Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A LPV adaptive observer approach to calibrate MAF sensor map in diesel engine

In this paper, a novel method for compensating mass air flow (MAF) sensor error due to installation and aging is developed by using adaptive observer. Through introducing a concept of membership function, the relative error on the grid points is represented as piecewise linear interpolation model which is expressed as dot product between regression vector and parameter vector. With the combination of relative error model and air intake model of diesel engine, the MAF sensor relative error estimation is described as linear parameter varying (LPV) system with unknown parameter vector, and the corresponding LPV adaptive observer is designed to estimate states and parameter jointly. The exponential convergence of the algorithm is proved under the conditions of some persistent excitation and given inequalities. In order to correct MAF sensor error online, the estimated relative error is further described as a map. The observer performance is validated against the simulation data from engine software enDYNA. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can estimate relative error, and the true mass air flow can be estimated by MAF sensor measurements with the error map.
Eye position specificity of saccadic adaptation.

PURPOSE The accuracy of saccadic eye movements is maintained throughout life by adaptive mechanisms. With the double-step target paradigm, eight human subjects were investigated to determine whether saccadic adaptation depends only on the eye-displacement vector, or also on eye position as a context cue when two saccades of identical vector are adapted simultaneously. METHODS First, bidirectional adaptations (BDAs) of horizontal saccades of the same vector were induced in a single training phase. Each direction of adaptation in BDAs (backward and forward) was linked to one vertical eye position (e.g., forward adaptation performed with the eyes directed 12.5 degrees upward and backward adaptation with the eyes 25 degrees downward) and alternated from trial to trial. Second, unidirectional adaptations (UDAs) were tested in two control conditions in which training trials of a single direction (backward or forward) were presented at both 12.5 degrees and -25 degrees eye elevations. RESULTS Opposite changes in saccade amplitude could develop simultaneously in BDA, indicating that saccadic adaptation depends on orbital eye position. Comparing these data with the control conditions further indicated that eye position specificity was complete for backward, but not for forward, adaptation. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that saccadic adaptation mechanisms use vectorial eye displacement signals, but can also take eye position signals into account as a contextual cue when the training involves conflicting saccade amplitude changes.
Central Rho Kinase Inhibition Restores Baroreflex Sensitivity and Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Protein Imbalance in Conscious Rabbits With Chronic Heart Failure

The small GTPase RhoA and its associated kinase ROCKII are involved in vascular smooth muscle cell contraction and endothelial NO synthase mRNA destabilization. Overactivation of the RhoA/ROCKII pathway is implicated in several pathologies, including chronic heart failure (CHF), and may contribute to the enhanced sympathetic outflow seen in CHF as a result of decreased NO availability. Thus, we hypothesized that central ROCKII blockade would improve the sympathovagal imbalance in a pacing rabbit model of CHF in an NO-dependent manner. CHF was induced by rapid ventricular pacing and characterized by an ejection fraction of ⩽45%. Animals were implanted with an intracerbroventricular cannula and osmotic minipump (rate, 1 &mgr;L/h) containing sterile saline, 1.5 µg/kg per day fasudil (Fas, a ROCKII inhibitor) for 4 days or Fas+100 µg/kg per day N&ohgr;-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, a NO synthase inhibitor. Arterial baroreflex control was assessed by intravenous infusion of sodium nitroprusside and phenylephrine. Fas infusion significantly lowered resting heart rate by decreasing sympathetic and increasing vagal tone. Furthermore, Fas improved baroreflex gain in CHF in an NO-dependent manner. In CHF Fas animals, the decrease in heart rate in response to intravenous metoprolol was similar to Sham and was reversed by N&ohgr;-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride. Fas decreased angiotensin II type 1 receptor and phospho-ERM protein expression and increased endothelial NO synthase expression in the brain stem of CHF animals. These data strongly suggest that central ROCKII activation contributes to cardiac sympathoexcitation in the setting of CHF and that central Fas restores vagal and sympathetic tone in an NO-dependent manner. ROCKII may be a new central therapeutic target in the setting of CHF.
Trajectory planning and motion control of a two-armed robot

