Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An efficient rigorous approach for identifying statistically significant frequent itemsets

As advances in technology allow for the collection, storage, and analysis of vast amounts of data, the task of screening and assessing the significance of discovered patterns is becoming a major challenge in data mining applications. In this work, we address significance in the context of frequent itemset mining. Specifically, we develop a novel methodology to identify a meaningful support threshold s* for a dataset, such that the number of itemsets with support at least s* represents a substantial deviation from what would be expected in a random dataset with the same number of transactions and the same individual item frequencies. These itemsets can then be flagged as statistically significant with a small false discovery rate. Our methodology hinges on a Poisson approximation to the distribution of the number of itemsets in a random dataset with support at least s, for any s greater than or equal to a minimum threshold smin. We obtain this result through a novel application of the Chen-Stein approximation method, which is of independent interest. Based on this approximation, we develop an efficient parametric multi-hypothesis test for identifying the desired threshold s*. A crucial feature of our approach is that, unlike most previous work, it takes into account the entire dataset rather than individual discoveries. It is therefore better able to distinguish between significant observations and random fluctuations. We present extensive experimental results to substantiate the effectiveness of our methodology.
Effect of Maternal Steroid on Developing Diaphragm Integrity

Antenatal steroids reduce the severity of initial respiratory distress of premature newborn babies but may have an adverse impact on other body organs. The study aimed to examine the effect of maternal steroids on postnatal respiratory muscle function during development and elucidate the mechanisms underlying the potential myopathy in newborn rats. Pregnant rats were treated with intramuscular injections of 0.5 mg/kg betamethasone 7 d and 3 d before birth. Newborn diaphragms were dissected for assessment of contractile function at 2 d, 7 d or 21 d postnatal age (PNA), compared with age-matched controls. The expression of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms and atrophy-related genes and activity of intracellular molecular signalling were measured using quantitative PCR and/or Western blot. With advancing PNA, neonatal MHC gene expression decreased progressively while MHC IIb and IIx isoforms increased. Protein metabolic signalling showed high baseline activity at 2 d PNA, and significantly declined at 7 d and 21 d. Antenatal administration of betamethasone significantly decreased diaphragm force production, fatigue resistance, total fast fibre content and anabolic signalling activity (Akt and 4E-BP1) in 21 d diaphragm. These responses were not observed in 2 d or 7 d postnatal diaphragm. Results demonstrate that maternal betamethasone treatment causes postnatal diaphragmatic dysfunction at 21 d PNA, which is attributed to MHC II protein loss and impairment of the anabolic signalling pathway. Developmental modifications in MHC fibre composition and protein signalling account for the age-specific diaphragm dysfunction.
Plasma Acylated Ghrelin Response to One Session Circuit Resistance Exercise in Fasted and High Carbohydrate Meal in Healthy Young Men

Background: Ghrelin, a 28 amino acid peptide, is effective in control of appetite and body weight. Acylated ghrelin peptide is the active form of this peptide which plays a major role in the body’s energy balance. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the possible effect (s) of intensive resistance exercise on acylated ghrelin, growth hormone, glucose, insulin, and cortisol plasma levels. Patients and Methods: Forty male students with the mean age of 19.22 ± 0.26 years and BMI 21.02 ± 0.33 (kg/m2) were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Experimental group performed a single session of circuit resistance exercise with 80% 1RM in both fasting and high carbohydrate meal. Blood samples were collected before and immediately after exercise to measure the concentrations of mentioned variables. Results: Two-way ANOVA showed that acylated ghrelin and fasting plasma glucose levels after exercise in both high-carbohydrate and fasting groups were significantly increased compared to the control group (P < 0.05), but the levels of insulin, cortisol, and growth hormones did not have any significant change. Conclusions: Totally, it seems that the increased plasma acylated ghrelin during exercise is due to the decrease of muscle and liver energy stores which provides conditions for increased energy intake and positive energy balance.
An Experimental Comparison Between Free Negotiation and a Multi-issue Point Mechanism

