Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Self-adaptation for everyday systems

The use of handheld networked devices to access information systems by people moving around is spreading rapidly. Systems being used in this way typically face dynamic variation in their operating environment. In order to maintain the usability and usefulness for mobile users, self-adapting systems are needed. Self-adaptation has so far typically been applied only to mission critical systems at considerable additional cost. However, we now need ways to implement such capabilities that are affordable also in everyday systems development.In this paper we propose an approach to building such self-adapting systems where the adaptation is handled by generic middleware. The proposed approach builds on component frameworks and variability engineering to achieve adaptable systems, and property modelling, architectural reflection and context monitoring to support dynamic self-adaptation. We define a set of requirements for affordable self-adaptation and discuss the proposed approach in relation to these requirements.
Identification of periodic autoregressive moving average models and their application to the modeling of river flows

The generation of synthetic river flow samples that can reproduce the essential statistical features of historical river flows is useful for the planning, design, and operation of water resource systems. Most river flow series are periodically stationary; that is, their mean and covariance functions are periodic with respect to time. This article develops model identification and simulation techniques based on a periodic autoregressive moving average (PARMA) model to capture the seasonal variations in river flow statistics. The innovations algorithm is used to obtain parameter estimates. An application to monthly flow data for the Fraser River in British Columbia is included. A careful statistical analysis of the PARMA model residuals, including a truncated Pareto model for the extreme tails, produces a realistic simulation of these river flows.
Development of robot hand with suction mechanism for robust and dexterous grasping

In this study, we propose a robot hand referred to as iGRIPP 4 (Integrated Gripper for Power and Precision Grasp 4), which has suction mechanism at each fingertip. This robot hand can grasp various objects steadily and achieve dexterous manipulations with a simple mechanism. The iGRIPP 4 has three fingers and two servomotors which are designed to grasp objects in power grasp and precision grasp. The suction mechanism at the fingertips enhances grasp stability, and enables the hand to hold large objects. In addition, the combination of the grasp mechanism and the suction system make it possible to perform some dexterous manipulations. Examples of the manipulations include the picking up a thin object and the packaging an object in a bag. These manipulations generally require hands with many degrees of freedom and intricate control. In this paper, the mechanism of the iGRIPP 4 is presented, and the two dexterous manipulations that can be done with this robot hand are described.
Synthetic Plasmodium-Like Hemozoin Activates the Immune Response: A Morphology - Function Study

Increasing evidence points to an important role for hemozoin (HZ), the malaria pigment, in the immunopathology related to this infection. However, there is no consensus as to whether HZ exerts its immunostimulatory activity in absence of other parasite or host components. Contamination of native HZ preparations and the lack of a unified protocol to produce crystals that mimic those of Plasmodium HZ (PHZ) are major technical limitants when performing functional studies with HZ. In fact, the most commonly used methods generate a heterogeneous nanocrystalline material. Thus, it is likely that such aggregates do not resemble to PHZ and differ in their inflammatory properties. To address this issue, the present study was designed to establish whether synthetic HZ (sHZ) crystals produced by different methods vary in their morphology and in their ability to activate immune responses. We report a new method of HZ synthesis (the precise aqueous acid-catalyzed method) that yields homogeneous sHZ crystals (Plasmodium-like HZ) which are very similar to PHZ in their size and physicochemical properties. Importantly, these crystals are devoid of protein and DNA contamination. Of interest, structure-function studies revealed that the size and shape of the synthetic crystals influences their ability to activate inflammatory responses (e.g. nitric oxide, chemokine and cytokine mRNA) in vitro and in vivo. In summary, our data confirm that sHZ possesses immunostimulatory properties and underline the importance of verifying by electron microscopy both the morphology and homogeneity of the synthetic crystals to ensure that they closely resemble those of the parasite. Periodic quality control experiments and unification of the method of HZ synthesis are key steps to unravel the role of HZ in malaria immunopathology.
Introducing a basic psychological performance demand model for sport and organisations

ABSTRACT This study presents the development of a basic psychological performance demand model (PDM) for sport and organisations, adopting a process view of performance underpinned by reversal theory (Apter [2001] An introduction to reversal theory. In M. J. Apter (Ed.), Motivational styles in everyday life: A guide to reversal theory (pp. 3-36⁠). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association). Six elite coaches with extensive coaching experience at European, Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic Games were interviewed. Their interview statements were analysed using a combination of deductive and inductive analysis procedures for qualitative data. In conjunction with the interviewer, coaches developed PDMs for their specific sports. Analysis of interview data and coaches’ specific PDMs identified four main cross-sport themes or fundamental psychological capabilities required for meeting performance demands. These were: Mastery motivation, Decision making, Execution, and Teamship. The PDM offers a starting framework for a new basic performance model that is novel and pragmatic with potential applicability across sports and organisations. The model is useful in its existing form, but needs further testing, extended practical application and reflection by coaches, athletes, and sport psychologists. It has potential for use in other coaching contexts beyond sport, such as business, leadership development, education, and health.
Cognitive Dysfunction Precedes Neuropathology and Motor Abnormalities in the YAC128 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease

