Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bio marker identification for diagnosis of schizophrenia with integrated analysis of fMRI and SNPs

It is important to identify significant biomarkers such as SNPs for medical diagnosis and treatment. However, the size of a biological sample is usually far less than the number of measurements, which makes the problem more challenging. To overcome this difficulty, we propose a sparse representation based variable selection (SRVS) approach. A simulated data set was first tested to demonstrate the advantages and properties of the proposed method. Then, we applied the algorithm to a joint analysis of 759075 SNPs and 153594 functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRJ) voxels in 208 subjects (92 cases/116 controls) to identify significant biomarkers for schizophrenia (SZ). When compared with previous studies, our proposed method located 20 genes out of the top 45 SZ genes that are publicly reported We also detected some interesting functional brain regions from the fMRI study. In addition, a leave one out (LOO) cross-validation was performed and the results were compared with that of a previously reported method, which showed that our method gave significantly higher classification accuracy. In addition, the identification accuracy with integrative analysis is much better than that of using single type of data, suggesting that integrative analysis may lead to better diagnostic accuracy by combining complementary SNP and fMRI data.
Growth hormone-releasing hormone attenuates cardiac hypertrophy and improves heart function in pressure overload-induced heart failure

Significance Pathological cardiac hypertrophy, characterized by heart growth in response to pressure or volume overload, such as in the setting of hypertension, is the main risk factor for heart failure (HF). The identification of therapeutic strategies to prevent or reverse cardiac hypertrophy is therefore a priority for curing HF. It is known that growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) displays cardioprotective functions; however, its therapeutic potential in hypertrophy and HF is unknown. Here we show that GHRH reduces cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro through inhibition of hypertrophic pathways. In vivo, the GHRH analog MR-409 attenuates cardiac hypertrophy in mice subjected to transverse aortic constriction and improves cardiac function. These findings suggest therapeutic use of GHRH analogs for treatment of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and HF. It has been shown that growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) reduces cardiomyocyte (CM) apoptosis, prevents ischemia/reperfusion injury, and improves cardiac function in ischemic rat hearts. However, it is still not known whether GHRH would be beneficial for life-threatening pathological conditions, like cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure (HF). Thus, we tested the myocardial therapeutic potential of GHRH stimulation in vitro and in vivo, using GHRH or its agonistic analog MR-409. We show that in vitro, GHRH(1-44)NH2 attenuates phenylephrine-induced hypertrophy in H9c2 cardiac cells, adult rat ventricular myocytes, and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived CMs, decreasing expression of hypertrophic genes and regulating hypertrophic pathways. Underlying mechanisms included blockade of Gq signaling and its downstream components phospholipase Cβ, protein kinase Cε, calcineurin, and phospholamban. The receptor-dependent effects of GHRH also involved activation of Gαs and cAMP/PKA, and inhibition of increase in exchange protein directly activated by cAMP1 (Epac1). In vivo, MR-409 mitigated cardiac hypertrophy in mice subjected to transverse aortic constriction and improved cardiac function. Moreover, CMs isolated from transverse aortic constriction mice treated with MR-409 showed improved contractility and reversal of sarcolemmal structure. Overall, these results identify GHRH as an antihypertrophic regulator, underlying its therapeutic potential for HF, and suggest possible beneficial use of its analogs for treatment of pathological cardiac hypertrophy.
Choice of rating method for assessing occupational asbestos exposure: study for compensation purposes in France.

BACKGROUND In the course of setting up the National Mesothelioma Surveillance Program (PNSM), established in France in 1998, the question arose as to the most suitable method of assessing occupational exposure. The aim of this study was to define the most suitable rating method for assessing occupational asbestos exposure in order to assess medico-social care. METHOD The study included 100 subjects-50 cases of mesothelioma and 50 controls-randomly selected and representing 457 jobs held. Job asbestos exposure was assessed by a six-expert panel using two methods: "by job" rating, where all the jobs in were assessed regardless of the subjects; and "by subject" rating, where all the jobs of a subject were assessed at the same time. Consensus was obtained and subjects' exposure was calculated for each rating. Then, two internal experts assessed job asbestos exposure with the "by subject" rating. Kappa coefficients were used to measure agreement between the ratings. RESULTS Agreement between "by job" and "by subject" ratings was very good for subject probability of exposure (kappa = 0.84) and cumulative exposure index (kappa = 0.80). Agreement between the six-expert panel and the two internal experts was good for subject exposure (kappa for probability = 0.71; kappa for cumulative exposure index= 0.68). CONCLUSION This study shows that the two rating systems have good or very good agreement. These results validate the routine use in the PNSM of the "by subject" rating, with the advantage of being convenient and quick to provide feedback on occupational asbestos exposure to mesothelioma cases for compensation.
Smoothing-Spline based Strain Estimation in Ultrasound Elastography

