Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Viral Etiology for Inner Ear Diseases: Proven, Unproven, Unlikely

This is a revision article that deals with the broad field of inner ear disease caused by viral infections. Some of these entities have been proven to have a viral etiology. Others have strong evidence in favor of a viral causation but still cannot be considered as a viral disease. Finally, other entities are suggestive of a viral etiology but when the whole body of evidence is considered one concludes that a viral etiology is indeed unlikely. We review the literature and add our own experience in this subject. Clearly, the most important evidence about this subject came from the study of temporal bone histopathology. Certainly, we can learn much more if we continue to collect and study temporal bone specimens histopathologically.
Computational design and characterisation of artificial enzymes for Kemp elimination

De novo design of enzymes for the catalysis of reactions that interest humankind has been long desired. In this field, one of the most successful recent efforts, and the subject of this paper, is the design of artificial enzymes catalysing the Kemp elimination – a model reaction for proton transfer from carbon. A number of new enzymes have been designed computationally. Subsequently, their activity was confirmed and refined experimentally. This success is a manifestation of our understanding and ability to rationally manipulate protein structure. At the same time, through this research, the complexity of the problem of designing functional enzymes became apparent. Everything from the precise positioning of residues at the enzyme active site to solvent accessibility, backbone dynamics and stability of the protein fold plays a pivotal role in the catalytic performance. The large number of negative designs also illustrates the limited precision with which modern computational methods can handle the problem. Major results, observations and future prospects are discussed.
Eating Fish and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relation between total fish, type of fish (lean and fatty), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in a population-based cohort. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The analysis included 4,472 Dutch participants aged ≥55 years without diabetes at baseline. Dietary intake was assessed with a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Hazard ratios (relative risk [RR]) with 95% CIs were used to examine risk associations adjusted for age, sex, lifestyle, and nutritional factors. RESULTS After 15 years of follow-up, 463 participants developed type 2 diabetes. Median fish intake, mainly lean fish (81%), was 10 g/day. Total fish intake was associated positively with risk of type 2 diabetes; the RR was 1.32 (95% CI 1.02–1.70) in the highest total fish group (≥28 g/day) compared with that for non–fish eaters (Ptrend = 0.04). Correspondingly, lean fish intake tended to be associated positively with type 2 diabetes (RR highest group ]≥23 g/day] 1.30 [95% CI 1.01–1.68]; Ptrend = 0.06), but fatty fish was not. No association was observed between EPA and DHA intake and type 2 diabetes (RR highest group [≥149.4 mg/day] 1.22 [0.97–1.53]). With additional adjustment for intake of selenium, cholesterol, and vitamin D, this RR decreased to 1.05 (0.80–1.38; Ptrend = 0.77). CONCLUSIONS The findings do not support a beneficial effect of total fish, type of fish, or EPA and DHA intake on the risk of type 2 diabetes. Alternatively, other dietary components, such as selenium, and unmeasured contaminants present in fish might explain our results.
Myofibromas With Atypical Features: Expanding the Morphologic Spectrum of a Benign Entity

Typical myofibromas are biphasic tumors composed of a central zone of immature spindled to rounded cells arranged in a pericytic pattern and a peripheral zone of myoid nodules. Central necrosis is occasionally seen. A small but undefined subset of myofibromas displays atypical features that may lead to a misdiagnosis of sarcoma. To more completely characterize these tumors and define their behavior, we analyzed our experience with myofibromas having 1 or more atypical features including hypercellularity, absent or inconspicuous, poorly demarcated myoid nodules, infiltrative growth pattern, and perineural invasion. Of 266 cases of myofibromas, 24 cases were retrieved on the basis of pathology reports in which atypical features were mentioned. The tumors presented in 16 male and 8 female individuals (mean age 17 y; range, 2 wk to 62 y) as masses of variable size (mean 3.0 cm; range, 1.5 to 6.5 cm). Fourteen cases arose on the head and neck and 10 cases on the limbs. The referring or suspected diagnosis was sarcoma in 8 cases. The tumors were typically more cellular than ordinary myofibroma with levels of cellularity similar to that expected in fibrosarcoma (22/24). In addition, they displayed inconspicuous, loosely cohesive (22/24) or absent myoid nodules (2/24), infiltrating borders (19/24), intravascular growth (5/24), and perineural invasion/nerve entrapment (6/24). The mean mitotic rate was 5 mitoses/10 high-power fields, but no tumor showed significant cytologic atypia. The tumors were positive for actins (11/11) and CD34 (2/8). Follow-up in 14 patients revealed no distant metastases. We conclude that a small subset of myofibromas shows atypical features that complicate the diagnosis but do not adversely affect outcome.
EMG-Based Visual-Haptic Biofeedback: A Tool to Improve Motor Control in Children With Primary Dystonia

