Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development and testing of new candidate psoriatic arthritis screening questionnaires combining optimal questions from existing tools Authors

Coates, LC, Walsh, J, Haroon, M, Fitzgerald, O, Aslam, T, Al Balushi, F, Burden, AD, Burden-Teh, E, Caperon, AR, Cerio, R, Chattopadhyay, C, Chinoy, H, Goodfield, MJD, Kay, L, Kelly, S, Kirkham, BW, Lovell, CR, MarzoOrtega, H, McHugh, N, Murphy, R, Reynolds, NJ, Smith, CH, Stewart, EJC, Warren, RB, Waxman, R, Wilson, HE & Helliwell, PS 2014, 'Development and testing of new candidate psoriatic arthritis screening questionnaires combining optimal questions from existing tools', Arthritis Care and Research, vol. 66, no. 9, pp. 1410-1416. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.22284
CONVERSATION-BASED LANGUAGE MODELING USING A LOSS-SENSITIVE PERCEPTRON ALGORITHM

Discriminative language models using n-gram features have been shown to be effective in reducing speech recognition word error rates (WER). In this paper we describe a method for incorporating discourse-level triggers and topic designations into a discriminative language model. Triggers are features identifying re-occurrence of words within a conversation. Topics represent clusters of related conversations. We introduce triggers that are specific to particular unigrams and bigrams, as well as “back off” trigger features that allow generalizations to be made across different unigrams. Topicrelated features include unigram counts and features counting the number of topic related words in a sentence. We train our model using a new loss-sensitive variant of the perceptron algorithm that makes effective use of information from multiple hypotheses in an n-best list. We train and test on the Switchboard data set and show a 0.7 absolute reduction in WER over a baseline discriminative model which uses n-gram features alone, and a 1.7 absolute reduction in WER over the baseline recognizer.
A Method for Online Estimation of Human Arm Dynamics

Human arm dynamics can be used for human body performance analysis or for control of human-machine interfaces. In this paper, a novel method for online estimation of human forearm dynamics using a second-order quasi-linear model is presented. The proposed method uses Moving Window Least Squares to locally identify dynamic parameters for a limited number of operating points in a variable space defined by elbow joint angle and velocity, and the electromyogram signals collected from upper-arm muscles. The dynamic parameters for these limited points are then employed to train a Radial Basis Function Artificial Neural Network to interpolate/extrapolate for online estimates of arm dynamic parameters for other operating points in the variable space. The proposed estimation method is evaluated on a single degree-of-freedom robotic arm
Nucleotide sequence of the regulatory nifA gene of Rhizobium leguminosarum PRE: transcriptional control sites and expression in Escherichia coli

We report the sequence of the regulatory nifA gene of Rhizobium leguminosarum PRE. The transcription initiation and termination sites of nifA were mapped and a potential promoter and a rho‐independent terminator identified. The nifA gene has two possible translation start sites, both of which are used in an Escherichia coli background, resulting in proteins with apparent molecular weights of 58kD and 57kD; initiation at the second site is preferred over initiation at the first. The nifA‐nifB intergenic region contains an rpoN‐dependent promoter for the nifB gene but no consensus upstream activator sequence (UAS).
A configuration management model for software product line

Software Product Line has proved to be an effective approach to benefit from software reuse. Configuration management, an integral part of any software development activity, takes on a special significance in software product line context. This is due to the special property of software product line, in which the core assets are shared by all products. In this paper, we compare the existing configuration management models and analyze the artifacts that need to be configuration managed in software product line. We then present an evolution-based configuration management model for software product line, in which, the configuration management is divided into two domains, the production domain and the product domain. In this model, the evolution propagation of corrective changes and enhancement changes on different configuration artifacts follow different paths. The advantages and the constraints of this model are also discussed.
Use of a Synthetic Biosensor for Neutralizing Activity-Biased Selection of Monoclonal Antibodies against Atroxlysin-I, an Hemorrhagic Metalloproteinase from Bothrops atrox Snake Venom

