Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Implementation of an aerosol–cloud‐microphysics–radiation coupling into the NASA unified WRF: Simulation results for the 6–7 August 2006 AMMA special observing period

Aerosols affect the Earth's radiation balance directly and cloud microphysical processes indirectly via the activation of cloud condensation and ice nuclei. These two effects have often been considered separately and independently, hence the need to assess their combined impact given the differing nature of their effects on convective clouds. To study both effects, an aerosol–microphysics–radiation coupling, including Goddard microphysics and radiation schemes, was implemented into the NASA Unified Weather Research and Forecasting model (NU‐WRF). Fully coupled NU‐WRF simulations were conducted for a mesoscale convective system (MCS) that passed through the Niamey, Niger area on 6–7 August 2006 during an AMMA special observing period. The results suggest that rainfall is reduced when aerosol indirect effects are included, regardless of the aerosol direct effect. Daily mean radiation heating profiles in the area traversed by the MCS showed the aerosol (mainly mineral dust) direct effect had the largest impact near cloud tops just above 200 hPa where short‐wave heating increased by about 0.8 K day−1; the weakest long‐wave cooling was at around 250 hPa. It was also found that more condensation and ice nuclei as a result of higher aerosol/dust concentrations led to increased amounts of all cloud hydrometeors because of the microphysical indirect effect, and the radiation direct effect acts to reduce precipitating cloud particles (rain, snow and graupel) in the middle and lower cloud layers while increasing the non‐precipitating particles (ice) in the cirrus anvil. However, when the aerosol direct effect was activated, regardless of the indirect effect, the onset of MCS precipitation was delayed about 2 h, in conjunction with the delay in the activation of cloud condensation and ice nuclei. Overall, for this particular environment, model set‐up and physics configuration, the effect of aerosol radiative heating due to mineral dust overwhelmed the effect of the aerosols on microphysics.
Higher Body Mass Index Is Associated with Subjective Olfactory Dysfunction

Background. Morbidly obese patients demonstrate altered olfactory acuity. There has been no study directly assessing Body Mass Index (BMI) in patients with olfactory dysfunction. Our purpose was to compare BMI in a group of patients with subjective olfactory dysfunction to those without subjective olfactory complaints. Methods. Retrospective matched case-control study. Sixty patients who presented to a tertiary care otolaryngology center with subjective smell dysfunction over one year were identified. Neoplastic and obstructive etiologies were excluded. Demographics, BMI, and smoking status were reviewed. Sixty age, gender, and race matched control patients were selected for comparison. Chi-square testing was used. Results. 48 out of 60 patients (80%) in the olfactory dysfunction group fell into the overweight or obese categories, compared to 36 out of 60 patients (60%) in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference between the olfactory dysfunction and control groups for this stratified BMI (p = 0.0168). Conclusion. This study suggests high BMI is associated with olfactory dysfunction. Prospective clinical research should examine this further to determine if increasing BMI may be a risk factor in olfactory loss and to elucidate what role olfactory loss may play in diet and feeding habits of obese patients.
Irradiance Impact on Pollution by Integrating Nephelometer Measurements

Three-wavelength integrating nephelometer measurements combined with short- (SW) and long-wave (LW) irradiance measurements were used to investigate the irradiance effects on the daily evolution of the particulate matter (PM) at the ground level, and contribute to the characterization of the land–atmosphere interaction in pollution dispersal. The integrating nephelometer measurements have allowed characterizing the daily changes of the PM optical and microphysical properties by the aerosol scattering coefficient (σp) and the scattering Angstrom coefficient (a). We found that on a daily basis σp reached the minimum values when the irradiance reached the maximum values, since the convective motions, which favor the particle dispersion at the surface, increase with the irradiance. The a value, which is commonly used as qualitative indicator of the dominant particle size, has allowed evaluating the irradiance effects on the mean particle size distribution at the surface and revealed that the irradiance increase favors mainly the dispersion of the ground-level fine particles. Particle size-distribution measurements supported the last comment. Measurements were performed from 4 to 10 May 2015 when the study site was affected by a Saharan dust outbreak, to also evaluate the impact of long-range transported particles on the daily evolution of the ground-level particle’s properties and the SW and LW irradiance.
Drive Video Analysis for the Detection of Traffic Near-Miss Incidents

