Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Method for Solving Multiscale Elliptic Problems with Randomly Perturbed Data

We propose a method for efficient solution of elliptic problems with multiscale features and randomly perturbed coefficients. We use the multiscale finite element method (MsFEM) as a starting point and derive an algorithm for solving a large number of multiscale problems in parallel. The method is intended to be used within a Monte Carlo framework where solutions corresponding to samples of the randomly perturbed data need to be computed. We show that the proposed method converges to the MsFEM solution in the limit for each individual sample of the data. We also show that the complexity of the method is proportional to one solve using MsFEM (where the fine scale is resolved) plus N (number of samples) solves of linear systems on the coarse scale, as opposed to solving N problems using MsFEM. A set of numerical examples is presented to illustrate the theoretical findings.
Effects of Risperidone on Cytokine Profile in Drug-Naïve First-Episode Psychosis

Background: There is robust evidence that schizophrenia is characterized by immune-inflammatory abnormalities, including variations on cytokine levels. The results of previous studies, however, are heterogeneous due to several confounding factors, such as the effects of antipsychotic drugs. Therefore, research on drug-naïve first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients is essential to elucidate the role of immune processes in that disorder. Methods: The aim of this study is to compare cytokine levels (IL-2, IL-10, IL-4, IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-17) in drug-naïve FEP patients both before and after treatment with risperidone for 10 weeks, and to investigate possible associations between cytokine levels and clinical responses to treatment and presence of depressive symptoms. It this study, we included 55 drug-naïve FEP patients who had repeated measurements of cytokine levels and 57 healthy controls. Results: We found that FEP patients had significantly higher IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α levels than healthy controls. After risperidone treatment, these three cytokines and additionally IL-4 decreased significantly. No significant difference was found between the post-treatment cytokine levels in FEP patients and in healthy controls, suggesting that these alterations in cytokine profiles are a state marker of FEP. No significant association was found between risperidone-induced changes in cytokines and the clinical response to treatment or the presence of depression. There was a significant inverse association between the risperidone-induced changes in IL-10 and the negative symptoms. Conclusions: In conclusion, our results show a specific cytokine profile in FEP patients (monocytic and regulatory T-cell activation) and suggest immunoregulatory effects of risperidone treatment, characterized by suppressant effects on monocytic, Th2, and T-regulatory functions.
Acoustics Session 5 aBAb : Imaging , Therapy , and Bubbles ( Again ) 5 aBAb 7 . Superresolution imaging in ultrasound B-scan imaging

A number of imaging systems exhibit speckle, which is caused by the interaction of a coherent pulse reflecting off of random reflectors. The limitations of these systems are quite serious since the speckle phenomenon creates a pattern of nulls and peaks from subresolvable scatterers or targets that are difficult to interpret. Another limitation of these pulse-echo imaging systems is that their resolution is dependent on the full spatial extent of the propagating pulse, usually several wavelengths in the axial or propagating dimension and typically longer in the transverse direction. This limits the spatial resolution to many multiples of the wavelength. This paper focuses on the particular case of ultrasound B-scan imaging and develop an inverse filter solution that eliminates both the speckle phenomenon, and the poor resolution dependency on the pulse length and width, to produce SURUS (super-resolution ultrasound) images. The key to the inverse filter is the creation of pulse shapes that have stable inverses. This is derived by use of the standard Z-transform and related properties. Although the focus of this paper is on examples from ultrasound imaging systems, the results are applicable to other pulse-echo imaging systems that also can exhibit speckle statistics.
Memory aware load balance strategy on a parallel branch‐and‐bound application

The latest trends in high performance computing systems show an increasing demand on the use of a large scale multicore system in an efficient way so that high compute‐intensive applications can be executed reasonably well. However, the exploitation of the degree of parallelism available at each multicore component can be limited by the poor utilization of the memory hierarchy. Actually, the multicore architecture introduces some distinct features that are already observed in shared memory and distributed environments. One example is that subsets of cores can share different subsets of memory. In order to achieve high performance, it is imperative that a careful allocation scheme of an application is carried out on the available cores, based on a scheduling specification that considers not only processors characteristics but also memory contention. This paper proposes a multicore cluster representation that captures relevant performance characteristics in multicores systems such as the influence of memory hierarchy and contention on application performance. Improved performance was achieved by a branch‐and‐bound application applied to the partitioning sets problem that incorporated a memory aware load balancing strategy based on the proposed multicore cluster representation. An in‐depth analysis on this application execution showed its applicability to modern systems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Causality analysis of atrial fibrillation electrograms

