Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the two self-optimising traffic signal systems Utopia/Spot and ImFlow, and comparison with existing signal control in Stockholm, Sweden

The city of Stockholm has adopted the “Urban mobility strategy” stating that the more surface efficient modes public transport (PT), cycling and walk should be prioritised over cars. This has led to an interest to extend the signal priority for PT beyond its present level. Self-optimising signal control systems can keep the impacts on other traffic at a controlled level when introducing extensive PT priority, and they may reduce the cycle time causing less waiting time for pedestrians and cyclists. In this paper two self-optimising systems are tested and compared with each other and with the existing signal control using microscopic simulation. VISSIM was connected to PC versions of the self-optimising systems Utopia/Spot and ImFlow and to signal controller simulators including PRIBUSS. Both self-optimising systems reduced the average delay per person compared to existing signal control. ImFlow performed better than Utopia/Spot in the evaluation.
Identification of COPD Patients at High Risk for Lung Cancer Mortality Using the COPD-LUCSS-DLCO.

BACKGROUND The COPD-Lung Cancer Screening Score (COPD-LUCSS) is a tool designed to help identify patients with COPD with the highest risk of developing lung cancer (LC). The COPD-LUCSS includes the determination of radiological emphysema, a potential limitation for its implementation in clinical practice. The diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) is a surrogate marker of emphysema and correlates well with CT-determined emphysema. OBJECTIVE To explore the use of the COPD-LUCSS using the DLCO instead of radiological emphysema, as a tool to identify patients with COPD at higher risk of LC death. METHODS The Body Mass Index, Airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, Exercise Performance international cohort database was analyzed. By logistic regression analysis, we confirmed that the other parameters included in the COPD-LUCSS (age > 60, pack-years > 60, BMI < 25) were independently associated with LC death. We selected the best cutoff value for DLCO that independently predicted LC death. We then integrated the new COPD-LUCSS-DLCO assigning points to each parameter according to its hazard ratio value in the Cox regression model. The score ranges from 0 to 8 points. RESULTS By regression analysis, age > 60, BMI <25 kg/m(2), pack-year history > 60, and DLCO < 60% were independently associated with LC diagnosis. Two COPD-LUCSS-DLCO risk categories were identified: low risk (scores 0-3) and high risk (scores 3.5-8). In comparison to patients at low risk, risk of death from LC increased 2.4-fold (95% CI, 2.0-2.7) in the high-risk category. CONCLUSIONS The COPD-LUCSS using DLCO instead of CT-determined emphysema is a useful tool to identify patients with COPD at risk of LC death and may help in its implementation in clinical practice.
On measurement and quantification: The case of most and more than half

The quantifiers most and more than half pose a challenge to formal semantic analysis. On the one hand, their meanings seem essentially the same, prompting accounts that treat them as logically equivalent. On the other hand, their behavior diverges in a number of interesting ways. This article draws attention to some previously unnoticed contrasts between the two and develops a novel semantic analysis of them, based on principles of measurement theory. Most and more than half have logical forms that are superficially equivalent (per Hackl 2009), but that place different requirements on the structure of the underlying measurement scale: more than half requires a ratio scale, while most can be interpreted relative to an ordinal scale or one with a semiordered structure. The latter scale type is motivated by findings from psychophysics and by psychological models of humans’ approximate numerical abilities. A corpus analysis is presented that confirms the predictions of the present account.
Surgery for vertigo in the nonserviceable hearing ear: Transmastoid labyrinthectomy or translabyrinthine vestibular nerve section

Two of the surgical options that exist for the treatment of disabling vertigo arising from an ear with nonserviceable hearing are a transmastoid lab‐yrinthectomy (TL) and a translabyrinthine vestibular nerve section (TLVNS). The major difference between the two operations is a section of the vestibular nerves with the TLVNS which removes all preganglionic vestibular tissue from the diseased inner ear. It has been inferred that a TLVNS should be the procedure of choice if hearing is not to be spared, because a TL results in an incomplete removal of preganglionic vestibular tissue, and that this remaining tissue might have continued or recurrent physiologic function resulting in further vertigo. The clinical outcome of 58 patients who had either TL or TLVNS for disabling vertigo arising from a nonserviceable hearing ear was investigated with respect to the control of vertigo and the development of postoperative balance dysfunction. The control of vertigo in the TLVNS and TL groups was 100% and 95.3%, respectively. This difference was not statistically significant. There was a tendency for postoperative dys‐equilibrium to be more frequent in the TLVNS group, but this finding did not reach statistical significance. A TL appears to offer the same benefit as TLVNS in the control of intractable episodic vertigo without the additional risks of TLVNS.
Meta-Analysis of First-Line Triple Therapy for Helicobacter pylori Eradication in Korea: Is It Time to Change?

Proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-based triple therapy consisting of PPI, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin, is the recommended first-line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection. However, the eradication rate of triple therapy has declined over the past few decades. We analyzed the eradication rate and adverse events of triple therapy to evaluate current practices in Korea. A comprehensive literature search was performed up to August 2013 of 104 relevant studies comprising 42,124 patients. The overall eradication rate was 74.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 72.1%-77.2%) by intention-to-treat analysis and 82.0% (95% CI, 80.8%-83.2%) by per-protocol analysis. The eradication rate decreased significantly from 1998 to 2013 (P < 0.001 for both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses). Adverse events were reported in 41 studies with 8,018 subjects with an overall incidence rate of 20.4% (95% CI, 19.6%-21.3%). The available data suggest that the effectiveness of standard triple therapy for H. pylori eradication has decreased to an unacceptable level. A novel therapeutic strategy is warranted to improve the effectiveness of first-line treatment for H. pylori infection in Korea. Graphical Abstract
Early Expression of the Calmodulin Gene, Which Precedes Appressorium Formation in Magnaporthe grisea, Is Inhibited by Self-Inhibitors and Requires Surface Attachment

ABSTRACT Fungal conidia contain chemicals that inhibit germination and appressorium formation until they are well dispersed in a favorable environment. Recently, such self-inhibitors were found to be present on the conidia of Magnaporthe grisea, and plant surface waxes were found to relieve this self-inhibition. To determine whether the self-inhibitors suppress the expression of early genes involved in the germination and differentiation of conidia, the calmodulin gene was chosen as a representative early gene, because it was found to be expressed early in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides andColletotrichum trifolii differentiation. After calmodulin cDNA and genomic DNA from M. grisea were cloned, the promoter of the calmodulin gene was fused to a reporter gene, that for green fluorescent protein (GFP), and transformed into the M. grisea genome. Confocal microscopic examination and quantitation of expression of GFP green fluorescence showed (i) that the expression of the calmodulin gene decreased significantly when self-inhibition ofM. grisea appressorium formation occurred because of high conidial density or addition of exogenous self-inhibitors and (ii) that the expression level of this gene was restored when self-inhibition was relieved by the addition of plant surface waxes. The increase in fluorescence correlated with the percentage of conidia that formed appressoria. The induction of calmodulin was also confirmed by RNA blotting. Concanavalin A inhibited surface attachment of conidia, GFP expression, and appressorium formation without affecting germination. The high correlation between GFP expression and appressorium formation strongly suggests that calmodulin gene expression and appressorium formation require surface attachment.
A Two-Tube Multiplex Reverse Transcription PCR Assay for Simultaneous Detection of Sixteen Human Respiratory Virus Types/Subtypes

There is a need for the development of a rapid and sensitive diagnosis of respiratory viral pathogens. With an intended application in provincial Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, in this study, we present a two-tube multiplex RT-PCR assay (two-tube assay) using automatic electrophoresis to simultaneously detect sixteen common respiratory viruses. The specificity and the sensitivity of the assay were tested. The assay could detect 20–200 copies per reaction when each viral type was assayed individually, 2000 copies with 9 premixed viral targets in the multiplexed assay in tube 1, and 200 copies with 8 premixed templates in tube 2. A total of 247 specimens were used to evaluate the two-tube assay, and the results were compared with those obtained from the Luminex xTAG RVP Fast assay. The discordant results were confirmed by sequencing or by the Seeplex RV15 ACE detection kit. There were no false positives, but six false negatives occurred with the two-tube assay. In conclusion, the two-tube assay is demonstrated to have great potential for routine surveillance of respiratory virus infection in China.
Online Variational Bayesian Subspace Filtering

Many real world applications that suffer from missing data and outliers can be modeled in a matrix completion framework. In this paper, we consider low-rank matrices whose subspace evolves according to a state-space model and propose an online variational Bayesian formulation to learn the low rank components as well as the state-space model. Unlike the other matrix/tensor completion techniques, in our framework, the key algorithm parameters like rank and various noise power need not be fine-tuned and are learned automatically. We also propose a forward-backward algorithm that allows update to be carried out at low complexity manner. Simulations performed on the real world traffic data illustrates promising imputation as well as temporal prediction performance even in an online setup.
Common changes in cerebral blood flow in patients with social phobia treated with citalopram or cognitive-behavioral therapy.

