Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The frequency and level of sweep in mixed hardwood saw logs in the eastern United States

Hardwood sawmills traditionally saw logs in a manner that either orients sawlines parallel to the log central axis (straight sawing) or the log surface (allowing for taper). Sweep is characterized as uniform curvature along the entire length of a log. For logs with sweep, lumber yield losses from straight and taper sawing increase with increasing levels of sweep. Curve sawing logs with sweep will increase yields by allowing logs with sweep to be sawn along their natural line of curvature. To better understand the potential for the utilization of curve sawing technology in hardwood sawmills of the eastern United States, it was necessary to determine the frequency and degree of sweep that occurs in hardwood sawlogs. In this study, 1,700 random hardwood logs from 17 sawmills located across eight eastern states were measured, analyzed, and classified for level of sweep based on the log scale deduction percentage attributed to sweep. Whereas the majority of eastern hardwood logs are considered straight, our results show that nearly one third of hardwood sawmill inventories have enough curvature to incur sweep scale deductions of 5 percent or more. For these logs, sweep scale deduction percentages increase as small-end diameter decreases and as length increases. Of the primary species sampled in this study, oak logs exhibited the highest average sweep scale deduction-5.9 percent.
Association of transcription factor 7-like 2 gene polymorphisms with breast cancer risk in northwest Chinese women

Genetic variations in transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) are associated with cancer risk. This study was conducted to establish the relationship between TCF7L2 polymorphisms (rs1225404, rs7003146, and rs7903146) and clinical features and risk of breast cancer in Northwest Chinese Han women. In this study, three polymorphisms of TCF7L2 (rs1225404, rs7003146, and rs7903146) were genotyped in 458 patients with breast cancer and 500 healthy controls using the Sequenom MassARRAY-iPLEX system. We evaluated the associations between the polymorphisms and breast cancer using odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). The C allele of rs1225404 was associated with increased breast cancer risk (OR = 1.58, P = 0.0004, PC= 0.0012), whereas the G allele of rs7003146 was associated with decreased breast cancer risk (OR = 0.71, P = 0.01, PC= 0.03). Furthermore, the rs1225404 polymorphism positively correlated with negative progesterone receptor status. A positive correlation with positive estrogen receptor (ER) status was observed for the rs7003146 polymorphism. Our results suggest that TCF7L2 polymorphisms rs1225404 and rs7003146, but not rs7903146, may affect breast cancer risk in Northwest Chinese women. Additionally, the tag polymorphisms in TCF7L2 are associated with the clinical features of breast cancer, which may provide us novel insight into the pathogenesis of breast cancer.
Regular handicap tournaments of high degree

A handicap distance antimagic labeling of a graph $G=(V,E)$ with $n$ vertices is a bijection ${f}: V\to \{ 1,2,\ldots ,n\} $ with the property that ${f}(x_i)=i$ and the sequence of the weights $w(x_1),w(x_2),\ldots,w(x_n)$ (where $w(x_i)=\sum\limits_{x_j\in N(x_i)}f(x_j)$) forms an increasing arithmetic progression with difference one. A graph $G$ is a {\em handicap distance antimagic graph} if it allows a handicap distance antimagic labeling. We construct $(n-7)$-regular handicap distance antimagic graphs for every order $n\equiv2\pmod4$ with a few small exceptions. This result complements results by Kov\'a\v{r}, Kov\'a\v{r}ov\'a, and Krajc~[P. Kov\'a\v{r}, T. Kov\'a\v{r}ov\'a, B. Krajc, On handicap labeling of regular graphs, manuscript, personal communication, 2016] who found such graphs with regularities smaller than $n-7$.
Mixed Precision Training of Convolutional Neural Networks using Integer Operations