Multi-channel intracardiac electrocardiograms (electrograms) are sequentially acquired during heart surgery performed on patients with sustained atrial fibrillation (AF) to guide radio frequency catheter ablation. These electrograms are used by cardiologists to determine candidate areas for ablation (e.g., areas corresponding to high dominant frequencies or complex electrograms). In this paper, we introduce a novel hierarchical causality analysis method for the multi-output sequentially acquired electrograms. The causal model obtained provides important information regarding delays among signals as well as the direction and strength of their causal connections. The tool developed may ultimately serve to guide cardiologists towards candidate areas for catheter ablation. Preliminary results on synthetic signals are used to validate the proposed approach.
Adapting for Visual and Verbal Learning Styles in AEH

This paper describes how visual and verbal learning styles have been successfully integrated into an adaptive educational environment. User trials of this system were carried out, to determine the effect of the adaptation, and although these user trials do not indicate any statistically significant differences, the qualitative information gleaned from the study indicated that students preferred using this environment over other traditional revision methods, and that they perceived personalized tuition to be better than a 'one size fits all' approach
Introduction to the Special Issue on Benchmarks for Success? Interim Assessments as a Strategy for Educational Improvement

K–12 educators in urban districts—under substantial pressure to demonstrate increased student achievement—are experiencing an onslaught of student performance data. The emphasis on testing is spurred by federal, state, and district accountability policies that have pressed educators to use data to monitor student progress toward well-defined learning goals. These policies, which began with the standards-based reforms of the 1990s and have increased with No Child Left Behind, derive from the theory that rigorous and clear performance goals—accompanied by sanctions for poor performance—will lead to higher student achievement. Education reformers have added a further layer of expectations, arguing that accountability systems alone have not produced the substantive changes in instructional practices demanded by a standards-based approach (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Finnigan et al., 2004; Supovitz & Christman, 2003; Wagner, 1998). Rather, they urge enhancing instructional capacity by aligning curriculum, instruction, and professional development and by supplementing mere access to data with opportunities for educators to analyze data with colleagues in the light of curricular objectives. From this perspective, multiple pieces need to be in place for building shared knowledge about students’ learning that will lead to more effective classroom instruction and decisions about a school’s academic initiatives. In response to accountability pressures, increasing numbers of districts, especially larger urban districts, now administer interim benchmark assessments four to six times a year to provide
Public Key-based Session Key Establishment for Hierarchical Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are expected to be utilized by internet of things (IoT) applications/services in various fields in the near future. However, studies on session key establishment between two nodes in WSNs are relatively recent compared to studies on long-term key establishment. This paper proposes a security and efficiency enhanced session key establishment scheme for hierarchical sensor networks in security-critical applications. The proposed scheme employs elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman key exchange (ECDH) and RSA signature verification to efficiently perform the most important security features of mutual authentication, verification of message integrity, and session key establishment.
Frontline healthcare providers' views of depression and its prevention in older adults.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To describe healthcare providers' views on depression and its prevention in older people. BACKGROUND There is an urgent need to develop public health approaches to depression prevention in older adults because of the growing older population and the high rate of depression among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan. Prior studies have focused on the prevalence of and risk factors for depression in Taiwanese community-dwelling older adults. Research from the viewpoints of prevention and healthcare providers is needed to guide these approaches. DESIGN A qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews. METHODS A purposive sample of 25 healthcare providers was recruited from a city in northern Taiwan. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS Results were embedded within four major themes: lack of children's support, maladaptation to distressing life circumstances in late life, innate vulnerability in the individuals and being unaware of or reluctant to accept an illness. CONCLUSIONS Participants' accounts of depression and its prevention were conceptualised within the family and socio-cultural contexts older adults lived in. Lack of children's support was reported as a main contributor to depression in older adults. Society was reported as the main context in which depression prevention intervention should take place. Communal activities were described as important for mental wellness and depression prevention. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Study findings show how family, Chinese culture and socio-economic circumstances influence accounts of depression and its prevention in older adults. Attention to the cultural construction of meanings may help extend our vision beyond a focus on the biomedical discourse and promote innovative ways of tackling depression that match the policy goals with the needs of older adults and community.
The role of coping strategies in predicting change in parenting efficacy and depressive symptoms among mothers of adolescents with developmental disabilities.

