Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Model-based nonlinear optimal blood glucose control of Type I diabetes patients

Using induced L2-norm minimization, a robust controller was developed for insulin delivery in Type I diabetic patients. The high-complexity nonlinear diabetic patient Sorensen-model [1] was considered. LPV (Linear Parameter Varying) methodology was used to develop open loop model and robust controller. Considering the normoglycemic set point (81.1 mg/dL), a polytopic set was created over the physiologic boundaries of the glucose-insulin interaction of the Sorensen-model. In this way, LPV model formalism was defined. The robust control was developed considering input and output multiplicative uncertainties with other weighting functions.
Topography of basal cell carcinoma and their correlations with gender, age and histologic pattern: a retrospective study of 1042 lesions.

BACKGROUND Basal cell carcinoma accounts for 75% of skin cancer. Sun exposure and genetics are related to its etiology. It's expected that biological and behavioral differences provide different patterns of involvement between sexes. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the topography of lesions and their correlations with gender, age and histological type. METHODS Retrospective study of basal cell carcinoma patients treated between 1999 and 2008 in the Skin Cancer Clinic of Santa Casa de Misericordia of Curitiba. We evaluated sex, age, location, histological type, margins commitment, sun exposure and family skin cancer history. RESULTS We found 1042 lesions in 545 patients (61% women), being more numerous in men (p<0.01). Their ages ranged between 27 and 95 years (median=65). Men had more sun exposure (p<0.01). The lesions were more frequent extra-cephalic recently (p<0.01). The margin involvement was higher in the head (p<0.01). The superficial type was less frequent on the head (p<0.01) and was associated with younger ages in women (p<0.01). The head housed 74% of lesions and the legs 2%. Women had a predilection for the legs, nose and upper lip and men to trunk, ears and scalp (p <0.05). The surgeries in the medial epicanthus and scalp occurred at younger ages (p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS We identified significant associations between the topography of lesions, gender, age and histological type, demonstrating the possible pathophysiological diversity and differential risk factors operation. In the period studied we found no trend of increase in the proportion of young or women among patients.
Measurement and analysis of OSN ad auctions

Advertising is ubiquitous on the Web; numerous ad networks serve billions of ads daily via keyword or search term auctions. Recently, online social networks (OSNs) such as Facebook have created site-specific ad services that differ from traditional ad networks by letting advertisers bid on users rather than keywords. With Facebook's annual ad revenue exceeding $4 billion, OSN-based ad services are emerging to be a significant fraction of the online ad market. In contrast to other online ad markets (e.g., Google's ad market), there has been little academic study of OSN ad services, and OSNs have released very little data about their advertising markets; as a result, researchers currently lack the tools to measure and understand these markets. In this paper, our goal is to bring visibility to OSN ad markets, focusing on Facebook. We demonstrate that the (undocumented) feature that suggests bids to advertisers is most likely calculated via sampling recent winning bids. We then show how this feature can be used to explore the relative value of different user demographics and the overall stability of the advertising market. Through the exploration of suggested bid data for different demographics, we find dramatic differences in prices paid across different user interests and locations. Finally, we show that the ad market shows long-term variability, suggesting that OSN ad services have yet to mature.
Predictors of nocturnal oxygen desaturation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a South Indian population.

