Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RGB-D and Thermal Sensor Fusion

Many systems combine RGB cameras with other sensor modalities for fusing visual data with complementary environmental information in order to achieve improved sensing capabilities. This article explores the possibility of fusing a commodity RGB-D camera and a thermal sensor. We show that using traditional methods, it is possible to accurately calibrate the complete system and register the three RGB-D-T data sources. We propose a simple person tracking algorithm based on particle filters, and show how to combine the mapped pixel information from the RGB-D-T data. Furthermore, we use depth information to adaptively scale the tracked target area when radial displacements from the camera occur. Experimental results provide evidence that this allows for a significant tracking performance improvement in situations with large radial displacements, when compared to using only a tracker based on RGB or RGB-T data.
Differential Effects of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors in Tumor and Normal Cells—What Is the Toxicological Relevance?

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors target key steps of tumor development: They inhibit proliferation, induce differentiation and/or apoptosis, and exhibit potent antimetastatic and antiangiogenic properties in transformed cells in vitro and in vivo. Preliminary studies in animal models have revealed a relatively high tumor selectivity of HDAC inhibitors, strenghtening their promising potential in cancer chemotherapy. Until now, preclinical in vitro research has almost exclusively been performed in cancer cell lines and oncogene-transformed cells. However, as cell proliferation and apoptosis are essential for normal tissue and organ homeostasis, it is important to investigate how HDAC inhibitors influence the regulation of and interplay between proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in primary cells as well. This review highlights the discrepancies in molecular events triggered by trichostatin A, the reference compound of hydroxamic acid-containing HDAC inhibitors, in hepatoma cells and primary hepatocytes (which are key targets for drug-induced toxicity). The implications of these differential outcomes in both cell types are discussed with respect to both toxicology and drug development. In view of the future use of HDAC inhibitors as cytostatic drugs, it is highly recommended to include both tumor cells and their healthy counterparts in preclinical developmental studies. Screening the toxicological properties of compounds early in their development process, using a battery of different cell types, will enable researchers to discard those compounds bearing undesirable adverse activity before entering into expensive clinical trials. This will not only reduce the risk for harmful exposure of patients but also save time and money.
Impact of exports and imports on economic growth : evidence from Tunisia

In this paper we investigated the impact of exports and imports on the economic growth of Tunis over the period 1977-2012. The study used Granger Causality and Johansen Cointegration approach for long run relationship Using Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillip-Perron (PP) stationarity test, the variable proved to be integrated of the order one 1(1) at first difference. Johansen and Juselius Cointegration test was used to determine the presence or otherwise of a cointegrating vector in the variables. To determine the direction of causality among the variables, at least in the short run, the Pairwise Granger Causality was carried out. Economic growth was found to Granger Cause import and Export was found to Granger Cause import. The results show that there is unidirectional causality between exports and imports and between exports and economic growth. These results provide evidence that growth in Tunisia was propelled by a growth-led import strategy as well as export led import. Imports are thus seen as the source of economic growth in Tunisia.
Retrogenesis of semantic knowledge: Comparative approach of acquisition and deterioration of concepts in semantic memory.

OBJECTIVE Semantic memory is the result of progressive development during childhood. During the construction of the lexico-semantic network, the features of the objects are progressively stored to build our knowledge. Alzheimer's disease (AD) disrupts conceptual links that support semantic memory. Individuals suffering from AD lose access to words as well as to meaning. Some researchers have made the assumption that cognitive retrogenesis leads to a cognitive decline that reverses acquisition steps in childhood. This study proposes to analyze the validity of this theory applied to semantic knowledge. METHOD We administered a semantic knowledge questionnaire (SKQ) featuring 30 objects associated with 4 questions (2 superordinate questions; Q1 = general; Q2 = intracategorial; and 2 subordinate questions; Q3 = perceptual; Q4 = thematical/functional) to 93 children (30 5-year-old children; 30 7-year-old children; and 33 9-year-old children), 32 healthy elderly people, and 66 AD patients (20 in the initial stage of the disease, AD1; 16 in the intermediate stage, AD2; and 30 in the advanced stage, AD3). RESULTS Our results show that the total number of errors in the SKQ evolved in a "u-shaped" curve: children made less and less errors at the SKQ during development while AD patients presented the reverse pattern. Moreover, the performance of 5-year-old children was identical to that of AD3 patients. Similar results were observed with 7-year-old children and AD2 patients, and with 9-year-old children and AD1 patients. CONCLUSION These data are consistent with the idea of a lexico-semantic retrogenesis process. (PsycINFO Database Record
The dsg gene of Myxococcus xanthus encodes a protein similar to translation initiation factor IF3

