Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear multi-layer consensus seeking of vehicular platoons

In this paper, non-linear estimators and feed-forward actions are designed to solve a vehicular platoon control problem. In particular, these estimators are useful in implementation of a Multi-Layer Consensus Seeking approach to the platooning problem. In the Multi-Layer approach the feed-forward part is built separately from the feedback part, based on desired trajectories. This opens the way to study different methods to compute this information. In this work, sliding mode algorithms are employed to generate the desired trajectories and also to compute the feed-forward control input of each vehicle. In this way, a velocity-dependent inter-vehicle spacing policy can be realized without using derivatives of the vehicular acceleration to compute the feed-forward input. Furthermore, a full-state feedback implementation scheme is discussed. The vehicles are modeled with heterogeneous linear longitudinal dynamics. The proposed algorithms are validated through experiments on automated cars.
Primary Health Care Nurses' conceptions of involuntarily migrated families' health.

BACKGROUND Involuntary migration and adaptation to a new cultural environment is known to be a factor of psychological stress. Primary Health Care Nurses (PHCNs) frequently interact with refugee families as migrant health needs are mainly managed within Primary Health Care. AIM To describe the health of the involuntary migrated family in transition as conceptualized by Swedish PHCNs. METHOD Thirty-four PHCNs from two municipalities in Sweden were interviewed and phenomenographical contextual analysis was used in analysing the data. FINDINGS Four family profiles were created, each epitomizing the health characteristics of a migrated family in transition: (1) a mentally distressed family wedged in the asylum-seeking process, (2) an insecure family with immigrant status, (3) a family with internal instability and segregated from society, and (4) a stable and well-functioning family integrated in society. Contextual socio-environmental stressors such as living in uncertainty awaiting asylum, having unprocessed traumas, change of family roles, attitudes of the host country and social segregation within society were found to be detrimental to the well-being of the family. CONCLUSION Acceptance and a clear place in society as well as clearly defined family roles are crucial in facilitating a healthy transition for refugee families. Primary Health Care Nursing can facilitate this by adopting a family system perspective in strengthening the identity of the families and reducing the effects of socio-environmental stressors.
Evidence for the role of angiotensin II biosynthesis in the rat internal anal sphincter tone.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The internal anal sphincter tone is important for anorectal continence. This study examined the role of angiotensin II as a neurohumoral signal for the myogenic tone in the internal anal sphincter. METHODS We determined the effect of angiotensin I, II, III, and IV and angiotensin-(1-7) on the basal tone of the rat internal anal sphincter smooth muscle before and after selective receptor antagonists and biosynthesis inhibitors. Selective pharmacological tools used were losartan (for the AT(1) receptor), PD123,319 (for AT(2)), A-779 [for angiotensin-(1-7)], captopril (for angiotensin-converting enzyme), and amastatin (for aminopeptidases A and N). Angiotensins were measured by using high-performance liquid chromatography/UV. Western blot studies were used to determine AT(1) and AT(2) receptors, ACE, and aminopeptidases A and N. RESULTS Angiotensin I, II, and III produced concentration-dependent contraction in the internal anal sphincter mediated by AT(1) receptors. However, in the higher concentrations (from 100 nM to 10 microM), angiotensin II showed an inhibitory effect via AT(2) receptors. Captopril (1 microM) inhibited the biosynthesis of angiotensin II in the internal anal sphincter, antagonized the contractile effects of angiotensin I, and, importantly, caused a decrease in the basal tone. Amastatin inhibited the effects of angiotensin II while augmenting those of angiotensin III. In contrast, angiotensin-(1-7) and angiotensin IV had only minor effects in the internal anal sphincter. Angiotensin I, II, and III; angiotensin-converting enzyme; aminopeptidase A and aminopeptidase n; at(1); and at(2) receptors were shown to be present in the internal anal sphincter. CONCLUSIONS Locally produced angiotensin II may partially regulate basal tone in the internal anal sphincter.
Building and maintaining relationships between superintendents and school board members: The approach of two public school superintendents

