Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Stable FDTD Method With Embedded Reduced-Order Models

The computational efficiency of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method can be significantly reduced by the presence of complex objects with fine features. Small geometrical details impose a fine mesh and a reduced time step, significantly increasing computational cost. Model order reduction has been proposed as a systematic way to generate compact models for complex objects, by which one can then instantiate into a main FDTD mesh. However, the stability of FDTD with embedded reduced models remains an open problem. We propose a systematic method to generate reduced models for FDTD domains, and embed them into a main FDTD mesh with guaranteed stability up to the Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy (CFL) limit of the fine mesh. With a simple perturbation technique, the CFL of the whole scheme can be further extended beyond the fine grid’s CFL limit. Reduced models can be created for arbitrary domains containing inhomogeneous and lossy materials. Numerical tests confirm the stability of the proposed method and its potential to accelerate multiscale FDTD simulations.
Comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of FBP, ASiR, and MBIR reconstruction during CT angiography in the evaluation of a vessel phantom with calcified stenosis in a distal superficial femoral artery in a cadaver extremity

Purpose:To investigate whether adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) or model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) improves the diagnostic performance of computed tomography angiography (CTA) for small-vessel calcified lesions relative to filtered back projection (FBP) using cadaver extremities and a calcified stenosis phantom. Methods:A cadaver was used in accordance with our institutional regulations, and a calcified stenosis phantom simulating 4 grades of stenosis was prepared. The phantom was inserted within the distal superficial femoral artery of the cadaver leg. Ten CT images per reconstruction type and stenosis grade were acquired using a 64-slice multidetector-row CTA.As an objective measurement, the first and second derivatives of the CT value function profiles were calculated. As a subjective measurement, 2 blinded reviewers measured the stenosis ratio using a quantitative scale. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to evaluate the data. Results:Objective measurements of both 25% and 50% stenosis differed significantly (P < 0.01) between MBIR (25/50%: 25.80/50.30 ± 3.88/3.86%) and FBP (25/50%: 35.60/83.80 ± 3.44/26.10%), whereas significant differences were not observed between ASiR and FBP.Reviewer 2's subjective measurements of 25% stenosis differed significantly (P < 0.01) between MBIR (35.13 ± 3.25%) and ASiR (40.89 ± 3.14%), and the measurements of 50% stenosis differed significantly (P < 0.01) between MBIR (reviewers 1/2, 62.36/54.78 ± 2.78/4.96%) and FBP (reviewers 1/2, 62.36/74.84 ± 2.78/18.10%). Significant differences in the subjective measurements were not observed between ASiR and FBP. Conclusion:MBIR improves the diagnostic performance of CTA for small-vessel calcified lesions relative to FBP.
Elucidation of Acquired Resistance to Bcl-2 and MDM2 Inhibitors in Acute Leukemia In Vitro and In Vivo

Purpose: Two clinical-stage anticancer drugs, the Bcl-2 inhibitor ABT-263, and the MDM2 inhibitor SAR405838 achieve complete tumor regression in animal models of leukemia but also induce acquired resistance. Elucidation of acquired resistance mechanisms and development of strategies to overcome the resistance are critical for their successful clinical development. Experimental Design: We employed RS4;11 and MV4;11 cell lines, two acute leukemia models, to investigate acquired resistance mechanisms for both drugs in vitro and in vivo and evaluated several treatment regimens in xenograft mouse models to improve long-term, complete tumor regression. Results: Resistance to either SAR405838 or ABT-263 (or its analogue ABT-737) develops in acute leukemia models in vitro and in vivo. RS4;11 and MV4;11 tumors treated with SAR405838 acquire resistance to the drug by mutation of the TP53 gene or compromise of p53 protein function. RS4;11 tumors treated with either ABT-263 or ABT-737 acquire resistance primarily through downregulation of BAX but not BAK. When acute leukemia cells become highly resistant to the MDM2 inhibitor, they retain their sensitivity to the Bcl-2 inhibitors, or vice versa. Certain sequential or combination treatment of SAR405838 and ABT-263 can achieve longer-term tumor regression than treatment with either agent alone. Conclusions: Our study provides new insights into the mechanisms of acquired resistance of Bcl-2 and MDM2 inhibitors in acute leukemia models and suggests that certain sequential or combination treatment of these two distinct classes of apoptosis-inducing agents should be tested as new treatment strategies for acute leukemia in the clinic. Clin Cancer Res; 21(11); 2558–68. ©2015 AACR.
Seventeen new very low-mass members in Taurus. The brown dwarf deficit revisited

