Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Secure Strategyproof Ascending-Price Spectrum Auction

Spectrum auction, as an ideal solution for the dynamic channel allocation problem, has become a research hotspot in recent years. Nevertheless, many spectrum auction schemes only focus on economic issues. They lack either a formal security guarantee of bidder privacy or certain auction properties, which may dampen potential bidders&#x2019; enthusiasm. In this paper, we first point out that a recent ascendingprice auction scheme GAVEL (MobiHoc &#x2019;16) failed to provide privacy since the bidder valuation for channels could be inferred by observing when the bidder quits the auction. In response, we design a privacy-preserving scheme which respects essential auction properties (strategyproofness, efficiency, and adaptive bidding) and spectrum properties (reusable and finegrained channels). Our formal security analysis proves that it is secure against semi-honest adversaries and thus protects the bidders&#x2019; sensitive information including demand curves and true valuations. It is the first provably secure ascendingprice auction scheme for spectrum allocation to the best of our knowledge.
Arizona’s Jurassic Fossil Vertebrates and the Age of the Glen Canyon Group

Most fossil vertebrates of Jurassic age from Arizona are derived from the Glen Canyon Group on the southern Colorado Plateau in the northeastern part of the state. Glen Canyon Group strata of Jurassic age in Arizona that yield fossils include the upper Dinosaur Canyon and the Whitmore Point members of the Moenave Formation, the Kayenta Formation, and the Navajo Sandstone. All of these units yield both trace (principally dinosaur footprint) and body fossils of tetrapods. To date, only the Kayenta Formation fauna is particularly diverse (more than 10 taxa), and the Kayenta fauna is one of the best known Dawan (Early Jurassic: Sinemurian) tetrapod faunas in North America, and includes numerous type specimens, representing important records of tritylodonts, theropod dinosaurs, amphibians, turtles, and mammals. Non-Glen Canyon Group records of Jurassic vertebrates from northern Arizona are limited to scattered occurrences of footprints in the Middle-Upper Jurassic Summerville Formation and a single documented Apatosaurus vertebra from the Morrison Formation. The only Jurassic vertebrates from southern Arizona are fragmentary tetrapods from the Gardner Canyon Formation in the Santa Rita Mountains and undescribed osteichthyans from Upper Jurassic marine strata in the Chiricahua Mountains.
The correlation between lymphocyte/monocyte ratio and coronary collateral circulation in stable coronary artery disease patients.

AIM Coronary collateral circulation (CCC) has an important impact on cardiovascular prognosis and well-developed CCC is associated with better clinical outcomes. We investigated whether lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR) has an association with CCC in patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD). METHODS The study population consisted of 245 patients with SCAD. Patients were classified into a poor CCC group (Rentrop grades 0/1, n = 87), or good CCC group (Rentrop grades 2/3, n = 158). RESULTS LMR values were significantly higher in patients with good CCC than in those with poor CCC (4.41 ± 1.58 vs 2.76 ± 1.10; p < 0.001). In receiver operating characteristic analysis, optimal cutoff of LMR for predicting well-developed CCC was 3.38. In multivariate analysis, LMR >3.38 (OR 4.637; p = 0.004), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (OR 0.810, p < 0.001), dyslipidemia (OR 2.485; p = 0.039), and presence of chronic total occlusion (OR 16.836; p < 0.001) were independent predictors of well-developed CCC. CONCLUSION Increased LMR predicts well-developed CCC in SCAD patients.
Effects of adrenalectomy and glucocorticoids on the peptides CRF‐41, AVP and oxytocin in rat hypophysial portal blood.

