Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous perturbation algorithms for batch off-policy search

We propose novel policy search algorithms in the context of off-policy, batch mode reinforcement learning (RL) with continuous state and action spaces. Given a batch collection of trajectories, we perform off-line policy evaluation using an algorithm similar to that in [1]. Using this Monte-Carlo like policy evaluator, we perform policy search in a class of parameterized policies. We propose both first order policy gradient and second order policy Newton algorithms. All our algorithms incorporate simultaneous perturbation estimates for the gradient as well as the Hessian of the cost-to-go vector, since the latter is unknown and only biased estimates are available. We demonstrate their practicality on a simple 1-dimensional continuous state space problem.
National Assessment of the Fragmentation Levels and Fragmentation-Class Transitions of the Forests in Mexico for 2002, 2008 and 2013

Landscape modification and habitat fragmentation are key drivers of global species and biodiversity loss, as well as a major threat to the conservation of forest ecosystems. Mexico is one of the five biologically richest countries in the world. This study first generated a national level assessment of the fragmentation of temperate and tropical forests in Mexico for 2002, 2008, and 2013. Then, using these results, it explores how transitions to non-forest or to other fragmentation classes have evolved within the previous date fragmentation classes for the 2002–2008 and 2008–2013 periods. The Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) method was used to assess the forest fragmentation. The results show that high fragmentation classes are more likely to transition to no-forest land covers in tropical than in temperate forests and that these conversions were larger during 2002–2008 than during the 2008–2013 period in both forest types. When analyzing the transitions between fragmentation classes, a higher percent of the forest area remained the same fragmentation class between 2008 and 2013 than from 2002 to 2008. Transitions between forest fragmentation classes were relatively small compared to transitions to no-forest land covers, and transitions to higher fragmentation classes were slightly larger in tropical than in temperate forests.
Byte-based Language Identification with Deep Convolutional Networks

We report on our system for the shared task on discriminating between similar languages (DSL 2016). The system uses only byte representations in a deep residual network (ResNet). The system, named ResIdent, is trained only on the data released with the task (closed training). We obtain 84.88% accuracy on subtask A, 68.80% accuracy on subtask B1, and 69.80% accuracy on subtask B2. A large difference in accuracy on development data can be observed with relatively minor changes in our network’s architecture and hyperparameters. We therefore expect fine-tuning of these parameters to yield higher accuracies.
DataBlitz: A High Performance Main-Memory Storage Manager

Performance needs of many database applications dictate that the entire database be stored in main memory. The Dali system is a main memory storage manager designed to provide the persistence, availability and safety guarantees one typically expects from a diskresident database, while at the same time providing very high performance by virtue of being tuned to support in-memory data. Dali follows the philosophy of treating all data, including system data, uniformly as database files that can be memory mapped and directly accessed/updated by user processes. Direct access provides high performance; slower, but more secure, access is also provided through the use of a server process. Various features of Dali can be tailored to the needs of an application to achieve high performance - for example, concurrency control and logging can be turned off if not desired, which enables Dali to efficiently support applications that require non-persistent memory resident data to be shared by multiple processes. Both objectoriented and relational databases can be implemented on top of Dali.
Characterization of cardiac repolarization response to heart rate changes provoked by a tilt test

In predicting the risk of suffering from ventricular arrhythmias, the dynamics of QT and T-peak-to-T-end (T<sub>pe</sub>) intervals after changes in heart rate (HR) provide richer information than their values themselves. In this study, QT/RR and T<sub>pe</sub>/RR dynamics were investigated. Electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings of healthy subjects were analyzed during a head-up tilt test. ECGs were delineated using multi-lead (ML) and single-lead (SL) techniques and the QT and T<sub>pe</sub> intervals series were obtained. QT/RR and T<sub>pe</sub>/RR dynamics were modeled using a nonlinear system, from which the time constant of adaptation t<sub>90</sub> was derived. QT/RR dynamics is similar using SL or ML delineation, with adaptation times being: t<sup>SL</sup><sub>90</sub>[s] = 49.7 +/-29.0, t<sup>ML</sup><sub>90</sub> [s] = 47.1 +/- 20.1. The T<sub>pe</sub> interval responded more abruptly to HR when calculated using SL as compared to ML. Consequently, T<sub>pe</sub>/RR dynamics were characterized by different adaptation time constants depending on whether SL or ML was used: t<sup>SL</sup><sub>90</sub> [s] = 25.6 +/- 37.3, t<sup>SL</sup><sub>90</sub> [s] = 56.4 +/- 48.3. QT dynamics can be invariantly characterized using either SL or ML delineation, while T<sub>pe</sub> dynamics are highly sensitive to the delineation method. Differences arise from the way SL and ML delineation are affected by T-wave loop rotation. Care should be taken when electrophysiological interpretation is provided to measurements obtained from one or the other delineation methods.
Suspected hydroxychloroquine-associated QT-interval prolongation in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

