Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Latest results from the EU project AVATAR: Aerodynamic modelling of 10 MW wind turbines

This paper presents the most recent results from the EU project AVATAR in which aerodynamic models are improved and validated for wind turbines on a scale of 10 MW and more. Measurements on a DU 00-W-212 airfoil are presented which have been taken in the pressurized DNW-HDG wind tunnel up to a Reynolds number of 15 Million. These measurements are compared with measurements in the LM wind tunnel for Reynolds numbers of 3 and 6 Million and with calculational results. In the analysis of results special attention is paid to high Reynolds numbers effects. CFD calculations on airfoil performance showed an unexpected large scatter which eventually was reduced by paying even more attention to grid independency and domain size in relation to grid topology. Moreover calculations are presented on flow devices (leading and trailing edge flaps and vortex generators). Finally results are shown between results from 3D rotor models where a comparison is made between results from vortex wake methods and BEM methods at yawed conditions.
Nonsurgical therapies for resected and unresected pancreatic cancer in Europe and USA in 2003–2014: a large international population‐based study

The role of chemotherapy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer (PaC) has been well‐established, while radiation plays ambiguous roles. This international large‐scale population‐based study aimed to investigate the real‐world application of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for resected and unresected PaC in Europe and USA. Population‐based data from multiple European national cancer registries and the US Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)‐18 database during 2003–2014 were analyzed. Temporal trends and geographical variations in the application rates of chemotherapy and radiotherapy were quantified using age standardization. Associations of treatment with demographic and clinical characteristics were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. A total of 141,533 PaC patients were analyzed. From 2003–2005 to 2012–2014, chemotherapy administration rates increased in most countries and more strongly among resected patients, while radiation rates were generally low with a slight decline or no obvious trend. In 2012–2014, 12.5% (Estonia) to 61.7% (Belgium) of resected and 17.1% (Slovenia) to 56.9% (Belgium) of unresected patients received chemotherapy. Radiation was administered in 2.6% (Netherlands) to 32.6% (USA) of resected and 1.0% (USA) to 6.0% (Belgium) of unresected patients. Strong temporal and geographical variations were observed. Patterns and strengths of associations of treatment administration with various demographic and clinical factors differed substantially between resected and unresected cancers and varied greatly across countries. Conclusively, administration of chemotherapy but not radiotherapy for PaC increased during the last decade in Europe and USA. Treatment rates were low and the uptake strongly varied across countries, highlighting the need for standardization in PaC treatment to improve patient care.
Effect of nano‐sized SiO2 particles on the cognitive function and biochemical response

Abstract Several in vitro studies have convincingly demonstrated that SiO2NPs mediated cytotoxicity, which was dose-, time- and size-dependent. The data on in vivo toxicity of SiO2NPs are even more contradictory. In the present study, we investigated the effects of sub-acute exposure to SiO2-NPs on spatial learning and memory, the biochemical parameters and the histology of organs. Rats were injected intravenously with a single dose of SiO2-NPs (20 mg/kg) during five consecutive days. The analysis of spatial memory in the Morris water maze showed that SiO2-NPs disrupt the cognitive abilities of rats. Moreover, SiO2-NPs could changes the blood counts. However, biochemical markers remained unchanged. Histological examination showed that SiO2-NPs induced pathological changes in rat organs. In this finding NPs were shown to cause granuloma formation and inflammatory cells infiltration in the liver.
Ectopic positioning of Bergmann glia and impaired cerebellar wiring in Mlc1‐over‐expressing mice

Mlc1 is a causative gene for megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts, and is expressed in astrocytes. Mlc1‐over‐expressing mice represent an animal model of early‐onset leukoencephalopathy, which manifests as astrocytic swelling followed by myelin membrane splitting in the white matter. It has been previously reported that Mlc1 is highly expressed in Bergmann glia, while the cerebellar phenotypes of Mlc1‐over‐expressing mouse have not been characterized. Here, we examined the cerebellum of Mlc1‐over‐expressing mouse and found that the distribution of Bergmann glia (BG) was normally compacted along the Purkinje cell (PC) layer until postnatal day 10 (P10), while most BG were dispersed throughout the molecular layer by P28. Ectopic BG were poorly wrapped around somatodendritic elements of PCs and exhibited reduced expression of the glutamate transporter glutamate‐aspartate transporter. Extraordinarily slow and small climbing fiber (CF)‐mediated excitatory post‐synaptic currents, which are known to be elicited under accelerated glutamate spillover, emerged at P20‐P28 when BG ectopia was severe, but not at P9‐P12 when ectopia was mild. Furthermore, maturation of CF wiring, which translocates the site of innervation from somata to proximal dendrites, was also impaired. Manipulations that restricted the Mlc1‐over‐expressing period successfully generated mice with and without BG ectopia, depending on the over‐expressing period. Together, these findings suggest that there is a critical time window for mechanisms that promote the positioning of BG in the PC layer. Once normal positioning of BG is affected, the differentiation of BG is impaired, leading to insufficient glial wrapping, exacerbated glutamate spillover, and aberrant synaptic wiring in PCs.
Bone development in laboratory mammals used in developmental toxicity studies

