Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chemical Gas Sensor Based on a Flexible Capacitive Microwave Transducer Associated with a Sensitive Carbon Composite Polymer Film

This communication presents results on the feasibility of an inkjet printed chemical gas sensor suitable for a real time multi-sensing platform. The prototype targets volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as ethanol vapor to monitor environmental pollution. The designed and ink-jet printed microwave sensor is presented. Preliminary results have shown the influence of ethanol vapor on the electrical properties of the sensor at microwave frequency range. The sensor’s sensitivity to ethanol vapor has been estimated to −2.48 kHz/ppm. The final aim of this work is to develop a low cost sensor for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
Skeletal muscle fiber‐type‐specific changes in markers of capillary and mitochondrial content after low‐volume interval training in overweight women

High‐intensity interval training (HIIT) enhances skeletal muscle oxygen delivery and utilization but data are limited regarding fiber‐specific adaptations in humans. We examined the effect of 18 sessions of HIIT (10 × 60‐sec cycling intervals at ~90% HRmax, interspersed by 60‐sec of recovery) over 6 weeks on markers of microvascular density and oxidative capacity in type I and II fibers in healthy but sedentary young women (Age: 26 ± 7 years; BMI: 30 ± 4 kg·m−2; VO2peak: 2.16 ± 0.45 L·m−1). Immunohistochemical analyses of muscle cross sections revealed a training‐induced increase in capillary contacts per fiber in type I fibers (PRE: 4.38 ± 0.37 vs. POST: 5.17 ± 0.80; main effect, P < 0.05) and type II fibers (PRE: 4.24 ± 0.55 vs. POST: 4.92 ± 0.54; main effect, P < 0.05). The capillary‐to‐fiber ratio also increased after training in type I fibers (PRE: 1.53 ± 1.44 vs. POST: 1.88 ± 0.38; main effect, P < 0.05) and type II fibers (PRE: 1.45 ± 0.19 vs. POST: 1.76 ± 0.27; main effect, P < 0.05). Muscle oxidative capacity as reflected by the protein content of cytochrome oxidase IV also increased after training in type I fibers (PRE: 3500 ± 858 vs. POST: 4442 ± 1377 arbitrary units; main effect, P < 0.01) and type II fibers (PRE: 2632 ± 629 vs. POST: 3863 ± 1307 arbitrary units; main effect, P < 0.01). We conclude that short‐term HIIT in previously inactive women similarly increases markers of capillary density and mitochondrial content in type I and type II fibers.
Traffic engineering with estimated traffic matrices

Traffic engineering and traffic matrix estimation are often treated as separate fields, even though one of the major applications for a traffic matrix is traffic engineering. In cases where a traffic matrix cannot be measured directly, it may still be estimated from indirect data (such as link measurements), but these estimates contain errors. Yet little thought has been given to the effects of inexact traffic estimates on traffic engineering. In this paper we consider how well traffic engineering works with estimated traffic matrices in the context of a specific task; namely that of optimizing network routing to minimize congestion, measured by maximum link-utilization. Our basic question is: how well is the real traffic routed if the routing is only optimized for an estimated traffic matrix? We compare against optimal routing of the real traffic using data derived from an operational tier-1 ISP. We find that the magnitude of errors in the traffic matrix estimate is not, in itself, a good indicator of the performance of that estimate in route optimization. Likewise, the optimal algorithm for traffic engineering given knowledge of the real traffic matrix is no longer the best with only the estimated traffic matrix as input. Our main practical finding is that the combination of a known traffic matrix estimation technique and a known traffic engineering technique can get close to the optimum in avoiding congestion for the real traffic. We even demonstrate stability in the sense that routing optimized on data from one day continued to perform well on subsequent days. This stability is crucial for the practical relevance to off-line traffic engineering, as it can be performed by ISPs today.
Canadian Schizophrenia Guidelines: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders with Coexisting Substance Use Disorders