In 1630, the Countess of Cinchon, who it is believed to have suffered from malaria, was treated successfully by Jesuit priests with a powdered cinchona bark. Several centuries later, quinine and more than 20 different alkaloids of the bark were isolated. Before the World War II, synthetic quinine formulations, including quinacrine, were produced. A Lancet publication in 1951 described Page’s reports on the benefits of quinacrine in 18 patients with lupus. The beneficial effect of chloroquine in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was later recognized by Goldman in 1953. Finally, in 1955, hydroxychloroquine was introduced for the treatment of rheumatic diseases. Antimalarials, along with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs, have formed the cornerstone of therapy for SLE for more than 30 years. Hydroxychloroquine is one of the most commonly prescribed antimalarials in the treatment of SLE. It is structurally similar to chloroquine, possessing a hydroxyethyl group in place of the ethyl group in chloroquine. Hydroxychloroquine is administered orally and has a long halflife of 40 days, and steady-state levels are not achieved until after approximately 6 months of continuous treatment. When compared with other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, hydroxychloroquine is considered safe and well tolerated. The most commonly reported adverse effects of hydroxychloroquine involve the gastrointestinal and neurological systems. Retinal toxicity is uncommon but well known. Hydroxychloroquine-associated cardiotoxicity is not as extensively reported in the medical literature. Although rare, it is potentially fatal, and its manifestations range from decreased myocardial contractility to conduction abnormalities. We report a case of a patient with SLE who developed significant QTinterval prolongation, which coincided with the reintroduction of intermittently used hydroxychloroquine therapy.
Characterization of Escherichia coli Isolates from Peritonitis Lesions in Commercial Laying Hens

Abstract Five clinically normal chickens from three farms (farm A, farm B, and farm C), for a total of 15 clinically normal chickens, were examined bacteriologically. In a similar manner, five dead chickens with lesions of peritonitis from each of the same three commercial egg-laying operations were selected for bacterial culturing. Escherichia coli were isolated from the cloaca in 14 of 15 healthy chickens and from all 15 chickens with peritonitis. Oviducts of normal chickens did not contain E. coli (0/15) whereas oviducts from 13 of 15 hens with peritonitis were positive for this pathogen. No lesions and no E. coli (0/15) were found in the peritoneal cavity of healthy hens, but peritonitis lesions from 13 of 15 dead chickens yielded E. coli. On farm A and farm B, a flock consisted of all chickens within a single house and all chickens in each flock were of the same age and same genetic strain. In flock 1 from farm A, all five E. coli isolates from the oviduct and all five isolates from the peritoneal cavity were serogrouped as O78; contained the virulence genes iroN, sitA, iutA, tsh, and iss; and belonged to phylogenetic group A. In flock 2 from farm B, all four E. coli isolates from the oviduct and all four isolates from the peritoneal cavity were serogrouped as O111; contained virulence genes iroN, sitA, iutA, traT, iss, and ompT; and belonged to phylogenetic group D. These data suggest that all chickens with peritonitis in a single flock on farms A and B were likely infected by the same E. coli strain. Escherichia coli isolates from the magnum and peritoneum had the same serogroup, virulence genotype, and phylogenetic group, which is consistent with an ascending infection from the oviduct to the peritoneal cavity.
Optimal Control Based Dynamics Exploration of a Rigid Car With Longitudinal Load Transfer

In this brief, we provide optimal control-based strategies to explore the dynamic capabilities of a single-track car model that includes tire models and longitudinal load transfer. First, we propose numerical tools to analyze the equilibrium manifold of the vehicle. That is, we design a continuation and predictor-corrector numerical strategy to compute the cornering equilibria on the entire range of operation of the tires. Second, as a main contribution of this brief, we explore the system dynamics by the use of nonlinear optimal control techniques. Specifically, we propose a combined optimal control and continuation strategy to compute aggressive car trajectories. To show the effectiveness of the proposed strategy, we compute aggressive maneuvers of the vehicle inspired to testing maneuvers from virtual and real prototyping.
Privacy and security for online social networks: challenges and opportunities

Online social networks such as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter have experienced exponential growth in recent years. These OSNs offer attractive means of online social interactions and communications, but also raise privacy and security concerns. In this article we discuss the design issues for the security and privacy of OSNs. We find there are inherent design conflicts between these and the traditional design goals of OSNs such as usability and sociability. We present the unique security and privacy design challenges brought by the core functionalities of OSNs and highlight some opportunities of utilizing social network theory to mitigate these design conflicts.
Reduction in the mutagenicity of synthetic dyes by successive treatment with activated sludge and the ligninolytic fungus, Irpex lacteus

