Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An efficient method for adapting step-size parameters of primal-dual hybrid gradient method in application to total variation regularization

Primal-dual hybrid gradient (PDHG) method is a very important technique for convex optimization which has a lot of applications in signal processing such as total variation regularization. It is efficient for low-computational cost of update procedures and relatively faster convergence compared with only primal or dual method. However, the difficulty for selecting a primal and a dual step-size parameters is well-known as its critical bottleneck. In this paper, we propose a new adaptive step- size parameter selection method for PDHG which is a modified version of a technique proposed by Goldstein et al. in 2015. A great improvement of convergence speed was shown in our experiments.
Personalized mobile rapid sentence reading with multi-lingual extension

This paper addresses a multi-lingual enhanced Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) system “MulLinR”, which clears up language-specific problems of previous RSVP tools, which do not support language which are written continuously (non-spaced) and spelled with non-alphabetic characters. We develop a prototype system, which currently supports Japanese and Chinese, and experiment with variation of presentation time intervals. We have experiments as a feasibility study and discuss usability.
The PTPN22 R620W Polymorphism is Associated With Severe Bacterial Infections After Human Leukocyte Antigen Geno-Identical Haematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantations

PTPN22 is a negative regulator of T-cell activation. The C1858T PTPN22 polymorphism has been associated with autoimmune diseases. The role of PTPN22 in immune response and autoimmune diseases suggested that PTPN22 polymorphism could impact outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantations that is impaired by immunological and infectious complications. One hundred ninety-two patients who received a non-T-depleted bone marrow transplant from a human leukocyte antigen-identical sibling donor were included in this study. Donor PTPN22 C1858Tpolymorphism was not associated with severe acute graft-versus-host disease, relapse, survival, cytomegalovirus, and fungal infections, but significant with severe bacterial infections (24% for donor CC vs. 0% for donor CT+TT genotypes, P=0.003). The association was confirmed by a multivariate analysis (P=0.036, hazard ratio=2.28, 95% confidence interval=1.06–4.90). This could improve the genetic risk assessment of severe bacterial infections in allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantations.
Author ’ s Accepted Manuscript Genome-wide Association Analysis of Secondary Imaging Phenotypes from the Alzheimer ' s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Study

The aim of this paper is to systematically evaluate a biased sampling issue associated with genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) of imaging phenotypes for most imaging genetic studies, including the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Specifically, the original sampling scheme of these imaging genetic studies is primarily the retrospective case-control design, whereas most existing statistical analyses of these studies ignore such sampling scheme by directly correlating imaging phenotypes (called the secondary traits) with genotype. Although it has been well documented in genetic epidemiology that ignoring the case-control sampling scheme can produce highly biased estimates, and subsequently lead to misleading results and suspicious associations, such findings are not well documented in imaging genetics. We use extensive simulations and a large-scale imaging genetic data analysis of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) data to evaluate the effects of the case-control sampling scheme on GWAS results based on some standard statistical methods, such as linear regression methods, while comparing it with several advanced statistical methods that appropriately adjust for the case-control sampling scheme. ∗Address for correspondence and reprints: Hongtu Zhu, Ph.D., E-mail: hzhu5@mdanderson.org; Phone No: 346-814-0191. This material was based upon work partially supported by the NSF grant DMS-1127914 to the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Science Institute. The research of the first author was partially supported by NSFC-11371083 and CSC-201406625026. The research of Dr. Zhu was partially supported by NSF grants SES-1357666 and DMS-1407655, NIH grant MH086633, and a grant from Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas. The research of Dr. Knickmeyer was supported by NIH grants 1R01MH092335. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH and NSF. †Data used in preparation of this article were obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (adni.loni.usc.edu). As such, the investigators within the ADNI contributed to the design and implementation of ADNI and/or provided data but did not participate in analysis or writing of this report. A complete listing of ADNI investigators can be found at: http : //adni.loni. usc.edu/wp − content/uploads/how to apply/ADNI Acknowledgement List.pdf
Optimal and Robust Power Allocation for Visible Light Positioning Systems Under Illumination Constraints

The problem of optimal power allocation among light emitting diode (LED) transmitters in a visible light positioning system is considered for the purpose of improving localization performance of visible light communication (VLC) receivers. Specifically, the aim is to minimize the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB) on the localization error of a VLC receiver by optimizing LED transmission powers in the presence of practical constraints, such as individual and total power limitations and illuminance constraints. The formulated optimization problem is shown to be convex and thus can efficiently be solved via standard tools. We also investigate the case of imperfect knowledge of localization parameters and develop robust power allocation algorithms by taking into account both overall system uncertainty and individual parameter uncertainties related to the location and orientation of the VLC receiver. In addition, we address the total power minimization problem under predefined accuracy requirements to obtain the most energy-efficient power allocation vector for a given CRLB level. Numerical results illustrate the improvements in localization performance achieved by employing the proposed optimal and robust power allocation strategies over the conventional uniform and non-robust approaches.
Linear Space-Time Interference Alignment for $K$ -User MIMO Interference Channels

