Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performability Evaluation of the SIFT Computer

Performability modeling and evaluation methods are applied to the SIFT computer in the computational environment of an air transport mission. User-visible performance of the "total system" (SIFT plus its environment) is modeled as a random variable taking values in a set of "accomplishment levels. " These levels are defined in terms of four attributes of total system behavior: safety, no change in mission profile, no operational penalties, and no economic penalties. The "base model" of the total system is a stochastic process whose states describe the internal structure of SIFT as well as relevant conditions of its environment. Base model state trajectories are related to accomplishment levels via a "capability function" which is formulated in terms of a three-level model hierarchy. Solution methods are then applied to determine the performability of the total system for various choices of computer and environment parameter values.
Splitting theorems for speed-up related to order of enumeration

Abstract It is known from work of P. Young that there are recursively enumerable sets which have optimal orders for enumeration, and also that there are sets which fail to have such orders in a strong sense. It is shown that both these properties are widespread in the class of recursively enumerable sets. In fact, any infinite recursively enumerable set can be split into two sets each of which has the property under consideration. A corollary to this result is that there are recursive sets with no optimal order of enumeration.
Interhemispheric motor networks are abnormal in patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome

Brain imaging has shown altered corpus callosum (CC) morphology in patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). Yet it is unclear whether these morphological changes are associated with altered interhemispheric interactions. Here, we combined transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) to explore functional and structural interhemispheric connections between the left and right motor hand areas. We studied 14 unmedicated GTS patients without psychiatric comorbidity (2 women, mean age 35.5 years) and 15 healthy volunteers (3 women, mean age 35 years). Left‐to‐right and right‐to‐left interhemispheric inhibitions (IHIs) were measured in hand muscles with TMS. In 13 GTS patients and all healthy controls, we measured fractional anisotropy (FA) with DTI to examine the relation between functional measures of interhemispheric connectivity as derived by TMS and structural properties of the CC region that carries fibers interconnecting both motor cortices. In GTS patients, left‐to‐right IHI was weaker than right‐to‐left IHI. Left‐to‐right IHI in GTS patients was also reduced compared with healthy controls. Voxel‐based morphometric analysis revealed that FA in the motor region of the CC did not differ between groups. However, there was a significant interaction between groups and the relation between regional FA and left‐to‐right IHI in the motor region of the CC. A negative linear relation between FA and left‐to‐right IHI was present in control subjects but not in patients. Our combined TMS‐DTI approach demonstrates abnormal functional interhemispheric connectivity in GTS accompanied by an altered structure–function relationship in the motor CC. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society.
Mukherjee , Rahul Working Paper Institutions , corporate governance and capital flows

Countries with weaker domestic institutions hold fewer foreign assets and exhibit concentrated corporate ownership. An equilibrium business cycle model of international capital flows with corporate governance frictions between outside investors and insiders explains both phenomena. Investment dynamics under insider control leads relative dividend and labor income for outsiders to be more negatively correlated in countries with weaker institutions. Consequently, outsiders hold more domestic assets to hedge labor income risk. I provide empirical evidence on this hedging demand. Concentrated ownership arises because international diversification through the sale of domestic assets by insiders is penalized by lower stock market valuation. © The Authors. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reproduced without the permission of the authors. Institutions, Corporate Governance and Capital Flows∗ Rahul Mukherjee†
Control of a parallel hybrid powertrain: optimal control

Control strategies for hybrid powertrains are algorithms that choose the power split between the engine and motor of a hybrid vehicle in order to minimize the fuel consumption and/or emissions. The goal of this paper is to propose an efficient tool to evaluate minimal fuel consumption that is achievable in simulation. Several approaches have been proposed, using heuristics (Delprat et al. 1999) or dynamic programming (Brahma et al., 2000; Rimaux et al., 1999). One drawback of these approaches is the huge amount of time required to obtain solutions. The approach described here is based on optimal control theory (Lewis & Syrmos, 1995) and avoids this drawback. Moreover, it can be easily applied to a large family of parallel arrangements.
The malX malY operon of Escherichia coli encodes a novel enzyme II of the phosphotransferase system recognizing glucose and maltose and an enzyme abolishing the endogenous induction of the maltose system

