Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Depth-Optimal Synthesis of Clifford Circuits with SAT Solvers

Circuit synthesis is the task of decomposing a given logical functionality into a sequence of elementary gates. It is (depth-)optimal if it is impossible to achieve the desired functionality with even shorter circuits. Optimal synthesis is a central problem in both quantum and classical hardware design, but also plagued by complexity-theoretic obstacles. Motivated by fault-tolerant quantum computation, we consider the special case of synthesizing blocks of Clifford unitaries. Leveraging entangling input stimuli and the stabilizer formalism allows us to reduce the Clifford synthesis problem to a family of poly-size satisfiability (SAT) problems - one for each target circuit depth. On a conceptual level, our result showcases that the Clifford synthesis problem is contained in the first level of the polynomial hierarchy (NP), while the classical synthesis problem for logical circuits is known to be complete for the second level of the polynomial hierarchy (Σp2). Based on this theoretical reduction, we formulate a SAT encoding for depth-optimal Clifford synthesis. We then employ SAT solvers to determine a satisfying assignment or to prove that no such assignment exists. From that, the shortest depth for which synthesis is still possible (optimality) as well as the actual circuit (synthesis) can be obtained. Empirical evaluations show that the optimal synthesis approach yields a substantial depth improvement for random Clifford circuits and Clifford+T circuits for Grover search.
DeCom: Deep Coupled-Factorization Machine for Post COVID-19 Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prediction with Nonpharmaceutical Interventions Awareness

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most dangerous respiratory diseases for infants and young children. Due to the nonpharmaceutical intervention (NPI) imposed in the COVID-19 outbreak, the seasonal transmission pattern of RSV has been discontinued in 2020 and then shifted months ahead in 2021 in the northern hemisphere. It is critical to understand how COVID-19 impacts RSV and build predictive algorithms to forecast the timing and intensity of RSV reemergence in post-COVID-19 seasons. In this paper, we propose a deep coupled tensor factorization machine, dubbed as DeCom, for post COVID-19 RSV prediction. DeCom leverages tensor factorization and residual modeling. It enables us to learn the disrupted RSV transmission reliably under COVID-19 by taking both the regular seasonal RSV transmission pattern and the NPI into consideration. Experimental results on a real RSV dataset show that DeCom is more accurate than the state-of-the-art RSV prediction algorithms and achieves up to 46% lower root mean square error and 49% lower mean absolute error for country-level prediction compared to the baselines.
Automatically identifying ordinary differential equations from data

Discovering nonlinear differential equations that describe system dynamics from empirical data is a fundamental challenge in contemporary science. Here, we propose a methodology to identify dynamical laws by integrating denoising techniques to smooth the signal, sparse regression to identify the relevant parameters, and bootstrap confidence intervals to quantify the uncertainty of the estimates. We evaluate our method on well-known ordinary differential equations with an ensemble of random initial conditions, time series of increasing length, and varying signal-to-noise ratios. Our algorithm consistently identifies three-dimensional systems, given moderately-sized time series and high levels of signal quality relative to background noise. By accurately discovering dynamical systems automatically, our methodology has the potential to impact the understanding of complex systems, especially in fields where data are abundant, but developing mathematical models demands considerable effort.
Generalized low levels of serum N‐glycans associate with better health status

Caloric restriction (CR) can prolong life and ameliorate age‐related diseases; thus, its molecular basis might provide new insights for finding biomarker and intervention for aging and age‐related disease. Glycosylation is an important post‐translational modification, which can timely reflect the changes of intracellular state. Serum N‐glycosylation was found changed with aging in humans and mice. CR is widely accepted as an effective anti‐aging intervention in mice and could affect mouse serum fucosylated N‐glycans. However, the effect of CR on the level of global N‐glycans remains unknown. In order to explore whether CR affect the level of global N‐glycans, we performed a comprehensive serum glycome profiling in mice of 30% calorie restriction group and ad libitum group at 7 time points across 60 weeks by MALDI‐TOF‐MS. At each time point, the majority of glycans, including galactosylated and high mannose glycans, showed a consistent low level in CR group. Interestingly, O‐acetylated sialoglycans presented an upward change different from other derived traits, which is mainly reflected in two biantennary α2,6‐linked sialoglycans (H5N4Ge2Ac1, H5N4Ge2Ac2). Liver transcriptome analysis further revealed a decreased transcriptional level of genes involved in N‐glycan biosynthesis while increased level of acetyl‐CoA production. This finding is consistent with changes in serum N‐glycans and O‐acetylated sialic acids. Therefore, we provided one possible molecular basis for the beneficial effect of CR from N‐glycosylation perspective.
Infinitesimal Phase Response Curves for Piecewise Smooth Dynamical Systems

