Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Convergence Rate Analysis of Nonquadratic Proximal Methods for Convex and Linear Programming

The φ-divergence proximal method is an extension of the proximal minimization algorithm, where the usual quadratic proximal term is substituted by a class of convex statistical distances, called φ-divergences. In this paper, we study the convergence rate of this nonquadratic proximal method for convex and particularly linear programming. We identify a class of φ-divergences for which superlinear convergence is attained both for optimization problems with strongly convex objectives at the optimum and linear programming problems, when the regularization parameters tend to zero. We prove also that, with regularization parameters bounded away from zero, convergence is at least linear for a wider class of φ-divergences, when the method is applied to the same kinds of problems. We further analyze the associated class of augmented Lagrangian methods for convex programming with nonquadratic penalty terms, and prove convergence of the dual generated by these methods for linear programming problems under a weak nondegeneracy assumption.
Efficient algorithms for the Riemann-Roch problem and for addition in the Jacobian of a curve

Several computational problems concerning the construction of rational functions and intersecting curves over a given curve are studied. The first problem is to construct a rational function with prescribed zeros and poles over a given curve. More precisely, let C be a smooth projective curve and assume as given an affine plane model F(x,y)=0 for C, a finite set of points P/sub i/=(X/sub i/, Y/sub i/) with F (X/sub i/, Y/sub i/)=0 and natural numbers n/sub i/, and a finite set of points Q/sub i/=(X/sub j/, Y/sub j/) with F(X/sub j/, Y/sub j/)=0 and natural numbers m/sub j/. The problem is to decide whether there is a rational function which has zeros at each point P/sub i/ of order n/sub i/, poles at each Q/sub j/ of order m/sub j/, and no zeros or poles anywhere else on C. One would also like to construct such a rational function if one exists. An efficient algorithm for solving this problem when the given plane curve has only ordinary multiple points is given. <<ETX>>
Detection of water stress in orchard trees with a high-resolution spectrometer through chlorophyll fluorescence in-filling of the O/sub 2/-A band

A high spectral resolution spectrometer with 0.065-nm full-width half-maximum was used for collecting spectral measurements in an orchard field under three water stress treatments. The study was part of the FluorMOD project funded by the European Space Agency to develop a leaf-canopy reflectance model to simulate the effects of fluorescence. Water deficit protocols generated a gradient in solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence emission and tree physiological measures. Diurnal steady-state chlorophyll fluorescence was measured from leaves in the field between June and November 2004 using the PAM-2100 fluorometer to study the effects of water stress on chlorophyll fluorescence. Spectral measurements of downwelling irradiance and upwelling crown radiance were conducted with the narrow-band spectrometer, enabling the canopy reflectance to be obtained at subnanometer spectral resolution and permitting the evaluation of the fluorescence in-filling effects on reflectance in trees under water stress conditions. Diurnal and seasonal measurements showed consistently lower steady-state fluorescence (Ft) and quantum yield /spl Delta/F/Fm' in water-stressed trees, yielding mean values of Ft=0.38 (well-irrigated) and Ft=0.21 (water-stressed trees). The agreement between Ft and water potential showed that steady-state fluorescence could be used to detect differences in water stress levels, with determination coefficients ranging between r/sup 2/=0.48 and r/sup 2/=0.81 for individual dates. Analysis in the 680-770-nm range showed that the chlorophyll fluorescence in-filling in the O/sub 2/-A band at 760 nm is sensitive to diurnal variations of fluorescence and water stress, yielding r/sup 2/=0.76 (well-watered treatment), r/sup 2/=0.89 (intermediate stress treatment), and r/sup 2/=0.7 (extreme stress treatment), demonstrating the close relationships between Ft and in-filling at the crown level.
Convergence of Pseudocontractions and Applications to Two-stage and Asynchronous Multisplitting for Singular M-Matrices

Pseudocontractions, which are generalizations of paracontractions in the linear case, are introduced in this paper in order to study the convergence of nonstationary iterative methods for linear systems in which the coefficient matrices are singular M-matrices. A general convergence theorem for pseudocontractions is developed. This theorem is used to analyze the convergence of two nonstationary parallel iterations: two-stage multisplitting iterations and asynchronous multisplitting iterations for singular M-matrices, without other contractivity conditions on the iteration matrices.
So inhaled steroids slow the rate of decline of FEV1 in patients with COPD after all?

