Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time‐dependent ROC analysis under diverse censoring patterns

In biomedical studies, statistical approaches based on the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis have been extensively used in the evaluation of classification performance of markers and construction of classifiers. In this article, we investigate time‐dependent ROC approaches for censored survival data. While most existing studies have been focused on uncensored and right‐censored data, insufficient attention has been paid to other censoring schemes. This study advances from existing studies by investigating more diverse censoring schemes and developing ROC measurements under such censoring. Both estimation and inference are investigated. We conduct simulation and find satisfactory performance of the proposed approaches. We apply the proposed approaches to two real data sets, compare the prognostic power of markers, and investigate whether their linear combinations have better prognostic performance. We also explore graphical tools that can assist diagnostics and efficiently monitor the classification performance. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the latency of heterogeneous MDS queue

Multi-tenant distributed storage systems (DSS) exhibit heterogeneity in several dimensions such as fault tolerance requirements, nature of job requests etc. However the primary focus in literature has been on homogenous models for DSS. In this paper, we investigate the impact of heterogeneity on the latency performance of multi-tenant distributed storage systems. Heterogeneity across multiple tenants is modeled via potentially different fault tolerance requirements and different job arrival rates. We consider a heterogeneous multi-tenant DSS with n servers that store the data of R distinct traffic classes. The data of each traffic class i is stored in the DSS using a different (n, fc¿) Maximum-Distance-Separable (MDS) code. Depending upon the traffic class, the data may be frequently or infrequently accessed and is modeled using different job arrival rates for the traffic classes. We then present a queuing theoretic analysis of the proposed model and establish upper and lower bounds on the average latency for each traffic class for various scheduling policies. Using simulations, we verify the accuracy of the derived bounds and present qualitative insights on the impact of heterogeneity and scheduling policies on the mean latency of different classes.
Chondroprotective and anti‐inflammatory role of melanocortin peptides in TNF‐α activated human C‐20/A4 chondrocytes

Melanocortin MC1 and MC3 receptors, mediate the anti‐inflammatory effects of melanocortin peptides. Targeting these receptors could therefore lead to development of novel anti‐inflammatory therapeutic agents. We investigated the expression of MC1 and MC3 receptors on chondrocytes and the role of α‐melanocyte‐stimulating hormone (α‐MSH) and the selective MC3 receptor agonist, [DTRP8]‐γ‐MSH, in modulating production of inflammatory cytokines, tissue‐destructive proteins and induction of apoptotic pathway(s) in the human chondrocytic C‐20/A4 cells.
PC-Based Real Time Sonification of Human Motion Captured by Inertial Sensors

This paper presents a low latency system for real time sonification of human motion captured by inertial sensors. Exemplarily the position of the wrist estimated by two inertial sensors located at upper arm and forearm is transformed into a continuous synthetic sound. The body segment orientation is captured by Xsens MTx sensors and used to compute the position of the wrist relative to the shoulder joint. The accessible motion parameters provided by inertial sensors are three axial segment orientations, three axial accelerations and angular rates, and all derived quantities like position in three dimensional space. Motion data sonification is performed by the Sound Synthesis Toolkit (STK), a set of C++ classes for audio signal processing and sound synthesis. The proposed framework enables future research in continuous real time sonification of human motion to improve the process of motion learning during stroke rehabilitation. Through software profiling the proposed framework is benchmarked in terms of latency induced by signal transmission and processing to evaluate maximal processable sampling rates and inertial sensor counts.
The Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Some Antioxidant Compounds and Enzymes in Capsicum annuum

