Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Information Theoretic Proofs of Entropy Power Inequalities

While most useful information theoretic inequalities can be deduced from the basic properties of entropy or mutual information, up to now Shannon's entropy power inequality (EPI) is an exception: Existing information theoretic proofs of the EPI hinge on representations of differential entropy using either Fisher information or minimum mean-square error (MMSE), which are derived from de Bruijn's identity. In this paper, we first present an unified view of these proofs, showing that they share two essential ingredients: 1) a data processing argument applied to a covariance-preserving linear transformation; 2) an integration over a path of a continuous Gaussian perturbation. Using these ingredients, we develop a new and brief proof of the EPI through a mutual information inequality, which replaces Stam and Blachman's Fisher information inequality (FII) and an inequality for MMSE by Guo, Shamai, and Verdú used in earlier proofs. The result has the advantage of being very simple in that it relies only on the basic properties of mutual information. These ideas are then generalized to various extended versions of the EPI: Zamir and Feder's generalized EPI for linear transformations of the random variables, Takano and Johnson's EPI for dependent variables, Liu and Viswanath's covariance-constrained EPI, and Costa's concavity inequality for the entropy power.
Threshold Responses of Forest Birds to Landscape Changes around Exurban Development

Low-density residential development (i.e., exurban development) is often embedded within a matrix of protected areas and natural amenities, raising concern about its ecological consequences. Forest-dependent species are particularly susceptible to human settlement even at low housing densities typical of exurban areas. However, few studies have examined the response of forest birds to this increasingly common form of land conversion. The aim of this study was to assess whether, how, and at what scale forest birds respond to changes in habitat due to exurban growth. We evaluated changes in habitat composition (amount) and configuration (arrangement) for forest and forest-edge species around North America Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) stops between 1986 and 2009. We used Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis to detect change points in species occurrence at two spatial extents (400-m and 1-km radius buffer). Our results show that exurban development reduced forest cover and increased habitat fragmentation around BBS stops. Forest birds responded nonlinearly to most measures of habitat loss and fragmentation at both the local and landscape extents. However, the strength and even direction of the response changed with the extent for several of the metrics. The majority of forest birds’ responses could be predicted by their habitat preferences indicating that management practices in exurban areas might target the maintenance of forested habitats, for example through easements or more focused management for birds within existing or new protected areas.
Parallelization Techniques for Sparse Matrix Applications

Sparse matrix problems are difficult to parallelize efficiently on distributed memory machines since data is often accessed indirectly. Inspector? executor strategies, which are typically used to parallelize loops with indirect references, incur substantial runtime preprocessing overheads when references with multiple levels of indirection are encountered? a frequent occurrence in sparse matrix algorithms. Thesparse-array rolling(SAR) technique, introduced in M. Ujaldon and E. L. Zapata,Proc. 9th ACM Int'l. Conf. on Supercomputing,Barcelona, July 1995, pp. 117? 126], significantly reduces these preprocessing overheads. This paper outlines the SAR approach and describes its runtime support accompanied by a detailed performance evaluation. The results demonstrate that SAR yields significant reduction in preprocessing overheads compared to standard inspector? executor techniques.
DNA Methylation and Chromatin Regulation during Fleshy Fruit Development and Ripening

Fruit ripening is a developmental process that results in the leaf-like carpel organ of the flower becoming a mature ovary primed for dispersal of the seeds. Ripening in fleshy fruits involves a profound metabolic phase change that is under strict hormonal and genetic control. This work reviews recent developments in our understanding of the epigenetic regulation of fruit ripening. We start by describing the current state of the art about processes involved in histone post-translational modifications and the remodeling of chromatin structure and their impact on fruit development and ripening. However, the focus of the review is the consequences of changes in DNA methylation levels on the expression of ripening-related genes. This includes those changes that result in heritable phenotypic variation in the absence of DNA sequence alterations, and the mechanisms for their initiation and maintenance. The majority of the studies described in the literature involve work on tomato, but evidence is emerging that ripening in other fruit species may also be under epigenetic control. We discuss how epigenetic differences may provide new targets for breeding and crop improvement.
High tPA-expression in primary melanoma of the limb correlates with good prognosis

