Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reliability-Based Optimization Using Evolutionary Algorithms

Uncertainties in design variables and problem parameters are often inevitable and must be considered in an optimization task if reliable optimal solutions are sought. Besides a number of sampling techniques, there exist several mathematical approximations of a solution's reliability. These techniques are coupled in various ways with optimization in the classical reliability-based optimization field. This paper demonstrates how classical reliability-based concepts can be borrowed and modified and, with integrated single and multiobjective evolutionary algorithms, used to enhance their scope in handling uncertainties involved among decision variables and problem parameters. Three different optimization tasks are discussed in which classical reliability-based optimization procedures usually have difficulties, namely (1) reliability-based optimization problems having multiple local optima, (2) finding and revealing reliable solutions for different reliability indices simultaneously by means of a bi-criterion optimization approach, and (3) multiobjective optimization with uncertainty and specified system or component reliability values. Each of these optimization tasks is illustrated by solving a number of test problems and a well-studied automobile design problem. Results are also compared with a classical reliability-based methodology.
A Network-Based Classification Model for Deriving Novel Drug-Disease Associations and Assessing Their Molecular Actions

The growing number and variety of genetic network datasets increases the feasibility of understanding how drugs and diseases are associated at the molecular level. Properly selected features of the network representations of existing drug-disease associations can be used to infer novel indications of existing drugs. To find new drug-disease associations, we generated an integrative genetic network using combinations of interactions, including protein-protein interactions and gene regulatory network datasets. Within this network, network adjacencies of drug-drug and disease-disease were quantified using a scored path between target sets of them. Furthermore, the common topological module of drugs or diseases was extracted, and thereby the distance between topological drug-module and disease (or disease-module and drug) was quantified. These quantified scores were used as features for the prediction of novel drug-disease associations. Our classifiers using Random Forest, Multilayer Perceptron and C4.5 showed a high specificity and sensitivity (AUC score of 0.855, 0.828 and 0.797 respectively) in predicting novel drug indications, and displayed a better performance than other methods with limited drug and disease properties. Our predictions and current clinical trials overlap significantly across the different phases of drug development. We also identified and visualized the topological modules of predicted drug indications for certain types of cancers, and for Alzheimer’s disease. Within the network, those modules show potential pathways that illustrate the mechanisms of new drug indications, including propranolol as a potential anticancer agent and telmisartan as treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Magazine Coverage of Child Sexual Abuse, 1992–2004

This article analyzes trends in the coverage of child sexual abuse in popular magazines since the early 1990s. The article employs systematic analysis to identify and analyze articles in four popular magazines. Articles are analyzed by subject, length, and publication. The results affirm established theories of newsworthiness related to the coverage of specific stories over time. However, interest in the subject waned in the past 10 years, with the brief and dramatic exception of coverage connected to the Catholic Church in 2002. The findings demonstrate systematic differences between the slants of the four magazines studied. The findings also suggest that child abuse professionals could improve the quality of coverage by agreeing to interviews in connection with articles about childhood sexual abuse.
Molecular Cloning of a Novel Scavenger Receptor for Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein, SR-PSOX, on Macrophages*

Receptor-mediated endocytosis of oxidized low density lipoprotein (OxLDL) by macrophages has been implicated in foam cell transformation in the process of atherogenesis. Although several scavenger receptor molecules, including class A scavenger receptors and CD36, have been identified as OxLDL receptors on macrophages, additional molecules on macrophages may also be involved in the recognition of OxLDL. From a cDNA library of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-stimulated THP-1 cells, we isolated a cDNA encoding a novel protein designated SR-PSOX (scavenger receptor that bindsphosphatidylserine and oxidized lipoprotein), which acts as a receptor for OxLDL. SR-PSOX was a type I membrane protein consisting of 254 amino acids, expression of which was shown on human and murine macrophages with a molecular mass of 30 kDa. SR-PSOX could specifically bind with high affinity, internalize, and degrade OxLDL. The recognition of OxLDL was blocked by polyinosinic acid and dextran sulfate but not by acetylated low density lipoprotein. Taken together, SR-PSOX is a novel class of molecule belonging to the scavenger receptor family, which may play important roles in pathophysiology including atherogenesis.
Lost in Space: Improving Inference of IPv4 Address Space Utilization

