Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Convolutional neural networks for radar emitter classification

In this paper, an application of convolutional neural networks (CNN) for rapid and accurate classification of electronic warfare emitters is investigated; a large data set with 58 separate emitter sources is used for training and testing. Data preprocessing creates 3-dimensional images with a feature space composed of pulse width (PW), radio frequency (RF), and pulse repetition interval (PRI), referenced with respect to time of arrival (TOA). The image representation has proven to be the most effective, consistently producing classification accuracies approaching 98.7%. This study, which evaluates emitter-by-emitter classification, appears to be a novel approach, based on a survey of current literature; previous work citing the use of CNNs in this domain has been limited to radar waveform recognition vice pulse-based specific emitter identification.
Potentially Inappropriate Medication and Health Care Outcomes: An Instrumental Variable Approach.

OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use on health care outcomes in elderly individuals using an instrumental variable (IV) approach. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING Representative claim data from the universal health insurance program in Taiwan from 2007 to 2010. STUDY DESIGN We employed a panel study design to examine the relationship between PIM and hospitalization. We applied both the naive generalized estimating equation (GEE) model, which controlled for the observed patient and hospital characteristics, and the two-stage residual inclusion (2SRI) GEE model, which further accounted for the unobserved confounding factors. The PIM prescription rate of the physician most frequently visited by each patient was used as the IV. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The naive GEE models indicated that patient PIM use was associated with a higher likelihood of hospitalization (odds ratio [OR], 1.399; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.363-1.435). Using the physician PIM prescribing rate as an IV, we identified a stronger significant association between PIM and hospitalization (OR, 1.990; 95 percent CI, 1.647-2.403). CONCLUSIONS PIM use is associated with increased hospitalization in elderly individuals. Adjusting for unobserved confounders is needed to obtain unbiased estimates of the relationship between PIM and health care outcomes.
An ultra compact quad-band bandpass filter with high harmonic suppression using SL-TSSIR

This paper presents a highly compact quadband bandpass filter architecture, based on a new modified tri-section stepped impedance resonator TSSIR, serving multi-standard wireless communications systems. The proposed filter is composed of a second order tri-section SIRs loaded with a short stub resulting in four arbitrary frequency modes, three of them created by the TSSIR while the fourth is dependent on the TSSIR and the short stubs. The inclusion of the short stubs allows for creation of a much lower frequency band without sacrificing the filter size or insertion loss. As proof of concept, a quadband filter operating in the 0.75, 2.1, 3.5, and 5.2 GHz frequency bands is designed and implemented with 60% reduction in filter size. The fabricated filter achieves 3-dB fractional bandwidths of 38.6, 4.6, 10.14, and 5.3% while presenting an insertion loss of 0.65, 1.3, 1, and 1.8 dB, in the four bands, respectively. Out-of-band rejection better than 20dB is achieved up to a frequency 10.5 times the lowest operating frequency; this is attributed to the use of simple T-shaped feed lines both at the filter input and output. The measured results show good agreement with the predicted ones.
Performance control in one consecutive motor task sequence – Αpproaching central neuronal motor behaviour preceding isometric contraction onsets and relaxation offsets at lower distinct torques

