Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Algorithms and assessment in computer poker

The game of poker offers a clean well-defined domain in which to investigate some truly fundamental issues in computing science, such as how to handle deliberate misinformation, and how to make intelligent guesses based on partial knowledge. In the taxonomy of games, poker lies at the opposite end of the spectrum from well-studied board games like checkers and chess. Poker is a multi-player game with stochasticity (random events occurring over a known probability distribution), imperfect information (some information is hidden from each player), and partially observable outcomes (some information might never be known). Consequently, the use of deception, opponent modeling, and coping with uncertainty are indispensable elements of high-level strategic play. Traditional methods for computer game-playing are incapable of handling these properties. Writing a program to play a skillful game of poker is a challenging proposition from an engineering perspective as well, since each decision must be made quickly (typically about one second). A major theme of this dissertation is the evolution of architectures for poker-playing programs that has occurred since the research began in 1992. Four distinct approaches we address are: knowledge-based systems, simulation, game-theoretic methods, and adaptive imperfect information game-tree search. Each phase of the research explored the strengths and weaknesses of the corresponding architectures, both in theory and in practice. The important problem of obtaining an accurate assessment of performance is also addressed. The creation of a powerful tool for this purpose, called DIVAT, is discussed in detail. The academic papers arising from each of these studies constitute the core chapters of this thesis. The conclusion discusses some of the advantages and shortcomings of each approach, along with the most valuable lessons learned in the process. Although the goal of surpassing all human players has not yet been attained, the path has been cleared. The best poker programs are beginning to pose a serious threat, even in this most "human" of games. As programs continue to improve, they provide new insights into poker strategy, and valuable lessons on how to handle various forms of uncertainty.
Escherichia coli sister chromosome separation includes an abrupt global transition with concomitant release of late-splitting intersister snaps

The basis for segregation of sister chromosomes in bacteria is not established. We show here that two discrete ~150-kb regions, both located early in the right replichore, exhibit prolonged juxtaposition of sister loci, for 20 and 30 min, respectively, after replication. Flanking regions, meanwhile, separate. Thus, the two identified regions comprise specialized late-splitting intersister connections or snaps. Sister snap loci separate simultaneously in both snap regions, concomitant with a major global nucleoid reorganization that results in emergence of a bilobed nucleoid morphology. Split snap loci move rapidly apart to a separation distance comparable with one-half the length of the nucleoid. Concomitantly, at already split positions, sister loci undergo further separation to a comparable distance. The overall consequence of these and other effects is that thus far replicated sister chromosomes become spatially separated (individualized) into the two nucleoid lobes, while the terminus region (and likely, all unreplicated portions of the chromosome) moves to midcell. These and other findings imply that segregation of Escherichia coli sister chromosomes is not a smooth continuous process but involves at least one and likely, two major global transition(s). The presented patterns further suggest that accumulation of internal intranucleoid forces and constraining of these forces by snaps play central roles in global chromosome dynamics. They are consistent with and supportive of our previous proposals that individualization of sisters in E. coli is driven primarily by internally generated pushing forces and is directly analogous to sister individualization at the prophase to prometaphase transition of the eukaryotic cell cycle.
A Smart Document Review System for Business Expansion Project in Electric Power Marketing

In response to the call of paperless meeting put forward by the national grid and reduce the waste of resources requirements, this paper introduces an intelligent review terminal for power marketing business expansion project, by studying the Cutting-edge technologies such as keyword retrieval, semantic analysis, the customizable and automatable knowledge base and intelligent analysis. At the beginning of review link of business expansion project, the functions implemented for customers to do like self-help pre-qualification online, the query of current standards, auxiliary intelligent review, Bluetooth print, experts login management, experts assessment management, it can assist power enterprise marketing in completing the file review of business expansion project by standard, normalized and intelligent operations, it also proposes a new technology of documents review for the departments of electric power industry.
Dairy Versus Calcium Carbonate in Promoting Peak Bone Mass and Bone Maintenance During Subsequent Calcium Deficiency