One challenge in understanding the evolution of the Internet infrastructure is the lack of systematic mechanisms for monitoring the extent to which allocated IP addresses are actually used. In this paper, we advance the science of inferring IPv4 address space utilization by proposing a novel taxonomy and analyzing and correlating results obtained through different types of measurements. We have previously studied an approach based on passive measurements that can reveal used portions of the address space unseen by active approaches. In this paper, we study such passive approaches in detail, extending our methodology to new types of vantage points and identifying traffic components that most significantly contribute to discovering used IPv4 network blocks. We then combine the results we obtained through passive measurements together with data from active measurement studies, as well as measurements from Border Gateway Protocol and additional data sets available to researchers. Through the analysis of this large collection of heterogeneous data sets, we substantially improve the state of the art in terms of: 1) understanding the challenges and opportunities in using passive and active techniques to study address utilization and 2) knowledge of the utilization of the IPv4 space.
Two Membrane-Associated Tyrosine Phosphatase Homologs Potentiate C. elegans AKT-1/PKB Signaling

Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) functions in conserved signaling cascades that regulate growth and metabolism. In humans, Akt/PKB is dysregulated in diabetes and cancer; in Caenorhabditis elegans, Akt/PKB functions in an insulin-like signaling pathway to regulate larval development. To identify molecules that modulate C. elegans Akt/PKB signaling, we performed a genetic screen for enhancers of the akt-1 mutant phenotype (eak). We report the analysis of three eak genes. eak-6 and eak-5/sdf-9 encode protein tyrosine phosphatase homologs; eak-4 encodes a novel protein with an N-myristoylation signal. All three genes are expressed primarily in the two endocrine XXX cells, and their predicted gene products localize to the plasma membrane. Genetic evidence indicates that these proteins function in parallel to AKT-1 to inhibit the FoxO transcription factor DAF-16. These results define two membrane-associated protein tyrosine phosphatase homologs that may potentiate C. elegans Akt/PKB signaling by cell autonomous and cell nonautonomous mechanisms. Similar molecules may modulate Akt/PKB signaling in human endocrine tissues.
Ultrasound-guided vein puncture versus surgical cut-down technique in totally implantable venous access devices (TIVADS): a prospective comparative study on safety, efficacy andcomplications.

otally implantable venous access devices (TI-VADs) consist of a central venous catheter(made of silicone rubber or polyurethane) and asubcutaneously-implanted injection port made oftitanium or plastic, providing a simple, safe, andpermanent means of accessing the vascular systemfor intravenous delivery of drugs and ﬂuids.
Subscriber/Volunteer Trees: Polite, Efficient Overlay Multicast Trees

