Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scalable audio coding for compression and loss resilient streaming

Current popular Internet audio streaming solutions impose a division between source coding (provided, for example, by MPEG layer III) and channel coding, typically accomplished in the server by means of packet re-transmission. A novel joint source and channel coder that provides packet-loss recovery and continuous bitrate scalability is presented. These functionalities are well suited to streaming audio over third and future generation wireless broadband networks.
Preantral Ovarian Follicles in Serum-Free Culture: Suppression of Apoptosis after Activation of the Cyclic Guanosine 3',5'-Monophosphate Pathway and Stimulation of Growth and Differentiation by Follicle-Stimulating Hormone.

Progression of preantral follicle development is essential to further follicle maturation and ovulation, but there are few models for studying the regulation of preantral follicle survival and growth. We have evaluated preantral follicle survival in vivo and in vitro, and have developed a serum-free rat follicle culture system that can be used to characterize the regulation of preantral follicle growth and differentiation. Analysis of ovarian cell DNA fragmentation during the first wave of follicle growth in the infantile rat indicated negligible apoptosis up to day 16 of age. However, a major increase in apoptosis was found by day 18, a time point associated with the appearance of large antral follicles. In situ analysis confirmed that apoptotic DNA fragments were limited to antral follicles. Culture of individual preantral follicles mechanically dissected from ovaries of 12- or 14-day-old rats in serum-free conditions led to major increases in follicle cell apoptosis, similar to that seen in cultures of antral and preovulatory follicles. In contrast to antral and preovulatory follicles, treatment of preantral follicles with gonadotropins or cAMP analogs did not prevent apoptosis. However, treatment with 8-bromo-cGMP or 10% serum suppressed apoptosis by 75% in cultured preantral follicles. In situ analysis identified granulosa cells as the cell type susceptible to apoptosis regulation. Taking advantage of the ability of the cGMP analog to suppress apoptosis, we evaluated the potential of FSH as a growth factor. In the absence of serum, FSH treatment for 48 h did not affect follicle size compared to controls; however, treatment with the cGMP analog together with FSH increased follicle diameter (13%; P < 0.01) and viable cells (2.4-fold; P < 0.01) compared to control values. Immunoblot analysis further indicated that the inhibin-alpha content of the cultured follicles was increased by treatment with the combination of FSH and 8-bromo-cGMP, demonstrating the induction of follicle cell differentiation during culture. Therefore, we demonstrated that activation of the cGMP pathway promotes the survival of cultured preantral follicles and that in the presence of alpha cGMP analog, FSH is a growth and differentiation factor for preantral follicles. The present serum-free follicle culture model system will be useful in further evaluation of the regulation of growth and differentiation of preantral follicles.
A Fast Convergence Multiuser Detection Scheme for Uplink SCMA Systems

Sparse code multiple access (SCMA) is a competitive non-orthogonal multiple access technique for fifth generation wireless communication networks which can accommodate massive connectivity. Among the existing multiuser detection schemes for uplink (UP) SCMA systems, the asynchronous message passing algorithm (ASYN-MPA) scheme, where messages are updated sequentially, generally converges faster than the synchronous variant, where all messages are updated in parallel manner. Nevertheless, the specific pre-defined order of the ASYN-MPA scheme is not always the best option. In this letter, we tackle the problem of how to schedule message for the ASYN-MPA scheme that results in the best convergence rate. Specifically, a novel residual-aided message propagation approach for scheduling messages in the ASYN-MPA scheme, termed residual-aided MPA, is proposed for UP SCMA systems, which exploits the dynamic selection of the message which has the largest residual. Simulations show that the proposed scheme with two iterations provides very similar bit error rate performance to the existing multiuser detection schemes with six iterations (only less than 0.05 dB degradation), whose complexity is reduced substantially.
Central Nervous System Involvement in Children with Sarcoma

