Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Methane Leaks from Pipelines in Bryan and College Station, Texas, USA

Methane is the second most important anthropogenically emitted greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Anthropogenic methane sources in the US are dominated by emissions from domestic ruminants and from fossil fuel exploration, storage and transmission. The fossil fuel source is primarily due to natural gas leaks along the production to distribution chain, and pipeline leaks in urban areas have been identified as a significant contributor. In this study, we evaluated possible leaks in three neighborhoods of a midsize Texas metropolitan region surrounding Texas A&M University through mobile measurements using a fast response, high precision methane analyzer. Neighborhoods were selected by age and land use, and each predetermined driving route was evaluated three times. Methane spikes exceeding 2.5 ppm were identified as leaks, and approximately one leak per mile of urban road was discovered. The largest leaks were found around the Texas A&M natural gas plant and in the oldest neighborhood to its north, while fewer leaks were found in a slightly younger neighborhood. No leaks were found in the youngest, less than 20-year old neighborhood suggesting that pipeline system age is a strong determinant of current and future leaks from the natural gas distribution system.
Effect of polymorphic colour vision for fruit detection in the spider monkey Ateles geoffroyi, and its implications for the maintenance of polymorphic colour vision in platyrrhine monkeys

SUMMARY Most platyrrhine monkeys have an X-linked tri-allelic polymorphism for medium and long wavelength (M/L) sensitive cone photopigments. These pigments' sensitivity maxima (λmax) range from 535 to 562 nm. All animals also have an autosomally coded short-wavelength-sensitive (S) cone pigment. In populations with three M/L alleles there are six different colour vision phenotypes. Heterozygous females have trichromatic colour vision, while males and homozygous females are dichromats. The selective basis for this polymorphism is not understood, but is probably affected by the costs and benefits of trichromatic compared to dichromatic colour vision. For example, it has been suggested that trichromats are better equipped than dichromats to detect fruit against a leaf background. To investigate this possibility, we modeled fruit detection by various colour vision phenotypes present in the frugivorous spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi. Our study population is thought to have three M/L alleles with cone pigment λmax values close to 535, 550 and 562 nm. The model predicted that all trichromat phenotypes had an advantage over dichromats, and the 535/562 nm phenotype was best; however, the model predicted that dichromats could detect all of the fruit species consumed by spider monkeys. We conclude that the heterozygote advantage experienced by females may be the most plausible explanation for the maintenance of this polymorphism in A. geoffroyi. Nevertheless, more studies need to evaluate social foraging behaviour and the performance of different phenotypes of other New World monkeys to determine if this is a global explanation for this phenomena or more specific to A. geofforyi.
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improves Swallowing Function in Stroke Patients

Background. Poststroke dysphagia can persist, leading to many complications. Objective. We investigated whether noninvasive brain stimulation to the pharyngeal motor cortex combined with intensive swallowing therapy can improve dysphagia. Methods. A total of 20 patients who had dysphagia for at least 1 month after stroke were randomly assigned to receive 10 sessions lasting 20 minutes each of either 1-mA anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) or a sham procedure to the ipsilesional pharyngeal motor cortex, along with simultaneous conventional swallowing therapies. We evaluated swallowing function with the Dysphagia Outcome and Severity Scale (DOSS) before, immediately after, and 1 month after the last session. Results. Anodal tDCS resulted in an improvement of 1.4 points in DOSS (P = .006) immediately after the last session and 2.8 points (P = .004) 1 month after the last session. The sham tDCS group improved 0.5 points (P = .059) after the last session and 1.2 points (P = .026) 1 month after the final session. The improvements in the anodal tDCS group were significantly greater than those in the sham tDCS group (P = .029 after the last session, and P = .007 1 month after the last session). Conclusions. Anodal tDCS to the ipsilesional hemisphere and simultaneous peripheral sensorimotor activities significantly improved swallowing function as assessed by the DOSS.
On the energy detection of unknown deterministic signal over Nakagami channelswith selection combining

Blind sensing for identifying unused frequency bands is of particular interest in cognitive radio and ultra wide-band applications. Energy detection is one such method proposed to identify the presence of an unknown band-limited deterministic signal. In this paper, by using an alternative series representation of the Marcum-Q function, the exact average detection probability over the Nakagami-m fading channel is derived. Moreover, we formulate the decision variable of a selection diversity combined energy detector and derive the exact average detection and false alarm probabilities.
Analyzing the Structure of Argumentative Discourse

