Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Convergence rate of linear two-time-scale stochastic approximation

We study the rate of convergence of linear two-time-scale stochastic approximation methods. We consider two-time-scale linear iterations driven by i.i. d. noise, prove some results on their asymptotic covariance and establish asymptotic normality. The well-known result [Polyak, B. T. (1990). Automat. Remote Contr. 51 937–946; Ruppert, D. (1988). Technical Report 781, Cornell Univ.] on the optimality of Polyak–Ruppert averaging techniques specialized to linear stochastic approximation is established as a consequence of the general results in this paper.
Writing History and Accident Reports: A Metaphorical Analysis

This paper takes the writing of an accident report as a metaphor for the writing of history in general. Accident reports are telic analyses in which the consequences determine the antecedents. Such analyses are subject to the purposes and expertise of the observer. The causes of accidents may be infinite in number and regress into infinity. The focussing of the search is dependent upon the definition of the event and the focussing schema used may contain gaps or distractions. The methods for causal selection are poorly developed and the methods of verification lack objectivity. The report often fails the recipient. The extent to which the writing of the history of an accident is analogous to the writing of history in general determines the extent of these problems for all historians.
HLA gene and haplotype frequencies in the North American population: the National Marrow Donor Program Donor Registry.

BACKGROUND As of May 1, 1995, the National Marrow Donor Program had a donor registry consisting of over 1.35 million HLA-typed volunteers recruited from most major cities and states in the United States. This registry represents the largest single HLA-typed pool of normal individuals in the world. METHODS We analyzed the HLA-A, -B, -DR locus phenotypes of the National Marrow Donor Program donors in order to estimate gene and haplotype frequencies for major racial groups of the United States: Caucasian American, Asian American, African American, Latin American, and Native American. The large size of the database allowed us to calculate the frequencies of relatively rare antigens and haplotypes with more accuracy than previous studies. RESULTS We observed 89,522 distinguishable HLA-A, -B phenotypes in 1,351,260 HLA-A, -B-typed donors and 302,867 distinguishable HLA-A, -B, -DR phenotypes in 406,503 HLA-A, -B, -DR-typed donors. Gene and haplotype frequencies differed remarkably among the five racial groups, with African Americans and Asian Americans having a large number of haplotypes that were specific to their racial groups, whereas Caucasian Americans, Latin Americans, and Native Americans shared a number of common haplotypes. CONCLUSIONS These data represent an important resource for investigators in the fields of transplantation and population genetics. The gene and haplotype frequencies can be used to aid clinicians in advising patients about the probability of finding a match within a specific ethnic group, or to determine donor recruitment goals and strategies. The information is also a valuable resource for individuals who are interested in population genetics, selection and evolution of polymorphic human genes, and HLA-disease association.
Strategies for adaptive frequency hopping in the unlicensed bands

Mechanisms based on frequency hopping have been widely used to enable short-range wireless networks to use resources from the unlicensed spectrum without frequency planning. Bluetooth piconet is a prime example of an FH-based network with unlicensed operation. As a price for open access, the piconet may experience adverse interference from other collocated FH piconets or other wireless devices that are transmitting in the same unlicensed band. A basic approach to mitigate this interference is that the piconet applies adaptive FH (AFH) and attempts to hop over a set (hopset) of less interfered channels. On the other hand, the regulation of unlicensed operation sets constraints on possible hopset adaptations. In this article we present two novel AFH strategies: adaptive frequency rolling (AFR) and dynamic AFH (DAFH). AFR avoids self-interference while preserving the dynamics of spectrum usage as required by the current regulation. DAFH is a distributed mechanism by which collocated piconets select nonconflicting hopsets while trying to keep the hopset size as large as possible. DAFH is not completely compliant with current regulations, but the rationale given for its design contains new rules of behavior for the unlicensed spectrum. Both approaches significantly outperform the conventional AFH strategy
Industrial–Organizational and Strategy Are Integrated in Practice!

