Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MRI in predicting conversion to multiple sclerosis within 1 year

Most patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) present with a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). We aimed to verify previously reported imaging and clinical findings, and to identify new MRI findings that might serve as prognostic factors for a second clinical episode or a change in the MRI scan during the first year following a CIS.
Perception of Looming Motion in Virtual Reality Egocentric Interception Tasks

Motion in depth is commonly misperceived in Virtual Reality (VR), making it difficult to intercept moving objects, for example, in games. We investigate whether motion cues could be modified to improve these interactions in VR. We developed a time-to-contact estimation task, in which observers ($n=18$n=18) had to indicate by button press when a looming virtual object would collide with their head. We show that users consistently underestimate speed. We construct a user-specific model of motion-in-depth perception, and use this model to propose a novel method to modify monocular depth cues tailored to the specific user, correcting individual response errors in speed estimation. A user study was conducted in a simulated baseball environment and observers were asked to hit a looming baseball back in the direction of the pitcher. The study was conducted with and without intervention and demonstrates the effectiveness of the method in reducing interception errors following cue modifications. The intervention was particularly effective at fast ball speeds where performance is most limited by the user's sensorimotor constraints. The proposed approach is easy to implement and could improve the user experience of interacting with dynamic virtual environments.
Towards rich motion skills with the lightweight quadruped robot Serval

Bio-inspired robotic designs introducing and benefiting from morphological aspects present in animals allowed the generation of fast, robust, and energy-efficient locomotion. We used engineering tools and interdisciplinary knowledge transferred from biology to build low-cost robots, able to achieve a certain level of versatility. Serval, a compliant quadruped robot with actuated spine and high range of motion in all joints, was developed to address the question of what mechatronic complexity is needed to achieve rich motion skills. In our experiments, the robot presented a high level of versatility (number of skills) at medium speed, with a minimal control effort and, in this article, no usage of its spine. Implementing a basic kinematics-duplication from dogs, we found strengths to emphasize, weaknesses to correct, and made Serval ready for future attempts to achieve more agile locomotion. In particular, we investigated the following skills: walk, trot, gallop, bound (crouched), sidestep, turn with a radius, ascend slopes including flat ground transition, perform single and double step-downs, fall, trot over bumpy terrain, lie/sit down, and stand up.
Recent progress and performance evaluation for polyaniline/graphene nanocomposites as supercapacitor electrodes

Polyaniline (PANi)/graphene nanocomposites have attracted tremendous interest because of their great potential in electrochemical energy storage applications, especially supercapacitors. We herein focus on the composite synthesis, device fabrication and particularly various techniques for the improvement of electrochemical performance. It is imperative to take close control of the interface in these nanostructured composites, which thus would lead to the desired synergistic effects and cyclic stability with the efficient diffusion of electrolyte ions and electrons. Challenges and perspectives are discussed for the development of highly efficient PANi/graphene electrodes for supercapacitors.
Immersive Interactive Technologies for Positive Change: A Scoping Review and Design Considerations

Practices such as mindfulness, introspection, and self-reflection are known to have positive short and long-term effects on health and well-being. However, in today's modern, fast-paced, technological world tempted by distractions these practices are often hard to access and relate to a broader audience. Consequently, technologies have emerged that mediate personal experiences, which is reflected in the high number of available applications designed to elicit positive changes. These technologies elicit positive changes by bringing users' attention to the self—from technologies that show representation of quantified personal data, to technologies that provide experiences that guide the user closer in understanding the self. However, while many designs available today are either built to support or are informed by these aforementioned practices, the question remains: how can we most effectively employ different design elements and interaction strategies to support positive change? Moreover, what types of input and output modalities contribute to eliciting positive states? To address these questions, we present here a state of the art scoping review of immersive interactive technologies that serve in a role of a mediator for positive change in users. We performed a literature search using ACM Digital Library, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and Design and Applied Arts Index (beginning of literature—January 1, 2018). We retrieved English-language articles for review, and we searched for published and unpublished studies. Risk of bias was assessed with Downs and Black 26-item QAT scale. We included 34 articles as relevant to the literature, and the analysis of the articles resulted in 38 instances of 33 immersive, interactive experiences relating to positive human functioning. Our contribution is three-fold: First we provide a scoping review of immersive interactive technologies for positive change; Second, we propose both a framework for future designs of positive interactive technologies and design consideration informed by the comparative analysis of the designs; Third, we provide design considerations for immersive, interactive technologies to elicit positive states and support positive change.
Performance of a highly sensitive rapid diagnostic test (HS-RDT) for detecting malaria in peripheral and placental blood samples from pregnant women in Colombia