Because of their recent introduction, self-driving cars and advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) equipped vehicles have had little opportunity to learn, the dangerous traffic (including near-miss incident) scenarios that provide normal drivers with strong motivation to drive safely. Accordingly, as a means of providing learning depth, this paper presents a novel traffic database that contains information on a large number of traffic near-miss incidents that were obtained by mounting driving recorders in more than 100 taxis over the course of a decade. The study makes the following two main contributions: (i) In order to assist automated systems in detecting near-miss incidents based on database instances, we created a large-scale traffic near-miss incident database (NIDB) that consists of video clip of dangerous events captured by monocular driving recorders. (ii) To illustrate the applicability of NIDB traffic near-miss incidents, we provide two primary database-related improvements: parameter fine-tuning using various near-miss scenes from NIDB, and foreground/background separation into motion representation. Then, using our new database in conjunction with a monocular driving recorder, we developed a near-miss recognition method that provides automated systems with a performance level that is comparable to a human-level understanding of near-miss incidents (64.5% vs. 68.4% at near-miss recognition, 61.3% vs. 78.7% at near-miss detection).
Comparison of non-linear activation functions for deep neural networks on MNIST classification task

Activation functions play a key role in neural networks so it becomes fundamental to understand their advantages and disadvantages in order to achieve better performances. This paper will first introduce common types of non linear activation functions that are alternative to the well known sigmoid function and then evaluate their characteristics. Moreover deeper neural networks will be analysed because they positively influence the final performances compared to shallower networks. They also strictly depend on the weight initialisation hence the effect of drawing weights from Gaussian and uniform distribution will be analysed making particular attention on how the number of incoming and outgoing connection to a node influence the whole network.
Unpacking the enabling factors for hand, cord and birth-surface hygiene in Zanzibar maternity units

&NA; Recent national surveys in The United Republic of Tanzania have revealed poor standards of hygiene at birth in facilities. As more women opt for institutional delivery, improving basic hygiene becomes an essential part of preventative strategies for reducing puerperal and newborn sepsis. Our collaborative research in Zanzibar provides an in‐depth picture of the state of hygiene on maternity wards to inform action. Hygiene was assessed in 2014 across all 37 facilities with a maternity unit in Zanzibar. We used a mixed methods approach, including structured and semi‐structured interviews, and environmental microbiology. Data were analysed according to the WHO ‘cleans’ framework, focusing on the fundamental practices for prevention of newborn and maternal sepsis. For each ‘clean’ we explored the following enabling factors: knowledge, infrastructure (including equipment), staffing levels and policies. Composite indices were constructed for the enabling factors of the ‘cleans’ from the quantitative data: clean hands, cord cutting, and birth surface. Results from the qualitative tools were used to complement this information. Only 49% of facilities had the ‘infrastructural’ requirements to enable ‘clean hands’, with the availability of constant running water particularly lacking. Less than half (46%) of facilities met the ‘knowledge’ requirements for ensuring a ‘clean delivery surface’; six out of seven facilities had birthing surfaces that tested positive for multiple potential pathogens. Almost two thirds of facilities met the ‘infrastructure (equipment) requirement’ for ‘clean cord’; however, disposable cord clamps being frequently out of stock, often resulted in the use of non‐sterile thread made of fabric. This mixed methods approach, and the analytical framework based on the WHO ‘cleans’ and the enabling factors, yielded practical information of direct relevance to action at local and ministerial levels. The same approach could be applied to collect and analyse data on infection prevention from maternity units in other contexts.
Simplified heart rate measurement from video

