Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Integrated Approach for Efficient Mobile Robot Trajectory Tracking and Obstacle Avoidance

An approach for nonholonomic two-wheeled mobile robot trajectory tracking and obstacle avoiding is presented in this paper. If the desired trajectory is provided by high level planner, trajectory tracking problem can be solved in various ways. In this paper, tracking is provided using proportional-integral (PI) or fuzzy logic controller (FLC). Unfortunately, tracking is never perfect, due to uncertainties and obstacles can change their positions in time. In order to overcome these difficulties, additional correction controller must be used. Here is proposed fuzzy controller, which slightly changes control action of the tracking controller in order to prevent collision with obstacles. This approach is proved to be efficient even in dynamic environments. Simulation results are presented as illustration of the proposed approach.
Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in Botswana’s Public Service: Achievements and Challenges

The paper aims to explore the implementation of performance monitoring and evaluation tools used in Botswana’s public service. The paper also identifies achievements and challenges of implementing performance monitoring and evaluation system and suggests ways for improvement. This paper uses secondary data sources. The paper reveals lack of performance monitoring and evaluation skills, poor supervision, poor conditions of service and a poor work ethic as some of the factors contributing to ineffective use of performance monitoring and evaluation tools in the service. Leadership commitment and support, benchmarking reforms, training and education, developed administrative and governance structures as well as well-defined public policy and program formulation and implementation processes are some of the success factors to enhanced performance management and evaluation systems in Botswana. The paper argues for adoption of a developmental-led model in order to enhance existing performance monitoring and evaluation system that would improve implementation of government policies and programs. Botswana has been striving to excel in service delivery through performance monitoring and evaluation oriented reforms.
Ψ-Φ: Exploring the outer limits of bacterial pseudogenes

Because bacterial chromosomes are tightly packed with genes and were traditionally viewed as being optimized for size and replication speed, it was not surprising that the early annotations of sequenced bacterial genomes reported few, if any, pseudogenes. But because pseudogenes are generally recognized by comparisons with their functional counterparts, as more genome sequences accumulated, many bacterial pathogens were found to harbor large numbers of truncated, inactivated, and degraded genes. Because the mutational events that inactivate genes occur continuously in all genomes, we investigated whether the rarity of pseudogenes in some bacteria was attributable to properties inherent to the organism or to the failure to recognize pseudogenes. By developing a program suite (called Ψ-Φ, for Ψ-gene Finder) that applies a comparative method to identify pseudogenes (attributable both to misannotation and to nonrecognition), we analyzed the pseudogene inventories in the sequenced members of the Escherichia coli/Shigella clade. This approach recovered hundreds of previously unrecognized pseudogenes and showed that pseudogenes are a regular feature of bacterial genomes, even in those whose original annotations registered no truncated or otherwise inactivated genes. In Shigella flexneri 2a, large proportions of pseudogenes are generated by nonsense mutations and IS element insertions, events that seldom produce the pseudogenes present in the other genomes examined. Almost all (>95%) pseudogenes are restricted to only one of the genomes and are of relatively recent origin, suggesting that these bacteria possess active mechanisms to eliminate nonfunctional genes.
Study of force induced melting of dsDNA as a function of length and conformation

We measure the constant force required to melt double-stranded (ds) DNA as a function of length for lengths from 12 to 100 000 base pairs, where the force is applied to the 3′3′ or 5′5′ ends of the dsDNA. Molecules with 32 base pairs or fewer melt before overstretching. For these short molecules, the melting force is independent of the ends to which the force is applied and the shear force as a function of length is well described by de Gennes theory with a de Gennes length of less than 10 bp. Molecules with lengths of 500 base pairs or more overstretch before melting. For these long molecules, the melting force depends on the ends to which the force is applied. The melting force as a function of length increases even when the length exceeds 1000 bp, where the length dependence is inconsistent with de Gennes theory. Finally, we expand de Gennes melting theory to 3′5′ pulling and compare the predictions with experimental results.
Multi-Channel brain atrophy pattern analysis in neuroimaging retrieval

The high throughput 3D neuroimaging datasets have posed great challenges for neuroimaging data retrieval. To achieve more accurate neuroimaging retrieval, various content-based retrieval approaches have been proposed. Recent studies showed a tendency of using the localized features extracted from a subset of the brain structures, instead of the global features extracted from whole brain. However, these studies relied heavily on specific pattern analysis techniques or clinical expertise. In this study we proposed a Multi-Channel pattern analysis approach to identify the most discriminative disease-sensitive brain structures for neurodegenerative disorders and thus to enhance neuroimaging retrieval. The preliminary results suggested that the proposed Multi-Channel pattern analysis approach could confidently identify the brain structures with atrophy and further improve the neuroimaging retrieval performance.
The Influence of Service Quality toward Customer Loyalty: A Case Study at Alfamart Abdurahman Saleh Bandung

