Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The PageTrust Algorithm: How to rank web pages when negative links are allowed?

The paper introduces a novel algorithm derived from the PageRank algorithm of Brin and Page. The PageRank algorithm interprets an hyperlink from page a to page b as being a positive vote from a to b. Starting from this interpretation, it attributes a rank to each page. However, it does not offer the possibility to take into account negative votes. The PageTrust algorithm includes negative links and converges to a trust value for each page. The PageTrust algorithm appears as a natural extension of PageRank and it preserves good properties of robustness against possible spammers. Moreover several parameters allow us to strengthen or weaken the role played by negative links.
Some Third Order Methods for Solving Systems of Nonlinear Equations

Based on Traub's methods for solving nonlinear equation f(x) = 0, we develop two families of third-order methods for solving system of nonlinear equations F(x) = 0. The families include well-known existing methods as special cases. The stability is corroborated by numerical results. Comparison with well-known methods shows that the present methods are robust. These higher order methods may be very useful in the numerical applications requiring high precision in their computations because these methods yield a clear reduction in number of iterations. Keywords—Nonlinear equations and systems, Newton's method, fixed point iteration, order of convergence.
ECE 729 Introduction to Channel Coding

1 Fundamental Concepts and Techniques 1 1.1 Channels . 1 1.2 Encoders . 1 1.2. 1 Code Rates . 2 1.3 Decoders . 2 1.4 Probabilistic Model . 2 1.5 The Probability of Error . 2 1.6 New Codes from Old Codes by Throwing Away Codewords . 3 1.7 The Random Coding Argument . 3 1.8 The Codebook Reduction Argument . 3 1.8. 1 An Underlying Observation . 3 1.8. 2 Putting It All Together . 3 1.9 Construction of Decoders . 3 1.10 Bounds on the Probability of Error . 4 1.11 Codeword Constraints . 5
Annotation of Genes Involved in Glycerolipid Biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: Discovery of the Betaine Lipid Synthase BTA1Cr

ABSTRACT Lipid metabolism in flowering plants has been intensely studied, and knowledge regarding the identities of genes encoding components of the major fatty acid and membrane lipid biosynthetic pathways is very extensive. We now present an in silico analysis of fatty acid and glycerolipid metabolism in an algal model, enabled by the recent availability of expressed sequence tag and genomic sequences of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Genes encoding proteins involved in membrane biogenesis were predicted on the basis of similarity to proteins with confirmed functions and were organized so as to reconstruct the major pathways of glycerolipid synthesis in Chlamydomonas. This analysis accounts for the majority of genes predicted to encode enzymes involved in anabolic reactions of membrane lipid biosynthesis and compares and contrasts these pathways in Chlamydomonas and flowering plants. As an important result of the bioinformatics analysis, we identified and isolated the C. reinhardtii BTA1 (BTA1Cr) gene and analyzed the bifunctional protein that it encodes; we predicted this protein to be sufficient for the synthesis of the betaine lipid diacylglyceryl-N,N,N-trimethylhomoserine (DGTS), a major membrane component in Chlamydomonas. Heterologous expression of BTA1Cr led to DGTS accumulation in Escherichia coli, which normally lacks this lipid, and allowed in vitro analysis of the enzymatic properties of BTA1Cr. In contrast, in the bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides, two separate proteins, BtaARs and BtaBRs, are required for the biosynthesis of DGTS. Site-directed mutagenesis of the active sites of the two domains of BTA1Cr allowed us to study their activities separately, demonstrating directly their functional homology to the bacterial orthologs BtaARs and BtaBRs.
Deducing Certain Fixes to Graphs

