Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quasi-local method of wave decomposition in a slowly varying medium

The general asymptotic theory for wave propagation in a slowly varying medium, classically known as the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin–Jeffreys (WKBJ) approximation, is revisited here with the aim of constructing a new data diagnostic technique useful in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. Using the Wigner transform, a kind of mapping that associates a linear operator with a function, we analytically decompose a flow field into mutually independent wave signals. This method takes account of the variations in the polarisation relations, an eigenvector that represents the kinematic characteristics of each wave component, so as to project the variables onto their eigenspace quasi-locally. The temporal evolution of a specific mode signal obeys a single wave equation characterised by the dispersion relation that also incorporates the effect from the local gradient in the medium. Combining this method with transport theory and applying them to numerical simulation data, we can detect the transfer of energy or other conserved quantities associated with the propagation of each wave signal in a wide variety of situations.
SAT0029 B cell depletion affects CD8 T cells in anca-associated vasculitis

Background In anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies associated vasculitis (AAV), several clues suggest that the efficacy of B cell depletion therapy lies beyond the suppression of ANCA-producing cells and may involve the suppression of B-T cell crosstalk. However, little if any data are available regarding the impact of rituximab on CD4, regulatory T and CD8 T cells in this setting. Objectives To compare the effect of conventional immunosuppressants (CIS) and rituximab (RTX) on 3 T cells compartments in AAV. To assess the impact of patients B cells and that of B cell depletion on CD8 T cell cytokine production. Methods Thorough cross-sectionnal immunophenotypic analysis of CD4, regulatory T and CD8 cells of 53 patients with AAV, using polychromatic flow cytometry. A multiplex Luminex immunoassay was used to measure Cytokine/chemokine production of in vitro stimulated CD8 T cells. Active untreated AAV patients' B cells and/or CD8 T cells were cocultures for 72h with Staphylococcal Enterotoxin (Autologous and criss-cross experiments), and CD8 T cells cytokine production was then measured by flow cytometry. Results Among CD4 T cells, we found that frequency of naïve and memory subsets and the expression of CCR5, CCR4 and CD161 were not influenced by maintenance treatment type. Similarly, total Treg frequency and Treg subsets including CD161+, Helios+, resting (CD45RA+) and memory (CD45RA-FoxP3hi) Tregs were comparable among RTX and CIS treated patients. By contrast, the type of maintenance treatment markedly influenced the CD8+ T cell compartment. Patient under B cel depletion therapy had less TEMRA (CD45RA+CCR7-) and more TEM cells than those receiving CIS, and ressembled those in long term remission off therapy. CMV seropositivity did not explained the observed diifferences. Longitudinal data confirmed that B cell depletion significantly decreased TEMRA (CD45RA+CCR7-) CD8 T cell frequency (p<0.001), whereas CIS had the opposite effect. Furthermore, we found that in vitro stimulated CD8 T cells from B cell depleted patients produced less pro-inflammatory cytokine/chemokine than those from patients treated with CIS. In coculture with B cells and SEB, patients CD8 cells coculture produced higher level of inflammatory cytokines than those from controls, but only when they were stimulated with patients' B cells. Conclusions B cell depletion therapy has a significant impact on the CD8 T cell compartment in terms of phenotype and function. B cell can promote pro-inflammtory function of CD8 T cell in vitro. CD8 T cell are found in vasculitis lesions. These observations raise the question whether the disruption of B cell help to CD8 T cells could contribute to the dramatic efficacy of RTX. Further studies are needed to demonstrate the implication of patients' CD8 T cell in tissue damage. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Towards Socially Responsible AI: Cognitive Bias-Aware Multi-Objective Learning

Human society had a long history of suffering from cognitive biases leading to social prejudices and mass injustice. The prevalent existence of cognitive biases in large volumes of historical data can pose a threat of being manifested as unethical and seemingly inhumane predictions as outputs of AI systems trained on such data. To alleviate this problem, we propose a bias-aware multi-objective learning framework that given a set of identity attributes (e.g. gender, ethnicity etc.) and a subset of sensitive categories of the possible classes of prediction outputs, learns to reduce the frequency of predicting certain combinations of them, e.g. predicting stereotypes such as ‘most blacks use abusive language’, or ‘fear is a virtue of women’. Our experiments conducted on an emotion prediction task with balanced class priors shows that a set of baseline bias-agnostic models exhibit cognitive biases with respect to gender, such as women are prone to be afraid whereas men are more prone to be angry. In contrast, our proposed bias-aware multi-objective learning methodology is shown to reduce such biases in the predictid emotions.
A drift-diffusion simulation model for organic field effect transistors: on the importance of the Gaussian density of states and traps