To investigate whether the course of primary melanoma disease correlates with expression of the various components of the proteolytic plasminogen activation (PA) system, immunohistochemical stainings for activators of plasminogen (tissue type (tPA) and urokinase type (uPA)), inhibitors of plasminogen activation (type 1 (PAI-1) and type 2 (PAI-2)) and the receptor for uPA (uPAR) were performed on 214 routinely processed melanoma lesions. All lesions were primary cutaneous melanomas, minimally 1.5 mm thick, and derived from patients with only local disease at the moment of diagnosis (clinically stage II (T3–4N0M0), American Joint Committee on Cancer). Median patient follow-up was 6.1 years. Single variables as immunohistochemical staining results (extent of tumour cell staining, pattern of tumour cell staining and for some components also staining of stromal cells), histopathological and clinical parameters as well as treatment variables were analysed in order to assess their prognostic importance, in terms of time to recurrence, time to distant metastasis and duration of survival. The extent of tPA tumour cell positivity, categorized as 0–5%, 6–50% and 51–100%, appeared to be of importance for these end-points. Lesions with 51–100% tPA-positive tumour cells were found to have the best prognosis, whereas lesions with 6–50% tPA-positive tumour cells had the worst. Moreover, the prognostic significance of Breslow thickness, microscopic ulceration and sex was confirmed in this study. Multivariate analyses, incorporating these relevant factors, showed that the extent of tPA tumour cell positivity was an independent prognostic factor for distant metastasis-free interval (P= 0.012) and for the duration of survival (P= 0.043). © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign
Effectiveness of multicomponent interventions in primary healthcare settings to promote continuous smoking cessation in adults: a systematic review

Objective The objective of the present review is to evaluate multicomponent/complex primary care (PC) interventions for their effectiveness in continuous smoking abstinence by adult smokers. Design A systematic review of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials was undertaken. Eligibility criteria for included studies Selected studies met the following criteria: evaluated effects of a multicomponent/complex intervention (with 2 or more intervention components) in achieving at least 6-month abstinence in adult smokers who visited a PC, biochemical confirmation of abstinence, intention-to-treat analysis and results published in English/Spanish. Methods We followed PRISMA statement to report the review. We searched the following data sources: MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus (from inception to February 2014), 3 key journals and a tobacco research bulletin. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network checklists were used to evaluate methodological quality. Data selection, evaluation and extraction were done independently, using a paired review approach. Owing to the heterogeneity of interventions in the studies included, a meta-analysis was not conducted. Results Of 1147 references identified, 9 studies were selected (10 204 participants, up to 48 months of follow-up, acceptable methodological quality). Methodologies used were mainly individual or group sessions, telephone conversations, brochures or quit-smoking kits, medications and economic incentives for doctors and no-cost medications for smokers. Complex interventions achieved long-term continuous abstinence ranging from 7% to 40%. Behavioural interventions were effective and had a dose–response effect. Both nicotine replacement and bupropion therapy were safe and effective, with no observed differences. Conclusions Multicomponent/complex interventions in PC are effective and safe, appearing to achieve greater long-term continuous smoking cessation than usual care and counselling alone. Selected studies were heterogeneous and some had significant losses to follow-up. Our results show that smoking interventions should include more than one component and a strong follow-up of the patient to maximise results.
Association of urokinase-type plasminogen activator and its inhibitor with disease progression and prognosis in ovarian cancer.

PURPOSE Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, have been shown to be related to poor prognosis in a variety of malignant solid tumors. Studies on the prognostic relevance of uPA and PAI-1 in ovarian cancer, however, have been inconclusive. The current study tests the hypothesis that elevated expression of uPA and PAI-1 is associated with prognosis and disease progression. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN uPA and PAI-1 were prospectively measured by quantitative ELISA in tumor samples from 103 ovarian cancer patients (82 primary invasive epithelial carcinomas, 9 low malignant potential tumors, and 12 recurrent ovarian carcinomas). RESULTS uPA but not PAI-1 levels were consistently associated with malignant progression, with levels increased from low malignant potential tumors to primary tumors (uPA, P = 0.04; PAI-1, P = 0.019), from early to advanced disease stages (uPA, P = 0.014; PAI-1, P = 0.23), and from primary to intra-abdominal metastatic tumors (uPA, P = 0.001; PAI-1, P = 0.16). High uPA and PAI-1 levels were associated with residual tumor volumes of >1 cm (P = 0.001 and P = 0.016, respectively). Among invasive International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetrician stages I-IV tumors, elevated levels of uPA (>5.5 ng/mg) and PAI-I (>18.8 ng/ml) were associated with a shortened progression-free survival (uPA, P = 0.003; PAI-1, P = 0.039) and overall survival (uPA, P = 0.0002; PAI-1, P = 0.007). In multivariate analysis, uPA retained prognostic independence for progression-free survival (P = 0.037) and overall survival (P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that the uPA/PAI-1 axis may play an important role in the intra-abdominal spread and reimplantation of ovarian cancer cells. The prognostic relevance of uPA and PAI-1 supports their possible role in the malignant progression of ovarian cancer.
Efficacy of educational interventions targeting primary care providers' practice behaviors: an overview of published systematic reviews.

