Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Orthogonal Weight Normalization: Solution to Optimization over Multiple Dependent Stiefel Manifolds in Deep Neural Networks

Orthogonal matrix has shown advantages in training Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), but such matrix is limited to be square for the hidden-to-hidden transformation in RNNs. In this paper, we generalize such square orthogonal matrix to orthogonal rectangular matrix and formulating this problem in feed-forward Neural Networks (FNNs) as Optimization over Multiple Dependent Stiefel Manifolds (OMDSM). We show that the orthogonal rectangular matrix can stabilize the distribution of network activations and regularize FNNs. We propose a novel orthogonal weight normalization method to solve OMDSM. Particularly, it constructs orthogonal transformation over proxy parameters to ensure the weight matrix is orthogonal. To guarantee stability, we minimize the distortions between proxy parameters and canonical weights over all tractable orthogonal transformations. In addition, we design orthogonal linear module (OLM) to learn orthogonal filter banks in practice, which can be used as an alternative to standard linear module. Extensive experiments demonstrate that by simply substituting OLM for standard linear module without revising any experimental protocols, our method improves the performance of the state-of-the-art networks, including Inception and residual networks on CIFAR and ImageNet datasets.
Comparison of Intervertebral Disc Injuries Caused By Different Diode Laser Wavelengths

Background: Laser discectomy or laser nucleotomy comprises an increasingly important place in less invasive spinal procedures, but the ideal laser is still a subject of study. This research was aimed to compare the action of diode laser at different wavelengths, as well as the volume of the vaporization lesion caused by the different wavelengths in the percutaneous decompression procedures of the intervertebral disc (nucleotomy). Methods: Six pigs' lumbar columns had their intervertebral discs (region L1 to L5) underwent punctureinduced injury. The columns were then subjected to the nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) for pre-irradiation analysis. Later, the discs were irradiated with a laser at the wavelengths of 808 nm (G808), 980 nm (G980), 1470 nm (G1470) and 1908 nm (G1908), or not irradiated (Control group). The columns were then destined for MR and then immersed in 10% buffered formalin for histological analysis. After being decalcified the intervertebral discs were dissected and processed for paraffin embedding. Transverse sections of the disks were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histomorphometry and carbonized and bubble areas were measured. Results: The lesions were equivalent within each group and there was no difference between the groups in the pre-irradiation. In the post-irradiation evaluation, the MR showed that the volume of the intervertebral disc lesion was smaller in the G1470 and G1908 groups compared to the other groups. The G808 and G980 groups showed a higher thickness of carbonized area compared to groups G1470 and G1908. In addition, G980 presented higher thickness bubble area compared to the other groups. These lesions were more pronounced and more localized in the G808 and G980 groups, compared the 1470 nm and 1908 nm lasers, which caused broader but less intense lesions. Conclusion: The intervertebral disc lesions caused by the 808 nm and 980 nm laser are more intense but more focal, compared to the 1470 nm and 1908 nm laser.
Genome Wide Association Mapping of Grain Arsenic, Copper, Molybdenum and Zinc in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Grown at Four International Field Sites

The mineral concentrations in cereals are important for human health, especially for individuals who consume a cereal subsistence diet. A number of elements, such as zinc, are required within the diet, while some elements are toxic to humans, for example arsenic. In this study we carry out genome-wide association (GWA) mapping of grain concentrations of arsenic, copper, molybdenum and zinc in brown rice using an established rice diversity panel of ∼300 accessions and 36.9 k single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The study was performed across five environments: one field site in Bangladesh, one in China and two in the US, with one of the US sites repeated over two years. GWA mapping on the whole dataset and on separate subpopulations of rice revealed a large number of loci significantly associated with variation in grain arsenic, copper, molybdenum and zinc. Seventeen of these loci were detected in data obtained from grain cultivated in more than one field location, and six co-localise with previously identified quantitative trait loci. Additionally, a number of candidate genes for the uptake or transport of these elements were located near significantly associated SNPs (within 200 kb, the estimated global linkage disequilibrium previously employed in this rice panel). This analysis highlights a number of genomic regions and candidate genes for further analysis as well as the challenges faced when mapping environmentally-variable traits in a highly genetically structured diversity panel.
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 polymorphism D418D is associated with sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism.