Background The snake Bothrops atrox is responsible for the majority of envenomings in the northern region of South America. Severe local effects, including hemorrhage, which are mainly caused by snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs), are not fully neutralized by conventional serum therapy. Little is known about the immunochemistry of the P-I SVMPs since few monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against these molecules have been obtained. In addition, producing toxin-neutralizing mAbs remains very challenging. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we report on the set-up of a functional screening based on a synthetic peptide used as a biosensor to select neutralizing mAbs against SVMPs and the successful production of neutralizing mAbs against Atroxlysin-I (Atr-I), a P-I SVMP from B. atrox. Hybridomas producing supernatants with inhibitory effect against the proteolytic activity of Atr-I towards the FRET peptide Abz-LVEALYQ-EDDnp were selected. Six IgG1 Mabs were obtained (named mAbatr1 to mAbatr6) and also two IgM. mAbatrs1, 2, 3 and 6 were purified. All showed a high specific reactivity, recognizing only Atr-I and B. atrox venom in ELISA and a high affinity, showing equilibrium constants in the nM range for Atr-I. These mAbatrs were not able to bind to Atr-I overlapping peptides, suggesting that they recognize conformational epitopes. Conclusions/Significance For the first time a functional screening based on a synthetic biosensor was successfully used for the selection of neutralizing mAbs against SVMPs.
Derivation of error models incorporating slippage for a tracked vehicle coupled to a steerable trailer

This paper first presents a complete kinematic model and then presents kinematic model based error and offset models for tracked vehicles towing wheeled trailers or implements. In contrast to wheeled vehicles, the tracked vehicles have two tracks on either side of the vehicle. Steering is almost always through skid steer. They are fast becoming popular in agricultural fields due to excellent traction to weight ratio. As agricultural operations are progressing towards autonomous operations, it is important to develop models that can be used in developing controllers. In this paper kinematic models are used to develop two types of models one called the error model and the other called the offset model. They are developed for a system comprising a tracked vehicle towing a steerable wheeled trailer. The error model uses the errors in x, y and θ as the state variables of the model. The offset model uses the path offset and the alignment offset as state variables. Simulation results are presented to validate the error and offset models.
Functional Adhesive Surfaces with “Gecko” Effect: The Concept of Contact Splitting

Nature has developed reversibly adhesive surfaces whose stickiness has attracted much research attention over the last decade. The central lesson from nature is that “patterned” or “fibrillar” surfaces can produce higher adhesion forces to flat and rough substrates than smooth surfaces. This paper critically examines the principles behind fibrillar adhesion from a contact mechanics perspective, where much progress has been made in recent years. The benefits derived from “contact splitting” into fibrils are separated into extrinsic/intrinsic contributions from fibril deformation, adaptability to rough surfaces, size effects due to surface‐to‐volume ratio, uniformity of stress distribution, and defect‐controlled adhesion. Another section covers essential considerations for reliable and reproducible adhesion testing, where better standardization is still required. It is argued that, in view of the large number of parameters, a thorough understanding of adhesion effects is required to enable the fabrication of reliable adhesive surfaces based on biological examples.
Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide: blood glucose stabilizing effects in patients with type 2 diabetes.

CONTEXT Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have clinically relevant disturbances in the effects of the hormone glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the importance of the prevailing plasma glucose levels for the effect of GIP on responses of glucagon and insulin and glucose disposal in patients with T2DM. DESIGN AND SETTING We performed a single center, placebo-controlled, cross-over, experimental study. PATIENTS We studied twelve patients with T2DM (age: 62 ± 1 years [mean ± SEM], body mass index: 29 ± 1 kg/m(2); glycosylated hemoglobin A1c: 6.5 ± 0.1% [48 ± 2 mmol/mol]). INTERVENTION We infused physiological amounts of GIP (2 pmol × kg(-1) × min(-1)) or saline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We measured plasma concentrations of glucagon, glucose, insulin, C-peptide, intact GIP, and amounts of glucose needed to maintain glucose clamps. RESULTS During fasting glycemia (plasma glucose ∼8 mmol/L), GIP elicited significant increments in both insulin and glucagon levels, resulting in neutral effects on plasma glucose. During insulin-induced hypoglycemia (plasma glucose ∼3 mmol/L), GIP elicited a minor early-phase insulin response and increased glucagon levels during the initial 30 minutes, resulting in less glucose needed to be infused to maintain the clamp (29 ± 8 vs 49 ± 12 mg × kg(-1), P < . 03). During hyperglycemia (1.5 × fasting plasma glucose ∼12 mmol/L), GIP augmented insulin secretion throughout the clamp, with slightly less glucagon suppression compared with saline, resulting in more glucose needed to maintain the clamp during GIP infusions (265 ± 21 vs 213 ± 13 mg × kg(-1), P < . 001). CONCLUSIONS In patients with T2DM, GIP counteracts insulin-induced hypoglycemia, most likely through a predominant glucagonotropic effect. In contrast, during hyperglycemia, GIP increases glucose disposal through a predominant effect on insulin release.
A Hierarchy of Ontologies for Didactics-Enhanced E-learning

