Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonsmooth Algorithms and Nesterov's Smoothing Technique for Generalized Fermat-Torricelli Problems

We present algorithms for solving a number of new models of facility location which generalize the classical Fermat--Torricelli problem. Our first approach involves using Nesterov's smoothing technique and the minimization majorization principle to build smooth approximations that are convenient for applying smooth optimization schemes. Another approach uses subgradient-type algorithms to cope directly with the nondifferentiability of the cost functions. Convergence results of the algorithms are proved and numerical tests are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
The impact of the climate change on discharge of Suir River Catchment (Ireland) under different climate scenarios

Abstract. The impact of climate change on local discharge variability is investigated in the Suir River Catchment which is located in the south-east of Ireland. In this paper, the Rossby Centre Regional Atmospheric Model (RCA) is driven by different global climate data sets. For the past climate (1961–2000), the model is driven by ECMWF reanalysis (ERA-40) data as well as by the output of the general circulation models (GCM's) ECHAM4 and ECHAM5. For the future simulation (2021–2060), the model is driven by two GCM scenarios: ECHAM4_B2 and ECHAM5_A2. To investigate the influence of changed future climate on local discharge, the precipitation of the model output is used as input for the HBV hydrological model. The calibration and validation results of our ERA-40 driven present day simulation shows that the HBV model can reproduce the discharge fairly well, except the extreme discharge is systematically underestimated by about 15–20%. Altogether the application of a high resolution regional climate model in connection with a conceptual hydrological model is capable of capturing the local variability of river discharge for present-day climate using boundary values assimilated with observations such as ERA-40 data. However, using GCM data to drive RCA and HBV suggests, that there is still large uncertainty connected with the GCM formulation: For present day climate the validation of the ECHAM4 and ECHAM5 driven simulations indicates stronger discharge compared to the observations due to overprediction of precipitation, especially for the ECHAM5 driven simulation in the summer season. Whereas according to the ECHAM4_B2 scenario the discharge generally increases – most pronounced in the wet winter time, there are only slight increases in winter and considerable decreases in summer according to the ECHAM5_A2 scenario. This also leads to a different behaviour in the evolution of return levels of extreme discharge events: Strong increases according to the ECHAM4_B2 scenario and slight decreases according to the ECHAM5_A2 scenario.
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Hong Kong: a territory-wide study.

INTRODUCTION Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a global health care problem. Like other cities in the world, Hong Kong faces the impact of such events. This study is the first territory-wide investigation of the epidemiology and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Hong Kong. It is hoped that the findings can improve survival of patients with cardiac arrest. METHODS This study was a retrospective analysis of the prospectively collected data on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest managed by the emergency medical service from 1 August 2012 to 31 July 2013. The characteristics of patients and cardiac arrests, timeliness of emergency medical service attendance, and survival rates were reported with descriptive statistics. Predictors of 30-day survival were evaluated with logistic regression. RESULTS A total of 5154 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were analysed. The median age of patients was 80 years. Most arrests occurred at the patient's home. Ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia was identified in 8.7% of patients. The median time taken for the emergency services to reach the patient was 9 minutes. The median time to first defibrillation was 12 minutes. Of note, 2.3% of patients were alive at 30 days or survived to hospital discharge; 1.5% had a good neurological outcome. Location of arrest, initial electrocardiogram rhythm, and time to first defibrillation were independent predictors of survival at 30 days. CONCLUSION The survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in Hong Kong is low. Territory-wide public access defibrillation programme and cardiopulmonary resuscitation training may help improve survival.
Helicobacter pylori Colonization in Early Life

