Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantum Information Complexity

We define a new notion of information cost for quantum protocols, and a corresponding notion of quantum information complexity for bipartite quantum tasks. These are the fully quantum generalizations of the analogous quantities for bipartite classical tasks that have found many applications recently, in particular for proving communication complexity lower bounds and direct sum theorems. Finding such a quantum generalization of information complexity was one of the open problems recently raised by Braverman (STOC'12). Previous attempts have been made to define such a quantity for quantum protocols, with particular applications in mind; our notion differs from these in many respects. First, it directly provides a lower bound on the quantum communication cost, independent of the number of rounds of the underlying protocol. Secondly, we provide an operational interpretation for quantum information complexity: we show that it is exactly equal to the amortized quantum communication complexity of a bipartite task on a given input. This generalizes a result of Braverman and Rao (FOCS'11) to quantum protocols. Along the way to prove this result, we even strengthens the classical result in a bounded round scenario, and also prove important structural properties of quantum information cost and complexity. We prove that using this definition leads to the first general direct sum theorem for bounded round quantum communication complexity. Previous direct sum results in quantum communication complexity either held for some particular classes of functions, or were general but only held for single-round protocols. We also discuss potential applications of the new quantities to obtain lower bounds on quantum communication complexity.
A Positive Event Dependence Model for Self‐Controlled Case Series with Applications in Postmarketing Surveillance

A primary objective in the application of postmarketing drug safety surveillance is to ascertain the relationship between time‐varying drug exposures and recurrent adverse events (AEs) related to health outcomes. The self‐controlled case series (SCCS) method is one approach to analysis in this context. It is based on a conditional Poisson regression model, which assumes that events at different time points are conditionally independent given the covariate process. This requirement is problematic when the occurrence of an event can alter the future event risk. In a clinical setting, for example, patients who have a first myocardial infarction (MI) may be at higher subsequent risk for a second. In this work, we propose the positive dependence self‐controlled case series (PD‐SCCS) method: a generalization of SCCS that allows the occurrence of an event to increase the future event risk, yet maintains the advantages of the original model by controlling for fixed baseline covariates and relying solely on data from cases. As in the SCCS model, individual‐level baseline parameters drop out of the PD‐SCCS likelihood. Data sources used for postmarketing surveillance can contain tens of millions of people, so in this situation it is particularly advantageous that PD‐SCCS avoids doing a costly estimation of individual parameters. We develop expressions for large sample inference and optimization for PD‐SCCS and compare the results of our generalized model with the more restrictive SCCS approach.
Identifying Correction Rules for Auto Editing

This paper describes a framework to extract the effective correction rules from the sentence-aligned corpus and show a practical application: auto-editing using the found rules. The framework exploits the methodology of finding Levenshtein distance between sentences to identify the key parts of the rules and then use the editing corpus to filter, condense and refine the rules. We produce the rule candidates of such form, A => B, where A stands for the erroneous pattern and B is the correct pattern. Our framework is language independent, therefore can be applied to other languages easily. The evaluation of the discovered rules reveals that 67.2% of the top 1500 ranked rules are annotated as correct or mostly correct by experts. Based on the rules, we create an online auto-editing system for demo on http://mslab.csie. ntu.edu. tw/~kw/new_demo. html.
Scanning method to establish the molecular basis of protein C deficiencies

We describe a scanning procedure for the detection of protein C gene mutations and polymorphisms. The method is based on a combination of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 13 amplified fragments that cover exon I and most of the protein C coding regions. Exons IV and V are studied by routine direct sequencing. To validate our experimental conditions, and to verify that we were able to detect any point mutation in the fragments studied by DGGE, we tested a series of selected DNAs in which mutations had already been identified by another method. In addition, we studied the protein C gene of patients with qualitative deficiencies of protein C. In both instances, we detected all the causal mutations. We also present data on the detection of the three frequent neutral Caucasian polymorphisms in the protein C gene and on five novel mutations identified using the strategy described. These results show that DGGE is an efficient tool for establishing the molecular basis of hereditary protein C deficiencies. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Utilizing the Literatures in Teaching the Research Paper.

