Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Group consensus in multi-agent systems with switching topologies

Group consensus problems in networks of dynamic agents are addressed. We consider the case that communication topologies in a network are switching and the switching occurs among finite topologies. By using double-tree-form transformations, the group consensus is proved to be equivalent to the asymptotical stability of a class of switched linear systems under arbitrary switching signal. Moreover, we study the group consensus problem for the networks of dynamic agents with both switching topologies and transmission delays, some analysis results are derived by the similar technique. Simulation results are worked out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Approximate Riemannian Conjugate Gradient Learning for Fixed-Form Variational Bayes

Variational Bayesian (VB) methods are typically only applied to models in the conjugate-exponential family using the variational Bayesian expectation maximisation (VB EM) algorithm or one of its variants. In this paper we present an efficient algorithm for applying VB to more general models. The method is based on specifying the functional form of the approximation, such as multivariate Gaussian. The parameters of the approximation are optimised using a conjugate gradient algorithm that utilises the Riemannian geometry of the space of the approximations. This leads to a very efficient algorithm for suitably structured approximations. It is shown empirically that the proposed method is comparable or superior in efficiency to the VB EM in a case where both are applicable. We also apply the algorithm to learning a nonlinear state-space model and a nonlinear factor analysis model for which the VB EM is not applicable. For these models, the proposed algorithm outperforms alternative gradient-based methods by a significant margin.
Robust Asymmetric Bayesian Adaptive Matrix Factorization

Low rank matrix factorizations(LRMF) have attracted much attention due to its wide range of applications in computer vision, such as image impainting and video denoising. Most of the existing methods assume that the loss between an observed measurement matrix and its bilinear factorization follows symmetric distribution, like gaussian or gamma families. However, in real-world situations, this assumption is often found too idealized, because pictures under various illumination and angles may suffer from multi-peaks, asymmetric and irregular noises. To address these problems, this paper assumes that the loss follows a mixture of Asymmetric Laplace distributions and proposes robust Asymmetric Laplace Adaptive Matrix Factorization model(ALAMF) under bayesian matrix factorization framework. The assumption of Laplace distribution makes our model more robust and the asymmetric attribute makes our model more flexible and adaptable to real-world noise. A variational method is then devised for model inference. We compare ALAMF with other state-of-the-art matrix factorization methods both on data sets ranging from synthetic and real-world application. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach.
Left Ventricular Systolic Unloading and Augmentation of Intracoronary Pressure and Doppler Flow During Enhanced External Counterpulsation

Background—Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a noninvasive, pneumatic technique that provides beneficial effects for patients with chronic, symptomatic angina pectoris. However, the physiological effects of EECP have not been studied directly. We examined intracoronary and left ventricular hemodynamics in the cardiac catheterization laboratory during EECP. Methods and Results—Ten patients referred for diagnostic evaluation underwent left heart catheterization and coronary angiography from the radial artery. At baseline and then during EECP, central aortic pressure, intracoronary pressure, and intracoronary Doppler flow velocity were measured using a coronary catheter, a sensor-tipped high-fidelity pressure guidewire, and a Doppler flow guidewire, respectively. Similar to changes in aortic pressure, EECP resulted in a dramatic increase in diastolic (71±10 mm Hg at baseline to 137±21 mm Hg during EECP; +93%;P <0.0001) and mean intracoronary pressures (88±9 to 102±16 mm Hg; +16%;P =0.006) with a decrease in systolic pressure (116±20 to 99±26 mm Hg; −15%;P =0.002). The intracoronary Doppler measure of average peak velocity increased from 11±5 cm/s at baseline to 23±5 cm/s during EECP (+109%;P =0.001). The TIMI frame count, a quantitative angiographic measure of coronary flow, showed a 28% increase in coronary flow during EECP compared with baseline (P =0.001). Conclusions—EECP unequivocally and significantly increases diastolic and mean pressures and reduces systolic pressure in the central aorta and the coronary artery. Coronary artery flow, determined by both Doppler and angiographic techniques, is increased during EECP. The combined effects of systolic unloading and increased coronary perfusion pressure provide evidence that EECP may serve as a potential mechanical assist device.
Faster and Lighter Phrase-based Machine Translation Baseline

This paper describes the SENSE machine translation system participation in the Third Workshop for Asian Translation (WAT2016). We share our best practices to build a fast and light phrase-based machine translation (PBMT) models that have comparable results to the baseline systems provided by the organizers. As Neural Machine Translation (NMT) overtakes PBMT as the state-of-the-art, deep learning and new MT practitioners might not be familiar with the PBMT paradigm and we hope that this paper will help them build a PBMT baseline system quickly and easily.
Gene expression of the cardiac Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger in end-stage human heart failure.