BACKGROUND Sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) occurs separately and in several hereditary disorders including multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. Irradiation to the neck, female gender, and age are well-identified risk factors that predispose to pHPT. The multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 gene is the most commonly deranged gene in parathyroid adenomas and contains several polymorphisms including D418D with a prevalence of roughly 50%. METHODS We genotyped 162 pHPT patients and control participants to evaluate if the D418D polymorphism is related to development of pHPT. One hundred fourteen of the pHPT patients and control participants were recruited from a health screening and were subjected to measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total body. RESULTS The prevalence of each genotype (ie, MM, Mm, and mm) was for all pHPT patients: 62%, 29%, and 9%; and for all control participants: 32%, 43%, and 25% (P <.0004). For the screening-detected pHPT patients and control participants, the genotype distribution for MM, Mm, and mm was 60%, 30%, and 10%; and 31%, 44%, and 25%, respectively (P =.009). In the screening-recruited control participants, but not in pHPT patients, the MM genotype was also associated with higher total body BMD (P =.01) and BMD at the femoral neck (P =.02), whereas it failed to be significant for BMD at the lumbar spine (P =.08). CONCLUSIONS We report that the MM genotype was overrepresented in pHPT patients compared with control participants, suggesting a novel marker for pHPT. Furthermore, the MM genotype was associated with higher BMD at the femoral neck and in the total body in the screening-recruited control participants.
Inoculant Fading-Resistance of Fe-Bearing Mg–3%Al Alloys Refined by Carbon Combining with Calcium Addition

China Mg ­ 3 % Al alloys containing di ﬀ erent trace Fe contents were treated by carbon combining with Ca inoculation. The holding time after being inoculation was adjusted from 5 to 80min. The e ﬀ ect of holding time on grain re ﬁ nement and the structures of nucleating particles were systematically investigated. Signi ﬁ cant grain re ﬁ nement is obtained for the Mg ­ 3 % Al alloys containing trace Fe re ﬁ ned by carbon combining with Ca inoculation. The grain size keep stable with prolonging the holding time and exhibit signi ﬁ cant fading-resistance. The duplex-phase particles of Al ­ Fe coated with Al ­ C-rich phase could be easily observed and they should actually act as potent nuclei for Mg grains. The Ca content in the Al ­ C-rich shell is obviously higher than that in the Mg matrix. The segregation of Ca on the surfaces of di ﬀ erent phases contributes to the formation of duplex-phase particles and keeps the duplex phase structure particles stable. Consequently, no inoculant-fading of carbon-inoculation occurred due to the high stability the
The Dynamics of Sensorimotor Cortical Oscillations during the Observation of Hand Movements: An EEG Study

Background The observation of action done by others determines a desynchronization of the rhythms recorded from cortical central regions. Here, we examined whether the observation of different types of hand movements (target directed, non-target directed, cyclic and non-cyclic) elicits different EEG cortical temporal patterns. Methodology Video-clips of four types of hand movements were shown to right-handed healthy participants. Two were target directed (grasping and pointing) motor acts; two were non-target directed (supinating and clenching) movements. Grasping and supinating were performed once, while pointing and clenching twice (cyclic movements). High-density EEG was recorded and analyzed by means of wavelet transform, subdividing the time course in time bins of 200 ms. The observation of all presented movements produced a desynchronization of alpha and beta rhythms in central and parietal regions. The rhythms desynchronized as soon as the hand movement started, the nadir being reached around 700 ms after movement onset. At the end of the movement, a large power rebound occurred for all bands. Target and non-target directed movements produced an alpha band desynchronization in the central electrodes at the same time, but with a stronger desynchronization and a prolonged rebound for target directed motor acts. Most interestingly, there was a clear correlation between the velocity profile of the observed movements and beta band modulation. Significance Our data show that the observation of motor acts determines a modulation of cortical rhythm analogous to that occurring during motor act execution. In particular, the cortical motor system closely follows the velocity of the observed movements. This finding provides strong evidence for the presence in humans of a mechanism (mirror mechanism) mapping action observation on action execution motor programs.
Segmenting documents by stylistic character

As part of a larger project to develop an aid for writers that would help to eliminate stylistic inconsistencies within a document, we experimented with neural networks to find the points in a text at which its stylistic character changes. Our best results, well above baseline, were achieved with time-delay networks that used features related to the author's syntactic preferences, whereas low-level and vocabulary-based features were not found to be useful. An alternative approach with character bigrams was not successful.
Understanding the contribution of common childhood illnesses and opportunistic infections to morbidity and mortality in children living with HIV in resource-limited settings

Objective:Although antiretroviral treatment (ART) has reduced the incidence of HIV-related opportunistic infections among children living with HIV, access to ART remains limited for children, especially in resource-limited settings. This paper reviews current knowledge on the contribution of opportunistic infections and common childhood illnesses to morbidity and mortality in children living with HIV, highlights interventions known to improve the health of children, and identifies research gaps for further exploration. Design and Methods:Literature review of peer-reviewed articles and abstracts combined with expert opinion and operational experience. Results:Morbidity and mortality due to opportunistic infections has decreased in both developed and resource-limited countries. However, the burden of HIV-related infections remains high, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where the majority of HIV-infected children live. Limitations in diagnostic capacity in resource-limited settings have resulted in a relative paucity of data on opportunistic infections in children. Additionally, the reliance on clinical diagnosis means that opportunistic infections are often confused with common childhood illnesseswhich also contribute to excess morbidity and mortality in these children. Although several preventive interventions have been shown to decrease opportunistic infection-related mortality, implementation of many of these interventions remains inconsistent. Conclusions:In order to reduce opportunistic infection-related mortality, early ART must be expanded, training for front-line clinicians must be improved, and additional research is needed to improve screening and diagnostic algorithms.
Clinical and Economic Implications of Apixaban Versus Aspirin in the Low-Risk Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation Patients

