Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Complexity of Learning Halfspaces using Generalized Linear Methods

Many popular learning algorithms (E.g. Regression, Fourier-Transform based algorithms, Kernel SVM and Kernel ridge regression) operate by reducing the problem to a convex optimization problem over a vector space of functions. These methods offer the currently best approach to several central problems such as learning half spaces and learning DNF's. In addition they are widely used in numerous application domains. Despite their importance, there are still very few proof techniques to show limits on the power of these algorithms. We study the performance of this approach in the problem of (agnostically and improperly) learning halfspaces with margin $\gamma$. Let $\mathcal{D}$ be a distribution over labeled examples. The $\gamma$-margin error of a hyperplane $h$ is the probability of an example to fall on the wrong side of $h$ or at a distance $\le\gamma$ from it. The $\gamma$-margin error of the best $h$ is denoted $\mathrm{Err}_\gamma(\mathcal{D})$. An $\alpha(\gamma)$-approximation algorithm receives $\gamma,\epsilon$ as input and, using i.i. d. samples of $\mathcal{D}$, outputs a classifier with error rate $\le \alpha(\gamma)\mathrm{Err}_\gamma(\mathcal{D}) + \epsilon$. Such an algorithm is efficient if it uses $\mathrm{poly}(\frac{1}{\gamma},\frac{1}{\epsilon})$ samples and runs in time polynomial in the sample size. The best approximation ratio achievable by an efficient algorithm is $O\left(\frac{1/\gamma}{\sqrt{\log(1/\gamma)}}\right)$ and is achieved using an algorithm from the above class. Our main result shows that the approximation ratio of every efficient algorithm from this family must be $\ge \Omega\left(\frac{1/\gamma}{\mathrm{poly}\left(\log\left(1/\gamma\right)\right)}\right)$, essentially matching the best known upper bound.
Tissue-specific Translation of Murine Branched-chain α-Ketoacid Dehydrogenase Kinase mRNA Is Dependent upon an Upstream Open Reading Frame in the 5′-Untranslated Region*

The committed step in the pathway for leucine, isoleucine, and valine catabolism is catalyzed by branchedchain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKD). This multienzyme complex is itself regulated through reversible subunit phosphorylation by a specific kinase (BCKD-kinase). Although BCKD is present in the mitochondria of all mammalian cells, BCKD-kinase has a tissue-specific pattern of expression. Various experimental, nutritional, and hormonal conditions have been used to alter the expression of BCKD-kinase, yet little is known regarding the regulation of basal BCKD-kinase expression under normal conditions including the mechanism of its tissue specificity in any organism. Here we use tissuederived cultured cells to explore the mechanisms used to control BCKD-kinase expression. Whereas the amount of BCKD-kinase protein is significantly higher in mitochondria from C2C12 myotubes than in BNL Cl.2 liver cells, gene transcription and stability of BCKD-kinase mRNA share similar properties in these two cell types. Our results show that the amount of protein synthesized is regulated at the level of translation of BCKD-kinase mRNA and that an upstream open reading frame in the 5′-untranslated region of this transcript controls its translation. The location and putative 19-residue peptide are conserved in the mouse, rat, chimpanzee, and human genes. Likewise, gene structure of mouse, chimpanzee, and human BCKD-kinase is conserved, whereas the rat gene has lost intron 9.
The α5β1 Integrin Mediates Elimination of Amyloid-β Peptide and Protects Against Apoptosis

The amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) can mediate cell attachment by binding to β1 integrins through an arg-his-asp sequence. We show here that the α5β1 integrin, a fibronectin receptor, is an efficient binder of Aβ, and mediates cell attachment to nonfibrillar Aβ. Cells engineered to express α5β1 internalized and degraded more added Aβ1-40 than did α5β1-negative control cells. Deposition of an insoluble Aβ1-40 matrix around the α5β1-expressing cells was reduced, and the cells showed less apoptosis than the control cells. Thus, the α5β1 integrin may protect against Aβ deposition and toxicity, which is a course of Alzheimer's disease lesions.
Treatment of comorbid alcohol use disorders and depression with cognitive-behavioural therapy and motivational interviewing: a meta-analysis

