Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Model for estimating QoE of video delivered using HTTP adaptive streaming

The end user QoE (quality of experience) of content delivered over a radio network is influenced by the radio conditions in the RAN (radio access network). This paper analyses various QoE models for video delivered over a radio network (e.g. LTE (long term evolution)) using HAS (HTTP adaptive streaming). All QoE models analyzed are based on the HAS profiles constructed by intercepting the HTTP get messages. The performance of all optimally trained models is compared and the sensitivity of the models to unseen profiles, content and devices is investigated.
A three‐year prospective longitudinal cohort study of medical students' attitudes toward anatomy teaching and their career aspirations

Today's medical students are faced with numerous learning needs. Continuously developing curricula have reduced time for basic science subjects such as anatomy. This study aimed to determine the students' views on the relevance of anatomy teaching, anatomical knowledge, and the effect these have on their career choices. A Likert scale questionnaire was distributed to second year medical students [response rate 91% (n = 292/320)]. The same questionnaire was subsequently distributed to the cohort three years later when they were final year students [response rate 37% (n = 146/392)]. Students in both the cohorts of study agreed strongly that clinically correlated anatomical teaching was relevant to clinical practice (92% and 86% of second and final year respondents, respectively) and helped them during their clinical placements (73% and 92%, respectively). Only 28% of the second year and 31% of the final year students agreed that their anatomy teaching prepared them to interpret clinical images (P = 0.269). Only 14% of the final year students felt confident in their knowledge of anatomy. Of the final year students, 30% felt that they had enough opportunity to scrub in the operating room. Nearly half of those students who would consider surgery as a career (19%) think that they will eventually become surgeons (11%). This data suggests that modern anatomy curriculum should focus on clinical correlations and clinical image interpretation. Students would value more opportunities to participate in surgeries. Vertical integration of anatomy teaching throughout the full medical course may be useful. Anat Sci Educ. © 2010 American Association of Anatomists.
Er-Doped Fiber Laser Mode-Locked by CVD-Graphene Saturable Absorber

Erbium-doped fiber laser passively mode-locked by bilayer graphene is presented. The graphene layers were grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on Cu substrate and transferred onto a fused silica window, forming a saturable absorber (SA). Low non-saturable losses and modulation depth as high as 55% allowed to achieve soliton pulses with over 11 nm bandwidth and nearly-transform limited 315 fs duration at 1564 nm center wavelength. The paper describes the design of the laser construction, as well as the graphene-SA preparation process. Our study demonstrates, that CVD-Cu graphene transferred on glass substrate may be used for efficient mode-locking of fiber lasers.
Synchronization of adolescent blood pressure and pubertal somatic growth.

BACKGROUND Blood pressure (BP) and growth increase at an accelerated rate during puberty. The temporal relationship of the two events has not been well characterized. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this current investigation was to examine the rate of BP change in relation to pubertal growth with the intent to shed light on new mechanisms by which BP is regulated. METHODS We examined data from a cohort of 182 normotensive children who had measurements made semiannually for up to 12 yr. From the recorded heights, we identified the subject-specific pubertal growth spurt (PGS) using a growth curve model. With the estimated PGS as an anchoring point, we obtained the rates at which BP and weight changed as continuous functions of time for the duration of pubertal growth. Examining BP on a scale relative to PGS placed BP development in the context of pubertal growth. RESULTS Average ages at PGS were 11.5 for girls and 13.3 for boys. Fitted spline models estimated that at the time of PGS, the mean systolic BP was 100 mm Hg for girls and 107 mm Hg for boys; the mean diastolic BP at the PGS was 59 mm Hg for girls and 61 mm Hg for boys. The most intriguing observation was that rate of change in systolic BP and weight peaked at precisely the estimated PGS. CONCLUSION The time synchronization of rates of change in BP, weight, and height suggests common regulating mechanisms for somatic growth and BP or growth changes that secondarily affect BP.
Control of Keratinocyte Proliferation and Differentiation by p63