Objectives: To summarize and analyze the experience in CNS involvement (CNSI) in children with sarcomas treated in the above-mentioned institutions. Patients and Methods: From 1990 to 2001, all medical charts were retrospectively reviewed: 19 sarcoma patients (12 boys and 7 girls) were diagnosed with CNSI (4 osteogenic sarcomas, 11 Ewing sarcomas, 2 rhabdomyosarcomas, 1 alveolar soft part sarcoma and 1 mesenchymal chondrosarcoma). Mean age of all patients at the time of initial diagnosis was 14.9 years (range: 4–24 years), mean age at the time when CNSI was diagnosed was 16.9 years (range: 5.5–27 years). Results: The frequency of CNSI among our patients was 6.17%. The following symptoms and signs (sometimes combined) presented: headache (10 patients), nausea and vomiting (6 patients), seizures (11 patients) and focal neurological signs (9 patients). The mean duration of time elapsed since diagnosis of CNSI till death or last follow-up was 5.2 months (SD: ±5.7 months). Four patients received chemotherapy (CT) alone, 8 CT and radiotherapy (RT), 2 RT alone, 3 supportive treatment only, 1 CT and surgery and 1 surgery alone. Sixteen patients died; there was no significant difference in the duration of survival between those who were treated with RT or surgery (mean ± SD: 6.77 ± 6.56 months) and those who received only CT or supportive treatment (mean ± SD: 2.60 ± 2.94 months) (p = 0.07). Brain disease was the main cause of death in all but 1 patient who died 4 days after autologous bone marrow transplantation from uncontrolled sepsis. In 16 patients, CNSI was part of a metastatic disease. Conclusions: Among children with sarcoma, CNSI is encountered in 6.17% of cases. More effective therapy has to be developed in order to improve their outcome.
Signal reconstruction from the magnitude or phase of a generalised wavelet transform

This paper considers signal reconstruction from a class of linear Time Frequency Representations (TFRs) referred to as the Generalised Wavelet Transform (GWT). This generalisation incorporates a number of linear TFRs, including the Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) and Wavelet Transform (WT). The problem addressed is that of constructing a time series from partial information regarding a GWT. Following the methodology previously employed for the STFT, a Least Squares (LS) approach for signal reconstruction from the magnitude of the GWT is presented. Along with a signal reconstruction algorithm using only the phase of the GWT. Examples are given illustrating the validity of these two algorithms.
Protective Effect of Metalloporphyrins against Cisplatin-Induced Kidney Injury in Mice

Oxidative and nitrative stress is a well-known phenomenon in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. The purpose of this work is to study the role of two metalloporphyrins (FeTMPyP and MnTBAP), water soluble complexes, in cisplatin-induced renal damage and their ability to scavenge peroxynitrite. In cisplatin-induced nephropathy study in mice, renal nitrative stress was evident by the increase in protein nitration. Cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity was also evident by the histological damage from the loss of the proximal tubular brush border, blebbing of apical membranes, tubular epithelial cell detachment from the basement membrane, or intra-luminal aggregation of cells and proteins and by the increase in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine. Cisplatin-induced apoptosis and cell death as shown by Caspase 3 assessments, TUNEL staining and DNA fragmentation Cisplatin-induced nitrative stress, apoptosis and nephrotoxicity were attenuated by both metalloporphyrins. Heme oxygenase (HO-1) also plays a critical role in metalloporphyrin-mediated protection of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. It is evident that nitrative stress plays a critical role in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in mice. Our data suggest that peroxynitrite is involved, at least in part, in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and protein nitration and cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity can be prevented with the use of metalloporphyrins.
Calibration and nonlinearity compensation for force application in AFM based nanomanipulation

Both the extent and accuracy of force application in atomic force microscope (AFM) nanomanipulation are significantly limited by the nonlinearity of the commonly used optical lever with a nonlinear position-sensitive detector (PSD). In order to compensate the nonlinearity of the optical lever, a nonlinear calibration method is presented. This method applies the nonlinear curve fit to a full-range position-voltage response of the photodiode, obtaining a continuous function of its voltage-related sensitivity. Thus, Interaction forces can be defined as integrals of this sensitivity function between any two responses of photodiode voltage outputs, instead of rough transformation with a single conversion factor. The lateral position-voltage response of the photodiode, a universally acknowledged puzzle, was directly characterized by an accurately calibrated force sensor composed of a tippless piezoresistive force sensor, regardless of any knowledge of the cantilevers and laser measuring system. Experiments using a rectangular cantilever (normal force constant 0.24 N/m) demonstrated that the proposed nonlinear calibration method restrained the sensitivity error of normal position-voltage responses to 3.6% and extended the force application range.
Randomized Pilot Trial of Eight Weeks of Bedaquiline (TMC207) Treatment for Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Long-Term Outcome, Tolerability, and Effect on Emergence of Drug Resistance

