Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
3D shape reconstruction from a humanoid generated video sequence

This paper presents a strategy for estimating the geometry of an interest object from a monocular video sequence acquired by a walking humanoid robot. The problem is solved using a space carving algorithm, which relies on both the accurate extraction of the occluding boundaries of the object as well as the precise estimation of the camera pose for each video frame. For data acquisition, a monocular visual-based control has been developed that drives the trajectory of the robot around an object placed on a small table. Due to the stepping of the humanoid, the recorded sequence is contaminated with artefacts that affect the correct extraction of contours along the video frames. To overcome this issue, a method that assigns a fitness score for each frame is proposed, delivering a subset of camera poses and video frames that produce consistent 3D shape estimations of the objects used for experimental evaluation.
Reporting on Accessibility Challenges Experienced by South Africa's Older Mobile Phone Users

How might accessibility of mobile telephony affect inter-generational knowledge transfer in developing communities? Motivated by this research question, we investigated mobile phones as potential facilitators of knowledge transfer between generations in South Africa, as an example of a developing country. We focused on mobile phone accessibility for the elderly community, as revealed and interpreted by the younger community. Our analysis uncovers severe accessibility issues that hinder the adoption of mobile devices. We also gained novel insights into inter-generational differences in terms of teaching and learning expectations. Finally, we consider what needs to be in place to encourage the growth of a thriving trans-generational digital community in a developing country.
Overview of NTCIR-12

This is an overview of NTCIR-12, the twelfth sesquiannual research project for evaluating information access technologies. NTCIR-12 presents a diverse set of evaluation tasks related to information retrieval, question answering, natural language processing, etc (in total, 9 tasks are set up at NTCIR-12). This paper describes an outline of the research project, which includes its organization, schedule, scope and task designs. In addition, brief statistics on participants in NTCIR-12 Conference is given. Readers should refer to individual task overview papers for their activities and ﬁ ndings.
Flexible optical modulation technologies for data center applications

Communication equipment for data center applications needs to be low-cost, energy-efficient and flexible in the sense that spectral efficiency, reach and complexity should be adjustable with a high degree of flexibility in the digital signal processing of the transceivers. We present and compare different flexible modulation formats like discrete multi-tone, time domain hybrid pulse amplitude modulation and multidimensional modulation in the environment of data centers. We use vestigial sideband transmission to avoid power fading and minimize the influence of signal-signal-beating interference by optimization of the optical signal to carrier ratio.
Reciprocal Translocation Observed in End-of-Production Cells of a Commercial CHO-Based Process

During the validation of an additional working cell bank derived from a validated master cell bank to support the commercial production continuum of a recombinant protein, we observed an unexpected chromosomal location of the gene of interest in some end-of-production cells. This event—identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization and multicolour chromosome painting as a reciprocal translocation involving a chromosome region containing the gene of interest with its integral coding and flanking sequences—was unique, occurred probably during or prior to multicolour chromosome painting establishment, and was transmitted to the descending generations. Cells bearing the translocation had a transient and process-independent selective advantage, which did not affect process performance and product quality. However, this first report of a translocation affecting the gene of interest location in Chinese Hamster Ovary cells used for producing a biotherapeutic indicates the importance of the demonstration of the integrity of the gene of interest in end-of-production cells. LAY ABSTRACT: The expression of recombinant therapeutic proteins in mammalian cells depends on the establishment of a cell line with the gene of interest integrated in the host genome and stably expressed over time. Before being used for commercial production, cell lines are submitted to a qualification program in order to ensure their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics and the efficacy and safety of the product. During the production life cycle of a therapeutic protein, additional cells banks have to be validated after exhaustion of the current qualified cell bank in order to support the commercial production continuum of the recombinant protein. It is during the validation of an additional working cell bank derived from a validated master cell bank that we detected a different chromosome bearing the gene of interest in a portion of cells at the end of the upstream production phase. In our case, this event did not affect the process performance, the product quality, or its safety profile, but it highlights the need to characterize the integrity of the gene of interest in end-of-production cells when producing recombinant proteins for human use.
Modelling the effect of 3D conformity on single and multi-band patch antennas

