Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interocular Symmetry of Foveal Cone Topography in Congenital Achromatopsia

ABSTRACT Purpose: To determine the interocular symmetry of foveal cone topography in achromatopsia (ACHM) using non-confocal split-detection adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO). Methods: Split-detector AOSLO images of the foveal cone mosaic were acquired from both eyes of 26 subjects (mean age 24.3 years; range 8–44 years, 14 females) with genetically confirmed CNGA3- or CNGB3-associated ACHM. Cones were identified within a manually delineated rod-free zone. Peak cone density (PCD) was determined using an 80 × 80 μm sampling window within the rod-free zone. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of inter-cell distance (ICD) were calculated to derive the coefficient of variation (CV). Cone density difference maps were generated to compare cone topography between eyes. Results: PCD (mean ± SD) was 17,530 ± 9,614 cones/mm2 and 17,638 ± 9,753 cones/mm2 for right and left eyes, respectively (p = .677, Wilcoxon test). The mean (± SD) for ICD was 9.05 ± 2.55 µm and 9.24 ± 2.55 µm for right and left eyes, respectively (p = .410, paired t-test). The mean (± SD) for CV of ICD was 0.16 ± 0.03 µm and 0.16 ± 0.04 µm for right and left eyes, respectively (p = .562, paired t-test). Cone density maps demonstrated that cone topography of the ACHM fovea is non-uniform with local variations in cone density between eyes. Conclusions: These results demonstrate the interocular symmetry of the foveal cone mosaic (both density and packing) in ACHM. As cone topography can differ between eyes of a subject, PCD does not completely describe the foveal cone mosaic in ACHM. Nonetheless, these findings are of value in longitudinal monitoring of patients during treatment trials and further suggest that both eyes of a given subject may have similar therapeutic potential and non-study eye can be used as a control.
Symposium Article: Saving the European eel: How morphological research can help in effective conservation management.

The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a critically endangered species, whose recruitment stocks have declined to nearly 1% compared to the late 70's. An amalgam of factors are responsible for this, amongst them migration barriers, pollution, habitat loss, parasite infection and overfishing. A lot of recent studies focus on aspects that can increase the mature silver eel escapement rate, such as identifying migration barriers and developing passage ways or addressing the impact of pollution on the eel's health. However, little attention is given to the eel's morphology in function of management measures. Worryingly, less than 50% of the currently installed management plans reach their goals, strongly indicating that more information is needed about the eel's ecology and behavior. Functional morphological studies provide insights in how species perform behaviors crucial for survival, such as feeding and locomotion, but also in how environmental changes can affect or limit such behaviors. Consequently, functional morphology represents an important biotic component that should be taken into account when making conservation decisions. Hence, here, we provide an overview of studies on the eel's morphology that do not only demonstrate its relation with ecology and behavior, but also provide information for developing and installing proper and more specific management measures.
Role of immunohistochemistry in gynec oncopathology including specific diagnostic scenarios with associated treatment implications

Over the years, immunohistochemistry has emerged as a powerful tool for a more precise diagnosis of certain tumors in gynecologic oncopathology and resolving certain diagnostic dilemmas with significant treatment implications. Certain specific immunohistochemical (IHC) markers have been useful in the more correct identification of rare tumors, characterized by specific molecular signatures. Immunohistochemistry has also been useful in the identification of underlying genetic events, characterizing various tumors, as well as precancerous lesions. This review will focus upon the judicious application of various IHC antibody markers in gynec oncopathology, including authors' experience during “sign-outs” and especially during interaction with other oncology colleagues within the institutional disease management group. The updated references were retrieved from PubMed.
Production Networks and Stock Returns: The Role of Creative Destruction

We establish a novel return spread based on the distance between firms and final consumers in a production network. Firms with the longest distance to consumers earn an excess monthly return of 105 basis points relative to final goods producers. We explain this spread quantitatively using a general equilibrium model with multiple layers of production. The driving force behind the spread is creative destruction, which reduces firms’ exposure to productivity shocks. The spread is smaller for firms that belong to supply chains with lower competition. Overall, our results demonstrate a novel effect of creative destruction on firms’ cost of capital.
Vocabulary Size Influences Spontaneous Speech in Native Language Users: Validating the Use of Automatic Speech Recognition in Individual Differences Research