the date of receipt and acceptance should be inserted later Abstract. Recent studies of the substellar population in the Taurus cloud have revealed a deficit of brown dwarfs compared to the Trapezium cluster population (Briceno et al. 1998; Luhman 2000; Luhman et al. 2003a; Luhman 2004). However, these works have concentrated on the highest stellar density regions of the Taurus cloud. We have performed a large scale optical survey of this region, covering a total area of ≃ 28deg 2 , and encompassing the densest parts of the cloud as well as their surroundings, down to a mass detection limits of 15 MJ. In this paper, we present the optical spectroscopic follow-up observations of 97 photometrically selected potential new low-mass Taurus members, of which 27 are strong late-M spectral type (SpT ≥ M4V ) candidates. Our spectroscopic survey is 87 % complete down to i ' =20 for spectral types later than M4V, which corresponds to a mass completeness limit of 30 MJ for ages ≤ 10 Myr and Av ≤ 4. We derive spectral types, visual absorption and luminosity class estimates and discuss our criteria to assess Taurus membership. These observations reveal 5 new VLM Taurus members and 12 new BDs. Two of the new VLM sources and four of the new substellar members exhibit accretion/outflow signatures similar to the higher mass classical T Tauri stars. From levels of Hemission we derive a fraction of accreting sources of 42 % in the substellar Taurus population. Combining our observations with previously published results, we derive an updated substellar to stellar ratio in Taurus of Rss = 0.23 ± 0.05. This ratio now appears consistent with the value previously derived in the Trapezium cluster under similar assumptions of 0.26±0.04. We find indication that the relative numbers of BDs with respect to stars is decreased by a factor 2 in the central regions of the aggregates with respect to the more distributed population. Our findings are best explained in the context of the embryo-ejection model where brown dwarfs originate from dynamical interactions in small N unstable multiple systems.
QoS Analysis for Web Service Compositions with Complex Structures

Quality of service (QoS) is a major concern in the design and management of a composite service. In this paper, a systematic approach is proposed to calculate QoS for composite services with complex structures, taking into consideration of the probability and conditions of each execution path. Four types of basic composition patterns for composite services are discussed: sequential, parallel, loop, and conditional patterns. In particular, QoS solutions are provided for unstructured conditional and loop patterns. We also show how QoS-based service selection can be conducted based on the proposed QoS calculation. Experiments have been conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Estimation and Inference of Heterogeneous Treatment Effects using Random Forests

ABSTRACT Many scientific and engineering challenges—ranging from personalized medicine to customized marketing recommendations—require an understanding of treatment effect heterogeneity. In this article, we develop a nonparametric causal forest for estimating heterogeneous treatment effects that extends Breiman’s widely used random forest algorithm. In the potential outcomes framework with unconfoundedness, we show that causal forests are pointwise consistent for the true treatment effect and have an asymptotically Gaussian and centered sampling distribution. We also discuss a practical method for constructing asymptotic confidence intervals for the true treatment effect that are centered at the causal forest estimates. Our theoretical results rely on a generic Gaussian theory for a large family of random forest algorithms. To our knowledge, this is the first set of results that allows any type of random forest, including classification and regression forests, to be used for provably valid statistical inference. In experiments, we find causal forests to be substantially more powerful than classical methods based on nearest-neighbor matching, especially in the presence of irrelevant covariates.
Different Angiogenic Potential in Low and High Grade Sporadic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Is Not Related to Alterations in the von Hippel–Lindau Gene

