Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developing an IIR robust adaptive algorithm in the modified Filtered-x RLS form for active noise and vibration control systems

In this paper, a robust adaptive algorithm for active noise and vibration control applications is proposed and the robust stability of the algorithm is analyzed using a combination of the small gain theorem and Popov's hyperstability theorem. The algorithm is developed based on the so-called Filtered-x RLS algorithm in the modified form. In design and analysis of the algorithm, it is assumed that the estimated model of the secondary path is associated with a set of uncertainties of additive structure; and sufficient conditions for stability of the algorithm are derived. In fact, by introducing a stabilizing filter, the aim is to design this filter in a way that the achieved sufficient conditions for robust stability are satisfied. The employed method is to transform the proposed control structure to an equivalent output error identification problem, and then formulate the governing adaptive algorithm in a way that is representable as a feedback control problem. In view of this approach, sufficient conditions for robust stability of the adaptive algorithm will be equivalent to find the conditions for the stability of the established feedback control system. The technique applied here to this end is established on the energy conservation relation that is valid for the general data models in adaptive filters.
Recovery from sedation with remifentanil and propofol, compared with morphine and midazolam, for reduction in anterior shoulder dislocation

Objective To compare recovery from sedation using remifentanil and propofol with our standard regimen of morphine and midazolam for closed reduction in shoulder dislocation in an ED. Methods We randomised 40 patients for closed shoulder reduction to receive either remifentanil and propofol (R&P) (20 patients) or morphine and midazolam (M&M) (20 patients). A suitably trained ED doctor gave the sedation. R&P patients received oxygen from a tight-fitting facemask and Mapleson C circuit to prevent hypocapnia and thus reduce the risk of apnoea. Shoulder reduction was performed by another doctor with an ED nurse also present. We noted recovery times, pain and sedation scores, operative conditions, additional medication and adverse events. Results All patients given remifentanil and propofol had recovered within 30 min in contrast to the morphine and midazolam group where 17 of 20 patients had recovered after 60 min, the remainder requiring a total of 90 min. Median recovery times were 15 min (95% CI 15 to 20) for the remifentanil and propofol group, and 45 min (95% CI 29 to 48) for the morphine and midazolam group. Reduction conditions and scores for pain/distress did not differ between the groups. Seven patients required additional sedation (four R&P, three M&M) to enable shoulder reduction. Five patients (three R&P, two M&M) had received analgesia prior to the procedure from the ambulance service (one R&P, one M&M) and ED (two R&P). Two patients given morphine and midazolam required flumazenil to counter oversedation. Conclusions Remifentanil and propofol reduces patient recovery time and provides equivalent operating conditions compared with morphine and midazolam for the reduction of anterior glenohumeral dislocation.
Living on the Edge: The Appeal of Risk Sports for the Professional Middle Class

Early sociological research describes risk sports as a form of resistance to structural aspects of highly industrialized societies. Recent scholarship, however, suggests that conventional social forces operating on the demographic group (young, White, professional, middle-class males) from which most athletes originate actually motivate risk sports participation. This study contributes to the literature by seeking to explain risk athletes’ characteristic class status, a dynamic largely neglected by previous studies. Drawing on Bourdieu’s analysis of the relationship between sport and social class, I suggest that risk sports appeal particularly to members of the professional middle class because of such sports’ capacity to simultaneously satisfy and provide a temporary escape from a class habitus demanding continual progress through disciplined labor and deferred gratification.
Transcriptional regulation of the biosynthesis of phytoalexin: A lesson from specialized metabolites in rice

Plants have the ability to produce vast amounts of secondary metabolites, including terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and their derivatives. These metabolites sometimes affect the growth of other organisms, either positively or negatively. Production of defensive compounds, for example phytoalexins, is a well-known strategy used by plants to defend against and withstand invading pathogens. As phytoalexins serve an obvious function in plant defense, they are known as specialized metabolites, substances with a specific biological role that function during specific circumstances. In rice, 15 diterpenoid-type phytoalexins and one flavonoid-type phytoalexin have been identified. Extensive studies have explored the biochemistry, biosynthesis, and biological functions of phytoalexins in rice, specifically the mechanism by which they function in disease resistance. This review focuses on our current knowledge of the transcriptional and hormonal regulation of the production of phytoalexins in rice.
Extraction Behaviour of Cu2+ Ions with Used Cooking Oil-Based Organic Solvent