This paper proposes to deduce certain fixes to graphs G based on data quality rules Σ and ground truth Γ ( i.e., validated attribute values and entity matches). We fix errors detected by Σ in G such that the fixes are assured correct as long as Σand Γ are correct. We deduce certain fixes in two paradigms. (a) We interact with users and "incrementally" fix errors online. Whenever users pick a small set V 0 of nodes in G , we fix all errors pertaining to V 0 and accumulate ground truth in the process. (b) Based on accumulated Γ, we repair the entire graph G offline; while this may not correct all errors in G , all fixes are guaranteed certain. We develop techniques for deducing certain fixes. (1) We define data quality rules to support conditional functional dependencies, recursively defined keys and negative rules on graphs, such that we can deduce fixes by combining data repairing and object identification. (2) We show that deducing certain fixes is Church-Rosser, i.e., the deduction converges at the same fixes regardless of the order of rules applied. (3) We establish the complexity of three fundamental problems associated with certain fixes. (4) We provide (parallel) algorithms for deducing certain fixes online and offline, and guarantee to reduce running time when given more processors. Using real-life and synthetic data, we experimentally verify the effectiveness and scalability of our methods.
EXCEPTIONS TO THE PREVAILING PATTERN OF TUBULES (9 + 9 + 2) IN THE SPERM FLAGELLA OF CERTAIN INSECT SPECIES

Various deviations from classical 9 + 2 flagellar structure are found in sperm of insect species. In mature spermatozoa of a psocid, Psocus, the outer flagellar tubules are not straight, but are disposed in a long-pitched helix such that they form an angle of about 8° with a single dense rod located in the position usually occupied by the central pair. In young spermatids of Psocus the outer tubules are straight; thus, spiraling of the flagellar tubules occurs during the course of spermiogenesis. Spiraling of flagella also occurs in the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis. Variations in the number and morphology of the central element or elements occur in other insect species besides Psocus. Among the observed deviations from a central pair of tubules are a 9 + 0 tubule pattern in the sperm of three species of mayflies, a 9 + 1 tubule pattern in the sperm of two species of mosquitoes, and 9 + 7 tubules in sperm of two species of caddis flies. Spermatozoa of treehoppers vary in yet another respect from the typical 9 + 9 + 2 insect flagellum. These sperm tails branch into four long tails, three of which each contain two doublet and two singlet tubules while the fourth branch contains three doublet and three singlet tubules. The wide distribution of insects with aberrant flagella suggests that the variant forms have evolved independently.
High blood carbon dioxide variability and adverse outcomes in neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy

Abstract Objective: Hypocarbia during the first 12 h of life is associated with mortality and disability in neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Notable variation in arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) during the first 4 d of life is related to severe intraventricular hemorrhages in preterm infants. We examined the association between PaCO2 during 72 h of whole-body therapeutic hypothermia for neonatal HIE and 2-year neurodevelopmental outcomes. Methods: A retrospective review of 23 term neonates treated with whole-body hypothermia documented clinical, demographic and arterial blood gas data. Comparisons were made across good and severe neurodevelopmental outcome groups at 2 years of age. Results: Severe neurodevelopmental outcomes were documented in 8 of 23 toddlers. There were no significant differences between outcome groups with regard to the number of patients with hypocarbic means or measurements. There were also no significant differences with mean PaCO2, PaO2, pH, time-weighted cumulative hypocarbia, and PaCO2 range. The severe neurodevelopmental outcomes group had a significantly higher mean PaCO2 standard deviation (p = 0.04; 95% CI, −5.46 to −0.39). Conclusion: Severe neurodevelopmental outcomes were significantly associated with high PaCO2 variability over 72 h in whole-body-cooled HIE neonates. Mitigating these fluctuations may be a potential management strategy.
Prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and obesity: baseline findings of a population based survey in four provinces in Sri Lanka.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of selected cardiovascular risk factors in adult Sri Lankan population in four provinces. DESIGN Cross-sectional, based on a stratified cluster sampling method. SETTINGS Four provinces, namely the Western, North Central, Southern and Uva. PATIENTS Six thousand and forty seven participants (2692 men) between the age of 30 and 65 years were surveyed. MEASUREMENTS Risk factors measured included height, weight, waist and hip circumference. Waist to hip ratio and body mass index were calculated, and overweight (23 kg/m2) and obesity (> or = 25 kg/m2) determined. Hypertension (systolic blood pressure > or = 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure > or = 90 mmHg or use of anti-hypertensive medications), and diabetes mellitus (fasting serum plasma glucose level > or = 7 mmol/L or use of anti-diabetic medications) and impaired fasting glycaemia (> or = 6.1 to < 7 mmol/L) were also determined. RESULTS The prevalence of hypertension as defined was 18.8% (CI 14.5-23.1) for men and 19.3% (CI 12.2-26.4) for women. The prevalence of diabetes was 14.2% (CI 11.9-16.5) for men and 13.5% (CI 6.9-20.1) for women while impaired fasting glycaemia was 14.2% for men and 14.1% for women. The mean body mass index was 21.5 kg/m2 (SD = 3.7) in men. It was lower than that in women, 23.3 kg/m2 (SD = 4.5). The prevalence of obesity was 20.3% in men and 36.5 % in women. Regional differences were seen in the mean fasting blood glucose and prevalence of diabetes, and mean BMI and prevalence of obesity were highest in Western province. Mean blood pressure and prevalence of hypertension were highest in the Uva Province. Southern Province had the lowest prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, and North Central Province had lowest anthropometric measures of obesity. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of the selected cardiovascular risk factors is common in the adult Sri Lankan population surveyed. Regional differences exist in the prevalence of these risk factors. The prevalence of high level of risk factors requires urgent public health action.
Individual diet modeling translates nutrient recommendations into realistic and individual-specific food choices.