Helicobacter pylori infection is a major cause of upper gastrointestinal disease throughout the world. Colonization begins in childhood, although little is known about its age of onset, rate, or mode of colonization. Our aim was to identify the age of acquisition of H. pylori colonization in Gambian children. A cohort of 248 Gambian children aged 3 to 45 months was studied at intervals of 3 months for 2 years, using the 13C-urea breath test, specific IgM and specific IgG serology. The prevalence of positive breath tests rose from 19% at 3 months of age to 84% by age 30 months. Elevated specific IgG and IgM antibody levels were associated with positive breath tests, although there was discrepancy between breath test results and serology, particularly IgG serology, during the 1st year of life. Neither IgG nor IgM serology could be validated as reliable diagnostic tools for infant H. pylori colonization compared with the 13C-urea breath test. Reversion to negative breath test, in association with declining specific antibody levels, occurred in 48/248 (20%) of children. On the assumption that the 13C-urea breath test is a reliable index of H. pylori colonization, we conclude that the infection is extremely common from an early age in Gambian children. Transient colonization may occur. Previous studies relying on serodiagnosis may have significantly underestimated the true early prevalence of colonization in the developing world, where the target age for intervention studies is probably early infancy.
Turbo Receiver With Dual-Loop Dual-List Update for Inter-Cell Interference Mitigation in Heterogeneous Networks

Inter-cell interference (ICI) may considerably degrade the detection performance of receivers in heterogeneous networks (HetNets). To increase the spectrum efficiency per area, the cell ranges of small cells may be expanded, making the ICI problem more severe. Furthermore, to pursue higher data rate, spatial multiplexing is often applied, incurring inter-antenna interference (IAI). This paper presents a turbo receiver with a dual-loop dual-list update (TRDDU) structure that efficiently detects data signal deteriorated by both ICI and IAI. The proposed lists maintained several likely data vectors and interference vectors, facilitating the receiver to more efficiently determine the most-likely solution. In addition, a dual-loop update algorithm was proposed to enhance the iteration efficiency. Moreover, two design techniques were proposed to reduce the detection complexity. Simulation results showed that the error rate performance of TRDDU is close to that of a receiver in the ICI-free scenario. The complexity needed by TRDDU is only 3.5% that of the receiver that considers all possible interference vectors. In addition, the TRDDU complexity is only approximately 1.56 times that of a successive-interference-cancellation-based receiver. Finally, an over-the-air experiment was conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed TRDDU, and the results demonstrated the feasibility of this receiver in the field.
Analysis and Design of Low-Jitter Digital Bang-Bang Phase-Locked Loops

Digital phase-locked loops based on bang-bang phase detectors are attractive candidates for low-jitter clock-frequency multiplication. Unfortunately, the coarse quantization of phase error makes these systems prone to the generation of limit cycles appearing as unwanted spurs in the spectrum. The random noise contributed by building blocks and acting as dithering signal can eliminate those spurs. The quantitative analysis of those phenomena becomes more involved when a DCO with relaxed intrinsic resolution, such as a ΔΣ-DCO is employed, and when practical spectra of random noise sources are considered. In this work, the expression of jitter is calculated in closed-form taking into account the quantization, introduced by both phase detector and DCO, and the phase noise of DCO, with both 1/f 2 and 1/f 3 components. Combining these results, a closed-form expression of the total output jitter as a function of loop parameters and noise sources is developed which suggests a minimum-jitter design strategy. The proposed analysis and optimization are validated both numerically and experimentally on a 320-MHz digital bang-bang PLL fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS process.
Application of Solution NMR to Structural Studies on α-Helical Integral Membrane Proteins

A large portion of proteins in living organisms are membrane proteins which play critical roles in the biology of the cell, from maintenance of the biological membrane integrity to communication of cells with their surroundings. To understand their mechanism of action, structural information is essential. Nevertheless, structure determination of transmembrane proteins is still a challenging area, even though recently the number of deposited structures of membrane proteins in the PDB has rapidly increased thanks to the efforts using X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, and solid and solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology. Among these technologies, solution NMR is a powerful tool for studying protein-protein, protein-ligand interactions and protein dynamics at a wide range of time scales as well as structure determination of membrane proteins. This review provides general and useful guideline for membrane protein sample preparation and the choice of membrane-mimetic media, which are the key step for successful structural analysis. Furthermore, this review provides an opportunity to look at recent applications of solution NMR to structural studies on α-helical membrane proteins through some success stories.
Tissue tolerance to reirradiation.

