Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recommendations for epidemiological studies on COPD

The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been extensively studied, especially in Western Europe and North America. Few of these data are directly comparable because of differences between the surveys regarding composition of study populations, diagnostic criteria of the disease and definitions of the risk factors. Few community studies have examined phenotypes of COPD and included other ways of characterising the disease beyond that of spirometry. The objective of the present Task Force report is to present recommendations for the performance of general population studies in COPD in order to facilitate comparable and valid estimates on COPD prevalence by various risk factors. Diagnostic criteria in epidemiological settings, and standardised methods to examine the disease and its potential risk factors are discussed. The paper also offers practical advice for planning and performing an epidemiological study on COPD. The main message of the paper is that thorough planning is worth half the study. It is crucial to stick to standardised methods and good quality control during sampling. We recommend collecting biological markers, depending on the specific objectives of the study. Finally, studies of COPD in the population at large should assess various phenotypes of the disease.
Nullcline-Based Design of a Silicon Neuron

In this paper, we describe the design of a silicon neuron that exhibits type-I neural excitability, i.e., the frequency of spiking of the neuron approaches arbitrarily close to zero as the input current is reduced. Our design creates a conductance-based silicon model that can exhibit a saddle-node bifurcation. We present simulations and measured data from circuits fabricated in 0.35-μm CMOS that demonstrate both saddle-node bifurcation on invariant circle and saddle-homoclinic bifurcation. In our design, concepts from nonlinear dynamics are used not only for the analysis but also for the synthesis of the circuit. This leads to a nullcline-based methodology that enables a strategic approach for biasing the circuit in the desired regime in parameter space. Combined with the ability to set local biases (e.g., floating gates), this methodology should largely minimize mismatch in arrays of silicon neurons of this kind. The presented circuit is the most power efficient design reported so far, and we hope to fabricate larger arrays of this neuron to explore network behavior.
Economics of mobile data offloading

Mobile data offloading is a promising approach to alleviate network congestion and enhance quality of service (QoS) in mobile cellular networks. In this paper, we investigate the economics of mobile data offloading through third-party WiFi or femtocell access points (APs). Specifically, we consider a market-based data offloading solution, where macrocellular base stations (BSs) pay APs for offloading traffic. The key questions arising in such a marketplace are following: (i) how much traffic should each AP offload for each BS? and (ii) what is the corresponding payment of each BS to each AP? We answer these questions by using the non-cooperative game theory. In particular, we define a multi-leader multi-follower data offloading game (DOFF), where BSs (leaders) propose market prices, and accordingly APs (followers) determine the traffic volumes they are willing to offload. We characterize the subgame perfect equilibrium (SPE) of this game, and further compare the SPE with two other classic market outcomes: (i) the market balance (MB) in a perfect competition market (i.e., without price participation), and (ii) the monopoly outcome (MO) in a monopoly market (i.e., without price competition). Our results analytically show that (i) the price participation (of BSs) will drive market prices down, compared to those under the MB outcome, and (ii) the price competition (among BSs) will drive market prices up, compared to those under the MO outcome.
GPU sample sort

We present the design of a sample sort algorithm for manycore GPUs. Despite being one of the most efficient comparison-based sorting algorithms for distributed memory architectures its performance on GPUs was previously unknown. For uniformly distributed keys our sample sort is at least 25% and on average 68% faster than the best comparison-based sorting algorithm, GPU Thrust merge sort, and on average more than 2 times faster than GPU quicksort. Moreover, for 64-bit integer keys it is at least 63% and on average 2 times faster than the highly optimized GPU Thrust radix sort that directly manipulates the binary representation of keys. Our implementation is robust to different distributions and entropy levels of keys and scales almost linearly with the input size. These results indicate that multi-way techniques in general and sample sort in particular achieve substantially better performance than two-way merge sort and quicksort.
Evolution of permeability and fluid pathways in the uppermost oceanic crust inferred from experimental measurements on basalt cores

To examine the systematic decrease in permeability with crustal age in the uppermost layer of the oceanic crust, we investigated the e ﬀ ect of mechanical compaction on the permeability of basalt cores from Hole 765D and Hole 456 of the Ocean Drilling Program. The results indicate that permeability systematically decreases with increasing con ﬁ ning pressure. However, the pressure e ﬀ ects observed in the laboratory experiments are insuf- ﬁ cient to fully explain the result of in – situ measurements of permeability through the oceanic crust. The permeability of core samples is closely related to porosity, both of which reduce with increasing crustal age. We infer that the evolution of permeability of the oceanic upper crust could be controlled by a reduction in porosity due to carbonate mineral precipitation.
Statistical-Based Density Evolution Algorithm for Nonbinary Low-Density Parity-Check Codes