Interference is believed to be the most significant bottleneck for the next-generation wireless networks to achieve high throughout. Interference alignment (IA), as a novel interference management scheme to break through the traditional interference cancelation, not only makes the complete mitigation of interference possible but also achieves a theoretical breakthrough in promoting the wireless network capacity region. In this paper, by combining the space and time, we proposed a linear space-time (LST) IA algorithm based on the extension of the channel in time dimension for $K$ -user multi-input multi-output interference channel. The proposed LST-IA scheme effectively reduces the number of antennas required for eliminating interference completely in systems, and the closed-form solution of precoding matrices and detector matrices is obtained as well. Compared with the classical IA algorithms, the simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme shows distinguished advantages in terms of sum-rate and bit error rate in the strong interference communication scenarios.
Secure Transmission Scheme in K-Tier Dense Heterogeneous Cellular Networks with Imperfect Channel State Information

Due to the dense random deployment of heterogeneous cellular networks (HetNets), the system is more seriously affected by channel estimation errors. However, there is a lack of effective secure transmission scheme in this scenario. In order to solve this problem, a transmit antenna selection strategy based on channel estimation accuracy is proposed. First, the stochastic geometric tool is used to derive the secrecy outage probability of K-tier dense HetNets. Then the influence of channel estimation accuracy on secure performance of the system is analyzed. Finally, the validity of the theoretical derivation is verified and the influence of some parameters on the security performance of the system is analyzed.
Variations in weight management services in Scotland: a national survey of weight management provision.

BACKGROUND Despite National guidance recommending their use, there is uncertainty regarding the best way to deliver weight management services across the UK and worldwide. METHODS To ascertain access, provision and interventions used in lifestyle Tier 2 and specialist Tier 3 weight management services in Scotland, a survey was distributed to all mainland health boards covering pathways for referral, eligibility criteria, intervention format and definitions of attendance completion and adherence. RESULTS Nine Health boards provided information on their weight management services. The provision of services was low. Only four health boards offered services for those with a BMI 25-30 kg/m2. Lifestyle Tier 2 services were mainly weekly or fortnightly group sessions for 8-12 weeks delivered by dietitians or community workers. Specialist Tier 3 services were largely similar to lifestyle Tier 2 services. The provision of specialist interventions including pharmacotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy sessions and low-calorie prescribed diets was low. CONCLUSIONS This national survey has illustrated large disparities in the provision of weight management across Scotland, a likely consequence of uncertainty regarding best practice. There is a clear requirement for the evaluation of existing services to identify those that lead to the largest improvements in health outcomes and are cost-effective.
Towards Large-Scale, Heterogeneous Anomaly Detection Systems in Industrial Networks: A Survey of Current Trends

Industrial Networks (INs) are widespread environments where heterogeneous devices collaborate to control and monitor physical processes. Some of the controlled processes belong to Critical Infrastructures (CIs), and, as such, IN protection is an active research field. Among different types of security solutions, IN Anomaly Detection Systems (ADSs) have received wide attention from the scientific community. While INs have grown in size and in complexity, requiring the development of novel, Big Data solutions for data processing, IN ADSs have not evolved at the same pace. In parallel, the development of Big Data frameworks such as Hadoop or Spark has led the way for applying Big Data Analytics to the field of cyber-security, mainly focusing on the Information Technology (IT) domain. However, due to the particularities of INs, it is not feasible to directly apply IT security mechanisms in INs, as IN ADSs face unique characteristics. In this work we introduce three main contributions. First, we survey the area of Big Data ADSs that could be applicable to INs and compare the surveyed works. Second, we develop a novel taxonomy to classify existing IN-based ADSs. And, finally, we present a discussion of open problems in the field of Big Data ADSs for INs that can lead to further development.
Determination of Fiber/Matrix Interface Mechanical Properties in Brittle-Matrix Composites