CONTEXT Nocturnal Oxygen Desaturation (NOD) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with a poor prognosis. AIMS To document the occurrence of NOD in COPD and to identify factors which might predict NOD in COPD patients with daytime arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) > or =60 mm Hg. SETTINGS AND DESIGN This prospective study was conducted in patients attending the special respiratory clinics or admitted in JIPMER, Pondicherry. METHODS AND MATERIAL Thirty consecutive patients with COPD were divided into two groups, desaturators and non-desaturators on the basis of nocturnal oxygen saturation. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED Unpaired 't' test, Karl Pearson's correlation equation and stepwise multiple regression analysis was done. RESULTS Fourteen patients (46.6%) experienced NOD. Desaturators had lower awake oxygen saturation, PaO2, forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second and peak expiratory flow rate. There was positive correlation between nocturnal O2 saturation and PaO2 (r=0.638 and P value =0.014) and awake SPO2 (r=0.901 and P value <0.001). CONCLUSIONS The rate of occurrence of NOD in COPD was 46.6%. Awake SPO2 is the only single predictor of nocturnal oxygen desaturation in these patients.
Under the influence: examination of prevalence and correlates of alcohol and marijuana consumption in relation to youth driving and passenger behaviours in Canada. A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND Consequences of alcohol- and drug-impaired driving affect youth disproportionately. We describe individual- and area-level characteristics associated with risky driving and passenger behaviours among grade 9-12 students in Canada. METHODS The 2014-2015 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Survey was administered to 24 650 students in provincially generalizable samples. Dichotomous outcomes included ever and last-30-day driving after drinking alcohol, ever and last-30-day driving after using marijuana, and ever and last-30-day reporting of being a passenger with a driver who had been drinking or using marijuana. RESULTS A total of 9.1% (99% confidence interval 7.9-10.3) of grade 11-12 students reported ever driving after drinking, and 9.4% (99% confidence interval 8.3-10.4) reported ever driving after using marijuana. Almost half (48%) of grade 11-12 students reported ever participating in any risky driving or passenger behaviour. Over one-third (35%) of grade 9-12 students reported ever riding with a driver who had been drinking, and 20% reported ever riding with a driver who had been using marijuana. Logistic regression models showed that boys had higher odds of risky driving behaviours relative to girls, whereas girls had higher odds of risky passenger behaviours relative to boys. Students from rural schools had higher odds of drinking and driving and of riding with a driver who had drunk relative to students from urban schools. There were significant differences in risky driving and passenger behaviours by province. INTERPRETATION A substantial number of Canadian youth reported risky driving and passenger behaviours, which varied by individual and area-level characteristics. Federal marijuana policy should aim to reduce the prevalence of drug-impaired driving. Additional provincial policies to prevent impaired driving are needed.
Prognostic value of troponins in acute coronary syndrome depends upon patient age

Objective This study aims to determine whether the prognostic significance of troponins in acute coronary syndrome in predicting mortality varies by age, and if so, to what extent when other prognostic indicators are considered. Methods We analysed Myocardial Ischemia National Audit Project registry data collected between January 2006 and December 2010 and followed up this cohort for all-cause mortality until August 2011. Relationships between peak troponin levels (types I and T) and time to death in different age groups, and between age and time to death at different troponin levels were investigated using multiple variable adjusted Cox regression models. Results Of the 322 617 patients with acute coronary syndromes included, a third (n=106 365, 33%) died during 695 334 person-years of follow-up. Within each troponin category, older age was associated with a higher mortality even in those with a troponin <0.01 ng/mL for both troponin types (HR ∼10–12 in ≥85 years cf. HR of 1.0 in <65 years). The relative potency of an elevated troponin to predict an adverse outcome compared with a low troponin attenuated with increased age (for troponin I ≥15.0 compared with troponin I <0.01 in age <65, adjusted HR 2.41 (95% CI 1.80 to 3.24); age ≥85 HR 2.01 (1.62 to 2.52)). Similar but less consistent results were observed with troponin T elevation at the higher levels. Conclusions Clinicians should interpret the prognostic value of troponin taking into account the patient's age.
ModifiComb, a New Proteomic Tool for Mapping Substoichiometric Post-translational Modifications, Finding Novel Types of Modifications, and Fingerprinting Complex Protein Mixtures*