The aim of this work was to study the extraction behaviour of Cu ions from aqueous solution with used cooking oil-based organic solvent. The used cooking oil-based organic solvent was composed of di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid (extractant), tributylphosphate (phase modifier) and used cooking oil (diluent). Effects of equilibrium pH (2-6), extractant concentration (10-100 mM) and operating temperature (25-47 o C) on Cu 2+ ion extraction from aqueous solution were investigated. It was found that used cooking oil-based organic solvent is a potential green and low-cost organic solvent for Cu 2+ ion extraction from aqueous solution.
Immunofibrogenic Gene Expression Patterns in Tanzanian Children with Ocular Chlamydia trachomatis Infection, Active Trachoma and Scarring: Baseline Results of a 4-Year Longitudinal Study

Trachoma, caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, is the world's leading infectious cause of blindness and remains a significant public health problem. Much of trachomatous disease pathology is thought to be caused indirectly by host cellular and immune responses, however the immune response during active trachoma and how this initiates progressive scarring is not clearly understood. Defining protective vs. pathogenic immune response to C. trachomatis is important for vaccine design and evaluation. This study reports the baseline results of a longitudinal cohort of Tanzanian children, who were monitored for 4 years in order to determine the immunofibrogenic and infectious correlates of progressive scarring trachoma. In this cohort baseline, 506 children aged 6–10 years were assessed for clinical signs, infection status and the expression of 91 genes of interest prior to mass azithromycin administration for trachoma control. C. trachomatis was detected using droplet digital PCR and gene expression was measured using quantitative real-time PCR. The prevalence of follicles, papillary inflammation and scarring were 33.6, 31.6, and 28.5%, respectively. C. trachomatis was detected in 78/506 (15.4%) individuals, 62/78 of whom also had follicles. C. trachomatis infection was associated with a strong upregulation of IFNG and IL22, the enrichment of Th1 and NK cell pathways and Th17 cell-associated cytokines. In individuals with inflammation in the absence of infection the IFNG/IL22 and NK cell response was reduced, however, pro-inflammatory, growth and matrix factors remained upregulated and mucins were downregulated. Our data suggest that, strong IFNG/IL22 responses, probably related to Th1 and NK cell involvement, is important for clearance of C. trachomatis and that the residual pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic phenotype that persists after infection might contribute to pathological scarring. Interestingly, females appear more susceptible to developing papillary inflammation and scarring than males, even at this young age, despite comparable levels of C. trachomatis infection. Females also had increased expression of a number of IFNγ pathway related genes relative to males, suggesting that overexpression of this pathway in response to infection might contribute to more severe scarring. Longitudinal investigation of these factors will reveal their relative contributions to protection from C. trachomatis infection and development of scarring complications.
Development of a general purpose low-power small-area 10 bit current steering CMOS DAC

The design and measurements of the prototype general purpose digital to analog converter for readout systems in high energy physics experiments are presented. The main goals for the proposed DAC are low power consumptions, small die area and high output swing. The 10 bit DAC design is based on current steering architecture comprising high swing class AB output amplifier. The prototype ASIC is fabricated in the 2P–4M 0.35-µm technology. The measurements of maximum differential (DNL) and integral (INL) nonlinearity show 0.8 and 0.6 LSB respectively. The total power consumption is below 0.6 mW while the area is 0.18 mm2.
Luminance-dependent hue shift in protanopes

For normal trichromats, the hue of a light can change as its luminance varies. This Bezold-Brücke (B-B) hue shift is commonly attributed to nonlinearity in the blue–yellow opponent system. In the present study, we questioned whether protanopes experience analogous changes. Two protanopes (Ps) viewed spectral lights at six luminance levels across three log steps. Two normal trichromats (NTs) were tested for comparison. A variant of the color-naming method was used, with an additional “white” term. To overcome the difficulty of Ps' idiosyncratic color naming, we converted color-naming functions into individual color spaces, by way of interstimulus similarities and multidimensional scaling (MDS). The color spaces describe each stimulus in terms of spatial coordinates, so that hue shifts are measured geometrically, as displacements along specific dimensions. For the NTs, a B-B shift derived through MDS agreed well with values obtained directly by matching color-naming functions. A change in color appearance was also observed for the Ps, distinct from that in perceived brightness. This change was about twice as large as the B-B shift for NTs and combined what the latter would distinguish as hue and saturation shifts. The protanopic analogue of the B-B shift indicates that the blue–yellow nonlinearity persists in the absence of a red–green signal. In addition, at mesopic levels (≤ 38 td), the Ps' MDS solution was two dimensional at longer wavelengths, suggesting rod input. Conversely, at higher luminance levels (76 td–760 td) the MDS solution was essentially one dimensional, placing a lower limit on S-cone input at longer wavelengths.
Awesome Us: the Individual, Group and Contextual Effects of a Strengths Intervention in the Classroom