The research objectives were to determine the correlation between service quality and customer loyalty, and also to analyze the influence of service quality on customer loyalty at Alfamart Abdurahman Saleh Bandung. Respondents of this research were 70 respondents with nonprobability sampling technique done by incidental sampling. The method used is descriptive and associative, which tested the connection using the Spearman rank correlation analysis, to test the hypothesis by t-test, and to determine the accuracy of measurement using the validity and reliability test. Results of the validity and reliability test of variables X and Y are valid and reliable. Calculations were performed using SPSS software ver. 19. The results of this research show that service quality is in the category of good and customer loyalty is also in the category of good. Results show that the correlation of service quality with customer loyalty at Alfamart Abdurahman Saleh Bandung is in the strong relation based on the interpretation of r value correlation coefficient. The hypothesis is proved that there is the influence of service quality on customer loyalty at Alfamart Abdurahman Saleh Bandung significantly.
Prenatal diagnosis of Apert syndrome: report of two cases

Two de novo cases with Apert Syndrome detected prenatally are presented herein. In the first, fetal ultrasound findings of syndactyly of the hands, craniosynostosis and proptosis resulted in a prenatal diagnosis in the nineteenth week of gestation. This is the earliest prenatal diagnosis of this syndrome in a not‐at‐risk case. Following counseling, this pregnancy was terminated and subsequent pathological examination and DNA analysis confirmed the diagnosis of Apert Syndrome and coarctation of the aorta. In the second case, fetal ultrasound at 21 weeks' gestation revealed a hypoplastic left heart and clover‐leaf skull. Following counseling, this pregnancy was also terminated. Further examination of the fetus and DNA analysis led to a diagnosis of Apert Syndrome. These cases emphasize the need to complete a thorough fetal ultrasound in cases with potentially lethal cardiac abnormality and the importance of incorporating a fetal pathologist, as well as a medical geneticist, in the investigations performed after delivery or pregnancy termination when a fetal abnormality is detected on ultrasound. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Disk read-write optimizations and data integrity in transaction systems using write-ahead logging

We discuss several disk read-write optimizations that are implemented in different transaction systems and disk hardware to improve performance. These include: (1) when multiple sectors are written to disk, the sectors may be written out of sequence (SCSI disk interfaces do this). (2) Avoiding initializing pages on disk when a file is extended. (3) Not accessing individual pages during a mass delete operation (e.g., dropping an index from a file which contains multiple indexes). (4) Permitting a previously deallocated page to be reallocated without the need to read the deallocated version of the page from disk during its reallocation. (5) Purging of file pages from the buffer pool during a file erase operation (e.g., a table drop). (6) Avoiding logging for bulk operations like index create. We consider a system which implements the above optimizations and in which a page consists of multiple disk sectors and recovery is based on write-ahead logging using a log sequence number on every page. For such a system, we present a simple method for guaranteeing the detection of the partial disk write of a page. Detecting partial writes is very important not only to ensure data integrity from the users' viewpoint but also to make the transaction system software work correctly. Once a partial write is detected, it is easy to recover such a page using media recovery techniques. Our method imposes minimal CPU and space overheads. It has been implemented in DB2/6000 and ADSM. <<ETX>>
Insights into deep‐sea adaptations and host–symbiont interactions: A comparative transcriptome study on Bathymodiolus mussels and their coastal relatives

Mussels (Bivalve: Mytilidae) have adapted to various habitats, from fresh water to the deep sea. To understand their adaptive characteristics in different habitats, particularly in the bathymodiolin mussels in deep‐sea chemosynthetic ecosystems, we conducted a comparative transcriptomic analysis between deep‐sea bathymodiolin mussels and their shallow‐water relatives. A number of gene families related to stress responses were shared across all mussels, without specific or significantly expanded families in deep‐sea species, indicating that all mussels are capable of adapting to diverse harsh environments, but that different members of the same gene family may be preferentially utilized by different species. One of the most extraordinary trait of bathymodiolin mussels is their endosymbiosis. Lineage‐specific and positively selected TLRs and highly expressed C1QDC proteins were identified in the gills of the bathymodiolins, suggesting their possible functions in symbiont recognition. However, pattern recognition receptors of the bathymodiolins were globally reduced, facilitating the invasion and maintenance of the symbionts obtained by either endocytosis or phagocytosis. Additionally, various transporters were positively selected or more highly expressed in the deep‐sea mussels, indicating a means by which necessary materials could be provided for the symbionts. Key genes supporting lysosomal activity were also positively selected or more highly expressed in the deep‐sea mussels, suggesting that nutrition fixed by the symbionts can be absorbed in a “farming” way wherein the symbionts are digested by lysosomes. Regulation of key physiological processes including lysosome activity, apoptosis and immune reactions is needed to maintain a stable host–symbiont relationship, but the mechanisms are still unclear.
A novel high performance routing technique for Cross-referencing DMFBs

