Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phase Retrieval via Polytope Optimization: Geometry, Phase Transitions, and New Algorithms

We study algorithms for solving quadratic systems of equations based on optimization methods over polytopes. Our work is inspired by a recently proposed convex formulation of the phase retrieval problem, which estimates the unknown signal by solving a simple linear program over a polytope constructed from the measurements. We present a sharp characterization of the high-dimensional geometry of the aforementioned polytope under Gaussian measurements. This characterization allows us to derive asymptotically exact performance guarantees for PhaseMax, which also reveal a phase transition phenomenon with respect to its sample complexity. Moreover, the geometric insights gained from our analysis lead to a new nonconvex formulation of the phase retrieval problem and an accompanying iterative algorithm, which we call PhaseLamp. We show that this new algorithm has superior recovery performance over the original PhaseMax method. Finally, as yet another variation on the theme of performing phase retrieval via polytope optimization, we propose a weighted version of PhaseLamp and demonstrate, through numerical simulations, that it outperforms several state-of-the-art algorithms under both generic Gaussian measurements as well as more realistic Fourier-type measurements that arise in phase retrieval applications.
Association of Dietary Patterns during Pregnancy and Cord Blood Nitric Oxide Level with Birth Weight of Newborns

Background: Maternal nutrition during pregnancy affects the birth weight of neonates. Some of the undesirable pregnancy outcomes are linked to lower birth weights. This study aimed to assess the relationship between maternal dietary patterns, weight gain during pregnancy and nitric oxide (NO), as an endothelial relaxing factor, and the possible effects on birth weight.Materials and Methods: At first, a pilot study was done, and finally a number of 233 mothers who referred to 4 public and private hospitals in Isfahan, the Central of Iran, during March 2014 to March 2015 via a convenience sampling method, were elected and participant in this study. Dietary patterns were assessed using a Persian version of Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Gestational weight gain was measured, too. Cord blood nitric oxide (NO) level, and neonate’s anthropometric characteristics were measured after delivery.Results: The study participants consisted of 233 mother-neonate pairs. Overall, 4.3% of boys and 11.8% of girls, had low birth weight ( 0.05). Conclusion: Dietary patterns during pregnancy play as a main role in being low birth-weight neonates, in part by having impacts on gestational weight gain. In our samples among some Iranian mother-neonate pairs, endothelial function does not show a direct association with birth weight through releasing NO.
Emergence of Gram-Negative Bacilli with Concomitant bla NDM-1 - and bla OXA-48 -Like Genes in Egypt

Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms have emerged as a major threat to hospitalized patients, and are associated with serious morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to characterize carbapenem resistance genes among Gram-negative bacilli isolated from clinical samples from patients in the intensive care unit of Cairo University Hospital. A total of 211 samples were collected from patients showing clinical evidence of infection. Bacteria were isolated and identified by conventional microbiological methods. Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were furtherly characterized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using primers specific for blaOXA-51-like genes. The Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method was used to determine susceptibility patterns of isolates, and carbapenem resistance was further examined by a modified Hodge test. Positive isolates were tested for the presence of blaKPC, blaOXA-48, and blaNDM-like genes by PCR. NDM gene types were determined by direct sequencing. From the 211 samples, 229 Gram-negative bacilli were isolated. Fifty isolates (21.2%) were resistant to carbapenem. PCR analysis showed that none of the 50 isolates carried blaKPC-like genes, while 24 (48%) isolates carried blaOXA-48-like genes, 8 (16%) carried blaNDM-1, and five isolates (10%) carried both blaNDM-1 and blaOXA-48-like genes. These results indicate that continuous surveillance of these multidrug-resistant pathogens is urgently required. And that is very important is to activate the antimicrobial stewardship programs of which the most important is restriction of the big gun antibiotics like carbapenems, colistin, tigecyclin and vancomycin and restricting their prescription to privileged specialties.
African crocus (Curculigo pilosa) and wonderful kola (Buchholzia coriacea) seeds modulate critical enzymes relevant to erectile dysfunction and oxidative stress

