Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A GPRFNN-based control system for wastewater treatment process

As a nonlinear and time-varying complex dynamic system, wastewater treatment process (WWTP) is difficult to be controlled. In this paper, to control the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in a WWTP, a growing and pruning recurrent fuzzy neural network (GPRFNN)-based control system is proposed which contains RFNN controllers and RFNN identifier. The identifier is used to model the WWTP with an adaptive algorithm to afford model information for the controllers, while the controllers are designed to adjust the control variables to make the WWTP run smoothly. Furthermore, the structure of the RFNN is self-organized to keep the output steady in structural adjustment phase, which is also theoretically proved. Finally, the control performance of the proposed system is shown by simulation results.
Induction of Luciferase Activity under the Control of an hsp70 Promoter Using High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound: Combination of Bioluminescence and MRI Imaging in Three Different Tumour Models

The in vivo temporal changes of luciferase activity were investigated under the control of an hsp70 promoter in three tumour models after the application of different intensities of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). Three cell lines, SCCVII, NIH3T3 and M21 were stably transfected with a plasmid containing the hsp70 promoter and luciferase reporter gene, and tumours were subcutaneously initiated into mice. At a size of 1300 ± 234 mm3, the tumours were exposed to five intensities of continuous HIFU (802-1401-2157-3067-4133 W/cm2) for 20 sec. Bioluminescence and MR imaging were performed to assess luciferase activity and signal intensity changes in the tissue. The MRI scan protocol was pre- and post-contrast T1-wt-SE, T2-wt-FSE, DCE-MRI, diffusion-wt STEAM sequence, T2 relaxation time determination obtained on a 1.5-T GE MRI scanner. The NIH3T3 tumours showed the highest luciferase activity of 328.1 ± 7.1 fold at 24 h at a HIFU intensity of 3067 W/cm2, the M21 tumours of 3.2 ± 0.6 fold 8 hours and the SCCVII tumours 2.9 ± 0.9 fold 4 hours post-HIFU at 2157 W/cm2. The greatest increase in T2 signal intensity and T2 relaxation time of 20.7 ± 3.4% was seen in the SCCVII tumours. The highest contrast medium uptake of 10.1 ± 1.1% was noted in the M21 tumours, and 14.8 ± 1.9% in the SCCVII tumours. In all tumours, a significant increase in the diffusion coefficient was seen with increased HIFU intensity, the highest of which was 40.3 ± 4.1% in the SCCVII tumours. The three tumour cell lines stably transfected with the hsp70/luciferase gene showed differential luciferase activity, which peaked at different times after the application of HIFU and was dependant on tumour type and HIFU energy deposition.
Association Between Language Proficiency and the Quality of Primary Care Among a National Sample of Insured Latinos

Background:Latinos experience substantial barriers to primary care. Limited English language proficiency may be a mechanism for these deficiencies, even for Latinos with health coverage. Objective:To determine the relationship between English language proficiency and the experience of primary care reported by insured Latinos. Design, Setting, Participants:Analysis of the National Latino and Asian American Study, a nationally representative household survey, 2002–2003. This analysis was restricted to Latinos who reported current health insurance (n= 1792), and included information on ethnic subgroups. Main Outcome Measures:Four outcomes addressed different aspects of the quality of primary care: (1) not having a regular source of care or lacking continuity of care, (2) difficulty getting an appointment over the phone, (3) long waits in the waiting room, and (4) difficulty getting information or advice by phone. Results:English language proficiency was associated with the experience of primary care for 3 of the 4 outcomes. Insured Latinos with poor/fair English language proficiency were more likely than those with good/excellent proficiency to report not having a regular source of care or lacking continuity [odds ratio (OR) 2.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.60–3.02], long waits (OR, 1.88; CI, 1.34–2.64), and difficulty getting information/advice by phone (OR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.25–2.46). Conclusions:Among insured Latinos, low English language proficiency is associated with worse reports of the quality of primary care. These results suggest that interventions to address limited English proficiency may be important to improving the quality of primary care for this rapidly growing population.
SELF-IDENTITY AND THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR - ASSESSING THE ROLE OF IDENTIFICATION WITH GREEN CONSUMERISM

Recent reports of a relationship between self-identity and behavioral intentions independent of the role of attitudes were examined skeptically in a study of attitudes towards the consumption of organically produced vegetables. We hypothesized that an adequate operationalization of the components of the theory of planned behavior would result in no independent relationship between a measure of self-identity and a measure of behavioral intentions. Two hundred and sixty-one randomly sampled members of the general public returned postal questionnaires relating to this theme
Effectiveness of Visual Perceptual Training on Reading Skills of Non-Readers, an Experimental Study

