Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Laser "firefly" clustering: A new concept in atmospheric probing

Profiling the chemical and particulate composition of the atmosphere is of growing importance as awareness of the role of pollution monitoring increases and deliberate contamination by hostile elements becomes a sad reality. Low cost, flexible, safe and mobile solutions are sought. In this letter, we propose an innovative concept of distributed probes in which miniature, low power lasers are deployed in situ at the altitude of interest. We term these laser transmitters "fireflies". The emitted light is at eye safety levels and is modulated by orthogonally coded signals, which make it possible to distinguish between the transmitters. The light is scattered by the aerosols and molecules in the locality of the firefly and received on the ground. Analysis of the received signals makes it possible to obtain a spatial map of the atmospheric constituents without having to perform mechanical scanning. It is shown that signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of above 10 dB can be achieved when using more than 1700 fireflies at an altitude of 1 km for a midlatitude summer clear night scenario. At half the altitude, 350 fireflies suffice to achieve the same SNR for the same environment.
Functional plasticity of macrophages: reversible adaptation to changing microenvironments

There has been substantial research activity in the past decade directed at phenotyping macrophage lineages and defining macrophage functional subsets or patterns of activity. The emphasis over the past 2–3 years has been to divide macrophage functional patterns into type 1 (Th1‐driven) or type 2 (Th2‐driven) functions. However, a huge array of environmental factors (including cytokines, chemokines, pattern recognition receptors, hormones) differentially regulates macrophage response patterns, resulting in the display of numerous distinct, functional phenotypes. Upon stimulation, a macrophage does not display just a single set of functions but rather displays a progression of functional changes in response to the progressive changes in its microenvironment. The remarkable ability of monocytes and tissue macrophages to adapt to changes in their microenvironment challenges the thesis that macrophages displaying unique tissue‐specific or response‐specific, functional patterns represent distinct lineages. With the exception of mature osteoclasts and mature dendritic cells, evidence supporting stable differentiation as the basis for macrophage functionl heterogeneity is equivocal. The concept of whether macrophages develop into functional subsets as opposed to continuously adapting their functional pattern in response to the changing environment of a progressive inflammatory response is important to resolve from the perspectives of therapeutic targeting and understanding the role of macrophages in disease pathogenesis.
Integrated Morphometric Analysis in GIS Environment Applied to Active Tectonic Areas

This chapter describes a methodology for constraining the structural lineaments in active tectonic areas by integrating morphological and morphometrical data derived by DEMs (Digital Elevation Models) processing, with different geophysical data, as local seismicity and ground deformation data. Furthermore, validation of the lineaments extracted from DEM is carried out by looking over geological and geomorphological maps of literature, available aerial photo and field surveys reports (Fig.1).
Bayesian Prediction Bounds and Comparisons of Operating Room Times Even for Procedures with Few or No Historic Data

Background:Lower prediction bounds (e.g., for fasting), upper prediction bounds (e.g., to schedule delays between sequential surgeons), comparisons of operating room (OR) times (e.g., when sequencing cases among ORs), and quantification of case uncertainty (e.g., for sequencing a surgeon’s list of cases) can be done accurately for combinations of surgeon and scheduled procedure(s) by using historic OR times. The authors propose that when there are few or no historic data, the predictive distribution of the OR time of a future case be centered at the scheduled OR time, and its proportional uncertainty be based on that of other surgeons and procedures. When there are a moderate or large number of historic data, the historic data alone are used in the prediction. When there are a small number of historic data, a weighted combination is used. Methods:This Bayesian method was tested with all 65,661 cases from a hospital. Results:Bayesian prediction bounds were accurate to within 2% (e.g., the 5% lower bounds exceeded 4.9% of the actual OR times). The predicted probability of one case taking longer than another was estimated to within 0.7%. When sequencing a surgeon’s list of cases to reduce patient waiting past scheduled start times, both the scheduled OR time and the variability in historic OR times should be used together when assessing which cases should be done first. Conclusions:The authors validated a practical way to calculate prediction bounds and compare the OR times of all cases, even those with few or no historic data for the surgeon and the scheduled procedure(s).
Hamilton cycles in claw-free graphs

Bondy conjectured that if G is a k-connected graph of order n such that for any (k + 1)-independent set / of G, then the subgraph outside any longest cycle contains no path of length k − 1. In this paper, we are going to prove that, if G is a k-connected claw-free (K1,3-free) graph of order n such that for any (k + 1)-independent set /, then G contains a Hamilton cycle. The theorem in this paper implies Bondy's conjecture in the case of claw-free graphs.
The influence of beacon-aiming on the routes of wood ants

