Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and analysis of distributed averaging with quantized communication

Consider a network whose nodes have some initial values, and it is desired to design an algorithm that builds on neighbor to neighbor interactions with the ultimate goal of convergence to the average of all initial node values or to some value close to that average. Such an algorithm is called generically “distributed averaging”, and our goal in this paper is to study the performance of a subclass of distributed averaging algorithms where the information exchange between neighboring nodes (agents) is subject to deterministic uniform quantization. With such quantization, the precise average cannot be achieved (except in exceptional cases), but some value close to it, called quantized consensus. It is shown in this paper that in finite time, the algorithm will either cause all agents to reach a quantized consensus where the consensus value is the largest integer not greater than the average of their initial values, or will lead all variables to cycle in a small neighborhood around the average, depending on initial conditions. In the latter case, tight bounds for the size of the neighborhood are given, and it is further shown that the error can be made arbitrarily small by adjusting the algorithm's parameters in a distributed manner.
Spatial-temporal equalization for IS-136 TDMA systems with rapid dispersive fading and cochannel interference

In this paper, we investigate spatial-temporal equalization for IS-136 time-division multiple-access (TDMA) cellular/PCS systems to suppress intersymbol interference and cochannel interference and improve communication quality. This research emphasizes channels with large Doppler frequency (up to 184 Hz), delay dispersion under one symbol duration, and strong cochannel interference. We first present the structure of the optimum spatial-temporal decision-feedback equalizer (DFE) and linear equalizer and derive closed-form expressions for the equalizer parameters and mean-square error (MSE) for the case of known channel parameters. Since the channel can change within an IS-136 time slot, the spatial-temporal equalizer requires parameter tracking techniques. Therefore, we present three parameter tracking algorithms: the diagonal loading minimum MSE algorithm, which uses diagonal loading to improve tracking ability, the two-stage tracking algorithm, which uses diagonal loading in combination with a reduced complexity architecture, and the simplified two-stage tracking algorithm, which further reduces complexity to one M/spl times/M and one 3/spl times/3 matrix inversion for weight calculation with M antennas. For a four-antenna system, the simplified two-stage tracking algorithm can attain a 10/sup -2/ bit error rate (BER) when the channel delay spread is half of the symbol duration and the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) of the system is as low as 5 dB, making it a computationally feasible technique to enhance system performance for IS-136 TDMA systems.
Nonlinear control of a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system with thermal load estimation

This paper presents a nonlinear controller for a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system capable of maintaining comfort conditions under time varying thermal loads. The controller consist of a regulator and a disturbance rejection component designed using Lyapunov stability theory. The mitigation of the effect of thermal loads other than design loads on the system is due to an online thermal load and state estimator. The availability of the thermal load estimates allows the controller to keep comfort regardless of the thermal loads affecting the thermal space being heated or cooled. Simulation results are used to demonstrate the potential for keeping comfort and saving energy of this methodology on a variable-air-volume HVAC system operating on cooling mode.
Editorial: Media Consideration of Sex Offenders

Sexual offending is a devastating crime that is currently capturing worldwide attention. This behavior results in a magnitude of complex issues not only for the victim but also for the community and society as a whole. As such, the scope and nature of sexual offending and community and criminal justice responses to sex offenders, particularly specific legislation aimed at controlling sex offenders, have received extensive attention within the legal, criminological, and psychological literature. In this issue of the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Petrunik and Deutschmann present a critical examination of the differences in criminal justice and community responses to sex offenders between Europe and North America. The authors discuss various issues that affect social construction of these offenders and examine differences across cultures. Petrunik and Deutschmann illustrate how media representation of sex offending results in “emotionalization” and how this can affect legislation. The authors further describe varying approaches to sex offenders in different countries based on a continuum from punitive measures to illness models. They explain how even areas of Europe that are more accepting of rehabilitation and societal reintegration for offenders have adopted laws based on public perception of harm and dangerousness, high profile cases, and other “triggers” that influence stricter punishments. Although the authors do not specifically address gender in relation to their topic, their findings have important ramifications in terms of differential perceptions of sex offending based on perpetrator gender, a topic that is currently provoking serious public concern in the United States. Typical headlines seen in American newspapers regarding female sex offenders are concentrated around teacher–lover circumstances where frequently a teacher is represented as an emotionally fragile or misguided woman who made a mistake with an underage partner. The victims in these situations are rarely referred to as such and are instead described as willing participants. The obvious gender bias within the reporting of such crimes, public perceptions and reaction to such crimes, and judicial processing of these crimes create substantial questions regarding the accuracy of these depictions and their effect on not only public opinion but also possible policy implications. The U.S. media’s concentration on female sex offenders has little to do with dangerousness and harm. The lack of serious community attention to this issue Editorial
High D‐dimer levels at presentation in patients with venous thromboembolism is a marker of adverse clinical outcomes