Evaluation of the skeleton in laboratory animals is a standard component of developmental toxicology testing. Standard methods of performing the evaluation have been established, and modification of the evaluation using imaging technologies is under development. The embryology of the rodent, rabbit, and primate skeleton has been characterized in detail and summarized herein. The rich literature on variations and malformations in skeletal development that can occur in the offspring of normal animals and animals exposed to test articles in toxicology studies is reviewed. These perturbations of skeletal development include ossification delays, alterations in number, shape, and size of ossification centers, and alterations in numbers of ribs and vertebrae. Because the skeleton is undergoing developmental changes at the time fetuses are evaluated in most study designs, transient delays in development can produce apparent findings of abnormal skeletal structure. The determination of whether a finding represents a permanent change in embryo development with adverse consequences for the organism is important in study interpretation. Knowledge of embryological processes and schedules can assist in interpretation of skeletal findings.
The impact of the 2008/2009 financial crisis on specialist physician activity in Canada

Fee-for-service physicians are responsible for planning for their retirements, and there is no mandated retirement age. Changes in financial markets may influence how long they remain in practice and how much they choose to work. The 2008 crisis provides a natural experiment to analyze elasticity in physician service supply in response to dramatic financial market changes. We examined quarterly fee-for-service data for specialist physicians over the period from 1999/2000 to 2013/2014 in Canada. We used segmented regression to estimate changes in the number of physicians receiving payments, per-physician service counts, and per-physician payments following the 2008 financial crisis and explored whether patterns differed by physician age. The number of specialist physicians increased more rapidly in the period since 2008 than in earlier years, but increases were largest within the youngest age group, and we observed no evidence of delayed retirement among older physicians. Where changes in service volume and payments were observed, they occurred across all ages and not immediately following the 2008 financial crisis. We conclude that any response to the financial crisis was small compared with demographic shifts in the physician population and changes in payments per service over the same time period.
Object-Oriented Dynamics Predictor

Generalization has been one of the major challenges for learning dynamics models in model-based reinforcement learning. However, previous work on action-conditioned dynamics prediction focuses on learning the pixel-level motion and thus does not generalize well to novel environments with different object layouts. In this paper, we present a novel object-oriented framework, called object-oriented dynamics predictor (OODP), which decomposes the environment into objects and predicts the dynamics of objects conditioned on both actions and object-to-object relations. It is an end-to-end neural network and can be trained in an unsupervised manner. To enable the generalization ability of dynamics learning, we design a novel CNN-based relation mechanism that is class-specific (rather than object-specific) and exploits the locality principle. Empirical results show that OODP significantly outperforms previous methods in terms of generalization over novel environments with various object layouts. OODP is able to learn from very few environments and accurately predict dynamics in a large number of unseen environments. In addition, OODP learns semantically and visually interpretable dynamics models.
Optimization over Nonnegative and Convex Polynomials With and Without Semidefinite Programming

The problem of optimizing over the cone of nonnegative polynomials is a fundamental problem in computational mathematics, with applications to polynomial optimization, control, machine learning, game theory, and combinatorics, among others. A number of breakthrough papers in the early 2000s showed that this problem, long thought to be out of reach, could be tackled by using sum of squares programming. This technique however has proved to be expensive for large-scale problems, as it involves solving large semidefinite programs (SDPs). In the first part of this thesis, we present two methods for approximately solving large-scale sum of squares programs that dispense altogether with semidefinite programming and only involve solving a sequence of linear or second order cone programs generated in an adaptive fashion. We then focus on the problem of finding tight lower bounds on polynomial optimization problems (POPs), a fundamental task in this area that is most commonly handled through the use of SDP-based sum of squares hierarchies (e.g., due to Lasserre and Parrilo). In contrast to previous approaches, we provide the first theoretical framework for constructing converging hierarchies of lower bounds on POPs whose computation simply requires the ability to multiply certain fixed polynomials together and to check nonnegativity of the coefficients of their product. In the second part of this thesis, we focus on the theory and applications of the problem of optimizing over convex polynomials, a subcase of the problem of optimizing over nonnegative polynomials. (See manuscript for the rest of the abstract.)
Dividend policy and its impact on firm valuation