This paper presents techniques and methodologies for trajectory planning and motion control of a two-armed robot with two 7-DOF arms. The trajectory planning regarding robot's postures is achieved by first finding several via-postures and then connecting them using the B-spline curve approach. Given robot's posture, an analytical inverse kinematic solver is proposed to find a set of seven joint angles with respect to each selected posture. Trapezoidal velocity profiles are employed to obtain trajectories of all joints simultaneous. The motion control of each 7-DOF arm is done by utilizing PIV controllers, in order to tracking position and velocity commands simultaneously. Simulation and experimental results are conducted to examine the efficacy of the proposed trajectory planning and motion control method.
Altered expression and signal transduction of endothelin‐1 receptors in heritable and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension

Human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC) were isolated from elastic pulmonary arteries dissected from lungs of individuals with and without pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Reflecting increased smooth muscle constriction in cells from PAH subject, Ca2+ influx in response to endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) increased in all the PAH PASMC populations relative to the normal donor control cells. The ETA receptor mRNA levels remained unchanged, whereas the ETB receptor mRNA levels decreased in both heritable and idiopathic PAH‐derived PASMC. All the PASMC populations expressed considerably higher ETA compared to ETB receptor number. Both ETA and ETB receptor numbers were reduced in bone morphogenetic protein receptor type II (BMPR2) mutation PAH. ETB receptors showed a particular reduction in number. Phospho‐antibody array analysis of normal and BMPR2 deletion PASMC illustrated ERK and Akt activation to be the most prominent and to be taking place principally through ETB receptors in normal PASMC, but primarily through ETA receptors in PASMC from BMPR2 PAH subjects. Additionally in the PAH cells the total relative ET‐1 signal response was markedly reduced. Western analysis from the BMPR2 PASMC duplicated the array results, whereas PASMC from iPAH subjects showed variability with most samples continuing to signal through ETB. In sum, these results indicate that generally both receptors are reduced in PAH particularly ETB, and that ETB signaling through protein kinases becomes markedly reduced in BMPR2 PASMC, while it continues in IPAH. Importantly, the data suggest that caution must be taken when applying ET‐1 receptor antagonist therapy to PAH patients. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 322–329, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cytokinin stress changes the developmental regulation of several defence‐related genes in tobacco

Tobacco shoots exposed to elevated endogenous or exogenous cytokinin levels are unable to develop roots and lack apical dominance. We have isolated cDNA copies of five mRNA species that accumulate to elevated levels in such cytokinin‐stressed shoots via differential screening of a cDNA library of transgenic shoots which contain an active T‐DNA cytokinin gene (T‐cyt gene) from Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Four of the cDNA clones were found to correspond to plant defence‐related mRNAs, encoding extensin, chitinase, PR‐1 and a PR‐1‐like protein, respectively. In normal tobacco plants PR‐1 mRNA is relatively rare in all organs. The other four mRNAs occur at relatively low levels in shoots, especially in leaves, but are very prevalent in roots. Extensin mRNA, for example, is not detectable in leaves, while it is an abundant mRNA in roots and stems. In normal shoots cultured on cytokinin‐containing medium all five mRNAs accumulate to elevated levels, similar to those found in transgenic T‐cyt shoots. We conclude that the imposed cytokinin stress causes changes in the tissue‐specific control of the levels of several defence‐related mRNA species in tobacco.
Multimodal Trip Hazard Affordance Detection on Construction Sites

