Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Web-QOE under real-world distractions: Two test cases

Real-world usage of web browsing differs considerably from typically employed laboratory tests on single or multiple page views. Especially when using mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets, several sources of distraction are prevalent while browsing. In the mobile scenario, users are exposed to distracting factors like other people, traffic, announcements etc., whereas at home parallel use of TV or radio services might distract the user. To assess the impact due to context and distractions, this paper presents two studies of web browsing Quality of Experience. The studied factors of possible influence on QoE include one specific browsing task, the environment and a dedicated distraction task. The results show that, in contrast to ratings for multimedia sessions containing audio, video or speech, QoE ratings for web browsing are not affected by the considered contexts or distractions. However, it was found that the primary task for the browsing session had a significant influence on the QoE ratings regardless of the environment or distracting task.
On state-space abstraction for anytime evaluation of Bayesian networks

Despite the increasing popularity of Bayesian networks for representing and reasoning about uncertain situations, the complexity of inference in this formalism remains a significant concern. A viable approach to relieving the problem is trading off accuracy for computational efficiency. To this end, varying the granularity of state space of state variables appears to be a feasible strategy for controlling the evaluation process. We consider an anytime procedure for approximate evaluation of Bayesian networks based on this idea. On application to some simple networks, the procedure exhibits a smooth improvement in approximation quality as computation time increases. With the aim of developing principled control techniques, we also conduct a theoretical analysis of the quality of approximation. Our main result demonstrates that the error induced by state-space abstraction deceases with the distance from the abstracted nodes, where "distance" is defined in terms of d-separation. While the empirical results suggest that incremental state-space abstraction offers a viable performance profile, the theoretical results represent a starting point for the deliberation scheduling of our anytime approximation method.
A 5-year retrospective study of cobalt-chromium-based fixed dental prostheses.

PURPOSE The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the 5-year clinical outcome for ceramic veneered cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) fitted in a private clinical setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS All patients treated consecutively with Co-Cr FDPs from January 2000 to November 2005 were included, and complications were registered. Patient records were examined for details on the restorations and abutment teeth. A total of 149 patients with 201 FDPs, 1,135 units, and 743 abutment teeth were recorded. RESULTS Of the 149 patients, 122 (82%) were followed for 5 years. Complications occurred in 34 patients (23%) and 38 FDPs (19%). The most frequent were caries (6.7% of patients, 5% of FDPs, 2.2% of abutments) and cement failure (6.7% of patients, 5% of FDPs, 3.1% of abutments). Cohesive ceramic fractures occurred in only 7 FDPs (3.5% of FDPs, 0.7% of units). No adhesive ceramic fractures were recorded. The 5-year cumulative rates for success and survival were 83.8% and 92.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Co-Cr FDPs appear to be a promising prosthodontic treatment modality, presenting low incidence of complications and a high survival rate during the first 5 years of function. However, long-term randomized controlled studies are necessary to confirm these findings.
Benlik Saygısı ve Öznel İyi Oluş Arasındaki İlişkilerin İncelenmesi

Bu calismanin amaci benlik saygisi ve oznel iyi olus arasindaki iliskileri incelemektir. Arastirmanin katilimcilarini Sakarya Universitesiânde ogrenim goren 191 universite ogrencisi (71 Erkek/120 Kadin) olusturmustur. Veri toplama araclari olarak Iki Boyutlu Benlik Saygisi (Kendini Sevme/ Oz-yeterlik) Olcegi, Yasam Doyumu Olcegi ve Pozitif-Negatif Duygu Olcegi kullanilmistir. Verilerin analizinde Pearson Momentler Carpimi Korelasyonu ve Coklu Regresyon Analizi kullanilmistir. Analiz sonuclari, benlik saygisi ile oznel iyi olusun pozitif yonde iliskili oldugunu ortaya koymustur. Ayrica benlik saygisinin oznel iyi olusu pozitif yonde anlamli duzeyde yordadigi sonucuna ulasilmistir. Calismanin bulgulari ilgili alanyazin baglaminda tartisilmis ve onerilerde bulunulmustur.
A Genetic Signature of Spina Bifida Risk from Pathway-Informed Comprehensive Gene-Variant Analysis