Background: von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) inactivation is common in sporadic clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCC). pVHL is part of the ubiquitin ligase complex that targets the alpha subunits of hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF) for degradation under well-oxygenated conditions. In the absence of wild-type pVHL, as observed in VHL patients and most sporadic ccRCCs, constitutive upregulation of HIF results in transcriptional activation of angiogenesis-related genes, such as VEGF. Differences in angiogenic activity within the group of ccRCCs were reported and strong genotype-phenotype correlations were found in patients with VHL disease, raising a question about the importance of VHL inactivation status in angiogenic behaviour and tumour progression. Methods: To address this question, we investigated the influence of VHL mutation (direct sequencing)/hypermethylation (methylation-specific PCR) on angiogenesis/tumour parameters (immunohistochemistry) in 150 patients with sporadic ccRCC. Results: We found no significant association between VHL mutation or methylation and angiogenesis/tumour parameters. Conclusions: These data indicate that tumour progression and angiogenesis are not directly influenced by VHL alterations and that additional genetic/epigenetic events should be considered to explain the diverse angiogenic and proliferative behaviour during tumour progression.
MUSAN: A Music, Speech, and Noise Corpus

This report introduces a new corpus of music, speech, and noise. This dataset is suitable for training models for voice activity detection (VAD) and music/speech discrimination. Our corpus is released under a flexible Creative Commons license. The dataset consists of music from several genres, speech from twelve languages, and a wide assortment of technical and non-technical noises. We demonstrate use of this corpus for music/speech discrimination on Broadcast news and VAD for speaker identification.
Development of Inattention, Impulsivity, and Processing Speed as Measured by the d2 Test: Results of a Large Cross-sectional Study in Children Aged 7–13

The development of three aspects of selective attention was studied in 451 Dutch schoolchildren attending second to sixth grade. Selective attention was measured with the d2 Test of attention. The largest age differences were found for processing speed that continued to improve until the sixth grade. Impulsivity, as measured by the percentage of errors of commission, decreased until the fourth grade. Inattention, measured by the percentage of errors of omission, was stable in all grades. Processing speed and impulsivity were correlated with the score on the Attention Problems subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist. These results imply that selective attention continues to develop, at least, until the end of elementary school. The findings are support for a step-wise model of cognitive development (P. Anderson, 2002).
The extracellular phage-host interactions involved in the bacteriophage LL-H infection of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. lactis ATCC 15808

The complete genome sequence of Lactobacillus bacteriophage LL-H was determined in 1996. Accordingly, LL-H has been used as a model phage for the infection of dairy Lactobacillus, specifically for thermophilic Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. lactis host strains, such as ATCC 15808. One of the major goals of phage LL-H research consisted of the characterization of the first phage-host interactions at the level of phage adsorption and phage DNA injection steps to determine effective and practical methods to minimize the risks associated with the appearance and attack of phages in the manufacture of yogurt, and Swiss or Italian hard type cheeses, which typically use thermophilic lactic acid bacteria starter cultures containing L. delbrueckii strains among others. This mini review article summarizes the present data concerning (i) the special features, particle structure, and components of phage LL-H and (ii) the structure and properties of lipoteichoic acids (LTAs), which are the phage LL-H receptor components of L. delbrueckii ssp. lactis host strains. Moreover, a model of the first, extracellular, phage-host interactions for the infection of L. delbrueckii ssp. lactis ATCC 15808 by phage LL-H is presented and further discussed.
Heat Shock Protein 70 Acts as a Potential Biomarker for Early Diagnosis of Heart Failure

