Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Navigating from a Depth Image Converted into Sound

Background. Common manufactured depth sensors generate depth images that humans normally obtain from their eyes and hands. Various designs converting spatial data into sound have been recently proposed, speculating on their applicability as sensory substitution devices (SSDs). Objective. We tested such a design as a travel aid in a navigation task. Methods. Our portable device (MeloSee) converted 2D array of a depth image into melody in real-time. Distance from the sensor was translated into sound intensity, stereo-modulated laterally, and the pitch represented verticality. Twenty-one blindfolded young adults navigated along four different paths during two sessions separated by one-week interval. In some instances, a dual task required them to recognize a temporal pattern applied through a tactile vibrator while they navigated. Results. Participants learnt how to use the system on both new paths and on those they had already navigated from. Based on travel time and errors, performance improved from one week to the next. The dual task was achieved successfully, slightly affecting but not preventing effective navigation. Conclusions. The use of Kinect-type sensors to implement SSDs is promising, but it is restricted to indoor use and it is inefficient on too short range.
The bioavailability and postprandial utilisation of sweet lupin (Lupinus albus)-flour protein is similar to that of purified soyabean protein in human subjects: a study using intrinsically 15N-labelled proteins

Sweet lupin (Lupinus albus), a protein-rich legume devoid of anti-nutritional factors, is considered to have a high potential for protein nutrition in man. Results concerning the nutritional value of lupin protein are, however, conflicting in animals and very scarce in human subjects. Furthermore, where fibre-rich protein sources are concerned, the long-term nutritional results are often obscured, particularly since fibre-promoted colonic fermentation may bias the energy supply and redistribute N flux. We therefore studied, during the postprandial phase, the bioavailability and utilisation of lupin-flour protein in nine healthy men who had ingested a mixed meal containing intrinsically 15N-labelled lupin flour as the protein source (Expt 1). The real ileal digestibility (RID) and ileal endogenous N losses (IENL) were assessed using a perfusion technique at the terminal ileum, and the N content and 15N enrichment of ileal samples. Lupin flour exhibited a high RID of 91 (SD 3) % AND LOW IENL (5·4 (sd 1·3) mmol N/h). Postprandial dietary deamination was also assessed from body dietary urea and urinary dietary N excretion, and compared with results in nine healthy men following an isoenergetic meal containing a 15N-soyabean-protein isolate with a similar RID, as a control (Expt 2). Postprandial dietary deamination was similar after lupin and soyabean meals (17 (sd 2) and 18 (sd 4) % ingested N respectively). We therefore conclude that lupin protein is highly bioavailable, even if included in fibre-rich flour, and that it can be used with the same efficiency as soyabean protein to achieve postprandial protein gain in healthy human subjects.
Predictive Models of CYP3A4 Heteroactivation: In Vitro-in Vivo Scaling and Pharmacophore Modeling

Although activation of CYP3A4 is frequently observed in vitro, predictive computational-based models and methods for in vitro-in vivo scaling are scarce. It has been previously shown that in vitro CYP3A4 heteroactivation of carbamazepine (CBZ)-epoxide (ep) formation can be associated with the clinical drug interaction between felbatame and CBZ. The previously reported prediction methodology is applied here to an additional set of in vitro CYP3A4 heteroactivators, some exerting this effect at concentrations relevant in vivo. The antimalarial artemisinin potently increases CBZ-ep formation by a maximum of 500% at 300 μM. Testosterone and progesterone activates by a maximum of 1680 and 920%, respectively, at 150 μM, and quinidine causes a 130% increase at 300 μM. The predicted maximum in vivo decrease in steady-state concentration of carbamazepine (CssCBZ) at saturating effector concentrations is 85 to 90% for testosterone and progesterone, 75% for artemisinin, and 45% for quinidine. The corresponding predicted in vivo increase in CssCBZ-ep is 50, 60, 55, and 30% for artemisinin, testosterone, progesterone, and quinidine, respectively. At effector concentrations relevant in vivo, the CssCBZ change is predicted to ≤20% for testosterone, artemisinin, and quinidine and ≤10% for progesterone, with a concomitant CssCBZ-ep increase of 12% for testosterone and ≤10% for progesterone, artemisinin, and quinidine. Structure-heteroactivation relationships were evaluated by generating a pharmacophore. The model includes two hydrogen bond acceptor features separated by hydrophobic features. Internal predictivity is high, and heteroactivation of an external test set correlate to observed in vitro heteroactivation.
The changing epidemiological pattern of hepatitis A in England and Wales