Teaching research English, particularly the writing of papers, to nonnative speakers (NNS) has not been given the attention it needs. Available evidence points both to the overwhelming role of English as a medium of communication in the international research literature and to the low level of NNS contributions to that literature. This article outlines and illustrates an approach to the teaching of research English (on a group rather than an individual basis) which derives from four bodies of literature: (a) the sociology of science, (b) citation analysis, (c) technical writing, and (d) English for academic purposes. It is argued that this approach gives the ESL instructor insight into research writing processes and products, increases instructor confidence, provides accessible content, and produces texts from the literatures that can be used directly in class . The discussion reviews present knowledge of the research paper; considers the issues of genre, schema, and rhetorical structure; and relates the orientation taken in this article to the current debate about “process” and “product” approaches to ESL writing.
Steinberg ’ s Conjecture

Every planar graph without 4-cycles and 5-cycles is 3-colorable. This is Steinberg’s conjecture, proposed in 1976 by Richard Steinberg. It is listed as an unsolved problem in T.R. Jensen and B. Toft’s Graph Coloring Problems (1995). This article provides a collection of references and research journals that analyze this open problem in Graph Theory. Comments on its history, related results and literature are given. This project is part of the course Graph Theory, given by Wieb Bosma at Radboud University Nijmegen.
Standard operating procedure for optimal identification of mycobacteria using 16S rRNA gene sequences

SummaryGenetic sequencing is increasingly used for the identification of bacteria and for many of them, including mycobacteria, the analysis of the 16S rRNA gene represents the gold standard. Sequencing technology has greatly improved in recent years and now allows one to obtain good quality electropherograms also in non specialized settings. The interpretation of the electropherograms still lacks however precise rules and the achievement of an incorrect identification from an excellent sequence is very frequent, in particular for organism like mycobacteria which are very closely related to each other at the genetic level. Without claiming to be authoritative or comprehensive, this note aims to provide a few simple directions suitable to steer the choice of the best possible identification.
Early feeding after esophageal variceal band ligation in cirrhotics is safe: Randomized controlled trial

Oral feeding following variceal ligation in cirrhotics is usually delayed due to fear of rebleeding. Solid diet is usually further delayed (until 72 h) despite lack of evidence. We aimed to compare the impact of early versus delayed feeding on rebleeding following variceal ligation.
Evaluation of a prototype PET detector with depth-of-interaction encoding

We report on the evaluation of a prototype PET detector with depth of interaction (DOI) encoding. The detector consisted of an 8/spl times/8 array of mixed lutetium oxyorthosilicate (MLS) crystals that were read out on the top and bottom by position sensitive avalanche photodiodes (PSAPD). Each crystal had dimensions of 1.65 mm /spl times/ 1.65 mm /spl times/ 22.00 mm, and the array had a pitch of 1.75 mm. The PSAPDs were coupled to compact, discrete transimpedance preamplifiers. The DOI response was measured by illuminating the detector module from the side with an electronically collimated fan beam of 511 keV gamma rays. The signals from the corner contacts of the PSAPDs were used to identify the crystal of interaction, while the summed signals from the two PSAPDs were used to calculate the depth z at which the interaction took place. By stepping the crystal array in the z direction (perpendicular to the fan beam), we were able to determine the DOI resolution for each individual crystal. For measurements made at 10/spl deg/C, the average DOI resolution was 2.9 mm. Energy resolution and timing resolution (vs. a fast plastic scintillator coupled to a photomultiplier tube) were made under the same operating conditions. The average energy resolution across the array was 16.6% at 511 keV, and the average timing resolution was 3.9 ns. Importantly, the detector performance was maintained all the way out to the crystals at the edge of the PSAPDs.
Joint Sparsity Model for Multilook Hyperspectral Image Unmixing

Recent work on hyperspectral image (HSI) unmixing has addressed the use of overcomplete dictionaries by employing sparse models. In essence, this approach exploits the fact that HSI pixels can be associated with a small number of constituent pure materials. However, unlike traditional least-squares-based methods, sparsity-based techniques do not require a preselection of endmembers and are thus able to simultaneously estimate the underlying active materials along with their respective abundances. In addition, this perspective has been extended so as to exploit the spatial homogeneity of abundance vectors. As a result, these techniques have been reported to provide improved estimation accuracy. In this letter, we present an alternative approach that is able to relax, yet exploit, the assumption of spatial homogeneity by introducing a model that captures both similarities and differences between neighboring abundances. In order to validate this approach, we analyze our model using simulated as well as real hyperspectral data acquired by the HyMap sensor.
The Role of Ethnographic Studies in Empirical Software Engineering

