Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Finite and infinite structures of rational matrices: a local approach

The structure of a rational matrix is given by its Smith-McMillan invariants. Some properties of the Smith-McMillan invariants of rational matrices with elements in different principal ideal domains are presented: In the ring of polynomials in one indeterminate (global structure), in the local ring at an irreducible polynomial (local structure), and in the ring of proper rational functions (infinite structure). Furthermore, the change of the finite (global and local) and infinite structures is studied when performing a Mobius transformation on a rational matrix. The results are applied to define an equivalence relation in the set of polynomial matrices, with no restriction on size, for which a complete system of invariants are the finite and infinite elementary divisors.
First‐trimester cord entanglement in monoamniotic twins

Monoamniotic twinning occurs in only 1% of twin pregnancies, but carries a high perinatal mortality rate. Early and reliable diagnosis is essential if attempts are to be made to reduce the complication rate. We report color Doppler demonstration of cord entanglement in the first trimester, which is diagnostic of monoamnionicity.
Investigation of radar propagation in buildings: A 10 billion element Cartesian-mesh FETD simulation

In this paper large scale full-wave simulations are performed to investigate radar wave propagation inside buildings. In principle, a radar system combined with sophisticated numerical methods for inverse problems can be used to determine the internal structure of a building. The composition of the walls (cinder block, re-bar) may effect the propagation of the radar waves in a complicated manner. In order to provide a benchmark solution of radar propagation in buildings, including the effects of cinder block and re-bar, we performed large scale full wave simulations using a finite element time domain (FETD) method. This particular FETD implementation is tuned for the special case of an orthogonal Cartesian mesh and hence resembles FDTD in accuracy and efficiency. The method was implemented on a general-purpose massively parallel computer. In this paper we briefly describe the radar propagation problem, the FETD implementation, and we present results of simulations that used over 10 billion elements.
Insider trading: um estudo sobre a rentabilidade das operações com ações da própria empresa

O presente trabalho verifica se as operacoes realizadas por insider trader com acoes da propria empresa auferem rentabilidade superior a media do mercado. Nesse sentido e importante identificar possiveis movimentos de insiders traders, bem como evidencias de retornos anormais. Isso poderia ajudar os orgaos reguladores a serem mais efetivos na coibicao desse tipo de operacao. Para tanto, foram coletadas 38.141 operacoes, obtidas em 9.945 formularios de 167 empresas com liquidez em bolsa superior a 1% que foram enviados mensalmente a CVM no periodo de janeiro de 2006 a dezembro de 2011. O metodo utilizado para determinar o retorno anormal medio acumulado foi o estudo de eventos, definido a partir do modelo de Campbell, Lo e Mackinlay (1997). Para a concepcao da amostra final restaram 109 empresas das quais foram encontradas 665 operacoes que se destacaram por apresentarem volumes muito superiores a media de negociacoes realizadas pelos insiders das respectivas empresas. Destas 665 operacoes, 474 (71,28%) apresentaram retornos anormais. Sendo assim, foram encontradas 281 operacoes de venda e 193 operacoes de compra realizadas por insiders que diagnosticaram retornos anormais. As acoes vendidas por insiders apresentaram retorno anormal medio de -3,73%, -7,03% e -10,12% apos 30, 90 e 180 dias da data da venda, o que sugere que os insiders detinham alguma informacao desconhecida do mercado e se anteciparam a futura queda vendendo suas acoes. Ja as operacoes de compras realizadas pelos insiders traders foram seguidas de alta das acoes, o que sugere que a utilizacao de informacoes antecipadas em relacao ao mercado para a realizacao de compras com retornos anormais positivos que foram respectivamente de +5,49%, +8,03% e +10,12%, apos 30, 90 e 180 dias. Em seguida, foram efetuados varios procedimentos para avaliar a rentabilidade obtida pelos insiders de acordo com o tipo de controle, origem do capital, setor de atividade, segmento de governanca corporativa, tipo de operacoes, insiders por operacoes e tamanho da empresa. Estas analises e procedimentos apenas confirmaram os retornos encontrados no computo geral quanto a presenca de insider trading no mercado acionario brasileiro.
Treatment Outcomes for Metastatic Melanoma of Unknown Primary in the New Era: A Single-Institution Study and Review of the Literature