As an industrial–organizational psychology (I–O) practitioner and a business school professor who teaches strategic management, I was pleased that Ployhart (2012) wrote this article on the linkages between I–O and strategy but also very surprised that he considers I–O to date as merely an ‘‘adjacent possibility’’ with strategy. Having been a practitioner for the majority of my professional career, I am perhaps not as up to date as he and others are on the research linking strategic management to the microfoundations of competitive advantage, and Ployhart may be right that much more needs to be done in research. However, in my experience, I–O and strategy have been ‘‘joined at the hip’’ for years. When he asks why we don’t pay as much attention to strategic management, I have to disagree at least from a practitioner’s viewpoint. The purpose of this commentary is to give examples from three domains of strategic management where the integration of I–O with strategy (at least in practice) has been alive and well: the formulation and development of strategy, the alignment of the organization with its strategic direction, and the implementation of strategy.
Formation Scenario for Wide and Close Binary Systems

Fragmentation and binary formation processes are studied using three-dimensional resistive MHD nested grid simulations. Starting with a Bonnor-Ebert isothermal cloud rotating in a uniform magnetic field, we calculate the cloud evolution from the molecular cloud core (n = 104 cm −3) to the stellar core (n≃ 1022 cm −3), where n denotes the central density. We calculated 147 models with different initial magnetic, rotational, and thermal energies and the amplitudes of the nonaxisymmetric perturbation. In a collapsing cloud, fragmentation is mainly controlled by the initial ratio of the rotational to the magnetic energy, regardless of the initial thermal energy and amplitude of the nonaxisymmetric perturbation. The cloud rotation promotes fragmentation, while the magnetic field delays or in some cases suppresses fragmentation through all phases of cloud evolution. The results are categorized into three types. When the clouds have larger rotational energies in relation to magnetic energies, fragmentation occurs in the low-density phase (1012 cm −3≲ n≲ 1015 cm −3) with separations of 3-300 AU. Fragments that appeared in this phase are expected to evolve into wide binary systems. On the other hand, when initial clouds have larger magnetic energies in relation to the rotational energies, fragmentation occurs only in the high-density phase (n≳ 1017 cm −3) after the clouds experience a significant reduction of the magnetic field owing to the ohmic dissipation. Fragments appearing in this phase have mutual separations of ≲0.3 AU and are expected to evolve into close binary systems. No fragmentation occurs in the case of sufficiently strong magnetic field, in which single stars are expected to be born. Two types of fragmentation epoch reflect wide and close separations. We might be able to observe a bimodal distribution for the radial separation of the protostar in extremely young stellar groups.
Phase Ib Study of Immune Biomarker Modulation with Neoadjuvant Cetuximab and TLR8 Stimulation in Head and Neck Cancer to Overcome Suppressive Myeloid Signals

Purpose: The response rate of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) to cetuximab therapy is only 15% to 20%, despite frequent EGFR overexpression. Because immunosuppression is common in HNSCC, we hypothesized that adding a proinflammatory TLR8 agonist to cetuximab therapy might result in enhanced T-lymphocyte stimulation and anti–EGFR-specific priming. Experimental Design: Fourteen patients with previously untreated HNSCC were enrolled in this neoadjuvant trial and treated preoperatively with 3 to 4 weekly doses of motolimod (2.5 mg/m2) and cetuximab. Correlative tumor and peripheral blood specimens were obtained at baseline and at the time of surgical resection and analyzed for immune biomarker changes. Preclinical in vitro studies were also performed to assess the effect of cetuximab plus motolimod on myeloid cells. Results: TLR8 stimulation skewed monocytes toward an M1 phenotype and reversed myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) suppression of T-cell proliferation in vitro. These data were validated in a prospective phase Ib neoadjuvant trial, in which fewer MDSC and increased M1 monocyte infiltration were found in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Motolimod plus cetuximab also decreased induction of Treg and reduced markers of suppression, including CTLA-4, CD73, and membrane-bound TGFβ. Significantly increased circulating EGFR-specific T cells were observed, concomitant with enhanced CD8+ T-cell infiltration into tumors. These T cells manifested increased T-cell receptor (TCR) clonality, upregulation of the costimulatory receptor CD27, and downregulation of inhibitory receptor TIGIT. Conclusions: Enhanced inflammatory stimulation in the tumor microenvironment using a TLR agonist overcomes suppressive myeloid and regulatory cells, enhancing the cellular antitumor immune response by therapeutic mAb in HNSCC. Clin Cancer Res; 24(1); 62–72. ©2017 AACR.
THE FATE OF A BACTERIAL ANTIGEN (STREPTOCOCCAL M PROTEIN) AFTER PHAGOCYTOSIS BY MACROPHAGES.

