Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sharp bounds for population recovery

The population recovery problem is a basic problem in noisy unsupervised learning that has attracted significant research attention in recent years [WY12,DRWY12, MS13, BIMP13, LZ15,DST16]. A number of different variants of this problem have been studied, often under assumptions on the unknown distribution (such as that it has restricted support size). In this work we study the sample complexity and algorithmic complexity of the most general version of the problem, under both bit-flip noise and erasure noise model. We give essentially matching upper and lower sample complexity bounds for both noise models, and efficient algorithms matching these sample complexity bounds up to polynomial factors.
Does leisure time physical activity protect against low back pain? Systematic review and meta-analysis of 36 prospective cohort studies

Background There are plausible mechanisms whereby leisure time physical activity may protect against low back pain (LBP) but there have been no quality systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the subject. Objective This review aims to assess the effect of leisure time physical activity on non-specific LBP. Methods Literature searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar databases from their inception through July 2016. Methodological quality of included studies was evaluated. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed, and heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed. Results Thirty-six prospective cohort studies (n=158 475 participants) qualified for meta-analyses. Participation in sport or other leisure physical activity reduced the risk of frequent or chronic LBP, but not LBP for > 1 day in the past month or past 6–12 months. Risk of frequent/chronic LBP was 11% lower (adjusted risk ratio (RR)=0.89, CI 0.82 to 0.97, I2=31%, n=48 520) in moderately/highly active individuals, 14% lower (RR=0.86, CI 0.79 to 0.94, I2=0%, n=33 032) in moderately active individuals and 16% lower (RR=0.84, CI 0.75 to 0.93, I2=0%, n=33 032) in highly active individuals in comparison with individuals without regular physical activity. For LBP in the past 1–12 months, adjusted RR was 0.98 (CI 0.93 to 1.03, I2=50%, n=32 654) for moderate/high level of activity, 0.94 (CI 0.84 to 1.05, I2=3%, n=8549) for moderate level of activity and 1.06 (CI 0.89 to 1.25, I2=53%, n=8554) for high level of activity. Conclusions Leisure time physical activity may reduce the risk of chronic LBP by 11%–16%. The finding, however, should be interpreted cautiously due to limitations of the original studies. If this effect size is proven in future research, the public health implications would be substantial.
A Centimeter Resolution, 10 m Range CMOS Impulse Radio Radar for Human Motion Monitoring

A single-chip impulse radio radar transceiver that enables high-resolution reception with enhanced signal to noise ratio (SNR) is proposed. The radar transceiver, consisting of a spectrum adjustable transmitter and a 100-ps resolution 4-channel sampling receiver, successfully demonstrates in/outdoor human walk tracing, stride-rate, and respiration measurements. The 4-channel sampling receiver, which is robust against pulse distortion, utilizes track and hold samplers and integrators while sharing a single low noise amplifier. By adopting embedded control logic, the sampling receiver achieves control flexibility as well as improved performance. A repetitive reception mode can proportionally increase the SNR of the receive pulse at the cost of a longer pulse acquisition time. DC offset and low-frequency coherent noise problems caused by on-board control clock signals are resolved with the radar architecture. The single chip radar transceiver is fabricated in a 130-nm CMOS technology occupying a chip area of 3.27 mm 2. The measured results show that echo pulses are recovered with a centimeter range resolution while consuming 80 mA from a supply voltage of 1.2 V.
Host-Specific Functional Significance of Caenorhabditis Gut Commensals

The gut microbiota is an important contributor to host health and fitness. Given its importance, microbiota composition should not be left to chance. However, what determines this composition is far from clear, with results supporting contributions of both environmental factors and host genetics. To gauge the relative contributions of host genetics and environment, specifically the microbial diversity, we characterized the gut microbiotas of Caenorhabditis species spanning 200–300 million years of evolution, and raised on different composted soil environments. Comparisons were based on 16S rDNA deep sequencing data, as well as on functional evaluation of gut isolates. Worm microbiotas were distinct from those in their respective soil environment, and included bacteria previously identified as part of the C. elegans core microbiota. Microbiotas differed between experiments initiated with different soil communities, but within each experiment, worm microbiotas clustered according to host identity, demonstrating a dominant contribution of environmental diversity, but also a significant contribution of host genetics. The dominance of environmental contributions hindered identification of host-associated microbial taxa from 16S data. Characterization of gut isolates from C. elegans and C. briggsae, focusing on the core family Enterobacteriaceae, were also unable to expose phylogenetic distinctions between microbiotas of the two species. However, functional evaluation of the isolates revealed host-specific contributions, wherein gut commensals protected their own host from infection, but not a non-host. Identification of commensal host-specificity at the functional level, otherwise overlooked in standard sequence-based analyses, suggests that the contribution of host genetics to shaping of gut microbiotas may be greater than previously realized.
Modeling and Simulation of Plasmonic Nanoparticles Using Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method: A Review