Inpatient mortality rates for patients with COPD vary with the type of hospital British guidelines for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were first published in 1997.1 Over the subsequent 6 years there has been an enormous increase in our understanding of the underlying causes and mechanisms of acute exacerbations of COPD,2–4 as well as the realisation that, in addition to being a major cause of morbidity and mortality, acute exacerbations place an enormous burden on healthcare resources. COPD is the third largest cause of respiratory death in the UK after pneumonia and cancer, causing over 30 000 deaths per year. Age adjusted emergency admission rates for COPD in the UK rose by more than 50% between 1991 and 2000, and about one quarter of all hospital inpatient bed days used for treating acute respiratory disease are for COPD,5 amounting to nearly one million hospital bed days per year.6 With such a significant proportion of inpatient resources being consumed by acute exacerbations of COPD, understanding how well and effectively they are managed in hospital becomes a matter of much more than academic interest. In order to obtain information …
Tobit regression for modeling mean survival time using data subject to multiple sources of censoring

Mean survival time is often of inherent interest in medical and epidemiologic studies. In the presence of censoring and when covariate effects are of interest, Cox regression is the strong default, but mostly due to convenience and familiarity. When survival times are uncensored, covariate effects can be estimated as differences in mean survival through linear regression. Tobit regression can validly be performed through maximum likelihood when the censoring times are fixed (ie, known for each subject, even in cases where the outcome is observed). However, Tobit regression is generally inapplicable when the response is subject to random right censoring. We propose Tobit regression methods based on weighted maximum likelihood which are applicable to survival times subject to both fixed and random censoring times. Under the proposed approach, known right censoring is handled naturally through the Tobit model, with inverse probability of censoring weighting used to overcome random censoring. Essentially, the re‐weighting data are intended to represent those that would have been observed in the absence of random censoring. We develop methods for estimating the Tobit regression parameter, then the population mean survival time. A closed form large‐sample variance estimator is proposed for the regression parameter estimator, with a semiparametric bootstrap standard error estimator derived for the population mean. The proposed methods are easily implementable using standard software. Finite‐sample properties are assessed through simulation. The methods are applied to a large cohort of patients wait‐listed for kidney transplantation.
Substitution of a highly basic helix/loop sequence into the RNase H domain of human immunodeficiency virus reverse transcriptase restores its Mn(2+)-dependent RNase H activity.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reverse transcriptase (RT) is a multifunctional protein, containing both DNA polymerase and RNase H activity. The RNase H activity of HIV RT catalyzes the hydrolysis of the RNA strand of RNA.DNA hybrids. While the domain that carries out the RNase H activity in HIV RT can be expressed as an independent, folded polypeptide, it is inactive as an RNase H. Here, we report the overexpression and purification of an active, recombinant HIV RNase H domain in which the sequence corresponding to the Escherichia coli RNase H1 basic helix/loop has been substituted for the corresponding sequence of HIV RNase H. The resulting polypeptide (RNH102) has Mn(2+)-dependent RNase H activity and is more stable than the independently expressed wild-type HIV RNase H domain.
Extending Wordnets To Implicit Information

WordNets mostly deal with lexicalized expressions and lexical-semantic relations among them. Concepts are represented by sets of synonyms (synsets), which constitute the edges of the network. Each synset includes the lexicalized expressions that correspond to a given concept. This paper adduces evidences which support the claim that some concepts, expressed by a subtype of complex telic predicates, are semi-lexicalized, in the sense that the lexicalized expressions corresponding to them do not express, let us say, the whole concept. Since concepts are the basic units of WordNets, they have to be fully represented. Accordingly, a representation which includes the non-lexicalized information is defended. Besides, a new internal semantic relation is proposed, in order to capture appropriately the relationship between the semantics of these predicates and the semantics of their troponyms.
Development of essential oils as skin permeation enhancers: penetration enhancement effect and mechanism of action