Application-level multicast trees built using reversepath forwarding (RPF) on overlay network routing paths are a useful mechanism for scalable information dissemination. One major drawback of this approach is that nodes that are not subscribers to a multicast group can still be required to forward traffic for that group if they happen to lie on an overlay routing path between a subscriber and the group root node. This could serve as a disincentive for nodes to participate in the overlay since they may be required to perform substantial amounts of work for which they receive no immediate benefit. This paper presents Subscriber/Volunteer (SV) trees – a new form of overlay multicast tree that removes this possible obstacle to deployment. In SV trees, only nodes that are subscribers to a multicast group, or that volunteer to do so, are responsible for forwarding content. SV trees are implemented as RPF trees augmented by adding content forwarding links that route around nodes that are not subscribers or volunteers. SV trees maintain all the benefits of RPF trees, such as scalable delivery and join behavior, while also being polite to non-subscribers. The RPF tree, used for node joins, and the forwarding tree, used for content delivery, are kept consistent even in the face of nodes leaving and joining the multicast tree and/or overlay. Fi∗Microsoft Research, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA 98052, {jdunagan, mbj, theimer, alecw}@microsoft.com †Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, nickh@mit.edu nally, our results show that SV trees deliver content more efficiently than RPF trees, since unnecessary network hops have been grafted out of the delivery trees.
Efficacy and safety of recombinant activated factor vii in major surgical procedures: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy and safety of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) treatment in patients undergoing major surgical procedures. DATA SOURCES Relevant studies were searched in BioMedCentral, CENTRAL, PubMed, and PubMed Central. STUDY SELECTION Only randomized controlled trials on humans undergoing major surgery were included. Efficacy was determined as the rate of patients receiving allogeneic packed red blood cells; safety was assessed in terms of thromboembolic complications and mortality rate. DATA EXTRACTION We followed the Cochrane Collaboration method for data extraction and internal validity procedures, as well as the Quality of Reporting of Meta-analyses statement. DATA SYNTHESIS Seven randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Treatment with rFVIIa is associated with a reduced risk of receiving allogeneic packed red blood cells (odds ratio, 0.29; 95% confidence interval, 0.10-0.80). In a subgroup analysis, only patients receiving at least 50 mug/kg of rFVIIa had a significant benefit (odds ratio, 0.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.23-0.78). No differences in thromboembolic complications and mortality rates were observed. CONCLUSIONS Treatment with rFVIIa is effective in reducing the rate of patients undergoing transfusion with allogeneic packed red blood cells. However, the cost-benefit ratio is favorable only in patients who need a huge number of packed red blood cell units. No safety concerns arise from the present study.
Temporal envelope and periodicity cues on musical pitch discrimination with acoustic simulation of cochlear implant

The present study investigated musical pitch discrimination with acoustic simulation of cochlear implant. A 4-channel noise-excited vocoder was used to simulate the signal processing of cochlear implants. Eight normal-hearing subjects participated in this study. Psychoacoustic experiments on pitch-direction discrimination test were carried out to examine the ability of detecting pitch-change direction. Stimuli from four instruments (clarinet, trumpet, piano and violin) were utilized. Experimental results showed that temporal envelope and periodicity information was important for musical pitch discrimination when the spectral information was limited.
Early-Life Risk Factors for Alzheimer Disease

Research findings obtained over the past 20 years suggest that Alzheimer disease (AD) may have its origins in early life. In this review, we consider the evidence for early-life risk factors for this illness. We propose that risk factors that predict neuropathology are largely distinct from those related to the clinical expression of Alzheimer disease. Early-life risk factors for pathology include genes, chromosomal abnormalities, head injury, insulin resistance, and inflammation. With regard to risk factors for clinical expression of Alzheimer disease, six general groups of childhood exposures are reviewed: (1) perinatal conditions, (2) early-life brain development, (3) early-life body growth, (4) early-life socioeconomic conditions, (5) environmental enrichment, and (6) cognitive reserve. The literature reviewed suggests that risk of Alzheimer disease is probably not determined in any single time period but results from the complex interplay between genetic and environmental exposures throughout the life course. Enhancement or preservation of brain or cognitive reserve could delay the onset of Alzheimer disease and in some cases prevent the disease from occurring altogether.
Applying Resilience Concepts in Forest Management: A Retrospective Simulation Approach

Increasing the resilience of ecological and sociological systems has been proposed as an option to adapt to changing future climatic conditions. However, few studies test the applicability of those strategies to forest management. This paper uses a real forest health incident to assess the ability of forest management strategies to affect ecological and economic resilience of the forest. Two landscape scale strategies are compared to business as usual management for their ability to increase resilience to a climate-change induced mountain pine beetle outbreak in the Kamloops Timber Supply Area, British Columbia, Canada for the period 1980 to 2060. Proactive management to reduce high risk species while maintaining or increasing diversity through reforestation was found to be more resilient in terms of the metrics: post-disturbance growing stock, improved volume and stability of timber flow, and net revenue. However, landscape-scale indicators of diversity were little affected by management. Our results were robust to uncertainty in tree growth rates and timber value and show that adapting to climate change through improving the resilience of forested landscapes is an economically viable option.
Electrical analysis and modeling of floating-gate fault