BACKGROUND Nutrient-based recommendations are defined for populations, but the dietary choices needed to fulfill them at the individual level deserve further exploration. OBJECTIVE The objective was to describe the dietary changes needed to achieve nutritional recommendations for each individual of a population. DESIGN An individual diet model was specifically developed for each adult participating in the French national INCA (Enquête Individuelle et Nationale sur les Consommations Alimentaires) dietary survey (n = 1171). Starting from each individual weekly food intake (observed diets), an isocaloric modeled diet was designed by linear programming to simultaneously meet the French nutrient recommendations for 32 nutrients while deviating the least from the observed food intake. Modeled diets were paired with observed diets for statistical comparison. RESULTS A new nutritionally adequate diet was obtained for each individual. In half the modeled diets, <5 of the foods usually consumed were replaced. The amount of foods selected in the modeled diets varied from individual to individual, and this variability followed that found in observed diets. Fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes, dried fruit, unsalted nuts, fresh dairy products, and fish were increased in modeled diets. Fatty fish and walnuts were added to each modeled diet. In contrast, red meats, deli meats, cheese, mixed dishes, and salted snacks were decreased. Sweets were also decreased but to a lesser extent. CONCLUSIONS This new individual diet modeling approach offers the possibility of translating nutrient recommendations into realistic food choices for all individuals from a representative population. The results showed that nutrient needs can be fulfilled in many different ways, depending on initial individual food patterns.
Assessment of nutritional status of pregnant women in a rural area in Sri Lanka

Maternal nutritional problems remain as one of the public health problems in Sri Lanka. This study was designed to assess the nutritional status of pregnant women in a rural area. A total of 133 pregnant women in their second trimester was recruited from Maternal and Child Health clinics. A pre-tested general assessment questionnaire, validated food frequency questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were used to collect information. Nutritional status was determined using Body Mass Index (BMI), weight-gain and haemoglobin levels. Nutrient intake data were compared with Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for pregnancy. The mean age of the study sample was 26.86±4.16 years. According to the pre-pregnancy BMI at the first visit to the clinic, 15, 44.4, 35.3 and 5.3 were underweight, normal, overweight and obese, respectively. Their mean weight gain during the second trimester was 2.71±2.23 kg that was below the recommended weight gain (4.84 kg). Out of the total, 24.57% had anaemia (<11 gdL-1). Mean daily intake of energy was 2472 kcal and percentages of energy from carbohydrate, protein and fat were 61.5, 12.2 and 26.3, respectively. Although mean daily dietary intake of protein (74.19±13.64 g) was above the RDA of 59 g/day, mean intakes of Ca; 844.9 mg, Fe; 16.5 mg, and folate; 420.9mg were below the RDA. The study concluded that underweight, overweight and low dietary nutrient intakes were nutritional problems of the study sample. Therefore, effective nutrition intervention should be directed towards pregnant women to improve maternal nutritional status.
Spread it Good, Spread it Fast: Identification of Influential Nodes in Social Networks