ABSTRACT The 2-year follow-up results for a randomized placebo-controlled study of 47 patients with multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis treated with either the new diarylquinoline TMC207, recently renamed bedaquiline, or placebo, added to the first 8 weeks of a background regimen, are presented. Bedaquiline significantly reduced the time to culture conversion over 24 weeks (hazard ratio, 2.253; 95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 4.71; P = 0.031). With the exception of nausea reported in 26% of patients receiving bedaquiline and none receiving placebo, adverse events occurred at similar frequencies in both groups of patients: bilateral hearing impairment, extremity pain, acne, and noncardiac chest pain occurred in 13 and 21%, 17 and 13%, 9 and 17%, and 4 and 17% of patients, respectively, receiving bedaquiline or placebo. Excluding resistance to ethambutol and ethionamide, only one patient receiving bedaquiline acquired resistance to companion drugs, but five patients receiving placebo (4.8% versus 21.7%; P = 0.18) acquired resistance to companion drugs, and resistance to ofloxacin was acquired in four patients receiving placebo and none receiving bedaquiline (0% versus 22%; 0 = 0.066). In all, 23 patients (49%), including 13 receiving placebo (54%) and 10 receiving bedaquiline (44%), discontinued the study prior to its completion, 12 during the first 24 weeks of treatment. Eight subjects were withdrawn for noncompliance or default, and seven withdrew consent, citing the rigorous program of investigations for safety and pharmacokinetic monitoring. Bedaquiline may contribute to the management of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis by effecting more rapid sputum culture negativity and by preventing acquired resistance to companion drugs.
Best Practices for Dust Control in Coal Mining

Disclaimer Mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). In addition, citations to Web sites external to NIOSH do not constitute NIOSH endorsement of the sponsoring organizations or their programs or products. Furthermore, NIOSH is not responsible for the content of these Web sites. All Web addresses referenced in this document were accessible as of the publication date. To receive documents or other information about occupational safety and health topics, contact NIOSH at cfm cubic foot per minute cm centimeter fpm foot per minute ft foot ft/min foot per minute gpm gallon per minute hr hour in inch in w.g. inch water gauge kPa kilopascal lpm liter per minute m/sec meter per second mg/m 3 milligram per cubic meter mm millimeter mph miles per hour µg/m 3 microgram per cubic meter psi pound-force per square inch sec second
Assessment of aspiration risk in stroke patients with quantification of voluntary cough

Background: Dysphagia and subsequent aspiration are serious complications of acute stroke that may be related to an impaired cough reflex. It was hypothesized that aspirating stroke patients would have impaired objective measures of voluntary cough as compared with both nonstroke control subjects and nonaspirating stroke patients. Methods: Swallowing was evaluated by standard radiologic or endoscopic methods, and stroke patients were grouped by aspiration severity (severe, n = 11; mild, n = 17; no aspiration, n = 15). Airflow patterns and sound pressure level (SPL) of voluntary cough were measured in stroke patients and in a group of normal control subjects (n = 18). Initial stroke severity was determined retrospectively with the Canadian Neurological Scale. Results: All cough measures were altered in stroke patients as a group relative to nonstroke control subjects. Univariate analysis showed that peak flow of the inspiration phase (770.6 ± 80.6 versus 1,120.1 ± 148.4 mL/s), SPL (90.0 ± 3.1 versus 100.2 ± 1.6 dB), peak flow of the expulsive phase (875.1 ± 122.7 versus 1,884.1 ± 221.6 mL/s), expulsive phase rise time (0.34 ± 0.1 versus 0.09 ± 0.01 s), and cough volume acceleration (5.5 ± 1.3 versus 27.8 ± 3.9 mL/s/s) were significantly impaired in severe aspirators as compared with nonaspirators. Aspirating patients had more severe strokes than nonaspirators (mean Canadian Neurological Scale score 7.7 ± 0.7 versus 9.8 ± 0.3). Multivariate logistic regression found only expulsive phase rise time values during cough correlated with aspiration status. Conclusion: Objective analysis of cough may provide a noninvasive way to identify the aspiration risk of stroke patients.
5-HT2C Receptor Desensitization Moderates Anxiety in 5-HTT Deficient Mice: From Behavioral to Cellular Evidence