SUMMARY Many insects have an innate propensity to approach conspicuous objects. We explore how such beacon aiming determines the shape of a wood ant's habitual route. We find that a single large black cylinder within an arena biases the route taken by ants as they run from a start position at one end of the arena to reach a feeder at the other. Ants learn a stable route with the first segment of their trajectory aimed at the cylinder, which becomes an intermediate goal on the way to the feeder. When in occasional tests the cylinder is removed or displaced, ants head for the usual site of the cylinder. They also aim for the same site when the cylinder is removed and the ant's normal start position is changed. This behaviour suggests that visual features of the arena are learnt from the vantage point of the cylinder and that this stored snapshot guides the ant to that site. Ants thus reinforce their ability to reach the cylinder by learning other visual features in their surroundings that can also steer them to its location. The use of beacon aiming in fixing routes has several benefits. Because the same path will be traversed on every trial, beacon aiming facilitates the acquisition of routes. Beacon aiming also increases the robustness of learnt routes: ants straying from the route will be attracted to the closest beacon and so regain their habitual paths.
Re: "Estimating particulate matter-mortality dose-response curves and threshold levels: an analysis of daily time-series for the 20 largest US cities".

We have read with great interest the paper by Daniels et al. (1). They have gone further than other studies on the short-term effects of air pollution on health. The authors used an improved modeling strategy to evaluate doseresponse relations and threshold levels. However, because of combined data from different US cities, heterogeneity in the dose-response curves across cities was found for total and cardiovascular mortality and for respiratory mortality in the mean lag case. When information from different sources is combined, assessing the heterogeneity of effects can be as important as reporting results. Finding systematic variation in results and identifying factors that may account for such variation aid in the interpretation of data and planning future studies (2). Hence, in multicenter studies of the short-term effects of air pollution on health, different variables to explain heterogeneity have been examined without a definitive conclusion up to now. For example, the APHEA (Air Pollution and Health: a European Approach) Project found that the effects of daily variation in SO 2 levels on total mortality were significantly stronger in Western Europe than in Eastern Europe (3), even though other variables, such as age-standardized mortality and the proportion of people older than 65 years, could also explain the differences (4). Bobak and Roberts (5) found evidence that differences between cities may be due to the role of temperature. Recently, Levy et al. (6) suggested that the ratio of particulate matter <2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) to particulate matter <10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) seems to be a relevant effect modifier for the effect of PM10. We believe that the authors (1) did not consider this problem in depth in their analysis. It seems, however, that in another paper by the same authors (7) they tried to assess the factors that could be confounding the relation between air pollution and mortality, although without a definitive conclusion. As we have mentioned above, the between-location variability should not only be taken into account when developing hierarchic models but also must be exhaustively analyzed when looking for possible explanatory factors. In fact, as the authors point out, “Numerous studies have shown a positive association between daily mortality and.air pollution” (1, p. 397), but very little effort has gone into examining why results vary across locations. Thus, we urge the authors to study such heterogeneity in depth because they have information available on the 20 largest US cities.
Association of Hormonal Contraception With Depression.

Importance Millions of women worldwide use hormonal contraception. Despite the clinical evidence of an influence of hormonal contraception on some women's mood, associations between the use of hormonal contraception and mood disturbances remain inadequately addressed. Objective To investigate whether the use of hormonal contraception is positively associated with subsequent use of antidepressants and a diagnosis of depression at a psychiatric hospital. Design, Setting, and Participants This nationwide prospective cohort study combined data from the National Prescription Register and the Psychiatric Central Research Register in Denmark. All women and adolescents aged 15 to 34 years who were living in Denmark were followed up from January 1, 2000, to December 2013, if they had no prior depression diagnosis, redeemed prescription for antidepressants, other major psychiatric diagnosis, cancer, venous thrombosis, or infertility treatment. Data were collected from January 1, 1995, to December 31, 2013, and analyzed from January 1, 2015, through April 1, 2016. Exposures Use of different types of hormonal contraception. Main Outcomes and Measures With time-varying covariates, adjusted incidence rate ratios (RRs) were calculated for first use of an antidepressant and first diagnosis of depression at a psychiatric hospital. Results A total of 1 061 997 women (mean [SD] age, 24.4 [0.001] years; mean [SD] follow-up, 6.4 [0.004] years) were included in the analysis. Compared with nonusers, users of combined oral contraceptives had an RR of first use of an antidepressant of 1.23 (95% CI, 1.22-1.25). Users of progestogen-only pills had an RR for first use of an antidepressant of 1.34 (95% CI, 1.27-1.40); users of a patch (norgestrolmin), 2.0 (95% CI, 1.76-2.18); users of a vaginal ring (etonogestrel), 1.6 (95% CI, 1.55-1.69); and users of a levonorgestrel intrauterine system, 1.4 (95% CI, 1.31-1.42). For depression diagnoses, similar or slightly lower estimates were found. The relative risks generally decreased with increasing age. Adolescents (age range, 15-19 years) using combined oral contraceptives had an RR of a first use of an antidepressant of 1.8 (95% CI, 1.75-1.84) and those using progestin-only pills, 2.2 (95% CI, 1.99-2.52). Six months after starting use of hormonal contraceptives, the RR of antidepressant use peaked at 1.4 (95% CI, 1.34-1.46). When the reference group was changed to those who never used hormonal contraception, the RR estimates for users of combined oral contraceptives increased to 1.7 (95% CI, 1.66-1.71). Conclusions and Relevance Use of hormonal contraception, especially among adolescents, was associated with subsequent use of antidepressants and a first diagnosis of depression, suggesting depression as a potential adverse effect of hormonal contraceptive use.
The role of beta-blockers in the treatment of cardiomyopathy and ischaemic heart failure.

