Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Pricing in High-Dimensions

We study the pricing problem faced by a firm that sells a large number of products, described via a wide range of features, to customers that arrive over time. Customers independently make purchasing decisions according to a general choice model that includes products features and customers' characteristics, encoded as $d$-dimensional numerical vectors, as well as the price offered. The parameters of the choice model are a priori unknown to the firm, but can be learned as the (binary-valued) sales data accrues over time. The firm's objective is to minimize the regret, i.e., the expected revenue loss against a clairvoyant policy that knows the parameters of the choice model in advance, and always offers the revenue-maximizing price. This setting is motivated in part by the prevalence of online marketplaces that allow for real-time pricing. We assume a structured choice model, parameters of which depend on $s_0$ out of the $d$ product features. We propose a dynamic policy, called Regularized Maximum Likelihood Pricing (RMLP) that leverages the (sparsity) structure of the high-dimensional model and obtains a logarithmic regret in $T$. More specifically, the regret of our algorithm is of $O(s_0 \log d \cdot \log T)$. Furthermore, we show that no policy can obtain regret better than $O(s_0 (\log d + \log T))$.
Parametrized Cichoń's diagram and small sets

We parametrize Cichoń’s diagram and show how cardinals from Cichoń’s diagram yield classes of small sets of reals. For instance, we show that there exist subsets N and M of ω × 2 and continuous functions e, f : ω → ω such that • N is Gδ and {Nx : x ∈ ωω}, the collection of all vertical sections of N, is a basis for the ideal of measure zero subsets of 2 ; • M is Fσ and {Mx : x ∈ ωω} is a basis for the ideal of meager subsets of 2 ; • ∀x, y Ne(x) ⊆ Ny ⇒ Mx ⊆ Mf(y). From this we derive that for a separable metric space X, • if for all Borel (resp. Gδ) sets B ⊆ X×2ω with all vertical sections null, ⋃ x∈X Bx is null, then for all Borel (resp. Fσ) sets B ⊆ X × 2 with all vertical sections meager, ⋃ x∈X Bx is meager; • if there exists a Borel (resp. a “nice” Gδ) set B ⊆ X×2ω such that {Bx : x ∈ X} is a basis for measure zero sets, then there exists a Borel (resp. Fσ) set B ⊆ X×2ω such that {Bx : x ∈ X} is a basis for meager sets. 0. Introduction. Let S be a family of subsets of the Cantor set 2. The covering number of S is (by convention, min(∅) =∞) cov(S) = min { |A| : A ⊆ S & ⋃ A = 2 } . We can say that an abstract set X is “cov(S)-small”, in a cardinal sense, iff for every choice {Sx : x ∈ X} of sets from S, ⋃ x∈X Sx does not cover 2 . Similarly, we can say that a separable metric space X is “cov(S)-small”, in a continuous (resp. Borel) sense, iff this holds for every “continuous” (resp. “Borel”) choice. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification: 04A15, 03E50. The first author supported by KBN grant PB 2 1017 91 01, the second by KBN grant 2P 30100804.
AgreementMaker: Efficient Matching for Large Real-World Schemas and Ontologies

We present the AgreementMaker system for matching real-world schemas and ontologies, which may consist of hundreds or even thousands of concepts. The end users of the system are sophisticated domain experts whose needs have driven the design and implementation of the system: they require a responsive, powerful, and extensible framework to perform, evaluate, and compare matching methods. The system comprises a wide range of matching methods addressing different levels of granularity of the components being matched (conceptual vs. structural), the amount of user intervention that they require (manual vs. automatic), their usage (stand-alone vs. composed), and the types of components to consider (schema only or schema and instances). Performance measurements (recall, precision, and runtime) are supported by the system, along with the weighted combination of the results provided by those methods. The AgreementMaker has been used and tested in practical applications and in the Ontology Alignment Evaluation Initiative (OAEI) competition. We report here on some of its most advanced features, including its extensible architecture that facilitates the integration and performance tuning of a variety of matching methods, its capability to evaluate, compare, and combine matching results, and its user interface with a control panel that drives all the matching methods and evaluation strategies.
Masking in Visual Recognition: Effects of Two-Dimensional Filtered Noise

