Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust Quadratic-Optimal Control of TS-Fuzzy-Model-Based Dynamic Systems With Both Elemental Parametric Uncertainties and Norm-Bounded Approximation Error

This paper considers the design problem of the robust quadratic-optimal parallel-distributed-compensation (PDC) controllers for Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy-model-based control systems with both elemental parametric uncertainties and norm-bounded approximation error. By complementarily fusing the robust stabilizability condition, the orthogonal functions approach (OFA), and the hybrid Taguchi genetic algorithm (HTGA), an integrative method is presented in this paper to design the robust quadratic-optimal PDC controllers such that 1) the uncertain TS-fuzzy-model-based control systems can be robustly stabilized, and 2) a quadratic integral performance index for the nominal TS-fuzzy-model-based control systems can be minimized. In this paper, the robust stabilizability condition is proposed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). By using the OFA and the LMI-based robust stabilizability condition, the robust quadratic-optimal PDC control problem for the uncertain TS-fuzzy-model-based dynamic systems is transformed into a static constrained-optimization problem represented by the algebraic equations with constraint of LMI-based robust stabilizability condition, thus greatly simplifying the robust optimal PDC control design problem. Then, for the static constrained-optimization problem, the HTGA is employed to find the robust quadratic-optimal PDC controllers of the uncertain TS-fuzzy-model-based control systems. Two design examples of the robust quadratic-optimal PDC controllers for an uncertain inverted pendulum system and an uncertain nonlinear mass-spring-damper mechanical system are given to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed integrative approach.
Comparison of retention characteristics of Essix and Hawley retainers

Objective We aimed to compare the retention characteristics of Essix and Hawley retainers. Methods Adolescents undergoing fixed appliance treatment at 2 centers were recruited for this study. Twenty-two patients (16 women and 6 men) wore Essix retainers (Essix group) while 20 (14 women and 6 men) wore Hawley retainers (Hawley group). The mean retention time was 1 year, and the mean follow-up recall time for both groups was 2 years. Two qualified dental examiners evaluated the blind patient data. Maxillary and mandibular dental casts and lateral cephalograms were analyzed at 4 stages: pretreatment (T1), post-treatment (T2), post-retention (T3), and follow-up (T4). Results The results revealed that Essix appliances were more efficient in retaining the anterior teeth in the mandible during a 1-year retention period. The irregularity index increased in both arches in both groups after a 2-year post-retention period. The mandibular arch lengths increased during treatment and tended to return to their original value after retention in both groups; however, these changes were statistically significant only in the Hawley group. Cephalometric variables did not show any significant differences. Conclusions The retention characteristics of both Essix and Hawley retainers are similar.
Atherosclerosis in thrombotic primary antiphospholipid syndrome

Summary. Background: Primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) is characterized by arterial and venous thrombosis, pregnancy loss, often recurrent, in the presence and persistence on antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). The issue of early atherosclerosis, as evaluated by measuring carotid intima media thickness (IMT), associated with aPL, has been limitedly explored in PAPS. Methods: In an age‐ and sex‐matched case‐double‐control study, intima media thickeness of carotid arteries was measured using high‐resolution B‐mode ultrasound in 49 thrombotic PAPS patients (18 M, 31 F, mean age 37 ± 11), in 49 patients who suffered thrombosis for inherited thrombophilia and 49 healthy subjects. Results: Average carotid IMT was always greater in PAPS than control patients (common carotid P = 0.004, bifurcation P = 0.013, internal carotid P = 0.001). By dividing participants into age tertiles most of the difference was explained by greater IMT of PAPS patients in the second (common carotid P = 0.003, bifurcation P = 0.023, internal carotid P = 0.003) and third tertiles (common carotid P = 0.03, bifurcation P = 0.004, internal carotid P = 0.007). Conclusions: Premature atherosclerosis is a clinical feature of our thrombotic PAPS patients.
Letter by Zheng et al Regarding Article, "Cerebrovascular Outcomes With Proton Pump Inhibitors and Thienopyridines: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis".