Dairy products provide most of the calcium in the diet, but consumption of milk has declined steadily over the last six decades. We determined (1) benefits to bone formation in growing female Sprague‐Dawley rats when calcium is derived from dairy versus CaCO3 and (2) residual benefits of calcium provided by dairy to rats subsequently receiving a low‐calcium diet. During growth, femurs from rats fed nonfat dry milk solids (NFDM) had 8.4% higher peak breaking force, 6.4% greater Ca content, 4.8% greater weight, 4% greater width, 1.2% greater density, 13.1% greater midshaft cortical thickness, and 16.7% greater midshaft cortical area than from rats fed CaCO3. These effects were unrelated to differences in calcium absorption or serum IGF‐1, but the NFDM group had higher rates of bone formation. If maintained on an adequate calcium diet, many of these advantages disappeared. However, rats fed adequate Ca as NFDM versus CaCO3 during growth and subsequently switched to deficient Ca as CaCO3 had significantly (p < 0.0001) higher femoral BMD (1.3%), total bone Ca (7.2%), Ca concentration (4.6%), and cortical thickness (9.4%) and a trend (p = 0.02) toward greater peak breaking force (17%). Thus, NFDMs improved bone measures during growth and protected bone against a subsequent period of calcium depletion compared with CaCO3.
The value of immunotherapy with venom in children with allergy to insect stings.

BACKGROUND The treatment of patients allergic to insect stings with insect-venom injections has been shown to be 97 percent effective in reducing the risk of sting-induced anaphylaxis. However, the frequency of systemic reactions to subsequent stings in unimmunized adults with previous reactions is approximately 60 percent. To determine which factors, in addition to a history of reaction and evidence of venom-specific IgE antibody, predispose patients to future insect-sting reactions, we studied a venom-sensitive group of children who were deemed to be at relatively low risk for severe reactions; 28 percent of them received venom therapy. METHODS We studied 242 children, 2 through 16 years of age, each of whom had had a systemic allergic reaction, affecting only the skin, to an insect sting. Each child had a positive skin-test reaction to one or more of five hymenopteran venoms. Sixty-eight children received immunotherapy with insect venom and 174 did not; about half were randomly assigned to treatment groups, and the rest were assigned on the basis of the patient's (or the parents') choice. The results of accidental stings during four years of observation were evaluated. RESULTS In the treated group, 84 stings in 36 patients resulted in one systemic reaction (1.2 percent of stings). In contrast, 196 stings in 86 untreated children resulted in 18 systemic reactions (9.2 percent of stings, P less than 0.001). Sixteen of these 18 reactions were judged to be milder than the patient's reaction to the first sting, 2 were similar in severity, and none were more severe. CONCLUSIONS These data confirm that immunotherapy with insect venom prevents recurrences of systemic reactions after subsequent insect stings. Because of the surprisingly low rate of reactions among untreated children, we could not identify any characteristics that were predictive of repeat reactions. Since only 9.2 percent of stings in the untreated children led to a systemic reaction and since there was no progression to a more severe reaction, we conclude that venom immunotherapy is unnecessary for most children who are allergic to insect stings.
Arteriovenous access does not perform as well for plasmapheresis

