Blurred Picture Research Articles

Research on Product Design of Face Pareidolia

Pareidolia means that the brain sees a meaningful shape in a meaningless thing when it receives a blurred picture from the outside world. Face Pareidolia has become an effective design method in the field of design to enhance product interest, attract attention, and convey emotional characteristics. This study’s purpose is to explore whether there are differences in product design with pareidolia in different categories, and how the appearance of emotional faces affects product perception. Shopee, MOMO, and PChome 24h are the top three shopping websites in Taiwan. Used as the search platform for the number of product samples. Products with facial pareidolia (Face Pareidolia) are classified into three main categories: household appliances, 3C audio-visual, and home decoration accessories. From each category, select 8 photos of products with fantasy facial features. Scored by the Product Semantic Difference Scale. After collecting 93 valid questionnaires. Among the three product types with application illusions, the 3C audio-visual category presents a more technological sense of product tonality. And there are obvious differences with the other two types of products. Emotional appearance design can have an impact on the semantics of the product, and strengthen the perception of 「seriousness, toughness, coldness, and sense of technology」, while its 「interestingness and delicacy」 are less affected by emotional appearance.

Subsets of Eosinophils in Asthma, a Challenge for Precise Treatment

The existence of eosinophils was documented histopathologically in the first half of the 19th century. However, the term "eosinophils" was first used by Paul Ehrlich in 1878. Since their discovery and description, their existence has been associated with asthma, allergies, and antihelminthic immunity. Eosinophils may also be responsible for various possible tissue pathologies in many eosinophil-associated diseases. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the understanding of the nature of this cell population has undergone a fundamental reassessment, and in 2010, J. J. Lee proposed the concept of "LIAR" (Local Immunity And/or Remodeling/Repair), underlining the extensive immunoregulatory functions of eosinophils in the context of health and disease. It soon became apparent that mature eosinophils (in line with previous morphological studies) are not structurally, functionally, or immunologically homogeneous cell populations. On the contrary, these cells form subtypes characterized by their further development, immunophenotype, sensitivity to growth factors, localization, role and fate in tissues, and contribution to the pathogenesis of various diseases, including asthma. The eosinophil subsets were recently characterized as resident (rEos) and inflammatory (iEos) eosinophils. During the last 20 years, the biological therapy of eosinophil diseases, including asthma, has been significantly revolutionized. Treatment management has been improved through the enhancement of treatment effectiveness and a decrease in the adverse events associated with the formerly ultimately used systemic corticosteroids. However, as we observed from real-life data, the global treatment efficacy is still far from optimal. A fundamental condition, "sine qua non", for correct treatment management is a thorough evaluation of the inflammatory phenotype of the disease. We believe that a better understanding of eosinophils would lead to more precise diagnostics and classification of asthma subtypes, which could further improve treatment outcomes. The currently validated asthma biomarkers (eosinophil count, production of NO in exhaled breath, and IgE synthesis) are insufficient to unveil super-responders among all severe asthma patients and thus give only a blurred picture of the adepts for treatment. We propose an emerging approach consisting of a more precise characterization of pathogenic eosinophils in terms of the definition of their functional status or subset affiliation by flow cytometry. We believe that the effort to find new eosinophil-associated biomarkers and their rational use in treatment algorithms may ameliorate the response rate to biological therapy in patients with severe asthma.