Background Pregnancy poses specific challenges for the diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum infection due to parasite sequestration in the placenta, which translates in low circulation levels in peripheral blood. The aim of this study is to assess the performance of a new highly sensitive rapid diagnostic test (HS-RDT) for the detection of malaria in peripheral and placental blood samples from pregnant women in Colombia. Methods This is a retrospective study using 737 peripheral and placental specimens collected from pregnant women in Colombian malaria-endemic regions. Light microscopy (LM), conventional rapid diagnostic tests (Pf/Pv RDT and Pf RDT), and HS-RDT testing were performed. Diagnostic accuracy endpoints of LM, HS-RDT and RDTs were compared with nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) as the reference test. Results In comparison with nPCR, the sensitivity of HS-RDT, Pf RDT, Pf/Pv RDT and LM to detect infection in peripheral samples was 85.7% (95% CI = 70.6–93.7), 82.8% (95% CI = 67.3–91.9), 77.1% (95% CI = 61.0–87.9) and 77.1% (95% CI = 61.0–87.9) respectively. The sensitivity to detect malaria in asymptomatic women, was higher with HS-RDT, where LM and Pf/Pv RDT missed half of infections detected by nPCR, but differences were not significant. Overall, specificity was similar for all tests (>99.0%). In placental blood, the prevalence of infection by P. falciparum by nPCR was 2.8% (8/286), by HS-RDT was 1% and by conventional RDTs (Pf RDT and Pf/Pv RDT) and LM was 0.7%. The HS-RDT detected placental infections in peripheral blood that were negative by LM and Pf/Pv RDT, however the number of positive placentas was low. Conclusions The sensitivity of HS-RDT to detect P. falciparum infections in peripheral and placental samples from pregnant women was slightly better compared to routinely used tests during ANC visits and at delivery. Although further studies are needed to guide recommendations on the use of the HS-RDT for malaria case management in pregnancy, this study shows the potential value of this test to diagnose malaria in pregnancy in low-transmission settings.
Remote Homology Detection Using Physicochemical Parameters and Physicochemical Properties

Remote homology detection at amino acid level is a complex problem in bio-informatics. Similarity of sequences is very negligible and inconsequential when it is compared with their clan based resemblance. Thus customary detection methods may be replaced by modern Support Vector Machine (SVM) based approaches where a sequence is represented by significant feature vectors. This approach tends to give superior accuracy over the profile based approaches. In this work, effort has been made in two directions. In the first approach, 2-mers are generated from individual amino acid for protein sequences and various physicochemical parameters are used to generate the feature vector. In the second approach, the properties of amino acid are used to create the feature vectors using 3-mers in the similar manner. After the feature vectors were generated from two approaches, PCA (Principle Component analysis) was used for dimensionality reduction and SVM is used for classification. The accuracy of the proposed methods is compared to other existing methods.It was observed that the approach performed similar for some protein families and better for some other group of families. This work also proposes that the physicochemical parameters can be used to detect remote homology in protein sequences.
Digitally Emulated Electronic Devices

The paper deals with the emulation of two-terminal analog electronic devices using digital signal processing inside the loop. Such devices can be used for performing circuit experiments when physical parts are not available or even discovered. A microcontroller measures terminal voltage or current and computes current or voltage response. Based on our previous work the paper analyzes the emulator with voltage-controlled current source for emulating resistive and inductive devices. A new configuration for resistive systems is proposed, which extends the region of stable operation. A digital compensation of parasitic effects of the smoothing filter and zero-order-hold DA converter is presented both for resistive and inductive systems.
A Wideband Circularly Polarized Implantable Antenna for 915 MHz ISM-Band Biotelemetry Devices

A wideband miniaturized circularly polarized implantable antenna operating at 915 MHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band is presented and experimentally verified in this letter. Compared with previous work, the patch antenna with the dimensions of $\pi \times ({\text{4.7}})^{2}\times {\text{1.27}}\ {\text{mm}}^{3}$ features a better size reduction. The miniaturization of the proposed antenna is well implemented by cutting several kinds of slots to extend the current path. Moreover, a shorting pin is introduced to lower the resonant frequency and prompt circular polarization (CP) purity. Specific absorption rate is also calculated to consider whether it can meet the safety standards. The simulated results in one-layer cubic skin phantom demonstrates that the impedance bandwidth (BW) of 12.2% and the 3 dB axial-ratio BW of 19.7% can be obtained. Finally, the antenna is measured in the skin-mimicking solution, and the measured BW achieves about 17.5%, which generally agrees with the simulated.
Background Speech Disrupts Working Memory Span in 5-Year-Old Children

