Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Conscious Cogn 2018 Dec 3;67:44-55. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

ONERA, The French Aerospace Lab, Département Traitement de l'Information et Systèmes, Salon-de-Provence, France.

Recent studies have suggested that individuals are not able to develop a sense of joint agency during joint actions with artificial systems. We sought to examine whether this lack of joint agency is linked to individuals' inability to co-represent the machine-generated actions. Fifteen participants observed or performed a Simon response time task either individually, or jointly with another human or a computer. Read More

Neuropsychologia 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Technology, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08018, Barcelona, Spain.

Our environment is full of statistical regularities, and we are attuned to learn about these regularities by employing Statistical Learning (SL), a domain-general ability that enables the implicit detection of probabilistic regularities in our surrounding environment. The role of brain connectivity on SL has been previously explored, highlighting the relevance of structural and functional connections between frontal, parietal, and temporal cortices. However, whether SL can induce changes in the functional connections of the resting state brain has yet to be investigated. Read More

Cryobiology 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Clinic for Reproduction and Large Animals, University of Ljubljana, Vet Faculty, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The cell membrane of ram spermatozoa is more sensitive to the freezing process than in other species due to its composition. As a result, the quality and viability of frozen thawed ram spermatozoa are often poor, which together with the specific structure of the ewe's cervix are the main reasons for lower fertility in ewes after intracervical insemination. In the present study we investigated the effects of semen centrifugation through a single layer of a species-specific colloid (Androcoll-O) on post-thaw quality of ram spermatozoa. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018 Dec 3;12:CD013186. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Campus, Birmingham, UK, B15 2TT.

Background: Early accurate detection of all skin cancer types is essential to guide appropriate management and to improve morbidity and survival. Melanoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) are high-risk skin cancers which have the potential to metastasise and ultimately lead to death, whereas basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is usually localised with potential to infiltrate and damage surrounding tissue. Anxiety around missing early curable cases needs to be balanced against inappropriate referral and unnecessary excision of benign lesions. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018 Dec 3;12:CD013192. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK, B15 2TT.

Background: Melanoma accounts for a small proportion of all skin cancer cases but is responsible for most skin cancer-related deaths. Early detection and treatment can improve survival. Smartphone applications are readily accessible and potentially offer an instant risk assessment of the likelihood of malignancy so that the right people seek further medical attention from a clinician for more detailed assessment of the lesion. Read More

Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Purpose: Different navigation markers in dynamic guided implant surgery could cause different degrees of artifacts, which would affect the accuracy and efficiency of the implant navigation system. This study aimed to quantify artifacts caused by navigation markers made of different materials and to evaluate their effects on registration accuracy under various oral conditions.

Materials And Methods: Four U-shaped tubes with different navigation markers (440c stainless steel, silicon nitride, zirconium oxide, and aluminium oxide) were produced by three-dimensional printing. Read More

PLoS One 2018 6;13(12):e0208558. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States of America.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models bridge the gap between two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cultures and animal models. Physiologically relevant, 3D culture models have significantly advanced basic cell science and provide unique insights into host-pathogen interactions intrinsically linked to cell morphology. Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intravacuolar parasite that chronically infects a large portion of the global human population. Read More

PLoS Genet 2018 Dec 6;14(12):e1007850. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States of America.

Domestic dog breeds exhibit remarkable morphological variations that result from centuries of artificial selection and breeding. Identifying the genetic changes that contribute to these variations could provide critical insights into the molecular basis of tissue and organismal morphogenesis. Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and Boston Terriers share many morphological and disease-predisposition traits, including brachycephalic skull morphology, widely set eyes and short stature. Read More

J Phys Condens Matter 2019 Jan;31(2):025301

Laboratory of Spintronics and Nanomagnetism (LabSpiN), Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

In this work, we explore a kind of geometrical effect in the thermodynamics of artificial spin ices (ASI). In general, such artificial materials are athermal. Here, We demonstrate that geometrically driven dynamics in ASI can open up the panorama of exploring distinct ground states and thermally magnetic monopole excitations. Read More

Gigascience 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen - the Netherlands.