In ultrasound elastography, the strains in the axial direction are usually calculated by applying gradient operator on the estimated axial displacements. Unfortunately, the direct gradient operation also amplifies the noises. In this paper a novel smoothing-spline based strain estimation (SSSE) method for estimating the distribution of the soft tissue axial strains from displacement estimates is presented. First, a cubic smoothing-spline is estimated to approximate the axial displacements and then axial strains are calculated as derivative of the estimated spline. The simulation and experimental results showed that the new method can improve the elastographic contrast-to-noise ratio (CNRe) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNRe) of the estimated elastogram without sacrificing spatial resolution or being very time consuming.
Analysis and design of high performance voltage- doubler rectifier

This paper analyses and designs a new soft-switching single-phase high power factor voltage-doubler rectifier. The proposed rectifier combines the conventional pulse-width-modulation technique, soft commutation technique and instantaneous average line current control to promote the circuit performance. Comparison with conventional boost rectifier, the proposed rectifier own double voltage function at output port without additional voltage stress on main switches. A soft-switching auxiliary circuit is configured in the presented rectifier to provide the soft-switching function on main switches and auxiliary switches and improve the problem of switching losses and EMI. The proposed converter uses dual boost converter type to reduce the semiconductor count on power flow path and reduce conduction losses. In the control strategy, the proposed circuit uses the average current control mode to synthesize a stable sine-wave input current with low harmonics. A prototype has been implemented in laboratory to verify circuit theory.
Comparison of semi-batch vs. continuously fed anaerobic bioreactors for the treatment of a high-strength, solids-rich pumpkin-processing wastewater

The objective of this work was to compare two different high-rate anaerobic bioreactor configurations – the anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) and the upflow anaerobic solid removal (UASR) reactor – for the treatment of a solid-rich organic wastewater with a high strength. The two, 4.5-L reactors were operated in parallel for close to 100 days under mesophilic conditions (37°C) with non-granular biomass by feeding a pumpkin wastewater with ∼4% solids. The organic loading rate of pumpkin wastewater was increased periodically to a maximum of 8 g COD L−1 d−1 by shortening the hydraulic retention time to 5.3 days. Compositional analysis of pumpkin wastewater revealed deficiencies in the trace metal cobalt and alkalinity. With supplementation, the ASBR outperformed the UASR reactor with total chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies of 64% and 53%, respectively, achieving a methane yield of 0.27 and 0.20 L CH4 g−1 COD fed to the ASBR and UASR, respectively. The better performance realized with the ASBR and this specific wastewater was attributed to its semi-batch, dynamic operating conditions rather than the continuous operating conditions of the UASR reactor.
Writing a Rosetta Stone: Insights into Continental‐Margin Sedimentary Processes and Strata

Continental margins are valuable for many reasons, including the rich record of Earth history that they contain. A comprehensive understanding about the fate of fluvial sediment requires knowledge that transcends time-scales ranging from particle transport to deep burial. Insights are presented for margins in general, with a focus on a tectonically active margin (northern California) and a passive margin (New Jersey). Formation of continental-margin strata begins with sediment delivery to the seabed. Physical and biological reworking alters this sediment before it is preserved by burial, and has an impact upon its dispersal to more distal locations. The seabed develops strength as it consolidates, but failure can occur and lead to sediment redistribution through high-concentration gravity flows. Processes ranging from sediment delivery to gravity flows create morphological features that give shape to continental-margin surfaces. With burial, these surfaces may become seismic reflectors, which are observed in the subsurface as stratigraphy and are used to interpret the history of formative processes. Observations document sedimentary processes and strata on a particular margin, but numerical models and laboratory experimentation are necessary to provide a quantitative basis for extrapolation of these processes and strata in
Scheduling measurements and controls over networks — Part I: Rollout strategies for protocol design

We consider networked control systems where nodes (sensors, actuators, and controller) are connected via a communication network that allows only one user to transmit at a given time. We tackle the scheduling problem of deciding which node should access the network at each transmission time so as to optimize a quadratic performance objective. Using the framework of dynamic programming, we propose a rollout strategy by which the node elected to transmit at each step is the one that leads to optimal performance over a lookahead horizon assuming that from then on nodes transmit in a periodic order. The proposed strategy leads to a protocol in which a conic state partition determines which node transmits at each step and which can outperform any given periodic protocol. Moreover, we show that some of the protocols previously proposed in the literature, such as the Maximum Error First and the dynamic protocols, can be viewed as rollout strategies for a certain dynamic programming problem. The advantages of using rollout strategies are illustrated by a numerical example.
Investigation of an attentional bias for fear‐related material in obsessive‐compulsive checkers