1. The effects of adrenalectomy (3 weeks) and dexamethasone (3 h) treatment on the release of corticotrophin‐releasing factor‐41 (CRF‐41), arginine vasopressin (AVP), oxytocin (OT), adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) and corticosterone were studied in adult female Wistar rats. 2. The animals were anaesthetized with sodium pentobarbitone which, as assessed by the effects on the circadian rhythm of plasma ACTH and corticosterone, appeared to be a better anaesthetic than either urethane or alphaxalone for studies on the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal system. 3. Adrenalectomy increased the concentrations of ACTH in peripheral plasma and the output of CRF‐41 and AVP into hypophysial portal plasma. 4. Dexamethasone administered to adrenalectomized rats significantly reduced the concentration of ACTH in peripheral plasma and the amount of AVP released into portal plasma. However, dexamethasone did not affect the output of CRF‐41 into portal blood. 5. The output of OT into portal plasma was unaffected by either adrenalectomy or dexamethasone treatment. 6. Dexamethasone administered to adrenalectomized rats reduced significantly the ACTH response to CRF‐41. 7. These results show that the feed‐back action of glucocorticoids is mediated by two mechanisms. The increased release of ACTH which follows adrenolectomy [corrected] is produced predominantly by an increased release of both CRF‐41 and AVP into hypophysial portal blood. The intermediate negative feed‐back of glucocorticoids is produced by a reduction in the output of AVP but not CRF‐41 into portal blood and, as well, by a significant reduction in the responsiveness of the anterior pituitary gland to CRF‐41.
Clinical Outcomes in 3343 Children and Adults With Rheumatic Heart Disease From 14 Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Two-Year Follow-Up of the Global Rheumatic Heart Disease Registry (the REMEDY Study).

BACKGROUND There are few contemporary data on the mortality and morbidity associated with rheumatic heart disease or information on their predictors. We report the 2-year follow-up of individuals with rheumatic heart disease from 14 low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia. METHODS Between January 2010 and November 2012, we enrolled 3343 patients from 25 centers in 14 countries and followed them for 2 years to assess mortality, congestive heart failure, stroke or transient ischemic attack, recurrent acute rheumatic fever, and infective endocarditis. RESULTS Vital status at 24 months was known for 2960 (88.5%) patients. Two-thirds were female. Although patients were young (median age, 28 years; interquartile range, 18-40), the 2-year case fatality rate was high (500 deaths, 16.9%). Mortality rate was 116.3/1000 patient-years in the first year and 65.4/1000 patient-years in the second year. Median age at death was 28.7 years. Independent predictors of death were severe valve disease (hazard ratio [HR], 2.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.80-3.11), congestive heart failure (HR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.70-2.72), New York Heart Association functional class III/IV (HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.32-2.10), atrial fibrillation (HR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.10-1.78), and older age (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.02 per year increase) at enrollment. Postprimary education (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.54-0.85) and female sex (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.52-0.80) were associated with lower risk of death. Two hundred and four (6.9%) patients had new congestive heart failure (incidence, 38.42/1000 patient-years), 46 (1.6%) had a stroke or transient ischemic attack (8.45/1000 patient-years), 19 (0.6%) had recurrent acute rheumatic fever (3.49/1000 patient-years), and 20 (0.7%) had infective endocarditis (3.65/1000 patient-years). Previous stroke and older age were independent predictors of stroke/transient ischemic attack or systemic embolism. Patients from low- and lower-middle-income countries had significantly higher age- and sex-adjusted mortality than patients from upper-middle-income countries. Valve surgery was significantly more common in upper-middle-income than in lower-middle- or low-income countries. CONCLUSIONS Patients with clinical rheumatic heart disease have high mortality and morbidity despite being young; those from low- and lower-middle-income countries had a poorer prognosis associated with advanced disease and low education. Programs focused on early detection and the treatment of clinical rheumatic heart disease are required to improve outcomes.
Remarriage patterns of black and white women: Reassessing the role of educational attainment

Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, this article illustrates the role of educational attainment in the remarriage patterns of black and white women. For whites, remarriage propensities do not differ significantly by schooling level. For blacks, on the other hand, remarriage and education are positively associated, net of the effects of other variables such as age at separation and the number of children. Very few black high school dropouts in the sample had remarried 10 years after separation. The results suggest that for blacks, those with the worst socioeconomic prospects are least likely to remarry.
The effects of fatigue on decision making and shooting skill performance in water polo players