New insights suggest that dystonic motor impairments could also involve a deficit of sensory processing. In this framework, biofeedback, making covert physiological processes more overt, could be useful. The present work proposes an innovative integrated setup which provides the user with an electromyogram (EMG)-based visual-haptic biofeedback during upper limb movements (spiral tracking tasks), to test if augmented sensory feedbacks can induce motor control improvement in patients with primary dystonia. The ad hoc developed real-time control algorithm synchronizes the haptic loop with the EMG reading; the brachioradialis EMG values were used to modify visual and haptic features of the interface: the higher was the EMG level, the higher was the virtual table friction and the background color proportionally moved from green to red. From recordings on dystonic and healthy subjects, statistical results showed that biofeedback has a significant impact, correlated with the local impairment, on the dystonic muscular control. These tests pointed out the effectiveness of biofeedback paradigms in gaining a better specific-muscle voluntary motor control. The flexible tool developed here shows promising prospects of clinical applications and sensorimotor rehabilitation.
The glass of Chibuene, Mozambique: New insights into early Indian ocean trade

Chibuene, southern Mozambique, is the site of the earliest-known trading port in southern Africa. Radiocarbon dates place its occupation between the 6th and 17th centuries. Recovered exotic trade goods, especially glass beads, indicate it was the main port of entry for that trade into southern Africa from roughly the 8th to the mid-10th century. LA-ICP-MS analysis of glass beads, vessel shards and wasters from the site has brought to light a new bead series for the region that may push that trade back to the 7th century. The chemical characteristics and possible origins of the three main glass types present are explored and the history of the site is interpreted through the evidence provided by the glass shards and beads - their absence at times being as revealing as their presence at others.
SUBSPACE IDENTIFICATION OF CLOSED LOOP SYSTEMS BY STOCHASTIC REALIZATION

Abstract We develop a closed loop subspace identification method based on stochastic realization theory. Using the preliminary orthogonal decomposition of (Picci and Katayama, 1996b) we show that, under the assumption that the exogenous input is feedback-free and persistently exciting (PE), the identification of closed loop systems is divided into two subproblems: the deterministic identification of the plant and controller, and the stochastic identification of the noise filter. Subspace methods for identifying the deterministic and stochastic parts are derived by adapting the standard subspace methods to the deterministic and stochastic components. In both cases, a model reduction procedure should be applied in order to extract controllable and observable parts from non-minimal realizations. Some numerical results are included to show the applicability of the present technique.
The draft FDA guideline on non‐inferiority clinical trials: a critical review from European pharmaceutical industry statisticians

The European Federation of Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry (EFSPI) engages more than 2000 statisticians through its ten national organizations. Amongst other things, EFSPI is involved in reviewing regulatory guidelines under development, including the draft FDA guideline on non‐inferiority clinical trials. This review resulted in several critical comments relating to as follows: (i) the lack of one single standard for proving efficacy of new drugs implied by the guideline; (ii) the problems with the suggested ‘fraction of effect to be preserved’; (iii) the formulation of the primary hypothesis in a non‐inferiority trial aiming at indirectly demonstrating a new drug is superior to placebo; and (iv) the preference in the guideline for the fixed‐margin method over the synthesis method in the analysis. The presumed implications of this guideline, if implemented as is, are (i) increased confusion of how efficacy could be demonstrated when placebo control is not available, (ii) more complicated communication between pharmaceutical industry and FDA because of the apparent disagreements on fundamental statistical matters, and (iii) illogical consequences in the approval process because of which order drugs are approved rather than how they fulfill the regulatory requirements. We believe that the area is not yet ready for such a prescriptive regulatory guidance and that further research and experience are required until the methodology can be finally agreed. A strategy needs to be developed by regulatory agencies together with drug industry and academia for a long term solution for this topic. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Computational characterization of reflectance confocal microscopy features reveals potential for automated photoageing assessment

Skin photoageing results from a combination of factors including ultraviolet (sun) exposure, leading to significant changes in skin morphology and composition. Conventional methods assessing the degree of photoageing, in particular histopathological assessment involve an invasive multistep process. Advances in microscopy have enabled a shift towards non‐invasive in vivo microscopy techniques such as reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) in this context. Computational image analysis of RCM images has the potential to be of use in the non‐invasive assessment of photoageing. In this report, we computationally characterized a clinical RCM data set from younger and older Caucasians with varying levels of photoageing. We identified several mathematical relationships that related to the degree of photoageing as assessed by conventional scoring approaches (clinical photography, SCINEXA and RCM). Furthermore, by combining the mathematical features into a single computational assessment score, we observed significant correlations with conventional RCM (P < 0.0001) and the other clinical assessment techniques.
Exact Matrix Completion via Convex Optimization