Mutants lacking MalK, a subunit of the binding protein-dependent maltose-maltodextrin transport system, constitutively express the maltose genes. A second site mutation in malI abolishes the constitutive expression. The malI gene (at 36 min on the linkage map) codes for a typical repressor protein that is homologous to the Escherichia coli LacI, GalR, or CytR repressor (J. Reidl, K. Römisch, M. Ehrmann, and W. Boos, J. Bacteriol. 171:4888-4899, 1989). We now report that MalI regulates an adjacent and divergently oriented operon containing malX and malY. MalX encodes a protein with a molecular weight of 56,654, and the deduced amino acid sequence of MalX exhibits 34.9% identity to the enzyme II of the phosphototransferase system for glucose (ptsG) and 32.1% identity to the enzyme II for N-acetylglucosamine (nagE). When constitutively expressed, malX can complement a ptsG ptsM double mutant for growth on glucose. Also, a delta malE malT(Con) strain that is unable to grow on maltose due to its maltose transport defect becomes Mal+ after introduction of malI::Tn10 and the plasmid carrying malX. MalX-mediated transport of glucose and maltose is likely to occur by facilitated diffusion. We conclude that malX encodes a phosphotransferase system enzyme II that can recognize glucose and maltose as substrates even though these sugars may not represent the natural substrates of the system. The second gene in the operon, malY, encodes a protein of 43,500 daltons. Its deduced amino acid sequence exhibits weak homology to aminotransferase sequences. The presence of plasmid-encoded MalX alone was sufficient for complementing growth on glucose in a ptsM ptsG glk mutant, and the plasmid-encoded MalY alone was sufficient to abolish the constitutivity of the mal genes in a malK mutant. The overexpression of malY in a strain that is wild type with respect to the maltose genes strongly interferes with growth on maltose. This is not the case in a malT(Con) strain that expresses the mal genes constitutively. We conclude that malY encodes an enzyme that degrades the inducer of the maltose system or prevents its synthesis.
Toll‐like receptor activation reveals developmental reorganization and unmasks responder subsets of microglia

The sentinel and immune functions of microglia require rapid and appropriate reactions to infection and damage. Their Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) sense both as threats. However, whether activated microglia mount uniform responses or whether subsets conduct selective tasks is unknown. We demonstrate that murine microglia reorganize their responses to TLR activations postnatally and that this process comes with a maturation of TLR4‐organized functions. Although induction of MHCI for antigen presentation remains as a pan‐populational feature, synthesis of TNFα becomes restricted to a subset, even within adult central nervous system regions. Response heterogeneity is evident ex vivo, in situ, and in vivo, but is not limited to TNFα production or to TLR‐triggered functions. Also, clearance activities for myelin under physiological and pathophysiological conditions, IFNγ‐enforced upregulation of MHCII, or challenged inductions of other proinflammatory factors reveal dissimilar microglial contributions. Notably, response heterogeneity is also confirmed in human brain tissue. Our findings suggest that microglia divide by constitutive and inducible capacities. Privileged production of inflammatory mediators assigns a master control to subsets. Sequestration of clearance of endogenous material versus antigen presentation in exclusive compartments can separate potentially interfering functions. Finally, subsets rather than a uniform population of microglia may assemble the reactive phenotypes in responses during infection, injury, and rebuilding, warranting consideration in experimental manipulation and therapeutic strategies. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
DOES CRANIAL TRAUMA PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR PROJECTILE WEAPONRY IN LATE IRON AGE DORSET