Background: Desensitization and blockade of 5-HT2C receptors (5-HT2CR) have long been thought to be central in the therapeutic action of antidepressant drugs. However, besides behavioral pharmacology studies, there is little in vivo data documenting antidepressant-induced 5-HT2CR desensitization in specific brain areas. Methods: Mice lacking the 5-HT reuptake carrier (5-HTT-/-) were used to model the consequences of chronic 5-HT reuptake inhibition with antidepressant drugs. The effect of this mutation on 5-HT2CR was evaluated at the behavioral (social interaction, novelty-suppressed feeding, and 5-HT2CR–induced hypolocomotion tests), the neurochemical, and the cellular (RT-qPCR, mRNA editing, and c-fos–induced expression) levels. Results: Although 5-HTT-/- mice had an anxiogenic profile in the novelty-suppressed feeding test, they displayed less 5-HT2CR–mediated anxiety in response to the agonist m-chlorophenylpiperazine in the social interaction test. In addition, 5-HT2CR–mediated inhibition of a stress-induced increase in 5-HT turnover, measured in various brain areas, was markedly reduced in 5-HTT-/- mutants. These indices of tolerance to 5-HT2CR stimulation were associated neither with altered levels of 5-HT2CR protein and mRNA nor with changes in pre-mRNA editing in the frontal cortex. However, basal c-fos mRNA production in cells expressing 5-HT2CR was higher in 5-HTT-/- mutants, suggesting an altered basal activity of these cells following sustained 5-HT reuptake carrier inactivation. Furthermore, the increased c-fos mRNA expression in 5-HT2CR–like immune-positive cortical cells observed in wild-type mice treated acutely with the 5-HT2CR agonist RO-60,0175 was absent in 5-HTT-/- mutants. Conclusions: Such blunted responsiveness of the 5-HT2CR system, observed at the cell signaling level, probably contributes to the moderation of the anxiety phenotype in 5-HTT-/- mice.
Characterization of hydrocarbons in aerosols and investigation of biogenic sources as a carrier of radiocesium isotopes

Copyright © 2018 by The Geochemical Society of Japan. atmosphere. This indirect release of radionuclides is referred to as secondary emission. Secondary emissions may pose a major contamination problem and adversely affect human health over a prolonged period (Igarashi et al., 2015). Moreover, secondary emissions might extend past the contaminated area and delay the return of refugees. However, radiological emergency evaluation protocols have not included a procedure to assess the environmental impact of secondary emissions (IAEA, 2000). Potential sources of secondary emissions include the ground surface and vegetation. This arises from the aeolian transport of Japanese cedar pollen and emission of wax-like substances from plant surfaces, biomass burning (Yoschenko et al., 2006; Paatero et al., 2009), and the disposal and subsequent burning of contaminated waste from the disaster site. A number of studies (Kato et al., 2012, 2015; Kato and Onda, 2014; Yoshihara et al., 2014; Endo et al., 2015) Characterization of hydrocarbons in aerosols and investigation of biogenic sources as a carrier of radiocesium isotopes
Direct detection of Escherichia coli Shiga-like toxin genes in primary fecal cultures by polymerase chain reaction

A single pair of oligonucleotide primers was used for polymerase chain reaction amplification of a 212- or 215-bp region of Escherichia coli Shiga-like toxin (SLT) genes from crude fecal culture extracts. Genes were typed by hybridization of the polymerase chain reaction products to SLT-I- or SLT-II-specific oligonucleotide probes. The procedure was capable of detecting fewer than 10 SLT-producing E. coli organisms per ml of culture against a background of more than 10(9) other organisms per ml and provides a rapid and sensitive means of screening primary fecal cultures for the presence of such strains. When this procedure was used to test primary cultures from gut contents or feces from various patient groups, including apparently healthy infants, approximately half of all samples yielded positive results for SLT-I and/or SLT-II sequences.
Total internal partition sums for molecular species in the 2000 edition of the HITRAN database

