Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kalman Filter and its Modern Extensions for the Continuous-time Nonlinear Filtering Problem

This paper is concerned with the filtering problem in continuous-time. Three algorithmic solution approaches for this problem are reviewed: (i) the classical Kalman-Bucy filter which provides an exact solution for the linear Gaussian problem, (ii) the ensemble Kalman-Bucy filter (EnKBF) which is an approximate filter and represents an extension of the Kalman-Bucy filter to nonlinear problems, and (iii) the feedback particle filter (FPF) which represents an extension of the EnKBF and furthermore provides for an consistent solution in the general nonlinear, non-Gaussian case. The common feature of the three algorithms is the gain times error formula to implement the update step (to account for conditioning due to the observations) in the filter. In contrast to the commonly used sequential Monte Carlo methods, the EnKBF and FPF avoid the resampling of the particles in the importance sampling update step. Moreover, the feedback control structure provides for error correction potentially leading to smaller simulation variance and improved stability properties. The paper also discusses the issue of non-uniqueness of the filter update formula and formulates a novel approximation algorithm based on ideas from optimal transport and coupling of measures. Performance of this and other algorithms is illustrated for a numerical example.
ORIENTATION , ORTHORECTIFICATION , DSM EXTRACTION AND 3 D CITY MODELING BY CARTOSAT-1 STEREO IMAGERY : FIRST RESULTS OF A TEST OVER ROME

CARTOSAT-1, launched in May 2005, is basically a stereo mission; in fact it is equipped with two cameras onboard, namely Aft and Fore, tilted in along track by -5° and +26°, allowing the acquisition of stereo data for every scene with a resolution of 2.5 m. The Institutes of Area di Geodesia e Geomatica Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Eurimage S.p.A. and CyberCity AG participated at the ISPRS-ISRO Cartosat-1 Scientific Assessment Programme (C-SAP), in order to investigate the DSM generation from Cartosat-1 stereo scenes. This paper describes the work carried out on the stereopair belongin to the test field called TS-8 (Rome, Italy), acquired on 8th June 2005 over the city of Rome, Italy. The stereo images related to the test field were processed with several commercial software (PCIOrthoEngine, ERDAS, CyberCity-Modeler –CCM-), in order to perform preliminary tests on the sensor potentialities for geomatic applications. The processing included the sensor orientation, DSM generation, orthoimage production and 3D features extraction,. For the orientation of Cartosat-1 imagery, two alternative approaches have been used: a generic rigorous sensor model , implemented in PCI-OrthoEngine, and a rational polynomial coefficients model (RPC), available in PCI-OrthoEngine, ERDAS and CCM. For the evaluation of the DSM accuracy, the DSMs extracted were compared with the heights of several buildings and points on road axis derived from a large scale 3D map (1:2’000); an accuracy (RMSE) between 1 and 1.5 pixel (about 3 m) was achieved both on building heights and on road axis. Secondly, to evaluate the potentials of the images for 3D features extraction, some buildings were modelled semi-automatically in CCM and again compared with the 1:2’000 3D map, achieving an accuracy around 4 m. The third focused item, regarded the evaluation of the orthoimage accuracy, which was estimated by a 2D comparison with the same large scale 3D map; it was showed that it is possible to obtain a horizontal accuracy better then 1 pixel.
Correlation between the Presence of Virulence‐Associated Genes as Determined by PCR and Actual Virulence to Mice in Various Strains of Listeria Spp.

Five chromosomal genes, prfA, plcA, hlyA, mpl and plcB, are implicated in the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes and some of these genes have been used for the identification of bacteria by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Using 6 strains of L. monocytogenes and 3 L. innocua strains, the relationship was examined between the presence of five virulence‐associated genes and actual virulence to mice in terms of 50% lethal dose (LD50), bacterial viability in the organ of infected mice and the intracellular growth in cultured macrophages. None of the five genes could be amplified by PCR in all the L. innocua strains and they were actually avirulent to mice. All L. monocytogenes strains were shown to be virulent and to have intact virulence‐associated genes except for the strain ATCC15313. This particular strain was revealed to be avirulent and defective in hlyA and plcA in PCR amplification. It was suggested that PCR detection of genes prfA, mpl, or plcB may not be sufficient to detect virulent strains of L. monocytogenes. It appeared that the ability to produce listeriolysin O (LLO), which is encoded by hlyA, was critical for the expression of virulence regardless of the amount of LLO produced.
Hereditary and acquired protein S deficiencies are associated with low TFPI levels in plasma

