Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Elongated Styloid Process and Eagle Syndrome in East Eagean Population

Eagle syndrome (ES) which is also known as styloid-carotid artery syndrome, is a rare condition with an elongation of SP or calcification of stylohyoid ligament and clinical symptoms such as neck and cervicofacial pain (1-7). It was first described by an otorhinolaryngologist, whose name was Eagle, in 1937 (8). Elongated process occurs 4% of the population and patients are usually asymptomatic and only 4-5% of them present symptoms with mostly over 30 years of age (9). The elongated SP may be seen as unior bilateral and patients may have symptoms related to compression and irritation of cranial nerves (5, 7, 9 and 10) such as dysphagia, tinnitus, otalgia, facial pain while turning the head, foreign body sensation, recurrent orafacial and throat pain, pain on extending tongue and discomfort during chewing (9). It rarely may cause stroke due to the compression of carotid arteries (10). This syndrome is seen most commonly between 30 and 50 years of age. It is more common in women (1:2) according to Bagga et al. (11) and (1:3) according to Alpoz et al. (9). The complaints such as throat pain, unilateral neck pain and tinnitus are classic symptoms of ES. If ES is present, one can palpate the tip of the SP in the back of the throat on the exam, which is normally non-palpable (12). Symptoms may be worsened on ABSTRACT
The Hippo-YAP Signaling Pathway in Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract Arthritis is the most prevalent joint disease and is characterized by articular cartilage degradation, synovial inflammation, and changes in periarticular and subchondral bone. Recent studies have reported that Yes-associated protein (YAP) and the transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) have significant effects on the proliferation, migration, and survival of chondrocytes and fibroblast-like synovial cells (FLSs). YAP/TAZ signaling pathway, as well as the related Hippo–YAP signaling pathway, are responsible for the condition of cells and articular cartilage in joints. They are tightly regulated to maintain metabolism in chondrocytes and FLSs because abnormal expression may result in cartilage damage. However, the roles and mechanisms of the Hippo–YAP pathway in arthritis remain largely unknown. This review summarizes the roles and key functions of YAP/TAZ and the Hippo–YAP signaling pathway in FLSs and chondrocytes for the induction of proliferation, migration, survival, and differentiation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) research. We also discuss the therapeutic strategies involving YAP/TAZ and the related Hippo-YAP signaling pathway involved in OA.
A NOVEL SPEECH ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM BASED ON WAVELET DENOISING

This paper introduces a novel speech enhancement system based on a wavelet denoising framework. In this system, the noisy speech is first preprocessed using a generalized spectral subtraction method to initially lower the noise level with negligible speech distortion. A perceptual wavelet transform is then used to decompose the resulting speech signal into critical bands. Threshold estimation is implemented that is both time and frequency dependent, providing robustness to non-stationary and correlated noisy environments. Finally, to eliminate the “musical noise” artifact, we apply a modified Ephraim/Malah suppression rule to the thresholding operation. Both objective and subjective experiments prove that the new speech enhancement system is capable of significant noise reduction with little speech distortion.
DP Network constrained covariate coefficient and connection sign estimation

Often, variables are linked to each other via a network. When such a network structure is known, this knowledge can be incorporated into regularized regression settings. In particular, an additional network penalty can be added on top of another penalty term, such as a Lasso penalty. However, when the type of interaction via the network is unknown (that is, whether connections are of an activating or a repressing type), the connection signs have to be estimated simultaneously with the covariate coeﬃcients. This can be done with an algorithm iterating a connection sign estimation step and a covariate coeﬃcient estimation step. We show detailed simulation results of such an algorithm. The algorithm performs well in a variety of settings. We also brieﬂy describe the R-package that we developed for this purpose, which is publicly available.
Achievable Rates for Discrete Memoryless Multicast Networks With and Without Feedback