Abstract Background The seeds of African crocus (AC) (Curculigo pilosa) and wonderful kola (WK) (Buchholzia coriacea) are commonly used in folklore medicine in managing erectile dysfunction (ED) without the full understanding of the possible mechanism of actions. This study investigated and compared the effects of aqueous extracts from the seeds of AC and WK on arginase and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities and some pro-oxidant [FeSO4 and sodium nitroprusside (SNP)]-induced lipid peroxidation in rat penile homogenate in vitro. Method Aqueous extracts of AC and WK were prepared, and their effects on arginase and AChE activities as well as FeSO4- and SNP-induced lipid peroxidation in rat penile homogenate were assessed. Furthermore, phenolic constituents of the extract were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD). Results Both extracts exhibited concentration-dependent inhibition on arginase (AC, IC50=0.05 mg/mL; WK, IC50=0.22 mg/mL) and AChE (AC, IC50=0.68 mg/mL; WK, IC50=0.28 mg/mL) activities. The extracts also inhibited FeSO4- and SNP-induced lipid peroxidation in rat penile homogenate. HPLC-DAD analysis revealed the presence of phenolic acids (gallic, caffeic, ellagic and coumaric acids) and flavonoids (catechin, quercetin and apigenin) in AC and WK. AC had higher arginase inhibitory and antioxidative activities but lower AChE inhibitory properties when compared with WK. Conclusions These effects could explain the possible mechanistic actions of the seeds in the management/treatment of ED and could be as a result of individual and/or synergistic effect of the constituent phenolic compounds of the seeds.
Clinical Studies Evaluating Effects of Probiotics on Parameters of Intestinal Barrier Function

The intestinal barrier is important in preventing translocation of bacteria, toxins and antigens from the lumen of the gut into the body. Enhanced permeability, or gut leakiness, has been associated with different diseases. Probiotics can, strain-specifically, improve the epithelial barrier function. However, so far most researches have used cell lines or animal models due to the difficulty of measuring the effects of products on the epithelial barrier function in vivo in humans. Here a systematic literature search was performed to find articles addressing the effects of probiotics on the barrier function in human trials. The Pubmed database was searched (January 2013) to identify human in vivo studies with probiotic products in which parameters for epithelial barrier function were measured. In total 29 studies were identified, but patients, bacterial characteristics and methods to measure intestinal barrier function caused large heterogeneity among these studies. About half of the studies showed positive results of probiotics on the epithelial barrier function, indicating a clear potential of probiotics in this field. In a case series of 14 patients using Ecologica825, a probiotic food supplement with known effect on epithelial barrier function, different markers of intestinal integrity improved significantly. Further studies in this field should consider strain(s), dose and duration of the probiotic supplementation as well as the markers used to measure epithelial barrier function. Besides the lactulose/mannitol test, zonulin and α1-antitrypsin might be valuable markers to measure epithelial barrier function in future experiments.
Effects of sodium butyrate on the growth performance, intestinal microflora and morphology of weanling pigs

A total of 96 pigs (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire) weaned at day 21 with an average initial body weight of 6.68 kg were used to investigate the effects of sodium butyrate on the growth performance, intestinal microfl ora and morphology of weanling pigs. The pigs were allocated to three dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design, each treatment was replicated four times with eight pigs per replicate and the trial lasted for 30 days. The dietary treatments were: 1. basal diet, 2. basal diet + 500 mg/kg sodium butyrate, 3. basal diet + 1000 mg/kg sodium butyrate. Diets were formulated according to requirements of NRC (1998) for 10-20 kg pigs. All diets were fed as mash, and no antibiotics was included. The results showed that supplementation with 1000 mg/kg sodium butyrate improved (P<0.05) growth performance, reduced (P<0.05) the total viable counts of intestinal Clostridium and Escherichia coli, decreased (P<0.05) tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin6 (IL-6) levels in the serum, and increased (P<0.05) villus height and the villus height to crypt depth ratio at the small intestinal mucosa as compared with control. The results indicated that sodium butyrate is effective in enhancing the growth and intestinal morphology of weanling pigs.
BAIT DEVELOPMENT FOR ORAL DELIVERY OF PHARMACEUTICALS TO RACCOONS (PROCYON LOTOR) AND STRIPED SKUNKS (MEPHITIS MEPHITIS)