We propose a multi-issue point mechanism to be used in conflict resolution situations. This mechanism extract “gains from trade” inherent in the differing valuation towards the various issues where conflict exists. In order to assess the performance of this mechanism vis-a-vis unconstrained communication, we run a series of controlled laboratory experiments and find that both mechanisms reach similar levels of welfare, but the multi issue point mechanism allows subjects to reach an agreement more swiftly. In order to analyse in detail the performance of both mechanisms we introduce a classical measure of conflict and see that when conflict is highest, free negotiation sustains most losses: (1) subjects need more time to reach an agreement; (2) the likelihood of gridlock (no agreement) increases.
Synthesis of adaptive controllers for robot manipulators using a passive feedback systems approach

Utilizing the fact that a manipulator composed of rigid links is a passive system, an approach based on the properties of interconnected passive systems is proposed for the analysis and synthesis of fixed and adaptive controllers for robot manipulators. This approach clarifies the rationale behind the various fixed and adaptive control laws synthesized using Lyapunov functions. <<ETX>>
Exposure Levels of Environmental Endocrine Disruptors in Mother-Newborn Pairs in China and Their Placental Transfer Characteristics

There is a growing concern about the potential health effects of exposure to various environmental chemicals during pregnancy and infancy. The placenta is expected to be an effective barrier protecting the developing embryo against some endocrine disruptors (EDs) circulating in maternal blood. The current study was designed to assess in utero exposure levels of non-persistent organic pollutants (non-POPs) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Chinese newborns and potential role of placenta barrier against fetal exposure to these commonly-used environmental endocrine disruptors. A total of 230 newborn-mother pairs were enrolled during 2010–2011, 201 pairs of which were recruited from Shanghai, and the other 29 pairs came from Wenzhou. Maternal blood, cord blood, and meconium specimens were collected in the subject population from Shanghai and analyzed for non-POPs, including mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), octylphenol (OP) and 4-nonylphenol (4-NP). A total of 19 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) congeners, which belong to POPs, were detected in maternal and cord blood specimens from the other 29 pairs. Fetal-maternal ratios (F-M ratios) and regression coefficients were presented to assess potential function of placenta on barricading the mother/fetal transfer of these EDs. Concentrations of the detected non-POPs in cord blood samples were approximately 20% lower than those in maternal blood, and regression coefficients of which were all over 0.80. In contrast, PBDEs levels in cord blood samples were significantly higher than those in maternal blood. MEHP levels in meconium were much higher than those in cord blood samples, and highly correlated. Therefore, observations demonstrated that the placental barrier slightly decreased the fetal exposure to most non-POPs, while PBDEs seemed to be totally transferred across the placenta and finally reached the fetus. For in utero exposure assessment of Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), MEHP level in meconium may be a useful biomarker.
Revised consistency conditions for PET data

Tomographic Data Consistency Conditions (TDCC) are frequently employed to improve the quality of PET data. However, most of these consistency conditions were derived from X-ray computerized tomography (CT) and their validity for other imaging modalities has not been well established. For instance, it is well known from (X-ray) CT data that the sum of the projection data from one view of the parallel-beam projections is a constant independent of the view-angle. This consistency condition is based on well-known mathematical properties of the Radon transform and yields good results when employed in noise removal or sinogram restoration. But this consistency condition assumes that emission and detection of radiation occur within a thin (ideally with zero width) line-of- response (LOR), with a flat probability distribution of the detection (in PET) or absorption (X-ray) along such LOR This assumption, being valid for CT, is not realistic for PET acquisitions. Thus, TDCC for PET should be revised in order to check their validity with more realistic detection models. In this work we review the main differences between PET and CT data and study whether these consistency conditions should be modified in order to take into account the dependence of the probabilities on the distance to the center of the line-of-response. Results from simulations are also presented to illustrate the importance of these effects. They indicate that some consistency conditions can be violated at the 10% level.
STDP enables spiking neurons to detect hidden causes of their inputs