We read with great interest the article by Malhotra et al1 in the recent issue of Stroke . The authors investigated the association of concomitant use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and thienopyridines with cerebrovascular outcomes. They concluded that a coprescription of PPIs and thienopyridines increases the risk of ischemic stroke, stroke, and composite outcome of stroke, myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular death. We have several concerns about the study. First, previous studies suggested that different PPIs exhibit different degrees of inhibitory effect on CYP2C19.2,3 A study showed that patients administered pantoprazole did not show any significant changes in CYP2C19 activity and platelet reactivity, which is different from the results reported for omeprazole and esomeprazole. …
Cheiloscopy: Revisited

Identification plays a very important role in any crime investigation. Cheiloscopy helps in identifying the humans based on the lips’ traces. The pattern of wrinkles on the lips has individual characteristics like fingerprints. A review of the literature reveals very little research done on lip prints so far. The present article reviews in detail the history, scope of cheiloscopy, and the use of lip prints in crime detection. It also highlights the current research carried out in the field of cheiloscopy. An effort has been made to help the researchers by reviewing in detail the various methods of classifying and analyzing the lip prints. It concludes by enlightening the readers with the fact that the possibilities to use the red part of lips to identify a human being are wider than it is commonly thought.
Serum prolactin and growth hormone in Holstein bulls.

Abstract Repeatabilities among three estimates of serum prolactin and growth hormone collected in 71 Holstein bulls within 10 days were . 13 and . 30. However, heritabilities of the serum hormone concentrations were not different from 0. In another experiment of 86 Holstein bulls, serum collected in July contained more than twice as much prolactin as serum collected in January whereas growth hormone was unaffected by months. Prolactin was unchanged whereas growth hormone decreased with age. However, logarithm base 10 of serum concentration of prolactin increased as age advanced. Neither hormone was significantly related to predicted difference. We conclude that simply measuring basal serum prolactin and growth hormone has little usefulness for estimating breeding values of cattle.
Personalized Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer

Lung cancer has long been recognized as an extremely heterogeneous disease, since its development is unique in every patient in terms of clinical characterizations, prognosis, response and tolerance to treatment. Personalized medicine refers to the use of markers to predict which patient will most likely benefit from a treatment. In lung cancer, the well-developed epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the newly emerging EML4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) are important therapeutic targets. This review covers the basic mechanism of EGFR and EML4-ALK activation, the predictive biomarkers, the mechanism of resistance, and the current targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The efficacy of EGFR and ALK targeted therapies will be discussed in this review by summarizing the prospective clinical trials, which were performed in biomarker-based selected patients. In addition, the revolutionary sequencing and systems strategies will also be included in this review since these technologies will provide a comprehensive understanding in the molecular characterization of cancer, allow better stratification of patients for the most appropriate targeted therapies, eventually resulting in a more promising personalized treatment. The relatively low incidence of EGFR and ALK in non-Asian patients and the lack of response in mutant patients limit the application of the therapies targeting EGFR or ALK. Nevertheless, it is foreseeable that the sequencing and systems strategies may offer a solution for those patients.
Nonlinear threshold behavior during the loss of Arctic sea ice

In light of the rapid recent retreat of Arctic sea ice, a number of studies have discussed the possibility of a critical threshold (or ‘‘tipping point’’) beyond which the ice–albedo feedback causes the ice cover to melt away in an irreversible process. The focus has typically been centered on the annual minimum (September) ice cover, which is often seen as particularly susceptible to destabilization by the ice–albedo feedback. Here, we examine the central physical processes associated with the transition from ice-covered to ice-free Arctic Ocean conditions. We show that although the ice–albedo feedback promotes the existence of multiple ice-cover states, the stabilizing thermodynamic effects of sea ice mitigate this when the Arctic Ocean is ice covered during a sufficiently large fraction of the year. These results suggest that critical threshold behavior is unlikely during the approach from current perennial sea-ice conditions to seasonally ice-free conditions. In a further warmed climate, however, we find that a critical threshold associated with the sudden loss of the remaining wintertime-only sea ice cover may be likely.
Remarks on Product VMO

