Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monte-Carlo Tree Search Applied to the Game of Havannah

Playing the game of Havannah is di cult for computers. Nevertheless, Monte-Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) has been successfully applied to play Havannah in the past. In this paper several enhancements to the selection and playout phases of MCTS are applied to increase the playing strength. For the selection phase, we investigate the following three enhancements: (1) Rapid ActionValue Estimate (RAVE), (2) Progressive History, and (3) Extended RAVE, a combination of RAVE and Progressive History. For the play-out phase, we investigate four play-out strategies: Favoring (1) playing on corner cells, (2) moves that are in proximity to previous moves, (3) moves that lead to a forced win, and (4) moves that have positive RAVEvalues. The experiments reveal that RAVE, Progressive History, and Extended RAVE increase the win rate, whereas Progressive History gives the best results. Checking for forced wins also improves the play-outs, while the other tested play-out strategies do not.
A Neural-Visualization IDS for Honeynet Data

Neural intelligent systems can provide a visualization of the network traffic for security staff, in order to reduce the widely known high false-positive rate associated with misuse-based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs). Unlike previous work, this study proposes an unsupervised neural models that generate an intuitive visualization of the captured traffic, rather than network statistics. These snapshots of network events are immensely useful for security personnel that monitor network behavior. The system is based on the use of different neural projection and unsupervised methods for the visual inspection of honeypot data, and may be seen as a complementary network security tool that sheds light on internal data structures through visual inspection of the traffic itself. Furthermore, it is intended to facilitate verification and assessment of Snort performance (a well-known and widely-used misuse-based IDS), through the visualization of attack patterns. Empirical verification and comparison of the proposed projection methods are performed in a real domain, where two different case studies are defined and analyzed.
Kinetic Modeling of Virus Growth in Cells

SUMMARY When a virus infects a host cell, it hijacks the biosynthetic capacity of the cell to produce virus progeny, a process that may take less than an hour or more than a week. The overall time required for a virus to reproduce depends collectively on the rates of multiple steps in the infection process, including initial binding of the virus particle to the surface of the cell, virus internalization and release of the viral genome within the cell, decoding of the genome to make viral proteins, replication of the genome, assembly of progeny virus particles, and release of these particles into the extracellular environment. For a large number of virus types, much has been learned about the molecular mechanisms and rates of the various steps. However, in only relatively few cases during the last 50 years has an attempt been made—using mathematical modeling—to account for how the different steps contribute to the overall timing and productivity of the infection cycle in a cell. Here we review the initial case studies, which include studies of the one-step growth behavior of viruses that infect bacteria (Qβ, T7, and M13), human immunodeficiency virus, influenza A virus, poliovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus, baculovirus, hepatitis B and C viruses, and herpes simplex virus. Further, we consider how such models enable one to explore how cellular resources are utilized and how antiviral strategies might be designed to resist escape. Finally, we highlight challenges and opportunities at the frontiers of cell-level modeling of virus infections.
The comparison of Higuchi fractal dimension and Sample Entropy analysis of sEMG: effects of muscle contraction intensity and TMS

The aim of the study was to examine how the complexity of surface electromyogram (sEMG) signal, estimated by Higuchi fractal dimension (HFD) and Sample Entropy (SampEn), change depending on muscle contraction intensity and external perturbation of the corticospinal activity during muscle contraction induced by single-pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (spTMS). HFD and SampEn were computed from sEMG signal recorded at three various levels of voluntary contraction before and after spTMS. After spTMS, both HFD and SampEn decreased at medium compared to the mild contraction. SampEn increased, while HFD did not change significantly at strong compared to medium contraction. spTMS significantly decreased both parameters at all contraction levels. When same parameters were computed from the mathematically generated sine-wave calibration curves, the results show that SampEn has better accuracy at lower (0-40 Hz) and HFD at higher (60-120 Hz) frequencies. Changes in the sEMG complexity associated with increased muscle contraction intensity cannot be accurately depicted by a single complexity measure. Examination of sEMG should entail both SampEn and HFD as they provide complementary information about different frequency components of sEMG. Further studies are needed to explain the implication of changes in nonlinear parameters and their relation to underlying sEMG physiological processes.
BendSketch