Micro and Nano fabricated devices have led to revolutionary changes in manipulation of tiny volumes of fluids scaled down to nanoliters. The rapid development of Microfluidic Technology has led to the evolution of a new generation of devices namely digital microfluidic biochip that combines electronics with biology to integrate various bioassay operations on a single substrate. Digital Microfluidic Biochips are classified into two sub-classes: Direct addressing and Cross-referencing biochips. Cross-referencing Biochip Technology scales down the number of pins per chip drastically, thereby reducing the costs of manufacturing and testing. This enables large scale design in a single biochip. However the issue of electrode interference poses a hard problem for simultaneous routing of droplets. In this paper we used a preferential grouping scheme to group a series of source droplets placed in the same row or same column and route each group simultaneously with priority-based stalling for intelligent collision avoidance. A trade-off between stalling and detour is used to optimize the route path for each pair of source and destination, while taking care of all the associated constraints. The objectives of the proposed method are to minimize: (i) latest arrival time, (ii) Total routing time as well as average routing time (iii) number of pins to be used and (iv) total cell utilization. The algorithm is implemented using Benchmark Suite III and the results obtained are quite encouraging.
Thrombolytic Therapy Rates and Stroke Severity: An Analysis of Data From the Swedish Stroke Register (Riks-Stroke) 2007–2010

Background and Purpose— We tested the hypothesis that higher proportions of patients with minor stroke being treated with thrombolysis contribute to increasing overall rates of thrombolysis. Methods— We included 1743 ischemic stroke patients (age 18–80 years) treated with thrombolysis, recorded in the Swedish stroke register Riks-Stroke between 2007 and 2010. Minor stroke was defined as National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ⩽5. Results— The proportion with minor stroke among patients treated with thrombolysis increased from 22.1% in 2007 to 28.7% in 2010 (P=0.021). The rate of increase did not differ significantly between men and women, age groups, or hospital types (university hospitals, other large hospitals, or community hospitals). Hospitals with high proportions of thrombolysis patients with minor stroke were more likely to have high thrombolysis frequencies (R=0.55; P<0.001). Conclusions— In recent years, an increase in the proportion of patients with minor stroke treated with thrombolysis has contributed to rising overall thrombolysis rates in Sweden. At the hospital level, high rates of thrombolysis are associated with a high proportion of minor stroke being treated.
Prevention Mechanism for Denial of Service in Web Application Services

2 Abstract: Rapid growth of Internet, and Communication technologies, Web services has introduced number of new standards and technologies. Web services are not more resistant to attacks than other open network systems. Web Services are exposed to attacks well known from common Internet Protocols and additionally to new kinds of attacks pointing the web services. Attacker can make severe impact to major business. Attacks can be performed with small effort from the attacker's side. The attacks aim to consume the network resources, thrashing web service applications, and reduce performance. These attacks cannot be detected on the web applications. The current web security standard induces crucial vulnerabilities availability in certain web services implementations. Web Services Security can provide message integrity, confidentiality, user authentication and authorization. The existing prevention mechanism has some unique advantages and disadvantages feature over the other mechanism. This is motivated to propose the Malicious Request Filtering mechanism. It would prevent internet users from taking part in Denial of Service attacks unknowingly and protecting web services from Denial of Services attacks. The new technique will provide strengthen to application level Web Services. The proposed solution is helped to test on Web Services applications and effectively filter out the malicious request from the application users.
Adapted Cloudlet for Mobile Distance Learning: Design, Prototype and Evaluation

