Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tidal Triggering of Microearthquakes Over an Eruption Cycle at 9°50'N East Pacific Rise

Studies have found that earthquake timing often correlates with tides at mid‐ocean ridges and some terrestrial settings. Studies have also suggested that tidal triggering may preferentially happen when a region is critically stressed, making it a potential tool to forecast earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. We examine tidal triggering of ∼100,000 microearthquakes near 9°50'N East Pacific Rise recorded between October 2003 and January 2007, which encompasses an eruption in January 2006. This allows us to look at how tidal triggering signal varies over an eruption cycle to examine its utility as a forecasting tool. We find that tidal triggering signal is strong but does not vary systematically in the 2+ years leading up to the eruption. However, tidal triggering signal disappears immediately posteruption. Our findings suggest that tidal triggering variation may not be useful for forecasting mid‐ocean ridge eruptions over a 2+ year timescale but might be useful over a longer timescale.
kDCI: a Multi-Strategy Algorithm for Mining Frequent Sets

This paper presents the implementation of kDCI, an enhancement of DCI [10], a scalable algorithm for discovering frequent sets in large databases. The main contribution of kDCI resides on a novel counting inference strategy, inspired by previously known results by Basted et al. [3]. Moreover, multiple heuristics and efficient data structures are used in order to adapt the algorithm behavior to the features of the specific dataset mined and of the computing platform used. kDCI turns out to be effective in mining both short and long patterns from a variety of datasets. We conducted a wide range of experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets, both in-core and out-of-core. The results obtained allow us to state that kDCI performances are not over-fitted to a special case, and its high performance is maintained on datasets with different characteristics.
Sexual functioning in military personnel: preliminary estimates and predictors.

INTRODUCTION Although the military is a young and vigorous force, service members and veterans may experience sexual functioning problems (SFPs) as a result of military service. Sexual functioning can be impaired by physical, psychological, and social factors and can impact quality of life (QOL) and happiness. AIMS This study aims to estimate rates and correlates of SFPs in male military personnel across demographic and psychosocial characteristics, to examine the QOL concomitants, and to evaluate barriers for treatment seeking. METHODS This exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted using data from a larger nationwide study conducted between October 2013 and November 2013. This sample consists of 367 male active duty service members and recent veterans (military personnel) age 40 or younger. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Erectile dysfunction (ED) was determined using the five-item International Index of Erectile Function, sexual dysfunction (SD) was determined using the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale, Male, and QOL was determined using the World Health Organization Quality of Life, Brief. RESULTS SFPs were associated with various demographic, physical, and psychosocial risk factors. The rates of SD and ED were 8.45% and 33.24%, respectively, for male military personnel aged 21-40. Those who were 36-40, nonmarried, nonwhite, and of lower educational attainment reported the highest rates of SFPs. Male military personnel with poor physical and psychosocial health presented the greatest risk for ED and SD. SFPs were associated with reduced QOL and lower happiness, and barriers for treatment were generally related to social barriers. CONCLUSIONS SFPs in young male military personnel are an important public health concern that can severely impact QOL and happiness.
SemEval-2007 Task 10: English Lexical Substitution Task

In this paper we describe the English Lexical Substitution task for SemEval. In the task, annotators and systems find an alternative substitute word or phrase for a target word in context. The task involves both finding the synonyms and disambiguating the context. Participating systems are free to use any lexical resource. There is a subtask which requires identifying cases where the word is functioning as part of a multiword in the sentence and detecting what that multiword is.
Virtual Reality–Based Neurorehabilitation Support Tool for People With Cognitive Impairments Resulting From an Acquired Brain Injury: Usability and Feasibility Study

