Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of real-time programs with simple time Petri nets

We present a first report on our PARTS toolset for the automated static analysis of real-time systems. The PARTS toolset is based upon a timed extension of Petri nets. Our simple time Petri nets or STP nets are specifically aimed at facilitating real-time analysis. Our analysis approach uses the state space of an STP net in order to answer queries about the concurrency and timing behavior of the corresponding system. An attractive feature of STP nets is that they support a variety of techniques for controlling the number of states that must be explicitly enumerated. These techniques were originally defined for the analysis of concurrency properties of untimed systems, and in this paper we discuss the extension of each to the timed domain. We also report on some preliminary experimental results that we obtained by running our toolset on examples of real-time systems.
Sexual Behaviour and HPV Infections in 18 to 29 Year Old Women in the Pre-Vaccine Era in the Netherlands

Background Infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a necessary event in the multi-step process of cervical carcinogenesis. Little is known about the natural history of HPV infection among unscreened young adults. As prophylactic vaccines are being developed to prevent specifically HPV 16 and 18 infections, shifts in prevalence in the post vaccine era may be expected. This study provides a unique opportunity to gather baseline data before changes by nationwide vaccination occur. Methods and Principal Findings This cross-sectional study is part of a large prospective epidemiologic study performed among 2065 unscreened women aged 18 to 29 years. Women returned a self-collected cervico-vaginal specimen and filled out a questionnaire. All HPV DNA-positive samples (by SPF10 DEIA) were genotyped using the INNO-LiPA HPV genotyping assay. HPV point prevalence in this sample was 19%. Low and high risk HPV prevalence was 9.1% and 11.8%, respectively. A single HPV-type was detected in 14.9% of all women, while multiple types were found in 4.1%. HPV-types 16 (2.8%) and 18 (1.4%) were found concomitantly in only 3 women (0.1%). There was an increase in HPV prevalence till 22 years. Multivariate analysis showed that number of lifetime sexual partners was the most powerful predictor of HPV positivity, followed by type of relationship, frequency of sexual contact, age, and number of sexual partners over the past 6 months. Conclusions and Significance This study shows that factors independently associated with HPV prevalence are mainly related to sexual behaviour. Combination of these results with the relative low prevalence of HPV 16 and/or 18 may be promising for expanding the future target group for catch up vaccination. Furthermore, these results provide a basis for research on possible future shifts in HPV genotype prevalence, and enable a better estimate of the effect of HPV 16-18 vaccination on cervical cancer incidence.
Applied nonlinear control with adaptive backstepping technique for a three-phase AC/DC boost converter

The application of adaptive backstepping technique to the dc-bus voltage regulation and unity-power-factor control for a pulsewidth modulation three-phase ac/dc boost converter is investigated. The controller design is based on a new model derived from power balancing between ac and dc sides. To compensate the nonlinearity in model and counteract uncertainty in load, the adaptive controller that achieves both voltage regulation and unity power factor is systematically derived by using feedback linearization and adaptive backstepping technique. The proposed approach provides direct regulation of dc-link voltage under large perturbation in load. Simulation results provide clear evidence on the voltage reference tracking performance under large perturbation in load.
LRRK2 Inhibits FAK Activity by Promoting FERM-mediated Autoinhibition of FAK and Recruiting the Tyrosine Phosphatase, SHP-2

Mutation of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) causes an autosomal dominant and late-onset familial Parkinson's disease (PD). Recently, we reported that LRRK2 directly binds to and phosphorylates the threonine 474 (T474)-containing Thr-X-Arg(Lys) (TXR) motif of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), thereby inhibiting the phosphorylation of FAK at tyrosine (Y) 397 residue (pY397-FAK), which is a marker of its activation. Mechanistically, however, it remained unclear how T474-FAK phosphorylation suppressed FAK activation. Here, we report that T474-FAK phosphorylation could inhibit FAK activation via at least two different mechanisms. First, T474 phosphorylation appears to induce a conformational change of FAK, enabling its N-terminal FERM domain to autoinhibit Y397 phosphorylation. This is supported by the observation that the levels of pY397-FAK were increased by deletion of the FERM domain and/or mutation of the FERM domain to prevent its interaction with the kinase domain of FAK. Second, pT474-FAK appears to recruit SHP-2, which is a phosphatase responsible for dephosphorylating pY397-FAK. We found that mutation of T474 into glutamate (T474E-FAK) to mimic phosphorylation induced more strong interaction with SHP-2 than WT-FAK, and that pharmacological inhibition of SHP-2 with NSC-87877 rescued the level of pY397 in HEK293T cells. These results collectively show that LRRK2 suppresses FAK activation through diverse mechanisms that include the promotion of autoinhibition and/or the recruitment of phosphatases, such as SHP-2.
Health-Related Quality of Life Predictors of Survival and Hospital Utilization