Curiosity enhances incidental object encoding in 8-month-old infants

Recent research with adults indicates that curiosity induced by uncertainty enhances learning and memory outcomes and that the resolution of curiosity has a special role in curiosity-driven learning. However, the role of curiosity-based learning in early development is unclear. Here we presented 8-month-old infants with a novel looking time procedure to explore (a) whether uncertainty-induced curiosity enhances learning of incidental information and (b) whether uncertainty-induced curiosity leads infants to seek uncertainty resolution over novelty. In Experiment 1, infants saw blurred images to induce curiosity (Curiosity sequence) or a clear image (Non-curiosity sequence) followed by presentation of incidental objects. Despite looking equally to the incidental objects in both sequences, in a subsequent object recognition phase infants looked longer to incidental objects presented in the Non-curiosity condition compared with the Curiosity condition, indicating that curiosity induced by blurred pictures enhanced the processing of the incidental object, leading to a novelty preference for the incidental object shown in the Non-Curiosity condition. In Experiment 2, a blurred picture of a novel toy was first presented, followed by its corresponding clear picture paired with a clear picture of a new novel toy side by side. Infants showed no preference for either image, providing no evidence for a drive to resolve uncertainty. Overall, the current experiments suggest that curiosity has a broad attention-enhancing effect in infancy. Taking into account existing studies with older children and adults, we propose a developmental change in the function of curiosity, from this attentional enhancement to more goal-directed information seeking in older children and adults.

A New Robust Multi focus image fusion Method

In today's digital era, multi focus picture fusion is a critical problem in the field of computational image processing. In the field of fusion information, multi-focus picture fusion has emerged as a significant research subject. The primary objective of multi focus image fusion is to merge graphical information from several images with various focus points into a single image with no information loss. We provide a robust image fusion method that can combine two or more degraded input photos into a single clear resulting output image with additional detailed information about the fused input images. The targeted item from each of the input photographs is combined to create a secondary image output. The action level quantities and the fusion rule are two key components of picture fusion, as is widely acknowledged. The activity level values are essentially implemented in either the "spatial domain" or the "transform domain" in most common fusion methods, such as wavelet. The brightness information computed from various source photos is compared to the laws developed to produce brightness / focus maps by using local filters to extract high-frequency characteristics. As a result, the focus map provides integrated clarity information, which is useful for a variety of Multi focus picture fusion problems. Image fusion with several modalities, for example. Completing these two jobs, on the other hand. As a consequence, we offer a strategy for achieving good fusion performance in this study paper. A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was trained on both high-quality and blurred picture patches to represent the mapping. The main advantage of this idea is that it can create a CNN model that can provide both the Activity level Measurement" and the Fusion rule, overcoming the limitations of previous fusion procedures. Multi focus image fusion is demonstrated using microscopic images, medical imaging, computer visualization, and Image information improvement is also a benefit of multi-focus image fusion. Greater precision is necessary in terms of target detection and identification. Face recognition" and a more compact work load, as well as enhanced system consistency, are among the new features.

Modern principles of diagnosis and treatment of patients with neuroendocrine carcinoma of the prostate

Background. Prostate cancer (PCa) is well-known as the 2nd leading cause of death from malignant neoplasms among the males from developed countries. One of the variants of the disease - neuroendocrine carcinoma of the prostate (NECP) -manifests itself as the form of castration-resistant PCa. Distinctive manifestations of NECP include a low level of serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), a high potential rate of metastasis, and resistance to hormone replacement therapy. There are very few medical publications on the possibilities of diagnosis and therapy of this type of tumor.The objective of the study is to review the current foundations of pathogenesis, methods of diagnosis and treatment of patients with NECP.Materials and methods. The data of modern medical literature from the PubMed/Crossref archives, from the Elsevier and Scopus databases for 1991-2020 were studied. The materials on the epidemiology and pathogenesis of NECP, as well as the methods of diagnosis and treatment of patients with this pathology are summarized. A comparative analysis of the levels of neuroendocrine markers in castration-resistant and localized forms of PCa was carried out. The schemes of combination therapy of NECP with the use of somatostatin analogs are considered.Results. The detection rate of NECP is reduced due to the blurred clinical picture and morphological characteristics similar to poorly differentiated carcinoma. The basis for the diagnosis of NECP is the determination of the levels of neuronal markers - chromogranin A, neuron-specific enolase, and a number of potentially mitogenic hormones, including PTHrP, NT, serotonin, bombesin, calcitonin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone. The worst prognosis was observed in patients with initially high levels of chromogranin A, which emphasizes the high significance of this indicator for monitoring NECP. The drug of choice in the treatment of patients with this pathology is the somatostatin analogue octreotide-depot, the use of which in combination with hormone replacement therapy leads to stabilization of PCa in 50 % of cases. During therapy with an analogue of somatostatin alone or in cases of tumor progression against the background of chemotherapy, a decrease in PSA level is noted in 50-60 % of cases, and PSA level stabilization - in 41.7-53.3 %.Conclusion. We founded an insufficient number of randomized clinical trials of NECP, therefore, the prognosis of the development of this pathology remains completely unclear. The use of somatostatin analogues, along with targeted therapy, is the main choice of therapy for NECP, but requires further study in the program of randomized trials. If a positive result is obtained, it will be possible to use somatostatin analogs more widely to improve the quality and increase the life expectancy of patients with NECP.