Background: Neurons in the supragranular layers of the somatosensory cortex integrate sensory (bottom-up) and cognitive/perceptual (top-down) information as they orchestrate communication across cortical columns. It has been inferred, based on intracellular recordings from juvenile animals, that supragranular neurons are electrically mature by the fourth postnatal week. However, the dynamics of the neuronal integration in the adulthood is largely unknown. Read More

Bioinformatics 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Bioinformatics and Mathematical Biosciences Lab, Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA.

Motivation: The prediction of protein-protein interaction (PPI) sites is a key to mutation design, catalytic reaction, and the reconstruction of PPI networks. It is a challenging task considering the significant abundant sequences and the imbalance issue in samples.

Results: A new ensemble learning based method, EL-SMURF, was proposed for PPI sites prediction in this study. Read More

Chem Commun (Camb) 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro/Nano Structures of Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.

An inorganic caesium cation was incorporated into perovskite to improve the performance and stability of solar cells with a hole-transport-material free structure in ambient air. A triple cation device with a champion power conversion efficiency of over 15% was achieved, exhibiting superior thermal, long-term and operational stabilities. Read More

Chemphyschem 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Boreskov Institute of Catalysis RAS, pr. Lavrenteva 5, 630000, Novosibirsk, RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

Colloidal catalysts for water oxidation to dioxygen, which are stable on storage and under the reaction conditions, are synthesized based on CoIII, MnIII, FeIII and CuII hydroxides. Stabilization of the colloids with dextrated starch allows the process of hydroxide ageing to be stopped at the stage of the formation of primary nuclei (ca. 2-3 nm from TEM data). Read More

Integr Biol (Camb) 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.

Human hepatic C3A cells have been applied in bioartificial liver development, although these cells display low intrinsic cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) enzyme activity. We aimed to enhance CYP3A4 enzyme activity of C3A cells utilizing CRISPR gene editing technology. We designed two CYP3A4 expression enhanced systems applying clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) gene technology: a CRISPR-on activation system including dCas9-VP64-GFP and two U6-sgRNA-mCherry elements, and a light-controlled CRISPR-on activation system combining our CRISPR-on activation system with an optical control system to facilitate regulation of CYP3A4 expression for various applications. Read More

Acta Bioeng Biomech 2018 ;20(4):43-49

Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Warsaw, Poland.

Purpose: Simulating the complexities of lower limb motion can be useful for orthosis or rehabilitation planning. The aim of this study was to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) able to accurately simulate the changes in the angle of the ankle, knee and hip joints during the gait cycle, then to use it to simulate the impact of a restricted range of ankle and hip joint angle changes on the progres- sion of the knee joint angle.

Methods: Thirty four young healthy students participated in the study. Read More

Zoolog Sci 2018 Dec;35(6):487-493

1 Department of Biosciences, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, Sakurajosui 3-25-40, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8550, Japan.

To clarify the molecular mechanism of prevention of entry into diapause in Bombyx mori by HCl treatment, we biochemically analyzed mitochondrial Ca -dependent solute carrier protein (MCSC) in diapause eggs treated with HCl solution. Our previous studies revealed that HCl treatment causes Ca to efflux from diapause eggs. Therefore, we attempted to analyze MCSC, which is known to associate with Ca . Read More

Cell Prolif 2018 Dec 5:e12552. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.

With the development of synthetic biology, synthetic gene circuits have shown great applied potential in medicine, biology, and as commodity chemicals. An ultimate challenge in the construction of gene circuits is the lack of effective, programmable, secure and sequence-specific gene editing tools. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) system, a CRISPR-associated RNA-guided endonuclease Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9)-targeted genome editing tool, has recently been applied in engineering gene circuits for its unique properties-operability, high efficiency and programmability. Read More

Clin Exp Optom 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Clin Exp Optom 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

School of Optometry and Vision Science, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Neurochem Res 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.

Traumatic brain injury is one of the leading causes of disability among the working-age population worldwide. Despite attempts to develop neuroprotective therapeutic approaches, including pharmacological or cellular technologies, significant advances in brain regeneration have not yet been achieved. Development of silk fibroin-based biomaterials represents a new frontier in neuroregenerative therapies after brain injury. Read More

Eur Radiol 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the clinical prognostic significance of radiomics signature (R-signature) in patients with gastric cancer who had undergone radical resection.