The health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of 103 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on hemodialysis was studied for prediction of 1-year survival and hospital days in the context of other predictors. Higher HRQOL physical functioning, higher provider-reported functional performance, fewer private religious activities, living with family, black race, and having a diagnosis of hypertension predicted survival. Lower HRQOL energy, higher pain, and not living with family predicted more hospital days. Patients living with family reported more social support and better HRQOL general health, emotional well-being, social health, and quality of social interactions than other patients.
Trends in Determinants of Hypercholesterolemia among Chinese Adults between 2002 and 2012: Results from the National Nutrition Survey

Hypercholesterolemia is a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and affects a high proportion of the population. This study aimed to assess and compare the determinants of hypercholesterolemia among Chinese adults aged 18 years and above, from 2002 to 2012. The study used a stratified multistage cluster sampling method to select participants. Sociodemographic and lifestyle information was collected during face-to-face interviews. Dietary intake was calculated by 3-day, 24-h dietary records in combination with weighted edible oil and condiments. Hypercholesterolemia was defined as total cholesterol above 6.22 mmol/L (240 mg/dL) from fasting blood samples. The study included 47,701 (mean age 43.0 years) and 39,870 (mean age 51.0 years) participants in 2002 and 2010–2012 surveys respectively. The weighted prevalence of hypercholesterolemia increased from 1.6% (2.1% urban, 1.0% rural) in 2002 to 6.0% (6.4% urban, 5.1% rural) in 2012. The intake of plant-based food decreased but the intake of pork increased over the 10 years. A high intake of protein and pork, alcohol drinking and overweight/obesity were positively associated with hypercholesterolemia. Neither education nor fruit and vegetable intake were associated with hypercholesterolemia. In conclusion, the burden of hypercholesterolemia increased substantially between 2002 and 2012 in China. Unhealthy lifestyle factors and change in traditional dietary pattern were positively associated with hypercholesterolemia. Further research on the role of diet in the development and prevention of hypercholesterolemia is needed.
The role of forget-cue salience in list-method directed forgetting

Research suggests that manipulating the wording of the forget cue in list-method directed forgetting affects the magnitude of directed forgetting both in younger children (Aslan, Staudigl, Samenieh, & Bauml, in press) and in older adults (Sahakyan, Delaney, & Goodmon, 2008). This occurs when the forget cue overemphasises the importance of forgetting in the current context. The present experiment investigated whether de-emphasising forgetting affected the magnitude of list-method directed forgetting in college adults. Some participants received overt forget cues that explicitly instructed them to forget earlier studied items, whereas others received covert forget cues that implied forgetting by emphasising selective remembering (e.g., “you will only need to remember some of the items”). Results indicated equivalent directed forgetting for both types of cues. However, regardless of the type of cue received, participants who reported using specific forgetting strategies in response to the forget cue showed directed forgetting, whereas those that reported doing nothing did not show any effects. The results underscore that successful directed forgetting requires engagement of controlled processes.
Role of Chrysosporium keratinophillum in the parasitic evolution of dermatophytes

Anti‐dermatophytic activity of Chrysosporium keratinophillum against species of the genera Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton floccosum was tested in vitro. When C. keratinophillum and different species of dermatophytes were inoculated on Sabouraud's dextrose agar plates 2 cm apart, no antagonistic effect of C. keratinophillum on the mycelial growth of dermatophytes was observed. However, conidia production was not observed on the hyphae of Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton tonsurans and E. floccosum grown near C. keratinophillum. The secretory substances released by C. keratinophillum inhibited the growth of T. rubrum, T. tonsurans, Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. interdigitale and E. floccosum at a concentration of 2000 μg ml−1 when tested by broth dilution technique. No inhibition of the growth was observed for Microsporum gypseum and Microsporum nanum. The anti‐fungal activity of secretory substances released by C. keratinophillum was recorded to be heat stable. Results of the present study suggest that the anti‐dermatophytic activity of the secretory substances of C. keratinophillum on T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes var. interdigitale, T. tonsurans and E. floccosum may be responsible in part, for the absence of these dermatophyte species in soil. Considering the global prevalence of C. keratinophillum in soil one may speculate that the anti‐dermatophytic activity of C. keratinophillum is one of the early events for the evolutionary divergence of saprophytic archi‐dermatophytes to obligate parasitic dermatophyte species.
An Investigation of Factors that Contribute to Student Satisfaction from Online Courses: The Example of an Online Accounting Course