BACKGROUND Parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) face greater caregiving demands than parents of children without DD. There is considerable variability in parents' adjustment to raising a child with DD, however. In line with a strengths-based approach, this study explores coping strategies as potential mechanisms of resilience among mothers of adolescents with DD. This study examines the frequency with which mothers use various coping strategies and the extent to which those strategies moderate the relationship between adolescent behaviour problems and aspects of maternal well-being. Both positive and negative dimensions of well-being are explored, with maternal depressive symptoms and perceived parenting efficacy examined as outcomes cross-sectionally and longitudinally. METHODS The present study focuses on 92 mothers and their adolescents with DD. The adolescents had a wide range of diagnoses, all with continuing special needs. Data were collected from mothers through interviews and self-administered questionnaires when their adolescents were aged 15 and aged 18. A structured assessment of the adolescent was completed during home visits at age 15. RESULTS Mothers reported frequently using strategies of denial and planning but rarely using strategies of mental and behavioural disengagement to cope with recent stressful situations. Adolescent behaviour problems were found to contribute to greater symptoms of depression and lower feelings of parenting efficacy as well as increases in depressive symptoms over time. Mothers of sons, but not daughters, reported increases in parenting efficacy across their child's adolescent period. Above and beyond adolescent factors, several coping strategies emerged as significant predictors of mothers' symptoms of depression and perceived parenting efficacy. Moreover, use of Active Coping/Planning, Positive Reinterpretation/Growth, and Behavioural/Mental Disengagement as coping strategies moderated the impact of adolescent behaviour problems on maternal depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS This study extends previous findings by focusing on both positive and negative dimensions of parent well-being during their child's adolescent period. Adolescence can be a stressful time for parents, with typical developmental tasks entailing additional strains for parents of adolescents with DD. The present findings point to several coping strategies that may reduce the impact of challenging behaviours during this period on mothers' symptoms of depression and feelings of parenting efficacy. Certain coping strategies were found to exert a greater impact on maternal well-being for parents of adolescents with higher levels of behaviour problems, suggesting that interventions may benefit from an increased focus on this group of mothers with heightened caregiving demands.
Support for involvement of glutamate decarboxylase 1 and neuropeptide y in anxiety susceptibility

Genetic mapping efforts have identified putative susceptibility genes for human anxiety disorders. The most intensively studied genes are involved in neurotransmitter metabolism and signaling or stress response. In addition, neuropeptides and targets of anxiolytics have been examined. It has become apparent that gene × environment interactions may explain individual variation in stress resilience and predisposition to mental disorders. We aimed to replicate previous genetic findings in 16 putative anxiety susceptibility genes and further test whether they modulate the risk for developing an anxiety disorder in adulthood after childhood stress exposure. We tested 93 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for genetic association to anxiety disorders in the Finnish population‐based Health 2000 sample (282 cases and 575 matched controls). In addition, we examined by logistic regression modeling whether the SNP genotypes modified the effect of the number of self‐reported childhood adversities on anxiety disorder risk. The most significant evidence for association was observed in glutamate decarboxylase 1 (GAD1) with phobias (P = 0.0005). A subsequent meta‐analysis (N = 1985) incorporating previously published findings supported involvement of a single GAD1 risk haplotype in determining susceptibility to a broad range of internalizing disorders (P = 0.0009). We additionally found that SNPs and haplotypes in neuropeptide Y (NPY) modified the effect of childhood adversities on anxiety susceptibility (P = 0.003). In conclusion, we provide further support for involvement of mainly GAD1, but also NPY in determining predisposition to anxiety disorders. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Myriocin Significantly Increases the Mortality of a Non-Mammalian Model Host during Candida Pathogenesis