In recent years, plasmonic nanoparticles are widely used in a wide range of applications including, biomedicine, spectroscopy, catalysis and energy harvesting. The properties of these particles are due to the interaction of these particles with electromagnetic irradiation that gives rise to the localized surface plasmons that are collective oscillations of their surface conduction electrons. This interaction influences its light absorption and scattering and thus, the particle color. Simulation of particle plasmons can be done by solving Maxwells equations for metallic nanoparticles embedded in a dielectric environment. One of the approaches to solve Maxwells equation is by Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) approach. Since FDTD is a time domain approach, the response for a wide range of frequencies can be obtained with a single simulation. In this paper we propose to review the application of FDTD in the simulation and modeling of various plasmonic nanoparticles.
Maintenance of Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Chronic Asthma May Be Mediated by Th2-Independent Mechanisms

Abstract Rationale CD4+, Th2-mediated inflammation is an important component of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in allergic airway disease. IL-4 and IL-13, the prototypic Th2 cytokines, mediate their effects through a common receptor complex made up of IL-4Rα and IL-13Rα1. In this study, we examined the effects of impaired Th2 signaling on AHR using IL-4Rα −/− mice in a murine model of allergic asthma. Methods IL-4Rα −/− mice and control BALB/c (IL-4Rα +/+ ) mice were sensitized to and challenged with Aspergillus fumigatus . Airway disease was assessed at days 14, 28, 51, and 57 after intratracheal conidia challenge. AHR was evaluated by plethysmography after intravenous methacholine. Whole lung levels of cytokines, chemokines, and immunoglobulins were measured by specific ELISA. Paraffin-embedded lung sections were stained for histology. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was cytospun for differential cell counts. Results While AHR was significantly reduced in IL-4Rα −/− mice (p Conclusions These results demonstrate that airway hyperresponsiveness and mucus production in allergic asthma can be maintained in the absence of a predominant Th2 signaling pathway, suggesting that Th2-independent mechanisms may arbitrate chronic stages of the disease.
New design of a manipulator control interface that employs voice and multi-touch command

In this study, we designed a new manipulator control interface that employs voice and multi-touch commands taking into account efficiency, learnability, and usability. In this interface, one can select control modes and shortcut to commonly-used manipulator configurations by issuing voice commands. In each control mode, one can employ intuitive multi-touch actions in order to command gripper speed and movements. We implemented the first version of the control interface and conducted an initial evaluation of the system. Some experienced users were able to control a seven-degree-of-freedom manipulator and complete some tasks fairly efficiently, without help of others or notes. In addition, eight novice users were able to pick up a pencil and put it in a pen stand more efficiently using the new interface than some existing manipulator control interfaces.
Vectorization of a statistical segmentation

We propose an efficient vectorial implementation of a region merging segmentation algorithm. In this algorithm the merging order is based on edge value, and the merging predicate exploits recent statistical investigations. A notable acceleration is obtained by exploiting two forms of parallelism, firstly the Data Level Parallelism by processing edges of the same weight in parallel, secondly the Instruction Level Parallelism. Moreover, the classical UNION-FIND data structure is improved by using local registers to reduce the access time of FIND operations. Finally the implementation could be easily tuned to extract textures (object analysis) or all edges (image enhancement).
1 LASSY : Large Scale Syntactic Annotation of written Dutch

A large corpus of written Dutch texts (1,000,000 words) is syntactically annotated (manually corrected), based on D-COI. In addition, the full D-COI corpus is syntactically annotated automatically. The project aims to extend the available syntactically annotated corpora for Dutch both in size as well as with respect to the various text genres and topical domains. In addition, various browse and search tools for syntactically annotated corpora will be further developed and made available. Their potential for applications in corpus linguistics and information extraction will be illustrated and evaluated. Both Leuven (CGN) and Groningen (Alpino Treebank) contribute experience in the construction of syntactically annotated corpora. They are also responsible for the corresponding work package of the STEVIN D-COI project. Leuven contributes experience with POS-tagging and lemmatization (they are responsible for the corresponding work package in D-COI). A consortium with both a Dutch and a Flemish partner ensures that both the northern and Flemish language variety will be accounted for appropriately. Groningen provides additional know-how with respect to the use of the Alpino parser and related tools, as well as with the use of automatically annotated corpora for various applications. Leuven provides additional know-how with respect to syntactic annotation, based a.o. on their experience in the syntactic annotation of CGN.
Energy-Efficient Medium Access Control