The position of public school superintendent has experienced both a redefinition and a rebirth in its criticality. With increased accountability due to the shifting public school “Back to Basics” educational perspective in the 1980s, the launch of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001, and the signing of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015 by President Barack Obama, the role of superintendent has seen a shift from that of an organizational manager to that of an instructional leader. Much has been studied about the importance of the public school superintendent, particularly the challenge of superintendent retention. High turnover rates appear to contribute to the lack of continuity required to move an educational organization in the direction of its mission. One factor accounting for high turnover appears to be some superintendents’ inability to build relationships with their school boards. This multi-case study/cross-case analysis examined why superintendents struggle to create and sustain significant relationships with their school boards. It explored the metacognitive processes of two superintendents, what factors contribute to their use of specific strategies, and how decisions relating to the strategies have been made. This study provides an important investigation into a topic that may offer greater understanding of ways to improve superintendency tenure, and how educational preparation and training programs for superintendents can be improved to equip superintendents with leadership skills to work collaboratively and constructively with school boards. Chief findings showed how the two superintendents in the study used strategies of relationships, management of ego, communication, educating the board, and politics to build and maintain relationships with their school board members. While the findings show these superintendents were mindful, thoughtful, and strategic, the data also indicate a linear, technical, and interpersonal connection between these superintendents’ leadership and their board member relationships. The findings suggest ways to enhance superintendent leadership by having them focus on transformational leadership, adaptive leadership, and interactions with board members that affect the organizational system as a whole. Each of these is influenced by both superintendent and board member contextual understanding, political interplay, and organizational learning.
Combinatorial interplay of promoter elements constitutes the minimal determinants for light and developmental control of gene expression in Arabidopsis.

Higher plants are able to integrate environmental and endogenous signals to regulate gene expression for optimal development. To define the minimal sequence requirement sufficient to integrate light and developmental signals in controlling promoter activity, we carried out a systematic analysis of the roles of four well‐conserved ‘light‐responsive elements (LREs)’ common to many nuclear‐encoded photosynthetic genes. A gain‐of‐function assay using basal promoter‐reporter fusions in stable transgenic Arabidopsis was employed to demonstrate that pairwise combinations of the LREs, but not the individual elements alone, can confer light‐inducible expression to the reporter gene independently of the basal promoter context and the light‐triggered morphological changes. The activity of the synthetic promoters with the paired LREs can be modulated at least by the phytochrome system. Further, those synthetic light‐regulated promoters confer a photosynthetic cell‐specific expression pattern and respond to the chloroplast development state. Our data suggest that distinct combinatorial interactions of LREs can serve as minimal autonomous promoter determinants which integrate light and developmental signals and modulate promoter activity.
Patient Safety Indicators: using administrative data to identify potential patient safety concerns.

OBJECTIVE To develop Patient Safety Indicators (PSI) to identify potential in-hospital patient safety problems for the purpose of quality improvement. DATA SOURCE/STUDY DESIGN The data source was 2,400,000 discharge records in the 1997 New York State Inpatient Database. PSI algorithms were developed using systematic literature reviews of indicators and hand searches of the ICD-9-CM code book. The prevalence of PSI events and associations between PSI events and patient-level and hospital-level characteristics, length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and hospital charges were examined. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS PSIs were developed for 12 distinct clinical situations and an overall summary measure. The 1997 event rates per 10,000 discharges varied from 1.1 for foreign bodies left during procedure to 84.7 for birth traumas. Discharge records with PSI events had twofold to threefold longer hospital stays, twofold to 20-fold higher rates of in-hospital mortality, and twofold to eightfold higher total charges than records without PSI events. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that PSI events were primarily associated with increasing age (p < .001), hospitals performing more inpatient surgery (p < .001), and hospitals with higher percentage of beds in intensive care units (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS The PSIs provide an efficient and user-friendly tool to identify potential inhospital patient safety problems for targeted institution-level quality improvement efforts. Until better error-reporting systems are developed the PSIs can serve to shed light on the problem of medical errors not limited solely to mortality because of errors.
Exploring the relationship between posttraumatic growth, cognitive processing, psychological distress, and social constraints in a sample of breast cancer patients

