Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lightweight convolutional neural network architecture design for music genre classification using evolutionary stochastic hyperparameter selection

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have succeeded in various domains, including music information retrieval (MIR). Music genre classification (MGC) is one such task in the MIR that has gained attention over the years because of the massive increase in online music content. Accurate indexing and automatic classification of these large volumes of music content require high computational resources, which pose a significant challenge to building a lightweight system. CNNs are a popular deep learning‐based choice for building systems for MGC. However, finding an optimal CNN architecture for MGC requires domain knowledge both in CNN architecture design and music. We present MGA‐CNN, a genetic algorithm‐based approach with a novel stochastic hyperparameter selection for finding an optimal lightweight CNN‐based architecture for the MGC task. The proposed approach is unique in automating the CNN architecture design for the MGC task. MGA‐CNN is evaluated on three widely used music datasets and compared with seven peer rivals, which include three automatic CNN architecture design approaches and four manually designed popular CNN architectures. The experimental results show that MGA‐CNN surpasses the peer approaches in terms of classification accuracy, parameter numbers, and execution time. The optimal architectures generated by MGA‐CNN also achieve classification accuracy comparable to the manually designed CNN architectures while spending fewer computing resources.
Unconditionally-stable FDTD method based on Crank-Nicolson scheme for solving three-dimensional Maxwell equations

The approximate-factorisation-splitting (CNAFS) method as an efficient implementation of the Crank-Nicolson scheme for solving the three-dimensional Maxwell equations in the time domain, using much less CPU time and memory than a direct implementation, is presented. At each time step, the CNAFS method solves tridiagonal matrices successively instead of solving a huge sparse matrix. It is shown that CNAFS is unconditionally stable and has much smaller anisotropy than the alternating-direction implicit (ADI) method, though the numerical dispersion is the same as in the ADI method along the axes. In addition, for a given mesh density, there will be one value of the Courant number at which the CNAFS method has zero anisotropy, whereas the Crank-Nicolson scheme always has anisotropy. Analysis shows that both ADI and CNAFS have time step-size limits to avoid numerical attenuation, although both are still unconditionally stable beyond their limit.
Hedging Barrier Options in GARCH Models with Transaction Costs

This study proposes a modified strike‐spread method for hedging barrier options in generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) models with transaction costs. A simulation study was conducted to investigate the hedging performance of the proposed method in comparison with several well‐known static methods for hedging barrier options. An accurate, easy‐to‐implement and fast scheme for generating the first passage time under the GARCH framework which enhances the accuracy and efficiency of the simulation is also proposed. Simulation results and an empirical study using real data indicate that the proposed approach has a promising performance for hedging barrier options in GARCH models when transaction costs are taken into consideration.
Herpes Zoster Risk in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Its Association with Medications Used

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was associated with the risk of incident herpes zoster (HZ), which might be influenced by medication use by RA patients. We aimed to investigate the association of RA with the risk of incident HZ and how the HZ risk effected by RA medications in CIC RA patients. We conducted an observational study including population-based representative insurance claims data of 19,673 patients with RA and 39,346 matched patients without RA during 1997–2010 from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database; we identified 1651 patients with catastrophic illness-certified (CIC) RA and 11,557 matched patients with non-CIC RA. Exploratory analyses assessed the association between RA/CIC RA and risk of incident HZ and its complications. The association of prescribed medications with HZ risk in CIC RA patients was also estimated. The incidence rates of HZ were higher in CIC RA patients and non-CIC RA than in the matched people without RA (21.95 and 14.03 vs. 7.36 events per 1000 person-years, respectively). The adjusted incidence rate ratio (95% confidence interval (CI)) for HZ was 1.74 (1.65–1.84) in RA patients vs. matched non-RA and 1.65 (1.44–1.89) in CIC RA patients vs. non-CIC RA. For HZ complications, RA had a 2.85-fold higher risk than non-RA, and CIC RA had a 1.78-fold higher risk than non-CIC RA. Moreover, in CIC RA patients, prednisolone use was associated with incident HZ risk compared with prednisolone nonuse (adjusted odds ratio 1.48, 1.08–2.03); prolonged prednisolone use (approximately 5 years) increased the risk (adjusted odds ratio 2.16, 1.46–3.19). Our results suggested that RA was positively associated with HZ risk, particularly in RA patients with prednisolone use.
Impact of Menopause in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: Current Perspectives