We consider a problem of considerable practical interest: the recovery of a data matrix from a sampling of its entries. Suppose that we observe m entries selected uniformly at random from a matrix M. Can we complete the matrix and recover the entries that we have not seen? We show that one can perfectly recover most low-rank matrices from what appears to be an incomplete set of entries. We prove that if the number m of sampled entries obeys $$m\ge C\,n^{1.2}r\log n$$ for some positive numerical constant C, then with very high probability, most n×n matrices of rank r can be perfectly recovered by solving a simple convex optimization program. This program finds the matrix with minimum nuclear norm that fits the data. The condition above assumes that the rank is not too large. However, if one replaces the 1.2 exponent with 1.25, then the result holds for all values of the rank. Similar results hold for arbitrary rectangular matrices as well. Our results are connected with the recent literature on compressed sensing, and show that objects other than signals and images can be perfectly reconstructed from very limited information.
Volume Shocks around Announcements in the Chinese Stock Market: An Ex-Post Earnings-Information-Based Study of Speculative Behavior

The Second Board Market is typical stock market for high tech companies in China. This paper discusses the relationship between trading volume and price changes in the case of high-tech listed companies in the Chinese Second-Board Stock Market. By using the basic concepts proposed by Kim and Verrecchia, and Kandel and Pearson, and contrasting them with ex-post information from earnings releases, the paper provides findings on the speculative behavior of informed traders with a volume shock premium. The paper suggests that these methods may be further applied to investigating investors’ behavior in speculation, especially for the high-tech-company-based Second-Board Stock Market during announcement periods.
Rapid ventilation of the Mexico City basin and regional fate of the urban plume

Urban areas can be large emitters of air pollutants leading to negative health effects and environmental degradation. The rate of venting of these airsheds determines the pollutant loading for given emission levels, and also determines the regional impacts of the urban plume. Mexico City has approximately 20 million people living in a high altitude basin with air pollutant concentrations above the health limits most days of the year. A mesoscale meteorological model (MM5) and a particle trajectory model (FLEXPART) are used to simulate air flow within the Mexico City basin and the fate of the urban plume during the MCMA-2003 field campaign. The simulated trajectories are validated against pilot balloon and radiosonde trajectories. The residence time of air within the basin and the impacted areas are identified by episode type. Three specific cases are analysed to identify the meteorological processes involved. For most days, residence times in the basin are less than 12 h with little carry-over from day to day and little recirculation of air back into the basin. Very efficient vertical mixing leads to a vertically diluted plume which, in April, is transported predominantly towards the Gulf of Mexico. Regional accumulation was found to take place for some days however, with urban emissions sometimes staying over Mexico for more than 6 days. Knowledge of the residence times, recirculation patterns and venting mechanisms will be useful in guiding policies for improving the air quality of the MCMA.
Incomplete Multi-view Clustering via Subspace Learning

Multi-view clustering, which explores complementary information between multiple distinct feature sets for better clustering, has a wide range of applications, e.g., knowledge management and information retrieval. Traditional multi-view clustering methods usually assume that all examples have complete feature sets. However, in real applications, it is often the case that some examples lose some feature sets, which results in incomplete multi-view data and notable performance degeneration. In this paper, a novel incomplete multi-view clustering method is therefore developed, which learns unified latent representations and projection matrices for the incomplete multi-view data. To approximate the high level scaled indicator matrix defined to represent class label matrix, the latent representations are expected to be non-negative and column orthogonal. Besides, since data are often with high dimensional and noisy features, the projection matrices are enforced to be sparse so as to select relevant features when learning the latent space. Furthermore, the inter-view and intra-view data structure is preserved to further enhance the clustering performance. To these ends, an objective is developed with efficient optimization strategy and convergence analysis. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our model performs better than the state-of-the-art multi-view clustering methods in various settings.
Model Uncertainty, Limited Market Participation and Asset Prices

We demonstrate that limited participation can arise endogenously in the presence of model uncertainty and heterogeneous uncertainty-averse investors. When uncertainty dispersion among investors is small, full participation prevails in equilibrium. Equity premium is related to the average uncertainty among investors and a conglomerate trades at a price equal to the sum of its single-segment components. When uncertainty dispersion is large, investors with high uncertainty choose not to participate in the stock market, resulting in limited market participation. When limited participation occurs, participation rate and equity premium can decrease in uncertainty dispersion and a conglomerate trades at a discount. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.
Neural Mechanisms of Social Influence-1-Neural Mechanisms of Social Influence