The Open and Distance Learning (ODL) currently operated by some institutions in Nigeria has problems of accessibility from remote locations due to bandwidth and latency issues. To address accessibility problem caused by network delays, cloudlet computing is introduced. With cloudlet technology, distant mobile learners are able to connect to the nearby cloudlet and access the learning content. Instead of relying on a distant cloud with latency issues during access, a nearby cloudlet with rich resources could go a long way to address the resource poverty of a mobile device. This paper presents an architectural design and a prototype implementation of an adapted cloudlet for mobile distance learning. The paper proposes a feature in which the learning content in the cloud or cloudlet platform is adapted to a nearby mobile learner depending on the availability of platform with minimum delays in terms of bandwidth and latency.
Long-term effects of infliximab on bone and cartilage turnover markers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with systemic bone loss, subchondral bone erosion and cartilage degradation under the control of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that administration of infliximab, an anti-TNFα drug in the treatment of RA, would modulate systemic and local bone resorption and reduce cartilage degradation. Methods: We performed a prospective study of a multicentric cohort of 48 women, mean (SD) age 54.2 (12.1) years old, with severe RA for 11.4 (7.8) years, who started infliximab after failure of other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. At baseline and 6, 22 and 54 weeks after initiating Infliximab therapy we measured the following biochemical markers: pro-collagen serum type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP), a marker of bone formation; serum C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I), a marker of cathepsin K-mediated bone collagen degradation believed to reflect systemic bone resorption; serum C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), an index of matrix metalloprotease (MMP) mediated type I collagen degradation reflecting preferential joint metabolism; and urinary CTX-II a biochemical markers of cartilage degradation. Total hip and lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed at baseline, and after 6 and 12 months by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). No patient received bisphosphonates while 77% were under oral glucocorticoids. Results: BMD remained stable over 1 year. Serum CTX-I levels rapidly decreased by 19% and 28% at week 6 and week 22, respectively (analysis of variance (ANOVA) p = 0.032) values returning to pre-treatment level at week 54. By contrast, ICTP levels progressively declined with a maximal 25% decrease at week 54 (ANOVA p = 0.028). By contrast, PINP levels remained stable over time, which led to a 30 to 40% improvement in bone remodelling balance, as assessed by the ratios PINP/CTX and PINP/ICTP (p<0.05). There was no significant change of urinary CTX-II in the whole population, but a slight decrease (ANOVA p = 0.041) in those with pre-treatment levels above the upper limit of normal range. Conclusions: In summary, the improvement in the formation/resorption marker ratio suggests beneficial systemic and local bone effects of infliximab in patients with RA.
The use of confidence measures to enhance combination strategies in multi-network neuro-fuzzy systems

It is well known that substantial improvements can be obtained in difficult pattern recognition problems by combining or integrating the outputs of multiple neural classifiers. This paper analyses the performance of some combination schemes applied to a multi-hybrid neural system which is composed of neural and fuzzy neural networks. Essentially, the combination methods employ different ways to extract valuable information from the output of the experts through the use of confidence (weights) measures of the ensemble members to each class. An empirical evaluation in a handwritten numeral recognition task is used to investigate the performance of the presented methods in comparison with some existing combination methods.
Social Networks and Employee Knowledge Sharing and Performance: A Chinese Case Study of a State-Owned Enterprise

In this chapter, the authors investigate the correlation between characteristics of the four social networks and employee task and contextual performance. The chapter focuses on the degree centrality and betweenness centrality of the four social networks (Job Advisory, Work Discussion, Friendship and Email Networks) of a Chinese state-owned enterprise as well as the individual attributes of knowledge sharing behavior and IT capability. The findings of this research are 1) employee contextual performance is uncorrelated with the network characteristics; 2) it is significantly and positively correlated with knowledge sharing behavior, but significantly and negatively correlated with individual IT capability, and 3) task performance is correlated, both positively and negatively, with various network characteristics, but not with knowledge sharing behavior and individual IT capability. In addition to discussing the cultural dimension of these results, the authors draw theoretical and managerial implications based on our research framework and findings. Jianping Peng Sun Yat-sen University, China Jing Quan Salisbury University, USA
No-Reference Image Quality Analysis for Compressed Video Sequences

This article presents a study about the visibility of compression artifacts in natural images. The visibility of compression artifacts is determined by viewing experiments. The experiments show a strong correlation between the visibility of compression artifacts and the spatial activity of the images. Furthermore, the article introduces an approach to measure the image quality with regards to the human perception. The approach is based on the PSNR extended by a spatial activity indicator. Its benefits are proven by subjective tests.
Understanding SRAM High-Temperature-Operating-Life NBTI: Statistics and Permanent vs Recoverable Damage

The paper shows using deconvolution, SRAM Vmin shift statistics yield a spread that follows Poisson area scaling and a time- and voltage-dependence of t1/6 and V3, respectively. This is demonstrated to be consistent with permanent NBTI shift (Si-H bond breaking) relevant for end-of-life extrapolation. In contrast recoverable NBTI shift (hole trapping/detrapping) is shown to be only a function of stress duty and can be very small for realistic product duties.