Consider a discourse situation where the speaker tries to convince the hearer of a particular point of view. The first task for the hearer is to understand what it is the speaker wants him to believe--to analyze the structure of the argument being presented, before judging credibility and eventually responding.This paper describes a model for the analysis of arguments that includes:• a theory of expected coherent structure which is used to limit analysis to the reconstruction of particular transmission forms;• a theory of linguistic clues which assigns a functional interpretation to special words and phrases used by the speaker to indicate the structure of the argument;• a theory of evidence relationships which includes the demand for pragmatic analysis to accommodate beliefs not currently held.The implications of this particular design for dialogue analysis in general are thus:• structure is an important feature to extract in a representation to control the processing;• linguistic constructions can be assigned useful interpretations;• pragmatic analysis is crucial in cases where the participants differ in beliefs.
Dynamics of Transcription Factor Binding Site Evolution

Evolution of gene regulation is crucial for our understanding of the phenotypic differences between species, populations and individuals. Sequence-specific binding of transcription factors to the regulatory regions on the DNA is a key regulatory mechanism that determines gene expression and hence heritable phenotypic variation. We use a biophysical model for directional selection on gene expression to estimate the rates of gain and loss of transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) in finite populations under both point and insertion/deletion mutations. Our results show that these rates are typically slow for a single TFBS in an isolated DNA region, unless the selection is extremely strong. These rates decrease drastically with increasing TFBS length or increasingly specific protein-DNA interactions, making the evolution of sites longer than ∼ 10 bp unlikely on typical eukaryotic speciation timescales. Similarly, evolution converges to the stationary distribution of binding sequences very slowly, making the equilibrium assumption questionable. The availability of longer regulatory sequences in which multiple binding sites can evolve simultaneously, the presence of “pre-sites” or partially decayed old sites in the initial sequence, and biophysical cooperativity between transcription factors, can all facilitate gain of TFBS and reconcile theoretical calculations with timescales inferred from comparative genomics.
Ingham-type inequalities and Riesz bases of divided differences

We study linear combinations of exponentials en, λn ∈ Λ in the case where the distance between some points λn tends to zero. We suppose that the sequence Λ is a finite union of uniformly discrete sequences. In (Avdonin and Ivanov, 2001), necessary and sufficient conditions were given for the family of divided differences of exponentials to form a Riesz basis in space L(0, T ). Here we prove that if the upper uniform density of Λ is less than T/(2π), the family of divided differences can be extended to a Riesz basis in L(0, T ) by adjoining to {en} a suitable collection of exponentials. Likewise, if the lower uniform density is greater than T/(2π), the family of divided differences can be made into a Riesz basis by removing from {en} a suitable collection of functions en. Applications of these results to problems of simultaneous control of elastic strings and beams are given.
Natural and accelerated aging of composite insulators

Composite insulators or nonceramic insulators (NCIs), as they are also known, represent a relatively new technology applicable to transmission line insulation. Although they have been used for the last three decades in many countries, several aspects regarding materials, design, applications, specifications, testing, maintenance and aging are not well established yet. This paper presents the results of a research project developed by CEPEL (a Brazilian Electrical Power Research Center) and some utilities together. It aims at performance evaluation of different NCIs submitted to accelerated and natural aging. The conclusions taken from the accelerated aging tests show the influence of insulator design, leakage distance and housing material on the electrical performance of different NCIs. The results of field investigation show some degradation that does not imply in reduction of electrical or mechanical properties of the insulators up to now.
RXTE broadband X-ray spectra of intermediate polars and white dwarf mass estimates (Erratum - vol.435, p.191, 2005)

We present results of an analysis of broadband X-ray spectra of 14 intermediate polars obtained with the RXTE observatory (PCA and HEXTE spectrometers, 3-100 keV). For this we have calculated theoretical models of the structure and the emergent spectrum of the post-shock region of intermediate polars. By fitting theoretical model spectra to the observed spectra we derive estimates for the masses of the white dwarfs. We compare the resulting masses with masses obtained by other authors and other methods. The masses obtained by us are smaller than the masses obtained by using PCA and GINGA data, and they are in good agreement with the masses derived from radial velocity studies.
Cormic Index Profile of Children with Sickle Cell Anaemia in Lagos, Nigeria

Background. Sickle cell disorders are known to have a negative effect on linear growth. This could potentially affect proportional growth and, hence, Cormic Index. Objective. To determine the Cormic Index in the sickle cell anaemia population in Lagos. Methodology. A consecutive sample of 100 children with haemoglobin genotype SS, aged eight months to 15 years, and 100 age and sex matched controls (haemoglobin genotype AA) was studied. Sitting height (upper segment) and full length or height were measured. Sitting height was then expressed as a percentage of full length/height (Cormic Index). Results. The mean Cormic Index decreased with age among primary subjects (SS) and AA controls. The overall mean Cormic Index among primary subjects was comparable to that of controls (55.0 ± 4.6% versus 54.5 ± 5.2%; 54.8 ± 4.5% versus 53.6 ± 4.9%) in boys and girls, respectively. In comparison with AA controls, female children with sickle cell anaemia who were older than 10 years had a significantly lower mean Cormic Index. Conclusion. There was a significant negative relationship between Cormic Index and height in subjects and controls irrespective of gender. Similarly, a significant negative correlation existed between age, sitting height, subischial leg length, weight, and Cormic Index in both subjects and controls.
MHC heterozygosity and survival in red junglefowl

Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) form a vital part of the vertebrate immune system and play a major role in pathogen resistance. The extremely high levels of polymorphism observed at the MHC are hypothesised to be driven by pathogen‐mediated selection. Although the exact nature of selection remains unclear, three main hypotheses have been put forward; heterozygote advantage, negative frequency‐dependence and fluctuating selection. Here, we report the effects of MHC genotype on survival in a cohort of semi‐natural red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) that suffered severe mortality as a result of an outbreak of the disease coccidiosis. The cohort was followed from hatching until 250 days of age, approximately the age of sexual maturity in this species, during which time over 80% of the birds died. We show that on average birds with MHC heterozygote genotypes survived infection longer than homozygotes and that this effect was independent of genome‐wide heterozygosity, estimated across microsatellite loci. This MHC effect appeared to be caused by a single susceptible haplotype (CD_c) the effect of which was masked in all heterozygote genotypes by other dominant haplotypes. The CD_c homozygous genotype had lower survival than all other genotypes, but CD_c heterozygous genotypes had survival probabilities equal to the most resistant homozygote genotype. Importantly, no heterozygotes conferred greater resistance than the most resistant homozygote genotype, indicating that the observed survival advantage of MHC heterozygotes was the product of dominant, rather than overdominant processes. This pattern and effect of MHC diversity in our population could reflect the processes ongoing in similarly small, fragmented natural populations.
Comparing the Response Rates for Superiority, Noninferiority and Equivalence Testing with Multiple-to-One Matched Binary Data

Paired and multiple-to-one matched data have often been collected in clinical trials and epidemiological safety studies. When the response is binary, the sample size and power are determined by the discordant pairs or matched sets. Fixed sample size determination in assessing response rate difference of superiority, noninferiority, and equivalence tests of paired binary data has been discussed by Lu and Bean (1995)Nam (1997), and Liu et al. (2002). We extend the results of Lu and Bean (1995)Nam (1997), and Liu et al. (2002) to more general cases of multiple-to-one matched binary data. We further examine two issues regarding such tests. First, we examine the issue of simultaneous test and two-stage test for both superiority and noninferiority/equivalence hypotheses. Although, as discussed in Nam (1997) and Liu et al. (2002), the standard errors restricted to null hypothesis are different between superiority and noninferiority test, the monotonic property of the two tests makes the simultaneous testing and switching between the hypotheses valid. Second, in practice, the joint distribution of matched responses is often unknown, and thus determining the sample size using only the background information of the control group could be inefficient. Furthermore, for noninferiority or equivalence tests, the sample sizes are often determined using the unrealistic alternative hypothesis that the response rates of both treatments are identical. We propose to use a two-stage adaptive design strategy for sample size reestimation that uses the interim information to improve the efficiency.
Folate Intake, MTHFR Polymorphisms, and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background. The objective was to determine whether relationships exist between the methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms and risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and examine whether the risk is modified by level of folate intake. Methods. MEDLINE, Embase, and SCOPUS were searched to May 2012 using the terms “folic acid,” “folate,” “colorectal cancer,” “methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase,” “MTHFR. ” Observational studies were included which (1) assessed the risk of CRC for each polymorphism and/or (2) had defined levels of folate intake for each polymorphism and assessed the risk of CRC. Results. From 910 references, 67 studies met our criteria; hand searching yielded 10 studies. The summary risk estimate comparing the 677CT versus CC genotype was 1.02 (95% CI 0.95–1.10) and for 677TT versus CC was 0.88 (95% CI 0.80–0.96) both with heterogeneity. The summary risk estimates for A1298C polymorphisms suggested no reduced risk. The summary risk estimate for high versus low total folate for the 677CC genotype was 0.70 (95% CI 0.56–0.89) and the 677TT genotype 0.63 (95% CI 0.41–0.97). Conclusion. These results suggest that the 677TT genotype is associated with a reduced risk of developing CRC, under conditions of high total folate intake, and this associated risk remains reduced for both MTHFR 677 CC and TT genotypes.
Estimation of Articulatory Trajectories Based on Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) With Audio-Visual Information Fusion and Dynamic Kalman Smoothing

