Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Better Mixing via Deep Representations

It has been hypothesized, and supported with experimental evidence, that deeper representations, when well trained, tend to do a better job at disentangling the underlying factors of variation. We study the following related conjecture: better representations, in the sense of better disentangling, can be exploited to produce Markov chains that mix faster between modes. Consequently, mixing between modes would be more efficient at higher levels of representation. To better understand this, we propose a secondary conjecture: the higher-level samples fill more uniformly the space they occupy and the high-density manifolds tend to unfold when represented at higher levels. The paper discusses these hypotheses and tests them experimentally through visualization and measurements of mixing between modes and interpolating between samples.
Early Feeding Practices and Weight Status at One Year of Age: A Comparison of Hispanic Immigrant Mother-Infant Dyads with Participants of the Infant Feeding Practices Study II.

BACKGROUND Hispanic preschoolers have higher rates of BMI ≥85th percentile than any other racial/ethnic group. To identify underpinnings of this disparity, we compared early feeding practices and subsequent weight status for a sample of infants of low-income, Hispanic immigrant mothers with participants from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (IFPS II). METHODS Proyecto de Bebés Hispanos Saludables (PBHS) collected medical record data for mother-infant dyads (n = 550) from a large pediatric clinic for low-income families and merged it with IFPS II data (n = 1502) to compare early feeding practices and late infancy weight status. RESULTS Mode of milk delivery for PBHS mothers was less likely to be exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months (9.0% vs. 27.5%), but more likely to be both breast and bottle feeding (43.5% vs. 26.3%) compared to IFPS II mothers. No difference was found in age for solid food introduction. Weight for age of PBHS infants was more likely to be ≥85th percentile at 12 months than IFPS II infants (39.1% vs. 25.4%). Both PBHS and IFPS II infants were more likely to be ≥85th percentile at 1 year if mode of milk delivery was bottle only at 6 months compared to those who were breastfed only, even after adjusting for potential confounders. CONCLUSION Differences in PBHS and IFPS II feeding practices and weight status suggest additional studies of modifiable, early life risk factors are needed to inform clinical and public health interventions that reduce childhood obesity for this growing sector of the US population.
Modulation of LIGHT-HVEM Costimulation Prolongs Cardiac Allograft Survival

LIGHT (TNFSF14), a tumor necrosis factor superfamily member expressed by activated T cells, binds to herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM) which is constitutively expressed by T cells and costimulates T cell activation in a CD28-independent manner. Given interest in regulating the effector functions of T cells in vivo, we examined the role of LIGHT-HVEM costimulation in a murine cardiac allograft rejection model. Normal hearts lacked LIGHT or HVEM mRNA expression, but allografts showed strong expression of both genes from day 3 after transplant, and in situ hybridization and immunohistology-localized LIGHT and HVEM to infiltrating leukocytes. To test the importance of LIGHT expression on allograft survival, we generated LIGHT−/− mice by homologous recombination. The mean survival of fully major histocompatibility complex–mismatched vascularized cardiac allografts in LIGHT−/− mice (10 days, P < 0.05) or cyclosporine A (CsA)-treated LIGHT+/+ mice (10 days, P < 0.05) was only slightly prolonged compared with LIGHT+/+ mice (7 days). However, mean allograft survival in CsA-treated LIGHT−/− allograft recipients (30 days) was considerably enhanced (P < 0.001) compared with the 10 days of mean survival in either untreated LIGHT−/− mice or CsA-treated LIGHT+/+ controls. Molecular analyzes showed that the beneficial effects of targeting of LIGHT in CsA-treated recipients were accompanied by decreased intragraft expression of interferon (IFN)-γ, plus IFN-γ–induced chemokine, inducible protein-10, and its receptor, CXCR3. Treatment of LIGHT+/+ allograft recipients with HVEM-Ig plus CsA also enhanced mean allograft survival (21 days) versus wild-type controls receiving HVEM-Ig (mean of 7 days) or CsA alone (P < 0.001). Our data suggest that T cell to T cell–mediated LIGHT/HVEM-dependent costimulation is a significant component of the host response leading to cardiac allograft rejection.
A junction condition by specified homogenization and application to traffic lights