Trip hazards are a significant contributor to accidents on construction and manufacturing sites. Current safety inspections are labor intensive and limited by human fallibility, making automation of trip hazard detection appealing from both a safety and economic perspective. Trip hazards present an interesting challenge to modern learning techniques because they are defined as much by affordance as by object type, for example, wires on a table are not a trip hazard, but can be if lying on the ground. To address these challenges, we conduct a comprehensive investigation into the performance characteristics of 11 different colors and depth fusion approaches, including four fusion and one nonfusion approach, using color and two types of depth images. Trained and tested on more than 600 labeled trip hazards over four floors and 2000 m2 in an active construction site, this approach was able to differentiate between identical objects in different physical configurations. Outperforming a color-only detector, our multimodal trip detector fuses color and depth information to achieve a 4% absolute improvement in F1-score. These investigative results and the extensive publicly available dataset move us one step closer to assistive or fully automated safety inspection systems on construction sites.
Impact on Hemoglobin of Starting Combination Antiretroviral Therapy With or Without Zidovudine in Anemic HIV-Infected Patients

Objective:To evaluate, among anemic patients with HIV, the impact on hemoglobin (Hb) of initiating zidovudine (AZT)-containing and non-AZT-containing combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Methods:We used medical records data collected in 11 US cities from 1998 to 2004. Baseline anemia was described as mild (10 < Hb ≤ 12 [women] or 14 [men] g/dL), moderate (8 < Hb ≤ 10 g/dL), or severe (Hb ≤ 8 g/dL). Improvement of anemia was a ≥1-g/dL increase in Hb, with a decrease in categoric severity. We excluded patients previously treated with erythropoietin or transfusion, and used Cox proportional hazards regression to describe factors associated with hazard of improvement of anemia. Results:For 1620 patients initiating cART, more than half (54%) of patients had improvement of anemia. Time to improvement of anemia was longer for those initiating AZT-containing regimens and blacks and was shorter for those with moderate and severe anemia or CD4 counts <200 cells/μL. Conclusions:Most anemic patients initiating cART (with or without AZT) had increases in Hb-especially those with more severe anemia or immunosuppression. Initiation of AZT-containing cART may be considered, even for patients with preexisting anemia; however, improvement of anemia may be delayed for black patients and for patients with mild disease.
Integrating outlier filtering in large margin training

Large margin classifiers such as support vector machines (SVM) have been applied successfully in various classification tasks. However, their performance may be significantly degraded in the presence of outliers. In this paper, we propose a robust SVM formulation which is shown to be less sensitive to outliers. The key idea is to employ an adaptively weighted hinge loss that explicitly incorporates outlier filtering in the SVM training, thus performing outlier filtering and classification simultaneously. The resulting robust SVM formulation is non-convex. We first relax it into a semi-definite programming which admits a global solution. To improve the efficiency, an iterative approach is developed. We have performed experiments using both synthetic and real-world data. Results show that the performance of the standard SVM degrades rapidly when more outliers are included, while the proposed robust SVM training is more stable in the presence of outliers.
Reliability of a novel neurostimulation method to study involuntary muscle phenomena

