Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Unified Loss Function in Bayesian Framework for Support Vector Regression

In this paper, we propose a unified non-quadratic loss function for regression known as soft insensitive loss function (SILF). SILF is a flexible model and possesses most of the desirable characteristics of popular non-quadratic loss functions, such as Laplacian, Huber’s and Vapnik’s e-insensitive loss function. We describe the properties of SILF and illustrate our assumption on the underlying noise model in detail. Moreover, the introduction of SILF in regression makes it possible to apply Bayesian techniques on Support Vector methods. Experimental results on simulated and real-world datasets indicate the feasibility of the approach.
Spectrophotometric analysis of the fuzzy role of UV irradiation in commercial polyethylene films

FOURIER transform infrared (FTIR) in combination with UV/Vis spectrophotometric analysis were performed to study the role of UV irradiation on the commercial samples of pristine high-density polyethylene (HDPE) films. X-ray diffraction data reveals an increase in the percent crystallinity which correlated and fitted linearly with irradiation times. FTIR experimental absorption spectra for commercial (HDPE) sample and other samples that irradiated with UV lamp for different prolonged time intervals shows the maintenance of main pseudo four characteristic bands in their positions with different intensities. Careful analysis of FT-IR bands reveals a clear variation in both band position and intensity for samples that irradiated up to 16 hours. UV/Vis. electronic spectra reveal the presence of charge transfer band in the UV region around 210 nm with a small change in their fundamental absorption edge and optical energy gap without any evidence for any other band till the end of measurements. Absorbance intensity was found to varies in relation to the irradiation time and sample thickness. Obtained data may be interpreted in terms of free radical and oxidation reactions of polyethylene.
A new approach to wiring layouts

The author introduces a technique for wiring knock-knee layouts, without using two-colorable maps. This technique can be easily adapted to wire layouts on any type of grid, something that is rather complicated if one uses two-colorable maps. The author presents an algorithm for wiring a given layout in the square grid that uses at most four layers, and produces a two-layer wiring for a given layout, if such a wiring exists. The algorithm runs in time linear with respect to the area occupied by the layout. >
Throughput Optimized SHA-1 Architecture Using Unfolding Transformation

In this paper, the authors analyze the theoretical delay bound of the SHA-1 algorithm and propose architectures to achieve high throughput hardware implementations which approach this bound. According to the results of FPGA implementations, 3,541 Mbps with a pipeline and 893 Mbps without a pipeline were achieved. Moreover, synthesis results using 0.18mum CMOS technology showed that 10.4 Gbps with a pipeline and 3.1 Gbps without a pipeline can be achieved. These results are much faster than previously published results. The high throughputs are due to the unfolding transformation, which reduces the number of required cycles for one block hash. The authors reduced the required number of cycles to 12 cycles for a 512 bit block and showed that 12 cycles is the optimal in our design
Experimental and theoretical study of temperature-dependent variable stiffness of magnetorheological elastomers