The principles by which spiking neurons contribute to the astounding computational power of generic cortical microcircuits, and how spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) of synaptic weights could generate and maintain this computational function, are unknown. We show here that STDP, in conjunction with a stochastic soft winner-take-all (WTA) circuit, induces spiking neurons to generate through their synaptic weights implicit internal models for subclasses (or "causes") of the high-dimensional spike patterns of hundreds of pre-synaptic neurons. Hence these neurons will fire after learning whenever the current input best matches their internal model. The resulting computational function of soft WTA circuits, a common network motif of cortical microcircuits, could therefore be a drastic dimensionality reduction of information streams, together with the autonomous creation of internal models for the probability distributions of their input patterns. We show that the autonomous generation and maintenance of this computational function can be explained on the basis of rigorous mathematical principles. In particular, we show that STDP is able to approximate a stochastic online Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm for modeling the input data. A corresponding result is shown for Hebbian learning in artificial neural networks.
Cultural deprivation: operational definition in terms of language development.

Without further definition, the concept of cultural deprivation has little use for formulating specific research or educational programs. In this study, the ability to name common vegetables developed more slowly among children from an urban poverty area than among private school children—indicating that “cultural deprivation” must account not only for deficiencies in experience but for deficiency in the conditions of learning as well.
Universal manifold embedding for geometric deformations estimation

We introduce a method for geometric deformation estimation of a known object, where the deformation belongs to a known family of deformations. Assume we have a set of observations (for example, images) of different objects, each undergoing different geometric deformation, yet all the deformations belong to the same family of deformations, Q. As a result of the action of Q, the set of different realizations of each object is generally a manifold in the space of observations. The manifolds of the different objects are strongly related. In this paper we obtain explicit estimations for the geometric deformations on the different manifolds, in several specific scenarios. We show that in some specific cases where the set of deformations, Q, admits a finite dimensional representation, there is a mapping from the space of observations to a low dimensional linear space. The manifold corresponding to each object is mapped to a linear subspace with the same dimension as that of the manifold. This mapping which we call universal manifold embedding enables the estimation of geometric deformations using classical linear theory. The embedding of the space of observations depends on the deformation model, and is independent of the specific observed object, hence it is universal. We provide two examples of this embedding: for the case of elastic deformations of one-dimensional signals, and for the case of affine deformations of two-dimensional signals. We finally demonstrate the applicability of the solution to the problem of pose estimation in a laboratory setting.
Optimization of pulse amplification in ytterbium-doped double-clad fiber amplifiers

In the present paper, high-power continuous-wave (CW)-pumped ytterbium-doped double-clad (YDDC) fiber amplifiers for the amplification of nanosecond pulses with tens of kilohertz repetition rates are numerically studied. Targeting pulse energy and average output power, the fiber amplifiers under forward, backward, and bidirectional pump are systematically analyzed and optimized in consideration of pump and signal wavelengths, pulse repetition rate, fiber structure and length, dopant concentration, and Raman effect, etc.
Diapycnal Fluxes of Nutrients in an Oligotrophic Oceanic Regime: The South China Sea