The state-of-the-art (SOTA) for mixed precision training is dominated by variants of low precision floating point operations, and in particular, FP16 accumulating into FP32 Micikevicius et al. (2017). On the other hand, while a lot of research has also happened in the domain of low and mixed-precision Integer training, these works either present results for non-SOTA networks (for instance only AlexNet for ImageNet-1K), or relatively small datasets (like CIFAR-10). In this work, we train state-of-the-art visual understanding neural networks on the ImageNet-1K dataset, with Integer operations on General Purpose (GP) hardware. In particular, we focus on Integer Fused-Multiply-and-Accumulate (FMA) operations which take two pairs of INT16 operands and accumulate results into an INT32 output.We propose a shared exponent representation of tensors and develop a Dynamic Fixed Point (DFP) scheme suitable for common neural network operations. The nuances of developing an efficient integer convolution kernel is examined, including methods to handle overflow of the INT32 accumulator. We implement CNN training for ResNet-50, GoogLeNet-v1, VGG-16 and AlexNet; and these networks achieve or exceed SOTA accuracy within the same number of iterations as their FP32 counterparts without any change in hyper-parameters and with a 1.8X improvement in end-to-end training throughput. To the best of our knowledge these results represent the first INT16 training results on GP hardware for ImageNet-1K dataset using SOTA CNNs and achieve highest reported accuracy using half-precision
The preclinical discovery and development of brivaracetam for the treatment of focal epilepsy

ABSTRACT Introduction: Brivaracetam (BRV) is a new AED currently licensed for the adjunctive treatment of adult patients with focal epilepsies. It is a ligand of the ubiquitous synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A). Areas covered: This paper covers the preclinical and subsequent clinical development of BRV focusing on the discovery of the SV2A protein as the main target for levetiracetam (LEV) and the main similarities and differences between LEV and BRV in terms of pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties. Phase II and Phase III studies are also presented and data from post-marketing phase IV studies are discussed. Expert opinion: The preclinical development of BRV is quite unique and has raised several doubts on current methodologies adopted for AED development, reinforcing the need for new approaches. The preclinical and clinical profile suggest that BRV is potentially an ideal compound in the emergency setting given the rapid onset of action associated with being water soluble and, therefore, available in intravenous formulation. In addition, data from Phase III studies have already suggested that BRV may be effective not only in focal epilepsies but also in generalised syndromes. Further data from special populations such as children and women of child bearing age are urgently needed.
A 50-kW High-Frequency and High-Efficiency SiC Voltage Source Inverter for More Electric Aircraft

High power density is required for power converter in more electric aircraft due to the strict demands of volume and weight, which makes silicon carbide (SiC) extremely attractive for this application. In this paper, a prototype of 50-kW SiC two-level three-phase voltage source inverter is demonstrated with a gravimetric power density of 26 kW/kg (without inclusion of filter). A gate assisted circuit is introduced to reduce the switching loss. In addition, the ringings of voltage and current due to parasitic parameters during the switching transition can also be mitigated. A mathematical model with consideration of various parasitic parameters is developed, which illustrates the parasitic effects in high-speed switching SiC power module. The converter is operated at a switching frequency up to 100 kHz and a narrow dead band of 250 ns. The measured efficiency is 97.91%.
Validation of the French Version of the “Patterns of Activity Measure” in Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

Background. The “Patterns of Activity Measure” (POAM-P) is a self-administered questionnaire that assesses “avoidance”, “pacing” and “overdoing” activity patterns in chronic pain patients. Objectives. To adapt the POAM-P to French (“POAM-P/F”) and test its validity and reliability in Chronic Musculo-Skeletal Pain patients (CMSP). Methods. We followed the recommended procedure for translation of questionnaires. Five hundred and ninety five inpatients, admitted to a tertiary rehab center in the French-speaking part of Switzerland for chronic pain after orthopedic trauma, were included (sex ratio M/F = 4.36, mean age 43 ± 12). Face, content and criterion validities, internal consistency and reliability were assessed. Data included: TAMPA Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK), Chronic Pain Coping Inventory (CPCI), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results. Face and content validities were checked during the translation process. Correlations between POAM-P/F-avoidance and TSK, POAM-P/F-pacing and CPCI-pacing, POAM-P/F-overdoing and CPCI-task persistence were highly significant (r > 0.3, p < 10−2). The three subscales demonstrated excellent homogeneity (Cronbach's alpha coefficients > 0.8) and test-retest reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficients > 0.8). They correlated very differently with the other scales. Discussion and Conclusion. The three POAM-P/F subscales clearly assess different behaviors in CMSP. The POAM-P/F is a suitable questionnaire for classifying French speaking CMSP into avoiders, pacers or overdoers.
Environmental effects on TPB wavelength-shifting coatings