Understanding and controlling spreading dynamics in networks presupposes the identification of those influential nodes that will trigger an efficient information diffusion. It has been shown that the best spreaders are the ones located in the core of the network - as produced by the k-core decomposition. In this paper we further refine the set of the most influential nodes, showing that the nodes belonging to the best K-truss subgraph, as identified by the K-truss decomposition of the network, perform even better leading to faster and wider epidemic spreading.
Chlordiazepoxide Vs Lorazepam-A Study of Comparison of Clinical Outcome and Cost of Alcohol Detoxification

DOI: 10.21276/sjams.2017. 5.10. 48 Abstract: Alcohol withdrawal is treated by cross tolerant benzodiazepines like Chlordiazepoxide, Diazepam and Lorazepam. The most frequently used Drugs Diazepam and Chlordiazepoxide have a long duration of action and are converted to active metabolites in the liver, while Lorazepam is metabolized by conjugation, which is less effected than the microsomal liver enzyme pathway in liver disease and it is short acting, with no active metabolites. The objective is to compare the clinical outcome and cost in treating uncomplicated alcohol withdrawal state using Chlordizepoxide and Lorazepam. This is a prospective, randomized, double blind, interventional study. Sixty patients with alcohol dependence syndrome with moderate withdrawal symptoms were allocated to receive either Chlordiazepoxide or Lorazepam, by means of a computer generated random sequence at a ratio of 1:1. Those with moderate to severe dependence on SADQ (20 and above) and moderate withdrawal on CIWA-Ar (10-15) were included in the study Thirty patients each were started with lorazepam tablets 8 mg/day and chlordiazepoxide 100 mg/day. For both treatment groups, the dose was tapered and at the end of 8 days, the patients were drug-free. At baseline, the mean CIWA-Ar scores were similar in both the treatment groups: 12.60±1.380 in the chlordiazepoxide group and 12.70±1.466 in the lorazepam group. There was a significant intragroup decrease in the CIWA-Ar scores measured from baseline to the end of 10days in both treatment groups; however, there was no significant difference between the two groups. There was no significant difference observed between the two groups in the liver function tests done at baseline and at the end of study. The cost of treating moderate alcohol withdrawal with Chlordiazepoxide and Lorazepam was Rs 9.00 and Rs 5.00 per person for the duration of treatment respectively. Lorazepam is as good option as Chlordiazepoxide in reducing alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Binary Classifier Calibration Using a Bayesian Non-Parametric Approach

Learning probabilistic predictive models that are well calibrated is critical for many prediction and decision-making tasks in Data mining. This paper presents two new non-parametric methods for calibrating outputs of binary classification models: a method based on the Bayes optimal selection and a method based on the Bayesian model averaging. The advantage of these methods is that they are independent of the algorithm used to learn a predictive model, and they can be applied in a post-processing step, after the model is learned. This makes them applicable to a wide variety of machine learning models and methods. These calibration methods, as well as other methods, are tested on a variety of datasets in terms of both discrimination and calibration performance. The results show the methods either outperform or are comparable in performance to the state-of-the-art calibration methods.
Pharmacokinetics and Dosimetry Studies for Optimization of Pretargeted Radioimmunotherapy in CEA-Expressing Advanced Lung Cancer Patients