The p53 family member p63 has been implicated in both the development and maintenance of stratified epithelial tissues, including the epidermis. Increasing data support p63 function in the regenerative capacity of basal keratinocytes by maintaining cell proliferation. Recent studies further suggest this regulation relies on inhibition of p53 activity. In addition, p63 appears to exert separate control over epidermal differentiation, which may involve control of such key signaling molecules as IKKα and Notch. While studies over the past decade have greatly expanded our knowledge of p63 function, much remains to be understood regarding how p63 regulates epidermal homeostasis. Future efforts to identify and validate direct p63 target genes as well as to understand the expression and function of individual p63 isoforms will be important to further define how p63 functions in the control of keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation.
Matrix metalloproteinases and myeloperoxidase in gingival crevicular fluid provide site-specific diagnostic value for chronic periodontitis.

AIM To identify the diagnostic accuracy of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) candidate biomarkers to discriminate periodontitis from the inflamed and healthy sites, and to compare the performance of two independent matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8 immunoassays. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cross sectional study. GCF (N = 58 sites) was collected from healthy, gingivitis and chronic periodontitis volunteers and analysed for levels of azurocidin, chemokine ligand 5, MPO, TIMP-1 MMP-13 and MMP-14 by ELISA or activity assays. MMP-8 was assayed by immunofluorometric assay (IFMA) and ELISA. Statistical analysis was performed using linear mixed-effects models and Bayesian statistics in R and Stata V11. RESULTS MMP-8, MPO, azurocidin and total MMP-13 and MMP-14 were higher in periodontitis compared to gingivitis and healthy sites (p < 0.05). A very high correlation between MPO and MMP-8 was evident in the periodontitis group (r = 0.95, p < 0.0001). MPO, azurocidin and total levels of MMP-8, MMP-13 and MMP-14 showed high diagnostic accuracy (≥0.90), but only MMP-8 and MPO were significantly higher in the periodontitis versus gingivitis sites. MMP-8 determined by IFMA correlated more strongly with periodontal status and showed higher diagnostic accuracy than ELISA. CONCLUSIONS MPO and collagenolytic MMPs are highly discriminatory biomarkers for site-specific diagnosis of periodontitis. The comparison of two quantitative MMP-8 methods demonstrated IFMA to be more accurate than ELISA.
Novel structural determinants of the human neutrophil chemotactic activity of leukotriene B

A specific 5(S),12(R)-dihydroxy-eicosa-6,8,10(trans/trans/cis), 14(cis)- tetraenoic acid, designated leukotriene B, is generated by the lipoxygenation and subsequent enzymatic hydration of arachidonic acid in a variety of leukocytes. Leukotriene B elicits a maximal human neutrophil chemotactic response in vitro which is similar in magnitude to those evoked by the chemotactic fragment of the fifth component of complement, C5a, synthetic formyl-methionyl peptides, and 5-hydroxy- eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE). The neutrophil chemotactic potency of purified leukotriene B, assessed by the 50% effective concentration of 6 x 10(-9) M, is equivalent to that of C5a, but is up to 100-fold greater than that of 5-HETE and of other natural di-HETE isomers. 5(S),12(R)-di-hydroxy-eicosa-6,8,10(all-trans),14(cis)-tetraenoic acid, which differs from leukotriene B only in having a trans-double bond in place of a cis-double bond in the triene portion of the molecule, and acetyl-leukotriene B are significantly less potent neutrophil chemotactic factors than leukotriene B, which indicates that both the conjugated double bonds and the free hydroxyl-group(s) are functionally critical determinants. The capacity of acetyl-leukotriene B to inhibit competitively and selectively the human neutrophil chemotactic response to equimolar concentrations of leukotriene B suggests the existence of a specific subset of receptors for this potent lipid mediator.
Use of inhaled iloprost in children with pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in children is a serious disorder, for which the major goal of treatment is to prevent progressive vascular remodeling, and improve clinical status and survival. Iloprost is approved for the treatment of PH in adults; however, few studies have evaluated its effects in children. The objective of this study is to analyze the long‐term effects of inhaled iloprost treatment in children with PH. A retrospective study was conducted in patients treated with iloprost between 2000 and 2012. Patients with left–right cardiac shunt and persistent PH of the newborn were excluded. The cohort comprised 22 patients (15 females) with a median age of 2.6 years. Twelve patients had pulmonary arterial hypertension including idiopathic (n = 6), hereditary (n = 2) and associated (congenital heart disease [n = 3], and schistosomiasis [n = 1]). One patient had pulmonary veno‐occlusive disease, six patients had PH secondary to lung disease and three had multifactorial PH. Median mean pulmonary arterial pressure was 55 mmHg and median pulmonary vascular resistance was 15.5 Wood units. Good tolerability was observed, with the exception of one case of recurring abdominal pain. PH resolved in two patients, with functional capacity improvement in 10 patients and stabilization in three patients. The clinical condition of six patients deteriorated; two died, and two received lung transplants. In conclusion, the results of this uncontrolled study showed that iloprost was effective and well tolerated in children. However, further research is needed to support this study, as PH is a serious condition that can require organ transplantation or result in death. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2015; 50:370–379. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Identification and validation of gene expression models that predict clinical outcome in patients with early-stage laryngeal cancer.