A major challenge in proteomics is to fully identify and characterize the post-translational modification (PTM) patterns present at any given time in cells, tissues, and organisms. Here we present a fast and reliable method (“ModifiComb”) for mapping hundreds types of PTMs at a time, including novel and unexpected PTMs. The high mass accuracy of Fourier transform mass spectrometry provides in many cases unique elemental composition of the PTM through the difference ΔM between the molecular masses of the modified and unmodified peptides, whereas the retention time difference ΔRT between their elution in reversed-phase liquid chromatography provides an additional dimension for PTM identification. Abundant sequence information obtained with complementary fragmentation techniques using ion-neutral collisions and electron capture often locates the modification to a single residue. The (ΔM, ΔRT) maps are representative of the proteome and its overall modification state and may be used for database-independent organism identification, comparative proteomic studies, and biomarker discovery. Examples of newly found modifications include +12.000 Da (+C atom) incorporation into proline residues of peptides from proline-rich proteins found in human saliva. This modification is hypothesized to increase the known activity of the peptide.
Online Appendix: Discrete Prices and the Incidence and Efficiency of Excise Taxes

We summarize our main (monthly) dataset in Table A1. For each state and product size (750mL, 1L, 1.75L) we report the number of store-product-month observations, the total sales, and the average price paid (total revenue divided by total sales). We exclude 1L bottles from Illinois and Louisiana because we have fewer than 8,000 such observations and they represent a very small fraction of sales; we keep them for Connecticut where they represent around 8% of the market. Additionally, we report the size of the tax increase for each state and product size which ranges from $0.105 per bottle for 750mL bottles in Louisiana to $1.87 per bottle for 1.75L bottles in Illinois. We also consider a weighted version of the same sample where we weight products by their annual sales in the same store for the calendar year prior to tax change. We use these weights because price changes are more important for more popular products.1 The weighted sample has substantially lower prices because mass-market products are cheaper and more popular than high-end niche products.
A theoretical neural integrator.

A neural network model is introduced which approximates the behavior of an integrator. It is developed from cells that are physiologically realistic. Requirements for insensitivity of network function to cell threshold distribution are derived, and network performance as the forward-path element of a neuromuscular control system is analyzed. The response of the ``integrator'' to sustained inputs is derived and shown to approximate the desired proportionality of input magnitude and rate of change of output. Finally, deviations from physiological realism are discussed and the visual accommodation system is described as an example of a biological servomechanism in which a neural integrator seems probable.
53BP1 and BRCA1 control pathway choice for stalled replication restart

The cellular pathways that restart stalled replication forks are essential for genome stability and tumor prevention. However, how many of these pathways exist in cells and how these pathways are selectively activated remain unclear. Here, we describe two major fork restart pathways, and demonstrate that their selection is governed by 53BP1 and BRCA1, which are known to control the pathway choice to repair double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs). Specifically, 53BP1 promotes a fork cleavage-free pathway, whereas BRCA1 facilitates a break-induced replication (BIR) pathway coupled with SLX-MUS complex-mediated fork cleavage. The defect in the first pathway, but not DSB repair, in a 53BP1 mutant is largely corrected by disrupting BRCA1, and vice versa. Moreover, PLK1 temporally regulates the switch of these two pathways through enhancing the assembly of the SLX-MUS complex. Our results reveal two distinct fork restart pathways, which are antagonistically controlled by 53BP1 and BRCA1 in a DSB repair-independent manner.
A review and investigations of some properties of foamed aerated concrete

The paper presents the results of investigation conducted on foamed aerated concrete a lightweight concrete - with a view to determining its potential as a construction material in Nigeria. The properties investigated on foamed aerated concrete having a designed density of 1600kg/m3 were: workability, density, compressive strength, tensile strength, and the water absorption capacity. The results showed that at the designed density adopted for this work, the material was workable and repeatable. Other results at 28 days of curing are: (i) compressive strength of 15. 43N/mm2, 13.89N/mm2 respectively for air-cured and water-cured specimens, (ii) modulus of rupture of 2.53N/mm2 (ii) splitting tensile strength of 1.63N/mm2, and (iv) the water absorption capacity of 1.03% The tensile strength to compressive strength ratio was more than 10%. These properties improved with time. It can be concluded that the foamed aerated concrete used for this work is repeatable, and of adequate strength for use as a construction material. Keywords: Aerated Concrete, Compressive Strength, Tensile Strength, Workability
Distortion Induced Fatigue Analysis of Steel Bridges