Managing wireless communication will be the key to effective deployment of large scale sensor networks that need to operate for years. On the one hand, wireless communication is essential (i) to foster collaboration between neighboring sensor nodes to help overcome the inherent limitations of their cheap, and hence inaccurate sensors observing physical events, and (ii) to report those events back to a sink node connected to the wired world. On the other hand, wireless communication consumes a lot of energy, is error prone, and has limited range, forcing many nodes to participate in relaying information, all of which severely limit the lifetime of the (unattended) sensor network. In typical sensor nodes like the Mica2 mote, communicating one bit of information consumes as much energy as executing several hundred instructions. Therefore, one should “think” twice before actually transmitting a message. Nevertheless, whenever a message should be sent, the protocol stack must operate as efficiently as possible. In this report we will study the medium access layer, which is part of the Data Link layer (layer 2 of the OSI model) and sits directly on top of the Physical layer (layer 1) (see Figure .1). Since the medium access layer controls the radio, it has a large impact on the overall energy consumption, and hence, the lifetime of a node.
Simulation of the Localized Arc Filament Plasma Actuators for Jet Excitation

The concept of jet control by external forcing is not new. The first published demonstration of a jet responding to outside forces occurred in the mid-1800’s. It was not, however, until the 1950’s, with the advent of commercial jet aircraft, that scientific study of the subject greatly increased as researchers used external forcing to study the structure and noise sources present in a jet plume. Interest in active jet control continues today, particularly with the additional possibilities afforded by significant advances in measurement and simulation technology, even though it remains limited by the available jet actuators to relatively small, low Reynolds number jets that are of little similarity to the large, highly turbulent jets common in real world applications. However, the recently developed Localized Arc Filament Plasma Actuators (LAFPA) have the potential to expand active jet control research to include these larger, higher Reynolds number jets. The LAFPA have been used successfully to control a smalldiameter, high-speed turbulent jet to achieve some plume mixing enhancement and limited noise mitigation. The system, however, must still be extended to a larger class of jets common in the real world and optimized for an application. This work addresses both of these issues. First, experiments are conducted to determine the impact of the LAFPA on a large-scale jet. A model of the LAFPA is then developed
Precipitation methods for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol measurement compared, and final evaluation under routine operating conditions of a method with a low sample-to-reagent ratio.

We evaluated six precipitation methods for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-chol) determination: the heparin/Mn2+ precipitation reagent method (Hep), two variants of the phosphotungstic acid/Mg2+ method (Tung-L and Tung-B), the dextran sulfate 50,000/Mg2+ method (Dex), the PEG 6000 method (PEG), and the PEG 6000/dextran sulfate 15,000 (PEG/Dex) method. The Tung-B and PEG/Dex precipitation methods have a low sample/precipitation reagent volume ratio (< 0.4). The Tung-B, Dex, PEG, and PEG/Dex methods gave similar values, averaging within 0.1 mmol/L of each other, showing that the precipitation selectivity of these methods is comparable. The precipitation efficiency of Tung-B and Peg/Dex, however, was superior. Ultrafiltration of the supernatants was needed only at triglyceride concentrations > 16.4 mmol/L (undiluted sample) or > 28.0 mmol/L (sample diluted twofold); however, ultrafiltration without dilution was the most accurate method. Results of Tung-B under routine conditions (33 technicians) agreed well with those of the PEG method for 406 normo- and hyperlipidemic plasma samples. By comparison with the HDL-chol method from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Tung-B method showed a total error of 10.6% which fulfills the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program for HDL-chol analysis. In conclusion, with motivated personnel, Tung-B is a reliable, cost-effective method for routine HDL-chol analysis.
Resistance training improves isokinetic strength and metabolic syndrome-related phenotypes in postmenopausal women

Purpose To examine the effects of resistance training (RT) on metabolic syndrome-related phenotypes in postmenopausal women. Patients and methods Twenty-two postmenopausal women (65.0±4.2 years) underwent 12 weeks of whole body progressive training with intensity prescribed based on rating of perceived exertion. Dominant knee extension strength was assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer before and after the intervention. Moreover, all volunteers had blood samples collected for lipid profile, glycemic control, and C-reactive protein analyses. Waist circumference and arterial blood pressure were also measured at baseline and after the training period. Student’s t-tests for paired samples and repeated measures ANOVA were used to compare dependent variables, and statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Results Isokinetic muscle strength significantly increased (P<0.01) with training. It was observed that waist circumference as well as total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels significantly decreased with training (P<0.01). Total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, an important marker of cardiovascular disease incidence, was also significantly reduced (from 3.91±0.91 to 3.60±0.74; P<0.01) after the program. Blood glucose, basal insulin, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance were also significantly reduced (P<0.01). No significant alterations were observed for resting blood pressure, triglycerides, or C-reactive protein. Conclusion Based on the observed results, it can be concluded that a 12-week progressive RT program, besides increasing isokinetic muscle strength, induces beneficial alterations on metabolic syndrome-related phenotypes in postmenopausal women. These findings highlight this mode of exercise as an important component of public health promotion programs for aged women. RT improves isokinetic strength and metabolic syndrome-related phenotypes in postmenopausal women.
Angiographic patterns of in-stent restenosis: classification and implications for long-term outcome.

