Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Testing for Jumps in Near Non-Stationary Diffusion Processes

In this paper, we show that despite the fact that Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) processes fall within the general specification of asset price dynamics studied by Lee and Mykland (2008), the finite sample performance of their two tests for additive jumps is far from being satisfactory when the process deviates from the random walk, resulting in a strong size distortion and a power loss. Therefore, we propose a modification to their test that improves the finite sample performance for local-to-unity processes (in both explosive or stationary directions). We apply the tests on 21 years of 5-minute log returns of the Nasdaq stock price index and find that, unlike the other two tests, our test allows to detect jumps when log-prices exhibit clear upward or downward trend movements.
Bilateral Adversarial Training: Towards Fast Training of More Robust Models Against Adversarial Attacks

In this paper, we study fast training of adversarially robust models. From the analyses of the state-of-the-art defense method, i.e., the multi-step adversarial training~\cite{madry2017towards}, we hypothesize that the gradient magnitude links to the model robustness. Motivated by this, we propose to perturb both the image and the label during training, which we call Bilateral Adversarial Training (BAT). To generate the adversarial label, we derive an closed-form heuristic solution. To generate the adversarial image, we use one-step targeted attack with the target label being the most confusing class. In the experiment, we first show that random start and the most confusing target attack effectively prevent the label leaking and gradient masking problem. Then coupled with the adversarial label part, our model significantly improves the state-of-the-art results. For example, against PGD100 white-box attack with cross-entropy loss, on CIFAR10, we achieve 63.7\% versus 47.2\%; on SVHN, we achieve 59.1\% versus 42.1\%. At last, the experiment on the very (computationally) challenging ImageNet dataset further demonstrates the effectiveness of our fast method.
Prevalence of dengue and leptospirosis co-infection in a tertiary care hospital in south India

Background and Objectives: Dengue and Leptospirosis were often discussed separately with rash being more common in dengue and jaundice in leptospirosis. But with increasing reports of co-infection, the situation has become worse. The main objective of this study was to look for the presence of both Dengue and Leptospira IgM antibodies in serum samples of patients, presenting with acute febrile illness. Medical records of the co-infected patients were examined to analyse the clinical features and laboratory findings. Materials and Methods: Serum samples of patients presenting with acute febrile illness were screened for the presence of Dengue IgM antibodies and Leptospira antibodies. Clinical features and laboratory parameters of patients with co-infection were compared with patients having dengue alone. Rainfall data was obtained to look for an association between rainfall and Dengue, leptospirosis and co-infected cases. Results: Co-infection was seen in 33 (3.4%) samples. There was a statistically significant association between clinical features like rashes, bleeding gums and co-infection. There was a statistically significant association between various laboratory parameters like thrombocytopenia and co-infection. There was positive correlation between rainfall and development of dengue, leptospirosis, and co-infection but it was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of co-infection was 3.4%. This study re-emphasizes the fact that dengue and leptospirosis are widely prevalent in south India and clinicians should be aware that co-infection with dengue and leptospirosis is not uncommon.
Changes of Heart Autonomic Regulation as Predictors of Tension Type Headache

The aim of the study was to investigate the dynamics of heart rate variability (HRV) and its relation to the daily physical activity and emotional stress level in tension type headache (TTH) patients in order to identify the objective correlates of headache. Materials and Methods. 166 medical students have been examined: 60 students with frequent episodic TTH (FETTH), 28 students with chronic TTH (CTTH), 18 students with migraine combined with FETTH, and 60 headache-free persons. The examination included clinical neurological and somatic examination, assessment of daily physical activity and emotional stress level, as well as investigation of the autonomic nervous system using HRV at rest and in the process of students’ daily activity. Results and Discussion. In young people with FETTH and CTTH the parameters of HRV differ from headache-free persons. These changes indicate the increase of the sympathetic and decrease of the parasympathetic activity. The young people with CTTH have flat daytime profiles of HRV parameters. The decrease of HRV and the flattening of daytime profiles of HRV parameters are associated with high level of emotional stress and hypodynamia. Headache may have some independent influence on HRV parameters, but this impact is less than impact of emotional stress and hypodynamia. Conclusion. The characteristics of HRV dynamics during the day (daytime profiles) may be used as objective neurophysiological indicators of high emotional stress and hypodynamia which are the factors of TTH development and chronicity.
The shifting relationship between weight and pediatric obstructive sleep apnea: A historical review