Background and Purpose— Although recommended by guidelines, the benefits of treating patients with atrial fibrillation with a low–stroke risk score, with aspirin or anticoagulants, have not been clearly established. With advent of safer non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant, we assessed the clinical and economic implications of 5 mg BID of apixaban versus aspirin among patients with a relative low risk of stroke as assessed using the CHADS2 (congestive heart failure, hypertension, age>75, diabetes mellitus, stroke/transient ischemic attack) and CHA2DS2–VASc (congestive heart failure, hypertension, age, diabetes mellitus, stroke/transient ischemic attack, vascular disease) stroke risk classification. Methods— A previously developed and validated Markov model was adapted. A secondary analysis of the Apixaban Versus Acetylsalicylic Acid to Prevent Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Who Have Failed or Are Unsuitable for Vitamin K Antagonist Treatment (AVERROES) study was conducted to estimate event rates in different low-risk cohorts by treatment. Three cohorts (n=1000) with a CHADS2 score of 1, CHA2DS2–VASc score of 1, and CHA2DS2–VASc of score 2 to 4 were simulated to assess the number of clinical events avoided in terms of strokes and major bleeds, as well as life years gained, quality-adjusted life years gained, costs, and incremental costs per quality-adjusted life year gained. Results— Apixaban was associated with fewer strokes and systemic embolism versus aspirin across all subgroups; however, it caused more major bleeding events. The reduction in systemic embolism offset the increase in major bleeding events leading to increased life expectancy and quality-adjusted life year gains, achieved at an increased cost that was lower than the UK threshold of $44 400 (ie, £30 000) per quality-adjusted life year gained across the 3 cohorts examined. Conclusions— Anticoagulant treatment with apixaban versus aspirin in low-risk patients, as identified using CHADS2 or CHA2DS2–VASc, is projected to increase life expectancy and provide clinical benefits that are cost effective.
FtsEX is required for CwlO peptidoglycan hydrolase activity during cell wall elongation in Bacillus subtilis

The peptidoglycan (PG) sacculus, a meshwork of polysaccharide strands cross‐linked by short peptides, protects bacterial cells against osmotic lysis. To enlarge this covalently closed macromolecule, PG hydrolases must break peptide cross‐links in the meshwork to allow insertion of new glycan strands between the existing ones. In the rod‐shaped bacterium Bacillus subtilis, cell wall elongation requires two redundant endopeptidases, CwlO and LytE. However, it is not known how these potentially autolytic enzymes are regulated to prevent lethal breaches in the cell wall. Here, we show that the ATP‐binding cassette transporter‐like FtsEX complex is required for CwlO activity. In Escherichia coli, FtsEX is thought to harness ATP hydrolysis to activate unrelated PG hydrolases during cell division. Consistent with this regulatory scheme, B. subtilis FtsE mutants that are unable to bind or hydrolyse ATP cannot activate CwlO. Finally, we show that in cells depleted of both CwlO and LytE, the PG synthetic machinery continues moving circumferentially until cell lysis, suggesting that cross‐link cleavage is not required for glycan strand polymerization. Overall, our data support a model in which the FtsEX complex is a remarkably flexible regulatory module capable of controlling a diverse set of PG hydrolases during growth and division in different organisms.
Vitamin D3 Affects Differentiation, Maturation, and Function of Human Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells1

We studied the effects of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25-(OH)2D3) on differentiation, maturation, and functions of dendritic cells (DC) differentiated from human monocytes in vitro in the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4 for 7 days. Recovery and morphology were not affected by 1α,25-(OH)2D3 up to 100 nM. DC differentiated in the presence of 10 nM 1α,25-(OH)2D3 (D3-DC) showed a marked decrease in the expression of CD1a, while CD14 remained elevated. Mannose receptor and CD32 were significantly increased, and this correlated with an enhancement of endocytic activity. Costimulatory molecules such as CD40 and CD86 were slightly decreased or nonsignificantly affected (CD80 and MHC II). However, after induction of DC maturation with LPS or incubation with CD40 ligand-transfected cells, D3-DC showed marginal increases in MHC I, MHC II, CD80, CD86, CD40, and CD83. The accessory cell function of D3-DC in classical MLR was also inhibited. Moreover, allogeneic T cells stimulated with D3-DC were poor responders in a second MLR to untreated DC from the same or an unrelated donor, thus indicating the onset of a nonspecific hyporesponsivity. In conclusion, our data suggest that 1α,25-(OH)2D3 may modulate the immune system, acting at the very first step of the immune response through the inhibition of DC differentiation and maturation into potent APC.
Financial Advice: An Improvement for Worse?

