Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acoustic sensing in snapping shrimp dominated environments

Snapping shrimp dominate the high frequency soundscape in shallow warm waters. The noises produced by these small creatures are a result of the collapse of cavitation bubbles they produce. During the rapid collapse, the temperatures in the bubble can momentarily reach the surface temperature of the sun, and produce impulsive noise with source levels higher than 190 dB re 1 mPa @ 1m. With millions of snapping shrimp in most warm shallow water environments, the resulting cacophony is heard in the form of a background crackle familiar to many tropical divers. The resulting ambient noise has highly non-Gaussian statistics. What implications does this have on acoustic sensing in these environments? Can signal processing techniques developed with Gaussian noise assumptions be used without significant penalty in these environments? Can these shrimp be used as sources of opportunity for sensing? To begin answering some of these questions, we present a review of some of the research on signal processing in impulsive noise. Snapping shrimp noise is modeled accurately by symmetric a-stable distributions. Optimal signal processing in a-stable noise is often computationally infeasible, but computationally simple near-optimal solutions can be applied with gains up to 5-10 dB. Communicating in environments with snapping shrimp noise has its own challenges. The errors due to the impulsive noise on sub-carriers of a multi-carrier communication system, or the in-phase and quadrature channels of a single carrier system are not independent. If handled inappropriately, forward error correction codes can perform poorly in such systems. However, if the dependence in the errors can be characterized, it can be exploited in the decoding process to get substantial communication performance gains. We show this through an information theoretic analysis of the communication channel with additive symmetric a-stable noise. Finally, we turn to some applications where the snapping shrimp sounds can be used as sources of opportunity. They can serve as “illumination” for ambient noise imaging, where underwater objects can be imaged completely passively. They can also be used as sources for geoacoustic inversion of the surface sediment. We present some results from past experiments to show how sediment sound speed can indeed be inferred by simply listening passively to the cacophony of the shrimp.
High performance cooling system for automotive inverters

A novel double-side cooled power module is presented which delivers superior cooling performance with the potential for improved robustness to thermal cycling. The semiconductor dies are sandwiched between conventional DBC substrates, the substrates being directly cooled rather than through a conventional heat spreader heat sink assembly. A theoretical analysis is presented illustrating that direct cooling can offer a lower total thermal resistance provided the heat transfer coefficient at the cooled surface is sufficiently high. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the selected impingement cooling technique when applied in both single- and double-side cooled formats. Measurements on the double-side cooled structure show a total thermal resistance (junction to ambient) that is less than 40% of the junction to case resistance of a conventional module. Similar improvements are observed in the transient thermal impedance (step response) curve indicating that thermal cycling ranges will be reduced under all operational conditions.
Soy lecithin interferes with mitochondrial function in frozen-thawed ram spermatozoa.

Egg yolk and milk are the 2 major membrane cryoprotectants commonly used in freezing media for the long-term preservation of semen (alone or in combination with others). However, in recent years, there have been increasing arguments against the use of egg yolk or milk because of the risk of introducing diseases through the use of cryopreserved semen. In this study, we analyzed the protective effect of lecithin as an alternative to egg yolk for the cryopreservation of ram semen, using a range of functional markers for sperm viability, motility, apoptosis, and mitochondrial functionality analyses (mitochondrial inner membrane surface [MIMS], mitochondrial inner membrane potential [MIMP], and cell membrane potential) as methods of assessment in samples diluted in 3 different media: Tris-citrate-glucose as control and 2 media supplemented with soy lecithin or egg yolk. The results showed that lecithin was able to effectively protect certain sperm quality characteristics against freezing-induced damage. However, lecithin induced loss of mitochondrial membrane potential or mitochondrial loss that was not reflected by modifications in sperm motility in fresh semen. MIMS and MIMP values decreased in thawed lecithin-treated samples, concomitant with a lower (P < .05) percentage of total and progressively motile cells, compared with those in egg yolk-containing samples. Further incubation of thawed samples revealed changes in motility and mitochondrial functionality that otherwise would not have been detected. These results indicated that lecithin may have affected the inner mitochondrial membrane in frozenthawed spermatozoa and confirmed that sublethal damages that seriously affect sperm functionality, not detected by classic sperm quality analyses, can be evidenced by changes in the inner mitochondrial membrane surface. These findings strengthen the relationship between mitochondrial membrane potential and motility and show that the mitochondrial alterations induced by the cryopreservation process could be specific targets for the improvement of semen cryopreservation protocols.
Isomerization of stable isotopically labeled elaidic acid to cis and trans monoenes by ruminal microbes Published, JLR Papers in Press, September 1, 2002. DOI 10.1194/jlr.M200284-JLR200

