Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hybrid multi-objective evolutionary computation of constrained downside risk-return efficient sets for credit portfolios

In contemporary credit portfolio management, the portfolio risk-return analysis of financial instruments using certain downside credit risk measures requires the computation of a set of Pareto-efficient portfolio structures in a non-linear, non-convex setting. For real-world problems, additional constraints, e. g. supervisory capital limits, have to be respected. Particularly for formerly non-traded instruments, e. g. corporate loans, a discrete set of decision alternatives has to be considered for each financial instrument. The main result of this paper is a new, fast and flexible framework for solving the above issues using a hybrid heuristic method that combines multi-objective evolutionary and problem-specific local search methods in a unique way. We explicitly incorporate computational complexity in some of our considerations and consider proper genetic modelling of portfolio credit risk related problems. Also, we analyse empirical results from a study based on our implementation of the proposed hybrid method in a specific portfolio credit risk model context. These results show that this method is superior in convergence speed to a non-hybrid evolutionary approach and that our implementation finds risk-return efficient sets within reasonable time.
DNA-INDUCED PIGMENT PRODUCTION IN A HAMSTER CELL LINE

A immber of workers have demonstrated uptake of DNA by mammalian cells (1-6). At least some of the donor DNA appears to be incorporated intact into the nuclei of the host cells (3-6). However , very few investigators have reported genetic transformation of mammalian cells by mam-malian DNA (7-9). Two cases which did indicate genetic transformation depended upon measuring the growth of drug-sensitive cells in the presence of drug, after they had been treated with DNA from drug-resistant cells (7, 8). A third study of genetic transformation involved an electropho-retic analysis of hemoglobin peptide chains in sickle cells which had been treated with DNA from normal bone marrow cells (9). In this study, we have attempted to induce the appearance of pigment in amelanotic melanoma cells with DNA obtained from melanotic melanoma cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Hamster cell lines of MM2 mclanotic melanoma (RPMI ~3460) (10), AM5 amelanotic melanoma (RPMI ~ 7113) (11), and SB1 small bowel carcinoma (RPMI ~ 2402) were grown in McCoy medium plus 20% fetal calf serum, McCoy medium plus 10% fetal calf serum, and medium RPMI ~ 1640 plus 5% fetal calf serum, respectively. The doubling times of these cell cultures were about 45 hr for MM2, 30 hr for AM5, and 15 hr for SB1. Both of the melanoma lines grew as confluent cell sheets in Roux culture bottles. The SB1 line was maintained in suspension culture. All three cell lines grew as solid tumors in Syrian hamsters, but only the MM2 tumors contained brown, melanin pigment granules. This pigment was also found in MM2 cells which had been cultured in vitro for periods as long as 1-3 yr (G. E. Moore, personal communication). The percentage of MM2 cells which developed pigment in any given culture varied with the state of growth of the culture. Only 30% of the MM2 cells might contain pigment in a fresh subculture, but over 90% of the cells could develop pigment within a week. In contrast, a maximum of only 0.1-0.3% of AM5 cells appeared to contain pigment at any given time. SB1 ceils never developed pigment. DNA was isolated from MM2 cells and SB1 cells by the method of Szybalska and Szybalski (7). The DNA preparations were treated with ribonuclease and were repurified before use (7). Whereas SBI DNA was obtained from ceils grown in vitro, MM2 DNA was obtained from a solid tumor which developed in …
Seeing through Sounds: Predicting Visual Semantic Segmentation Results from Multichannel Audio Signals

Sounds provide us with vast amounts of information about surrounding objects and can even remind us visual images of them. Is it possible to implement this noteworthy human ability on machines? In this paper, we study a new task that consists of predicting image recognition results in the form of semantic segmentation with given multichannel audio signals. Our approach uses a convolutional neural network that is designed to directly output semantic segmentation results by taking audio features as its inputs. A bilinear feature fusion scheme is incorporated that efficiently models underlying higher-order interactions between audio and visual sources. Experimental evaluations with both synthetic and real sound datasets show that our approach can recover the desired segmented images reasonably well.
A citizen-centric approach towards global-scale smart city platform