The issue of dividends and what role it plays, has been the subject of discussion for decades. The main reason for this is that the chosen dividend policy for a company affects several different stakeholders, with shareholders being the most affected party. Determining dividend policy is influenced by multiple factors such as capital structure, potential stakeholder signaling and corporate culture concerning payouts. This study will investigate how the relationship between firm performance and stock price is affected by the level of dividends a firm pays. To explore this relationship, the authors will conduct a correlation and regression analysis that is performed on data collected on middle and large capitalization firms listed on the Stockholm stock exchange. The chosen time frame for this study is year 2007-2017. Several variables are included in the regression model in order to explore a potential relationship. The findings of this study indicate that the stock price of high dividend yield firms are more dependent on financial performance compared to low dividend yield firms. However, an overall positive correlation is found between financial performance and stock price for both samples.
Effect of food on the pharmacokinetic characteristics of a single oral dose of LCB01-0371, a novel oxazolidinone antibiotic

Background LCB01-0371 is a novel oxazolidinone antibiotic that blocks protein production by binding to bacterial 23S ribosomes. This antibiotic is active against Gram-positive bacteria. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics (PKs) of LCB01-0371 and evaluate its safety profile. Subjects and methods A randomized, open-label, two-way crossover study was performed in 18 healthy Korean male subjects. All subjects received a single oral 800 mg dose of LCB01-0371 in each period under fed or fasting condition with a 7-day washout in between. The fed condition was defined as consumption of a meal of 800–1,000 kcal containinĝ50% of fat content. Serial blood samples were collected over 24 h after dosing, and the PK parameters were calculated by noncompartment analysis. All available data of the subjects who received LCB01-0371 at least once were included in the safety data summaries. Results In the fed condition, both the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and the total systemic exposure (area under the plasma concentration–time curve from time zero to the last observed time point [AUClast]) decreased by ~33% and 10%, respectively. The time to reach Cmax was delayed by ~1.25 h in the fed condition, whereas the mean elimination half-life remained similar in both conditions. In the fed/fasting condition, the geometric mean ratios and 90% CI of the Cmax and AUClast were 0.666 (0.470–0.945) and 0.897 (0.761–1.057), respectively. There were no drug-related adverse events (AEs) or serious AEs. Conclusion Although the Tmax after a single oral 800 mg dose of LCB01-0371 was slightly delayed under the fed condition compared to the fasting condition, the total systemic exposure was similar under both conditions. Therefore, LCB01-0371 could be administered regardless of food intake.
Learning Conditioned Graph Structures for Interpretable Visual Question Answering

Visual Question answering is a challenging problem requiring a combination of concepts from Computer Vision and Natural Language Processing. Most existing approaches use a two streams strategy, computing image and question features that are consequently merged using a variety of techniques. Nonetheless, very few rely on higher level image representations, which allow to capture semantic and spatial relationships. In this paper, we propose a novel graph-based approach for Visual Question Answering. Our method combines a graph learner module, which learns a question specific graph representation of the input image, with the recent concept of graph convolutions, aiming to learn image representations that capture question specific interactions. We test our approach on the VQA v2 dataset using a simple baseline architecture enhanced by the proposed graph learner module. We obtain state of the art results with 66.18% accuracy and demonstrate the interpretability of the proposed method.
The Japanese food score and risk of all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality: the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study

Abstract Few studies have reported the association between the Japanese diet as food score and mortality. This study aimed to investigate adherence to the Japanese food score associated with all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality. A total of 58 767 (23 162 men and 34 232 women) Japanese participants aged 40–79 years, who enrolled in the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study between 1988 and 1990, were included. The Japanese food score was derived from the components of seven food groups (beans and bean products, fresh fishes, vegetables, Japanese pickles, fungi, seaweeds and fruits) based on the FFQ. The total score ranged from 0 to 7, and participants were divided into five categories based on scores (0–2, 3, 4, 5 and 6–7). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI for all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality based on sex were estimated using Cox proportional models. During the follow-up period until 2009, 11 692 participants with all-cause, 3408 with CVD and 4247 with cancer died. The multivariable HR in the 6–7 and 0–2 Japanese food score groups were 0·93 (95 % CI 0·86, 1·01) in men and 0·82 (95 % CI 0·75, 0·90) in women for all-cause mortality and 0·89 (95 % CI 0·76, 1·04) in men and 0·66 (95 % CI 0·56, 0·77) in women for CVD mortality. Our findings suggest that adherence to the Japanese food score consisting of food combinations characterised by a Japanese diet may help in preventing all-cause and CVD mortality, especially in women.
Alterations in the Liquidity Premium as an Effect of Exchange Traded Funds a Study