Summary Human remains form an independent dataset with which to examine martial activity in past societies, particularly how to understand the types of weaponry used and who was subject to lethal violence. In the Late Iron Age of Dorset (first century BC to first century AD), these data are useful in understanding such activity in light of the small range of extant evidence. This bioarchaeological study examined the crania of 80 inhumed and articulated sexed adults, using forensic, bioarchaeological and clinical criteria to determine whether osteological evidence for sharp and blunt projectiles could be observed. The sample showed evidence for peri- and ante-mortem traumas, with the majority of injuries sustained at the time of death; most affected males and were caused by blunt projectiles. Healed injuries were observed in both sexes but only females had evidence for remodelled blunt projectile injuries. The age-groups affected were predominantly young and middle-aged adults, suggesting that weapon training began early in life.
Ensembles of adaptive spatial filters increase BCI performance: an online evaluation

Objective: In electroencephalographic (EEG) data, signals from distinct sources within the brain are widely spread by volume conduction and superimposed such that sensors receive mixtures of a multitude of signals. This reduction of spatial information strongly hampers single-trial analysis of EEG data as, for example, required for brain–computer interfacing (BCI) when using features from spontaneous brain rhythms. Spatial filtering techniques are therefore greatly needed to extract meaningful information from EEG. Our goal is to show, in online operation, that common spatial pattern patches (CSPP) are valuable to counteract this problem. Approach: Even though the effect of spatial mixing can be encountered by spatial filters, there is a trade-off between performance and the requirement of calibration data. Laplacian derivations do not require calibration data at all, but their performance for single-trial classification is limited. Conversely, data-driven spatial filters, such as common spatial patterns (CSP), can lead to highly distinctive features; however they require a considerable amount of training data. Recently, we showed in an offline analysis that CSPP can establish a valuable compromise. In this paper, we confirm these results in an online BCI study. In order to demonstrate the paramount feature that CSPP requires little training data, we used them in an adaptive setting with 20 participants and focused on users who did not have success with previous BCI approaches. Main results: The results of the study show that CSPP adapts faster and thereby allows users to achieve better feedback within a shorter time than previous approaches performed with Laplacian derivations and CSP filters. The success of the experiment highlights that CSPP has the potential to further reduce BCI inefficiency. Significance: CSPP are a valuable compromise between CSP and Laplacian filters. They allow users to attain better feedback within a shorter time and thus reduce BCI inefficiency to one-fourth in comparison to previous non-adaptive paradigms.
BIZARRE chimpanzees do not represent “the chimpanzee”

Abstract Henrich et al. convincingly caution against the overgeneralization of findings from particular human populations, but fail to apply their own compelling reasoning to our nearest living relatives, the great apes. Here we argue that rearing history is every bit as important for understanding cognition in other species as it is in humans.
Psychiatric staff: uniforms or street clothes?

An assessment was made of the impact upon an inpatient floor of nursing staff changing their traditional mode of dress. The study involved three stages, wherein staff members wore traditional white uniforms, changed to wearing street clothes, and returned to wearing uniforms. Attitudes toward and perceptions of oneself, others, and the ward in general were assessed for both patients and staff members during each stage. Twelve additional behavioral-clinical variables were also analyzed daily. Results indicated that relatively few pervasive differences were associated with particular clothing worn by staff members. The fact of change itself, however, proved disruptive. Furthermore, staff members attitudes about themselves and their roles substantially influenced the apparent level of patient psychopathology and the nature of staff treatment responses.
Estimating the Real Effects of Uncertainty Shocks at the Zero Lower Bound

We employ a parsimonious nonlinear Interacted-VAR to examine whether the real effects of uncertainty shocks are greater when the economy is at the Zero Lower Bound. We find the contractionary effects of uncertainty shocks to be statistically larger when the ZLB is binding, with differences that are economically important. Our results are shown not to be driven by the contemporaneous occurrence of the Great Recession and high financial stress, and to be robust to different ways of modeling unconventional monetary policy. These findings lend support to recent theoretical contributions on the interaction between uncertainty shocks and the stance of monetary policy.
Empirical Evidence of Capital Mobility in the EU New Member States

