Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parallel evaluation of nonseparable functions by evolutionary algorithms on GPU

Soft computing takes advantage of the computational capabilities provided by graphics processing units (GPUs), as it is reflected in the numerous works published every year. However, comparisons among these works are challenging because of their peculiarities. When evaluating evolutionary algorithms on GPUs, the data layout is a commonality for all the cases. In the current work the most promising data layout for a parallel evaluation of evolutionary algorithms on GPU is evaluated. The general scope of this work makes it broadly applicable, being useful for accelerating the fitness calculation of large instances of any population‐based evolutionary algorithm. For optimal performance to be achieved in this evaluation, it should be done through a hardware‐software co‐design approach. The co‐design process might imply a risk of overfitting. Because of this, a trade‐off in the co‐design approach is necessary for long‐term sustainability of the performance of such code. As a consequence of this study, a statement about the most promising data layout for evaluating large instances of population‐based evolutionary algorithms on GPU is presented. From the different approaches studied, the strategy with allocation of 1 individual per thread on registers with coalesced access to global memory on both Fermi and Kepler architectures outperforms all the other strategies.
Neurotransmitter alteration in a testosterone propionate-induced polycystic ovarian syndrome rat model

Abstract Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), one of the leading causes of infertility seen in women, is characterized by anovulation and hyperandrogenism, resulting in ovarian dysfunction. In addition, associations of several metabolic complications like insulin resistance, obesity, dyslipidemia and psychological co-morbidities are well known in PCOS. One of the major factors influencing mood and the emotional state of mind is neurotransmitters. Also, these neurotransmitters are very crucial for GnRH release. Hence, the current study investigates the status of neurotransmitters in PCOS. Materials and methods: A PCOS rat model was developed using testosterone. Twenty-one-day-old rats were subcutaneously injected with 10 mg/kg body weight of testosterone propionate (TP) for 35 days. The animals were validated for PCOS characteristics by monitoring estrus cyclicity, serum testosterone and estradiol levels and by histological examination of ovarian sections. Neurotransmitter estimation was carried out using fluorometric and spectrophotometric methods. Results: TP-treated animals demonstrated increased serum testosterone levels with unaltered estradiol content, disturbed estrus cyclicity and many peripheral cysts in the ovary compared to control rats mimicking human PCOS. Norepinephrine (NE), dopamine, serotonin, γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) and epinephrine levels were significantly low in TP-induced PCOS rats compared to control ones, whereas the activity of acetylcholinesterase in the PCOS brain was markedly elevated. Conclusion: Neurotransmitter alteration could be one of the reasons for disturbed gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) release, consequently directing the ovarian dysfunction in PCOS. Also, decrease in neurotransmitters, mainly NE, serotonin and dopamine (DA) attributes to mood disorders like depression and anxiety in PCOS.
Changes of xanthine oxidase, lipid peroxide and superoxide dismutase in mouse acute pancreatitis.

The role of free radicals in the development of pancreatitis was evaluated by measuring the level of activities of xanthine oxidase (XOD), lipid peroxide (LPO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Acute pancreatitis was induced in female mice fed a choline-deficient meal containing 0.5% DL-ethionine (CDE meal). Acute pancreatitis was confirmed by the changes in serum amylase level and other typical features observed microscopically 24 h after the meal was taken. Activity of XOD was elevated significantly (p less than 0.05) from the baseline of 1.13 +/- 0.19 U/g tissue to 2.34 +/- 0.46, 2.59 +/- 0.33 and 3.46 +/- 0.70 U/g tissue, 8, 12 and 24 h, respectively, after the CDE meal. The LPO level was also increased from an undetectable amount to 1.10 +/- 0.47 nmol/ml (p less than 0.05), 1.03 +/- 0.18 (p less than 0.01) at 6 and 8 h, respectively, and then returned to an undetectable amount at 12 h. The peak level of LPO was shown at 24 h, 1.76 +/- 0.40 nmol/ml (p less than 0.01) and gradually decreased until 48 h, 1.17 +/- 0.37 nmol/ml (p less than 0.01) after the CDE meal. Changes of LPO took a biphasic pattern. SOD was decreased significantly from 47.1 +/- 3.4 mU/g tissue to 30.7 +/- 2.5, 24.8 +/- 1.7 and 20.6 +/- 1.1 mU/g tissue at 8 (p less than 0.01), 12 (p less than 0.01), and 24 (p less than 0.01) h, respectively. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Asymmetry of Early Endosome Distribution in C. elegans Embryos