Abstract The magnetorheological properties of a series of magnetorheological elastomers with ferromagnetic particles of different mass fractions and different diameters are investigated. The aim is to provide a basis for the preparation of high-performance material. The shear behavior of the magnetorheological elastomers is also investigated as a function of temperature. The results essentially reveal the temperature-dependent nature of the variable stiffness of the magnetorheological elastomers. A modified Gauss distribution columnar model of ferromagnetic particles (with a temperature-dependent magnetic permeability) and a modified super-elastic rubber matrix (with a linear thermal expansion coefficient) is developed and used to explore the nature of the temperature-dependent variable stiffness. The results suggest that the interaction between the rubber matrix and ferromagnetic particles is the most critical factor responsible for the temperature dependence and not the features of the two components themselves. On the basis of System Identification Theory, a fitting polynomial is added to modify the constitutive model, which can represent the interaction between the rubber matrix and ferromagnetic particles. Polynomial data fitting and a theoretical model were used to derive an expression for the temperature dependence. As a result, the magnetic field-induced shear modulus was obtained as a semi-empirical model. This was then used to draw maps of the temperature-induced and magnetic field-induced shear modulus. The calculated results were compared with the experimental data and the errors found to be acceptable, which verifies the effectiveness and reliability of the semi-empirical model. Finally, the temperature dependence of the shear modulus is converted into the temperature dependence of the shear stiffness.
Effect of frequent nocturnal hemodialysis vs conventional hemodialysis on left ventricular mass and quality of life: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT Morbidity and mortality rates in hemodialysis patients remain excessive. Alterations in the delivery of dialysis may lead to improved patient outcomes. OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of frequent nocturnal hemodialysis vs conventional hemodialysis on change in left ventricular mass and health-related quality of life over 6 months. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A 2-group, parallel, randomized controlled trial conducted at 2 Canadian university centers between August 2004 and December 2006. A total of 52 patients undergoing hemodialysis were recruited. INTERVENTION Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive nocturnal hemodialysis 6 times weekly or conventional hemodialysis 3 times weekly. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was change in left ventricular mass, as measured by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. The secondary outcomes were patient-reported quality of life, blood pressure, mineral metabolism, and use of medications. RESULTS Frequent nocturnal hemodialysis significantly improved the primary outcome (mean left ventricular mass difference between groups, 15.3 g, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 29.6 g; P = .04). Frequent nocturnal hemodialysis did not significantly improve quality of life (difference of change in EuroQol 5-D index from baseline, 0.05; 95% CI, -0.07 to 0.17; P = .43). However, frequent nocturnal hemodialysis was associated with clinically and statistically significant improvements in selected kidney-specific domains of quality of life (P = .01 for effects of kidney disease and P = .02 for burden of kidney disease). Frequent nocturnal hemodialysis was also associated with improvements in systolic blood pressure (P = .01 after adjustment) and mineral metabolism, including a reduction in or discontinuation of antihypertensive medications (16/26 patients in the nocturnal hemodialysis group vs 3/25 patients in the conventional hemodialysis group; P < .001) and oral phosphate binders (19/26 patients in the nocturnal hemodialysis group vs 3/25 patients in the conventional dialysis group; P < .001). No benefit in anemia management was seen with nocturnal hemodialysis. CONCLUSION This preliminary study revealed that, compared with conventional hemodialysis (3 times weekly), frequent nocturnal hemodialysis improved left ventricular mass, reduced the need for blood pressure medications, improved some measures of mineral metabolism, and improved selected measures of quality of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN25858715.
Repeated exposure to two stressors in sequence demonstrates that corticosterone and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus interleukin‐1β responses habituate independently

A wide range of stress‐related pathologies such as post‐traumatic stress disorder are considered to arise from aberrant or maladaptive forms of stress adaptation. The hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis readily adapts to repeated stressor exposure, yet little is known about adaptation in neuroimmune responses to repeated or sequential stress challenges. In Experiment 1, rats were exposed to 10 days of restraint alone (60 minutes daily), forced swim alone (30 minutes daily) or daily sequential exposure to restraint (60 minutes) followed immediately by forced swim (30 minutes), termed sequential stress exposure. Habituation of the corticosterone (CORT) response occurred to restraint by 5 days and swim at 10 days, whereas rats exposed to sequential stress exposure failed to display habituation to the combined challenge. Experiment 2 compared 1 or 5 days of forced swim with sequential stress exposure and examined how each affected expression of several neuroimmune and cellular activation genes in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HPC). Sequential exposure to restraint and swim increased interleukin (IL)‐1β in the PVN, an effect that was attenuated after 5 days. Sequential stress exposure also elicited IL‐6 and tumour necrosis factor‐α responses in the HPC and PFC, respectively, which did not habituate after 5 days. Experiment 3 tested whether prior habituation to restraint (5 days) would alter the IL‐1β response evoked by swim exposure imposed immediately after the sixth day of restraint. Surprisingly, a history of repeated exposure to restraint attenuated the PVN IL‐1β response after swim in comparison to acutely‐exposed subjects despite an equivalent CORT response. Overall, these findings suggest that habituation of neuroimmune responses to stress proceeds: (i) independent of HPA axis habituation; (ii) likely requires more daily sessions of stress to develop; and (iii) IL‐1β displays a greater tendency to habituate after repeated stress challenges compared to other stress‐reactive cytokines.
Occurrence of Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in Mules and Donkeys in the Northeast of Brazil

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in the serum of mules and donkeys bred in the northeast of Brazil. In total, 483 samples were used (395 mules and 88 donkeys) from 4 states (Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, and Sergipe). The indirect immunofluorescence reaction (IFI) technique was used to investigate antibodies to T. gondii with a cut-off point of 64. Positive frequencies of 23.8% and 43.2% were recorded for mules and donkeys, respectively. The state of Pernambuco had the highest prevalence of positive samples (29%) with statistically significant differences for species (P < 0.001) and state (P = 0.048). This is the first study of antibodies to T. gondii in mules and donkeys in these 4 states of the northeastern region of Brazil and serves as a warning to health authorities regarding the risks of ingesting equine meat.
EFFECT OF ATENOLOL ON MORTALITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR MORBIDITY AFTER NONCARDIAC SURGERY