It is difficult to recognize portraits that have been coarsely sampled and quantized. Blurring such images improves recognition. A simple, straightforward explanation is that high-frequency noise introduced by the sampling and quantizing must be removed by low-pass filtering to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and hence signal detectability or recognition. Experiments reported here, suggested on the basis of a different model, show instead that noise bands that are spectrally adjacent to the picture's spectrum are considerably more effective in suppressing recognition.
A Similarity-Based Generalization of Fuzzy Orderings Preserving the Classical Axioms

Equivalence relations and orderings are key concepts of mathematics. For both types of relations, formulations within the framework of fuzzy relations have been proposed already in the early days of fuzzy set theory. While similarity (indistinguishability) relations have turned out to be very useful tools, e.g. for the interpretation of fuzzy partitions and fuzzy controllers, the utilization of fuzzy orderings is still lagging far behind, although there are a lot of possible applications, for instance, in fuzzy preference modeling and fuzzy control. The present paper is devoted to this missing link. After a brief motivation, we will critically analyze the existing approach to fuzzy orderings. In the main part, an alternative approach to fuzzy orderings, which also takes the strong connection to gradual similarity into account, is proposed and studied in detail, including several constructions and representation results.
Metallothionein 3 attenuated the apoptosis of neurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus in the senescence-accelerated mouse/PRONE8 (SAMP8).

OBJECTIVE Metallothionein 3 (MT-3) has been shown to protect against apoptotic neuronal death in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Zinc is a potent inhibitor of caspase-3 and its deficiency was found to promote apoptosis. Here, we measured the zinc and copper content in the brains of senescence-accelerated mouse/PRONE8 (SAMP8) and sought to investigate the effect of MT-3 on the apoptosis of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region of these mice. METHOD The zinc and copper content in the brain samples of SAMP8 and normal control SAMR1 mice were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The mice were administered intraperitoneally for four weeks with MT-3 or MT1 and thereafter apoptosis was measured using the TUNEL method and the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and proapoptotic protein Bax was examined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Compared with that in SMAR1 mice, the content of zinc in the brains of SAMP8 mice was significantly reduced (P<0.05). Moreover, significant levels of apoptosis of neurons were observed in the hippocampus of SAMP8 mice, which, compared with those in SMAR1 mice, also showed significantly lower levels of Bcl-2 and higher levels of Bax (P<0.05). MT-3 increased zinc concentration in the hippocampus of SAMP8 mice and also significantly decreased apoptosis in these neurons dose-dependently and increased the levels of Bcl-2 and decreased the levels of Bax. CONCLUSION MT-3 could attenuate apoptotic neuron death in the hippocampus of SAMP8, suggesting that the protein may lessen the development of neurodegeneration.
Long-lasting semantic interference effects in object naming are not necessarily conceptually mediated

Long-lasting interference effects in picture naming are induced when objects are presented in categorically related contexts in both continuous and blocked cyclic paradigms. Less consistent context effects have been reported when the task is changed to semantic classification. Experiment 1 confirmed the recent finding of cumulative facilitation in the continuous paradigm with living/non-living superordinate categorization. To avoid a potential confound involving participants responding with the identical superordinate category in related contexts in the blocked cyclic paradigm, we devised a novel set of categorically related objects that also varied in terms of relative age – a core semantic type associated with the adjective word class across languages. Experiment 2 demonstrated the typical interference effect with these stimuli in basic level naming. In Experiment 3, using the identical blocked cyclic paradigm, we failed to observe semantic context effects when the same pictures were classified as younger–older. Overall, the results indicate the semantic context effects in the two paradigms do not share a common origin, with the effect in the continuous paradigm arising at the level of conceptual representations or in conceptual-to-lexical connections while the effect in the blocked cyclic paradigm most likely originates at a lexical level of representation. The implications of these findings for current accounts of long-lasting interference effects in spoken word production are discussed.
Assessment of bronchodilatation after spontaneous recovery from a histamine challenge in asthmatic children.