Sketch-based modeling provides a powerful paradigm for geometric modeling. Recent research had shown, sketch based modeling methods are most effective when targeting a specific family of surfaces. A large and growing arsenal of sketching tools is available for different types of geometries and different target user populations. Our work augments this arsenal with a new and powerful tool for modeling complex freeform shapes by sketching sparse 2D strokes; our method complements existing approaches in enabling the generation of surfaces with complex curvature patterns that are challenging to produce with existing methods. To model a desired surface patch with our technique, the user sketches the patch boundary as well as a small number of strokes representing the major bending directions of the shape. Our method uses this input to generate a curvature field that conforms to the user strokes and then uses this field to derive a freeform surface with the desired curvature pattern. To infer the surface from the strokes we first disambiguate the convex versus concave bending directions indicated by the strokes and estimate the surface bending magnitude along the strokes. We subsequently construct a curvature field based on these estimates, using a non-orthogonal 4-direction field coupled with a scalar magnitude field, and finally construct a surface whose curvature pattern reflects this field through an iterative sequence of simple linear optimizations. Our framework is well suited for single-view modeling, but also supports multi-view interaction, necessary to model complex shapes portions of which can be occluded in many views. It effectively combines multi-view inputs to obtain a coherent 3D shape. It runs at interactive speed allowing for immediate user feedback. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method through a large collection of complex examples created by both artists and amateurs. Our framework provides a useful complement to the existing sketch-based modeling methods.
Heat shock protein expression protects against cerebral ischemia and monoamine overload in rat heatstroke

Yang, Yi-Ling, and Mao-Tsun Lin. Heat shock protein expression protects against cerebral ischemia and monoamine overload in rat heatstroke. Am. J. Physiol. 276 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 45): H1961–H1967, 1999. —This study attempted to ascertain whether the ischemic damage to neurons and monoamine overload in brain that occur during rat heatstroke can be attenuated by heat shock protein (HSP) 72 induction. Effects of heatstroke on mean arterial pressure (MAP), cerebral blood flow (CBF), brain dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) release, and neural damage score were assayed in rats 0, 16, or 48 h after heat shock (42°C for 15 min) or chemical stress (5 mg/kg sodium arsenite ip). Brain HSP 72 in rats after heat shock or chemical stress was detected by Western blot, and brain monoamine was determined by a microdialysis probe combined with high-performance liquid chromatography. Heatstroke was induced by exposing the animal to a high ambient temperature (43°C); the moment at which MAP and CBF decreased from their peak values was taken as the time of heatstroke onset. Prior heat shock or chemical stress conferred significant protection against heatstroke-induced hyperthermia, arterial hypotension, cerebral ischemia, cerebral DA and 5-HT overload, and neural damage and correlated with expression of HSP 72 in brain at 16 h. However, at 48 h, when HSP 72 expression returned to basal values, the above responses that occurred during the onset of heatstroke were indistinguishable between the two groups (0 h vs. 48 h). These results lead to the hypothesis that the brain can be preconditioned by thermal or chemical injury, that this preconditioning will induce HSP 72, and that HSP 72 induction will correlate quite well with anatomic, histochemical, and hemodynamic protection in rat heatstroke.
In Hemodialysis Patients, Intradialytic Resistance Exercise Improves Osteoblast Function: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE Abnormalities in mineral and bone metabolism are frequent in chronic kidney disease patients. Physical exercise can improve many indicators of physical functioning, and recent studies showed beneficial effects on bone mineral density in the general population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of resistance exercise training on bone markers and body composition in hemodialysis (HD) patients. DESIGN This was a randomized controlled trial. SUBJECTS The study included 13 HD patients (46.2% men). INTERVENTION Patients were divided into a control group and an exercise group, which performed 8 weeks of intradialytic resistance exercise. Serum sclerostin, bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), insulin, leptin, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and body composition were measured before and after the exercise period. RESULTS In the exercise group, BAP levels increased from 11.4 ± 6.5 to 14.6 ± 6.4 U/L (P < .05) and serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels from 46.0 ± 23.5 to 87.2 ± 31.8 ng/mL (P < .05). After exercise, serum BAP levels were inversely correlated with serum sclerostin (r = -0.96, P < .05). There was no change in body composition in either group. CONCLUSION Resistance exercise training appears to be an interesting approach for stimulating BAP production in HD patients and may prevent bone loss and stimulate bone formation.
Differences in the protective capabilities of bicycle helmets in real-world and standard-specified impact scenarios