In order to help smart cities to provide responsive services to improve the quality of life of their citizens, a global-scale platform relying on Cloud computing as an enabler to bridge the Internet of Things with Internet of People via Internet of Services, is presented in this paper. This platform will focus on a citizen-centric approach, offering to end-users the possibility of creating their own Cloud services and share them with other citizens, as well as involving other city stakeholders ranging from municipalities to service developers and application integrators. The definition, design and development of the aforementioned platform has been carried out within ClouT project (still ongoing), framed into a joint European-Japanese initiative, where different field trials developed on top of the developed platform, have been deployed in the four cities that take part of the project: Mitaka and Fujisawa in Japan, and Santander and Genova in Europe.
Examples of Gaussian cluster computation

Simple examples that illustrate the principles of one-way quantum computation using Gaussian continuous-variable cluster states are given. In these examples, only single-mode evolutions, realizable via linear clusters, are considered. In particular, one can focus on Gaussian single-mode transformations performed through the cluster state. These examples highlight the differences between cluster-based schemes and protocols in which special quantum states are prepared off-line and then used as a resource for the on-line computation.
Measurement of thoracic current flow in pigs for the study of defibrillation and cardioversion

Although defibrillation has been in clinical use for more than 50 years, the complete current flow distribution inside the body during a defibrillation procedure has never been directly measured. This is due to the lack of appropriate imaging technology to noninvasively monitor the current flow inside the body. The current density imaging (CDI) technique, using a magnetic resonance (MR) imager, provides a new approach to this problem [Scott et al. (1991)]. CDI measures the local magnetic field generated by the current and calculates the current density by computing its curl. In this study, CDI was used to measure current density at all points within a postmortem pig torso during an electrical current application through defibrillation electrodes. Furthermore, current flow information was visualized along the chest wall and within the chest cavity using streamline analysis. As expected, some of the highest current densities were observed in the chest wall. However, current density distribution varied significantly from one region to another, possibly reflecting underlying heterogeneous tissue conductivity and anisotropy. Moreover, the current flow analysis revealed many complex and unexpected current flow patterns that have never been observed before. This study has, for the first time, noninvasively measured the volume current measurement inside the pig torso.
Histone modifications associated with herpes simplex virus type 1 genomes during quiescence and following ICP0-mediated de-repression

In the current study, it was shown that repressed virus genomes in quiescently infected MRC5 cells adopt a repressed histone-associated structure marked by the enrichment of deacetylated histones at a wide variety of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) promoters. In addition, it was shown that genome de-repression, mediated by HSV-2 superinfection or delivery of ICP0 using a recombinant adenovirus vector, resulted in the enrichment of acetylated histones on HSV DNA. These data indicate that ICP0-mediated genome de-repression is intimately linked to enrichment of acetylated histones at virus promoters. The fold change in association of pan-acetylated histone H3 following Ad.TRE. ICP0-mediated de-repression consistently revealed promoter-specific variation, with the highest fold changes (>50-fold) being observed at the latency-associated transcript promoter and enhancer regions. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses using an antibody specific to the C terminus of histone H3 as a surrogate measure of nucleosome occupancy revealed little variability in the total loading of histone H3 at the various HSV promoters. This observation suggests that acetylation of histone H3 in response to ICP0 expression is not uniformly targeted across the HSV-1 genome during ICP0-mediated de-repression.
Prodrug of green tea epigallocatechin-3-gallate (PRO-EGCG) for use in treatment of endometriosis

Method of treating endometriosis and related indications, comprising the administration of Pro-EGCG, a synthetic and derivative product of epigallocatechin-3-gallate [(-)-EGCG]. Use of Pro-EGCG in the manufacture of a medicament for treating endometriosis and related indications. Pro-EGCG for use in the treatment of endometriosis and related indications.
Effects of Reversible Spinalization on Individual Spinal Neurons