Methods: A total of 181 patients with gastric cancer who had undergone radical resection were enrolled in this retrospective study. The association between the R-signature and overall survival (OS) was assessed in the primary cohort and verified in the validation cohort. Read More

Neotrop Entomol 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Embrapa Uva e Vinho, Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.

The development of appropriate methodologies for bioassays is of paramount importance to study the methodological factors that may interfere in the experimental design. Thus, laboratory bioassays have become increasingly important for the determination of data that are realistic and replicable. The objective of the study was to develop a bioassay methodology with the ready-to-use toxic bait Success™ 0. Read More

Int Orthop 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Daniel and Jane Och Spine Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.

Cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) is a powerful, motion-sparing treatment option for managing cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy. While CDA can be an excellent surgery for properly indicated patients, it is also less forgiving than cervical fusion. Optimally resolving patient symptoms while maintaining range of motion relies on near perfection in the surgical technique. Read More

Nanoscale Res Lett 2018 Dec 5;13(1):396. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Materials Cycling and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.

Nanomaterials were widely used as efficient adsorbents for environmental remediation of tetracycline pollution. However, the separation of the adsorbents posed the challenge to their practical applications. In this study, we grew magnetic MnFeO nanoparticles on the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to form MnFeO/rGO nanocomposite with a one-step method. Read More

Heliyon 2018 Nov 27;4(11):e00972. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Computer Engineering, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.

Many implementations of artificial neural networks have been reported in scientific papers. However, few of these implementations allow the direct use of off-line trained networks. Moreover, no implementation reported the use of relatively small network adequate to run on low cost microcontroller. Read More

Heliyon 2018 Nov 23;4(11):e00938. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

This is a survey of neural network applications in the real-world scenario. It provides a taxonomy of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and furnish the reader with knowledge of current and emerging trends in ANN applications research and area of focus for researchers. Additionally, the study presents ANN application challenges, contributions, compare performances and critiques methods. Read More

Front Chem 2018 21;6:548. Epub 2018 Nov 21.

Metagenomics and Secretomics Research Laboratory, Department of Botany, Dr. Harisingh Gour Central University, Sagar, India.

Water hyacinth (WH) is a troublesome aquatic weed of natural and artificial water bodies of India and other tropical countries and causing severe ecological problems. The WH biomass is low in lignin content and contains high amount of cellulose and hemicellulose, making it suitable material for conversion into liquid fuels for energy production. This study highlighted that, how different imidazolium based ionic liquids (ILs) [1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide, [Cmim]Br ( = 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10)] with tunable properties can be employed for the degradation of WH biomass. Read More

Environ Sci Nano 2018 15;2018(5):696-707. Epub 2018 Jan 15.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.

Exposures to high doses of manganese (Mn) via inhalation, dermal contact or direct consumption can cause adverse health effects. Welding fumes are a major source of manganese containing nanoparticles in occupational settings. Understanding the physicochemical properties of manganese-containing nanoparticles can be a first step in understanding their toxic potential following exposure. Read More

Respirol Case Rep 2019 Feb 28;7(2):e00391. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Department of Medical Oncology Izumi City General Hospital Izumi Japan.

Porous diaphragm syndrome describes a defect in the diaphragm in which substances pass from the peritoneal cavity to the pleural space. Defects may be congenital or acquired. Acquired defects are caused by the thinning and eventual splitting of collagen fibres in the tendinous part of the diaphragm. Read More

Ecol Evol 2018 Nov 23;8(22):11337-11358. Epub 2018 Oct 23.

Department of Biology Tufts University Medford Massachusetts.

In recent decades, advances in lighting technology have precipitated exponential increases in night sky brightness worldwide, raising concerns in the scientific community about the impact of artificial light at night (ALAN) on crepuscular and nocturnal biodiversity. Long-term records show that insect abundance has declined significantly over this time, with worrying implications for terrestrial ecosystems. The majority of investigations into the vulnerability of nocturnal insects to artificial light have focused on the flight-to-light behavior exhibited by select insect families. Read More

Basic Clin Neurosci 2018 Jul-Aug;9(4):227-240. Epub 2018 Jul 1.