Discrete memoryless multicast network (DM-MN) is considered in this paper. We analyze the lower bounds of noisy network coding (NNC) and distributed decode-forward (DDF) for DM-MN, and show that both NNC and DDF ignore the channel output observed at the transmitter. Motivated by this observation, new coding schemes are proposed to improve NNC and DDF by exploiting the transmitter’s observation and applying hybrid relaying strategies. We first study a special case when the transmitter’s observation is rate-limited feedback signals, and propose a scheme that strictly improves NNC when feedback rates are sufficiently large. For the relay channel with perfect relay-transmitter feedback, our achievable rate reduces to Gabbai and Bross’s rate, which is strictly larger than NNC, DDF, and all known lower bounds on the achievable rates proposed for the setup without feedback. In our scheme, both relays and receivers compress their received signals like NNC, and the relays decode independent “common” and “private” parts of the source message. The generated compression indices are sent to the transmitter through feedback, from which the transmitter reconstructs the receivers’ and relays’ inputs and can thus cooperate with the receivers and relays. We then extend our idea to DM-MN without feedback. For this case, although the transmitter observes channel output, both NNC and DDF simply ignore it, while our new scheme has the transmitter utilize its channel output to decode a set of relays’ and receivers’ compression indices, which achieves some cooperation levels between the transmitter and the receivers and relays. An enhanced relay channel is introduced to show that our scheme strictly outperforms NNC and DDF.
Of(cid:3)ine/Realtime Traf(cid:2)c Classi(cid:2)cation Using Semi-Supervised Learning

Identifying and categorizing network traf(cid:2)c by application type is challenging because of the continued evolution of applications, especially of those with a desire to be undetectable. The diminished effectiveness of port-based identi(cid:2)cation and the overheads of deep packet inspection approaches motivate us to classify traf(cid:2)c by exploiting distinctive (cid:3)ow characteristics of applications when they communicate on a network. In this paper, we explore this latter approach and propose a semi-supervised classi(cid:2)cation method that can accommodate both known and unknown applications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the (cid:2)rst work to use semi-supervised learning techniques for the traf(cid:2)c classi(cid:2)cation problem. Our approach allows classi(cid:2)ers to be designed from training data that consists of only a few labeled and many unlabeled (cid:3)ows. We consider pragmatic classi(cid:2)cation issues such as longevity of classi(cid:2)ers and the need for retraining of classi(cid:2)ers. Our performance evaluation using empirical Internet traf(cid:2)c traces that span a 6-month period shows that: 1) high (cid:3)ow and byte classi(cid:2)cation accuracy (i.e., greater than 90%) can be achieved using training data that consists of a small number of labeled and a large number of unlabeled (cid:3)ows; 2) presence of (cid:147)mice(cid:148) and (cid:147)elephant(cid:148) (cid:3)ows in the Internet complicates the design of classi(cid:2)ers, especially of those with high byte accuracy, and necessitates use of weighted sampling techniques to obtain training (cid:3)ows; and 3) retraining of classi(cid:2)ers is necessary only when there are non-transient changes in the network usage characteristics. As a proof of concept, we implement prototype of(cid:3)ine and realtime classi(cid:2)cation systems to demonstrate the feasibility of our proposed classi(cid:2)cation method.
Physical oceanography off the South Coast of Western Australia

Compared to neighbouring regions of ocean, the south coast of Western Australia (WA) has received relatively little scientific attention despite a range of Australian Commonwealth marine protected areas having been established in the region as of 2012. The ocean off the south coast of WA is characterised by a canyon-dense continental shelf edge including the Bremer Canyon, a shelf edge canyon of approximately 8 km width. There are also two main currents in the region, the eastward flowing Leeuwin Current (LC) situated above the continental shelf edge, and the westward flowing Flinders Current (FC) situated south of the continental shelf. The Blue-link Reanalysis (BRAN) ocean forecasting model simulates the currents, temperature and salinity around Australia at daily intervals from 1994 – 2016 with 1/10th degree resolution. It has been speculated that these currents may interact with the canyons along the shelf edge to induce oceanographic conditions conducive to increased pelagic productivity and ecological diversity. This study was a two-part investigation of the physical oceanography off the south coast of WA with a focus on shelf edge dynamics near Bremer Canyon. It involved the use of the (BRAN) model and in situ data including conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) profiles during January 2017 and temperature logger measurements from near Bremer Canyon between 2015 and 2017. The BRAN outputs were in close agreement with previous studies of the LC and FC and showed that the mixed layer depth (MLD) was shallowest ( 200 m), in sync with seasonal heat flux. The CTD results were within one SD of the average BRAN profiles and MLD results for January. The volume transport of the LC and strong westerly wind events were dominant drivers of the temperature variation along the shelf edge during autumn and winter of 2015 as the warm LC water was forced downwards. In spring and summer, the volume transport of the LC was lowest (1.6 Sv) and other factors became dominating drivers of the shelf edge temperature variation including eddy kinetics and canyon-related processes. The BRAN outputs effectively simulated the mesoscale features examined in this study including the volume transport of the LC, westerly wind forced response and the influence of mesoscale eddies. These processes have the potential to influence the pelagic ecology through vertical mixing and upwelling.
Application of a Steady Meandering River with Piers Using a Lattice Boltzmann Sub-Grid Model in Curvilinear Coordinate Grid