BACKGROUND Despite improvement in therapeutic techniques, patients with early-stage laryngeal cancer still recur after treatment. Gene expression prognostic models could suggest which of these patients would be more appropriate for testing adjuvant strategies. MATERIALS AND METHODS Expression profiling using whole-genome DASL arrays was carried out on 56 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples of patients with early-stage laryngeal cancer. We split the samples into a training and a validation set. Using the supervised principal components survival analysis in the first cohort, we identified gene expression profiles that predict the risk of recurrence. These profiles were then validated in an independent cohort. RESULTS Gene models comprising different number of genes identified a subgroup of patients who were at high risk of recurrence. Of these, the best prognostic model distinguished between a high- and a low-risk group (log-rank P<0.005). The prognostic value of this model was reproduced in the validation cohort (median disease-free survival: 38 versus 161 months, log-rank P=0.018), hazard ratio=5.19 (95% confidence interval 1.14-23.57, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS We have identified gene expression prognostic models that can refine the estimation of a patient's risk of recurrence. These findings, if further validated, should aid in patient stratification for testing adjuvant treatment strategies.
Evolution from 3D video to light-field coding and transmission over future media networks

Three-dimensional (3D) images and video have been around for decades in a variety of formats and supported by different technologies. In the recent past, these technologies have been given increasing attention from both academia and industry mainly due to advances in capture, coding, transmission and display technologies. 3D video has evolved from stereoscopic towards multi-view video plus depth, enabling immersive and interactive experiences. One of the last important advances in 3D content acquisition is the Plenoptic or Light Field technology, which has the capability of capturing a dense set of light rays coming from the 3D scene. This is foreseen as a promising technology for 3D multimedia applications and services, which is driving research and technological developments not only due to the huge amount of data required for Light Field representation, but also due to the limited performance of current technology. In this technological context, COST Action IC1105 3D Content Creation, Coding and Transmission over Future Media Networks (3D-ConTourNet), is intended to bring together researchers from all the spectrum of the 3D multimedia technology chain to research problems of common interest. In its activities, 3D-ConTourNet has dealt with 3D video, from stereoscopic to Light Field, from content representation and coding to transmission, display and quality measurement involving human factors. This article describes the research context of 3D-ConTourNet, mostly covering recent advances in 3D video communications.
Traffic Morphing: An Efficient Defense Against Statistical Traffic Analysis