Dynamical systems with discontinuous right-hand sides are utilized to great effect in mathematical biology (Coombes 2008, Glass and Kauffman 1973, McKean 1970), including models of central pattern generators (CPGs) involved in motor control (Spardy et al. 2011, Shaw et al. 2012). CPG models typically exhibit limit cycle dynamics; the infinitesimal phase response curve (iPRC) quantifies sensitivity of such models to external inputs (Ermentrout and Terman 2010). Piecewise smooth dynamical systems may have discontinuous iPRCs. In this thesis, we formulate the boundary conditions necessary for obtaining the iPRC for general piecewise smooth dynamical systems by solving an adjoint equation, thereby improving upon two known methods used to solve for the iPRC in the context of piecewise linear dynamical systems.
Intracavitary Applicator for Sequential Delivery of Localized Hyperthermia Through Non-Metallic Uterine Tandem

In this article, we report the design and demonstration of a flexible coaxial wire antenna with a low profile flexible choke for delivering localized hyperthermia (HT) treatment to the cervix through a custom designed uterine tandem applicator. Resistive and magnetic materials were investigated for determining the flexible choke design suited for intracavitary HT treatment at 915 MHz. Measurements of the intracavitary antenna with the flexible choke in tissue mimicking phantom and ex-vivo bovine muscle through the non-metallic uterine tandem prototype confirm the ability to deliver localized HT to the cervix at 915 MHz and 50 mm insertion depth.
Household socioeconomic status relates to specific hippocampal subfield volumes across development

The hippocampus is composed of cytoarchitecturally distinct subfields that support specific memory functions. Variations in total hippocampal volume across development have been linked to socioeconomic status (SES), a proxy for access to material resources, medical care, and quality education. High childhood household SES is associated with greater cognitive abilities in adulthood. Currently, it is not known whether household SES differentially impacts specific hippocampal subfield volumes. We assessed susceptibility of subfields to variations in household SES across development in a sample of 167 typically developing 5‐ to 25‐year‐old. Bilateral cornu ammonis (CA) 1–2, combined CA3‐dentate gyrus (DG), and subiculum (Sub) volumes were measured by highly reliable manual segmentation of high‐resolution T2‐weighted images and adjusted for intracranial volume. A summary component score of SES measures (paternal education, maternal education, and income‐to‐needs ratio) was used to examine variability in volumes across ages. We did not identify age‐related differences in any of the regional volumes, nor did age modify SES‐related effects. Controlling for age, larger volumes of CA3‐DG and CA1‐2 were associated with lower SES, while Sub volume was not. Overall, these findings support the specific impact of SES on CA3‐DG and CA1‐2 and highlight the importance of considering environmental influences on hippocampal subfield development.
Does virtual professional support improve the effectiveness of home pulmonary rehabilitation?

1. Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina (PE) Brasil. 2. Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa (PB) Brasil. 3. Hospital Metropolitano Dom José Maria Pires, Santa Rita (PB) Brasil. 4. Corpo de Saúde, Quadro de Apoio à Saúde, Setor de Fisioterapia, Marinha do Brasil, Natal (RN) Brasil. When reading the article by Şahın et al.(1) (Effects of a home-based pulmonary rehabilitation program with and without telecoaching on health-related outcomes in COVID-19 survivors: a randomized controlled clinical study) published in this issue of the Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia, we identified elements that could have explored the results better with great clinical implications.
A simulation study of cooperative and autonomous vehicles (CAV) considering courtesy, ethics, and fairness

Autonomous vehicles (AV) can be programmed to act cooperatively. Previous research on cooperative and autonomous vehicles (CAV) suggests they can substantially improve traffic system operations in terms of mobility and safety. However, these studies do not explicitly take each vehicle’s potential gain/loss into consideration and ignore their individual levels of willingness to cooperate. They do not account for ethics and fairness either. In this study, several cooperation/courtesy strategies are proposed to address the above issues. These strategies are grouped into two categories based on non-instrumental and instrumental principles. Non-instrumental strategies make courtesy/cooperation decisions based on some courtesy proxies and a user-specified courtesy level, while instrumental strategies are based only on courtesy proxies related to local traffic performance. Also, a new CAV behavior modeling framework is proposed based on our previous work on cooperative car-following and merging (CCM) control. With such a framework, the proposed courtesy strategies can be easily implemented. The proposed framework and courtesy strategies are coded in SUMO microscopic traffic simulator. They are evaluated considering different levels of traffic demand on a freeway corridor consisting of a work zone and three weaving areas of different types. Interesting findings are drawn from the simulation results, one of which is that the instrumental Local Utilitarianism strategy performs the best in terms of mobility, safety, and fairness. In the future, auction-based strategies can be considered to model how CAV make decisions.
Association between Cardiovascular and Musculoskeletal Health in Firefighters