It is demonstrated that a floating gate transistor (FGT) is influenced by its topological environment. The equivalent gate-to-source voltage of the FGT depends on the initial charges trapped in the gate oxide, the surrounding potential of metal lines and the drain-to-source voltage of the FGT itself. An electrical study of the floating gate fault is presented. A theoretical model taking into account the influence of the transistor's environment is proposed. Analytical expressions for the equivalent gate-to-source voltage are derived, and the FGTs electrical operation mode is analyzed. This model is validated by SPICE simulations and by actual device measurements. The problem of testing for FGTs is discussed. >
GPS analysis of an international field hockey tournament.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of multiple games on exercise intensity during a world-class hockey tournament. METHODS 15 players (mean±SD age 27±4 y, stature 179±5 cm, body mass 77±5 kg, and estimated VO2 64.2±3.1 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1)) competing in the Champions Trophy (CT). Global-positioning systems assessed total distance (TD), low-speed activity (LSA; 0.10-4.17 m/s), and high-speed running (HSR; >4.17 m/s) distance. Differences in movement demands (TD, LSA, HSR) between positions and matches were assessed using the effect size and percent difference±90% confidence intervals. Two levels of comparison were made. First, data from subsequent matches were compared with match 1, and, second, data from each match compared with a tournament average (TA). RESULTS In all matches, compared with game 1, midfielders performed less HSR distance. However, the amount of HSR did not decrease as the tournament progressed. When compared with the TA, defenders showed more variation in each match. All positions showed lower movement outputs when the team won by a large margin. CONCLUSIONS It was possible for elite team-sport athletes to maintain exercise intensity when playing 6 matches in a period of 9 days, contrary to the only other investigation of this in elite male field hockey.
Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome One Year after Delivery in Finnish Women at Increased Risk for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus during Pregnancy

Background. Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at increased risk for metabolic syndrome (MeS) after delivery. We studied the prevalence of MeS at one year postpartum among Finnish women who in early pregnancy were at increased risk of developing GDM. Methods. This follow-up study is a part of a GDM prevention trial. At one year postpartum, 150 women (mean age 33.1 years, BMI 27.2 kg/m2) were evaluated for MeS. Results. The prevalence of MeS was 18% according tothe International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria and 16% according toNational Cholestrol Education Program (NCEP) criteria. Of MeS components, 74% of participants had an increased waist circumference (≥80 cm). Twenty-seven percent had elevated fasting plasma glucose (≥5.6 mmol/L), and 29% had reduced HDL cholesterol (≤1.3 mmol/L). The odds ratio for the occurrence of MeS at one year postpartum was 3.0 (95% CI 1.0–9.2) in those who were overweight before pregnancy compared to normal weight women. Conclusions. Nearly one-fifth of the women with an increased risk of GDM in early pregnancy fulfilled the criteria of MeS at one year postpartum. The most important factor associated with MeS was prepregnancy overweight. Weight management before and during pregnancy is important for preventing MeS after delivery.
Neonatal nosocomial infections

Prevention of infection in the high-risk infant presents a challenge for all members of the health care team. The infant's condition must be constantly assessed for risk factors, and a plan of care must be developed to reduce that risk. That plan requires a thorough understanding of the multiple factors (the infant host, potential pathogens, and therapeutic procedures) involved in neonatal infections and strict adherence to infection control procedures.
Effect of nest-deprivation on serum prolactin level in nesting female turkeys.