Prior studies on attentional biases in obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) have yielded conflicting results. Using a new methodology based on a spatial cueing paradigm, it was investigated whether OCD checkers display heightened vigilance for concern‐related material or difficulties disengaging from such stimuli. Twenty‐eight OCD patients, 21 of whom were checkers, were compared to 27 controls. In the spatial cueing paradigm task, patients and controls responded to a visual target at one out of two possible locations, which was preceded by a verbal cue word presented at the same or at the opposite location of the target. Cue words were either checking‐relevant (e.g., doubt), neutral (e.g., box), or paranoia‐related (e.g., spy). No evidence for an attentional bias in OCD checkers was found. This study is in accordance with previous studies, which were unable to detect attentional biases in OCD patients. Depression and Anxiety 0:1–5, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Optimization of metal anode layer for transmission anode flat panel X-ray source using ZnO nanowire FEAs

A transmission anode flat panel X-ray source with the ZnO nanowire field emitter arrays(FEAs) has been realized. The thickness of the transmission-type flat panel X-ray target has been optimized to maximize the output intensity of X-rays. The EGSnrc-based Monte Carlo codes are utilized to simulate the X-ray intensity and spectrum generated from the target. The simulation results show that the target thickness is important factor affecting the output X-ray intensity. Tungsten film anodes of different thickness were prepared and tested in a transmission anode flat panel X-ray sources using the ZnO nanowire FEAs under 20kV anode voltage. A figure of merit is introduced to characterize the output intensity of X-ray under unit electron number. The experimental results agreed with the simulating results and the obtained optimal thickness of tungsten film is about 380nm.
Production of the Phytohormone Indole-3-Acetic Acid by Estuarine Species of the Genus Vibrio

ABSTRACT Strains of Vibrio spp. isolated from roots of the estuarine grasses Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus produce the phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). The colorimetric Salkowski assay was used for initial screening of IAA production. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) was then employed to confirm and quantify IAA production. The accuracy of IAA quantification by the Salkowski assay was examined by comparison to GC-MS assay values. Indole-3-acetamide, an intermediate in IAA biosynthesis by the indole-3-acetamide pathway, was also identified by GC-MS. Multilocus sequence typing of concatenated 16S rRNA, recA, and rpoA genes was used for phylogenetic analysis of environmental isolates within the genus Vibrio. Eight Vibrio type strains and five additional species-level clades containing a total of 16 environmental isolates and representing five presumptive new species were identified as IAA-producing Vibrio species. Six additional environmental isolates similar to four of the Vibrio type strains were also IAA producers. To our knowledge, this is the first report of IAA production by species of the genus Vibrio or by bacteria isolated from an estuarine environment.
2-D finite-difference time-domain full-waveform inversion of crosshole georadar data

xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. History of radar. 1 1.1.1. General. 1 1.1.2. Early radar applications in the earth sciences. 3 1.2. Georadar a modern technique for subsurface probing . 3 1.2.1. Numerical modeling of GPR data . 6 1.2.2. Practical aspects of GPR data acquisition . 8 1.2.3. Processing and inversion of GPR data . 9 1.2.3.1. Reflection processing. 9 1.2.3.2. Deterministic algorithms: Inversion of transmission GPR data . 9 1.2.3.3. Non-deterministic algorithms: Stochastic evaluation of GPR data . 11 1.2.4. Advantages and problems associated with the GPR method . 11 1.3. Goals of this thesis. 12 CHAPTER 2: REALISTIC FDTD MODELING OF BOREHOLE GEORADAR ANTENNA RADIATION: METHODOLOGY AND APPLICATION 15 2.1. Abstract. 16 2.2. Introduction . 16 2.3. Methodology. 17 2.4. Application to airand water-filled boreholes. 21 2.4. 1. Antenna in a homogeneous half-space . 22 2.4. 2. Antennae in an air-filled borehole . 23 2.4. 3. Antennae in a water-filled borehole . 23
Classification of technological privacy techniques for LTE-based public safety networks

Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) organizations emphasize the need for dedicated and broadband Public Safety Networks (PSNs) with the capability of providing a high level of security for critical communications. Considering the preceding fact, Long Term Evolution (LTE) has been chosen as the leading candidate technology for PSNs. However, a study of privacy challenges and requirements in LTE-based PSNs has not yet emerged. This paper aims to highlight those challenges and further discusses possible scenarios in which privacy might be violated in this particular environment. Then, a classification of technological privacy techniques is proposed in order to protect and enhance privacy in LTE-based PSNs. The given classification is a useful means for comparison and assessment of applicable privacy preserving methods. Moreover, our classification highlights further requirements and open problems for which available privacy techniques are not sufficient.
Ubiquitous Multimedia Information Delivering Service for Smart Home