Early identification for heart failure (HF) may be useful for disease modifying treatment in order to reduce heart disease progression or even to reverse it. In our previous studies, we have revealed a group of heat shock proteins (HSPs) which might be related to neonatal rat cardiomyocyte hypertrophy by proteomic approach. Here, we confirm that HSPs, including HSP27 and HSP70, altered in the early stage of cardiac remodeling in vivo animal model. Furthermore, plasma concentrations of those HSPs and their potential screening value were evaluated at different stages in 222 patient subjects. Plasma HSP27, HSP70 and HSP90 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results indicate that HSP70 was positively correlated to the severity (progression) of HF (r = 0.456, p<0.001). The area under the rate of change (ROC) curve was 0.601 (p = 0.017) in patients with stage B HF and 0.835 (p<0.001) in those with stage C HF. However, HSP27 and HSP90 did not display significant changes in any stage of HF in this study. Taken together, plasma concentrations of HSP70 elevated with the progression of HF and might act as a potential screening biomarker for early diagnosis of HF.
An Exploratory Study of Domestic Violence: Perpetrators’ Reports of Violence Against Animals

ABSTRACT The goal of the current exploratory study was to examine associations between animal cruelty (AC), intimate partner violence (IPV), and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) among incarcerated adult males. Forty-two men incarcerated in a state prison participated in the study; all participants were incarcerated for IPV and/or admitted to committing IPV in a past relationship. They completed measures on childhood animal cruelty (CAC), lifetime prevalence of AC, and IPV. It was hypothesized that men with ASPD diagnoses would report greater exposure to, and perpetration of, AC, as well as more severe IPV behaviors. It was also expected that lifetime exposure to, and perpetration of, AC would be associated with greater animal abuse in the context of IPV. Lastly, it was hypothesized that participants who reported exposure to, and perpetration of, AC would also report higher rates of IPV behaviors. Rates of animal cruelty were high in this sample. Approximately 36% of participants endorsed CAC, 81% reported animal cruelty perpetration in their lifetime, 85.7% reported being exposed to animal cruelty during their lifetime, 38% endorsed using threats against animals during a relationship conflict, and 52% reported abusing and/or killing a pet during a relationship conflict. CAC was significantly related to increased use of psychological abuse and sexual coercion in the context of intimate relationships. ASPD was not related to animal cruelty in the context of IPV. CAC was significantly associated with both threats to, and actual perpetration of, animal abuse during relationship conflicts. The limitations and implications of our findings are discussed in relation to future research.
The K20 survey - I. Disentangling old and dusty star-forming galaxies in the ERO population

We present the results of VLT optical spectroscopy of a complete sample of 78 EROs with R-Ks\geq5 over a field of 52 arcmin^2. About 70% of the 45 EROs with Ks\leq19.2 have been spectroscopically identified with old passively evolving and dusty star-forming galaxies at 0.7<z<1.5. The two classes are about equally populated and for each of them we present and discuss the average spectrum. From the old ERO average spectrum and for Z=Z_{\odot} we derive a minimum age of \sim 3 Gyr, corresponding to a formation redshift of z_f \gtsima 2.4. PLE models with such formation redshifts well reproduce the density of old EROs (consistent with being passively evolving ellipticals), whereas the predictions of the current hierarchical merging models are lower than the observed densities by large factors (up to an order of magnitude). From the average spectrum of the star-forming EROs we estimate a substantial dust extinction with E(B-V) \gtsima 0.5. The star formation rates, corrected for the average reddening, suggest a significant contribution from EROs to the cosmic star-formation density at z \sim 1.
Does Good Luck Make People Overconfident? Evidence from a Natural Experiment in China

This paper examines the changes in households’ trading behavior after winning an IPO allotment in China—a purely luck-driven event. We find that these households subsequently become overconfident: they trade more frequently and lose more money relative to other households. This effect is stronger when households are inexperienced and when households’ pre-existing level of overconfidence is low. Our findings are not explained by wealth effects or house money effects. Overall, our evidence indicates that the experience of good luck makes people overconfident about their prospects. <br>
The Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and the Framingham Risk Score in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Intervention Over the Last 17 Years by Gender: Time-trend Analysis From the Mayo Clinic PCI Registry

