Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficient and Compact Representations of Prefix Codes

Most of the attention in statistical compression is given to the space used by the compressed sequence, a problem completely solved with optimal prefix codes. However, in many applications, the storage space used to represent the prefix code itself can be an issue. In this paper, we introduce and compare several techniques to store prefix codes. Let N be the sequence length and n be the alphabet size. Then, a naive storage of an optimal prefix code uses O(n log n) bits. Our first technique shows how to use O(n log log(N/n)) bits to store the optimal prefix code. Then, we introduce an approximate technique that, for any 0 <; ε <; 1/2, takes O(n log log(1/E)) bits to store a prefix code with an average codeword length within an additive ε of the minimum. Finally, a second approximation takes, for any constant c > 1, O(n1/c log n) bits to store a prefix code with an average codeword length at most c times the minimum. In all cases, our data structures allow encoding and decoding of any symbol in O(1) time. We experimentally compare our new techniques with the state of the art, showing that we achieve sixfold-to-eightfold space reductions, at the price of a slower encoding (2.5-8 times slower) and decoding (12-24 times slower). The approximations further reduce this space and improve the time significantly, up to recovering the speed of classical implementations, for a moderate penalty in the average code length. As a byproduct, we compare various heuristic, approximate, and optimal algorithms to generate length-restricted codes, showing that the optimal ones are clearly superior and practical enough to be implemented.
Iron deficiency across chronic inflammatory conditions: International expert opinion on definition, diagnosis, and management

Iron deficiency, even in the absence of anemia, can be debilitating, and exacerbate any underlying chronic disease, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Iron deficiency is frequently concomitant with chronic inflammatory disease; however, iron deficiency treatment is often overlooked, partially due to the heterogeneity among clinical practice guidelines. In the absence of consistent guidance across chronic heart failure, chronic kidney disease and inflammatory bowel disease, we provide practical recommendations for iron deficiency to treating physicians: definition, diagnosis, and disease‐specific diagnostic algorithms. These recommendations should facilitate appropriate diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency to improve quality of life and clinical outcomes.
COMLEX: visualizing communication for research and saving lives

One of the major causes of patient harm in hospital is poor communication. We are developing a video review and visualization platform to research and improve medics' communication skills. It intended for use by experimenters, as a deployable training tool for medics, and also for forensic review of communication. It supports pluggable analysis modules and visualizations for research teams, and configurable workflow for educators and hospital administrators.
Validity of Unplanned Admission to an Intensive Care Unit as a Measure of Patient Safety in Surgical Patients

Background:An unplanned admission to the intensive care unit within 24 h of a procedure (UIA) is a recommended clinical indicator in surgical patients. Often regarded as a surrogate marker of adverse events, it has potential as a direct measure of patient safety. Its true validity for such use is currently unknown. Methods:The authors validated UIA as an indicator of safety in surgical patients in a prospective cohort study of 44,130 patients admitted to their hospital. They assessed the association of UIA with intraoperative incidents and near misses, increased hospital length of stay, and 30-day mortality as three constructs of patient safety. Results:The authors identified 201 patients with a UIA; 104 (52.2%) had at least one incident or near miss. After adjusting for confounders, these incidents were significantly associated with UIA in all categories of surgical procedures analyzed; odds ratios were 12.21 (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.33–23.58), 4.06 (95% CI, 2.74–6.03), and 2.13 (95% CI, 1.02–4.42), respectively. The 30-day mortality for patients with UIA was 10.9%, compared with 1.1% in non-UIA patients. After risk adjustment, UIA was associated with excess mortality in several types of surgical procedures (odds ratio, 3.89; 95% CI, 2.14–7.04). The median length of stay was increased if UIA occurred: 16 days (interquartile range, 10–31) versus 2 days (interquartile range, 0.5–9) (P < 0.001). For patients with a UIA, the likelihood of discharge from hospital was significantly decreased in most surgical categories analyzed, with adjusted hazard ratios of 0.41 (95% CI, 0.23–0.77) to 0.58 (95% CI, 0.37–0.93). Conclusions:These findings provide strong support for the construct validity of UIA as a measure of patient safety.
LPCVD Silicon Dioxide Sacrificial Layer Etching for Surface Micromachining