Recent work has shown that properties of network traffic that remain observable after encryption, namely packet sizes and timing, can reveal surprising information about the traffic’s contents (e.g., the language of a VoIP call [29], passwords in secure shell logins [20], or even web browsing habits [21, 14]). While there are some legitimate uses for encrypted traffic analysis, these techniques also raise important questions about the privacy of encrypted communications. A common tactic for mitigating such threats is to pad packets to uniform sizes or to send packets at fixed timing intervals; however, this approach is often inefficient. In this paper, we propose a novel method for thwarting statistical traffic analysis algorithms by optimally morphing one class of traffic to look like another class. Through the use of convex optimization techniques, we show how to optimally modify packets in real-time to reduce the accuracy of a variety of traffic classifiers while incurring much less overhead than padding. Our evaluation of this technique against two published traffic classifiers for VoIP [29] and web traffic [14] shows that morphing works well on a wide range of network data—in some cases, simultaneously providing better privacy and lower overhead than naive
Hardware and software fault tolerance: a unified architectural approach

A computer architecture, FTP-AP, has been designed that can efficiently implement N-version fault-tolerant software and still tolerate random hardware failures with extremely high coverage. A unified architectural approach extends a well-known hardware fault tolerant without violating the fundamental hardware fault-tolerance design principles, and it provides a possible solution to the problem of correlated software errors. <<ETX>>
Schwann Cells Promote Synaptogenesis at the Neuromuscular Junction via Transforming Growth Factor-β1

Recent studies suggest that glial cells actively participate in the formation, function, maintenance, and repair of the chemical synapse. However, the molecular mechanisms of glia–synapse interactions are largely unknown. We have shown previously that Schwann cell-conditioned medium (SC-CM) promotes synaptogenesis in Xenopus nerve–muscle cocultures. The present study aimed to identify the synaptogenic molecules in SC-CM. Combining biochemical approaches and in vitro bioassays, we found that SC-CM contains transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, which is expressed in Schwann cells both in vivo and in vitro. Similar to SC-CM, TGF-β1 doubled the size of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clusters at nerve–muscle contacts and significantly increased the percentage of nerve–muscle contacts that show AChR clusters to ∼60%, compared with ∼20% seen in control cultures. The synaptogenic effects of SC-CM were abolished if SC-CM was immunodepleted of TGF-β1 or if the latency-associated protein or a TGF-β1 receptor kinase inhibitor was added to block the bioactivity of TGF-β1. Similar to frog SC-CM, mammalian SC-CM also showed synaptogenic effects, which were prevented by immunodepletion of TGF-β1. TGF-β1 upregulated agrin expression in spinal neurons, which could explain the increase in AChR clusters in cultures treated with SC-CM. These results suggest that Schwann cells express TGF-β1, which is both sufficient and necessary for mediating the synapse-promoting effects of Schwann cells at the developing neuromuscular junction. Schwann cell-derived TGF-β1 thus joins other astrocyte-derived synaptogenic factors in further strengthening the emerging concept that glial cells contribute to synaptogenesis in both the PNS and the CNS.
MUTATION AND SEXUAL SELECTION: A TEST USING BARN SWALLOWS FROM CHERNOBYL

Abstract Secondary sexual characters have been hypothesized to be particularly susceptible to the deleterious effects of mutation because the expression of such characters is usually influenced by many more metabolic pathways than are ordinary morphological characters. We tested this hypothesis using the elevated mutation rates in the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) of the Chernobyl region of Ukraine as a model system. A great deal is known about the relative importance of different characters for male mating success in this species. The importance of phenotypic characters for male mating success was quantified based on a long-term study of a Danish breeding population, by expressing phenotypic differences between mated and unmated males as the difference between log-transformed mean values. For field samples from Ukraine we likewise expressed the difference in male phenotype between individuals living in a relatively uncontaminated area and individuals from the Chernobyl region as the difference between log-transformed mean values. The standardized difference in male phenotype between the two regions in Ukraine for the 41 different characters was strongly positively correlated with the standardized difference in male phenotype between mated and unmated males from Denmark. The standardized difference in male phenotype between the two regions in Ukraine was significantly positively associated with sexual size dimorphism. However, the standardized difference in male phenotype between mated and unmated males was a much better predictor of standardized difference in male phenotype between the two regions in Ukraine than was the standardized difference in sexual size dimorphism, expressed as the difference between log-transformed mean values for males and females. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that traits most important for sexual selection are particularly susceptible to the effects of deleterious mutations.
BTBS: database of transcriptional regulation in Bacillus subtilis and its contribution to comparative genomics