Background Endocytosis is involved in the regulation of many cellular events, including signalling, cell migration, and cell polarity. To begin to investigate roles for endocytosis in early C. elegans development, we examined the distribution and dynamics of early endosomes (EEs) in embryos. Methodology/Principal Findings EEs are primarily found at the cell periphery with an initially uniform distribution after fertilization. Strikingly, we find that during the first cell cycle, EEA-1 positive EEs become enriched at the anterior cortex. In contrast, the Golgi compartment shows no asymmetry in distribution. Asymmetric enrichment of EEs depends on acto-myosin contractility and embryonic PAR polarity. In addition to their localization at the cortex, EEs are also found around the centrosome. These EEs move rapidly (1.3um/s) from the cortex directly to the centrosome, a speed comparable to that of the minus end directed motor dynein. Conclusions/Significance We speculate that the asymmetry of early endosomes might play a role in cell asymmetries or fate decisions.
Towards Rational Design of Porcelain Tile Glazes

The complexity of porcelain tile glaze compositions translates into equally complex behaviour during firing in which, concurrently or in partially overlapping form, very different processes develop, such as the dissolution of crystalline phases, the crystallisation of new phases, and sintering phenomena. This complexity, and the scarcity of studies relating to the subject, make it extremely difficult to formulate such glaze compositions scientifically and efficiently. The present study analysed the physico-chemical transformations that occurred during the firing of these glazes, focusing in particular on the sintering process and its kinetics. A kinetic model was developed, first, which describes the sintering of complex glaze compositions (containing more than five components) with significant frit contents (45–70%) that devitrify crystalline phases during firing. A second, more comprehensive kinetic model was then developed, involving a formal multi-step kinetic model that encompassed even more complex glaze compositions (up to nine components), to calculate the effective viscosity of the glaze melt. This property was compared, on the one hand, with the effective viscosity obtained experimentally by hot stage microscopy (HSM) and, on the other, with that estimated theoretically from the chemical and mineralogical composition of the material, at different temperatures. The results obtained by the two methods exhibited very good agreement. The concept of effective viscosity provides a better understanding of the role played by the different glaze constituents and the firing conditions in sintering, enabling more rational design of these materials.
Fused silica for 157-nm transmittance

The use of silica glass for the photomask material in 157-nm lithography tools is proposed. While fused silica enjoys widespread application for 248 and 193-nm optics, its use for 157-nm applications has been largely discounted, in part because of low transmittance at this wavelength. It is demonstrated here that silica glass can be made to have high transmittance at 157-nm. This is accomplished by minimizing the OH content of the glass. It is also noted that the thermal and mechanical properties of so-called dry silica are very close to higher OH silicas that are commonly used for lithography applications.
Phosphate-induced Apoptosis of Hypertrophic Chondrocytes Is Associated with a Decrease in Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and Is Dependent upon Erk1/2 Phosphorylation*

Growth plate abnormalities, associated with impaired hypertrophic chondrocyte apoptosis, are observed in humans and animals with abnormalities of vitamin D action and renal phosphate reabsorption. Low circulating phosphate levels impair hypertrophic chondrocyte apoptosis, whereas treatment of these cells with phosphate activates the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Because phosphate-mediated apoptosis of chondrocytes is differentiation-dependent, studies were performed to identify factors that contribute to hypertrophic chondrocyte apoptosis. An increase in the percentage of cells with low mitochondrial membrane potential, evaluated by JC-1 fluorescence, was observed during hypertrophic differentiation of primary murine chondrocytes in culture. This percentage was further increased by treatment of hypertrophic, but not proliferative, chondrocytes with phosphate. Phosphate-mediated apoptosis was observed as early as 30 min post-treatment and was dependent upon Erk1/2 phosphorylation. Inhibition of Erk1/2 phosphorylation in vivo confirmed an important role for this signaling pathway in regulating hypertrophic chondrocyte apoptosis in growing mice. Murine embryonic metatarsals cultured under phosphate-restricted conditions demonstrated a 2.5-fold increase in parathyroid hormone-related protein mRNA expression accompanied by a marked attenuation in phospho-Erk immunoreactivity in hypertrophic chondrocytes. Thus, these investigations point to an important role for phosphate in regulating mitochondrial membrane potential in hypertrophic chondrocytes and growth plate maturation by the parathyroid hormone-related protein signaling pathway.
Phlebotomy as a preventive measure for crocidolite‐induced mesothelioma in male rats