Sera from an age-stratified sample of 4188 individuals, submitted for diagnostic purposes to 15 public health laboratories in England and Wales in 1996, were tested for hepatitis A antibody. The serological profiles were consistent with declining incidence in the past. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the serological profiles of Ashford, Leeds and Preston public health laboratories with those from sera collected during a previous study in the same laboratories in 1986/7. A comparison of equivalent 10 year birth cohorts revealed that significant hepatitis A seroconversion had only continued in Ashford. However, it is probable that most seroconversions are due to vaccination and immigration rather than continuing viral transmission. Further population-based surveys collecting more in-depth social and demographic data are needed to confirm the main factors influencing hepatitis A seroprevalence and to explain the regional differences.
Millimeter-Wave Imaging With Optimized Sparse Periodic Array for Short-Range Applications

This paper presents a multiple-input-multiple-output imaging system on the basis of a hybrid concept with synthetic aperture radar and digital beam forming. By moving a multistatic linear array perpendicularly to the array dimension, a 2-D aperture is sampled. The scope of application is concealed weapon detection in conjunction with the imaging of humans and, alternatively, nondestructive testing (NDT). The frequency range of 75-90 GHz was chosen because of the inherent high lateral resolution. For NDT, it seems to be a good compromise between lateral resolution and penetration depth as well. A moderate number of transmit and receive channels are achieved by a sparse periodic array (SPA) design. Since this is a far-field approach, ambiguities are not well suppressed in the near-field point spread function of the sparse array. An extension of the SPA concept for short-range applications on the basis of an optimized array design and an optimized beamforming algorithm is presented in this paper.
Plasma and adipose tissue level of angiopoietin-like 7 (ANGPTL7) are increased in obesity and reduced after physical exercise

Objective ANGPTL7 is a member of the Angiopoietin-like (ANGPTL) protein family that is composed of eight proteins (1–8). Increasing evidence is associating ANGPTL proteins to obesity and insulin resistance. The biological role of ANGPTL7 is yet to be understood except for a recently proposed role in the pathophysiology of glaucoma. This study was designed to shed light on the function of ANGPTL7 in obesity and its modulation by physical exercise as well as its potential association with lipid profile. Methods A total of 144 subjects were enrolled in this study and finished three months of physical exercise. The participants were classified based on their BMI, 82 subjects were non-obese and 62 obese. ANGPTL7 levels in plasma and adipose tissue were measured by ELISA, RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Results In this study, we showed that ANGPTL7 level was increased in the plasma of obese subjects (1249.05± 130.39 pg/mL) as compared to non-obese (930.34 ± 87.27 pg/mL) (p-Value = 0.032). ANGPTL7 Gene and protein expression levels in adipose tissue also showed over two fold increase. Physical exercise reduced circulating level of ANGPTL7 in the obese subjects to 740.98± 127.18 pg/mL, (p-Value = 0.007). ANGPTL7 expression in adipose tissue was also reduced after exercise. Finally, ANGPTL7 circulating level showed significant association with TG level in the obese subjects (R2 = 0.183, p-Value = 0.03). Conclusion In conclusion, our data shows for the first time that obesity increases the level of ANGPTL7 in both plasma and adipose tissue. Increased expression of ANGPTL7 might play a minor role in the regulation of TG level in obese subjects either directly or through interaction with other ANGPTL protein members. Physical exercise reduced the level of ANGPTL7 highlighting the potential for targeting this protein as a therapeutic target for regulating dyslipidemia.
A Modified Selective Harmonic Elimination method for balancing capacitor voltage in modular multilevel converter