The scintillation detection systems of liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs) require wavelength shifters to detect the 128 nm scintillation light produced in liquid argon. Tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB) is a fluorescent material that can shift this light to a wavelength of 425 nm, lending itself well to use in these detectors. We can coat the glass of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) with TPB or place TPB-coated plates in front of the PMTs. In this paper, we investigate the degradation of a solution-based, embedded TPB coating in a laboratory or factory environment to assess the viability of long-term TPB film storage prior to its initial installation in an LArTPC. We present evidence for severe degradation of this type of coating due to common fluorescent lights and ambient sunlight in laboratories, with potential losses at the 40% level in the first day and eventual losses at the 80% level after a month of exposure. We determine the degradation is due to wavelengths in the UV spectrum, and we demonstrate mitigating methods for retrofitting lab and factory environments.
Supplementary Materials and Methods Cell Culture Protein Extraction and Western Blotting Different Bcr/abl Protein Suppression Patterns as a Converging Trait of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cell Adaptation to Energy Restriction

Proteins were extracted and separated as previously described [1]. Cells were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium containing 2 g/D-glucose and supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated foetal bovine serum, 2 mM L-glutamine, 50 units/mL penicillin and 50 µg/ml streptomycin (all from EuroClone, Paington, U.K.). In some experiments, we used RPMI 1640 medium without D-glucose (Gibco supplemented as above. Experiments were performed with cells harvested from exponentially-growing maintenance cultures and subcultured (5x10 5 /mL) in fresh medium 24 h before plating (3x10 5 /mL). Incubation was carried out at 37°C in water-saturated atmosphere containing 5% CO 2 and 21% O 2 (" standard atmosphere "), in a conventional cell culture incubator, or 0.1% O 2 (" low oxygen ") in a gas-tight incubator/manipulator (Don Whitley Scientific DG250 anaerobic workstation), flushed with a preformed gas mixture (0.1% O 2 , 5% CO 2 , 94.9% N 2). Viable cells were counted in a hemocytometer by trypan blue exclusion. Proteins were extracted and separated as previously described [1]. Briefly, cells were washed once with ice-cold phosphate buffered saline (PBS) containing 100 µM Na 3 VO 4 and solubilized by incubating for 10 minutes at 95°C in Laemmli buffer (62.5 mM Tris/HCl, pH 6.8, 10% glycerol, 0.005% bromophenol blue, and 2% SDS). Lysates were clarified by centrifugation (13000 rpm, 5 minutes, RT) and protein concentration in supernatants was determined by the BCA method (Pierce™ BCA Protein Assay Kit; Thermo Fisher Scientific). Extracted proteins (50 µg/sample) were boiled for 10 minutes in the presence of 100 mM 2-mercaptoethanol, separated by SDS-PAGE in 9 or 15% polyacrylamide minigels and then transferred onto PVDF membranes (Merck-Millipore, Billerica, MA, U.S.A.) by electroblotting. Membranes were blocked in a 1:1 dilution of Odyssey (LI-COR ® Biosciences, Lincoln, NE, U.S.A.) blocking buffer (OBB) with PBS for 1 hour at RT and then incubated (overnight, 4°C) with primary antibody in a 1:1 dilution of OBB with PBS-0,1% Tween (T-PBS). (ChIP) assay ChIP assay procedure was performed as previously described [2]. One million K562 cells were treated with 1% formaldehyde for 10 min at 37°C and centrifuged at 1100 rpm for 5 min at 4°C. Cells were then washed twice, using ice-cold PBS containing protease inhibitors: 100 µM Na 3 VO 4 , 1 mM phenyl-methyl-sulphonyl-fluoride (PMSF), 1 μg/ml aprotinin and 1 μg/ml pepstatin-A. Cell pellet was lysed in 200 μl of lysis buffer (50 mM Tris–HCl pH 8.1, 10 mM EDTA, 1% SDS, 100 …
Stretched Too Thin ? : The Relationship Between Insufficient Resource Allocation and Physical Education Instructional Time and Assessment Practices

With provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act, attention to physical education (PE) programs in school will be crucial for developing well-rounded students. We assessed the availability of resources that have the potential to impact PE (staffing, continuing education, annual PE equipment budgets) in a nationally-representative sample of 640 U.S. public elementary schools. Higher student-to-PE teacher ratios were associated with students not receiving adequate instruction. Equipment budgets were minimal (median 1⁄4 $500) and 30% of schools had no budget at all. Additional financial support from federal and state education agencies would help schools to better meet recommendations for PE. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Physical education (PE) in schools is a key aspect of providing children with the knowledge and skill to be physically active for a lifetime, and there is strong evidence that healthy children are better learners (Basch, 2011; Institute of Medicine, 2013). PE and school-based physical activity (PA) improves academic outcomes, including students’ scores on standardized tests of achievement (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2010). PE has received renewed support recently, due to increasing recognition of the importance of supporting the whole child in education settings, which has been articulated by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and CDC in the “Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child” model (2015). In addition, supporting the whole child has received national support through an emphasis on well-rounded education in the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015). In other words, it is clear thatdmuch like other content areas such as mathematics, science, or civicsdPE should also be part of the educational experience for all students, rather than being considered an optional subject or one that is eliminated due to budgetary challenges. Like all other teachers, PE teachers provide instruction on a formal content area with standards, curricula, and assessments to measure student outcomes (SHAPE America, 2015). Resources are necessary for all teachers to accomplish these goals, regardless of content area. However, thus far, few studies have examined the nationwide allocation of resources to PE programs in schools, nor the impact on characteristics * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: lindseyturner1@boisestate.edu (L. Turner), tylerjohnson6@ boisestate.edu (T.G. Johnson), hannahcalvert898@boisestate.edu (H.G. Calvert), fjc@uic.edu (F.J. Chaloupka).
Neural-network-observer-based optimal control for unknown nonlinear systems using adaptive dynamic programming

In this paper, an observer-based optimal control scheme is developed for unknown nonlinear systems using adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) algorithm. First, a neural-network (NN) observer is designed to estimate system states. Then, based on the observed states, a neuro-controller is constructed via ADP method to obtain the optimal control. In this design, two NN structures are used: a three-layer NN is used to construct the observer which can be applied to systems with higher degrees of nonlinearity and without a priori knowledge of system dynamics, and a critic NN is employed to approximate the value function. The optimal control law is computed using the critic NN and the observer NN. Uniform ultimate boundedness of the closed-loop system is guaranteed. The actor, critic, and observer structures are all implemented in real-time, continuously and simultaneously. Finally, simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Future Projections of Fire Occurrence in Brazil Using EC-Earth Climate Model

Fire has a fundamental role in the Earth system as it influences global and local ecosystem patterns and processes, such as vegetation distribution and structure, the carbon cycle and climate. Since, in the global context, Brazil is one of the regions with higher fire activity, an assessment is here performed of the sensitivity of the wildfire regime in Brazilian savanna and shrubland areas to changes in regional climate during the 21st Century, for an intermediate scenario (RCP4.5) of climate change. The assessment is based on a spatial and temporal analysis of a meteorological fire danger index specifically developed for Brazilian biomes, which was evaluated based on regional climate simulations of temperature, relative humidity and precipitation using the Rossby Centre Regional Climate Model (RCA4) forced by the EC-Earth earth system model. Results show a systematic increase in the extreme levels of fire danger throughout the 21st Century that mainly results from the increase in maximum daily temperature, which rises by about 2 °C between 2005 and 2100. This study provides new insights about projected fire activity in Brazilian woody savannas associated to climate change and is expected to benefit the user community, from governmental policies to land management and climate researches.
Sleeve Gastrectomy Improves Glycemia Independent of Weight Loss by Restoring Hepatic Insulin Sensitivity