A statistical-based density evolution algorithm is proposed for nonbinary low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. It is applicable to both regular and irregular codes under study. The algorithm proposed serves as a tool to analyze the performance limit for iterative decoding of nonbinary LDPC codes, which in turn guides code design. Specifically, it provides approximated evaluations of convergence thresholds for codes given specific degree distributions. It is shown that, for a class of quasi-cyclic (QC) structured extended irregular repeat-accumulate (SeIRA) nonbinary LDPC codes, degree distributions can be optimized via the algorithm proposed. Simulation results exhibit that the nonbinary LDPC codes designed outperform the optimized binary LDPC codes on the AWGN channel with similar code length and rate in terms of bits. Performance gap between the binary and nonbinary LDPC codes is larger in the scenario of higher order modulation.
Integration of two semi-physical models of terrestrial evapotranspiration using the China Meteorological Forcing Dataset

ABSTRACT Combining surface evaporation and plant transpiration, evapotranspiration (ET) is critical to surface water and heat balances as it links water, carbon cycles and energy exchanges. Many models have been developed and are presently used to estimate terrestrial ET. However, there are large model uncertainties among the different models, which present a problem. By combining meteorological reanalysis data from the China Meteorological Forcing Dataset (CMFD) with remote sensing data and observational data during 2002–2009, two semi-physical models, the modified satellite-based Priestley-Taylor (MS-PT) model and a semi-empirical Penman equation-based (SE-PM) model, are used to estimate ET and are validated using in situ measurements collected at 22 flux tower sites in China. Then support vector machine (SVM) method is used to integrate these two semi-physical models to improve the accuracy of ET estimates for eight different vegetation types separately, as well as all of these types together. The integrated model likely explains 56–94% of the land surface ET changes indicated by the observations collected at the flux tower sites. The ET predictions obtained by driving the models with the reanalysis data (for which the relative bias and the relative root mean square error (RMSE) for all types of the SVM were 6 and 51 W m–2, respectively, and the maximum decrease of the relative RMSE for different types is nearly 20 W m–2) are less accurate than those obtained by driving the models with the observational data (for which the relative bias and the relative RMSE for all types of the SVM are 4 and 43 W m–2, respectively). Compared to the individual semi-physical models, the results produced by the integrated model display significantly decreased bias (less than 5 W m–2 for all types) and RMSE (for which the maximum decrease is nearly 71 W m–2) in the validation.
Steal Your Life Using 5 Cents: Hacking Android Smartphones with NFC Tags

Nowadays, privacy in the connected world is a big user's concern. The ubiquity of mobile devices permits billions of users to browse the web at any time, anywhere. Near Field Communication (NFC) appeared as a seamless communication protocol between devices. Commercial services such as Android Pay and Apple Pay offer contactless payment methods that are spreading in more and more scenarios. However, we take risks while using NFC on Android devices, we can be hacked, and our privacy can be affected. In this paper, we study the current vulnerabilities in the NFC-Android ecosystem. We conduct a series of experiments, and we expose that with NFC and Android devices are vulnerable to URL/URI spoofing, social network information hacking, and user's device tracking via fingerprint and geolocation. Smart devices based on NFC communication should inform and protect the users about the privacy risks using these contactless services.
Conus Medullaris Infarction After a Right L4 Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection Using Dexamethasone.

BACKGROUND For decades, epidural steroid injections have been an effective tool in the management of many pain related conditions, including lumbar radiculopathy. Transforaminal epidural steroid injections in particular have been reported to potentially result in central nervous system infarctions which have not been reported with interlaminar epidural steroid injections, while providing comparable efficacy. This rare, catastrophic complication has been attributed by some authors to be due to vascular injury secondary to vasospasm, thrombus formation, dissection, as well as concerns with placing the needle at the so-called "safe triangle. " Others, however, have proposed it to be secondary to embolization of the vessel by particulate steroids. This has led to the recommendation of the use of soluble steroids such as dexamethasone when performing TFESI's, despite concerns over its efficacy and potential for neurotoxicity in the literature. Furthermore, there have also been multiple studies which have revealed that IV dexamethasone is analgesic and that peri-neural dexamethasone is no more effective than IV dexamethasone. CASE HISTORY The present case involves a 60-year-old patient with right back and radicular leg pain for 3 years. Two right L4 TFESI's had been performed with betamethasone several years prior with satisfactory results, until the patient presented to the physician with a pain recurrence of 6 weeks of duration. The patient again underwent a right L4 TFESI with dexamethasone, which provided good relief after 2 weeks. The patient underwent a repeat right L4 TFESI with dexamethasone which was followed by a prompt onset of lower extremity numbness, weakness, and incontinence that was discovered to be related to a conus infarction. While this is the first publicly reported case of a conus medullaris infarction following a lumbar transforaminal injection utilizing dexamethasone, the incidence of these reports may rise as the prevalence of dexamethasone use increases in clinical practice. CONCLUSION The spinal cord infarction with TFESI's may occur related to various mechanisms, regardless of the type of particulate or non-particulate steroid used during these procedures.
A Study on Learning with a Quantum Neural Network