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has proven itself as an exceptionally effective converter in High Voltage DC (HVDC) applications, due to its modularity, reliability and robustness. Yet, it requires unique modulation techniques to accomplish the troublesome capacitor voltage balancing. In this paper, a Modified Selective Harmonic Elimination (M-SHE) is introduced where the switching of the submodules is done in a certain preconfigured arrangement which accomplishes the required capacitor balancing. The proposed modulation technique is then compared with Third Harmonic Injection — Phase Shift — Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (THI-PS-SPWM) and with the Classical Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE). Performance of the proposed M-SHE, classical SHE and THI-PS-SPWM for a five-level MMC unit is evaluated based on time-domain simulation studies in the MATLAB/SIMULINK software. The reported study results demonstrate that the M-SHE satisfies capacitor balancing and has lower Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) than the classical SHE and THI-PS-SPWM.
Impacts of climate variability on water quality with best management practices in sub‐tropical climate of USA

Efficiency of non‐point source pollution control methods may be altered in future climate. This study investigated climate change impacts on sediment and nutrient transport, and efficiency of best management practices (BMPs), in the Upper Pearl River Watershed (UPRW) in Mississippi. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool was applied to the UPRW using observed flow, sediment and nutrient data. Water quality samples were collected at three US geological survey gauging stations. The model was successfully calibrated and validated for daily time steps (Nash Sutcliffe efficiency and coefficient of determination – R2 up to 0.7) using manual and automatic (sequential uncertainty fitting version 2) methods from February 2010 to May 2011. Future weather scenarios were simulated using the LARS‐WG model, a stochastic weather generator, with Community Climate System Model, global climate model, which was developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the USA. On the basis of the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios A1B, A2 and B1 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, climate change scenarios were simulated for the mid (2046–2065) and late (2080–2099) century. Effectiveness of four BMPs (Riparian buffer, stream fencing, sub‐surface manure applications and vegetative filter strips) on reducing sediment and nutrient were evaluated in current and future climate conditions. Results show that sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus loadings will be increased up to a maximum of 26.3%, 7.3% and 14.3%, respectively, in future climate conditions. Furthermore, the effectiveness of BMPs on sediment removal will be reduced in future climate conditions, and the efficiency of nitrogen removal will be increased, whereas phosphorus removal efficiency will remain unchanged. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of Circulating Proteins and Hemodynamics Towards Predicting Mortality in Children with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Background Although many predictors have been evaluated, a set of strong independent prognostic mortality indicators has not been established in children with pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The aim of this study was to identify a combination of clinical and molecular predictors of survival in PAH. Methods This single-center, retrospective cohort study was performed from children with PAH between 2001 and 2008 at Children's Hospital Colorado. Blood samples from 83 patients (median age of 8.3 years-old) were obtained. We retrospectively analyzed 46 variables, which included 27 circulating proteins, 7 demographic variables and 12 hemodynamic and echocardiographic variables for establishing the best predictors of mortality. A data mining approach was utilized to evaluate predictor variables and to uncover complex data structures while performing variable selection in high dimensional problems. Results Thirteen children (16%) died during follow-up (median; 3.1 years) and survival rates from time of sample collection at 1 year, 3 years and 5 years were 95%, 85% and 79%, respectively. A subset of potentially informative predictors were identified, the top four are listed here in order of importance: Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1), apolipoprotein-AI, RV/LV diastolic dimension ratio and age at diagnosis. In univariate analysis, TIMP-1 and apolipoprotein-AI had significant association with survival time (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.25 [1.03, 1.51] and 0.70 [0.54–0.90], respectively). Patients grouped by TIMP-1 and apolipoprotein-AI values had significantly different survival risks (p<0.01). Conclusion Important predictors of mortality were identified from a large number of circulating proteins and clinical markers in this cohort. If confirmed in other populations, measurement of a subset of these predictors could aid in management of pediatric PAH by identifying patients at risk for death. These findings also further support a role for the clinical utility of measuring circulating proteins.
3M cod assessment for different assumptions over M