BACKGROUND: It would be convenient to be able to measure airway responsiveness to histamine and to bronchodilator drugs on the same day, but whether this can be done reliably is unknown. METHODS: The effect of a prior histamine challenge on the bronchodilator response to salbutamol after spontaneous recovery of FEV1 to 95% of the prechallenge level was studied in two groups of asthmatic children. Fourteen children inhaled 400 micrograms salbutamol after spontaneous recovery from a histamine challenge, followed by a further 100 micrograms salbutamol 20 minutes later. In a second group of eight asthmatic children the study was repeated with 800 micrograms salbutamol, followed by a further 200 micrograms 20 minutes later. RESULTS: After histamine challenge FEV1 returned to baseline in 70 minutes or less on all occasions. The FEV1 20 minutes after 400 micrograms salbutamol was significantly lower after the histamine challenge than on the control day. After the further 100 micrograms salbutamol FEV1 values were similar after the histamine challenge and on the control day. FEV1 values after 800 micrograms salbutamol and the further 200 micrograms dose were not influenced by a prior histamine challenge. CONCLUSIONS: In children with stable asthma in whom FEV1 has returned to baseline after a histamine challenge the FEV1 achieved after 800 micrograms salbutamol is not affected by the histamine challenge. Histamine and bronchodilator responsiveness can thus be assessed reliably on the same day in patients with stable asthma. This has clear advantages for patient care.
Long term health and neurodevelopment in children exposed to antiepileptic drugs before birth

Objective: To investigate the frequency of neonatal and later childhood morbidity in children exposed to antiepileptic drugs in utero. Design: Retrospective population based study. Setting: Population of the Grampian region of Scotland. Participants: Mothers taking antiepileptic drugs in pregnancy between 1976 and 2000 were ascertained from hospital obstetric records and 149 (58% of those eligible) took part. They had 293 children whose health and neurodevelopment were assessed. Main outcome measures: Frequencies of neonatal withdrawal, congenital malformations, childhood onset medical problems, developmental delay, and behaviour disorders. Results: Neonatal withdrawal was seen in 20% of those exposed to antiepileptic drugs. Congenital malformations occurred in 14% of exposed pregnancies, compared with 5% of non-exposed sibs, and developmental delay in 24% of exposed children, compared with 11% of non-exposed sibs. After excluding cases with a family history of developmental delay, 19% of exposed children and 3% of non-exposed sibs had developmental delay, 31% of exposed children had either major malformations or developmental delay, 52% of exposed children had facial dysmorphism compared with 25% of those not exposed, 31% of exposed children had childhood medical problems (13% of non-exposed sibs), and 20% had behaviour disorders (5% of non-exposed). Conclusion: Prenatal antiepileptic drug exposure in the setting of maternal epilepsy is associated with developmental delay and later childhood morbidity in addition to congenital malformation.
RNA RELOCATION AT MITOSIS IN TRANSFORMED AND TUMORIGENIC HUMAN BREAST EPITHELIAL CELLS

The fate of RNA revealed by metachromatic staining after a critical electrolyte concentration assay using toluidine blue and Mg2+ions as competitors for the substrate dye binding sites was followed at mitosis in human breast epithelial cells transformed by benzo[a]pyrene and transfected with the c‐Ha‐ ras oncogene. The aim was to detect changes in RNA distribution during mitosis in human transformed/tumorigenic cells exhibiting increased nucleolar sizes and rRNA production while in interphase. RNA relocation in association with the mitotic spindle fibers was observed from metaphase to telophase not to vary in all the cell lines studied. RNA‐containing nucleolus‐like bodies persistent during mitosis were found to decrease in frequency in the transformed and tumorigenic cells in comparison with control non‐transformed cells simultaneously to the previously reported increase in nucleolar areas for the same cells while in interphase. It is suggested that an improved use of RNA transcripts has been developed with cell transformation and tumorigenesis in this particular model.
Sirolimus in combination with tacrolimus and corticosteroids for the treatment of resistant chronic graft‐versus‐host disease