Background and Aims To review published studies on the effectiveness of combining cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI) to treat comorbid clinical and subclinical alcohol use disorder (AUD) and major depression (MDD) and estimate the effect of this compared with usual care. Methods We conducted systematic literature searches in PubMed, PsycINFO and Embase up to June 2013 and identified additional studies through cross-references in included studies and systematic reviews. Twelve studies comprising 1721 patients met our inclusion criteria. The studies had sufficient statistical power to detect small effect sizes. Results CBT/MI proved effective for treating subclinical and clinical AUD and MDD compared with controls, with small overall effect sizes at post-treatment [g = 0.17, confidence interval (CI) = 0.07–0.28, P < 0.001 for decrease of alcohol consumption and g = 0.27, CI: 0.13–0.41, P < 0.001 for decrease of symptoms of depression, respectively]. Subgroup analyses revealed no significant differences for both AUD and MDD. However, digital interventions showed a higher effect size for depression than face-to-face interventions (g = 0.73 and g = 0.23, respectively, P = 0.030). Conclusions Combined cognitive-behavioural therapy and motivational interviewing for clinical or subclinical depressive and alcohol use disorders has a small but clinically significant effect in treatment outcomes compared with treatment as usual.
MI at 25: Assessing the Impact and Future of Multiple Intelligences for Teaching and Learning

Featuring a variety of viewpoints from the most prominent experts of our time in the fields of education, psychology, and neuroscience, "MI at 25" addresses vital issues in the acceptance and implementation of Multiple Intelligences. Are there convincing arguments and evidence supporting the validity of the theory of MI? Is MI truly a scientific theory that will survive the test of time? What is the impact and contribution of MI theory to classroom practice, school design/reform, and the success of individual students? What are the cultural barriers to MI-inspired educational practices and research initiatives? This important book provides a much-needed corrective that balances and deepens our knowledge of MI, in contrast to the typical 'pro' or 'anti'-multiple intelligences rhetoric. Careful readers will come away with crucial information to help them improve their teaching practice, develop more effective curricula, and become lifelong learners.
The Captopril Glomerular Filtration Rate Renogram in Renovascular Hypertension

Administration of captopril to animals with two-kidney, one clip, renovascular hypertension (RH) lowers the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in the clipped kidney. The authors therefore tested the hypothesis that a decrease in GFR after captopril administration would identify patients with RH. Total GFR was measured by the plasma disappearance of Tc-99mdiethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) after bolus injection and single-kidney GFR from renal uptake of DTPA assessed by renography. The authors studied six patients with arteriosclerotic RH who had strongly lateralizing renal vein renin levels and greater than 80% stenosis of the renal artery to that kidney. Results were contrasted with those of six patients with essential hypertension (EH) with a similar mean arterial blood pressure (MABP). Captopril (50 mg orally) increased total GFR (ml/min) in all patients with EH (102 ± 8 to 120 ± 12, P < 0.005). However, GFR decreased in patients with RH (73 ± 8 to 61 ± 9, P< 0.05) after captopril. Although the single-kidney GFR of patients with RH decreased in all six stenotic kidneys (27 ± 4 to 21 ± 5, P < 0.02), it did not change consistently in the contralateral kidneys (45 ±8 to 40 ± 6, N.S.). Clonidine (0.3 mg) also lowered MABP in patients with RH but, unlike captopril, it did not reduce total kidney GFR (75 ± 10 to 79 ± 11, N.S.). In conclusion, short-term captopril administration increases GFR in patients with EH, but decreases it in those with RH. This action is unrelated to its depressor response. Thus, captopril-induced changes in GFR may separate patients with RH from those with EH. However, changes in the DTPA renogram are not reliable for discriminating between stenotic and contralateral kidneys.
Optimal task assignment in multithreaded processors: a statistical approach