This research is focused on the analysis of capital mobility indicators in the EU new member states as capital market union is one of the newest initiative in the EU. We found the most integrated countries are Hungary, the Czech R. , Croatia and Estonia. Econometric analysis emphasized the main determinants of capital account openness and of FDI inward stock. The analysis indicates that the level of development, intra-EU trade and FDI inward stock have a positive impact on capital account openness (mobility), while inflation has a negative influence. The GDP per capita, intra- EU trade and capital account openness have positive impact on FDI inward stock while inflation and gross fixed capital formation have negative influence. Unexpectedly, fiscal variables and interest rates do not have a significant impact on capital openness. The results show that there is room for improvement in all countries that would enable more favorable access to capital. JEL Classification: F21, F43
Temporary Ovarian Suppression With Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist During Chemotherapy for Fertility Preservation: Toward the End of the Debate?

Temporary ovarian suppression with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist during chemotherapy might be a reliable strategy not only to preserve ovarian function but also to increase the likelihood of becoming pregnant after the end of cytotoxic therapy. The findings of Blumenfeld et al. are consistent with recent data suggesting the efficacy of this strategy in preserving fertility.
Auctions with Private Uncertainty and Resale Opportunities

When an auction is followed by an opportunity for resale, bidder valuations are endogenously determined, reflecting anticipated profit from buying/selling in the resale market. These valuations vary with the resale market structure, can differ across auction types, andmay be lower or higher than if resale were impossible. Although resale introd uces a common value element to the model, revenue equivalence can hold; when it fails, this is due not to affiliation but to differences in information conveyed to the secondary market. Information linkages between markets can also lead to signaling and, in some cases, preclude separation in the auction.
Design of Variable Vehicle Handling Characteristics Using Four-Wheel Steer-by-Wire

This paper presents a vehicle handling modification approach that tracks the dynamics of a general nonlinear planar reference model. The control structure is a combination of linear and nonlinear state feedback with feedforward of reference model yaw moment, lateral force, and longitudinal force at the vehicle center of gravity. The modified closed-loop system is demonstrated to be stable and has robust tracking performance to reasonable levels of model uncertainty. The handling modification method is applied to the task of emulating the dynamics of a reference vehicle on a low friction surface, with particular attention to actuator constraints. Experimental results demonstrate successful emulation of the low friction reference model's planar dynamics for a variety of driving maneuvers and reference friction coefficients. This handling emulation technique enables further investigation of vehicle handling performance improvements and use as a variable dynamic testbed for human factors studies.
Cdc42 deficiency causes Sonic hedgehog-independent holoprosencephaly

The telencephalic neuroepithelium (NE) of mammalian brain has an apical-basal polarity that is marked by the positioning of neural progenitors and adherens junctions on the apical/ventricular surface and the ascending of radial glia/progenitor fibers toward the pial/basal surface. The signaling pathway that establishes this apical-basal polarity of NE is not completely understood, but the Rho-family GTPase Cdc42 may play a critical role because it controls cadherin-based intercellular junctions and cell polarity in many species. Here, we tested this hypothesis by a conditional gene-targeting strategy by using the Foxg1-Cre line to delete Cdc42 in the telencephalic neural progenitors in mouse embryos. We found that Cdc42-deletion abolishes the apical localization of PAR6, aPKC, E-cadherin, β-catenin, and Numb proteins in the NE, and severely impairs the extension of nestin-positive radial fibers. Consequently, neural progenitors were scattered throughout the entire depth of the NE, and the Cdc42-deficient telencephalon failed to bulge or separate into two cerebral hemispheres, resulting in holoprosencephaly. However, neither the midline expression of Sonic hedgehog nor the dorso-ventral patterning of the telencephalon was affected by Cdc42-deletion. Taken together, these results indicate that Cdc42 has an essential role in establishing the apical-basal polarity of the telencephalic NE, which is needed for the expansion and bifurcation of cerebral hemispheres.
Correlation of Diet, Other Chewing Activities and Periodontal Disease in North American Client-Owned Dogs

