MusA: Using Indoor Positioning and Navigation to Enhance Cultural Experiences in a museum

In recent years there has been a growing interest into the use of multimedia mobile guides in museum environments. Mobile devices have the capabilities to detect the user context and to provide pieces of information suitable to help visitors discovering and following the logical and emotional connections that develop during the visit. In this scenario, location based services (LBS) currently represent an asset, and the choice of the technology to determine users' position, combined with the definition of methods that can effectively convey information, become key issues in the design process. In this work, we present MusA (Museum Assistant), a general framework for the development of multimedia interactive guides for mobile devices. Its main feature is a vision-based indoor positioning system that allows the provision of several LBS, from way-finding to the contextualized communication of cultural contents, aimed at providing a meaningful exploration of exhibits according to visitors' personal interest and curiosity. Starting from the thorough description of the system architecture, the article presents the implementation of two mobile guides, developed to respectively address adults and children, and discusses the evaluation of the user experience and the visitors' appreciation of these application

New Results from the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search Experiment

Using improved Ge and Si detectors, better neutron shielding, and increased counting time, the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment has obtained stricter limits on the cross section of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) elastically scattering from nuclei. Increased discrimination against electromagnetic backgrounds and reduction of neutron flux confirm WIMP-candidate events previously detected by CDMS were consistent with neutrons and give limits on spin-independent WIMP interactions which are >2X lower than previous CDMS results for high WIMP mass, and which exclude new parameter space for WIMPs with mass between 8-20 GeV/c^2.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Effectiveness of balance training exercise in people with mild to moderate severity Alzheimer's disease: protocol for a randomised trial

BACKGROUND: Balance dysfunction and falls are common problems in later stages of dementia. Exercise is a well-established intervention to reduce falls in cognitively intact older people, although there is limited randomised trial evidence of outcomes in people with dementia. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate whether a home-based balance exercise programme improves balance performance in people with mild to moderate severity Alzheimer's disease. METHODS/DESIGN: Two hundred and fourteen community dwelling participants with mild to moderate severity Alzheimer's disease will be recruited for the randomised controlled trial. A series of laboratory and clinical measures will be used to evaluate balance and mobility performance at baseline. Participants will then be randomized to receive either a balance training home exercise programme (intervention group) from a physiotherapist, or an education, information and support programme from an occupational therapist (control group). Both groups will have six home visits in the six months following baseline assessment, as well as phone support. All participants will be re-assessed at the completion of the programme (after six months), and again in a further six months to evaluate sustainability of outcomes. The primary outcome measures will be the Limits of Stability (a force platform measure of balance) and the Step Test (a clinical measure of balance). Secondary outcomes include other balance and mobility measures, number of falls and falls risk measures, cognitive and behavioural measures, and carer burden and quality of life measures. Assessors will be blind to group allocation. Longitudinal change in balance performance will be evaluated in a sub-study, in which the first 64 participants of the control group with mild to moderate severity Alzheimer's disease, and 64 age and gender matched healthy participants will be re-assessed on all measures at initial assessment, and then at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. DISCUSSION: By introducing a balance programme at an early stage of the dementia pathway, when participants are more likely capable of safe and active participation in balance training, there is potential that balance performance will be improved as dementia progresses, which may reduce the high falls risk at this later stage. If successful, this approach has the potential for widespread application through community based services for people with mild to moderate severity Alzheimer's disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The protocol for this study is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12608000040369)

Stuff I wish Iâ d paid better attention to in grad school: Math modeling in oncology drug R&D

The talk will feature 2 or 3 vignettes of applications of mathematical modeling to oncology drug research and development: characterizing bivalent activation artifacts of an antagonist antibody, antibody-dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) in immune-oncology, and simultaneous toxicity and efficacy modeling for novel-novel anti-cancer drug combinations.Non UBCUnreviewedAuthor affiliation: TakedaResearche