48 second and third grade non-readers who were estimated to have visual perceptual deficiences were randomly placed in experimental and control groups. The experimental group received perceptual training plus remedial instruction. The control group received only remedial instruction. After 7 mo. , the low perceivers given visual training improved significantly in visual perception, but improvements were not reflected in improved reading achievement. Controls gained 8 mo. in reading achievement versus 6 mo. for experimentals, indicating that visual perceptual training did not influence the achievement of reading skills for this group.
Modified Artificial Diet for Rearing of Tobacco Budworm, Helicoverpa armigera, using the Taguchi Method and Derringer's Desirability Function

Abstract With the aim to improve the mass rearing feasibility of tobacco budworm, Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), design of experimental methodology using Taguchi orthogonal array was applied. To do so, the effect of 16 ingredients of an artificial diet including bean, wheat germ powder, Nipagin, ascorbic acid, formaldehyde, oil, agar, distilled water, ascorbate, yeast, chloramphenicol, benomyl, penicillin, temperature, humidity, and container size on some biological characteristics of H. armigera was evaluated. The selected 16 factors were considered at two levels (32 experiments) in the experimental design. Among the selected factors, penicillin, container size, formaldehyde, chloramphenicol, wheat germ powder, and agar showed significant effect on the mass rearing performance. Derringer's desirability function was used for simultaneous optimization of mass rearing of tobacco budworm, H. armigera, on a modified artificial diet. Derived optimum operating conditions obtained by Derringer's desirability function and Taguchi methodology decreased larval period from 19 to 15.5 days (18.42 % improvement), decreased the pupal period from 12.29 to 11 days (10.49 % improvement), increased the longevity of adults from 14.51 to 21 days (44.72 % improvement), increased the number of eggs/female from 211.21 to 260, and increased egg hatchability from 54.2% to 72% (32.84 % improvement). The proposed method facilitated a systematic mathematical approach with a few well-defined experimental sets.
Two approaches to the measurement of adaptive style: comparison of normal, psychosomatically ill, and delinquent adolescents.

OBJECTIVE This project evaluated the discriminant validity of two self-report measures of adaptive styles. METHOD The Weinberger Adjustment Inventory, which assesses distress, restraint, denial, and repressive defensiveness, and the Bond Defense Style Questionnaire, which assesses immature, neurotic, and mature defenses, were administered to 272 adolescents: normal comparison group boys (n = 63), normal comparison group girls (n = 68), girls with psychosomatic disorders (n = 75), and incarcerated delinquent boys (n = 66). Multivariate analyses of covariance, analyses of covariance, and discriminant analyses (with socioeconomic status and age as covariates) were conducted. RESULTS Adaptive styles from the Defense Style Questionnaire differentiated the adolescent groups better than did the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory styles. CONCLUSION Measurement of adaptive style by the Defense Style Questionnaire may be a useful adjunct to other measures of psychopathology and can assist in assessment of risk, treatment planning, and treatment progress.
Soluble and insoluble signals and the induction of bone formation: molecular therapeutics recapitulating development

The osteogenic molecular signals of the transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) superfamily, the bone morphogenetic/osteogenic proteins (BMPs/OPs) and uniquely in primates the TGF‐β isoforms per se, pleiotropic members of the TGF‐β supergene family, induce de novo endochondral bone formation as a recapitulation of embryonic development. Naturally derived BMPs/OPs and gamma‐irradiated human recombinant osteogenic protein‐1 (hOP‐1) delivered by allogeneic and xenogeneic insoluble collagenous matrices initiate de novo bone induction in heterotopic and orthotopic sites of the primate Papio ursinus, culminating in complete calvarial regeneration by day 90 and maintaining the regenerated structures by day 365. The induction of bone by hOP‐1 in P. ursinus develops as a mosaic structure with distinct spatial and temporal patterns of gene expression of members of the TGF‐β superfamily that singly, synergistically and synchronously initiate and maintain tissue induction and morphogenesis. The temporal and spatial expressions of TGF‐β1 mRNA indicate a specific temporal transcriptional window during which expression of TGF‐β1 is mandatory for successful and optimal osteogenesis. Highly purified naturally derived bovine BMPs/OPs and hOP‐1 delivered by human collagenous bone matrices and porous hydroxyapatite, respectively, induce bone formation in mandibular defects of human patients. By using healthy body sites as bioreactors it is possible to recapitulate embryonic developments by inducing selected biomaterials combined with recombinant proteins to transform into custom‐made prefabricated bone grafts for human reconstruction. The osteogenic proteins of the TGF‐β superfamily, BMPs/OPs and TGF‐βs, the last endowed with the striking prerogative of inducing endochondral bone formation in primates only, are helping to engineer skeletal reconstruction in molecular terms.
Performance analysis of blind carrier frequency offset estimators for noncircular transmissions through frequency-selective channels