Total internal partition sums (TIPS) are calculated for all molecular species in the 2000 HITRAN database. In addition, the TIPS for 13 other isotopomers/isotopologues of ozone and carbon dioxide are presented. The calculations address the corrections suggested by Goldman et al. (JQSRT 66 (2000) 455). The calculations consider the temperature range 70–3000 K to be applicable to a variety of remote sensing needs. The method of calculation for each molecular species is stated and comparisons with data from the literature are discussed. A new method of recall for the partition sums, Lagrange 4-point interpolation, is developed. This method, unlike previous versions of the TIPS code, allows all molecular species to be considered. 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Structural diversity of neuronal calcium sensor proteins and insights for activation of retinal guanylyl cyclase by GCAP1

Neuronal calcium sensor (NCS) proteins, a sub-branch of the calmodulin superfamily, are expressed in the brain and retina where they transduce calcium signals and are genetically linked to degenerative diseases. The amino acid sequences of NCS proteins are highly conserved but their physiological functions are quite different. Retinal recoverin controls Ca2+-dependent inactivation of light-excited rhodopsin during phototransduction, guanylyl cyclase activating proteins 1 and 2 (GCAP1 and GCAP2) promote Ca2+-dependent activation of retinal guanylyl cyclases, and neuronal frequenin (NCS-1) modulates synaptic activity and neuronal secretion. Here we review the molecular structures of myristoylated forms of NCS-1, recoverin, and GCAP1 that all look very different, suggesting that the attached myristoyl group helps to refold these highly homologous proteins into different three-dimensional folds. Ca2+-binding to both recoverin and NCS-1 cause large protein conformational changes that ejects the covalently attached myristoyl group into the solvent exterior and promotes membrane targeting (Ca2+-myristoyl switch). The GCAP proteins undergo much smaller Ca2+-induced conformational changes and do not possess a Ca2+-myristoyl switch. Recent structures of GCAP1 in both its activator and Ca2+-bound inhibitory states will be discussed to understand structural determinants that control their Ca2+-dependent activation of retinal guanylyl cyclases.
ON THE RECOVERY OF TRANSCRIPTION AFTER INHIBITION BY ACTINOMYCIN D

After pulse exposure to concentrations of actinomycin D (AMD) sufficient to abolish transcription, Vero cells recover RNA synthesis much more rapidly than most other cell types. This is only in part attributable to the remarkable capacity of Vero very promptly to excrete bound AMD, elimination of which, although necessary, is not a sufficient condition for resurgence of RNA synthesis. After elimination of higher concentrations of AMD from Vero, although over-all RNA synthesis resumes a normal rate within 24 hr, protein synthesis lags, and a long period of division-delay ensues. Division-delay lasting 2–3 days results from exposure of Vero to doses of AMD greater than those that suppress RNA synthesis by greater than 90% (e.g. 1 µg/ml for 2 hr) but not by lower doses, which permit almost immediate reentry into the cell cycle. In contrast, although L cells recover over-all RNA synthesis very slowly after pulse treatment with AMD, resumption of protein synthesis or cell division is not comparably delayed thereafter. These and other data suggest that the early restoration of RNA synthesis in Vero after relief of inhibition by AMD is qualitatively imperfect. The results reported herein are explainable by the hypothesis that the synthesis of those species of RNA which are involved, directly or indirectly, in reactivating the transcription of genes controlling progression in the cell cycle is relatively resistant to suppression by AMD. Decay of such RNA templates and their products, which differs in different cell types during inhibition by AMD, determines the duration of division-delay.
Institute for Mathematical Physics Hypercomplex Structures Associated to Quaternionic Manifolds Hypercomplex Structures Associated to Quaternionic Manifolds

If M is a quaternionic manifold and P is an S 1-instanton over M , then Joyce constructed a hypercomplex manifold we call P(M) over M. These hypercomplex manifolds admit a U(2)-action of a special type permuting the complex structures. We show that up to double covers, all such hypercomplex manifolds arise in this way. Examples, including that of a hypercomplex structure on SU(3), show the necessity of including double covers of P(M).
Controlling Ant-Based Construction

This paper investigates the dynamics of decentralised nest construction in the ant species Leptothorax tuberointerruptus, exploring the contribution of, and interaction between, a pheromone building template and a physical building template (the bodies of the ants themselves). We present a continuous-space model of ant behaviour capable of generating ant-like nest structures, the integrity and shapes of which are non-trivially determined by choice of parameters and the building template(s) employed. We go on to demonstrate that the same behavioural algorithm is capable of generating a somewhat wider range of architectural forms, and discuss its limitations and potential extensions.