A previous study showed that oleic acid was converted by mixed ruminal microbes to stearic acid and also converted to a multitude of trans octadecenoic acid isomers. This study traced the metabolism of one of these trans C18:1 isomers upon its incubation with mixed ruminal microbes. Unlabeled and labeled (18-[13C]trans-9 C18:1) elaidic acid were each added to four in vitro batch cultures with three cultures inoculated with mixed ruminal bacteria and one uninoculated culture. Samples were taken at 0, 12, 24, and 48 h and analyzed for 13C enrichment in component fatty acids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. At 0 h of incubation, enrichment was detected only in elaidic acid. By 48 h of incubation, 13C enrichment was 18% (P < 0.01) for stearic acid, 7% to 30% (P < 0.01) for all trans C18:1 isomers having double bonds between carbons six through 16, and 5% to 10% for cis-9 and cis-11 monoenes. After 48 h, 13C enrichment in the uninoculated cultures was only detected in the added elaidic acid. This study shows trans fatty acids exposed to active ruminal cultures are converted to stearic acid but also undergo enzymic isomerization yielding a multitude of positional and geometric isomers.
Advancing Opportunistic Sensing in Hydrology: A Novel Approach to Measuring Rainfall With Ordinary Surveillance Cameras

“Opportunistic sensing” represents an appealing idea for collecting unconventional data with broad spatial coverage and high resolution, but few studies have explored its feasibility in hydrology. This study develops a novel approach to measuring rainfall intensity in real‐world conditions based on videos acquired by ordinary surveillance cameras. The proposed approach employs a convex optimization algorithm to effectively decompose a rainy image into two layers: a pure rain‐streak layer and a rain‐free background layer, where the rain streaks represent the motion blur of falling raindrops. Then, it estimates the instantaneous rainfall intensity via geometrical optics and photographic analyses. We investigated the effectiveness and robustness of our approach through synthetic numerical experiments and field tests. The major findings are as follows. First, the decomposition‐based identification algorithm can effectively recognize rain streaks from complex backgrounds with many disturbances. Compared to existing algorithms that consider only the temporal changes in grayscale between frames, the new algorithm successfully prevents false identifications by considering the intrinsic visual properties of rain streaks. Second, the proposed approach demonstrates satisfactory estimation accuracy and is robust across a wide range of rainfall intensities. The proposed approach has a mean absolute percentage error of 21.8%, which is significantly lower than those of existing approaches reported in the literature even though our approach was applied to a more complicated scene acquired using a lower‐quality device. Overall, the proposed low‐cost, high‐accuracy approach to vision‐based rain gauging significantly enhances the possibility of using existing surveillance camera networks to perform opportunistic hydrology sensing.
A mobile gaming platform for the IMS

Mobile devices offer the opportunity to play games nearly everywhere. Moreover, networked games allow individual players to interact with other people and to participate in a larger gaming world, which also provides for new business opportunities. Hence, we currently see an increased interest from game developers, providers and players in mobile games. In this paper we propose a novel architecture and platform for games on the IMS. This allows games to utilize the features and capabilities that are inherent to the IMS. At the same time existing games can be flexibly adapted to this new type of network and have the possibility to reserve network resources for game data transmission, thus improving the experience of players.
Two-Hop Interference Channels: Impact of Linear Schemes

We consider the two-hop interference channel (IC), which consists of two source-destination pairs communicating with each other via two relays. We analyze the degrees of freedom (DoF) of this network when the relays are restricted to perform linear schemes, and the channel gains are constant (i.e., slow fading). We show that, somewhat surprisingly, by using vector-linear strategies at the relays, it is possible to achieve 4/3 sum-DoF when the channel gains are real. The key achievability idea is to alternate relaying coefficients across time, to create different end-to-end interference structures (or topologies) at different times. Although each of these topologies has only 1 sum-DoF, we manage to achieve 4/3 by coding across them. Furthermore, we develop a novel outer bound that matches our achievability, hence characterizing the sum-DoF of two-hop ICs with linear schemes. We also generalize the result to the multi-antenna setting, where each node has M antennas, and the relays are restricted to one-shot linear schemes. We further extend the result to the case of complex channel gains, by intuitively viewing each complex node with M antennas as a real node with 2M antennas, and characterize the sum-DoF to be 2M - 1/3.
Autoimmune Responses to the Brain After Stroke Are Associated With Worse Outcome