Candida albicans is a major human pathogen whose treatment is challenging due to antifungal drug toxicity, drug resistance and paucity of antifungal agents available. Myrocin (MYR) inhibits sphingosine synthesis, a precursor of sphingolipids, an important cell membrane and signaling molecule component. MYR also has dual immune suppressive and antifungal properties, potentially modulating mammalian immunity and simultaneously reducing fungal infection risk. Wax moth (Galleria mellonella) larvae, alternatives to mice, were used to establish if MYR suppressed insect immunity and increased survival of C. albicans-infected insects. MYR effects were studied in vivo and in vitro, and compared alone and combined with those of approved antifungal drugs, fluconazole (FLC) and amphotericin B (AMPH). Insect immune defenses failed to inhibit C. albicans with high mortalities. In insects pretreated with the drug followed by C. albicans inoculation, MYR+C. albicans significantly increased mortality to 93% from 67% with C. albicans alone 48 h post-infection whilst AMPH+C. albicans and FLC+C. albicans only showed 26% and 0% mortalities, respectively. MYR combinations with other antifungal drugs in vivo also enhanced larval mortalities, contrasting the synergistic antifungal effect of the MYR+AMPH combination in vitro. MYR treatment influenced immunity and stress management gene expression during C. albicans pathogenesis, modulating transcripts putatively associated with signal transduction/regulation of cytokines, I-kappaB kinase/NF-kappaB cascade, G-protein coupled receptor and inflammation. In contrast, all stress management gene expression was down-regulated in FLC and AMPH pretreated C. albicans -infected insects. Results are discussed with their implications for clinical use of MYR to treat sphingolipid-associated disorders.
An introduction to simulated evolutionary optimization

Natural evolution is a population-based optimization process. Simulating this process on a computer results in stochastic optimization techniques that can often outperform classical methods of optimization when applied to difficult real-world problems. There are currently three main avenues of research in simulated evolution: genetic algorithms, evolution strategies, and evolutionary programming. Each method emphasizes a different facet of natural evolution. Genetic algorithms stress chromosomal operators. Evolution strategies emphasize behavioral changes at the level of the individual. Evolutionary programming stresses behavioral change at the level of the species. The development of each of these procedures over the past 35 years is described. Some recent efforts in these areas are reviewed.
It Doesn't Hurt to Ask: Effects of Instructions to Be Creative, Practical, or Analytical on Essay-Writing Performance and Their Interaction With Students' Thinking Styles

Whether instructions to be creative will act as goals or constraints was examined by comparing creative, practical, and analytical performance ratings under special instructions to be creative, practical, analytical, or under no special instructions at all, for 110 students with 2 different thinking styles. Consistent with goal-setting theory, specific-related instructions resulted in higher performance for each of the 3 performance ratings over no special instructions. In line with a person-situation fit model, people who prefer to play with their own ideas (i.e., those with a legislative thinking style) showed higher creative performance, whereas people who prefer to analyze and evaluate ideas (i.e., those with a judicial thinking style) showed lower creative performance when not given any special instructions.
Validation of body condition scores with ultrasound measurements of subcutaneous fat of dairy cows.

This research validated body condition scores with ultrasound measurements of subcutaneous fat. Fifty Holstein cows were evaluated during three sessions in 1993. Cows scored during each session were divided into three groups of 15 or 20 cows. Body condition scores were assigned by one trained individual, utilizing a five-point (1 = thin to 5 = fat) visual scoring technique. Cows were scored to the nearest quarter point. Ultrasound measurements of subcutaneous fat were obtained by another individual at the lumbar, thurl, and tailhead areas of both sides of the cow. Body condition scores and ultrasound measurements were collected on the same day, but obtained independently. Correlations between ultrasound measurements ranged from . 36 to . 86. Regression models were developed to validate the body condition scoring technique across the three cow groups. Group number and different combinations of ultrasound measurements were independent variables, and body condition score was the dependent variable. Ultrasound measurements were significantly associated with body condition scores. The coefficients of determination for the models ranged from . 36 to . 65, depending on which ultrasound measurements were included in the model. These results suggest that the body condition scoring technique used in this study was as valid as ultrasound techniques for measurement of subcutaneous fat.
A novel approach for license plate localization based on SVM classifier

In this paper, we present an accurate and robust icense plate localization approach based on the Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. We impose the license plate localization as a classifier based binary recognition problem. The images of our database exhibit various illumination conditions (daytime, dark night). For the problem of illumination effects, we use the algorithm of Scale Invariant Feature Transformation (SIFT), because the advantages of SIFT feature are scale-invariant, luminance-invariant. In this way, we can locate the license plate efficiently for the vehicle image which shot at night. Experimental results illustrate the great robustness and efficiency of our approach.