Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining the Performance of the Sentinel-3 Coastal Altimetry in the Baltic Sea Using a Regional High-Resolution Geoid Model

Performance of the Sentinel-3 SRAL altimeter is evaluated in the coastal zones of the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea. Sea Surface Heights (SSH, processed with the ESA developed SAMOSA 2 retracker) were computed at six passes for 2017 nearby three tide gauge (TG) sites in Estonia. These SSH were compared with the TG records in conjunction with an operational hydrodynamic model (HDM), both referring to a high-resolution national geoid. The Sentinel-3 data quality assessment yielded the root mean square error of 70 mm with respect to the TG+HDM derived SSH. The near-zero mean of discrepancies shows that there is no significant systematic bias between the land-bound geodetic infrastructure and Sentinel-3 SSH data. This accuracy is within the range aimed for modern marine geoid modelling (i.e. 5 cm).
Prolonged effect of allergen sublingual immunotherapy to grass pollen

ABSTRACT Background: The prolonged effect of allergen immunotherapy is unknown, especially in older patients. Objective: The three-year effect of sublingual allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) to grass pollen on elderly patients with allergic rhinitis was analyzed. Methods: Thirty-eight elderly patients (63.18 ± 3.12 yrs.) underwent AIT to grass pollen, were monitored for three years and were compared to a placebo group. AIT was performed with the use of an oral Staloral 300 SR grass extract (Stallergens Greer, London, UK) or a placebo. Symptoms and medication scores, represented by the average adjusted symptom score (AAdSS), the serum level of IgG4 to Phl p5 and the quality of life were assessed immediately after AIT and three years later. Results: After AIT, the AAdSS was significantly decreased and remained lower than in the placebo group during the three years after AIT. Serum-specific IgG4 against Phl p5 increased during the AIT trial in the study group. For the three years of observation after AIT, there were no significant changes in specific IgG4 levels against the analyzed allergens in comparison to the results immediately after AIT. The quality of life, based on the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, was significantly decreased in patients who received AIT, from 1.83 (95%CI: 1.45–1.96) to 0.74 (95%CI: 0.39–1.92) (p < 0.05) to 0.82 (95%CI: 0.45– 1.04) three years after AIT. Conclusion: A prolonged positive effect after AIT to grass pollen was observed in elderly patients with allergic rhinitis. Further trials are needed to confirm this effect.
3D Printed Helical Soft Pneumatic Actuators

Nature abounds with complex, three-dimensional shapes, and helices which are some of the most common structures in nature. This article describes a new soft pneumatic actuator that generates bending and twisting motions. The actuator consists of several angled chambers arranged in a line that can be actuated simultaneously using one power source (air pressure). The bending and twisting trajectory of the actuator has been characterized by changing the length of the actuator, the number of chambers, and the angle of chambers using the finite element analysis (FEA). The 3D printing method of fused filament fabrication (FFF) type was employed to directly manufacture the thin-walled, airtight, and low cost helical actuators, without requiring any post-manufacturing process. Based on the above design and fabrication, an entire soft helical actuator was fabricated, and used as a gripper to handle slender objects.
Biological and Clinical Markers in Panic Disorder

Objective Classifying mental disorders on the basis of objective makers might clarify their aetiology, help in making the diagnosis, identify “at risk” individuals, determine the severity of mental illness, and predict the course of the disorder. This study aims to review biological and clinical markers of panic disorder (PD). Methods A computerized search was carried out in PubMed and Science Direct using the key words: “marker/biomarker/clinical marker/neurobiology/staging” combined using Boolean AND operator with “panic. ” In addition, the reference lists from existing reviews and from the articles retrieved were inspected. Only English language papers published in peer-reviewed journals were included. Results Structural changes in the amygdala, hippocampus, cerebral blood level in the left occipital cortex, serotonin 5-TH and noradrenergic systems activation, aberrant respiratory regulation, hearth rate variability, blood cells and peripheral blood stem cells, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysregulation were identified as potential candidate biomarkers of PD. Staging was identified as clinical marker of PD. According to the staging model, PD is described as follows: prodromal phase (stage 1); acute phase (stage 2); panic attacks (stage 3); chronic phase (stage 4). Conclusion The clinical utility, sensitivity, specificity, and the predictive value of biomarkers for PD is still questionable. The staging model of PD might be a valid susceptibility, diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive marker of PD. A possible longitudinal model of biological and clinical markers of PD is proposed.
Emotion Analysis for Personality Inference from EEG Signals