Given a coercive Hamiltonian which is quasi-convex with respect to the gradient variable and periodic with respect to time and space at least ''far away from the origin'', we consider the solution of the Cauchy problem of the corresponding Hamilton-Jacobi equation posed on the real line. Compact perturbations of coercive periodic quasi-convex Hamiltonians enter into this framework for example. We prove that the rescaled solution converges towards the solution of the expected effective Hamilton-Jacobi equation, but whose ''flux'' at the origin is ''limited'' in a sense made precise by the authors in \cite{im}. In other words, the homogenization of such a Hamilton-Jacobi equation yields to supplement the expected homogenized Hamilton-Jacobi equation with a junction condition at the single discontinuous point of the effective Hamiltonian. We also illustrate possible applications of such a result by deriving, for a traffic flow problem, the effective flux limiter generated by the presence of a finite number of traffic lights on an ideal road. We also provide meaningful qualitative properties of the effective limiter.
DTN-based Content Storage and Retrieval

Delay-tolerant networking (DTN) enables nodes to communicate by means of asynchronous messaging witout the need for an end-to-end path. Suitably designed application protocols may operate in DTNs by minimizing end-to-end interactions and using self-contained messages for communication. The store-carry-and-forward operation and message replication of many DTN routing protocols may yield multiple copies of messages spread across many nodes for an axtended period of time. We leverage these properties for application support in (mobile) intermediate DTN nodes which act as ad-hoc routers. We add explicit application hints to messages that are visible to each node, allowing them, e.g., to cache content, act as distributed storage, or perform application-specific forwarding.
Fabrication of Carbon Multiwall Nanotube/Polymer Composites by Shear Mixing

The dispersion of nanotubes in polymer matrices has been investigated as a means of deriving new and advanced engineering materials. These composite materials have been formed into fibers and thin films and their mechanical and electrical properties determined. The nanotube concentration at which conductivity was initiated (the percolation threshold) varied with host polymer. In poly(propylene), this was as low as 0.05 vol.-%, while higher concentrations were required for polystyrene and particularly for ABS. There was a small increase in elastic modulus and decrease in tensile strength at low nanotube loading, but as the concentration was increased there was a progressive increase in both strength and stiffness.
Differential scanning calorimetry study on thermal behaviors of freeze‐dried poly(L‐lactide) from dilute solutions

Glass transition, cold crystallization, and melting of freeze-dried poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) prepared from dilute 1,4-dioxane solutions were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Conventional DSC measurements of heating scans revealed that freeze-dried PLLA prepared from a 0.07 wt % solution undergoes a two-step cold crystallization (or reorganization) with a lower exotherm appearing at about 78 °C and with a higher broad exotherm between 110–155 °C. The peak temperature of the former exotherm is about 50 K lower than that observed for a reference bulk sample. Step-scan mode DSC, which provides information essentially equivalent to that obtained from the temperature-modulated DSC, revealed that the glass-transition temperature is about 6 K lower than that of the reference bulk. These findings suggest enhanced chain mobility for freeze-dried PLLA. Freeze-dried PLLA that crystallized at 80 °C for 40 min was revealed to contain a rather large amount of rigid amorphous material (42%). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 115–124, 2005
Microperimetric assessment of patients with type 2 idiopathic macular telangiectasia.