A sub-grid multiple relaxation time (MRT) lattice Boltzmann model with curvilinear coordinates is applied to simulate an artificial meandering river. The method is based on the D2Q9 model and standard Smagorinsky sub-grid scale (SGS) model is introduced to simulate meandering flows. The interpolation supplemented lattice Boltzmann method (ISLBM) and the non-equilibrium extrapolation method are used for second-order accuracy and boundary conditions. The proposed model was validated by a meandering channel with a 180° bend and applied to a steady curved river with piers. Excellent agreement between the simulated results and previous computational and experimental data was found, showing that MRT-LBM (MRT lattice Boltzmann method) coupled with a Smagorinsky sub-grid scale (SGS) model in a curvilinear coordinates grid is capable of simulating practical meandering flows.
Crowdsourcing: Leveraging Innovation through Online Idea Competitions

OVERVIEW: Along with other Web 2.0 market intelligence tools, online idea competitions can provide essential input for decision making in the early phases of product innovation. However, in order to use online competitions effectively, it is essential to know when to use which method, how to use it, and to what extent virtual and conventional research techniques can be used interchangeably or complementarily. A first step toward assessing the power of Web 2.0 techniques is to compare them with traditional ones. We compare the expense and results of online idea competitions with focus groups for idea generation in the market for senior citizen mobile phones and services. We find that idea competitions lead to more and better ideas at a lower cost per idea, while focus groups yield richer interactions with users.
Variability of Martian Turbopause Altitudes

The turbopause and homopause represent the transition from strong turbulence and mixing in the middle atmosphere to a molecular‐diffusion‐dominated region in the upper atmosphere. We use neutral densities measured by the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer on the Mars Atmospheric and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft from February 2015 to October 2016 to investigate the temperature structure and fluctuations of the Martian upper atmosphere. We compare those with temperature measurements of the lower atmosphere from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Mars Climate Sounder. At the lowest Mars Atmospheric and Volatile EvolutioN altitudes we often observe a statically stable region where waves propagate freely. In contrast, regions from about 20 km up to at least 70 km are reduced in stability where waves are expected to dissipate readily due to breaking/saturation. We derive homopause altitudes from Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer N2 and Ar densities and find that it varies between 60 and 140 km. From the standard deviations in monthly averaged temperature profiles, we determine the wave turbopause altitude where applicable and find that these altitudes agree with the homopause altitudes. We show that the homopause variability is driven by order of magnitude changes in CO2 densities, which drastically affect the altitude at which the eddy diffusion is equal to the molecular diffusion. These variations are observed as a function of local time, latitude, and season. That the turbopause/homopause does not track a fixed density level means that the eddy diffusion coefficient at the turbopause can vary significantly, suggesting differences in the dominant breaking waves and tidal modes.
Estuarine fish assemblages as indicators of environmental changes: the Mondego estuary case study

