Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
N-terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide, Left Ventricular Mass, and Incident Heart Failure: Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Background—Elevated N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is associated with clinically overt heart failure (HF). However, whether it provides additive prognostic information for incident HF beyond traditional risk factors and left ventricular (LV) mass index among multi-ethnic asymptomatic individuals has not yet been determined. We studied the associations of plasma NT-proBNP and magnetic resonance imaging defined LV mass index with incident HF in an asymptomatic multi-ethnic population. Methods and Results—A total of 5597 multi-ethnic participants without clinically apparent cardiovascular disease underwent baseline measurement of NT-proBNP and were followed for 5.5±1.1 years. Among them, 4163 also underwent baseline cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. During follow-up, 111 participants experienced incident HF. Higher NT-proBNP was significantly associated with incident HF, independent of baseline age, sex, ethnicity, systolic blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, smoking, estimated glomerular filtration rate, medications (anti-hypertensive and statin), LV mass index, and interim myocardial infarction (hazard ratio: 1.95 per 1U log NT-proBNP increment, 95% CI 1.54–2.46, P<0.001). This relationship held among different ethnic groups, non-Hispanic whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics. Most importantly, NT-proBNP provided additive prognostic value beyond both traditional risk factors and LV mass index for predicting incident HF (integrated discrimination index=0.046, P<0.001; net reclassification index; 6-year risk probability categorized by <3%, 3–10%, >10% =0.175, P=0.019; category-less net reclassification index=0.561, P<0.001). Conclusions—Plasma NT-proBNP provides incremental prognostic information beyond traditional risk factors and the magnetic resonance imaging-determined LV mass index for incident symptomatic HF in an asymptomatic multi-ethnic population. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT00005487.
A Physics-Based Equivalent-Circuit Model for On-Chip Symmetric Transformers With Accurate Substrate Modeling

A physics-based equivalent-circuit model for on-chip symmetric transformers is presented with all the model elements driven from fabrication specifications. Two extra coupled transformer loops are used for each coil to model the parameters of skin effect, proximity effect, and reflective effect of the substrate eddy current, respectively. Model accuracy under free space is first demonstrated using an electromagnetic field solver without considering substrate loss. Several sets of transformers were fabricated on a standard 0.18- mum 1P8M RF CMOS technology to further verify the accuracy and scalability of the proposed model. By careful comparison of S -parameters, coil inductance, quality factor,coupling coefficient, and maximum available gain between measured data and simulated data, model accuracy, and scalability are verified over a wide range of geometry configurations.
Mosaicing scenes with a quadcopter

This paper focuses on a method of constructing panoramas from a quadcopter, and a new mosaicing sub-problem when the scene contains significant regions of vacant spaces. These vacant spaces yield little to no features to match input images and hence challenge existing mosaicing techniques. We describe a framework that is able to handle this unique input by leveraging the availability of the inertial measurement unit (IMU) data from the quadcopter. Specifically, our method uses the imprecise IMU data accompanying a video to select a subset of images that contain interesting scene content. When the scene is such that this subset contains no vacant space, an appropriate panorama is effected; however, with featureless spaces, existing mo-saicing methods do not work. In this paper, the subset is partitioned into multiple clusters. These subsets can now be stitched into a series of mini-panoramas, but a complete mosaic is not yet available. The gaps between these minipanoramas represent regions of featureless spaces in the scene. Therefore, we once again use the IMU data together with a novel stereo reconstruction to determine appropriate portions of the images to complete the panorama. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach on a number of input sequences that cannot be mosaiced by existing methods.
Graph Partitioning Using Spectral Methods 2006

For parallel computing, large computational graphs are partitioned into subdomains and distributed over individual processors. This thesis presents spectral partitioning methods as a tool for graph partitioning. A Lanczos algorithm is an important component of the spectral partitioning problem to compute the required eigenvector. For better peformance, some modifications and improvements to the original Lanczos algorithm are implemented. A multilevel approach as a possible improvement is also described. Finally, results on testing set are presented and the written software is described.
Implementing Coordinated Exception Handling for Distributed Object-Oriented Systems with AspectJ

Exception handling is a very popular technique for incorporating fault tolerance into software systems. However, its use for structuring concurrent, distributed systems is hindered by the fact that the exception handling models of many mainstream object-oriented programming languages are sequential. In this paper we present an aspect-based framework for incorporating concurrent exception handling in Java programs. The framework has been implemented in AspectJ, a general purpose aspect-oriented extension to Java. Our main contribution is to show that AspectJ is useful for implementing the concerns related to concurrent exception handling and to provide a useful tool to developers of distributed, concurrent fault-tolerant applications.
Mass loss from inhomogeneous hot star winds - I. Resonance line formation in 2D models