Nutrients from depth have been hypothesized as a primary source of new nutrients that sustain new productivity in oligotrophic oceans; however, the flux is challenging to quantify. Here we show for a first time in the oligotrophic South China Sea an extremely low diapycnal dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) flux as 1.8 × 10−4 mmol m−2 d−1 in the nutrient‐depleted layer (NDL) above the nutricline, where other nutrient supplies sustain the new production. Here higher phosphate and silicate fluxes relative to DIN than Redfield stoichiometry further indicate N‐limited biological productivity and additional removal of DIN by diatoms. Below the NDL across the nutricline to the base of euphotic zone, termed as nutrient replete layer, the DIN flux is three orders of magnitude larger and sufficient in supporting the export production therein. Here higher DIC flux relative to DIN than Redfield stoichiometry further infers DIC excess in the upper ocean.
Vitamin and mineral status in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Many chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients (35–68%) use nutritional supplements, while it is unclear whether deficiencies in vitamins and minerals contribute to symptoms in these patients. Objectives were (1) to determine vitamin and mineral status in CFS and FMS patients as compared to healthy controls; (2) to investigate the association between vitamin and mineral status and clinical parameters, including symptom severity and quality of life; and (3) to determine the effect of supplementation on clinical parameters. Methods The databases PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Knowledge, and PsycINFO were searched for eligible studies. Articles published from January 1st 1994 for CFS patients and 1990 for FMS patients till March 1st 2017 were included. Articles were included if the status of one or more vitamins or minerals were reported, or an intervention concerning vitamins or minerals was performed. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. Results A total of 5 RCTs and 40 observational studies were included in the qualitative synthesis, of which 27 studies were included in the meta-analyses. Circulating concentrations of vitamin E were lower in patients compared to controls (pooled standardized mean difference (SMD): -1.57, 95%CI: -3.09, -0.05; p = . 042). However, this difference was not present when restricting the analyses to the subgroup of studies with high quality scores. Poor study quality and a substantial heterogeneity in most studies was found. No vitamins or minerals have been repeatedly or consistently linked to clinical parameters. In addition, RCTs testing supplements containing these vitamins and/or minerals did not result in clinical improvements. Discussion Little evidence was found to support the hypothesis that vitamin and mineral deficiencies play a role in the pathophysiology of CFS and FMS, and that the use of supplements is effective in these patients. Registration Study methods were documented in an international prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) protocol, registration number: http://www.crd. york.ac. uk/PROSPERO/display_record. asp? ID=CRD42015032528.
Spatial variation in Lake Michigan phytoplankton composition during sediment resuspension events

Large-scale sediment resuspension is an annual and episodic event during the isothermal period in coastal waters of south-eastern Lake Michigan (MüRTIMER 1988, EADIE et al. 1996). The resuspended silt and clay are thought to be eroded material from the lake's western shore that has been hydrodynamically transported to the resuspension sites. Resuspension is initiated by late winter storms and may last for up to 2 months. Within sedimentimpacted waters, light scattering and absorption are significant and light attenuation is mostly amibutable to particulate matter (MILLIE et al. 2002).
IRAS F10214+4724: the inner 100 pc

We use new high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy and our previously published optical spectroscopy of the gravitationally lensed Seyfert 2 galaxy F10214+4724 to study both the links between the starburst and AGN in this object and the properties of the line-emitting clouds in the inner narrow-line region. Close inspection of the rest frame UV spectrum reveals interstellar or stellar absorption features consistent with a compact, moderately reddened starburst providing about half the UV light, and explaining the dilution of the UV continuum polarization relative to the broad emission lines. Spectroscopy of the Hα/[N ii] line blend has enabled us to assess the relative contributions of the emission from the narrow-line region of the Seyfert 2, and a moderately reddened emission-line region which we argue is associated with the starburst activity. Estimates of the star formation rate from the unpolarized UV continuum flux and the Hα flux are consistent to within their associated uncertainties. We find we can plausibly explain the unusual emission-line properties of F10214+4724 in terms of conventional models for nearby Seyfert 2 galaxies if lensing is preferentially magnifying the side of the inner narrow-line region between the AGN and the observer, and the other side is both less magnified and partially obscured by the torus. The hydrogen densities of clouds in this region are high enough to make the Balmer lines optically thick and to suppress forbidden emission lines with low critical densities. From the emission-line spectrum we have deduced the column density of both ionized and neutral gas in the narrow-line clouds, and the density of the ionized gas. Using these we have been able to estimate the mass of the inner narrow-line clouds to be ∼ 1 M, and show that the gas:dust ratio N H / E ( B−V ) in these clouds must be ∼ 1.3 × 10 27 m −2 mag −1 , significantly higher than the average value in the Milky Way, ∼ 4.5 × 10 25 m −2 mag −1 . The column density and low dust content of a typical cloud are consistent with the properties of the warm absorbers seen in the X-ray spectra of Seyfert 1 galaxies. Our results thus favour models in which the narrow-line clouds start life close to the nucleus and flow out. An emission line from the lensing system has allowed us to confirm its redshift as z ≈ 0.9.
Assay of pulmonary microvascular endothelial angiotensin-converting enzyme in vivo: comparison of three probes.