PURPOSE To assess changes of the light increment sensitivity (LIS) of the macular area in patients with type 2 idiopathic macular telangiectasia (IMT). METHODS Fifty-eight eyes of 30 patients were examined in a cross-sectional study. All eyes were assigned to group A (early disease stages) or group B (late disease stages with retinal pigment clumping or vascular membranes). Investigation of visual function included visual acuity and fundus-related microperimetry. RESULTS Thirty-seven and 16 eyes were assigned to group A and group B, respectively. Temporal to the fovea, each eye of group B had an absolute scotoma. Topographically, the areas with reduced LIS correlated well with the angiographically hyperfluorescent areas or retinal pigmentations and showed a sharp demarcation from areas with normal LIS. However, within areas with angiographic alterations, at least some test locations exhibited preserved LIS in group B eyes; in 51% of group A eyes, none of those test locations showed abnormal LIS. Group A eyes that showed marked LIS reduction revealed common abnormalities: either hyporeflective spaces between the neurosensory retina and the retinal pigment epithelium in OCT imaging or atrophic areas, both topographically related to the scotoma. Visual acuity was correlated with foveal LIS but not with the LIS temporal to the fovea. CONCLUSIONS Long-standing morphologic macular alterations from type 2 IMT are associated with topographically related functional impairment. Eyes with profound parafoveal scotomas can exhibit relatively preserved visual acuity. Therefore, testing for retinal light sensitivity should be included as an additional outcome measure for future interventional studies.
Predicting Attendance at Peer-Assisted Study Sessions for Statistics: Role Identity and the Theory of Planned Behavior

Using a prospective study of 77 1st-year psychology students' voluntary attendance at peer-assisted study sessions for statistics, the authors tested the addition of role identity to the theory of planned behavior. The authors used a revised set of roleidentity items to capture the personal and social aspects of role identity within a specific behavioral context. At the commencement of the semester, the authors assessed the students' attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, role identity, and intention. The authors examined the students' class attendance records 3 months later. Attitudes and perceived behavioral control predicted intention, with intention as the sole predictor of attendance. Role identity also predicted intention, reflecting the importance of the student role identity in influencing decision making related to supplementary academic activities.
Use of Medications for Gastroesophageal Reflux at Discharge Among Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants

OBJECTIVES. Our goals were (1) to determine the use of medications to treat gastroesophageal reflux in extremely low birth weight infants (birth weight of <1000 g) at discharge; (2) to identify risk factors associated with the use of medications to treat gastroesophageal reflux at discharge; and (3) to assess the contribution of gastroesophageal reflux medication use at discharge to growth and development at corrected ages of 18 to 22 months. METHODS. This retrospective cohort analysis included extremely low birth weight infants enrolled at National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network Centers between 2002 and 2003 who survived to follow-up evaluations at corrected ages of 18 to 22 months. Analyses were used to identify factors associated with discharge with antireflux medications and poor growth or neurodevelopmental impairment after discharge. RESULTS. A total of 1598 infants were included in the analyses; 24.8% were discharged from the hospital with medications to treat gastroesophageal reflux. A total of 19.3% of the 1287 infants discharged at postmenstrual age of ≤42 weeks were discharged with antireflux medications. For those infants, center, lower gestational age, and race had significant effects on the use of antireflux medications at discharge. A total of 47.6% of the 311 infants discharged at postmenstrual age of >42 weeks were discharged with antireflux medications. For those infants, no tested variables were associated with treatment with antireflux medications at discharge. Use of antireflux medications at discharge was not associated with either poor growth or neurodevelopmental impairment at corrected ages of 18 to 22 months. CONCLUSIONS. Use of antireflux medications at the time of discharge seems to be common for extremely low birth weight infants, especially those discharged at postmenstrual age of >42 weeks, but does not seem to have effects on growth or development at the time of follow-up evaluations.
Reliable virtual sensing for wireless sensor networks

Several “energy-hungry” sensors such as gas detectors, radar, and cameras have excessive energy dissipation. Virtual sensing is a technique which “breaks the downward spiral” between energy expenditure and events-miss probabilities. The idea is to deactivate main sensors and utilize a set of energy-friendly HW & SW components instead. However, reliability of such systems composed of virtual and real sensors should be as high as possible. In this article, a novel approach is proposed to improve the virtual sensing reliability. An ontology on sensor-environment relationships is utilized to automatically generate rules before deployment to switch between real and virtual sensors. We illustrate the general approach by a case study: we show how reliable virtual sensing reduces the energy consumption and event-miss probabilities of object tracking applications. Seismic sensors and a dynamic time-warping algorithm shape the virtual object tracking sensor. We validate the precision of such virtual sensors over several experiments. A series of experiments with a network of TelosB sensor nodes show that virtual sensors have much less energy consumption than a Doppler μ-radar (main) sensor. Finally, we evaluate event-miss probabilities and lifetime extension by using the WSNet simulator.
New methods for landslide identification and mapping using SAR polarimetry obtained during the PacRim 2000 mission in Taiwan