A quantum neural network based on the adiabatic quantum computation is one of candidates to overcome the difficulty for developing a quantum computation algorithm. In this paper, we propose a new learning method for a quantum neural network inspired by Hebb learning. Preliminary but successful results by numerical simulations have been shown. The results indicate that a quantum learning like Hebb rule can be implemented.
Antioxidative Dietary Compounds Modulate Gene Expression Associated with Apoptosis, DNA Repair, Inhibition of Cell Proliferation and Migration

Many dietary compounds are known to have health benefits owing to their antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. To determine the molecular mechanism of these food-derived compounds, we analyzed their effect on various genes related to cell apoptosis, DNA damage and repair, oxidation and inflammation using in vitro cell culture assays. This review further tests the hypothesis proposed previously that downstream products of COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2) called electrophilic oxo-derivatives induce antioxidant responsive elements (ARE), which leads to cell proliferation under antioxidative conditions. Our findings support this hypothesis and show that cell proliferation was inhibited when COX-2 was down-regulated by polyphenols and polysaccharides. Flattened macrophage morphology was also observed following the induction of cytokine production by polysaccharides extracted from viili, a traditional Nordic fermented dairy product. Coix lacryma-jobi (coix) polysaccharides were found to reduce mitochondrial membrane potential and induce caspase-3- and 9-mediated apoptosis. In contrast, polyphenols from blueberries were involved in the ultraviolet-activated p53/Gadd45/MDM2 DNA repair system by restoring the cell membrane potential. Inhibition of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 by saponin extracts of ginsenoside (Ginsen) and Gynostemma and inhibition of S100A4 by coix polysaccharides inhibited cancer cell migration and invasion. These observations suggest that antioxidants and changes in cell membrane potential are the major driving forces that transfer signals through the cell membrane into the cytosol and nucleus, triggering gene expression, changes in cell proliferation and the induction of apoptosis or DNA repair.
Incorporation of Microbial Functional Traits in Biogeochemistry Models Provides Better Estimations of Benthic Denitrification and Anammox Rates in Coastal Oceans

Marine benthic nitrogen (N) cycling may vary widely across space and seasons; it is thus needed to make high‐resolution estimations of these important ecosystem processes with a reasonable number of variables. In this study, we determined the benthic denitrification and anammox potentials in two basins, the Bohai Sea and the North Yellow Sea of China in May and November, and evaluated models in predicting these functions with environmental factors and/or microbial gene‐based functional traits. We found that denitrification generally dominated the N loss (54–98%), and that the denitrification rate varied greatly between basins and seasons. The anammox rate was generally higher in the Bohai Sea than in the North Yellow Sea in both seasons, and it made a greater contribution in November (22%) than in May (16%). Among the measured environmental factors, chlorophyll a in bottom waters and sedimentary organic carbon content were the most influential for predicting denitrification and anammox rates, respectively. On the other hand, the alpha diversities and gene abundances of involved bacteria were poorly correlated with the function potentials, indicating that these functional traits could not well explain the functions alone. Upon the incorporation of two gene copy number ratios [nosZ/(nirS + nirK) and nirK/bacterial 16S rRNA genes] into the environmental factor‐parameterized models, however, we found that the predictive powers of the regression models for total N loss, denitrification and anammox rates, and contributions of anammox increased substantially, indicating that taking microbial functional traits into account could make estimations of these N‐cycling functions in coastal ecosystems more accurate.
An information theoretic criterion for adaptive multiobjective memetic optimization

