Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prediction of optimal adsorption of aqueous phenol removal with oil palm empty fruit bunch activated carbon using Artificial Neural Network (ANN).

Adsorption process has an edge in wastewater treatment over other techniques due to low initial cost, sludge free, ease of operation and insensitivity to toxic substance. It is a very essential part in the wastewater treatment process chain. It involves both physical and chemical phenomena and hence susceptible to high percentage of errors due to human factor, variation in the quality as well as chemical/physical characteristics of raw materials used. In order to reduce this percentage error and obtain optimal treatment efficiency, an intelligent method of predicting optimal adsorption capacity based on Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was proposed. Production of Powdered Activation Carbon PAC from processed oil palm empty fruit bunches, EFB was used as adsorbent. Since production of PAC is affected by many parameters, such as CO2 gas flow rate, activation time and activation temperature. Adsorption design was carried out using all these parameters and production results were analyzed. ANN was used to forecast optimal adsorption capacity for aqueous phenol removal. Such ANN based system will be a useful method to address most errors common in wastewater treatment cause by human factors. Experimental results on real data show that the newly developed system is able to accurately predict the optimal adsorption capacity needed in wastewater treatment plant. The Regression and correlation between of optimal adsorption capacity for experimental result and ANN estimation model is 0.9999 of 1.000. This high Correlation of coefficient indicates that the ANN model is a perfect match. © 2014 AENSI Publisher All rights reserved.
Networked Predictive Control of Systems With Random Network Delays in Both Forward and Feedback Channels

The design problem of networked control systems (NCS) with constant and random network delay in the forward and feedback channels, respectively, is considered in this paper. A novel networked predictive control (NPC) scheme is proposed to overcome the effects of network delay and data dropout. Stability criteria of closed-loop NPC systems are presented. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the stability of closed-loop NCS with constant time delay are given. Furthermore, it is shown that a closed-loop NPC system with bounded random network delay is stable if its corresponding switched system is stable. Both simulation study and practical experiments show the effectiveness of the control scheme
High-sensitivity troponin: does it predict the shape of the iceberg underneath the surface?

This editorial refers to ‘High-sensitivity troponin I concentrations are a marker of an advanced hypertrophic response and adverse outcomes in patients with aortic stenosis’, by C.W. Chin et al. on page doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehu189. ‘Direct comparison of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I vs. T for the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction’, by M.R. Gimenez et al. on page doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehu188. Cardiac troponins (cTn) are proteins bound to the actin components of the myofibrils of cardiac muscle, and different isoforms (cTnI and cTnT) exist with unique N-terminal sequences that distinguish them from the skeletal muscle isoforms. The clinical relevance of these markers was first documented in patients with chest pain suggestive of acute coronary syndrome, but it later became evident that a variety of pathologies, such as post-percutanesous coronary intervention (PCI) myonecrosis, myocarditis, pulmonary embolus, and sepsis can be associated with elevated cTn values.1–3 The modern day paradigm for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is based on the documentation of an elevated cTn value above the 99th percentile of a reference population (upper limit of normal; ULN) during the first 24 h of a clinical episode of coronary ischaemia with a rising and/or falling pattern.3 As most of the previous conventional cTn assays had detection limits close to the 99% ULN, previous cTn measurements could be analysed dichotomously into a positive or a negative test. Patients with a positive cTn value were at higher risk for future ischaemic events and benefited most from more aggressive strategies.4,5 These conventional assays are, however, hampered by an excessive analytical imprecision (often >20%) at the 99th percentile value, and this has forced manufacturers to develop more accurate assays, the so-called high-sensitivity (hs) assays.6 The hs-Tn assays are characterized not only by superior precision (<10% imprecision) but also by …
Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity in Mice Overexpressing an Embryonic Subunit of the NMDA Receptor

The effects of changing NMDA receptor subunit composition on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus were analyzed by creating transgenic mice overexpressing NR2D, a predominantly embryonic NMDA receptor subunit. NMDA-evoked currents in the transgenic mice had smaller amplitudes and slower kinetics. The transgenics also displayed age-dependent deficits in synaptic plasticity in area CA1 of the hippocampus. Long-term depression was selectively impaired in juvenile mice when NR2D overexpression was moderate. In mature mice, overexpression of NR2D was associated with a reduction of both NR2B and Ca2+-independent activity of Ca2+- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. These biochemical changes were correlated with a marked impairment of NMDA-dependent long-term potentiation, but spatial behavior was normal in these mice. These results show that the developmental regulation of NMDA receptor subunit composition alters the frequency at which modification of synaptic responses occur after afferent stimulation.
Scheduling sporadic and aperiodic events in a hard real-time system. Final report