Background: Metastatic melanoma of unknown primary (MUP) is uncommon, biologically ill defined, and clinically understudied. MUP outcomes are seldom reported in clinical trials. In this study, we analyze responses of MUP patients treated with systemic therapy in an attempt to inform treatment guidelines for this unique population. Methods: New York University (NYU)'s prospective melanoma database was searched for MUP patients treated with systemic therapy. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for MUP patients treated with immunotherapy or targeted therapy reported in the literature, and their response and survival data were compared to the MUP patient data from NYU. Both groups' response data were compared to those reported for melanoma of known primary (MKP). Results: The MUP patients treated at NYU had better outcomes on immunotherapy but worse on targeted therapy than the MUP patients in the literature. The NYU MUP patients and those in the literature had worse outcomes than the majority-MKP populations in 10 clinical trial reports. Conclusions: Our study suggests that MUP patients might have poorer outcomes on systemic therapy as compared to MKP patients. Our cohort was small and limited data were available, highlighting the need for increased reporting of MUP outcomes and multi-institutional efforts to understand the mechanism behind the observed differences.
Ergodic and Outage Capacity Analysis of Cooperative Diversity Systems under Rayleigh Fading Channels

In this paper, assuming the channel state information (CSI) is only known at the receivers, the ergodic and outage capacity of cooperative diversity systems with an arbitrary number of half-duplex relays are analyzed under independently not necessarily identically distributed Rayleigh fading channels. Approximated closed-form analytical expressions for the calculation of ergodic and outage capacity are derived for both the amplify-and-forward (AF) protocol and decode-and-forward (DF) protocol. Numerical results show that all the derived analytical expressions are very tight and are valid for the evaluations of the ergodic and outage capacity with arbitrary number of relays and in any practical SNR regions. Our study shows that with low SNR, AF offers higher ergodic and outage capacity than the DF protocol while with high SNR, DF provides higher capacity performance.
A Comparison of Botox 100 U/mL and Dysport 100 U/mL Using Dose Conversion Ratio 1: 3 and 1 1.7 in the Treatment of Cervical Dystonia A Double-Blind, Randomized, Crossover Trial

ObjectivesIntramuscular injections of botulinum toxin (BTX) are used as symptomatic treatment for cervical dystonia. Botox and Dysport are commercial products containing BTX; however, dosage and concentration of the prepared solution vary considerably among studies. The concentration of BTX in the prepared solution affects clinical outcome. This double-blind, randomized crossover trial compares Botox and Dysport in 2 different dose conversion ratios (1:3 and 1:1.7) when diluted to the same concentration (100 U/mL). MethodsForty-six patients with cervical dystonia received 3 different treatments, Botox in 2 different doses and Dysport as control treatment. The efficacy was evaluated 4 and 12 weeks after treatment using 5 instruments, including Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale. Results and ConclusionThe primary outcome was the estimated median Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale total score, which was 1.96 points higher for Botox (1:3) compared with Dysport at week 4, but the difference was not statistically significant (confidence interval, −0.88–4.61; P = 0.0799). No significant differences were seen between Botox (1:1.7) and Dysport. At week 12, a statistically significant difference in effect between Botox (1:3) and Dysport was observed, suggesting a shorter duration of effect for Botox when this ratio (low dose) was used. Furthermore, the patients' assessments showed that the ratio 1:3 resulted in suboptimal efficacy of Botox. These secondary outcome observations indicate that the dose conversion ratio between Dysport 100 U/mL and Botox 100 U/mL may be lower than 1:3, but this must be further validated in a larger patient material.
Predicting the Cost of Environmental Management System Adoption: The Role of Capabilities, Resources and Ownership Structure

This research explores why some facilities accrue greater costs when adopting an environmental management system (EMS) and why costs vary among three different ownership structures. Using survey data of organizations that documented their EMS adoption costs over a three-year period, the results show that publicly traded facilities had stronger complementary capabilities prior to EMS adoption and therefore lower adoption costs. By contrast, government facilities and privately owned enterprises had fewer capabilities and accrued higher EMS adoption costs. The development of organizational capabilities and resources therefore appears to be a function of both organizational exploitation of imperfect or incomplete market factors, and the institutional context of these decisions.
Murder of the newborn: a psychiatric review of neonaticide.