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the effects of fatigue on decision making and goal shooting skill in water polo. Fourteen junior elite male players (age 17.2 ± 0.5 years; mass 84.2 ± 7.6 kg; height 1.85 ± 0.05 m) completed four sets of eight repetitions of an approximately 18 s maximal water polo specific drill. Progressively declining rest ratios for each successive set of the drill were employed to induce increasing fatigue and reflect the demands of match-play. A video-based temporally occluded decision-making task (verbalized response to various tactical situations) or goal shooting skill test (qualitative and quantitative analysis of goal shooting) was performed after each set. Heart rate, rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and blood lactate concentration were recorded. Heart rate (159 ± 12, 168 ± 13, 176 ± 12, 181 ± 12 Deats min−1; P < 0.001) and RPE (13.1 ± 2.2, 15.5 ± 1.7, 17.3 ± 1.6, 19.1 ± 1.1; P < 0.001) increased with declining rest ratios. At very high fatigue, decision-making accuracy was 18.0 ± 21.8% better than at low fatigue (P = 0.008). Shooting accuracy and velocity were unaffected by incremental fatigue; however, skill proficiency (technique) decreased by 43 ± 24% between the pre-test and high-fatigue conditions (P < 0.001). In conclusion, incremental increases in fatigue differentially influenced decision making (improved) relative to the technical performance (declined), accuracy and speed of the ball (unchanged) of a water polo goal shot.
Atheromatous embolism in the brain

We report 15 autopsy cases with cerebral atheromatous embolism (14 men and one woman, 57 to 76 years of age) and analyze their pathologic features. Cardiovascular surgery or catheterization triggered the atheromatous embolism in the brain in six cases (aortocoronary bypass, two; emergency aortocoronary bypass after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, one; graft implantation for thoracic aortic aneurysm, two; coronary angiography, one). The events that had triggered embolism were not clear in the remaining nine cases. Pathologic examination of the brains revealed that nine cases had single or multiple cortical hemorrhagic infarcts corresponding to the border zones between two main cerebral arterial territories. Many of the leptomeningeal arteries located in the subarachnoid spaces of cortical sulci and surfaces adjacent to the infarcts were occluded by atheromatous emboli composed mostly of cholesterol crystals. The internal diameters of the occluded arteries ranged from 50 to 300 μm. Arterial territorial infarcts were present in six cases, three of which had thromboemboli containing various amounts of cholesterol crystals occluding the major arteries or their large branches supplying the infarcted areas, which were pale in two cases and hemorrhagic in one. The other three cases had hemorrhagic infarcts in which atheromatous emboli were present only in the small leptomeningeal arteries and were composed mostly of cholesterol crystals. Atheromatous embolism in the brain frequently causes border-zone infarcts by occlusion of the terminal cortical branches, and sometimes causes arterial territorial infarcts if the emboli are associated with fibrin and sufficiently large to occlude the larger arteries.
DYSURIA IN OLD AGE *

The incidence of symptoms of bladder dysfunction and of urinary‐tract infection in a population aged 65 and over is reported. The population represented 85 per cent of all the men and women in this age group on the list of one general practice. Nocturnal frequency of micturition occurred in 64 per cent, including 29 per cent who got up two or more times at night to pass urine. Nocturia became more common and more severe with advancing age, and was more common in patients with intellectual deficits. It was considered to be a neurogenic symptom. Incontinence was present in 20 per cent. Neurogenic changes and also trauma at parturition seemed to be contributing causes. Diurnal frequency (occurring in 10 per cent) showed no age association in women, but in men it became more common with advancing age, probably due to prostatism. Precipitancy (in 30 per cent) and scalding (in 11 per cent) were not associated with ageing, sex or infection. The symptoms generally are regarded as the ‘urethral syndrome,’ and our findings suggest a nonspecific urethritis. Although a significant degree of bacteriuria was present in 20 per cent of the women from the age of 65 and men from the age of 70, it played little part in producing any of the foregoing symptoms. Bacteriuria was not related to previous pregnancies, nor to trauma at parturition. It was related in men to a history of prostatectomy.
Comparison of microwave breast cancer detection results with breast phantom data and clinical trial data: Varying the number of antennas