The nature of charge transport in organic materials depends on several important aspects, such as the description of the density of states, and the charge mobility model. Therefore specific models describing electronic properties of organic semiconductors must be considered. We have used an organic based drift-diffusion model for the electrical characterization of organic field effect transistors (OFETs) utilizing either small molecules or polymers. Furthermore, the effect of interface traps, bulk traps, and fixed charges on transistor characteristics are included and investigated. Finally, simulation results are compared to experimental measurements, and conclusions are drawn out in terms of transistor performance parameters including threshold voltages, and field-dependent mobilities.
Controlling lungworm disease (husk) in dairy cattle

Vaccination and anthelmintic (preventive) treatments for the control of the bovine lungworm Dictyocaulus viviparus have been available for some time. However, the number of outbreaks experienced has remained high, with clinical disease in adult cattle often causing particularly dramatic, milk yield-associated, losses. This article provides an update on pasture epidemiology, including immunity, the use of vaccination, the diagnostic tests available and the pitfalls to performing these tests. It also discusses how lungworm and gutworm control can be amalgamated, as well as some key risk factors and possible solutions to outbreaks of lungworm in dairy herds.
Indices composites de mesure de l’impact sanitaire des pathologies

Les indices de mesure de l’impact sanitaire des pathologies fournissent une information synthetique sur la mortalite prematuree et la perte de qualite de vie attribuable a une pathologie donnee. Ainsi, ils constituent des outils d’aide a la decision permettant : d’identifier les problemes sanitaires, de definir les priorites de sante publique, d’optimiser l’allocation des ressources disponibles, et d’evaluer les resultats des actions de sante. Cependant, les indices existants, DALYs (Disability-Adjusted Life Years) et HeaLYs (Healthy Life Years), presentent des faiblesses methodologiques qui remettent en cause leur applicabilite en sante publique. Ainsi a partir d’une analyse critique des indices existants, un nouvel indice MIMIC-BDI (Multiple Indicators MultIple Causes-Burden of Disease Index) a ete propose. Cet indice presente des proprietes qui peuvent permettre d’ameliorer la robustesse de la mesure de l’impact sanitaire des pathologies.
Prevalence of Oral Lichen Planus in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: Study

Aim: To determine the prevalence of oral lichen planus (OLP) in population of patients with diabetesmellitus compared with a control population.Material and Methods: A Total of 196 patients over the age of 35 years, who were diagnosed as insulindependentdiabetes mellitus and identical number of age, gender and race – matched controls, were examinedfor clinical evidence of OLP. Patients with diabetes mellitus of any other type were excluded from controlgroup.Results: Nine diabetic patients (4.6%) and six control patients (3.1%) had clinical evidence of OLP.Therewas no overall difference between the diabetic and non-diabetic patients with lichen planus (P=0.430) andno statistically significant difference in terms of gender, race and age.Conclusion: There was no apparent association of diabetes and OLP in this population
A Multiresolution Contraction Integral Equation Method for Solving Highly Nonlinear Inverse Scattering Problems

The solution of highly nonlinear inverse scattering problems is addressed. An innovative multiresolution microwave imaging technique, which leverages on the profitable integration of the contraction integral equation for inversion (CIE-I) and the iterative multiscaling approach (IMSA), is proposed. Thanks to the joint exploitation of the features of the CIE-I formulation and the IMSA, the arising IMSA-CIE-I inversion technique provides faithful reconstructions of complex-shaped strong scatterers with enhanced resolution and computational efficiency with respect to the state-of-the-art competitive alternatives. Numerical and experimental test cases verify the effectiveness and limitations of the proposed method.
Identify the Relevant Pages of Book to be Indexed Using Naive Bayes Classification Method

The back-of-book index is a component that is often found in non-fiction books. The back-of-book index contains important terms and page numbers where the terms appear in the book, it is useful for helping readers find certain term directly, without having to search on every page. Usually, the back-of-book index is compiled by the author or a professional indexer, although currently there are several automatic indexing applications available. To determine a term on a page worth to be indexed requires knowledge and expertise of the author whom better understand the book’s context. Hence, generating a good back-of-book index is a task that requires great effort, knowledge and cost. Therefore, the back-of-book index is very possible containing indexed terms that refer to irrelevant page numbers due to human error or the weakness of the indexing application. This study aims to identify the relevance of the pages to be indexed in the back-of-book index, using Naive Bayes Classification. The testing result shows that the approach with Naive Bayes Classification produces an average precision value of 74.02 percent and 100 percent for the recall value. The average precision value that more than 50 percent indicates that the naive bayes classification approach is capable to identify the relevant and irrelevant pages.
Gene Expression of OCT4 and NANOG Correlated with Advanced Stage and Worse Survival in Breast Cancer Patients

