Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
1W continuous-wave laser generation and excited state absorption measurements in Cr2+:ZnSe

Cr2+-doped chalcogenide crystals were shown recently to be promising materials for highly efficient and broadly tunable mid-IR (2-3 μm) lasers [1]. Possible applications of these lasers include medicine, remote sensing and trace gas analysis. Pulsed [2], continuous wave (cw) [3, 4], gain-switched [5] and diode-side-pumped laser operation [6] has been demonstrated with Cr2+:ZnSe, which exhibit slope efficiency as high as 63% and tunability between 2138 nm and 2760 nm. However, one of the problems encountered with this kind of materials is their relatively high level of passive losses at the laser wavelength. Thus both detailed spectroscopic studies including ESA measurements and synthesis of materials by using various crystal-growth techniques are necessary to estimate the amount of intrinsic optical losses and reduce as much as possible what is due to extrinsic reasons such as unwanted impurities and lattice defects. In this paper we report for the first time to our knowledge on the results of ESA measurements in Cr2+:ZnSe as well as on the realization of 1W efficient cw laser with Cr2+:ZnSe crystals.
Natasha 2: Faster Non-Convex Optimization Than SGD

We design a stochastic algorithm to train any smooth neural network to $\varepsilon$-approximate local minima, using $O(\varepsilon^{-3.25})$ backpropagations. The best result was essentially $O(\varepsilon^{-4})$ by SGD. More broadly, it finds $\varepsilon$-approximate local minima of any smooth nonconvex function in rate $O(\varepsilon^{-3.25})$, with only oracle access to stochastic gradients.
On Deep Reinforcement Learning for Data-Driven Traffic Control Master Thesis

To cope with the ever increasing traffic congestion in road networks, there is a need for methods to handle more cars with less time and space. Traffic lights and their corresponding scheduling algorithms play a key role in effectively managing traffic flows. Scheduling algorithms currently employed throughout world wide road networks are static, while research points out that with the usage of smart road sensors and dynamic machine learning techniques based on reinforcement learning, the average waiting times and throughput of a road network can significantly be improved upon. In this research, we advance the current stateof-the-art further in both intelligent transport and reinforcement learning by proposing and analyzing a technique called deep reinforcement learning in data-driven traffic light scheduling controllers. We aim to give insight into the traffic light scheduling problem itself, how machine learning techniques can be applied within this problem domain, and what the current state-of-the-art is in data-driven traffic light scheduling. Using these insights, we present several traffic light scheduling algorithms based on deep reinforcement learning and a generalized traffic simulation framework, which allows us to realistically model complex traffic flows through user-defined road networks, such that we can benchmark different types of traffic light scheduling algorithms. Ultimately, using the generalized traffic simulation framework, we show that the scheduling algorithms based on deep reinforcement learning outperform the current state-of-the-art algorithms significantly, cutting vehicle waiting times in highly congestive situations by 58 − 86% (76% on average) when compared to traditional timing-based algorithms widely deployed across the real-world, and by 29 − 77% (59% on average) when compared to researched traditional reinforcement learning algorithms. 2 On Deep Reinforcement Learning for Data-Driven Traffic Control
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF FLUIDIZATION OF SOLIDS PARTICLES IN A BUBBLING FLUIDIZED BED