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare but socially important neoplasm due to its association with asbestos exposure. Malignant mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose at an early stage, yet there are no particularly effective treatments available at the advanced stage, thus necessitating efficient strategies to prevent MM in individuals already exposed to asbestos. We previously showed that persistent oxidative damage caused by foreign body reaction and affinity of asbestos both to hemoglobin and histones is one of the major pathogeneses. Accordingly, as an effective strategy to prevent asbestos‐induced MM, we undertook the use of an iron chelator, deferasirox, which decreased the epithelial–mesenchymal transition in a crocidolite‐induced rat MM model. However, this agent may show adverse effects. Here, we studied the effects of iron removal by phlebotomy as a realistic measure on the same rat model. We injected a total of 5 mg crocidolite i.p. to F1 hybrid rats between the Fischer‐344 and Brown‐Norway strains at the age of 6 weeks. We repeated weekly or biweekly phlebotomy of 6‐8 mL/kg/time from 10 to 60 weeks of age. The animals were observed until 120 weeks. In male rats, phlebotomy significantly decreased the weight and nuclear grade of MM, and modestly reduced the associated ascites and the fraction of more malignant sarcomatoid subtype. Weekly phlebotomy prolonged long‐term survival. Our results indicate that appropriate phlebotomy may be a practical preventive measure to attenuate the initiation and promotion capacity of asbestos towards MM by reducing iron in individuals exposed to asbestos.
Evidence that circadian variations of circulating melatonin levels in fetal and suckling rats are dependent on maternal melatonin transfer.

Although the circadian variation of melatonin content in the pineal gland appears during the 3rd week of extrauterine life, recent studies suggest that the fetus perceives the day length through maternal melatonin transfer. Accordingly, we determined serum melatonin concentrations in pregnant and lactating rats and in their offsprings during the day (D) and at night (N). As compared with nonpregnant adult female rats (D: 6.0 +/- 0.5 and N: 112.0 +/- 5.0 pg/ml), significant increases of serum melatonin concentrations, both during the day and at night, were observed in 21-day pregnant (D: 21.0 +/- 2.6 and N: 222.0 +/- 7.2 pg/ml) and in 10-day (D: 20.0 +/- 2.6 and N: 145.0 +/- 12.3 pg/ml) and 20-day (D: 19.0 +/- 1.2 and N: 140.0 +/- 8.0 pg/ml) lactating animals, while a profound decrease was found in 5-day (D: 13.0 +/- 1.0 and N: 50.0 +/- 5.6 pg/ml) lactating rats. In addition, melatonin levels were significantly higher during the night than during the day in all the experimental groups. High levels and circadian variation of serum melatonin were detected also in 21-day-old fetuses (D: 13.0 +/- 0.8 and N: 108.0 +/- 4.8 pg/ml) and in 5- and 10-day-old suckling (in 5-day-old, D: 13.0 +/- 0.6 and N: 71.0 +/- 3.1 pg/ml; in 10-day-old, D: 17.0 +/- 1.4 and N: 63.0 +/- 3.8 pg/ml) rats. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Application of synchrophasor measurements using PMU for modern power systems monitoring and control

Synchrophasor measurement technology has become a mature technology with deployment of large number of PMUs in many major power systems across the globe in last two decades. The driving force behind the innovation of PMUs is that, the occurrence of major blackouts in many power systems around the world. This paper provides a brief introduction to PMU and synchrophasor measurement technology and the applications of these measurements for improved monitoring, protection and control of power system. Also the superiority of PMU based synchrophasor technology over conventional SCADA technology is discussed. Industry is now focusing on synchrophasor-based applications for improved monitoring and control of power system, which are discussed in brief in section-IV. Some international standards governing synchrophasor measurements in power system and PMU interoperability are listed in section-V. This paper help readers to understand synchrophasor measurement technology, its superiority over conventional SCADA system and present research focus on application of synchronized measurement in improving power system reliability.
A competitive algorithm for minimizing weighted flow time on unrelatedmachines with speed augmentation