Postural limb reflexes (PLRs) represent a substantial component of the postural system responsible for stabilization of dorsal-side-up trunk orientation in quadrupeds. Spinalization causes spinal shock, that is a dramatic reduction of extensor tone and spinal reflexes, including PLRs. The goal of our study was to determine changes in activity of spinal interneurons, in particular those mediating PLRs, that is caused by spinalization. For this purpose, in decerebrate rabbits, activity of individual interneurons from L5 was recorded during stimulation causing PLRs under two conditions: (1) when neurons received supraspinal influences and (2) when these influences were temporarily abolished by a cold block of spike propagation in spinal pathways at T12 (“reversible spinalization”; RS). The effect of RS, that is a dramatic reduction of PLRs, was similar to the effect of surgical spinalization. In the examined population of interneurons (n = 199), activity of 84% of them correlated with PLRs, suggesting that they contribute to PLR generation. RS affected differently individual neurons: the mean frequency decreased in 67% of neurons, increased in 15%, and did not change in 18%. Neurons with different RS effects were differently distributed across the spinal cord: 80% of inactivated neurons were located in the intermediate area and ventral horn, whereas 50% of nonaffected neurons were located in the dorsal horn. We found a group of neurons that were coactivated with extensors during PLRs before RS and exhibited a dramatic (>80%) decrease in their activity during RS. We suggest that these neurons are responsible for reduction of extensor tone and postural reflexes during spinal shock.
Mechanisms of left-right asymmetry and patterning: driver, mediator and responder

The establishment of a left-right (LR) organizer in the form of the ventral node is an absolute prerequisite for patterning the tissues on contralateral sides of the body of the mouse embryo. The experimental findings to date are consistent with a mechanistic paradigm that the laterality information, which is generated in the ventral node, elicits asymmetric molecular activity and cellular behaviour in the perinodal tissues. This information is then relayed to the cells in the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) when the left-specific signal is processed and translated into LR body asymmetry. Here, we reflect on our current knowledge and speculate on the following: (a) what are the requisite anatomical and functional attributes of an LR organizer, (b) what asymmetric information is emanated from this organizer, and (c) how this information is transferred across the paraxial tissue compartment and elicits a molecular response specifically in the LPM.
Enhancement of Adult Muscle Regeneration by Primary Myoblast Transplantation

Extensor digitorum longus muscles (EDL) of SCID mice were induced to undergo degeneration–regeneration subsequent to orthotopic, whole-muscle transplantation. Two days after transplantation some of these muscles received injections of primary myoblasts derived from EDL muscles of transgenic mice, which express nuclear localizing β-galactosidase under the control of the myosin light-chain 3F promoter and enhancer. Nine weeks after transplantation, regenerated muscles that received exogenous myoblasts were compared to similarly transplanted muscles that received no further treatment and to unoperated EDL muscles in order to determine the effect of myoblast transfer on muscle regeneration. Many myofibers containing donor-derived myonuclei could be identified in the regenerated muscles that had received exogenous myoblasts. The mass of the muscles subjected to transplantation only was significantly less (31 % less) than that of unoperated muscles. The addition of exogenous myoblasts to the regenerating EDL resulted in a muscle mass similar to that of unoperated muscles. The absolute twitch and tetanic tensions and specific twitch and tetanic tensions of transplant-only muscles were 28%, 36%, 32%, and 41%, respectively, of those of unoperated muscles. Myoblast transfer increased the absolute twitch and tetanic tensions of the regenerated muscles by 65% and 74%, respectively, and their specific twitch and tetanic tensions were increased by 41% and 48%, respectively. These data suggest a possible role for the addition of exogenous, primary myoblasts in the treatment of traumatized and/or diseased muscles that are characterized by myofiber loss.
Phenomenology of Minority Games in Efficient Regime