The beneficial effects of strengths interventions on individual well-being, academic engagement, efficacy, and achievement have been demonstrated. However, research has not yet examined whether or not strengths interventions can enhance relationships and group climate, or if contextual factors influence intervention effectiveness. Furthermore, although strengths programmes are being used in schools internationally, no published research documents their effectiveness with primary school students or examines the student experience of strengths identification. Method. This study (N = 193) developed and trialled a 6-session, classroom-based strengths programme, called Awesome Us, with 9-12 year old students from primary and intermediate schools of low to middle socio-economic status, using quantitative and qualitative methods. Students identified their strengths through interactive activities, practised strengths spotting in self and others, and used strengths to pursue meaningful personal goals. How teachers valued strengths in their classrooms, and their attitudes towards strengths were assessed. Results. Results indicated that the Awesome Us strengths programme had group and individual effects. At 3-months post-test, students who received the programme reported significantly higher levels of positive affect, classroom engagement, class climate, relatedness, and strengths use than those in the control group. No significant differences in negative affect, or life satisfaction were evident. Analysis of teacher data showed significant differences in strengths orientation between intervention and control groups from pre-test to post-test. Hierarchical regressions indicated that a positive change in teacher strengths orientation over the study period contributed significantly to positive changes in student positive affect, engagement, class climate, and relatedness. Qualitative findings indicated
Assessment of temperature, trace species, and ozone in chemistry-climate model simulations of the recent past

Simulations of the stratosphere from thirteen coupled chemistry-climate models (CCMs) are evaluated to provide guidance for the interpretation of ozone predictions made by the same CCMs. The focus of the evaluation is on how well the fields and processes that are important for determining the ozone distribution are represented in the simulations of the recent past. The core period of the evaluation is from 1980 to 1999 but long-term trends are compared for an extended period (1960–2004). Comparisons of polar high-latitude temperatures show that most CCMs have only small biases in the Northern Hemisphere in winter and spring, but still have cold biases in the Southern Hemisphere spring below 10 hPa. Most CCMs display the correct stratospheric response of polar temperatures to wave forcing in the Northern, but not in the Southern Hemisphere. Global long-term stratospheric temperature trends are in reasonable agreement with satellite and radiosonde observations. Comparisons of simulations of methane, mean age of air, and propagation of the annual cycle in water vapor show a wide spread in the results, indicating differences in transport. However, for around half the models there is reasonable agreement with observations. In these models the mean age of air and the water vapor tape recorder signal are generally better than reported in previous model intercomparisons. Comparisons of the water vapor and inorganic chlorine (Cly) fields also show a large intermodel spread. Differences in tropical water vapor mixing ratios in the lower stratosphere are primarily related to biases in the simulated tropical tropopause temperatures and not transport. The spread in Cly, which is largest in the polar lower stratosphere, appears to be primarily related to transport differences. In general the amplitude and phase of the annual cycle in total ozone is well simulated apart from the southern high latitudes. Most CCMs show reasonable agreement with observed total ozone trends and variability on a global scale, but a greater spread in the ozone trends in polar regions in spring, especially in the Arctic. In conclusion, despite the wide range of skills in representing different processes assessed here, there is sufficient agreement between the majority of the CCMs and the observations that some confidence can be placed in their predictions.
Algorithms for Numerical Analysis in High Dimensions

Nearly every numerical analysis algorithm has computational complexity that scales exponentially in the underlying physical dimension. The separated representation, introduced previously, allows many operations to be performed with scaling that is formally linear in the dimension. In this paper we further develop this representation by (i) discussing the variety of mechanisms that allow it to be surprisingly efficient; (ii) addressing the issue of conditioning; (iii) presenting algorithms for solving linear systems within this framework; and (iv) demonstrating methods for dealing with antisymmetric functions, as arise in the multiparticle Schrodinger equation in quantum mechanics. Numerical examples are given.
Oral health status in Iranian hemodialysis patients

Due to increased survival among hemodialysis (HD) patients, new problems including concerns of oral health have appeared. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the oral health status and related risk factors in Iranian HD patients. Demographic information, medical history, laboratory findings, and dental health status were gathered. The decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria was obtained. Kt/V was calculated for patients. A P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Seventy-two patients were evaluated, with a mean age and HD time of 53.4±15.3 years and 36.9±33.8 months, respectively. Thirty-five (48.6%) complained of dry mouth, 33 (49.3%) of taste change, 22 (31%) of malodor mouth, and 30 (46.9%) had dental calculus. The overall mean DMFT score was 18.6±9.9. DMFT score had a negative significant correlation with Kt/V (r=–0.4, P=0.004). Women and singles as well as patients with a low educational level and/or lesser dialysis time had a significantly higher DMFT score (P<0.05). Kt/V was significantly lower in patients suffering from dry mouth and dental calculus (P<0.05). Interestingly DMFT score was significantly lower in patients with dental calculus compared to patients without it (P=0.001). It seems that our patients have a poor dental hygiene level and high DMFT score especially women, singles, patients with low Kt/V and a low education level. The oral health maintenance program for a patient receiving dialysis should be reinforced in our centers.
TORC1 and TORC2 converge to regulate the SAGA co‐activator in response to nutrient availability