In 1350 client-owned dogs in North America, the association of calculus, gingival inflammation and periodontal bone loss with diet (dry food only, or other than dry food only), and with access to other chewing materials was analyzed. There were few apparent differences seen in dogs fed dry food only compared with those fed other than dry food only. There was progressively less accumulation of calculus, less gingival inflammation and less periodontal bone loss in dogs that were given access to more types of chewing materials (rawhides, bones, biscuits, chew toys) compared with dogs given access to fewer or no chewing materials. When the effects of individual chewing materials were analyzed, access to rawhides overall had the greatest apparent periodontal protective effect, and this effect was more apparent in dogs fed dry food only compared with those fed other than dry food only.
Immunoproteomic identification of the hypothetical protein NMB1468 as a novel lipoprotein ubiquitous in Neisseria meningitidis with vaccine potential

Many potential vaccine candidates for serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis (NMB) have been identified by reverse vaccinology, a genome‐based approach. However, some candidates may be unseen owing to uncertain annotation or their peculiar properties. In this study, we describe the preparation and identification of a novel lipoprotein expressed in all meningococcal strains tested. mAb were first prepared from mice immunized with a meningococcal B strain isolated in Taiwan. Total proteins from the immunizing strain were separated by 2‐DE in duplicate. Clone 4‐7‐3, which crossreacted to 174 tested meningococcal isolates, was used as the primary antibody for Western blotting. The immunoreactive spot was identified by LC‐mass spectrometric analysis of the corresponding spot from the silver‐stained gel and confirmed by molecular biology approach to be a novel lipoprotein encoded by the hypothetical NMB1468 gene. The potential use of this protein, designated Ag473/NMB1468, as a vaccine component was evaluated using the recombinant protein produced in Escherichia coli. Immunized mice were found to be protected from developing meningococcal disease after intraperitoneal inoculation with a lethal dose of meningococcal strain Nm22209, suggesting that Ag473/NMB1468 may be a promising vaccine candidate. This study also demonstrates the usefulness of the immunoproteomic approach in identification of novel vaccine candidates.
S Ribosomal DNA Typing and Tracking of Acanthamoeba Species Isolates from Corneal Scrape Specimens , Contact Lenses , Lens Cases , and Home Water Supplies of Acanthamoeba Keratitis Patients in Hong Kong

G. C. Booton,* D. J. Kelly, Y. -W. Chu, D. V. Seal, E. Houang, D. S. C. Lam, T. J. Byers, and P. A. Fuerst Department of Molecular Genetics and Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Departments of Microbiology and Ophthalmology, Prince of Wales and Hong Kong Eye Hospitals, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; and Applied Vision Research Centre, City University, London, United Kingdom
An Automatic Approach for Learning and Tuning Gaussian Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Membership Functions Applied to Lung CAD Classification System

The potential of type-2 fuzzy sets to manage high levels of uncertainty in the subjective knowledge of experts or of numerical information has focused on control and pattern classification systems in recent years. One of the main challenges in designing a type-2 fuzzy logic system (FLS) is how to estimate the parameters of the type-2 fuzzy membership function (T2MF) and the footprint of uncertainty (FOU) from imperfect and noisy datasets. This paper presents an automatic approach to learn and tune Gaussian interval type-2 membership functions (IT2MFs) with application to multidimensional pattern classification problems. T2MFs and their FOUs are tuned according to the uncertainties in the training dataset by a combination of genetic algorithm (GA) and cross-validation techniques. In our GA-based approach, the structure of the chromosome has fewer genes than other GA methods, and chromosome initialization is more precise. The proposed approach addresses the application of the interval type-2 fuzzy logic system (IT2FLS) for the problem of nodule classification in a lung computer-aided detection system. The designed IT2FLS is compared with its type-1 fuzzy logic system (T1FLS) counterpart. The results demonstrate that the IT2FLS outperforms the T1FLS by more than 30% in terms of classification accuracy.