The author believes that the killing of a newborn baby is a separate entity from other filicides, differing in regard to the diagnosis, motives, and legal disposition of the murderer. Whereas most filicides are committed for "altruistic" reasons, most neonaticides are carried out simply because the child is not wanted. The author notes the different psychological characterisctics of mothers who commit these two crimes. Legal considerations and the present status of neonaticide are also discussed.
Non-dipping is a potent predictor of cardiovascular mortality and is associated with autonomic dysfunction in haemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND Lack of nocturnal blood pressure (BP) fall (non-dipping) is common among haemodialysis (HD) patients, but much less is known regarding its association with cardiovascular (CV) disease morbidity and mortality. METHODS Eighty HD patients initially underwent 24 h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), and then they were defined as either 'dippers' (n=24, nocturnal BP fall > or = 10%) or 'non-dippers' (n=56, fall <10%). Coronary angiography was performed in the patients who had signs and/or symptoms of coronary artery disease (CAD). Twenty-four hour ambulatory ECG was recorded in 20 dippers and 20 non-dipper HD patients, and in 20 normal subjects. All patients were followed for up to 5.8 years (33.0+/-19.1 months). The outcome events studied were the hospitalisations due to CV diseases and CV death. RESULTS Compared with dippers, non-dippers initially had a higher incidence of coronary artery stenosis (P<0.05) along with left ventricular asynergy (both Ps<0.01). The circadian rhythm of autonomic function was impaired in non-dippers. The incidences of CV events and CV deaths were 3.5 and 9 times higher in non-dippers than in dippers. The cumulative CV event-free survival and CV survival rates were lower in non-dippers than in dippers (P=0.02 and P=0.005, respectively). Based on Cox analysis, non-dipping was associated positively with CV events and CV mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 2.46, 95% CI 1.02-5.92, P=0.038 and HR 9.62, 95% CI 1.23-75.42, P=0.031, respectively]. Meanwhile, nocturnal systolic BP fall, diurnal systolic BP and diurnal pulse pressure were negatively associated with CV event/death. The clinic BP was not associated with CV event/death. CONCLUSIONS The non-dipping phenomenon is closely related to a high incidence of CV diseases, a poor long-term survival and profound autonomic dysfunction. ABPM is useful in predicting long-term CV prognosis in HD patients.
Magnetic properties of ultrafine iron particles.

The magnetic and morphological properties of fine Fe particles have been studied. Ultrafine particles of Fe were prepared using a vapor deposition technique under an argon atmosphere. The argon pressure was varied from 0.5 to 8 Torr during evaporation, and samples with a median diameter in the range 50--200 \AA{} were obtained having a log-normal distribution. The dependence of magnetic properties on particle size and temperature (10 KT300 K) were studied using superconducting-quantum-interference-device magnetometry and M\"ossbauer spectroscopy. Samples with particle diameter below 90 \AA{} showed a superparamagnetic behavior below room temperature. The saturation magnetization of the particles varied from 25 to 190 emu/g, with the higher values corresponding to larger particles. For these larger particles, a coercivity of 1.05 kOe was obtained at room temperature. The magnetic and structural data suggested a core-shell type of structure, where the core consists of metallic Fe and the shell is composed of Fe oxides.
Redundant ERF-VII Transcription Factors Bind to an Evolutionarily Conserved cis-Motif to Regulate Hypoxia-Responsive Gene Expression in Arabidopsis