علاطا هلاقم تا هدیکچ لماک یشهوژپ هلاقم :تفایرد 24 يد 1392 :شریذپ 21 دنفسا 1392 :تیاس رد هئارا 10 نابآ 1393 يارب هعلاطم یبرجت کیمانیدوردیه لایس رتسب و ياهرتماراپ رثوم رب ،نآ کی لایس رتسب یحارط و هتخاس نیا . دش ،رتسب هناوتسا و يدومع يا هب فافش رطق 14 یتناس رتم تارذ اب نش اکیلیس رد هزادنا هزاب 212 ات 800 رتمورکیم هدوب و طسوت اوه اب راشف و يامد ،طیحم لایس یم رد . دوش نیا قیقحت ادتبا تعرس لقادح تیلایس يارب تارذ فلتخم هب تسد هدمآ و ریثات هزادنا تارذ و عافترا رتسب يور نیا تعرس یسررب . تسا هدش سپس تفا راشف رتسب و ثات ری عافترا و هزادنا تارذ يور نآ هعلاطم رد . تسا هدش ،نایاپ جیاتن لصاح زا شیامزآ يارب تعرس لقادح تیلایس و تفا راشف رتسب اب ریداقم شیپ طباور طسوت هدش ینیب ،دوجوم هسیاقم ات هدش نازیم فارحنا نیا طباور اب جیاتن شیامزآ اه صخشم هجیتن . دوش نیا شیامزآ اه ناشن یم دنهد هک اب شیازفا هزادنا ،تارذ تعرس لقادح تیلایس شیازفا یم اما . دبای يارب کی عافترا ،نیعم هزادنا تارذ يریثات يور رادقم تفا راشف رتسب شیازفا . درادن عافترا رتسب هولاع شیازفا رب تفا ،راشف ببس یم دوش تعرس لقادحات تیلایس یکدنا شیازفا دبای اما نیا شیازفا مشچ ریگ یمن . دشاب هب عافترا رییغت اب رتسب راشف تفا نینچمه یم رییغت یطخ تروص . دنک :ناگژاو دیلک تیلایس لایس رتسب تیلایس تعرس لقادح رتسب راشف تفا
Measurement Properties of the Low Back Activity Confidence Scale (LoBACS)

The purpose of this study was to determine the measurement properties of the Low Back Activity Confidence Scale (LoBACS) in individuals with post-acute low back pain (LBP) receiving nonsurgical intervention, including construct validity, factorial validity, and internal consistency reliability. Data were analyzed from an existing randomized clinical trial involving 112 patients with LBP. Evidence for convergent validity was observed through significant correlations between LoBACS subscale scores and other function, pain, and psychobehavioral measures. LoBACS subscales accounted for 36% of the unique variance in dependent variable measurements, suggesting a satisfactory level of statistical divergence between the LoBACS and other psychobehavioral measurements in this study. Cronbach’s α ranged from . 88 to . 92 for LoBACS subscales, and item-total correlations exceeded . 6, indicating high internal consistency reliability. Principal axis factoring confirmed the hypothesized three-subscale structure by correctly classifying 14 of the 15 items. These findings indicate the LoBACS is valid and internally consistent to measure domain-specific self-efficacy beliefs.
Impacts of Mechanical Tree Felling on Development of Water Tupelo Regeneration in the Mobile Delta, Alabama

Two water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica L.) stands in the Mobile Delta of Alabama were selected to test the hypothesis that mechanizedfelling does not reduce establishment and growth of natural water tupelo regeneration relative to traditional tree felling with chainsaws. To test the hypothesis, we established six, 2 ac treatment plots in each of two blocks on each of two sites, and randomly assigned plots to either mechanical tree felling with a tracked, swing feller or chainsaw felling. Each site was clearcut in Fall, 1992, and merchantable boles were removed by helicopter. Establishment and growth of regeneration was assessedprior to harvest and annually for 3 yr after harvest infive, 0.01 ac measurement plots located in each treatment plot. Stand harvesting promoted establishment of water tupelo seedlings such that 3 yr after treatment we recorded over 27O/ac on each site regardless offelling method. Seedling height increased at a steady rate and averaged about 39 in. tall after three growing seasons. Woody competition also responded to the harvest, outnumbering water tupelo seedlings 3 yr after treatment by as much as seven to one on Site 2. Water tupelo stump sprouts developing from chainsaw felling grew well and averaged about 13.5 ft tall after three growing seasons. However, mechanicalfelling reduced water tupelo stump sprouting by 50% leading to a lower density of sprout clumps in mechanicallyf elledplots (P = 0.0253). Our results indicated that mechanicalfelling techniques used in this study may adversely impact regeneration of water tupelo swamps where coppice is a desirable form of reproduction. South.
Joint RLS and LMS adaptive equalization for indoor wireless communications under staircase environments

