Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial Calibration and Temporal Validation of Flow for Regional Scale Hydrologic Modeling 1

Abstract: Physically based regional scale hydrologic modeling is gaining importance for planning and management of water resources. Calibration and validation of such regional scale model is necessary before applying it for scenario assessment. However, in most regional scale hydrologic modeling, flow validation is performed at the river basin outlet without accounting for spatial variations in hydrological parameters within the subunits. In this study, we calibrated the model to capture the spatial variations in runoff at subwatershed level to assure local water balance, and validated the streamflow at key gaging stations along the river to assure temporal variability. Ohio and Arkansas‐White‐Red River Basins of the United States were modeled using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for the period from 1961 to 1990. R2 values of average annual runoff at subwatersheds were 0.78 and 0.99 for the Ohio and Arkansas Basins. Observed and simulated annual and monthly streamflow from 1961 to 1990 is used for temporal validation at the gages. R2 values estimated were greater than 0.6. In summary, spatially distributed calibration at subwatersheds and temporal validation at the stream gages accounted for the spatial and temporal hydrological patterns reasonably well in the two river basins. This study highlights the importance of spatially distributed calibration and validation in large river basins.
Emerging organic contaminants in aquatic environments: state-of-the-art and recent scientific contributions

Resum. Els contaminants emergents son contaminants previament desconeguts o no reconeguts com a tals, la presencia dels quals en el medi ambient no es necessariament nova, pero si la preocupacio pels possibles efectes perillosos sobre la salut humana i la dels ecosistemes. A causa de llur recent descobriment o reconeixement com a contaminants, la informacio que se’n disposa sobre la presencia, el desti i la toxicitat en ambients aquatics, i sobre els metodes analitics per a detectar-los en diverses matrius ambientals es escassa. En els darrers anys, el grup liderat pel professor d’investigacio Damia Barcelo Culleres ha participat intensament en l’estudi de nombroses classes de contaminants emergents (estrogens, farmacs, drogues, nanoparticules, plaguicides polars, etc.). Aquest article repassa les contribucions mes recents fetes pel grup en aquest camp dels contaminants emergents en les linies de desenvolupament de metodes analitics, programes de vigilancia ambiental i estudis de biodisponibilitat, degradacio i toxicitat.
Acute poisonings treated in hospitals in Oslo: A one-year prospective study (I): Pattern of poisoning

Objectives. Prospective design is mandatory to study pattern of poisoning and suicidal intention of patients. Material and Methods. Prospective cross-sectional multi-center study of all patients contacting health care services because of acute poisoning during one year in Oslo, irrespective of intention. Data on the adult hospitalized patients (≥16 years) are presented here. Results. Of a total of 3,775 such adult contacts (3,025 episodes), there were 947 (31 %) hospitalizations; annual incidence 1.9 (per 1,000) in males and 2.1 in females. Median age was 36 years (range 16–89); 54% females. Benzodiazepines (18%), ethanol (17%), paracetamol (12%), opioids (7%), and gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) (7%) were most frequently taken. Patients stated suicidal intention in 29% of the admissions; physicians in 10%. Conclusion. Benzodiazepines and ethanol were the most common agents, but newer illicit drugs were frequent, especially GHB. Males often took ethanol and drugs of abuse; females often used prescription drugs with suicidal intention.
Derivation of the transfer function for a speech production model including the nasal cavity