1 RESUMO 5 GENERAL INTRODUCTION 9 Estuaries: drivers, pressures and responses 9 Estuarine fish fauna 11 Recruitment variability of marine species 13 Climate forcing and systems’ changes 16 Assessing ecological status of transitional waters 18 Study site – the Mondego estuary 21 References 24 GENERAL AIM AND THESIS OUTLINE 35 CHAPTER I The influence of an extreme drought event in the fish community of a southern Europe temperate estuary 39 Introduction 41 Materials and Methods 43 Results 46 Discussion 52 References 60 CHAPTER II Does the flatfish community of the Mondego estuary (Portugal) reflect environmental changes? 65 Estuarine fish assemblages as indicators of environmental changes: the Mondego estuary case study VI |
Microbial Augmentation for Enhancing Lentil and Field Pea Production in Agricultural Fields

Pulses are an important protein rich component of Indian diet. Due to agro-climatic conditions, India is the largest producer of pulses worldwide. These agricultural crops grow particularly in rain fed areas. Lentil and field pea provide cheap protein source for majority of vegetarian people. The demand for pulses is high, whereas the overall production is less compared to growth in population. International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) reported that enhanced pulses production in Eastern states of India strengthened the nutrition of families.
Power Analysis Attacks: Revealing the Secrets of Smart Cards (Advances in Information Security)

Power analysis attacks allow the extraction of secret information from smart cards. Smart cards are used in many applications including banking, mobile communications, pay TV, and electronic signatures. In all these applications, the security of the smart cards is of crucial importance. Power Analysis Attacks: Revealing the Secrets of Smart Cards is the first comprehensive treatment of power analysis attacks and countermeasures. Based on the principle that the only way to defend against power analysis attacks is to understand them, this book explains how power analysis attacks work. Using many examples, it discusses simple and differential power analysis as well as advanced techniques like template attacks. Furthermore, the authors provide an extensive discussion of countermeasures like shuffling, masking, and DPA-resistant logic styles. By analyzing the pros and cons of the different countermeasures, this volume allows practitioners to decide how to protect smart cards.
Dissociation and Self-Preservation of Gas Hydrates in Permafrost

Gases releasing from shallow permafrost above 150 m may contain methane produced by the dissociation of pore metastable gas hydrates, which can exist in permafrost due to self-preservation. In this study, special experiments were conducted to study the self-preservation kinetics. For this, sandy samples from gas-bearing permafrost horizons in West Siberia were first saturated with methane hydrate and frozen and then exposed to gas pressure drop below the triple-phase equilibrium in the “gas–gas hydrate–ice” system. The experimental results showed that methane hydrate could survive for a long time in frozen soils at temperatures of −5 to −7 °C at below-equilibrium pressures, thus evidencing the self-preservation effect. The self-preservation of gas hydrates in permafrost depends on its temperature, salinity, ice content, and gas pressure. Prolonged preservation of metastable relict hydrates is possible in ice-rich sandy permafrost at −4 to −5 °C or colder, with a salinity of <0.1% at depths below 20–30 m.
Toxicity of Amphotericin B Deoxycholate-Based Induction Therapy in Patients with HIV-Associated Cryptococcal Meningitis

ABSTRACT Amphotericin B deoxycholate (AmBd) is the recommended induction treatment for HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis (CM). Its use is hampered by toxicities that include electrolyte abnormalities, nephrotoxicity, and anemia. Protocols to minimize toxicity are applied inconsistently. In a clinical trial cohort of AmBd-based CM induction treatment, a standardized protocol of preemptive hydration and electrolyte supplementation was applied. Changes in blood counts, electrolyte levels, and creatinine levels over 14 days were analyzed in relation to the AmBd dose, treatment duration (short course of 5 to 7 days or standard course of 14 days), addition of flucytosine (5FC), and outcome. In the 368 patients studied, the hemoglobin levels dropped by a mean of 1.5 g/dl (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 1.9 g/dl) following 7 days of AmBd and by a mean of 2.3 g/dl (95% CI, 1.1 to 3.6 g/dl) after 14 days. Serum creatinine levels increased by 37 μmol/liter (95% CI, 30 to 45 μmol/liter) by day 7 and by 49 μmol/liter (95% CI, 35 to 64μmol/liter) by day 14 of AmBd treatment. Overall, 33% of patients developed grade III/IV anemia, 5.6% developed grade III hypokalemia, 9.5% had creatinine levels that exceeded 220 μmol, and 6% discontinued AmBd prematurely. The addition of 5FC was associated with a slight increase in anemia but not neutropenia. Laboratory abnormalities stabilized or reversed during the second week in patients on short-course induction. Grade III/IV anemia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.2; 95% CI, 1.1 to 4.3; P = 0.028) and nephrotoxicity (aOR, 4.5; 95% CI, 1.8 to 11; P = 0.001) were risk factors for 10-week mortality. In summary, routine intravenous saline hydration and preemptive electrolyte replacement during AmBd-based induction regimens for HIV-associated CM minimized the incidence of hypokalemia and nephrotoxicity. Anemia remained a concerning adverse effect. The addition of flucytosine was not associated with increased neutropenia. Shorter AmBd courses were less toxic, with rapid reversibility.
Applied Microbial and Cell Physiology