Objectives: The present study tested the effects of background speech and nonspeech noise on 5-year-old children’s working memory span. Design: Five-year-old typically developing children (range = 58.6 to 67.6 months; n = 94) completed a modified version of the Missing Scan Task, a missing-item working memory task, in quiet and in the presence of two types of background noise: male two-talker speech and speech-shaped noise. The two types of background noise had similar spectral composition and overall intensity characteristics but differed in whether they contained verbal content. In Experiments 1 and 2, children’s memory span (i.e., the largest set size of items children successfully recalled) was subjected to analyses of variance designed to look for an effect of listening condition (within-subjects factor: quiet, background noise) and an effect of background noise type (between-subjects factor: two-talker speech, speech-shaped noise). Results: In Experiment 1, children’s memory span declined in the presence of two-talker speech but not in the presence of speech-shaped noise. This result was replicated in Experiment 2 after accounting for a potential effect of proactive interference due to repeated administration of the Missing Scan Task. Conclusions: Background speech, but not speech-shaped noise, disrupted working memory span in 5-year-old children. These results support the idea that background speech engages domain-general cognitive processes used during the recall of known objects in a way that speech-shaped noise does not.
Icosahedral Maps for a Multiresolution Representation of Earth Data

The icosahedral non-hydrostatic (ICON) model is a digital Earth model based on an icosahedral representation and used for numerical weather prediction. In this paper, we introduce icosahedral maps that are designed to fit the geometry of different cell configurations in the ICON model. These maps represent the connectivity information in ICON in a highly structured two-dimensional hexagonal representation that can be adapted to fit different cell configurations. Our maps facilitate the execution of a multiresolution analysis on the ICON model. We demonstrate this by applying a hexagonal version of the discrete wavelet transform in conjunction with our icosahedral maps to decompose ICON data to different levels of detail and to compress it via a thresholding of the wavelet coefficients.
Genome-Wide Association Studies to Identify Loci and Candidate Genes Controlling Kernel Weight and Length in a Historical United States Wheat Population

Although kernel weight (KW) is a major component of grain yield, its contribution to yield genetic gain during breeding history has been minimal. This highlights an untapped potential for further increases in yield via improving KW. We investigated variation and genetics of KW and kernel length (KL) via genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using a historical and contemporary soft red winter wheat population representing 200 years of selection and breeding history in the United States. The observed changes of KW and KL over time did not show any conclusive trend. The population showed a structure, which was mainly explained by the time and location of germplasm development. Cluster sharing by germplasm from more than one breeding population was suggestive of episodes of germplasm exchange. Using 2 years of field-based phenotyping, we detected 26 quantitative trait loci (QTL) for KW and 27 QTL for KL with –log10(p) > 3.5. The search for candidate genes near the QTL on the wheat genome version IWGSCv1.0 has resulted in over 500 genes. The predicted functions of several of these genes are related to kernel development, photosynthesis, sucrose and starch synthesis, and assimilate remobilization and transport. We also evaluated the effect of allelic polymorphism of genes previously reported for KW and KL by using Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) markers. Only TaGW2 showed significant association with KW. Two genes, i.e., TaSus2-2B and TaGS-D1 showed significant association with KL. Further physiological studies are needed to decipher the involvement of these genes in KW and KL development.
In-Hospital Surgery as a Risk Factor for Onset of AmpC-Producing Escherichia coli Blood Stream Infections

There has been a progressive rise in the incidence of blood stream infections (BSI) caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms (MDR GN), which cause increased morbidity and mortality. For this reason, recent studies have focused on risk factors of acquisition of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producers. However, there is limited data on risk factors for BSI caused by AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae (AmpC EC), especially in low prevalence settings such as Australia. This study was performed to identify risk factors for acquisition of AmpC E. coli, using a retrospective matched case control design over a 3-year period. Patients with BSI caused by AmpC E. coli were matched with controls (third generation cephalosporin susceptible E. coli) by age and site of infection (n = 21). There was no significant difference in age, sex, clinical outcome, time to onset of BSI, recent antibiotic use (last 3 months), comorbidities (type 2 diabetes mellitus, renal failure) intensive care unit admission, underlying hematological condition, immunosuppressant use, APACHE II score, or any recent urological procedures (within last 3 months) between the two groups. On univariate analysis, the AmpC E. coli group were more likely to have had a surgical procedure in hospital and lived in a residential aged care facility. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, a recent surgical procedure was associated with the onset of AmpC E. coli BSI (Odd’s Ratio (OR) 4.78, p = 0.034). We concluded that in a relatively low prevalence setting such as Australia, AmpC E. coli BSI is potentially associated with surgery performed in hospital due to previous antibiotic exposure and longer hospitalization.
Divergent Solutions to Visual Problem Solving across Mammalian Species