A computational environment for measuring heart rate from facial video is introduced. Developed with simplification in mind, the method consists of two general stages. First, the estimation of an unidimensional signal from a video streaming and, second, the processing of this signal to measure the heart rate of the subject. Each value in the signal array corresponds to the average skin tone (G-channel) of pixels inside an ROI (forehead and cheeks) in one frame of the video. Thus, the signal contains the essential variation of skin tone through time. After a band-pass filter is applied, the highest peak in the spectrum corresponds to the heart rate. The procedure is simple and efficient, enabling its application on practical tasks.
Formulation, Characterization And In-Vitro Evaluation Of Acrylic Polymer Loaded Aceclofenac Microspheres

Microspheres can be utilized for precise delivery of drugs and reduce the drug concentrations at sites other than the target organ. The present study is aimed to prepare and evaluate the aceclofenac microspheres using an acrylic polymer Eudragit–S 100. Aceclofenac microspheres were prepared by o/w solvent evaporation method and evaluated for its percentage yield, particle size, entrapment efficiency and its in-vitro release. Percentage yield and entrapment efficiency of formulated microspheres were found to be high. The mean diameter of microspheres were found to be within 91 – 109μm. In-vitro release study on phosphate buffer pH 6.8 showed 58 – 67%.
Pomalidomide promotes chemosensitization of pancreatic cancer by inhibition of NF-κB

Introduction Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) plays an important role in cancer progression and causes therapeutic resistance to chemotherapy. Pomalidomide, a third-generation immunomodulating drug derived from thalidomide, has been approved for uncontrolled multiple myeloma. We hypothesized that pomalidomide may inhibit the anticancer agent-induced NF-κB activity and enhance chemosensitization of combination chemotherapy with gemcitabine and S1 (Gem/S1) in pancreatic cancer. Methods In vitro, we assessed NF-κB activity, induction of caspase cascade, cell apoptosis and cell proliferation using human pancreatic cancer cell lines (MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1). In vivo, we established an orthotopic xenograft mouse model for human pancreatic cancer by injection of PANC-1 cells. At 5 weeks after injection, the animals were randomly divided into four groups and treated with Gem (100 mg/kg) /S1 (10 mg/kg), with oral administration of pomalidomide (0.5 mg/kg), with combination of gemcitabine, S1, and pomalidomide or vehicle only. Results Although chemotherapeutic agents induced NF-κB activation in pancreatic cancer cells, pomalidomide inhibited anticancer agent-induced NF-κB activation (p < 0.01). Of the four groups tested for the apoptosis-related caspase signals and apoptosis under both in vitro and in vivo conditions, Gem/S1/Pomalidomide group demonstrated the strongest activation of the caspase signals and proapoptotic effect. In Gem/S1/Pomalidomide group, cell proliferation and tumor growth were slower than those in other groups both in vitro and in vivo (p < 0.01). There were no obvious adverse effects except for thrombocytosis by using pomalidomide. Conclusions Pomalidomide promotes chemosensitization of pancreatic cancer by inhibiting chemotherapeutic agents-induced NF-κB activation.
Drastic Effect of the Peptide Sequence on the Copper-Binding Properties of Tripeptides and the Electrochemical Behaviour of Their Copper(II) Complexes.

The binding and electrochemical properties of the complexes CuII -HAH, CuII -HWH, CuII -Ac-HWH, CuII -HHW, and CuII -WHH have been studied by using NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopies, CV, and density functional calculations. The results obtained highlight the importance of the peptidic sequence on the coordination properties and, consequently, on the redox properties of their CuII complexes. For CuII -HAH and CuII -HWH, no cathodic processes are observed up to -1.2 V; that is, the complexes exhibit very high stability towards copper reduction. This behaviour is associated with the formation of very stable square-planar (5,5,6)-membered chelate rings (ATCUN motif), which enclose two deprotonated amides. In contrast, for non-ATCUN CuII -Ac-HWH, CuII -HHW complexes, simulations seem to indicate that only one deprotonated amide is enclosed in the coordination sphere. In these cases, the main electrochemical feature is a reductive irreversible one electron-transfer process from CuII to CuI , accompanied with structural changes of the metal coordination sphere and reprotonation of the amide. Finally, for CuII -WHH, two major species have been detected: one at low pH (<5), with no deprotonated amides, and another one at high pH (>10) with an ATCUN motif, both species coexisting at intermediate pH. The present study shows that the use of CV, using glassy carbon as a working electrode, is an ideal and rapid tool for the determination of the redox properties of CuII metallopeptides.
Tap and trill clusters in typical and protracted phonological development: Challenging segments in complex phonological environments. Introduction to the special issue