A BSTRACT Background Perioperative myocardial ischemia is the single most important potentially reversible risk factor for mortality and cardiovascular complications after noncardiac surgery. Although more than 1 million patients have such complications annually, there is no effective preventive therapy. Methods We performed a randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled trial to compare the effect of atenolol with that of a placebo on overall survival and cardiovascular morbidity in patients with or at risk for coronary artery disease who were undergoing noncardiac surgery. Atenolol was given intravenously before and immediately after surgery and orally thereafter for the duration of hospitalization. Patients were followed over the subsequent two years. Results A total of 200 patients were enrolled. Ninety-nine were assigned to the atenolol group, and 101 to the placebo group. One hundred ninety-four patients survived to be discharged from the hospital, and 192 of these were followed for two years. Overall mortality after discharge from the hospital was significantly lower among the atenolol-treated patients than among those who were given placebo over the six months following hospital discharge (0 vs. 8 percent, P 0.001), over the first year (3 percent vs. 14 percent, P 0.005), and over two years (10 percent vs. 21 percent, P 0.019). The principal effect was a reduction in deaths from cardiac causes during the first six to eight months. Combined cardiovascular outcomes were similarly reduced among the atenolol-treated patients; event-free survival throughout the two-year study period was 68 percent in the placebo group and 83 percent in the atenolol group (P 0.008). Conclusions In patients who have or are at risk for coronary artery disease who must undergo noncardiac surgery, treatment with atenolol during hospitalization can reduce mortality and the incidence of cardiovascular complications for as long as two years after surgery. (N Engl J Med 1996;335:1713-20.)
Recognitional Identification and the Knowledge Argument

Frank Jackson’s famous Knowledge Argument moves from the premise that complete physical knowledge about experiences is not complete knowledge about experiences to the falsity of physicalism. Some physicalists (e.g., John Perry) have countered by arguing that what Jackson’s Mary, the perfect scientist who acquires all physical knowledge about experiencing red while being locked in a monochromatic room, lacks before experiencing red is merely a piece of recognitional knowledge of an identity, and that since lacking a piece of recognitional knowledge of an identity does not entail lacking any pieces of knowledge of worldly facts, physicalism is safe. I will argue that what Mary lacks in her room is not merely a piece of recognitional knowledge of an identity and that some physicalists have failed to see this because of a failure to appreciate that Mary’s epistemic progress when she fi rst experiences red has two different stages. While the second epistemic stage can perhaps be plausibly considered as acquiring merely a piece of recognitional knowledge of an identity, there is good reason to think that the fi rst epistemic stage cannot be thus considered.
BCX4430, a Novel Nucleoside Analog, Effectively Treats Yellow Fever in a Hamster Model

ABSTRACT No effective antiviral therapies are currently available to treat disease after infection with yellow fever virus (YFV). A Syrian golden hamster model of yellow fever (YF) was used to characterize the effect of treatment with BCX4430, a novel adenosine nucleoside analog. Significant improvement in survival was observed after treatment with BCX4430 at 4 mg/kg of body weight per day dosed intraperitoneally (i.p.) twice daily (BID). Treatment with BCX4430 at 12.5 mg/kg/day administered i.p. BID for 7 days offered complete protection from mortality and also resulted in significant improvement of other YF disease parameters, including weight loss, serum alanine aminotransferase levels (6 days postinfection [dpi]), and viremia (4 dpi). In uninfected hamsters, BCX4430 at 200 mg/kg/day administered i.p. BID for 7 days was well tolerated and did not result in mortality or weight loss, suggesting a potentially wide therapeutic index. Treatment with BCX4430 at 12 mg/kg/day i.p. remained effective when administered once daily and for only 4 days. Moreover, BCX4430 dosed at 200 mg/kg/day i.p. BID for 7 days effectively treated YF, even when treatment was delayed up to 4 days after virus challenge, corresponding with peak viral titers in the liver and serum. BCX4430 treatment did not preclude a protective antibody response, as higher neutralizing antibody (nAb) concentrations corresponded with increasing delays of treatment initiation, and greater nAb responses resulted in the protection of animals from a secondary challenge with YFV. In summary, BCX4430 is highly active in a hamster model of YF, even when treatment is initiated at the peak of viral replication.
Effect of fiber-surface modifications onto material properties of sponge-gourd fiber reinforced polylactic acid bio-composites