The stable relationship between personality and EEG ensures the feasibility of personality inference from brain activities. In this paper, we recognize an individual's personality traits by analyzing brain waves when he or she watches emotional materials. Thirty-seven participants took part in this study and watched 7 standardized film clips that characterize real-life emotional experiences and target seven discrete emotions. Features extracted from EEG signals and subjective ratings enter the SVM classifier as inputs to predict five dimensions of personality traits. Our model achieves better classification performance for Extraversion (81.08 percent), Agreeableness (86.11 percent), and Conscientiousness (80.56 percent) when positive emotions are elicited than negative ones, higher classification accuracies for Neuroticism (78.38-81.08 percent) when negative emotions, except disgust, are evoked than positive emotions, and the highest classification accuracy for Openness (83.78 percent) when a disgusting film clip is presented. Additionally, the introduction of features from subjective ratings increases not only classification accuracy in all five personality traits (ranging from 0.43 percent for Conscientiousness to 6.3 percent for Neuroticism) but also the discriminative power of the classification accuracies between five personality traits in each category of emotion. These results demonstrate the advantage of personality inference from EEG signals over state-of-the-art explicit behavioral indicators in terms of classification accuracy.
Helping Johnny to Search: Encrypted Search on Webmail System

End-to-end encryption is becoming common in messaging applications. E-mail can be said as one of messaging application, and its encryption has several standards and systems. However, it is hard to say that has spread enough. It has been pointed out that there are usability problems in message encryption. Even though various studies on message encryption and usability have been made, there is no paper discussing about utility function such as searching and sorting. In this paper, search function is focused. We aim to investigate the usability problems on encrypted search. Therefore, a method that applies encrypted search transparently, is proposed at first. Then implementation of proposed method is achieved using Google Chrome Extension for Gmail, and evaluation both performance and usability is conducted. We found that participants do not mind whether the search function is encrypted or not if both has almost identical UI and encrypted search operates at high speed.
The Study of Laryngoscopic and Autonomic Patterns in Exercise-Induced Laryngeal Obstruction

Objectives: (1) Identify laryngeal patterns axiomatic to exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) and (2) investigate the role of autonomic function in EILO. Methods: Twenty-seven athletic adolescents (13 EILO, 14 control) underwent laryngoscopy at rest and exercise. Glottal configurations, supraglottic dynamics, systolic blood pressure responses, and heart rate recovery were compared between conditions and groups. Results: Inspiratory glottal angles were smaller in the EILO group than the control group with exercise. However, group differences were not statistically significant (P > .05), likely due to high variability of laryngeal responses in the EILO group. Expiratory glottal patterns showed statistically greater abductory responses to exercise in the control group (P = .001) but not the EILO group (P > .05). Arytenoid prolapse occurred variably in both groups. Systolic blood pressure responses to exercise were higher in the control group, and heart rate recovery was faster in the EILO group. However, no significant differences were seen between the 2 groups on either autonomic parameter (P > .05). Conclusions: “Paradoxical” inspiratory and blunted expiratory vocal fold pattern responses to exercise best characterize EILO. Group differences were only seen with exercise challenge, thus highlighting the utility of provocation and control groups to identify EILO.
Glide-Symmetric Fully Metallic Luneburg Lens for 5G Communications at Ka-Band