Two patch antennas have been modelled when they are conformed to the shape of a sphere using a technique for drawing unusual shaped antennas and commercially available MoM electromagnetic modelling software. First, a simple L-band printed circular patch antenna on a square groundplane was modelled with the theoretical results showing good agreement with those obtained experimentally. Next, a circular patch antenna, conforming to a sphere, has been studied. Theoretical input reflection coefficient and polar radiation plots have been produced showing the effect of curvature. Next, an "E" shaped PIFA triple band antenna etched on a thin piece of copper foil designed for the GSM and PCS frequencies of 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz has been modelled on a spherical host for differing radii, producing reasonable results. The S11 and polar radiation plots have shown very little influence of curvature, perhaps due to the small distance of the antenna from the ground plane.
Cerebral microdialysis methodology—evaluation of 20 kDa and 100 kDa catheters

Microdialysis monitoring of cerebral metabolism is now performed in several neuro-intensive care units. Conventional microdialysis utilizes CMA70 catheters with 20 kDa molecular weight cut-off membranes enabling the measurement of small molecules such as glucose, lactate, pyruvate and glutamate. The CMA71 100 kDa molecular weight cut-off microdialysis catheter has recently been introduced to allow detection of larger molecules such as cytokines. The objective of this study was to perform in vitro and in vivo testing of the CMA71 microdialysis catheter, comparing its performance with the CMA70. In vitro comparison studies of three of each catheter using reference analyte solutions, demonstrated equivalent recovery for glucose, lactate, pyruvate and glutamate (range 94–97% for CMA70 and 88–103% for CMA71). In vivo comparison involved intracranial placement of paired CMA70 and CMA71 catheters (through the same cranial access device) in six patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Both catheters were perfused with CNS Perfusion Fluid without dextran at 0.3 µl min−1 with hourly sampling and bedside analysis on a CMA600 microdialysis analyser. The two catheters yielded equivalent results for glucose, lactate, pyruvate, glutamate and lactate/pyruvate ratio. CMA71 microdialysis catheters can, therefore, be used for routine clinical monitoring of extracellular substances, as well as for their intended research role of larger molecular weight protein sampling.
Psychosis pathways converge via D2High dopamine receptors

The objective of this review is to identify a target or biomarker of altered neurochemical sensitivity that is common to the many animal models of human psychoses associated with street drugs, brain injury, steroid use, birth injury, and gene alterations. Psychosis in humans can be caused by amphetamine, phencyclidine, steroids, ethanol, and brain lesions such as hippocampal, cortical, and entorhinal lesions. Strikingly, all of these drugs and lesions in rats lead to dopamine supersensitivity and increase the high‐affinity states of dopamine D2 receptors, or D2High, by 200–400% in striata. Similar supersensitivity and D2High elevations occur in rats born by Caesarian section and in rats treated with corticosterone or antipsychotics such as reserpine, risperidone, haloperidol, olanzapine, quetiapine, and clozapine, with the latter two inducing elevated D2High states less than that caused by haloperidol or olanzapine. Mice born with gene knockouts of some possible schizophrenia susceptibility genes are dopamine supersensitive, and their striata reveal markedly elevated D2High states; suchgenes include dopamine‐β‐hydroxylase, dopamine D4 receptors, G protein receptor kinase 6, tyrosine hydroxylase, catechol‐O‐methyltransferase, the trace amine‐1 receptor, regulator of G protein signaling RGS9, and the RIIβ form of cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKA). Striata from mice that are not dopamine supersensitive did not reveal elevated D2High states; these include mice with knockouts of adenosine A2A receptors, glycogen synthase kinase GSK3β, metabotropic glutamate receptor 5, dopamine D1 or D3 receptors, histamine H1, H2, or H3 receptors, and rats treated with ketanserin or aD1 antagonist. The evidence suggests that there are multiple pathways that convergetoelevate the D2High state in brain regions and that this elevation may elicit psychosis. This proposition is supported by the dopamine supersensitivity that is a common feature of schizophrenia and that also occurs in many types of genetically altered, drug‐altered, and lesion‐altered animals. Dopamine supersensitivity, in turn, correlates with D2High states. The finding that all antipsychotics, traditional and recent ones, act on D2High dopamine receptors further supports the proposition. Synapse 60: 319–346, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An ultrastructural study of cat lumbosacral γ‐motoneurons after retrograde labelling with horseradish peroxidase

