Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Randomised, Double Blind Trial of N-Acetylcysteine for Hearing Protection during Stapes Surgery

Background Otosclerosis is a disorder that impairs middle ear function, leading to conductive hearing loss. Surgical treatment results in large improvement of hearing at low sound frequencies, but high-frequency hearing often suffers. A likely reason for this is that inner ear sensory cells are damaged by surgical trauma and loud sounds generated during the operation. Animal studies have shown that antioxidants such as N-Acetylcysteine can protect the inner ear from noise, surgical trauma, and some ototoxic substances, but it is not known if this works in humans. This trial was performed to determine whether antioxidants improve surgical results at high frequencies. Methods We performed a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled parallel group clinical trial at three Swedish university clinics. Using block-stratified randomization, 156 adult patients undergoing stapedotomy were assigned to intravenous N-Acetylcysteine (150 mg/kg body weight) or matching placebo (1:1 ratio), starting one hour before surgery. The primary outcome was the hearing threshold at 6 and 8 kHz; secondary outcomes included the severity of tinnitus and vertigo. Findings One year after surgery, high-frequency hearing had improved 2.7 ± 3.8 dB in the placebo group (67 patients analysed) and 2.4 ± 3.7 dB in the treated group (72 patients; means ± 95% confidence interval, p = 0.54; linear mixed model). Surgery improved tinnitus, but there was no significant intergroup difference. Post-operative balance disturbance was common but improved during the first year, without significant difference between groups. Four patients receiving N-Acetylcysteine experienced mild side effects such as nausea and vomiting. Conclusions N-Acetylcysteine has no effect on hearing thresholds, tinnitus, or balance disturbance after stapedotomy. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00525551
Rhythmic cognition in humans and animals: distinguishing meter and pulse perception

This paper outlines a cognitive and comparative perspective on human rhythmic cognition that emphasizes a key distinction between pulse perception and meter perception. Pulse perception involves the extraction of a regular pulse or “tactus” from a stream of events. Meter perception involves grouping of events into hierarchical trees with differing levels of “strength”, or perceptual prominence. I argue that metrically-structured rhythms are required to either perform or move appropriately to music (e.g., to dance). Rhythms, from this metrical perspective, constitute “trees in time. ” Rhythmic syntax represents a neglected form of musical syntax, and warrants more thorough neuroscientific investigation. The recent literature on animal entrainment clearly demonstrates the capacity to extract the pulse from rhythmic music, and to entrain periodic movements to this pulse, in several parrot species and a California sea lion, and a more limited ability to do so in one chimpanzee. However, the ability of these or other species to infer hierarchical rhythmic trees remains, for the most part, unexplored (with some apparent negative results from macaques). The results from this animal comparative research, combined with new methods to explore rhythmic cognition neurally, provide exciting new routes for understanding not just rhythmic cognition, but hierarchical cognition more generally, from a biological and neural perspective.
A high-resolution flash time-to-digital converter and calibration scheme

Flash time-to-digital converters (TDCs) are well-suited for use in on-chip timing measurement systems because they can be operated at high speeds, offer low test time, and are relatively easy to integrate. However, clock jitter in modern integrated circuits is often on the same order of magnitude as the temporal resolution of the TDC itself. Therefore, techniques are required to increase the resolution of these devices, while ensuring timing accuracy. This work presents a high-resolution flash TDC that exploits the random offsets on flip-flops or arbiters to perform time quantization. It also describes a novel technique based on additive temporal noise to accurately calibrate the measurement device. Simulation and experimental results reveal that the latter method can calibrate the high-resolution flash TDC down to 5 ps within reasonable error limits. In addition, accurate timing measurement of jitter below 14 ps has been experimentally validated using a high-resolution flash TDC fabricated in a 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS process.
[Heyde syndrome].

OBJECTIVE Heyde's syndrome associates aortic stenosis and digestive hemorrhage secondary to intestinal angiodysplasia. OBSERVATION A 61 year-old man presented with anemia due to martial deficiency and melena, the endoscopic examination of which was negative. The existence of a tight aortic stenosis, suspected on auscultation, suggested the diagnosis of Heyde's syndrome. Angiodysplasia is revealed during oriented enteroscopy. Following valve replacement, the need for transfusion disappeared, together with the anemia. DISCUSSION Although some epidemiological studies deny the existence of this syndrome, the observation of authentic cases of resolution of digestive bleeding following surgical replacement of an aortic valve, such as ours, is an argument in favor of the reality of Heyde's syndrome.
The recent developments in spatio-temporally continuous snow cover product generation