The present investigation explores the neural mechanisms underlying the impact of social influence on preferences. We socially tagged symbols as valued or not – by exposing participants to the preferences of their peers – and assessed subsequent brain activity during an incidental processing task in which participants viewed popular, unpopular, and novel symbols. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) differentiated between symbols that were and were not socially tagged – a possible index of normative influence – while aspects of the striatum (the caudate) differentiated between popular and unpopular symbols – a possible index of informational influence. These results suggest that integrating activity in these two brain regions may differentiate objects that have become valued as a result of social influence from those valued for non-social reasons.
Gender, Representation and Online Participation: A Quantitative Study of StackOverflow

Online communities are flourishing as social meeting web-spaces for users and peer community members. Different online communities require different levels of competence for participants to join, and scattered evidence suggests that women can be overly under-represented. Moreover, anecdotal evidence of the Q&amp, A website Stack Overflow suggests that women withdraw from unfriendly online communities. Due to the lack of empirical evidence on the matter, this paper provides a quantitative study of the phenomenon, in order to assess the representation and social impact of gender in Stack Overflow. This study positions itself within recent and focused international initiatives, launched by the European Commission in order to encourage women in the field of sciences and technology. Our findings confirm that men represent the vast majority of contributors to Stack Overflow. Moreover, men participate more, earn more reputation, and engage in the "game" more than women do.
Phosphorene: An Unexplored 2D Semiconductor with a High Hole

We introduce the 2D counterpart of layered black phosphorus, which we call phosphorene, as an unexplored p-type semiconducting material. Same as graphene and MoS2, single-layer phosphorene is flexible and can be mechanically exfoliated. We find phosphorenetobestableand,unlikegraphene,tohaveaninherent, direct, and appreciable band gap. Our ab initio calculations indicate thatthebandgapisdirect,dependsonthenumberoflayersandthe in-layer strain, and is significantly larger than the bulk value of 0.31� 0.36 eV. The observed photoluminescence peak of single-layer phosphorene in the visible optical range confirms that the band gap is larger than that of the bulk system. Our transport studies indicate a hole mobility that reflects the structuralanisotropyofphosphoreneandcomplementsn-typeMoS2.Atroomtemperature,ourfew-layerphosphorene field-effecttransistorswith1.0 μm channellengthdisplayahighon-currentof194mA/mm,ahighhole field-effectmobilityof286cm 2 /V 3 s,andanon/offratioofupto10 4 . Wedemonstrate the possibility of phosphorene integration by constructing a 2D CMOS inverter consisting of phosphorene PMOS and MoS2 NMOS transistors.
The Black Image in the White Mind: Media and Race in America

The Black Image In the White Mind: Media and Race in America, Robert M. Entman and Andrew Rojecki. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2001. 320 pp. $15 pbk. What exactly is the injury suffered when "television news, entertainment and advertising, as well as Hollywood films, register and help both to alter and to perpetuate White America's racial disquiet? " The answer to this query is the subject of the book The Black Image In the White Mind: Media and Race in America by Robert M. Entman and Andrew Rojecki, The authors focus on African Americans because of their consistent visibility, their long history of discrimination and oppression in America, the availability of research tools where ready identification of subjects' race is used, and the authors' wish to narrow the study to one manageable group. The literature on media effects generally falls into one of two categories: some focus on esoteric issues of interest to the academic/ scholarly arena, while others target the general populous. This study offers the rare "blended" perspective, somewhat accessible to both groups of readers. Entman and Rojecki attempt to demonstrate the powerful effect media have on race relations as media help to shape and re-shape the culture we live in. The authors also want to influence media practitioners and viewers and hope to contribute to improvements in relations between Black and White racial groups in America. The book spans the fields of critical/ cultural studies as well as political science and other social sciences. The authors carefully and succinctly review cases and theoretical arguments about race relations, while they, in some instances, propose solutions for problems under review. Related and powerful insights animate the authors' analyses. First, they review and assess White attitudes and the new forms of racial differentiation present in the minds of White Americans and throughout media that reinforce White perceptions. Second, their use of national survey data and studies of White racial opinions help readers understand how Blacks came to occupy a "limbo" status in America and how that status affects both Blacks and Whites. Third, the authors show how media "content" actually leads to public ignorance about race relations and about social conditions. They argue, for example, that the public policy issue of affirmative action was distorted by media decisions and political concerns unrelated to the perceived value of affirmative action that, in reality, cut across racial lines. The authors focus not just on the content of television news and public affairs, but they probe television entertainment (networks and cable), the broad effects of media advertising, and the content of Hollywood's movie hits. …
Optimal Packings of Hamilton Cycles in Sparse Random Graphs

We prove that there exists a positive constant $\varepsilon$ such that if $\log n / n \leq p \leq n^{-1+\varepsilon}$, then asymptotically almost surely the random graph $G \sim G(n,p)$ contains a collection of $\lfloor \delta(G)/2 \rfloor$ edge-disjoint Hamilton cycles.