In this paper, a novel joint recursive least square (RLS) and least mean square (LMS) adaptive equalization algorithm for indoor, short range wireless communications under staircase environment is proposed. In this algorithm, the RLS is initially used to realize the fast convergence. Then, the LMS is adapted to rapidly optimize the receiving signals. Once the imbalance of the equalizer or severe channel deterioration is captured, RLS algorithm is triggered again to recover balance. It is seen that the proposed algorithm can bring more than 9dB equalization gain to the 2.6GHz-band indoor wireless communication under staircase environment. Finally, the proposed joint algorithm is also verified to be runtime saving and have a good effect on the phase shift correction.
Stachyose Improves Inflammation through Modulating Gut Microbiota of High‐Fat Diet/Streptozotocin‐Induced Type 2 Diabetes in Rats

SCOPE The present study is undertaken to assess the effects of stachyose (STS) on type 2 diabetes in rats and changes in the gut microbiota compared to metformin (MET). METHODS AND RESULTS The type 2 diabetic model is successfully established via a high-fat diet /streptozotocin in Wistar rats, and STS or MET is administered for 4 weeks. Blood is collected to analyze biochemical parameters, pancreas for mRNA expression of related gene, and contents of colon for gut microbiota. STS or MET decreases serum LPS, mRNA expression of IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). In addition, STS and MET show a similar shifting of the structure of the gut microbiota and a selective enrichment of key species. At the genus level, STS shows selective enrichment of Phascolarctobacterium, Bilophila, Oscillospira, Turicibacter, and SMB5, but MET demonstrates a selective effect on Sutterella, Prevotella, 02d06, and rc4. The correlation analysis indicates that STS and MET decrease IL-6 and TNF-α and increase Akt/PI3K expression, which are relative to key species of gut microbiota. CONCLUSION STS decreases pancreatic mRNA expression of IL-6 and TNF-α via key species of gut microbiota. The mechanism of this effect is similar to that of MET.
Twenty‐Four‐Hour Central Pulse Pressure for Cardiovascular Events Prediction in a Low‐Cardiovascular‐Risk Population: Results From the Bordeaux Cohort

Background Central blood pressure (BP) is a promising marker to identify subjects with higher cardiovascular risk than expected by traditional risk factors. Significant results have been obtained in populations with high cardiovascular risk, but little is known about low‐cardiovascular‐risk patients, although the differences between central and peripheral BP (amplification) are usually greater in this population. The study aim was to evaluate central BP over 24 hours for cardiovascular event prediction in hypertensive subjects with low cardiovascular risk. Methods and Results Peripheral and central BPs were recorded during clinical visits and over 24 hours in hypertensive patients with low cardiovascular risk (Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation ≤5%). Our primary end point is the occurrence of a cardiovascular event during follow‐up. To assess the potential interest in central pulse pressure over 24 hours, we performed Cox proportional hazard models analysis and comparison of area under the curves using the contrast test for peripheral and central BP. A cohort of 703 hypertensive subjects from Bordeaux were included. After the first 24 hours of BP measurement, the subjects were then followed up for an average of 112.5±70 months. We recorded 65 cardiovascular events during follow‐up. Amplification was found to be significantly associated with cardiovascular events when added to peripheral 24‐hour pulse pressure (P=0.0259). The area under the curve of 24‐hour central pulse pressure is significantly more important than area under the curve of office BP (P=0.0296), and there is a trend of superiority with the area under the curve of peripheral 24‐hour pulse pressure. Conclusions Central pulse pressure over 24 hours improves the prediction of cardiovascular events for hypertensive patients with low cardiovascular risk compared to peripheral pulse pressure.
Urological approach for cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in a clinical care center

Abstract Background: Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) is associated with significant manipulation of the urinary tract (UT). We aim to describe the urological events and their management in patients who underwent CRS-HIPEC. Methods: Clinical records of patients who underwent treatment between 2007 and 2015 were reviewed. Urological events and their multidisciplinary management were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results: A total of 103 patients were included. Mean age was 51 years (SD ± 11.8). Mean peritoneal cancer index (PCI) was 20.4 (SD ± 10.1). Primary tumors included appendicular (64%), gynecological (16%), colorectal (10%), and peritoneal mesotheliomas (9%). Ninety-three percent of patients had bilateral ureteral catheters inserted prior to surgery, without complications. Intraoperative UT injuries occurred in 7% of patients. In 5% of patients, tumor invasion of the bladder was evident at surgery and partial resection and primary repair of the bladder wall was performed. Urological complications included urinary tract infection (UTI) (21%) acute post-renal failure (4%), urinary fistulae (4%), and acute urinary retention (AUR) (1%). Conclusions: In our study, intraoperative UT events and postoperative complications, although not neglectable, were infrequent. Due to the high complexity of these cases, a multidisciplinary approach is mandatory. However, randomized clinical trials are necessary to clarify current data on the need and efficacy of prophylactic ureteral catheterization in patients undergoing CRS-HIPEC.
A solution for the gain discontinuity issue of the non-inverting buck-boost converter