Abstract Our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of learning and behavior relies on the use of invasive techniques, which necessitate the use of animal models. However, when different species learn the same task, to what degree are they actually producing the same behavior and engaging homologous neural circuitry? This question has received virtually no recent attention, even as the most powerful new methodologies for measuring and perturbing the nervous system have become increasingly dependent on the use of murine species. Here, we test humans, rats, monkeys, and an evolutionarily intermediate species, tree shrews, on a three alternative, forced choice, visual contrast discrimination task. As anticipated, learning rate, peak performance, and transfer across contrasts was lower in the rat compared to the other species. More interestingly, rats exhibited two major behavioral peculiarities: while monkeys and tree shrews based their choices largely on visual information, rats tended to base their choices on past reward history. Furthermore, as the task became more difficult, rats largely disengaged from the visual stimulus, reverting to innate spatial predispositions in order to collect rewards near chance probability. Our findings highlight the limitation of muridae as models for translational research, at least in the area of visually based decision making.
A Multilevel Computational Characterization of Endophenotypes in Addiction

Abstract Addiction is characterized by a profound intersubject (phenotypic) variability in the expression of addictive symptomatology and propensity to relapse following treatment. However, laboratory investigations have primarily focused on common neural substrates in addiction and have not yet been able to identify mechanisms that can account for the multifaceted phenotypic behaviors reported in the literature. To fill this knowledge gap theoretically, here we simulated phenotypic variations in addiction symptomology and responses to putative treatments, using both a neural model, based on cortico-striatal circuit dynamics, and an algorithmic model of reinforcement learning (RL). These simulations rely on the widely accepted assumption that both the ventral, model-based, goal-directed system and the dorsal, model-free, habitual system are vulnerable to extra-physiologic dopamine reinforcements triggered by addictive rewards. We found that endophenotypic differences in the balance between the two circuit or control systems resulted in an inverted-U shape in optimal choice behavior. Specifically, greater unbalance led to a higher likelihood of developing addiction and more severe drug-taking behaviors. Furthermore, endophenotypes with opposite asymmetrical biases among cortico-striatal circuits expressed similar addiction behaviors, but responded differently to simulated treatments, suggesting personalized treatment development could rely on endophenotypic rather than phenotypic differentiations. We propose our simulated results, confirmed across neural and algorithmic levels of analysis, inform on a fundamental and, to date, neglected quantitative method to characterize clinical heterogeneity in addiction.
Design of a High-Gain and Low-Profile Quasi-Cassegrain Antenna Based on Metasurfaces

In this letter, a high-gain and low-profile quasi-Cassegrain antenna based on metasurfaces (MS) is proposed. Thanks to the structure of the dual reflectors and the phase compensation technology achieved by MS, the proposed antenna presents a balance between high gain and low profile. This antenna achieves the peak gain of 13.7 dBi, sidelobe level less than −19 dB, and half-power beamwidth of 38° (<italic>H</italic>-plane) and 28° (<italic> E</italic>-plane). At the same time, it has a low profile of 12.6 mm (0.244<italic>λ</italic><sub>0</sub>) and occupies an area of 132 mm × 132 mm (2.55<italic>λ</italic><sub>0</sub> × 2.55<italic> λ</italic><sub>0</sub>). The proposed quasi-Cassegrain antenna in this letter provides an alternative for the high-gain and low-profile antenna and also enriches the applications of MS in the microwave band.
Bridging Theory and Practice in Programming Lectures With Active Classroom Programmer

Contribution: Active classroom programmer (ACP) is a software tool that places minimal pressure on resources, and is shown to help improve student learning while also encouraging a high degree of engagement both during and outside of programming lectures. Background: Programming is difficult for students, largely due to the myriad of ever-advancing concepts. As students gradually become stronger programmers, both within a course and within their degree, they are constantly presented with new and challenging programming concepts regardless of their expertise. While laboratory sessions provide an excellent opportunity for students to independently practice, this does not help them in the programming process where expert scaffolding is desired. Intended outcomes: ACP is intended to engage students with active programming exercises and develop an inductive approach to learning, focusing on developing problem-solving skills. Application design: Students need guidance in the programming strategy rather than the syntax and peculiarities of the particular programming language. ACP allows students to program alongside instructors as new concepts are introduced. Findings: Experience from two concept-rich programming courses at different levels is presented, demonstrating students engaged with ACP both inside and outside lectures to deepen their understanding of the programming concepts.