Investors have historically demanded a return premium for taking on the risk of illiquidity both in terms of characteristic and systematic liquidity risk. Recent research have presented results suggesting that the liquidity premium is diminishing. The increasing popularity of passive investments such as Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) have been proposed as a driving force for the declining trend. Despite the popularity of ETFs, there is limited research how they impact the financial markets. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how the liquidity premium has developed in the United States between 1997 and 2016 and to explore if developments in the liquidity premium can be linked to the capital inflow to the United States ETF market. The thesis uses measures of stocks’ spreads and order book depths as proxies for the characteristic and systematic liquidities. The proxies are used to test if liquidity has influenced stock returns over 1-year, 5-years and the entire 20-year period. The empirical results obtained through Fama-MacBeth regressions show that the liquidity premium can fluctuate by both sign and magnitude year by year. The characteristic risk premium is negative and significant for the entire 20-year period and the 1-year regressions suggests a clear negative trend. The systematic liquidity premium on the other hand is positive and significant for the entire 20-year period but the 1-year regressions do not show a clear trend. The empirical results show no statistical significance that ETFs influence the liquidity premium. However, the graphical interpretation of the 1-year regressions suggests that the characteristic liquidity premium is negatively correlated with the growth of ETFs. The negative characteristic premium implies that investors are not being adequately compensated for the risk of illiquidity and should therefore avoid a liquidity-based investing strategy which has generated excess return in the past.
Online fully automated SPE‐HPLC‐MS/MS determination of ceftiofur in bovine milk samples employing a silica‐anchored ionic liquid as sorbent

Solid‐phase extraction coupled online with high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry was successfully applied to determine low concentrations of ceftiofur antibiotic in bovine milk samples. A silica‐anchored ionic liquid was applied as sorbent material to be used as extraction phase in the proposed online system. The material was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. In order to improve the system reproducibility, the following experimental parameters were optimized: organic solvent percentage, time and sample loading flow rate. Subsequently, the method was validated presenting satisfactory results as adequate selectivity, good linearity and correlation coefficient higher than 0.98. The limit of detection and quantification were 0.1 and 0.7 μg/L, respectively. The precision of the methodology was evaluated as repeatability and intermediate precision, with relative standard deviation values lower than 15%. The accuracy of the method ranged from 72.8 to 137% and the minimum and maximum recovery values were 73.4 and 111.3%, respectively. After the validation, seven milk samples were analyzed and although ceftiofur was not detected in any of them the method was demonstrated to be efficient when applied to the analysis of milk samples fortified with the pollutant of interest.
Assessing the influence of air speed and liquid flow rate on the droplet size and homogeneity in pneumatic spraying.

BACKGROUND The efficacy of treatments in vineyards largely depends on the necessary balance between leaf coverage and spray drift and, therefore, knowledge about droplet size is of major importance, but scarce scientific information is available on pneumatic spraying, often adopted in this crop. The objective of this work was to obtain the relationships between the droplet size spectra characterization parameters and the main affecting factors in pneumatic nozzles. RESULTS Three liquid flow rates (LFR) and four air speeds (AS) were combined in laboratory conditions to assess their influence on the droplet size spectra (D10, D50 and D90), homogeneity (Relative Span Factor, RSF) and driftability (V100 ) in two different air shear nozzles (cannon-type and hand-type nozzles). The droplet size parameters were significantly affected by LFR and AS, and a model was fitted to predict droplet size in every spout type. The droplet V100 was also affected by both factors. The RSF was similar in both cases but did not follow regular trends. CONCLUSIONS The findings obtained can help vineyard farmers and technicians to effectively increase the efficiency and, therefore, the efficacy of the pesticide treatments reducing at the same time the spray drift risk by selecting appropriately the optimal values of the main operational parameters: LFR and AS. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.
GroupReduce: Block-Wise Low-Rank Approximation for Neural Language Model Shrinking

Model compression is essential for serving large deep neural nets on devices with limited resources or applications that require real-time responses. As a case study, a state-of-the-art neural language model usually consists of one or more recurrent layers sandwiched between an embedding layer used for representing input tokens and a softmax layer for generating output tokens. For problems with a very large vocabulary size, the embedding and the softmax matrices can account for more than half of the model size. For instance, the bigLSTM model achieves state-of- the-art performance on the One-Billion-Word (OBW) dataset with around 800k vocabulary, and its word embedding and softmax matrices use more than 6GBytes space, and are responsible for over 90% of the model parameters. In this paper, we propose GroupReduce, a novel compression method for neural language models, based on vocabulary-partition (block) based low-rank matrix approximation and the inherent frequency distribution of tokens (the power-law distribution of words). The experimental results show our method can significantly outperform traditional compression methods such as low-rank approximation and pruning. On the OBW dataset, our method achieved 6.6 times compression rate for the embedding and softmax matrices, and when combined with quantization, our method can achieve 26 times compression rate, which translates to a factor of 12.8 times compression for the entire model with very little degradation in perplexity.