Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Question Classification Transfer

Question answering systems have been developed for many languages, but most resources were created for English, which can be a problem when developing a system in another language such as French. In particular, for question classification, no labeled question corpus is available for French, so this paper studies the possibility to use existing English corpora and transfer a classification by translating the question and their labels. By translating the training corpus, we obtain results close to a monolingual setting.
Effects of sildenafil on autonomic nervous function during sleep in obstructive sleep apnea

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of sildenafil on the autonomic nervous system in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea. METHODS Thirteen male patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (mean age 43±10 years with a mean body mass index of 26.7±1.9 kg/m2) received a single 50-mg dose of sildenafil or a placebo at bedtime. All-night polysomnography and heart rate variability were recorded. Frequency domain analysis of heart rate variability was performed for the central five-minute sample of the longest uninterrupted interval of slow wave and rapid eye movement sleep, as well as for one-minute samples during apnea and during slow wave and rapid eye movement sleep after resumption of respiration. RESULTS Compared to the placebo, sildenafil was associated with an increase in the normalized high-frequency (HFnu) components and a decrease in the low/high-frequency components of the heart rate variability ratio (LF/HF) in slow wave sleep (p<0.01 for both). Differences in heart rate variability parameters between one-minute post-apnea and apnea samples (Δ = difference between resumption of respiration and apnea) were assessed. A trend toward a decreasing magnitude of ΔLF activity was observed during rapid eye movement sleep with sildenafil in comparison to placebo (p=0.046). Additionally, ΔLF/HF in SWS and rapid eye movement sleep was correlated with mean desaturation (sR = −0.72 and −0.51, respectively, p= 0.01 for both), and ΔHFnu in rapid eye movement sleep was correlated with mean desaturation (sR= 0.66, p= 0.02) and the desaturation index (sR= 0.58, p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS The decrease in arousal response to apnea/hypopnea events along with the increase in HFnu components and decrease in LH/HF components of the heart rate variability ratio during slow wave sleep suggest that, in addition to worsening sleep apnea, sildenafil has potentially immediate cardiac effects in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea.
Lack of Association of MiR-34b/c Polymorphism (rs4938723) with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis

Background Previous studies have focused on the association of miR-34 family members with carcinogenesis of many cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It has been suggested that miR-34b/c polymorphism (rs4938723) is associated with susceptibility to HCC. In the present study, we performed a meta-analysis to systematically summarize the possible association between rs4938723 and the risk for HCC. Methodology/Principal Findings We conducted a search of case-control studies on the associations of rs4938723 with susceptibility to HCC in PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online Library, Wangfang database in China, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. Data from eligible studies were extracted for meta-analysis. HCC risk associated with rs4938723 was estimated by pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). 3 studies on rs4938723 were included in our meta-analysis. Our results showed that neither allele frequency nor genotype distribution of the rs4938723 was associated with risk for HCC in all genetic models. Conclusions/Significance This meta-analysis suggests that rs4938723 is not associated with the risk of HCC. Well-designed studies with larger sample size and more ethnic groups are required to further validate the results.
The Number of Glutamate Receptors Opened by Synaptic Stimulation in Single Hippocampal Spines

The number of receptors opening after glutamate release is critical for understanding the sources of noise and the dynamic range of synaptic transmission. We imaged [Ca2+] transients mediated by synaptically activated NMDA receptors (NMDA-Rs) in individual spines in rat brain slices. We show that Ca2+ influx through single NMDA-Rs can be reliably detected, allowing us to estimate the number of receptors opening after synaptic transmission. This number is small: at the peak of the synaptic response, less than one NMDA-R is open, on average. Therefore, stochastic interactions between transmitter and receptor contribute substantially to synaptic noise, and glutamate occupies a small fraction of receptors. The number of receptors opening did not scale with spine volume, and smaller spines experience larger [Ca2+] transients during synaptic transmission. Our measurements further demonstrate that optical recordings can be used to study single receptors in intact systems.
Speaker Tracking and Identifying Based on Indoor Localization System and Microphone Array