Firefighters’ cardiovascular health and musculoskeletal health were found to be significantly associated, particularly blood lipid concentrations in relation to musculoskeletal injuries and discomfort. These results highlight the, possible, association between cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health which may be significant contributors to early retirement due to cardiovascular and musculoskeletal deterioration. Objective The aim of the study is to determine the association between cardiovascular health (CVH) and musculoskeletal health in firefighters. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 309 full-time firefighters aged 20 to 65 years. Cardiovascular health encompassed cardiovascular disease risk factors, risk scores, CVH metrics, and heart rate variability. Musculoskeletal health was assessed using two validated questionnaires. Results Increasing age (P = 0.004), body mass index (P < 0.001), body fat percentage (P < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.003), total cholesterol (P = 0.006), and Framingham risk score (P = 0.011) increased the risk of reporting musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs). Obesity (P = 0.018), hypertension (P = 0.034), and dyslipidemia (P = 0.005) increased the risk of reporting MSIs. Musculoskeletal discomfort was associated with total cholesterol (P = 0.0.34) and low-density lipoprotein (P = 0.014). Conclusions Adverse cardiovascular disease risk profile was associated with MSIs and musculoskeletal discomfort in firefighters. Firefighters should maintain an ideal CVH profile, especially as they age.
The effect of the multiple arterial grafts compared with single arterial graft for coronary artery bypass grafting on sternal wound complications: A meta‐analysis

A meta‐analysis investigation was executed to measure the influence of multiple arterial grafts (MAGs) compared with single arterial graft (SAG) for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) on sternal wound complications (SWCs). A comprehensive literature inspection till February 2023 was applied and 1048 interrelated investigations were reviewed. The seven chosen investigations enclosed 11 201 individuals with CABG in the chosen investigations' starting point, 4870 of them were using MAGs, and 6331 were using SAG. Odds ratio (OR) in addition to 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were utilised to compute the value of the effect of the MAGs compared with SAG for CABG on SWCs by the dichotomous approaches and a fixed or random model. MAGs had significantly higher SWC (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.10–1.73, P = .005) compared with those with SAG in CABG. MAGs had significantly higher SWC compared with those with SAG in CABG. However, care must be exercised when dealing with its values because of the low number of selected investigations for the meta‐analysis.
Efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions on depressive symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a study protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Introduction Depression is the most dominant non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD), with a prevalence of up to 50%, and can lead to a range of psychiatric and psychological problems that can affect quality of life and overall functioning. While several randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have tested the effect of certain non-pharmacological interventions on the outcome of PD depression symptoms, the comparative benefits and harms of these remain unclear. We will conduct a systematic review and network meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of different non-pharmacological interventions for patients with PD depression. Methods and analysis We will search PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Embase, Google Scholar, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, WanFang Data and the Chongqing VIP Database from their inception date to June 2022. The studies will be limited to results published in English or Chinese. The primary outcomes will be the changes in the depressive symptoms, while secondary outcomes will include adverse effects and the quality of life. Two researchers will screen those documents that meet the inclusion criteria, extracting data according to the preset table and evaluating the methodological quality of the included studies using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 Tool. The STATA and ADDIS statistical software will be used to conduct a systematic review and network meta-analysis. A traditional pairwise meta-analysis and a network meta-analysis will be performed to compare the efficacy and safety of different non-pharmacological interventions, ensuring the robustness of the findings. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system will be used to assess the overall quality of the body of evidence associated with the main results. The publication bias assessment will be conducted using comparison-adjusted funnel plots. Ethics and dissemination All the data for this study will be extracted from published RCTs. As a literature-based systematic review, this study does not require ethical approval. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and national/international conference presentations. PROSPERO registration number CRD42022347772.
Addressing bias in artificial intelligence for public health surveillance

