Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Utility Function-Based Real-Time Control of A Battery Ultracapacitor Hybrid Energy System

This paper discusses a utility function-based control of a battery-ultracapacitor (UC) hybrid energy system. The example system employs the battery semiactive topology. In order to represent different performance and requirements of the battery and UC packs, the two packs are modeled as two independent but related agents using the NetLogo environment. Utility functions are designed to describe the respective preferences of battery and UC packs. Then, the control problem is converted to a multiobjective optimization problem solved by using the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions. The weights in the objective functions are chosen based on the location of the knee point in the Pareto set. Both the simulation and experimental results show the utility function-based control provides a comparable performance with the ideal average load demand (ALD)-based control, while the exact preknowledge of the future load demand is not required. The utility function-based control is fast enough to be directly implemented in real time. The discussion in this paper gives a starting point and initial results for dealing with more complex hybrid energy systems.
Integration of satellite and terrestrial systems in future multimedia communications

In this article we examine the role of satellite communications in future telecommunication networks and service provision. Lessons from the past indicate that satellites are successful as a result of their wide area coverage or speed to market for new services. Niche areas such as coverage of air and sea will persist, but for land masses convergence of fixed, mobile, and broadcasting will dictate that the only way forward for satellites is in an integrated format with terrestrial systems. We outline future ways forward for satellites, and discuss the research challenges and technology advances needed to facilitate this integrated approach.
Large Scale Text Classification using Semisupervised Multinomial Naive Bayes

Numerous semi-supervised learning methods have been proposed to augment Multinomial Naive Bayes (MNB) using unlabeled documents, but their use in practice is often limited due to implementation difficulty, inconsistent prediction performance, or high computational cost. In this paper, we propose a new, very simple semi-supervised extension of MNB, called Semi-supervised Frequency Estimate (SFE). Our experiments show that it consistently improves MNB with additional data (labeled or unlabeled) in terms of AUC and accuracy, which is not the case when combining MNB with Expectation Maximization (EM). We attribute this to the fact that SFE consistently produces better conditional log likelihood values than both EM+MNB and MNB in labeled training data.
Extending a functional-structural plant model of spring wheat with sub-models for photosynthesis and carbon distribution

Introduction Members of the Poaceae family have been rewarding subjects of research in the field of functional-structural plant modelling (FSPM) (Fournier et al., 2007). Poaceae comprise important cereal crop species such as rice, wheat, and maize, and the plants usually exhibit a regular and co-ordinated development making them particularly suitable for FSPM. The models that have been reported up to now range from descriptive (e.g. Watanabe et al., 2005) to (partially) mechanistic (e.g. Guo et al., 2006; Wernecke et al., 2007). Here we report on our ongoing work on an FSPM of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), of which simulation of growth and development, until recently, have been mainly descriptive. The outgrowth of tiller buds into tillers (branches in Poaceae) has been made dependent on the local ratio between red and far-red light (Evers et al., 2007a). Once the ‘decision’ is taken to develop a particular bud into a tiller, the emergent organs attain more or less predefined properties (e.g. dimensions, shape, etc.). The limitations to this (provisional) approach are (I) source activity is not included and (II) organ outgrowth and dimensions of organs are not subjected to modulation due to sink-source interactions. The general objective of the current work is to add ‘functionality’, i.e. carbon gain and partitioning, to the architectural model in order to obtain a complete FSPM of a canopy of spring wheat plants. Operational objectives of the work include the extension of the current architectural model of spring wheat with provisions that convert radiation absorbed by each element of the 3D structure into photosynthates, and distribute carbon over individual, growing organs.
M Object-Oriented Software Measures

This paper provides an overview of the merging of a paradigm and a process, the object-oriented paradigm and the software product measurement process. A taxonomy of object-oriented software measures is created, and existing object-oriented software measures are enumerated, evaluated, and placed in taxa. This report includes an extensive bibliography of the current object-oriented measures that apply to the design and implementation phases of a software project. Examples of computation of representative measures are included.
Synthetic triphones from trajectory-based feature distributions