The non-inverting four switches buck-boost (FSBB) converter is a topology which has recently attracted considerable attention in the area of Photovoltaic (PV) module-integrated power electronics. Due to limitations in the switching speed of MOSFETs and delays introduced to avoid current shoot-through, the gain function of such converter exhibits a discontinuous behaviour at the transition from buck to boost operating mode and vice versa. The discontinuous gain is the cause of undesired transients in the PV voltage and PV power. This paper focuses on a solution for the gain discontinuity issue by operating the converter in buck and boost mode simultaneously during the transition. Particular attention is devoted to the duty ratio compensation technique employed when operating the converter in both modes, and a criteria to set the converter duty ratios during the transition is given. The methodology presented should come as an aid for those considering the FSBB converter topology as a candidate for PV module-integrated converters.
Environmental Policy Regulation and Corporate Compliance in a Spatial Evolutionary Game Model

We use an evolutionary game model to study the interplay between corporate environmental compliance and enforcement promoted by the policy maker in a country facing a pollution trap, i.e., a scenario in which the vast majority of firms do not internalize their pollution negative externality and auditors do not inspect firms. The game conflict is due to the trade-off in which firms are better-off when they pollute and are not inspected, while social welfare is maximized when auditors do not need to inspect socially responsible corporations that account for pollution in their production decisions regarding technology used and emission level. Starting with a well-mixed two-population game model, there is no long-run equilibrium and the shares of polluters and shirking auditors keep oscillating over time. In contrast, when firms and auditors are allocated in a spatial network, the game displays a rich dynamics depending on the inspecting cost. While the oscillatory behaviour is still possible, there is a set of parameters for which a long run robust equilibrium is achieved with the country leaving the pollution trap. On the other hand, an excessively high inspection cost leads to an ineffective auditing process where the few compliant firms are driven out of the country.
Dataset for the Reporting of Carcinoma of the Cervix: Recommendations From the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting (ICCR)

Cervical carcinoma remains one of the most common cancers affecting women worldwide, despite effective screening programs being implemented in many countries for several decades. The International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting (ICCR) dataset for cervical carcinoma was first developed in 2017 with the aim of developing evidence-based standardized, consistent and comprehensive surgical pathology reports for resection specimens. This 4th edition update to the ICCR dataset on cervical cancer was undertaken to incorporate major changes based upon the updated International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FIGO) staging for carcinoma of the cervix published in 2018 and the 5th Edition World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Female Genital Tumors published in 2020 and other significant developments in pathologic aspects of cervical cancer. This updated dataset was developed by a panel of expert gynecological pathologists and an expert gynecological oncologist, with a period of open consultation. The revised dataset includes “core” and “noncore” elements to be reported; these are accompanied by detailed explanatory notes and references providing the rationale for the updates. Standardized reporting using datasets such as this helps facilitate consistency and accuracy, data collection across different sites and comparison of epidemiological and pathologic parameters for quality and research purposes.
Dynamic predictions using flexible joint models of longitudinal and time‐to‐event data

Joint models for longitudinal and time‐to‐event data are particularly relevant to many clinical studies where longitudinal biomarkers could be highly associated with a time‐to‐event outcome. A cutting‐edge research direction in this area is dynamic predictions of patient prognosis (e.g., survival probabilities) given all available biomarker information, recently boosted by the stratified/personalized medicine initiative. As these dynamic predictions are individualized, flexible models are desirable in order to appropriately characterize each individual longitudinal trajectory. In this paper, we propose a new joint model using individual‐level penalized splines (P‐splines) to flexibly characterize the coevolution of the longitudinal and time‐to‐event processes. An important feature of our approach is that dynamic predictions of the survival probabilities are straightforward as the posterior distribution of the random P‐spline coefficients given the observed data is a multivariate skew‐normal distribution. The proposed methods are illustrated with data from the HIV Epidemiology Research Study. Our simulation results demonstrate that our model has better dynamic prediction performance than other existing approaches. © 2017 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
T Cell Subsets in the Germinal Center: Lessons from the Macaque Model