There are increasing requests for delivering a second course of radiation to patients who develop second primary tumors within or close to previous radiotherapy portal or late in-field recurrences. Rational treatment decisions demand rather precise knowledge on long-term recovery of occult radiation injury in various organs. This article summarizes available experimental and clinical data on the effects of reirradiation to the skin, mucosa, gut, lung, spinal cord, brain, heart, bladder, and kidney. The data reveal that, in general, acutely responding tissues recover radiation injury within a few months and, therefore, can tolerate another full course of radiation. For late toxicity endpoints, however, tissues vary considerably in their capacity to recover from occult radiation damage. The heart, bladder, and kidney do not exhibit long-term recovery at all. In contrast, the skin, mucosa, lung, and spinal cord do recover subclinical injury partially to a magnitude dependent on the organ type, size of the initial dose, and, to a lesser extent, the interval between radiation courses. The available clinical data have inspired many radiation oncologists to undertake systematic studies addressing the efficacy and toxicity of reirradiation in various clinical settings. Hopefully, systematic scoring, collection, and analysis of patient outcome will produce quantitative data useful for clinical practice.
The High Burden of Obesity and Abdominal Obesity in Urban Indian Schoolchildren: A Multicentric Study of 38,296 Children

Aims: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of overweight, obesity and abdominal obesity and their associated factors in a large sample of urban Indian schoolchildren. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in 5 cities in India. Height and weight were measured in 38,296 children and waist circumference was measured in 29,244 children aged 8–18 years. The prevalence was compared with respect to age, gender, type of school and city of residence. Results: The mean ± standard deviation for age was 13.3 ± 2.4 years and 18.3 ± 4.3 kg/m2 for BMI. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in 8- to 18-year-old children, respectively, was 14.4 and 2.8% by IOTF cutoffs, 14.5 and 4.8% by CDC cutoffs and 18.5 and 5.3% by WHO cutoffs. When applying the cutoffs specific for Indian ethnicity in 14- to 18-year-old children, the prevalence was higher (21.1 and 12.3%, respectively) as compared to the IOTF, WHO and CDC cutoffs. The overall prevalence of abdominal obesity in urban Indian schoolchildren was 4.5%. The prevalence of overweight and abdominal obesity was significantly higher in females than males (p < 0.001). High socioeconomic status and residing in cities with a population greater than 4 million were independently associated with overweight and abdominal obesity (p < 0.001). On extrapolating these data, more than 15 million children would currently be overweight and 4 million abdominally obese in urban India. Conclusions: There is a substantial burden of childhood obesity in India, which necessitates comprehensive urban-based campaigns for its prevention and control.
The Importance of the Loss Function in Option Pricing