Qualitative d‐dimer results, together with clinical probability scores, are well established in the diagnosis of venous thromboembolism (VTE). The predictive value of quantitative d‐dimer levels for various clinical outcomes in VTE patients is not fully understood. d‐dimer levels obtained at presentation were analysed in 699 (360 men; 339 women) VTE patients for survival and occurrence of malignancy. Patients were followed for a median of 23 months. 17·2% patients had a d‐dimer level >8000 ng FEU/mlat presentation, which was associated with decreased overall survival (OS) (P < 0·001) and event‐free survival (EFS) (P < 0·001). 25·4% patients had malignancy and 4% subsequently developed malignancy following VTE. 29·9% of patients with VTE and malignancy had a d‐dimer level >8 mg/l when compared with 13·4% of patients with VTE without malignancy (P < 0·001). 50% of patients who developed subsequent malignancy following VTE had a presentation d‐dimer >8000 ng FEU/mlas compared with 13·3% of patients with VTE with out malignancy (P = 0·009). In conclusion, d‐dimer >8000 ng FEU/ml at presentation in patients with VTE is a marker of poor OS, EFS and underlying malignancy. Consideration of screening for malignancy is recommended in patients with VTE with a presentation d‐dimer >8000 ng FEU/ml and age >60 years.
Fatigue and sleep disturbance in adult survivors of childhood cancer: a report from the childhood cancer survivor study (CCSS).

STUDY OBJECTIVE To examine the prevalence of and risk factors for fatigue and sleep disturbance among adult survivors of childhood cancer. DESIGN Retrospective cohort of childhood cancer survivors. SETTING Twenty-six academic institutions treating childhood cancer. PARTICIPANTS Two thousand six hundred forty-five survivors of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia, central nervous system tumors, Hodgkin lymphoma, soft-tissue sarcomas, or bone tumors diagnosed before age 21, surviving at least 5 years from diagnosis, and a 500-sibling comparison group. MEASUREMENTS Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale. RESULTS Significant differences were found between survivors and siblings on the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (40.8 vs 42.0, P < 0.02), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (6.1 vs 5.5, P < 0.004), and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (6.2 vs 5.4, P < 0.001). Nineteen percent of survivors were in the most fatigued range, 16.7% reported disrupted sleep, and 14% increased daytime sleepiness. Survivors with a history of radiation therapy were more likely to be fatigued (odds ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 1.3-2.3), yet without significantly different mean scores. Female sex, congestive heart failure, pulmonary fibrosis, depression, and being unmarried significantly predicted more fatigue, whereas obesity and an infant in the house predicted more daytime sleepiness. Similar sociodemographic predictors were also identified among the siblings. CONCLUSION Because of the large sample size, we detected more objectively reported fatigue, sleep disturbance, and daytime sleepiness among adult survivors of childhood cancer. However, the clinical significance of these differences is questionable. Predictors of fatigue and poor sleep were similar in both survivors and the siblings.
Adapting Neural Machine Translation with Parallel Synthetic Data

Recent works have shown that the usage of a synthetic parallel corpus can be effectively exploited by a neural machine translation system. In this paper, we propose a new method for adapting a general neural machine translation system to a speciﬁc task, by exploiting synthetic data. The method consists in selecting, from a large monolingual pool of sentences in the source language, those instances that are more related to a given test set. Next, this selection is automatically translated and the general neural machine translation sys-tem is ﬁne-tuned with these data. For evaluating the adaptation method, we ﬁrst conducted experiments in two controlled domains, with common and well-studied corpora. Then, we evaluated our proposal on a real e-commerce task, yielding consistent improvements in terms of translation quality.
A Parallel Algorithm for Solving Complex Multibody Problems With Stream Processors

