Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Supporting Halfspace-Quadratic Programming Strategy for the Dual of the Best Approximation Problem

We consider the best approximation problem (BAP) of projecting a point onto the intersection of a number of convex sets. It is known that Dykstra's algorithm is alternating minimization on the dual problem. We extend Dykstra's algorithm so that it can be enhanced by the SHQP strategy of using quadratic programming to project onto the intersection of supporting halfspaces generated by earlier projection operations. By looking at a structured alternating minimization problem, we show the convergence rate of Dykstra's algorithm when reasonable conditions are imposed to guarantee a dual minimizer. We also establish convergence of using a warmstart iterate for Dykstra's algorithm, show how all the results for the Dykstra's algorithm can be carried over to the simultaneous Dykstra's algorithm, and discuss a different way of incorporating the SHQP strategy. Lastly, we show that the dual of the best approximation problem can have an O(1/k^2) accelerated algorithm that also incorporates the SHQP strategy.
NEAR-INFRARED COUNTERPARTS TO CHANDRA X-RAY SOURCES TOWARD THE GALACTIC CENTER. II. DISCOVERY OF WOLF–RAYET STARS AND O SUPERGIANTS

We present new identifications of infrared counterparts to the population of hard X-ray sources near the Galactic center detected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. We have spectroscopically confirmed 16 new massive stellar counterparts to the X-ray population, including nitrogen-type (WN) and carbon-type (WC) Wolf–Rayet stars, and O supergiants. These discoveries increase the total sample of massive stellar X-ray sources in the Galactic center region to 30 (possibly 31). For the majority of these sources, the X-ray photometry is consistent with thermal emission from plasma having temperatures in the range of kT = 1–8 keV or non-thermal emission having power-law indices in the range of −1 ≲ Γ ≲ 3, and X-ray luminosities in the range of LX ∼ 1032–1034 erg s−1 (0.5–8.0 keV). Several sources have exhibited X-ray variability of several factors between observations. These X-ray properties are not a ubiquitous feature of single massive stars but are typical of massive binaries, in which the high-energy emission is generated by the collision of supersonic winds, or by accretion onto a compact companion. However, without direct evidence for companions, the possibility of intrinsic hard X-ray generation from single stars cannot be completely ruled out. The spectral energy distributions of these sources exhibit significant infrared excess, attributable to free–free emission from ionized stellar winds, supplemented by hot dust emission in the case of the WC stars. With the exception of one object located near the outer regions of the Quintuplet cluster, most of the new stars appear isolated or in loose associations. Seven hydrogen-rich WN and O stars are concentrated near the Sagittarius B H ii region, while other similar stars and more highly evolved hydrogen-poor WN and WC stars lie scattered within ≈50 pc, in projection, of Sagitarrius A West. We discuss various mechanisms capable of generating the observed X-rays and the implications these stars have for massive star formation in the Galaxy's Central Molecular Zone.
Institutional Trading and Asset Pricing

This paper examines whether the trading activity of different investor types, institutional versus retail, can affect the relation between beta and average returns. We find that the beta-return relation is strong and positive on days with high institutional trading activity, and negative and significant on low institutional trading days. Our findings are robust and not driven by recently documented effects such as macroeconomic news and leverage constraints, among others. The evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that the preferences and characteristics of various investor types, which are revealed through their trading activity, cause the slope of the Security Market Line to change.
Efficient construction of bounding volume hierarchies into a complete octree for ray tracing

This paper proposes an efficient construction scheme for bounding volume hierarchies based on a complete tree. This construction offers up to 4× faster construction times than binned‐surface area heuristic and offers competitive ray traversal performance. The construction is fully parallelized on x86 CPU architectures; it takes advantage of the eight‐wide vector units and exploits the advance vector extensions available for current x86 CPU architectures. Additionally, this work presents a clustering algorithm for grouping primitives, which can be computed in linear time O(n). Furthermore, this construction uses the graphics processing unit to perform intensive operations efficiently. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A novel front-end for impedance spectroscopy

A novel method for calculating unknown impedances is presented. In contrast to synchronous detection (SD), which provides the real and imaginary components, the magnitude and phase of the impedance are calculated. Non-accurate generation of the required in-phase and quadrature signals required in SD and mismatches between the channels generate large errors. The proposed method does not require such signals. The measured potential across the sensor is rectified and then low-pass filtered to obtain the magnitude. The phase is calculated by two comparators followed by an XOR gate. A prototype of the system was built using discrete components and proof of concept measurements were carried out using resistors and capacitors of known values.
Lack of Cell Wall Peptidoglycan versus Penicillin Sensitivity: New Insights into the Chlamydial Anomaly