Abstract Given the aging population, with a peak age-specific prevalence that is shifting beyond the age of 50, several women currently living with MS are very close to menopause. Menopause is usually characterized by several specific symptoms with adverse impacts on different aspects of a woman’s quality of life, such as fatigue, and cognitive, mood and bladder disorders, which overlap with symptoms of MS. Generally, after this biological transition, women with MS appear to be subject to less inflammatory activity. However, several studies have reported an increase of disability accumulation after menopause, suggesting that it is a turning point to a more progressive phase of the disease. This may be attributable to the hormonal and immunological changes associated with menopause, with several effects on neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration increasing due to the immunosenescence of aging. This review summarizes the hormonal and immunological changes associated with menopause, detailing the effects on MS symptoms, outcomes, and the aging process. Furthermore, possible interventions to improve patients’ quality of life are evaluated. In fact, it is increasingly necessary to improve the global management of MS women, as well as their lives, at this multifaceted turning point.
Spatial Layout Planning of Urban Emergency Shelter Based on Sustainable Disaster Reduction

An urban emergency shelter provides a place of temporary life and shelter for victims after a disaster. As a very important public service facility, its spatial layout is greatly related to the security of lives and the property of the urban residents. Upholding the concept of sustainable disaster reduction, this study took the central urban area of Xuzhou as an example. Based on the analysis of ArcGIS software, this study analyzed and planned the spatial layout of emergency shelters in Xuzhou and visualized the service area ratio, service population ratio, service capacity ratio, and service overlap rate of each administrative district. Finally, 73 fixed emergency shelters were determined, among which eight were classified as central shelters. At the same time, through consulting the relevant data, it was found that similar problems such as potential safety hazard, blind areas, service overlapping, and mismatch of shelter layout and actual needs also exist in other cities. Finally, in light of the existing problems, relevant suggestions are provided for the adjustment and optimization of the layout of emergency shelters.
Modelling the spectral absorption of tripton using exponential and hyperbolic models

The optical properties of tripton, and the correlation between the absorption coefficient and tripton concentration, were investigated based on a large dataset of 727 samples, collected from different regions of shallow Lake Taihu, in China, from July 2004 to April 2007. Four models describing tripton absorption spectra in the visible domain (400–700 nm) were examined to find the optimal model. The conventional single exponential model performed the poorest. Statistically, the most ‘useful’ model was the hyperbolic model; judged by the root mean square error (RMSE) and the magnitude of the F statistic from an analysis of variance, this was found to give a closer fit for the measured absorption (70.1% reduction in RMSE and 449.7% increase in F value) than did the simple exponential model method. The mean S d value derived for the hyperbolic model was 5.98 ± 0.30 nm–1, with a very small coefficient of variation of 5.0%. Significant linear correlations were found between a d(440) and total suspended matter, inorganic suspended matter and tripton concentrations, but with the minimal RMSE of a d(440) estimation (0.815 m–1) for tripton. The results demonstrate that it is possible to develop regional models for the estimation of tripton absorption coefficient from the concentration.
Mode Dependent H∞ Filtering for Discrete-Time Networked Systems with Random Measurement Missing and Delays

The article investigates the H∞ filtering problem for a class of discrete-time networked systems with random measurement losses and delays. Markov chain is used here to model measurement losses and delays in a unified framework. Based on the mode-dependent Lyapunov function approach, the necessary and sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee the exponential stability with a prescribed H∞ disturbance attenuation performance for the filtering error system. By using a novel design scheme, the explicit expressions of mode dependent filter parameters are given in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) which can be readily solved by using the LMI TOOLBOX in MATLAB. At last, a numerical example is given to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Policy support in promoting green bonds in Asia: empirical evidence

ABSTRACT Many economies, especially in Asia, implement different policies to incentivize the issuance of corporate green bonds. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of green bond policies. This study examines the impact of a broad range of green bond policies on the issuance of corporate green bonds in 56 green-bond-issuing economies, including 11 economies in Asia, from January 2010 to June 2020. Using the difference-in-difference specification within the multilevel probit model, the study shows that the following policies increase the probability of issuance of green bonds by corporates: (i) policies that reduce the cost of green bond issuance, such as green bond grants and tax incentives (such policies are particularly popular in Asia); (ii) coordination policies such as the establishment of green bond or green finance institutions, committees, groups, as well as other policy signals such as national commitments and targets; and (iii) global international cooperation and international standardization. Key policy insights Policies that reduce the cost of green bond issuance, such as green bond grants and tax incentives, incentivize the issuance of corporate green bonds. Coordination policies, such as the establishment of green bond or green finance institutions, committees, groups, as well as other policy signals, such as national commitments and targets, incentivize the issuance of corporate green bonds. Global international cooperation and standardization incentivize corporate green bond issuance.
Regulation of Human Endogenous Metabolites by Drug Transporters and Drug Metabolizing Enzymes: An Analysis of Targeted SNP-Metabolite Associations