Despite compelling epidemiological evidence that folic acid supplements reduce the frequency of neural tube defects (NTDs) in newborns, common variant association studies with folate metabolism genes have failed to explain the majority of NTD risk. The contribution of rare alleles as well as genetic interactions within the folate pathway have not been extensively studied in the context of NTDs. Thus, we sequenced the exons in 31 folate-related genes in a 480-member NTD case-control population to identify the full spectrum of allelic variation and determine whether rare alleles or obvious genetic interactions within this pathway affect NTD risk. We constructed a pathway model, predetermined independent of the data, which grouped genes into coherent sets reflecting the distinct metabolic compartments in the folate/one-carbon pathway (purine synthesis, pyrimidine synthesis, and homocysteine recycling to methionine). By integrating multiple variants based on these groupings, we uncovered two provocative, complex genetic risk signatures. Interestingly, these signatures differed by race/ethnicity: a Hispanic risk profile pointed to alterations in purine biosynthesis, whereas that in non-Hispanic whites implicated homocysteine metabolism. In contrast, parallel analyses that focused on individual alleles, or individual genes, as the units by which to assign risk revealed no compelling associations. These results suggest that the ability to layer pathway relationships onto clinical variant data can be uniquely informative for identifying genetic risk as well as for generating mechanistic hypotheses. Furthermore, the identification of ethnic-specific risk signatures for spina bifida resonated with epidemiological data suggesting that the underlying pathogenesis may differ between Hispanic and non-Hispanic groups.
Living with a long-term condition : a grounded theory

This study explores and explains how people make sense of their long-term, potentially life-threatening, health condition. Thrombophilia offers an example of a little-researched condition which may not affect people significantly on a day-to-day basis, but can lead to acute illness. The second condition under consideration, asthma, was selected due to its similarity in this regard. The literature indicates that information about long-term conditions is acquired from various sources and influenced by experience. Such conditions are frequently perceived as being problematic. However, some are accepted, and affected individuals can achieve wellbeing. The literature does not offer insights into how knowledge may support this process of achieving wellbeing. A constructivist grounded theory approach was adopted, and interviews used to collect data from ten individuals affected by thrombophilia. Constant comparison of the data was carried out. Theoretical sampling suggested the inclusion of six people with a second long-term condition, and the process continued until saturation was reached. Findings indicated a two stage process. Gaining knowledge comprises of phases occurring pre-diagnosis and during diagnosis, and this assists participants in making sense of their condition. Living with a long-term condition consists of the phases making informed decisions, accepting the condition, and living with it. Previous research has not elucidated this entire process or the importance of the pre-diagnosis phase. Based on these findings, a theory is offered. This proposes that individuals diagnosed with a long-term condition create constructs about it based on information and experiences, which are used as the foundation for decisionmaking. Some people are able to accept their condition and its nuances. Those who understand their condition, make informed decisions and accept it are able to live with it. Those who are unable to do so will live alongside their condition and do not integrate it into their lives.
TARGETED PRINCIPLE COMPONENT ANALYSIS: A NEW MOTION ARTIFACT CORRECTION APPROACH FOR NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