A real-time system consists of both aperiodic and periodic tasks. Periodic tasks have regular arrival times and hard deadlines. Aperiodic tasks have irregular arrival times and either soft or hard deadlines. This paper, we presents a new algorithm, the Sporadic Server algorithm, that greatly improves response times for soft-deadline aperiodic tasks and can guarantee hard deadlines for both periodic and aperiodic tasks. The operation of the Sporadic Server algorithm, its performance, and schedulability analysis are discussed and compared with previous, published aperiodic service algorithms. Real-time systems are used to control physical processes that range in complexity from automobile ignition systems to controllers for flight systems and nuclear power plants. In these systems, the correctness of system functions depends upon not only the results of computation but also the times at which results are produced.
Sodium‐driven motor of the polar flagellum in marine bacteria Vibrio

The Na+‐driven bacterial flagellar motor is a molecular machine powered by an electrochemical potential gradient of sodium ions across the cytoplasmic membrane. The marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus has a single polar flagellum that enables it to swim in liquid. The flagellar motor contains a basal body and a stator complexes, which are composed of several proteins. PomA, PomB, MotX, and MotY are thought to be essential components of the stator that are required to generate the torque of the rotation. Several mutations have been investigated to understand the characteristics and function of the ion channel in the stator and the mechanism of its assembly around the rotor to complete the motor. In this review, we summarize recent results of the Na+‐driven motor in the polar flagellum of Vibrio.
Extending the dynamic range of robotic vision

Conventional cameras have limited dynamic range, and as a result vision-based robots cannot effectively view an environment made up of both sunny outdoor areas and darker indoor areas. This paper presents an approach to extend the effective dynamic range of a camera, achieved by changing the exposure level of the camera in real-time to form a sequence of images which collectively cover a wide range of radiance. Individual control algorithms for each image have been developed to maximize the viewable area across the sequence. Spatial discrepancies between images, caused by the moving robot, are improved by a real-time image registration process. The sequence is then combined by merging color and contour information. By integrating these techniques it becomes possible to operate a vision-based robot in wide radiance range scenes
Enhanced sensitivity and stability in two‐color in situ hybridization by means of a novel chromagenic substrate combination

Double in situ hybridization analysis is a fundamental technique for studying the expression of two genes with high temporal and spatial resolution. However, due to the lack of sensitivity in current detection methods, this approach is powerful only when at least one transcript is abundantly expressed. Here, we report a new enzyme/chromagenic substrate combination that provides sufficient sensitivity for detecting two less abundant transcripts and stability for subsequent paraffin sectioning. Developmental Dynamics 235:2811–2816, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Finding bugs with a constraint solver

A method for finding bugs in code is presented. For given small numbers j and k, the code of a procedure is translated into a relational formula whose models represent all execution traces that involve at most j heap cells and k loop iterations. This formula is conjoined with the negation of the pro-cedure's specification. The models of the resulting formula, obtained using a constraint solver, are counterexamples: executions of the code that violate the specification. The method can analyze millions of executions in seconds , and thus rapidly expose quite subtle flaws. It can accommodate calls to procedures for which specifications but no code is available. A range of standard properties (such as absence of null pointer dereferences) can also be easily checked, using predefined specifications.
Research on the Sensing Performance of the Tuning Fork-Probe as a Micro Interaction Sensor

The shear force position system has been widely used in scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) and recently extended into the force sensing area. The dynamic properties of a tuning fork (TF), the core component of this system, directly determine the sensing performance of the shear positioning system. Here, we combine experimental results and finite element method (FEM) analysis to investigate the dynamic behavior of the TF probe assembled structure (TF-probe). Results from experiments under varying atmospheric pressures illustrate that the oscillation amplitude of the TF-probe is linearly related to the quality factor, suggesting that decreasing the pressure will dramatically increase the quality factor. The results from FEM analysis reveal the influences of various parameters on the resonant performance of the TF-probe. We compared numerical results of the frequency spectrum with the experimental data collected by our recently developed laser Doppler vibrometer system. Then, we investigated the parameters affecting spatial resolution of the SNOM and the dynamic response of the TF-probe under longitudinal and transverse interactions. It is found that the interactions in transverse direction is much more sensitive than that in the longitudinal direction. Finally, the TF-probe was used to measure the friction coefficient of a silica–silica interface.
Search For Rapid X-ray Variability from the Black Hole Candidate GRO J1655–40

We have examined 15 days of CGRO/BATSE data, obtained during the first outburst of the black hole candidate source GRO J1655-40, to search for rapid variability of its X-ray flux. We find no evidence for significant variability of GRO J1655-40 during our observations, with a 2 σ upper limit to the fractional rms amplitude in the frequency range 0.03-0.488 Hz of 6.6%. We cannot, on the basis of our observations, determine the source state (low, high, or very high state) of GRO J1655-40.
Deterministic Diffusion Fiber Tracking Improved by Quantitative Anisotropy