Previous research has shown that vocabulary size affects performance on laboratory word production tasks. Individuals who know many words show faster lexical access and retrieve more words belonging to pre-specified categories than individuals who know fewer words. The present study examined the relationship between receptive vocabulary size and speaking skills as assessed in a natural sentence production task. We asked whether measures derived from spontaneous responses to everyday questions correlate with the size of participants’ vocabulary. Moreover, we assessed the suitability of automatic speech recognition (ASR) for the analysis of participants’ responses in complex language production data. We found that vocabulary size predicted indices of spontaneous speech: individuals with a larger vocabulary produced more words and had a higher speech-silence ratio compared to individuals with a smaller vocabulary. Importantly, these relationships were reliably identified using manual and automated transcription methods. Taken together, our results suggest that spontaneous speech elicitation is a useful method to investigate natural language production and that automatic speech recognition can alleviate the burden of labor-intensive speech transcription.
The Refugee's Dilemma: Evidence from Jewish Migration Out of Nazi Germany

We estimate the push and pull factors involved in the outmigration of Jews facing persecution in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1941. Our empirical investigation makes use of a unique individual-level dataset that records the migration history of the Jewish community in Germany over the period. Our analysis highlights new channels, specific to violent contexts, through which social networks affect the decision to flee. We estimate a structural model of migration where individuals base their own migration decision on the observation of persecution and migration among their peers. Identification rests on exogenous variations in local push and pull factors across peers who live in different cities of residence. Then, we perform various experiments of counterfactual history to quantify how migration restrictions in destination countries affected the fate of Jews. For example, removing work restrictions for refugees in the recipient countries after the Nuremberg Laws (of 1935) would have led to an increase in Jewish migration out of Germany in the range of 12 to 20%, and a reduction in mortality due to prevented deportations in the range of 6 to 10%.
IMAGE SEGMENTATION BASED ON G-UN-MMS AND HEURISTICS. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND RESULTS

We present the concept of image segmentation based on Gauss - Uniform Noise Mixed Models (G-UN-MM) that we also introduce in this paper, the theoretical foundation of the segmentation method based on this model, results of the method on several classes of pictures, and a comparison with other methods. The proposed implementation of the G-UN-MM method has a simple and sound theoretical foundation and is not computationally demanding. It produces in many cases better segmentation results than other methods that are more computationally intensive.
Improved permeation performance and fouling-resistance of Poly(vinyl chloride)/Polycarbonate blend membrane with added Pluronic F127

The aim of this work was to prepare and characterize poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/polycarbonate (PC) blend membranes for use in ultrafiltration. Pluronic F127 was used as an additive to modify the membrane surface of the PVC/PC blended membranes. The PVC/PC blend membrane was first prepared using the phase inversion method from a casting solution of PVC with small amount of PC in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) and water as the non-solvent. The morphologies structure and properties, such as tensile strength, water flux, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection of the blend membrane were studied. Increased amounts of PC resulted in an increase in the water flux and ability to reject protein. A concentration of 0.75 wt% PC provided the best improvement in tensile strength of blend membrane. Addition of different amounts of pluronic F127 to the casting solution of PVC/PC with a PC concentration of 0.75 wt% resulted in a decrease in the water contact angle that demonstrated the improvement of hydrophilicity of blend membrane. Scanning electron microscopy photographs showed that the modified PVC/PC membranes had a bigger pore volume in the porous sub-layer compared to the PVC/PC control membrane. The PVC/PC membrane with added Pluronic F127 exhibited a much higher flux and rejection of BSA in a protein filtration experiment than the PVC/PC membrane. An increase in flux recovery ratio of PVC/PC/pluronic 127 blend membrane indicated that the modified membranes could reduce membrane fouling useful for ultrafiltration.
Study of CD200 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Background CD200 is a transmembrane protein expressed on multiple cell types (e.g. thymocytes, activated T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, and endothelial cells). It regulates antitumor immunity and its overexpression is associated with poor prognosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). A soluble variant of CD200 (sCD200) is detectable in human serum, and an elevated serum level was shown in patients with CLL. Objective The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between the levels of CD200 and clinical staging in patients with CLL. Subjects and methods The study included 50 patients, divided into two groups. The patient group included 30 de-novo patients with CLL (18 men and 12 women), whose age ranged from 49 to 70 years with a mean±SD of 57.82±4.94 years. They were classified according to the modified Rai staging system into three classes: (a) low-risk patients, which included seven cases (stage 0); (b) intermediate-risk patients, which included eight cases (stages I and II); and (c) high-risk patients, which included 15 cases (stages III and IV). The control group included 20 individuals (14 men and six women), whose age ranged from 50 to 72 years with a mean±SD of 58.54±5.1 years. CD200 levels were measured by flow cytometry. Results Higher levels of CD200 were observed in the patient group compared with the control group. In addition, there was a significant increase of CD200 expression in the intermediate group of patients compared with low-risk patients, and a significant increase in the CD200 level in the high-risk group compared with intermediate-risk patients. Conclusion A positive correlation between the level of CD200 expression and clinical staging system of CLL was observed in our study; thus, measurement of CD200 may have a prognostic role in patients with CLL. In addition, it can be used as a follow-up marker for clinical response to treatment in CLL. CD200 blockade by immunotherapeutic agents may represent a novel approach for clinical treatment of CLL and a number of B-cell-derived neoplasms.
Clock and Data Recovery-Free Data Communications Enabled by Multi-Core Fiber With Low Thermal Sensitivity of Skew