As first reported by our group in 1975, severe heart failure due to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy could be improved in patients receiving beta-blocker therapy starting at a very low dose and followed by a stepwise increase. Since then, these results have been confirmed by our own group and by others, and similar results were also obtained in patients with other forms of cardiomyopathy, including ischaemic cardiomyopathy. In 13 separate studies involving a total of 651 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, beta-blockade for 2 to 19 months (in addition to conventional treatment of heart failure, including angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor therapy), significantly improved cardiac function. These studies were performed using metoprolol, bucindolol, labetalol and practolol. Eight studies investigated the effects of long term beta-blocker treatment in patients with heart failure and cardiomyopathy due to coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, diabetes and doxorubicin therapy. A total of 128 patients were treated with metoprolol, carvedilol or bucindolol for periods of 2 to 12 months. All studies reported a significant improvement in cardiac function. Three studies reported results on survival and the need for cardiac transplantation. The first study published by our group reported improved survival in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy treated with metoprolol plus digitalis and diuretics compared with a matched control group. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Theory of Positrons in Solids and on Solid Surfaces

Various experimental methods based on positron annihilation have evolved into important tools for researching the structure and properties of condensed matter. In particular, positron techniques are useful for the investigation of defects in solids and for the investigation of solid surfaces. Experimental methods need a comprehensive theory for a deep, quantitative understanding of the results. In the case of positron annihilation, the relevant theory includes models needed to describe the positron states as well as the different interaction processes in matter. In this review the present status of the theory of positrons in solids and on solid surfaces is given. The review consists of three main parts describing (a) the interaction processes, (b) the theory and methods for calculating positron states, and (c) selected recent results of positron studies of condensed matter.
Prioritizing human disease genes by multiple data integration

Now multiple types of data are available for prioritizing human disease genes, including gene-disease associations, disease phenotype similarities, locations of genes or their corresponding proteins in biological networks, etc. Integrating multiple types of data is expected to be effective for prioritizing human disease genes. In this paper, we propose a multiple data integration method based on the theory of Markov Random Field (MRF) and the method of Bayesian analysis for prioritizing human disease genes. The proposed method is not only flexible in easily incorporating different kinds of data, but also reliable in predicting candidate disease genes. Numerical experiments are carried out by integrating known gene-disease associations, protein complexes, protein-protein interactions and gene expression profiles. Predictions are evaluated by both the leave-one-out method and the fold enrichment method. The sensitivity and the specificity can reach at roughly 80% simultaneously. The method achieves 56.02-fold enrichment on average when integrating all those biological data in our experiments.
Adapting the DeLone and McLean Model for the Enterprise Architecture Benefit Realization Process

Enterprise Architecture (EA) approach has been widely used for managing the complexities and changes in organizations and their business environments. However, research on potential benefits of the approach is rare and lacks strong empirical evidence. In this paper, we adapt the DeLone and McLean Model of Information Systems Success for describing the EA benefit realization process. Accordingly, we scrutinize seven constructs contributing to EA benefit realization. Each constructs is approached from four viewpoints namely process, product, outcome and impact. Perceptions on describing the constructs in the EA context are presented with an example of how our adapted model can be used in organizations. The results form a basis for further research and discussion, and are also a step toward cumulative tradition in EA research.
Investigation into the aerodynamic processes of air treatment using a plate-type biofilter