The present study aimed to show the correlation between expression of cancer stem cell markers (OCT4 and NANOG) with both clinicopathological features and survival of breast cancer (BC) patients. Methods: The gene expressions of OCT4 and NANOG were quantified using real time polymerase chain reaction, clinicopathological data have been collected from patients' data records and patients were followed-up with a median duration of 110 months. Results: OCT4 (p<0.001), and NANOG (p<0.001) expressions were upregulated in BC tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. OCT4 and NANOG were associated with poor histological grade (p=0.029, 0.025) and advanced clinical stage (p=0.001, 0.042 respectively). OCT4 alone showed a significant association with lymph nodes involvement (p=0.006), metastasis (p=0.024) and was significantly correlated to patients' age (p=0.009). NANOG also showed a significant positive correlation with ERα and PR receptors expression (p=0.004 and 0.005 respectively). Kaplan–Meier curves disclosed that NANOG (p=0.028, 0.050) positive expression was associated with worse DFS and OS, while OCT4 (p=0.200, 0.205) was correlated with poor DFS and OS but not significant statistically. Univariate analysis using Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis showed that OCT4 (p = 0.002), NANOG (p = 0.021), and ERα status (p = 0.004) had significant predictive values for poor DFS. However, the multivariate analysis did not show that any of them can be used as independent prognostic markers for DSF. Conclusions: From these findings, it may be concluded that the upregulated expressions of OCT4 and NANOG were associated with worse clinical outcome and could be used as predictive markers for poor DFS in BC patients.
Ridging Associated with Drought across the Western and Southwestern United States: Characteristics, Trends, and Predictability Sources

Persistent winter ridging events are a consistent feature of meteorological drought across the western and southwestern United States. In this study, a ridge detection algorithm is developed and applied on daily geopotential height anomalies to track and quantify the diversity of individual ridge characteristics (e.g., position, frequency, magnitude, extent, and persistence). Three dominant ridge types are shown to play important, but differing, roles for influencing the location of landfalling atmospheric rivers (ARs), precipitation, and subsequently meteorological drought. For California, a combination of these ridge types is important for influencing precipitation deficits on daily through seasonal time scales, indicating the various pathways by which ridging can induce drought. Furthermore, both the frequency of ridge types and reduced AR activity are necessary features for explaining drought variability on seasonal time scales across the western and southwestern regions. The three ridge types are found to be associated in different ways with various remote drivers and modes of variability, highlighting possible sources of subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) predictability. A comparison between ridge types shows that anomalously large and persistent ridging events relate to different Rossby wave trains across the Pacific with different preferential upstream locations of tropical heating. For the “South-ridge” type, centered over the Southwest, a positive trend is found in both the frequency and persistence of these events across recent decades, likely contributing to observed regional drying. These results illustrate the utility of feature tracking for characterizing a wider range of ridging features that collectively influence precipitation deficits and drought.
The synergistic effect of medial and lateral patellar retinaculum on the stability of patella in full extension

Background: Patellar instability is a common problem. It is unclear that the medial and lateral patellar retinaculum respective effect on patella. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the synergistic effect of medial and lateral patellar retinaculum on the stability of patella. Methods: Eight cadaveric knees were collected. Each of them was performed on patellofemoral joints under five conditions, including normal condition (Group N) and experimental conditions (Group M1, L1, L2, and M2). In Group M1, 2 kg was forced on the normal medial patellofemoral joint using a homemade knee joint immobilization apparatus. In Group L1, 2 kg was forced on the normal lateral patellofemoral joint. In Group L2, the medial retinaculum and the capsule were separated, and the lateral patellar border endured a force of 2 kg. In Group M2, the dissected medial soft tissues were sutured in-situ, and then the lateral retinaculum and the capsule were separated, and the medial patellar border endured a force of 2 kg. Evaluations included CT scan, and the scanned images of these five groups were analyzed for patellar tilt angle (PTA) and the lateral patellar displacement (LPD) values. Results: PTA (°) and LPD (mm) of Group M1 and Group L1 were not significantly different compared to Group N (P≥0.01). PTA values and LPD values of Group L2 and Group M2 increased significantly compared to Group N (P≤0.01). PTA and LPD values of Group L2 showed significant differences compared to Group M2 (P≤0.01). Conclusions: Medial patellar retinaculum prevents LPD and lateral patellar tilt. Lateral patellar retinaculum plays an important role to prevent medial patellar tilt. Medial and lateral retinaculum show synergistic effect to stabilize the patella.
Contribution of the Retrotrapezoid Nucleus and Carotid Bodies to Hypercapnia- and Hypoxia-induced Arousal from Sleep