Drug transporters and drug-metabolizing enzymes are primarily known for their role in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of small molecule drugs, but they also play a key role in handling endogenous metabolites. Recent cross-tissue co-expression network analyses have revealed a “Remote Sensing and Signaling Network” of multispecific, oligo-specific, and monospecific transporters and enzymes involved in endogenous metabolism. This includes many proteins from families involved in ADME (e.g., SLC22, SLCO, ABCC, CYP, UGT). Focusing on the gut−liver−kidney axis, we identified the endogenous metabolites potentially regulated by this network of ~1000 proteins by associating SNPs in these genes with the circulating levels of thousands of small, polar, bioactive metabolites, including free fatty acids, eicosanoids, bile acids, and other signaling metabolites that act in part via G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), nuclear receptors, and kinases. We identified 77 genomic loci associated with 7236 unique metabolites. This included metabolites that were associated with multiple, distinct loci, indicating coordinated regulation between multiple genes (including drug transporters and drug-metabolizing enzymes) of specific metabolites. We analyzed existing pharmacogenomic data and noted SNPs implicated in endogenous metabolite handling (e.g., rs4149056 in SLCO1B1) also affecting drug ADME. The overall results support the existence of close relationships, via interactions with signaling metabolites, between drug transporters and drug-metabolizing enzymes that are part of the Remote Sensing and Signaling Network, and with GPCRs and nuclear receptors. These analyses highlight the potential for drug−metabolite interactions at the interfaces of the Remote Sensing and Signaling Network and the ADME protein network.
Observational Study on Antibody Response to COVID-19 Vaccines in PAtients with Gastro-Entero-PanCreatic Cancers and NeuroendocrIne NeoplAsms on Systemic TreatmEnts (VACCINATE)

The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic dramatically impacted oncological patients’ care. Since the introduction of vaccines and the demonstration of their benefit on frail patients, COVID-19 vaccinations were indicated to also be beneficial to oncological population. However, data about the impact of anticancer-treatments and the timing between vaccinations and systemic therapy delivery were not available. We aimed to evaluate potential factors influencing the outcome of the COVID-19 vaccination in cancer patients. We prospectively collected data of patients undergoing the COVID-19 vaccination with gastro-entero-pancreatic and neuroendocrine neoplasms, treated at our institute, between 03/2021 and 12/2021. We enrolled 46 patients, 63.1% males; at the time of data collection, 86.9% had received two-doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and the rest had received the Moderna vaccine. All patients obtained a subsequent immune-response. Chemotherapy seems to determinate a significantly lower antibody response after vaccination compared to the other anti-cancer agents (p = 0.004). No significant effect on immune-response was reported for both vaccinations performed ≤7 vs. >7 days from the last systemic treatment (p = 0.77) and lymphocytes count (p = 0.11). The findings suggest that the optimal timing for COVID-19 vaccination and lymphocytes count are not the issue, but rather that the quality of the subset of lymphocytes before the vaccination determine the efficacy level of immune-response in this population.
Fatal Puumala Hantavirus Infection in a Patient with Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID)

Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) infections usually show a mild or moderate clinical course, but may sometimes also lead to life-threatening disease. Here, we report on a 60-year-old female patient with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) who developed a fatal PUUV infection with persistent renal failure, thrombocytopenia, and CNS infection with impaired consciousness and tetraparesis. Hantavirus-specific antibodies could not be detected due to the humoral immunodeficiency. Diagnosis and virological monitoring were based on the quantitative detection of PUUV RNA in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, bronchial lavage, and urine, where viral RNA was found over an unusually extended period of one month. Due to clinical deterioration and virus persistence, treatment with ribavirin was initiated. Additionally, fresh frozen plasma (FFP) from convalescent donors with a history of PUUV infection was administered. Despite viral clearance, the clinical condition of the patient did not improve and the patient died on day 81 of hospitalization. This case underlines the importance of the humoral immune response for the course of PUUV disease and illustrates the need for PCR-based virus diagnostics in those patients. Due to its potential antiviral activity, convalescent plasma should be considered in the therapy of severe hantavirus diseases.
Role of Histone Tails and Single Strand DNA Breaks in Nucleosomal Arrest of RNA Polymerase