A method is described for studying the postphagocytic fate of a bacterial surface antigen during degradation of the organism by macrophages. Observations of Group A, Type 1 streptococci after phagocytosis by unstimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages demonstrate cessation of bacterial growth, early partial loss of an immunofluorescent complex from the bacterial surface and later extrabacterial pooling of part of the complex in macrophage vacuoles. Evidence is presented which suggests that the observed changes in fluorescence reflect the fate of M protein still bound to its fluorescent label. The observations indicate, therefore, that M protein is removed from the bacterial cell wall and pooled within the surrounding macrophage vacuole. The significance of a mechanism within the macrophage which modifies particulate antigen is discussed in relation to initiating antibody synthesis and explaining the action of agents which alter the immune response.
Starch digestion, large-bowel fermentation and intestinal mucosal cell proliferation in rats treated with the α-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose

Acarbose (Glucobay®; Bayer) is an α-glucosidase inhibitor used to treat diabetes and which may have a role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. The present study investigated the effects of acarbose treatment on the site and extent of starch digestion, large-bowel fermentation and intestinal mucosal cell proliferation. Eighteen young male Wistar rats were fed ‘Westernised’ diets containing 0, 250 and 500mg acarbose/kg (six rats/diet) for 21d. For most variables measured, both acarbose doses had similar effects. Acarbose treatment suppressed starch digestion in the small bowel but there was compensatory salvage by bacterial fermentation in the large bowel. This was accompanied by a substantial hypertrophy of small- and large-bowel tissue and a consistent increase in crypt width along the intestine. Caecal total SCFA pool size was increased more than 4-fold, with even bigger increases for butyrate. These changes in butyrate were reflected in increased molar proportions of butyrate in blood from both the portal vein and heart. There was little effect of acarbose administration on crypt-cell proliferation (significant increase for mid-small intestine only). This is strong evidence against the hypothesis that increased fermentation and increased supply of butyrate enhances intestinal mucosal cell proliferation. In conclusion, apart from the increased faecal loss of starch, there was no evidence of adverse effects of acarbose on the aspects of large-bowel function investigated.
Rapid protein fold determination using unassigned NMR data

Experimental structure determination by x-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy is slow and time-consuming compared with the rate at which new protein sequences are being identified. NMR spectroscopy has the advantage of rapidly providing the structurally relevant information in the form of unassigned chemical shifts (CSs), intensities of NOESY crosspeaks [nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs)], and residual dipolar couplings (RDCs), but use of these data are limited by the time and effort needed to assign individual resonances to specific atoms. Here, we develop a method for generating low-resolution protein structures by using unassigned NMR data that relies on the de novo protein structure prediction algorithm, rosetta [Simons, K. T. , Kooperberg, C. , Huang, E. & Baker, D. (1997) J. Mol. Biol. 268, 209–225] and a Monte Carlo procedure that searches for the assignment of resonances to atoms that produces the best fit of the experimental NMR data to a candidate 3D structure. A large ensemble of models is generated from sequence information alone by using rosetta, an optimal assignment is identified for each model, and the models are then ranked based on their fit with the NMR data assuming the identified assignments. The method was tested on nine protein sequences between 56 and 140 amino acids and published CS, NOE, and RDC data. The procedure yielded models with rms deviations between 3 and 6 Å, and, in four of the nine cases, the partial assignments obtained by the method could be used to refine the structures to high resolution (0.6–1.8 Å) by repeated cycles of structure generation guided by the partial assignments, followed by reassignment using the newly generated models.
A Physiological Perspective for Utility or Futility of Alcohol-Based Hand Rub Gel Against Nausea–Vomiting