Here, we propose a fully metallic implementation of a Luneburg lens operating at Ka-band with potential use for 5G communications. The lens is implemented with a parallel plate that is loaded with glide-symmetric holes. These holes are employed to produce the required equivalent refractive index profile of a Lune-burg lens. Glide symmetry and inner metallic pins are employed to increase the equivalent refractive index. The lens is fed with rectangular waveguides designed to match the height of the parallel plate, and it is ended with a flare to minimize the reflections.
Discontinuation of carbamazepine due to concerns of long‐term consequences of enzyme induction

Treatment with carbamazepine (CBZ), a potent enzyme inducer, is known to affect the lipid profile, steroid, and vitamin D metabolism. Consequently, it has been postulated that patients on CBZ should be switched to noninducing antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). However, little is known about the seizure outcome following a CBZ switch in seizure‐free patients. We aimed to address this issue using a controlled observational study design.
Modeling, Fabrication, and Characterization of 3-D Capacitor Embedded in Through-Silicon Via

A new approach to implement integrated capacitors with an excellent capacitance density, called the “3-D embedded capacitor,” is investigated. It is realized by embedding metal–insulator–metal (MIM) layers onto the trenches of through-silicon vias prior to copper filling. An ultrahigh capacitance density of 5621.8 nF/mm<sup>2</sup> was envisioned according to our model, which is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim 13\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 440.0 nF/mm<sup>2</sup> from a conventional trench capacitor with the same design parameters. A set of prototypes was fabricated and characterized for assessment of structural integrity and electrical performance of the 3-D embedded capacitors. Scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis results show a good step coverage and stoichiometry of the MIM layers deposited. The capacitance density of up to 3856.4 nF/mm<sup>2</sup> was achieved for the prototypes with MIM layers formed by atomic layer deposition. A leakage current density as low as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1.61 \times 10^{-7}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> A/cm<sup>2</sup> at 4.3 V and a breakdown voltage greater than 9.5 V were measured for a sample with a capacitance density of 3776.6 nF/mm<sup>2</sup>.
Rhizobacterial communities of five co-occurring desert halophytes

Background Recently, researches have begun to investigate the microbial communities associated with halophytes. Both rhizobacterial community composition and the environmental drivers of community assembly have been addressed. However, few studies have explored the structure of rhizobacterial communities associated with halophytic plants that are co-occurring in arid, salinized areas. Methods Five halophytes were selected for study: these co-occurred in saline soils in the Ebinur Lake Nature Reserve, located at the western margin of the Gurbantunggut Desert of Northwestern China. Halophyte-associated bacterial communities were sampled, and the bacterial 16S rDNA V3–V4 region amplified and sequenced using the Illumina Miseq platform. The bacterial community diversity and structure were compared between the rhizosphere and bulk soils, as well as among the rhizosphere samples. The effects of plant species identity and soil properties on the bacterial communities were also analyzed. Results Significant differences were observed between the rhizosphere and bulk soil bacterial communities. Diversity was higher in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soils. Abundant taxonomic groups (from phylum to genus) in the rhizosphere were much more diverse than in bulk soils. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Planctomycetes were the most abundant phyla in the rhizosphere, while Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were common in bulk soils. Overall, the bacterial community composition were not significantly differentiated between the bulk soils of the five plants, but community diversity and structure differed significantly in the rhizosphere. The diversity of Halostachys caspica, Halocnemum strobilaceum and Kalidium foliatum associated bacterial communities was lower than that of Limonium gmelinii and Lycium ruthenicum communities. Furthermore, the composition of the bacterial communities of Halostachys caspica and Halocnemum strobilaceum was very different from those of Limonium gmelinii and Lycium ruthenicum. The diversity and community structure were influenced by soil EC, pH and nutrient content (TOC, SOM, TON and AP); of these, the effects of EC on bacterial community composition were less important than those of soil nutrients. Discussion Halophytic plant species played an important role in shaping associated rhizosphere bacterial communities. When salinity levels were constant, soil nutrients emerged as key factors structuring bacterial communities, while EC played only a minor role. Pairwise differences among the rhizobacterial communities associated with different plant species were not significant, despite some evidence of differentiation. Further studies involving more halophyte species, and individuals per species, are necessary to elucidate plant species identity effects on the rhizosphere for co-occurring halophytes.
Context Awareness in Uncertain Pervasive Computing and Sensors Environment