Optical switching has the potential to scale the capacity of data center networks (DCN) with a simultaneously reduction in latency and power consumption. One of the main challenges of optically-switched DCNs is the need for fast clock and data recovery (CDR). Because the DCN traffic is dominated by small packets, the CDR locking time is required to be less than one nanosecond for achieving high network throughput. This need for sub-nanosecond CDR locking time has motivated research on optical clock synchronization techniques, which deliver synchronized clock signals through optical fibers such that the CDR modules in each transceiver only need to track the slow change of clock phase, due to change of the time of flight as temperature varies. It is desired to remove the need for clock phase tracking (and thereby the CDR modules) if the temperature-induced clock phase drift can be significantly reduced, which would reduce the power consumption and the cost of transceivers. Previous studies have shown that the temperature-induced skew change between multi-core fiber (MCF) cores can be forty times lower than that of standard single mode fibers. Thus, clock-synchronized transmission maybe possible by using two different MCF cores for clock and data transmission, respectively, enabling the sharing of an optical clock with stable clock phase. To investigate the potential of MCF for CDR-free short-reach communications, we first improve the measurement method of the temperature dependent inter-core skew change by using a modified delay interferometer, achieving a resolution of 3.8 femtoseconds for accurate inter-core skew measurements. Building on the MCF measurement results, we carried out an MCF-based clock-synchronized transmission experiment, demonstrating the feasibility of CDR-free data communications over a temperature range of 43 $^{\circ }$C that meets DCN requirements.
Decentralized Coordinated Control Strategy of Islanded Microgrids

Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain ? You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us at vbn@aub.aau. dk providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
Advances in ABO gene expression regulation

The ABO blood group system is vital to blood transfusion and organ transplantation. ABO antigens are the most important of all blood group antigens in clinical practice, and are not only present in red blood cells and platelets, but also in most secretions and epithelial tissues. ABO antigens are known to undergo drastic changes during the development, differentiation, and maturation of normal cells. Profound changes have also been documented in pathological processes such as tumorigenesis. To elucidate the molecular basis of how ABO genes are controlled in cell type specific expressions, such as normal cell differentiation or in cancer cells lacking A/B antigens, it is essential to understand the regulatory mechanisms of ABO gene expression. In this review, current knowledge concerning the regulatory mechanisms of ABO gene expression was summarized.
Soft Power to Whom? A Critical Analysis of the Publicity Film “CPC (Communist Party of China) is With You Along the Way” in Relation to China’s Soft Power Project

The existing literature on China’s soft power is mainly concerned with its success or failure, ignoring the ideological tensions between the Chinese state's international pursuit of soft power and its efforts at reviving the popularity of socialist ideology at home in a country profoundly transformed by modernisation and globalisation processes. This article argues that such ideological tensions should be contextualised and critically analysed by employing an approach informed by critical globalisation studies, particularly by the power-to-whom critique. It offers a critical analysis of the CPC is With You Along the Way film, a notable recent example of the CPC’s publicity videos in the context of its pursuit of soft power. Borrowing Reisigl and Wodak’s discourse-historical approach (DHA) in addition to the analytical devices for the study of ideology from Eagleton and van Dijk, the article argues that CPC is With You Along the Way illustrates a shift in the party’s ideological approach to the question ‘(soft) power to whom? ’.
Key Determinants of Net Interest Margin of Banks in the EU and the US