This paper presents a novel multimodal system to track the participants and identify the active speaker in the smart meeting room. Indoor localization system, Cicada, is used to obtain the location and identity information of the participants. Cicada, developed by our research group, can provide much higher localization precision than most visual tracking systems available. Four eight-element microphone arrays are used to estimate TDOA (Time Difference of Arrival) of the audio signals, which are indicators of the location of the speaker. Integrating these two cues from Cicada and microphone arrays into a statistical framework, results in a more robust solution to speaker localization and identification. The experiments show that the average error in the participant location estimation is about 15 cm and the system can achieve approximately 90% accuracy in speaker identification on average.
Survival of the Fittest or the Fattest? Exit and Financing in the Trucking Industry

This paper studies the impact that capital market imperfections have on the natural selection of the most efficient firms by estimating the effect of the prederegulation level of leverage on the survival of trucking firms after the Carter deregulation. Highly leveraged carriers are less likely to survive the deregulation shock, even after controlling for various measures of efficiency. This effect is stronger in the imperfectly competitive segment of the motor carrier industry. High debt seems to affect survival by curtailing investments and reducing the price per ton-mile that a carrier can afford to charge after deregulation. Copyright The American Finance Association 1998.
Prenatal Vitamin D Intake, Cord Blood 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, and Offspring Body Composition: The Healthy Start Study

Vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy may be associated with increased offspring adiposity, but evidence from human studies is inconclusive. We examined associations between prenatal vitamin D intake, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in cord blood, and offspring size and body composition at birth and 5 months. Participants included 605 mother-offspring dyads from the Healthy Start study, an ongoing, pre-birth prospective cohort study in Denver, Colorado, USA. Prenatal vitamin D intake was assessed with diet recalls and questionnaires, and offspring body composition was measured via air displacement plethysmography at birth and 5 months. General linear univariate models were used for analysis, adjusting for maternal age, race/ethnicity, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), offspring sex, and gestational age at birth. Non-Hispanic white race, lower pre-pregnancy BMI, higher prenatal vitamin D intake, and summer births were associated with higher cord blood 25(OH)D. Higher 25(OH)D was associated with lower birthweight (β = –6.22, p = 0.02), but as maternal BMI increased, this association became increasingly positive in direction and magnitude (β = 1.05, p = 0.04). Higher 25(OH)D was also associated with lower neonatal adiposity (β = –0.02, p < 0.05) but not after adjustment for maternal BMI (β = –0.01, p = 0.25). Cord blood 25(OH)D was not associated with offspring size or body composition at 5 months. Our data confirm the hypothesis that vitamin D exposure in early life is associated with neonatal body size and composition. Future research is needed to understand the implications of these associations as infants grow.
Optical coherence tomography of choroidal neovascularization in high myopia.

AIM To investigate morphologic changes in the eye with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in high myopia using optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS Optical coherence tomography was performed in 35 patients (42 eyes) with myopic CNV. Myopic CNV was divided into active, scar, or atrophic stages based on funduscopic and fluorescein angiographic findings. The characteristics of OCT findings in each stage were identified. RESULTS In the active stage (11 eyes), OCT clearly displayed a neovascular membrane as a highly reflective dome-like elevation above the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). No apparent subretinal fluid accumulation around the CNV was identified. In the scar stage (12 eyes), only the surface of the CNV showed high reflectivity, which was markedly attenuated below the surface. In the atrophic stage (19 eyes), the CNV had become totally flat and chorioretinal atrophy around the regressed CNV showed high reflectivity. CONCLUSIONS Optical coherence tomography demonstrated characteristic features at each stage of myopic CNV. Optical coherence tomography appears to be useful in evaluating the stage and activity of myopic CNV.
Inherent Bacterial Diversity and Enhanced Bioremediation of an Aged Crude Oil-contaminated Soil in Yorla, Ogoni Land Using Composted Plant Biomass