The key step in producing a movable microstructure is the controllable sacrificial layer etching process. For the current study, a 1 μm silicon-rich silicon nitride structural layer was deposited on a 2 μm phosphosilicate glass (PSG) sacrificial layer that had been deposited on a single-crystal silicon wafer. Silicon nitride, unlike the more common polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) structural material, is transparent and, therefore, allows the observation of an etch front in the underlying PSG sacrificial layer. The PSG is an amorphous silicon dioxide, with phosphorus added as a controlled impurity, that can be selectively etched in hydrofluoric acid. Several experiments have been performed with four HF concentrations using these test structures. Diffusion limited etching is observed at long etching times for each concentration. Additional experimental work has been done to determine appropriate kinetic expressions for the PSG/HF reactions. The sacrificial layer etching process has been modeled as a chemical reaction/diffusion system. Constants for the kinetic expression have been found from independent experimental work. This Deal-Grove type model assumes isothermal conditions, constant density solution, onedimensional etching, and the equality of the diffusion and reaction fluxes. The model calculates the HF surface concentration and the length of PSG underetched as a function of time. It fits the data well but requires the use of an unphysical diffusion coefficient. An extension of the Deal-Grove model to nonfirst order kinetics allows for a reasonable estimate of the reactant/product mixture diffusivity in water to be used when fitting the model to experimental data.
Development of the Falls Risk for Older People in the Community (FROP-Com) screening tool.

BACKGROUND the aim of this study was to develop a brief screening tool for use in the emergency department (ED), to identify people who require further assessment and management. METHODS this prospective study included 344 community-dwelling older people presenting to an ED after a fall. After direct discharge participants had a home-based assessment performed that included the Falls Risk for Older People in the Community (FROP-Com), a comprehensive, yet simple, multifactorial falls risk assessment tool. They were then monitored for falls for 12 months. The items from the FROP-Com assessment tool predictive of falls in a multifactorial logistic regression were used to develop the FROP-Com screen. RESULTS the items significantly predictive of falls and combined to form the FROP-Com screen were: falls in the previous 12 months, observation of the person's balance and the need for assistance to perform domestic activities of daily living. At the cut-off with the highest Youden index sensitivity was 67.1% (95% CI 59.9-74.3) and specificity was 66.7% (95% CI 59.8-73.6). CONCLUSION the FROP-Com screen has a relatively good capacity to predict falls. It can be used in time-limited situations to classify those at high risk of falls who require more detailed assessment and management.
Bibersteinia trehalosi Inhibits the Growth of Mannheimia haemolytica by a Proximity-Dependent Mechanism

ABSTRACT Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica is the only pathogen that consistently causes severe bronchopneumonia and rapid death of bighorn sheep (BHS; Ovis canadensis) under experimental conditions. Paradoxically, Bibersteinia (Pasteurella) trehalosi and Pasteurella multocida have been isolated from BHS pneumonic lungs much more frequently than M. haemolytica. These observations suggest that there may be an interaction between these bacteria, and we hypothesized that B. trehalosi overgrows or otherwise inhibits the growth of M. haemolytica. Growth curves (monoculture) demonstrated that B. trehalosi has a shorter doubling time (∼10 min versus ∼27 min) and consistently achieves 3-log higher cell density (CFU/ml) compared to M. haemolytica. During coculture M. haemolytica growth was inhibited when B. trehalosi entered stationary phase (6 h) resulting in a final cell density for M. haemolytica that was 6 to 9 logs lower than expected with growth in the absence of B. trehalosi. Coculture supernatant failed to inhibit M. haemolytica growth on agar or in broth, indicating no obvious involvement of lytic phages, bacteriocins, or quorum-sensing systems. This observation was confirmed by limited growth inhibition of M. haemolytica when both pathogens were cultured in the same media but separated by a filter (0.4-μm pore size) that limited contact between the two bacterial populations. There was significant growth inhibition of M. haemolytica when the populations were separated by membranes with a pore size of 8 μm that allowed free contact. These observations demonstrate that B. trehalosi can both outgrow and inhibit M. haemolytica growth with the latter related to a proximity- or contact-dependent mechanism.
Peer-to-Peer Comparison of Model-Based Test Tools