Objective: Motor-related cortical potentials (MRCP) often compared separated muscle activations; however, MRCP preceding combined contraction onsets and relaxation offsets of one consecutive motor task sequence remain to be elucidated. Methods: Twelve healthy males (27.92±4.33 years, 181.83±7.15 cm, 84.58±7.15 kg) performed 40 submaximal isometric right-limb wrist flexions (i.e. motor task sequences). Each motor task sequence combined timed contractions to and relaxations from distinct torque levels, i.e. 20% and 40% of maximum voluntary contractions (MVC). Synchronized continuous EEG (32 Ag/AgCl-electrodes mounted over motor-related areas) and EMG (i.e. flexor carpi radialis, FCR) recordings served to detect torque level-on/offsets for MRCP analyses. Results: Motor task sequences were accurately maintained with participants’ mean values of FCR muscle activity revealing no signs of fatigue (p>0.05). Main findings (i.e. readiness potential) were larger amplitudes over frontal electrode sites (p<0.05) preceding contractions compared to relaxations, whereas amplitudes were larger (i.e. peak) over centro-parietal electrode sites (p<0.05) preceding 40% compared to 20% MVC. Conclusion: When performed in one consecutive motor task sequence, controlling the production as well as the releasing of force may require similar proprioceptive and visuo-motor processing preceding the same force level (i.e. 20% or 40%); however, this is irrespective of the muscle activation type (i.e. contraction or relaxation).
First Report of a Fatal Case Associated with EV-D68 Infection in Hong Kong and Emergence of an Interclade Recombinant in China Revealed by Genome Analysis

A fatal case associated with enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) infection affecting a 10-year-old boy was reported in Hong Kong in 2014. To examine if a new strain has emerged in Hong Kong, we sequenced the partial genome of the EV-D68 strain identified from the fatal case and the complete VP1, and partial 5′UTR and 2C sequences of nine additional EV-D68 strains isolated from patients in Hong Kong. Sequence analysis indicated that a cluster of strains including the previously recognized A2 strains should belong to a separate clade, clade D, which is further divided into subclades D1 and D2. Among the 10 EV-D68 strains, 7 (including the fatal case) belonged to the previously described, newly emerged subclade B3, 2 belonged to subclade B1, and 1 belonged to subclade D1. Three EV-D68 strains, each from subclades B1, B3, and D1, were selected for complete genome sequencing and recombination analysis. While no evidence of recombination was noted among local strains, interclade recombination was identified in subclade D2 strains detected in mainland China in 2008 with VP2 acquired from clade A. This study supports the reclassification of subclade A2 into clade D1, and demonstrates interclade recombination between clades A and D2 in EV-D68 strains from China.
Developing criteria for evaluation of geroprotectors as a key stage toward translation to the clinic

In the coming decades, a massive shift in the aging segment of the population will have major social and economic consequences around the world. One way to offset this increase is to expedite the development of geroprotectors, substances that slow aging, repair age‐associated damage and extend healthy lifespan, or healthspan. While over 200 geroprotectors are now reported in model organisms and some are in human use for specific disease indications, the path toward determining whether they affect aging in humans remains obscure. Translation to the clinic is hampered by multiple issues including absence of a common set of criteria to define, select, and classify these substances, given the complexity of the aging process and their enormous diversity in mechanism of action. Translational research efforts would benefit from the formation of a scientific consensus on the following: the definition of ‘geroprotector’, the selection criteria for geroprotectors, a comprehensive classification system, and an analytical model. Here, we review current approaches to selection and put forth our own suggested selection criteria. Standardizing selection of geroprotectors will streamline discovery and analysis of new candidates, saving time and cost involved in translation to clinic.
Impact of coatings delamination on the performance of stress grading in form-wound stator coil

This paper investigates the influence of coatings delamination of form-wound motor coil on the effectiveness of stress grading coatings (SGCs). The performance is quantified in terms of imposed electrical stresses due to delamination in several locations. The performance of stress grading coating is analyzed under fast-rise time pulse voltages using a finite element analysis (FEA). Definitely the location of delamination represents a weak point to allow partial discharges that ultimately erode a hole through the insulation. Various locations of delamination are investigated in order to determine the severest conditions affecting the performance of SGC. From the obtained results, the air voids from delamination have an impact on the efficiency of stress grading coating under impulse voltage stress. It was found that, the most critical air voids are those resulting from overlap failure between the SGC and the semiconducting coating.
Product development and property study of polylactic acid fiber textiles