Ontologies are a fundamental concept of the Semantic Web envisioned by Tim Berners-Lee [1]. Together with explicit representation of the semantics of data for machine-accessibility such domain theories are the basis for intelligent next generation applications for the web and other areas of interest [2]. Their application for special aspects within the domain of e-learning is often proposed to support the increasing complexity ([3], [4], [5], [6]). So they can provide a better support for course generation or learning scenario description [7]. By the modelling of didactics-related expertise and their provision for the creators of courses many improvements like reuse, rapid development and of course increased learning performance become possible due to the separation from other aspects of e-learning platforms as already proposed in [8].
Mechanisms of Primary Drug Resistance in FGFR1-Amplified Lung Cancer

Purpose: The 8p12-p11 locus is frequently amplified in squamous cell lung cancer (SQLC); the receptor tyrosine kinase fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) being one of the most prominent targets of this amplification. Thus, small molecules inhibiting FGFRs have been employed to treat FGFR1-amplified SQLC. However, only about 11% of such FGFR1-amplified tumors respond to single-agent FGFR inhibition and several tumors exhibited insufficient tumor shrinkage, compatible with the existence of drug-resistant tumor cells. Experimental Design: To investigate possible mechanisms of resistance to FGFR inhibition, we studied the lung cancer cell lines DMS114 and H1581. Both cell lines are highly sensitive to three different FGFR inhibitors, but exhibit sustained residual cellular viability under treatment, indicating a subpopulation of existing drug-resistant cells. We isolated these subpopulations by treating the cells with constant high doses of FGFR inhibitors. Results: The FGFR inhibitor–resistant cells were cross-resistant and characterized by sustained MAPK pathway activation. In drug-resistant H1581 cells, we identified NRAS amplification and DUSP6 deletion, leading to MAPK pathway reactivation. Furthermore, we detected subclonal NRAS amplifications in 3 of 20 (15%) primary human FGFR1-amplified SQLC specimens. In contrast, drug-resistant DMS114 cells exhibited transcriptional upregulation of MET that drove MAPK pathway reactivation. As a consequence, we demonstrate that rational combination therapies resensitize resistant cells to treatment with FGFR inhibitors. Conclusions: We provide evidence for the existence of diverse mechanisms of primary drug resistance in FGFR1-amplified lung cancer and provide a rational strategy to improve FGFR inhibitor therapies by combination treatment. Clin Cancer Res; 23(18); 5527–36. ©2017 AACR.
A speech recognizer with selectable model parameters

This paper presents the design and simulation results of a hidden Markov model (HMM) based isolated word recognizer IC. The new design can handle any combination of states and mixtures (up to 16 states and 8 mixtures). The speech IC has been verified with 353 test speech data. The recognition accuracy is 93.8% (48-bit) with no truncation and 88.9% with truncation (16-bit).
An architecture for software-controlled data prefetching