DBTBS (http://dbtbs.hgc.jp) was originally released in 1999 as a reference database of published transcriptional regulation events in Bacillus subtilis, one of the best studied bacteria. It is essentially a compilation of transcription factors with their regulated genes as well as their recognition sequences, which were experimentally characterized and reported in the literature. Here we report its major update, which contains information on 114 transcription factors, including sigma factors, and 633 promoters of 525 genes. The number of references cited in the database has increased from 291 to 378. It also supports a function to find putative transcription factor binding sites within input sequences by using our collection of weight matrices and consensus patterns. Furthermore, though preliminarily, DBTBS now aims to contribute to comparative genomics by showing the presence or absence of potentially orthologous transcription factors and their corresponding cis-elements on the promoters of their potentially orthologously regulated genes in 50 eubacterial genomes.
Growth Performance of Rabbits Fed Palm-Press Fibres-Based Diets

An experiment was carried out to define the optimal rate of palm-press fibres in growing rabbits' diet. In total, 64 weaned rabbits (35 days old) of Beninese breed were divided in 16 groups of 4 rabbits (2 males and 2 females) each. During six weeks, rabbits were fed with 4 complete diets containing 0% (F0, control), 5% (F5), 10% (F10), and 15% (F15) of fibres from a palm oil industry. Results demonstrated that up to 15 of palm-press fibres can be included efficiently in growing rabbits' diet. The daily feed intake was not significantly affected by the diet (P > 0.05). At 13 weeks old, the average live weights of rabbits were 1788.5 g, 1805.0 g, 1718.5 g, and 1801.3 g in respectively, F0, F5, F10 and F15 groups. No mortality of rabbits was recorded. Compared to F0, the feed conversion ratio and feeding cost decreased in the group of rabbits fed F15 diet. The carcass yield was similar between diets.
Simple Renal Cysts: Prevalence, Associated Risk Factors and Follow-Up in a Health Screening Cohort.

PURPOSE To investigate the prevalence of simple renal cysts in an adult health-screening cohort, and to evaluate clinical characteristics, associated risk factors and the natural course. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between April and November 2008, a thousand individuals diagnosed with simple renal cyst by ultrasonography in a check-up program were chart-reviewed for demographic-clinical characteristics and cyst features. Follow-up was done via electronic patient records. Univariate and multivariate analyses to evaluate the relationship of outcomes and correlation analysis were done to measure the degree of association between parameters. RESULTS The prevalence was 7.7%. There were 123 cysts in 77 patients, followed for 3.5 years (mean). Individuals with cysts were older (P < .01). Prevalence rates were 2.7% in individuals younger than 40 years and 23.9% in older than 60. The cysts were predominantly (94.8%) detected in males and most (63.6%) were solitary. No relation with Body Mass Index and total cholesterol levels was found but serum creatinine values were significantly increased in individuals with cysts (P < .01). There was no difference in the diagnosis of hypertension and microscopic hematuria in patients with renal cysts, however diabetes/hyperglycemia were more common and increasing age correlated with higher number of cysts (all P < .05). Follow-up revealed that the number of cysts were increased and/or the same in 86.5%; the sizes of cysts were larger and/or the same in 78.4% of patients, while in 14% of patients the cyst disappeared. CONCLUSION In a cohort of adults undergoing a health-screening, the prevalence of simple renal cyst was found 7.7% by ultrasonography. Renal cysts were more common in males and elders, and associated with increased levels of serum creatinine and diabetes.
International Union of Pharmacology. XXI. Structure, distribution, and functions of cholecystokinin receptors.

The peptide cholecystokinin (CCK)2was originally discovered in the gastrointestinal tract ([Ivy and Oldberg, 1928][1]) and has been shown to mediate pancreatic secretion and contraction of gallbladder. Then, CCK was described in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) as a gastrin-like