Twelve retrogradely horseradish peroxidase (HRP)‐labelled triceps surae motoneurons of gamma size (mean cell body diameter<38 μm) were studied ultrastructurally. The contours of the cell bodies, as observed in the transverse midnucleolus plane, were elongated to rounded. The axons identified all originated from the cell body. The mean diameter of the stem dendrites was 4.5 μm.
Modeling and design of the output filter applied to high power shunt Active Power Filters

This paper elaborates on the output filter of the high power shunt Active Power Filter (APF). Aimed to reduce the switching ripple produced by APF itself injecting into the power grid, a scheme applying high-pass filter capacitor branch at the grid side is proposed. Based on the model of the output filter, design principle and process of it is provided and the relevant parameters of the high-pass filter branch are analyzed as well. Experimental results on a 260 kVA APF prototype verify the validity and availability of the proposed scheme.
A New Rectenna Using Beamwidth-Enhanced Antenna Array for RF Power Harvesting Applications

This letter presents a new rectenna using beamwidth-enhanced antenna array for RF power harvesting applications. Based on an example of a 1 × 4 patch antenna array, the beamwidth-enhancement method is demonstrated. By maximizing the power transmission efficiency between the 1 × 4 antenna array and two auxiliary antennas, the optimal excitation distribution that leads to an enhanced beamwidth can be determined. In comparison to the same antenna array fed by the uniform amplitude and phase, the beamwidth of the designed antenna array at the H-plane is about two times wider. A high-efficiency rectifier is designed to convert the harvested RF power into dc power and is then combined with the 1 × 4 antenna array to form the proposed beamwidth-enhanced rectenna. Measurement results show that the rectenna's efficiency is more than 50% when the wave incident angle is between −38° and 35° at the H-plane under the power density of 1276 μW/cm2.
The role of 9-O-acetylated ganglioside D3 (CD60) and α4β1 (CD49d) expression in predicting the survival of patients with Sézary syndrome

Background Sézary syndrome is a rare and very aggressive leukemic variant of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma characterized by extensive skin involvement and a malignant circulating CD4+ T-cell clone which homes to the skin, over-expresses CD60, and lacks CD7, CD26 and CD49d. So far prognostic markers in this disease are limited to treatment with systemic steroids, age, serum lactate dehydrogenase, and a white blood cell count of 20×109/L or higher: no other biological marker with prognostic value, especially related to malignant cells, has been described. Design and Methods We used flow activated cell sorting analysis to compare the distribution of the T-cell receptor-Vβ repertoire and several surface molecules (CD7, CD26, CD49d and CD60) within the circulating CD4+ T-cell population in 62 patients with Sézary syndrome, 180 with mycosis fungoides, 6 with B-cell lymphomas, and 19 with chronic eczema. We calculated the 5-year overall survival of patients with Sézary syndrome after first hospital admission using Kaplan–Meier product–limit estimates and hazard ratios from the Cox proportional hazards model. Results We found that both higher number of CD60+ and lower number of CD49d+ cells within circulating CD4+ T cells at disease presentation were significantly associated with a lower probability of survival. An exceedingly high risk of death was observed for patients with a combination of a high proportion of CD4+CD60+ cells (≥ 0.5×109/L) and low proportion of CD4+CD49d+ cells (<0.5×109/L) (hazard ratio = 12.303, 95% confidence interval 1.5–95.9; P<0.02). In addition, a skewed usage of T-cell receptor-Vβ subfamilies was observed in the circulating T-cell clone for 61.9% of all patients with Sézary syndrome, T-cell receptor-Vβ 2 and 5.1 subfamilies being the most frequently represented (42.8%), followed by T-cell receptor-Vβ 12 and 13.1. Conclusions In this study we showed that up-regulation of CD60 and down-regulation of CD49d on circulating CD4+ T cells are two useful markers for predicting a very poor outcome in patients with Sézary syndrome.
Enterochromaffin cells of the digestive system: cellular source of guanylin, a guanylate cyclase-activating peptide.