Group VII ERF transcription factors regulate the low-oxygen response by binding to a newly identified promoter element in hypoxia-responsive genes, leading to their transactivation. The response of Arabidopsis thaliana to low-oxygen stress (hypoxia), such as during shoot submergence or root waterlogging, includes increasing the levels of ∼50 hypoxia-responsive gene transcripts, many of which encode enzymes associated with anaerobic metabolism. Upregulation of over half of these mRNAs involves stabilization of five group VII ethylene response factor (ERF-VII) transcription factors, which are routinely degraded via the N-end rule pathway of proteolysis in an oxygen- and nitric oxide-dependent manner. Despite their importance, neither the quantitative contribution of individual ERF-VIIs nor the cis-regulatory elements they govern are well understood. Here, using single- and double-null mutants, the constitutively synthesized ERF-VIIs RELATED TO APETALA2.2 (RAP2.2) and RAP2.12 are shown to act redundantly as principle activators of hypoxia-responsive genes; constitutively expressed RAP2.3 contributes to this redundancy, whereas the hypoxia-induced HYPOXIA RESPONSIVE ERF1 (HRE1) and HRE2 play minor roles. An evolutionarily conserved 12-bp cis-regulatory motif that binds to and is sufficient for activation by RAP2.2 and RAP2.12 is identified through a comparative phylogenetic motif search, promoter dissection, yeast one-hybrid assays, and chromatin immunopurification. This motif, designated the hypoxia-responsive promoter element, is enriched in promoters of hypoxia-responsive genes in multiple species.
Rhabdomyolysis associated with 2009 influenza A(H1N1).

dations for the management of patients with herpes zoster recommend using antiviral therapy to decrease the incidence of PHN,” citing an article for which I am a coauthor. This article stated that antiviral therapy should be used to treat patients with herpes zoster and that it had an impact on acute neuritis. Although the guidelines concluded that the use of antiviral therapy may have an effect on “chronic pain,” this therapy was not sufficient to uniformly prevent PHN. As noted here, the FDA reached a similar conclusion. The goal of management of herpes zoster is to accelerate healing, prevent complications, and decrease pain—both acute pain and PHN. With the evidence available from existing antiviral studies, these end points have been achieved with the exception of prevention of PHN. The management of PHN is of critical importance for individuals who have herpes zoster. Consideration of combination therapy at the onset of disease, particularly in patients with severe acute pain, needs to be further evaluated. Future treatment strategies may prevent or provide more significant relief for this potentially devastating complication.
The Sound of Deception - What Makes a Speaker Credible?

The detection of deception in human speech is a difficult task but can be performed above chance level by human listeners even when only audio data is provided. Still, it is highly contested, which speech features could be used to help identify lies. In this study, we examined a set of phonetic and paralinguistic cues and their influence on the credibility of speech using an analysis-by-synthesis approach. 33 linguistically neutral utterances with different manipulated cues (unfilled pauses, phonation type, higher speech rate, tremolo and raised F0) were synthesized using articulatory synthesis. These utterances were presented to 50 subjects who were asked to choose the more credible utterance. From those choices, a credibility score was calculated for each cue. The results show a significant increase in credibility when a tremolo is inserted or the breathiness is increased, and a decrease in credibility when a pause is inserted or the F0 is raised. Other cues also had a significant, but less pronounced influence on the credibility while some only showed trends. In summary, the study showed that the credibility of a factually unverifiable utterance is in parts controlled by the presented paralinguistic cues.
Blockade of Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Protects Mice against Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Endotoxin Shock1

Suppression of an excessive systemic inflammatory response is a promising and potent strategy for treating endotoxic sepsis. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), which is the rate-limiting enzyme for tryptophan catabolism, may play a critical role in various inflammatory disorders. In this study, we report a critical role for IDO in the dysregulated immune response associated with endotoxin shock. We found that IDO knockout (IDO−/−) mice and 1-methyl-d-tryptophan-treated, endotoxin-shocked mice had decreased levels of the cytokines, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-12, and enhanced levels of IL-10. Blockade of IDO is thought to promote host survival in LPS-induced endotoxin shock, yet little is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate IDO expression during endotoxin shock. In vitro and in vivo, IDO expression was increased by exogenous IL-12, but decreased by exogenous IL-10 in dendritic cells and splenic dendritic cells. Interestingly, whereas LPS-induced IL-12 levels in serum were higher than those of IL-10, the balance between serum IL-12 and IL-10 following challenge became reversed in IDO−/−- or 1-methyl-d-tryptophan-treated mice. Our findings demonstrate that the detrimental immune response to endotoxin shock may occur via IDO modulation. Restoring the IL-12 and IL-10 balance by blocking IDO represents a potential strategy for sepsis treatment.
Accuracy and Feasibility of Electromagnetic Navigated Bronchoscopy under Nitrous Oxide Sedation for Pulmonary Peripheral Opacities: An Outpatient Study