Components of artificial intelligence (AI) for analysing social big data, such as natural language processing (NLP) algorithms, have improved the timeliness and robustness of health data. NLP techniques have been implemented to analyse large volumes of text from social media platforms to gain insights on disease symptoms, understand barriers to care and predict disease outbreaks. However, AI-based decisions may contain biases that could misrepresent populations, skew results or lead to errors. Bias, within the scope of this paper, is described as the difference between the predictive values and true values within the modelling of an algorithm. Bias within algorithms may lead to inaccurate healthcare outcomes and exacerbate health disparities when results derived from these biased algorithms are applied to health interventions. Researchers who implement these algorithms must consider when and how bias may arise. This paper explores algorithmic biases as a result of data collection, labelling and modelling of NLP algorithms. Researchers have a role in ensuring that efforts towards combating bias are enforced, especially when drawing health conclusions derived from social media posts that are linguistically diverse. Through the implementation of open collaboration, auditing processes and the development of guidelines, researchers may be able to reduce bias and improve NLP algorithms that improve health surveillance.
Differential association of cerebral blood flow and anisocytosis in APOE ε4 carriers at midlife

Cerebral hemodynamic alterations have been observed in apolipoprotein ε4 (APOE4) carriers at midlife, however the physiological underpinnings of this observation are poorly understood. Our goal was to investigate cerebral blood flow (CBF) and its spatial coefficient of variation (CoV) in relation to APOE4 and a measure of erythrocyte anisocytosis (red blood cell distribution width – RDW) in a middle-aged cohort. Data from 563 participants in the PREVENT-Dementia study scanned with 3 T MRI cross-sectionally were analysed. Voxel-wise and region-of-interest analyses within nine vascular regions were run to detect areas of altered perfusion. Within the vascular regions, interaction terms between APOE4 and RDW in predicting CBF were examined. Areas of hyperperfusion in APOE4 carriers were detected mainly in frontotemporal regions. The APOE4 allele differentially moderated the association between RDW and CBF, an association which was more prominent in the distal vascular territories (p – [0.01, 0.05]). The CoV was not different between the considered groups. We provide novel evidence that in midlife, RDW and CBF are differentially associated in APOE4 carriers and non-carriers. This association is consistent with a differential hemodynamic response to hematological alterations in APOE4 carriers.
Autologous dendritic cells loaded with antigens from self-renewing autologous tumor cells as patient-specific therapeutic cancer vaccines

ABSTRACT A promising personal immunotherapy is autologous dendritic cells (DC) loaded ex vivo with autologous tumor antigens (ATA) derived from self-renewing autologous cancer cells. DC-ATA are suspended in granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor at the time of each subcutaneous injection. Previously, irradiated autologous tumor cell vaccines have produced encouraging results in 150 cancer patients, but the DC-ATA vaccine demonstrated superiority in single-arm and randomized trials in metastatic melanoma. DC-ATA have been injected into more than 200 patients with melanoma, glioblastoma, and ovarian, hepatocellular, and renal cell cancers. Key observations include: [1] greater than 95% success rates for tumor cell cultures and monocyte collection for dendritic cell production; [2] injections are well-tolerated; [3] the immune response is rapid and includes primarily TH1/TH17 cellular responses; [4] efficacy has been suggested by delayed but durable complete tumor regressions in patients with measurable disease, by progression-free survival in glioblastoma, and by overall survival in melanoma.
A Faith Community Nursing Intervention for Informal Caregiver–Older Adult Dyads

The purpose of this study was to test the impact of embedding trained Faith Community Nurse (FCN) interventionists in a Catholic Health System affiliated primary care practice as liaisons of care in the homes of older adult clients (OACs) and their informal caregiver (IC). Specific aims were to examine if a FCN intervention improved IC and OAC health, well-being, knowledge and understanding of chronic disease management, self-advocacy, and self-care. A non-random quasi-experimental design was used. Most ICs were spouses or adult children (M age = 66) who lived with the older adult (M age = 79). The ICs’ scores significantly increased after the intervention on the Preparedness for Caregiving Scale (p = .002), Spirituality as Life, Meaning, and purpose (p = .026), and Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (p = .005). Future research is needed examining the FCN intervention with larger sample sizes in more diverse communities and acute care settings.
Near work, light levels and dioptric profile – Which factor dominates and influences the short‐term changes in axial length?

To the Editor, This is in reference to the recent article ‘Near work, light levels and dioptric profile – Which factor dominates and influences the shortterm changes in axial length? ’ The article deepens our understanding of the shortterm effect of reading under two different lighting conditions as well as indoor cluttering on the transient increase in ocular axial length. I would like to thank the authors and congratulate them on their novel experimental design, as this type of study is crucial in advancing myopia research. Although the authors found a significant increase in axial length to be associated with near reading tasks, interestingly, there was no significant effect of outdoor versus indoor lighting or cluttering versus uncluttering of the visual environment. While the study has undeniably opened several new avenues for research, I have a few queries, which might help clinicians and researchers to design future studies.