Chronic graft‐versus‐host disease (cGVHD) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in haematopoietic transplant recipients. Sirolimus is a macrocyclic triene antibiotic with immunosuppressive, antifungal and antitumour properties, that has activity in the prevention and treatment of acute GVHD. We conducted a phase II trial of sirolimus combined with tacrolimus and methylprednisolone in patients with steroid‐resistant cGVHD. Thirty‐five patients who developed GVHD after day 100 post‐transplant were studied. Six patients had a complete response and 16 a partial response with an overall response rate of 63%. Major adverse events related to the combination of tacrolimus and sirolimus were hyperlipidaemia, renal dysfunction and cytopenias. Four patients had thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) and 27 (77%) had infectious complications. The median survival for the whole group was 15 months. A significantly better outcome was observed in patients with a platelet count ≥100 × 109/l, as well as in those with true chronic manifestations of GVHD compared to those with acute GVHD beyond day 100. Controlled trials comparing this approach with alternative strategies to determine which can best achieve the goal of GVHD‐free survival are warranted.
Power to Punish Norm Violations Affects the Neural Processes of Fairness-Related Decision Making

Punishing norm violations is considered an important motive during rejection of unfair offers in the ultimatum game (UG). The present study investigates the impact of the power to punish norm violations on people’s responses to unfairness and associated neural correlates. In the UG condition participants had the power to punish norm violations, while an alternate condition, the impunity game (IG), was presented where participants had no power to punish norm violations since rejection only reduced the responder’s income to zero. Results showed that unfair offers were rejected more often in UG compared to IG. At the neural level, anterior insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex were more active when participants received and rejected unfair offers in both UG and IG. Moreover, greater dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity was observed when participants rejected than accepted unfair offers in UG but not in IG. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex activation was higher in UG than IG when unfair offers were accepted as well as when rejecting unfair offers in IG as opposed to UG. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the power to punish norm violations affects not only people’s behavioral responses to unfairness but also the neural correlates of the fairness-related social decision-making process.
Transcription factor 19 interacts with histone 3 lysine 4 trimethylation and controls gluconeogenesis via the nucleosome-remodeling-deacetylase complex

Transcription factor 19 (TCF19) has been reported as a type 1 diabetes–associated locus involved in maintenance of pancreatic β cells through a fine-tuned regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis. TCF19 also exhibits genomic association with type 2 diabetes, although the precise molecular mechanism remains unknown. It harbors both a plant homeodomain and a forkhead-associated domain implicated in epigenetic recognition and gene regulation, a phenomenon that has remained unexplored. Here, we show that TCF19 selectively interacts with histone 3 lysine 4 trimethylation through its plant homeodomain finger. Knocking down TCF19 under high-glucose conditions affected many metabolic processes, including gluconeogenesis. We found that TCF19 overexpression represses de novo glucose production in HepG2 cells. The transcriptional repression of key genes, induced by TCF19, coincided with NuRD (nucleosome-remodeling-deacetylase) complex recruitment to the promoters of these genes. TCF19 interacted with CHD4 (chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 4), which is a part of the NuRD complex, in a glucose concentration–independent manner. In summary, our results show that TCF19 interacts with an active transcription mark and recruits a co-repressor complex to regulate gluconeogenic gene expression in HepG2 cells. Our study offers critical insights into the molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation of gluconeogenesis and into the roles of chromatin readers in metabolic homeostasis.
Collagen Type I Improves the Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells towards Definitive Endoderm