BACKGROUND Neurofunctional changes underlying effective antianxiety treatments are incompletely characterized. This study explored the effects of citalopram and cognitive-behavioral therapy on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in social phobia. METHODS By means of positron emission tomography with oxygen 15-labeled water, rCBF was assessed in 18 previously untreated patients with social phobia during an anxiogenic public speaking task. Patients were matched for sex, age, and phobia severity, based on social anxiety questionnaire data, and randomized to citalopram medication, cognitive-behavioral group therapy, or a waiting-list control group. Scans were repeated after 9 weeks of treatment or waiting time. Outcome was assessed by subjective and psychophysiological state anxiety measures and self-report questionnaires. Questions were readministered after 1 year. RESULTS Symptoms improved significantly and roughly equally with citalopram and cognitive-behavioral therapy, whereas the waiting-list group remained unchanged. Four patients in each treated group and 1 waiting-list patient were classified as responders. Within both treated groups, and in responders regardless of treatment approach, improvement was accompanied by a decreased rCBF-response to public speaking bilaterally in the amygdala, hippocampus, and the periamygdaloid, rhinal, and parahippocampal cortices. Between-group comparisons confirmed that rCBF in these regions decreased significantly more in treated groups than control subjects, and in responders than nonresponders, particularly in the right hemisphere. The degree of amygdalar-limbic attenuation was associated with clinical improvement a year later. CONCLUSIONS Common sites of action for citalopram and cognitive-behavioral treatment of social anxiety were observed in the amygdala, hippocampus, and neighboring cortical areas, ie, brain regions subserving bodily defense reactions to threat.
Skeletal muscle stem cells in developmental versus regenerative myogenesis

Tissue and organ regeneration proceed in a coordinated manner to restore proper function after trauma. Vertebrate skeletal muscle has a remarkable ability to regenerate after repeated and complete destruction of the tissue, yet limited information is available on how muscle stem and progenitor cells, and other nonmuscle cells, reestablish homeostasis after the regenerative process. The genetic pathways that regulate the establishment of skeletal muscle in the embryo have been studied extensively, and many of the genes that govern muscle stem cell maintenance and commitment are redeployed during adult homeostasis and regeneration. Therefore, correlates can be made between embryonic muscle development and postnatal regeneration. However, there are some important distinctions between prenatal development and regeneration – in the context of the cells, niche, anatomy and the regulatory genes employed. The similarities and distinctions between these two scenarios are the focus of this review.
On mesoscale analysis and ASCAT ambiguity removal

The two‐dimensional variational ambiguity removal (2DVAR) method provides a spatial analysis of the sampled ocean vector winds to resolve the local Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) dual wind vector ambiguity. Like other variational meteorological data assimilation systems in numerical weather prediction (NWP), 2DVAR combines ASCAT observations with prior NWP background information, in this case from the European Centre for Medium‐range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Although 2DVAR is generally effective, it may select the wrong ambiguity under certain conditions, e.g. when the background mislocates frontal areas or low‐pressure centres, or when it misses convective systems. The relative influence of the ASCAT and ECMWF wind fields in the resulting 2DVAR analysis field can be controlled by adjusting the background error spatial correlation structure, and the background and/or observation error variances. In this article an adaptive 2DVAR approach is proposed to improve ASCAT ambiguity removal, using background error spatial correlations estimated from the autocorrelation of observed scatterometer wind components minus ECMWF forecasts, and using observation and background errors estimated from triple collocation analysis on collocated buoy, ASCAT and ECMWF data. The triple collocations are segregated into several categories according to the ASCAT‐derived parameters that have proven to be effective in detecting the correct position of frontal lines and low‐pressure centres. Verification using a typical cyclone case and collocated ASCAT and buoy winds shows that the 2DVAR analysis as well as the ASCAT ambiguity removal is improved significantly by putting more weight on the ASCAT observations using empirically determined spatial background error structure functions and situation‐dependent observation/background error variances.
Cell-mediated immunity to Epstein-Barr-virus-transformed lymphoblastoid cells in acute infectious mononucleosis.

Mononuclear peripheral blood leukocytes from 21 patients with infectious mononucleosis and 16 healthy controls were tested in a 51Cr-release assay for cytotoxicity against two human lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from the same donor. One line contained the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV); the other did not. Acute-phase leukocytes were significantly more cytotoxic against the EBV-infected cell line than were control leukocytes. Mean (+/- S.E.) lysis at a leukocyte-target-cell ratio of 100:1 was 10.6 +/- 1.6 per cent for patients and 3.4 +/- 0.6 per cent for controls (P less than 0.0005). Cytotoxicity correlated with the percentage of atypical lymphocytes. Cells of three patients with acute mononucleosis-like illnesses failed to show killing activity above those of normal controls. Cytotoxicity against the EBV-negative line was not significantly different for each group. The finding of cytotoxic cells in infectious-mononucleosis patients with atypical lymphocytes suggests that these cells operate in vivo to limit the proliferation of altered EBV-transformed B lymphoblasts.
Optimum bandwidth per sub-carrier of multicarrier/DS-CDMA for broadband packet wireless access in reverse link