Induced forces in secondary steel bridge members such as diaphragms and cross-bracing can cause out-of-plane distortion in webs that may lead to fatigue cracking. Such cracking is most likely to occur if the distortion must be accommodated in a short length of the web, such as in the gap between the end of transverse stiffeners and girder flanges, thats because the web gap is subject to double curvature. In this paper, the numerical analysis models of the curved continue steel bridges were established using ANSYS software to calculate the fatigue stress at the web gaps. The numerical analysis results show that both the bottom web gap at middle span area and the top web gap at supported were poor fatigue details, and web thickness and web gap depth give the great affection on the out-of-plane distortion fatigue stress at web gaps of curved steel bridges.
Spin foam models of Riemannian quantum gravity

Using numerical calculations, we compare three versions of the Barrett–Crane model of four-dimensional Riemannian quantum gravity. In the version with face and edge amplitudes as described by De Pietri, Freidel, Krasnov and Rovelli, we show the partition function diverges very rapidly for many triangulated 4-manifolds. In the version with modified face and edge amplitudes given by Perez and Rovelli, we show the partition function converges so rapidly that the sum is dominated by spin foams where all the spins labelling faces are zero except for small, widely separated islands of higher spin. We also describe a new version which appears to have a convergent partition function without drastic spin-zero dominance. Finally, after a general discussion of how to extract physics from spin foam models, we discuss the implications of convergence or divergence of the partition function for other aspects of a spin foam model.
G328.4+0.2: A Large and Luminous Crab-like Supernova Remnant

We report on radio continuum and H I observations of the radio source G328.4+0.2 using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Our results confirm G328.4+0.2 to be a filled-center nebula with no surrounding shell, showing significant linear polarization and an almost flat spectral index. These results lead us to conclude that G328.4+0.2 is a Crab-like, or "plerionic," supernova remnant (SNR), presumably powered by an unseen central pulsar. H I absorption toward G328.4+0.2 puts a lower limit on its distance of 17.4 ± 0.9 kpc, making it the largest (D = 25 pc) and most luminous (LR = 3 × 1035 ergs s-1) Crab-like SNR in the Galaxy. We infer G328.4+0.2 to be significantly older than the Crab Nebula, but powered by a pulsar which is fast spinning (P < 20 ms) and which has a comparatively low magnetic field (B < 1012 G). We propose G328.4+0.2, G74.9+1.2, and N157B as a distinct group of large-diameter, high-luminosity Crab-like SNRs, all powered by fast-spinning low-field pulsars.
A Cellular Learning Automata-based Algorithm for Solving the Coverage and Connectivity Problem in Wireless Sensor Networks

Presence of redundant nodes is common in wireless sensor networks because of various reasons such as high probability of failures and necessity of long lifetime. When such redundancy exists, some distributed algorithms are needed for selecting minimal subset of nodes as active nodes in a manner that network area is covered entirely with the selected active nodes. In this paper, a distributed algorithm is proposed which attempts to minimize the number of active nodes in the network using cellular learning automata in such a way that the following two conditions are met: 1. network area is covered entirely, and 2. network of selected active nodes is connected. In the proposed algorithm, each node is equipped with a learning automaton which locally decides for the node to be active or not based on the remaining energy of the node and its neighbors’ situations. To ensure the network connectivity, we analytically determine the radio transmission range of sensor nodes according to their sensing range so that complete coverage of the network area guarantees the connectivity of active nodes. The time and space costs of the proposed algorithm are analytically determined and compared with those of similar existing algorithms such as PEAS and PECAS. Simulation results in J-Sim simulator environment specify the efficiency of the proposed algorithm over existing algorithms such as PEAS and PECAS—especially against high ratio of unexpected failures and nodes’ energy depletion.
Mapping and analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans transcription factor sequence specificities