We monitored the activity of pulmonary microvascular endothelial-bound angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in vivo by means of multiple indicator-dilution-type techniques, utilizing three different probes: the hydrolysis of two substrates, [3H]-benzoyl-Phe-Ala-Pro (BPAP) and [14C]benzoyl-Ala-Gly-Pro (BAGP), and the binding of the inhibitor [3H]RAC-X-65 (RAC), all measured during a single transpulmonary passage in anesthetized rabbits, placed on total heart bypass, so that both systemic and pulmonary circulations were fully supported by means of a two-channel extracorporeal pump. Experiments were performed at pulmonary blood flows (Qb) of 250, 400, 560, and 800 ml/min in control or indomethacin-pretreated rabbits. ACE activity was also compared to that of pulmonary microvascular endothelial-bound 5'-nucleotidase, by measuring the dephosphorylation of its natural substrate 5'-[14C]AMP. We calculated substrate utilization, mean lung transit time (t), and volume of distribution (i.e., central blood volume) of all substrates, as well as inhibitor binding. We also calculated Amax/Km and Bmax products of enzyme mass and kinetic constants for substrates and inhibitor, respectively. As Qb increased, Amax/Km values for all three substrates and Bmax increased linearly, indicating microvascular recruitment. In experiments in which either BPAP and 5'-AMP metabolism or BAGP metabolism and RAC binding were studied concomitantly, a linear relationship was observed between Qb-induced changes in Amax/Km values of BPAP vs 5'-AMP as well as in Amax/Km of BAGP vs Bmax of RAC. Similarly, increasing Qb increased central blood volume and decreased t. Indomethacin had no effect on most of the hemodynamic or enzyme parameters measured. We conclude that in vivo assays of ACE proceed as predicted by Michaelis-Menten kinetics and offer insights into pulmonary endothelial pathophysiology.
Mining Music Playlogs for Next Song Recommendations

Recommender systems are popular social web tools, as they address the information overload problem and provide personalization of results [1]. This paper presents a large-scale collaborative approach to the crucial part in the playlist recommendation process: next song recommendation. We show that a simple markov-chain based algorithm improves performance compared to baseline models when neither content, nor user metadata is available. The lack of content-based features makes this task particularly hard.
D-insar based ground subsidence evaluation of different topographical sites with sentinel-1A/B platforms

The compaction of subsoil by ground water extraction is a global problem. Satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) scenes using differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (D-InSAR) are analysed to study groundwater extraction induced subsidence in Mexico City. Sentinel-1 sensor data acquired for the analysis between the months of June and September for the year 2016 and 2017. The achieved information corresponds to the subsidence velocity is of −28.32 cm/year in Mexico City. The maximum land subsidence of -7.45 cm in 2016 and -6.35 cm in 2017 is predicted which supports more than 30 cm annual subsidence claimed by other authors. In Gulaba-Marhi landslide prone region of Himachal Pradesh sentinel-1 data between June and July for the year 2017 and 2018 is processed with the same processing parameters to know the impact of vegetation, geographical conditions and coherence on the deformation detection. Landslide deformation analysis in Gulaba-Marhi region has shown subsidence between -2.93 cm to -8.26 cm in June-July 2017 and between -1.35 cm and -6.39 cm in June-July 2018. Some new displacement points have appeared in the year 2018. Dense vegetation, slope orientation and low coherence of image data has greatly affected the reliability of