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a prominent cause of disability globally, with virtual reality (VR) emerging as a promising aid in neurorehabilitation. Nonetheless, the diversity among VR interventions can result in inconsistent outcomes and pose challenges in determining efficacy. Recent reviews offer best practice recommendations for designing and implementing therapeutic VR interventions to evaluate the acceptance of fully immersive VR interventions. This study aims to evaluate the usability and feasibility of a co-designed VR-based neurorehabilitation support tool by conducting multiple proof-of-concept trials in a sample of patients with ABI within a hospital setting. A single session deploying custom immersive serious games to train cognitive functions using a new-generation head-mounted display was conducted among a sample of inpatients with ABI. Structured questionnaires were administered at the end of the session to evaluate the usability of the system and the intervention, participants’ familiarity with the technology, and any adverse effects related to cybersickness. Additionally, the training duration while wearing the headset and the demographic characteristics of the participants were considered. A total of 20 patients with ABI participated in a 1-hour proof-of-concept trial. The mean usability score was 37 (SD 2.6) out of 40, the technology familiarity level was 9.2 (SD 2.9) out of 12, and the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire total score was 1.3 (SD 2). On average, participants wore the headset for approximately 25.6 (SD 4.7) minutes during the intervention. There were no substantial differences in usability and technology familiarity levels based on patients’ etiology or age, with no notable symptoms of cybersickness reported. Significantly strong correlations were noted between cybersickness symptoms and various usability categories, including exposure, motivation, interactivity, task specificity, and immersion aspects. Further, there was a significant association between the intervention time and the number of tasks performed (P<.001). Furthermore, patients who derived enjoyment from VR sessions expressed a heightened interest in incorporating VR into their daily neurorehabilitation practice (P<.001). Moreover, oculomotor issues were found to be highly sensitive to the onset of disorientation sickness symptoms (P<.001). Through a collaborative approach, this study showcases the usability and feasibility of a VR-based support tool for cognitive rehabilitation among inpatients with ABI. Key components of such interventions encompass a multidisciplinary array of immersive experiences integrating neurorehabilitation principles and serious games techniques.
The Architecture of Intelligence

A person’s performance across multiple cognitive tests tends to covary. This ubiquitous observation suggests that various cognitive domains are regulated in common, and this covariance underlies the interpretation of many quantitative tests of “intelligence. ” We find that, as in humans, differences in intelligence exist across genetically heterogeneous mice. Specifically, we have observed a covariance in the performance of mice across diverse tests of learning, reasoning, and attention. As in humans, the processing efficacy of working memory is both correlated with animals’ general cognitive abilities and may in some instances serve to regulate behaviors indicative of intelligence. Beyond its axiomatic significance in demonstrating the evolutionary conservation of a cognitive trait, studies of mice may provide unique opportunities to assess the molecular (e.g., brain-specific RNA expression; transgenics) and neuroanatomic substrates for intelligence. One such approach is briefly described here. Using this approach, we have determined that the signaling efficacy of the dopamine D1 receptor in the prefrontal cortex is one potential link between performance on both working-memory tasks and tests of intelligence. In combination, studies of both humans and nonhuman animals provide converging lines of evidence that might evade either approach in isolation.
Factors Affecting the Implementation and Acceptance of the Cocoon Strategy in the NICU in a Tertiary Center in Türkiye

Pertussis is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in infancy. It is recommended that close contacts of the baby be vaccinated with Tdap, and this practice is called the cocoon strategy. This study aimed to investigate the applicability of the cocoon strategy and to determine the factors affecting the process. Mothers of babies who were hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit were included in the study. In the first stage, a face-to-face questionnaire was given to the mothers to measure their level of knowledge about whooping cough and its vaccine. In the second stage, written and verbal information about the cocoon strategy was given, and then vaccination intentions for Tdap were learned. In the third stage, all mothers were contacted 3 weeks after and asked whether they had received a Tdap vaccination and why. Of these mothers, 68% could not answer any questions about pertussis disease and vaccines correctly. After the information, 35% (n = 78) of the mothers stated that they were considering getting vaccinated, while only 2% (n = 5) of the mothers were able to get the Tdap vaccine. The most important reasons for not getting vaccinated were a lack of time (24%) and the cost of vaccination (23%). It is predicted that Tdap vaccination rates may increase if the cost of vaccine, availability of vaccine, and the access of mothers to the vaccine application are facilitated.
Nonlocal minimal surfaces: Interior regularity, quantitative estimates and boundary stickiness

