Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potential of High Spatial and Temporal Ocean Color Satellite Data to Study the Dynamics of Suspended Particles in a Micro-Tidal River Plume

Ocean color satellite sensors are powerful tools to study and monitor the dynamics of suspended particulate matter (SPM) discharged by rivers in coastal waters. In this study, we test the capabilities of Landsat-8/Operational Land Imager (OLI), AQUA&TERRA/Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and MSG-3/Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) sensors in terms of spectral, spatial and temporal resolutions to (i) estimate the seawater reflectance signal and then SPM concentrations and (ii) monitor the dynamics of SPM in the Rhone River plume characterized by moderately turbid surface waters in a micro-tidal sea. Consistent remote-sensing reflectance (Rrs) values are retrieved in the red spectral bands of these four satellite sensors (median relative difference less than ~16% in turbid waters). By applying a regional algorithm developed from in situ data, these Rrs are used to estimate SPM concentrations in the Rhone river plume. The spatial resolution of OLI provides a detailed mapping of the SPM concentration from the downstream part of the river itself to the plume offshore limits with well defined small-scale turbidity features. Despite the low temporal resolution of OLI, this should allow to better understand the transport of terrestrial particles from rivers to the coastal ocean. These details are partly lost using MODIS coarser resolutions data but SPM concentration estimations are consistent, with an accuracy of about 1 to 3 g·m−3 in the river mouth and plume for spatial resolutions from 250 m to 1 km. The MODIS temporal resolution (2 images per day) allows to capture the daily to monthly dynamics of the river plume. However, despite its micro-tidal environment, the Rhone River plume shows significant short-term (hourly) variations, mainly controlled by wind and regional circulation, that MODIS temporal resolution failed to capture. On the contrary, the high temporal resolution of SEVIRI makes it a powerful tool to study this hourly river plume dynamics. However, its coarse resolution prevents the monitoring of SPM concentration variations in the river mouth where SPM concentration variability can reach 20 g·m−3 inside the SEVIRI pixel. Its spatial resolution is nevertheless sufficient to reproduce the plume shape and retrieve SPM concentrations in a valid range, taking into account an underestimation of about 15%–20% based on comparisons with other sensors and in situ data. Finally, the capabilities, advantages and limits of these satellite sensors are discussed in the light of the spatial and temporal resolution improvements provided by the new and future generation of ocean color sensors onboard the Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3 and Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellite platforms.
In-Situ Synthesis of Hydrogen Titanate Nanotube/Graphene Composites with a Chemically Bonded Interface and Enhanced Visible Photocatalytic Activity

Hydrogen titanate nanotube (HTT)/graphene nanocomposites are synthesized by hydrothermal reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and simultaneous preparation of nanotubular HTT via an alkaline hydrothermal process. By using this facile in-situ compositing strategy, HTT are densely supported upon the surface of graphene sheets with close interface contacts. The as-prepared HTT/graphene nanocomposites possess significantly enhanced visible light catalytic activity for the partial oxidation of benzylic alcohols. The amount of graphene has significant influence on catalytic activity and the optimal content of graphene is 1.0 wt %, giving a normalized rate constant k of 1.71 × 10−3 g/m2·h, which exceeds that of pure HTT and HTT/graphene-1.0% mixed by a factor of 7.1 or 5.2. Other than the general role of graphene as a high-performance electron acceptor or transporter, the observed enhancement in photocatalytic activity over HTT/graphene can be ascribed to the improved interfacial charge migration from enhanced chemical bonding (Ti–C bonds) during the in-situ compositing process. The formation of Ti–C bonds is confirmed by XPS analysis and the resulting enhanced separation of photoinduced charge carriers is demonstrated by electrochemical impedance spectra and transient photocurrent response.
Change in radial artery pulse wave in stroke hemiplegic patients