Context. The mass-loss rate is a key parameter of hot, massive stars. Small-scale inhomogeneities (clumping) in the winds of these stars are conventionally included in spectral analyses by assuming optically thin clumps, a void inter-clump medium, and a smooth velocity field. To reconcile investigations of different diagnostics (in particular, unsaturated UV resonance lines vs. Hα/radio emission) within such models, a highly clumped wind with very low mass-loss rates needs to be invoked, where the resonance lines seem to indicate rates an order of magnitude (or even more) lower than previously accepted values. If found to be realistic, this would challenge the radiative line-driven wind theory and have dramatic consequences for the evolution of massive stars. Aims. We investigate basic properties of the formation of resonance lines in small-scale inhomogeneous hot star winds with nonmonotonic velocity fields. Methods. We study inhomogeneous wind structures by means of 2D stochastic and pseudo-2D radiation-hydrodynamic wind models, constructed by assembling 1D snapshots in radially independent slices. A Monte-Carlo radiative transfer code, which treats the resonance line formation in an axially symmetric spherical wind (without resorting to the Sobolev approximation), is presented and used to produce synthetic line spectra. Results. The optically thin clumping limit is only valid for very weak lines. The detailed density structure, the inter-clump medium, and the non-monotonic velocity field are all important for the line formation. We confirm previous findings that radiationhydrodynamic wind models reproduce observed characteristics of strong lines (e.g., the black troughs) without applying the highly supersonic “microturbulence” needed in smooth models. For intermediate strong lines, the velocity spans of the clumps are of central importance. Current radiation-hydrodynamic models predict spans that are too large to reproduce observed profiles unless a very low mass-loss rate is invoked. By simulating lower spans in 2D stochastic models, the profile strengths become drastically reduced, and are consistent with higher mass-loss rates. To simultaneously meet the constraints from strong lines, the inter-clump medium must be non-void. A first comparison to the observed Phosphorus V doublet in the O6 supergiant λ Cep confirms that line profiles calculated from a stochastic 2D model reproduce observations with a mass-loss rate approximately ten times higher than that derived from the same lines but assuming optically thin clumping. Tentatively this may resolve discrepancies between theoretical predictions, evolutionary constraints, and recent derived mass-loss rates, and suggests a re-investigation of the clump structure predicted by current radiation-hydrodynamic models.
Novel Additive Manufacturing Pneumatic Actuators and Mechanisms for Food Handling Grippers

Conventional pneumatic grippers are widely used in industrial pick and place robot processes for rigid objects. They are simple, robust and fast, but their design, motion and features are limited, and they do not fulfil the final purpose. Food products have a wide variety of shapes and textures and are susceptible to damaged. Robot grippers for food handling should adapt to this wide range of dimensions and must be fast, cheap, reasonably reliable, and with cheap and reasonable maintenance costs. They should not damage the product and must meet hygienic conditions. The additive manufacturing (AM) process is able to manufacture parts without significant restrictions, and is Polyamide approved as food contact material by FDA. This paper presents that, taking the best of plastic flexibility, AM allows the implementation of novel actuators, original compliant mechanisms and practical grippers that are cheap, light, fast, small and easily adaptable to specific food products. However, if they are not carefully designed, the results can present problems, such as permanent deformations, low deformation limits, and low operation speed. We present possible solutions for the use of AM to design proper robot grippers for food handling. Some successful results, such as AM actuators based on deformable air chambers, AM compliant mechanisms, and grippers developed in a single part will be introduced and discussed.
‘Can we have a child exchange?’ Constructing and subverting the ‘good mother’ through play in Mumsnet Talk

This article uses a feminist poststructuralist approach to explore how contributors to a single thread from the discussion forum of a popular British parenting website, Mumsnet Talk, position themselves as ‘good mothers’. The qualitative analysis that is presented here, which draws on both the concept of indexicality and Goffman’s ‘frame analysis’, shows that Mumsnet users are able to negotiate the discursive forces that merge to produce the good mother subject position in innovative ways. They are able to position themselves as good mothers in a way that is both normative and transformative – to both legitimise and subvert the discourses that work to position them in this way. This exploration leads me to suggest that the Mumsnet Talk forum can be seen as a space in which dominant discourses continue to position individuals in restricted gendered subjectivities, but is also a fruitful site for the negotiation, resistance and subversion of cultural norms.
Fractional linear multistep methods for Abel-Volterra integral equations of the second kind