Objective: Persons with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders frequently have coexisting substance use disorders that require modifications to treatment approaches for best outcomes. The objectives of this review were to identify evidence-based practices best practices that improve outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia and substance used disorders. Method: We reviewed guidelines that were published in the last 5 years and that included systematic reviews or meta-analyses. Most of our recommendations came from 2 publications from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): the 2011 guidance titled Coexisting Severe Mental Illness (Psychosis) and Substance Misuse: Assessment and Management in Healthcare Settings and the 2014 guidance titled Psychosis and Schizophrenia in Adults: Prevention and Management. We placed these recommendations into the Canadian context to create this guideline. Results: Evidence supports the inclusion of individuals with coexisting substance use disorders in first-episode psychosis programs. The programs should integrate psychosis and substance use treatments, emphasizing ongoing monitoring of both substance use and patterns and symptoms. The best outcomes are achieved with combined use of antipsychotic medications and addiction-based psychosocial interventions. However, limited evidence is available to recommend using one antipsychotic medication over another or one psychosocial intervention over another for persons with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders with coexisting substance use disorders. Conclusions: Treating persons who have schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders with coexisting substance use disorders can present clinical challenges, but modifications in practice can help engage and retain people in treatment, where significant improvements over time can be expected.
Towards Understanding the Generalization Bias of Two Layer Convolutional Linear Classifiers with Gradient Descent

A major challenge in understanding the generalization of deep learning is to explain why (stochastic) gradient descent can exploit the network architecture to find solutions that have good generalization performance when using high capacity models. We find simple but realistic examples showing that this phenomenon exists even when learning linear classifiers --- between two linear networks with the same capacity, the one with a convolutional layer can generalize better than the other when the data distribution has some underlying spatial structure. We argue that this difference results from a combination of the convolution architecture, data distribution and gradient descent, all of which are necessary to be included in a meaningful analysis. We provide a general analysis of the generalization performance as a function of data distribution and convolutional filter size, given gradient descent as the optimization algorithm, then interpret the results using concrete examples. Experimental results show that our analysis is able to explain what happens in our introduced examples.
The moderating effect of stimulus attractiveness on the effect of alcohol consumption on attractiveness ratings.

AIMS To explore the enhancing effect of alcohol consumption on attractiveness ratings, in that few studies on the Beer Goggles effect control the stimuli attractiveness level and researchers have seldom considered extending the effect to stimuli other than faces. METHODS Male and female participants (n = 103) were randomly assigned to alcohol consumption or placebo groups. Both groups were asked to assess the attractiveness of two types of pictures (faces and landscapes) with three levels of attractiveness for each stimulus category (high, moderate and low). RESULTS We found significant interactions between beverage type and attractiveness level. Attractiveness ratings for moderate- and low-attractiveness faces were significantly higher in the alcohol compared with placebo condition, while there was no significant difference for high-attractiveness stimuli between these two conditions. As for landscapes, only low-attractiveness stimuli were rated significantly higher in the alcohol condition. CONCLUSION Whether or not alcohol consumption leads to an increase in attractiveness ratings depends on the initial attractiveness of the stimulus materials. Alcohol consumption tends to affect ratings for stimuli with relatively low attractiveness. Furthermore, this effect is not limited to faces; it extends to other types of stimuli like landscapes.
Comparison of Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in China and the United States