Ethnography is a qualitative research method used to study people and cultures. It is largely adopted in disciplines outside software engineering, including different areas of computer science. Ethnography can provide an in-depth understanding of the socio-technological realities surrounding everyday software development practice, i.e., it can help to uncover not only what practitioners do, but also why they do it. Despite its potential, ethnography has not been widely adopted by empirical software engineering researchers, and receives little attention in the related literature. The main goal of this paper is to explain how empirical software engineering researchers would benefit from adopting ethnography. This is achieved by explicating four roles that ethnography can play in furthering the goals of empirical software engineering: to strengthen investigations into the social and human aspects of software engineering; to inform the design of software engineering tools; to improve method and process development; and to inform research programmes. This article introduces ethnography, explains its origin, context, strengths and weaknesses, and presents a set of dimensions that position ethnography as a useful and usable approach to empirical software engineering research. Throughout the paper, relevant examples of ethnographic studies of software practice are used to illustrate the points being made.
Carpal tunnel release by limited palmar incision vs traditional open technique: randomized controlled trial.

AIM To compare a limited palmar incision for carpal tunnel release (CTR) with a traditional open technique, which is still considered the gold standard. METHODS Seventy-two patients with a carpal tunnel syndrome were individually randomized into the trial (limited incision CTR) (n=36) and control group (traditional technique CTR) (n=36). In the trial group, skin incision parallel to the thenar crease was made up to 2.5 cm in length, under an operating microscope and endoscopic transillumination. Skin incision in the control group began at the distal border of the carpal ligament, followed the longitudinal crease of the palm, and crossed the base of the palm in a zigzag fashion. Three months after surgery, the patients were asked about symptomatic relief and intervals between the operation and return to their daily activities and work, and examined for scar tenderness and esthetic outcome. Distal motor latency, conduction velocity, scar length, scar width, and operation time were measured. RESULTS There were no differences between the two groups in symptomatic relief and electrophysiological parameters. Intervals between the operation and return to daily activities (median 5 days, range 2-15) were shorter in the trial group than in the control group (median 10 days, range 2-21; p<0.001), as well as the intervals between the operation and return to work (median 15 days, range 5-45 vs median 30 days, range 10-60; p<0.001). Scar/pillar tenderness, scar length and width, esthetic outcome, and operation time were significantly better in the trial group. CONCLUSION Limited palmar incision CTR is as effective and safe as traditional CTR technique, but with better postoperative recovery and cosmetic results.
Up-to-Date on Preventive Care Services Under Affordable Care Act: A Trend Analysis From MEPS 2007–2014

Background: The utilization of preventive care services has been less than optimal. As part of an effort to address this, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandated that private health insurance plans cover evidence-based preventive services. Objectives: To evaluate whether the provisions of ACA have increased being up-to-date on recommended preventive care services among privately insured individuals aged 18–64. Research Design: Multivariate linear regression models were used to examine trends in prevalence of being up-to-date on selected preventive services, diagnosis of health conditions, and health expenditures between pre-ACA (2007–2010) and post-ACA (2011–2014). Adjusted difference-in-difference analyses were used to estimate changes in those outcomes in the privately insured that differed from changes in the uninsured (control group). Results: After the passage of ACA, up-to-date rates of routine checkup (2.7%; 95% confidence interval, 0.8%–4.7%; P=0.007) and flu vaccination (5.9%; 95% confidence interval, 4.2%–7.6%; P<0.001) increased among those with private insurance, as compared with the control group. Changes in blood pressure check, cholesterol check and cancer screening (pap smear test, mammography, and colorectal cancer screening) were not associated with the ACA. Prevalence in diagnosis of health conditions remained constant. Slower uptrends in adjusted total health care expenditures and downtrends in adjusted out-of-pocket costs were observed during the study period. Conclusions: The provisions of the ACA have resulted in trivial increases in being up-to-date on selected preventive care services. Additional efforts may be required to take full advantage of the elimination of cost-sharing under the ACA.
Assessing airway inflammation: from guessing to quantitative measurements

Diagnosing asthma and following the response to treatment have relied on lung function measurements. Improved knowledge of the cellular events leading to airflow limitation has led to new clinical methods to assess the inflammatory component of the disease. Induced sputum analysis and exhaled nitric oxide (NO) measurements are already tools for clinical practice. New cell-specific inflammatory markers and further innovations in the testing of exhaled air, e.g. breath condensates and technical development of simple methods and devices, will also benefit the busy practitioner in near future. Assessing airway inflammation by quantitative measurements, instead of guessing, will also strengthen the role of anti-inflammatory medication as first-line treatment of asthma, even in its mildest forms.
Glycosylation of TRPM4 and TRPM5 channels: molecular determinants and functional aspects