Abstract : We reanalyze PacRim 2000 L-band AIRSAR polarimetry collected over the western foothills of central Taiwan a year after the September 20, 1999 ChiChi earthquake, which produced more than 10,000 landslides. The objective is to explore the utility of SAR data, particularly polarimetry, for identifying and mapping natural hazards like landslides that essentially resurface landscapes. An overall goal of this research is to exploit the operational advantages of radars over optical instruments for rapid assessment and response to natural hazards and disasters. Three flightlines of XTI1 AIRSAR were acquired over the two largest landslides, Tsaoling and Mt. Juo-feng-err, as well as hundreds of smaller slides generated by the ChiChi main and aftershocks. We first looked at the relative utility of single channel (co-polarized) SAR, dual polarimetry (co- and cross-polarized channels), and full polarimetry for landslide identification. We found that landslides are very difficult to recognize in fixed polarization SAR data. On the other hand, recognizing hillsides cleared of vegetation by landslides is relatively easy with dual and fully polarimetric data by using cross-polarized and co-polarized cross-sections to provide radar vegetation indices. Radar target decomposition methods applied to the L-band polarimetry allowed us to explore the changes in scattering mechanisms induced by the action of landsliding on forested hillslopes, and to use derived polarimetric parameters to identify landslides. Application of speckle reduction filters does not degrade the resolution with which small landslides can be mapped. Finally, we explored unsupervised classification methods for efficient mapping of landslides under a rapid response mode of operation.
Language H Simple (r): an Action Language for Representing Concurrent Actions and Continuous Changes

In this paper, a new higher-level action language called H Simple (R) is introduced. Language H Simple (R) is based on (locally) stratiied logic program Apt et al., 1988] and can treat concurrent actions and continuous changes. Also, it can handle implication rules (ramiication) under the implication restriction. This work is the extension of Language H Hayashi, 1996] which can handle only a discrete time line. At the end, it is shown that any action can be expressed as a uent by comparing them in the logic program level.
Effects of Single Injection of Local Anesthetic Agents on Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: Ex Vivo and Long-Term In Vivo Experimental Study

Background Analgesic discography (discoblock) can be used to diagnose or treat discogenic low back pain by injecting a small amount of local anesthetics. However, recent in vitro studies have revealed cytotoxic effects of local anesthetics on intervertebral disc (IVD) cells. Here we aimed to investigate the deteriorative effects of lidocaine and bupivacaine on rabbit IVDs using an organotypic culture model and an in vivo long-term follow-up model. Methods For the organotypic culture model, rabbit IVDs were harvested and cultured for 3 or 7 days after intradiscal injection of local anesthetics (1% lidocaine or 0.5% bupivacaine). Nucleus pulposus (NP) cell death was measured using confocal microscopy. Histological and TUNEL assays were performed. For in vivo study, each local anesthetic was injected into rabbit lumbar IVDs under a fluoroscope. Six or 12 months after the injection, each IVD was prepared for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histological analysis. Results In the organotypic culture model, both anesthetic agents induced time-dependent NP cell death; when compared with injected saline solution, significant effects were detected within 7 days. Compared with the saline group, TUNEL-positive NP cells were significantly increased in the bupivacaine group. In the in vivo study, MRI analysis did not show any significant difference. Histological analysis revealed that IVD degeneration occurred to a significantly level in the saline- and local anesthetics-injected groups compared with the untreated control or puncture-only groups. However, there was no significant difference between the saline and anesthetic agents groups. Conclusions/Significance In the in vivo model using healthy IVDs, there was no strong evidence to suggest that discoblock with local anesthetics has the potential of inducing IVD degeneration other than the initial mechanical damage of the pressurized injection. Further studies should be performed to investigate the deteriorative effects of the local injection of analgesic agents on degenerated IVDs.
MODULATION OF MURINE MACROPHAGE FUNCTION BY METHAMPHETAMINE