Fuzzy measurements and coarse graining in quantum many-body systems

Using the quantum map formalism, we provide a framework to construct fuzzy and coarse grained quantum states of many-body systems that account for limitations in the resolution of real measurement devices probing them. The first set of maps handles particle-indexing errors, while the second deals with the effects of detectors that can only resolve a fraction of the system constituents. We apply these maps to a spin-$1/2$ XX-chain obtaining a blurred picture of the entanglement generation and propagation in the system. By construction, both maps are simply related via a partial trace, which allow us to concentrate on the properties of the former. We fully characterize the fuzzy map, identifying its symmetries and invariants spaces. We show that the volume of the tomographically accessible states decreases at a double exponential rate in the number of particles, imposing severe bounds to the ability to read and use information of a many-body quantum system.

Clinical and endoscopic diagnosis of MALT-lymphoma of the duodenum

Clinical relevance. Duodenal MALT-lymphoma, a rare disease of the duodenum with a blurred clinical picture, frequently is an incidental finding at esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Therefore, the authors presented a clinical observation of a 59-yearold patient, whose diagnosis was established on the basis of endoscopic imaging, morphological and immunohistochemical investigations of biopsy material.The purpose of the study was to demonstrate clinical observation of MALT-lymphoma of duodenumMaterials and methods: The case history of a 59-year-old patient diagnosed with duodenal MALT-lymphoma is presented.

Possibilities of diagnostic scales in patients with acute appendicitis in the conditions of an infectious hospital

Currently, diagnostic scales are being actively developed to help doctors diagnose and make decisions regarding the treatment tactics of certain diseases. In particular, there are diagnostic scales for acute appendicitis. However, we found no publications describing the results of assessing the sensitivity of diagnostic scales for acute appendicitis in relation to patients admitted to infectious diseases hospitals, as well as the results of comparing the sensitivity of these scales in patients in general surgery and infectious diseases hospitals. Thus, based on the sufficient clinical material, we have analyzed the results of comparing the sensitivity of some diagnostic scales of acute appendicitis in relation to patients in general surgical hospitals and patients being treated in hospitals with an infectious profile. The results of the study show that the sensitivity of diagnostic scales in relation to acute appendicitis in patients treated in infectious diseases wards is lower than in patients in surgical departments of the general profile. The following result may be explained by masked course of acute appendicitis (when simulating the symptoms of acute intestinal infection), as well as the blurred clinical picture of acute appendicitis in patients with acute and chronic infectious diseases.

ПОДОСТРЫЙ ТИРЕОИДИТ, АССОЦИИРОВАННЫЙ С COVID-19

Purpose. The clinical cases of subacute thyroiditis that occurred in patients with COVID-19 demonstrate the difficulties of interpreting clinical and laboratory signs. The importance of multiparametric ultrasound examination in the diagnosis of this pathology is shown. Materials and methods. Two cases of subacute thyroiditis caused by a coronavirus infec-tion are presented. We studied the medical histories and examination data of patients. The clinic of de Quervain's subacute thyroiditis was atypical, since it was leveled by multiple organ changes and clinical manifestations of COVID-19. The results of clinical examination, results of ultrasound exam-ination of the thyroid, sonoelastography, multispiral computed tomography of lungs and laboratory tests were studied. Conclusion. Subacute thyroiditis is one of the variants of manifestation and complication of coronavirus infection. The clinical picture of subacute thyroiditis associated with COVID-19 may have an atypical course due to simultaneous lesions of many organs and systems. The disease may have a blurred picture due to the use of drugs used in the treatment of coronavirus infection. The main method of diagnosis of subacute thyroiditis associated with COVID-19 is ultrasound, which allows to establish structural changes in the thyroid gland, reflecting the nature and localization of the inflammatory process. The severity of changes in the thyroid gland in COVID-associated de Quervain thyroiditis does not correlate with clinical and laboratory data. © 2021 Russian Electronic Journal of Radiology. All rights reserved.

