Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Hyperbolic Schedulability Bound for Multiprocessor RM Scheduling

To verify the feasibility of real-time task sets on homogeneous multiprocessor systems, Lopez et al. derived the utilization bound based on Best Fit Decreasing allocation algorithm and Rate-Monotonic scheduling, which coincides with the maximum achievable multiprocessor utilization bound, using Liu &amp; Lyland bound as the uniprocessor schedulability condition. In this paper, a novel feasibility test for the same target problem is developed based on the hyperbolic bound due to Bini et al., instead of the Liu \&amp; Layland bound. Analytical and experimental results show that the proposed utilization bound performs better than the existing bound under quite a lot of parameter settings, and combining these two bounds together can significantly increase the number of schedulable task sets with little extra overhead.
Market Efficiency of Oil Spot and Futures: A Stochastic Dominance Approach

This paper examines the market efficiency of oil spot and futures prices by using a stochastic dominance (SD) approach. As there is no evidence of an SD relationship between oil spot and futures, we conclude that there is no arbitrage opportunity between these two markets, and that both market efficiency and market rationality are not rejected in the oil spot and futures markets.
Combined Topical-Intracameral Anesthesia in Manual Small-Incision Cataract Surgery: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Masked, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Purpose To determine whether intracameral lidocaine plus topical anesthesia could further reduce patients’ pain experience during manual small-incision cataract surgery, compared with topical anesthesia alone. Design A prospective, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted. Methods This research was approved by the institutional review board of the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College in China. All patients gave written, informed consent, and no untoward pressure or coercion was used for the written informed consent. A total of 300 patients were randomly assigned into the placebo group (topical anesthesia plus intracameral balanced salt solution) or the interventional group (combined topical plus intracameral anesthesia). The pains they experienced during the different stages of the operation were evaluated by a visual analog pain scale. At the end of the surgery, the surgeon was given a questionnaire to evaluate the cooperation of the patient. The endothelial cell count was collected preoperatively and 1 month postoperatively. Results The patient-reported pain scores were significantly lower in the interventional group at the following stages of the operation: nucleus rotation (P < 0.001), bisection of the nucleus (P < 0.001), and prolapse of the nucleus (P < 0.001). The surgeon assessment showed better patient cooperation in the lidocaine group (P = 0.04). There was no significant difference in endothelial cell loss between the 2 groups. Conclusions Although topical anesthesia alone provides acceptable anesthesia for manual small-incision cataract surgery, combined topical and intracameral anesthesia decreased patients’ discomfort and increased their cooperation during the operation.
Learning an Image-Based Motion Context for Multiple People Tracking

We present a novel method for multiple people tracking that leverages a generalized model for capturing interactions among individuals. At the core of our model lies a learned dictionary of interaction feature strings which capture relationships between the motions of targets. These feature strings, created from low-level image features, lead to a much richer representation of the physical interactions between targets compared to hand-specified social force models that previous works have introduced for tracking. One disadvantage of using social forces is that all pedestrians must be detected in order for the forces to be applied, while our method is able to encode the effect of undetected targets, making the tracker more robust to partial occlusions. The interaction feature strings are used in a Random Forest framework to track targets according to the features surrounding them. Results on six publicly available sequences show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art approaches in multiple people tracking.
[An evaluation of dog and cat bites over a five-year period: a sample case from Eskişehir].