Although most courses are offered in the traditional synchronous way where the teaching and learning mainly takes place in the classroom, the internet has proven to be an effective tool in learning. The demand of online courses is constantly growing, however there is paucity of research of online delivery success factors, especially of accounting courses. The aim of this paper was to investigate the factors that contribute to student satisfaction from online teaching and learning of an accounting course. This study was conducted at a university in the USA amongst 80 students enrolled in an online accounting course over a period of two semesters. The quantitative data are based on the students' course evaluation forms of the instructor's teaching and overall satisfaction with the course. The findings suggest that the students found the asynchronous online teaching and learning interesting and challenging. The factors that mainly contribute to student satisfaction include the instructor's preparation for the course and her availability to students, the clear grading criteria, the assignment which they found useful and the other resources that were available online. They value the least the development of writing skills. Additionally, this study proposes that there is positive significant correlation between the instructor's overall performance with the overall student satisfaction from the course. The instructors performance, availability and easy to use technology enhance the learning and teaching from online pedagogies.
Effect of Salt on Prostaglandin Metabolism in Hypertension‐Prone and ‐Resistant Dahl Rats

SUMMARY The effect of high salt intake on rascular and renomedullary prostaglandin (PG) synthesis was compared in Sprague-Dawley and salt-sensitive (S) and -resistant (R) Dahl rats. Animals were given a diet containing either 0.6% or 8% NaCI starting at 5 weeks of age, and were sacrificed 6 weeks later. Systolic blood pressure of S rats increased to 220 ± 7 mm Hg but was unaffected in R and Sprague-Dawley rats. Prostaglandin synthesis was studied in aortic rings and renomedullary mlcrosomes using 14C-arachidonate as substrate. [3H]PGE2 degradation was measured in the renocortical cytosol.In Sprague-Dawley and R rats, aortic PGIt synthesis was not affected by high salt intake, while a significant increase compared to animals on 0.6% NaCI (from 608 ± 84 to 992 ± 108 pmoles/60 min, p < 0.05) was noted in S rats. Enhancement of PGI| synthesis in S rats may be secondary to the hypertension.Salt-loading consistently stimulated renomedullary PGE, synthesis in all three animal groups. S rats, however, had the lowest PG synthesis in renal medullas compared to Sprague-Dawley and R rats when placed on either diet. Thus, even after 6 weeks on high salt, S rats did not reach the levels of PGE, synthesis seen in R or Sprague-Dawley rats on regular diet.The activity of cortical 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase was increased by salt-loading in S and Sprague-Dawley, but not in R rats. R rats had lower dehydrogenase activity than the other two groups when placed on either diet.The observed differences in PG synthesis and catabolism will tend to maintain the net output of renal PGs highest in R and lowest in S rats. These differences correlate with the reported differences in renal papillary flow between these two rat strains and may be relevant to their susceptibility or resistance to hypertension in response to salt. (Hypertension 3: 219-224, 1981);
Effect of Pre-Treatment of Lignocellulosic Fiber on Mechanical Properties of Chitosan-Filled Filter Media

The newly developed non-woven filter media are composed of randomly oriented fibrous fibers from empty fruit bunch fibers. The wet lay-up method was adopted for filter media fabrication. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of pre-treatment of lignocellulosic fibers on the mechanical properties of fibrous filter media. The study also aims to examine the effect of chitosan application as binder on the tensile strength of fibrous filter media from treated and untreated fibers. The fibers were treated with sodium hydroxide solution, diethyl ether, ethanol and hot water. The pre-treatment enhance the fibrous filter media properties, while filter media from untreated empty fruit bunch fibers showed lower mechanical properties. The changes in mechanical properties followed the order: alkali-treated > diethyl ether > ethanol > hot water > untreated empty fruit bunch fibers.
Optimal sizing and siting of distributed generation and EV charging stations in distribution systems

The penetration of distributed generation (DG) units in distribution systems has gradually increased. In addition to that, the interest in the electrification of the transport sector has brought about increasingly significant incentives for the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). In this regard, the planning of the installation of DG units and EV charging stations should be carefully considered by system operators (SOs) in order to avoid stressing the network and extract operational flexibility. In this study, an optimal sizing and siting approach is proposed for DG units and EV charging stations. Furthermore, this study considers the time-varying nature of demand and production, which enables a more realistic outlook for the problem compared to a static consideration. The proposed approach is tested on a distribution system feeder in Istanbul, Turkey.
Treatment of metabolic syndrome