As near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) broadens its application area to different age and disease groups, motion artifacts in the NIRS signal due to subject movement is becoming an important challenge. Motion artifacts generally produce signal fluctuations that are larger than physiological NIRS signals, thus it is crucial to correct for them before obtaining an estimate of stimulus evoked hemodynamic responses. There are various methods for correction such as principle component analysis (PCA), wavelet-based filtering and spline interpolation. Here, we introduce a new approach to motion artifact correction, targeted principle component analysis (tPCA), which incorporates a PCA filter only on the segments of data identified as motion artifacts. It is expected that this will overcome the issues of filtering desired signals that plagues standard PCA filtering of entire data sets. We compared the new approach with the most effective motion artifact correction algorithms on a set of data acquired simultaneously with a collodion-fixed probe (low motion artifact content) and a standard Velcro probe (high motion artifact content). Our results show that tPCA gives statistically better results in recovering hemodynamic response function (HRF) as compared to wavelet-based filtering and spline interpolation for the Velcro probe. It results in a significant reduction in mean-squared error (MSE) and significant enhancement in Pearson’s correlation coefficient to the true HRF. The collodion-fixed fiber probe with no motion correction performed better than the Velcro probe corrected for motion artifacts in terms of MSE and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Thus, if the experimental study permits, the use of a collodion-fixed fiber probe may be desirable. If the use of a collodion-fixed probe is not feasible, then we suggest the use of tPCA in the processing of motion artifact contaminated data.
Hardware Parallelism : Are Operating Systems Ready ? ( Case Studies in Mis-Scheduling )

Commodity parallel computers are no longer a technology predicted for some indistinct future: they are becoming ubiquitous. In the absence of significant advances in clock speed, chip-multiprocessors (CMPs) and symmetric multithreading (SMT) are the modern workhorses that keep Moore’s Law still relevant. On the software side, we are starting to observe the adaptation of some codes to the new commodity parallel hardware. While in the past, only complex professional codes ran on parallel computers, the commoditization of parallel computers is opening the door for many desktop applications to benefit from parallelization. We expect thi s software trend to continue, since the only apparent way of obtaining additional performance from the hardware will be through parallelization. Based on the premise that the average desktop workload is growing more parallel and complex, this paper asks the question: Are current desktop operating systems appropriate for these trends? Specifically, we are interested in parallel process scheduling, which has been a topic of significant study in the supercomputing community, but so far little of this research has trickled down to the desktop. In this paper, we demonstrate, using several case studies, that contemporary general-purpose operating systems are inadequate for the emerging parallel desktop workloads. We suggest that schedulers designed with an understanding of the requirements of all process classes and their mixes, as well the abilities of the underlying archite cture, might be the solution to this inadequacy.
Krotite, CaAl2O4, a new refractory mineral from the NWA 1934 meteorite

Abstract Krotite, CaAl2O4, occurs as the dominant phase in an unusual Ca-,Al-rich refractory inclusion from the NWA 1934 CV3 carbonaceous chondrite. Krotite occupies the central and mantle portions of the inclusion along with minor perovskite, gehlenite, hercynite, and Cl-bearing mayenite, and trace hexamolybdenum. A layered rim surrounds the krotite-bearing regions, consisting from inside to outside of grossite, mixed hibonite, and spinel, then gehlenite with an outermost layer composed of Al-rich diopside. Krotite was identified by XRD, SEM-EBSD, micro-Raman, and electron microprobe. The mean chemical composition determined by electron microprobe analysis of krotite is (wt%) Al2O3 63.50, CaO 35.73, sum 99.23, with an empirical formula calculated on the basis of 4 O atoms of Ca1.02Al1. 99O4. Single-crystal XRD reveals that krotite is monoclinic, P21/n; a = 8.6996(3), b = 8.0994(3), c = 15.217(1) Å, β = 90.188(6), and Z = 12. It has a stuffed tridymite structure, which was refined from single-crystal data to R1 = 0.0161 for 1014 Fo > 4σF reflections. Krotite is colorless and transparent with a vitreous luster and white streak. Mohs hardness is ~6½. The mineral is brittle, with a conchoidal fracture. The calculated density is 2.94 g/cm3. Krotite is biaxial (-), α = 1.608(2), β = 1.629(2), γ = 1.635(2) (white light), 2Vmeas = 54.4(5)°, and 2Vcalc = 55.6°. No dispersion was observed. The optical orientation is X = b; Y ≈ a; Z ≈ c. Pleochroism is colorless to very pale gray, X > Y = Z. Krotite is a low-pressure CaAl2O4 mineral, likely formed by condensation or crystallization from a melt in the solar nebula. This is the first reported occurrence of krotite in nature and it is one of the earliest minerals formed in the solar system.
Allonursing in white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) provides evidence for cooperative care of infants