Background The reasons for China's high stroke prevalence are not well understood. The cardiovascular risk factor profiles of China and the United States have not been directly compared in nationally representative population samples. Methods and Results Using data from the CHARLS (China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study) and the NHANES (US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), we compared cardiovascular risk factors from 2011 to 2012 among people aged 45 to 75 years between the 2 countries (China, 12 654 people; United States, 2607 people): blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c, and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein. Compared with the United States, China had a lower prevalence of hypertension but a higher mean blood pressure and a higher proportion of patients with severe hypertension (≥160/100 mm Hg) (10.5% versus 4.5%). China had substantially lower rates of hypertension treatment (46.8% versus 77.9%) and control (20.3% versus 54.7%). Dyslipidemia was less common in China, but lipid levels were not significantly different because dyslipidemia awareness and control rates in China were 3‐ and 7‐fold lower than US rates, respectively. High‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein, body mass index, and waist circumference were significantly lower in China than in the United States. Clustering of hypertension with other cardiovascular risk factors was more common in China. Conclusions Hypertension is more common in the United States, but blood pressure levels are higher in China, which may be responsible for China's high stroke prevalence. The low rates of awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension provide an exceptional opportunity for China to reduce risk in its population.
Impact of Two Different Antimicrobial Stewardship Methods on Frequency of Streamlining Antimicrobial Agents in Patients with Bacteremia

OBJECTIVE To assess the likelihood of antimicrobial streamlining between 2 antimicrobial stewardship methods. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Large academic medical center. METHODS Frequency and time to antimicrobial streamlining were compared during a prior authorization and a prospective audit period. Streamlining was defined as an antimicrobial change to a narrower agent if available or to a broader agent if the isolate was resistant to empiric therapy. Patients included were ≥18 years old with monomicrobial bacteremia with S. aureus, Enterococcus spp. , or any aerobic Gram-negative organism. RESULTS A total of 665 cases of bacteremia met inclusion criteria. Frequency of streamlining was similar between periods for all cases of bacteremia (audit vs restriction: 60.7% vs 53.2%; P=.12), S. aureus bacteremia (73.2% vs 76.9%; P=.671), and Enterococcus bacteremia (81.6% vs 71.9%; P=.335). Compared to restriction, the audit period was associated with an increased frequency of streamlining for cases of Gram-negative bacteremia (51.4% vs 35.6%; odds ratio [OR], 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06–3.25), those on the medical service (67.9% vs 53.1%; OR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.09–3.16), and those admitted through the emergency department (71.6% vs 51.4%; OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.24–4.34). Characteristics associated with increased streamlining included: absence of β-lactam allergy (P<.001), Gram-negative bacteremia (P<.001), admission through the emergency department (P=.001), and admission to a medical service (P=.011). CONCLUSIONS Compared with prior authorization, prospective audit increased antimicrobial streamlining for cases of Gram-negative bacteremia, those admitted through the emergency department, and those admitted to a medical but not surgical service. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016:1–7
Intraocular pressure in Japanese diabetic patients

Background To determine whether the intraocular pressure (IOP) in diabetic patients is significantly different from that in nondiabetic patients. Methods The medical records of all patients who were initially examined in the Department of Ophthalmology, Kansai Medical University, Takii Hospital were reviewed. At the initial examination, patients had a detailed interview and underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examinations. All patients were over 20 years of age and did not have glaucoma. Results A total of 703 patients were evaluated. The mean (±standard error) IOP of the diabetic patients was 15.5 ± 0.2 mmHg (n = 206), and was significantly higher than the 14.0 ± 0.1 mmHg (n = 497) in the nondiabetic patients (P < 0.0001). The IOP was negatively correlated with age (r = −0.202; P = 0.024) in the diabetic patients and was weakly but significantly correlated with the glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level (r = 0.240; P = 0.015) in the group with diabetic retinopathy. Conclusion The significantly higher IOP in diabetic patients and positive correlation of IOP with HbA1c levels in patients with diabetic retinopathy indicate that IOP in diabetic patients is higher, especially in those with poor control of diabetes.
Structure-Dependent Interfacial Properties of Chaplin F from Streptomyces coelicolor