The regulation of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration during excitation-contraction coupling is altered in the failing human heart. Previous studies have focused on disturbances in Ca2+ release and reuptake from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), whereas functional studies of the cardiac Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger, another important determinant of myocyte homeostasis, are lacking for the failing human heart. Using a cardiac Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger cDNA recently cloned from a guinea pig cDNA library, we investigated the gene expression of the cardiac Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger in relation to the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase. Expression of both genes was quantified in left ventricular myocardium from 24 failing human cardiac explants and 7 control heart samples in relation to beta-myosin heavy chain mRNA by slot blot analysis. Compared with patients with nonfailing hearts, patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM, n = 13) showed a 55% increase in Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger mRNA levels (P < .05 versus control value) and a 41% increase in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD, n = 11). In the same hearts, SR Ca(2+)-ATPase mRNA levels were decreased by 50% in DCM and by 45% in CAD (P < .05 for both versus control value). There was a positive correlation between Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger and SR Ca(2+)-ATPase mRNA levels both in normal and failing human hearts, albeit with different slopes and intercepts of the regression line. The Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger protein levels as assessed by Western blot analysis and normalized to beta-myosin heavy chain protein were increased in DCM and CAD (P < .05 and P < .01 versus control value, respectively), whereas SR Ca(2+)-ATPase protein levels were reduced (P < .05 for both groups versus control values). Thus, the Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger gene expression is enhanced in failing human hearts and may, in part, compensate for the depressed SR function with regard to diastolic Ca2+ removal.
Knowledge and the Speed of the Transfer and Imitation of Organizational Capabilities: An Empirical Test

The capabilities of a firm, or any organization, lie primarily in the organizing principles by which individual and functional expertise is structured, coordinated, and communicated. Firms are social communities which use their relational structure and shared coding schemes to enhance the transfer and communication of new skills and capabilities. To replicate new knowledge in the absence of a social community is difficult. A classic demonstration is the well-studied problem of the transfer across country borders of manufacturing capabilities that support production of new product innovations. We show in this article that the degree of codification and how easily capabilities are taught has a significant influence on the speed of transfer. What makes the question of knowledge codification particularly interesting is that firms compete not only through the creation, replication, and transfer of their own knowledge, but also through their ability to imitate the product innovations of competitors. The capacity to speed the internal transfer of a production capability to new markets (e.g., those in other countries) is, consequently, of fundamental significance in a competitive environment. In the attempt to speed the internal transfer of knowledge, the dilemma arises that capabilities which can be easily communicated within the firm are more likely to be easily imitated by competitors. This relationship is tested by analyzing the effects of the ease of codifying and communicating a manufacturing capability not only on the time to its transfer, but also on the time to imitation of the new product. ’The determinants of the time to imitation are found to be the extent to which knowledge of the manufacturing processes is “common” among competitors, and the degree of continuous recombination of capabilities leading to improvement of the product or the manufacturing process. We support this interpretation by a discussion of the results from field research. A wider implication of these findings is the proposition that the transfer and recombination of organizational capabilities are the foundation of an evolutionary theory of the firm. A critical element limiting the expansion of a firm is that the competitive value of codifying knowledge leads to the selection of organizing principles that are not functional in all competitive environments. The pressure of speed is of critical importance to understand the evolutionary advantage of nonoptimal rules of coordinated action within a social community.
Evaluation of Appropriate Reference Genes for Gene Expression Normalization during Watermelon Fruit Development

Gene expression analysis in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) fruit has drawn considerable attention with the availability of genome sequences to understand the regulatory mechanism of fruit development and to improve its quality. Real-time quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is a routine technique for gene expression analysis. However, appropriate reference genes for transcript normalization in watermelon fruits have not been well characterized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the appropriateness of 12 genes for their potential use as reference genes in watermelon fruits. Expression variations of these genes were measured in 48 samples obtained from 12 successive developmental stages of parthenocarpic and fertilized fruits of two watermelon genotypes by using qRT-PCR analysis. Considering the effects of genotype, fruit setting method, and developmental stage, geNorm determined clathrin adaptor complex subunit (ClCAC), β-actin (ClACT), and alpha tubulin 5 (ClTUA5) as the multiple reference genes in watermelon fruit. Furthermore, ClCAC alone or together with SAND family protein (ClSAND) was ranked as the single or two best reference genes by NormFinder. By using the top-ranked reference genes to normalize the transcript abundance of phytoene synthase (ClPSY1), a good correlation between lycopene accumulation and ClPSY1 expression pattern was observed in ripening watermelon fruit. These validated reference genes will facilitate the accurate measurement of gene expression in the studies on watermelon fruit biology.
Personalization in Folksonomies Based on Tag Clustering