Huntington's disease (HD) is an adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder involving motor dysfunction, cognitive deficits, and psychiatric disturbances that result from underlying striatal and cortical dysfunction and neuropathology. The YAC128 mouse model of HD reproduces both the motor deficits and selective degeneration observed in the human disease. However, the presence of cognitive impairment in this model has not been determined. Here, we report mild cognitive deficits in YAC128 mice that precede motor onset and progressively worsen with age. Rotarod testing revealed a motor learning deficit at 2 months of age that progresses such that by 12 months of age, untrained YAC128 mice are unable to learn the rotarod task. Additional support for cognitive dysfunction is evident in a simple swimming test in which YAC128 mice take longer to find the platform than wild-type (WT) controls beginning at 8 months of age. YAC128 mice also have deficits in open-field habituation and in a swimming T-maze test at this age. Strikingly, in the reversal phase of the swimming T-maze test, YAC128 mice take twice as long as WT mice to locate the platform, indicating a difficulty in changing strategy. At 12 months of age, YAC128 mice show decreased prepulse inhibition and habituation to acoustic startle. The clear pattern of cognitive dysfunction in YAC128 mice is similar to the symptoms and progression of cognitive deficits in human HD and provides both the opportunity to examine the relationship between cognitive dysfunction, motor impairment, and neuropathology in HD and to assess whether potential therapies for HD can restore cognitive function.
Global teachers as global learners: Intercultural teacher training in international settings

The globally mobile teacher is a relatively new concept. This article draws on the experiences of seven teachers teaching in international contexts, who are currently undertaking an iPGCE (International Postgraduate Certificate in Education) – four of whom are co-authors of this article. Drawing on original data from written narratives and online discussions, as well as using collaborative writing as a form of inquiry, we locate these experiences within the field of intercultural education, problematize the notion of global mobility and identify the unique training needs of an emerging breed of teachers.
Combining an Optimizing Method with a Genetic Algorithm to Solve a Flowshop Scheduling Problem with Additional Resources

In this paper the problem of preemptive scheduling in a flowshop with parallel unrelated machines and renewable resources is considered. A heuristic algorithm which combines an optimizing procedure solving the resource constrained scheduling problem with a genetic algorithm is proposed. The objective is to minimize makespan. A lower bound on the optimal makespan is derived. The performance of the heuristic algorithm is analyzed by a computational experiment. The results show that the proposed heuristic algorithm is an effective tool for solving large size problems.
LMI-Based Design of Fuzzy Controller and Fuzzy Observer for Takagi-Sugeno Fuzzy Systems : New Non-Quadratic Stability Approach

This paper deals with design procedures of fuzzy controller and fuzzy observer, one of the most important and basic concepts for fuzzy control system design. Fuzzy controller guarantees stability of the whole system i.e. fuzzy controller and fuzzy observer by the Lyapunov stability approach, while fuzzy observer estimates states of the fuzzy dynamic plants. The two designs are formulated as two separate LMI feasibility problems using new non-quadratic stability conditions based on non-quadratic Lyapunov function and Parallel distributed Compensation scheme to stabilize Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems. Then a separation property based on a vector comparison principle is applied to check the stability of the whole system. Whereas, the obtained results are less conservative. Finally, numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposal by showing very satisfactory results.
Observed electric fields associated with lightning initiation

In situ electric field (E) measurements and inferred lightning initiation locations of three cloud‐to‐ground flashes are used to identify a thunderstorm region in which the preflash E exceeded the threshold for runaway breakdown. The maximum measured E in the region was 186 kV m−1 at 5.77 km altitude, which for runaway electrons is equivalent to 370 kV m−1 at sea level; this E value is ∼130% of the estimated threshold for an avalanche of runaway electrons. In addition, the volume where E exceeded the runaway threshold was estimated to be 1–4 km3, with a vertical depth of about 1000 m. At least within part of this volume the characteristic scale height for exponential growth of runaway electrons was 100 m or less. Thus for these three flashes the electric field conditions necessary for runaway breakdown existed, and runaway breakdown could have initiated the flashes.
Relationship Between Changes in Pulse Pressure and Frequency Domain Components of Heart Rate Variability During Short-Term Left Ventricular Pacing in Patients with Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