Chaplin F (Chp F) is a secreted surface-active peptide involved in the aerial growth of Streptomyces. While Chp E demonstrates a pH-responsive surface activity, the relationship between Chp F structure, function and the effect of solution pH is unknown. Chp F peptides were found to self-assemble into amyloid fibrils at acidic pH (3.0 or the isoelectric point (pI) of 4.2), with ~99% of peptides converted into insoluble fibrils. In contrast, Chp F formed short assemblies containing a mixture of random coil and β-sheet structure at a basic pH of 10.0, where only 40% of the peptides converted to fibrils. The cysteine residues in Chp F did not appear to play a role in fibril assembly. The interfacial properties of Chp F at the air/water interface were altered by the structures adopted at different pH, with Chp F molecules forming a higher surface-active film at pH 10.0 with a lower area per molecule compared to Chp F fibrils at pH 3.0. These data show that the pH responsiveness of Chp F surface activity is the reverse of that observed for Chp E, which could prove useful in potential applications where surface activity is desired over a wide range of solution pH.
Short Double- and N-Times-Authentication-Preventing Signatures from ECDSA and More

Double-authentication-preventing signatures (DAPS) are signatures designed with the aim that signing two messages with an identical first part (called address) but different second parts (called payload) allows to publicly extract the secret signing key from two such signatures. A prime application for DAPS is disincentivizing and/or penalizing the creation of two signatures on different payloads within the same address, such as penalizing double spending of transactions in Bitcoin by the loss of the double spender's money. So far DAPS have been constructed from very specific signature schemes not used in practice and using existing techniques it has proved elusive to construct DAPS schemes from signatures widely used in practice. This, unfortunately, has prevented practical adoption of this interesting tool so far. In this paper we ask whether one can construct DAPS from signature schemes used in practice. We affirmatively answer this question by presenting novel techniques to generically construct provably secure DAPS from a large class of discrete logarithm based signatures. This class includes schemes like Schnorr, DSA, EdDSA, and, most interestingly for practical applications, the widely used ECDSA signature scheme. The resulting DAPS are highly efficient and the shortest among all existing DAPS schemes. They are nearly half of the size of the most efficient factoring based schemes (IACR PKC'17) and improve by a factor of 100 over the most efficient discrete logarithm based ones (ACM CCS'15). Although this efficiency comes at the cost of a reduced address space, i.e., size of keys linear in the number of addresses, we will show that this is not a limitation in practice. Moreover, we generalize DAPS to any N > 2, which we denote as N-times-authentication-preventing signatures (NAPS). Finally, we also provide an integration of our ECDSA-based DAPS into the OpenSSL library and perform an extensive comparison with existing approaches.
Efficient Implementation of Password-based Authenticated Key Exchange from RLWE and Post-Quantum TLS

Two post-quantum password-based authenticated key exchange (PAKE) protocols were proposed at CT-RSA 2017. Following this work, we give much more ef-ﬁcient and portable C++ implementation of these two protocols. We also choose more compact parameters providing 200-bit security. Compared with original implementation, we achieve 21.5x and 18.5x speedup for RLWE-PAK and RLWE-PPK respectively. Compare with quantum-vulnerable J-PAKE protocol, we achieve nearly 8x speedup. We also integrate RLWE-PPK into TLS to construct a post-quantum TLS ciphersuite. This allows simpler key management, mutual authentication and resistant to phishing attack. Benchmark shows that our ciphersuite is indeed practical.
An engaged research study to assess the effect of a ‘real-world’ dietary intervention on urinary bisphenol A (BPA) levels in teenagers