Nausea-vomiting is a common and unpleasant phenomenon with numerous underlying mechanisms and pathways that are not always well elucidated. In clinical practice, refractory nausea-vomiting is encountered in several settings. Antiemetic medications may reduce these symptoms but are not always effective in all patients. In the absence of a well-defined optimal strategy for management of nausea-vomiting, the search for better approaches to treat this distressing symptom continues. One of the alternative treatment approaches is a compounded formulation called ABHR gel that is comprised of multiple antiemetic medications and has been shown to be useful for symptomatic relief in some patients with refractory nausea-vomiting. It has been suggested that alternative mechanisms should be explored to explain the perceived efficacy of ABHR gel, because transdermal absorption leading to nil-to-minimal or subtherapeutic blood concentrations of active ingredients does not explain the role of ABHR gel in the treatment of nausea-vomiting. In the current paper, we discuss possible mechanisms that may explain ABHR transdermal gel's efficacy. Compounded ABHR transdermal gel formulation's efficacy in antagonizing nausea-vomiting that has been recently questioned may be explained by alternative mechanisms mediated through the P-6 acupoint stimulation and facial-nasal, cooling-related counterstimulation.
JP-8 jet fuel exposure and divided attention test performance in 1991 Gulf War veterans.

INTRODUCTION Previous research indicates that a large cohort of veterans from the 1991 Gulf War report polysymptomatic conditions. These syndromes often involve neurocognitive complaints, fatigue, and musculoskeletal symptoms, thus overlapping with civilian illnesses from low levels of environmental chemicals, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia. METHODS To test for time-dependent changes over repeated intermittent exposures, we evaluated objective performance on a computerized visual divided attention test in chronically unhealthy Gulf War veterans (n = 22 ill with low-level chemical intolerance (CI); n = 24 ill without CI), healthy Gulf War veterans (n = 23), and healthy Gulf War era veterans (n = 20). Testing was done before and after each of three weekly, double blind, low-level JP-8 jet fuel or clean air sham exposure laboratory sessions, including acoustic startle stimuli. RESULTS Unhealthy veterans receiving jet fuel had faster mean peripheral reaction times over sessions compared with unhealthy veterans receiving sham clean air exposures. Unhealthy Gulf veterans with CI exhibited faster post- vs. pre-session mean central reaction times compared with unhealthy Gulf veterans without CI. Findings were controlled for psychological distress variables. DISCUSSION These data on unhealthy Gulf veterans show an acceleration of divided attention task performance over the course of repeated low-level JP-8 exposures. The present faster reaction times are consistent with rat neurobehavioral studies on environmental toxicant cross-sensitization and nonlinear dose-response patterns with stimulant drugs, as well as some previous civilian studies using other exposure agents. Together with previous research findings, the data suggest involvement of central nervous system dopaminergic pathways in affected Gulf veterans.
Separated By Birth: Hidden Differences Between Seemingly-Identical Smartphone CPUs