Aim: Inherent bacterial diversity and enhanced bioremediation of an aged crude oil-contaminated soil (ACOCS) in Yorla, Ogoni land were investigated using composted plant biomass of Eichhornia crassipes (EC), Tithonia diversifolia(TD) and Cynodon dactylon(CD) as biostimulants to enhance rate of crude oil biodegradation by autochthonous hydrocarbon utilizing microorganisms in the soil. Study Design: An area of 50 m × 50 m was marked out in the ACOCS and EC, TD and CD (2,500 g each) were used to biostimulate 4,000g of ACOCS in situ in TPA (treatment plot A) through TPG (treatment plot G). TPA was un-amended while TPB, TPC, and TPD had EC, TD and CD added singly. TPE had EC and TD, TPF with EC and CD whereas; TPG had EC, TD, and CD combined. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in Yorla farm land in Khana L.G. A. in Rivers State. Age crude oil-contaminated soil was taken bi-weekly from each of the 7 treatment setup during the 70-day remediation study period that spanned 10 weeks (0, 14, 28, 42, 56 and 70). Methodology: Soil samples were obtained using an auger and analyzed for their microbiological and physicochemical properties. Whole plant parts of EC, TD, and TD were collected and composted for 2 weeks before being used for biostimulation of resident crude oil-utilizing microbes. Results: Results indicated reductions in total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) from 98,673 to 79,583ppm (19% loss), 98,443 to 31,461ppm (68% loss), 98,446 to 19,364 ppm (80% loss), 98,337 to 26,345 ppm (78% loss), 98,225 to 6,987 ppm (93% loss), 98,113 to 11,243 ppm (89% loss) and 93,867 to 1,002 ppm (99% loss) in TPA, TPB, TPC, TPD, TPE, TPF and TPG respectively. Gas chromatographic fingerprinting of ACOCS before treatment indicated the absence of n-alkanes within n-C2 to n-C8 region which is attributable to weathering processes. However, after treatment with the amendments, carbon lengths between n-C9to n-C34 were significantly (ρ >0.05) attenuated while the much heavier fractions (n-C35 to n-C45) showed a decreasing tendency for enhanced biodegradation thus, signifying their immobilization or possibility of being “lock-up” in particle pores. Conclusion: Results suggest that composted E. crassipes, T. diversifolia and C. dactylon are potent biostimulants for enhanced degradation of residual hydrocarbons after aging of contaminated Original Research Article
Protein function prediction from interaction networks using a random walk ranking algorithm

Predicting protein function at the proteomic-scale is a key task in computational systems biology. High-throughput experimental methods have recently made available many protein interaction networks that need to be analyzed in order to provide insight into the functional role of proteins in the organization of the cell. We propose here a new approach to computational function annotation of protein interaction maps based on a random walk algorithm. Our method exploits the whole topology of the network according to the basic principles of a ranking algorithm for link analysis. We apply the proposed algorithm to analyze the yeast protein interaction network and show that it represents a valid alternative to other annotation techniques based on network analysis by comparing it with the effective majority vote algorithm.
The Early Collapse of the 2017 Lincoln Sea Ice Arch in Response to Anomalous Sea Ice and Wind Forcing

One of the most dramatic indicators of climate change is the reduction in the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice that has resulted in an increase in wind‐driven sea ice mobility. During April and May 2017, satellite observations indicated that the ice arch that forms between Nares Strait and the Lincoln Sea collapsed. Typically, this collapse occurs in July or August allowing multiyear ice to exit the Arctic through Nares Strait. Here we show that the period of the collapse was associated with the presence of a polynya in northern Nares Strait, thin ice in the Lincoln Sea, and an unusual wind regime characterized by strong northerly flow. We propose that these anomalous conditions resulted in the arch's early collapse. If the ice in the region continues to thin, early collapses may occur more frequently with implications for the regional as well as the downstream climate and ecosystems.
Persistent nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence polymorphism in the Amelanchier agamic complex (Rosaceae).