Background and Purpose— Immune responses to brain antigens occur after stroke, and experimental studies show that the likelihood of developing a detrimental autoimmune response to these antigens is increased by systemic inflammation at the time of stroke. The aim of this study was to determine if patients who developed infection in the poststroke period would be similarly predisposed to develop autoimmune responses to central nervous system antigens. Methods— We enrolled 114 patients within 72 hours of ischemic stroke. Clinical and demographic data were obtained, and cellular immune responses to a panel of central nervous system antigens were assessed during the initial week and again at Day 90. Outcome was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale. Results— Patients who developed an infection, especially pneumonia, in the 15 days after stroke were more likely to evidence a Th1(+) response to myelin basic protein and glial fibrillary acidic protein (P=0.019 and P=0.039, respectively) at 90 days after stroke. Further, more robust Th1 responses to myelin basic protein at 90 days were associated with a decreased likelihood of good outcome, even after adjusting for baseline stroke severity and patient age (OR, 0.477; 95% CI, 0.244 to 0.935; P=0.031). Conclusions— This study demonstrates that immune responses to brain antigens occur after stroke. Although these responses are likely to be an epiphenomenon of ischemic brain injury, the response to myelin basic protein appears to have clinical consequences. The potential role of postischemic autoimmune-mediated brain injury deserves further investigation.
Effects of local administration of tiludronic acid on experimental periodontitis in diabetic rats

BACKGROUND Tiludronic acid (TIL) presents antiresorptive and anti-inflammatory properties and has not been evaluated in the periodontitis-diabetes mellitus (DM) association to date, to the best knowledge of the authors. This study evaluates effects of local administration of TIL on experimental periodontitis (EP) in rats with streptozotocin-induced DM. METHODS Thirty-two animals (Rattus norvegicus albinus, Wistar) were divided into groups DM/C (Control), DM/EP, DM/EP/TIL1, and DM/EP/TIL3. In EP groups, a ligature was placed around mandibular first molars. In groups DM/EP/TIL1 and DM/EP/TIL3, TIL solutions (1 and 3 mg/kg, respectively) were injected into the gingival tissue of mandibular molars every other day for 10 days, until euthanasia. Periodontal tissues were analyzed by microcomputed tomography (micro-CT), histomorphometry, immunohistochemistry (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase [TRAP], receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand [RANKL], osteoprotegerin, cleaved caspase 3), and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (interleukin [IL]-1β, vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF]). RESULTS In micro-CT analyses, groups DM/EP/TIL1 and DM/EP/TIL3 presented reduced alveolar bone resorption (P < 0.05). Group DM/EP/TIL3 presented decreased attachment loss (P < 0.05). The amount of TRAP-positive multinucleated cells was decreased in TIL groups (P < 0.05). Group DM/EP/TIL3 presented a lower immunolabeling pattern for RANKL (P < 0.05). TIL treatment decreased genic expression of IL-1β, and in group DM/EP/TIL3, expression of VEGF was increased (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Local administration of TIL promoted a protective effect against tissue destruction in EP in diabetic rats, and the dosage of 3 mg/kg of TIL promoted the best results regarding its antiresorptive and anti-inflammatory effects.
Homocysteine Metabolism in ZDF, Type 2 Diabetic rats: Effects of Rosiglitazone

Hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for vascular disease. The prevalence of atherosclerosis is 2‐to 6‐fold higher in diabetic patients compared to controls. This study focused on the effects of the insulin‐sensitizing drug, Rosiglitazone (RSG), on homocysteine metabolism. Male ZDF fa/fa and ZDF fa/+ (control) rats, aged 6 weeks were each divided into 2 groups: treated (RSG) and untreated (UN), and were killed at 12 weeks of age. RSG treatment was able to maintain a normal plasma glucose level in the ZDF fa/fa (RSG) rats. ZDF fa/fa (UN) rats developed type 2 diabetes as indicated by a 3‐fold increase in plasma glucose, while plasma insulin level was similar to control rats. The significant reduction observed in plasma homocysteine in the ZDF fa/fa (UN) rats was returned towards normal by RSG treatment. The elevated activity of the transsulfuration enzyme, Cystathionine γ‐lyase, in the ZDF fa/fa (UN) rats was corrected by RSG treatment while Cystathionine β‐synthase was unaffected. The elevated activity of Betaine:homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) observed in the ZDF fa/fa (UN) rats was further increased by RSG treatment. Whether the increased activity of BHMT in the ZDF fa/fa (RSG) rats is a function of increased lipid output from the liver in the face of the lipid redistribution seen with RSG needs further investigation.
Resonant breathing improves self-reported symptoms and wellbeing in people with Long COVID

Introduction: Long COVID involves debilitating symptoms, many of which mirror those observed with dysautonomia, and care must be taken with traditional autonomic rehabilitation to avoid post-exertional malaise/post-exertional symptom exacerbation. Resonant breathing exercises require less exertion and can potentially improve autonomic function. The objective of this work was to report on the impact of a resonant breathing program on self-reported symptoms and wellbeing in people with Long COVID. Methods: A retrospective analysis of de-identified data was completed in a convenience sample of people with Long Covid, who participated in the Meo Health (formerly known as Stasis HP) resonant breathing program. Participants completed baseline and follow up surveys. Results: Data were available for 99 participants. Most measures of symptoms and wellbeing improved at follow up, with the largest differences per participant seen in sense of wellness (47.3%, p<0.0001), ability to focus (57.5%, p<0.0001), ability to breathe (47.5%, p<0.0001), ability to control stress (61.8%, p<0.0001) and sleep quality (34.9%, p=0.0002). Most (92%) participants reported improvement at follow up on the Patient Global Impression of Change Scale. Conclusion: Self-reported symptoms and wellbeing improved in people with Long COVID completing resonant breathing. Resonant breathing can be considered as an option within the broader treatment plan of people with Long COVID.
Limits on the Polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation at Multipoles up to l ~ 2000