The metabolic syndrome is intended to identify patients who have increased risk of diabetes and/or a cardiac event due to the deleterious effects of weight gain, sedentary lifestyle, and/or an atherogenic diet. The National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel III definition uses easily measured clinical findings of increased abdominal circumference, elevated triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, elevated fasting blood glucose and/or elevated blood pressure. Three of these five are required for diagnosis. The authors also note that other definitions of metabolic syndrome focus more on insulin resistance and its key role in this syndrome. This review focuses on how treatment might affect each of the five components. Abdominal obesity can be treated with a variety of lower calorie diets along with regular exercise. Indeed, all of the five components of the metabolic syndrome are improved by even modest amounts of weight loss achieved with diet and exercise. For those with impaired fasting glucose tolerance, there is good evidence that a high fiber, low saturated fat diet with increased daily exercise can reduce the incidence of diabetes by almost 60%. Of note, subjects who exercise the most, gain the most benefit. Metformin has also been shown to be helpful in these subjects. Thiazolidinedione drugs may prove useful, but further studies are needed. Although intensified therapeutic lifestyle change will help the abnormal lipid profile, some patients may require drug therapy. This review also discusses the use of statins, fibrates, and niacin. Likewise, while hypertension in the metabolic syndrome benefits from therapeutic lifestyle change, physicians should also consider angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor drugs or angiotensin receptor blockers, due to their effects on preventing complications of diabetes, such as progression of diabetic nephropathy and due to their effects on regression of left ventricular hypertrophy. Aspirin should be considered in those with at least a 10% risk of a coronary event over 10 years. Finally, three related conditions, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovary syndrome and protease inhibitor associated lipodystrophy improve with therapeutic lifestyle change. Although metformin is shown to be useful with polycystic ovary syndrome, the data supporting drug therapy for the other syndromes is less convincing. More robust studies are needed before any firm recommendations can be made.
Control and Cybernetics Optimality and Stability Result for Bang–bang Optimal Controls with Simple and Double Switch Behaviour * †

The paper considers parametric optimal control problems with bang–bang control vector function. For this problem we give regularity and second–order optimality conditions at the nominal solution which are sufficient to: (i) existence and local uniqueness of extremals, (ii) local structure stability, (iii) strong local optimal-ity, under parameter perturbations. Here " local " means in a L ∞ – neighbourhood of the nominal trajectory, regardless of the control values. Stability results were obtained by the first author using the shooting approach, while optimality results were obtained by the other authors, using the Hamiltonian approach. The paper, combining both approaches, allows to unify the assumptions and to close some gaps between optimality and stability results.
The Relationship between Social Behaviors and Working Memory in School-Age Children with Language Impairment

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL BEHAVIORS AND WORKING MEMORY IN SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN WITH LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT Melanie Javid Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Master of Science Children with language impairment (LI) have notable social problems (Brinton & Fujiki, 2004). Research has shown that children with LI often have deficits in working memory (Kirchner & Klatsky, 1985; Stark, Poppen, & May, 1987). The relationship between working memory and social behaviors has not been clearly defined. This study examined this relationship in children with LI and typical age-matched peers by asking participants to repeat nine nonwords and correlating these results with social behaviors as rated by teachers. The Teacher Behavior Rating Scale (TBRS; Hart and Robinson, 1996) was used to compare social behaviors of 19 school-age children with LI to 19 age-matched peers with typically developing language skills. Social behaviors were divided into two categories, withdrawal and sociability. One subtype of withdrawal (reticence) and two subtypes of sociability (prosocial and likeability) were examined. Nonword repetition is a culturally nonbiased measurement of the ability to form phonological representation of nonwords in working memory (Edwards & Lahey, 1998). A modified version of Edwards and Lahey’s nonword repetition task was used to assess working memory. Teachers rated children with LI as demonstrating higher levels of reticence and lower levels of both types of sociability than typical children. Children with LI performed poorer on the nonword repetition task at all syllable lengths (3-syllable, 4-syllable, and 5-syllable). Analyses of covariance were performed, including all participants, to identify if there were significant relationships between social behaviors and working memory. The results indicated that working memory was a significant factor for reticence, likeability, and prosocial behaviors. Regression analyses indicated that nonword repetition scores were significant predictors of reticence, accounting for 28% of the variance, likeability, accounting for 18% of the variance, and prosocial behaviors, accounting for 11% of the variance. As working memory increased, reticence decreased and both likeability and prosocial skills increased. Further analyses showed that only likeability was significantly influenced by language group and gender. Group specific analyses indicated that likeability was predicted by working memory for typical peers but not for children with LI. Working memory was also a stronger predictor of likeability for males than females.