Guanylin, a bioactive peptide, has recently been isolated from the intestine; this peptide activates intestinal guanylate cyclase (i.e., guanylate cyclase C) and thus is potentially involved in the regulation of water/electrolyte transport in the gastrointestinal mucosa. As yet, the cells involved in synthesis, storage, or secretion of guanylin have not been identified by immunocytochemistry. We raised antisera against guanylin and investigated the entire gastrointestinal tract of guinea pigs by light and electron microscopical immunocytochemistry. Extracts of various intestinal segments and plasma analyzed on a Western blot revealed a peptide band corresponding to the molecular mass of guanylin. Localization studies in the entire digestive tract showed that guanylin is exclusively confined to enterochromaffin (EC) cells. Remarkably, most EC cells contacted the gut lumen by cell processes that were highly immunoreactive for guanylin. In addition to the well known secretion in an endocrine fashion, EC cells by circumstantial evidence may release guanylin into the gut lumen to activate guanylate cyclase C that is immediately located on the brush border of adjacent enterocytes. The unique localization of guanylin in EC cells may indicate that these cells are involved in the regulation of fluid secretion in the gastrointestinal mucous membrane.
A novel model might predict the risk of chronic atrophic gastritis: a multicenter prospective study in China

Abstract Objective. To find a new way to predict the risk of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG). Material and methods. All the participants received endoscopy and histological examination as well as a standard questionnaire. Multivariate analysis was performed by logistic regression to build the CAG risk model. The accuracy was evaluated by 1418 subjects recruited from six medical centers. 63 subjects received another endoscopy after 1-year follow-up and divided into three groups according to the comparison of the histological results (improved, no change and worse). Results. The model showed relatively good discrimination, with an AUROC of 0.888 (95% CI 0.852–0.925). A final probability cut-off score of 0.73 was used to predict the presence (>0.73) or absence of CAG (≤0.73). Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 82.8%, 74.7%, 91.8% and 56%, respectively. The predicted results of 1418 subjects compared with the histological results were quite similar. There was a significant difference of the scores between three groups who were followed-up for 1 year (F = 3.248, p = 0.046). In multiple comparisons, a significant difference existed between Group A (the histological results had improved after 1-year follow-up) and Group C (the results were worse) (p = 0.019). Conclusions. This is the first demonstration of the use of a mathematical model for CAG risk screening. Endoscopy should be recommended to those who are positive according to the model, to detect CAG early and conserve medical resources. In those who have a high-risk score, closer follow-up is needed.
CROSSED IMMUNOELECTROPHORETIC ANALYSIS OF NEISSERIA MENINGITIDIS ANTIGENS AND OF CORRESPONDING ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE

Sixty‐three different antigens of Neisseria meningitidis groups A, B and C were demonstrated by means of crossed immunoelectrophoresis against rabbit antiserum. The group‐specific polysaccharides A and C were identified in the immunoprecipitate pattern. The majority of the remaining antigens were common to all three groups of meningococci. A clearcut rise in antibodies was found in all of 27 patients with meningococcal meningitis or septicaemia. These antibodies were directed against both group‐specific antigens and common antigens. No such rise was seen among the 22 patients with purulent meningitis of non‐meningococcal etiology. Altogether 15 precipitins were detected in the patients with meningococcal disease. Nine of these antibodies could be identified by comparison with the rabbit antiserum. The antibody rise was semiquantified by means of a scoring system. The rise in the precipitin score of antibodies against common antigens in patients infected with group B meningococci was significantly higher than in patients infected with group A meningococci.
Bayesian Calibration of Microsimulation Models