For more than a century, pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was associated with failure to thrive. However, that association has faded over the last few decades. A 21st century child with OSA is much more likely to be overweight than underweight. This raises the question: Has pediatric OSA changed over time, or has the rise of childhood obesity in the United States created a new, separate disease? This literature review explores the historical shift in the relationship between weight and OSA, and the associated changes in treatment.
Serum-based metabolic alterations in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma unveiled by non-targeted 1H-NMR metabolomics approach

Objective(s): As the most prevalent endocrine system malignancy, papillary thyroid carcinoma had a very fast rising incidence in recent years for unknown reasons besides the fact that the current methods in thyroid cancer diagnosis still hold some limitations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to improve the potential molecular markers for diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules to prevent unnecessary surgeries for benign tumors. Materials and Methods: In this study, 1H-NMR metabolomics platform was used to seek the discriminating serum metabolites in malignant papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) compared to benign multinodular goiter (MNG) and healthy subjects and also to better understand the disease mechanisms using bioinformatics analysis. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that PTC and MNG samples could be successfully discriminated in PCA and OPLS-DA score plots. Results: Significant metabolites that differentiated malignant and benign thyroid lesions included citrate, acetylcarnitine, glutamine, homoserine, glutathione, kynurenine, nicotinic acid, hippurate, tyrosine, tryptophan, β-alanine, and xanthine. The significant metabolites in the PTC group compared to healthy subjects also included scyllo- and myo-inositol, tryptophan, propionate, lactate, homocysteine, 3-methyl glutaric acid, asparagine, aspartate, choline, and acetamide. The metabolite sets enrichment analysis demonstrated that aspartate metabolism and urea cycle were the most important pathways in papillary thyroid cancer progression. Conclusion: The study results demonstrated that serum metabolic fingerprinting could serve as a viable method for differentiating various thyroid lesions and for proposing novel potential markers for thyroid cancers. Obviously, further studies are needed for the validation of the results.
Association of interferon gamma gene polymorphism and susceptibility to hepatitis C virus infection in Egyptian patients: A multicenter, family‐based study

Polymorphisms in some genes may influence the persistence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, clinical outcome, HCV replication, and liver damage. This study was conducted to investigate the role of the interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) gene at (+874 T/A, −764 G/C, −179 C/A) single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and its receptor (IFN‐γR2) at (rs 2786067 A/C) SNP in the susceptibility of Egyptian families to HCV infection with high‐resolution techniques.
Cytomorphology of ciliated foregut cyst of the pancreas

Ciliated foregut cysts are benign congenital lesions that are commonly found in the mediastinum but are rare in the retroperitoneum. So far only very few cases of ciliated foregut cyst found in the pancreas have been reported, and less with cytologic findings described. We report a case of ciliated foregut cyst in pancreas in an asymptomatic patient diagnosed on fine needle aspiration cytology. We also discuss the cytology features that would help with the diagnosis, and the differential diagnosis that should be considered.
Integrating Habit into UTAUT: The Chinese eBay Case

Technology acceptance has received considerable attention in the Information Systems (IS) lit-erature. Accordingly, a number of theories and models have been advanced to explain technol-ogy acceptance. Recently, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) has been put forward on the basis of integrating eight technology-acceptance models. The de-velopers of UTAUT have suggested that future research should extend UTAUT by integrating habit into it in order to increase the explanatory value of UTAUT. To date, we have found no studies that have attempted to integrate habit into UTAUT. As a step in remedying this gap in the literature, we first developed such an integrated model and then tested it (N = 180). Our results support the integration: the extended UTAUT provides better explanatory value than UTAUT without habit. Implications for research and practice are suggested based on the findings.
Steam Explosion in alkaline medium for gelatine extraction from chromium-tanned leather wastes: time reduction and process optimization