We consider the online problem of scheduling jobs on unrelated machines so as to minimize the total weighted flow time. This problem has an unbounded competitive ratio even for very restricted settings. In this paper we show that if we allow the machines of the online algorithm to have ε more speed than those of the offline algorithm then we can get an O((1+ε-1)2)-competitive algorithm. Our algorithm schedules jobs preemptively but without migration. However, we compare our solution to an offline algorithm which allows migration. Our analysis uses a potential function argument which can also be extended to give a simpler and better proof of the randomized immediate dispatch algorithm of Chekuri-Goel-Khanna-Kumar for minimizing average flow time on parallel machines.
Residual drum sound estimation for RPCA singing voice extraction

In this paper, we propose an efficient singing voice extraction method from a music sound consisting of a singing voice and a drum sound. The proposed method is based on robust principal component analysis (RPCA) which is a technique to separate a given matrix into a sparse matrix and a low rank matrix. Dealing with a spectrogram of the music sound as the given matrix, RPCA gives an extracted singing voice spectrogram as a sparse spectrogram. We improve the capability of RPCA method by removing a residual drum sound from the sparse spectrogram. The residual drum sound is estimated as spectral components which repeatedly arise in the sparse spectrogram. Removing the estimated residual drum sound spectrogram from the sparse spectrogram gives an improved singing voice spectrogram. Simulation results show that the proposed method can improve 10dB of GNSDR as compared with the conventional RPCA singing voice extraction method.
‘The money can be a motivator, to me a little, but mostly PBF just helps me to do better in my job.’ An exploration of the motivational mechanisms of performance-based financing for health workers in Malawi

Performance-based financing (PBF) is assumed to improve health care delivery by motivating health workers to enhance their work performance. However, the exact motivational mechanisms through which PBF is assumed to produce such changes are poorly understood to date. Although PBF is increasingly recognized as a complex health systems intervention, its motivational effect for individual health workers is still often reduced to financial 'carrots and sticks' in the literature and discourse. Aiming to contribute to the development of a more comprehensive understanding of the motivational mechanisms, we explored how PBF impacted health worker motivation in the context of the Malawian Results-based Financing for Maternal and Newborn Health (RBF4MNH) Initiative. We conducted in-depth interviews with 41 nurses, medical assistants and clinical officers from primary- and secondary-level health facilities 1 and 2 years after the introduction of RBF4MNH in 2013. Six categories of motivational mechanisms emerged: RBF4MNH motivated health workers to improve their performance (1) by acting as a periodic wake-up call to deficiencies in their day-to-day practice; (2) by providing direction and goals to work towards; (3) by strengthening perceived ability to perform successfully at work and triggering a sense of accomplishment; (4) by instilling feelings of recognition; (5) by altering social dynamics, improving team work towards a common goal, but also introducing social pressure; and (6) by offering a 'nice to have' opportunity to earn extra income. However, respondents also perceived weaknesses of the intervention design, implementation-related challenges and contextual constraints that kept RBF4MNH from developing its full motivating potential. Our results underline PBF's potential to affect health workers' motivation in ways which go far beyond the direct effects of financial rewards to individuals. We strongly recommend considering all motivational mechanisms more explicitly in future PBF design to fully exploit the approach's capacity for enhancing health worker performance.
Deficiency of eosinophil peroxidase detected by automated cytochemistry.