We present a comprehensive study of utility function of the minority game in its efficient regime. We develop an effective description of state of the game. For the payoff function $g(x)=\sgn (x)$ we explicitly represent the game as the Markov process and prove the finitness of number of states. We also demonstrate boundedness of the utility function. Using these facts we can explain all interesting observable features of the aggregated demand: appearance of strong fluctuations, their periodicity and existence of prefered levels. For another payoff, $g(x)=x$, the number of states is still finite and utility remains bounded but the number of states cannot be reduced and probabilities of states are not calculated. However, using properties of the utility and analysing the game in terms of de Bruijn graphs, we can also explain distinct peaks of demand and their frequencies.
Protamine Sulphate Inhibits Platelet Membrane Glycoprotein Ib-von Willebrand Factor Activity

Summary Platelet adhesion to the injured vessel wall is essential in haemostasis and thrombosis. This process involves the interaction of the platelet glycoprotein Ib (GPIb) with surface bound von Willebrand factor (vWF). Since synthetic polycationic peptides of the general formula (Arg)n, (Lys)n or (Arg-Lys)n inhibit GPIb-vWF interaction, they were suggested as potential antithrombotics. Protamine sulphate is a highly cationic polypeptide, arginine accounting for approximately 60% of the primary sequence, utilized to neutralize the anticoagulant effect of heparin after cardiac surgery. We have investigated potential effects of protamine sulphate on the function of GPIb-vWF. Addition of protamine sulphate to platelet-rich plasma (PRP), reduced significantly the GPIb-vWF activity as assessed by ristocetininduced platelet agglutination. When protamine sulphate was added to PRP containing heparin, even at clinically relevant neutralizing doses the GPIb-vWF activity was reduced by 20-30 % (p < 0.001). Protamine sulphate in excess of heparin nearly abolished the activity. Furthermore, the direct effect of protamine sulphate on collagen-induced platelet thrombus formation in non-anticoagulated human blood was investigated by employing an ex-vivo parallel-plate perfusion chamber device. Protamine sulphate (200 µg/mL) reduced platelet-collagen adhesion at shear rates of 650 and 2600 sec−1 by 40% (p < 0.004) and 45% (p < 0.0001), respectively. The corresponding platelet thrombus volumes were concomitantly reduced by 90% (p < 0.006) and 84% (p < 0.05). Our data are questioning the rationale for empirical repetitive protamine sulphate administration when so-called “heparin rebound” after cardiac surgery is suspected, since protamine sulphate in excess of heparin may impair the platelet GPIb-vWF interaction necessary for normal haemostasis.
Fitness consequences of centrality in mutualistic individual-based networks

The relationships among the members of a population can be visualized using individual networks, where each individual is a node connected to each other by means of links describing the interactions. The centrality of a given node captures its importance within the network. We hypothesize that in mutualistic networks, the centrality of a node should benefit its fitness. We test this idea studying eight individual-based networks originated from the interaction between Erysimum mediohispanicum and its flower visitors. In these networks, each plant was considered a node and was connected to conspecifics sharing flower visitors. Centrality indicates how well connected is a given E. mediohispanicum individual with the rest of the co-occurring conspecifics because of sharing flower visitors. The centrality was estimated by three network metrics: betweenness, closeness and degree. The complex relationship between centrality, phenotype and fitness was explored by structural equation modelling. We found that the centrality of a plant was related to its fitness, with plants occupying central positions having higher fitness than those occupying peripheral positions. The structural equation models (SEMs) indicated that the centrality effect on fitness was not merely an effect of the abundance of visits and the species richness of visitors. Centrality has an effect even when simultaneously accounting for these predictors. The SEMs also indicated that the centrality effect on fitness was because of the specific phenotype of each plant, with attractive plants occupying central positions in networks, in relation to the distribution of conspecific phenotypes. This finding suggests that centrality, owing to its dependence on social interactions, may be an appropriate surrogate for the interacting phenotype of individuals.
Detection and Filtering of Byzantine Attacked Nodes in Mobile Access Wireless Sensor Network