ABSTRACT Alkaline hydrolysis of chromium-tanned leather wastes (CTLW) is a well-known process that allows the extraction of its most valuable portion: the protein. However, alkaline hydrolysis is time-consuming. It usually takes from 2 to 10 h to be completed. In this work, alkaline hydrolysis was performed in a steam explosion reactor, using CaO as the alkalinizing agent and aiming at a short-time process. Three different temperatures and residence times were tested: 130, 140, and 150°C; 5, 10, and 15 min. When performed at 140°C for 10 min, the steam explosion in alkaline medium resulted in the optimum combination of protein extraction yield (30%) and gelatine quality (viscosity of 2.4 cP at 25°C in a 24.6 g/L protein solution – 39 kDa of molecular mass w). Not only a high extraction yield was achieved, but when compared to traditional methods, steam explosion in alkaline medium reduced the process time by a factor that varied from 12 to 36 times. It also reduced chromium content in the gelatine by a factor that varied from 16 to 96 times. Finally, to produce a high quality product, the ash content of the gelatine was reduced from 11.8% (dry basis) to 1.2% (dry basis) through diafiltration. This purification allows the application of the gelatine, for example, in the production of polymeric films. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Evaluation of skin expression profiles of patients with vitiligo treated with narrow-band UVB therapy by targeted RNA-seq*

Background Vitiligo is characterized by a lack of pigmentation in the skin. To date, there are no studies that analyze the changes in gene expression in the skin of vitiligo patients in response to narrow-band ultraviolet B (nb-UVB) phototherapy treatment. Objective Explore the usefulness of new generation RNA sequencing in the identification of gene expression changes in the skin of vitiligo patients treated with nb-UVB phototherapy. Methods Four skin biopsies (4mm in diameter) were collected from 45 Mexican vitiligo vulgaris patients, 2 specimens before and 2 after treatment with nb-UVB phototherapy, obtained from pigmented and non-pigmented tissue. RNA extracted from the biopsies was analyzed using the Illumina TruSeq Targeted RNA Expression protocol to study the expression of genes that participate in pathways of skin homeostasis. The 2 groups were compared using Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U-test. Results The expression analysis identified differences in 12 genes included in this study after comparing the samples obtained before and after treatment: 5 genes involved in skin pigmentation, 2 genes involved in apoptosis, 2 genes involved in cell survival, 2 genes involved in oxidative stress responses and 1 gene involved in signal transduction mechanisms (p<0.05). Study limitations The small size of skin biopsies limits the amount of RNA obtained, the number of genes to be analyzed and the use of conventional techniques such as RT-qPCR. Conclusion We demonstrated usefulness of new generation RNA sequencing in the identification of gene expression changes, in addition to identifying new targets in the study of vitiligo.
Integrative analysis of Zika virus genome RNA structure reveals critical determinants of viral infectivity

Since its outbreak in 2007, Zika virus (ZIKV) has become a global health threat that causes severe neurological conditions. Here we perform a comparative in vivo structural analysis of the RNA genomes of two ZIKV strains to decipher the regulation of their infection at the RNA level. Our analysis identified both known and novel functional RNA structural elements. We discovered a functional long-range intramolecular interaction specific for the Asian epidemic strains, which contributes to their infectivity. Our findings illuminate the structural basis of ZIKV regulation and provide a rich resource for the discovery of RNA structural elements that are important for ZIKV infection.
Associations of lifestyle and vascular risk factors with Alzheimer’s brain biomarker changes during middle age: a 3-year longitudinal study in the broader New York City area