Abstract Oral vaccination is one tool used to control wildlife diseases. A challenge to oral vaccination is identifying baits specific to target species. The US has been conducting oral vaccination against rabies since the 1990s. Improvements in bait development will hasten disease elimination. In Colorado, we examined a novel bait for oral vaccination and offered two different flavors, sweet and fish, to captive raccoons (Procyon lotor) and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) to assess consumption and flavor preference and observed bait removal by target and nontarget species in the field. During captive trials, raccoons and skunks consumed 98% and 87% of offered baits, respectively. Baits contained a sachet to simulate a vaccine package. Raccoons and skunks consumed 98% and 94% of the sachets, respectively. All unconsumed sachets were punctured, suggesting that animals had oral exposure to the contents. Raccoons preferred fish-flavored bait, but skunks did not have a preference. In the field, raccoons consumed the most baits, followed by fox squirrels (Sciurus niger). Other rabies host species (striped skunks, red foxes [Vulpes vulpes], coyotes [Canis latrans]) had very low visitation and were never observed consuming baits. High consumption rates by raccoons and skunks in captivity and observance of raccoons consuming baits in the field suggest that these baits may be useful for oral delivery of pharmaceuticals. Further field research is warranted to determine how to best optimize bait delivery.
Cognitive Mediators of Age-Related Differences in Language Comprehension and Verbal Memory Performance

The present study tried to specify how much processing speed, working memory capacity, and inhibition capability contribute to the effects of aging on language performance. An individual-differences approach was used to examine the component processes that predict performance in language comprehension and verbal long-term memory tasks. A total of 151 participants aged 31-80 completed language processing tasks and a battery of tasks designed to assess processing speed, working memory, and resistance to interference. Latent-construct structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships of these factors and age to different types of language tasks. The best fit model showed first that all the significant relationships between age and language performance are mediated through reductions in speed, resistance to interference, and working memory; this confirms the validity of the general factor approach of agerelated differences in cognitive performance. The best fit model, however, also showed that the contribution of speed and resistance to interference is indirect and mediated by working memory, which appears to play a crucial role in explaining age-related differences in language performance.
Mind in Motivation : A Social Cognitive Perspective on the Role of Consciousness in Goal Pursuit 23

Understanding human goal pursuit has historically been at the forefront of social psychological research, even while the popularity of the topic has waxed and waned in other areas of psychology (e.g., Kunda, 1999). Identifying the antecedents, mechanisms, and consequences of a person’s goals is fundamentally part of any functional analysis of human behavior. After all, as many scholars have noted over the years, for predictive purposes it is essential to know not just what another person is doing but also why , and for this we need access to another’s goals. Similarly for the self, the human capacity to imagine the self in a hypothetical future naturally allows for idealized states toward which the person can strive as well as aversive states the person can try to avoid. And, experientially, the pursuit of goals makes up a signifi cant chunk of people’s everyday cognition, behavior, and emotion (for a review, see Shah & Gardner, 2008). In the current chapter, we summarize and critically evaluate recent social cognitive work on the construct of human goals. We begin with the defi nition of a goal from a social cognitive perspective, and then introduce what we believe is a major issue Abstract
Extensible cellulosic fibre-polyurethane composites prepared via the papermaking pathway