This paper describes a numerical method for the parallel solution of the differential measure inclusion problem posed by mechanical multibody systems containing bilateral and unilateral frictional constraints. The method proposed has been implemented as a set of parallel algorithms leveraging NVIDIA’s Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) library support for multi-core stream computing. This allows the proposed solution to run on a wide variety of GeForce and TESLA NVIDIA graphics cards for high performance computing. Although the methodology relies on the solution of cone complementarity problems known to be fine-grained in terms of data dependency, a suitable approach has been developed to exploit parallelism with low overhead in terms of memory access and thread synchronization. Additionally, a parallel collision detection algorithm has been incorporated to further exploit available parallelism. Initial numerical tests described in this paper demonstrate a speedup of one order of magnitude for the solution time of both the collision detection and the cone complementarity problems when performed in parallel. Since stream multiprocessors are becoming ubiquitous as embedded components of next-generation graphic boards, the solution proposed represents a cost-efficient way to simulate the time evolution of complex mechanical problems with millions of parts and constraints, a task that used to require powerful supercomputers. The proposed methodology facilitates the analysis of extremely complex systems such as granular material flows and off-road vehicle dynamics.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Deep Sparse Rectifier Neural Networks

While logistic sigmoid neurons are more biologically plausible than hyperbolic tangent neurons, the latter work better for training multi-layer neural networks. This paper shows that rectifying neurons are an even better model of biological neurons and yield equal or better performance than hyperbolic tangent networks in spite of the hard non-linearity and non-dierentiabil ity
Voice as sound: using non-verbal voice input for interactive control

We describe the use of non-verbal features in voice for direct control of interactive applications. Traditional speech recognition interfaces are based on an indirect, conversational model. First the user gives a direction and then the system performs certain operation. Our goal is to achieve more direct, immediate interaction like using a button or joystick by using lower-level features of voice such as pitch and volume. We are developing several prototype interaction techniques based on this idea, such as "control by continuous voice", "rate-based parameter control by pitch," and "discrete parameter control by tonguing. " We have implemented several prototype systems, and they suggest that voice-as-sound techniques can enhance traditional voice recognition approach.
Biogenic copper nanoparticles promote the growth of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.)

Environmental pollution and toxicity have been increasing due to the overuse of chemical fertilisers, which has encouraged nanotechnologists to develop eco-friendly nano-biofertilisers. The authors demonstrated the effect of biogenic copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) on the growth of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.). The UV–visible analysis showed absorbance at 615 nm. Nanoparticle tracking and analysis revealed particle concentration of 2.18 × 108 particles/ml, with an average size of 33 nm. Zeta potential was found to be −16.7 mV, which showed stability. X-ray diffraction pattern depicted the face centred cubic structure of CuNPs; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy demonstrated the capping due to acidic groups, and transmission electron micrograph showed nanoparticles with size 20–30 nm. The effect of CuNPs (20 ppm) on plant growth was studied, for the absorption of CuNPs by plants on photosynthesis, which was evaluated by measuring chlorophyll a fluorescence using Handy-Plant Efficiency Analyser. CuNPs treatment showed a remarkable increase in height, root length, fresh and dry weights and performance index of seedlings. The overall growth of plants treated with CuNPs after 4 weeks was recorded. The results revealed that inoculation of CuNPs contribute growth and development of pigeon pea due to growth promoting activity of CuNPs.
Exercise augments the nocturnal prolactin rise in exercise-trained men

Objective: The objective of this study was to profile over a 24 h period the prolactin responses of exercise-trained men on a day involving rest with no exercise in comparison to a day involving exercise training sessions. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental design study using repeated measures determination of 24 h prolactin responses in exercise-trained men (n = 16; age = 27.3± 3.3 years (mean ± standard deviation)). Blood samples were taken hourly over a 24 h period on a day involving two intensive exercise training sessions (ED), and on a separate control day (CD) with no exercise activity. The order of the ED and CD was randomized. Physical activity and diet were controlled and replicated for the ED and CD. Blood specimens were handled, prepared and analyzed utilizing appropriate standard clinical practices. The data were analyzed with the Friedman analysis of variance and Nemenyi post hoc statistical procedure for repeated measures. Results: On the CD, prolactin displayed a typical circadian rhythm with daytime values of the hormone being less than the nocturnal rise once sleep had begun (p < 0.05; 16:00–20:00 h > all other times). On the ED, prolactin responses were noticeably different from those of the CD. The morning and afternoon exercise sessions included significant increases in prolactin immediately at the end of the exercise sessions, being greater than corresponding CD time points (p < 0.01; 01:00 h and 10:00 h); also for the second hour (2 h) following the morning exercise session. On the ED there was a displayed circadian nocturnal response in the hormone with 16:00–24:00 h being elevated above the all nonexercise effected values for that specific day (p < 0.01). Finally, the ED nocturnal elevation for prolactin for 16:00–24:00 h was significantly greater than the same respective hours on the CD (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Findings clearly demonstrated that nocturnal prolactin responses are augmented in exercise-trained men on days when they perform exercise. The mechanisms inducing this adaptive response are unclear but warrant further investigation.
Continued Improvement in Hypertension Management in England: Results From the Health Survey for England 2006

