NOMAD: Non-locking, stOchastic Multi-machine algorithm for Asynchronous and Decentralized matrix completion

We develop an efficient parallel distributed algorithm for matrix completion, named NOMAD (Non-locking, stOchastic Multi-machine algorithm for Asynchronous and Decentralized matrix completion). NOMAD is a decentralized algorithm with non-blocking communication between processors. One of the key features of NOMAD is that the ownership of a variable is asynchronously transferred between processors in a decentralized fashion. As a consequence it is a lock-free parallel algorithm. In spite of being an asynchronous algorithm, the variable updates of NOMAD are serializable, that is, there is an equivalent update ordering in a serial implementation. NOMAD outperforms synchronous algorithms which require explicit bulk synchronization after every iteration: our extensive empirical evaluation shows that not only does our algorithm perform well in distributed setting on commodity hardware, but also outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms on a HPC cluster both in multi-core and distributed memory settings

Innovative Design of Cam-Controlled Planetary Gear Trains

The objective of this paper is to perform the innovation design for the new structures of cam-controlled planetary gear trains (CCPGTs), based on the creative mechanism design methodology. Firstly, the design requirements and design constraints are summarized according to the kinematics characteristics of existing CCPGTs. Then, the (4, 5) and (5, 7) graphs are generated by the theory of number synthesis. After that, the atlas of feasible specialized graphs is obtained. Finally, the atlas of new designs is obtained through the particularization process. In addition, an illustrated example is given, and the feasibility of the design is verified by computer simulation using ADAMS software. The result indicates that news design can produce a more wide range of non-uniform motion than the existing design, therefore they are better alternatives for driving a variable speed input mechanism

THE ACUTE EFFECT OF UPPER EXTREMITY PLYOMETRIC TRAINING

The purpose of this study was to probe the acute effect of the performance of upper extremity muscle groups after the plyometric training intervention. The participants were 13 healthy male college students. The force transducers (300kg, 200 Hz) and EMG sensor (1000 Hz) were taken to diagnose the acute effects of strength and muscle activation done by upper extremity pre and post plyometric training (load :24kg, 12 repetiiion times Iset, 3 set), and pair t-test was taken to test the significance(a=.05). The result showed that the strength after the upper extremity plyometric training intervention obviously had decreased 8% (

Enhancing the Anticancer Activity of Antrodia cinnamomea in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells via Cocultivation With Ginger: The Impact on Cancer Cell Survival Pathways

Antrodia cinnamomea (AC) is a medicinal fungal species that has been widely used traditionally in Taiwan for the treatment of diverse health-related conditions including cancer. It possesses potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in addition to its ability to promote cancer cell death in several human tumors. Our aim was to improve the anticancer activity of AC in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through its cocultivation with ginger aiming at tuning the active ingredients. HCC cell lines, Huh-7 and HepG2 were used to study the in vitro anticancer activity of the ethanolic extracts of AC (EAC) alone or after the cocultivation in presence of ginger (EACG). The results indicated that the cocultivation of AC with ginger significantly induced the production of important triterpenoids and EACG was significantly more potent than EAC in targeting HCC cell lines. EACG effectively inhibited cancer cells growth via the induction of cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and induction of apoptosis in Huh-7 and HepG2 cells as indicated by MTT assay, cell cycle analysis, Annexin V assay, and the activation of caspase-3. In addition, EACG modulated cyclin proteins expression and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways in favor of the inhibition of cancer cell survival. Taken together, the current study highlights an evidence that EACG is superior to EAC in targeting cancer cell survival and inducing apoptotic cell death in HCC. These findings support that EACG formula can serve as a potential candidate for HCC adjuvant therapy

Performance of Six Clinical Physiological Scoring Systems in Predicting In-Hospital Mortality in Elderly and Very Elderly Patients with Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Emergency Department

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare the performance of six clinical physiological-based scores, including the pre-endoscopy Rockall score, shock index (SI), age shock index (age SI), Rapid Acute Physiology Score (RAPS), Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS), and Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), in predicting in-hospital mortality in elderly and very elderly patients in the emergency department (ED) with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB). Materials and Methods: Patients older than 65 years who visited the ED with a clinical diagnosis of AUGIB were enrolled prospectively from July 2016 to July 2021. The six scores were calculated and compared with in-hospital mortality. Results: A total of 336 patients were recruited, of whom 40 died. There is a significant difference between the patients in the mortality group and survival group in terms of the six scoring systems. MEWS had the highest area under the curve (AUC) value (0.82). A subgroup analysis was performed for a total of 180 very elderly patients (i.e., older than 75 years), of whom 27 died. MEWS also had the best predictive performance in this subgroup (AUC, 0.82). Conclusions: This simple, rapid, and obtainable-by-the-bed parameter could assist emergency physicians in risk stratification and decision making for this vulnerable group