Diffusion MRI tractography has emerged as a useful and popular tool for mapping connections between brain regions. In this study, we examined the performance of quantitative anisotropy (QA) in facilitating deterministic fiber tracking. Two phantom studies were conducted. The first phantom study examined the susceptibility of fractional anisotropy (FA), generalized factional anisotropy (GFA), and QA to various partial volume effects. The second phantom study examined the spatial resolution of the FA-aided, GFA-aided, and QA-aided tractographies. An in vivo study was conducted to track the arcuate fasciculus, and two neurosurgeons blind to the acquisition and analysis settings were invited to identify false tracks. The performance of QA in assisting fiber tracking was compared with FA, GFA, and anatomical information from T1-weighted images. Our first phantom study showed that QA is less sensitive to the partial volume effects of crossing fibers and free water, suggesting that it is a robust index. The second phantom study showed that the QA-aided tractography has better resolution than the FA-aided and GFA-aided tractography. Our in vivo study further showed that the QA-aided tractography outperforms the FA-aided, GFA-aided, and anatomy-aided tractographies. In the shell scheme (HARDI), the FA-aided, GFA-aided, and anatomy-aided tractographies have 30.7%, 32.6%, and 24.45% of the false tracks, respectively, while the QA-aided tractography has 16.2%. In the grid scheme (DSI), the FA-aided, GFA-aided, and anatomy-aided tractographies have 12.3%, 9.0%, and 10.93% of the false tracks, respectively, while the QA-aided tractography has 4.43%. The QA-aided deterministic fiber tracking may assist fiber tracking studies and facilitate the advancement of human connectomics.
Bioinformatic Prediction of mRNA Targets of the Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein

The events causing fragile X syndrome in mammalian neurons are poorly understood, but are thought to depend on two mechanisms of post-transcriptional control: regulated localization of specific mRNAs, and selective mRNA translation at polyribosomes. Several RNA-binding proteins serve as critical components of these mechanisms, especially the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), which binds mRNA transcripts within mRNP granules, localizes them to dendritic polyribosomes, and prevents their translation until proper signaling. Previous studies estimate that FMRP regulates 4% of the 11,000 neuronally expressed mRNAs, but there has been considerable difficulty in confirming the identity of these targets. FMRP uses four RNA binding regions to bind five types of target RNA elements. To identify putative mRNA targets of FMRP that contain multiple binding sites, two of these elements, G-quartets and U-rich sequences, will be used in a comprehensive bioinformatic screen of the human, mouse, and rat genomes. Homologous mRNAs will be validated computationally using conservation of sequence, structure, and function, and experimentally using available differential expression data. FMRP affinity for novel mRNAs will be determined using coIP and filter binding assays. Aim 1 To perform a comprehensive and systematic search for mRNA cargoes of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), the human, mouse, and rat genomes will be scanned using computational models of G-quartets and U-rich sequences, two known target RNA elements of FMRP. Models will be based on experimentally verified sequences of FMRP targets. To determine whether these two elements are used specifically in neuronal mRNAs, I will compare expression levels of brain-derived tissues and non-brain tissues for mRNAs containing either G-quartets or U-rich elements, using available microarray expression data for human, mouse, and rat. Aim 2 To validate the selected mRNA sequences (in Aim 1), estimates of conservation in sequence and structure of target RNA elements will be computed for the homologs of unique genes. Homology will be determined using mRNA sequence similarity among human, mouse, and rat genomes. For the subset of homologs that contain conserved FMRP target elements, expression data from several tissues will be used to assess functional conservation. Differential expression data will be used to identify the mRNAs that are affected by the loss of FMRP. Filter binding and UV crosslinking assays will be performed to determine whether presence of multiple RNA elements affects FMRP's affinity for a mRNA.
Forgetting Through Generalisation - A Companion with Selective Memory (Extended Abstract)

This research investigates event generalisation in computational episodic memory for artificial companions. Two studies indicated a preference of a biologically-inspired selective memory over an absolute memory companion. Consequently, we present a preliminary implementation of a forgetting mechanism that enables the companion to create “generalised event representations” from its experiences allowing the companion to learn from past encounters.
No robot left behind: Coordination to overcome local minima in swarm navigation

In this paper, we address navigation and coordination methods that allow swarms of robots to converge and spread along complex 2D shapes in environments containing unknown obstacles. Shapes are modeled using implicit functions and a gradient descent approach is used for controlling the swarm. To overcome local minima, that may appear in these scenarios, we use a coordination mechanism that reallocates some robots as "rescuers" and sends them to help other robots that may be trapped. Simulations and real experiments demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.
Boosting EigenActions: A new algorithm for human action categorization