Intracellular bacterial pathogens enter their hosts surrounded by a membrane-bound vacuole and use a panel of tricks to exploit or evade eukaryotic cell functions ([9][1],[12][2]). Chlamydia inhabits vesicles that do not fuse with lysosomes and remains within these parasitophorous vacuoles (termed
Prefetching Optimization for Distributed Urban Environments

We propose a method for pre-fetching scene data to improve smoothness of client side rendering in distributed urban environments. The scene is represented as a graph where the nodes are the view-cells and the edges denote the adjacencies among the cells. Prefetching is transformed into graph partitioning problem where the partitions might overlap with each other. We utilize simulated annealing algorithm to find an approximation for the optimum partitioning where the rendering cost is minimum. The presented method works on heuristics to minimize average cost and maximum view-cell transition cost.
Micro-table posture measuring based on binocular vision

Based on binocular vision measurement principle, this paper describes a new method that measures the 3D posture of micro-table, this method can match and track the micro-table and get its three-dimensional position. We use the four corners of the table points as signalized points to describe the position and posture of the micro-table, and track the four corners by the dual-CCD cameras in the three-dimensional space, detect the changes of corners in the coordinate of the image, According to the mapping model of image coordinate system and world coordinate system, get the changes of the corners in the world coordinate, establish the posture equation of the micro-table using the four corners coordinates in order to achieve the 3D posture measurement of the micro-table.
Public information, price volatility, and trading volume in U.S. bond markets

Prices in bond markets have been noted as moving extremely rapidly following macroeconomic news announcements - with a delayed increase in trading volume. New data allows us to demonstrate that the previously unexplained dichotomy between rapid price and sluggish volume movement in the US Treasuries cash market originates with rapid price and volume change in the Treasury futures market. Consistent with research in other markets, the Treasury futures lead price discovery in the cash market.
The Effects of Chronic Medical Conditions on Work Loss and Work Cutback

Although work performance has become an important outcome in cost-of-illness studies, little is known about the comparative effects of different commonly occurring chronic conditions on work impairment in general population samples. Such data are presented here from a large-scale nationally representative general population survey. The data are from the MacArthur Foundation Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) survey, a nationally representative telephone-mail survey of 3032 respondents in the age range of 25 to 74 years. The 2074 survey respondents in the age range of 25 to 54 years are the focus of the current report. The data collection included a chronic-conditions checklist and questions about how many days out of the past 30 each respondent was either totally unable to work or perform normal activities because of health problems (work-loss days) or had to cut back on these activities because of health problems (work-cutback days). Regression analysis was used to estimate the effects of conditions on work impairments, controlling for sociodemographics. At least one illness-related work-loss or work-cutback day in the past 30 days was reported by 22.4% of respondents, with a monthly average of 6.7 such days among those with any work impairment. This is equivalent to an annualized national estimate of over 2.5 billion work-impairment days in the age range of the sample. Cancer is associated with by far the highest reported prevalence of any impairment (66.2%) and the highest conditional number of impairment days in the past 30 (16.4 days). Other conditions associated with high odds of any impairment include ulcers, major depression, and panic disorder, whereas other conditions associated with a large conditional number of impairment days include heart disease and high blood pressure. Comorbidities involving combinations of arthritis, ulcers, mental disorders, and substance dependence are associated with higher impairments than expected on the basis of an additive model. The effects of conditions do not differ systematically across subsamples defined on the basis of age, sex, education, or employment status. The enormous magnitude of the work impairment associated with chronic conditions and the economic advantages of interventions for ill workers that reduce work impairments should be factored into employer cost-benefit calculations of expanding health insurance coverage. Given the enormous work impairment associated with cancer and the fact that the vast majority of employed people who are diagnosed with cancer stay in the workforce through at least part of their course of treatment, interventions aimed at reducing the workplace costs of this illness should be a priority.
Genetic variability of cytomegalovirus glycoprotein O in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients

K. Roubalova, O. Strunecky, A. Vitek, S. Zufanova, B. Prochazka. Genetic variability of cytomegalovirus glycoprotein O in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Transpl Infect Dis 2011: 13: 237–243. All rights reserved
Drinking Too Much and Feeling Bad About It? How Group Identification Moderates Experiences of Guilt and Shame Following Norm Transgression