Abstract Context: Essential oils (EOs) have shown the potential to reversibly overcome the stratum corneum (SC) barrier to enhance the skin permeation of drugs. Objective: The effectiveness of turpentine, Angelica, chuanxiong, Cyperus, cinnamon, and clove oils were investigated for the capacity and mechanism to promote skin penetration of ibuprofen. Materials and methods: Skin permeation studies of ibuprofen across rat abdominal skin with the presence of 3% w/v EOs were carried out; samples were withdrawn from the receptor compartment at 8, 10, 22, 24, 26, 28, 32, 36, and 48 h and analyzed for ibuprofen content by the HPLC method. The mechanisms of penetration enhancement of EOs were further evaluated by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis and determination of the properties of EOs. Moreover, the toxicities of EOs on skin cells were also measured. Results: The enhancement ratio (ER) values of turpentine, Angelica, chuanxiong, Cyperus, cinnamon, clove oils and azone were determined to be 2.23, 1.83, 2.60, 2.49, 2.63 and 1.97, respectively. Revealed by ATR-FTIR analysis, a linear relationship (r = 0.9045) was found between the ER values and the total of the shift of peak position of SC lipids. Furthermore, the results of HaCaT skin cell toxicity evaluation revealed that the natural EOs possessed relatively lower skin irritation potential. Conclusion: Compared with azone, the investigated EOs possess significantly higher penetration enhancement effect and lower skin toxicity. EOs can promote the skin permeation of ibuprofen mainly by disturbing rather than extracting the SC lipids.
Modular and extensible lesson on fiber optics for youths

Fiber optics and its application in telecommunications are rarely encountered by students until they reach tertiary education. While some secondary/middle school curricula may include coverage of basic geometrical optics concepts such as reflection and refraction, few if any go further to elaborate on how these eventually relate to global telecommunications. One could say that the science is made accessible for early-stage students, but discussions about applications are often reserved till later stages. In working through a PhD student-led optics educational outreach program called the “Lightwave Roadshow”, we have observed, via engagements with young students and the public at school visits and fairs, that many youths (as well as parents) do have a basic appreciation that the internet is somehow based on light signals. However, few know how the two are related, much less how they work. To address this, our team of ‘ambassadors’ in the Lightwave program has designed a self-contained lesson to introduce youths, aged 11 to 18 years, to fiber optics and optical fiber communications, drawing inspiration from various educational resources such as LASER ClassroomTM and the Exploratorium(R). The lesson is modularized into several parts, starting with using light to communicate Morse code, and then going into advanced concepts, such as total internal reflection and multiuser communications based on wavelength-division multiplexing. The latter can be treated as extensions whose inclusion can be tailored based on the youths’ educational levels. A feature of this lesson is that it takes amore phenomenological than theoretical approach, and uses materials that are easily obtainable or craftable as well as interesting for youths, including colored gelatin, LED sources, and water as a waveguide. We outline a lesson and pedagogical method which contains hands-on experiments that can be carried out by educators in formal or informal classes, students learning independently, or optics and photonics student chapters and groups doing educational outreach. The experiments within were first demonstrated at the 2016 OSA Frontiers in Optics/Laser Science conference.
Consumption of Hypoallergenic Flour Prevents Gluten-induced Airway Inflammation in Brown Norway Rats