Well known results related to the compactness of Hankel operators of one complex variable are extended to little Hankel operators of two complex variables. Critical to these considerations is the result of Ferguson and Lacey characterizing the boundedness of the little Hankel operators in terms of the product BMO of S. -Y. Chang and R. Fefferman.
New Technologies for the Identification of Novel Genetic Markers of Disorders of Sex Development (DSD)

Although the genetic basis of human sexual determination and differentiation has advanced considerably in recent years, the fact remains that in most subjects with disorders of sex development (DSD) the underlying genetic cause is unknown. Where pathogenic mutations have been identified, the phenotype can be highly variable, even within families, suggesting that other genetic variants are influencing the expression of the phenotype. This situation is likely to change, as more powerful and affordable tools become widely available for detailed genetic analyses. Here, we describe recent advances in comparative genomic hybridisation, sequencing by hybridisation and next generation sequencing, and we describe how these technologies will have an impact on our understanding of the genetic causes of DSD.
A 40 mV Transformer-Reuse Self-Startup Boost Converter With MPPT Control for Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting

This paper presents transformer-based self-starting boost converter architecture with low-power maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control for low-voltage thermoelectric generator applications. The minimum working voltage of the proposed boost converter is 40 mV with oscillation through a positive feedback loop formed by a native MOS and transformer. The oscillation autonomously starts up by thermal noise and VOUT is charged up to 1.2 V by the oscillation so that the control block can operate. After that, the transformer for start-up is reused as an inductor, and the normal boost converter mode is enabled for better energy transfer efficiency. An improved MPPT sensing method is also proposed to simplify the circuit. The prototype chip is implemented in a 0.13-μm CMOS process. It operates with an input voltage range of 40 mV to 300 mV and provides a maximum output power of 2.7 mW with a maximum efficiency of 61% at an output voltage of 2 V.
Neural network training techniques for a gold trading model

The purpose of the study was to build and evaluate a decision support system for financial models, incorporating a neural network approach. Since neural network models may employ a variety of different training techniques, the authors have developed an approach to choosing and optimizing the structures and procedures used during training, to optimize the fit between the trained neural network and the financial decision-support goals. They evaluate alternative methods for training a network to forecast gold market prices. Essential to this evaluation is the identification of an appropriate trading model to evaluate system performance, without constraining the details of the financial decisions that can be made with the resulting trained neural network. The methods explored were neural network models using both standard and non-standard training techniques, and varying parameters used during weight adjustment and in the training schedule. They illustrate techniques for choosing network structure and inputs, data segmentation, error measures for training, error measures for validation, and optimizing validation set lengths. These techniques are applied with respect to the aim of forecasting the price of gold.
Questioning the acceptability of the Cognitive Interview to improve its use

Resume L’entretien cognitif est une methode d’audition des temoins et victimes de crimes et delits qui permet d’obtenir des temoignages plus exhaustifs et aussi exacts que ceux obtenus a partir d’un questionnement classique de type questions/reponses. L’ancrage scientifique de son elaboration, faisant reference a plusieurs modeles du fonctionnement de la memoire, est probablement la raison majeure de son succes aupres de la communaute scientifique. Du cote des utilisateurs potentiels, a savoir majoritairement des professionnels de la justice, son utilisation n’est pas systematique, meme pour ceux qui ont ete intensivement formes. Emerge alors la question de l’adequation de l’entretien cognitif aux caracteristiques d’une audition reelle de terrain. Dans un premier temps, nous presenterons les etudes ayant montre l’utilite de l’entretien cognitif tout en testant sa fiabilite en fonction de diverses caracteristiques de la situation d’audition, et en fonction des caracteristiques des temoins. Ensuite, nous questionnerons les couts et la compatibilite de l’entretien cognitif avec les differentes phases et les differents objectifs de l’enquete. Suite a cela, nous questionnerons l’utilisabilite de l’entretien cognitif, a travers son apprentissage, puis en presentant les solutions jusqu’alors proposees pour ameliorer son utilisabilite. Enfin notre conclusion portera sur l’acceptabilite sociale de cette technique d’entretien par les professionnels de la justice.
Scaffold attachment factor B (SAFB)1 and SAFB2 cooperatively inhibit the intranuclear mobility and function of ERα