We experiment with a new method to create synthetic models of rare and unseen triphones in order to supplement limited automatic speech recognition (ASR) training data. A trajectory model is used to characterise seen transitions at the spectral level, and these models are then used to create features for unseen or rare triphones. We find that a fairly restricted model (piece-wise linear with three line segments per channel of a diphone transition) is able to represent training data quite accurately. We report on initial results when creating additional triphones for a single-speaker data set, finding small but significant gains, especially when adding additional samples of rare (rather than unseen) triphones.
Identification of Optimal Reference Genes for Gene Expression Normalization in a Wide Cohort of Endometrioid Endometrial Carcinoma Tissues

Accurate normalization is a primary component of a reliable gene expression analysis based on qRT-PCR technique. While the use of one or more reference genes as internal controls is commonly accepted as the most appropriate normalization strategy, many qPCR-based published studies still contain data poorly normalized and reference genes arbitrarily chosen irrespective of the particular tissue and the specific experimental design. To date, no validated reference genes have been identified for endometrial cancer tissues. In this study, 10 normalization genes (GAPDH, B2M, ACTB, POLR2A, UBC, PPIA, HPRT1, GUSB, TBP, H3F3A) belonging to different functional and abundance classes in various tissues and used in different studies, were analyzed to determine their applicability. In total, 100 endometrioid endometrial cancer samples, which were carefully balanced according to their tumor grade, and 29 normal endometrial tissues were examined using SYBR Green Real-Time RT-PCR. The expression stability of candidate reference genes was determined and compared by means of geNorm and NormFinder softwares. Both algorithms were in agreement in identifying GAPDH, H3F3A, PPIA, and HPRT1 as the most stably expressed genes, only differing in their ranking order. Analysis performed on the expression levels of all candidate genes confirm HPRT1 and PPIA as the most stably expressed in the study groups regardless of sample type, to be used alone or better in combination. As the stable expression of HPRT1 and PPIA between normal and tumor endometrial samples fulfill the basic requirement of a reference gene to be used for normalization purposes, HPRT1 expression showed significant differences between samples from low-grade and high-grade tumors. In conclusion, our results recommend the use of PPIA as a single reference gene to be considered for improved reliability of normalization in gene expression studies involving endometrial tumor samples at different tumor degrees.
SPEECH ENHANCEMENT USING SMALL MICROPHONE ARRAYS WITH OPTIMIZED DIRECTIVITY

A common approach to enhance the quality of speech signals disturbed by acoustic background noise is the applicat,ion of adaptive filtering techniques aiming at the reduction of the noise (e.g. [l]). However, in case of low SNR most of the currently known adaptive techniques result in a poor quality of the processed signal, which is caused by time-variant distortions of the speech signal and by the unnatural character of the remaining noise (e.g. in form of “musical tones”). An alternative approach, which does not affect the speech signal by time-variant distortions, is the applicat,ion of a microphone array with a fixed directivity pattern aligned to the speaker’s position, resulting in a suppression of spatial distributed noise sources (e.g. 141). Within the scope of this paper it. will be shown that owing to the proposed optimization of the directivity pattern even an array consisting of only two microphones may offer a performance comparable to state-of-the-art adaptive filtering techniques. Acoustic measurements related to electronic hearing aids confirm that the improvement of the SNR predicted by theory also holds for signals recorded in a real acoustic environment.
Effects of Anabolic Steroids on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials

Background Anabolic steroids are known to improve body composition and muscle strength in healthy people. However, whether anabolic steroids improve the physical condition and function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains undetermined. A meta-analysis was conducted to review the current evidence regarding the effects of anabolic steroids on COPD patients. Methods A comprehensive literature search of PubMed and EMBASE was performed to identify randomised controlled trials that examine the effects of anabolic steroids on COPD patients. Weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated to determine differences between anabolic steroid administration and control conditions. Results Eight eligible studies involving 273 COPD patients were identified in this meta-analysis. Significant improvements were found in body weight (0.956 kg), fat-free mass (1.606 kg), St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire total score (−6.336) and symptom score (−12.148). The apparent improvements in maximal inspiratory pressure (2.740 cmH2O) and maximal expiratory pressure (12.679 cmH2O) were not significant. The effects on handgrip strength, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), predicted FEV1 percent, PaO2, PaCO2 and six-min walk distance were negative, with WMDs of −0.245 kg, −0.096 L/sec, −1.996% of predicted, −1.648 cmHg, −0.039 cmHg and −16.102 meters, respectively. Conclusions Limited evidence available from the published literature suggests that the benefit of anabolic steroids on COPD patients cannot be denied. However, further studies are needed to identify the specific benefits and adverse effects of anabolic steroids on COPD patients and to determine the optimal populations and regimes of anabolic steroids in COPD patients.
On the Design of Collective Applications

In this paper we define collective applications as those that employ the aggregated behaviours of individuals in a crowd to shape their environment and to provide structure and influence in that environment. Collectives occur in most systems that aggregate user-generated content, whether or not that is the intention of the designers or contributors. We identify the necessary features of such applications and observe that they pose a particularly wicked set of design problems, because important characteristics of the system, including processing and presentation, reside outside the program in the behaviour of the crowd itself. We suggest some tentative approaches to dealing with these problems.
The role of limited joint mobility in diabetic patients with an at-risk foot.

OBJECTIVE To assess the role of limited joint mobility (LJM) in causing abnormal high plantar pressures in the forefoot of diabetic patients with an at-risk foot. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 70 type 1 or type 2 diabetic patients and 30 control subjects participated in this cross-sectional study. Thirty-five diabetic patients with an at-risk foot, defined as a foot with neuropathy but without ulceration or previous ulceration, and 35 diabetic control subjects without neuropathy were selected for the subgroups. Joint mobility was assessed in the foot at the ankle and metatarsophalangeal I (first MTP) joints. Using the FastScan plantar pressure analyzer, the pressure-time integrals (PTIs) as dynamic variables were measured in each foot. The clinical assessment included standard measures of peripheral neuropathy. RESULTS The mobility at the ankle and first MTP joint were significantly reduced in the foot-at-risk group compared with the diabetic control group and the control subjects (P < 0.0001). The PTIs were significantly higher in the foot-at-risk group compared with the two other groups (P < 0.0001). There was a strong inverse correlation between the mobility of the ankle or first MTP joint and the PTI of the diabetic patients (r = -0.67, P < 0.0001, and r = -0.71, P < 0.0001, respectively). The vibration perception threshold was positively correlated with the PTI of the diabetic patients (r = 0.44, P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Diabetic patients with an at-risk foot have reduced joint mobility and elevated PTIs on the plantar forefoot, placing them at risk for subsequent ulceration. Therefore, LJM may be a possible factor in causing high plantar pressures and may contribute to foot ulceration in the susceptible neuropathic at-risk foot.
Organizational Culture: A Literature Review of the AHRD 1994-2005 Proceedings

: The purpose of this literature review was to find out how organizational culture has been studied within the Academy of Human Resource Development from 1994 to 2005 by examining how authors defined organizational culture and their research purposes. The study of organizations can be traced to ideas of Socrates and Aristotle in 400 and is comprised of various theoretical perspectives organizational function, structure, and processes. Within these perspectives, the concept of organizational culture has but has challenged the dominant view of organizations as Instead, organizational dynamics, structure, and decisions are viewed to be constructed by its individual members and groups through consensus, conflict, or paradox 2002). Peters
Galanin–neuropeptide Y (NPY) interactions in central cardiovascular control: involvement of the NPY Y1 receptor subtype