This paper describes an architecture and related compiler support for software-controlled daia prefetching, a technique to hide memory latency in high-performance processors. At compile-time, FETCB instructions are inserted into the instruction-stream by the compiler, based on anticipated data references and detailed information about the memory system. At run time, a separate functional unit in the CPU, the fe tch uni t , interprets these instructions and initiates appropriate memory reads. Prefetched data is kept in a small, fullyassociative cache, called the fetchbuffer, to reduce contention with the conventional direct-mapped cache. We also introduce a prewrileback technique that can reduce the impact.of stalls due to replacement writebacks in the cache. A detailed hardware model is presented and the required compiler support is developed. Simulations based on a MIPS processor model show that this technique can dramatically reduce on-chip cache miss ratios and average observed memory latency for scientific loops at only slight cost in total memory traffic.
Order Optimal Delay for Opportunistic Scheduling in Multi-User Wireless Uplinks and Downlinks

We consider a one-hop wireless network with independent time varying ON/OFF channels and N users, such as a multi-user uplink or downlink. We first show that general classes of scheduling algorithms that do not consider queue backlog must incur average delay that grows at least linearly with N . We then construct a dynamic queue-length aware algorithm that maximizes throughput and achieves an average delay that is independent of N. This is the first order-optimal delay result for opportunistic scheduling with asymmetric links. The delay bounds are achieved via a technique of queue grouping together with Lyapunov drift and statistical multiplexing concepts.
Gauss-Bonnet black holes in AdS spaces

We study the thermodynamic properties and phase structures of topological black holes in Einstein theory with a Gauss-Bonnet term and a negative cosmological constant. The event horizon of these topological black holes can be a hypersurface with positive, zero, or negative constant curvature. When the horizon is a zero curvature hypersurface, the thermodynamic properties of black holes are completely the same as those of black holes without the Gauss-Bonnet term, although the two black hole solutions are quite different. When the horizon is a negative constant curvature hypersurface, the thermodynamic properties of the Gauss-Bonnet black holes are qualitatively similar to those of black holes without the Gauss-Bonnet term. When the event horizon is a hypersurface with positive constant curvature, we find that the thermodynamic properties and phase structures of black holes drastically depend on the spacetime dimension d and the coefficient of the Gauss-Bonnet term: when dgreater than or equal to6, the properties of black holes are also qualitatively similar to the case without the Gauss-Bonnet term, but when d=5, a new phase of locally stable small blacks holes occurs under a critical value of the Gauss-Bonnet coefficient, and beyond the critical value, the black holes are always thermodynamically stable. However, the locally stable small black hole is not globally preferred; instead a thermal anti-de Sitter space is globally preferred. We find that there is a minimal horizon radius, below which the Hawking-Page phase transition will not occur since for these black holes the thermal anti-de Sitter space is always globally preferred.
pH in human tumor xenografts and transplanted rat tumors: effect of insulin, inorganic phosphate, and m-iodobenzylguanidine.

Various strategies to improve the therapeutic index of anticancer agents aim at inducing, by stimulation of aerobic glycolysis, temporary pH differences between malignant and normal tissues which can be exploited to activate cytotoxic agents selectively in tumors. We have investigated whether the pH reduction induced by glucose, the "drug" commonly used to increase lactic acid production in malignant tissues, can be augmented by pharmacological manipulation of tumor cell glycolysis. At normal plasma glucose concentration (6 +/- 1 mM), inorganic phosphate, a modifier of hexokinase and phosphofructokinase activity, had no effect on pH in two transplanted rat tumors and a human tumor xenograft line (average pH, 6.80; range, 6.65-6.95). When plasma glucose concentration was raised to 30 +/- 3 mM by i.v. infusion of glucose, inorganic phosphate reduced the pH in those tumors which exhibited only a moderate pH response to glucose per se (mean pH, 6.60) to an average value of 6.20 (range, 6.05-6.35). In the same setting, insulin, continuously infused at dose rates up to 600 milliunits/kg body weight/min, did not result in acidification of tumor tissue exceeding that induced by glucose alone. However, the H+ ion activity in both transplanted rat tumors and human tumor xenografts was increased by m-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG), an inhibitor of mitochondrial respiration. For example, at normoglycemia, MIBG reduced the mean pH in a human mesothelioma xenograft from 6.90 to 6.70. This pH value was further reduced to 6.20 by simultaneous low-dose i.v. glucose infusion (plasma glucose concentration, 14 +/- 3 mM). The acidosis induced by inorganic phosphate and MIBG was tumor specific. Normal tissues of tumor-bearing hosts were only marginally sensitive to hyperphosphatemia or MIBG administration. These results indicate that the known stimulatory effect of exogenous glucose on lactic acid production in malignant tumors in vivo can be further accentuated or, as in the case of MIBG, partially replaced by pharmacological manipulation of aerobic glycolysis using clinically established drugs.
Understanding the Roles and Uses of Web Tutorials