Summary. Background: Protein S and tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) act together in down‐regulating coagulation. Objective: To investigate the TFPI/protein S system in hereditary and acquired protein S deficiency. Methods: Plasma antigen levels of protein S and full‐length TFPI were determined in heterozygous type I protein S‐deficient individuals (n = 35), patients on oral anticoagulant treatment (OAT) (n = 29), oral contraceptive (OC) users (n = 10) and matched controls. Thrombin generation was determined using calibrated automated thrombography. Results: Full‐length TFPI levels were lower in type I protein S‐deficient individuals (76.8 ± 33.8%) than in age‐ and sex‐matched controls (128.0 ± 59.4%, P < 0.001). Among protein S‐deficient individuals with thrombosis, those on OAT had not only lower total protein S levels (25.7 ± 8.2% vs. 54.7 ± 8.2%, P < 0.001), but also lower full‐length TFPI levels (52.6 ± 15.0% vs. 75.4 ± 22.9%, P = 0.009) than those not on OAT. Similarly, OC users had lower protein S (73.8 ± 11.5% vs. 87.9 ± 10.8%, P = 0.005) and full‐length TFPI levels (73.7 ± 27.7% vs. 106.4 ± 29.2%, P = 0.007) than non‐users. When triggered with tissue factor, plasma from protein S‐deficient individuals generated 3–5‐fold more thrombin than control plasma. The difference was only partially corrected by normalization of the protein S level, full correction requiring additional normalization of the TFPI level. Protein S‐immunodepletion experiments indicated that free protein S and full‐length TFPI form a complex in plasma, and the protein S/TFPI interaction was confirmed by surface plasmon resonance analysis. Conclusions: Full‐length TFPI binds to protein S in plasma and is reduced in genetic and acquired protein S deficiency. The concomitant TFPI deficiency substantially contributes to the hypercoagulable state associated with protein S deficiency.
Do Media Data Help to Predict German Industrial Production

Expectations form the basis of economic decisions of market participants in an uncertain world. Sentiment indicators reflect those expectations and thus have a proven track record for predicting economic variables. However, respondents of surveys perceive the world to a large extent with the help of media. So far, mainly very crude media information, such as word-count indices, has been used in the prediction of macroeconomic and financial variables. In this paper, we employ a rich data set provided by Media Tenor International, based on the sentiment analysis of all relevant media information in Germany from 2001 to 2014, whose results are transformed into several monthly indices. German industrial production is predicted in a real-time out-of-sample forecasting experiment using more than 17,000 models formed of all possible combinations with a maximum of 3 out of 48 macroeconomic, survey, and media indicators. It is demonstrated that media data are indispensable when it comes to the prediction of German industrial production both for individual models and as a part of combined forecasts. They increase reliability by improving accuracy and reducing instability of the forecasts, particularly during the recent global financial crisis.
Physical Activity and All-cause Mortality: An Updated Meta-analysis with Different Intensity Categories

In a meta-analysis we investigated the effect of physical activity with different intensity categories on all-cause mortality. Many studies have reported positive effects of regular physical activity on primary prevention. This recent meta-analysis analyzed all-cause mortality with special reference to intensity categories. A computerized systematic literature search was performed in EMBASE, PUBMED, and MEDLINE data bases (1990-2006) for prospective cohort studies on physical leisure activity. Thirty-eight studies were identified and evaluated. The presentation refers to studies with 3 or 4 different intensities of regular physical activity according to a standard questionnaire. There was a significant association of lower all-cause mortality for active individuals compared with sedentary persons. For studies with three activity categories (mildly, moderately, and highly active) and multivariate-adjusted models, highly active men had a 22% lower risk of all-cause mortality (RR=0.78; 95% CI: 0.72 to 0.84) compared to mildly active men. For women, the relative risk was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.53 to 0.90). We observed similar results in moderately active persons compared to mildly active individuals (RR=0.81 for men and RR=0.76 for women). This association of activity to all-cause mortality was similar and significant in older subjects. Regular physical activity over longer time is strongly associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality in active subjects compared to sedentary persons. There is a dose-response curve especially from sedentary subjects to those with mild and moderate exercise with only a minor additional reduction with further increase in activity level.
Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Cost Analysis of Magnesia Spinel Brick Production

Sustainable use of natural resources in the production of construction materials has become a necessity both in Europe and Turkey. Construction products in Europe should have European Conformity (CE) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), an independently verified and registered document in line with the European standard EN 15804. An EPD certificate can be created by performing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study. In this particular work, an LCA study was carried out for a refractory brick production for environmental assessment. In addition to the LCA, the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis was also applied for economic assessment. Firstly, a cradle-to-gate LCA was performed for one ton of magnesia spinel refractory brick. The CML IA method included in the licensed SimaPro 8.0. 1 software was chosen to calculate impact categories (namely, abiotic depletion, global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, human toxicity, ecotoxicity, ozone depletion potential, and photochemical oxidation potential). The LCC analysis was performed by developing a cost model for internal and external cost categories within the software. The results were supported by a sensitivity analysis. According to the results, the production of raw materials and the firing process in the magnesia spinel brick production were found to have several negative effects on the environment and were costly.
LCZ696: a new paradigm for the treatment of heart failure?