Polylactic acid fiber as biological degrable and renewable resource fiber made of corn-starch has attracted increasing interest.In this paper,its spinning and weaving processes of the PLA fiber are discussed with the properties of the PLA yarn and PLA fabric analyzed and tested.And the result shows that not only the PLA fiber is of good spinability but also the PLA yarn and fabric feature fine quality and good mechnical property and wearing performance.
Rpn (YhgA-Like) Proteins of Escherichia coli K-12 and Their Contribution to RecA-Independent Horizontal Transfer

ABSTRACT Bacteria use a variety of DNA-mobilizing enzymes to facilitate environmental niche adaptation via horizontal gene transfer. This has led to real-world problems, like the spread of antibiotic resistance, yet many mobilization proteins remain undefined. In the study described here, we investigated the uncharacterized family of YhgA-like transposase_31 (Pfam PF04754) proteins. Our primary focus was the genetic and biochemical properties of the five Escherichia coli K-12 members of this family, which we designate RpnA to RpnE, where Rpn represents recombination-promoting nuclease. We employed a conjugal system developed by our lab that demanded RecA-independent recombination following transfer of chromosomal DNA. Overexpression of RpnA (YhgA), RpnB (YfcI), RpnC (YadD), and RpnD (YjiP) increased RecA-independent recombination, reduced cell viability, and induced the expression of reporter of DNA damage. For the exemplar of the family, RpnA, mutational changes in proposed catalytic residues reduced or abolished all three phenotypes in concert. In vitro, RpnA displayed magnesium-dependent, calcium-stimulated DNA endonuclease activity with little, if any, sequence specificity and a preference for double-strand cleavage. We propose that Rpn/YhgA-like family nucleases can participate in gene acquisition processes. IMPORTANCE Bacteria adapt to new environments by obtaining new genes from other bacteria. Here, we characterize a set of genes that can promote the acquisition process by a novel mechanism. Genome comparisons had suggested the horizontal spread of the genes for the YhgA-like family of proteins through bacteria. Although annotated as transposase_31, no member of the family has previously been characterized experimentally. We show that four Escherichia coli K-12 paralogs contribute to a novel RecA-independent recombination mechanism in vivo. For RpnA, we demonstrate in vitro action as a magnesium-dependent, calcium-stimulated nonspecific DNA endonuclease. The cleavage products are capable of providing priming sites for DNA polymerase, which can enable DNA joining by primer-template switching.
A Scalable and Pragmatic Method for the Safe Sharing of High-Quality Health Data

The sharing of sensitive personal health data is an important aspect of biomedical research. Methods of data de-identification are often used in this process to trade the granularity of data off against privacy risks. However, traditional approaches, such as HIPAA safe harbor or $k$ -anonymization, often fail to provide data with sufficient quality. Alternatively, data can be de-identified only to a degree which still allows us to use it as required, e.g., to carry out specific analyses. Controlled environments, which restrict the ways recipients can interact with the data, can then be used to cope with residual risks. The contributions of this article are twofold. First, we present a method for implementing controlled data sharing environments and analyze its privacy properties. Second, we present a de-identification method which is specifically suited for sanitizing health data which is to be shared in such environments. Traditional de-identification methods control the uniqueness of records in a dataset. The basic idea of our approach is to reduce the probability that a record in a dataset has characteristics which are unique within the underlying population. As the characteristics of the population are typically not known, we have implemented a pragmatic solution in which properties of the population are modeled with statistical methods. We have further developed an accompanying process for evaluating and validating the degree of protection provided. The results of an extensive experimental evaluation show that our approach enables the safe sharing of high-quality data and that it is highly scalable.
Hemodynamic characterization of hypertensive patients with an exaggerated orthostatic blood pressure variation