Collaborative tagging systems, sometimes referred to as “folksonomies,” enable Internet users to annotate or search for resources using custom labels instead of being restricted by pre-defined navigational or conceptual hierarchies. However, the flexibility of tagging brings with it certain costs. Because users are free to apply any tag to any resource, tagging systems contain large numbers of redundant, ambiguous, and idiosyncratic tags which can render resource discovery difficult. Data mining techniques such as clustering can be used to ameliorate this problem by reducing noise in the data and identifying trends. In particular, discovered patterns can be used to tailor the system’s output to a user based on the user’s tagging behavior. In this paper, we propose a method to personalize a user’s experience within a folksonomy using clustering. A personalized view can overcome ambiguity and idiosyncratic tag assignment, presenting users with tags and resources that correspond more closely to their intent. Specifically, we examine unsupervised clustering methods for extracting commonalities between tags, and use the discovered clusters as intermediaries between a user’s profile and resources in order to tailor the results of search to the user’s interests. We validate this approach through extensive evaluation of proposed personalization algorithm and the underlying clustering techniques using data from a real collaborative tagging Web site.
Identification of viable myocardium in patients with chronic coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction. Comparison of thallium scintigraphy with reinjection and PET imaging with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose.

In patients with chronic coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction, the distinction between ventricular dysfunction arising from myocardial fibrosis and ischemic, but viable, myocardium has important clinical implications. By positron emission tomography (PET), enhanced fluorine-18-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in myocardial segments with impaired function and reduced blood flow is evidence of myocardial viability. Reinjection of thallium-201 at rest immediately after stress-redistribution imaging may also provide evidence of myocardial viability by demonstrating thallium uptake in regions with apparently "irreversible" defects. To compare these two methods, we studied 16 patients with chronic coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction, 27 +/- 9%), all of whom had irreversible defects on standard exercise-redistribution thallium single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. Thallium was reinjected immediately after the redistribution study, and SPECT images were reacquired. The patients also underwent PET imaging with FDG and oxygen-15-labeled water. A total of 432 myocardial segments were analyzed from comparable transaxial tomograms, of which 166 (38%) had irreversible thallium defects on redistribution images before reinjection. FDG uptake was demonstrated in 121 (73%) of these irreversible defects. Irreversible defects were then subgrouped according to the degree of thallium activity, relative to peak activity in normal regions. Irreversible defects with only mild (60-85% of peak activity) or moderate (50-59% of peak) reduction in thallium activity were considered viable on the basis of FDG uptake in 91% and 84% of these segments, respectively. In contrast, in irreversible defects with severe reduction in thallium activity (less than 50% of peak), FDG uptake was present in 51% of segments. In such severe defects, an identical number of segments (51%) demonstrated enhanced uptake of thallium after reinjection. In these severe "irreversible" defects, data on myocardial viability were concordant by the two techniques in 88% of segments, with 45% identified as viable and 43% identified as scar on both PET and thallium reinjection studies. These observations suggest that thallium imaging can be used to identify viable myocardium in patients with chronic coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction. Most irreversible defects with only mild or moderate reduction in thallium activity represent viable myocardium as confirmed by FDG uptake. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
On the Identification of SM and Alamouti-Coded SC-FDMA Signals: A Statistical-Based Approach