The interactions between neuropeptide Y (NPY), specifically through NPY Y1 and Y2 receptor subtypes, and galanin [GAL(1–29)] have been analysed at the cardiovascular level. The cardiovascular effects of intracisternal coinjections of GAL(1–29) with NPY or NPY Y1 or Y2 agonists, as well as quantitative receptor autoradiography of the binding characteristics of NPY Y1 and Y2 receptor subtypes in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), in the presence or absence of GAL(1–29), have been investigated. The effects of coinjections of GAL(1–29) and the NPY Y1 agonist on the expression of c‐FOS immunoreactivity in the NTS were also studied. The coinjection of NPY with GAL(1–29) induced a significant vasopressor and tachycardic action with a maximum 40% increase (P < 0.001). The coinjection of the NPY Y1 agonist and GAL(1–29) induced a similar increase in mean arterial pressure and heart rate as did NPY plus GAL(1–29), actions that were not observed with the NPY Y2 agonist plus GAL(1–29). GAL(1–29), 3 nm, significantly and substantially (by ∼ 40%) decreased NPY Y1 agonist binding in the NTS. This effect was significantly blocked (P < 0.01) in the presence of the specific galanin antagonist M35. The NPY Y2 agonist binding was not modified in the presence of GAL(1–29). At the c‐FOS level, the coinjection of NPY Y1 and GAL(1–29) significantly reduced the c‐FOS‐immunoreactive response induced by either of the two peptides. The present findings suggest the existence of a modulatory antagonistic effect of GAL(1–29) mediated via galanin receptors on the NPY Y1 receptor subtype and its signalling within the NTS.
Cache-Leakage Resilient OS Isolation in an Idealized Model of Virtualization

Virtualization platforms allow multiple operating systems to run on the same hardware. One of their central goal is to provide strong isolation between guest operating systems, unfortunately, they are often vulnerable to practical side-channel attacks. Cache attacks are a common class of side-channel attacks that use the cache as a side channel. We formalize an idealized model of virtualization that features the cache and the Translation Look aside Buffer (TLB), and that provides an abstract treatment of cache-based side-channels. We then use the model for reasoning about cache-based attacks and countermeasures, and for proving that isolation between guest operating systems can be enforced by flushing the cache upon context switch. In addition, we show that virtualized platforms are transparent, i.e. a guest operating system cannot distinguish whether it executes alone or together with other guest operating systems on the platform. The models and proofs have been machine-checked in the Coqproof assistant.
Mobile Phone Based System Opportunities to Home-based Managing of Chemotherapy Side Effects

Objective: Applying mobile base systems in cancer care especially in chemotherapy management have remarkable growing in recent decades. Because chemotherapy side effects have significant influences on patient’s lives, therefore it is necessary to take ways to control them. This research has studied some experiences of using mobile phone based systems to home-based monitor of chemotherapy side effects in cancer. Methods: In this literature review study, search was conducted with keywords like cancer, chemotherapy, mobile phone, information technology, side effects and self managing, in Science Direct, Google Scholar and Pub Med databases since 2005. Results: Today, because of the growing trend of the cancer, we need methods and innovations such as information technology to manage and control it. Mobile phone based systems are the solutions that help to provide quick access to monitor chemotherapy side effects for cancer patients at home. Investigated studies demonstrate that using of mobile phones in chemotherapy management have positive results and led to patients and clinicians satisfactions. Conclusion: This study shows that the mobile phone system for home-based monitoring chemotherapy side effects works well. In result, knowledge of cancer self-management and the rate of patient’s effective participation in care process improved.
Querying Web Forms and Nested Semi-structured Data

Semi-structured data are commonly represented by labelled graphs. These graphs can be simple or nested. In this paper we present how to model nested semi-structured data in the presence of Web forms. Our motivation is to bring our data model more realistic to capture the richness of Web data. The main purpose of the paper is to provide a mechanism to query nested semi-structured data and web forms in a uniform way.
ELAV Multimerizes on Conserved AU4-6 Motifs Important for ewg Splicing Regulation