In order to obtain articulatory analysis of speech signals the standard speech production model is improved. The standard model, as used in LPC analysis, to a large extent only models the acoustic properties of the speech signal as opposed to articulatory modelling of the speech production. In spite of this the LPC model is by far the most widely used model in speech technology. The thesis presents research in which the standard model is enhanced in two respects: Firstly the nasal cavity in the human speech production system is incorporated into the model and the corresponding mathematical model, which contains both poles and zeros, is established. The transfer function is determined as a fairly complex expression, but using a program for symbolic mathematics the order is determined. Once the order is known, system identification techniques are applied to determine the transfer function on normal form, from which the poles and zeros are obtainable. Secondly a signal analysis algorithm corresponding to the extended speech production model is described. The algorithm extracts the glottal signal contribution from the speech signal by estimating the parameters of a glottal signal model, thereby obtaining the transfer function of the vocal tract. It is desired to determine the transfer function of the vocal tract isolated from excitation signal characteristics because the transfer function closely corresponds to the vocal tract shape. The algorithm is improved to allow frequency weighting of the error spectrum without sacrificing the time resolution of the analysis. The described components contribute to the research in articulatory speech analysis rather than being an attempt to find a complete and final solution to the problem.
Prognostic significance of acquired copy‐neutral loss of heterozygosity in acute myeloid leukemia

Chromosomal abnormalities are important in the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Genomic microarray techniques detect recurrent copy‐neutral loss of heterozygosity (cnLOH) in addition to copy number aberrations. However, the clinical utility has not been fully established. Therefore, in the current study, the authors examined the prognostic impact of acquired cnLOH in patients with AML, including complete remission (CR) rate, duration of CR, and overall survival (OS).
Mammalian pre-implantation chromosomal instability: species comparison, evolutionary considerations, and pathological correlations

Abstract Pre-implantation embryo development in mammals begins at fertilization with the migration and fusion of the maternal and paternal pro-nuclei, followed by the degradation of inherited factors involved in germ cell specification and the activation of embryonic genes required for subsequent cell divisions, compaction, and blastulation. The majority of studies on early embryogenesis have been conducted in the mouse or non-mammalian species, often requiring extrapolation of the findings to human development. Given both conserved similarities and species-specific differences, however, even comparison between closely related mammalian species may be challenging as certain aspects, including susceptibility to chromosomal aberrations, varies considerably across mammals. Moreover, most human embryo studies are limited to patient samples obtained from in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics and donated for research, which are generally of poorer quality and produced with germ cells that may be sub-optimal. Recent technical advances in genetic, epigenetic, chromosomal, and time-lapse imaging analyses of high quality whole human embryos have greatly improved our understanding of early human embryogenesis, particularly at the single embryo and cell level. This review summarizes the major characteristics of mammalian pre-implantation development from a chromosomal perspective, in addition to discussing the technological achievements that have recently been developed to obtain this data. We also discuss potential translation to clinical applications in reproductive medicine and conclude by examining the broader implications of these findings for the evolution of mammalian species and cancer pathology in somatic cells.
Long bone fractures in children under 3 years of age: Is abuse being missed in Emergency Department presentations?

Objective: Distinguishing injuries due to accidents from those due to child abuse in young children is important to prevent further abuse. We aimed to study the presenting features, mechanism of injury, type of fracture and indicators of possible abuse in children under 3 years of age, presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) of a tertiary referral Children's Hospital, to see whether those injuries that were more likely abusive were distinguished from those that were more likely accidental.
Best Practices for Use of Historical Control Data of Proliferative Rodent Lesions

CHARLOTTE KEENAN, SUSAN ELMORE, SABINE FRANCKE-CARROLL, RAMON KEMP, ROY KERLIN, SHYAMAL PEDDADA, JOHN PLETCHER, MATTHIAS RINKE, STEPHEN PETER SCHMIDT, IAN TAYLOR, AND DOUGLAS C. WOLF GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA National Toxicology Program (NTP), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), U.S. Food and Drug Administration, College Park, Maryland, USA Merck Research Laboratories, Riom, France Pfizer Inc., Groton, Connecticut, USA NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA Charles River, Frederick, Maryland, USA Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Wuppertal, Germany Huntingdon Life Sciences, Eye, United Kingdom U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
Oxalate transport by proximal tubule of the rabbit kidney.