We consider surfaces which minimize a nonlocal perimeter functional and we discuss their interior regularity and rigidity properties, in a quantitative and qualitative way, and their (perhaps rather surprising) boundary behavior. We present at least a sketch of the proofs of these results, in a way that aims to be as elementary and self contained as possible.
An Entity-Mention Model for Coreference Resolution with Inductive Logic Programming

The traditional mention-pair model for coreference resolution cannot capture information beyond mention pairs for both learning and testing. To deal with this problem, we present an expressive entity-mention model that performs coreference resolution at an entity level. The model adopts the Inductive Logic Programming (ILP) algorithm, which provides a relational way to organize different knowledge of entities and mentions. The solution can explicitly express relations between an entity and the contained mentions, and automatically learn first-order rules important for coreference decision. The evaluation on the ACE data set shows that the ILP based entity-mention model is effective for the coreference resolution task.
Processing of Sounds by Population Spikes in a Model of Primary Auditory Cortex

We propose a model of the primary auditory cortex (A1), in which each iso-frequency column is represented by a recurrent neural network with short-term synaptic depression. Such networks can emit Population Spikes, in which most of the neurons fire synchronously for a short time period. Different columns are interconnected in a way that reflects the tonotopic map in A1, and population spikes can propagate along the map from one column to the next, in a temporally precise manner that depends on the specific input presented to the network. The network, therefore, processes incoming sounds by precise sequences of population spikes that are embedded in a continuous asynchronous activity, with both of these response components carrying information about the inputs and interacting with each other. With these basic characteristics, the model can account for a wide range of experimental findings. We reproduce neuronal frequency tuning curves, whose width depends on the strength of the intracortical inhibitory and excitatory connections. Non-simultaneous two-tone stimuli show forward masking depending on their temporal separation, as well as on the duration of the first stimulus. The model also exhibits non-linear suppressive interactions between sub-threshold tones and broad-band noise inputs, similar to the hypersensitive locking suppression recently demonstrated in auditory cortex. We derive several predictions from the model. In particular, we predict that spontaneous activity in primary auditory cortex gates the temporally locked responses of A1 neurons to auditory stimuli. Spontaneous activity could, therefore, be a mechanism for rapid and reversible modulation of cortical processing.
Multilingual person name recognition and transliteration

Nous presentons ici un outil de reperage des noms de personnes, a partir d’articles de la presse internationale, capable de reconnaitre les differentes variantes d’un meme nom. L’originalite de notre approche vient de l’identification des variantes de noms a travers les langues et systemes d’ecriture, grec, cyrillique et arabe compris. Etant donne notre contexte multilingue, nous utilisons une representation interne standard de chaque nom ainsi qu’une meme mesure de similarite (au lieu d’adopter l’approche bilingue habituelle de la translitteration). Ce module fait partie d’un outil plus general qui analyse en moyenne 15.000 articles de journaux chaque jour, afin de regrouper les documents similaires, aussi bien dans une meme langue que dans des langues differentes.
Molecular Detection of Plasmodium falciparum Infection in Matched Peripheral and Placental Blood Samples from Delivering Women in Libreville, Gabon

Submicroscopic infections account for more than 50% of all Plasmodium (P.) infections in areas with decreasing malaria prevalence and might contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes. The frequency of submicroscopic P. falciparum infections was assessed in matched peripheral and placental blood samples with microscopy negative or discordant results according to IPTp administration. Methods. P. falciparum infection was detected by nested PCR in matched blood samples collected from delivering women with a history of antimalarial drug treatment and living in Gabon. Results. Submicroscopic P. falciparum infections were detected in 87% (n = 33) of the 44 selected matched samples. Plasmodial DNA was found in 90% (n = 35/39) and 87% (n = 33/38) of microscopy negative peripheral and placental blood samples, respectively. Overall, 95% of samples obtained during the high IPTp-SP coverage period had a submicroscopic infection versus 79% among those from the low coverage period. Conclusion. Submicroscopic infections frequency is high in peripheral and placental blood samples from delivering women with a history of antimalarial treatment whatever the level of IPTp coverage. These data highlight the need of accurate diagnostic tools for a regular antenatal screening of malaria during the pregnancy in endemic areas.
Screening for retinopathy of prematurity in infants born before 27 weeks' gestation in Sweden.