ABSTRACT Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate relative differences in impact attenuation capabilities of bicycle helmets under real-world impact conditions and safety standard-specified conditions using a standard rig. Methods: A Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) test rig was used to impact 10 helmet models of varied design. Impact configurations included 2 locations and 2 velocities. A frontal rim location (inferior to the standard-defined test area) and a temporal location were selected to reflect common cyclist impacts. An impact velocity of 3.4 m/s, an average normal impact velocity in cyclist accidents, was selected, as well as the CPSC standard velocity of 6.2 m/s. Four samples per helmet model were subjected to each of the 4 impact configurations once (randomized test order per sample), resulting in 160 drop tests. Peak linear acceleration (PLA) and head injury criterion (HIC)-based Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) ≥ 4 brain injury risk were determined and compared across helmets and impact configurations using analysis of variance. Other impact characteristics such as duration, effective liner stiffness, and energy dissipated were also calculated from acceleration data. Results: Helmet performance varied significantly between models. PLA ranged from 78 to 169 g at 3.4 m/s (0–2% AIS ≥ 4 brain injury risk) and 165–432 g (10–100% risk) at 6.2 m/s. Temporal impacts resulted in higher PLAs than frontal impacts, likely due to increased effective liner stiffness. However, 2 helmets exceeded the CPSC pass–fail threshold (300 g) at the frontal rim location, producing >70% risk. Force–displacement curves suggest that bottoming-out occurred in these impacts. Aside from bottoming-out cases, helmets that performed worse in one impact configuration tended to perform worse in others, with non-road-style helmets among the worst. Conclusions: The 10 bicycle helmets tested produced considerable differences in their protective capabilities under both real-world and standard-specified conditions on the CPSC rig. Risk of severe brain injury varied widely between helmets at the standard impact velocity, whereas the common, lower severity impacts produced PLAs associated with concussion. Helmets of a nonroad style generally performed worse across configuration. The temporal location produced higher risks for most helmets, although some helmets were found to offer inadequate protection at the helmet rim. Because this is a commonly impacted location in cyclist accidents, there may be benefit to expanding the testable area in standards to include the rim. Results from this study demonstrate the value in testing nonstandard conditions and can be used to inform standards testing and helmet design.
X-ray Crystallographic Analyses of Inhibitor and Substrate Complexes of Wild-type and Mutant 4-Hydroxybenzoyl-CoA Thioesterase*

The metabolic pathway by which 4-chlorobenzoate is degraded to 4-hydroxybenzoate in the soil-dwelling microbePseudomonas sp. strain CBS-3 consists of three enzymes including 4-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA thioesterase. The structure of the unbound form of this thioesterase has been shown to contain the so-called “hot dog” fold with a large helix packed against a five-stranded anti-parallel β-sheet. To address the manner in which the enzyme accommodates the substrate within the active site, two inhibitors have been synthesized, namely 4-hydroxyphenacyl-CoA and 4-hydroxybenzyl-CoA. Here we describe the structural analyses of the enzyme complexed with these two inhibitors determined and refined to 1.5 and 1.8 Å resolution, respectively. These studies indicate that only one protein side chain, Ser91, participates directly in ligand binding. All of the other interactions between the protein and the inhibitors are mediated through backbone peptidic NH groups, carbonyl oxygens, and/or solvents. The structures of the enzyme-inhibitor complexes suggest that both a hydrogen bond and the positive end of a helix dipole moment serve to polarize the electrons away from the carbonyl carbon of the acyl group, thereby making it more susceptible to nucleophilic attack. Additionally, these studies demonstrate that the carboxylate group of Asp17 is ∼3.2 Å from the carbonyl carbon of the acyl group. To address the role of Asp17, the structure of the site-directed mutant protein D17N with bound substrate has also been determined. Taken together, these investigations suggest that the reaction mechanism may proceed through an acyl enzyme intermediate.
AGI July 40/1

ARIF ISMAILI,1,2 JONATHAN B. MEDDINGS,3 SAMUEL RATNAM,4 AND PHILIP M. SHERMAN1,2,5 1Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8; 3Gastrointestinal Research Group, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1; 4Newfoundland and Labrador Public Health Laboratory, St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 3T2; and Departments of 5Pediatrics and 2Molecular and Medical Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8
Current Trends and Healthcare Resource Usage in the Hospital Treatment of Primary Malignant Brain Tumor in Japan: A National Survey Using the Diagnostic Procedure Combination Database (J-ASPECT Study-Brain Tumor)

We conducted this study to clarify the current trends and healthcare resource usage in the treatment of inpatients with primary malignant brain tumors. The Diagnostic Procedure Combination (DPC) data of all inpatients treated between 2013 and 2014 in the 370 core and branch hospitals enrolled in the Japanese Neurosurgical Society training program were collected. DPC is a discharge abstract and administrative claims database of inpatients. We assessed 6,142 primary, malignant brain tumor patients. Patient information, diagnostic information, treatment procedure, and healthcare resource usage were analyzed. Chemotherapy was the most frequent treatment (27% of cases), followed by surgery (13%) and surgery + chemo-radiotherapy (11%). Temozolomide (TMZ), the most frequently used chemotherapeutic drug, was administered to 1,236 patients. Concomitant TMZ and radiotherapy was administered to 816 patients, and was performed according to the Stupp regimen in many cases. The mean length of hospital stay (LOS) was 16 days, and the mean medical cost was 1,077,690 yen. The average medical cost of TMZ-only treatment was 1,138,620 yen whilst it was 4,424,300 yen in concomitant TMZ patients. The LOS was significantly shorter in high-volume than in low-volume hospitals, and the medical cost was higher in hospitals treating 21–50 patients compared to those treating 1–10 patients. However, the direct medical cost of TMZ treatment was the same across different volume hospitals. This is the first report of current trends and healthcare resource usage in the treatment of primary malignant brain tumor inpatients in the TMZ era in Japan.
TFIIA transcriptional activity is controlled by a ‘cleave-and-run’ Exportin-1/Taspase 1-switch