This paper deals with the problem of blind estimation of the carrier frequency offset of a linearly modulated noncircular transmission through an unknown frequency-selective channel. A frequency estimator is developed based on the unique conjugate cyclic frequency of the received signal, which is equal to twice the frequency offset. Consistency and asymptotic normality of the frequency estimator together with a closed-form expression for its asymptotic variance are also established. The closed-form expression of the asymptotic variance enables analysis of the performance of the proposed frequency offset estimator as a function of the number of estimated cyclic correlation coefficients used. It is shown that optimum is obtained if the number of correlation coefficients taken into account coincides with the degree of the channel. Numerical simulations are provided and confirm the conclusion of the theoretical asymptotic analysis.
Learning to Teach Intelligible Pronunciation for ASEAN English as a Lingua Franca: A Sociocultural Investigation of Cambodian Pre-service Teacher Cognition and Practice

English has been referred to as a lingua franca for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). As the region moves towards establishing the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), the diversity of pronunciation of the ASEAN member states is seen as a forefront issue for English language teaching (ELT). From a sociocultural perspective, this study explored teachers’ cognitions about pronunciation instruction and their classroom practice. The findings were based on qualitative data collected from three pre-service non-native English teachers. All the findings were based on these multicultural and multilingual context. Data were obtained from interviews and practicum-teaching observations and were coded and analysed thematically to understand the teachers’ emic perspectives of pronunciation instruction. Four themes emerged from the data and were discussed in relation to the 2015 AEC, based on which I challenge the current status of English as a foreign language in the Cambodian ELT mindset. Briefly, these themes include the teachers’ self-acknowledgement of their own pronunciation, the perceived goal of pronunciation instruction, their approaches to teaching pronunciation and their attitudes towards ASEAN English as a lingua franca (ELF). The article concludes with implications for English language teacher education in Cambodia and beyond and calls for more research to expand the ASEAN ELF literature.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer Visibility Through Selfies: Comparing Platform Mediators Across Ruby Rose’s Instagram and Vine Presence

This article investigates the relationship between social media platforms and the production and dissemination of selfies in light of its implications for the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Applying an Actor Network Theory lens, two popular visual media apps, Instagram and Vine, are examined through a comparative walkthrough method. This reveals platform elements, or mediators, that can influence the conversational capacity of selfies in terms of the following: range, the variety of discourses addressed within a selfie; reach, circulation within and across publics; and salience, the strength and clarity of discourses communicated through a selfie. These mediators are illustrated through LGBTQ celebrity Ruby Rose’s Instagram selfies and Vine videos. Instagram’s use expectations encourage selfies focused on mainstream discourses of normative beauty and conspicuous consumption with an emphasis on appearance, extending through features constraining selfies’ reach and salience. In contrast, Vine’s broader use expectations enable a variety of discourses to be communicated across publics with an emphasis on creative, first-person sharing. These findings are reflected in Rose’s Instagram selfies, which mute alternative discourses of gender and sexuality through desexualized and aesthetically appealing self-representations, while Vines display her personal side, enabling both LGBTQ and heterosexual, cisgender people to identify with her without minimizing non-normative aspects of her gender and sexuality. These findings demonstrate the relevance of platforms in shaping selfies’ conversational capacity, as mediators can influence whether selfies feature in conversations reinforcing dominant discourses or in counterpublic conversations, contributing to everyday activism that challenges normative gender and sexual discourses.
Effect of Reading a Summary of Research about Biological Bases of Homosexual Orientation on Attitudes toward Homosexuals

The effect of exposure to information regarding the development of homosexual orientation on attitudes toward homosexuals was investigated. Testing was conducted in five regularly scheduled undergraduate classes. 105 volunteer subjects from college classes were exposed to one of three treatment conditions. Subjects in the experimental group read a summary article of current research emphasizing a biological component of homosexual orientation. Subjects in one control group read a summary article of research focusing on the absence of hormonal differences between homosexual and heterosexual men. Subjects in another control group were not exposed to either article. All subjects completed the Index of Attitudes Toward Homosexuals. As predicted, subjects in the experimental group had significantly lower scores than subjects in the control groups. There was a significant interaction between treatment condition and sex of subject. Scores on the index were significantly lower for women, but only in the experimental group. These results show that exposure to a research summary can significantly affect immediately assessed scores on the Index of Attitudes Toward Homosexuals. Also, the pattern of effects of these experiences was different for women and men.
Basal Phenotype Breast Cancer: Implications for Treatment and Prognosis