OBJECTIVE To analyze screening for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) during a 3-year period in a national cohort of infants born before 27 weeks' gestation. METHODS A national prospective study of neonatal morbidity in extremely preterm infants was performed in Sweden between April 1, 2004, and March 31, 2007. Screening for ROP was to start in the fifth postnatal week and to continue weekly until complete vascularization of the retina or until regression of ROP. RESULTS The first eye examination was performed no later than the sixth postnatal week in 84.8% of 506 infants, and the last examination was performed at postmenstrual age (PMA) of 38 weeks or later in 96.2% of infants. The mean and median numbers of days between examinations in the total cohort were 8.6 and 7.9 days, respectively (range, 1-27.8 days), and the mean and median numbers of examinations were 12 and 10, respectively. Most infants were treated during a limited period (eg, at PMA of 39 weeks, 75.0% of infants had been treated). CONCLUSIONS The objective of screening for ROP is timely detection of ROP before reaching treatment of criteria, ie, type 1 ROP, according to the Early Treatment for ROP recommendations. In our population of infants born before 27 weeks' gestation, the first examination could safely be postponed until PMA of 31 weeks because the onset of ROP stage 3 did not occur before then and criteria for treatment were not reached before PMA of 32 weeks. Gestational age at birth and PMA at the time of examination should be considered when deciding when and where the next examination should be performed.
Modelling CD4 T Cell Recovery in Hepatitis C and HIV Co-infected Children Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy

Background: The effect of hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection on CD4+ T cell recovery in treated HIV-infected children is poorly understood. Objective: To compare CD4+ T cell recovery in HIV/HCV coinfected children with recovery in HIV monoinfected children. Method: We studied 355 HIV monoinfected and 46 HIV/HCV coinfected children receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) during a median follow-up period of 4.2 years (interquartile range: 2.7–5.3 years). Our dataset came from the Ukraine pediatric HIV Cohort and the HIV/HCV coinfection study within the European Pregnancy and Paediatric HIV Cohort Collaboration. We fitted an asymptotic nonlinear mixed-effects model of CD4+ T cell reconstitution to age-standardized CD4 counts in all 401 children and investigated factors predicting the speed and extent of recovery. Results: We found no significant impact of HCV coinfection on either pre-ART or long-term age-adjusted CD4 counts (z scores). However, the rate of increase in CD4 z score was slower in HIV/HCV coinfected children when compared with their monoinfected counterparts (P < 0.001). Both monoinfected and coinfected children starting ART at younger ages had higher pre-ART (P < 0.001) and long-term (P < 0.001) CD4 z scores than those who started when they were older. Conclusions: HIV/HCV coinfected children receiving ART had slower CD4+ T cell recovery than HIV monoinfected children. HIV/HCV coinfection had no impact on pre-ART or long-term CD4 z scores. Early treatment of HIV/HCV coinfected children with ART should be encouraged.
Activities of Rifampin, Rifapentine and Clarithromycin Alone and in Combination against Mycobacterium ulcerans Disease in Mice