BACKGROUND The angiographic presentation of in-stent restenosis (ISR) may convey prognostic information on subsequent target vessel revascularizations (TLR). METHODS AND RESULTS We developed an angiographic classification of ISR according to the geographic distribution of intimal hyperplasia in reference to the implanted stent. Pattern I includes focal (< or =10 mm in length) lesions, pattern II is ISR>10 mm within the stent, pattern III includes ISR>10 mm extending outside the stent, and pattern IV is totally occluded ISR. We classified a total of 288 ISR lesions in 245 patients and verified the angiographic accuracy of the classification by intravascular ultrasound. Pattern I was found in 42% of patients, pattern II in 21%, pattern III in 30%, and pattern IV in 7%. Previously recurrent ISR was more frequent with increasing grades of classification (9%, 20%, 34%, and 50% for classes I to IV, respectively; P=0.0001), as was diabetes (28%, 32%, 39%, and 48% in classes I to IV, respectively; P<0.01). Angioplasty and stenting were used predominantly in classes I and II, whereas classes III and IV were treated with atheroablation. Final diameter stenosis ranged between 21% and 28% (P=NS among ISR patterns). TLR increased with increasing ISR class; it was 19%, 35%, 50%, and 83% in classes I to IV, respectively (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that diabetes (odds ratio, 2.8), previously recurrent ISR (odds ratio, 2. 7), and ISR class (odds ratio, 1.7) were independent predictors of TLR. CONCLUSIONS The introduced angiographic classification is prognostically important, and it may be used for appropriate and early patient triage for clinical and investigational purposes.
EVALUATING HOSPITAL PHARMACY STAFFING AND WORK SCHEDULING USING SIMULATION

With increasing healthcare costs, an aging population, and a shortage of trained personnel it is becoming increasingly important for hospital pharmacy management to make good operational decisions. In the case of hospital inpatient pharmacies, making decisions about staffing and work scheduling is difficult due to the complexity of the systems used and the variation in the orders to be filled. In order to help BroMenn Healthcare make decisions about staffing and work scheduling a simulation model was created to analyze the impact of alternate work schedules. The model estimates the effect of changes to staffing and work scheduling on the amount of time medication orders take to process. The goal is to use the simulation to help BroMenn find the best schedule to get medications to the patients as quickly as possible by using pharmacy staff effectively.
Increasing inequalities in premature mortality in Great Britain

Study objective: To describe inequalities in all cause premature mortality between and within regions of Great Britain and how these inequalities have changed between 1979 and 1998. Design: Retrospective study using routine population and death data aggregated into five year age and sex groups for each of 20 years. Setting: All 459 local authority districts (England and Wales) and local government districts (Scotland). Participants: Estimated population and registered deaths aged 0–64. Main outcome measures: Indirectly standardised mortality ratios for all cause mortality; percentages of deaths that would be avoided if there were no inequalities between and within regions. Results: The decrease in premature mortality of 36% seen in Great Britain ranged from 42% in Wales to 33% in Scotland and 31% in London. Differences between regions led to excess mortality of about 25% in Scotland, the North East, and the North West. In London excess mortality increased from 14% to 19%. Inequalities within regions increased in most parts of Great Britain, the exceptions being Wales, London, and the South West. The largest increase was seen in Scotland where the percentage of excess deaths increased from 23% to 33%. Conclusions: A decrease in premature mortality in Great Britain was seen in all regions, although less pronounced in London, but the gap between regions remained. Inequalities between districts within regions vary from one region to another and have increased in nearly every part of Great Britain.
Bistable Behavior of the Lac Operon in E. Coli When Induced with a Mixture of Lactose and TMG

In this work we investigate multistability in the lac operon of Escherichia coli when it is induced by a mixture of lactose and the non-metabolizable thiomethyl galactoside (TMG). In accordance with previously published experimental results and computer simulations, our simulations predict that: (1) when the system is induced by TMG, the system shows a discernible bistable behavior while, (2) when the system is induced by lactose, bistability does not disappear but excessively high concentrations of lactose would be required to observe it. Finally, our simulation results predict that when a mixture of lactose and TMG is used, the bistability region in the extracellular glucose concentration vs. extracellular lactose concentration parameter space changes in such a way that the model predictions regarding bistability could be tested experimentally. These experiments could help to solve a recent controversy regarding the existence of bistability in the lac operon under natural conditions.