Bariatric surgery dramatically improves glycemic control, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain controversial because of confounding weight loss. We performed sleeve gastrectomy (SG) on obese and diabetic leptin receptor–deficient mice (db/db). One week postsurgery, mice weighed 5% less and displayed improved glycemia compared with sham-operated controls, and islets from SG mice displayed reduced expression of diabetes markers. One month postsurgery SG mice weighed more than preoperatively but remained near-euglycemic and displayed reduced hepatic lipid droplets. Pair feeding of SG and sham db/db mice showed that surgery rather than weight loss was responsible for reduced glycemia after SG. Although insulin secretion profiles from islets of sham and SG mice were indistinguishable, clamp studies revealed that SG causes a dramatic improvement in muscle and hepatic insulin sensitivity accompanied by hepatic regulation of hepatocyte nuclear factor-α and peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-α targets. We conclude that long-term weight loss after SG requires leptin signaling. Nevertheless, SG elicits a remarkable improvement in glycemia through insulin sensitization independent of reduced feeding and weight loss.
Generalize or Personalize - Do Dogs Transfer an Acquired Rule to Novel Situations and Persons?

Recent studies have raised the question of whether dogs, like human infants, comprehend an established rule as generalizable, normative knowledge or rather as episodic information, existing only in the immediate situation. In the current study we tested whether dogs disobeyed a prohibition to take a treat (i) in the presence of the communicator of the ban, (ii) after a temporary absence of the communicator, and (iii) in the presence of a novel person. Dogs disobeyed the rule significantly more often when the communicator left the room for a moment or when they were faced with a new person, than when she stayed present in the room. These results indicate that dogs “forget” a rule as soon as the immediate human context becomes disrupted.
Trade, Education, and the Shrinking Middle Class

We develop a new model of trade in which educational institutions drive comparative advantage and the distribution of human capital within and across countries. Our framework exploits a multiplicity of sectors and a continuous support of human capital choices to demonstrate that freer trade can induce crowding out of the middle occupations toward the skill acquisition extremes in one country and simultaneous expansion of middle-income industries in another. Individual gains from trade may be non-monotonic in workers' ability, and middle ability agents can lose the most from trade liberalization. Comparing trade and education policies, our model indicates that targeted education subsidies like Trade Adjustment Assistance are the most effective mechanism to bolster the middle class.
Perspectives on diabetes mortality as the result of residual confounding and reverse causality by common disease

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with major global health burdens, including 2 to 4 times increased rates of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease. However, T2D remains an exclusion diagnosis in individuals with arbitrarily elevated blood‐glucose levels. While it is well‐established that diabetes is associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, it has recently been shown that heart failure and cancer may precede, and even contribute to, the development of T2D. In the present review, we have summarized these findings and discuss their potential implications for our understanding of the T2D disease entity, including its treatment and associated increased mortality. We suggest that the existence of a hitherto unrecognized distinct T2D subtype, secondary to heart failure and/or cancer, may substantially contribute to the excess mortality reported in T2D patients with mild disease. Treatment and clinical care of this subtype needs to be defined separately from the general T2D phenotype.
Development of Improved Corrosion Inspection Procedures for Reinforced Concrete Bridges: Electrical Resistivity of Concrete

The effects of steel reinforcement and chloride-induced corrosion initiation on the electrical resistivity measurements using the Wenner probe technique were studied experimentally on custom-designed reinforced concrete slabs. Investigation parameters included (1) probe configurations with respect to rebar mesh, (2) rebar density, (3) epoxy coating on the rebar, (4) concrete cover thickness over embedded reinforcement, (5) chloride ingress, and (6) corrosion of rebar. The concrete moisture condition and cover thickness influenced the effect of rebar mesh. It was theorized that bound chlorides increased electrical resistivity measurements and counteracted the effect of free chlorides. It was observed that epoxy coated rebar did not significantly affect measurements. Uncoated rebar affected resistivity measurements, particularly for saturated and semi-saturated concrete. Corrosion initiation was observed to have no significant effect on measurements. Larger concrete cover thicknesses provided for more discrepancy between half-cell potential and electrical resistivity measurements. Recommendations to increase electrical resistivity measurement accuracy on reinforced concrete slab surfaces are made.