This paper presents a detailed framework for Gaussian mixture model (GMM)-based articulatory inversion equipped with special postprocessing smoothers, and with the capability to perform audio-visual information fusion. The effects of different acoustic features on the GMM inversion performance are investigated and it is shown that the integration of various types of acoustic (and visual) features improves the performance of the articulatory inversion process. Dynamic Kalman smoothers are proposed to adapt the cutoff frequency of the smoother to data and noise characteristics; Kalman smoothers also enable the incorporation of auxiliary information such as phonetic transcriptions to improve articulatory estimation. Two types of dynamic Kalman smoothers are introduced: global Kalman (GK) and phoneme-based Kalman (PBK). The same dynamic model is used for all phonemes in the GK smoother; it is shown that GK improves the performance of articulatory inversion better than the conventional low-pass (LP) smoother. However, the PBK smoother, which uses one dynamic model for each phoneme, gives significantly better results than the GK smoother. Different methodologies to fuse the audio and visual information are examined. A novel modified late fusion algorithm, designed to consider the observability degree of the articulators, is shown to give better results than either the early or the late fusion methods. Extensive experimental studies are conducted with the MOCHA database to illustrate the performance gains obtained by the proposed algorithms. The average RMS error and correlation coefficient between the true (measured) and the estimated articulatory trajectories are 1.227 mm and 0.868 using audiovisual information fusion and GK smoothing, and 1.199 mm and 0.876 using audiovisual information fusion together with PBK smoothing based on a phonetic transcription of the utterance.
Expression levels of cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-3 in tumorigenesis and prognosis of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Apoptosis plays a dual role in cancer development and malignancy. The role of apoptosis-related caspases in cancer remains controversial, particularly in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). In this study, we examined the protein levels of cleaved caspase-3, caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 on tissue microarrays consisting of samples from 246 OTSCC patients by immunohistochemistry. Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that the protein levels of cleaved caspase-3, caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 in tumor tissues were significantly higher compared to those in adjacent normal tissues (all p<0.001). The expression level of caspase-8 in tumors was elevated in patients with lymph node invasion. Moreover, positive expression of cleaved caspase-3 was associated with shorter disease-free survival (DFS) in OTSCC patients with moderate differentiation and lymph node invasion. Combination of either positive cleaved caspase-3 or higher caspase-3 expression or both was associated with poor DFS. Interestingly, stratification analysis showed that co-expression levels of positive cleaved caspase-3 or/and higher caspase-3 were associated with better disease-specific survival in patients with advanced stages of the disease, such as large tumor size and lymph node invasion, whereas it was associated with poor DFS in OTSCC patients with moderate cell differentiation and small tumor size. Taken together, cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-3/8/9 could be biomarkers for tumorigenesis in OTSCC patients. The co-expression level of cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-3 might be a prognostic biomarker for OTSCC patients, particular in those patients with certain tumor stages and cell differentiation status.
Neighborhood physical conditions and health.

OBJECTIVES We explored the relationship between boarded-up housing and rates of gonorrhea and premature mortality. METHODS In this ecological study of 107 US cities, we developed several models predicting rates of gonorrhea and premature death before age 65 from all causes and from specific causes. We controlled for race, poverty, education, population change, and health insurance coverage. RESULTS Boarded-up housing remained a predictor of gonorrhea rates, all-cause premature mortality, and premature mortality due to malignant neoplasms, diabetes, homicide, and suicide after control for sociodemographic factors. CONCLUSIONS Boarded-up housing may be related to mortality risk because of its potential adverse impact on social relationships and opportunities to engage in healthful behaviors. Neighborhood physical conditions deserve further consideration as a potential global factor influencing health and well-being.
Duplex Scanning for Diagnosis of Aortoiliac and Femoropopliteal Disease: A Prospective Study

We compared ultrasonic duplex scanning and angiography for the localization and classification of arterial stenoses and occlusions in 32 patients. The criteria for the detection of a greater than 50% diameter reducing stenosis was an increase in peak systolic velocity of greater than 100%, loss of reverse flow, and spectral broadening. Duplex studies and angiograms were evaluated in a blinded fashion. The agreement between duplex scanning and angiography for the 383 arterial segments studied was not significantly different than the previously reported agreement between two different radiologists reading the same angiograms (kappa of 0.55 vs 0.63). For detecting stenoses that were greater than 50% diameter reducing by angiography, duplex scanning had a sensitivity of 82%, a specificity of 92%, a positive predictive value of 80%, and a negative predictive value of 93%. These results are as good as previously reported comparisons between two different radiologists' readings of the same angiograms.