The dsg mutants of Myxococcus xanthus are defective in fruiting body development and sporulation, yet they grow normally. The deduced amino acid sequence of the dsg gene product is 50 and 51% identical to the amino acid sequence of translation initiation factor IF3 of both Escherichia coli and Bacillus stearothermophilus, respectively. However, the Dsg protein has a carboxy-terminal extension of 66 amino acids, which are absent from its E. coli and B. stearothermophilus homologs. The Shine-Dalgarno sequence GGAGG and 5 bases further upstream are identical in M. xanthus and several enteric bacteria, despite the wide phylogenetic gap between these species. The infC gene, which encodes IF3 in enteric bacteria, starts with the atypical translation initiation codon AUU, which is known to be important for regulating the cellular level of IF3 in E. coli. Translation of the Dsg protein overexpressed from the M. xanthus dsg gene in E. coli cells initiates at an AUC codon, an atypical initiation codon in the AUU class. The dsg mutants DK429 and DK439 carry the same missense mutation that changes Gly-134 to Glu in a region of amino acid identity.
Characterization of the sensitization profile to lupin in peanut‐allergic children and assessment of cross‐reactivity risk

Case reports of allergy to lupin, due to primary sensitization or cross‐reactions with other legumes, are increasing as a consequence of the augmented use of lupin flour in bakery, pasta formulations and other food items. The main allergens that have been associated with the sensitization to lupin are α‐ and β‐conglutins and, to a lesser extent, γ‐ and δ‐conglutin, but no conclusive data are available so far. The aim of this study was to characterize the sensitization pattern to lupin in a group of 12 Italian children allergic to peanut and identify the specific lupin proteins involved in the cross‐reactivity with peanut.
Complications of central venous catheterization in critically ill children

Objective Analysis of central venous catheterization complications in different access sites with the Seldinger technique. Patients and Methods A prospective study (May 1992 through December 1996) of 308 central venous catheterizations in children of different ages in a pediatric intensive care unit. Results Access sites were the subclavian vein (76.3%), femoral vein (20.4%), and jugular vein (3.2%). The frequency of catheter placement-related complications was 22%, and the frequency of serious catheter placement-related complications was 2.9% (pneumothorax 1.9%, hemothorax 1%). Catheter placement-related complications were more common in the subclavian than in the femoral vein (chi-square, p = .02) for the larger bore catheters (chi-square, p = .01) and for the higher number of attempts (Student’s t-test, p < .001). Catheter placement-related complications were not related to the age, weight, or whether the procedure was performed by the staff physician or resident. The overall complication rate for maintenance-related complications was 36%. Maintenance-related complications were more common in younger children (Student’s t-test, p = .03). The most frequent maintenance-related complications were mechanical complications (catheter obstruction and central venous thrombosis), and these were higher for femoral access (chi-square, p < .01) and for catheters indwelling for a longer period of time. Infection was found in 5.8% of patients, mainly due to Staphylococcus epidermidis. Infection was not related to the site of venous access or to the length of time the catheter was left indwelling. Conclusions Central venous catheterization can be performed readily in children of all ages with an acceptable degree of risk. The immediate complications were more frequent and severe for subclavian vein catheterization, and the highest risk factor was the number of attempts at catheter insertion. Although the most frequent late complications were mechanical, which were higher for the femoral access and long-indwelling catheters, femoral catheters can be left indwelling for longer periods if routine ultrasound follow-up is performed. Infectious complications were independent of the venous access site or the duration of catheterization.
Rotationally invariant filter bank for pattern recognition

We propose new rotation moment invariants based on multiresolution filter bank techniques. The multiresolution pyramid motivates our simple but efficient feature selection procedure based on the fuzzy C-mean clustering, combined with the Mahalanobis distance. The procedure verifies an impact of random noise as well as an interesting and less known impact of noise due to spatial transformations. The recognition accuracy of the proposed techniques has been tested with the preceding moment invariants as well as with some wavelet based schemes. The numerical experiments, with more than 30,000 images, demonstrate a tangible accuracy increase of about 3% for low noise, 8% for the average noise and 15% for high level noise.
Active surveillance for prostate cancer: past, present and future

