Designing and Implementing a Platform for Collecting Multi-Modal Data of Human-Robot Interaction

This paper details a method of collecting video and audio recordings of people inter- acting with a simple robot interlocutor. The interaction is recorded via a number of cameras and microphones mounted on and around the robot. The system utilised a number of technologies to engage with interlocutors including OpenCV, Python, and Max MSP. Interactions over a three month period were collected at The Science Gallery in Trinity College Dublin. Visitors to the gallery freely engaged with the robot, with interactions on their behalf being spontaneous and non-scripted. The robot dialogue was a set pattern of utterances to engage interlocutors in a simple conversation. A large number of audio and video recordings were collected over a three month period

Drug resistance and new therapies in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is often diagnosed at an advanced stage when tumor cell dissemination has taken place. Chemo- and targeted therapies provide only a limited increase of overall survival for these patients. The major reason for clinical outcome finds its origin in therapy resistance. Escape mechanisms to both chemo- and targeted therapy remain the main culprits. Here, we evaluate major resistant mechanisms and elaborate on potential new therapies. Amongst promising therapies is α-amanitin antibody-drug conjugate targeting hemizygous p53 loss. It becomes clear that a dynamic interaction with the tumor microenvironment exists and that this dictates therapeutic outcome. In addition, CRC displays a limited response to checkpoint inhibitors, as only a minority of patients with microsatellite instable high tumors is susceptible. In this review, we highlight new developments with clinical potentials to augment responses to checkpoint inhibitors

Evolutionary Analysis of the LAFL Genes Involved in the Land Plant Seed Maturation Program

Seeds are one of the most significant innovations in the land plant lineage, critical to the diversification and adaptation of plants to terrestrial environments. From perspective of seed evo-devo, the most crucial developmental stage in this innovation is seed maturation, which includes accumulation of storage reserves, acquisition of desiccation tolerance, and induction of dormancy. Based on previous studies of seed development in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, seed maturation is mainly controlled by the LAFL regulatory network, which includes LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1) and LEC1-LIKE (L1L) of the NF-YB gene family, and ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE3 (ABI3), FUSCA3 (FUS3), and LEC2 (LEAFY COTYLEDON2) of the B3-AFL gene family. In the present study, molecular evolution of these LAFL genes was analyzed, using representative species from across the major plant lineages. Additionally, to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the seed maturation program, co-expression pattern analyses of LAFL genes were conducted across vascular plants. The results show that the origin of AFL gene family dates back to a common ancestor of bryophytes and vascular plants, while LEC1-type genes are only found in vascular plants. LAFL genes of vascular plants likely specify their co-expression in two different developmental phrases, spore and seed maturation, respectively, and expression patterns vary slightly across the major vascular plants lineages. All the information presented in this study will provide insights into the origin and diversification of seed plants.National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [91231105]SCI(E)ARTICLE

Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography: are kinetic patterns useful for differential diagnoses of enhanced lesions?

PURPOSETo investigate the diagnostic efficiency of the kinetic curves of enhanced lesions on contrast-en-hanced spectral mammography (CESM) and whether they were similar to those of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).METHODSTwo hundred and twelve patients with 222 enhanced lesions were included in this prospective study. Single-view craniocaudal of an affected breast was acquired at 3, 5, and 7 min after contrast media injection. The kinetic patterns of each lesion were evaluated and classified as elevated (type I), steady (type II), and depressed (type III). Statistical comparison used the chi-squared test, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and Cohen’s kappa.RESULTSOf 222 enhanced lesions, 140 were breast cancers, and 82 were benign lesions. The distribution of the kinetic curves for breast cancer was type I, 3.57%, type II, 35.71%, and type III, 60.72%. As for benign lesions, the distribution was type I, 43.90%, type II, 45.12%, and type III, 10.98%. The difference in the enhancement patterns between benign lesions and breast cancers was significant (P < 0.001). The likelihood of breast cancer related to a type I, II, and III curve was 12.20%, 57.47%, and 90.43%, respectively. For the enhancement intensity, the area under curve (AUC) of the ROC curves was 0.702 ± 0.036; for enhancement patterns, the AUC increased to 0.819 ± 0.030. Cohen’s kappa coefficient was 0.752 (P < 0.001) regarding the kinetic curves for CESM and MRI.CONCLUSIONThe kinetic patterns on CESM show promise in differentiating between benign lesions and breast cancers, with good agreement, when compared with MRI