ABSTRACT Posttraumatic growth (the perception of positive life changes after an encounter with a trauma) often occurs among breast cancer patients and can be influenced by certain demographic, medical, and psychosocial parameters. Social constraints on disclosure (the deprivation of the opportunity to express feelings and thoughts regarding the trauma) and the cognitive processing of the disease seem to be involved in the development of posttraumatic growth. Through the present study the authors aim to: investigate the levels of posttraumatic growth in a sample of 202 women with breast cancer in Greece, explore the relationships between posttraumatic growth and particular demographic, medical, and psychosocial variables according to a proposed model, and test the role of social constraints in the relationship between automatic and deliberate cognitive processing of the trauma. The results showed that posttraumatic growth was evident in the majority of the sample and was associated inversely with age at diagnosis (β = −0.174, p < .05) and psychological distress (β = −0.394, p = .001), directly with time since diagnosis (β = 0.181, p < .05), and indirectly with intrusions and psychological distress, through reflective rumination (β = 0.323, p = .001). Social constraints were found to moderate the relationship between intrusions and reflective rumination. Implications of the results and suggestions for future research and practice are outlined.
The Mxi-Spa Type III Secretory Pathway ofShigella flexneri Requires an Outer Membrane Lipoprotein, MxiM, for Invasin Translocation

ABSTRACT Invasion of epithelial cells by Shigella flexneri is mediated by a set of translocated bacterial invasins, the Ipa proteins, and its dedicated type III secretion system, called Mxi-Spa. We show here that mxiM, part of the mxi-spa locus in the S. flexneri virulence plasmid, encodes an indispensable type III secretion apparatus component, required for both Ipa translocation and tissue culture cell invasion. We demonstrated that mature MxiM, first identified as a putative lipoprotein, is lipidated in vivo. Consistent with features of known lipoproteins, MxiM (i) can be labeled with [3H]palmitate and [2-3H]glycerol, (ii) is associated with the cell envelope, (iii) is secreted independently of the type III pathway, and (iv) requires an intact lipoprotein modification and processing site for full activity. The lipidated form of MxiM was detected primarily in the outer membrane, where it establishes a peripheral association with the inner leaflet. Through analysis of subcellular Ipa distribution in a mxiM null mutant background, MxiM was found to be required for the assembly and/or function of outer, but not inner, membrane regions of Mxi-Spa. This function probably requires interactions with other Mxi-Spa subunits within the periplasmic space. We discuss implications of these findings with respect to the function of MxiM and the structure of Mxi-Spa as a whole.
Classification of Low Back Pain in Primary Care: Using “Bothersomeness” to Identify the Most Severe Cases

Study Design. Prospective inception cohort. Objective. To investigate the validity and use of a single question on the bothersomeness of low back pain (LBP) as a method of classifying the severity of symptoms among patients seen in clinical practice. Summary of Background Data. There is no widely accepted method for classifying patients with nonspecific LBP in clinical practice. There have been no previous reports of the validity and use of a question on bothersomeness as a method of classifying patients with LBP. Methods. Consecutive patients (30-59 years old) with LBP consulting at 5 United Kingdom general practices (n = 1464) were mailed a questionnaire after consultation and 6 months later. Construct validity was assessed by comparing baseline responses on the single bothersomeness question with pain, disability, general health, and psychologic health measures. The ability of bothersomeness to predict outcomes at 6 months was assessed against pain, disability, work absence, and health care use. Results. A total of 935 patients (65%) completed baseline questionnaires. There were 776 (83%) patients who consented to enter the follow-up study, and 447 returned the 6-month questionnaire. At baseline, bothersomeness correlated with pain, disability, and other measures (P < 0.001), and had 80% sensitivity (61% specificity) to detect people in the highest category of pain and disability. People with bothersome LBP at baseline evaluation had an increased risk of work absence or health care consultations for LBP 6 months later (relative risks 2.8 and 1.9, respectively). Conclusions. There is evidence for the validity of a single bothersomeness question as a measure of LBP severity. It has the potential to provide a practical standard scheme for classifying patients with LBP in clinical practice. However, further work is needed to clarify its usefulness in a clinical setting.
Loxosceles Reclusa Bite to the Eyelid