Over the last two decades, microwave breast cancer detection has attracted an increasing amount of research attention and various research groups have recently commenced clinical testing. Much of the past assessment of algorithms and hardware has relied on breast phantoms. We illustrate in this paper through experimental data collected with breast phantoms that classification with breast phantoms can be a much easier task than that with clinical trial data (with numerically-simulated tumour responses). One antenna pair is sufficient to achieve almost perfect classification on the phantom data but has little success with the clinical trial data. The results demonstrate that we should exercise caution when evaluating classifier performance based solely on breast phantoms, and highlight the importance of validating microwave breast cancer detection algorithms with clinical trial data.
Mass Shootings and Public Support for Gun Control

The recent spate of mass public shootings in the United States raises important questions about how these tragic events might impact mass opinion and public policy. Integrating research on focusing events, contextual effects and perceived threat, this article stipulates that residing near a mass shooting should increase support for gun control by making the threat of gun violence more salient. Drawing upon multiple data sources on mass public shootings paired with large-N survey data, it demonstrates that increased proximity to a mass shooting is associated with heightened public support for stricter gun control. Importantly, the results show that this effect does not vary by partisanship, but does vary as a function of salience-related event factors, such as repetition, magnitude and recency. Critically, the core result is replicated using panel data. Together, these results suggest a process of context-driven policy feedback between existing gun laws, egregious gun violence and demand for policy change.
Weighted H∞ model reduction for linear switched systems with time-varying delay

This paper is concerned with H∞ model reduction for continuous-time linear switched systems with time-varying delay. For a given stable switched system, our attention is focused on construction of a reduced-order model such that the error system is exponentially stable with a prescribed weighted H∞ performance. By applying the average dwell time approach and the piecewise Lyapunov function technique, delay-dependent/deley-independent sufficient conditions are proposed in terms of linear matrix inequality (LMI) to guarantee the exponential stability and the weighted H∞ performance for the error system. The model reduction problem is solved by using the projection approach, which casts the model reduction problem into a sequential minimization problem subject to LMI constraints by employing the cone complementary linearization algorithm. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed theory. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Perceived Risk and Worry About Prostate Cancer: A Proposed Conceptual Model

Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer among American men, and worry about the disease has psychological, behavioral, and biological consequences. To better understand prostate cancer-specific worry, the authors tested a model of the interrelationships among family history of prostate cancer, perceived risk of and worry about prostate cancer, and perceived risk of and worry about other diseases. Men who attended prostate cancer-screening appointments at a general urology practice (n = 209) were given a brief anonymous self-report measure. Structural equation modeling (LISREL) results indicated: (1) perceived risk of prostate cancer mediated the relationship between family history of prostate cancer and prostate cancer worry; (2) perceived risk of other diseases increased perceived risk of prostate cancer; and (3) prostate cancer worry and increased other disease worry.
The Decision to Innovate : Aggregate Implications of Size-Based Distortions

In this paper I investigate how size-based policy distortions affect firm level decisions in the context of a partial-equilibrium model. Aggregate productivity is improved through heterogenous firms making investments in innovation. I calibrate and simulate economies under different tax distortions, focusing on tax schemes that fluctuate based on firm size. I find that under some size-based distortions, aggregate output is similar to aggregate output in an undistorted economy. However, firms pursue less innovation, and aggregate total factor productivity is lower. Output per worker is considerably lower, echoing previous work that underscores the importance of TFP in explaining cross-country differences in income.
Regulation of Nitric Oxide by Cigarette Smoke in Airway Cells