Objective Bisphenol A (BPA) has been associated with adverse human health outcomes and exposure to this compound is near-ubiquitous in the Western world. We aimed to examine whether self-moderation of BPA exposure is possible by altering diet in a real-world setting. Design An Engaged Research dietary intervention study designed, implemented and analysed by healthy teenagers from six schools and undertaken in their own homes. Participants A total of 94 students aged between 17 and 19 years from schools in the South West of the UK provided diet diaries and urine samples for analysis. Intervention Researcher participants designed a set of literature-informed guidelines for the reduction of dietary BPA to be followed for 7 days. Main outcome measures Creatinine-adjusted urinary BPA levels were taken before and after the intervention. Information on packaging and food/drink ingested was used to calculate a BPA risk score for anticipated exposure. A qualitative analysis was carried out to identify themes addressing long-term sustainability of the diet. Results BPA was detected in urine of 86% of participants at baseline at a median value of 1.22 ng/mL (IQR 1.99). No effect of the intervention diet on BPA levels was identified overall (P=0.25), but there was a positive association in those participants who showed a drop in urinary BPA concentration postintervention and their initial BPA level (P=0.003). Qualitative analysis identified themes around feelings of lifestyle restriction and the inadequacy of current labelling practices. Conclusions We found no evidence in this self-administered intervention study that it was possible to moderate BPA exposure by diet in a real-world setting. Furthermore, our study participants indicated that they would be unlikely to sustain such a diet long term, due to the difficulty in identifying BPA-free foods.
Inflammation Biomarkers as Predictors of Pulmonary Outcomes in Cardiac Surgical Patients

Prolonged ventilator support, pulmonary infections and the need for tracheostomies after cardiac operations are associated with increased hospital mortality, length of stay, cost of hospitalization and reduced long term survival. The objective of this study is to review the literature and develop and present an understanding of the potential role of specific pre-operatively or intraoperatively collected inflammatory biomarkers and their role as predictors of pulmonary outcomes in cardiac surgery.
Developing Dimensional, Pandiagnostic Inhibitory Control Constructs With Self-Report and Neuropsychological Data

Trait markers, or intermediate phenotypes linking different units of analysis (self-report, performance) from the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) matrix across populations is a necessary step in identifying at-risk individuals. In the current study, 150 healthy controls (HC) and 456 individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) Type I or II, NOS (not otherwise specified) or Schizoaffective BD completed self-report neuropsychological tests of inhibitory control (IC) and executive functioning. Bifactor analyses were used to examine the factor structure of these measures and to evaluate for invariance across groups. Bifactor analyses found modest convergence of items from neuropsychological tests and self-report measures of IC among HC and BD. The factor scores showed evidence of a general IC construct (i.e., subdomain) across measures. Importantly, invariance testing indicated that the same construct was measured equally well across groups. Groups differed on the general factor for three of the four scales. Convergence on a general IC factor and invariance across diagnosis supports the use of combined dimensional measures to identify clinical risk and highlights how prospective RDoC studies might integrate units of analysis.
Variation in fecundity and other reproductive traits in freshwater mussels

SUMMARY 1. Life histories of the highly diverse and endangered North American freshwater mussel fauna are poorly known. We investigated reproductive traits of eight riverine mussel species in Alabama and Mississippi, U.S.A. : Amblema plicata, Elliptio arca, Fusconaia cerina, iizmpsilis ornafa, Obliquaria refzexa, Pleurobema decisum, Quadrula asperata and Q. pustulosa, and compare our results with existing life history information for other species. 2. These eight species had reproductive traits characteristic of large, outcrossing populations: hermaphrodites were rare, we found no evidence of protandry, and sex ratios were even or slightly male-biased. 3. Age at sexual maturity varied among species, ranging from cl to 2 years for L. ornata to 3-9 years for Q, asperafa. In all species, most mature females participated in reproduction and fertilisation success was high. 5. Fecundity was related positively to both length and age, but length was the best predictor. In six species, fecundity increased exponentially with increasing size; in two species the rate of increase in fecundity declined in larger animals. In four species, fecundity declined in older animals. These latter results indicate weak reproductive senescence; however, in all species, older individuals continued to produce large numbers of offspring. Mean annual fecundity differed widely among species ranging from 9647 to 325 709. Within-species differences in fecundity were found among rivers and among populations within a river. 6. The wide variation in reproductive traits among species indicates the existence of widely divergent life history strategies in freshwater mussels.