Transcription factor TFIIA is controlled by complex regulatory networks including proteolysis by the protease Taspase 1, though the full impact of cleavage remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that in contrast to the general assumption, de novo produced TFIIA is rapidly confined to the cytoplasm via an evolutionary conserved nuclear export signal (NES, amino acids 21VINDVRDIFL30), interacting with the nuclear export receptor Exportin-1/chromosomal region maintenance 1 (Crm1). Chemical export inhibition or genetic inactivation of the NES not only promotes TFIIA's nuclear localization but also affects its transcriptional activity. Notably, Taspase 1 processing promotes TFIIA's nuclear accumulation by NES masking, and modulates its transcriptional activity. Moreover, TFIIA complex formation with the TATA box binding protein (TBP) is cooperatively enhanced by inhibition of proteolysis and nuclear export, leading to an increase of the cell cycle inhibitor p16INK, which is counteracted by prevention of TBP binding. We here identified a novel mechanism how proteolysis and nuclear transport cooperatively fine-tune transcriptional programs.
Are Sex Effects on Ethical Decision-Making Fake or Real? A Meta-Analysis on the Contaminating Role of Social Desirability Response Bias

A meta-analysis of 143 studies was conducted to explore how the social desirability response bias may influence sex effects on ratings on measures of ethical decision-making. Women rated themselves as more ethical than did men; however, this sex effect on ethical decision-making was no longer significant when social desirability response bias was controlled. The indirect questioning approach was compared with the direct measurement approach for effectiveness in controlling social desirability response bias. The indirect questioning approach was found to be more effective.
Incidence of wound complications after cesarean delivery: is suture closure better?

Abstract Background: Wound complications (WC) following cesarean delivery (CD) result in significant morbidity. A randomized trial in 2013, which demonstrated lower WC rates with suture closure compared to staple closure, resulted in a practice change within our academic institution. Objective: To determine the impact of this practice change on WC rates and identify other modifiable risk factors for WC. Study design: This is a retrospective cohort study of all women undergoing CD at the University of California, San Diego between 1 March 2011 and 28 February 2012 (primarily staple) and 1 March 2013 and 28 February 2014 (primarily suture). WC rates were compared between the two time intervals using Chi-square and Student’s t-tests. Risk factors (OR, 95%CI) for WC were assessed using multiple logistic regression modeling. Results: Of 1580 women delivered by CD, rates of WC were higher with staple closure compared to sutures (10.1% versus 4.5%; OR 2.4, 1.4–4.1). Additionally, WC were more likely with vertical skin incisions (OR 3.6, 1.6–8.1), CD for failed labor (OR 2.9, 1.1–7.4) and diabetes (OR 2.1, 1.4–3.9). Conclusions: After adjusting for confounders, there were over twofold increased odds of WC with staple closure. Vertical incisions, failed labor and diabetes also contributed to WC. Suture closure appears to decrease the risks of WC post CD.
50. Internationales Maschinenbau von Makro bis Nano / Mechanical Engineering from Macro to Nano

A simple and cost-effective way of manufacturing photonic components, such as optical waveguides, is described. Using standard MEMS technology, nickel tools can be manufactured and replicated in polymers by hot embossing. In combination with UV modification of the polymer, this process is suitable for cost-effective manufacturing of optical components. The an pressed with high force into the has been heated above softening and the insert is by the plastic which replicates the microstructures in detail. and the mould insert is withdrawn from the plastic. Low flow rates and slow moulding speeds ensure that even the smallest details in the nanometer are replicated perfectly. Hot embossing is particularly suited for structuring plane plates and foils, as only a small amount of plastic has to be moulded.
Large-Scale Point Cloud Semantic Segmentation with Superpoint Graphs

We propose a novel deep learning-based framework to tackle the challenge of semantic segmentation of large-scale point clouds of millions of points. We argue that the organization of 3D point clouds can be efficiently captured by a structure called superpoint graph (SPG), derived from a partition of the scanned scene into geometrically homogeneous elements. SPGs offer a compact yet rich representation of contextual relationships between object parts, which is then exploited by a graph convolutional network. Our framework sets a new state of the art for segmenting outdoor LiDAR scans (+11.9 and +8.8 mIoU points for both Semantic3D test sets), as well as indoor scans (+12.4 mIoU points for the S3DIS dataset).