Objective To investigate the associations between lifestyle and vascular risk factors and changes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers (beta-amyloid load via 11C-PiB PET, glucose metabolism via 18F-FDG PET and neurodegeneration via structural MRI) and global cognition in middle-aged asymptomatic participants at risk for AD. Design Prospective, longitudinal. Setting The study was conducted at New York University Langone/Weill Cornell Medical Centres in New York City. Participants Seventy cognitively normal participants from multiple community sources, aged 30–60 years with lifestyle measures (diet, intellectual activity and physical activity), vascular risk measures and two imaging biomarkers visits over at least 2 years, were included in the study. Outcome measures We examined MRI-based cortical thickness, fluoro-deoxy-glucose (FDG) glucose metabolism and PiB beta-amyloid in AD-vulnerable regions. A global cognitive z-score served as our summary cognition measure. We used regression change models to investigate the associations of clinical, lifestyle and vascular risk measures with changes in AD biomarkers and global cognition. Results Diet influenced changes in glucose metabolism, but not amyloid or cortical thickness changes. With and without accounting for demographic measures, vascular risk and baseline FDG measures, lower adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet was associated with faster rates of FDG decline in the posterior cingulate cortex (p≤0.05) and marginally in the frontal cortex (p=0.07). None of the other lifestyle variables or vascular measures showed associations with AD biomarker changes. Higher baseline plasma homocysteine was associated with faster rates of decline in global cognition, with and without accounting for lifestyle and biomarker measures (p=0.048). None of the lifestyle variables were associated with cognition. Conclusions Diet influenced brain glucose metabolism in middle-aged participants, while plasma homocysteine explained variability in cognitive performance. These findings suggest that these modifiable risk factors affect AD risk through different pathways and support further investigation of risk reduction strategies in midlife.
Combined Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Low-Energy Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy Protect the Brain From Brain Death-Induced Injury in Rat

This study tested the hypothesis that combined adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC) and low-energy extracorporeal shock wave (ECSW) therapy could protect brain from brain death (BD)-induced injury. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were categorized into group 1 (sham control), group 2 (BD), group 3 (BD + ECSW [0.15 mJ/mm2/300 impulses] applied to the skull surface 3 hours after BD induction), group 4 (BD + ADMSC [1.2 × 106 cell] by intravenous injection 3 hours after BD induction) and group 5 (BD + ECSW + ADMSC). By 6 hours after BD induction, circulating/spleen levels of immune cells (CD3/CD4+, CD8/CD4+, Treg+) and circulating levels of inflammatory cells (MPO/Ly6G/CD11a/b) and soluble mediators (TNF-α/IL-6) were lowest in group 1 and significantly progressively reduced from groups 2 to 5 (all p < 0.0001). Brain protein expressions of inflammatory (TNF-α/NF-κB/MMP-9/IL-1β), apoptotic (caspase-3/PARP/mitochondrial-BAX), oxidative stress/DNA-damage (NOX-1/NOX-2/oxidized protein/γ-H2AX) biomarkers exhibited an identical pattern, whereas anti-oxidant (SIRT1/SIRT3) and mitochondrial-integrity (mitochondrial-cytochrome-C) biomarkers exhibited an opposite pattern to inflammatory biomarkers among the 5 groups (all p < 0.0001). The cellular expressions of inflammatory/brain-edema (F4/80/CD14+/GFAP/AQP4) biomarkers exhibited an identical pattern to inflammation among the 5 groups (all p < 0.0001). In conclusion, ECSW-ADMSC therapy is superior to either alone for attenuating brain from BD-induced damage.
Validation of the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form in a Flemish Community Sample

The Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ, Young, 1994) was developed to assess Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS), which account for the dysfunctional beliefs in individuals with personality disorders or maladaptive personality traits. This study aims to investigate the factor structure, the reliability and the validity of the original YSQ – Short Form (Young & Brown, 1998; YSQ-SF, 15 EMS) as well as an extension including 16 EMS, based on the 16 factor structure of the YSQL2 (Young & Brown, 1998) in a community sample. The sample consisted of 672 participants (51% females; Mage-total = 44.34; SDage-total = 16.24). Results show evidence for both the 15 and 16 factor solution of the YSQ-SF with good internal consistency coefficients for the different scales. Significant gender differences were observed for Self-Sacrifice (females higher) and Entitlement (men higher), along with different patterns of correlations between age and Insufficient Self-Control (r = –.19), Enmeshment (r = –0.16) and Self-Sacrifice (r = .13). Furthermore, Big Five personality traits were significantly associated with several schema scales. In sum, we can conclude that both the YSQ-SF15 and 16 are valid instruments to assess EMS among a Flemish community sample. However, given the unique additive value of the 16th EMS (Social Undesirability) in predicting lower scores on Extraversion and Openness, the use of the YSQ-SF16 could be favored.
Voids and compositional inhomogeneities in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films: evolution during growth and impact on solar cell performance

ABSTRACT Structural defects such as voids and compositional inhomogeneities may affect the performance of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells. We analyzed the morphology and elemental distributions in co-evaporated CIGS thin films at the different stages of the CIGS growth by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope. Accumulation of Cu-Se phases was found at crevices and at grain boundaries after the Cu-rich intermediate stage of the CIGS deposition sequence. It was found, that voids are caused by Cu out-diffusion from crevices and GBs during the final deposition stage. The Cu inhomogeneities lead to non-uniform diffusivities of In and Ga, resulting in lateral inhomogeneities of the In and Ga distribution. Two and three-dimensional simulations were used to investigate the impact of the inhomogeneities and voids on the solar cell performance. A significant impact of voids was found, indicating that the unpassivated voids reduce the open-circuit voltage and fill factor due to the introduction of free surfaces with high recombination velocities close to the CIGS/CdS junction. We thus suggest that voids, and possibly inhomogeneities, limit the efficiency of solar cells based on three-stage co-evaporated CIGS thin films. Passivation of the voids’ internal surface may reduce their detrimental effects. Graphical Abstract
Heat Waves Alter Carbon Allocation and Increase Mortality of Aleppo Pine Under Dry Conditions

Climate extremes are likely to occur more frequently in the future, including a combination of heat waves and drought. However, the responses of trees to combined stress and their post-stress recovery are not fully understood yet. Therefore, this study investigates the responses of semi-arid Pinus halepensis seedlings to moderate drought, heat and combined heat-drought stress, as well as post-stress recovery. The seedlings were grown under controlled conditions and exposed to two 4-day-long heat periods, reaching air temperature maxima of 42 °C and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) of 7 kPa. Day- and nighttime canopy gas exchange was measured and differences in shoot and root allocation of non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) compounds (soluble sugars, starch, cyclitols and carboxylic acids) assessed. Fluorescence parameters, nitrate levels, proline content and shoot water potential (ψ) provided additional indicators for stress severity and recovery performance. During the heat periods, net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance decrease immediately. This decline was modest under well-watered conditions, with transpiration and dark respiration rates remaining high and despite reductions in root NSC content, trees recovered following heat release. This was not the case in the heat-drought treatment, where stress resulted in mortality was high and the few surviving seedlings showed reduced gas exchange rates and low root NSC content, while leaf nitrate and proline remained elevated even three weeks after heat release. Shoot ψ indicated that hydraulic failure was not the reason for mortality in the heat-drought exposed seedlings. Instead, we hypothesize that low transpiration rates, which resulted in needle temperatures >47 °C during heat stress (6 °C above air temperature) have led to irreversible damage. In summary, it could be demonstrated that heat waves in combination with moderate drought can either result in increased mortality or, if the seedlings survive, in delayed recovery. This highlights the potential of an increase in heat wave temperatures to trigger forest decline in semi-arid regions.