Autofluorescence lifetime augmented reality as a means for real-time robotic surgery guidance in human patients.

Due to loss of tactile feedback the assessment of tumor margins during robotic surgery is based only on visual inspection, which is neither significantly sensitive nor specific. Here we demonstrate time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy (TRFS) as a novel technique to complement the visual inspection of oral cancers during transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in real-time and without the need for exogenous contrast agents. TRFS enables identification of cancerous tissue by its distinct autofluorescence signature that is associated with the alteration of tissue structure and biochemical profile. A prototype TRFS instrument was integrated synergistically with the da Vinci Surgical robot and the combined system was validated in swine and human patients. Label-free and real-time assessment and visualization of tissue biochemical features during robotic surgery procedure, as demonstrated here, not only has the potential to improve the intraoperative decision making during TORS but also other robotic procedures without modification of conventional clinical protocols

MATILDA: Inclusive Data Science Pipelines Design through Computational Creativity

We argue for the need for a new generation of data science solutions that can democratize recent advances in data engineering and artificial intelligence for non-technical users from various disciplines, enabling them to unlock the full potential of these solutions. To do so, we adopt an approach whereby computational creativity and conversational computing are combined to guide non-specialists intuitively to explore and extract knowledge from data collections. The paper introduces MATILDA, a creativity-based data science design platform, showing how it can support the design process of data science pipelines guided by human and computational creativity

Определение координат пользователя в спутниковых навигационных системах

Запропоновано систему лінійних алгебраїчних рівнянь за допомогою якої можна визначати координати користувача та поправку різниці часів годинників супутника та користувача в супутникових навігаційних системах.In satellite navigation systems (SNS) the user’s and satellites’ coordinates and the difference between the satellite and the user clocks are connected by the system of nonlinear equations of pseudo-distances between satellites and the user. The usage of these equations in calculations is not convenient. Therefore, for calculation of the user’s coordinates and the difference between clocks in SNS the linearized by Taylor series expansion and rejection of members of the second order of smallness equations are used. Thus the calculation of these variables is carried out by iterations. By algebraic manipulations it is possible to transform the system of nonlinear equations of pseudo-distances between satellites and the user into a system of linear equations about the coordinates of the user and the difference between the satellites’ and the user’s clocks. Application of the method of iteration is not required. Therefore, the application of such a system of linear equations will reduce the number and the count of these variables.Предложена система линейных алгебраических уравнений с помощью которой можна определять координаты пользователя и поправку разности времен часов спутника и пользователя в спутниковых навигационных системах

Neurology

Contains research objectives and reports on five research projects.U.S. Public Health Service (MH-06175-02)U.S. Navy (Office of Naval Research (Nonr-1841(70))U. S. Air Force (AF 49(638)-1313)U.S. Public Health Service (B-3055-4)U.S. Public Health Service (B-3090-4

Neurology

Contains reports on six research projects.U. S. Public Health Service (B-3055-4, B-3090-4, MH-06175-02)U. S. Air Force (AF49(638)-1313)U.S. Navy. Office of Naval Research (Nonr-1841(70)

Neurology

Contains reports on eight research projects.U.S. Navy (Office of Naval Research (Nonr-1841(70))U. S. Public Health Service (MH-06175-02)U. S. Air Force (AF49(638)-1313)U. S. Public Health Service (B-3055-4)U. S. Public Health Service (B-3090-4

Soft balancing in the Americas : Latin American opposition to U.S. intervention, 1898–1936

In the aftermath of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, scholars of international relations debated how to best characterize the rising tide of global opposition. The concept of “soft balancing” emerged as an influential, though contested, explanation of a new phenomenon in a unipolar world: states seeking to constrain the ability of the United States to deploy military force by using multinational organizations, international law, and coalition building. Soft balancing can also be observed in regional unipolar systems. Multinational archival research reveals how Argentina, Mexico, and other Latin American countries responded to expanding U.S. power and military assertiveness in the early twentieth century through coordinated diplomatic maneuvering that provides a strong example of soft balancing. Examination of this earlier case makes an empirical contribution to the emerging soft-balancing literature and suggests that soft balancing need not lead to hard balancing or open conflict

Targeting and killing of glioblastoma with activated T cells armed with bispecific antibodies

Abstract Background Since most glioblastomas express both wild-type EGFR and EGFRvIII as well as HER2/neu, they are excellent targets for activated T cells (ATC) armed with bispecific antibodies (BiAbs) that target EGFR and HER2. Methods ATC were generated from PBMC activated for 14 days with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody in the presence of interleukin-2 and armed with chemically heteroconjugated anti-CD3×anti-HER2/neu (HER2Bi) and/or anti-CD3×anti-EGFR (EGFRBi). HER2Bi- and/or EGFRBi-armed ATC were examined for in vitro cytotoxicity using MTT and 51Cr-release assays against malignant glioma lines (U87MG, U118MG, and U251MG) and primary glioblastoma lines. Results EGFRBi-armed ATC killed up to 85% of U87, U118, and U251 targets at effector:target ratios (E:T) ranging from 1:1 to 25:1. Engagement of tumor by EGFRBi-armed ATC induced Th1 and Th2 cytokine secretion by armed ATC. HER2Bi-armed ATC exhibited comparable cytotoxicity against U118 and U251, but did not kill HER2-negative U87 cells. HER2Bi- or EGFRBi-armed ATC exhibited 50—80% cytotoxicity against four primary glioblastoma lines as well as a temozolomide (TMZ)-resistant variant of U251. Both CD133– and CD133+ subpopulations were killed by armed ATC. Targeting both HER2Bi and EGFRBi simultaneously showed enhanced efficacy than arming with a single BiAb. Armed ATC maintained effectiveness after irradiation and in the presence of TMZ at a therapeutic concentration and were capable of killing multiple targets. Conclusion High-grade gliomas are suitable for specific targeting by armed ATC. These data, together with additional animal studies, may provide the preclinical support for the use of armed ATC as a valuable addition to current treatment regimens

Euclid: Forecasts for k-cut 3×2 Point Statistics

Modelling uncertainties at small scales, i.e. high k in the power spectrum P(k), due to baryonic feedback, nonlinear structure growth and the fact that galaxies are biased tracers poses a significant obstacle to fully leverage the constraining power of the Euclid wide-field survey. k-cut cosmic shear has recently been proposed as a method to optimally remove sensitivity to these scales while preserving usable information. In this paper we generalise the k-cut cosmic shear formalism to 3×2 point statistics and estimate the loss of information for different k-cuts in a 3×2 point analysis of the Euclid data. Extending the Fisher matrix analysis of Euclid Collaboration: Blanchard et al. (2019), we assess the degradation in constraining power for different k-cuts. We find that taking a k-cut at 2.6 h Mpc⁻¹ yields a dark energy Figure of Merit (FOM) of 1018. This is comparable to taking a weak lensing cut at ℓ=5000 and a galaxy clustering and galaxy-galaxy lensing cut at ℓ=3000 in a traditional 3×2 point analysis. We also find that the fraction of the observed galaxies used in the photometric clustering part of the analysis is one of the main drivers of the FOM. Removing 50% (90%) of the clustering galaxies decreases the FOM by 19% (62%). Given that the FOM depends so heavily on the fraction of galaxies used in the clustering analysis, extensive efforts should be made to handle the real-world systematics present when extending the analysis beyond the luminous red galaxy (LRG) sample