The thesis considers the impact of short-term interest rate and slope of the yield curve on the net interest margin (NIM) while controlling for other bank specific and country specific factors that may influence the NIM. The analysis is conducted using a unique panel dataset of banks in the EU and United States. Special focus is put on observing differences caused by bank heterogeneity by size, or by bank specialisation, differences arising due to the fact that some countries are considered capital based financial market, while the other as bank based, or differences caused by differing market concentration. Some of the models also use dummy variable indicating the existence of negative interest rate environment in a given country and year. The results show positive but concave relationship of NIM and short-term rate. They also confirm differences caused by institutional factors (bank based vs. capital based) as well as by market concentration. JEL Classification C33, E43, E52, E58, G21
Development of a predictive Antibiotic Burden Index for Primary Immunodeficiency – an explorative study

___________________________________________________________________ 3 Popular science summary _____________________________________________________ 5 Introduction _________________________________________________________________ 6 Primary immunodeficiency _________________________________________________ 6 Common Variable Immunodeficiency ___________________________________ 6 X-linked agammaglobulinemia _________________________________________ 6 Treatment of immunodeficiency _____________________________________________ 7 National Quality Registry for Primary Immunodeficiency __________________________ 7 Challenges in modern treatment of immunodeficiency ___________________________ 8 National Prescription Database _____________________________________________ 9 The future of healthcare technology ________________________________________ 10 The aim of the study _____________________________________________________ 11 Methods ___________________________________________________________________ 11 Outcome measures _____________________________________________________ 11 The process of obtaining the data __________________________________________ 12 Developing the Antibiotic Burden Index ______________________________________ 12 Interpretation of data ____________________________________________________ 14 Results ____________________________________________________________________ 14 ABI based on number of collected antibiotics – model 1 _________________________ 14 ABI based on ranks of antibiotics – model 2 __________________________________ 17 Discussion ________________________________________________________________ 20 Conclusion ____________________________________________________________ 22 Acknowledgements _________________________________________________________ 22 References ________________________________________________________________ 23 Appendix __________________________________________________________________ 25 Appendix A ____________________________________________________________ 25 UPPSALA UNIVERSITET Development of Antibiotic Burden Index for Primary Immunodeficiency – An explorative study
On the Security Notions for Encryption in a Quantum World

Indistinguishability against adaptive chosen-ciphertext attacks (IND-CCA2) is usually considered the most desirable security notion for classical encryption. In this work, we investigate its adaptation in the quantum world, when an adversary can perform superposition queries. The security of quantum-secure classical encryption has first been studied by Boneh and Zhandry (CRYPTO’13), but they restricted the adversary to classical challenge queries, which makes the indistinguishability only hold for classical messages (IND-qCCA2). We extend their work by giving the first security notions for fully quantum indistinguishability under quantum adaptive chosen-ciphertext attacks, where the indistinguishability holds for superposition of plaintexts (qIND-qCCA2). This resolves an open problem asked by Gagliardoni et al. (CRYPTO’16). The qCCA2 security is defined in Boneh-Zhandry’s paper using string copying and comparison, which is inherent in the classical setting. Quantumly, it is unclear what it means for a ciphertext to be different from the challenge ciphertext, and how the challenger can check the equality. The classical approach would either violate the no-cloning theorem or lead to perturbing the adversary’s state, which may be detectable. To remedy these problems, from the recent groundbreaking compressed oracle technique introduced by Zhandry (CRYPTO’19), we develop a generic framework that allows recording quantum queries for probabilistic functions. We then give definitions for fully quantum real-or-random indistinguishability under adaptive chosen-ciphertext attacks (qIND-qCCA2). In the symmetric setting, we show that various classical modes of encryption are trivially broken in our security notions. We then provide the first formal proof for quantum security of the Encrypt-then-MAC paradigm, which also answers an open problem posed by Boneh and Zhandry. In the public-key setting, we show how to achieve these stronger security notions (qIND-qCCA2) from any encryption scheme secure in the sense of Boneh-Zhandry (IND-qCCA2). Along the way, we also give the first definitions of non-malleability for classical encryption in the quantum world and show that the picture of the relations between these notions is essentially the same as in the classical setting.
With a rebel yell: Video gamers’ responses to mass shooting moral panics

When a moral panic happens, society believes that a group of people and/or their behaviour is responsible for a threat to society – without any evidentiary basis. How does the target group respond? In the video game context, gamers may fear that their pastime will be blamed for mass shootings leading to social stigma. Group members so threatened are hypothesized to react to protect their group identity. This leads to increased engagement in the activity under threat. In contrast, disasters that do not threaten the group would not affect the amount of video game play. We test these hypotheses by relating the amount of game play to incidents of mass shootings and non-shooting disasters for a large sample of individuals (N = 170,000). Incidents of mass shootings that threaten the gamer community lead to increases in game playing while incidents of other disasters unrelated to gaming divert time away from gaming.