Microsimulation models that describe disease processes synthesize information from multiple sources and can be used to estimate the effects of screening and treatment on cancer incidence and mortality at a population level. These models are characterized by simulation of individual event histories for an idealized population of interest. Microsimulation models are complex and invariably include parameters that are not well informed by existing data. Therefore, a key component of model development is the choice of parameter values. Microsimulation model parameter values are selected to reproduce expected or known results though the process of model calibration. Calibration may be done by perturbing model parameters one at a time or by using a search algorithm. As an alternative, we propose a Bayesian method to calibrate microsimulation models that uses Markov chain Monte Carlo. We show that this approach converges to the target distribution and use a simulation study to demonstrate its finite-sample performance. Although computationally intensive, this approach has several advantages over previously proposed methods, including the use of statistical criteria to select parameter values, simultaneous calibration of multiple parameters to multiple data sources, incorporation of information via prior distributions, description of parameter identifiability, and the ability to obtain interval estimates of model parameters. We develop a microsimulation model for colorectal cancer and use our proposed method to calibrate model parameters. The microsimulation model provides a good fit to the calibration data. We find evidence that some parameters are identified primarily through prior distributions. Our results underscore the need to incorporate multiple sources of variability (i.e., due to calibration data, unknown parameters, and estimated parameters and predicted values) when calibrating and applying microsimulation models.
Multiuser Superposition Transmission (MUST) for LTE-A systems

A new study item termed downlink Multiuser Superposition Transmission (MUST) has been established in 3GPP Release 13 [1]. As the name suggests, MUST utilizes the concept of superposition coding for a multiuser transmission in LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems. While superposition coding can be applied at symbol level, the symbol-domain superposition coding not only increases network signaling overhead and implementation difficulty, but also causes performance degradation due to non-Gray mapping resulting from the symbol-domain superposition. In this paper, we propose a bit-domain multiuser superposition technique by exploiting the intrinsic properties of bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) which is one of key technologies for LTE systems. Simulation results show that the bit-domain MUST can increase both the cell-average and cell-edge user spectral efficiency by more than 20% compared to single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO).
Lactate per se improves the excitability of depolarized rat skeletal muscle by reducing the Cl− conductance

Studies on rats have shown that lactic acid can improve excitability and function of depolarized muscles. The effect has been related to the ensuing reduction in intracellular pH causing inhibition of muscle fibre Cl− channels. However, since several carboxylic acids with structural similarities to lactate can inhibit muscle Cl− channels it is possible that lactate per se can increase muscle excitability by exerting a direct effect on these channels. We therefore examined the effects of lactate on the function of intact muscles and skinned fibres together with effects on pH and Cl− conductance (Gcl). In muscles where extracellular compound action potentials (M‐waves) and tetanic force response to excitation were reduced by (mean ±s.e.m.) 82 ± 4% and 83 ± 2%, respectively, by depolarization with 11 mm extracellular K+, both M‐waves and force exhibited an up to 4‐fold increase when 20 mm lactate was added. This effect was present already at 5 mm and saturated at 15 mm lactate, and was associated with a 31% reduction in GCl. The effects of lactate were completely blocked by Cl− channel inhibition or use of Cl−‐free solutions. Finally, both experiments where effects of lactate on intracellular pH in intact muscles were mimicked by increased CO2 tension and experiments with skinned fibres showed that the effects of lactate could not be related to reduced intracellular pH. It is concluded that addition of lactate can inhibit ClC‐1 Cl− channels and increase the excitability and contractile function of depolarized rat muscles via mechanisms not related to a reduction in intracellular pH.