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) plays a key role in physiological and pathophysiological processes as a ligand‐activated transcriptional factor that is regulated by cofactors. ERα‐mediated transcriptional regulation is closely correlated with the mobility of ERα in the nucleus in association with the nuclear matrix, the framework for nuclear events including transcription. However, the relationship between ERα mobility and the cofactors of ERα is unclear. Scaffold attachment factor B1 (SAFB1) and its paralog SAFB2 are nuclear matrix binding proteins that have been characterized as ERα corepressors. Here, using chimeric fluorescent proteins (FPs), we show that SAFB1 and SAFB2 colocalize with ERα in the nucleus of living cells after 17β‐estradiol (E2) treatment. Co‐immunoprecipitation (co‐IP) experiments indicated that ERα interacts with both SAFB1 and SAFB2 in the presence of E2. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis revealed that SAFB1 and SAFB2 each decrease ERα mobility, and interestingly, coexpression of SAFB1 and SAFB2 causes a synergistic reduction in ERα dynamics under E2 treatment. In accordance with these mobility changes, ERα‐mediated transcription and proliferation are cooperatively inhibited by SAFB1 and SAFB2. These results indicate that SAFB1 and SAFB2 are crucial repressors for ERα dynamics in association with the nuclear matrix and that their synergistic regulation of ERα mobility is sufficient for inhibiting ERα function. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 3039–3050, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Management of hepatocellular carcinoma: An update

Since the publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) practice guidelines on the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 2005, new information has emerged that requires that the guidelines be updated. The full version of the new guidelines is available on the AASLD Web site at http://www.aasld. org/practiceguidelines/Documents/Bookmarkedp20Practice%20Guidelines/HCCUpdate2010.pdf. Here, we briefly describe only new or changed recommendations.
Selective MRCP in the management of suspected common bile duct stones.

BACKGROUND It is controversial whether selective endoscopic sphincterotomy or routine laparoscopic bile duct exploration is the optimal treatment for choledocholithiasis. Magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography (MRCP) is a safe and accurate imaging modality; this study evaluated its use in a clinical algorithm for the management of suspected choledocholithiasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS Consecutive patients presenting with suspected common bile duct (CBD) stones were managed according to an algorithm involving the selective use of MRCP to identify patients who required endoscopic sphincterotomy and bile duct clearance. Following radiological demonstration of a clear CBD, all patients were considered for cholecystectomy. RESULTS From 157 consecutive patients, 68 proceeded straight to endoscopic sphincterotomy, which was therapeutic in 59. Of 89 who underwent MRCP, choledocholithiasis was demonstrated in 29; subsequent endoscopic sphincterotomy was therapeutic in 22. MRCP demonstrated a clear CBD in the remaining 60 patients. Seventy-four patients subsequently underwent cholecystectomy, with a conversion rate of 9% and a median postoperative stay of 1 day. There were no instances of post-sphincterotomy pancreatitis or haemorrhage requiring transfusion. CONCLUSION An algorithm involving selective MRCP with endoscopic sphincterotomy is a safe, effective means of managing suspected choledocholithiasis, particularly where the expertise, equipment or theatre time for laparoscopic bile duct exploration is not routinely available.
GENETIC AND PRODUCTIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE BURLINA CATTLE BREED