Objectives: This study aims to investigate trends of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor profiles over 17 years in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients at the Mayo Clinic. Methods: We performed a time-trend analysis within the Mayo Clinic PCI Registry from 1994 to 2010. Results were the incidence and prevalence of CVD risk factors as estimate by the Framingham risk score. Results: Between 1994 and 2010, 25 519 patients underwent a PCI. During the time assessed, the mean age at PCI became older, but the gender distribution did not change. A significant trend towards higher body mass index and more prevalent hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes was found over time. The prevalence of current smokers remained unchanged. The prevalence of ever-smokers decreased among males, but increased among females. However, overall CVD risk according to the Framingham risk score (FRS) and 10-year CVD risk significantly decreased. The use of most of medications elevated from 1994 to 2010, except for β-blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors decreased after 2007 and 2006 in both baseline and discharge, respectively. Conclusions: Most of the major risk factors improved and the FRS and 10-year CVD risk declined in this population of PCI patients. However, obesity, history of hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes, and medication use increased substantially. Improvements to blood pressure and lipid profile management because of medication use may have influenced the positive trends.
Endemicity, Biogeography, Composition, and Community Structure On a Northeast Pacific Seamount

The deep ocean greater than 1 km covers the majority of the earth's surface. Interspersed on the abyssal plains and continental slope are an estimated 14000 seamounts, topographic features extending 1000 m off the seafloor. A variety of hypotheses are posited that suggest the ecological, evolutionary, and oceanographic processes on seamounts differ from those governing the surrounding deep sea. The most prominent and oldest of these hypotheses, the seamount endemicity hypothesis (SMEH), states that seamounts possess a set of isolating mechanisms that produce highly endemic faunas. Here, we constructed a faunal inventory for Davidson Seamount, the first bathymetric feature to be characterized as a ‘seamount’, residing 120 km off the central California coast in approximately 3600 m of water (Fig 1). We find little support for the SMEH among megafauna of a Northeast Pacific seamount; instead, finding an assemblage of species that also occurs on adjacent continental margins. A large percentage of these species are also cosmopolitan with ranges extending over much of the Pacific Ocean Basin. Despite the similarity in composition between the seamount and non-seamount communities, we provide preliminary evidence that seamount communities may be structured differently and potentially serve as source of larvae for suboptimal, non-seamount habitats.
Analyzing the Predictability of Lexeme-specific Prosodic Features as a Cue to Sentence Prominence

This study investigates the relationship between sentence prominence and the predictability of word-specific statistical descriptors of prosody. We extend from an earlier wordinvariant model by studying a model that marks words as prominent if the acoustic prosodic features differ from their expected values during the lexemes. To test the approach, the most common acoustic features associated with the perception of prominence are extracted and several lexeme-specific statistical measures are computed for each feature. Simulations are conducted on a corpus of continuous English speech and the algorithm output is compared to manually assigned prominence labels. The results show that the deviant prosodic descriptors of the words correlate with the perception of prominence. However, this effect is much smaller than that obtained by modeling the prosodic predictability at the utterance level, suggesting that contextindependent lexeme-specific models are unable to capture relevant aspects of sentence prominence.
Massachusetts Recidivism Study: A Closer Look at Releases and Returns to Prison: (719712011-001)

The Massachusetts Recidivism Study aims to better understand the experiences of recidivists and how their previous incarceration and time in the community relate to their returns to prison. The study consists of three interrelated components: an analysis of DOC administrative data, interviews with recidivists as they return to prison, and parole officer focus groups. This report provides findings from the analysis of administrative data on the 2002 release cohort comparing recidivists with nonrecidivists. The report compares the two groups across demographics, criminal history, offense type, time served, release type, and in-prison reentry preparation.
Linear and nonlinear methods for brain-computer interfaces

At the recent Second International Meeting on Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) held in June 2002 in Rensselaerville, NY, a formal debate was held on the pros and cons of linear and nonlinear methods in BCI research. Specific examples applying EEG data sets to linear and nonlinear methods are given and an overview of the various pros and cons of each approach is summarized. Overall, it was agreed that simplicity is generally best and, therefore, the use of linear methods is recommended wherever possible. It was also agreed that nonlinear methods in some applications can provide better results, particularly with complex and/or other very large data sets.