Formable papers can be used as an alternative to rigid plastics for making 3D shapes for packaging applications. However, commercial use of formable paper is currently limited, due to its poor extensibility. Cellulosic fibres can be combined with polyurethanes to improve the deformability of resulting fibre-polymer composites. This work describes the effect of spray and wet-end addition of polyurethane dispersions to paper to enhance the extensibility and formability of paper. The increase in extensibility was directly proportional to the amount of polyurethane retained in the paper. Absolute improvements in extensibility were as high as 4 to 6 percentage points. Improved extensibility resulted in better formability of paper, which eventually could allow it to compete with plastic packaging in certain applications.
Protective Effect of Captopril against Doxorubicin-Induced Oxidative Stress in Isolated Rat Liver Mitochondria

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline antibiotic that has been used for a long time in therapy of an array of human malignancies either alone or in combination with other cytotoxic agents. The dose-dependent cardiotoxicity of DOX significantly limits its anticancer efficacies. Oxidative stress caused by enhanced production of reactive oxygen species is an important contributor to DOX mitochondrial toxicity. In the present study, DOX produced a significant elevation in TBARS, which is an indicator of lipid peroxidation, and significantly inhibited the activity of superoxide dismutase in rat liver mitochondria. Mitochondrial GSH dramatically decreased while GSSG was increased upon treatment of mitochondria by DOX. Co-treatment with captopril significantly reduced the lipid peroxidation in mitochondria and prevented the inhibition of superoxide dismutase activity induced by DOX. Captopril also significantly increased the level of GSH in DOX-treated mitochondria. These results, therefore, suggest that captopril acts as an antioxidant and can protect the mitochondria against DOX-induced oxidative stress. This effect appears to be due to the sulfhydryl groups of captopril which may act as antioxidant or scavenger of reactive oxygen species.
The yield curve dynamics in a small emerging economy and its interactions

This paper contributes to the literature on the relationship between the yield curve, macroeconomic variables and the unexplored interactions with the U.S. yield curve movements by focusing on an emerging market: Brazil. We incorporate factors for the U.S. yield curve and domestic macroeconomic variables into the Dynamic Nelson Siegel Model to exterminate co-movements with the Brazilian yield curve. The empirical results suggest that both American and macroeconomics components have explanatory power to the latent factors of the term structure, especially for the level U.S. factor high predictive power over Brazilian level, slope and curvature of the term structure.
Molecular and morphological diversity of Trebouxia microalgae in sphaerothallioid Circinaria spp. lichens1

Three vagrant (Circinaria hispida, Circinaria gyrosa, and Circinaria sp. ‘paramerae’) and one crustose (semi‐vagrant, Circinaria sp. ‘oromediterranea’) lichens growing in very continental areas in the Iberian Peninsula were selected to study the phycobiont diversity. Mycobiont identification was checked using nrITS DNA barcoding: Circinaria sp. ‘oromediterranea’ and Circinaria sp. ‘paramerae’ formed a new clade. Phycobiont diversity was analyzed in 50 thalli of Circinaria spp. using nrITS DNA and LSU rDNA, with microalgae coexistence being found in all the species analyzed by Sanger sequencing. The survey of phycobiont diversity showed up to four different Trebouxia spp. as the primary phycobiont in 20 thalli of C. hispida, in comparison with the remaining Circinaria spp. , where only one Trebouxia was the primary microalga. In lichen species showing coexistence, some complementary approaches are needed (454 pyrosequencing and/or ultrastructural analyses). Five specimens were selected for high‐throughput screening (HTS) analyses: 22 Trebouxia OTUs were detected, 10 of them not previously known. TEM analyses showed three different cell morphotypes (Trebouxia sp. OTU A12, OTU S51, and T. cretacea) whose ultrastructure is described here in detail for the first time. HTS revealed a different microalgae pool in each species studied, and we cannot assume a specific pattern between these pools and the ecological and/or morphological characteristics. The mechanisms involved in the selection of the primary phycobiont and the other microalgae by the mycobiont are unknown, and require complex experimental designs. The systematics of the genus Circinaria is not yet well resolved, and more analyses are needed to establish a precise delimitation of the species.
Procedural and clinical outcomes of endovascular recanalization therapy in patients with cancer-related stroke