ABSTRACT The papers in this crosslinguistic issue address children’s acquisition of word-initial rhotic clusters in languages with taps/trills, that is, the acquisition of challenging segments in complex environments. Several papers also include comparisons with singleton rhotics and/or /l/ as a singleton or in clusters. The studies are part of a larger investigation that uses similar methodologies across languages in order to enhance crosslinguistic comparability (Bernhardt and Stemberger, 2012, 2015). Participants for the current studies were monolingual preschoolers with typical or protracted phonological development who speak one of the following languages: Germanic (Icelandic/Swedish); Romance (Portuguese/Spanish); Slavic (Bulgarian/Slovenian) and Finno-Ugric (Hungarian). This introductory paper describes characteristics of taps/trills and general methodology across the studies, concluding with predicted patterns of acquisition. The seven papers that follow are in a sense the ‘results’ for this introduction. A concluding paper discusses major findings and their implications for theory, research and clinical practice.
The importance of small polar radiometabolites in molecular neuroimaging: A PET study with [11C]Cimbi-36 labeled in two positions

[11C]Cimbi-36, a 5-HT2A receptor agonist PET radioligand, contains three methoxy groups amenable to [11C]-labeling. In pigs, [11C]Cimbi-36 yields a polar (M1) and a less polar (M2) radiometabolite fraction, while changing the labeling to [11C]Cimbi-36_5 yields only the M1 fraction. We investigate whether changing the labeling position of [11C]Cimbi-36 eliminates M2 in humans, and if this changes the signal-to-background ratio. Six healthy volunteers each underwent two dynamic PET scans; after injection of [11C]Cimbi-36, both the M1 and M2 fraction appeared in plasma, whereas only the M1 appeared after [11C]Cimbi-36_5 injection. [11C]Cimbi-36_5 generated higher uptake than [11C]Cimbi-36 in both neocortex and cerebellum. With the simplified reference tissue model mean neocortical non-displaceable binding potential for [11C]Cimbi-36 was 1.38 ± 0.07, whereas for [11C]Cimbi-36_5, it was 1.18 ± 0.14. This significant difference can be explained by higher non-displaceable binding caused by demethylation products in the M1 fraction such as [11C]formaldehyde and/or [11C]carbon dioxide/bicarbonate. Although often considered without any impact on binding measures, we show that small polar radiometabolites can substantially decrease the signal-to-background ratio of PET radioligands for neuroimaging. Further, we find that [11C]Cimbi-36 has a better signal-to-background ratio than [11C]Cimbi-36_5, and thus will be more sensitive to changes in 5-HT2A receptor levels in the brain.
Consensus paper of the WFSBP Task Force on Biological Markers: Criteria for biomarkers and endophenotypes of schizophrenia, part III: Molecular mechanisms

Abstract Objectives: Despite progress in identifying molecular pathophysiological processes in schizophrenia, valid biomarkers are lacking for both the disease and treatment response. Methods: This comprehensive review summarises recent efforts to identify molecular mechanisms on the level of protein and gene expression and epigenetics, including DNA methylation, histone modifications and micro RNA expression. Furthermore, it summarises recent findings of alterations in lipid mediators and highlights inflammatory processes. The potential that this research will identify biomarkers of schizophrenia is discussed. Results: Recent studies have not identified clear biomarkers for schizophrenia. Although several molecular pathways have emerged as potential candidates for future research, a complete understanding of these metabolic pathways is required to reveal better treatment modalities for this disabling condition. Conclusions: Large longitudinal cohort studies are essential that pair a thorough phenotypic and clinical evaluation for example with gene expression and proteome analysis in blood at multiple time points. This approach might identify biomarkers that allow patients to be stratified according to treatment response and ideally also allow treatment response to be predicted. Improved knowledge of molecular pathways and epigenetic mechanisms, including their potential association with environmental influences, will facilitate the discovery of biomarkers that could ultimately be effective tools in clinical practice.
Assessment of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate pulpotomy in mature permanent teeth with carious exposures