Introduction: About 55% to 75% of stroke survivors have motor disorders and problems that affect their quality of life. The prevention of secondary neurological damages through relapse prevention and the rehabilitation of stroke patients suffering from morbidities are crucial to improve the prognosis of patients with stroke. Pulse examinations can be used to determine the stroke progression. This study will investigate the differences and changes in radial artery pressure-pulse waves during the treatment of hemiplegia caused by stroke. Methods/design: This study protocol is for a prospective matched case-control study. A total of 84 participants will be recruited, 56 patients with hemiplia caused by stroke, and 28 control patients matched by age, gender, and body mass index. The primary outcome of this study will be the differences and changes in the radial augmentation index. Discussion: The results of the study will help to determine the differences and changes in radial artery pressure-pulse waves during the treatment of hemiplegia caused by stroke. The findings will provide information about the physiological and hemodynamic mechanisms. Conclusion: This will be the first study to analyze the pulse wave of the radial artery (PWRA) on the affected side and on the normal side in stroke patients with hemiplegia. This study will clarify whether the radial artery pressure pulse wave can be used to evaluate the result of stroke treatment objectively. The results of the study will be available in February 2019. The version of the protocol is v1.6 written in March 7, 2016. Ethics and dissemination: Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Wonkwang University Gwangju Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea (WKIRB-2016/8). The study findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. Trial registration number: This trial was registered with the Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS) of the Korea National Institute of Health (NIH), Republic of Korea (KCT0002147).
Effect of Co~(2+) Substitution on the Electromagnetic Properties of Low-temperature-fired NiCuZn Ferrites

In this paper, low-temperature-fired NiCuZn ferrites were prepared by solid-state reaction method. The effects of Co 2+ substitution on microstructure, saturation magnetic flux density, coercivity and permeability, Q-factor under DC-bias-superposition field were investigated. It was found that proper content of Co 2+ substitution could compensate the negative magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant of the ferrite and resultantly lead to the increase of permeability. Permeability continuously decreases with increasing DC-bias-superposition field. And the incremental permeability of the material under high DC-bias-superposition field is mainly dependent on its coercivivity.
A Risk-aware Access Control Model for Biomedical Research Platforms

Data sharing and collaboration are important success factors for modern biomedical research. As biomedical data contains sensitive information, any mechanism that governs biomedical data sharing should protect subjects’ privacy while providing high-utility data in an efficient and prompt manner. The use of biomedical data for research has been studied extensively from the legal aspect. Several regulations control its use and sharing to limit privacy risks. However, current sharing mechanisms can be a barrier to the research community needs. Going through the IRB process is time consuming and will become a bottleneck for the intensive data need of the biomedical research community. Alternatively, creating a universal de-identified research sub-dataset accessible through honest-broker-systems will not satisfy all research use-cases, as stringent de-identification methods can reduce data utility. A risk-aware access control model is a good alternative toward making data more available. In such a model, data requests are evaluated against their incurred privacy risks, and are granted access after the application of appropriate protection levels. In this paper, we describe a formal risk-aware model that will be used in the access control layer and describe the different risk components that can be combined to provide a decision against a data access request.
CEACAM6 Gene Variants in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background The carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6) acts as a receptor for adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC) and its ileal expression is increased in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Given its contribution to the pathogenesis of CD, we aimed to investigate the role of genetic variants in the CEACAM6 region in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Methodology In this study, a total of 2,683 genomic DNA samples (including DNA from 858 CD patients, 475 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 1,350 healthy, unrelated controls) was analyzed for eight CEACAM6 SNPs (rs10415946, rs1805223 = p.Pro42Pro, rs4803507, rs4803508, rs11548735 = p.Gly239Val, rs7246116 = pHis260His, rs2701, rs10416839). In addition, a detailed haplotype analysis and genotype-phenotype analysis were performed. Overall, our genotype analysis did not reveal any significant association of the investigated CEACAM6 SNPs and haplotypes with CD or UC susceptibility, although certain CEACAM6 SNPs modulated CEACAM6 expression in intestinal epithelial cell lines. Despite its function as receptor of AIEC in ileal CD, we found no association of the CEACAM6 SNPs with ileal or ileocolonic CD. Moreover, there was no evidence of epistasis between the analyzed CEACAM6 variants and the main CD-associated NOD2, IL23R and ATG16L1 variants. Conclusions This study represents the first detailed analysis of CEACAM6 variants in IBD patients. Despite its important role in bacterial attachment in ileal CD, we could not demonstrate a role for CEACAM6 variants in IBD susceptibility or regarding an ileal CD phenotype. Further functional studies are required to analyze if these gene variants modulate ileal bacterial attachment.
Handheld scanning probes for optical coherence tomography: developments, applications, and perspectives