Which loss function should be used when estimating and evaluating option pricing models? Many different fucntions have been suggested, but no standard has emerged. We do not promote a partidular function, but instead emphasize that consistency in the choice of loss functions is crucial. First, for any given model, the loss function used in parameter estimation and model evaluation should be identical, otherwise suboptimal parameter estimates will be obtained. Second, when comparing models, the estimation loss function should be identical across models, otherwise unfair comparisons will be made. We illustrate the importance of these issues in an application of the so-called Practitioner Black-Scholes (PBS) model to S&P500 index options. We find reductions of over 50 percent in the root mean squared error of the PBS model when the estimation and evaluation loss functions are aligned. We also find that the PBS model outperforms a benchmark structural model when the estimation loss functions are identical across models, but otherwise not. The new PBS model with aligned loss functions thus represents a much tougher benchmark against which future structural models can be compared. Quelle fonction de pertes devrait etre utilisee pour l'estimation et l'evaluation des modeles d'evaluation d'options? Plusieurs fonctions differentes ont ete suggerees,0501s aucune norme ne s'est imposee. Nous ne promouvons aucune fonction,0501s soutenons que la coherence dans le choix des fonctions est cruciale. Premierement, pour n'importe quel modele donne, la fonction de pertes utilisee dans l'estimation des parametres et dans l'evaluation du modele devrait etre la meme, sinon on obtient des estimations de parametres sous-optimales. Deuxiemement, lors de la comparaison de modeles, la fonction de pertes pour l'estimation devrait etre la meme pour chaque modele, autrement les comparaisons sont injustes. Nous illustrons l'importance de ces questions dans une application du modele appele Black-Scholes du praticien (PBS) aux options de l'index S&P500. Nous trouvons des reductions de plus de 50 pourcent de la racine de l'erreur quadratique moyenne du modele PBS lorsque les fonctions de pertes d'estimation et d'evaluation sont alignees. Nous trouvons egalement que le modele PBS depasse un modele de benchmark structurel quand les fonctions de pertes d'estimation sont identiques pour tous les modeles,0501s pas dans les autres cas. Le nouveau modele PBS a fonctions de pertes alignees represente des lors un benchmark bien plus robuste auquel les futurs modeles structurels pourront etre compares.
Adherence of Candida albicans to Silicone Induces Immediate Enhanced Tolerance to Fluconazole

ABSTRACT Wild-type and efflux pump-deficient cells of Candida albicans adhering to silicone were compared with planktonic cells by flow cytometry for their relative resistance to fluconazole (FCZ). Flow cytometry data on cells carrying a fusion of green fluorescent protein to efflux pump promoters confirmed that enhanced tolerance of attached cells to FCZ was due in part to increased expression of CaMDR1 and CDR1 promoters. Within 2 h of their attachment to silicone, the adherent cells demonstrated levels of FCZ tolerance shown by cells from 24-h biofilms. Following their mechanical detachment, this subset of cells retained a four- to eightfold increase in tolerance compared with the tolerance of planktonic cells for at least two generations. Enhanced efflux pump tolerance to FCZ appeared to be induced within the initial 15 min of attachment in a subset of cells that were firmly attached to the substrata.
The relation between stellar mass and weak lensing signal around galaxies: implications for modified Newtonian dynamics

We study the amplitude of the weak gravitational lensing signal as a function of stellar mass around a sample of relatively isolated galaxies. This selection of lenses simplifies the interpretation of the observations, which consist of data from the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find that the amplitude of the lensing signal as a function of stellar mass is well described by a power law with a best-fitting slope a = 0.74 ± 0.08. This result is inconsistent with modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND), which predicts a = 0.5 (we find a > 0.5 with 99.7 per cent confidence). As a related test, we determine the MOND mass-to-light ratio as a function of luminosity. Our results require dark matter for the most luminous galaxies (L ≥ 10 11 L ⊙ ). We rule out an extended halo of gas or active neutrinos as a way of reconciling our findings with MOND. Although we focus on a single alternative gravity model, we note that our results provide an important test for any alternative theory of gravity.
Business Value of Information Technology: A Study of Electronic Data Interchange

A great deal of controversy exists about the impact of information technology on firm performance. While some authors have reported positive impacts, others have found negative or no impacts. This study focuses on Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) technology. Many of the problems in this line of research are over-come in this study by conducting a careful analysis of the performance data of the past decade gathered from the assembly centers of Chrysler Corporation. This study estimates the dollar benefits of improved information exchanges between Chrysler and its suppliers that result from using EDI. After controlling for variations in operational complexity arising from mix, volume, parts complexity, model, and engineering changes, the savings per vehicle that result from improved information exchanges are estimated to be about $60. Including the additional savings from electronic document preparation and transmission, the total benefits of EDI per vehicle amount to over $100. System wide, this translates to annual savings of $220 million for the company.
Redox Regulating Enzymes and Connected MicroRNA Regulators Have Prognostic Value in Classical Hodgkin Lymphomas