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) represents a significant healthcare issue because of its ever-increasing prevalence, poor prognosis and complex pathophysiology. Currently, blockade of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) is the cornerstone of treatment; however, the combination of RAAS blockade with inhibition of neprilysin (NEP), an enzyme that degrades natriuretic peptides, has recently emerged as a potentially superior treatment strategy. Areas covered: Following the results of the recent Phase III Prospective Comparison of ARNI with ACEI to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure clinical trial in patients with chronic HF with reduced ejection fraction (HF-REF), this review focuses on LCZ696, a first-in-class angiotensin receptor NEP inhibitor. This drug consists of a supramolecular complex containing the angiotensin receptor inhibitor valsartan in combination with the NEP inhibitor prodrug, AHU377. Following oral administration, the LCZ696 complex dissociates and the NEP inhibitor component is metabolized to the active form (LBQ657). Aspects of the trial that might be relevant to clinical practice are also discussed. Expert opinion: Speculation that LCZ696 will pass the scrutiny of regulatory agencies for HF-REF appears to be justified, and it is likely to become a core therapeutic component in the near future. Replication of the eligibility criteria and titration protocol used in the PARADIGM-HF trial would be valuable in clinical practice and may minimize the risk of adverse events. Although long-term data remain to be generated, the promising results regarding hypertension are likely to expedite acceptance of the drug for HF-REF.
Vaccination with Plasmodium knowlesi AMA1 Formulated in the Novel Adjuvant Co-Vaccine HT™ Protects against Blood-Stage Challenge in Rhesus Macaques

Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 (PfAMA1) is a leading blood stage vaccine candidate. Plasmodium knowlesi AMA1 (PkAMA1) was produced and purified using similar methodology as for clinical grade PfAMA1 yielding a pure, conformational intact protein. Combined with the adjuvant CoVaccine HT™, PkAMA1 was found to be highly immunogenic in rabbits and the efficacy of the PkAMA1 was subsequently tested in a rhesus macaque blood-stage challenge model. Six rhesus monkeys were vaccinated with PkAMA1 and a control group of 6 were vaccinated with PfAMA1. A total of 50 µg AMA1 was administered intramuscularly three times at 4 week intervals. One of six rhesus monkeys vaccinated with PkAMA1 was able to control parasitaemia, upon blood stage challenge with P. knowlesi H-strain. Four out of the remaining five showed a delay in parasite onset that correlated with functional antibody titres. In the PfAMA1 vaccinated control group, five out of six animals had to be treated with antimalarials 8 days after challenge; one animal did not become patent during the challenge period. Following a rest period, animals were boosted and challenged again. Four of the six rhesus monkeys vaccinated with PkAMA1 were able to control the parasitaemia, one had a delayed onset of parasitaemia and one animal was not protected, while all control animals required treatment. To confirm that the control of parasitaemia was AMA1-related, animals were allowed to recover, boosted and re-challenged with P. knowlesi Nuri strain. All control animals had to be treated with antimalarials by day 8, while five out of six PkAMA1 vaccinated animals were able to control parasitaemia. This study shows that: i) Yeast-expressed PkAMA1 can protect against blood stage challenge; ii) Functional antibody levels as measured by GIA correlated inversely with the day of onset and iii) GIA IC50 values correlated with estimated in vivo growth rates.
A Neuropsychological Theory of Motor Skill Learning

refers to the planning and execution of movements; refers to the increasing spatial and temporal accuracy of movements with practice. Although considerable progress has been made in understanding the neural basis of motor control (e. g. , ; ), the neural basis of motor skill learning has remained elusive. But motor skill learning is fundamental to human activity and so is worthy of close attention. It would be a strange, cruel world without motor skill learning: Automobile drivers would get behind the wheel as if for the first time every day; there would be no virtuosic athletic and artistic performances to watch; and tying one's shoes in the morning would require minutes of intense concentration. Motor control motor skill learning
Combination of Multiple Searches

The TREC-2 project at Virginai Tech focused on methods for combining the evidence from multiple retrieval runs to improve performance over any single retrieval method. This paper describes one such method that has been shown to increase performance by combining the similarity values from five different retrieval runs using both vector space and P-norm extended boolean retrieval methods
Anthropomorphic inferences from emotional nonverbal cues: A case study

We examined the effects of a robots' nonverbal response on evaluations of anthropomorphism and other dimensions (e.g., liking, closeness, pleasantness of human-robot interaction) in a case study. Our work both conceptually replicates and extends previous research: On the one hand, we replicated previous findings and generalized them to a different robot type, the iCat. On the other hand, our work extends existing research in that it includes a wider range of dependent variables, with a particular focus on perceptions of anthropomorphism. Taken together, most of our results support the experimental hypotheses for the dependent measures: That is, a robot that provided emotional feedback during the interaction was perceived to be superior to a robot that responded neutrally. Thus, our findings highlight the importance of the interplay of form and function in the attribution of humanness to robots.
Is high strength concrete more susceptible to explosive spalling than normal strength concrete in fire?