Background: Recent studies have described the promising method of electromagnetic navigated bronchoscopy (ENB) for diagnosis of peripheral solitary nodules. However, they require general anaesthesia or intravenous sedation. We wanted to know if ENB could be applied more easily in outpatients. Objectives: We prospectively evaluated the accuracy and the feasibility of ENB under local anaesthesia and nitrous oxide/oxygen inhalation as unique sedation in outpatients. Methods: After mapping time, the bronchoscopic procedure was carried out under local anaesthesia and nitrous oxide/oxygen inhalation with the unique help of the ENB to confirm the right position of the extended working channel before sampling. The primary end point was the accuracy of ENB and the secondary end point was the feasibility in outpatients. Results: Among 54 screened patients, 53 completed the study protocol. The overall diagnostic success rate to diagnose malignancy was 71.4% in tumours of 28 mm in median size. ENB classified correctly peripheral lesions according to malignity in 41 cases (30 cases of cancer, 11 benign diagnosis) and failed in 12 cases (1 probable lung metastasis, 11 lung cancers). All patients but 1 were dismissed 1 h after the procedure and the tolerance of the procedure was excellent in all cases except 2 (agitation and anxiety). In two cases (4%) a pneumothorax was recorded, 1 requiring drainage with a chest tube during a short hospitalisation. Conclusions: ENB under nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation seems to be an accurate and safe procedure. In our series, it allowed us to obtain the diagnosis in 71.4% of the tumours, with a good tolerance and an outpatient strategy.
California mealybugs can spread grapevine leafroll disease

UC Davis's Foundation Plant Materials Service (FPMS) maintains the disease-tested, professionally identified collection of grape scion and rootstock varieties, which is the core of the California Grapevine Registration and Certification Program. In 1992; newly developed serological testing techniques revealed the presence of grapevine leafroll-associated viruses (GLRaVs) in previously healthy vines in an older foundation propagating block, indicating active and recent virus spread. FPMS responded by increasing isolation distances and implementing a comprehensive virus screening program using the new methodology. The critical problem was the lack of information on leafroll virus epidemiology. When the distribution of infected plants in the old vineyard was mapped, new infections were frequently adjacent to known diseased grapevines. This study examined the ability of mealybugs, a putative leafroll vector, to transmit this group of viruses. We were able to confirm that four species found in California — obscure, longtailed, citrus and grape mealybug — can transmit GLRaV-3 isolates. This is the first experimental evidence of grapevine leafroll virus transmission by obscure and grape mealybug. In addition, we report for the first time that GLRaV-5 can be transmitted by longtailed mealybug.
A LEGO Mindstorms Multi-Robot Setup in the Automatic Control Telelab

Abstract This paper presents an experimental setup for multi-robot systems based on the LEGO Mindstorms NXT technology. The team of mobile robots is supervised by a vision system, which allows one to simulate different types of sensors and communication architectures. The whole setup is embedded in the Automatic Control Telelab ( http://act.dii.unisi.itact.dii.unisi.it ), a remote lab featuring several educational experiences in control. Remote users can design control laws for the multi-agent system in the Matlab environment and test them by performing real experiments in the proposed setup. The paper presents some experiments showing how this remote lab can stimulate students’ interest in mobile robotics.
Human vocal tract resonances and the corresponding mode shapes investigated by three-dimensional finite-element modelling based on CT measurement

Abstract Resonance frequencies of the vocal tract have traditionally been modelled using one-dimensional models. These cannot accurately represent the events in the frequency region of the formant cluster around 2.5–4.5 kHz, however. Here, the vocal tract resonance frequencies and their mode shapes are studied using a three-dimensional finite element model obtained from computed tomography measurements of a subject phonating on vowel [a:]. Instead of the traditional five, up to eight resonance frequencies of the vocal tract were found below the prominent antiresonance around 4.7 kHz. The three extra resonances were found to correspond to modes which were axially asymmetric and involved the piriform sinuses, valleculae, and transverse vibrations in the oral cavity. The results therefore suggest that the phenomenon of speaker's and singer's formant clustering may be more complex than originally thought.