This paper designs a ubiquitous multimedia information delivering service (U-MIDS) for smart home, U-MIDS can automatically deliver multimedia information, such as MP3 music, Internet radios, (text-to-speech) spoken online news, and personal spoken messages, to the residents according their positions and behaviors in a smart home. Basically, U-MIDS consists of embedded network media players and U-MIDS gateway. Network media players can play MP3 files through home network and U-MIDS gateway can control these media players to play desirable spoken information or music according to residents' preferences, locations and situations. Through our proposed U-MIDS, the residents can be free and relaxing to gather the ubiquitous multimedia information around their home all the time.
Evolution and Survival on Eutherian Sex Chromosomes

Since the two eutherian sex chromosomes diverged from an ancestral autosomal pair, the X has remained relatively gene-rich, while the Y has lost most of its genes through the accumulation of deleterious mutations in nonrecombining regions. Presently, it is unclear what is distinctive about genes that remain on the Y chromosome, when the sex chromosomes acquired their unique evolutionary rates, and whether X-Y gene divergence paralleled that of paralogs located on autosomes. To tackle these questions, here we juxtaposed the evolution of X and Y homologous genes (gametologs) in eutherian mammals with their autosomal orthologs in marsupial and monotreme mammals. We discovered that genes on the X and Y acquired distinct evolutionary rates immediately following the suppression of recombination between the two sex chromosomes. The Y-linked genes evolved at higher rates, while the X-linked genes maintained the lower evolutionary rates of the ancestral autosomal genes. These distinct rates have been maintained throughout the evolution of X and Y. Specifically, in humans, most X gametologs and, curiously, also most Y gametologs evolved under stronger purifying selection than similarly aged autosomal paralogs. Finally, after evaluating the current experimental data from the literature, we concluded that unique mRNA/protein expression patterns and functions acquired by Y (versus X) gametologs likely contributed to their retention. Our results also suggest that either the boundary between sex chromosome strata 3 and 4 should be shifted or that stratum 3 should be divided into two strata.
An Event Processing Platform for Business Process Management

The execution of business processes generates a lot of data comprising final process results as well as information about intermediate activities, both communicated as events. Automated process execution environments are centrally controlled by process engines that hold the connection between events and the processes they occure in. In contrast, in manual process execution environments, e.g., logistics, these events may not be correlated to the process they origin from. The correlation information is usually not present in the event but in so-called context data, which exists orthogonally to the corresponding process. However, in the areas of process monitoring and analysis, events need to be correlated to specific process instances. To close the gap between recorded events without process correlation and required events with process correlation, we propose a framework that enriches recorded events with context data to create events correlated to processes, so-called process events.
Transforming Graphical Interfaces Into Auditory Interfaces for Blind Users

Although graphical interfaces have provided a host of advantages to the majority of computer users, they have created a significant barrier to blind computer users. To meet the needs of these users, a methodology for transforming graphical interfaces into nonvisual interfaces has been developed. In this design, the salient components of graphical interfaces are transformed into auditory interfaces. Based on a hierarchical model of the graphical interface, the auditory interface utilizes auditory icons to convey interface objects. Users navigate the interface by traversing its hierarchical structure. This design results in a usable interface that meets the needs of blind users and provides many of the benefits of graphical interfaces.
Integration of Diverse Recognition Methodologies Through Reevaluation of N-Best Sentence Hypotheses

This paper describes a general formalism for integrating two or more speech recognition technologies, which could be developed at different research sites using different recognition strategies. In this formalism, one system uses the N-best search strategy to generate a list of candidate sentences; the list is rescored by other systems; and the different scores are combined to optimize performance. Specifically, we report on combining the BU system based on stochastic segment models and the BBN system based on hidden Markov models. In addition to facilitating integration of different systems, the N-best approach results in a large reduction in computation for word recognition using the stochastic segment model.
On the importance of inner-shell transitions for opacity calculations

For high temperatures and densities, stellar opacities obtained from the Opacity Project (OP) were smaller than those obtained from the OPAL project. Iglesias and Rogers (1995 Astrophys. J. 443 469) suggested that the discrepancy was due to the omission by OP of important atomic inner-shell processes, and considered in detail results for a mixture of six elements: H, He, C, O, S and Fe. Extensive new inner-shell data have now been computed using the code AUTOSTRUCTURE. It is shown that the inclusion of these data in the OP work gives opacities for the six-element mix which are in much closer agreement with those from OPAL. We also discuss a number of problems relating to the calculation of opacities and of equations of state for dense plasmas.