We present the handheld scanning probes that we have recently developed in our current project for biomedical imaging in general and for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) in particular. OCT is an established, but dynamic imagistic technique based on laser interferometry, which offers micrometer resolutions and millimeters penetration depths. With regard to existing devices, the newly developed handheld probes are simple, light and relatively low cost. Their design is described in detail to allow for the reproduction in any lab, including for educational purposes. Two probes are constructed almost entirely from off-the-shelf components, while a third, final variant is constructed with dedicated components, in an ergonomic design. The handheld probes have uni-dimensional (1D) galvanometer scanners therefore they achieve transversal sections through the biological sample investigated - in contrast to handheld probes equipped with bi-dimensional (2D) scanners that can also achieve volumetric (3D) reconstructions of the samples. These latter handheld probes are therefore also discussed, as well as the possibility to equip them with galvanometer 2D scanners or with Risley prisms. For galvanometer scanners the optimal scanning functions studied in a series of previous works are pointed out; these functions offer a higher temporal efficiency/duty cycle of the scanning process, as well as artifact-free OCT images. The testing of the handheld scanning probes in dental applications is presented, for metal ceramic prosthesis and for teeth.
A Multicore Processor for Time-Critical Applications

This article presents T-CREST many-core architecture specially designed and optimized for time-critical systems. <italic>—Tulika Mitra, National University of Singapore —Jürgen Teich, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnber —Lothar Thiele, ETH Zurich</italic>
The crystal structure of CaGeO3 perovskite and the crystal chemistry of the GdFeO3-type perovskites

A single-crystal X-ray study indicates that the perovskite form of CaGeO3 is orthorhombic(Pbnm), and isotypic with GdFeO3, although it was previously reported as a cubic form; the cell dimensions are a : 5.26076)K,A : S.ZeSS(to), s : 7.4452(15) and v :2M.366)43 (Z: 4; Dcarc : 5.17 glcm3). The crystal structure is close to that of SmAlO3. Although the unit cell of CaGeO3 is pseudocubic, the structure itself is very distorted through the tilting and distortion of polyhedra. The oxygen polyhedra are less tilted and less distorted than those of other GdFeO3-type perovskites. The structural deformation of the GdFeo3-type perovskite is determined primarily by the size-ratio of two kinds of cation occupying A and B sites. Some structural characteristics such as O(2)-O(2F(2) and A-O(1)-B angles and bond-length distortions exhibit systematic relationships as a function of the observed tolerance factor which is newly defined here. A strong correlation between the Goldschmidt tolerance factor and the observed tolerance factor has made possible some predictions for GdFeO3-type perovskites.
Ethnic Differences in Advance Directive Completion and Care Preferences: What Has Changed in a Decade?