The abuse of methamphetamine (MA) is an increasingly growing problem globally and produces serious side effects. In the present study, the immunomodulating effects of MA were examined on murine peritoneal macrophages after MA (5 mg/kg body weight) was administered daily orally for 2 wk. When purified macrophages were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the tumoricidal activity induced by LPS was significantly suppressed by MA. MA also inhibited poly I:C-induced antiviral activity in macrophages and decreased the number of peritoneal macrophages. FACS analysis showed that the expression of CD14 was markedly decreased by MA in LPS-stimulated macrophages. The production of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- α, which are known to be major effector molecules in macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity, was decreased by MA. MA produced a significant effect on phagocytosis and interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6 at 14 d. In addition, the level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was not altered by MA. Taken together, these data indicate that MA has a differential immunomodulating effect on macrophage secretory and cellular activities.
Exploring the role of hand gestures in learning novel phoneme contrasts and vocabulary in a second language

Co-speech hand gestures are a type of multimodal input that has received relatively little attention in the context of second language learning. The present study explored the role that observing and producing different types of gestures plays in learning novel speech sounds and word meanings in an L2. Naïve English-speakers were taught two components of Japanese—novel phonemic vowel length contrasts and vocabulary items comprised of those contrasts—in one of four different gesture conditions: Syllable Observe, Syllable Produce, Mora Observe, and Mora Produce. Half of the gestures conveyed intuitive information about syllable structure, and the other half, unintuitive information about Japanese mora structure. Within each Syllable and Mora condition, half of the participants only observed the gestures that accompanied speech during training, and the other half also produced the gestures that they observed along with the speech. The main finding was that participants across all four conditions had similar outcomes in two different types of auditory identification tasks and a vocabulary test. The results suggest that hand gestures may not be well suited for learning novel phonetic distinctions at the syllable level within a word, and thus, gesture-speech integration may break down at the lowest levels of language processing and learning.
Molecular Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus and Influenza Virus Coinfections in Patients with Fatal Pneumonia

ABSTRACT Molecular techniques were used to characterize genetic features of Staphylococcus aureus in 66 fatal cases of pneumonia caused by S. aureus and influenza A or B viruses. Nucleic acids were extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. The majority of cases revealed genetic markers for Panton-Valentine leukocidin, mecA, and spa type t008.
Parallel Genomic Sequence-Searching on an Ad-Hoc Grid: Experiences, Lessons Learned, and Implications

The Basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) allows bioinformaticists to characterize an unknown sequence by comparing it against a database of known sequences. The similarity between sequences enables biologists to detect evolutionary relationships and infer biological properties of the unknown sequence. mpiBLAST, our parallel BLAST, decreases the search time of a 300 KB query on the current NT database from over two full days to under 10 minutes on a 128-processor cluster and allows larger query files to be compared. Consequently, we propose to compare the largest query available, the entire NT database, against the largest database available, the entire NT database. The result of this comparison can provide critical information to the biology community, including insightful evolutionary, structural, and functional relationships between every sequence and family in the NT database. Preliminary projections indicated that to complete the task in a reasonable length of time required more processors than were available to us at a single site. Hence, we assembled GreenGene, an ad-hoc grid that was constructed "on the fly" from donated computational, network, and storage resources during last year's SC|05. GreenGene consisted of 3048 processors from machines that were distributed across the United States. This paper presents a case study of mpiBLAST on GreenGene - specifically, a pre-run characterization of the computation, the hardware and software architectural design, experimental results, and future directions