ABSTRACT The research conducted has involved a laboratory stand of a plate-type air treatment biofilter with a capillary system for humidifying packing material composed of polymer plates vertically arranged next to each other and producing a capillary effect of humidification. The pattern of arranging the plates has sufficiently large spaces (6 mm), and therefore the use of the plate-type structure decreases the aerodynamic resistance of the device. Slightly pressed slabs attached on both sides of the plates are made of heat-treated wood fibre, to increase the longevity of which, wood waste has been heat-treated in the steam explosion reactor under the pressure of 32 bars and a temperature of 235°C. This is the method for changing the molecular structure of wood, which stops the decay of wood fibre in a humid environment and thus increases the life span of biofilter plates. The research performed has disclosed that, under the application of the above introduced structure of the biofilter, the aerodynamic resistance of the biofilter reaches 1 ÷ 5 Pa when the rate of the air flow passing through the device makes 0.08 m/s. For evaluating the reliability of the obtained results, the theoretical model has been applied.
Experimenting with Pursuit Calibration on Public Displays Ozan

Gaze offers a new interaction modality for use on public displays. Eye trackers make gaze interaction possible, however they need to be calibrated for accurate and optimal use. Traditional calibration methods are not suitable for public displays, since they are time-consuming and public displays are meant to be used by passers-by, who interact with the displays only for a short amount of time. A better alternative to traditional calibration is the pursuit calibration method, which can be designed to blend in with the application. This thesis introduces a novel concept for eye tracker calibration, which builds on pursuit calibration. This concept, called Reveals, utilizes gradually appearing and disappearing text. By reading the text, users can calibrate the eye tracker to have better precision. Two studies were conducted to evaluate the concept. In the lab study, the effect of different variables, such as the text speed and the inclination angle on the calibration success were evaluated. Our results showed that although users preferred flat angles, diagonal angles had the most positive results and the reveal velocity of 2.1◦/sec is an optimal speed. In the field study the concept was implemented in a game, where the participants calibrated the eye tracker by reading a text and played a "Whack-A-Mole" game using their eyes. The results show that in 65% of the results the calibration was successful and the gaze points were displayed more accurately.
Aligned electrospun siloxane-doped vaterite/poly(l-lactide) composite fibremats: evaluation of their tensile strength and cell compatibility

Siloxane-doped vaterite (SiV)/poly(l-lactide) hybrid-composite (SiPVH) has been developed in our group as the bone repair material and successfully fabricated into a non-woven electrospun fibremat. The aim of this work is to prepare aligned electrospun SiPVH fibremats with varied SiV content and compare their tensile properties and cell compatibilities using mouse osteoblast-like cells. It was observed that the maximum stress exhibited some non-linear trend as a function of SiV content: the highest stress value was reached with 30 wt. % SiV and decreased significantly with more than 40 wt. % SiV. Cellular morphology and proliferation were taken under examination on both aligned and random electrospun SiPVH fibremats. The cells started to orient themselves only 3 h after seeding on the aligned fibremat and they continued to elongate along the fibres. The number of the cells cultured up to seven days on both random and aligned fibremats was well comparable; therefore the alignment did not show negative effect on the cellular proliferation.
An immunohistochemical study of non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas: correlation of morphological appearances and immunophenotype in 148 cases

An unselected series of 148 cases of non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma has been studied by immunohistological methods. In each case, the morphological features displayed in paraffin sections were correlated with the immunophenotype, determined using a panel of monoclonal antibodies. Of the lymphomas 82% were B‐cell type, 28% of follicle centre cell origin, 17% lymphocytic or immunocytic and 30% of large cell type. All the B‐cell tumours expressed pan‐B antigen, and nearly all HLA‐DR. In most, light chain monoclonality was demonstrable. Nearly all had moderate to large numbers of T‐cells of both subtypes interspersed amongst the B‐lymphocytes. Follicle centre cell tumours expressed surface IgM and IgD and had numerous dendritic reticulum cells. Lymphocytic and immunocytic lymphoma expressed IgM but less IgD, and had fewer or no dendritic reticulum cells. Large cell lymphoma expressed either no immunoglobulin or only IgM, and contained ragged dendritic reticulum cells, giving the appearance of ‘burnt‐out’follicles. T‐cell lymphomas usually showed a clear preponderance of either helper or suppressor subtype. Additionally, they contained residual B‐cells and sometimes germinal centres. Only 3% of this series were ‘non‐B, non‐T', and only one case HLA‐DR negative, so the ‘null’or ‘unclassifiable’group is very small when information from antibody markers is available.