Caenorhabditis elegans is a powerful model for studying gene regulation, as it has a compact genome and a wealth of genomic tools. However, identification of regulatory elements has been limited, as DNA-binding motifs are known for only 71 of the estimated 763 sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs). To address this problem, we performed protein binding microarray experiments on representatives of canonical TF families in C. elegans, obtaining motifs for 129 TFs. Additionally, we predict motifs for many TFs that have DNA-binding domains similar to those already characterized, increasing coverage of binding specificities to 292 C. elegans TFs (∼40%). These data highlight the diversification of binding motifs for the nuclear hormone receptor and C2H2 zinc finger families and reveal unexpected diversity of motifs for T-box and DM families. Motif enrichment in promoters of functionally related genes is consistent with known biology and also identifies putative regulatory roles for unstudied TFs. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.06967. 001
Identification of Two Novel Genes Encoding 97- to 99-Kilodalton Outer Membrane Proteins of Chlamydia pneumoniae

ABSTRACT Two genes encoding 97- to 99-kDa Chlamydia pneumoniaeVR1310 outer membrane proteins (Omp4 and Omp5) with mutual similarity were cloned and sequenced. The proteins were shown to be constituents of the C. pneumoniae outer membrane complex, and the deduced amino acid sequences were similar to those of putative outer membrane proteins encoded by the Chlamydia psittaci andChlamydia trachomatis gene families. By use of a monospecific polyclonal antibody against purified recombinant Omp4, it was shown that without heating, the protein migrated at 65 to 75 kDa in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Immunoelectron microscopy showed that epitopes of Omp4 were exposed on the surface of C. pneumoniae elementary bodies, reticulate bodies, and outer membrane complex. Proteins encoded by the C. pneumoniae gene family seem to be dominant antigens in experimentally infected mice.
Effective Thermal Conductivity of Plain Weave Fabric and its Composite Material Made from High Strength Fibers

Structural models of yarn, plain weave fabrics, and plain weave fabric/resin composites were derived and theoretical formulas for the effective thermal conductivity were developed from these models. First the effective thermal conductivity of the transverse direction of the yarn was obtained by using the effective thermal conductivity of the fiber. Then the effective thermal conductivity in the direction of the thickness of both plain weave fabrics and composite materials was calculated from the yarn thermal conductivity. Also, we analyzed heat flow in plain weave fabrics using the finite element method. Heat flows not only in the direction transverse to the yarn, but also in the parallel direction, however heat flow in the direction of the thickness of the plain weave fabric became only twice that calculated by assuming that heat does not flow in the direction parallel to of the yarn at all. We confirmed that the heat conduction anisotropy of fibers must be considered when designing the effective thermal conductivity of plain weave fabrics and of plain weave fabric/resin composites.
Stopping rule reversal for finite Markov chains

Consider a finite irreducible Markov chain with transition matrix M = (pij). Fixing a target distribution τ , we study a family of optimal stopping rules from the singleton distributions to τ . We show that this family of rules is dual to a family of (not necessarily optimal) rules on the reverse chain from the singleton distributions to a related distribution α̂ called the τ -contrast distribution. This duality can be expressed using matrices of exit frequencies. Furthermore, we identify a third distribution β called the τ -core such that α̂ and β are entirely dual to one another: a family of optimal rules to α̂ on the reverse chain are dual to a family of optimal rules to β on the forward chain. Using this duality, we provide new proofs of some exact mixing measure results of Lovász and Winkler [11] concerning the mixing time, the reset time and the forget time. In addition, we show that the time between independent samples of α̂ on the reverse chain is equal to the time between independent samples of β on the forward chain. Finally, we study the properties of matrices of exit frequencies for optimal families of stopping rules. We show that the inverse of an exit frequency matrix can be obtained via an alteration of the singular matrix I − M . Our observations lead to new proofs of two spectral results for mixing measures.