Objectives A phase I pretargeted radioimmunotherapy trial (EudractCT 200800603096) was designed in patients with metastatic lung cancer expressing carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) to optimize bispecific antibody and labeled peptide doses, as well as the delay between their injections. Methods Three cohorts of three patients received the anti-CEA × anti-histamine-succinyl-glycine (HSG)-humanized trivalent bispecific antibody (TF2) and the IMP288 bivalent HSG peptide. Patients underwent a pretherapeutic imaging session S1 (44 or 88 nmol/m2 of TF2 followed by 4.4 nmol/m2, 185 MBq, of 111In-labeled IMP288) and, 1–2 weeks later, a therapy session S2 (240 or 480 nmol/m2 of TF2 followed by 24 nmol/m2, 1.1 GBq/m2, of 177Lu-labeled IMP288). The pretargeting delay was 24 or 48 h. The dose schedule was defined based on preclinical TF2 pharmacokinetic (PK) studies, on our previous clinical data using the previous anti-CEA-pretargeting system, and on clinical results observed in the first patients injected using the same system in Netherlands. Results TF2 PK was represented by a two-compartment model in which the central compartment volume (Vc) was linearly dependent on the patient’s surface area. PK was remarkably similar, with a clearance of 0.33 ± 0.03 L/h/m2. 111In- and 177Lu-IMP288 PK was also well represented by a two-compartment model. IMP288 PK was faster (clearance 1.4–3.3 L/h). The Vc was proportional to body surface area, and IMP288 clearance depended on the molar ratio of injected IMP288 to circulating TF2 at the time of IMP288 injection. Modeling of image quantification confirmed the dependence of IMP288 kinetics on circulating TF2, but tumor activity PK was variable. Organ-absorbed doses were not significantly different in the three cohorts, but the tumor dose was significantly higher with the higher molar doses of TF2 (p < 0.002). S1 imaging predicted absorbed doses calculated in S2. Conclusion The best dosing parameters corresponded to the shorter pretargeting delay and to the highest TF2 molar doses. S1 imaging session accurately predicted PK as well as absorbed doses of S2, thus potentially allowing for patient selection and dose optimization. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01221675 (EudractCT 200800603096).
The clustering of the first galaxies

We explore the clustering properties of high redshift dark matter haloes, focusing on haloes massive enough to host early generations of stars or galaxies at redshift 10 and greater. Haloes are extracted from an array of dark matter simulations able to resolve down to the “mini-halo” mass scale at redshifts as high as 30, thus encompassing the expected full mass range of haloes capable of hosting luminous objects and sources of reionization. Halo clustering on large-scales agrees with the Sheth, Mo & Tormen halo bias relation within all our simulations, greatly extending the regime where large-scale clustering is confirmed to be “universal” at the 10−20% level (which means, for example, that 3σ haloes of cluster mass at z = 0 have the same large-scale bias with respect to the mass distribution as 3σ haloes of galaxy mass at z = 10). However, on small-scales, the clustering of our massive haloes ( > ∼ 10 hM⊙) at these high redshifts is stronger than expected from comparisons with small-scale halo clustering extrapolated from lower redshifts. This implies “non-universality” in the scaledependence of halo clustering, at least for the commonly used parameterizations of the scale-dependence of bias that we consider. We provide a fit for the scale-dependence of bias in our results. This study provides a basis for using extraordinarily high redshift galaxies (redshift ∼ 10) as a probe of cosmology and galaxy formation at its earliest stages. We show also that mass and halo kinematics are strongly affected by finite simulation volumes. This suggests the potential for adverse affects on gas dynamics in hydrodynamic simulations of limited volumes, such as is typical in simulations of the formation of the “first stars”, though further study is warranted.
Efficient Simulation and Valuation of Embedded Options using Monte Carlo Simulations

Acknowledgment There are many people I would like to thank, in particular Kees Oosterlee, who not only serves as my supervisor during the past nine months, but also encourages and challenges me throughout the period of my thesis project. The same thanks should also go to my second supervisor David van Bragt of Ortec Finance, who take efforts in guiding me trough the whole thesis project. I would also like to thank Dirk-Jan Kort of Ortec Finance, who helped me with some programming details. I am also grateful to Alexander Haastrecht for answering my questions about some topics discussed in this thesis. Furthermore, I want to thank the other committee members; Hans van der Weide and R.J. Fokkink. Last but not least, great love goes out to my parents and my girlfriend who have supported me during the thesis project.
In-School Asthma Management and Physical Activity: Children's Perspectives

TJ Walker, M Reznik. J Asthma. 2014 May 14:1–6 [E-pub ahead of print] The goal of this study was explore children’s perspectives on in-school asthma management and barriers to physical activity at school. Twenty-three 8- to 10-year-old students from 10 public elementary schools in the Bronx, New York, were interviewed. Students had physician-diagnosed asthma, with symptoms in the past 12 months, and were excluded if they had learning disabilities that would prevent interview data collection or if they had chronic medical conditions preventing them from participating in physical activities. A single author conducted all the interviews, which included questions about in-school …