The introduction of massively multithreaded (MMT) processors, comprised of a large number of cores with many shared resources, has made task scheduling, in particular task to hardware thread assignment, one of the most promising ways to improve system performance. However, finding an optimal task assignment for a workload running on MMT processors is an NP-complete problem. Due to the fact that the performance of the best possible task assignment is unknown, the room for improvement of current task-assignment algorithms cannot be determined. This is a major problem for the industry because it could lead to: (1)~A waste of resources if excessive effort is devoted to improving a task assignment algorithm that already provides a performance that is close to the optimal one, or (2)~significant performance loss if insufficient effort is devoted to improving poorly-performing task assignment algorithms. In this paper, we present a method based on Extreme Value Theory that allows the prediction of the performance of the optimal task assignment in MMT processors. We further show that executing a sample of several hundred or several thousand random task assignments is enough to obtain, with very high confidence, an assignment with a performance that is close to the optimal one. We validate our method with an industrial case study for a set of multithreaded network applications running on an UltraSPARC~T2 processor.
Autonomous Return on Investment Analysis of Additional Processing Resources

This paper consider the situation where compute time can be purchased for the database machine of a simple online bookstore, which we model using the standardized TPC-W benchmark. A service level agreement (SLA) defines the value of the system, using throughput, response time, and expected response time as metrics. The autonomous agent must weigh the potential gain (or loss) in value defined by the SLA against the cost of purchasing (or relinquishing) compute time. This paper implement such an autonomous agent on a simulated partitionable system and show that it is possible to outperform many static choices of compute power, over a range of test workloads and resource costs. The agent uses only raw, low-level system statistics, without the need for custom instrumentation of the middleware or operating system.
Pulmonary tumors associated with the JC virus T-antigen in a transgenic mouse model

Many attempts to demonstrate the oncogenic role of the JC virus (JCV) have been partially successful in producing brain tumors, either by direct inoculation of JCV into the brain or in transgenic models in rodents. We previously reported the presence of JCV DNA with a relatively high incidence in pulmonary and digestive organs. However, we could not prove the oncogenic role of JCV. We prepared a transgene composed of the K19 promoter, specific to bronchial epithelium with the JCV T-antigen and established transgenic (TG) mice. Pulmonary tumors were detected without any metastasis in 2 out of 15 (13.3%) 16-month-old K19/JCV T-antigen TG mice. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), these tumors showed JCV T-antigen, p53 and CK 19 expression, but not expression of nuclear and cytoplasmic β-catenin and insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1). IHC revealed the same expression pattern as in the bronchial epithelium of the TG mice. One tumor, which was examined with laser capture microdissection and molecular biological tools, demonstrated an EGFR mutation but not a K-ras mutation. We propose that the pulmonary tumors were derived from the JCV T-antigen in a TG mouse model. These findings shed light on pulmonary carcinogenesis.
Bridging cultural conflict : a new approach for a changing world

'This much needed book . is a creative, helpful, and hopeful contribution at a time when we are especially challenged to bridge cultures in the pursuit of mutual understanding and peace' - Jimmy Carter, Nobel Peace Laureate. In our global society, challenging conflicts abound in personal, business, government, and international settings. Many of these conflicts are complicated by layers of miscommunication, cultural misunderstandings, and completely different ways of looking at the world. These conflicts cannot be solved by goodwill or sincere intentions alone. In our multicultural world, we need new tools to address gaps in communication and understanding and the conflicts that flow from them. "Bridging Cultural Conflicts" answers this need in groundbreaking ways that cut through complexity, replacing confusion with clarity. It introduces mindful awareness, cultural fluency, and conflict fluency as tools for decoding and moving through intercultural conflicts, and for deepening and integrating change.The book shows how fluency with culture and conflict can be learned through attention and practice, just as we would internalize a new language. As fluency is acquired, a process called dynamic engagement is presented to help prevent intercultural conflict, limit its escalation, and transform it into a learning experience. Michelle LeBaron's approach in "Bridging Cultural Conflicts" is human, practical, and adaptable to a wide range of interpersonal, community, organizational, and political conflicts. Drawing from her work as an attorney, mediator, scholar, and internationally acclaimed consultant, Michelle combines the dynamism of Western approaches to conflict resolution with the insight and balance of Eastern approaches. In the process, she offers a wide array of creative strategies and usable tools. As we urgently seek better ways to work and live together and to address the issues that divide us, this timely book inspires flexibility, creativity, and hope.
Prospective Psychosocial Monitoring of Living Kidney Donors Using the Short Form-36 Health Survey: Results at 12 Months