Abstract. The snow cover products of optical remote sensing systems play an important role in research into global climate change, the hydrological cycle, the energy balance, and so on. However, cloud cover results in spatial and temporal discontinuity for long-term snow monitoring. In the last few decades, a large number of cloud removal methods for snow cover products have been proposed. In this paper, our goal is to make a comprehensive summarization of the existing algorithms for generating spatio-temporally continuous snow cover products, and to expose the development trends. The methods of generating spatio-temporally continuous snow cover products are classified into spatial methods, temporal methods, spatio-temporal methods, and multi-source fusion methods. Experiments were conducted to validate the reconstruction effect of the representative methods.
The Strategic Use of Complex Computer Systems

Several studies show that despite experience, many users with basic command knowledge do not progress to an efficient use of complex computer applications. These studies suggest that knowledge of tasks and knowledge of tools are insufficient to lead users to become efficient. To address this problem, we argue that users also need to learn strategies in the intermediate layers of knowledge lying between tasks and tools. These strategies are (a) efficient because they exploit specific powers of computers, (b) difficult to acquire because they are suggested by neither tasks nor tools, and (c) general in nature having wide applicability. The above characteristics are first demonstrated in the context of aggregation strategies that exploit the iterative power of computers. A cognitive analysis of a real-world task reveals that even though such aggregation strategies can have large effects on task time, errors, and on the quality of the final product, they are not often used by even experienced users. We identify other strategies beyond aggregation that can be efficient and useful across computer applications and show how they were used to develop a new approach to training with promising results. We conclude by suggesting that a systematic analysis of strategies in the intermediate layers of knowledge can lead not only to more effective ways to design training but also to more principled approaches to design systems. These advances should lead users to make more efficient use of complex computer systems.
Rotation-based ensembles of RBF networks

Ensemble methods allow to improve the accuracy of clas- sification methods. This work considers the application of one of these methods, named Rotation-based, when the classifiers to combine are RBF Networks. This ensemble method, for each member of the ensemble, trans- forms the data set using a pseudo-random rotation of the axis. Then the classifier is constructed using this rotation data. The results of the ensem- bles obtained with this method are compared with the results using other ensemble methods (including Bagging and Boosting), over 34 data sets.
Cone-beam computed tomography study of the root and canal morphology of mandibular permanent anterior teeth in a Chongqing population

Objective To investigate the root and canal morphology of permanent mandibular anterior teeth in a Chongqing population using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods CBCT images of 1,725 patients in a Chongqing population were selected, and a total of 9,646 mandibular anterior teeth were analyzed. The number of root canals and the canal configurations were investigated. Results In total, 0.3% (11/3,257) of lateral incisors and 0.8% (26/3,014) of canines had double roots, and 3.8% (127/3,375) of central incisors, 10.6% (345/3,257) of lateral incisors, and 4.2% (127/3,014) of canines had multi-root canals. The difference in the incidence of multi-canals in lateral incisors between female and male was statistically significant. The frequency of multi-canals in the different age groups was 5.0% for central incisors for ages 21–30 years, 14.7% for lateral incisors for ages 41–50 years, and 8.1% for canines for ages 41–50 years. Conclusion With the limitations of the current study, we found that a high percentage of mandibular anterior teeth had multiple canals in the studied Chinese Chongqing population. The current data may provide clinicians practicing in Chongqing with a more thorough understanding of root canal morphology.
Physical health and the onset and persistence of depression in older adults: an eight-wave prospective community-based study

Background. Poor physical health has long been recognized to be one of the most important risk factors for depression in older adults. Since many aspects of physical health can be targeted for improvement in primary care, it is important to know whether physical health problems predict the onset and/or the persistence of depression. Methods. The study is based on a sample which at the outset consisted of 327 depressed and 325 non-depressed older adults (55–85) drawn from a larger random community-based sample in the Netherlands. Depression was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) at eight successive waves. Results. From all incident episodes, the majority (57%) was short-lived. These short episodes could generally not be predicted by physical health problems. The remaining incident episodes (43%) were not short-lived and could be predicted by poor physical health. Chronicity (34%) was also predicted by physical health problems. Conclusions. The study design with its frequent measurements recognized more incident cases than previous studies; these cases however did have a better prognosis than is often assumed. The prognosis of prevalent cases was rather poor. Physical health problems were demonstrated to be a predictor of both the onset and the persistence of depression. This may well have implications for prevention and intervention.
Programming by sketching for bit-streaming programs