Plants have evolved mechanisms to avoid and repair UV radiation damage; it is not surprising that photomorphogenic responses to UV-B and UV-C are often assumed to be adaptations to harmful radiation. Free radicals generated by UV are likely to be involved in the induction of antioxidant defence system. In this study plants were grown for 5 weeks in controlled conditions. Plants were grown in vermiculite medium before applying the UV treatments, and irrigated daily by Hoagland solution for 5 weeks. After 5 weeks, plants were exposed to UV-A (320-390 nm), UV-B (312 nm), and UV-C (254 nm) irradiation with a density of 6.1 (Wm-2), 5.8 (Wm-2) and 5.7 (Wm-2) for 2 weeks. Each plant was exposed to UV in their light period for 27 min per day for 14 days. In each experiment 4 replicates were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, and averages were compared by Duncan’s test. Activity of antioxidant enzymes could be found in the plant antioxidant defence system. The activity of antioxidant enzymes (namely, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione reductase) enhanced in leaves and roots of pepper plants in response to UV-B and UV-C radiation. The increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes could minimise the effects of ultraviolet radiation. UV treatments induced significant increase in ascorbic acid in leaf and root of exposed plants. The present study was conducted to determine the role of antioxidant defence mechanism in UV-A, UV-B and UV-C treated plants of Capsicum annuum L.
High Chlamydia Burden Promotes Tumor Necrosis Factor–Dependent Reactive Arthritis in SKG Mice

Chlamydia trachomatis is a sexually transmitted obligate intracellular pathogen that causes inflammatory reactive arthritis, spondylitis, psoriasiform dermatitis, and conjunctivitis in some individuals after genital infection. The immunologic basis for this inflammatory response in susceptible hosts is poorly understood. As ZAP‐70W163C–mutant BALB/c (SKG) mice are susceptible to spondylo‐arthritis after systemic exposure to microbial β‐glucan, we undertook the present study to compare responses to infection with Chlamydia muridarum in SKG mice and BALB/c mice.
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity: All wheat attack is not celiac

Currently, 1% of the United States population holds a diagnosis for celiac disease (CD), however, a more recently recognized and possibly related condition, “non-celiac gluten sensitivity” (NCGS) has been suggested to affect up to 6% of the United States public. While reliable clinical tests for CD exist, diagnosing individuals affected by NCGS is still complicated by the lack of reliable biomarkers and reliance upon a broad set of intestinal and extra intestinal symptoms possibly provoked by gluten. NCGS has been proposed to exhibit an innate immune response activated by gluten and several other wheat proteins. At present, an enormous food industry has developed to supply gluten-free products (GFP) with GFP sales in 2014 approaching $1 billion, with estimations projecting sales to reach $2 billion in the year 2020. The enormous demand for GFP also reflects a popular misconception among consumers that gluten avoidance is part of a healthy lifestyle choice. Features of NCGS and other gluten related disorders (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome) call for a review of current distinctive diagnostic criteria that distinguish each, and identification of biomarkers selective or specific for NCGS. The aim of this paper is to review our current understanding of NCGS, highlighting the remaining challenges and questions which may improve its diagnosis and treatment.
Faults analysis and simulation for interior permanent magnet synchronous motor using Simulink@MATLAB

This paper introduces major potential faults of interior PM synchronous motor (IPMSM) and their simulation realization method based on Simulink@MATLAB. IPMSM often is operated in MTPA and flux weakening control strategies. If a fault occurs, the great current or backwash voltage may be generated and damaged the motor system. The faults of IPMSM, generally, contain single-phase open circuit, single-phase and 3- phase short circuit, uncontrolled generation, and switch-on failure of one transistor. When different fault occurs, the circuit of total system including motor and inverter also will be changed. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze and establish independent model for each kind of fault. In this paper, first, the system circuit is analyzed as different fault type. Then, the corresponding models based on Simulink@MATLAB are established. The absence of experiment results leads that the veracity of simulation results can not be verified, but the waveforms will be explained by theory analysis.
Price Competition in Spectrum Markets: How Accurate Is the Continuous Prices Approximation?