This study evaluate whether blood pressure management has improved in England between 2003 and 2006, using cross-sectional, nationally representative, random samples of 8834 (in 2003) and 7478 (in 2006) noninstitutionalized adults (aged ≥16 years) of mean age 46 (in 2003) and 47 (in 2006) years. Overall mean blood pressure levels in 2006 were 130.8/74.2 mm Hg in men and 124.0/72.4 mm Hg in women. Awareness of hypertension increased significantly in the overall population (from 62% in 2003% to 66% in 2006; P<0.001), the increase being significant in women (from 64% in 2003% to 71% in 2006; P<0.001) but not in men (from 60% to 62%; P=0.26). Similarly, the proportion treated had risen significantly overall (from 48% to 54%; P<0.001) and in women (from 52% to 62%; P<0.001) but not in men (from 43% to 47%; P=0.05). Control rates (<140/90 mm Hg) were higher in 2006 than in 2003 (from 22% to 28%; P<0.001) and had increased more among women than men: from 23% to 32% in women (P<0.001) and from 21% to 24% in men (P=0.02). Among those on treatment, control rates increased from 46% to 52% (P<0.001; from 44% to 53% in women, P<0.001; and from 48% to 52% in men, P=0.18). The most common agents used for monotherapy have changed since 2003 and were angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. Where ≥2 drugs were used, the most common antihypertensive class used varied by age and ethnicity. Awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension increased between 2003 and 2006, particularly in women, but opportunities for further improvement remain.
Metabolism of acyclovir in virus-infected and uninfected cells

The metabolism of acyclovir to its mono-, di-, and triphosphate derivatives was examined in uninfected and virus-infected cells. The level of phosphorylation of acyclovir was dependent upon virus type, cell line, exogenous drug concentration, and exposure time. Acyclovir phosphorylation was inhibited by exogenously added nucleosides. The order of inhibition was deoxythymidine greater than deoxycytidine greater than guanosine greater than or equal to deoxyguanosine. Acyclovir triphosphate persisted in infected cells after removal of the drug from the medium. The initial half-life of the triphosphate was 1.2 h in the absence of the drug in the medium, but triphosphate levels reached a plateau after 6 h. The presence of low concentrations of the drug in the medium resulted in a longer persistence of the intracellular triphosphate and a higher plateau level.
Monochorionic Diamniotic Twin Pregnancies: Natural History and Risk Stratification

About 30% of monochorionic twin pregnancies are complicated by twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), isolated discordant growth, twin anemia-polycythemia sequence, congenital defects or intrauterine demise. About 15% will be eligible for invasive fetal therapy, either fetoscopic laser treatment for TTTS or fetoscopic or ultrasound-guided umbilical cord coagulation for a severe congenital defect in one twin or severe discordant growth with imminent demise of the growth-restricted twin. Ultrasound examination in the first and early second trimester can differentiate the monochorionic twins at high risk for adverse outcome from those likely to be uneventful, which may be useful for patient counselling and planning of care.
Investigating the Antiangiogenic, Anti-drug Resistance and Apoptotic Effects of Soy Isoflavone Extract Alone or in Combination with Docetaxel on Murine 4T1 Breast Tumor Model

ABSTRACT Background: One major concern in the treatment of cancer patients during chemotherapy is drug resistance. Here we investigated the effects of soy isoflavone extracts alone or in combination with Docetaxel on the drug resistance, angiogenesis, apoptosis, and tumor volume in mouse 4T1 breast tumor model. Methods: Sixty female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, dietary soy isoflavone extract [Iso, 100 mg/kg diet (0.01%)], Docetaxel (10 mg/kg) injection, and the combination of dietary soy isoflavone extract and intravenous Docetaxel injection (Docetaxel + Iso). One week after the third injection, the breast tumors of eight mice from each group were excised to analyze NF-κBp65′ vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) and Pgp gene and protein expressions and the other seven mice were monitored for survival rate analysis until they died. Results: NF-κBp65 gene and protein expressions were significantly lower in the Docetaxel + Iso group in comparison with that of the Docetaxel group. VEGFR2 protein expression in the Docetaxel + Iso and Iso groups was significantly lower than that of the Docetaxel group. Conclusion: These findings may indicate that the combined use of isoflavone extracts together with chemotherapeutic agents has more efficient anti-carcinogenic effects than their individual use.