Fractional powers of linear multistep methods are suggested for the numerical solution of weakly singular Volterra integral equations. The proposed methods are convergent of the order of the underlying multistep method, also in the generic case of solutions which are not smooth at the origin. The stability properties (stability region, A-stability, A(a)-stability) are closely related to those of the underlying linear multistep method.
Performance-Area Improvement by Partial Reconfiguration for an Aerospace Remote Sensing Application

Dynamic Partial Reconfiguration (DPR) allows modification of certain parts of an FPGA while the rest of the device continues to operate and remains unaffected by the partial reprogramming. DPR for FPGA-based designs is an increasingly important feature in many systems that must adapt quickly to changing run-time requirements. Particularly in aerospace applications, the reuse and on-line reprogramming is a key aspect as the access to the system to re-design the hardware it is not a trivial task. We propose an autonomous reconfigurable digital signal processing architecture tailored for the utilization of FPGA resources efficiently. This paper deals with an efficient way of DSP computing by means of DPR applied to a hardware module and discusses execution time, flexibility and area savings. Reconfiguration on a co-processor is introduced to perform mathematical operations separately but using the same resources. Some overhead in timing is justified by the reduction in area obtained. Software application and hardware module performances are analyzed in terms of area and time to compare the benefits of the approach.
Spam detection using hybrid Artificial Neural Network and Genetic algorithm

Spam detection is one of the major problems which considered by many researchers by different developed strategies. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is one of many others being proposed. However designing an ANN is a difficult task as it requires setting of ANN structure and tuning of some complex parameters. In this study, ANN was hybridized with Genetic algorithm (GA) in order to optimize the performance of ANN for spam detection. GA was used to determine some ANN parameters and suggest optimum weights to efficiently enhance the ANN learning. Experimental results show that the hybrid ANN and GA has superior performance when compared to conventional ANN.
A Hierarchy Method Based on LDA and SVM for News Classification

He growth of the online data provides the user a access to information on the Internet but also creates the challenges to obtain the valuable knowledge. In this paper we focus on news text classification, which is meaningful for information provider to organize and display the news but also for the users to reach the valuable information easily. A hierarchy method based on LDA and SVM is proposed to accomplish this task and several experiments are conducted to evaluate our method. The results show that our method is promising in text classification problems.
Dynamics modeling of a biped robot with active toe joints

This paper suggests an approach to develop dynamics model and proposes a novel method to solve inverse dynamics of a biped robot with active toe joints. In order to obtain closed-form dynamics model, first, equations of motion are developed for the robot with no interaction. Then, consistent with constraints, unknown forces and moments are considered, using constraints relaxation method. These forces and moments are different during various phases of motion for the robot which is equipped with active toe joints. In our dynamics modeling method, the double support phase is divided into two subphases, depending on the action of toe joint. Then, to compute joints actuating torques and ground reaction forces and moments, inverse dynamics problem for each subphase is solved. The simulation results for walking on flat ground surface illustrate that the proposed approach is effectively used for dynamics modeling of biped robots with redundant legs. Finally, the actual ZMP trajectory is computed using obtained reaction forces and moments to guarantee the feasibility of the generated walking pattern.
Discrete Forward-Backward Fuzzy Predictive Control

An extension of the model predictive control philosophy to the field of fuzzy control design is discussed. The main goal is to bring together the best features from both techniques. The basic idea is to divide the initial optimization problem in a set of recursive optimization subproblems or decision stages. Each subproblem is raised as a fuzzy LQR design where the goal is to define the set of feedback gains of a fuzzy Parallel Distributed Compensator (PDC) that minimizes the function cost using Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs). Therefore, the global controller is a set of PDC controllers that satisfies the Bellman optimality principle, minimizing the cost function both locally and globally, and guarantees stability and satisfies the control action constraints.
Inhibiting MicroRNA-503 and MicroRNA-181d with Losartan Ameliorates Diabetic Nephropathy in KKAy Mice

Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most lethal diabetic microvascular complication; it is a major cause of renal failure, and an increasingly globally prominent healthcare problem. Material/Methods To identify susceptible microRNAs for the pathogenesis of DN and the targets of losartan treatment, microRNA arrays were employed to survey the glomerular microRNA expression profiles of KKAy mice treated with or without losartan. KKAy mice were assigned to either a losartan-treated group or a non-treatment group, with C57BL/6 mice used as a normal control. Twelve weeks after treatment, glomeruli from the mice were isolated. MicroRNA expression profiles were analyzed using microRNA arrays. Real-time PCR was used to confirm the results. Results Losartan treatment improved albuminuria and the pathological lesions of KKAy mice. The expression of 10 microRNAs was higher, and the expression of 12 microRNAs was lower in the glomeruli of the KKAy untreated mice than that of the CL57BL/6 mice. The expression of 4 microRNAs was down-regulated in the glomeruli of the KKAy losartan-treated mice compared to that of the untreated mice. The expression of miRNA-503 and miRNA-181d was apparently higher in the glomeruli of the KKAy untreated mice, and was inhibited by losartan treatment. Conclusions The over-expression of miR-503 and miR-181d in glomeruli of KKAy mice may be responsible for the pathogenesis of DN and are potential therapeutic targets for DN.
Potent Neutralization of Botulinum Neurotoxin/B by Synergistic Action of Antibodies Recognizing Protein and Ganglioside Receptor Binding Domain

Background Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), the causative agents for life-threatening human disease botulism, have been recognized as biological warfare agents. Monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics hold considerable promise as BoNT therapeutics, but the potencies of mAbs against BoNTs are usually less than that of polyclonal antibodies (or oligoclonal antibodies). The confirmation of key epitopes with development of effective mAb is urgently needed. Methods and Findings We selected 3 neutralizing mAbs which recognize different non-overlapping epitopes of BoNT/B from a panel of neutralizing antibodies against BoNT/B. By comparing the neutralizing effects among different combination groups, we found that 8E10, response to ganglioside receptor binding site, could synergy with 5G10 and 2F4, recognizing non-overlapping epitopes within Syt II binding sites. However, the combination of 5G10 with 2F4 blocking protein receptor binding sites did not achieve synergistical effects. Moreover, we found that the binding epitope of 8E10 was conserved among BoNT A, B, E, and F, which might cross-protect the challenge of different serotypes of BoNTs in vivo. Conclusions The combination of two mAbs recognizing different receptors' binding domain in BoNTs has a synergistic effect. 8E10 is a potential universal partner for the synergistical combination with other mAb against protein receptor binding domain in BoNTs of other serotypes.
Fast estimators for large-scale fading channels from irregularly sampled data

The problem of estimating the power attenuation dynamics for large-scale lognormal fading channels in wireless communication systems, when the model is described as a mean reverting Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, is studied in the paper. Fast and accurate estimators for the model parameters from irregularly sampled data are suggested for both offline and online applications. The Crameacuter-Rao bound for the estimation of the model parameters is derived, and the qualities of the proposed estimators are evaluated with respect to the bound
The visual word form area: a prelexical representation of visual words in the fusiform gyrus

Event-related fMRI was used to test the hypothesis that the visual word form area in the left fusiform gyrus holds a modality-specific and prelexical representation of visual words. Subjects were engaged in a repetition-detection task on pairs of words or pronounceable pseudo-words that could be written or spoken. The visual word form area responded only to written stimuli, not to spoken stimuli, independently of their semantic content. We propose that the occasional activation of the fusiform gyrus when listening to spoken words is due to the topdown recruitment of visual orthographic or object representations.
Compton scattering of Fe Kα lines in magnetic cataclysmic variables

Compton scattering of X-rays in the bulk flow of the accretion column in magnetic cataclysmic variables (mCVs) can significantly shift photon energies. We present Monte Carlo simulations based on a non-linear algorithm demonstrating the effects of Compton scattering on the H-, He-like and neutral Fe Kα lines produced in the post-shock region of the accretion column. The peak line emissivities of the photons in the post-shock flow are taken into consideration and frequency shifts due to Doppler effects are also included. We find that line profiles are most distorted by Compton scattering effects in strongly magnetized mCVs with a low white dwarf mass and high mass accretion rate and which are viewed at an oblique angle with respect to the accretion column. The resulting line profiles are most sensitive to the inclination angle. We have also explored the effects of modifying the accretion column width and using a realistic emissivity profile. We find that these do not have a significant overall effect on the resulting line profiles. A comparison of our simulated line spectra with high-resolution Chandra/HETGS observations of the mCV GK Per indicates that a wing feature redward of the 6.4-keV line may result from Compton recoil near the base of the accretion column.