Oxalate transport was examined in isolated perfused segments of the proximal tubule of the rabbit. When oxalate was present in a concentration of 10(-5) M in the bathing and perfusing solutions, there was a net secretory flux of oxalate of 36.4 +/- 1.4, 34.7 +/- 4.3, and 20.7 +/- 2.8 x 10(-15) mol . min-1 . mm-1 in the superficial S1, S2, and S3 segments, respectively, at a bath temperature of 37 degrees C. The net secretory flux of oxalate in the juxtamedullary S1 and S2 segments was 12.8 +/- 2.5 and 12.5 +/- 3.6 x 10(-15) mol . min-1 . mm-1, respectively. Cooling to 25 degrees C resulted in a significant decrease in the net flux of oxalate. When oxalate was present in the bathing solution only (10(-5) M), the bath-to-lumen flux of oxalate was not different from the net flux in the superficial and juxtamedullary S2 segments. These studies demonstrate that oxalate undergoes net secretion in the rabbit proximal tubule. This occurs against an electrical gradient, in the absence of concentration gradients, and can be inhibited by cooling, suggesting an active transport process. There is significant internephronal heterogeneity in the proximal tubule for oxalate secretion.
Transmission expansion planning by meta-heuristic techniques: A comparison of Shuffled Frog Leaping Algorithm, PSO and GA

This paper presents the application of a memtic meta-heuristic optimization technique known as Shuffled Frog Leaping Algorithm (SFLA) to the problem of transmission network expansion planning. The main objective of the proposed problem is to minimize total cost by finding the place, number and type of new transmission lines required to ensure that the power system meets the forecasted demand in the most economic and reliable way. The proposed static transmission expansion planning problem is formulated as a mixed integer programming optimization problem to minimize the total cost comprised of investment cost of building new lines, congestion costs and the cost of load curtailment due to contingencies. The proposed algorithm has been successfully applied to IEEE RTS 24-bus test system and the performance of the proposed algorithm has been compared with other heuristic optimization techniques such as particle swarm optimization (PSO) and Genetic Algorithm (GA). The comparison results testify to the feasibility and efficiency of the developed algorithm in solving the transmission expansion planning problem.
Injustice Experience Questionnaire, Japanese Version: Cross-Cultural Factor-Structure Comparison and Demographics Associated with Perceived Injustice

Objective The Injustice Experience Questionnaire (IEQ) assesses injury-related perceived injustice. This study aimed to (1) develop a Japanese version (IEQ-J), (2) examine its factor structure, validity, and reliability, and (3) discover which demographic variable(s) positively contributed to prediction of IEQ-J scores. Methods Data from 71 patients (33 male, 38 female; age = 20+) with injury pain were employed to investigate factor structure by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Concurrent validity was examined by Pearson correlation coefficients among the IEQ-J, Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). Internal consistency was investigated by Cronbach’s alpha, and test-retest reliability was indicated with intra-class correlations (ICCs) in 42 of 71 patients within four weeks. Relations between demographic variables and IEQ-J scores were examined by covariance analysis and linear regression models. Results IEQ-J factor structure differed from the original two-factor model. A three-factor model with Severity/irreparability, Blame/unfairness, and Perceived lack of empathy was extracted. The three-factor model showed goodness-of-fit with the data and sufficient reliability (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.90 for total IEQ-J; ICCs = 0.96). Pearson correlation coefficients among IEQ-J, BPI, and PCS ranged from 0.38 to 0.73. Pain duration over a year (regression coefficient, 11.92, 95%CI; 5.95–17.89) and liability for injury on another (regression coefficient, 12.17, 95%CI; 6.38–17.96) predicted IEQ-J total scores. Conclusions This study evidenced the IEQ-J’s sound psychometric properties. The three-factor model was the latter distinctive in the Japanese version. Pain duration over a year and injury liability by another statistically significantly increased IEQ-J scores.
Comprehensive study of random telegraph noise in base and collector of advanced SiGe HBT: Bias, geometry and trap locations