Герпесвирусы. Часть 1

One of the urgent problems of modern medicine is the high incidence of herpesvirus infections. The high prevalence of herpesviruses in the human population of the world allow us to consider herpes a common systemic disease of the whole organism. Doctors of any specialty are faced with the clinical manifestations of herpes infection in patients, and they themselves are a risk group of chronic herpes infections formation due to constant patient contacts and frequent professional psycho-emotional overload. Herpes infections are a group of infectious diseases caused by human herpesviruses. Now it is known 8 species of herpesvirus causing various human diseases that occur in the acute (during the initial contact with the infection) or chronic form. The herpesvirus family has a number of common properties that distinguish them from other human pathogenic viruses. There are three subfamilies in the Herpesviridae family. Alpha herpesviruses (Аlphaherpesvirinae) include the two serotypes of the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2), and the varicella-zoster virus (herpes zoster). Beta herpesviruses (Betaherpesvirinae) include cytomegalovirus, human herpes viruses of types 6 and 7 (HHV-5, HHV-6, HHV-7). Gamma herpes viruses (Gammaherpesvirinae) include the Epstein-Barr virus, human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV-4, HHV-8). Clinical manifestations of herpes infection depend more on the immunity state of the infected organism than on the pathogenic properties of the pathogen itself, and develop only in conditions of immunodeficiency caused by various unfavorable factors. Herpesviruses are able to damage organs, weaken the body's immunity, creating conditions for the attachment of the other infections (fungal, bacterial), which in turn can cause organ damage. The herpesvirus ability to infect all organs and tissues of the body determines a significant clinical polymorphism of diseases, as well as the necessity to study various biological liquids. Herpesviruses can be transmitted from person to person by aerosol, contact, sexual and parenteral transmission, as well as from mother to fetus or newborn, they also can act as mutagens. The pathogenesis of herpesvirus infections is rather complex and not completely understood. For a proper understanding of the disease pathogenesis it is necessary to know the main stages of reproduction of human herpesviruses. Modern laboratory techniques are used for diagnosis of herpes infection and allow obtaining more complete information for an accurate diagnosis: virological method, electron microscopy method, the method of biological sample, the polymerase chain reaction methods for the detection of viral antigens, serological, immunological, cytological and histological methods. Conclusion. The high prevalence of diseases caused by herpes viruses, the complex, not fully understood pathogenesis and high contagiousness of diseases, as well as a variety of clinical manifestations of herpesvirus infections with the possibility of the formation of mixed forms with a blurred clinical picture dictate the need for a detailed study of herpes viruses and knowledge of methods for diagnosing herpes infections

Wind turbine blade structural state evaluation by hybrid object detector relying on deep learning models

Surveillance drones are remarkable devices for monitoring, as they have strong spatial and remote sensing capabilities. The prompt detection of peripheral damage to the blades of wind turbines is necessary to reduce downtime and prevent the potential failure of wind farms. Computer vision breakthroughs with deep learning have developed and been refined over time, mainly using convolution neural networks. From this perspective, we suggest a deep learning model for monitoring and diagnosing the blade health of wind turbines based on images captured by surveillance drones. The main limitations of standard monitoring devices are their poor detection accuracy and lack of real-time performance, making it complex to obtain the attributes of blades from aerial images. Based on the foregoing, this study introduces a method for increasing detection accuracy when carrying out operations in real time using You Only Look at Once version 3 (YOLOv3). We train and evaluate three deep learning models on the wind turbine image dataset. We find that many aerial images are unclear because of blurred motion. As avoiding such low-resolution images for training can affect accuracy, we use a super-resolution convolution neural network to reconstruct a blurred picture as a high-resolution one. The computational results demonstrate that YOLOv3 outperforms traditional models in terms of both accuracy and handling time.