The transient receptor potential channel, TRPM4, and its closest homolog, TRPM5, are non-selective cation channels that are activated by an increase in intracellular calcium. They are expressed in many cell types, including neurons and myocytes. Although the electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of these two channels have been previously studied, less is known about their regulation, in particular their post-translational modifications. We, and others, have reported that wild-type (WT) TRPM4 channels expressed in HEK293 cells, migrated on SDS-PAGE gel as doublets, similar to other ion channels and membrane proteins. In the present study, we provide evidence that TRPM4 and TRPM5 are each N-linked glycosylated at a unique residue, Asn992 and Asn932, respectively. N-linked glycosylated TRPM4 is also found in native cardiac cells. Biochemical experiments using HEK293 cells over-expressing WT TRPM4/5 or N992Q/N932Q mutants demonstrated that the abolishment of N-linked glycosylation did not alter the number of channels at the plasma membrane. In parallel, electrophysiological experiments demonstrated a decrease in the current density of both mutant channels, as compared to their respective controls, either due to the Asn to Gln mutations themselves or abolition of glycosylation. To discriminate between these possibilities, HEK293 cells expressing TRPM4 WT were treated with tunicamycin, an inhibitor of glycosylation. In contrast to N-glycosylation signal abolishment by mutagenesis, tunicamycin treatment led to an increase in the TRPM4-mediated current. Altogether, these results demonstrate that TRPM4 and TRPM5 are both N-linked glycosylated at a unique site and also suggest that TRPM4/5 glycosylation seems not to be involved in channel trafficking, but mainly in their functional regulation.
Comprehensive mapping of adaptation of the avian influenza polymerase protein PB2 to humans

Viruses like influenza are infamous for their ability to adapt to new hosts. Retrospective studies of natural zoonoses and passaging in the lab have identified a modest number of host-adaptive mutations. However, it is unclear if these mutations represent all ways that influenza can adapt to a new host. Here we take a prospective approach to this question by completely mapping amino-acid mutations to the avian influenza virus polymerase protein PB2 that enhance growth in human cells. We identify numerous previously uncharacterized human-adaptive mutations. These mutations cluster on PB2’s surface, highlighting potential interfaces with host factors. Some previously uncharacterized adaptive mutations occur in avian-to-human transmission of H7N9 influenza, showing their importance for natural virus evolution. But other adaptive mutations do not occur in nature because they are inaccessible via single-nucleotide mutations. Overall, our work shows how selection at key molecular surfaces combines with evolutionary accessibility to shape viral host adaptation.
Case series of use of Manuka honey in leg ulceration

The historical and current literature reports the successful use of honey to manage a diversity of wound aetiologies. However, only in the last 40 years is research on its mode of action and contribution to wound healing being investigated. The challenge of managing chronic non healing wounds generated interest in researching non standard therapies. The aims of the study were to gain insight into the practical use of Manuka honey in wound management. The objective was to test the feasibility of further rigorous research into the use of honey in the management of chronic wounds. Instrumental case series were used to examine the use of Manuka honey in eight cases of leg ulceration. To collect the necessary data, photographs, acetate tracings, data monitoring and patient comments and observations were used to add greater reliability and validity to the findings. The wounds were dressed weekly with Manuka honey. The results obtained showed three males and five females with ulceration of different aetiologies were studied. A mean initial wound size for all wounds of 5·62 cm2 was obtained. At the end of four‐week treatment period, the mean size was 2·25 cm2. Odour was eliminated and pain reduced. The conclusions drawn were that the use of Manuka honey was associated with a positive wound‐healing outcome in these eight cases. Arterial wounds showed minimal improvement only.
Effect of polymer cation content on certain film properties

Mixing of two acrylate‐methacrylate copolymers designated A and B and differing only in cation (quaternary ammonium) content in the ratio 2:1 (A:B) provided a means of varying polymer cation content in resulting films. Film permeability to the permeant urea, increased with increase in cation content; a two phase change characterized by a slow increase at a low cation content level followed by about 13 times more rapid increase at a high cation content level. The point of transition from the slow to the rapid phase was 53 moles cation per mole polymer chain. On average a 2 fold increase in cation content resulted in a 500 fold increase in permeation rate. Increases in film swelling and pore size also accompanied the increase in cation content, but the change in permeability was more positively correlated with the corresponding change in film pore size. Mutual repulsion by charged groups during film formation is suggested as a factor promoting the formation of large pores in the film at high cation content.