Purpose Access surgeons are occasionally asked to create arteriovenous access for non-dialysis functions. Subjectively noting overall poor results, we seek to present our experience with arteriovenous access creation for apheresis. Methods Billing records were reviewed using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) codes to identify patients undergoing arteriovenous access creation for diseases other than renal failure from January 2007 to August 2014. Inpatient and outpatient records were reviewed to identify patient demographics, disease-specific medications/treatments, access-specific characteristics, patency data, and reinterventions required. Results A total of 16 access creation procedures were performed for 8 patients, accounting for just 1.6% of total access creations during the period. Treatment was for myasthenia gravis (n = 6), chronic inflammatory degenerative polyneuropathy (n = 9), and stiff man syndrome (n = 1). Access failure was by thrombosis (n = 7), non-maturation (n = 4), and infection/steal syndrome (n = 1), with four accesses still functional at conclusion of review. There was 50% autogenous access creation and overall maturation rate of 37.5%. Mean primary patency was 236 days (range 10-878), with secondary patency achieved in three patients adding a mean of 174 days (range 2-517). Cumulative 3-month and 1-year patency rates were 36.5% and 25%, respectively. Conclusions Arteriovenous access creation for plasmapheresis represents a minority of access procedures. Though it remains unclear why, patency and maturation rates are significantly lower than expected when compared to access for hemodialysis access. These high failure rates must be taken into account when considering replacement of temporary catheters with surgical access for non-hemodialysis needs.
Are “Patterns” of Lumbar Disc Degeneration Associated With Low Back Pain?: New Insights Based on Skipped Level Disc Pathology

Study Design. A cross-sectional, population-based cohort study. Objective. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical relevance of skipped level disc degeneration (SLDD) to that of contiguous, multilevel disc degeneration (CMDD) of the lumbar spine. The study also aimed to identify patterns of SLDD, its classification, prevalence, and clinical relevance. Summary of Background Data. The association of disc degeneration on magnetic resonance imaging with low back pain (LBP) remains questionable. The occurrence of SLDD of the lumbar spine has recently been noted. To date, patterns of disc degeneration have been overlooked in the association with low back symptoms. Methods. A population-based radiographic and clinical study of 3099 Southern Chinese patients. Individuals with multilevel disc degeneration of the lumbar spine on sagittal T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (N = 1457) were stratified to SLDD (n = 301; 20.7%) or CMDD (n = 1156; 79.3%) groups. SLDD was further classified into 5 types by the relative location of nondegenerated normal disc(s) to degenerated disc levels. Subject demographics, presence of LBP, pain intensity, and functional disability were assessed. Results. In the multivariate analyses, CMDD increased the likelihood of historical LBP (odds ratio [OR]: 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00–1.93; P = 0.047) and pain severity (OR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.23–2.73; P = 0.003) in comparison with SLDD. A significant increasing trend of number of levels with disc degeneration, overall disc degeneration severity, and presence of disc bulges/extrusions was noted from SLDD type I (least severe) to SLDD type V (most severe) (P < 0.05). A higher prevalence of LBP and a higher pain intensity were observed in SLDD classification type V. Functional disability scores did not differ between CMDD and SLDD, nor within SLDD classification types (P > 0.05). Conclusion. Our large-scale study is the first to describe novel variants of SLDD types and their clinical relevance. More important, LBP and severity of pain were more pronounced in individuals with CMDD rather than those with SLDD. Our study suggests that subjects with a similar degree but different patterns of multilevel disc degeneration do differ with respect to low back symptoms. This finding may provide new evidence with regard to the mechanism of LBP.
Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza Working Paper Series Predicting the Effects of a Sugar Sweetened Beverage Tax in a Household Production Model

We study the impact of a hypothetical tax on sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) on the US households’ nutrients purchase, welfare change, and health benefit. Differently from the traditional approach, Food at Home(FAH) is here defined as a “home” good instead than a market good and consumers’ demands derived under the assumption that households maximize utility subject to both a money and a time constraint. The model is estimated by using an incomplete approximate Exact Affine Stone Index (EASI) demand system on a data set built by merging the most recent waves of the US consumer expenditure and time use surveys. Results show that a SSB tax would be much more effective in decreasing household nutrients purchase than it would appear by estimating a model neglecting time costs in home food production. A tax induced increased in SSB price by 20% is predicted to decrease the per capita energy purchase by 29.17 kcal/day. The annual health benefits of the tax, measured only in terms of reduced medical expenditure, would overcome estimated welfare losses by more than $400 million. JEL classification: D12 D13 I18
Tribocharging and electrostatic separation of mixed granular solids in fluidized bed devices