There is a belief, within the fire research community, that high strength concrete is more susceptible to explosive spalling than normal strength concrete. This impression is based on studying concrete properties and collecting experimental data from different research sources. But there are still doubts about the credibility of this conjecture due to the lack of integrated experimental research, particularly designed to address this issue. This paper represents the outcomes of experimental study involving normal and high strength concrete columns tested under fire. The columns were subjected to a constant load and to different values of axial restraint. The paper attempts to address the question of the susceptibility of normal and high strength concrete to explosive spalling under fire. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nutritional quality of complementary food prepared from unmalted and malted maize fortified with cowpea using extrusion cooking.

The nutritional quality of extruded unmalted or malted maize fortified with cowpea as complementary food was assessed based on its proximate analysis, amino acid composition and results from rat feeding with the blends. Results indicated a slight decrease and increase in protein content due to malting and extrusion respectively. The changes in fat, crude fibre and ash content were not significant. The blends were a good source of energy, ranging from 1831 to 2045 kJ per 100 g. Extrusion significantly increased the amino acid content of the blends, while malting had a varied effect on each of the amino acids. There was no significant difference in the protein efficiency ratio (PER), net protein ratio (NPR) and weight gain of rats fed the blends when compared with the control (casein diet). The present study shows that malting improved the nutritional quality of the blends. Rats fed the casein diet had higher values for total digestibility (TD) and net protein utilisation (NPU). There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the internal organ weights of rats fed all blends except the protein-free diet. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry.
Sleep disturbances in the critically ill patients: role of delirium and sedative agents.

BACKGROUND Impairment of sleep quality and quantity has been described in critically ill patients. Delirium, an organ dysfunction that affects outcome of the critically ill patients, is characterized by an acute onset of impaired cognitive function, visual hallucinations, delusions, and illusions. These symptoms resemble the hypnagogic hallucinations and wakeful dreams seen in patients with neurological degenerative disorders and suffering of disorders of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We assessed the characteristics of sleep disruption in a cohort of surgical critically ill patients examining the hypothesis that severe impairments of rapid eyes movement (REM) sleep are associated to delirium. METHODS Surgical patients admitted to the intensive care units of the San G. Battista Hospital (University of Turin) were enrolled. Once weaning was initiated, sleep was recorded for one night utilizing standard polysomnography. Clinical status, laboratory data on admission, co-morbidities and duration of mechanical ventilation were recorded. Patients were a priori classified as having a "severe REM reduction" or "REM reduction" if REM was higher or lower than 6% of the total sleep time (TST), respectively. Occurrence of delirium during intensive care unit (ICU) stay was identified by CAM-ICU twice a day. Multivariate forward stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed with sleep ("severe REM reduction" vs. "REM reduction") as the a priori dependent factor. RESULTS REM sleep amounted to 44 (16-72) minutes [11 (8-55) % of the TST] in 14 patients ("REM reduction") and to 2.5 (0-36) minutes [1 (0-6) % of the TST] in the remaining 15 patients ("severe REM reduction") (P = 0.0004). SAPS II on admission was higher in " severely REM deprived" then in "REM deprived" patients. Delirium was present in 11 patients (73.3%) of the patients with "severe REM reduction" and lasted for a median of 3 (0-11) days before sleep assessment, while only one patient having "REM reduction" developed delirium that lasted for 1 day. The factors independently associated with a higher risk of developing "severe REM reduction" were delirium and daily dosage of lorazepam. CONCLUSION The present study shows that while all critically ill patients present a profound fragmentation of sleep with a high frequency of arousals and awakenings and a reduction of REM sleep, a percentage of patients present an extremely severe reduction of REM sleep. Delirium and daily dosage of lorazepam are the factors independently associated to extremely severe REM sleep reduction.
Optimal Portfolios for Financial Markets with Wishart Volatility

We consider a multi asset financial market with stochastic volatility modeled by a Wishart process. This is an extension of the one-dimensional Heston model. Within this framework we study the problem of maximizing the expected utility of terminal wealth for power and logarithmic utility. We apply the usual stochastic control approach and obtain, explicitly, the optimal portfolio strategy and the value function in some parameter settings. In particular, we do this when the drift of the assets is a linear function of the volatility matrix. In this case the affine structure of the model can be exploited. In some cases we obtain a Feynman-Kac representation of the candidate value function. Though the approach we use is quite standard, the hard part is to identify when the solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation is finite. This involves a couple of matrix analytic arguments. In a numerical study we discuss the influence of the investors' risk aversion on the hedging demand.