Sleep in Isolated, Confined, and Extreme (ICE): A Review on the Different Factors Affecting Human Sleep in ICE.

The recently renewed focus on the human exploration of outer space has boosted the interest toward a variety of questions regarding health of astronauts and cosmonauts. Among the others, sleep has traditionally been considered a central issue. To extend the research chances, human sleep alterations have been investigated in several analog environments, called ICEs (Isolated, Confined, and Extreme). ICEs share different features with the spaceflight itself and have been implemented in natural facilities and artificial simulations. The current paper presents a systematic review of research findings on sleep disturbances in ICEs. We looked for evidence from studies run in polar settings (mostly Antarctica) during space missions, Head-Down Bed-Rest protocols, simulations, and in a few ICE-resembling settings such as caves and submarines. Even though research has shown that sleep can be widely affected in ICEs, mostly evidencing general and non-specific changes in REM and SWS sleep, results show a very blurred picture, often with contradictory findings. The variable coexistence of the many factors characterizing the ICE environments (such as isolation and confinement, microgravity, circadian disentrainment, hypoxia, noise levels, and radiations) does not provide a clear indication of what role is played by each factor per se or in association one with each other in determining the pattern observed, and how. Most importantly, a number of methodological limitations contribute immensely to the unclear pattern of results reported in the literature. Among them, small sample sizes, small effect sizes, and large variability among experimental conditions, protocols, and measurements make it difficult to draw hints about whether sleep alterations in ICEs do exist due to the specific environmental characteristics, and which of them plays a major role. More systematic and cross-settings research is needed to address the mechanisms underlying the sleep alterations in ICE environments and possibly develop appropriate countermeasures to be used during long-term space missions.

Minor hepatectomies: focusing a blurred picture. Analysis of the outcome of 4471 open resections in non-cirrhotic patients

Background: Liver surgery is moving toward a parenchyma-sparing approach, favoring minor hepatectomies (MiH) instead of major resections. MiH encompasse a wide range of procedures at different complexity, whose outcomes have not been fully elucidated. Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing a first liver resection in 17 highly-experienced centers were considered. Cirrhosis, associated digestive/biliary resection and mini-invasive surgery were exclusion criteria. We distinguished limited resections (LR), (mono)segmentectomies (S), left lateral sectionectomies (LLS), right anterior sectionectomies (RAS), right posterior sectionectomies (RPS), and other bisegmentectomies (BS). In addition: LR with exposure of intrahepatic vessels were defined 'complex LR' (CLR); mono/bisegmentectomies Sg7/Sg8 were defined 'postero-superior segmentectomies' (PSS); segmentectomies Sg1 and combined resections of Sg4s+Sg8+Sg1 were defined 'complex core hepatectomies' (CCH). Outcome of LLS and right hepatectomies (RH) were used as reference standards. Outcome of MiH were adjusted for covariates (liver function, diagnosis, chemotherapy, and center). Results: 4471 MiH were analyzed. In comparison with RH, MiH had lower 90-day mortality (0.5%/2.2%, p<0.001), severe morbidity (8.6%/14.4%, p<0.001), and liver failure rates (2.4%/11.6%, p<0.001), but similar bile leak rate. Non-complex LR had outcome similar to LLS. CLR and S/BS of anterolateral segments (Sg2-6) had higher bile leak rates than LLS (odds ratio (OR)=2.2 and OR=2.7), but similar severe morbidity rates. CCH had the highest bile leak rate (OR=5.5), even higher than RH (OR=1.9), and had severe morbidity rate approaching RH (vs. LLS OR=2.4). PSS and RAS had severe morbidity rates similar to RH (OR=1), while RPS had slightly lower rates. The three procedures had bile leak rates similar to RH. MiH had low liver failure rates (<5%) except for RAS (9.7% vs. 11.6% after RH). Conclusion: MiH include resections having heterogeneous outcome. Mortality rate is low, but MiH can be stratified according to severe morbidity, liver failure and bile leak rates, most complex resections having outcome similar to RH. Bile leak and severe morbidity rates of different MiH in comparison with LLS and RH