This paper introduces the concept of programming with sketches, an approach for the rapid development of high-performance applications. This approach allows a programmer to write clean and portable reference code, and then obtain a high-quality implementation by simply sketching the outlines of the desired implementation. Subsequently, a compiler automatically fills in the missing details while also ensuring that a completed sketch is faithful to the input reference code. In this paper, we develop StreamBit as a sketching methodology for the important class of bit-streaming programs (e.g., coding and cryptography). A sketch is a partial specification of the implementation, and as such, it affords several benefits to programmer in terms of productivity and code robustness. First, a sketch is easier to write compared to a complete implementation. Second, sketching allows the programmer to focus on exploiting algorithmic properties rather than on orchestrating low-level details. Third, a sketch-aware compiler rejects "buggy" sketches, thus improving reliability while allowing the programmer to quickly evaluate sophisticated implementation ideas.We evaluated the productivity and performance benefits of our programming methodology in a user-study, where a group of novice StreamBit programmers competed with a group of experienced C programmers on implementing a cipher. We learned that, given the same time budget, the ciphers developed in StreamBit ran 2.5x faster than ciphers coded in C. We also produced implementations of DES and Serpent that were competitive with hand optimized implementations available in the public domain.
The Relationships of Cigarette and Alcohol Use With the Initiation, Reinitiation, and Persistence of Cannabis Use.

OBJECTIVE This study used a prospective survey to examine (a) the relationships of early onset and prior consumption of cannabis, cigarette, and alcohol use with later cannabis use initiation, reinitiation, and persistence; and (b) whether the quantity or frequency of alcohol or cigarette use was more predictive of cannabis use initiation, reinitiation, or persistence. METHOD This study used data from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions, Wave 1 (2001-2002) and Wave 2 (2004-2005), including 27,741 nonusers, 5,623 prior users, and 1,279 current cannabis users at baseline who were at risk of cannabis use initiation, reinitiation, and persistence, respectively, between baseline and follow-up assessments. We employed logistic regression to examine the effects of prior substance use on cannabis use initiation, reinitiation, and persistence, controlling for sociodemographics. RESULTS Frequency and early-onset status of cigarette use (≤14 years) and alcohol use (≤17 years) predicted cannabis use initiation and reinitiation but not persistence. While considering the potential effects of early onset and consumption levels of cannabis use, baseline alcohol and cigarette use quantity and frequency did not predict persistent cannabis use. Frequency, compared with quantity, of alcohol and cigarette use was more predictive of cannabis use initiation and reinitiation. CONCLUSIONS Early onset and prior experience with cannabis, cigarettes, and alcohol could have effects on later cannabis use, varying among the three at-risk populations. Different strategies are needed for preventing cannabis use initiation, reinitiation, and persistence, based on targeting early use of alcohol and cigarettes.
Tracing marine cryptotephras in the North Atlantic during the Last Glacial Period: 1 Improving the North Atlantic marine tephrostratigraphic framework 2

20 Tephrochronology is increasingly being recognised as a key tool for the correlation of 21 disparate palaeoclimatic archives, underpinning chronological models and facilitating 22 climatically independent comparisons of climate proxies. Tephra frameworks integrating both 23 distal and proximal tephra occurrences are essential to these investigations providing key 24 details on their spatial distributions, geochemical signatures, eruptive sources as well as any 25 available chronological and/or stratigraphic information. Frameworks also help to avoid mis- 26 correlation of horizons and provide important information on volcanic history. Here we 27 present a comprehensive chronostratigraphic framework of 14 tephra horizons from North 28 Atlantic marine sequences spanning 60-25 cal ka BP. Horizons previously discovered as 29 visible or coarse-grained deposits have been combined with 11 newly recognised volcanic 30 deposits, identified through the application of cryptotephra identification and characterisation 31 methods to a wide network of marine sequences. Their isochronous integrity has been 32 assessed using their physical characteristics. All horizons originated from Iceland with the 33 vast majority having a basaltic composition sourced from the Grímsvötn, Kverkfjöll, Hekla/Vatnafjöll and Katla volcanic systems. New occurrences, improved stratigraphic 35 placements and a refinement of the geochemical signature of the NAAZ II are reported and 36 the range of the FMAZ IV has been extended. In addition, several significant geochemical 37 populations that further investigations could show to be isochronous are reported. This tephra 38 framework provides the foundation for the correlation and synchronisation of these marine 39 records to the Greenland ice-cores and European terrestrial records to investigate the phasing, 40 rate, timing and mechanisms controlling the rapid climate changes that characterised the last 41 glacial period. 42 43
HMM adaptation for telephone applications

The presence of background noise and the frequency response of a transmission line like in telephone applications have a major influence on the performance of speech recognition systems. An approach is presented in this paper to cope with both effects. It is based on an estimation of the stationary noise spectrum and an estimation of the mismatch between the frequency responses present during training and during recognition. These estimations are used in combination with the PMC scheme [1] to adapt the whole word HMMs for a speaker independent recognition of connected words. A considerable improvement can be achieved on recognizing distorted speech data. The technique is also used as part of a complete speech dialogue system over the telephone network where it could also proof its beneficial usability.
Nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of soluble tubulin in mammalian cells