AIM To assess the outcome of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) complete pulpotomy in permanent teeth with carious exposures. METHODOLOGY Fifty-two permanent molar teeth with fully developed roots and vital pulps in 43 patients aged 11-51 years were included. Preoperative pulpal and periapical diagnosis was established. After informed consent, each tooth was anaesthetized, isolated with dental dam and disinfected with 5% NaOCl before caries excavation; subsequently, a full pulpotomy was performed. Haemostasis was achieved, and Grey MTA (Angelus, Londrina, Brazil) was placed as the pulpotomy agent; a moist cotton pellet was placed, and the tooth was temporized with the intermediate restorative material (IRM). Permanent restorations were placed 1 week later if the tooth was asymptomatic, and a postoperative periapical radiograph was taken. Clinical and radiographic evaluation was completed at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 3 years postoperatively. RESULTS Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of irreversible pulpitis were established in 44/52 teeth, and periapical rarefaction was present in 14 teeth. Immediate failure occurred in one tooth. The recall rate ranged from 92% at 3 months to 80.3% at 3 years, with an overall 100% clinical and 97.5% radiographic success during the first year, and 92.7% success at 3 years. All cases with periapical rarefaction were associated with improvement in the periapical index (PAI) score. Two cases had new periapical rarefaction associated with dislodgment of the permanent restoration. A hard tissue barrier was detected radiographically in 5 cases and canal narrowing in 7 cases. CONCLUSION MTA full pulpotomy was a successful treatment option for cariously exposed pulps in mature permanent molar teeth.
Effects of diluted bitumen exposure on juvenile sockeye salmon: From cells to performance

Diluted bitumen (dilbit; the product of oil sands extraction) is transported through freshwater ecosystems critical to Pacific salmon. This is concerning, because crude oil disrupts cardiac development, morphology, and function in embryonic fish, and cardiac impairment in salmon can have major consequences on migratory success and fitness. The sensitivity of early life‐stage salmon to dilbit and its specific cardiotoxic effects are unknown. Sockeye salmon parr were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of the water‐soluble fraction (WSF) of dilbit for 1 wk and 4 wk, followed by an examination of molecular, morphological, and organismal endpoints related to cardiotoxicity. We show that parr are sensitive to WSF of dilbit, with total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations of 3.5 µg/L sufficient to induce a liver biomarker of PAH exposure, and total PAH of 16.4 µg/L and 66.7 µg/L inducing PAH biomarkers in the heart. Furthermore, WSF of dilbit induces concentration–dependent cardiac remodeling coincident with performance effects: fish exposed to 66.7 µg/L total PAH have relatively fewer myocytes and more collagen in the compact myocardium and impaired swimming performance at 4 wk, whereas the opposite changes occur in fish exposed to 3.5 µg/L total PAH. The results demonstrate cardiac sensitivity to dilbit exposure that could directly impact sockeye migratory success. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:354–360. © 2016 SETAC
Blockchain Based Data Integrity Service Framework for IoT Data

It is a challenge to ensure data integrity for cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) applications because of the inherently dynamic nature of IoT data. The available frameworks of data integrity verification with public auditability cannot avoid the Third Party Auditors (TPAs). However, in a dynamic environment, such as the IoT, the reliability of the TPA-based frameworks is far from being satisfactory. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based framework for Data Integrity Service. Under such framework, a more reliable data integrity verification can be provided for both the Data Owners and the Data Consumers, without relying on any Third Party Auditor (TPA). In this paper, the relevant protocols and a subsequent prototype system, which is implemented to evaluate the feasibility of our proposals, are presented. The performance evaluation of the implemented prototype system is conducted, and the test results are discussed. The work lays a foundation for our future work on dynamic data integrity verification in a fully decentralized environment.