BACKGROUND In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the demographic, medical and forensic aspects of patients who were bitten by cats or dogs and admitted to the Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Education, Training and Research Hospital. METHODS All the medical records of the last five years inside the automation system of the hospital were investigated. One hundred sixty-seven cases were included according to their ICD-10 diagnostic codes. On statistical evaluation, frequency and chi-square analyses were conducted and SPSS 13.0 program was used. RESULTS One hundred sixteen patients were bitten by dogs, whereas 46 patients were bitten by cats. Most of the victims were children. 51.9% of the bites were on an upper extremity, and 29.1% were on a lower extremity. Although cat and dog bites demonstrate seasonal changes, summer months were found important, when children were on holidays. Hyperemia, scratch and laceration were the most frequent diagnoses after injury. The length of hospital stay was between 1-22 days and calculated as a mean 7.3±5.8 days. CONCLUSION Dog and cat bites are very well known public health issues in our country. To know animals and their needs and to respect them should be the priority of families to avoid unexpected injury. Families should teach their children to treat dogs and cats with respect, to avoid direct eye contact with the animals and not to annoy them.
Lactose Intolerance (LCT-13910C>T) Genotype Is Associated with Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations in Caucasians: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: The LCT-13910C>T gene variant is associated with lactose intolerance (LI) in different ethnic groups. Individuals with LI often limit or avoid dairy consumption, a major dietary source of vitamin D in North America, which may lead to inadequate vitamin D intake.Objective: The objective was to determine the prevalence of genotypes predictive of LI in different ethnic groups living in Canada and to determine whether the LCT genotype is associated with plasma 25(OH)D concentrations.Methods: Blood samples were drawn from a total of 1495 men and women aged 20-29 y from the Toronto Nutrigenomics and Health Study for genotyping and plasma 25(OH)D analysis. Intakes of dairy were assessed by using a 196-item food frequency questionnaire. The prevalence of LCT-13910C>T genotypes was compared by using χ2 analysis. Using a Mendelian randomization approach, we examined the association between LCT genotypes and 25(OH)D concentrations.Results: Approximately 32% of Caucasians, 99% of East Asians, 74% of South Asians, and 59% of those with other or mixed ethnicities had the CC genotype associated with LI. Compared with those with the TT genotype, those with the CC genotype had a lower mean ± SE total dairy intake (2.15 ± 0.09 compared with 2.67 ± 0.12 servings/d, P = 0.003), a lower skim-milk intake (0.20 ± 0.03 compared with 0.46 ± 0.06 servings/d, P = 0.0004), and a lower plasma 25(OH)D concentration (63 ± 1.9 compared with 75.8 ± 2.4 nmol/L, P < 0.0001). The CT and CC genotypes were associated with a 50% and a 2-fold increased risk, respectively, of a suboptimal plasma 25(OH)D concentration (<75 nmol/L). Conclusions: In Caucasians, the CC genotype that predicts LI is associated with a lower plasma 25(OH)D concentration, which is attributable at least in part to a lower intake of dairy, particularly skim milk. Increased risk of suboptimal concentrations of vitamin D was also observed among those with the CT genotype, suggesting an intermediate effect of the heterozygous genotype.
Gente negra en Colombia : dinámicas sociopolíticas en Cali y el Pacifico

En Colombia, como en otros paises de America Latina, se ha llegado en los ultimos 10 anos al reconocimiento progresivo de la diversidad etnica y de la multiculturalidad hasta el punto, incluso, de llegar a convertirse en una norma constitucional. Esta evolucion es el resultado, entre otros factores, de la movilizacion de la sociedad civil y de los medios politicos y cientificos entorno a la condicion de diversas poblaciones en situacion de “minorias” demograficas, sometidas a procesos de segregacion y discriminacion.
Preservice Teachers' Perception and Use of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs).

Personal learning environments (PLEs) are Web 2.0 tools and services by which users’ access, construct, manage, and share educational contents in order to meet their learning needs. These environments enable users to manage their learning according to their own personal preferences. They further promote socialization and collaboration with their broad user networks and interaction facilities. In this study, with a case sample from a public university in Turkey, student teachers’ PLE use and their perceptions regarding these environments are examined. For data collection, the PLE Perception Scale and PLE Use Scale developed by the researchers were used. It was observed that all participants used various PLEs and found them easy and practical on the whole. However, it was found that this utilization mostly had the aim of access and sharing knowledge in learning, while use of constructing and managing it remained limited. Emailing, social networking, file sharing, video sharing, Internet searching, and social encyclopedias were found most commonly used PLEs. Our findings also show that gender and grade level do not have an effect on the perception and use of PLEs.
Study on the Use of Ionizing Radiation for the Preservation of Spices

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and clove (Eugenia caryophyllata) were treated with gamma radiationdoses (5.0, 10.0, 20 kGy)andstored for six months. The results showed an increase in the dry matter content of black pepper during the storage period withvalues of 91.61±2.36%, 92.59±2.39%, and 92.62±2.37 %w/w at 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 kGy, respectively, compared with91.41±2.25%w/w for the non-irradiated sample. Also, there was an increase in the dry matter content ofcloves, withvalues of91.34±2.35%, 92.55±2.39%, and 92.87±2.37%w/wat 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0kGy, respectively, compared with a value of 91.34±2.35%w/w for the non-irradiated sample. However, a significant decrease in the total of essential oil which detected with increasing irradiation dose during the storage periods for black pepper and clovewith values of 97.42±0.22%, 98.65±0.27% and 96.88±0.23% at 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 kGy, compared with 98.80±0.22% for the non-irradiated control. also,94.33±0.34%, 94.20±0.34 % and 94.10±0.35% at 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 kGy, compared with 95.98±0.39% for the non-irradiated control samples,respectively . Anirradiation dose of 10.0 kGy with three months of storage led to the highest increase in the amount of total essential oils of black pepper and clovewith values 98.89±0.25% and 95.94±0.34%, respectively. A dose of 10 kGy eliminated the total bacterial count, as well as the yeast, while a dose of only 5 kGy was required to reduce the contamination. During six months of storage,the radiated spices were found to retain good microbiological quality.
Zero is Not Enough: On The Lower Limit of Agent Intelligence For Continuous Double Auction Markets†