Influence of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis against group B Streptococcus on the early newborn gut composition and evaluation of the anti-Streptococcus activity of Bifidobacterium strains Abstract Several factors are known to influence the early colonization of the gut in newborns. Among them, the use of antibiotics on the mother during labor, referred to as intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP), has scarcely been investigated, although this practice is routinely used in group B Streptococcus (GBS)-positive women. This work is therefore aimed at verifying whether IAP can influence the main microbial groups of the newborn gut microbiota at an early stage of microbial establishment. Fifty-two newborns were recruited: 26 born by mothers negative to GBS (control group) and 26 by mothers positive to GBS and subjected to IAP with ampicillin (IAP group). Selected microbial groups (Lactobacillus spp., Bidobacterium spp., Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium difficile, and Escherichia coli) were quantified with real-time PCR on DNA extracted from newborn feces. Further analysis was performed within the Bidobacterium genus by using DGGE after amplification with genus-specific primers. Results obtained showed a significant decrease of the bifidobacteria counts after antibiotic treatment of the mother. Bifidobacteria were found to be affected by IAP not only quantitatively but also qualitatively. In fact, IAP determined a decrement in the frequency of Bidobacterium breve, Bidobacterium bifidum, and Bidobacterium dentium with respect to the control group. Moreover, this study has preliminarily evaluated that some bifidobacterial strains, previously selected for use in infants, have antibacterial properties against GBS and are therefore potential candidates for being applied as probiotics for the prevention of GBS infections.
Synoptic-Scale Control over Modern Rainfall and Flood Patterns in the Levant Drylands with Implications for Past Climates

Rainfall in the Levant drylands is scarce but can potentially generate high-magnitude flash floods. Rainstorms are caused by distinct synoptic-scale circulation patterns: Mediterranean cyclone (MC), active Red Sea trough (ARST), and subtropical jet stream (STJ) disturbances, also termed tropical plumes (TPs). The unique spatiotemporal characteristics of rainstorms and floods for each circulation pattern were identified. Meteorological reanalyses, quantitative precipitation estimates from weather radars, hydrological data, and indicators of geomorphic changes from remote sensing imagery were used to characterize the chain of hydrometeorological processes leading to distinct flood patterns in the region. Significant differences in the hydrometeorology of these three flood-producing synoptic systems were identified: MC storms draw moisture from the Mediterranean and generate moderate rainfall in the northern part of the region. ARST and TP storms transfer large amounts of moisture from the south, which is converted to rainfall in the hyperarid southernmost parts of the Levant. ARST rainfall is local and intense, whereas TP rainfall is widespread and prolonged due to high precipitation efficiency and large-scale forcing. Thus, TP rainfall generates high-magnitude floods in the largest catchments; integration of numerous basins leads to sediment feeding from the south into the Dead Sea, exhibited in large sediment plumes. Anecdotal observations of the channel with the largest catchment in the region (Nahal HaArava) indicate that TP floods account for noticeable geomorphic changes in the channel. It provides insights into past intervals of increased flash flood frequency characterized by episodes of marked hydrogeomorphic work; such an increase is especially expected during intervals of southerly situated and southwesterly oriented STJs.