Experimental methods involving painful electrical stimulation of a peripheral nerve showed the existence of a minimum stimulation frequency capable of inducing cramp, termed “threshold frequency” (TF). Our aim was to test an alternative method to induce fasciculations and cramps electrically. Two daily sessions of electrical stimulation of the abductor hallucis muscle were performed in 19 volunteers on 3 days: stimulation trains of 150 monophasic square pulses (duration 152 μs) of increasing frequency (current intensity 30% higher than maximal; frequency of the first trial, 4 pps; recovery between trials, 1 min) were delivered to the main muscle motor point until a cramp developed. Once a cramp was induced the protocol was repeated after 30 min. To verify by electromyography that cramp occurred, a surface electrode array was placed between the motor point and the distal tendon. Ambient and skin temperature were kept constant in all sessions. Fasciculations and cramps were elicited in all subjects. We observed the following median (interquartile range) values of TF: day 1 (session 1), 13 (6) pps; day 1 (session 2), 16 (4) pps; day 2 (session 1), 16 (6) pps; day 2 (session 2), 18 (6) pps; day 3 (session 1), 17 (4) pps; day 3 (session 2), 18 (8) pps. TF intersession intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.82, 0.92, and 0.90 for days 1, 2, and 3, respectively. TF interday intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.85. The absence of pain due to the stimulation and the demonstration of TF reliability support the use of our method for the study of involuntary muscle phenomena. Muscle Nerve, 2007
Factors contributing to dwarfing in the mangrove Avicennia marina.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS In Richards Bay, South Africa, Avicennia marina frequently exhibits a distinct productivity gradient, with tree height decreasing markedly from 6-10 m in the fringe zone to <1.5 m in the dwarf zone which is 120 m inland at a slightly higher elevation. In this investigation, soil physico-chemical conditions between fringe and dwarf A. marina were compared and the constraints imposed by any differences on mangrove ecophysiology and productivity determined. METHODS Soil and plant samples were analysed for inorganic ions using spectrophotometry. Gas exchange measurements were taken with an infrared gas analyser and chlorophyll fluorescence with a fluorometer. Xylem psi was determined with a pressure chamber and chlorophyll content with a chlorophyll absorbance meter. RESULTS In the dwarf site, soil salinity, total cations, electrical conductivity and soil concentrations of Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Zn(2+), Mn(2+) and Cu(2+) were significantly higher than those in the fringe zone. Soil water potential and the concentration of soil P, however, were significantly lower in the dwarf site. In the leaves, Na(+) was the predominant ion and its concentration was 24 % higher in dwarf than fringe mangroves. Leaf concentrations of K(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Mn(2+) and P, however, were significantly lower in dwarf mangroves. Photosynthetic performance, measured by gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence, was significantly reduced in the dwarf plants. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that hydro-edaphic factors contribute to high soil salinities, low water potentials, water stress and ion imbalance within tissues including P deficiency, which in interaction, contribute to dwarfing in Avicennia marina.
School food and nutrition policy, monitoring and evaluation in the USA

Abstract Objective To provide an overview of school food and nutrition monitoring from 1980 to the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 and data on school food availability in the USA. Design A review of the history of school food and nutrition policy, monitoring and evaluation efforts in the USA over the past three decades. Setting USA. Subjects School food service, school districts and schools nationwide. Results The school food environment in the USA is governed by a patchwork of federal, state and local laws and policies. The federal government has primary authority over the school meal programmes and has recently issued updated regulations governing the food and nutrient requirements for meals sold or served through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Competitive foods (i.e. foods and beverages sold/served outside the meal programmes) are governed primarily by state and district laws and policies, although new federal regulations are expected to set minimum standards in this area. The USA has a long history of data monitoring and evaluation funded by government and private foundations which has enabled decision makers to monitor progress and opportunities to improve the foods and beverages made available to students in school. Conclusions School food-related monitoring and evaluation research has been highly influential in influencing legislation and policy, leading to improvements in the foods and beverages available to children at school as part of planned meals and individual items sold outside the meal programmes. The lessons learned from the US experience provide insights that may be valuable for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of school food programmes in other countries.
The significance of negative correlations in brain connectivity

Understanding the modularity of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)–derived brain networks or “connectomes” can inform the study of brain function organization. However, fMRI connectomes additionally involve negative edges, which may not be optimally accounted for by existing approaches to modularity that variably threshold, binarize, or arbitrarily weight these connections. Consequently, many existing Q maximization‐based modularity algorithms yield variable modular structures. Here, we present an alternative complementary approach that exploits how frequent the blood–oxygen–level–dependent (BOLD) signal correlation between two nodes is negative. We validated this novel probability‐based modularity approach on two independent publicly‐available resting‐state connectome data sets (the Human Connectome Project [HCP] and the 1,000 functional connectomes) and demonstrated that negative correlations alone are sufficient in understanding resting‐state modularity. In fact, this approach (a) permits a dual formulation, leading to equivalent solutions regardless of whether one considers positive or negative edges; (b) is theoretically linked to the Ising model defined on the connectome, thus yielding modularity result that maximizes data likelihood. Additionally, we were able to detect novel and consistent sex differences in modularity in both data sets. As data sets like HCP become widely available for analysis by the neuroscience community at large, alternative and perhaps more advantageous computational tools to understand the neurobiological information of negative edges in fMRI connectomes are increasingly important.
Low cost microfluidic device for partial cell separation: Micromilling approach