Department of Bioelectrical Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran.

Introduction: In this paper, nonlinear dynamical analysis based on Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) is employed to characterize the nonlinear EEG dynamics. RQA can provide useful quantitative information on the regular, chaotic, or stochastic property of the underlying dynamics.

Methods: We use the RQA-based measures as the quantitative features of the nonlinear EEG dynamics. Read More

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018 21;9:666. Epub 2018 Nov 21.

Experimental Trauma Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Justus-Liebig University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany.

Bone histomorphometry allows quantitative evaluation of bone micro-architecture, bone formation, and bone remodeling by providing an insight to cellular changes. Histomorphometry plays an important role in monitoring changes in bone properties because of systemic skeletal diseases like osteoporosis and osteomalacia. Besides, quantitative evaluation plays an important role in fracture healing studies to explore the effect of biomaterial or drug treatment. Read More

Case Rep Ophthalmol 2018 Sep-Dec;9(3):457-464. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Balestrazzi Associated Ophthalmological Practice, Rome, Italy.

We report a severe case of diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) following femtosecond laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (femto-LASIK). A 25-year-old man was submitted to 150 kHz iFS® IntraLase-assisted LASIK in both eyes for compound myopic astigmatism. The day after surgery, clinical examination showed a diffuse whitish granular cell reaction particularly in the right eye. Read More

Front Hum Neurosci 2018 15;12:460. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.

Recent evidence has suggested that visual working memory (VWM) plays an important role in representing the target prior to initiating a visual search. The more familiar we are with the search target, the more refined the representation of the target (or "target template") becomes. This sharpening of the target template is thought to underlie the reduced response time (RT) and increased accuracy associated with repeatedly searching for the same target. Read More

Sci Rep 2018 Dec 5;8(1):17656. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Institute of Physiology I/Neurophysiology, Jena University Hospital - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.

The tachykinin substance P (SP) increases neuronal excitability, participates in homeostatic control, but induces brain oedema after stroke or trauma. We asked whether SP is able to induce cortical spreading depression (CSD) which often aggravates stroke-induced pathology. In anesthetized rats we applied SP (10, 10, 10, or 10 mol/L) to a restricted cortical area and recorded CSDs there and in remote non-treated areas using microelectrodes. Read More

Clin Chem 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO;

Background: Historically, culture-based microbiology laboratory testing has relied on manual methods, and automated methods (such as those that have revolutionized clinical chemistry and hematology over the past several decades) were largely absent from the clinical microbiology laboratory. However, an increased demand for microbiology testing and standardization of sample-collection devices for microbiology culture, as well as a dwindling supply of microbiology technologists, has driven the adoption of automated methods for culture-based laboratory testing in clinical microbiology.

Content: We describe systems currently enabling total laboratory automation (TLA) for culture-based microbiology testing. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2018 Dec 4;19(12). Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Department of Radiology, Biomolecular Theranostics (BiT) Lab, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun 58128, South Korea.

Currently, immunotherapy is considered to be one of the effective treatment modalities for cancer. All the developments and discoveries in this field up to the recent Nobel Prize add to the interest for research into this vast area of study. Targeting tumor environment as well as the immune system is a suitable strategy to be applied for cancer treatment. Read More

Molecules 2018 Dec 4;23(12). Epub 2018 Dec 4.

School of Physics Science and Engineering & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Special Artificial Microstructure Materials and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.

Owing to their ultra-low thermal conductivity, silica aerogels are promising thermal insulators; however, their extensive application is limited by their high production cost. Thus, scientists have started to explore low-cost and easy preparation processes of silica aerogels. In this work, a low-cost method was proposed to prepare silica aerogels with industrial silica hydrosol and a subsequent ambient pressure drying (APD) process. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2018 Dec 4;18(12). Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Department of Information Security Engineering, Soonchunhyang University, Asan-si 31538, Korea.

