucleotides that may potentially serve as tumor-homing ligand for targeted cancer therapy with excellent affinity and specificity. In this study, we selected a novel CD19 aptamer (LC1) that was a 59-nucleotide single strand DNA. The aptamer could bind to recombinant CD19 protein with a Kd of 85.4 nM, and had minimal cross reactivity to bovine serum albumin (BSA) or ovalbumin (OVA). Moreover, the aptamer was found capable of binding with the CD19-positive lymphoma cells (Ramos and Raji), but not the CD19-negative cell lines (Jurkat and NB4). An aptamer-doxorubicin complex (Apt-Dox) was also formulated, and selectively delivered doxorubicin to CD19-positive lymphoma cells in vitro. The results indicate that aptamer LC1 can recognize CD19-positive tumor cells and may potentially function as a CD19-targeting ligand.
Modelos para la generación automática de diálogos: Una Revisión

The automatic generation of dialogues is an important part of the human-robot interaction, the generated dialogues must guarantee a coherent conversation between the human and the robot, the interaction is expected to be as natural and effective as possible, that is why this paper presents a review of some models that have been used to generate dialogues in the human-computer interaction.
Effects of Face and Background Color on Facial Expression Perception

Detecting others’ emotional states from their faces is an essential component of successful social interaction. However, the ability to perceive emotional expressions is reported to be modulated by a number of factors. We have previously found that facial color modulates the judgment of facial expression, while another study has shown that background color plays a modulatory role. Therefore, in this study, we directly compared the effects of face and background color on facial expression judgment within a single experiment. Fear-to-anger morphed faces were presented in face and background color conditions. Our results showed that judgments of facial expressions was influenced by both face and background color. However, facial color effects were significantly greater than background color effects, although the color saturation of faces was lower compared to background colors. These results suggest that facial color is intimately related to the judgment of facial expression, over and above the influence of simple color.
A multiscale theory to determine thermodynamic properties of confined fluids

Empirical potential-based quasi-continuum theory (EQT) provides a route to incorporate atomistic detail into a continuum framework such as the NernstPlanck equation. EQT is a simple and fast approach to predict inhomogeneous density and potential profiles of confined fluids. EQT potentials can be used to construct a grand potential functional for classical density functional theory (cDFT). The combination of EQT and cDFT provides a robust and accurate approach to predict the structure and thermodynamic properties of confined fluids at multiple length-scales, ranging from few Angstroms to macro meters. In this work, first, we demonstrate the EQT-cDFT approach by simulating single component Lennard-Jones (LJ) fluids, namely, methane and argon, confined inside slit-like channels of graphene. For these systems, we show that the EQTcDFT can accurately predict the structure and thermodynamic properties, such as density profiles, adsorption, local pressure tensor, surface tension, and solvation force of confined fluids as compared to the MD simulation results. Next, we extend the EQT-cDFT approach to confined fluid mixtures and demonstrate it by simulating a mixture of methane and hydrogen inside slit-like channels of graphene. We show that the EQT-cDFT predictions for the structure of the confined fluid mixture compare well with the MD simulations results. In addition, our results show that graphene slit nanopores exhibit a selective adsorption of methane over hydrogen.
Performance Comparison of Data Mining Algorithms for the Predictive Accuracy of Credit Card Defaulters

Summary The use of credit card for a secure balance transfer is a need of time. Fraudulent activities are also arising due to the fast growth of transactions. The motive of this research is to compare the predictive accuracy of customer’s default payments using different data mining techniques. Accuracy can be predicted in more compact form than just describing binary result classification of “Credible” or “Not Credible” in respect of risk management. Normally, “defaulters” actual chance of default is mysterious. Six data mining techniques (FLDA, Naïve Bayes, J48, Logistic Regression, MLP, and IBK) are applied to the data-set. The results of this research indicate that the neural network performs best to predict the default of credit card clients and shows the highest accuracy.