Multiobjective memetic optimization algorithms (MMOAs) are recently applied to solve nonlinear optimization problems with conflicting objectives. An important issue in an MMOA is how to identify the relative best solutions to guide its adaptive processes. Pareto dominance has been used extensively to find the relative relations between solutions for the fitness assessment in multiobjective optimization based on evolutionary algorithms (MOEA). However, the approach based on the Pareto dominance criterion decreases its convergence speed when the number of objectives increases. In this paper, we propose an effective information-theoretic criterion based on the multiscale relative Rényi entropy to guide the adaptive selection, clustering, and local learning processes in our framework of adaptive multiobjective memetic optimization algorithms (AMMOA). The implementation of AMMOA is applied to several benchmark test problems with remarkable results.
Time-Shift-Keyed Equicorrelated Signal Sets for Impulse Radio M-ary Modu-lation

A power and free conveyor has a stop lug on the carrier body adapted to abut a stop member movable into the path of the carrier along the conveyor track to arrest movement of the carrier, the stop member serving to disengage the driving dog from the power chain prior to abutting the stop lug. The stop lug is spaced rearwardly of the driving dog a distance exceeding rebound of the carrier whereby accidental re-engagement of the driving dog with the power chain is avoided. The stop lug is positioned to engage the power chain pusher lug on a decline in the conveyor system should the hold-back dog fail to do so, thereby preventing a runaway.
Random Prism: a noise‐tolerant alternative to Random Forests

Ensemble learning can be used to increase the overall classification accuracy of a classifier by generating multiple base classifiers and combining their classification results. A frequently used family of base classifiers for ensemble learning are decision trees. However, alternative approaches can potentially be used, such as the Prism family of algorithms that also induces classification rules. Compared with decision trees, Prism algorithms generate modular classification rules that cannot necessarily be represented in the form of a decision tree. Prism algorithms produce a similar classification accuracy compared with decision trees. However, in some cases, for example, if there is noise in the training and test data, Prism algorithms can outperform decision trees by achieving a higher classification accuracy. However, Prism still tends to overfit on noisy data; hence, ensemble learners have been adopted in this work to reduce the overfitting. This paper describes the development of an ensemble learner using a member of the Prism family as the base classifier to reduce the overfitting of Prism algorithms on noisy datasets. The developed ensemble classifier is compared with a stand‐alone Prism classifier in terms of classification accuracy and resistance to noise.
Turkish Version of the Academic Motivation Scale

The purpose of this study was to adapt the college version of the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) into Turkish. The participants were 797 college students (437 men, 360 women) with a mean age of 20.1 yr. A seven-factor model of the scale, as well as alternative models (five-, three-, two-, and one-factor models) were investigated and compared through confirmatory factor analysis. The seven-factor model demonstrated adequate fit to the data. The fit indices obtained from the five-factor model were acceptable also. Hancock's coefficient H values and test-retest correlation coefficients of the subscales indicated that reliability of the scale was adequate except for the identified regulation subscale. The CFA conducted for the groups of men and women produced more acceptable fit indices values for men than women, but women obtained significantly higher scores from the AMS subscales. Correlations among the seven subscales partially supported the simplex pattern which claims that the neighboring subscales should have stronger positive correlations than the non-neighboring subscales and that the subscales which are the farthest apart should have the strongest negative relationships.
A Trial of Discontinuation of Empiric Vancomycin Therapy in Patients with Suspected Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Health Care-Associated Pneumonia

ABSTRACT Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) guidelines recommend de-escalating initial antibiotic therapy based on results from lower-respiratory-tract cultures. In the absence of adequate lower respiratory cultures, physicians are sometimes reluctant to discontinue empirical vancomycin, which is given for suspected methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) HCAP. We evaluated a strategy of discontinuing vancomycin if both nasal and throat cultures were negative for MRSA when lower-respiratory-tract cultures were not available. An antimicrobial stewardship team identified patients receiving empirical vancomycin for suspected or proven HCAP but for whom adequate lower-respiratory-tract cultures were not available. Nasal and throat swab specimens were obtained and plated on MRSA selective media. If both nasal and throat MRSA cultures were negative, the stewardship team recommended discontinuation of empirical vancomycin. Demographic and clinical aspects, a clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) on the day of the stewardship recommendation, and mortality of patients for whom vancomycin was discontinued were obtained by retrospective chart review. A convenience sample of 91 patients with nasal and throat cultures negative for MRSA in the absence of adequate respiratory cultures had empirical vancomycin therapy discontinued. A retrospective review revealed that 88 (97%) patients had a CPIS of ≤6 on the day of the stewardship recommendation. In-hospital mortality (7.7%) was similar to that of a previous study of de-escalation of antibiotics in pneumonia patients without adequate cultures. In the absence of adequate lower-respiratory-tract cultures, it is reasonable to discontinue empirical vancomycin HCAP therapy in patients with negative MRSA nasal and throat cultures and a CPIS of <6.