M is one of the most influential quantities in fisheries stock assessment and in providing management advice. Cod 3M Bayesian XSA model assumes a lognormal prior over M being constant for all ages and years. Using the same data as in the 2013 assessment, four different scenarios over M were tested: the one assumed in the assessment (M constant over ages and time), one with age variable over three classes and constant for time, one with time variable over three periods and constant over ages, and one variable over three age classes and three periods of time. Although the results indicate the forth scenario as the best one, inconsistencies in them make very difficult to choose one of the scenarios based on the information available and further studies are needed. Nevertheless, it would be advisable that this uncertainty on M will be tested in the MSE process. The scenario 4 could be a good starting point to analyse the uncertainty on M in the 3M cod MSE.
Deep moist atmospheric convection in a subkilometer global simulation

Deep moist atmospheric convection is a key element of the weather and climate system for transporting mass, momentum, and thermal energy. It has been challenging to simulate convection realistically in global atmospheric models because of the large gap in spatial scales between convection (100 km) and global motions (104 km). We conducted the first ever subkilometer global simulation and described the features of convection. Through a series of grid‐refinement resolution testing, we found that an essential change for convection statistics occurred around 2 km grid spacing. The convection structure, number of convective cells, and distance to the nearest convective cell dramatically changed at this resolution. The convection core was resolved using multiple grids in simulations with grid spacings less than 2.0 km.
Dissociable Roles of Mid-Dorsolateral Prefrontal and Anterior Inferotemporal Cortex in Visual Working Memory

Functional neuroimaging in human subjects and studies of monkeys with lesions limited to the mid-dorsolateral (MDL) prefrontal cortex have shown that this specific region of the prefrontal cortex is involved in visual working memory, although its precise role remains a matter of debate. The present study compared the effect on visual working memory of lesions restricted to the mid-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the monkey with that of lesions to the anterior inferotemporal cortex, a region of the temporal cortex specialized for visual memory. Increasing the delay during which information had to be maintained in visual working memory impaired performance after lesions of the anterior inferotemporal cortex, but not after mid-dorsolateral prefrontal lesions. By contrast, increasing the number of stimuli that had to be monitored impaired the performance of animals with mid-dorsolateral prefrontal lesions, but not that of animals with anterior inferotemporal lesions. This demonstration of a double dissociation between the effects of these two lesions provides strong evidence that the role of the mid-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in visual working memory does not lie in the maintenance of information per se, but rather in the executive process of monitoring this information. In addition, the present study demonstrated that lesions limited to area 9, which constitutes the superior part of the mid-dorsolateral prefrontal region, give rise to a mild impairment in the monitoring of information, whereas lesions of the complete mid-dorsolateral prefrontal region yield a very severe impairment.
Reluctant altruism and peer pressure in charitable giving

Subjects donate individually (control group) or in pairs (treatment group). Those in pairs reveal their donation decision to each other. Average donations in the treatment group are significantly higher than in the control group. Paired subjects have the opportunity to revise their donation decision after discussion. Pair members shift toward each others’ initial decisions. Subjects are happier with their decision when their donations are larger, but those in pairs are less happy, controlling for amount donated. These findings suggest reluctant altruism due to peer pressure in charitable giving.
Removable prostheses may enhance marginal bone loss around dental implants: a long-term retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to retrospectively evaluate marginal bone loss (MBL) around rough-surface dental implants, placed in a private clinic, and to construct a multivariate model based on formerly proposed prognostic variables. METHODS Records of patients who were treated previously with dental implants were reviewed. The patients' latest annual clinical examinations and radiograms were used for data collection and the calculation of MBL. A patient-based multivariate model was constructed based on two successive iterations of statistical analysis. RESULTS Eighty-two patients and 265 implants with > or =30 months of follow-up were evaluated. The overall survival rate was 95.8% (2.6% early loss and 1.5% late loss). By evaluating the data with the single implant as a unit of analysis, MBL was correlated with time. Higher MBL values were found in smokers and around implants supporting removable prostheses. In the patient-based analysis, only smoking and the presence of a removable prosthesis correlated with higher values of MBL. Odds ratios for higher rates of MBL were 1.95 and 2.57 for smokers and around removable prostheses, respectively. Neither time nor any of the other suspected variables correlated with higher MBL. CONCLUSIONS The present study corroborated the notion that smoking correlates with higher MBL and implied that implants supporting removable prostheses tend to display more bone loss. Further studies are needed to elucidate the latter finding.
Predicting the Next Big Thing: Success as a Signal of Poor Judgment