Individual plants of several Amelanchier taxa contain many polymorphic nucleotide sites in the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA). This polymorphism is unusual because it is not recent in origin and thus has resisted homogenization by concerted evolution. Amelanchier ITS sequence polymorphism is hypothesized to be the result of gene flow between two major North American clades resolved by phylogenetic analysis of ITS sequences. Western North American species plus A. humilis and A. sanguinea of eastern North America form one clade (A), and the remaining eastern North American Amelanchier make up clade B. Five eastern North American taxa are polymorphic at many of the nucleotide sites where clades A and B have diverged and are thought to be of hybrid origin, with A. humilis or A. sanguinea as one parent and various members of clade B as the other parent. Morphological evidence suggests that A. humilis is one of the parents of one of the polymorphic taxa, a microspecies that we refer to informally as A. "erecta. " Sequences of 21 cloned copies of the ITS1-5.8S gene-ITS2 region from one A. "erecta" individual are identical to A. humilis sequence or to the clade B consensus sequence, or they are apparent recombinants of A. humilis and clade B ITS repeats. Amelanchier "erecta" and another polymorphic taxon are suspected to be relatively old because both grow several hundred kilometers beyond the range of one of their parents. ITS sequence polymorphisms have apparently persisted in these two taxa perhaps because of polyploidy and/or agamospermy (asexual seed production), which are prevalent in the genus.
Acute and Phase-Shifting Effects of Ocular and Extraocular Light in Human Circadian Physiology

Light can influence physiology and performance of humans in two distinct ways. It can acutely change the level of physiological and behavioral parameters, and it can induce a phase shift in the circadian oscillators underlying variations in these levels. Until recently, both effects were thought to require retinal light perception. This view was challenged by Campbell and Murphy, who showed significant phase shifts in core body temperature and melatonin using an extraocular stimulus. Their study employed popliteal skin illumination and exclusively considered phase-shifting effects. In this paper, the authors explore both acute effects and phase-shifting effects of ocular as well as extraocular light. Twelve healthy males participated in a within-subject design and received all of three light conditions—(1) dim ocular light/no light to the knee, (2) dim ocular light/bright extraocular light to the knee, and (3) bright ocular light/no light to the knee—on separate nights in random order. The protocol consisted of an adaptation night followed by a 26-h period of sustained wakefulness, during which a 4-h light pulse was presented at a time when maximal phase delays were expected. The authors found neither immediate nor phase-shifting effects of extraocular light exposure on melatonin, core body temperature (CBT), or sleepiness. Ocular bright-light exposure reduced the nocturnal circadian drop in CBT, suppressed melatonin, and reduced sleepiness significantly. In addition, the 4-h ocular light pulse delayed the CBT rhythm by -55 min compared to the drift of the CBT rhythm in dim light. The melatonin rhythm shifted by -113 min, which differed significantly from the drift in the melatonin rhythm in the dim-light condition (-26 min). The failure to find immediate or phase-shifting effects in response to extraocular light in a within-subjects design in which effects of ocular bright light are confirmed strengthens the doubts raised by other labs of the impact of extraocular light on the human circadian system.
Effects of new antiepileptic drugs on circulatory markers for vascular risk in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy

Although it is well documented that long‐term therapy with older antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) leads to an increase in risk for atherosclerosis, there has been only limited information regarding the vascular risk in patients who are treated with new AEDs. We therefore conducted a prospective longitudinal study to assess the potential effects of new AEDs on the circulatory markers for vascular risk in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy. We recruited adult patients with epilepsy who began to receive monotherapy with one of the new AEDs, including levetiracetam (LEV), oxcarbazepine (OXC), and topiramate (TPM). Circulatory markers of vascular risk were measured twice before and after 6 months of AED monotherapy. A total of 109 patients completed the study (LEV, n = 40; OXC, n = 40; TPM, n = 29). Six months of monotherapy resulted in significant increases in low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LEV, from 90.2 to 98.5 mg/dl, 9.2% increase, p = 0.025; OXC, from 96.5 to 103.2 mg/dl, 7.0% increase, p = 0.049), homocysteine (LEV, from 7.9 to 10.4 μm, 31.6% increase, p = 0.001; OXC, from 8.7 to 11.5 μm, 32.2% increase, p < 0.001; TPM, from 8.3 to 12.3 μm, 48.2% increase, p < 0.001), apolipoprotein B (LEV, from 63.6 to 77.4 mg/dl, 21.7% increase; OXC, from 67.0 to 83.2 mg/dl, 24.2% increase; TPM, from 66.7 to 84.4 mg/dl, 26.5% increase; all p < 0.001), and apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A1 ratio (LEV, from 0.51 to 0.61, 19.6% increase; OXC, from 0.52 to 0.67, 28.8% increase; TPM, from 0.50 to 0.67, 34.0% increase; all p < 0.001). Serum apolipoprotein A1 and folate were significantly decreased in TPM (from 139.1 to 132.1 mg/dl, 5.0% decrease, p = 0.014) and OXC (from 8.1 to 6.4 ng/ml, 21.0% decrease, p = 0.046) groups, respectively. There were no significant changes in total cholesterol, triglyceride, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), and vitamin B12 in all three groups. Our findings suggest that treatment with some new AEDs might be associated with alterations in circulatory markers of vascular risk, which could contribute to the acceleration of atherosclerosis and increased risk of vascular diseases.
Enhancement in Optical Absorption of Plasmonic Solar Cells