Synthetic dyes are released in wastewater from textile manufacturing plants, and many of these dyes are genotoxic. In the present study, the mutagenicity of azo, anthraquinone, and triphenyl methane dyes was investigated before and after successive biodegradation with activated sludge and the ligninolytic fungus, Irpex lacteus. Two biodegradation systems were used to reduce the genotoxicity of dyes that were not efficiently inactivated by activated sludge alone. Mutagenicity was monitored with the Salmonella reversion assay conducted with the base‐pair substitution detector strains, TA100 and YG1042, and the frame‐shift detector strains, TA98 and YG1041, with and without rat liver S9. All dyes except for Congo Red (CR) were mutagenic with S9 activation. Assays conducted with the dyes indicated that only the azo dye Reactive Orange 16 (RO16) was mutagenic in both TA98 and TA100. Methyl Red and Disperse Blue 3 (DB3) were mutagenic in TA98, YG1041 and YG1042, while Reactive Black 5 was mutagenic in YG1041 and YG1042. Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR), Crystal violet (CV) and Bromophenol Blue (BPB) were mutagenic only in TA98, but the toxicity of the latter two dyes complicated the evaluation of their mutagenicity. CR was not mutagenic in any of the tester strains. Biodegradation studies conducted with RO16 and DB3 indicated that the two‐step biodegradation process reduced the mutagenic potential of RO16 and DB3 to a greater extent than activated sludge alone; the mutagenicity of the two dyes was reduced by 95.2% and 77.8%, respectively, by the two‐step process. These data indicate that the combined biodegradation process may be useful for reducing the mutagenicity associated with wastewater from textile factories that contain recalcitrant dyes. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Change in tibial plateau angle after tibial plateau leveling osteotomy in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To determine the change in tibial plateau angle (TPA) during healing after tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) performed for cranial cruciate ligament insufficiency in dogs and to examine factors that may be associated with the change. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective study. STUDY POPULATION One hundred and forty-nine canine stifles after TPLO procedure. METHODS Records of dogs that had TPLO were reviewed. Patient age, weight, sex, breed, pre- and postoperative TPA, recheck TPA, time to recheck, type of implant used, and radiographic evidence of healing were analyzed. RESULTS Mean time to recheck evaluation was 46 days (range, 28-65 days). Mean difference between immediate postoperative and recheck TPA measurements was 1.5 degrees (range, -3 to 9 degrees). Recheck TPA was a significantly greater (numerically higher) than immediate postoperative TPA (P<.0001). There was no significant effect of patient weight, type of plate used, or healing status of the osteotomy at the time of recheck. No correlation between pre- or postoperative TPA angles and change in TPA angle was detected. CONCLUSIONS TPA changes during osteotomy healing after TPLO, but factors influencing this change were not identified. CLINICAL RELEVANCE TPA may increase during healing after TPLO despite apparently adequate osteotomy fixation. The clinical relevance of this increase is unknown but is likely minimal.
Ophthalmic transplantology: Posterior segment of the eye – Part II

Summary Background Transplants of the retina are among the new strategies being used in the treatment of genetic and degenerative macular diseases. Moreover, various cell cultures are being tested to treat retinal disorders. Material/Methods Literature dated from 2004 to 2011 was comprehensively examined via Medline and PubMed searches for the following terms: auto-, homo-, heterologous transplantation, retina, stem cells, cultivated cells. Results Tissue and cell therapy of retinal diseases are reviewed, including full-thickness retina/retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)/choroid graft; full and partial thickness RPE/choroid complex grafts; RPE/Bruch membrane complex graft; and RPE, iris pigment epithelium and stem cell grafts. Recommendations for transplants, as well as the benefits and weaknesses of specific techniques in retina transplants, are discussed. Conclusions Auto- and allogenic transplants of a full or partial thickness retina/RPE/Bruch membrane/choroid complex represent an alternative treatment offered to patients with some macular diseases. Stem cell transplantation to reconstruct and regenerate the macula requires further biomolecular and animal research studies.
Hepatitis C virus recurrence after liver transplantation: biomarkers of disease and fibrosis progression