Objective Embolism due to coagulopathy might be the main pathomechanism underlying cancer-related stroke (CRS). CRS patients with a large artery occlusion could be candidates for endovascular recanalization therapy (ERT), although its procedural and clinical outcomes are not well known. This study aimed to investigate the procedural and clinical outcomes of ERT in CRS patients and the characteristics associated with outcomes compared with those of conventional stroke patients. Methods A registry of consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients who underwent ERT between January 2011 and October 2015 was retrospectively reviewed. CRS patients are described as those who had (a) cryptogenic stroke with advanced or metastatic cancer; (b) no other possible causes of stroke such as cardioembolism (CE) and large artery atherosclerosis (LAA); and (c) elevated D-dimer levels or diffusion-restricted lesions in multiple vascular territories. We compared procedural and clinical outcomes at discharge among CRS, CE, and LAA patients. Results A total of 329 patients were finally enrolled in this study; of these, 19 were CRS patients. The rate of successful recanalization, defined as modified treatment in cerebral infarction grade 2b or 3, was lower in the CRS group than in the LAA and CE groups (63% versus 84% versus 84%, p = .06). CRS subtype was an independent predictor for successful recanalization after ERT in the multivariate analysis (odds ratio, 0.317; 95% confidence interval, 0.116–0.867; p < .001). No significant difference in the rate of good clinical outcomes at discharge was observed among groups. Conclusions Although clinical outcomes at discharge were similar for CE and LAA patients, complete recanalization seemed more difficult to achieve in CRS patients than in conventional stroke patients.
LF-Net: Learning Local Features from Images

We present a novel deep architecture and a training strategy to learn a local feature pipeline from scratch, using collections of images without the need for human supervision. To do so we exploit depth and relative camera pose cues to create a virtual target that the network should achieve on one image, provided the outputs of the network for the other image. While this process is inherently non-differentiable, we show that we can optimize the network in a two-branch setup by confining it to one branch, while preserving differentiability in the other. We train our method on both indoor and outdoor datasets, with depth data from 3D sensors for the former, and depth estimates from an off-the-shelf Structure-from-Motion solution for the latter. Our models outperform the state of the art on sparse feature matching on both datasets, while running at 60+ fps for QVGA images.
A low-voltage CMOS bandgap reference circuit with improved power supply rejection

This paper presents a CMOS low-voltage bandgap reference circuit with improved power supply rejection (PSR). The analysis of the reference circuit shows the required condition to achieve high PSR. The proposed circuit incorporates a feedback loop to insure that the condition for high PSR is achieved across process variations and temperature drifts. The design has been implemented in 130nm CMOS process. It consumes 70µA from a single 1.2V supply. Simulation results show an improvement of more than 15dB in low frequency PSR due to the additional feedback loop. The theoretical and simulation results are in close agreement.
On the breakup of fluid films of finite and infinite extent

We study the dewetting process of thin fluid films that partially wet a solid surface. Using a long-wave (lubrication) approximation, we formulate a nonlinear partial differential equation governing the evolution of the film thickness, h. This equation includes the effects of capillarity, gravity, and an additional conjoining/disjoining pressure term to account for intermolecular forces. We perform standard linear stability analysis of an infinite flat film, and identify the corresponding stable, unstable, and metastable regions. Within this framework, we analyze the evolution of a semi-infinite film of length L in one direction. The numerical simulations show that for long and thin films, the dewetting fronts of the film generate a pearling process involving successive formation of ridges at the film ends and consecutive pinch-off behind these ridges. On the other hand, for shorter and thicker films, the evolution ends up by forming a single drop. The time evolution as well as the final drops pattern sho.