The aim is to understand the differences between TDE/UML and peer tools available on the market to assess strength and weakness of TDE/UML. Evaluation comparison criteria are modeling, test case generation and extensibility of the model-based testing tools under consideration. The methodology can be adopted using tools other than TDE as a baseline for similar comparisons.
A fast statistical significance test for baseline correction and comparative analysis in phase locking

Human perception, cognition, and action are supported by a complex network of interconnected brain regions. There is an increasing interest in measuring and characterizing these networks as a function of time and frequency, and inter-areal phase locking is often used to reveal these networks. This measure assesses the consistency of phase angles between the electrophysiological activity in two areas at a specific time and frequency. Non-invasively, the signals from which phase locking is computed can be measured with magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG). However, due to the lack of spatial specificity of reconstructed source signals in MEG and EEG, inter-areal phase locking may be confounded by false positives resulting from crosstalk. Traditional phase locking estimates assume that no phase locking exists when the distribution of phase angles is uniform. However, this conjecture is not true when crosstalk is present. We propose a novel method to improve the reliability of the phase-locking measure by sampling phase angles from a baseline, such as from a prestimulus period or from resting-state data, and by contrasting this distribution against one observed during the time period of interest.
Chromosomal alterations in ductal carcinomas in situ and their in situ recurrences.

BACKGROUND Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) recurs in the same breast following breast-conserving surgery in 5%-25% of patients, with the rate influenced by the presence or absence of involved surgical margins, tumor size and nuclear grade, and whether or not radiation therapy was performed. A recurrent lesion arising soon after excision of an initial DCIS may reflect residual disease, whereas in situ tumors arising after longer periods are sometimes considered to be second independent events. The purpose of this study was to determine the clonal relationship between initial DCIS lesions and their recurrences. METHODS Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was used to compare chromosomal alterations in 18 initial DCIS lesions (presenting in the absence of invasive disease) and in their subsequent ipsilateral DCIS recurrences (detected from 16 months to 9.3 years later). RESULTS Of the 18 tumor pairs, 17 showed a high concordance in their chromosomal alterations (median = 81%; range = 65%-100%), while one case showed no agreement between the paired samples (having two and 20 alterations, respectively). Morphologic characterization of the DCIS pairs showed clear similarities. The mean number of CGH changes was greater in the recurrent tumors than in the initial lesions (10.7 versus 8.8; P =.019). The most common changes in both the initial and the recurrent in situ lesions were gains involving chromosome 17q and losses involving chromosomes 8p and 17p. The degree of concordance was independent of the time interval before recurrence and of the presence of positive surgical margins. CONCLUSIONS In this study, DCIS recurrences were clonally related to their primary lesions in most cases. This finding is consistent with treatment paradigms requiring wide surgical margins and/or postoperative radiation therapy.
Peripheral Nervous System Genes Expressed in Central Neurons Induce Growth on Inhibitory Substrates

Trauma to the spinal cord and brain can result in irreparable loss of function. This failure of recovery is in part due to inhibition of axon regeneration by myelin and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs). Peripheral nervous system (PNS) neurons exhibit increased regenerative ability compared to central nervous system neurons, even in the presence of inhibitory environments. Previously, we identified over a thousand genes differentially expressed in PNS neurons relative to CNS neurons. These genes represent intrinsic differences that may account for the PNS’s enhanced regenerative ability. Cerebellar neurons were transfected with cDNAs for each of these PNS genes to assess their ability to enhance neurite growth on inhibitory (CSPG) or permissive (laminin) substrates. Using high content analysis, we evaluated the phenotypic profile of each neuron to extract meaningful data for over 1100 genes. Several known growth associated proteins potentiated neurite growth on laminin. Most interestingly, novel genes were identified that promoted neurite growth on CSPGs (GPX3, EIF2B5, RBMX). Bioinformatic approaches also uncovered a number of novel gene families that altered neurite growth of CNS neurons.
EQUIVALENT WIDTH OF NNA I AND K I LINES AND REDDENING