From Petty Corruption to Criminal State

Offering a decent database easily applicable to cross-country comparison, Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has been widely used as a variable for showing the level of corruption. However, surveys of its sources are based on presumptions which mainly apply to bottom-up forms of corruption, namely free market corruption and bottom-up state capture, and therefore it is insufficient for assessing the state of a country plagued by top-down types of the former. We provide an analytical framework that distinguishes four levels of corruption and draws on the experience of the post-communist region. Using this framework to analyze the CPI’s survey questions, we explain why the index provides a blurred picture of the region. ‘Big data’ evidence for top-down corruption in Hungary is also presented, signifying the need for a more refined index.

Postcolonial Theory in the Arab World: Belated Engagements and Limits

I take the belated and confused response to Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) as due not only to the pretentious “verbosity” of the first translation, but also to objective circumstances of a political and ideological nature. Frantz Fanon, for instance, made a significant belated presence in the 1960s through translation and ultimate appeal to the rising critique of the national elite thereafter. Gramsci was already known among the Left. Not so is the case with Orientalism. The confusion surrounding the term, the distrust of the West, and the affiliation of prominent Arabists and Orientalists in Arabic language societies in Damascus and Cairo and their significant contributions to the study of Arabic added another dimension to a blurred picture. As noticed by some scholars, the much deferred application of Said’s contrapuntal cultural criticism rather than his postcolonial drive, speaks of a different politics. Largely but not solely indebted to Marxist theory, this liberatory politics in gender, race and class, and the significant interest in social equality, justice and political/economic and cultural liberation, take a number of directions that surpass and also obfuscate postcolonial experimentations and their parlance. To demonstrate the efficacy of this massive engagement in the devaluation of postcolonial discourse, I use among others three early texts of the 1930s that put us face to face with a postcolonial consciousness that not only exposes colonialism and the cultural dependency of the elite, and sets the ground for political awareness, but also brings forth the issues of biopolitics and the implications of subalternity along a number of axes. This line of thought is predicated on a cultural and ideological script that had already taken root in urban centres since the early twentieth century. Although the Cold War situation and the enforced assimilation of the Left into statist national blocs or confederations or the denial and prosecution of opposition intensified a polarized polemic against the “West”, there was already that script that was given legitimacy and power in national democratic writings. Hence, whatever is subsumed under the rubric of the “postcolonial” sounds like “carrying dates to Hajar” (ka-nāqil tamrin 'ilā Hajar). Put together in a genealogical map, these early engagements, including the forceful critique of the “West” and its body of representations, gain further solidification that derails and incapacitates the “postcolonial” as a viable category of analysis and application in the Arab world.

Data science empowering the public: Data-driven dashboards for transparent and accountable decision-making in smart cities

Dashboards visualize a consolidated set data for a certain purpose which enables users to see what is happening and to initiate actions. Dashboards can be used by governments to support their decision-making and policy processes or to communicate and interact with the public. The objective of this paper is to understand and to support the design of dashboards for creating transparency and accountability. Two smart city cases are investigated showing that dashboards can improve transparency and accountability, however, realizing these benefits was cumbersome and encountered various risks and challenges. Challenges include insufficient data quality, lack of understanding of data, poor analysis, wrong interpretation, confusion about the outcomes, and imposing a pre-defined view. These challenges can easily result in misconceptions, wrong decision-making, creating a blurred picture resulting in less transparency and accountability, and ultimately in even less trust in the government. Principles guiding the design of dashboards are presented. Dashboards need to be complemented by mechanisms supporting citizens' engagement, data interpretation, governance and institutional arrangements.