Purpose of review This article reviews recent developments in the use of active surveillance for localized prostate cancer. Recent findings The treatment of localized prostate cancer continues to be a major challenge for urologic oncologists. Screening with prostate-specific antigen has resulted in increased numbers of low-risk prostate cancers being detected. Aggressive whole-gland therapy with surgery, or radiation therapy is associated with potentially life-altering treatment-related side effects such as urinary incontinence, bowel toxicity and erectile dysfunction. The goal of active surveillance is to avoid or delay the adverse events associated with prostate cancer therapy while still allowing for curative intervention in the future, if needed. Summary Active surveillance is a reasonable treatment option for many men with low-risk, and some men with intermediate-risk, prostate cancer. Additional research is needed to determine the optimal active surveillance inclusion criteria, monitoring schedule, and treatment triggers. It is hoped that advances in prostate imaging, biomarkers, and focal therapy will foster greater use of active surveillance in appropriately selected men to optimize quality-of-life without compromising cancer outcomes.
Control of upper airway muscle activity in younger versus older men during sleep onset

Pharyngeal dilator muscles are clearly important in the pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSA). We have previously shown that the activity of both the genioglossus (GGEMG) and tensor palatini (TPEMG) are decreased at sleep onset, and that this decrement in muscle activity is greater in the apnoea patient than in healthy controls. We have also previously shown this decrement to be greater in older men when compared with younger ones. In order to explore the mechanisms responsible for this decrement in muscle activity nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) was applied to reduce negative pressure mediated muscle activation. We then investigated the effect of sleep onset (transition from predominantly α to predominantly θ EEG activity) on ventilation, upper airway muscle activation and upper airway resistance (UAR) in middle‐aged and younger healthy men. We found that both GGEMG and TPEMG were reduced by the application of nasal CPAP during wakefulness, but that CPAP did not alter the decrement in activity in either muscle seen in the first two breaths following an α to θ transition. However, CPAP prevented both the rise in UAR at sleep onset that occurred on the control night, and the recruitment in GGEMG seen in the third to fifth breaths following the α to θ transition. Further, GGEMG was higher in the middle‐aged men than in the younger men during wakefulness and was decreased more in the middle‐aged men with the application of nasal CPAP. No differences were seen in TPEMG between the two age groups. These data suggest that the initial sleep onset reduction in upper airway muscle activity is due to loss of a ‘wakefulness’ stimulus, rather than to loss of responsiveness to negative pressure. In addition, it suggests that in older men, higher wakeful muscle activity is due to an anatomically more collapsible upper airway with more negative pressure driven muscle activation. Sleep onset per se does not appear to have a greater effect on upper airway muscle activity as one ages.
A survey for service selection approaches in dynamic environments

The usage of the service selection approaches across different dynamic service provisioning environments has increased the challenges associated with an effective method that can be used to select a relevant service. The use of service selection approach should depend on certain factors. In order to address this challenge, the literature analysis is conducted on various service selection approaches. A proposed approach needs to be tested by manipulating the relevant services description of available services. This paper, proposes various aspects that needs to be considered when choosing a method of service selection. The aspects were used in a scenario to select the effective method and later the method was evaluated based on response time, recall and precision metrics. The experiments showed that the approach works better based on the results yielded among the technical algorithms applied on the approach. The content-based algorithm returned more relevant services to the user and took shorter time as compared to the collaborative filtering.
Phase I trial of neoadjuvant dasatinib in patients with resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.

7580 Background: The optimal multi-modality treatment for resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) remains unknown. We designed a biomarker-based neoadjuvant trial from our preclinical studies showing that dasatinib, a multi-targeted Src kinase inhibitor, has activity against MPM and target specificity to Src Tyr419. METHODS Untreated MPM patients underwent extended surgical staging (ESS) with multiple biopsies to account for tumor heterogeneity, lymph node status and to rule out sarcomatoid features. If deemed a surgical candidate for either pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) or extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), patients received 4 weeks of oral dasatinib (70 mg BID) followed by P/D or EPP. If either a radiographic or molecular response (de-phosphorylation of Src Tyr419 in tumor) is achieved, an additional 2 years of dasatinib maintenance after adjuvant radiotherapy and systemic chemotherapy is given. The primary endpoint of this trial was biomarker modulation of Src Tyr419. Secondary endpoints included response, survival, safety/toxicity, and biomarker modulation in tumor/serum/platelets/pleural effusion. The total planned sample size is 24 to detect a 50% reduction in positive p-Src Tyr419 expression with 80% power, one-sided 10% type I error rate, and 10% inevaluable rate. RESULTS To date, ten patients have registered on the trial (4/08 - 12/08); six have successfully completed the ESS, neoadjuvant dasatinib, and P/D (n=3) or EPP (n=3). Two patients are still receiving neoadjuvant dasatinib; and 2 patients were deemed to not be surgical candidates due to a rapid decline in PS and one was found to have bilateral mesothelioma. The main side effects to dasatinib were grade 1-2: anemia, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, electrolyte abnormalities, fatigue, and anxiety. Grade 3 toxicities included hyperkalemia (1), infection - pneumonia (1), and hypoxia (1). There were no grade 4-5 toxicities. Post-surgical grade 3 toxicity included anemia, electrolyte abnormalities, arrhythmia, HTN, and pleural effusion; one grade 4 episode of hyperglycemia was seen. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that biomarker-based neoadjuvant MPM trials with novel agents are feasible. Updated clinical and translational correlative results will be presented. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Le policier mobile et les mobiles du policier : un "mauvais genre" sous la loupe didactique