The profile, radial velocity and equivalent width of the interstellar lines of Na I (5890.0, 5895.9 A) and K I (7699.0 A) have been obtained from Echelle+CCD observations at resolving power λ/ 4 λ ∼16,500 for 32 O and early B stars suffering from a reddening betweenEB−V =0.06 and 1.57. The data have been used to search for and calibrate a relation between equivalent width and reddening. When the interstellar lines show a single and sharp component, useful relations to estimate reddening from equivalent widths have been derived. The relation for Na I is most sensitive in the range 0.0≤ EB−V ≤0.4, and the one for K I takes over at higher reddening. Good quality equivalent width measurements allow EB−V to be estimated with an accuracy of about 0.05 mag. For multi–component profiles of Na I and K I lines the estimate of reddening is more ambiguous with a general scatter of 0.15 mag. Close blends of multiple components allow only an estimate of an upper limit to EB−V .
Selective targeting of point-mutated KRAS through artificial microRNAs

Significance Recently, small interfering RNAs have been used to specifically target point-mutated KRAS, yet without sufficiently discriminating its wild-type counterpart. Here, we describe an innovative approach based on the development of artificial microRNAs able to efficiently target mutated KRAS, leaving their normal counterpart unaffected and preventing major side effects. Mutated protein-coding genes drive the molecular pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer. Specifically, mutated KRAS is a documented driver for malignant transformation, occurring early during the pathogenesis of cancers such as lung and pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Therapeutically, the indiscriminate targeting of wild-type and point-mutated transcripts represents an important limitation. Here, we leveraged on the design of miRNA-like artificial molecules (amiRNAs) to specifically target point-mutated genes, such as KRAS, without affecting their wild-type counterparts. Compared with an siRNA-like approach, the requirement of perfect complementarity of the microRNA seed region to a given target sequence in the microRNA/target model has proven to be a more efficient strategy, accomplishing the selective targeting of point-mutated KRAS in vitro and in vivo.
Corneal Sensitivity and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Contact Lens Discomfort

Purpose The aim of this study was to analyze whether symptoms of discomfort in hydrogel contact lens (HCL) wearers were associated with changes in corneal sensitivity or levels of tear inflammatory mediators. Methods Sixty-six subjects were included: 47 HCL wearers, further divided into 24 symptomatic and 23 asymptomatic wearers by the Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire short form and 19 non–contact lens wearers. At least 24 h after HCL removal, we obtained scores from the Ocular Surface Disease Index and mechanical, hot, and cold corneal thresholds using a Belmonte esthesiometer. We collected 4 &mgr;l of tears with a capillary micropipette and measured levels of 12 inflammatory markers using a bead-based array: epidermal growth factor, fractalkine, interleukin-10 (IL-10), IL-1&bgr;, IL-1 receptor antagonist, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, tumor necrosis factor-&agr;, and matrix metalloproteinase 9. Results There were no significant differences between groups in corneal sensitivity thresholds and levels of tear molecules. The following significant correlations were found in the total sample pooled: Ocular Surface Disease Index correlated with mechanical threshold (p < 0.01; rho = −0.324) and epidermal growth factor (p < 0.01, rho = −0.330), and mechanical threshold correlated with heat threshold (p < 0.01, rho = −0.321). Conclusions Twenty-four hours after HCL removal, symptoms of discomfort in HCL wearers are not related to changes in corneal sensitivity or tear inflammatory mediator levels. This might indicate either that HCL wear has no effect on these parameters or that ocular surfaces recover from HCL-caused effects during the first hours after HCL removal. However, there were correlations for associations between symptoms, corneal sensitivity, and some molecules in tears.
Robust DNN-Based VAD Augmented with Phone Entropy Based Rejection of Background Speech