Successfully predicting that something will become a big hit seems impressive. Managers and entrepreneurs who have made successful predictions and have invested money on this basis are promoted, become rich, and may end up on the cover of business magazines. In this paper, we show that an accurate prediction about such an extreme event, e.g., a big hit, may in fact be an indication of poor rather than good forecasting ability. We first demonstrate how this conclusion can be derived from a formal model of forecasting. We then illustrate that the basic result is consistent with data from two lab experiments as well as field data on professional forecasts from the Wall Street Journal Survey of Economic Forecasts.
Multi-source morphosyntactic tagging for spoken Rusyn

This paper deals with the development of morphosyntactic taggers for spoken varieties of the Slavic minority language Rusyn. As neither annotated corpora nor parallel corpora are electronically available for Rusyn, we propose to combine existing resources from the etymologically close Slavic languages Russian, Ukrainian, Slovak, and Polish and adapt them to Rusyn. Using MarMoT as tagging toolkit, we show that a tagger trained on a balanced set of the four source languages outperforms single language taggers by about 9%, and that additional automatically induced morphosyntactic lexicons lead to further improvements. The best observed accuracies for Rusyn are 82.4% for part-of-speech tagging and 75.5% for full morphological tagging.
Tremadoc faunas from the Carmarthen district, South Wales

Summary A diverse fauna of trilobites, graptolites, inarticulate brachiopods, sponges, and a worm is described from the Tremadoc rocks cropping out in the Llangynog district, SW of Carmarthen. It permits identification of the Clonograptus tenellus Zone and older Tremadoc strata; younger Tremadoc strata are apparently absent. The fauna shows closest affinities with the Shineton Shales of Shropshire, while some of the trilobites also indicate a close relationship with those from the Tremadoc of NW Argentina.
Exploring resting-state EEG complexity before migraine attacks

Objective Entropy-based approaches to understanding the temporal dynamics of complexity have revealed novel insights into various brain activities. Herein, electroencephalogram complexity before migraine attacks was examined using an inherent fuzzy entropy approach, allowing the development of an electroencephalogram-based classification model to recognize the difference between interictal and preictal phases. Methods Forty patients with migraine without aura and 40 age-matched normal control subjects were recruited, and the resting-state electroencephalogram signals of their prefrontal and occipital areas were prospectively collected. The migraine phases were defined based on the headache diary, and the preictal phase was defined as within 72 hours before a migraine attack. Results The electroencephalogram complexity of patients in the preictal phase, which resembled that of normal control subjects, was significantly higher than that of patients in the interictal phase in the prefrontal area (FDR-adjusted p < 0.05) but not in the occipital area. The measurement of test-retest reliability (n = 8) using the intra-class correlation coefficient was good with r1 = 0.73 (p = 0.01). Furthermore, the classification model, support vector machine, showed the highest accuracy (76 ± 4%) for classifying interictal and preictal phases using the prefrontal electroencephalogram complexity. Conclusion Entropy-based analytical methods identified enhancement or “normalization” of frontal electroencephalogram complexity during the preictal phase compared with the interictal phase. This classification model, using this complexity feature, may have the potential to provide a preictal alert to migraine without aura patients.