Signal identification represents the task of a receiver to identify the signal type and its parameters, with applications to both military and commercial communications. In this paper, we investigate the identification of spatial multiplexing and Alamouti space-time block codes with single-carrier frequency-division multiple-access signals, when the receiver is equipped with a single antenna. We develop a discriminating feature based on a fourth-order statistic of the received signal as well as a constant false-alarm rate decision criterion that relies on the statistical properties of the feature estimate. Furthermore, we present the theoretical performance analysis of the proposed identification algorithm. The algorithm does not require channel or noise power estimation, modulation classification, and block synchronization. Simulation results show the validity of the proposed algorithm as well as a very good agreement with the theoretical analysis.
Cardiovascular risk associated with testosterone-boosting medications: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Recent reports have significantly halted the enthusiasm regarding androgen-boosting; suggesting that testosterone supplementation (TS) increases cardiovascular (CV) events. Areas covered: In order to overcome some of the limitations of the current evidence, the authors performed an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of all placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on the effect of TS on CV-related problems. Out of 2747 retrieved articles, 75 were analyzed, including 3016 and 2448 patients in TS and placebo groups, respectively, and a mean duration of 34 weeks. Our analyses, performed on the largest number of studies collected so far, indicate that TS is not related to any increase in CV risk, even when composite or single adverse events were considered. In RCTs performed in subjects with metabolic derangements a protective effect of TS on CV risk was observed. Expert opinion: The present systematic review and meta-analysis does not support a causal role between TS and adverse CV events. Our results are in agreement with a large body of literature from the last 20 years supporting TS of hypogonadal men as a valuable strategy in improving a patient’s metabolic profile, reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass, which would ultimately reduce the risk of heart disease.
Cardiac Mechanics Revisited: The Relationship of Cardiac Architecture to Ventricular Function

The keynote to understanding cardiac function is recognizing the underlying architecture responsible for the contractile mechanisms that produce the narrowing, shortening, lengthening, widening, and twisting disclosed by echocardiographic and magnetic resonance technology. Despite background knowledge of a spiral clockwise and counterclockwise arrangement of muscle fibers, issues about the exact architecture, interrelationships, and function of the different sets of muscle fibers remain to be resolved. This report (1) details observed patterns of cardiac dynamic directional and twisting motions via multiple imaging sources; (2) summarizes the deficiencies of correlations between ventricular function and known ventricular muscle architecture; (3) correlates known cardiac motions with the functional anatomy within the helical ventricular myocardial band; and (4) defines an innovative muscular systolic mechanism that challenges the previously described concept of “isovolumic relaxation. ” This new knowledge may open new doors to treating heart failure due to diastolic dysfunction.
Dynamic Canvas for Non-Photorealistic Walkthroughs

The static background paper or canvas texture usually used for non-photorealistic animation greatly impedes the sensation of motion and results in a disturbing shower door effect. We present a method to animate the background canvas for non-photorealistic rendering animations and walkthroughs, which greatly improves the sensation of motion and 3D immersion. The complex motion eld induced by the 3D displacement is matched using purely 2D transformations. The motion eld of forward translations is approximated using a 2D zoom in the texture, and camera rotation is approximated using 2D translation and rotation. A rolling-ball metaphor is introduced to match the instantaneous 3D motion with a 2D transformation. An innite zoom in the texture is made possible by using a paper model based on multifrequency solid turbulence. Our results indicate a dramatic improvement over a static background.
A Probabilistic Expert System for Automatic Musical Accompaniment

This article presents methodology that allows a computer to play the role of musical accompanist in a nonimprovised musical composition for soloist and accompaniment. The modeling of the accompaniment incorporates a number of distinct knowledge sources including timing information extracted in real-time from the soloist's acoustic signal, an understanding of the soloist's interpretation learned from rehearsals, and prior knowledge that guides the accompaniment toward musically plausible renditions. The solo and accompaniment parts are represented collectively as a large number of Gaussian random variables with a specified conditional independence structure—a Bayesian belief network. Within this framework a principled and computationally feasible method for generating real-time accompaniment is presented that incorporates the relevant knowledge sources. The EM algorithm is used to adapt the accompaniment to the soloist's interpretation through a series of rehearsals. A demonstration is provided from J.S. Bach's Cantata 12.
Birthing Centers Staffed by Skilled Birth Attendants: Can They Be Effective … at Scale?

Peripheral-level birthing centers may be appropriate and effective in some circumstances if crucial systems requirements can be met. But promising models don’t necessarily scale well, so policy makers and program managers need to consider what requirements can and cannot be met feasibly at scale. Apparently successful components of the birthing center model, such as engagement of traditional birth attendants and use of frontline staff who speak the local language, appear conducive to use in other similar settings. Peripheral-level birthing centers may be appropriate and effective in some circumstances if crucial systems requirements can be met. But promising models don’t necessarily scale well, so policy makers and program managers need to consider what requirements can and cannot be met feasibly at scale. Apparently successful components of the birthing center model, such as engagement of traditional birth attendants and use of frontline staff who speak the local language, appear conducive to use in other similar settings.