Background. Lack of prospective psychosocial outcome studies on living kidney donors impedes identification of risk factors for poor outcome. Methods. Psychiatric assessment of living kidney donors was performed preoperatively and at 4 and 12 months postoperatively using a semistructured interview, the Short Form (SF)-36 Health Survey, and Patient Health Questionnaire psychiatric assessment. A total of 48 of 51 consecutive donors (94%) over a 5-year period were available for follow-up and completed all assessments. Results. At preoperative assessment, only 1 of the 48 donors (2%) had a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fourth Edition Axis I psychiatric disorder, but 15 (31%) developed a disorder during the 12 months, a 29% incidence. Disorders were depressive (12%), anxiety (6%), and adjustment (13%). Seven donors (15%) demonstrated a disorder at 12 months (depressive 10%, anxiety 2%, adjustment 2%). There was a corresponding decline in psychosocial function as measured by the SF-36 Mental Component Summary score; it decreased at both 4 and 12 months (P<0.01, P<0.05); for 19% of donors, this was a larger decrease than would be expected for the cohort (>2 standard error of measurement units). Scores for SF-36 scales of General Health and Vitality decreased significantly (P<0.05), as did those of Bodily Pain, indicating greater impairment from pain. Psychiatric disorder at 12 months was associated with donor psychosocial function (Mental Component Summary) and psychiatric disorder at 4 months (P<0.01), physical function (SF-36 Physical Component Summary score) at 4 and 12 months (P<0.01), and recipient psychiatric disorder at 12 months (P<0.05). Conclusions. Donors should be alerted to possible psychosocial impairment, assessed for risk factors, and monitored for at least 12 months. Treatment should be available.
Theorizing Black Feminist Pragmatism: Forethoughts on the Practice and Purpose of Philosophy as Envisioned by Black Feminists and John Dewey

The occasion of this inquiry into pragmatism is a concern about the use and ends of philosophy as a tool in the realization of an inclusive American democracy that would not level difference and dissent but would encourage social justice and cooperation. Recognizing no essential divide between theory and practice, a search for a methodology through which to think about democracy and the moral claims those of us interested in feminism and critical race theory must make against our current ways of thinking and practicing democracy for the goods of equality and freedom, pragmatism emerges as a possible partner in the struggle. Yet theorizing black feminism in relation to pragmatism is in a nascent stage. There is a growing tradition of acquaintance in the pragmatist theories of leading African American intellectuals, but considerably less work on the pragmatists has been done by those of us who use black feminism as our lens of critical engagement. That is not to say that many black feminists have not taken up the term pragmatism to name their endeavors; rather, it is to say that few black feminist projects concern ing the works of the classical American pragmatists? Peirce, James, Dewey, and Mead? have emerged. In seeking new avenues for black feminist democracy theory, I suspect that a thorough encounter with the thought of John Dewey, especially his ideas on democracy, subjectivity, and the task of theory, would be a great supplement to the work already being carried out. In what follows, I intend to incite interest in such projects by briefly considering recent feminist and African American male scholarship on Dewey and suggesting that black feminists' concerns offer different insight into pragmatic methods because of their emphasis on experience that is both raced and gendered. It is not my intent to discount any of the prior feminist or African American male work on the pragmatists; rather, my goal, in keeping with what Dewey states to be the etymological meaning of philosophy, is to open
Centralized Adaptive Routing for NoCs