In this paper, I analyze the role of financial advisors in individual investment decisions and ask whether financial advice is a reliable substitute for individuals' financial literacy. I report two main findings. First, I show that individuals who tend to be financially less sophisticated are more likely to consult professional advisors, which supports the notion that financial advice serves as a substitute for financial literacy. Second, when I analyze the impact of financial advice on portfolio choice, I find that, if anything, use of financial advice does not improve the quality of individuals' investment decisions. For example, I document that advised investors earn lower raw and risk-adjusted returns than self-directed investors, even before deducting advisory fees and transaction costs. Overall, the evidence presented in this study casts doubts on the ability of financial advice to serve as an effective substitute for financial literacy.
Formalization of Weak Emergence in Multiagent Systems

Emergence becomes a distinguishing system feature as system complexity grows with the number of components, interactions, and connectivities. Examples of emergent behaviors include the flocking of birds, traffic jams, and hubs in social networks, among others. Despite significant research interest in recent years, there is a lack of formal methods to understand, identify, and predict emergent behavior in multiagent systems. Existing approaches either require detailed prior knowledge about emergent behavior or are computationally infeasible. This article introduces a grammar-based approach to formalize and identify the existence and extent of emergence without the need for prior knowledge of emergent properties. Our approach is based on weak (basic) emergence that is both generated and autonomous from the underlying agents. We employ formal grammars to capture agent interactions in the forms of words written on a common tape. Our formalism captures agents of diverse types and open systems. We propose an automated approach for the identification of emergent behavior and show its benefits through theoretical and experimental analysis. We also propose a significant reduction of state-space explosion through the use of our proposed degree of interaction metrics. Our experiments using the boids model show the feasibility of our approach but also highlight future avenues of improvement.
Psychological functioning of siblings in families of children with chronic health conditions: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this meta-analysis was to provide an up-to-date review of the literature to enhance our understanding of how chronic health conditions (CHCs) affect siblings, both positively and negatively. METHODS PsycINFO and Medline were systematically searched. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (a) peer-reviewed, empirical research report; (b) sample n ≥ 10; and (c) reports statistics on siblings' internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and/or positive self-attributes. RESULTS Overall, there was a significant small negative effect of CHCs on siblings (d(+) = -. 10). Siblings of children with CHCs had more internalizing problems (d(+) = . 17), more externalizing problems (d(+) = . 08), and less positive self-attributes (d(+) = -. 09) than comparisons. Older siblings and siblings of children with life-threatening and/or highly intrusive CHCs were more at risk for psychological problems. CONCLUSIONS This study identified several mechanisms through which CHCs affect siblings. Future research should focus on parent-child dynamics and the longitudinal development of positive self-attributes and internalizing problems as well as on identifying what works in services for siblings of children with CHCs.
Metabolism of Deoxynivalenol and Deepoxy-Deoxynivalenol in Broiler Chickens, Pullets, Roosters and Turkeys

Recently, deoxynivalenol-3-sulfate (DON-3-sulfate) was proposed as a major DON metabolite in poultry. In the present work, the first LC-MS/MS based method for determination of DON-3-sulfate, deepoxy-DON-3-sulfate (DOM-3-sulfate), DON, DOM, DON sulfonates 1, 2, 3, and DOM sulfonate 2 in excreta samples of chickens and turkeys was developed and validated. To this end, DOM-3-sulfate was chemically synthesized and characterized by NMR and LC-HR-MS/MS measurements. Application of the method to excreta and chyme samples of four feeding trials with turkeys, chickens, pullets, and roosters confirmed DON-3-sulfate as the major DON metabolite in all poultry species studied. Analogously to DON-3-sulfate, DOM-3-sulfate was formed after oral administration of DOM both in turkeys and in chickens. In addition, pullets and roosters metabolized DON into DOM-3-sulfate. In vitro transcription/translation assays revealed DOM-3-sulfate to be 2000 times less toxic on the ribosome than DON. Biological recoveries of DON and DOM orally administered to broiler chickens, turkeys, and pullets were 74%–106% (chickens), 51%–72% (roosters), and 131%–151% (pullets). In pullets, DON-3-sulfate concentrations increased from jejunum chyme samples to excreta samples by a factor of 60. This result, put into context with earlier studies, indicates fast and efficient absorption of DON between crop and jejunum, conversion to DON-3-sulfate in intestinal mucosa, liver, and possibly kidney, and rapid elimination into excreta via bile and urine.