Granular materials, when fluidized by air or other gaseous medium, acquire electrostatic charge by inter-particle and particle-wall collisions. The effectiveness of particle tribocharging achieved with such fluidization process is crucial for establishing the feasibility of electrostatic separation of mixed granular solid wastes in the recycling industry. The present paper aims at a crude evaluation of the effects of the main factors that influence the efficiency of such a tribocharger, in the presence of an electric field orthogonally oriented to the direction of the fluidization air. The experiments were carried out on binary mixtures taking combinations of two of the three polymeric materials in different tests: (a) virgin polyamide, (b) polycarbonate and (c) polyacetal granules. The variables investigated were the duration of the tribocharging process, the level of the high-voltage applied to the electrode and the composition of the mixture. The analysis of the experimental data revealed the effects of each variable on the mass and the charge of the granules collected at the electrodes.
Noninvasive Predictors of Malignant Arrhythmias

Background: Prediction and potential prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to malignant ventricular arrhythmia (MVA) represent an obvious unmet medical need. We estimated the prognostic relevance of numerous biomarkers associated with future MVA development in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) over 2 years of follow-up. Methods: Patients with stable documented CAD (n = 97) with a mean age of 61 ± 10 years were prospectively enrolled in a single-center observational cohort study. Heart failure was diagnosed in 68% of the patients (NYHA class II-III). The mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 50 ± 13%, while 20% of patients had LVEF ≤35%. Sixty-two patients underwent myocardial revascularization during the follow-up (mean 25 ± 11 months). Clinical characteristics (age, gender, diabetes, history of coronary disease and arrhythmias, prior interventions and antecedent medications), noninvasive electrophysiological markers [microvolt T-wave alterations, signal-averaged electrocardiography, QT interval duration and alteration, and heart rate turbulence (HRT) and HR variability], laboratory indices [serum creatinine and creatinine clearance, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), NT-proBNP, and C-reactive protein and troponin T levels] were assessed with regard to the MVA prognosis. Results: MVA was diagnosed in 11 patients during the prospective follow-up. Prior percutaneous coronary intervention (p < 0.05), MVA or syncope (p < 0.05), on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting during follow-up (p < 0.01), LVEF ≤47% (p < 0.01), a left atrium size ≥4.7 cm (p < 0.05), left atrium index (p = 0.01), filtered QRS duration (p < 0.05), abnormal HRT (χ2 = 6.2, p = 0.01) or turbulence slope (χ2 = 9.5, p < 0.01), BNP ≥158 pg/ml (p < 0.01) and NT-proBNP ≥787 pg/ml (χ2 = 4.4, p < 0.05) were significantly associated with MVA risk by univariate analysis. However, only prior MVA or syncope [odds ratio (OR) 11.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.8-44.4; p < 0.01], abnormal HRT (ОR 13.6; 95% CI 2.8-66.1; p < 0.01) and plasma BNP (ОR 14.3; 95% CI 3.2-65.0; p < 0.01) remained independent predictors of MVA occurrence by multivariate Cox regression analysis. Conclusion: Prior syncope or MVA, HRT and elevated plasma BNP were independent MVA predictors, advocating for the prospective screening of high-risk CAD patients for potential SCD awareness.
Recent Advances in Understanding Enteric Pathogenic Escherichia coli