We report upper limits on the polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) as measured with the Cosmic Background Imager (CBI), a 13 element interferometer that operates in the 26-36 GHz band and is sited on Llano de Chajnantor in northern Chile. The array consists of 90 cm Cassegrain antennas mounted on a steerable platform that can be rotated about the optical axis to facilitate polarization observations. The CBI employs single-mode circularly polarized receivers, and it samples multipoles from l ~ 400 to l ~ 3500. The polarization data were calibrated on 3C 279 and Taurus A. The polarization observations consist of 278 hr of data on two fields taken in 2000, during the first CBI observing season. A joint likelihood analysis of the two fields yields three upper limits (95% confidence limit) for 𝒞 = CEEl(l + 1)/2π under the assumption that 𝒞 ≡ 0: 49.0 μK2 (l = 603), 164 μK2 (l = 1144), and 630 μK2 (l = 2048).
Space-Efficient Memory-Based Heuristics

A memory-based heuristic is a heuristic function that is stored in a lookup table. Very accurate heuristics have been created by building very large lookup tables, sometimes called pattern databases. Most previous work assumes that a memory-based heuristic is computed for the entire state space, and the cost of computing it is amortized over many problem instances. But in some cases, it may be useful to compute a memory-based heuristic for a single problem instance. If the start and goal states of the problem instance are used to restrict the region of the state space for which the heuristic is needed, the time and space used to compute the heuristic may be substantially reduced. In this paper, we review recent work that uses this idea to compute space-efficient heuristics for the multiple sequence alignment problem. We then describe a novel development of this idea that is simpler and more general. Our approach leads to improved performance in solving the multiple sequence alignment problem, and is general enough to apply to other domains.
Parkinson's disease patients display a DNA damage signature in blood that is predictive of disease progression

Aging is the main risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD), yet our understanding of how age related mechanisms contribute to PD pathophysiology remains limited. We conducted a longitudinal analysis of the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative cohort to investigate the involvement of DNA damage in PD. Our findings revealed that PD patients exhibit disrupted DNA repair pathways and biased suppression of longer transcripts, indicating the presence of age related, transcription-stalling DNA damage. Notably, this DNA damage signature was only detected in patients with more severe motor symptom progression over a three-year period, suggesting its potential as a predictor of disease severity. We further validated this signature in independent PD cohorts and confirmed increased signs of DNA damage in dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta through histopathological analysis of PD brains. Our study sheds light on an aging-related mechanism in PD pathogenesis and identifies markers of disease progression providing a readily applicable diagnostic platform to prognosticate disease progression.
Dynamic ocean topography of the northern Nordic seas: a comparison between satellite altimetry and ocean modeling

Abstract. The dynamic ocean topography (DOT) of the polar seas can be described by satellite altimetry sea surface height observations combined with geoid information as well as by ocean models. The altimetry observations are characterized by an irregular sampling and seasonal sea ice coverage complicating reliable DOT estimations. Models display various spatiotemporal resolutions but are limited to their computational and mathematical context and introduced forcing models. In the present paper, ALES+ retracked altimetry ranges and derived along-track DOT heights of ESA's Envisat and water heights of the Finite Element Sea Ice-Ocean Model (FESOM) are compared to investigate similarities and discrepancies. The goal of the present paper is to identify to what extent pattern and variability of the northern Nordic seas derived from measurements and model agree with each other, respectively. The study period covers the years 2003–2009. An assessment analysis regarding seasonal DOT variabilities shows good agreement and confirms the dominant impact of the annual signal in both datasets. A comparison based on estimated regional annual signal components shows 2–3 times stronger amplitudes of the observations but good agreement of the phase. Reducing both datasets by constant offsets and the annual signal reveals small regional residuals and highly correlated DOT time series (Pearson linear correlation coefficient of at least 0.67). The highest correlations can be found in areas that are ice-free and affected by ocean currents. However, differences are visible in sea-ice-covered shelf regions. Furthermore, remaining constant artificial elevations in the observational data can be attributed to an insufficient representation of the used geoid. In general, the comparison results in good agreement between simulated and altimetry-based descriptions of the DOT in the northern Nordic seas.