Building context-aware pervasive computing systems - such as ambient intelligent spaces or ubiquitous robots - needs to take into account the quality of contextual information collected from sensors. Such information are often inaccurate, uncertain or subject to noise due to environment and user dynamics. Dempster-Shafer theory has been extensively adopted to handle uncertainty in situation and activity recognition. This theory is used to represent, manipulate and decide under uncertainty. However, combining information using Dempster's rule may produce counterintuitive decision in highly conflicting evidences due to sources failure. Recently, a variety of rules were proposed to overcome such drawback. Inspired by Murphy's rule, we propose in this paper a new rule called “Weighted Average Combination Rule” (WACR) to deal with context recognition in highly dynamic environment such as ambient intelligence spaces. The proposed WACR rule is based on evidence arithmetic average and cardinality. WACR rule was applied to some conflictual evidence examples and has been shown to reap more appropriate decisions than other alternative rules for decision-making in activity-aware systems. To demonstrate the applicability and performance of our approach, we have studied a scenario of context recognition in an ambient intelligent environment. In this scenario, we simulated a smart kitchen composed of status devices and RFID sensors that allow determining what is the artifact in use by the inhabitant and for which activity.
Functional and Structural Brain Damage in Friedreich's Ataxia

Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a rare hereditary neurodegenerative disorder caused by a GAA repeat expansion in the FXN gene. There is still no cure or quantitative biomarkers reliaby correlating with the progression rate and disease severity. Investigation of functional and structural alterations characterizing white (WM) and gray matter (GM) in FRDA are needed prerequisite to monitor progression and response to treatment. Here we report the results of a multimodal cross-sectional MRI study of FRDA including Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM), diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI), functional MRI (fMRI), and a correlation analysis with clinical severity scores. Twenty-one early-onset FRDA patients and 18 age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were imaged at 3T. All patients underwent a complete cognitive and clinical assessment with ataxia scales. VBM analysis showed GM volume reduction in FRDA compared to HCs bilaterally in lobules V, VI, VIII (L>R), as well as in the crus of cerebellum, posterior lobe of the vermis, in the flocculi and in the left tonsil. Voxel-wise DTI analysis showed a diffuse fractional anisotropy reduction and mean, radial, axial (AD) diffusivity increase in both infratentorial and supratentorial WM. ROI-based analysis confirmed the results showing differences of the same DTI metrics in cortico-spinal-tracts, forceps major, corpus callosum, posterior thalamic radiations, cerebellar penduncles. Additionally, we observed increased AD in superior (SCP) and middle cerebellar peduncles. The WM findings correlated with age at onset (AAO), short-allelle GAA, and disease severity. The intragroup analysis of fMRI data from right-handed 14 FRDA and 15 HCs showed similar findings in both groups, including activation in M1, insula and superior cerebellar hemisphere (lobules V–VIII). Significant differences emerged only during the non-dominant hand movement, with HCs showing a stronger activation in the left superior cerebellar hemisphere compared to FRDA. Significant correlations were found between AAO and the fMRI activation in cerebellar anterior and posterior lobes, insula and temporal lobe. Our multimodal neuroimaging protocol suggests that MRI is a useful tool to document the extension of the neurological impairment in FRDA.
Low temperature decreases bone mass in mice: Implications for humans.