Brown Norway rats were immunized with gluten, and then fed a diet containing hypoallergenic fluor or an amino acid mixture. The rats were then made to inhale a solubilized gluten to induce gluten-specific bronchial asthma. The antibody levels in the serum of rats were measured by ELISA, and cell counts were done on cytospin preparations of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Body weight was decreased after allergen challenge in rats fed the amino acid mixture but not in rats fed the hypoallergenic flour. Antibody levels in the serum were significantly lower in rats fed hypoallergenic flour than in those fed the amino acid mixture. Differential cell counts in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid showed that the numbers of eosinophils, lymphocytes, and neutrophils were significantly lower in rats fed the hypoallergenic flour than in those fed the amino acid mixture. These results suggest that hypoallergenic flour actively suppresses the allergic reactions, probably by inducing oral tolerance.
Thermal-Aware Multiconstrained Intrabody QoS Routing for Wireless Body Area Networks

Wireless body area networks (WBANs) can be formed including implanted biosensors for health monitoring and diagnostic purposes. However, implanted biosensors could cause thermal damages on human tissue as it exhibits temperature rise due to wireless communication and processing tasks inside the human body. Again, Quality of Service (QoS) provisioning with multiconstraints (delay and reliability) is a striking requirement for diverse application types in WBANs to meet their objectives. This paper proposes TMQoS, a thermal-aware multiconstrained intrabody QoS routing protocol for WBANs, with the aim of ensuring the desired multiconstrained QoS demands of diverse applications along with keeping the temperature of the nodes to an acceptable level preventing thermal damages. We develop a cross-layer proactive routing framework that constructs an ongoing routing table which includes multiple shortest-path routes to address diverse QoS requirements. To avoid the packets to traverse through heated areas known as hotspot, we devise a hotspot avoidance mechanism. The route selection algorithm of TMQoS selects forwarder(s) based on the intended QoS demands of diverse traffic classes. The performance of TMQoS has been evaluated through simulation which demonstrates that the protocol achieves desired QoS demands while maintaining low temperature in the network compared to the state-of-the-art thermal-aware approaches.
3T MR of the prostate: Reducing susceptibility gradients by inflating the endorectal coil with a barium sulfate suspension

Most prostate MRI/MRS examinations are performed with an endorectal coil inflated with air, leading to an air–tissue interface that induces magnetic susceptibility gradients within the gland. Inflation of the coil with a barium sulfate suspension is described and compared to inflation with air or liquid perfluorocarbon (PFC). The B0 field in the prostate gland was mapped for five healthy volunteers when the endorectal coil was inflated with each of the three agents. A marked decrease in the posterior‐anterior (P‐A) field gradient and a significant improvement in field homogeneity were evident in the presence of a barium suspension and PFC relative to air. MRS data acquired from the prostate gland in the presence of air, PFC, and a barium suspension in the endorectal coil showed similar trends, demonstrating improvement in line‐widths and spectral resolution when the barium suspension or the PFC were inflating the endorectal coil. On this basis we conclude that a barium suspension provides an available, cheap, and safe alternative to PFC, and we suggest that inflating the endorectal coil with a barium suspension should be considered for prostate MR studies, especially at high field strengths (such as 3T). Magn Reson Med 57:898–904, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Explorer Integrating technologies for comparing 3 D gene expression domains in the developing chick limb

Chick embryos are good models for vertebrate development due to their accessibility and manipulability. Recent large increases in available genomic data from both whole genome sequencing and EST projects provide opportunities for identifying many new developmentally important chicken genes. Traditional methods of documenting when and where specific genes are expressed in embryos using wholemount and section in-situ hybridisation do not readily allow appreciation of 3-dimensional (3D) patterns of expression, but this can be accomplished by the recently developed microscopy technique, Optical Projection Tomography (OPT). Here we show that OPT data on the developing chick wing from different labs can be reliably integrated into a common database, that OPT is efficient in capturing 3D gene expression domains and that such domains can be meaningfully compared. Novel protocols are used to compare 3D expression domains of 7 genes known to be involved in chick wing development. This reveals previously unappreciated relationships and demonstrates the potential, using modern genomic resources, for building a large scale 3D atlas of gene expression. Such an atlas could be extended to include other types of data, such as fate maps, and the approach is also more generally applicable to embryos, organs and tissues. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A Proposal of Manipulability Based Model Predictive Control for the Parallelogram Linkage