Dynamic Spectrum Access technology enables two types of users to operate on a channel- primary users, which have prioritized access to the channel and secondary users, which can use the channel when it is not in use by the primaries. We consider a scenario in which multiple primaries own bandwidth in a large region (e.g., a state), which is divided into smaller locations (e.g., towns). A primary that has unused bandwidth in a time slot would like to lease it out to secondaries at a set of mutually non-interfering locations in return for a fee. This results in price competition among the primaries. In prior work, this price competition has only been studied under the approximation, made for analytical tractability, that the price of each primary takes values from a continuous set. However, in practice, the set of available prices is discrete. In this paper, we investigate the fundamental question of how the behaviour of the players involved in the price competition changes when this continuity assumption is removed. Our analysis reveals several important differences between the games with continuous and discrete price sets. For example, in the game at a single location, no pure strategy Nash equilibrium (NE) exists in the game with continuous price sets, whereas a pure strategy NE may exist in the game with discrete price sets. Also, multiple symmetric NE exist in the game with discrete price sets in contrast to the game with continuous price sets, where a unique NE exists. However, we show that as the number of available prices becomes large in the discrete prices game, the strategies of the primaries under every symmetric NE converge to the unique NE strategy of the game with continuous price sets.
Approaches for Reverse Line Blot-Based Detection of Microbial Pathogens in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Collected in Austria and Impact of the Chosen Method

ABSTRACT Ticks transmit a large number of pathogens capable of causing human disease. In this study, the PCR-reverse line blot (RLB) method was used to screen for pathogens in a total of 554 Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from all provinces of Austria. These pathogens belong to the genera Borrelia, Rickettsiae, Anaplasma/Ehrlichia (including “Candidatus Neoehrlichia”), Babesia, and Coxiella. The pathogens with the highest detected prevalence were spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferisensu lato complex, in 142 ticks (25.6%). Borrelia afzelii (80/142) was the most frequently detected species, followed by Borrelia burgdorferisensu stricto (38/142) and Borrelia valaisiana (36/142). Borrelia garinii/Borrelia bavariensis, Borrelia lusitaniae, and Borrelia spielmanii were found in 28 ticks, 5 ticks, and 1 tick, respectively. Rickettsia spp. were detected in 93 ticks (16.8%): R. helvetica (39/93), R. raoultii (38/93), R. monacensis (2/93), and R. slovaca (1/93). Thirteen Rickettsia samples remain uncharacterized. “Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis,” Babesia spp. (B. venatorum, B. divergens, B. microti), and Anaplasma phagocytophilum were found in 4.5%, 2.7%, and 0.7%, respectively. Coxiella burnetii was not detected. Multiple microorganisms were detected in 40 ticks (7.2%), and the cooccurrence of Babesia spp. and “Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis” showed a significant positive correlation. We also compared different PCR-RLBs for detection of Borrelia burgdorferisensu lato and Rickettsia spp. and showed that different detection approaches provide highly diverse results, indicating that analysis of environmental samples remains challenging. IMPORTANCE This study determined the wide spectrum of tick-borne bacterial and protozoal pathogens that can be encountered in Austria. Surveillance of (putative) pathogenic microorganisms occurring in the environment is of medical importance, especially when those agents can be transmitted by ticks and cause disease. The observation of significant coinfections of certain microorganisms in field-collected ticks is an initial step to an improved understanding of microbial interactions in ticks. In addition, we show that variations in molecular detection methods, such as in primer pairs and target genes, can considerably influence the final results. For instance, detection of certain genospecies of borreliae may be better or worse by one method or the other, a fact of great importance for future screening studies.
Describing function analysis of second-order sliding mode observers

The second-order sliding mode observer dynamics are analyzed in the frequency domain. The so-called super-twisting algorithm is utilized for generating the second-order sliding mode in the observer dynamical system. The frequency response of the observer dynamics is obtained and used as a characteristic of the observer. The analysis proposed is based on the describing function method and the concept of the equivalent gains of nonlinear functions of the super-twisting algorithm.
Exploring the child's mind – contextmapping research with children