Cell Science

Introduction Crawling cells move by using the actin cytoskeleton to power a simple mechanical cycle whereby the leading edge protrudes and adheres to the substratum. The cell body is then pulled forward in a process generally called retraction (Abercrombie, 1980; Roberts and Stewart, 2000). Delineating the mechanochemical events that drive this cycle has proven elusive because of the large number of proteins involved in cell locomotion and the intricacy of the intracellular control system. Moreover, the involvement of actin in a range of other cellular functions, such as endo- and exocytosis, trafficking and maintenance of cell shape, has frustrated the interpretation of many experiments. Therefore, we have focused on a simple and specialized cell: the sperm of a nematode, Ascaris suum. In these cells, the locomotion machinery is dramatically simplified, thereby providing a unique and powerful perspective for evaluating the molecular mechanism of cell crawling (Italiano et al., 2001

BCR-ABL transcript dynamics support the hypothesis that leukemic stem cells are reduced during imatinib teatment

PurposeImatinib induces a durable response in most patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia, but it is currently unclear whether imatinib reduces the leukemic stem cell (LSC) burden, which may be an important step toward enabling safe discontinuation of therapy. In this article, we use mathematical models of BCR-ABL levels to make inferences on the dynamics of LSCs.Experimental designPatients with at least 1 BCR-ABL transcript measurement on imatinib were included (N = 477). Maximum likelihood methods were used to test 3 potential hypotheses of the dynamics of BCR-ABL transcripts on imatinib therapy: (i) monoexponential, in which there is little, if any, decline in BCR-ABL transcripts; (ii) biexponential, in which patients have a rapid initial decrease in BCR-ABL transcripts followed by a more gradual response; and (iii) triexponential, in which patients first exhibit a biphasic decline but then have a third phase when BCR-ABL transcripts increase rapidly.ResultsWe found that most patients treated with imatinib exhibit a biphasic decrease in BCR-ABL transcript levels, with a rapid decrease during the first few months of treatment, followed by a more gradual decrease that often continues over many years.ConclusionsWe show that the only hypothesis consistent with current data on progenitor cell turnover and with the long-term, gradual decrease in the BCR-ABL levels seen in most patients is that these patients exhibit a continual, gradual reduction of the LSCs. This observation may explain the ability to discontinue imatinib therapy without relapse in some cases.Andrew M. Stein, Dean Bottino, Vijay Modur, Susan Branford, Jaspal Kaeda, John M. Goldman, Timothy P. Hughes, Jerald P. Radich, and Andreas Hochhau

Fatigue Failure Load of Lithium Disilicate Restorations Cemented on a Chairside Titanium‐Base

PurposeTo evaluate the fatigue failure load of distinct lithium disilicate restoration designs cemented on a chairside titanium base for maxillary anterior implant‐supported restorations.Materials and MethodsA left‐maxillary incisor restoration was virtually designed and sorted into 3 groups: (n = 10/group; CTD: lithium disilicate crowns cemented on custom‐milled titanium abutments; VMLD: monolithic full‐contour lithium disilicate crowns cemented on a chairside titanium‐base; VCLD: lithium disilicate crowns bonded to lithium disilicate customized anatomic structures and then cemented onto a chairside titanium base). The chairside titanium base was air‐abraded with aluminum oxide particles. Subsequently, the titanium base was steam‐cleaned and air‐dried. Then a thin coat of a silane agent was applied. The intaglio surface of the ceramic components was treated with 5% hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching gel, followed by silanization, and bonded with a resin cement. The specimens were fatigued at 20 Hz, starting with a 100 N load (5000× load pulses), followed by stepwise loading from 400 N up to 1400 N (200 N increments) at a maximum of 30,000 cycles each. The failure loads, number of cycles, and fracture analysis were recorded. The data were statistically analyzed using one‐way ANOVA, followed by pairwise comparisons (p < 0.05). Kaplan‐Meier survival plots and Weibull survival analyses were reported.ResultsFor catastrophic fatigue failure load and the total number of cycles for failure, VMLD (1260 N, 175,231 cycles) was significantly higher than VCLD (1080 N, 139,965 cycles) and CDT (1000 N, 133,185 cycles). VMLD had a higher Weibull modulus demonstrating greater structural reliability.ConclusionVMLD had the best fatigue failure resistance when compared with the other two groups.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152519/1/jopr12911_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152519/2/jopr12911.pd