agent continuous double auction, trade Gode and Sunder's (1993) results from using "zero-intelligence" (ZI) traders, that act randomly within a structured market, appear to imply that convergence to the theoretical equilibrium price in continuous double-auction markets is determined more by market structure than by the intelligence of the traders in that market. However, it is demonstrated here that the average transaction prices of ZI traders can vary significantly from the theoretical equilibrium value when the market supply and demand are asymmetric, and that the degree of difference from equilibrium is predictable from a priori probabilistic analysis. In this sense, it is shown here that Gode and Sunder's results are artefacts of their experimental regime. Following this, 'zero-intelligence-plus' (ZIP) traders are introduced: like ZI traders, these simple agents make stochastic bids. Unlike ZI traders, they employ an elementary form of machine learning. Groups of ZIP traders interacting in experimental markets similar to those used by Smith (1962) and Gode and Sunder (1993) are demonstrated, and we show that the performance of ZIP traders is significantly closer to the human data than is the performance of Gode and Sunder's ZI traders. Because ZI traders are too simple, we offer ZIP traders as a slight upward revision of the intelligence required to achieve equilibrium in continuous double auction markets.
Characteristics, In-Hospital and Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Nonagenarian Compared with Octogenarian Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients

We compared clinical characteristics, management, and clinical outcomes of nonagenarian acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients (n=270, 92.3±2.3 yr old) with octogenarian AMI patients (n=2,145, 83.5±2.7 yr old) enrolled in Korean AMI Registry (KAMIR). Nonagenarians were less likely to have hypertension, diabetes and less likely to be prescribed with beta-blockers, statins, and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors compared with octogenarians. Although percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was preferred in octogenarians than nonagenarians, the success rate of PCI between the two groups was comparable. In-hospital mortality, the composite of in-hospital adverse outcomes and one year mortality were higher in nonagenarians than in octogenarians. However, the composite of the one year major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) was comparable between the two groups without differences in MI or re-PCI rate. PCI improved 1-yr mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.36-0.69, P<0.001) and MACEs (adjusted HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.37-0.61, P<0.001) without significant complications both in nonagenarians and octogenarians. In conclusion, nonagenarians had similar 1-yr MACEs rates despite of higher in-hospital and 1-yr mortality compared with octogenarian AMI patients. PCI in nonagenarian AMI patients was associated to better 1-yr clinical outcomes. Graphical Abstract
Joint Multimodal Learning with Deep Generative Models

We investigate deep generative models that can exchange multiple modalities bi-directionally, e.g., generating images from corresponding texts and vice versa. Recently, some studies handle multiple modalities on deep generative models, such as variational autoencoders (VAEs). However, these models typically assume that modalities are forced to have a conditioned relation, i.e., we can only generate modalities in one direction. To achieve our objective, we should extract a joint representation that captures high-level concepts among all modalities and through which we can exchange them bi-directionally. As described herein, we propose a joint multimodal variational autoencoder (JMVAE), in which all modalities are independently conditioned on joint representation. In other words, it models a joint distribution of modalities. Furthermore, to be able to generate missing modalities from the remaining modalities properly, we develop an additional method, JMVAE-kl, that is trained by reducing the divergence between JMVAE's encoder and prepared networks of respective modalities. Our experiments show that our proposed method can obtain appropriate joint representation from multiple modalities and that it can generate and reconstruct them more properly than conventional VAEs. We further demonstrate that JMVAE can generate multiple modalities bi-directionally.
Impact of NOD2/CARD15 haplotypes on the outcome after kidney transplantation

Chronic allograft nephropathy and (cardiovascular) death with functioning graft are major causes of late graft loss. NOD2/CARD15 (nucleotide oligomerization domain‐2/caspase‐recruiting activating domain‐15), an intracellular receptor, that is part of the innate immunity repertoire, has convincingly been shown to be involved in infection/inflammation‐associated diseases. Specifically, NOD2/CARD15 polymorphisms are clearly associated with Crohn's disease and transplant‐associated mortality after bone marrow transplantation. The aim of this study was to clarify the relevance of NOD2/CARD15‐haplotypes in kidney transplantation. Three hundred fifty‐two patients receiving their first kidney transplant were genotyped for the three major NOD2/CARD15 polymorphisms R702W, G908R and 1007fs with subsequent reconstruction of the different haplotypes. Four different NOD2/CARD15‐haplotypes were observed in our population [CG(−): 89.8%, CGC: 3.5%, CC(−): 1.6%, TG(−): 5.1%). After stratifying the different haploypes into diplotypes (wild type: CG(−)/CG(−), n = 284, mutated haplotype, n = 68) we found a significant association with all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality, also after adjusting to different covariates, and (only) in univariate analysis with graft survival. In conclusion, we found different effects of the NOD2/CARD15‐haplotypes on disorders, like cardiovascular and all‐cause mortality, which may be considered at least in part as chronic inflammation driven. Further studies are needed to confirm and work out the association between these disorders and the NOD2/CARD15‐haplotypes.
Single versus combination immunotherapy drug treatment in melanoma