Allonursing is a highly cooperative behaviour that may have important fitness consequences for the infant while the benefits to the allomother are less clear. To investigate the function of this behaviour, we compared patterns of allonursing and nursing exhibited by white-faced capuchin monkeys ( Cebus capucinus). We used a linear mixed model approach to analyse data collected on 21 infants from six social groups in Sector Santa Rosa, Costa Rica. Infants nursed at higher rates and for longer durations from their mothers than from allonurses. They also allonursed at higher rates from lactating and non-lactating parous females than from nulliparous females and at higher rates from maternally related female allonurses than other females. We found no observed effect of adult female rank or infant sex. We conclude that infant white-faced capuchins engage in allonursing as a means to acquire additional milk, and that participating allonurses may benefit from increased inclusive fitness.
Autologous Epidermal Grafting Using a Novel Negative Pressure Epidermal Harvesting System in a Case of Stable Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a common pigmentary disorder of the skin with a great amount of social stigma attached to it. Though various medical modalities are available for the treatment of stable vitiligo, surgical modality remains the treatment of choice for stable and localized vitiligo. The surgical options range from simple punch grafting to the recent epidermal harvesting methods using a negative pressure unit. Although successful use of multiple methods of epidermal grafting has been reported, most of them are cumbersome and time-consuming. The new automated epidermal harvesting system now commercially available involves a tool that applies both heat and suction concurrently to normal skin to induce epidermal micrografts. Hence it serves as a safe, quick and cost-effective method without anesthesia, with a very minimal downtime for healing and requires an optimal expertise. The duration of repigmentation seems to be faster and more uniform compared to other procedures. We would like to share our experience with the negative pressure epidermal harvesting method in a patient with stable vitiligo.
Diversity of Forest Litter-Inhabiting Ants Along Elevations in the Wayanad Region of the Western Ghats

Abstract Litter ant diversity and abundance in relation to biotic and abiotic factors were analyzed at five primary forest sites lying between 300 to 1650 meter above mean sea level in the Wayanad region of the Western Ghats in Kerala, southern India. Ant abundance and species richness peaked at mid-elevations influenced by the presence of favourable physical conditions and abundance of prey resources. Dominance of ants preferring termites and Collembola as prey at sites rich in their specific prey resources indicate the influence of local prey resource availability in determining ant distribution. Dominant species (Tapinoma sp. and Solenopsis sp.) had wider distributions, being present at all elevations. Physical factors (slope of the terrain, rainfall, moisture, humidity, temperature) and prey resource availability (insect larvae, termites, Collembola) influenced ant species abundance at a regional scale, whereas at local scales, site specific variations in the relationship between abundance of ants and prey-predators and physical factors were recorded. The present study highlights the need to consider site-specific abiotic and biotic factors while examining the distribution patterns of litter ants along altitudinal gradients in other regions of the Western Ghats, which is a recognised hot spot of biodiversity with wide regional variation in vegetation types and faunal distribution patterns.
Deep Modeling Complex Couplings within Financial Markets

The global financial crisis occurred in 2008 and its contagion to other regions, as well as the long-lasting impact on different markets, show that it is increasingly important to understand the complicated coupling relationships across financial markets. This is indeed very difficult as complex hidden coupling relationships exist between different financial markets in various countries, which are very hard to model. The couplings involve interactions between homogeneous markets from various countries (we call intra-market coupling), interactions between heterogeneous markets (inter-market coupling) and interactions between current and past market behaviors (temporal coupling). Very limited work has been done towards modeling such complex couplings, whereas some existing methods predict market movement by simply aggregating indicators from various markets but ignoring the inbuilt couplings. As a result, these methods are highly sensitive to observations, and may often fail when financial indicators change slightly. In this paper, a coupled deep belief network is designed to accommodate the above three types of couplings across financial markets. With a deep-architecture model to capture the high-level coupled features, the proposed approach can infer market trends. Experimental results on data of stock and currency markets from three countries show that our approach outperforms other baselines, from both technical and business perspectives.
The Reduced Expression of 6ckine in the plt Mouse Results from the Deletion of One of Two 6ckine Genes