The reliable data fusion in mobile access wireless sensor networks under Byzantine attacks. We consider the qout-of-m rule, which is popular in distributed detection and can achieve a good trade-off between the miss detection probability and the false alarm rate. However, a major limitation with it is that the optimal scheme parameters can only be obtained through exhaustive search, making it infeasible for large networks. In this paper, first, by exploiting the linear relationship between the scheme parameters and the network size, we propose simple but effective sub-optimal linear approaches. Second, for better flexibility and scalability, we derive a near-optimal closed-form solution based on the central limit theorem. Third, subjecting to a miss detection constraint, we prove that the false alarm rate of qout-of-m diminishes exponentially as the network size increases, even if the percentage of malicious nodes remains fixed. Finally, we propose an effective malicious node detection scheme for adaptive data fusion under time-varying attacks; the proposed scheme is analyzed using the entropybased trust model, and shown to be optimal from the information theory point of view. Simulation examples are provided to illustrate the performance of proposed approaches under both static and dynamic attacks.
The Second Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP2): Observational Field Campaign

The Second Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP2) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)- and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-funded program, with private-sector and university partners, which aims to improve the accuracy of numerical weather prediction (NWP) model forecasts of wind speed in complex terrain for wind energy applications. A core component of WFIP2 was an 18-month field campaign that took place in the U.S. Pacific Northwest between October 2015 and March 2017. A large suite of instrumentation was deployed in a series of telescoping arrays, ranging from 500 km across to a densely instrumented 2 km × 2 km area similar in size to a high-resolution NWP model grid cell. Observations from these instruments are being used to improve our understanding of the meteorological phenomena that affect wind energy production in complex terrain and to evaluate and improve model physical parameterization schemes. We present several brief case studies using these observations to describe phenomena that are routinely difficult to forecast, including wintertime cold pools, diurnally driven gap flows, and mountain waves/wakes. Observing system and data product improvements developed during WFIP2 are also described.
Staphylococcus aureus IsdB Is a Hemoglobin Receptor Required for Heme Iron Utilization

ABSTRACT The pathogenesis of human infections caused by the gram-positive microbe Staphylococcus aureus has been previously shown to be reliant on the acquisition of iron from host hemoproteins. The iron-regulated surface determinant system (Isd) encodes a heme transport apparatus containing three cell wall-anchored proteins (IsdA, IsdB, and IsdH) that are exposed on the staphylococcal surface and hence have the potential to interact with human hemoproteins. Here we report that S. aureus can utilize the host hemoproteins hemoglobin and myoglobin, but not hemopexin, as iron sources for bacterial growth. We demonstrate that staphylococci capture hemoglobin on the bacterial surface via IsdB and that inactivation of isdB, but not isdA or isdH, significantly decreases hemoglobin binding to the staphylococcal cell wall and impairs the ability of S. aureus to utilize hemoglobin as an iron source. Stable-isotope-tracking experiments revealed removal of heme iron from hemoglobin and transport of this compound into staphylococci. Importantly, mutants lacking isdB, but not isdH, display a reduction in virulence in a murine model of abscess formation. Thus, IsdB-mediated scavenging of iron from hemoglobin represents an important virulence strategy for S. aureus replication in host tissues and for the establishment of persistent staphylococcal infections.
Considerations for an effective telecommunications-use policy

information privacy issues, has created a large gray area in organizational policy-making. What exactly should an organization formalize as a standing operational policy for day-to-day use of its telecommunications systems? As is evident, without a specific policy that addresses systems use, there can be no expectation of ethical and responsible use on the part of either an organization or an individual employee. A sound telecommunications policy serves a variety of purposes within an organization. First, it codifies system controls and reporting authorities. Second, it reinforces the organization’s expectations about how telecommunications systems should be used. Third, it serves to indemnify the organization against liability for an employee’s inappropriate or illegal system use. A published telecommunications policy serves as a legally binding agreement between parties (the organization and its employees) and shows that the organization has made a good R ecent changes in federal telecommunica-