ABSTRACT Introduction: The advent of new immunotherapies for the treatment of metastatic melanoma has resulted in various novel combination strategies. Because of their distinct modes of action, different immunotherapies have been investigated in combination with one another, as well as combined with targeted therapies and other treatment modalities. Areas covered: Anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 treatments enhance antitumor immunity through complementary and non-redundant mechanisms. The combination of the anti-CTLA-4 agent ipilimumab and the anti-PD-1 agent nivolumab has been shown to improve progression-free survival and objective response rate compared with either agent alone as monotherapy in patients with advanced melanoma. However, the combination was associated with significant toxicity, with around one-third of patients discontinuing treatment as a result. The sequential use of nivolumab and ipilimumab was associated with similar outcomes and comparable toxicity to concurrent therapy. Clinical trials assessing various combinations of immunomodulating antibodies are ongoing or planned. Ipilimumab and pembrolizumab have also been investigated in combination with the oncolytic virus, talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), with promising results. In addition, immunotherapies have also been combined with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and electrochemotherapy. Expert opinion: Investigation of combination approaches represents the start of a new story that begins with melanoma treatment and expands to embrace other solid and hematological cancers.
The behavioural state of satiation in the leech is regulated by body distension and mimicked by serotonin depletion.

The behavioural state of an organism consists of an array of constituent behaviours or responses which may be altered differentially as the behavioural state of an animal changes (Kupferman et al. 1991). The medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis , exhibits a long cycle in feeding behaviour (Dickinson and Lent, 1984). When they have not fed for some months, Hirudo exhibit an array of appetitive behaviours that are associated with the state of hunger. These leeches rest near the water surface and spontaneously initiate swimming bouts. Shadows, mechanical shocks or surface ripples alert hungry Hirudo, after which they swim towards a point source of water waves. Upon contacting a surface, leeches cease to swim and will explore the surface by crawling. If warmth is encountered at this time, hungry leeches will bite; biting is typically localized in or near surface folds. During the ensuing consummatory phase of hunger, leeches ingest blood meals which increase their volume by approximately nine times and which distend their body walls. Distension acts as a stimulus that terminates feeding and produces the behavioural state of satiation (Lent and Dickinson, 1987). Recently fed leeches bite rarely, swim infrequently and appear to select greater depths in water. Hunger alternates with satiation in this behavioural cycle whose period is approximately a full year. Neuronal serotonin controls a variety of behavioural and physiological components of leech ingestive behaviour (Lent and Dickinson, 1984). Serotonin enhances spontaneously generated bouts of swimming (Willard, 1981) as well as swimming in response to water vibration (Brodfuehrer and Friesen, 1984; Lent and Dickinson, 1984). In addition, serotonin increases the frequency of biting by hungry leeches and evokes biting by satiated ones. Ganglionic serotonin levels are decreased after feeding (Lent et al. 1991) and pharmacological lesions of serotonin-containing neurones decrease biting frequency in a manner reminiscent of satiation (Lent and Dickinson, 1984; O’Gara et al. 1991). We sought to describe quantitatively these two feeding states of Hirudo by measuring a number of clearly definable behavioural responses during hunger and satiation. We quantified several behaviours (phototaxis, thigmotaxis, geotaxis, swim initiation latency and biting frequency) that are known to be or are hypothesized to be associated with the feeding status of this animal. We assessed correlation between tests of each category of
The Structure of Human Prosociality

Prosocial behavior is crucial for functioning societies. However, its reliable scientific assessment and the understanding of its underlying structure are still a challenge. We integrated 14 paradigms from diverse disciplines to identify reliable and method-independent subcomponents of human prosociality; 329 participants performed game theoretical paradigms and hypothetical distribution tasks commonly used in behavioral economics and completed interactive computer tasks and self-reports typically employed in psychology. Four subcomponents of prosociality were identified by exploratory factor analysis and verified by confirmatory factor analysis in an independent sample: altruistically motivated prosocial behavior, norm motivated prosocial behavior, strategically motivated prosocial behavior, and self-reported prosocial behavior. Altruistically motivated behavior was related to gender, to enhanced cognitive skills, and to reduced negative affect. Our study provides a crucial step toward an overarching framework on prosocial behavior that will benefit future research on predictors, neural underpinnings, and plasticity of human cooperation and prosociality.