Germinal centers (GCs) are organized lymphoid tissue microstructures where B cells proliferate and differentiate into memory B cells and plasma cells. A few distinctive subsets of highly specialized T cells gain access to the GCs by expressing the B cell zone–homing C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CXCR5) while losing the T cell zone–homing chemokine receptor CCR7. Help from T cells is critical to induce B cell proliferation and somatic hyper mutation and to limit GC reactions. CD4+ T follicular helper (TFH) cells required for the formation of GCs and for the generation of long-lived, high-affinity B cells. Regulatory CD4+ (TFR) and CD8+ T cells co-localize with TFH cells and keep their expansion in check, thus limiting GC reactions. A cytotoxic CXCR5pos CD8+ T cell subset has been described in GCs in humans: although low in number, GC CD8+ T cells can expand rapidly during certain viral infections. Because these subsets find their home in secondary lymphoid tissues (lymph nodes and spleen) that are difficult to obtain in humans, GC–homing T cells have been extensively studied in mice. Nevertheless, significant limitations in using this model, such as evolutionary divergences between mice and humans and the lack of an optimal mouse model for certain human diseases, have prompted investigators to characterize GC–homing T cells in macaques instead. This review will focus on discoveries made in macaques, particularly in the non-human primate models of simian immunodeficiency virus and simian–human immunodeficiency virus infection. Indeed, experimental studies in these models have allowed researchers to gain insight into the relative role of follicular T cell subsets in HIV progression, virus persistence, and specific B cell responses induced by HIV vaccines. These discoveries have prompted the testing of novel approaches aimed to manipulate follicular T cells to increase the efficacy of HIV vaccines and to eliminate HIV reservoirs.
Expression of the Fluoroquinolones Efflux Pump Genes acrA and mdfA in Urinary Escherichia coli Isolates

Abstract Escherichia coli is one of the most frequent causes of urinary tract infections. Efflux system overexpression is reported to contribute to E. coli resistance to several antibiotics. Our aim in this study was to investigate the relation between antibiotic resistance and the expression of the efflux pump genes acrA and mdfA in E. coli by real-time reverse transcription-PCR. We tested the in vitro susceptibilities to 12 antibiotics in 28 clinical isolates of E. coli obtained from urine samples. We also determined the minimum inhibitory concentrations of levofloxacin to these samples. We then revealed significant correlations between the overexpression of both mdfA and acrA and MICs of levofloxacin. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the increased expression of efflux pump genes such as mdfA and acrA can lead to levofloxacin resistance in E. coli. These findings contribute to further understanding of the molecular mechanisms of efflux pump systems and how they contribute to antibiotic resistance.
Gender Differences in Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Risk Perception Among Individuals With Diabetes

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine gender-based differences in cardiovascular risk factors and risk perception among individuals with diabetes. Methods The sample consisted of patients with an established history of diabetes who were enrolled in a telemedicine trial to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. All subjects had a 10% or greater risk on the Framingham risk index. Assessments included blood pressure, A1C, lipid profile, medication history, and knowledge and risk perception surveys. Results Data were available for 211 individuals with type 2 diabetes (88 men and 123 women). The women and men did not differ in age, body mass index, or Framingham risk. Only 37.4% of women and 40.9% of men were at an A1C target of <7%. Total cholesterol levels were significantly higher among women, and fewer women were at low-density lipoprotein or blood pressure targets. Knowledge of CVD was similar between the 2 sexes. However, women perceived their risk for CVD to be significantly higher than did men. Conclusion Less favorable cardiovascular risk profiles are observed among women with diabetes as compared with their male counterparts. Multifaceted approaches to both diabetes management and education are needed to target CVD risk reduction among individuals with diabetes.