Serum levels of prolactin (PRL), luteinizing hormone (LH), progesterone and estradiol-17t1 were compared in female turkeys during various phases of their reproductive life cycle. Prolactin levels of broody turkeys were higher (2164 ± 127 ng/ml) than those of laying turkeys (468 ± 74 ng/ml), which were in turn higher than those of hens that had stopped laying (119 ± 18 ng/ml). Serum LH, progesterone, and estradiol-17� levels of laying hens were significantly higher than those of the other two groups. The levels of these hormones did not differ between broody hens and hens that had stopped laying, but were not broody (photorefractory hens). Serum prolactin levels of broody hens dropped markedly within a day of nest-deprivation and confinement to cages. Levels remained low while hens were in cages. When nests were again made available to broody hens that had been deprived of nests for 48 h, they resumed nesting within 5 mm, and serum prolactin levels then increased. In other experiments, it was found that a significant decline in serum prolactin occurred after 8, but not 4 h of nest-deprivation. After a 48 h period of cage confinement of hens, prolactin levels were seen to increase within 30 mm after hens were returned to their home pens. Levels continued to rise and had nearly reached pre-cage confinement levels by 12 h after resumption of nesting. BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION 23, 118-123 (1980)
Physical activity on prescription (PAP): self-reported physical activity and quality of life in a Swedish primary care population, 2-year follow-up

Abstract Objective: To study the self-reported level of physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QOL) in patients receiving physical activity on prescription (PAP) for up to 24 months. Design: Observational study conducted in a regular healthcare setting. Setting: A primary care population in Sweden receiving physical activity on prescription as part of regular care was studied alongside a reference group. Subjects: The group comprised 146 patients receiving PAP at two different primary care locations (n = 96 and 50, respectively). The reference group comprised 58 patients recruited from two different primary care centres in the same region. Main outcome measurements: We used two self-report questionnaires – the four-level Saltin-Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale (SGPALS) to assess physical activity, and SF-36 to assess QOL. Results: A significant increase in the PA level was found at six and 12 months following PAP, with an ongoing non-significant trend at 24 months (p = .09). A clear improvement in QOL was seen during the period. At 24 months, significant and clinically relevant improvements in QOL persisted in four out of eight sub-scale scores (Physical Role Limitation, Bodily Pain, General Health,Vitality) and in one out of two summary scores (Physical Component Summary). Conclusion: Patients receiving PAP showed an increased level of self-reported PA at six and 12 months and improved QOL for up to 24 months in several domains. The Swedish PAP method seems to be a feasible method for bringing about changes in physical activity in different patient populations in regular primary healthcare. While increased physical activity (PA) is shown to improve health, the implementation of methods designed to increase activity is still being developed. Key points The present study confirms that the Swedish physical activity on prescription (PAP) method increases the self-reported level of PA in the primary care setting at six and 12 months. Furthermore, this study shows that PAP recipients report a clinically relevant long-term improvement in quality of life, persisting for two years post-prescription, thus extending earlier findings. These findings have clinical implications for the implementation of PAP in healthcare.
Iterative QR decomposition architecture using the modified Gram-Schmidt algorithm

Implementation of iterative QR decomposition (QRD) architecture based on the modified Gram-Schmidt (MGS) algorithm is proposed in this paper. In order to achieve computational efficiency with robust numerical stability, a triangular systolic array (TSA) for QRD of large size matrices is presented. Therefore, the TSA architecture can be modified into iterative architecture for reducing hardware cost that is called iterative QRD (IQRD). The IQRD hardware is constructed by the diagonal process (DP) and the triangular process (TP) with fewer gate counts and lower power consumption than TSAQRD. For a 4×4 matrix, the hardware area of the proposed IQRD can reduce about 76% of the gate counts in TSAQRD. For a generic square matrix of order n IQRD, the latency required is 2n−1 time units, which is based on the MGS algorithm. Thus, the total clock latency is only n(2n+3) cycles.