Background The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between changes in pulse pressure (PP) and frequency domain heart rate variability (HRV) components caused by left ventricular pacing in patients with implanted cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Material/Methods Forty patients (mean age 63±8.5 years) with chronic heart failure (CHF) and implanted CRT were enrolled in the study. The simultaneous 5-minute recording of beat-to-beat arterial systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) by Finometer and standard electrocardiogram with CRT switched off (CRT/0) and left ventricular pacing (CRT/LV) was performed. PP (PP=SBP-DBP) and low- and high-frequency (LF and HF) HRV components were calculated, and the relationship between these parameters was analyzed. Results Short-term CRT/LV in comparison to CRT/0 caused a statistically significant increase in the values of PP (P<0.05), LF (P<0.05), and HF (P<0.05). A statistically significant correlation between ΔPP and ΔHF (R=0.7384, P<0.05) was observed. The ΔHF of 6 ms2 during short-term CRT/LV predicted a PP increase of ≥10% with 84.21% sensitivity and 85.71% specificity. Conclusions During short-term left ventricular pacing in patients with CRT, a significant correlation between ΔPP and ΔHF was observed. ΔHF ≥6 ms2 may serve as a tool in the selection of a suitable site for placement of a left ventricular lead.
A Comparative Study On Features for Similar Image Search

Feature representation plays a key role to the success of an image retrieval system. In this paper, a comparative study over the effectiveness of several features for content-based image search is presented. This study covers across several conventional features as well as convolutional neural networks (CNN) features, which are introduced recently into retrieval tasks. In particular, the evaluation is conducted when features are under the same encoding scheme. In addition, a hybrid feature representation that combines keypoint detector and CNN descriptor is proposed, in which the geometric invariances of keypoint feature and the distinctiveness of CNN feature are integrated. Experiments on popular evaluation benchmarks show that this hybrid feature achieves superior performance.
Evaluation of mCD14 expression on monocytes and the blood level of sCD14 in patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis.

PURPOSE Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), a major component of the cell membrane of gram-negative bacteria, are the main stimulants of the host immune response, initiating inflammatory changes and responsible for periodontal tissue destruction. The mCD14, which is found primarily on monocytes and macrophages, is the key membranous receptor involved in LPS binding. CD14 is also present in the serum as a soluble form (sCD14) released due to shedding from monocytes. The aim of the study was to assess CD14 expression on peripheral blood monocytes in patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAP). The level of sCD14 was also determined in the serum of GAP patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study group consisted of 16 patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis, the control group had 13 systemically and periodontally healthy subjects. The expression of mCD14 was determined by flow cytometry and expressed as mean intensity of fluorescence (MIF). Serum sCD14 level was examined with ELISA method. RESULTS The expressions of mCD14 on monocytes in GAP patients and control subjects were comparable. No statistically significant differences were noted in the mean serum sCD14 level between GAP and control subjects. CONCLUSIONS As periodontitis is a local disorder affecting a small fragment of the oral cavity it seems likely that chronic bacterial infection existing there is not reflected in the peripheral parameters.
ZapE Is a Novel Cell Division Protein Interacting with FtsZ and Modulating the Z-Ring Dynamics

ABSTRACT Bacterial cell division requires the formation of a mature divisome complex positioned at the midcell. The localization of the divisome complex is determined by the correct positioning, assembly, and constriction of the FtsZ ring (Z-ring). Z-ring constriction control remains poorly understood and (to some extent) controversial, probably due to the fact that this phenomenon is transient and controlled by numerous factors. Here, we characterize ZapE, a novel ATPase found in Gram-negative bacteria, which is required for growth under conditions of low oxygen, while loss of zapE results in temperature-dependent elongation of cell shape. We found that ZapE is recruited to the Z-ring during late stages of the cell division process and correlates with constriction of the Z-ring. Overexpression or inactivation of zapE leads to elongation of Escherichia coli and affects the dynamics of the Z-ring during division. In vitro, ZapE destabilizes FtsZ polymers in an ATP-dependent manner. IMPORTANCE Bacterial cell division has mainly been characterized in vitro. In this report, we could identify ZapE as a novel cell division protein which is not essential in vitro but is required during an infectious process. The bacterial cell division process relies on the assembly, positioning, and constriction of FtsZ ring (the so-called Z-ring). Among nonessential cell division proteins recently identified, ZapE is the first in which detection at the Z-ring correlates with its constriction. We demonstrate that ZapE abundance has to be tightly regulated to allow cell division to occur; absence or overexpression of ZapE leads to bacterial filamentation. As zapE is not essential, we speculate that additional Z-ring destabilizing proteins transiently recruited during late cell division process might be identified in the future. Bacterial cell division has mainly been characterized in vitro. In this report, we could identify ZapE as a novel cell division protein which is not essential in vitro but is required during an infectious process. The bacterial cell division process relies on the assembly, positioning, and constriction of FtsZ ring (the so-called Z-ring). Among nonessential cell division proteins recently identified, ZapE is the first in which detection at the Z-ring correlates with its constriction. We demonstrate that ZapE abundance has to be tightly regulated to allow cell division to occur; absence or overexpression of ZapE leads to bacterial filamentation. As zapE is not essential, we speculate that additional Z-ring destabilizing proteins transiently recruited during late cell division process might be identified in the future.
Benefits of extending and adjusting the level of difficulty on computerized cognitive training for children with intellectual disabilities