Background and Objectives: Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) is decreased by smoking while oxides of nitrogen such as nitrites/nitrates (NOx) are increased. It was hypothesised that in vitro cigarette smoke extract (CSE) would either inhibit NO generation by increasing the NO synthase inhibitor, NG, NG-dimethyl-L-arginine (ADMA) or increase NOx levels via an oxidation pathway, which in turn could be inhibited by the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine NAC. Methods: Transformed airway cells (A549) were cultured with control medium, 1.0% CSE in culture medium, or 0.8 mM NAC with 1.0% CSE. Baseline L-arginine, NOx and ADMA levels were measured in the media. Conditioned media were then sampled at 1hour, 6 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours after incubation. Results: CSE induced significantly higher NOx levels (mean (SD) peak increase of 135.8 (126.6)% after incubation for 6 hours (p < 0.0005)). NAC pre-treatment partially reversed this effect to 35.6 (21.4)% at 6 hours (p = 0.009). ADMA levels were significantly higher in the CSE conditioned media compared with control media (p = 0.02) while NAC pre-treatment did not affect ADMA levels. Conclusions: CSE increased NOx which was partially reversed by NAC pre-treatment. ADMA levels were also increased after CSE exposure, suggesting that it activates the NO pathway via oxidative-stress while inhibition probably occurs via both ADMA and NOS.
Evolution of Computed Tomographic Characteristics of Spontaneous Isolated Superior Mesenteric Artery Dissection During Conservative Management.

BACKGROUND Spontaneous isolated superior mesenteric artery (SMA) dissection is a rare condition, and its clinical and angiographic courses are poorly defined. We aimed to monitor the morphological characteristics of spontaneous isolated SMA dissection using computed tomography (CT) over 2 years of follow-up, including the recovery process via vascular remodeling, and identify the factors that affect vascular remodeling using univariate analysis. METHODSANDRESULTS We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and morphological findings of 59 consecutive patients with spontaneous isolated SMA dissection between October 2007 and July 2014, which included 36 symptomatic and 23 asymptomatic patients. Surgical intervention with open laparotomy was required in 3 patients during the follow-up period; 41 patients who received conservative treatment were followed up over 2 years with regular CT. Complete remodeling was achieved in 16 of 25 symptomatic patients who were treated conservatively (64.0%). A patent false lumen and aneurysmal formation on an initial CT scan were identified as negative factors that affected remodeling in patients with spontaneous isolated SMA dissection. CONCLUSIONS Conservative management of spontaneous isolated SMA dissection is associated with a good prognosis, both clinically and morphologically. Surgical intervention is only required in patients with severe intestinal ischemia or rapid aneurysmal enlargement. (Circ J 2016; 80: 1452-1459).
MORTALITY RATE OF ADULT TICKS DUE TO INFECTION BY ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODES

The mortality of Boophilus annulatus, Hyalomma excavatum, Rhipicephalus bursa, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus adult ticks was recorded after their exposure in petri dishes to 5 entomopathogenic nematode strains. The strains used were DT and Mexican of Steinernema carpocapsae, Hb HP88 of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, and IS-3 and IS-5 of Heterorhabditis sp. The most rapid killing rates (LT50 and LT90) were observed for B. annulatus ticks (0.8–5.0 days). Most unfed males died 0.3–2.8 days after the unfed females, whereas even more time (0.8–8.0 days) passed before engorged females died. In most bioassays, the IS-3 and IS-5 strains of Heterorhabditis sp. nematodes appear to be the most pathogenic for ticks and, in most cases, killed ticks several days before the other 3 nematode strains. Unfed adult ticks exposed to nematodes died within less time than it takes for adults to complete their prefeeding period after molting.
Debt Renegotiation and Investment Decisions Across Countries

We show that the prospect of a successful debt renegotiation in default reduces debt overhang and induces shareholders of distressed rms to underinvest less, dismiss less assets, and take on less risk. We identify these eects in the data via the exoge- neous variation in debt renegotiation procedures prescribed by bankruptcy codes across 41 countries. Consistent with our theory, we nd that the eects of debt renegotia- tion frictions operate through their interactions with the expected creditors' recovery conditional on default. These eects are large, statistically signicant, and point to benecial ex-post implications of weaker debt enforcement procedures.