Maria Dolores Valdés, MD, Servicio de Hematología, Hospital ‘Primero de Octubre’, Carretera de Andalucía, Km. 5, E-28041 Madrid (Spain) Eosinophil and neutrophil/monocyte peroxidases differ in biochemical [1], antigenic [2] and functional characteristics [3] and in genetic control. Individuals with inherited deficiency of neutrophil/monocyte peroxidase [4, 5] have normal levels of eosinophil peroxidase. Eosinophil peroxidase deficiency with normal levels of the neutrophil enzyme has seldom been reported [6]. We report a patient in whom a selective deficiency of eosinophil peroxidase was detected by flow cytochemistry (Technicon H-6000). A 62-year-old woman was diagnosed as having toxic epidemic syndrome (TES) in June, 1981. Leukocyte count was 11.7 × 109/1 with a 10% eosinophils. In November 1983, when she was seen at our hospital, the H-6000 report of her peripheral blood showed 6.79 × 109 leukocytes/1 with 37.6% neutrophils, 26.6% lymphocytes, 33.4% monocytes, 0.3% eosinophils, 1.5% basophils and 0.6% large unstained cells. However, the peripheral smear revealed only 8% monocytes and 30% eosinophils. Two years later the same abnormality was still present. Her eosinophils gave a negative reaction for peroxidase using benzidine di-hydrochloride [7] and for Sudan black B. Neutrophils and monocytes reacted normally to both techniques. The patient refused further testing and no family studies could be performed. We interpret those results as a congenital or acquired partial deficiency of eosinophil peroxidase. The abnormal eosinophils are read as ‘monocytes’ by the H-6000 (large cells with little peroxidase). Some peroxidase must be reacting in the eosinophils although there is none detectable by optical cytochemistry using benzidine dihydrochloride. Eosinophilia was a marker for TES [8]. The eosinophils in this disease are similar in optical morphology to those found in our patient. However, no cytochem-ical abnormalities have been reported in TES. Only 0.17% of patients with TES had more than 1 × 109 eo-sinophils/1 4 years after diagnosis. Neutrophil peroxidase deficiency has been increasingly recognised by automated flow cytochemistry [4, 5]. Optical screening of peripheral smears of patients with low numbers of eosinophils and mildly elevated numbers of monocytes and/or large unstained cells by flow cytochemistry may reveal other cases of eosinophil peroxidase deficiency. References Migler, R. ; DeChatelet, R. : Human eosinophilic peroxidase: biochemical characterization. Biochem. Med. 19: 16–26(1978).
Early detection of myocardial dysfunction using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in a young cat with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Case summary A 5-month-old intact female Scottish Fold cat was presented for cardiac evaluation. Careful auscultation detected a slight systolic murmur (Levine I/VI). The findings of electrocardiography, thoracic radiography, non-invasive blood pressure measurements and conventional echocardiographic studies were unremarkable. However, two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography revealed abnormalities in myocardial deformations, including decreased early-to-late diastolic strain rate ratios in longitudinal, radial and circumferential directions, and deteriorated segmental systolic longitudinal strain. At the follow-up examinations, the cat exhibited echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy and was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy using conventional echocardiography. Relevance and novel information This is the first report on the use of two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography for the early detection of myocardial dysfunction in a cat with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; the myocardial dysfunction was detected before the development of hypertrophy. The findings from this case suggest that two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography can be useful for myocardial assessment when conventional echocardiographic and Doppler findings are ambiguous.
Denoising Hyperspectral Image With Non-i.i.d. Noise Structure

Hyperspectral image (HSI) denoising has been attracting much research attention in remote sensing area due to its importance in improving the HSI qualities. The existing HSI denoising methods mainly focus on specific spectral and spatial prior knowledge in HSIs, and share a common underlying assumption that the embedded noise in HSI is independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.). In real scenarios, however, the noise existed in a natural HSI is always with much more complicated non-i.i. d. statistical structures and the under-estimation to this noise complexity often tends to evidently degenerate the robustness of current methods. To alleviate this issue, this paper attempts the first effort to model the HSI noise using a non-i.i. d. mixture of Gaussians (NMoGs) noise assumption, which finely accords with the noise characteristics possessed by a natural HSI and thus is capable of adapting various practical noise shapes. Then we integrate such noise modeling strategy into the low-rank matrix factorization (LRMF) model and propose an NMoG-LRMF model in the Bayesian framework. A variational Bayes algorithm is then designed to infer the posterior of the proposed model. As substantiated by our experiments implemented on synthetic and real noisy HSIs, the proposed method performs more robust beyond the state-of-the-arts.