In this paper, we present extensive random telegraph signal (RTS) noise characterization in advanced SiGe:C heterojunction bipolar transistors. In frequency domain, in addition to 1/f noise, generation-recombination (G-R) mechanisms are observed at low base bias in the base noise. Their existence is confirmed by RTS noise measurements in time domain. The RTS amplitude evolves rather slowly with bias, indicating their mechanism to have originated in peripheral locations. In the collector side, on the onset of high-current effects, distinct RTS noise is observed that possibly originates from the traps in the trench regions. Extraction of time constants from RTS noise and their bias dependence are presented that provides estimation of trap location within the device structure.
Variations in the uptake and metabolism of peptides and amino acids by mixed ruminal bacteria in vitro

Mixed ruminal bacteria, isolated from sheep (Q and W) fed a concentrate and hay diet, were anaerobically incubated with either 14C-peptides or 14C-amino acids. Experiment 1 showed that uptake of both 14C-labeled substrates was rapid, but the rate for amino acids was twofold greater than for peptides (molecular weight, 1,000 to 200) initially but was similar after 10 min. Experiment 2 demonstrated that metabolism was also rapid; at least 90% of either 14C-labeled substrate was metabolized by 3 min. Of the radioactivity remaining in bacteria, approximately 30% was in the form of 14C-amino acids, but only in leucine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine. Supernatant radioactivity was contained only in tyrosine, phenylalanine, and mostly proline for incubations with 14C-amino acids but in up to 10 amino acids when 14C-peptides were the substrates. Short-term incubations (< 5 min; experiment 3) confirmed previous uptake patterns and showed that the experimental system was responsive to substrate competition. Experiment 4 demonstrated that bacteria from sheep Q possessed initial and maximum rates of 14C-amino acid uptake approximately fourfold greater (P < 0.01) than those of 14C-peptides, but with no significant differences (P > 0.1) between four 14C-peptide substrate groups with molecular weights of 2,000 to < 200. By contrast, bacteria from sheep W showed no such distinctions (P > 0.1) between rates for 14C-peptides and 14C-amino acids. Calculations suggested that peptides could supply from 11 to 35% and amino acids could supply from 36 to 68% of the N requirements of mixed ruminal bacteria. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Critical Success Factors of Implementing Total Quality Management in Libyan Organisations

Total Quality Management (TQM) is one of the approaches that contributes towards ensuring that projects are being delivered to the stakeholder requirements. The main purpose of this paper is to identify critical success factors (CSFs) that affect the implementation of TQM in Libyan Construction Industry (LCI). This research adopted both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The findings of this research is based upon 200 questionnaires distributed to quality and general managers working with forty-five construction contracting companies operating in the public and private sectors in Tripoli. The structured survey yielded 130 responses and the data collated was analysed using factor analysis. The results identify five reliable and valid TQM dimensions, namely organisation management, communication to improve quality, training and development, employee involvement and recognition, and culture.
Image Analysis of Bulk Grain Samples Using Neural Networks

Algorithms were developed to acquire and process color images of bulk grain samples of five grain types, namely barley, oats, rye, wheat, and durum wheat. The images were acquired using a video camera and were digitized using a frame grabber board. The images were stored on a personal computer from where they were accessed by an image processing program which extracted over 150 color and textural features. A neural-network-based classifier was developed to identify the unknown grain types. The color and textural features were presented to a back propagation neural network for training purposes. The trained network was then used to identify the unknown grain types. Results showed a classification accuracy of over 90% for all grain types.
Association of Statin Use with Storage Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: Data Mining of Claims Database