SUMMARY Although Escherichia coli can be an innocuous resident of the gastrointestinal tract, it also has the pathogenic capacity to cause significant diarrheal and extraintestinal diseases. Pathogenic variants of E. coli (pathovars or pathotypes) cause much morbidity and mortality worldwide. Consequently, pathogenic E. coli is widely studied in humans, animals, food, and the environment. While there are many common features that these pathotypes employ to colonize the intestinal mucosa and cause disease, the course, onset, and complications vary significantly. Outbreaks are common in developed and developing countries, and they sometimes have fatal consequences. Many of these pathotypes are a major public health concern as they have low infectious doses and are transmitted through ubiquitous mediums, including food and water. The seriousness of pathogenic E. coli is exemplified by dedicated national and international surveillance programs that monitor and track outbreaks; unfortunately, this surveillance is often lacking in developing countries. While not all pathotypes carry the same public health profile, they all carry an enormous potential to cause disease and continue to present challenges to human health. This comprehensive review highlights recent advances in our understanding of the intestinal pathotypes of E. coli.
Advances in tryptophan hydroxylase‐2 gene expression regulation: New insights into serotonin–stress interaction and clinical implications

Serotonin (5‐HT) modulates the stress response by interacting with the hormonal hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and neuronal sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) is the rate‐limiting enzyme in 5‐HT biosynthesis, and the recent identification of a second, neuron‐specific TPH isoform (TPH2) opened up a new area of research. While TPH2 genetic variance has been linked to numerous behavioral traits and disorders, findings on TPH2 gene expression have not only reinforced, but also provided new insights into, the long‐recognized but not yet fully understood 5‐HT–stress interaction. In this review, we summarize advances in TPH2 expression regulation and its relevance to the stress response and clinical implications. Particularly, based on findings on rhesus monkey TPH2 genetics and other relevant literature, we propose that: (i) upon activation of adrenal cortisol secretion, the cortisol surge induces TPH2 expression and de novo 5‐HT synthesis; (ii) the induced 5‐HT in turn inhibits cortisol secretion by modulating the adrenal sensitivity to ACTH via the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN)‐SNS‐adrenal system, such that it contributes to the feedback inhibition of cortisol production; (iii) basal TPH2 expression or 5‐HT synthesis, as well as early‐life experience, influence basal cortisol primarily via the hormonal HPA axis; and (iv) 5′‐ and 3′‐regulatory polymorphisms of TPH2 may differentially influence the stress response, presumably due to their differential roles in gene expression regulation. Our increasing knowledge of TPH2 expression regulation not only helps us better understand the 5‐HT–stress interaction and the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders, but also provides new strategies for the treatment of stress‐associated diseases. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ethno-Racial Appeals and the Production of Political Capital: Evidence from Chicago and Toronto

Ethno-racial appeals mobilize individuals through their social categories. Such appeals matter especially in municipal elections, where partisan cues are often absent and turnout is low. This article presents findings from an analysis of ethno-racial appeals in 914 campaign documents from the 2014 Toronto and 2015 Chicago municipal elections. It reveals that campaigns frequently target non-White and White ethnic voters through explicit appeals. These appeals do not fit into the existing framework of racial priming theory. Drawing instead on Bourdieu’s theory of capital, the article conceptualizes ethno-racial appeals as attempts to produce or destroy a candidate’s political capital among specific groups. Campaigns do this directly by making claims about the group’s purported interests or indirectly by invoking candidates’ relevant cultural or social capital. Analyzing ethno-racial appeals in this way helps to comprehend the mobilization of non-Whites, illuminates the production of ethno-racial voting, and contributes to the understanding of place-based culture.
Early years’ provision for young children in Wales: history, challenges, and the Welsh language

The development of Welsh medium early years’ education has been a story of singular success over the last century. With the establishment of the National Assembly in 2000, Wales further forged its own vision for its young children. One of its first priorities, for example, was the Foundation Phase with its radical approach. This paper offers an overview of the historic development of nursery education in Wales, before and post devolution. Welsh language and Wales policies are set in the context of wider influences. Focus will be on Welsh language provision, highlighting the role of Mudiad Meithrin in the language revitalisation process. This paper will consider issues, research and theory relating to early bilingualism and will review approaches to immersion methodology. Thereafter, the challenges of implementing immersion will be explored and set in the landscape of tensions facing the field of early childhood services in Welsh, and in light of current political and policy developments.