Abstract This paper proposes a control method for a parallelogram linkage robot manipulator. Parallelogram linkage can generate motion control with high precision. However, this technique is geometrically constrained in the task space as a result of its mechanical properties. The proposed method uses a model predictive controller to account for the geometric constraints of the system. The key concept behind the controller developed here is to use manipulability for the cost function and geometric constraints in the model predictive controller. Thus, we can design a trajectory-tracking controller using a manipulator and accounting for the geometric constraints. In the simulation results, the effectiveness of the proposed method was verified using the singularity avoidance problem as an example of geometric constraints.
Obesity, FTO gene variant, and energy intake in children.

n engl j med 360;15 nejm.org april 9, 2009 1571 delivery, especially with a prior transverse lower uterine incision.3 Thus, since neonatal outcomes continue to improve and relatively few women deliver early because of spontaneous labor, planning elective cesarean delivery for 39 weeks of gestation is preferable. Alan T.N. Tita, M.D., Ph.D. University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL 35249 alan.tita@obgyn.uab. edu
Cullin-1 promotes cell proliferation via cell cycle regulation and is a novel in prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND There is no reliable marker available for early detection, diagnostic confirmation, or disease prognosis available of prostate cancer (PCa). We aimed to evaluate the function of Cullin-1 and unravel its underlying molecular mechanism to develop novel treatment options equivalent to PCa. METHOD We used immunohistochemistry to analyze the correlation between Cullin-1 expression and clinicopathologic variables and patient survival. The Cullin-1 level was tested in PCa cells. The role of regulation of Cullin-1 in PCa was applied in vitro and vivo. In addition, we further investigated the signaling pathway of Cullin-1 in prostate cancer cell proliferation. RESULT We first discovered that Cullin-1 expression was upregulated in human PCa tissues and inversely related with PCa differentiation. We then found that high expression of Cullin-1 protein suggested a poor prognosis in PCa patients. Also, Cullin-1 promotes PCa cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. We then found that the mechanism of Cullin-1 regulation on cell-cycle progression is due to increased expression of p21 and p27, and decreased expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin E after Cullin-1 knockdown. CONCLUSION Cullin-1 exerts multiple biological effects in the PCa cell line. Through promoting proliferation and by countering cisplatin-induced apoptosis, Cullin-1 has been deeply implicated in the pathogenesis and development of PCa.
Endotoxin increases intercellular resistance in microvascular endothelial cells by a tyrosine kinase pathway

Gap junction communication between microvascular endothelial cells has been proposed to contribute to the coordination of microvascular function. Septic shock may attenuate microvascular cell‐to‐cell communication. We hypothesized that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) attenuates communication between microvascular endothelial cells derived from rat hindlimb skeletal muscle. Endothelial cells grown in monolayers expressed mRNA for connexin 37, 40, and 43. The expression of connexin 43 protein was confirmed, but connexin 40 protein was not detected by immunocytochemistry or immunoblot analysis. Intercellular resistance between cells of the monolayer, calculated using a Bessel function model, was increased from 3.3 to 5.3 MΩ by LPS. The effect was seen after 1 h of exposure and required a minimum concentration of 10 ng/ml. Intercellular resistance returned to normal 1 h following removal of LPS. Neither the response to LPS, nor its reversal, was blocked by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (10 μg/ml). Pretreatment of monolayers with the tyrosine kinase inhibitors PP‐2 (10 nM), lavendustin‐C (1 μM), and geldanamycin (200 nM) prevented this LPS response; geldanamycin was also able to reverse the response. Inhibitors of MAP kinases, PD 98059 (5 μM) and SB 202190 (5 μM), and PKC (500 nM bisindolylmaleimide I) were unable to block the LPS response. We propose that LPS attenuates cell‐to‐cell communication through a signaling pathway that is tyrosine kinase dependent. J. Cell. Physiol. 185:117–125, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.