Background Treatment of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, or Buruli ulcer (BU), has shifted from surgery to treatment with streptomycin(STR)+rifampin(RIF) since 2004 based on studies in a mouse model and clinical trials. We tested two entirely oral regimens for BU treatment, rifampin(RIF)+clarithromycin(CLR) and rifapentine(RPT)+clarithromycin(CLR) in the mouse model. Methodology/Principal Findings BALB/c mice were infected in the right hind footpad with M. ulcerans strain 1059 and treated daily (5 days/week) for 4 weeks, beginning 11 days after infection. Treatment groups included an untreated control, STR+RIF as a positive control, and test regimens of RIF, RPT, STR and CLR given alone and the RIF+CLR and RPT+CLR combinations. The relative efficacy of the drug treatments was compared on the basis of footpad CFU counts and median time to footpad swelling. Except for CLR, which was bacteriostatic, treatment with all other drugs reduced CFU counts by approximately 2 or 3 log10. Median time to footpad swelling after infection was 5.5, 16, 17, 23.5 and 36.5 weeks in mice receiving no treatment, CLR alone, RIF+CLR, RIF alone, and STR alone, respectively. At the end of follow-up, 39 weeks after infection, only 48%, 26.4% and 16.3% of mice treated with RPT+CLR, RPT alone and STR+RIF had developed swollen footpads. An in vitro checkerboard assay showed the interaction of CLR and RIF to be indifferent. However, in mice, co-administration with CLR resulted in a roughly 25% decrease in the maximal serum concentration (Cmax) and area under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC) of each rifamycin. Delaying the administration of CLR by one hour restored Cmax and AUC values of RIF to levels obtained with RIF alone. Conclusions/Significance These results suggest that an entirely oral daily regimen of RPT+CLR may be at least as effective as the currently recommended combination of injected STR+oral RIF.
Anti-ischemic effect of a novel cardioprotective agent, JTV519, is mediated through specific activation of delta-isoform of protein kinase C in rat ventricular myocardium.

BACKGROUND A new 1,4-benzothiazepine derivative, JTV519, has a strong protective effect against Ca(2+) overload-induced myocardial injury. We investigated the effect of JTV519 on ischemia/reperfusion injury in isolated rat hearts. METHODS AND RESULTS At 30 minutes of reperfusion after 30-minute global ischemia, the percent recovery of left ventricular developed pressure was improved, and the creatine phosphokinase and lactate dehydrogenase leakage was reduced in a concentration-dependent manner when JTV519 was administered in the coronary perfusate both at 5 minutes before the induction of ischemia and at the time of reperfusion. The myocardial protective effect of JTV519 was completely blocked by pretreatment of the heart with GF109203X, a specific protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor. In contrast, the effect of JTV519 was not affected by alpha(1)-, A(1)-, and B(2)-receptor blockers that couple with PKC in the cardiomyocyte. Both immunofluorescence images and immunoblots of JTV519-treated left ventricular myocardium and isolated ventricular myocytes demonstrated that this agent induced concentration-dependent translocation of the delta-isoform but not the other isoforms of PKC to the plasma membrane. CONCLUSIONS The mechanism of cardioprotection by JTV519 against ischemia/reperfusion injury involves isozyme-specific PKC activation through a receptor-independent mechanism. This agent may provide a novel pharmacological approach for the treatment of patients with acute coronary diseases via a subcellular mechanism mimicking ischemic preconditioning.
Soft drink consumption is associated with increased incidence of the metabolic syndrome only in women

Abstract Prospective studies on the association between soft drink consumption and incident risk of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) have not been carried out in Asians. We explored the sex-specific association between soft drink consumption and incident risk of the MetS in Korean adults during 10 years of follow-up. A total of 5797 subjects who were free of the MetS at baseline were studied. Soft drink consumption was assessed using a semi-quantitative FFQ. Time-dependent Cox proportional hazard model was used to examine hazard ratios (HR) of incidence of the MetS and its components in relation to soft drink consumption. In women, the multivariable-adjusted HR for developing the MetS was 1·8-fold higher in frequent consumers of soft drinks (≥4 servings/week) compared with rare consumers (95 % CI 1·23, 2·64). The adjusted HR for elevated blood pressure increased by 2-fold (95 % CI 1·24, 3·14) and for hypertriacylglycerolaemia by 1·9-fold (95 % CI 1·19, 2·88) in frequent consumers of soft drinks compared with rare consumers. However, in men, there was no association between soft drink consumption and incident risk of the MetS or its components. Frequent soft drink consumption was associated with increased risk of developing the MetS and its components only in middle-aged Korean women, suggesting sex differences for the risk of the MetS related to diet.