User involvement in design processes is applied in progressingly earlier phases. With contextmapping techniques, design researchers involve users even in the very first stage of identifying the everyday context of product use and assessing users' needs, prior to defining product types or desirable product characteristics. When applying contextmapping techniques with children, these techniques need adaptation to their understanding and skills. Lessons can be learned from related forms of children's involvement in co-design processes. A few examples from sessions with children are given in this paper and experiences are combined into a tentative set of guidelines. It is suggested that the application of these techniques with children comes with some specific challenges and asks for further development, preferably in cooperation with the field of pedagogy, ethnography and child psychology. It is also suggested that results from these studies, when aggregated and made public, can provide designers of children's products with a source of inspiration and empathy for their future users.
Effects of Gamma Radiation on Raspberries: Safety and Quality Issues

There is an ever-increasing global demand from consumers for high-quality foods with major emphasis placed on quality and safety attributes. One of the main demands that consumers display is for minimally processed, high-nutrition/low-energy natural foods with no or minimal chemical preservatives. The nutritional value of raspberry fruit is widely recognized. In particular, red raspberries are known to demonstrate a strong antioxidant capacity that might prove beneficial to human health by preventing free radical-induced oxidative stress. However, food products that are consumed raw, are increasingly being recognized as important vehicles for transmission of human pathogens. Food irradiation is one of the few technologies that address both food quality and safety by virtue of its ability to control spoilage and foodborne pathogenic microorganisms without significantly affecting sensory or other organoleptic attributes of the food. Food irradiation is well established as a physical, nonthermal treatment (cold pasteurization) that processes foods at or nearly at ambient temperature in the final packaging, reducing the possibility of cross contamination until the food is actually used by the consumer. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of gamma radiation on raspberries in order to assess consequences of irradiation. Freshly packed raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) were irradiated in a 60Co source at several doses (0.5, 1, or 1.5 kGy). Bioburden, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, physicochemical properties such as texture, color, pH, soluble solids content, and acidity, and sensorial parameters were assessed before and after irradiation and during storage time up to 14 d at 4°C. Characterization of raspberries microbiota showed an average bioburden value of 104 colony-forming units (CFU)/g and a diverse microbial population predominantly composed of two morphological types (gram-negative, oxidase-negative rods, 35%, and filamentous fungi, 41%). The inactivation studies on the raspberries mesophilic population indicated a one log reduction of microbial load (95% inactivation efficiency for 1.5 kGy), in the surviving population mainly constituted by filamentous fungi (79–98%). The total phenolic content of raspberries indicated an increase with radiation doses and a decrease with storage time. The same trend was found for raspberries' antioxidant capacity with storage time. Regarding raspberries physicochemical properties, irradiation induced a significant decrease in firmness compared with nonirradiated fruit. However, nonirradiated and irradiated fruit presented similar physicochemical and sensory properties during storage time. Further studies are needed to elucidate the benefits of irradiation as a raspberries treatment process.
Tissue compensators for megavoltage radiotherapy fabricated from hollowed Styrofoam filled with wax.

A method of tissue compensation for megavoltage radiation therapy is described. A small motor-driven routing tool is made to slide up and down along a bar which pivots from a fixed point simulating the radiation source. As the pointer moves over the patient's surface, the routing tool which is rigidly connected to it cuts a minified surface into a Styrofoam block which is in the position of the shadow tray. The hollowed Styrofoam is filled with wax and the compensator is completed. The wax mold with an appropriate compensating factor of 1.05 produces a uniform dose beneath the patient's surface.
Réseaux de surveillance DCE - Campagne 2012 – District « Rhône et côtiers méditerranéens »