ABSTRACT Exaggerated orthostatic blood pressure variation (EOV) is a poorly understood phenomenon related to high cardiovascular risk. We aimed to determine whether hypertensive patients with EOV have a distinct hemodynamic pattern, assessed through impedance cardiography. Methods: In treated hypertensive patients, we measured the cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR) in the supine and standing (after 3 minutes) positions, defining three groups according to BP variation: 1) Normal orthostatic BP variation (NOV): standing systolic BP (stSBP)-supine systolic BP (suSBP) between −20 and 20 mmHg and standing diastolic BP (stDBP)-supine diastolic BP (suDBP) between −10 and 10 mmHg; 2) orthostatic hypotension (OHypo): stSBP-suSBP≤-20 or stDBP-suDBP≤-10 mmHg; 3) orthostatic hypertension (OHyper): stSBP-suSBP≥20 or stDBP-suDBP≥10 mmHg. We performed multivariable analyses to determine the association of hemodynamic variables with EOV. Results: We included 186 patients. Those with OHyper had lower suDBP and higher orthostatic SVRI variation compared to NOV. In multivariable analyses, orthostatic HR variation (OR = 1.06 (95%CI 1.01–1.13), p = 0.03) and orthostatic SVRI variation (OR = 1.16 (95%CI 1.06–1.28), p = 0.002) were independently related to OHyper. No variables were independently associated with OHypo. Conclusion: Patients with OHyper have a distinct hemodynamic pattern, with an exaggerated increase in SVRI and HR when standing.
Multi-Task Domain Adaptation for Deep Learning of Instance Grasping from Simulation

Learning-based approaches to robotic manipulation are limited by the scalability of data collection and accessibility of labels. In this paper, we present a multi-task domain adaptation framework for instance grasping in cluttered scenes by utilizing simulated robot experiments. Our neural network takes monocular RGB images and the instance segmentation mask of a specified target object as inputs, and predicts the probability of successfully grasping the specified object for each candidate motor command. The proposed transfer learning framework trains a model for instance grasping in simulation and uses a domain-adversarial loss to transfer the trained model to real robots using indiscriminate grasping data, which is available both in simulation and the real world. We evaluate our model in real-world robot experiments, comparing it with alternative model architectures as well as an indiscriminate grasping baseline.
Occurrence of acute renal failure on the same day as immune globulin product administrations during 2008 to 2014

Acute renal failure (ARF) is a rare serious adverse event after immune globulin (IG) use. Our large claims‐based study evaluated occurrence of same‐day ARF after administration of different IGs and ascertained potential risk factors, during the 2008 to 2014 study period.
Complement C3 on microglial clusters in multiple sclerosis occur in chronic but not acute disease: Implication for disease pathogenesis

Microglial clusters with C3d deposits are observed in the periplaque of multiple sclerosis (MS) brains and were proposed as early stage of lesion formation. As such they should appear in the brain of MS donors with acute disease but thus far this has not been shown. Using postmortem brain tissue from acute (n = 10) and chronic (n = 15) MS cases we investigated whether C3d+ microglial clusters are part of an acute attack against myelinated axons, which could have implications for disease pathogenesis. The specificity of our findings to MS was tested in ischemic stroke cases (n = 8) with initial or advanced lesions and further analyzed in experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI, n = 26), as both conditions are primarily nondemyelinating but share essential features of neurodegeneration with MS lesions. C3d+ microglial clusters were found in chronic but not acute MS. They were not associated with antibody deposits or terminal complement activation. They were linked to slowly expanding lesions, localized on axons with impaired transport and associated with neuronal C3 production. C3d+ microglial clusters were not specific to MS as they were also found in stroke and experimental TBI. We conclude that C3d+ microglial clusters in MS are not part of an acute attack against myelinated axons. As such it is unlikely that they drive formation of new lesions but could represent a physiological mechanism to remove irreversibly damaged axons in chronic disease. GLIA 2017;65:264–277
Attenuated intrinsic connectivity within cognitive control network among individuals with remitted depression: Temporal stability and association with negative cognitive styles