This research work has been undertaken to fabricate environmentally friendly biocomposites for biomedical and household applications. Sponge-gourd natural fibers (SGF) obtained from Luffa cylindrica plant were separately subjected to chemical treatments such as alkalization, acetylation, and benzoylation by 5−15 wt% sodium hydroxide (NaOH), acetic anhydride ((CH3CO)2O), and benzoyl chloride (C6H5COCl) solutions, respectively, in order to improve adhesion between fiber and polymer matrix. SGF reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) composites were then fabricated using solution casting method. Both untreated and chemically treated SGF as well as composites were subsequently characterized by using field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, X-ray diffractometry, universal testing method, thermogravimetric analyses and agar diffusion method. Surface analysis by scanning electron microscopy shows that the alkali treatments promote better outer surface layer than other treatments of SGF with the exposition of inner fibrillar structure, thereby increasing roughness of the fiber surface. Structural analyses of SGF show that the alkali treatment improves the crystallinity of fibers by 81% and FTIR spectrometry exhibits new chemical bond formation in the SGF. The tensile strength () and Young‘s modulus (Y) have been analyzed through two-parameter Weibull distribution model, where  value increases by 150% and Y value increases by 80% of benzoylated fibers. The thermal stability of the treated SGF is also found to increase, showing the highest on-set temperature of 307.7°C for 10 wt% benzoylated SGF. Structural analyses of composites show that the chemical treatment of fibers improves the crystallinity and exhibits new chemical bond formation in the composites. Surface morphology indicates that by treatment of fibers and by increasing of treated fibers content, the interfacial adhesion between PLA and fibers is improved. Compressive strength of the composites has increased by 10–35% with incorporation of treated fibers into the PLA matrix. The thermal stability temperature of the treated fiber reinforced composites is also found to increase by an amount of 15–30%. The degradation test under soil has confirmed that the composites are biodegradable. Benzoyl chloride treatment of fibers shows superior mechanical properties and enhances thermal stability among the composites. The composites investigated have shown no antibacterial activities and no cytotoxic effect on non-cancer cell line.
A Method of Biased Coin Randomization, Its Implementation, and Its Validation

Many randomized studies in small patient populations and studies in early research (such as Phase I and Phase II trials) have small to moderate numbers of patients. In such studies the use of simple randomization or blocking on only one or two factors can easily result in imbalance between treatment groups with respect to one or more potentially prognostic variables. Baseline adaptive randomization methods (such as biased coin methods) can be used to virtually guarantee balance between treatment groups with respect to several covariates. One such method, which has been implemented in Splus, is discussed in detail. The impact of the baseline adaptive randomization method on the nominal distribution of the analysis of covariance test statistic is also discussed. Rather than relying solely on the assumption that the distribution of the analysis of covariance test statistic has its nominal distribution when adaptive randomization is used, a mechanism in Splus has been developed to perform a randomization test taking into account all of the constraints imposed by the chosen adaptive randomization procedure.
Correction: Synergy or Independence? Deciphering the Interaction of HLA Class I and NK Cell KIR Alleles in Early HIV-1 Disease Progression

I ndividual susceptibility to infectious disease, such as HIV-1, is strongly influenced by the genetic profile of the host. Allelic variants of the human major histocompatibility complex (human leukocyte antigen [HLA]) genes have been implicated repeatedly with susceptibility, course, and outcome of HIV-1 infection [1]. The HLA Class I loci is genetically diverse, and in addition to its functions in presenting peptide fragments of the invading pathogen to CD8þ T cells, may assume other functions, such as direct interaction with natural killer (NK) cells. Alleles of the Class I A and B loci form the Bw4/Bw6 cluster, a grouping based on an exposed epitope on the a1 helix, on the lip of the peptide binding cleft. This region of the HLA molecule is known to interact with NK cells via the killer Ig-like receptor (KIR). Expressed on the NK cell surface, KIR is allelic, with forms that, upon engagement with an HLA Class I ligand, may either inhibit or activate an NK cell. The KIR receptor alleles fall into two broad groups: forms with a long cytoplasmic tail (such as KIR2DL1) bear an immune tyrosine inhibitory motif and inhibit, while the short-tail forms (such as KIR2DS2) activate NK cells [2]. Upon engagement with an HLA Class I ligand, short-tail forms of KIR may increase NK cell effector activity, inducing the release of perforin and granzyme, and secretion of IFN-c [2] .
Accurate modeling and calculation of delay and energy overheads of dynamic voltage scaling in modern high-performance microprocessors

Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVS) has been studied for well over a decade, and even commercial systems widely support DVS nowadays. Nevertheless, existing DVS transition overhead models do not accurately reflect modern DVS architectures including modern DC-DC converters, PLL (Phase Lock Loop), and voltage and frequency change policies. Incorrect DVS overhead models prevent one from achieving the maximum energy gain, by misleading the DVS control policies. This paper introduces an accurate DVS overhead model, in terms of both energy consumption and time penalty, through detailed observation of modern DVS setups and voltage and frequency change guidelines from vendors. We introduce new major contributors to the DVS overhead including the performance underdrive loss of the DVS-enabled microprocessor, additional inductor IR loss, and so on, as well as consideration of power efficiency from discontinuous-mode DC-DC conversion. Our DVS overhead model enhances the DVS overhead model accuracy from 86% to 238% for Intel Core2 Duo E6850 and LTC3733.