The role of reference group norms in self-regulation was examined from the perspective of transgressions. Results from four studies suggest that following the transgression of a reference group’s norms, individuals who strongly identify with their group report more intense feelings of guilt, an emotion reflecting an inference that “bad” behaviors are perceived as the cause of the transgression. Conversely, weakly identified individuals reported more intense feelings of shame, an emotion reflecting an inference that “bad” characteristics of the person are perceived as the cause of the transgression. The studies also explored the differential relevance of the reference groups when assessing transgressive behaviors, the counterfactual thoughts individuals have about possible causes for the transgressions, and the motivational outcomes of guilt and shame using behavioral data. Results of the studies offer insights into self-regulation, maintenance of group norms, and offer implications for alcohol consumption interventions, such as social marketing campaigns.
Hyperspectral Imagery Classification Using Sparse Representations of Convolutional Neural Network Features

In recent years, deep learning has been widely studied for remote sensing image analysis. In this paper, we propose a method for remotely-sensed image classification by using sparse representation of deep learning features. Specifically, we use convolutional neural networks (CNN) to extract deep features from high levels of the image data. Deep features provide high level spatial information created by hierarchical structures. Although the deep features may have high dimensionality, they lie in class-dependent sub-spaces or sub-manifolds. We investigate the characteristics of deep features by using a sparse representation classification framework. The experimental results reveal that the proposed method exploits the inherent low-dimensional structure of the deep features to provide better classification results as compared to the results obtained by widely-used feature exploration algorithms, such as the extended morphological attribute profiles (EMAPs) and sparse coding (SC).
THE RISE OF ASIA AS THE CENTRE OF GLOBAL POTATO PRODUCTION AND SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR INDUSTRY

Potato production in the developing countries in Asia now accounts for a greater share of global output than all the industrialized countries combined. This paper examines the divergent peaks, valleys, and spikes in output that characterized the 120 million t expansion in potato production in Asia during the last half century. New technology, improvements in production and postharvest infrastructure, and government policy along with the inherent traits of the crop itself all contributed to these trends. A shift toward more diverse diets and the cash income derived from potato production played an equally, if not more important role. After assessing alternative scenarios for future development of the potato sector in the region, the paper concludes by highlighting opportunities for industry before identifying some key topics for future research.
On the Use of Discrete Wavelets in Implementing Defect Detection System for

In this paper, a novel wavelet-based approach to the detection of defects in grey-level texture images is proposed. This new approach (system) explores specific properties of the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), evaluates the statistical analysis results associated with well-defined and task-oriented subsets of DWT spectral coefficients, and generates defect detection criteria which, in their turn, evaluate many-sided nature of potential defects in texture images and leave space for controlling the risk, i.e. for controlling the percentage of false positives and/or false negatives in a particular class of texture images. The experimental results demonstrating the use of the proposed system for the visual inspection of ceramic tiles, obtained from the real factory environment, and textile fabric scraps are also presented. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.itc. 45.2. 12654
Prevalence of fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in a primary care practice.

BACKGROUND Our goals were to determine the prevalence of unusual, debilitating fatigue and the frequency with which it was associated with the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or other physical or psychological illness in an outpatient clinic population. METHODS We prospectively evaluated a cohort of 1000 consecutive patients in a primary care clinic in an urban, hospital-based general medicine practice. The study protocol included a detailed history, physical examination, and laboratory and psychiatric testing. RESULTS Five patients who came because of CFS studies were excluded. Of the remaining 995, 323 reported fatigue, and 271 (27%) complained of at least 6 months of unusual fatigue that interfered with their daily lives. Of the 271, self-report or record review revealed a medical or psychiatric condition that could have explained the fatigue in 186 (69%). Thus, 85 (8.5%) of 995 patients had a debilitating fatigue of at least 6 months' duration, without apparent cause. Of these patients, 48 refused further evaluation, and 11 were unavailable for follow-up; 26 completed the protocol. Three of the 26 were hypothyroid, and one had a major psychiatric disorder. Of the remaining 22 patients, three met Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for CFS, four met British criteria, and 10 met the Australian case definition. The point prevalences of CFS were thus 0.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0% to 0.6%), 0.4% (95% CI, 0% to 0.8%), and 1.0% (95% CI, 0.4% to 1.6%) using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, British, and Australian case definitions, respectively. These estimates were conservative, because they assumed that none of the patients who refused evaluation or were unavailable for follow-up would meet criteria for CFS. CONCLUSIONS While chronic, debilitating fatigue is common in medical outpatients, CFS is relatively uncommon. Prevalence depends substantially on the case definition used.
Loss of vascular responsiveness induced by endotoxin involves L-arginine pathway.