Smartphone consumers, app developers, and even mobile systems researchers operate under the assumption that performance differences between identical smartphones should be small. Consumers pick a model to purchase and don't consider that the specific device they leave the store with may vary quite dramatically from the identical models it sat next to on the shelf. App rating systems typically collect the model from reviewers, but not more detailed information-again, assuming that all instances of a particular model perform similarly. Even mobile systems researchers will conduct studies using small numbers of devices that fail to account or control for inherent differences between identical phones. Unfortunately seemingly-identical smartphones can in fact have very different performance characteristics. Note that we are not referring to differences in battery or Flash performance caused over time by wear. Inherent differences would separate two brand-new phones still in the original packaging. Our experiments show up to 20% performance and energy consumption differences between otherwise identical devices. These differences result from process variation in the manufacture of smartphone CPUs, which causes some CPUs to perform much more poorly than others. This paper explains the causes of this variation, measures its impacts, and discusses implications for smartphone researchers, software developers, and consumers.
Design and VLSI implementation of a digital audio-specific DSP core for MP3/AAC

In this paper, a digital audio-specific DSP core designed for a dual MP3/AAC decoder is presented. The processing core is a 20-bit fixed-point programmable DSP having an architecture suitable for audio signal processing. It supports special instructions like UNPACK, HUFFMAN as well as general arithmetic and logical instructions including pipelined-MAC. All instructions are completed within a single cycle. The DSP core is realized in a 0.35 /spl mu/m 3.3 V CMOS technology and operates at 40 MHz. The implemented DSP core with a dedicated hardware accelerator can decode MP3 using only 13.33 MIPS and AAC using only 16.9 MIPS with high efficiency.
Selective branch prediction reversal by correlating with data values and control flow

Branch prediction is one of the main hurdles in the roadmap towards deeper pipelines and higher clock frequencies. This work presents a new approach to enhancing current branch predictors: Selective Branch Prediction Reversal. The rationale behind this proposal is the fact that many branch mispredictions can be avoided if branch prediction is selectively reversed. We present a Branch Prediction Reversal Unit (BPRU) that selectively reverses branch predictions by correlating with the predicted values of the branch inputs, in addition to recent control flow. As a case study, we have included the BPRU in an already proposed branch predictor, the Branch Predictor through Value Prediction (BPVP). The effect is a reduction by half in its original misprediction rate. We have also measured the improvement when the BPRU engine is used in a hybrid scheme composed of a BPVP and a gshare predictor. Results using immediate updates show average reductions in misprediction rate ranging from 7% to 14%. Performance evaluation of the proposed BPRU in a 20-stage superscalar processor shows an IPC improvement of up to 9%.
Privacy compliance and enforcement on European healthgrids: an approach through ontology

The sharing of medical data between different healthcare organizations in Europe must comply with the legislation of the Member State where the data were originally collected. These legal requirements may differ from one state to another. Privacy requirements such as patient consent may be subject to conflicting conditions between different national frameworks as well as between different legal and ethical frameworks within a single Member State. These circumstances have made the compliance management process in European healthgrids very challenging. In this paper, we present an approach to tackle these issues by relying on several technologies in the semantic Web stack. Our work suggests a direct mapping from high-level legislation on privacy and data protection to operational-level privacy-aware controls. Additionally, we suggest an architecture for the enforcement of these controls on access control models adopted in healthgrid security infrastructures.
Backstepping Based Adaptive Control for a Mini Rotorcraft with Four Rotors

In this paper, an adaptive control strategy applying on a mini four-rotor rotorcraft is proposed. The controller is designed using the Backstepping method and function estimation. In the control architecture for this rotorcraft, a two-layer structure is adopted consisting of an inner-loop controller and an outer-loop controller. The inner-loop controller is responsible for the angular rotations control, and the outer-loop controller is responsible for the position control. In the outer-loop controller design, a mass estimator and a disturbances estimator are designed when the mass of the aircraft is varying and the external disturbances exist. The control laws are established which ensures that the system is Lyapunov stable and that the aircraft behaves adaptively. The inner-loop controller is designed based PI control. The simulation results illustrate that, the mini four rotors rotorcraft with the controller can well adapt to the sudden change of its mass and the external disturbances, which shows the great robustness of the mini four-rotor rotorcraft.