OBJECTIVES Primary care providers (e.g., family physicians, pediatricians, registered nurses, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners) could play a pivotal role in the provision of preventive services, especially for very young children (younger than 3 years old) and population groups with limited access to dental care. Given the current problems with access to dental care among low-income Americans, we contend there is a need to involve nondental primary health care providers in screening for and preventing oral health problems. The objective of this overview is to present findings from systematic reviews on the efficacy of continuing medical education, printed educational material, academic outreach, reminders, and local opinion leaders on the adoption of new knowledge and practices by primary care providers. METHODS A search was conducted using the Cochrane Library and MEDLINE. The search aimed to locate systematic reviews published between January 1988 and March 2003. Two researchers independently extracted data and assessed study quality using a modified version of the QUOROM statement. RESULTS Eleven systematic reviews were included in this overview. The evidence from the included systematic reviews showed that formal continuing medical education (CME) and distributing educational materials did not effectively change primary care providers' behaviors. There are effective interventions available to increase knowledge and change behaviors of primary care providers, such as small group discussion, interactive workshops, educational outreach visits, and reminders. CONCLUSION There is a limited knowledge base on the efficacy of the selected interventions on oral health screening by primary care providers. Considering the potential role of primary care providers in improving oral health of underserved populations, this research area should receive more attention.
An edge-endpoint-based configurable hardware architecture for VLSI CAD layout design rule checking

Design rule checking (DRC) is an important step in VLSI design in which the widths and spacings of design features in a VLSI circuit layout are checked against the design rules of a particular fabrication process. In the past, some efforts to build hardware accelerators for DRC have been proposed, but these efforts were hobbled by the fact that it is often impractical to build a different rule-checking ASIC each time design rules or fabrication processes change. In this paper, we propose a configurable hardware approach to DRC. Because the rule-checking is built in configurable hardware, it can garner impressive speedups over software approaches, while retaining the flexibility needed to easily change the rule checker as rules or processes change. Our work proposes an edge-endpoints-based method for performing Manhattan geometry checking; this approach is particularly well-suited to the constraints of configurable hardware. Although design rules do change over time, their intrinsic similarity allows us to propose a general scalable architecture for DRC. We then demonstrate our approach by applying this architecture to a set of design rules for the MOSIS SCN4N SUB process. The hardware required per rule is quite small; we have implemented several design rule checks within a single Xilinx XC4013 FPGA. Our hardware, implemented on a Pamette board, runs at a clock rate of 33 MHz. We also compare the performance of our approach to software methods and demonstrate overall speedups in excess of 25X.
A review of the matrix Riccati equation

As usual, R denotes the field of real numbers, R" stands for the n-dimensional vector space over R, a prime denotes the transpose of a matrix, an asterisk denotes the complex conjugate transpose of a matrix, and P _ Q means that P — Q is hermitian or real symmetric nonnegative matrix. Square brackets represent matrices composed of the symbols inside. In order to get a better motivation for the problems to be discussed we first pose the underlying physical problem. Given the linear, continuous-time, constant system
Warped distance for space-variant linear image interpolation

The problem of image interpolation using linear techniques is dealt with in this paper. Conventional space-invariant methods are revisited and changed into space-variant ones, by introducing the concept of the warped distance among the pixels of an image. A better perceptual rendition of the image details is obtained in this way; this effect is proved both via the evaluation of the response to an idealized sigmoidal edge model and with experiments on real-world images. The computational costs of the proposed approach are very small when compared to those of state-of-the art nonlinear interpolation operators.
Survival, Neurologic Injury, and Kidney Function after Surgery for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection

Abstract Background To analyze survival, neurologic injury, and kidney function after acute type A aortic dissection. Methods A total of 445 patients undergoing surgery for acute type A aortic dissection were analyzed. Evaluation according to risk factors for mortality, neurologic injury, and kidney function was performed. Results Overall 1-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 82.8 ± 1.8%, 73.6 ± 2.4%, and 59.3 ± 3.9, respectively. Independent preoperative risk factors for mortality were preexisting renal impairment (p = 0.001), reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (p < 0.001), and age (p < 0.001). Perioperative risk factors were prolonged cross-clamp (p < 0.001) and cerebral perfusion time (p = 0.001). Risk factors for renal failure were preexisting renal impairment (p < 0.001), prolonged cross-clamp time (p < 0.001), cerebral perfusion time (p < 0.001), and age (p = 0.022). Risk factors for neurologic injury were cross-clamp time (p = 0.038), cerebral perfusion time (p = 0.007), and age (p = 0.045). Conclusion In addition to classic risk factors, survival after type A aortic dissection is affected by preexisting renal impairment. Preexisting renal impairment is predictive of postoperative renal failure. Therefore treatment and prevention strategies for renal failure during the acute and long-term course after acute type A aortic dissection are warranted.
New Experiment System for Sliding Tests in Hydrogen and Surface Analysis with Transfer Vessel

A new tribo experiment system is developed for sliding tests under high purity gas environments including hydrogen. It uses a transfer vessel such that surface oxidation does not substantially occur during transfer of specimens to surface analyzers. The system’s seal ability is confirmed with surface analysis with XPS and sliding tests with stainless steel. It is found that oxidation as well as adsorption of hydrocarbons as contaminants on steel surfaces during transfer is prevented. In the sliding test, differences in oxide formation on steel surfaces in hydrogen, in vacuum and in air are detected clearly.
Materials Aspects of Photonic Crystals

Photonics, the technology of photons (as electronics is the technology of electrons), promises to be the new century's driving force in the advancement of, mainly but not only, information technology, such as communications and computing. This technology was initiated with the advent of lasers and optical fibers that, for various reasons, embody the best choice of source and channel of the information carrier: the photon. If the parallel with electronics is to be further pursued, one soon realizes that many more components are needed not only in the transport section of the technology but also, and principally, in the logic section: signal processing. An answer is promised to many of these demands by the potentiality of the new photonics era: photonic bandgap (PBG) materials, otherwise known as photonic crystals (PCs). In the present review a general perspective is presented on the state of the art in PC technology providing a broad audience‐oriented description of fundamentals and properties.
Nonparametric Methods for Incorporating Genomic Information Into Genetic Evaluations: An Application to Mortality in Broilers

Four approaches using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) information (F∞-metric model, kernel regression, reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHS) regression, and a Bayesian regression) were compared with a standard procedure of genetic evaluation (E-BLUP) of sires using mortality rates in broilers as a response variable, working in a Bayesian framework. Late mortality (14–42 days of age) records on 12,167 progeny of 200 sires were precorrected for fixed and random (nongenetic) effects used in the model for genetic evaluation and for the mate effect. The average of the corrected records was computed for each sire. Twenty-four SNPs seemingly associated with late mortality were included in three methods used for genomic assisted evaluations. One thousand SNPs were included in the Bayesian regression, to account for markers along the whole genome. The posterior mean of heritability of mortality was 0.02 in the E-BLUP approach, suggesting that genetic evaluation could be improved if suitable molecular markers were available. Estimates of posterior means and standard deviations of the residual variance were 24.38 (3.88), 29.97 (3.22), 17.07 (3.02), and 20.74 (2.87) for E-BLUP, the linear model on SNPs, RKHS regression, and the Bayesian regression, respectively, suggesting that RKHS accounted for more variance in the data. The two nonparametric methods (kernel and RKHS regression) fitted the data better, having a lower residual sum of squares. Predictive ability, assessed by cross-validation, indicated advantages of the RKHS approach, where accuracy was increased from 25 to 150%, relative to other methods.
Modelling and simulation of integrated modular avionics systems

Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) has now been fully developed, and installed in practically every new airplane model that are in service today. IMA approach allows mixed criticality real-time applications to be merged into integrated system. These integrated real-time applications must meet their own timing requirements and be protected from other malfunctioning applications, while physically sharing resources such as processors and communication networks. To guarantee timing constraints and dependability of each application, an IMA-based system must be equipped with strong partitioning schemes. Based on ARINC IMA standards, we refer a model as strongly partitioned distributed real-time system which composed of three major parts that are Avionics Subsystem, End System and Avionics Full Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX) Communication System. We build the two-level scheduling hierarchy architecture model of Avionics Subsystem to provide spatial and temporal partitioning for real-time applications. End system provides communication interface for Avionics Subsystem and AFDX Communication system. AFDX Communication system provides reliable message transmission among applications. To evaluate the performance of an IMA-based system, simulation tool based on the discrete event system simulation method has been developed. The simulation captures additional characteristics of the system with respect to the analytical study, which is basically used to evaluate worst cases and deterministic guarantees. The tool is designed to help platform designer, applications developer and system integrator to describe and evaluate different implementation choices.