OBJECTIVES Humans exhibit significant ecogeographic variation in bone size and shape. However, it is unclear how significantly environmental temperature influences cortical and trabecular bone, making it difficult to recognize adaptation versus acclimatization in past populations. There is some evidence that cold-induced bone loss results from sympathetic nervous system activation and can be reduced by nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) via uncoupling protein (UCP1) in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Here we test two hypotheses: (1) low temperature induces impaired cortical and trabecular bone acquisition and (2) UCP1, a marker of NST in BAT, increases in proportion to degree of low-temperature exposure. METHODS We housed wildtype C57BL/6J male mice in pairs at 26 °C (thermoneutrality), 22 °C (standard), and 20 °C (cool) from 3 weeks to 6 or 12 weeks of age with access to food and water ad libitum (N = 8/group). RESULTS Cool housed mice ate more but had lower body fat at 20 °C versus 26 °C. Mice at 20 °C had markedly lower distal femur trabecular bone volume fraction, thickness, and connectivity density and lower midshaft femur cortical bone area fraction versus mice at 26 °C (p < .05 for all). UCP1 expression in BAT was inversely related to temperature. DISCUSSION These results support the hypothesis that low temperature was detrimental to bone mass acquisition. Nonshivering thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue increased in proportion to low-temperature exposure but was insufficient to prevent bone loss. These data show that chronic exposure to low temperature impairs bone architecture, suggesting climate may contribute to phenotypic variation in humans and other hominins.
Finite generation of extensions of associated graded rings along a valuation

In this paper we consider the question of when the associated graded ring along a valuation, gr ν∗(S) , is a finite gr ν∗(R) ‐module, where S is a normal local ring which lies over a normal local ring R and ν∗ is a valuation of the quotient field of S which dominates S .
Never mind the biologics, just take the inhalers

Asthma is one of the commonest paediatric diseases of Western Europe affecting some 20% of children in the UK [1], 7% in Sweden [2], 13% in Germany [3] and 10% in Italy [4], and whether the trend is still rising, plateauing or slightly falling, it still affects an awful lot of children. Even more importantly it still kills far too many people: in the UK there are ∼5 deaths per 1 000 000 children aged 0–19 years [5], which is similar to USA [6], but only 0.19 deaths per 1 000 000 in Finland equating to only four child deaths in the whole country for the 16-year period to 2015 [7]. In 2017, in London alone I was aware of eight paediatric asthma deaths. In summary, this is a children's tragedy. “It is a basic truth of the human condition that everybody lies. The only variable is about what. ” In paediatric asthma, patients don't take their treatments and doctors rarely ask the right questions. The end result is far too many child deaths. http://ow.ly/OaGK30kFtsD
A Review of Forty Years of Distributed Estimation

This paper reviews forty years of distributed estimation research since the first papers on decentralized filtering appeared in 1978. Starting with a formulation of the problem, it reviews the assumptions and objectives of the main approaches, including information decorrelation, cross-covariance fusion, channel filters, covariance intersection, maximum a posteriori probability fusion, best linear unbiased estimate, and distributed Kalman filters based on pseudo estimates and augmented state estimates. It also reviews algorithms motivated by sensor networks with flexible communication including consensus and diffusion filters. Suggestions for future research are provided.
Goal Adjustment and Well-Being: The Role of Optimism in Patients with Chronic Pain

Abstract Background Chronic pain directly or indirectly interferes with valued personal goals. Goal adjustment plays a central role in patients’ adaptation. Studies on the relationship between optimism and goal regulation have shown that people with high dispositional optimism adjust their goals in a flexible way, and that flexible goal adjustment promotes quality of life. Purpose The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship among optimism, goal adjustment, and adaptation in patients with chronic pain. Methods A sample of 258 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain completed questionnaires on optimism, reengagement, disengagement, flexibility, tenacity, rumination, purpose in life, well-being, pain intensity, daily functioning, and impairment. Results Structural equation modeling analysis showed that optimism had a positive association with reengagement, flexibility, and tenacity, and a negative association with disengagement. Disengagement was positively associated with rumination, whereas reengagement, flexibility, and tenacity were associated with higher levels of purpose in life, which were strongly associated with adaptation in patients with chronic pain. Conclusions This study supports the conclusions of previous research on the role of goal adjustment as a mediator variable between optimism and well-being.