We have investigated the subcellular distribution and dynamics of soluble tubulin in unperturbed and transfected HeLa cells. Under normal culture conditions, endogenous α/β tubulin is confined to the cytoplasm. However, when the soluble pool of subunits is elevated by combined cold-nocodazole treatment and when constitutive nuclear export is inhibited by leptomycin B, tubulin accumulates in the cell nucleus. Transfection assays and FRAP experiments reveal that GFP-tagged β-tubulin shuttles between the cytoplasm and the cell nucleus. Nuclear import seems to occur by passive diffusion, whereas exit from the nucleus appears to rely on nuclear export signals (NESs). Several such motifs can be identified by sequence criteria along the β-tubulin molecule and mutations in one of these (NES-1) cause a significant accumulation in the nuclear compartment. Under these conditions, the cells are arrested in the G0-G1 phase and eventually die, suggesting that soluble tubulin interferes with important nuclear functions. Consistent with this interpretation, soluble tubulin exhibits stoichiometric binding to recombinant, normally modified and hyper-phosphorylated/acetylated histone H3. Tubulin-bound H3 no longer interacts with heterochromatin protein 1 and lamin B receptor, which are known to form a ternary complex under in vitro conditions. Based on these observations, we suggest that nuclear accumulation of soluble tubulin is part of an intrinsic defense mechanism, which tends to limit cell proliferation under pathological conditions. This readily explains why nuclear tubulin has been detected so far only in cancer or in transformed cells, and why accumulation of this protein in the nucleus increases after treatment with chemotherapeutic agents.
Analysis of the Restricted Isometry Property for Gaussian Random Matrices

In the context of compressed sensing, we provide a new approach to the analysis of the symmetric and asymmetric restricted isometry property for Gaussian measurement matrices. The proposed method relies on the exact distribution of the extreme eigenvalues for Wishart matrices, or on its approximation based on the Tracy-Widom law, which in turn can be approximated by means of properly shifted and scaled Gamma distributions. The resulting probability that the measurement submatrix is ill conditioned is compared with the known concentration of measure inequality bound, which has been originally adopted to prove that Gaussian matrices satisfy the restricted isometry property with overwhelming probability. The new analytical approach gives an accurate prediction of such probability, tighter than the concentration of measure bound by many orders of magnitude. Thus, the proposed method leads to an improved estimation of the minimum number of measurements required for perfect signal recovery.
Rate of novel host invasion affects adaptability of evolving RNA virus lineages

Although differing rates of environmental turnover should be consequential for the dynamics of adaptive change, this idea has been rarely examined outside of theory. In particular, the importance of RNA viruses in disease emergence warrants experiments testing how differing rates of novel host invasion may impact the ability of viruses to adaptively shift onto a novel host. To test whether the rate of environmental turnover influences adaptation, we experimentally evolved 144 Sindbis virus lineages in replicated tissue-culture environments, which transitioned from being dominated by a permissive host cell type to a novel host cell type. The rate at which the novel host ‘invaded’ the environment varied by treatment. The fitness (growth rate) of evolved virus populations was measured on each host type, and molecular substitutions were mapped via whole genome consensus sequencing. Results showed that virus populations more consistently reached high fitness levels on the novel host when the novel host ‘invaded’ the environment more gradually, and gradual invasion resulted in less variable genomic outcomes. Moreover, virus populations that experienced a rapid shift onto the novel host converged upon different genotypes than populations that experienced a gradual shift onto the novel host, suggesting a strong effect of historical contingency.
Reconstruction of the cooling setup of the Josephson voltage standard system in CMI

This paper describes the experiences and operational parameters of the Josephson voltage system cooled by closed cycle refrigerator produced by HYPRES, INC., USA and operated in CZECH METROLOGY INSTITUTE. The change of the cooling system was required and the new cooling system was implemented by SUPRACON AG. The overall increase in operational parameters of the system was observed.
Saliency-aware color moments features for image categorization and retrieval

Traditional window-based color indexing techniques have been widely used in image analysis and retrieval systems. In the existing approaches, all the image regions are treated with equal importance. However, some image areas carry more information about their content (e.g. the scene foreground). The human visual system bases indeed the categorization process on such set of perceptually salient region. Therefore, in order to improve the discriminative abilities of the color features for image recognition, higher importance should be given to the chromatic characteristics of more informative windows. In this paper, we present an informativeness-aware color descriptor based on the Color Moments feature [17]. We first define a saliency-based measure to quantify the amount of information carried by each image window; we then change the window-based CM feature according to the computed local informativeness. Finally, we show that this new hybrid feature outperforms the traditional Color Moments in a variety of challenging dataset for scene categorization, object recognition and video retrieval.