There are no previous studies assessing the microRNAs that regulate antioxidant enzymes in Hodgkin lymphomas (HLs). We determined the mRNA levels of redox regulating enzymes peroxiredoxins (PRDXs) I–III, manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (Nrf2), and Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) from a carefully collected set of 41 classical HL patients before receiving any treatments. The levels of redoxmiRs, miRNAs known to regulate the above-mentioned enzymes, were also assessed, along with CD3, CD20, and CD30 protein expression. RNAs were isolated from freshly frozen lymph node samples and the expression levels were analyzed by qPCR. mir23b correlated inversely with CD3 and CD20 expressions (p = 0.00076; r = −0.523 and p = 0.0012; r = −0.507) and miR144 with CD3, CD20, and CD30 (p = 0.030; r = −0.352, p = 0.041; r = −0.333 and p = 0.0032; r = −0.47, resp.). High MnSOD mRNA levels associated with poor HL-specific outcome in the patients with advanced disease (p = 0.045) and high miR-122 levels associated with worse HL-specific survival in the whole patient population (p = 0.015). When standardized according to the CD30 expression, high miR212 and miR510 predicted worse relapse-free survival (p = 0.049 and p = 0.0058, resp.). In conclusion, several redoxmiRs and redox regulating enzyme mRNA levels associate with aggressive disease outcome and may also produce prognostic information in classical HL.
Hydroclimate of the northeastern United States is highly sensitive to solar forcing

Dramatic hydrological fluctuations strongly impact human society, but the driving mechanisms for these changes are unclear. One suggested driver is solar variability, but supporting paleoclimate evidence is lacking. Therefore, long, continuous, high‐resolution records from strategic locations are crucial for resolving the scientific debate regarding sensitivity of climate to solar forcing. We present a 6800–year, decadally‐resolved biomarker and multidecadally‐resolved hydrogen isotope record of hydroclimate from a coastal Maine peatland, The Great Heath (TGH). Regional moisture balance responds strongly and consistently to solar forcing at centennial to millennial timescales, with solar minima concurrent with wet conditions. We propose that the Arctic/North Atlantic Oscillation (AO/NAO) can amplify small solar fluctuations, producing the reconstructed hydrological variations. The Sun may be entering a weak phase, analogous to the Maunder minimum, which could lead to more frequent flooding in the northeastern US at this multidecadal timescale.
Outcome of occupational asthma after removal from exposure: A follow-up study.

BACKGROUND Despite being removed from their workplace, the majority of workers with occupational asthma (OA) remain afflicted with asthma. OBJECTIVES To assess the time course of clinical, functional and inflammatory parameters in subjects with OA over a four-year period, and whether the airway inflammation observed at the time of the diagnosis predicts the outcome of OA. METHODS The present study was a four-year, prospective, longitudinal investigation of workers with OA. Spirometry, methacholine challenge and sputum induction were performed at two weeks, and followed up at six months, and one, two, three and four years after the performance of specific inhalation challenges. RESULTS A total of 24 subjects were enrolled. Overall, clinical and functional characteristics remained stable during the four-year follow-up period. Sputum eosinophil (Eos) counts decreased within two weeks after exposure. Two groups of subjects were identified according to low (less than 2%, Eos-) or high (2% or greater, Eos+) Eos counts after exposure to the offending agent. The Eos+ group decreased their dose of inhaled corticosteroids, had a trend toward an improvement of airway responsiveness as well as a stable forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), whereas the Eos- group showed a decrease in FEV1, without any improvement in their functional parameters. The Eos- group also had an increase in sputum neutrophils after exposure to the occupational agents as well as during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION There was a rapid decrease in eosinophilic inflammation after removal from exposure. Subjects with a noneosinophilic asthmatic reaction during specific inhalation challenge seemed to have a poorer prognosis than subjects with eosinophilic airway inflammation.