Transcription through nucleosomes by RNA polymerases (RNAP) is accompanied by formation of small intranucleosomal DNA loops (i-loops). The i-loops form more efficiently in the presence of single-strand breaks or gaps in a non-template DNA strand (NT-SSBs) and induce arrest of transcribing RNAP, thus allowing detection of NT-SSBs by the enzyme. Here we examined the role of histone tails and extranucleosomal NT-SSBs in i-loop formation and arrest of RNAP during transcription of promoter-proximal region of nucleosomal DNA. NT-SSBs present in linker DNA induce arrest of RNAP +1 to +15 bp in the nucleosome, suggesting formation of the i-loops; the arrest is more efficient in the presence of the histone tails. Consistently, DNA footprinting reveals formation of an i-loop after stalling RNAP at the position +2 and backtracking to position +1. The data suggest that histone tails and NT-SSBs present in linker DNA strongly facilitate formation of the i-loops during transcription through the promoter-proximal region of nucleosomal DNA.
Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction With High Thrombus Burden and Cardiogenic Shock

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with high-grade thrombus is a high-risk intervention associated with poor clinical outcomes. Circulatory support with an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) during PCI may potentially improve coronary hemodynamics and clinical outcomes in such patients. As existing data on this situation are sparse, we did an observational study to determine short-term outcomes of PCI with IABP support in STEMI patients with high thrombus burden. Objectives: To determine whether IABP has a potential role in improving outcomes in patients with STEMI with high thrombus burden who are undergoing PCI. Methods and results: Thirty consecutive patients of STEMI with high thrombus burden undergoing PCI with IABP assistance were included. Ninety-three percent of patients had a cardiogenic shock. Clinical and angiographic outcomes assessed include a change in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), 30-day mortality, and assessment of TIMI (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction) flow, TIMI frame count, and TIMI myocardial perfusion grade in the culprit vessel. IABP was initiated before coronary angiography in 36.6% (n=11), between angiography and PCI in 30% (n=9), and after PCI in 33.3% (n=10) of patients. During the 30-day follow-up period, 50% (n=15) of patients died. 86.6% (n=13) of survivors had pre-PCI IABP initiation compared to only 46.6% (n=7) among those who died (p=0.020). With pre-PCI IABP initiation (n=20), 30-day mortality was 35% (n=7) compared to 80% (n=8) with post-PCI IABP initiation (n=10) (p=0.020). Conclusion: IABP initiation before PCI in STEMI complicated by cardiogenic shock and high angiographic thrombus burden can decrease mortality without any effect on angiographic parameters.
Large Eddy Simulations of Sound Radiation from Subsonic Turbulent Jets

Large eddy simulations (LES) of subsonic turbulent jets, including the near-field flow and far-field sound radiation, were performed using two different subgrid-scale turbulence models. Two different cases were considered. As a validation case, predictions from a Mach 0.9, Reynolds number 3.6 × 10 3 randomly forced turbulent jet were performed. Both the near-field velocity statistics and far-field sound directivity were found to be in excellent agreement with previous experimental data and direct numerical simulation (DNS) results. The second case involved a Mach 0.4, Reynolds number 5 x 10 3 harmonically forced jet. Both axisymmetric and azimuthal inlet disturbances were imposed to facilitate detailed comparisons to recent DNS of axisymmetric jet sound, and to highlight the effects of small-scale turbulence. As part of this second case, the validity of Kirchhoff's method for far-field sound prediction was also assessed in conjunction with LES and the effect of the subgrid-scale turbulence model on sound radiation was examined. The sound source location and levels were different between the three-dimensional turbulent jets and similar two-dimensional axisymmetric laminar jets. Far-field sound radiation predictions, obtained using Kirchhoff's method, were in good agreement with the directly predicted LES results. LES predictions obtained with the dynamic Smagorinsky and the dynamic mixed subgrid-scale turbulence models were similar, although the mixed model resulted in higher turbulence and sound levels. The directivity was not uniform as predicted by Lighthill's theory for a fully turbulent jet, but exhibited a preferred radiation angle between 35 and 70 deg in agreement with reported experimental data from an acoustically excited jet.
Dual Role of B Cells in Multiple Sclerosis

B cells have emerged as an important immune cell type that can be targeted for therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS). Depleting B cells with anti-CD20 antibodies is effective in treating MS. Yet, atacicept treatment, which blocks B-cell Activating Factor (BAFF) and A Proliferation-Inducing Ligand (APRIL), two cytokines important for B cell development and function, paradoxically increases disease activity in MS patients. The reason behind the failure of atacicept is not well understood. The stark differences in clinical outcomes with these therapies demonstrate that B cells have both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory functions in MS. In this review, we summarize the importance of B cells in MS and discuss the different B cell subsets that perform inflammatory and anti-inflammatory functions and how therapies modulate B cell functions in MS patients. Additionally, we discuss the potential anti-inflammatory functions of BAFF and APRIL on MS disease.