Training on working memory (WM) improves attention and WM in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and memory impairments. However, for children with intellectual disabilities (ID), the results have been less encouraging. In this preliminary study it was hypothesized that children with ID would benefit from an extended amount of training and that the level of difficulty during training would affect the outcome. We included 21 children with mild or moderate ID aged 8–13 years. They went through between 37 and 50 training sessions with an adaptive computerized program on WM and non-verbal reasoning (NVR). The children were divided into two subgroups with different difficulty levels during training. The transfer to untrained cognitive tests was compared to the results of 22 children with ID training only 25 sessions, and to a control group. We found that the training group with the extended training program improved significantly on a block design task measuring NVR and on a WM task compared to the control group. There was also a significantly larger improvement on block design relative to the training group with the shorter training time. The children that received easier training tasks also improved significantly more on a verbal WM task compared to children with more demanding tasks. In conclusion, these preliminary data suggest that children with ID might benefit from cognitive training with longer training periods and less demanding tasks, compared to children without disabilities.
Orthogonalized spatial multiplexing for MIMO WCDMA downlink over frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channels

Abstarct: Exploiting the good correlation properties of the Walsh-Hadamard spreading codes to orthogonalize spatially multiplexed signals at the transmitter a new scheme was proposed in this paper that considerably enhances the throughput in MIMO WCDMA downlink systems over frequency selective Rayleigh fading channels. The delayed version of the same spreading code is applied to different individual or groups of transmit antennas which is denoted as the orthogonalized spatial multiplexing with the resolution of one (OSM-1) or two (OSM-2), respectively. The newly introduced method preserves the allocated number of spreading codes and enables a simple detection just with the use of matched filtering. Since the signals are separated already at the transmitter there are no restrictions in the terms of the minimum required number of receiver antennas. The diversity level of the system is proportional to the number of employed receive antennas. As we will show the number of antennas at the receiver is determined by the level of interference in the system and the desired system performance and is typically lower than in VBLAST and its generalizations.
Modeling Dynamics of Databases with Relational Discrete Event Systems and Models

Behavior of relational databases is studied within the framework of Relational Discrete EventSystems (RDESes) and Models (RDEMs). Three behavior specification methods based on productionsystems, recurrence equations, and Petri nets are defined and their expressive powersare compared. Production system RDEM is extended to support non-determinism, and variousdeterministic and non-deterministic production system interpreters are introduced and formallycompared in terms of their expressive power. It is shown that the parallel deterministic interpreterhas more expressive power than other interpreters including an OPS5-like interpreter.Since it is also parallel, this makes the parallel deterministic interpreter a very attractive interpreterfor production systems.
Diagnostic Utility of Serum Glycated Albumin for Diabetes Mellitus and Its Correlation With Hyperlipidemia

Background Glycated albumin (GA) is a better marker of short-term glycemic control than glycated hemoglobin (A1c). Dyslipidemia is the main cause of cardiovascular complications in diabetes mellitus (DM). Studies on the correlation of GA with lipid indices are sparse. We investigated the diagnostic utility of GA for DM and its relationship with serum lipid profiles compared with that of A1c. Methods The GA enzymatic method was used to determine the diagnostic utility of GA for DM by using samples from 163 normal subjects (group 1) and 102 patients newly diagnosed with type 2 DM (T2DM; group 2). To analyze the lipid profiles, 263 patients with T2DM receiving treatment (group 3) were recruited. Results GA correlated with A1c (r=0.934, P<0.0001). Linear regression analysis indicated that GA levels were about 2.48 folds those of A1c. In the ROC analysis for GA to diagnose DM, the areas under the curve (0.988, 95% confidence interval 0.972-1.004) was excellent. HDL levels were significantly lower in groups 2 and 3. In group 1, positive correlations were observed between A1c and triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL, TG/HDL, TC/HDL, and LDL/HDL levels. A negative correlation was observed between HDL and A1c levels. In group 3, HDL levels (P=0.0124 and P=0.0141, respectively) were significantly higher and LDL levels tended to be lower, not statistically significant, in the well-controlled group categorized using the A1c and GA cut-off values. Conclusions GA is a potential diagnostic tool for DM. Compared with A1c, GA seems less relevant to dyslipidemia.