Ce memoire propose d'etudier les differentes transformations subies par le roman policier depuis sa naissance comme objet paralitteraire jusqu’a son utilisation comme objet scolarise. Pour ce faire, nous proposons une perspective axee sur la theorie des genres textuels, en arriere-fond pour identifier les mouvements du genre policier et sa didactisation. Les apports de differentes disciplines et perspectives theoriques nous permettent de caracteriser, de comprendre et d’expliquer comment la transposition didactique s’opere sur le roman policier lorsqu’il devient un objet a enseigner. Tout d’abord, l’evolution et les caracteristique du genre sont decrites. Ensuite, l’etude de l’emergence du genre dan la litterature pour la jeunesse met en evidence les transformations et les adaptations pour un destinataire particulier. Enfin, une analyse des publications depuis les annees 1980 en didactique des langues et notamment des moyens d’enseignement permet de montrer le processus de scolarisation du genre et les caracteristiques des objets scolarises en lecture et production textuelle.
STUDIES IN TEMPERATURE SENSATION. III. THE SENSITIVITY OF THE BODY TO HEAT AND THE SPATIAL SUMMATION OF THE END ORGAN RESPONSES.

It has long been known that the sensation produced by a heat stimulus of fixed intensity increases with the size of the area stimulated. The observations which have been made on this phenomenon are largely qualitative both as to the magnitude of the stimulus and the size of the stimulated area. Recent investigation of this subject has been made by Bazett and McGlone (3), and Bohnenkamp and Pasquay (4). The former measured the threshold stimulus of sensation for a single heat receptor as a rise in skin temperature of O.3° C. produced at a rate of 0.20 C. per second, whereas, the threshold for the whole arm was estimated to be a rise of 0.10 C. produced at the rate of 0.0050 C. per second. Bohnenkamp and Pasquay found a skin temperature rise of 1.80 C. as the threshold of a single end organ and a rise of 0.40 C. as that for a group of six endings. They discussed their results in terms of spatial summation and expressed their data in an exponential formula of the type of Mach's law of visual intensity discrimination. The nature of these experiments is such that the data are inadequate for a quantitative investigation of the relationship of heat sensation to the size and location of the stimulated area. The purpose of the present experiments is to obtain such data and further, to determine the smallest amount of radiation which can be perceived by the body as warmth.
How Do You Identify m6 A Methylation in Transcriptomes at High Resolution? A Comparison of Recent Datasets

A flurry of methods has been developed in recent years to identify N6-methyladenosine (m6A) sites across transcriptomes at high resolution. This raises the need to understand both the common features and those that are unique to each method. Here, we complement the analyses presented in the original papers by reviewing their various technical aspects and comparing the overlap between m6A-methylated messenger RNAs (mRNAs) identified by each. Specifically, we examine eight different methods that identify m6A sites in human cells with high resolution: two antibody-based crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP) approaches, two using endoribonuclease MazF, one based on deamination, two using Nanopore direct RNA sequencing, and finally, one based on computational predictions. We contrast the respective datasets and discuss the challenges in interpreting the overlap between them, including a prominent expression bias in detected genes. This overview will help guide researchers in making informed choices about using the available data and assist with the design of future experiments to expand our understanding of m6A and its regulation.
Life Cycle of a SLAM System: Implementation, Evaluation and Port to the Project Tango Device

Augmented Reality (AR) applications are becoming popular recently. Among other things, AR requires a precise real-time tracking to work properly. Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is one way to perform this task. Commonly used in robotics applications, SLAM creates a map of the environment to use it as input to compute the pose while uses the pose to increment the map. At the same time, mobile devices are evolving faster lately. Along with more processing power and memory capabilities, they are being embedded with several powerful resources, such as depth sensors. Taking this into account, this work introduces STAM, a Simple Tracking and Mapping system that was developed in desktop and evaluated in a challenging scenario. Additionally, STAM was ported to a mobile version, using the Android platform and Google's Tango tablet device. Finally, the system was evaluated concerning its desktop version. The desktop version presented better tracking performance in simple scenarios with respect to reprojection error, but it presented a few drawbacks when dealing with the most complex ones. Regarding the mobile version, it proved to be slower than its desktop counterpart. However, it was more precise.