It has been evident for some time that the mechanical properties of the fiber/matrix interface play an important role in determining the mechanical behavior of ceramic composites (for reviews, see [1], [2], and [3[). Recently there has been a growing interest in the role of the fiber/matrix interface in intermetallic matrix composites. While ceramic and intermetallic composites are certainly very different materials, understanding the behavior of one will provide insight into the other. Furthermore, the basic issues regarding the determination of interface properties are the same. The accuracy of micromechanics models of any composite system is dependent upon the accuracy of all the constituent and interface properties. It is far preferable to measure actual materials constants rather than test-specific quantities. The tests described here are intended to measure the interfacial shear strength (or mode II toughness) and the interfacial tensile strength. The objective of this work is to briefly outline a few of the approaches which are being evaluated for and applied to ceramic composites, and which may be of interest to investigators working in intermetallic composites.
Evaluation methods as quality control in the generation of decellularized peripheral nerve allografts

Nowadays, the high incidence of peripheral nerve injuries and the low success ratio of surgical treatments are driving research to the generation of novel alternatives to repair critical nerve defects. In this sense, tissue engineering has emerged as a possible alternative with special attention to decellularization techniques. Tissue decellularization offers the possibility to obtain a cell-free, natural extracellular matrix (ECM), characterized by an adequate 3D organization and proper molecular composition to repair different tissues or organs, including peripheral nerves. One major problem, however, is that there are no standard quality control methods to evaluate decellularized tissues. Therefore, in this review, a brief description of current strategies for peripheral nerve repair is given, followed by an overview of different decellularization methods used for peripheral nerves. Furthermore, we extensively discuss the available and currently used methods to demonstrate the success of tissue decellularization in terms of the cell removal, preservation of essential ECM molecules and maintenance or modification of biomechanical properties. Finally, orientative guidelines for the evaluation of decellularized peripheral nerve allografts are proposed.
Characterization of inhomogeneous samples by spectroscopic Mueller polarimetry

Light depolarization occurs whenever different polarization responses add up incoherently, as it may be the case with inhomogeneous samples. The most convenient technique to characterize such samples is Mueller matrix polarimetry, as it is the only one providing all the relevant information in presence of depolarization. We studied the case of small grating boxes surrounded by bare silicon, in conditions where both the gratings and the substrate were illuminated by the Mueller polarimeter beam. The grating optical response is modeled by using rigorous coupled-waves analysis, and added incoherently to that of the substrate by merely summing the corresponding Mueller matrices. The line width and the depth of the grating as well as the percentage of substrate in irradiated spot area were obtained by fitting the experimental data taken with controlled displacement of the light spot in the boundary region between grating and substrate. Accurate grating parameters could be obtained with the fraction of the spot area within the grating box was larger than 30%. Moreover, these parameters remained relatively constant when this fraction was further decreased to 5%.
New Feature Selection Method Based on SVM-RFE

This article analyzed the defects of SVM-RFE feature selection algorithm, put forward new feature selection method combined SVM-RFE and PCA. Firstly, get the best feature subset through the method of cross validation of k based on SVM-RFE. Then, the PCA decreased the dimension of the feature subset and got the independent feature subset. The independent feature subset was the training and testing subset of SVM. Make experiments on five subsets of UCI, the results indicated that the training and testing time was shortened and the recognition accuracy rate of the SVM was higher.
The Porphyromonas gingivalis hemagglutinins HagB and HagC are major mediators of adhesion and biofilm formation

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a bacterium associated with chronic periodontitis that possesses a family of genes encoding hemagglutinins required for heme acquisition. In this study we generated ΔhagB and ΔhagC mutants in strain W83 and demonstrate that both hagB and hagC are required for adherence to oral epithelial cells. Unexpectedly, a double ΔhagB/ΔhagC mutant had less severe adherence defects than either of the single mutants, but was found to exhibit increased expression of the gingipain-encoding genes rgpA and kgp, suggesting that a ΔhagB/ΔhagC mutant is only viable in populations of cells that exhibit increased expression of genes involved in heme acquisition. Disruption of hagB in the fimbriated strain ATCC33277 demonstrated that HagB is also required for stable attachment of fimbriated bacteria to oral epithelial cells. Mutants of hagC were also found to form defective single and multi-species biofilms that had reduced biomass relative to biofilms formed by the wild-type strain. This study highlights the hitherto unappreciated importance of these genes in oral colonization and biofilm formation.
Does Individual Gambling Behavior Vary across Gambling Venues with Differing Numbers of Terminals? An Empirical Real-World Study using Player Account Data