This paper elucidates the optimum bandwidth per subcarrier in the reverse link for multicarrier (MC)/DS-CDMA using a 10 to 80 MHz bandwidth in a multipath fading channel with numerous resolved multipaths, taking into account all major effects, ie, the improvement in the Rake time diversity effect and the degradation in the path search and the channel estimation due to multipath interference (MPI). The simulation results show that the improvement in radio link performance is almost saturated at a bandwidth of greater than 40 MHz (the corresponding number of multipaths is 12-48) when the spreading factor of the channel is SF = 32, and the best performance is achieved at the bandwidth of approximately 20 MHz when SF = 4 with two-branch antenna diversity reception. This is generated by the tradeoff between the improvement in the Rake time diversity effect and the increased MPI in addition to the degradation in the path search and channel estimation accuracy associated with a lower average received signal-to-interference plus background noise power ratio. Therefore, we conclude that MC/DS-CDMA, where each carrier has the bandwidth of approximately 20-40 MHz, is one of the most promising candidates for broadband packet wireless access in the reverse link.
Functions of gamma‐band synchronization in cognition: from single circuits to functional diversity across cortical and subcortical systems

Gamma‐band activity (30–90 Hz) and the synchronization of neural activity in the gamma‐frequency range have been observed in different cortical and subcortical structures and have been associated with different cognitive functions. However, it is still unknown whether gamma‐band synchronization subserves a single universal function or a diversity of functions across the full spectrum of cognitive processes. Here, we address this question reviewing the mechanisms of gamma‐band oscillation generation and the functions associated with gamma‐band activity across several cortical and subcortical structures. Additionally, we raise a plausible explanation of why gamma rhythms are found so ubiquitously across brain structures. Gamma band activity originates from the interplay between inhibition and excitation. We stress that gamma oscillations, associated with this interplay, originate from basic functional motifs that conferred advantages for low‐level system processing and multiple cognitive functions throughout evolution. We illustrate the multifunctionality of gamma‐band activity by considering its role in neural systems for perception, selective attention, memory, motivation and behavioral control. We conclude that gamma‐band oscillations support multiple cognitive processes, rather than a single one, which, however, can be traced back to a limited set of circuit motifs which are found universally across species and brain structures.
CLINAL VARIATION IN MALE‐TO‐MALE ANTAGONISM AND WEAPONRY IN A SUBSOCIAL MITE

Male aggressiveness is highly variable among populations of a subsocial spider mite that occurs throughout Japan. The average level of aggressiveness is positively correlated with mean winter temperature and with the relative size among males of leg I, which is used as a weapon in this species. The relatedness of males within nests is influenced by rates of overwinter survival, with high survivorship leading to low relatedness, increased aggressiveness, and larger legs I. Within this species, variation in the intensity of sexual selection may therefore be influenced both by natural selection and by kin selection.
Denali: Lightweight Virtual Machines for Distributed and Networked Applications

The goal of Denali is to safely execute many independent, untrusted server applications on a single physical machine. This would enable any developer to inject a new service into third-party Internet infrastructure; for example, dynamic content generation code could be introduced into content-delivery networks or caching systems. We believe that virtual machine monitors (VMMs) are ideally suited to this application domain. A VMM provides strong isolation by default, since one virtual machine cannot directly name a resource in another. In addition, VMMs defer the implementation of high-level abstractions to guest OSs, which greatly simplifies the kernel and avoids “layer-below” attacks. The main challenge in using a VMM for this application domain is in scaling the number of concurrent virtual machines that can simultaneously execute on it. The distinction between Denali and existing VMMs is that we make aggressive use of para-virtualization techniques. Para-virtualization entails selectively modifying the virtual architecture to enhance scalability, performance, and simplicity. By using para-virtualization, we believe Denali will be able to scale up to an order-ofmagnitude more virtual machines than existing VMMs. We have implemented a prototype virtual machine monitor that runs in ring 0 on bare x86 hardware. In addition, we have built a simple guest OS tailored to writing
Effects of Vagal Nerve Stimulation on Cognition and Quality of Life in Epilepsy

To evaluate the cognitive and quality-of-life (QOL) impacts of vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), 160 patients with uncontrolled partial seizures from 20 sites were enrolled in a double-blind study. Patients were randomly assigned to low (minimal) stimulation (n = 82) or high (now clinically used) stimulation (n = 78) conditions and given a group of cognitive and QOL tests before implantation and after 12-16 weeks of VNS treatment. Results showed no clear cognitive changes. However, fewer emotional and physical problems were reported by the High Group than the Low Group at the end of the study. The 32 patients who had at least 50% seizure relief showed slightly more improvement in QOL variables than those patients who did not demonstrate this degree of seizure reduction. Overall, a small number of favorable QOL but no cognitive changes were associated with levels of VNS stimulation that are now typically used clinically.