We propose a DNN-based voice activity detector augmented by entropy based frame rejection. DNN-based VAD classiﬁes a frame into speech or non-speech and achieves signiﬁcantly higher VAD performance compared to conventional statistical model-based VAD. We observed that many of the remaining errors are false alarms caused by background human speech, such as TV / radio or surrounding peoples’ conversations. In order to reject such background speech frames, we introduce an entropy-based conﬁdence measure using the phone posterior probability output by a DNN-based acoustic model. Compared to the target speaker’s voice background speech tends to have relatively unclear pronunciation or is contaminated by other types of noises so its entropy becomes larger than audio signals with only the target speaker’s voice. Combining DNN-based VAD and the entropy criterion, we reject speech frames classiﬁed by the DNN-based VAD as having an entropy larger than a threshold value. We have evaluated the proposed approach and conﬁrmed greater than 10% reduction in Sentence Error Rate.
Research on Crack Propagation Life of LD2 Aluminum Alloy Material in Corrosive Environment

This document describe accelerated corrosion test and fatigue test for the LD2 aluminum alloy test specimen, the research object is a LD2 aluminum alloy test-piece which has crack in the corrosion pit, the crack initiation life in the area of Corrosion pit has been defined, the influence of the Corrosion on the crack initiation life in corrosion pit area has been researched. Finally, the simulation of crack propagation for the LD2 aluminum alloy test-piece has been made. By comparing, the result of simulation is more conservative than the actual test value.
Seed colour loci, homoeology and linkage groups of the C genome chromosomes revealed in Brassica rapa-B. oleracea monosomic alien addition lines.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Brassica rapa and B. oleracea are the progenitors of oilseed rape B. napus. The addition of each chromosome of B. oleracea to the chromosome complement of B. rapa results in a series of monosomic alien addition lines (MAALs). Analysis of MAALs determines which B. oleracea chromosomes carry genes controlling specific phenotypic traits, such as seed colour. Yellow-seeded oilseed rape is a desirable breeding goal both for food and livestock feed end-uses that relate to oil, protein and fibre contents. The aims of this study included developing a missing MAAL to complement an available series, for studies on seed colour control, chromosome homoeology and assignment of linkage groups to B. oleracea chromosomes. METHODS A new batch of B. rapa-B. oleracea aneuploids was produced to generate the missing MAAL. Seed colour and other plant morphological features relevant to differentiation of MAALs were recorded. For chromosome characterization, Snow's carmine, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) were used. KEY RESULTS The final MAAL was developed. Morphological traits that differentiated the MAALs comprised cotyledon number, leaf morphology, flower colour and seed colour. Seed colour was controlled by major genes on two B. oleracea chromosomes and minor genes on five other chromosomes of this species. Homoeologous pairing was largely between chromosomes with similar centromeric positions. FISH, GISH and a parallel microsatellite marker analysis defined the chromosomes in terms of their linkage groups. Conclusions A complete set of MAALs is now available for genetic, genomic, evolutionary and breeding perspectives. Defining chromosomes that carry specific genes, physical localization of DNA markers and access to established genetic linkage maps contribute to the integration of these approaches, manifested in the confirmed correspondence of linkage groups with specific chromosomes. Applications include marker-assisted selection and breeding for yellow seeds.
Therapy-led design of home-based virtual rehabilitation

Virtual Reality is emerging as a useful tool to facilitate rehabilitation, and has potential to support home-based exercise programmes to maintain progress and improve long-term outcomes. A number of commercial systems have emerged with games that promote increased physical activity. However, the current off-the-shelf games are not well suited to support therapeutic goals, but the alternative is expensive bespoke applications. In this paper we summarise the background of virtual rehabilitation and discuss the challenges in bringing it into a domestic setting. We propose a therapy-led design approach which can result in solutions which not only suit rehabilitation goals, but also can be used for more generalised game-based exercise. We illustrate the approach using a case study for shoulder therapy.