Research examining gambling behavior via experiments, self-report, and/or observation presents many methodical challenges particularly in relation to objectivity. However, the use of player account-based gambling data provides purely objective data. Based on this real-world data, the primary aim of the present study was to examine gambling behavior in gambling venues with different numbers of gambling terminals (i.e., venues with one terminal; 2–5 terminals; 6–10 terminals; 11–16 terminals). Player account-based gambling data aggregated over a year (2015) amounting to 153,379 observations within 93,034 individual gamblers (males = 74%; mean age = 44.1, SD = 16.4 years) were analyzed. Gambling frequency was highest in venues with 2–5 terminals (54.5%) and lowest in venues with 11–16 terminals (1.6%). Approximately half of the sample (52.5%) gambled in only one venue category, with the majority (81.5%) preferring venues with 2–5 terminals present. Only 0.8% of the sample gambled in all four venue categories. Compared to venues with one terminal, venues with two or more terminals were associated with gamblers placing more bets, and spending more time and money per session. However, gamblers had higher losses (albeit small) in venues with one terminal compared to venues with 2–5 terminals. No differences in net outcome were found between venues with one terminal and those with 6–10 and 11–16 terminals. Overall, the present study demonstrates that in the natural gambling environment, gambling behavior is reinforced in venues with multiple terminals.
The Use of an Acellular Oxygen Carrier in a Human Liver Model of Normothermic Machine Perfusion

Background Normothermic machine perfusion of the liver (NMP-L) is a novel technique that preserves liver grafts under near-physiological conditions while maintaining their normal metabolic activity. This process requires an adequate oxygen supply, typically delivered by packed red blood cells (RBC). We present the first experience using an acellular hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (HBOC) Hemopure in a human model of NMP-L. Methods Five discarded high-risk human livers were perfused with HBOC-based perfusion fluid and matched to 5 RBC-perfused livers. Perfusion parameters, oxygen extraction, metabolic activity, and histological features were compared during 6 hours of NMP-L. The cytotoxicity of Hemopure was also tested on human hepatic primary cell line cultures using an in vitro model of ischemia reperfusion injury. Results The vascular flow parameters and the perfusate lactate clearance were similar in both groups. The HBOC-perfused livers extracted more oxygen than those perfused with RBCs (O2 extraction ratio 13.75 vs 9.43 % ×105 per gram of tissue, P = 0.001). In vitro exposure to Hemopure did not alter intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species, and there was no increase in apoptosis or necrosis observed in any of the tested cell lines. Histological findings were comparable between groups. There was no evidence of histological damage caused by Hemopure. Conclusions Hemopure can be used as an alternative oxygen carrier to packed red cells in NMP-L perfusion fluid.
Using arborescences to estimate hierarchicalness in directed complex networks

Complex networks are a useful tool for the understanding of complex systems. One of the emerging properties of such systems is their tendency to form hierarchies: networks can be organized in levels, with nodes in each level exerting control on the ones beneath them. In this paper, we focus on the problem of estimating how hierarchical a directed network is. We propose a structural argument: a network has a strong top-down organization if we need to delete only few edges to reduce it to a perfect hierarchy—an arborescence. In an arborescence, all edges point away from the root and there are no horizontal connections, both characteristics we desire in our idealization of what a perfect hierarchy requires. We test our arborescence score in synthetic and real-world directed networks against the current state of the art in hierarchy detection: agony, flow hierarchy and global reaching centrality. These tests highlight that our arborescence score is intuitive and we can visualize it; it is able to better distinguish between networks with and without a hierarchical structure; it agrees the most with the literature about the hierarchy of well-studied complex systems; and it is not just a score, but it provides an overall scheme of the underlying hierarchy of any directed complex network.
Quantum Multiuser Communication Systems with Adaptive Feedback Measurement and Chip-Interleaved Iter-PIC Receiver

One of the most crucial challenges in large-scale quantum communication systems is how to simultaneously transmit quantum information among multiple users via a common channel. In this paper, a novel non-orthogonal iterative quantum multiuser communication system is proposed. Based on the beam splitter network (BSN), we combine the independent quantum-state signals of different users into a single transmission channel. Furthermore, using photon-number-resolving detectors (PNRDs) based quantum adaptive feedback positive operator valued measurement, a chip-interleaved quantum iterative parallel interference cancellation (Iter-PIC) multiuser detection is developed. From the simulation results, the proposed quantum multiuser communication system can easily achieve 10e-7 bit error rate (BER) performance at 42 photons per bit for 6 users transmitting simultaneously. Also, from the extrinsic information transfer trajectories (EXIT) analysis results, this quantum chip interleaved Iter-PIC system is verified to have robust and fast convergence property in tough conditions, e.g. extra low receiving signal energy and quantum mode mismatch. Moreover, we show that the throughput of proposed quantum Iter-PIC system is 66.7% higher than that of the existing quantum wavelength division multiple access (q-WDMA) communication systems.