Studies have documented ethnic differences in advance directive (AD) completion, with lower rates in minority groups. Of those with ADs, blacks are more likely than whites to prefer aggressive care, but little is known about how these differences in preferences have changed over time in ethnic groups. This nationally representative study aimed to investigate whether these differences in AD development persisted after adjusting for important confounding variables. Year of death was analyzed to see how AD completion changed over time within ethnic groups, and for those with an AD, the association between these factors and opting for aggressive care was investigated. Data from the 2000 to 2012 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) exit interviews from 7,177 decedents were used. Analyses included logistic regression to determine the relationship between ethnicity and AD completion and preferences for aggressive care and how it changed over time in ethnic groups. Forty‐six percent of decedents had completed an AD (whites 51.7%, Hispanics 18.0%, blacks 15.0%). Of blacks completing an AD, 23.8% elected prolonged care, compared with 13.3% of Hispanics and 3.3% of whites. Logistic regression revealed that blacks 75% lower odds of completing an AD and Hispanics had 70% lower odds. Model covariates had a small influence on ethnic differences, although in examining the change in AD completion over time, the odds of having an AD increased with each subsequent death year for blacks and whites but not Hispanics. Additional research is needed to investigate the effect of cultural differences in AD completion rates of ethnic minority groups to ensure that preferences are honored in the clinical setting.
High Performance Layout Analysis of Medieval European Document Images

Layout analysis, mainly including binarization and page segmentation, is one of the most important performance determining steps of an OCR system for complex medieval document images, which contain noise, distortions and irregular layouts. In this paper, we present high performance page segmentation techniques for medieval European document images which include a novel main-body and side-notes segregation and an improved version of OCRopus (OCRopus, ) based text line extraction. In order to complete the high performance layout analysis pipeline, we have also presented the application of the percentile based binarization (Afzal et al., 2014) and the multiresolution morphology based text and non-text segmentation (Bukhari et al., 2011) methods over historical document images. presented layout analysis techniques are applied to a collection of the 15th century Latin document images, which achieved more than 90% accuracy for each of the segmentation techniques.
Network control and management challenges in opaque networks utilizing transparent optical switches

There is a potential for significant cost, footprint, and power savings by eliminating unnecessary opto-electronic conversions on a signal path in a core optical mesh network. The article addresses and clarifies some fundamental issues surrounding all-optical networking and all-optical switching, and analyzes the trade-offs between transparent and opaque networking. It investigates a number of networking and interface compatibility issues that arise for an opaque network with transparent switches, and presents a number of ways to address these issues.
Dynamic Biomarkers of Response to Antiangiogenic Therapies in Colorectal Cancer: A Review

Background: Identification of clinical and molecular biomarkers to predict dynamic response or monitor in real-time the efficacy of antiangiogenic therapy represents a major point in the treatment of patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Several stu-dies have been conduced to identify some predictive biomarkers to select patients who will benefit from bevacizumab, the most widely used antiangiogenic monoclonal anti-body. Conclusion: After a decade since the introduction of bevacizumab, no effective predictive biomarkers are available in routine clinical practice. In this review, we summarized the potential candidate dynamic biomarkers that may play a role in this setting.
Variable Selection in Kernel Regression Using Measurement Error Selection Likelihoods

ABSTRACT This article develops a nonparametric shrinkage and selection estimator via the measurement error selection likelihood approach recently proposed by Stefanski, Wu, and White. The measurement error kernel regression operator (MEKRO) has the same form as the Nadaraya–Watson kernel estimator, but optimizes a measurement error model selection likelihood to estimate the kernel bandwidths. Much like LASSO or COSSO solution paths, MEKRO results in solution paths depending on a tuning parameter that controls shrinkage and selection via a bound on the harmonic mean of the pseudo-measurement error standard deviations. We use small-sample-corrected AIC to select the tuning parameter. Large-sample properties of MEKRO are studied and small-sample properties are explored via Monte Carlo experiments and applications to data. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
A Collaborative Filtering Algorithm of Calculating Similarity Based on Item Rating and Attributes