The Burlina (BUR) is a local Italian cattle breed, its main feature is to be a small sized animal well adapted to live in difficult environment such as mountain areas. Nowadays only 350 cows are enrolled in the Italian Herd Book due to its substitution by more productive breeds. This study proposes a phenotypic and genetic characterization of the BUR breed in comparison with Holstein Friesian (HFR) and Brown Swiss (BSW). The comparison of productive traits showed lower production than HFR and BSW as well as longer productive life and more favourable reproductive traits in BUR animals. The genetic analyses, performed by microsatellites markers, showed the high level of heterozygosity and the genetic distinctiveness of BUR. These findings approve the feasibility of a conservation scheme and suggest the profitability of breeding BUR, especially in difficult environment where the low production can be compensated by longevity and the economic loss by the added value of its typical dairy production.
The impact of ear disease and hearing impairment on the lives of Nepali patients in Pokhara: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND Ear disease in Nepal is a common problem which, left untreated, can cause serious complications such as hearing impairment (HI). Evidence shows that HI is associated with educational difficulties, employment problems and social isolation. Currently, there is little qualitative literature investigating the long-term impact of ear disease, and none specifically reporting on Nepali populations. This qualitative study explored the experiences of individuals affected by ear disease, with a view to informing hospital services and educational programmes. METHODS A quota sampling technique was used, with 21 face-to-face semi-structured interviews conducted in Pokhara, Nepal during February-March 2014. Interviews were audiotaped, and verbatim transcripts were analysed using a conventional content analysis approach. RESULTS Three overarching themes were identified: stigma, non-disclosure and barriers as a result of HI, stigma and non-disclosure. Stigma was both experienced and feared by participants throughout their lives, and as a result, they would not disclose their problem to friends, teachers and employers. Participants faced barriers in their education and work but did not receive the support they required because people were unaware of their condition. CONCLUSIONS This research suggests that a 'stigma cycle' has developed and that participants are being trapped within it. This impacts adversely upon individuals' personal, social and economic development, limiting the human capital available to Nepal.
A logical analysis of authorized and prohibited information flows

In reasoning about security policy based on information flow control, two different points of view can be adopted depending on whether explicit permissions or explicit prohibitions are being dealt with. In both cases, an epistemic and deontic logic is used to formally define information a subject is permitted to know. Then it is shown that the causality property can be derived from the explicit permissions point of view and that the noninterference and non-deducibility properties can be derived from the explicit prohibition point of view. However, it is argued that the prohibitions enforced by non-interference or non-deducibility are generally too rigid and lead to too strong security properties. On the other hand, the causality properly only handles internal information flow controls and it must be completed to ensure that the security policy is consistently defined. Hence, the consistency problem is discussed. A general definition and practical conditions are proposed to verify that a security policy is consistent. <<ETX>>
Inverse Sparse Group Lasso Model for Robust Object Tracking

Sparse representation has been applied to visual tracking. The visual tracking models based on sparse representation use a template set as dictionary atoms to reconstruct candidate samples without considering similarity among atoms. In this paper, we present a robust tracking method based on the inverse sparse group lasso model. Our method exploits both the group structure of similar candidate samples and the local structure between templates and samples. Unlike the conventional sparse representation, the templates are encoded by the candidate samples, and similar samples are selected to reconstruct the template at the group level, which facilitates inter-group sparsity. Every sample group achieves the intra-group sparsity so that the information between the related dictionary atoms is taken into account. Moreover, the local structure between templates and samples is considered to build the reconstruction model, which ensures that the computed coefficients similarity is consistent with the similarity between templates and samples. A gradient descent-based optimization method is employed and a sparse mapping table is obtained using the coefficient matrix and hash-distance weight matrix. Experiments were conducted with publicly available datasets and a comparison study was performed against 20 state-of-the-art methods. Both qualitative and quantitative results are reported. The proposed method demonstrated improved robustness and accuracy and exhibited comparable computational complexity.