Several studies have already demonstrated that it is possible to perform blood flow studies in microfluidic systems fabricated by using low-cost techniques. However, most of these techniques do not produce microchannels smaller than 100 microns and as a result they have several limitations related to blood cell separation. Recently, manufacturers have been able to produce milling tools smaller than 100 microns, which consequently have promoted the ability of micromilling machines to fabricate microfluidic devices able to perform separation of red blood cells (RBCs) from plasma. In this work, we show the ability of a micromilling machine to manufacture microchannels with dimensions down to 30 microns. Additionally, we show for the first time the ability of the proposed microfluidic device to enhance the cell-free layer close to the walls, leading to perform partial separation of RBCs from plasma.
Data Rate Guarantee for Coflow scheduling in network function virtualization

In data centers, a lot of cluster computing applications follow a coflow pattern. On the other hand, network function virtualization (NFV) sufficiently improves the performance of the data center network. However, coflows encounter extremely different processing delays under diverse network functions. Traditional coflow scheduling schemes become insufficient in this situation. Based on the observation that the benefit of coflows is closely related to the data rates of flows, we propose DRGC (Data Rate Guarantee for Coflow) to guarantee the data rate requirements of coflows in the NFV environment. We prioritize the scheduling sequence of coflows, precisely allocate data rates for individual flows, and design an efficient scheduling algorithm. DRGC maintains the desired data rates of coflows with higher priorities at middleboxes and leaves more scheduling opportunities to the ones with lower priorities. In the large-scale trace-driven experiment, DRGC efficiently guarantees the data rate requirements of coflows and supports more 15% workload, compared with other scheduling schemes.
Validity and reliability of Chinese version of Adult Carer Quality of Life questionnaire (AC-QoL) in family caregivers of stroke survivors

The Adult Carer Quality of Life questionnaire (AC-QoL) is a reliable and valid instrument used to assess the quality of life (QoL) of adult family caregivers. We explored the psychometric properties and tested the reliability and validity of a Chinese version of the AC-QoL with reliability and validity testing in 409 Chinese stroke caregivers. We used item-total correlation and extreme group comparison to do item analysis. To evaluate its reliability, we used a test-retest reliability approach, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), together with Cronbach’s alpha and model-based internal consistency index; to evaluate its validity, we used scale content validity, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) via principal component analysis with varimax rotation. We found that the CFA did not in fact confirm the original factor model and our EFA yielded a 31-item measure with a five-factor model. In conclusions, although some items performed differently in our analysis of the original English language version and our Chinese language version, our translated AC-QoL is a reliable and valid tool which can be used to assess the quality of life of stroke caregivers in mainland China. Chinese version AC-QoL is a comprehensive and good measurement to understand caregivers and has the potential to be a screening tool to assess QoL of caregiver.
β‐Arrestin 1 and 2 stabilize the angiotensin II type I receptor in distinct high‐affinity conformations

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor belongs to family A of 7 transmembrane (7TM) receptors. The receptor has important roles in the cardiovascular system and is commonly used as a drug target in cardiovascular diseases. Interaction of 7TM receptors with G proteins or β‐arrestins often induces higher binding affinity for agonists. Here, we examined interactions between AT1A receptors and β‐arrestins to look for differences between the AT1A receptor interaction with β‐arrestin1 and β‐arrestin2.