Nowadays, the collaborative filtering techniques have demonstrated an excellent performance in the top-N recommendation. However conventional methods in similarity measurement are insufficient when the condition of data sparsity and cold start occur, which leads to a poor accuracy in prediction. In order to concur the limitation, a collaborative filtering algorithm of calculating similarity based on item rating and attributes is proposed. Firstly, we calculate the similarity of item attributes, then calculate the similarity of the project according to the user rating of the project. Meanwhile, a weighted control coefficient is proposed to combine the similarity between item attributes and rating of items, which contribute to obtain nearest neighbors. Experiments have shown that our algorithm has major potential in solving the problem of cold start, therefore improving the precision of the recommendation system.
Recognizing Textual Entailment: Challenges in the Portuguese Language

Recognizing textual entailment comprises the task of determining semantic entailment relations between text fragments. A text fragment entails another text fragment if, from the meaning of the former, one can infer the meaning of the latter. If such relation is bidirectional, then we are in the presence of a paraphrase. Automatically recognizing textual entailment relations captures major semantic inference needs in several natural language processing (NLP) applications. As in many NLP tasks, textual entailment corpora for English abound, while the same is not true for more resource-scarce languages such as Portuguese. Exploiting what seems to be the only Portuguese corpus for textual entailment and paraphrases (the ASSIN corpus), in this paper, we address the task of automatically recognizing textual entailment (RTE) and paraphrases from text written in the Portuguese language, by employing supervised machine learning techniques. We employ lexical, syntactic and semantic features, and analyze the impact of using semantic-based approaches in the performance of the system. We then try to take advantage of the bi-dialect nature of ASSIN to compensate its limited size. With the same aim, we explore modeling the task of recognizing textual entailment and paraphrases as a binary classification problem by considering the bidirectional nature of paraphrases as entailment relationships. Addressing the task as a multi-class classification problem, we achieve results in line with the winner of the ASSIN Challenge. In addition, we conclude that semantic-based approaches are promising in this task, and that combining data from European and Brazilian Portuguese is less straightforward than it may initially seem. The binary classification modeling of the problem does not seem to bring advantages to the original multi-class model, despite the outstanding results obtained by the binary classifier for recognizing textual entailments.
Cellulose nanofibrils: Challenges and possibilities as a paper additive or coating material – A review

Today, there is widespread scientific and commercial interest in cellulose nanofibrils (CNF). The exploration of new manufacturing methods and pretreatments has enabled a less energy intensive production of CNF. In this review the use of CNF in paper making applications as a paper additive or coating material have been summarized and discussed. CNF can be added directly into the pulp furnish, and by using a relatively low amount of CNF together with suitable retention aids potential problems related to dewatering can be avoided. This type of CNF addition enables either decreased basis weight or increased filler content with maintained paper strength. CNF can also be applied in coating formulations. Increased surface smoothness and enhanced barrier properties are key benefits obtained by CNF containing coatings, but challenges exist such as the high water content of CNF coatings and the low moisture resistance of CNF barriers. Further research is still needed but, at least in some papermaking applications, CNF is not far from implementations on a commercial scale.
More on bounded independence plus noise: Pseudorandom generators for read-once polynomials

We construct pseudorandom generators with improved seed length for several classes of tests. First, we consider the class of read-once polynomials over GF(2) in m variables. For error ε we obtain seed length Õ(log(m/ε) log(1/ε)). This is optimal up to a factor of log(1/ε) ·poly loglog(m/ε). The previous best seed length was polylogarithmic in m and 1/ε . Second, we consider product tests f : {0,1}m→ C≤1. These tests are the product of k functions fi : {0,1}→C≤1, where the inputs of the fi are disjoint subsets of the m variables and C≤1 is the complex unit disk. Here we obtain seed length ` ·polylog(m/ε). This implies better generators for other classes of tests. If moreover the fi have output range {−1,0,1} then we obtain seed length Õ((log(k/ε)+ `)(log(1/ε)+ log logm)). This is again optimal up to a factor of log(1/ε) · polylog(`, logk, logm, log(1/ε)), while the previous best seed length was ≥ √ k. A main component of our proofs is showing that these classes of tests are fooled by almost d-wise independent distributions perturbed with noise. ACM Classification: G.3 AMS Classification: 68Q87, 68W20