Smart homes can improve the quality of life and be implemented by Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. However, security is a very important issue in smart homes. For this reason, we propose a secrecy transmission protocol for primary user (PU) by selecting friendly jammer in cognitive IoT model. Read More

Clin Endosc 2018 Nov 30;51(6):547-551. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Unlike wired endoscopy, capsule endoscopy requires additional time for a clinical specialist to review the operation and examine the lesions. To reduce the tedious review time and increase the accuracy of medical examinations, various approaches have been reported based on artificial intelligence for computer-aided diagnosis. Recently, deep learning-based approaches have been applied to many possible areas, showing greatly improved performance, especially for image-based recognition and classification. Read More

Physiol Behav 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. Electronic address:

Changes in cardiac function that occur with exercise training have been studied in detail, but those accompanying evolved increases in the duration or intensity of physical activity are poorly understood. To address this gap, we studied electrocardiograms (ECGs) of mice from an artificial selection experiment in which four replicate lines are bred for high voluntary wheel running (HR) while four non-selected lines are maintained as controls (C). ECGs were recorded using an ECGenie (Mouse Specifics, Inc. Read More

Chem Phys Lipids 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada.

The concept of a memtein as the minimal unit of membrane function is proposed here, and refers to the complex of a membrane protein together with a continuous layer of biological lipid molecules. The elucidation of the atomic resolution structures and specific interactions within memteins remains technically challenging. Nonetheless, we argue that these entities are critical endpoints for the postgenomic era, being essential units of cellular function that mediate signal transduction and trafficking. Read More

J Vis 2018 Dec;18(13)

Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.

Previous research demonstrated that familiar objects that are suggested, but not consciously perceived, on the groundside of the contours of a figure activate their semantic category during perceptual organization, at least when the figure appears at fixation at an expected time. Here, we investigate whether evidence for such semantic activation extends to stimuli presented at unpredictable times in peripheral locations. Participants categorized words shown centrally as denoting natural or artificial objects (Experiments 1 and 2a) or positive or negative concepts (Experiment 2b). Read More

Soft Robot 2018 Dec 1. Epub 2018 Dec 1.

1 Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering , ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland .

We present a long-term performance study on a pneumatically actuated soft pump (SP). The pump was manufactured by adapting rubber compression technology. Important parameters influencing pump performance (e. Read More

J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is a promising technology to produce cell-laden constructs via patterning living cells, biological factors and biomaterials in a precisely controlled manner. However, it is still a challenge to fabricate human tissues/organs with biological functions for clinical application via 3D bioprinting. Several key issues should be carefully addressed to overcome this challenge, specifically the construction of biomimetic microenvironments. Read More

J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.

The reasons for the high number of loosened metal-on-metal (MoM) hip implants are still not fully understood. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) mediated signaling pathways, which normally modulate tissue metabolism under hypoxic circumstances, could be triggered by metallic wear debris and influence bone metabolism favoring osteolysis. This may lead to early loosening of the orthopedic implants. Read More

Med Phys 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China.

Purpose: Benefiting from multi-energy X-ray imaging technology, material decomposition facilitates the characterization of different materials in X-ray imaging. However, the performance of material decomposition is limited by the accuracy of the decomposition model. Due to the presenceof non-ideal effects in X-ray imaging systems, it is difficult to explicitly build the imaging system models for material decomposition. Read More

J Vis Exp 2018 Nov 17(141). Epub 2018 Nov 17.

Institute for Cell Engineering, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University; Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University;

We have developed a tool to both enrich and expand antigen-specific T cells. This can be helpful in cases such as to A) detect the existence of antigen-specific T cells, B) probe the dynamics of antigen-specific responses, C) understand how antigen-specific responses affect disease state such as autoimmunity, D) demystify heterogeneous responses for antigen-specific T cells, or E) utilize antigen-specific cells for therapy. The tool is based on a magnetic particle that we conjugate antigen-specific and T cell co-stimulatory signals, and that we term as artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPCs). Read More

J R Soc Med 2018 Dec 3:141076818815510. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

3 Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.

In recent years, there has been massive progress in artificial intelligence (AI) with the development of deep neural networks, natural language processing, computer vision and robotics. These techniques are now actively being applied in healthcare with many of the health service activities currently being delivered by clinicians and administrators predicted to be taken over by AI in the coming years. However, there has also been exceptional hype about the abilities of AI with a mistaken notion that AI will replace human clinicians altogether. Read More