The involvement of L-arginine-dependent nitric oxide (NO) production in the vascular failure observed in endotoxemia was investigated in male Wistar rats treated with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Contractile responses to norepinephrine (NE) were measured ex vivo in aortas isolated from rats treated with LPS (20 mg/kg ip, 4 h before experiments) and pressor responses to NE were recorded in vivo in rats infused with LPS (5 mg.kg-1.h-1 iv). LPS pretreatment induced a rightward shift of the concentration-response curve to NE and a reduction of the maximal contraction by approximately 43% and 54% (P less than 0.05) in aortic rings with and without functional endothelium, respectively. This was not modified by the presence of indomethacin (10 microM) during the contractile experiments. In contrast, in the presence of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA, 300 microM) or methylene blue (10 microM), maximal contractions to NE were restored to control values whether functional endothelium was present or not. The effects of L-NMMA were reversed by L- but not by D-arginine. Additionally, the effects of LPS pretreatment on vascular contractility were potentiated by L-arginine. In vivo, LPS infusion produced a reduction in pressor responsiveness to NE (0.1-10 mg/kg), which was also abolished by L-NMMA (30 mg/kg iv). This effect of L-NMMA was reversed by L- but not by D-arginine (100 mg/kg iv). These results demonstrate that activation of the L-arginine pathway has a major role in the production of vascular hyporeactivity in endotoxemia, ex vivo as well as in vivo. Additionally, they suggest that endothelium-independent vascular production of NO may be involved.
Order Imbalances and Price Changes in the US Index Futures Markets: An Empirical Investigation

We investigate the daily and intradaily relation between returns and the trading of exchange locals and off-exchange customers for the floor-traded regular index futures and the electronically traded E-mini index futures in the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100index futures markets. In two regular index futures markets, the intradaily analysis shows that exchange locals are largely contrarians while off-exchange customers (mainly hedgers) engage in positive feedback trading. In the two E-mini index futures markets, the daily and intradaily analysis shows that both exchange locals and off-exchange customers (mainly small traders and speculators) are contrarians. In the E-mini index futures markets, the daily order imbalances for both exchange locals and off-exchange customers have the predictive power for subsequent returns. In the regular index futures markets, we do not find the evidence of return predictability on the daily level. There is astrong contemporaneous positive relation between trading activity and daily returns. An intradaily analysis reveals that such a relation is primarily driven by intradaily price pressure.
PREDICT modeling and in‐silico screening for G‐protein coupled receptors

G‐protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a major group of drug targets for which only one x‐ray structure is known (the nondrugable rhodopsin), limiting the application of structure‐based drug discovery to GPCRs. In this paper we present the details of PREDICT, a new algorithmic approach for modeling the 3D structure of GPCRs without relying on homology to rhodopsin. PREDICT, which focuses on the transmembrane domain of GPCRs, starts from the primary sequence of the receptor, simultaneously optimizing multiple ‘decoy’ conformations of the protein in order to find its most stable structure, culminating in a virtual receptor‐ligand complex. In this paper we present a comprehensive analysis of three PREDICT models for the dopamine D2, neurokinin NK1, and neuropeptide Y Y1 receptors. A shorter discussion of the CCR3 receptor model is also included. All models were found to be in good agreement with a large body of experimental data. The quality of the PREDICT models, at least for drug discovery purposes, was evaluated by their successful utilization in in‐silico screening. Virtual screening using all three PREDICT models yielded enrichment factors 9‐fold to 44‐fold better than random screening. Namely, the PREDICT models can be used to identify active small‐molecule ligands embedded in large compound libraries with an efficiency comparable to that obtained using crystal structures for non‐GPCR targets. Proteins 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of the Movement of Insertion Sequences on the Structure of VanA Glycopeptide Resistance Elements in Enterococcus faecium

ABSTRACT A Tn1546-related element with IS1216V at position 8839 underwent a structural change after storage of the host strain of Enterococcus faecium at 4°C. The element acquired IS1542 at position 3932, nucleotides 8732 to 8831 were deleted, and the first 3417 nucleotides were lost and replaced by an inverted copy of the IS1216V–vanY–vanZ-inverted-repeat block from the 3′ end. Insertion sequence movement is likely to play a key role in the evolution of VanA resistance elements.
Impact of component losses on the voltage boost properties and efficiency of the qZS-converter family

This paper is devoted to the quasi-Z-source (qZS) converter family. Recently, the qZS-converters have attracted high attention because of their specific properties of voltage boost and buck functions with a single switching stage, which could be especially advantageous in renewable energy applications. As main representatives of the qZS-converter family, the traditional quasi-Z-source inverter as well as two novel extended boost quasi-Z-source inverters are discussed. Steady state analysis of three main topologies operating in the continuous conduction mode is presented. Input voltage boost properties of converters are compared for an ideal case. Mathematical models of converters considering losses in components are derived. Practical boost properties of converters are compared to idealized ones and the impact of losses on the voltage boost properties of each topology is justified. Finally, the impact of losses in the components on the boost conversion efficiency is analyzed.