Gene expression regulation is essential for cells to adapt to changes in their environment. Co‐activator complexes have well‐established roles in transcriptional regulation, but less is known about how they sense and respond to signaling cues. We have previously shown that, in fission yeast, one such co‐activator, the SAGA complex, controls gene expression and the switch from proliferation to differentiation in response to nutrient availability. Here, using a combination of genetic, biochemical, and proteomic approaches, we show that SAGA responds to nutrients through the differential phosphorylation of its Taf12 component, downstream of both the TORC1 and TORC2 pathways. Taf12 phosphorylation increases early upon starvation and is controlled by the opposing activities of the PP2A phosphatase, which is activated by TORC1, and the TORC2‐activated Gad8AKT kinase. Mutational analyses suggest that Taf12 phosphorylation prevents cells from committing to differentiation until starvation reaches a critical level. Overall, our work reveals that SAGA is a direct target of nutrient‐sensing pathways and has uncovered a mechanism by which TORC1 and TORC2 converge to control gene expression and cell fate decisions.
Long-term results of oxybutynin use in treating facial hyperhidrosis*

BACKGROUND Facial hyperhidrosis can lead to serious emotional distress. Video-assisted thoracic sympathectomy resolves symptoms effectively, though it may be associated with compensatory hyperhidrosis, which may be more common in patients undergoing resection of the second thoracic ganglion. Oxybutynin has been used as a pharmacological approach to facial hyperhidrosis but the long-term results of this treatment are unclear. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of low oxybutynin doses in facial hyperhidrosis patients for at least six months. METHODS 61 patients were monitored for over six months and assessed according to the following variables: impact of hyperhidrosis on quality of life (QOL) before treatment and after six weeks, evolution of facial hyperhidrosis after six weeks and at the last consultation, complaints of dry mouth after six weeks and on last return visit, and improvement at other hyperhidrosis sites. RESULTS Patients were monitored for 6 to 61 months (median=17 months). Thirty-six (59%) were female. Age ranged from 17-74 (median:45). Pre-treatment QOL was poor/very poor in 96.72%. After six weeks, 100% of patients improved QOL. Comparing results after six weeks and on the last visit, 91.8% of patients maintained the same category of improvement in facial hyperhidrosis, 3.3% worsened and 4.9% improved. Dry mouth complaints were common but not consistent throughout treatment. More than 90% of patients presented moderate/great improvement at other hyperhidrosis sites. CONCLUSION Patients who had a good initial response to treatment maintained a good response long-term, did not display tachiphylaxis and experienced improvement on other hyperhidrosis sites.
Elevated levels of synovial fluid antibodies reactive with the small proteoglycans biglycan and decorin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or other joint diseases.

OBJECTIVES To determine whether patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) express humoral immunity to the small proteoglycans biglycan and decorin and to compare the response to that of patients suffering from other joint diseases. METHODS Serum and synovial fluid IgG and IgM antibody levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Antibodies to biglycan and decorin as well as to other known and extensively investigated cartilage matrix components such as type II collagen, aggrecan and fibronectin were investigated. Patients suffering from RA, osteoarthritis (OA), psoriatic arthritis and other seronegative spondylarthropathies were included in the study. Correlation between antibody levels and clinical/laboratory parameters was determined. RESULTS Patients with RA expressed an increased humoral immunity to biglycan, while patients with seronegative spondylarthropathies displayed elevated decorin-specific synovial antibody levels compared with OA patients. CONCLUSION These results indicate a significantly higher immunity to small proteoglycans in RA and seronegative spondylarthropathies than in OA suggesting a possible involvement in the pathogenesis of inflammatory rheumatic diseases.
The perspectives of older care recipients, their family members, and their round-the-clock foreign home care workers regarding elder mistreatment

Objectives: This study evaluated attitudes toward elder mistreatment from the perspective of older care recipients; their foreign home care workers, and their family members. Methods: Overall, 88 older care recipients, 142 family members, and 127 foreign home care workers responded to a hypothetical case vignette querying about the appropriate care of an older woman who suffers from neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia. Results: Foreign home care workers tended to be more lenient toward elder mistreatment relative to older adults and their family members and to view as effective techniques that would non-equivocally be considered abusive and ineffective by current standards. Conclusions: Interventions should inform these stakeholders about what constitutes elder mistreatment and should be particularly geared toward addressing cultural differences in the perception of elder mistreatment.