Background: It remains uncertain whether or not statin use is associated with development of micturition disorders. To examine the association between statin use and the risk of storage lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), data mining was performed on a claims database. Methods: Symmetry analysis was carried out to identify the risk of storage LUTS after statin use during the period from January 2005 to December 2011. Statin use in combination with drugs for storage LUTS was examined by prescription sequence symmetry analysis. Likewise, event sequence symmetry analysis was undertaken to evaluate the association between statin use and the diagnosis of storage LUTS and overactive bladder (OAB). Results: Significant associations of statin use with drugs for storage LUTS were found, with an adjusted sequence ratio (ASR) of 1.58 (1.08-2.33) at an interval of 6 months. In the analysis of drugs for OAB alone, significant associations were found, with ASRs of 1.82 (1.14-2.97) and 1.47 (1.06-2.04) at intervals of 6 and 12 months, respectively.In analyses of individual statins and drugs for OAB, a significant association was found for pravastatin, with an ASR of 2.66 (1.15-6.88) at an interval of 6 months, but not for other statins. Significant associations were found for statin users in analyses of diagnosis of OAB, with ASRs of 2.00 (1.18-3.50) and 1.58 (1.10-2.28) at intervals of 6 and 12 months. Conclusion: Analysis of the claims database demonstrated that statins might be associated with a new onset of storage LUTS. Statin-associated storage LUTS should be monitored closely in clinical practice, and further studies are needed to confirm our findings and elucidate the mechanism for statin-associated storage LUTS.
Invasive pneumococcal disease in Scotland, 1999-2001: use of record linkage to explore associations between patients and disease in relation to future vaccination policy.

A record linkage study was done to provide comprehensive data on the epidemiologic characteristics of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in Scotland. The overall incidence of IPD was 11 cases/10(5) persons and 21 cases/10(5) persons <1 year of age, 51 cases/10(5) persons 1 year of age, 45 cases/10(5) elderly persons (age > or =65 years), 176-483 cases/10(5) persons with chronic medical conditions, and 562-2031 cases/10(5) persons with severe immunosuppression. The case-fatality rate was 11% among elderly persons and ranged from 3% to 13% among persons with underlying medical conditions. The most common pneumococcal serogroups associated with IPD were 14, 9, 6, 19, 23, 8, and 4. Serogroups included in the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine caused the majority of cases of IPD. The proportion of IPD due to the 7-, 9-, and 11-valent conjugate vaccine serogroups was lower among older people and persons with underlying medical conditions.
A soft voice activity detector based on a Laplacian-Gaussian model

A new voice activity detector (VAD) is developed in this paper. The VAD is derived by applying a Bayesian hypothesis test on decorrelated speech samples. The signal is first decorrelated using an orthogonal transformation, e.g., discrete cosine transform (DCT) or the adaptive Karhunen-Loeve transform (KLT). The distributions of clean speech and noise signals are assumed to be Laplacian and Gaussian, respectively, as investigated recently. In addition, a hidden Markov model (HMM) is employed with two states representing silence and speech. The proposed soft VAD estimates the probability of voice being active (VBA), recursively. To this end, first the a priori probability of VBA is estimated/predicted based on feedback information from the previous time instance. Then the predicted probability is combined/updated with the new observed signal to calculate the probability of VBA at the current time instance. The required parameters of both speech and noise signals are estimated, adaptively, by the maximum likelihood (ML) approach. The simulation results show that the proposed soft VAD that uses a Laplacian distribution model for speech signals outperforms the previous VAD that uses a Gaussian model.
Two formalisms, one renormalized stress-energy tensor

We explicitly compare the structure of the renormalized stress-energy tensor of a massless scalar field in a (1 + 1) curved spacetime as obtained by two different strategies: normal-mode construction of the field operator and one-loop effective action. We pay special attention to where and how the information related to the choice of vacuum state in both formalisms is encoded. By establishing a clear translation map between both procedures, we show that these two potentially different renormalized stress-energy tensors are actually equal, when using vacuum-state choices related by this map. One specific aim of the analysis is to facilitate the comparison of results regarding semiclassical effects in gravitational collapse as obtained within these different formalisms.