Use of surface plasmons in photovoltaics is a recent and fast emerging field of interest of research that exploit the unique optical properties of metallic nano-structures. Using surface plasmons for guiding and localizing light at nanoscales can be used to improve optical absorption in thin-film solar cells. The present work focuses on the study of ab- sorption enhancement using a periodic array of cylindrical silver nanowire placed on a thin silicon substrate. Studies have been made to optimize the particle size and the inter-particle distance for maximum absorption of AM1.5G solar radiation within the substrate. An enhancement with a factor of around 1.32 is observed for nanoparticles with a diameter of 140 nm and an inter-particle distance of 360 nm. Blue-shifting of resonance wavelength with increasing inter-particle distance is observed. FDTD technique has been used for numerical modelling and investigation of plasmonic solar cells.
Dual Discriminator Generative Adversarial Nets

We propose in this paper a novel approach to tackle the problem of mode collapse encountered in generative adversarial network (GAN). Our idea is intuitive but proven to be very effective, especially in addressing some key limitations of GAN. In essence, it combines the Kullback-Leibler (KL) and reverse KL divergences into a unified objective function, thus it exploits the complementary statistical properties from these divergences to effectively diversify the estimated density in capturing multi-modes. We term our method dual discriminator generative adversarial nets (D2GAN) which, unlike GAN, has two discriminators; and together with a generator, it also has the analogy of a minimax game, wherein a discriminator rewards high scores for samples from data distribution whilst another discriminator, conversely, favoring data from the generator, and the generator produces data to fool both two discriminators. We develop theoretical analysis to show that, given the maximal discriminators, optimizing the generator of D2GAN reduces to minimizing both KL and reverse KL divergences between data distribution and the distribution induced from the data generated by the generator, hence effectively avoiding the mode collapsing problem. We conduct extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world large-scale datasets (MNIST, CIFAR-10, STL-10, ImageNet), where we have made our best effort to compare our D2GAN with the latest state-of-the-art GAN's variants in comprehensive qualitative and quantitative evaluations. The experimental results demonstrate the competitive and superior performance of our approach in generating good quality and diverse samples over baselines, and the capability of our method to scale up to ImageNet database.
C-reactive protein concentration in dogs with chronic valvular disease.

The purpose of the study reported here was to determine whether dogs with chronic valvular disease have increased plasma C-reactive protein concentration, compared with that in clinically normal dogs. Blood was collected from 47 dogs with physical and echocardiographic evidence of chronic valvular disease and from 20 healthy controls. C-reactive protein concentration was determined with a commercial canine C-reactive protein enzyme immunoassay. Compared with controls, dogs with chronic valvular disease had higher plasma concentration of C-reactive protein (median 2.17 microg/mL [range, 0.86-33.8 microg/mL]) versus 1.43 microg/mL [range, 0.84-4.99 microg/mL]; P < . 001). C-reactive protein concentration was not related to the presence of congestive heart failure or murmur grade. The results of this study suggest that increased concentration of C-reactive protein is found in dogs with chronic valvular disease.