Many individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) experience cognitive dysfunction including impaired cognitive control and negative cognitive styles. Functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging studies of individuals with current MDD have documented altered resting‐state connectivity within the default‐mode network and across networks. However, no studies to date have evaluated the extent to which impaired connectivity within the cognitive control network (CCN) may be present in remitted MDD (rMDD), nor have studies examined the temporal stability of such attenuation over time. This represents a major gap in understanding stable, trait‐like depression risk phenotypes. In this study, resting‐state functional connectivity data were collected from 52 unmedicated young adults with rMDD and 47 demographically matched healthy controls, using three bilateral seeds in the CCN (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex). Mean connectivity within the entire CCN was attenuated among individuals with rMDD, was stable and reliable over time, and was most pronounced with the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right inferior parietal lobule, results that were corroborated by supplemental independent component analysis. Attenuated connectivity in rMDD appeared to be specific to the CCN as opposed to representing attenuated within‐network coherence in other networks (e.g., default‐mode, salience). In addition, attenuated connectivity within the CCN mediated relationships between rMDD status and cognitive risk factors for depression, including ruminative brooding, pessimistic attributional style, and negative automatic thoughts. Given that these cognitive markers are known predictors of relapse, these results suggest that attenuated connectivity within the CCN could represent a biomarker for trait phenotypes of depression risk. Hum Brain Mapp 38:2939–2954, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Influence of thin cirrus clouds on land surface temperture retrieval using the generalized split-window algorithm from thermal infrared data

Land surface temperature (LST) is a critical parameter for numerical weather forecasting, drought monitoring, water resources management and global climate change studies. Because of the supercooled temperature, the cirrus cloud can significantly reduce the LST retrieved from thermal infrared data. This paper focused on analyzing and reducing the influence of thin cirrus cloud on the accuracy of LST retrieved using the generalized split-window (GSW) algorithm. A correction method was proposed with the LST retrieval error expressed as linear functions of cirrus optical depth (COD). The slopes of the linear functions were further written as the combination of the difference and mean of two used channels emissivities and cirrus cloud top height (CTH). The results showed that the LST retrieval accuracy could be significantly improved with root mean square error (RMSE) of LST changing from 14.4 K before LST error correction to 1.8 K after LST error correction for COD equivalent to 0.3.
Ndr2 Kinase Controls Neurite Outgrowth and Dendritic Branching Through α1 Integrin Expression

The serine/threonine kinase Ndr2 has been shown to control the inside-out activation of the β1subunit of integrins and the formation of neurites in both primary neurons and neurally differentiated pheochromacytoma (PC12) cells. In this study, we demonstrate that Ndr2 kinase furthermore determines the substrate specificity of neurite extension in PC12 cells via expression of α1β1 integrins. We show that stable overexpression of Ndr2 in PC12 cells increases neurite growth and extension on poly-D-lysine substrate, likely involving an increased expression of active β1 integrin in the growth tips of these cells. By contrast, the Ndr2 overexpressing cells do not show the α1β1 integrin-mediated enhancement of neurite growth on collagen IV substrate that can be seen in control cells. Moreover, they entirely fail to increase in response to activation of α1β1 integrins via a soluble KTS ligand and show a diminished accumulation of α1 integrin in neurite tips, although the expression of this subunit is induced during differentiation to comparable levels as in control cells. Finally, we demonstrate that Ndr2 overexpression similarly inhibits the α1β1 integrin-dependent dendritic growth of primary hippocampal neurons on laminin 111 substrate. By contrast, lack of Ndr2 impairs the dendritic growth regardless of the substrate. Together, these results suggest that Ndr2 regulates α1 integrin trafficking in addition to β1 integrin subunit activation and thereby controls the neurite growth on different extracellular matrix (ECM) substrates.
Some Considerations on Learning to Explore via Meta-Reinforcement Learning

We consider the problem of exploration in meta reinforcement learning. Two new meta reinforcement learning algorithms are suggested: E-MAML and E-$\text{RL}^2$. Results are presented on a novel environment we call `Krazy World' and a set of maze environments. We show E-MAML and E-$\text{RL}^2$ deliver better performance on tasks where exploration is important.