End-stage liver disease due to hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) is the principal indication for liver transplantation. In the USA, over a third of available liver allografts are transplanted into recipients with chronic HCV infection. Reinfection of the graft is universal, but the impact of reinfection on short- and long-term liver function is highly variable. HCV infection in liver transplantation recipients is characterized by an accelerated fibrogenesis, with approximately a third of patients developing cirrhosis within 5 years of follow-up. HCV is associated with decreased patient and graft survival when compared with other indications of orthotopic liver transplantation. The mechanisms responsible for the accelerated liver damage in HCV-infected orthotopic liver transplantation recipients remain largely unknown.
Ultrasound produced by a conventional therapeutic ultrasound unit accelerates fracture repair.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE A recent novel application of ultrasound therapy is the treatment of bone fractures. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect on fracture repair of ultrasound produced by a conventional therapeutic ultrasound unit as used by physical therapists. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Bilateral midshaft femur fractures were created in 30 adult male Long-Evans rats. Ultrasound therapy was commenced on the first day after fracture and introduced 5 days a week for 20 minutes a day. Each animal was treated unilaterally with active ultrasound and contralaterally with inactive ultrasound. Active ultrasound involved a 2-millisecond burst of 1.0-MHz sine waves repeating at 100 Hz. The spatially averaged, temporally averaged intensity was set at 0.1 W/cm2. Animals were killed at 25 and 40 days after fracture induction, and the fractures were assessed for bone mass and strength. RESULTS There were no differences between fractures treated with active ultrasound and fractures treated with inactive ultrasound at 25 days. However, at 40 days, active ultrasound-treated fractures had 16.9% greater bone mineral content at the fracture site than inactive ultrasound-treated fractures. This change resulted in a 25.8% increase in bone size, as opposed to an increase in bone density, and contributed to active ultrasound-treated fractures having 81.3% greater mechanical strength than inactive ultrasound-treated fractures. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION These data indicate that ultrasound produced by a conventional therapeutic ultrasound unit as traditionally used by physical therapists may be used to facilitate fracture repair. However, careful interpretation of this controlled laboratory study is warranted until its findings are confirmed by clinical trials.
Neuroradiologic screening for brain metastases--can quadruple dose gadolinium be far behind?

Sze et al in this issue of American Journal of Neuroradiology (see page 821) renew the controversy surrounding the best way to screen for brain metastases. This remains very relevant to the practice of neuroradiology and to all of those involved in the care of cancer patients. Will this article put to rest the question of how best to image this patient population? Likely not. Will and should it prevent the next researcher from giving even higher doses of the same or different contrast agents, or employing some other pulse sequence in an attempt to get to the ultimate goal of unearthing the very last or smallest metastasis? Probably not. Imaging guidelines are necessary, however, as is an understanding of the current medical and surgical issues in dealing with metastatic disease to the brain. Of course, the treatment approach at each institution will govern how brain metastases are managed. At The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, we screen some 3500 patients for metastatic brain tumor and treat approximately 1000 patients per year. We rely on the expertise of physicians from multiple disciplines in order to apply several treatment modalities effectively, including surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, conventional radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Initial planning relies heavily upon whether the patient can be treated surgically. The decision to operate is influenced by many factors including the patient’s medical and neurologic condition, the sensitivity of the particular histology to radiation therapy or chemotherapy, the extent of disease elsewhere, and, most importantly, the size, number and accessibility of the lesion(s). This last factor is most relevant to the neuroradiologist, because neuroimaging ultimately seeks to provide clinicians with an accurate assessment of the number, location and size of the cerebral metastases so that the most appropriate treatment is given to the patient. For the patient with only one apparent metastasis detected with CT or single-dose, spin-echo MRI, surgical resection is the preferred treatment assuming other factors are favorable. Two randomized prospective trials have shown this approach to be more efficacious than whole-brain irradiation alone (1, 2). Ad-
Rediscovering empathy : agency, folk psychology, and the human sciences

In this timely and wide-ranging study, Karsten Stueber argues that empathy is epistemically central for our folk-psychological understanding of other agents--that it is something we cannot do without in order to gain understanding of other minds. Setting his argument in the context of contemporary philosophy of mind and the interdisciplinary debate about the nature of our mindreading abilities, Stueber counters objections raised by some in the philosophy of social science and argues that it is time to rehabilitate the empathy thesis.Empathy, regarded at the beginning of the twentieth century as the fundamental method of gaining knowledge of other minds, has suffered a century of philosophical neglect. Stueber addresses the plausible philosophical misgivings about empathy that have been responsible for its failure to gain widespread philosophical acceptance.Crucial in this context is his defense of the assumption, very much contested in contemporary philosophy of mind, that the notion of rational agency is at the core of folk psychology. Stueber then discusses the contemporary debate between simulation theorists--who defend various forms of the empathy thesis--and theory theorists. In distinguishing between basic and reenactive empathy, he provides a new interpretive framework for the investigation into our mindreading capacities. Finally, he considers epistemic objections to empathy raised by the philosophy of social science that have been insufficiently discussed in contemporary debates. Empathy theorists, Stueber writes, should be prepared to admit that, although empathy can be regarded as the central default mode for understanding other agents, there are certain limitations in its ability to make sense of other agents; and there are supplemental theoretical strategies available to overcome these limitations.