Human embryonic stem cells have the ability to generate all cell types in the body and can potentially provide an unlimited source of cells for cell replacement therapy to treat degenerative diseases such as diabetes. Current differentiation protocols of human embryonic stem cells towards insulin producing beta cells focus on soluble molecules whereas the impact of cell-matrix interactions has been mainly unattended. In this study almost 500 different extracellular matrix protein combinations were screened to systemically identify extracellular matrix proteins that influence differentiation of human embryonic stem cells to the definitive endoderm lineage. The percentage of definitive endoderm cells after differentiation on collagen I and fibronectin was >85% and 65%, respectively. The cells on collagen I substrates displayed different morphology and gene expression during differentiation as assessed by time lapse studies compared to cells on the other tested substrates. Global gene expression analysis showed that cells differentiated on collagen I were largely similar to cells on fibronectin after completed differentiation. Collectively, the data suggest that collagen I induces a more rapid and consistent differentiation of stem cells to definitive endoderm. The results shed light on the importance of extracellular matrix proteins for differentiation and also points to a cost effective and easy method to improve differentiation.
A supervised ‘lesion-enhancement’ filter by use of a massive-training artificial neural network (MTANN) in computer-aided diagnosis (CAD)

Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) has been an active area of study in medical image analysis. A filter for the enhancement of lesions plays an important role for improving the sensitivity and specificity in CAD schemes. The filter enhances objects similar to a model employed in the filter; e.g. a blob-enhancement filter based on the Hessian matrix enhances sphere-like objects. Actual lesions, however, often differ from a simple model; e.g. a lung nodule is generally modeled as a solid sphere, but there are nodules of various shapes and with internal inhomogeneities such as a nodule with spiculations and ground-glass opacity. Thus, conventional filters often fail to enhance actual lesions. Our purpose in this study was to develop a supervised filter for the enhancement of actual lesions (as opposed to a lesion model) by use of a massive-training artificial neural network (MTANN) in a CAD scheme for detection of lung nodules in CT. The MTANN filter was trained with actual nodules in CT images to enhance actual patterns of nodules. By use of the MTANN filter, the sensitivity and specificity of our CAD scheme were improved substantially. With a database of 69 lung cancers, nodule candidate detection by the MTANN filter achieved a 97% sensitivity with 6.7 false positives (FPs) per section, whereas nodule candidate detection by a difference-image technique achieved a 96% sensitivity with 19.3 FPs per section. Classification-MTANNs were applied for further reduction of the FPs. The classification-MTANNs removed 60% of the FPs with a loss of one true positive; thus, it achieved a 96% sensitivity with 2.7 FPs per section. Overall, with our CAD scheme based on the MTANN filter and classification-MTANNs, an 84% sensitivity with 0.5 FPs per section was achieved.
IL-10 production differentially influences the magnitude, quality, and protective capacity of Th1 responses depending on the vaccine platform

The quality of a Th1 response can be a prospective correlate of vaccine-mediated protection against certain intracellular pathogens. Using two distinct vaccine platforms, we evaluate the influence of interleukin (IL) 10 production on the magnitude, quality, and protective capacity of CD4+ T cell responses in the mouse model of Leishmania major infection. Multiparameter flow cytometry was used to delineate the CD4+ T cell production of interferon (IFN) γ, IL-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and IL-10 (or combinations thereof) after vaccination. Immunization with a high dose of adenovirus (ADV) expressing leishmanial proteins (MML-ADV) elicited a limited proportion of multifunctional IFN-γ+IL-2+TNF+ Th1 cells, a high frequency of IL-10–producing CD4+ T cells, and did not protect against subsequent challenge. Surprisingly, in the absence of IL-10, there was no change in the magnitude, quality, or protective capacity of the Th1 response elicited by high-dose MML-ADV. In contrast, after immunization with MML protein and CpG (MML + CpG), IL-10 limited the production of IL-12 by DCs in vivo, thereby decreasing the generation of multifunctional Th1 cells. Consequently, three immunizations with MML + CpG were required for full protection. However, inhibiting IL-10 at the time of immunization enhanced the magnitude and quality of the Th1 response sufficiently to mediate protection after only a single immunization. Overall, we delineate distinct mechanisms by which vaccines elicit protective Th1 responses and underscore the importance of multifunctional CD4+ T cells.