Клінічний випадок лейоміоми тонкої кишки

Доброякісні непітеліальні пухлини складають 25 % від всіх пухлинних захворювань тонкого кишечника,та 2,3 % всіх новоутворів шлунково-кишкового тракту. Лейоміома тонкої кишки відноситься до рідких патологій шлунково-кишкового тракту. Рідкість новоутворів тонкої кишки,пояснюють відносно малою травматизацією кишківника,високою перетравлюющою здатністю соків залозистого апарату даного відділу кишечника т та швидким пасажом вмісту. Діагностика неепітеліальних пухлин на догоспітальному періоді достатньо утруднена,оскільки пацієнти поступають в стаціонар з розвинутими ускладненнями.

Effect of the solvent on the conformational behavior of the alanine dipeptide deduced from MD simulations

In general, peptides do not exhibit a well-defined conformational profile in solution. However, despite the experimental blurred picture associated with their structure, compelling spectroscopic evidence shows that peptides exhibit local order. The conformational profile of a peptide is the result of a balance between intramolecular interactions between different atoms of the molecule and intermolecular interactions between atoms of the molecule and the solvent. Accordingly, the conformational profile of a peptide will change upon the properties of the solvent it is soaked. To get insight into the balance between intra- and intermolecular interactions on the conformational preferences of the peptide backbone we have studied the conformational profile of the alanine dipeptide in diverse solvents using molecular dynamics as sampling technique. Solvents studied include chloroform, methanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, water and N-methylacetamide. Different treatments of the solvent have been studied in the present work including explicit solvent molecules, a generalized Born model and using the bulk dielectric constant of the solvent. The diverse calculations identify four major conformations with different populations in the diverse solvents: the C7eq only sampled in chloroform; the C5 or extended conformation; the polyproline (PII) conformation and the right-handed α-helix conformation (αR). The results of present calculations permit to analyze how the balance between intra- and intermolecular interactions explains the populations of the diverse conformations observed.

Clinical utility of RAS mutations in thyroid cancer: a blurred picture now emerging clearer.

RAS mutations play an important role in thyroid tumorigenesis. Considerable effort has been made in the last decade to apply RAS mutations as molecular markers to the clinical management of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. Yet, for the low diagnostic sensitivities and specificities of RAS mutations, when used alone, and for their uncertain role in the clinical outcomes of thyroid cancer, it has been unclear how to appropriately use them to assist the management of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. Studies from recent years, now added from the Alexander group, have shed light on this issue, making a blurred clinical picture now emerge clearer—RAS mutations, when combined with other genetic markers, have high diagnostic negative predictive values for thyroid cancer; cytologically benign thyroid nodules, including those positive for RAS mutations, have long-term clinical stability when non-surgically managed; and differentiated thyroid cancers harboring RAS mutations alone have an excellent prognosis. This progress in understanding RAS mutations in thyroid cancer is showing a major impact on molecular-based practice in the management of thyroid cancer.Please see related research articles: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12916-016-0554-1 and http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0419-z

Small but Manifold - Hidden Diversity in "Spumella-like Flagellates".

Colourless, nonscaled chrysophytes comprise morphologically similar or even indistinguishable flagellates which are important bacterivors in water and soil crucial for ecosystem functioning. However, phylogenetic analyses indicate a multiple origin of such colourless, nonscaled flagellate lineages. These flagellates are often referred to as “Spumella‐like flagellates” in ecological and biogeographic studies. Although this denomination reflects an assumed polyphyly, it obscures the phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity of this important flagellate group and, thus, hinders progress in lineage‐ and taxon‐specific ecological surveys. The smallest representatives of colourless chrysophytes have been addressed in very few taxonomic studies although they are among the dominant flagellates in field communities. To overcome the blurred picture and set the field for further investigation in biogeography and ecology of the organisms in question, we studied a set of strains of specifically small, colourless, nonscaled chrysomonad flagellates by means of electron microscopy and molecular analyses. They were isolated by a filtration‐acclimatisation approach focusing on flagellates of around 5 μm. We present the phylogenetic position of eight different lineages on both the ordinal and the generic level. Accordingly, we describe the new genera Apoikiospumella, Chromulinospumella, Segregatospumella, Cornospumella and Acrispumella Boenigk et Grossmann n. g. and different species within them.