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in females. The origins and biology of breast carcinomas remain unclear. Cellular and molecular heterogeneity results in different distinct groups of tumors with different clinical behavior and prognosis. Gene expression profiling has delineated five molecular subtypes based on similarities in gene expression: luminal A, luminal B, HER2 overexpressing, normal-like and basal-like. Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) lacks estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and HER2 expression, and comprises myoepithelial cells. Specific features include high proliferative rate, rapid growth, early recurrence and decreased overall survival. BLBC is associated with ductal carcinoma in situ, BRCA1 mutation, brain and lung metastasis, and negative axillary lymph nodes. Currently, chemotherapy is the only therapeutic choice, but demonstrates poor outcomes. There is an overlap in definition between triple-negative breast cancer and BLBC due to the triple-negative profile of BLBC. Despite the molecular and clinical similarities, the two subtypes respond differently to neoadjuvant therapy. Although particular morphologic, genetic and clinical features of BLBC have been identified, a variety of definitions among studies accounts for the contradictory results reported. In this article the molecular morphological and histopathological profile, the clinical behavior and the therapeutic options of BLBC are presented, with emphasis on the discordant findings among studies.
MINIMAX LQG CONTROL

This paper presents an overview of some recent results concerning the emerging theory of minimax LQG control for uncertain systems with a relative entropy constraint uncertainty description. This is an important new robust control system design methodology providing minimax optimal performance in terms of a quadratic cost functional. The paper first considers some standard uncertainty descriptions to motivate the relative entropy constraint uncertainty description. The minimax LQG problem under consideration is further motivated by analysing the basic properties of relative entropy. The paper then presents a solution to a worst case control system performance problem which can be generalized to the minimax LQG problem. The solution to this minimax LQG control problem is found to be closely connected to the problem of risk-sensitive optimal control.
Insulin-Induced Sympathetic Activation and Vasodilation in Skeletal Muscle: Effects of Insulin Resistance in Lean Subjects

Insulin-induced stimulation of blood flow and sympathetic nerve activity in skeletal muscle tissue is impaired in obesity, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. To determine whether insulin resistance alters sympathetic and vasodilatory responses to euglycemic hyperinsulinemia, in eight healthy subjects we measured calf blood flow and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) (n = 5) during insulin/glucose infusion (euglycemic hyperinsulinemic [6 pmol · kg−1 · min−1] clamp) performed alone and performed during concomitant fat emulsion infusion, a maneuver designed to induce insulin resistance. The major new finding is that fat emulsion infusion, which attenuated insulin-induced stimulation of carbohydrate oxidation by 39 ± 7% (P < 0.01), did not have any detectable effect on insulin-induced vasodilatory and sympathetic responses: at the end of the 2-h clamp, blood flow and MSNA had increased by 35 ± 6% (P < 0.01) and 152 ± 58% (P < 0.01), respectively, during insulin infusion alone and by 35 ± 7% (P < 0.01) and 244 ± 90% (P < 0.01), respectively, during insulin infusion superimposed on free fatty acid infusion. These observations in lean healthy subjects indicate that induction of resistance to the stimulatory effects of insulin on carbohydrate metabolism does not attenuate muscle blood flow and MSNA responses evoked by acute euglycemic hyperinsulinemia. These findings provide further evidence that hyperinsulinemia per se is the primary stimulus that triggers stimulation of muscle blood flow and MSNA during insulin/glucose infusion in humans and suggest that the impaired insulin-induced vasodilation in obese subjects is not related primarily to impaired stimulation of muscle carbohydrate metabolism.
Stabilization of Networked Multi-Input Systems With Channel Resource Allocation

In this paper, we study the problem of state feedback stabilization of a linear time-invariant (LTI) discrete-time multi-input system with imperfect input channels. Each input channel is modeled in three different ways. First it is modeled as an ideal transmission system together with an additive norm bounded uncertainty, introducing a multiplicative uncertainty to the plant. Then it is modeled as an ideal transmission system together with a feedback norm bounded uncertainty, introducing a relative uncertainty to the plant. Finally it is modeled as an additive white Gaussian noise channel. For each of these models, we properly define the capacity of each channel whose sum yields the total capacity of all input channels. We aim at finding the least total channel capacity for stabilization. Different from the single-input case that is available in the literature and boils down to a typical H∞ or H2 optimal control problem, the multi-input case involves allocation of the total capacity among the input channels in addition to the design of the feedback controller. The overall process of channel resource allocation and the controller design can be considered as a case of channel-controller co-design which gives rise to modified nonconvex optimization problems. Surprisingly, the modified nonconvex optimization problems, though appear more complicated, can be solved analytically. The main results of this paper can be summarized into a universal theorem: The state feedback stabilization can be accomplished by the channel-controller co-design, if and only if the total input channel capacity is greater than the topological entropy of the open-loop system.