As the number of applications and programmable units in CMPs and MPSoCs increases, the Network-on-Chip (NoC) encounters diverse and time dependent traffic loads. This trend motivates the introduction of NoC load-balanced, adaptive routing mechanisms that achieve higher throughput as compared with traditional oblivious routing schemes that are perceived better suited for hardware implementations. However, an efficient adaptive routing scheme should base its decisions on the global state of the system rather than on local or regional congestion signals as is common in current adaptive routing schemes. In this paper we introduce a novel paradigm of NoC centralized adaptive routing, and a specific design for mesh topology. Our scheme continuously monitors the global traffic load in the network and modifies the routing of packets to improve load balancing accordingly. In our specific mesh-based design, XY or YX routes are adaptively selected for each source-destination pair. We show that while our implementation is scalable and lightweight in hardware costs, it outperforms distributed adaptive routing schemes in terms of load balancing and throughput.
Characterization of the Methylation Status of Pax7 and Myogenic Regulator Factors in Cell Myogenic Differentiation

Epigenetic processes in the development of skeletal muscle have been appreciated for over a decade. DNA methylation is a major epigenetic modification important for regulating gene expression and suppressing spurious transcription. Up to now, the importance of epigenetic marks in the regulation of Pax7 and myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) expression is far less explored. In the present study, semi-quantitative the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses showed MyoD and Myf5 were expressed in activated and quiescent C2C12 cells. MyoG was expressed in a later stage of myogenesis. Pax7 was weakly expressed in differentiated C2C12 cells. To further understand the regulation of expression of these genes, the DNA methylation status of Pax7, MyoD, and Myf5 was determined by bisulfite sequencing PCR. During the C2C12 myoblasts fusion process, the changes of promoter and exon 1 methylation of Pax7, MyoD, and Myf5 genes were observed. In addition, an inverse relationship of low methylation and high expression was found. These results suggest that DNA methylation may be an important mechanism regulating Pax7 and MRFs transcription in cell myogenic differentiation.
Empirical rate-distortion study of compressive sensing-based joint source-channel coding

In this paper, we present an empirical rate-distortion study of a communication scheme that uses compressive sensing (CS) as joint source-channel coding. We investigate the rate-distortion behavior of both point-to-point and distributed cases. First, we propose an efficient algorithm to find the I1-regularization parameter that is required by the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator which we use as a CS decoder. We then show that, for a point-to-point channel, the rate distortion follows two distinct regimes: the first one corresponds to an almost constant distortion, and the second one to a rapid distortion degradation, as a function of rate. This constant distortion increases with both increasing channel noise level and sparsity level, but at a different gradient depending on the distortion measure. In the distributed case, we investigate the rate-distortion behavior when sources have temporal and spatial dependencies. We show that, taking advantage of both spatial and temporal correlations over merely considering the temporal correlation between the signals allows us to achieve an average of a factor of approximately 2.5× improvement in the rate-distortion behavior of the joint source-channel coding scheme.
The Public and Its Problems: An Essay in Political Inquiry

Originally published in 1927, John Dewey’s The Public and Its Problems is a landmark work in pragmatist political philosophy. Today many commentators appreciate it as the mature expression of the American pragmatist’s democratic theory (though at least two later essays are perhaps more representative). It is also considered a classic text for students of twentieth-century American political thought. The book was originally a series of lectures given at Kenyon College in 1926. Many of its central ideas grew out of debate Dewey had with a fellow public intellectual, Walter Lippmann. Besides its inclusion in the collected works (1996, edited by Larry Hickman), the only other edition to be released was by Swallow Press in 1954, containing Dewey’s half-page foreword (1927) and his twelve-page afterword (1946).