This paper proposes a boosting EigenActions algorithm for human action categorization. In determining the EigenActions, a spatio-temporal information saliency is first calculated from the video sequence by estimating pixel density function. Since human action can be approximated as a periodic motion, salient action unit, which is one cycle of the motion, is extracted and EigenActions are determined using principle component analysis. A human action classifier is developed by multi-class Adaboost algorithm. Weizmann human action database with ninety different human actions is used to evaluate our proposed algorithm. The recognition accuracy is 98.3%. A comparison with two latest methods on human action recognition is also reported.
21 Bucentaur ( Bcnt ) 1 Gene Family : Gene Duplication and Retrotransposon Insertion

Members of multiple gene families in higher organisms allow for more refined cellular signaling networks and structural organization toward more stable physiological homeostasis. Gene duplication is one the most powerful ways of providing an opportunity to create a novel gene(s) because a novel function might be acquired without the loss of the original gene function (Ohno, 1970). Gene duplication can result from unequal crossing over by recombination, retroposition of cDNA, or whole-genome duplication. Furthermore, a replication-based mechanism of change in gene copy number has been proposed recently (Hastings et al., 2009). Gene duplication generated by retroposition is frequently accompanied by deleterious effects because the insertion of cDNA into the genome is nearly random or unlinks the original gene location resulting in an alteration of the original vital functions of the target genes. Thus retroelements such as transposable elements and endogenous retroviruses have been thought of as “selfish”. On the other hand, gene duplication caused by unequal crossing over generally results in tandem alignment, which less frequently disrupts the functions of other genes. Recent genome-wide studies have demonstrated that retroelements can definitely contribute to the creation of individual novel genes and the modulation of gene expression, which allows for the dynamic diversity of biological systems, such as placental evolution (Rawn & Cross, 2008). It is now recognized that tandem duplication and retroposition are among the key factors that initiate the creation of novel gene family members (Brosius, 2005; Sorek, 2007; Kaessmann, 2010). By these mechanisms, species-specific gene duplication can lead to species-specific gene functions, which might contribute to species-specific phenotypes (Zhang, 2003). For example, many genes derived from retroelements are expressed in mammalian placentas, and species-specific gene duplication has occurred multiple times during placental evolution (Rawn & Cross, 2008). If a combination of tandem gene duplication and retroposition of cDNA occurs, there is a good possibility for the creation of a novel gene(s)
Business process management - lessons from European business

This paper reports on the findings of a survey and case study research into the understanding and application of business process management (BPM) in European companies. The process perspective is increasingly being seen as a mechanism for achieving competitive advantage through performance improvement and in response to market pressures, customer expectations for better and more reliable service and increasing competition. We reveal the level of importance European companies attach to BPM, what it means to them and what they have done in practice. The paper draws on a postal survey conducted with quality directors and business process managers in organisations which are members of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and case studies in a number of organisations regarded as being leaders in the adoption of BPM. The study has helped to highlight some interesting approaches and reveal features which are important for BPM to be successful.
The brain-heart connection.

Neurocardiology has many dimensions, but it may be conceptualized as divided into 3 major categories: the heart’s effects on the brain (eg, cardiac source embolic stroke), the brain’s effects on the heart (eg, neurogenic heart disease), and neurocardiac syndromes (eg, Friedreich disease). The present review deals with the nervous system’s capacity to injure the heart. This subject is inherently important but also represents an example of a much more widespread and conceptually fascinating area of neurovisceral damage in general. In 1942, at the culmination of his distinguished career as Professor of Physiology at Harvard Medical School, Walter B. Cannon published a remarkable paper entitled “‘Voodoo’ Death,”1 in which he recounted anecdotal experiences, largely from the anthropology literature, of death from fright. These often remote events, drawn from widely disparate parts of the world, had several features in common. They were all induced by an absolute belief that an external force, such as a wizard or medicine man, could, at will, cause demise and that the victim himself had no power to alter this course. This perceived lack of control over a powerful external force is the sine qua non for all the cases recounted by Cannon, who postulated that death was caused “by a lasting and intense action of the sympathico-adrenal system. ” Cannon believed that this phenomenon was limited to societies in which the people were “so superstitious, so ignorant, that they feel themselves bewildered strangers in a hostile world. Instead of knowledge, they have fertile and unrestricted imaginations which fill their environment with all manner of evil spirits capable of affecting their lives disastrously. ” Over the years since Cannon’s observations, evidence has accumulated to support his concept that “voodoo” death is, in fact, a real phenomenon but, far from being limited to ancient peoples, may be a basic …