Les programmes de surveillance lies a la mise en œuvre de la DCE sont coordonnes par le Ministere de l’Ecologie, du Developpement Durable, des Transports et du Logement (MEDDTL). Dans chaque bassin hydrographique ce sont les Agences de l’eau qui, avec l’Etat, prennent en charge l’application, la mise en œuvre de ces reseaux. Sur la facade mediterraneenne, Ifremer a assure pour le compte du Schema Directeur des Donnees sur l’Eau la maitrise d’ouvrage de la troisieme campagne du controle de surveillance, en coordonnant l’ensemble de l’acquisition des donnees et de leur synthese en collaboration avec de nombreux partenaires : les Universites, des bureaux d’etudes, des structures locales de gestion et les services de l’Etat. Les resultats de cette troisieme campagne de controles de surveillance DCE permettent d’avoir une bonne vision d’ensemble de la qualite des eaux littorales a l’echelle du district. Outre le suivi de la contamination chimique dans la matiere vivante, cette campagne s’est enrichie d’un suivi dans la colonne d’eau avec l’utilisation d’echantillonneurs passifs. En eaux cotieres, le declassement de certaines masses d’eau en etat moyen et mediocre est du aux deux elements de qualite biologique que sont l’herbier de posidonies et la macrofaune de substrat meuble. Pour les eaux de transition, la qualite biologique est declassee par les macrophytes pour deux tiers des masses d’eau. La classification officielle de l’etat des masses d’eau du district se fera par le Systeme d’Evaluation de l’Etat des Eaux (SEEE), sous la responsabilite technique de l’Onema.
JUN siRNA regulates matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression, microvascular endothelial growth and retinal neovascularisation

Transcription factors link changes in the extracellular environment with alterations in gene expression. As such, these molecules serve as attractive targets for intervention in pathological settings. Since JUN has been linked with microvascular disease in humans, we hypothesised that small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting this immediate-early gene may be useful agents that suppress endothelial growth and neovascularisation. Here we show that Jun siRNA inhibits Jun mRNA and protein expression in murine microvascular endothelial cells, blocks cell proliferation and suppresses migration in a scratch-wound assay. It also inhibits three-dimensional tubular formation on basement membrane extracts and reduces angiogenesis in mice bearing Matrigel plugs as subcutaneous implants. Single intravitreal administration of Jun siRNA reduces neovascularisation in a murine model of proliferative retinopathy, and suppresses endothelial JUN and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) immunoreactivity in retinal vessels, data supported by its repression of MMP-2 expression and gelatinolytic activity in vitro. Co-administration of TGFβ with the siRNA reverses this neovascular inhibitory effect, which is in turn abrogated by cis-9-octadecenoyl-N-hydroxylamide, consistent with the involvement of a metalloproteinase such as MMP-2. Thus, JUN siRNA can serve as a specific inhibitor of aberrant endothelial and neovascular growth.
Association between n-3 fatty acid consumption and ventricular ectopy after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND n-3 (omega-3) Fatty acids are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease; however, the relation between dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids and ventricular arrhythmias has not been investigated among acute post-myocardial infarction (AMI) patients-a group at elevated risk of malignant arrhythmias. OBJECTIVE The objective was to examine the association between n-3 fatty acid consumption and ventricular ectopy among AMI patients. DESIGN In 260 AMI patients, dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids was assessed by using the Harvard food-frequency questionnaire, and ventricular ectopy was estimated from 24-h electrocardiograph recordings. RESULTS A greater intake of n-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid + docosapentaenoic acid + alpha-linolenic acid) was associated with lower ventricular ectopy (beta = -0.35, P = 0.011), and this effect remained after cardiovascular comorbidities were controlled for (beta = -0.47, P = 0.003). Higher concentrations of both marine-based (eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid) (beta = -0.21, P = 0.060) and plant-based (alpha-linolenic acid) (beta = -0.33, P = 0.024) fatty acids remained associated with lower ventricular ectopy after cardiovascular comorbidities were controlled for. CONCLUSION These findings extend existing evidence linking n-3 fatty acid consumption to a reduced risk of ventricular arrhythmias by showing that a greater intake of n-3 fatty acids may be associated with low ventricular ectopy among AMI patients.