In this paper we identify roles and uses of web-based tutorials through an examination of tutorials’ comments sections. Through this analytical lens, we find that web tutorials serve a variety of needs, providing: in-task help for users with an immediate, specific goal to accomplish; a means for users to proactively expand their repertoire of skills; and an opportunity for novices to shadow and experience an expert’s work practices. We also find a number of emergent practices in tutorial comments. Users post “help-me” stack traces, a type of comment useful for debugging tutorial content; use comments sections as opportunistic support forums; and turn to comments sections for social and technical validation of their personal skill sets. Collectively, these findings enrich existing perspectives on web-based tutorials and argue for new mechanisms to support these various use cases.
Grb2 Is Required for Atherosclerotic Lesion Formation

Objective—Grb2 is a ubiquitously expressed linker protein that couples growth factor receptor activation to downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades. Macrophage proliferation and uptake of modified lipoproteins are critical components of atherogenesis which require MAPK activation. However, the precise role of upstream signaling factors and the interrelationship of various MAPK cascades in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis remains uncertain. Complete deletion of Grb2 in mice results in early embryonic lethality. However, Grb2 heterozygous mice appear normal at birth. To test the role of the Grb2 adapter protein in atherosclerotic lesion formation, we generated Grb2+/− mice in the apoE−/− genetic background. Methods and Results—Grb2+/− apoE−/− and apoE−/− mice exhibited similar body weight and serum lipid profiles. However, Grb2+/− apoE−/− mice on a Western diet had reduced lesion formation compared with apoE−/− mice by aortic sinus and en face assays. Transplantation of apoE−/− mice with Grb2+/− apoE−/− or apoE−/− bone marrow indicated that Grb2 haploinsufficiency in blood-borne cells confers resistance to Western diet–induced atherosclerosis. Cell culture experiments with bone marrow–derived macrophages showed that Grb2 is required for oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL)-induced MAPK activation and foam cell formation. Conclusions—Grb2 is required for atherosclerotic lesion formation and uptake of oxidized LDL by macrophages.
Imaging cell clusters and tissue using learning tomography

We present an experimental comparison of optical tomography techniques: Learning Tomography (LT), an iterative method based on beam propagation model and diffraction tomography (DT) based Born and Rytov approximation. Imaging experiments were performed on yeast cells clusters fixed in a transparent agarose gel. In particular, we compare the LT with a similar iterative but linear method based on Rytov approximation.
Grafcet : an Analysis Pattern for Event Driven Real-time Systems

In software developments, the simple succession of operations can easily be hard-coded. However, to control event driven systems, applications must conform to a well-defined sequence of operations, even simultaneous ones, that depends on a variable environment, on time constraints and on synchronization constraints between several sequences. In that kind of applications, too complex intertwined conditional statements must be avoided as well as blocking wait operations. Conditional statements quickly become complex and thus incomprehensible, particularly when several actions must be done simultaneously, whereas wait statements force all the application in a blocked state. Tasks can provide a solution for these kinds of problems. However, difficulties appear when no tasks support is provided by the chosen programming languages, when the number of parallel working tasks is limited, or when describing and implementing synchronization mechanisms are too complex. Moreover, the global behavior of the application is difficult to understand and deadlock situations can occur. Thus, specifying and reusing a flexible, reliable and on-line modifiable construction that defines sequences of different kinds of parallel actions is an easy, generic approach to this problem. The “Grafcet pattern” specifies such a construction. Its description in a pattern form not only provides an architectural solution but also a documentation about its use, the reasons for this particular solution, the benefits and drawbacks related to that pattern, the applicability context, etc.