6Ckine is an unusual chemokine capable of attracting naive T lymphocytes in vitro. It has been recently reported that lack of 6Ckine expression in lymphoid organs is a prominent characteristic of mice homozygous for the paucity of lymph node T cell (plt) mutation. These mice show reduced numbers of T cells in lymph nodes, Peyer's patches, and the white pulp of the spleen. The genetic reason for the lack of 6Ckine expression in the plt mouse, however, has remained unknown. Here we demonstrate that mouse 6Ckine is encoded by two genes, one of which is expressed in lymphoid organs and is deleted in plt mice. A second 6Ckine gene is intact and expressed in the plt mouse.
Male gametophyte development and function.

Male gametophyte development in higher plants is a complex process that requires the coordinated participation of various cell and tissue types and their associated specific gene expression patterns. The male gametophytic life cycle can be divided into a developmental phase leading to the formation of mature pollen grains, and a functional or progamic phase, beginning with the impact of the grains on the stigma surface and ending at double fertilisation. Pollen ontogeny is also an excellent model in which to dissect the cellular networks that control cell growth, polarity, cellular differentiation and cell signaling. Here we present an overview of important cellular processes in male gametophyte development and recent advances in genetics and genomic approaches that are advancing the field significantly. Genetic approaches have identified a growing number of gametophytic mutants affecting discrete steps during the developmental or progamic phases that are now beginning to uncover some of the key molecular processes involved. With recent technological advances pollen transcriptomic studies now provide the first genome-wide view of male reproductive cell development in Arabidopsis These studies reveal at least two successive global gene expression programs and the identity of a large number of male gametophyte-specific genes and putative transcriptional regulators. Transcriptome analysis has revealed a striking overrepresentation of cell wall metabolism, cytoskeleton and signaling genes in preparation for the progamic phase. This quantum leap in gene-centered knowledge highlights the functional specialization of this pathway and offers many new opportunities for the dissection of cellular processes that control male reproductive success.
Binaural Reverberant Speech Separation Based on Deep Neural Networks

Supervised learning has exhibited great potential for speech separation in recent years. In this paper, we focus on separating target speech in reverberant conditions from binaural inputs using supervised learning. Specifically, deep neural network (DNN) is constructed to map from both spectral and spatial features to a training target. For spectral features extraction, we first convert binaural inputs into a single signal by applying a fixed beamformer. A new spatial feature is proposed and extracted to complement spectral features. The training target is the recently suggested ideal ratio mask (IRM). Systematic evaluations and comparisons show that the proposed system achieves good separation performance and substantially outperforms existing algorithms under challenging multisource and reverberant environments.
Cholesterol Efflux Pathways Regulate Myelopoiesis: A Potential Link to Altered Macrophage Function in Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the blood vessels that can lead to myocardial infarction or stroke. The major cell in the atherosclerotic lesion, the macrophage, is thought to be an important contributor to the production of inflammatory mediators that exacerbate this disease. Macrophages are generally derived from circulating monocytes, which are in turn produced by hematopoietic stem and multipotential progenitor cells (HSPCs) in the bone marrow and other medullary organs. Recent studies suggest that disruption in cholesterol homeostasis or prolonged exposure to a hypercholesterolemic environment can influence HSPCs to over-produce monocytes, resulting in monocytosis. These monocytes may carry a pre-programed ability to become M1-like macrophages once they enter the atherosclerotic lesion. Future studies may help to differentiate the role of such pre-programing versus responses to local environmental cues in determining M1, M2, or other macrophage phenotypes in atherosclerotic lesions.