The combination of hypoxia and hypercapnia during sleep produces arousal, which helps restore breathing and normalizes blood gases. Hypercapnia and hypoxia produce arousal in mammals by activating central (pH-sensitive) and peripheral (primarily O2-sensitive) chemoreceptors. The relevant chemoreceptors and the neuronal circuits responsible for arousal are largely unknown. The combination of hypoxia and hypercapnia during sleep produces arousal, which helps restore breathing and normalizes blood gases. Hypercapnia and hypoxia produce arousal in mammals by activating central (pH-sensitive) and peripheral (primarily O2-sensitive) chemoreceptors. The relevant chemoreceptors and the neuronal circuits responsible for arousal are largely unknown. Here we examined the contribution of two lower brainstem nuclei that could be implicated in CO2 and hypoxia-induced arousal: the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN), a CO2-responsive nucleus, which mediates the central respiratory chemoreflex; and the C1 neurons, which are hypoxia activated and produce arousal and blood pressure increases when directly stimulated. Additionally, we assessed the contribution of the carotid bodies (CBs), the main peripheral chemoreceptors in mammals, to hypoxia and CO2-induced arousal. In unanesthetized male rats, we tested whether ablation of the RTN, CBs, or C1 neurons affects arousal from sleep and respiratory responses to hypercapnia or hypoxia. The sleep–wake pattern was monitored by EEG and neck EMG recordings and breathing by whole-body plethysmography. The latency to arousal in response to hypoxia or hypercapnia was determined along with changes in ventilation coincident with the arousal. RTN lesions impaired CO2-induced arousal but had no effect on hypoxia-induced arousal. CB ablation impaired arousal to hypoxia and, to a lesser extent, hypercapnia. C1 neuron ablation had no effect on arousal. Thus, the RTN contributes to CO2-induced arousal, whereas the CBs contribute to both hypoxia and CO2-induced arousal. Asphyxia-induced arousal likely requires the combined activation of RTN, CBs and other central chemoreceptors. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Hypercapnia and hypoxia during sleep elicit arousal, which facilitates airway clearing in the case of obstruction and reinstates normal breathing in the case of hypoventilation or apnea. Arousal can also be detrimental to health by interrupting sleep. We sought to clarify how CO2 and hypoxia cause arousal. We show that the retrotrapezoid nucleus, a brainstem nucleus that mediates the effect of brain acidification on breathing, also contributes to arousal elicited by CO2 but not hypoxia. We also show that the carotid bodies contribute predominantly to hypoxia-induced arousal. Lesions of the retrotrapezoid nucleus or carotid bodies attenuate, but do not eliminate, arousal to CO2 or hypoxia; therefore, we conclude that these structures are not the sole trigger of CO2 or hypoxia-induced arousal.
Sleep and Obesity among Young Adults: Examining the Effectiveness of a Text Message-Based Intervention on Improving Sleep Habits

SLEEP AND OBESITY AMONG YOUNG ADULTS: EXAMINING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TEXT MESSAGE-BASED INTERVENTION ON IMPROVING SLEEP HABITS A. Jordan Filion Advisor: University of Guelph, 2014 Professor Jess Haines This thesis examined the effectiveness of a text message-based intervention on improving sleep habits among a national sample of young adults. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between sleep measures and adiposity (i.e., body mass index (BMI) and weight status) were also examined. Longitudinal data were collected from 129 young adult smokers (mean age = 21.8 years; mean BMI of analytical sample = 25.4 kg/m 2 ) enrolled in a smoking cessation study. Sleep measures were self-reported and assessed using items adapted from valid and reliable indices. No significant intervention effects were observed among the total sample or among adequate sleepers (≥ 6 hours/night). Among short sleepers (< 6 hours/night), participants who received text messages about sleep/physical activity reported getting significantly more sleep on work/school nights at follow-up, as compared to those who received text messages focused on smoking cessation. In our secondary objective analyses, a significant inverse association was found between sleep quantity on non-work/non-school nights and both BMI and weight status in the cross-sectional models; however, the association with BMI was no longer significant after adjustment for covariates. No significant longitudinal associations were found. This study provides preliminary evidence that a text message-based sleep intervention may be a promising approach for improving sleep habits among young adults, especially short sleepers, and should be further explored as a novel approach for obesity prevention.
Sensitivity Enhancement of SiO2 Plasma Etching Endpoint Detection Using Modified Gaussian Mixture Model

In this study, the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) was modified and implemented to determine the real-time endpoint of SiO2 plasma etching using optical emission spectrum analysis. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) signals were collected from the SiO2 plasma etching processes, and the modified GMM was applied to SiO2 etching with relative areas of 8.0, 4.0, and 1.0 %. Consequently, the sensitivity of OES signals was improved by ~5.5 times, and the sensitivity factor of the modified GMM was increased by approximately two times, compared with those of the modified K-means cluster analysis (another clustering technique). In addition, 60 peaks related to the reactants were selected out of 6144 signals to improve the sensitivity of the modified GMM with full-spectrum wavelengths. The modified GMM analysis using the 60 reactant-related peaks exhibited a higher sensitivity (~1.4 times) than that with 6144 full-spectrum OES signals. Thus, the modified GMM can be a suitable and effective clustering technique for etching endpoint detection.