ABSTRACT ELAV is a gene-specific regulator of alternative pre-mRNA processing in Drosophila neurons. Since ELAV/Hu proteins preferentially bind to AU-rich regions that are generally abundant in introns and untranslated regions, it has not been clear how gene specificity is achieved. Here we used a combination of in vitro biochemical experiments together with phylogenetic comparisons and in vivo analysis of Drosophila transgenes to study ELAV binding to the last ewg intron and splicing regulation. In vitro binding studies of ELAV show that ELAV multimerizes on the ewg binding site and forms a defined and saturable complex. Further, sizing of the ELAV-RNA complex and a series of titration experiments indicate that ELAV forms a dodecameric complex on 135 nucleotides in the last ewg intron. Analysis of the substrate RNA requirements for ELAV binding and complex formation indicates that a series of AU4-6 motifs spread over the entire binding site are important, but not a strictly defined sequence element. The importance of AU4-6 motifs, but not spacing between them, is further supported by evolutionary conservation in several melanogaster species subgroups. Finally, using transgenes we demonstrate in fly neurons that ELAV-mediated regulation of ewg intron 6 splicing requires several AU4-6 motifs and that introduction of spacer sequence between conserved AU4-6 motifs has a minimal effect on splicing. Collectively, our results suggest that ELAV multimerization and binding to multiple AU4-6 motifs contribute to target RNA recognition and processing in a complex cellular environment.
Site Design and Pedestrian Travel

Research findings are summarized regarding the relationship between site design and pedestrian travel in mixed-use, medium-density environments, and recommendations are set forth for improving pedestrian facilities in suburban neighborhoods. A quasi-experimental method is used to study pedestrian volumes into 12 neighborhood commercial centers in the central Puget Sound region. Sites were matched for population density, land use mix, and income, but they varied in terms of neighborhood site design as measured by block size, and by the length and completeness of sidewalk systems. Urban sites with small blocks and extensive sidewalk systems were found to have, on average, three times the pedestrian volumes of suburban sites with large blocks and short, incomplete sidewalk systems. There are, however, many suburban pedestrians, with volumes varying between 50 and 103 people per hour walking into the suburban commercial centers studied. The majority of suburban pedestrians use streets with sidewalks where available. Also, suburban pedestrians are more likely both to jaywalk and to use crosswalks than their urban counterparts. People under age 18 and people of color were overrepresented in suburban pedestrian populations compared with their makeup in the local residential population. These findings point to the importance of providing facilities to improve pedestrian safety for people who cannot or do not want to drive in such areas. Recommendations include completing sidewalk networks, creating walkways to connect all building entrances to public sidewalks, and increasing the opportunities for pedestrians to cross streets safely.
Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibition Blocks M2 Macrophage Differentiation and Suppresses Metastasis in Murine Breast Cancer Model

Tumor cells are often associated with abundant macrophages that resemble the alternatively activated M2 subset. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) inhibit anti-tumor immune responses and promote metastasis. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibition is known to prevent breast cancer metastasis. This study hypothesized that COX-2 inhibition affects TAM characteristics potentially relevant to tumor cell metastasis. We found that the specific COX-2 inhibitor, etodolac, inhibited human M2 macrophage differentiation, as determined by decreased CD14 and CD163 expressions and increased TNFα production. Several key metastasis-related mediators, such as vascular endothelial growth factor-A, vascular endothelial growth factor-C, and matrix metalloproteinase-9, were inhibited in the presence of etodolac as compared to untreated M2 macrophages. Murine bone marrow derived M2 macrophages also showed enhanced surface MHCII IA/IE and CD80, CD86 expressions together with enhanced TNFα expressions with etodolac treatment during differentiation. Using a BALB/c breast cancer model, we found that etodolac significantly reduced lung metastasis, possibly due to macrophages expressing increased IA/IE and TNFα, but decreased M2 macrophage-related genes expressions (Ym1, TGFβ). In conclusion, COX-2 inhibition caused loss of the M2 macrophage characteristics of TAMs and may assist prevention of breast cancer metastasis.