Purpose The authors report a case of Loxosceles reclusa infestation on the eyelid. Methods The specimen collected by swabbing the lesions with gauze was tested by using a venom-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay Loxosceles venom was detected in specimen. The patient was managed with conservative therapy that included saline compresses and ocular lubrication. Results The case presented with severe edema and necrosis on the left upper eyelid. On laboratory examination, a significant left shift of white blood cell count was detected. Although residual scar of the eyelid and punctate epitheliopathy on the inferior of cornea was detected, vision was not impaired. Conclusions Supportive therapy may be reasonable treatment for Loxosceles reclusa infestation on the eyelids. The presence of venom proteins detected with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique is beneficial for supporting the diagnosis of Loxosceles envenomatio.
The transformer genes in the fig wasp Ceratosolen solmsi provide new evidence for duplications independent of complementary sex determination

Transformer (tra) is the key gene that turns on the sex‐determination cascade in Drosophila melanogaster and in some other insects. The honeybee Apis mellifera has two duplicates of tra, one of which (complementary sex determiner, csd) is the primary signal for complementary sex‐determination (CSD), regulating the other duplicate (feminizer). Two tra duplicates have been found in some other hymenopteran species, resulting in the assumption that a single ancestral duplication of tra took place in the Hymenoptera. Here, we searched for tra homologues and pseudogenes in the Hymenoptera, focusing on five newly published hymenopteran genomes. We found three tra copies in the fig wasp Ceratosolen solmsi. Further evolutionary and expression analyses also showed that the two duplicates (Csoltra‐B and Csoltra‐C) are under positive selection, and have female‐specific expression, suggesting possible sex‐related functions. Moreover, Aculeata species exhibit many pseudogenes generated by lineage‐specific duplications. We conclude that phylogenetic reconstruction and pseudogene screening provide novel evidence supporting the hypothesis of independent duplications rather an ancestral origin of multiple tra paralogues in the Hymenoptera. The case of C. solmsi is the first example of a non‐CSD species with duplicated tra, contrary to the previous assumption that derived tra paralogues function as the CSD locus.
Sustained release of neuron-specific enolase to serum in amateur boxers

Primary objective: We assess the potential of a panel of serum biomarkers to identify chronic neuronal injury in amateur boxers as compared to healthy controls without any history of head trauma. Research design: Observational case-control study. Methods and procedures: A panel of serum biomarkers was measured by a novel biochip array technique on the Evidence Investigator. Serum samples were taken after a 2-month period of nonparticipation in boxing. Main outcomes and results: Boxers had higher serum levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE, median [range] 11 [2.3–41] ng/mL) than controls (4.8 [0.78–27] ng/mL, p = 0.014) but unchanged levels of the other brain damage biomarker candidates, S-100B, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and heart-type fatty acid binding protein. Conclusions: The more than doubled median serum level of NSE in boxers after an extended resting period suggests that repetitive head trauma results in sustained release of this brain-specific protein to the peripheral circulation.
Real-time autonomous ground vehicle navigation in heterogeneous environments using a 3D LiDAR

The ability to drive autonomously in heterogeneous environments without GPS, pattern identification (e.g. road following), or artificial landmarks is key to field robotics. To address this challenge, we present a complete waypoint navigation framework for unmanned ground vehicles. A Velodyne PUCK VLP-16 LiDAR and an IMU are mounted on an autonomous, full size utility vehicle and used for localization within a previously created base map. We redesign a six degrees of freedom LiDAR SLAM algorithm to achieve 3D localization on the base map, as well as real-time vehicle navigation. We fuse the low-frequency, high precision SLAM updates with high-frequency, odometric local state estimates from the vehicle. The navigation costmap consists of a 2D occupancy grid which is computed from the 3D base map. Relying on this setup, the vehicle is capable of navigating through a complex site completely autonomously. The test site has densely and sparsely built areas, bushland, industrial activities, pedestrians, and other manned or unmanned vehicles. Extensive testing was done using both current and outdated base maps for comparisons, and a high precision RTK-GPS was used for ground truth. So far, more than 60 km of completely autonomous driving has been performed without a single system or navigation failure.
Aerosol infectivity of a Baculovirus to Trichoplusia ni larvae: An alternative larval inoculation strategy for recombinant protein production

The baculovirus–insect expression system is a popular tool for recombinant protein production. The standard method for infecting insect larvae with recombinant baculovirus for protein production involves either feeding occlusion bodies or injecting budded virus into the cuticle. In this study, we showed that the recombinant Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) at titers >108 pfu/mL efficiently infected Trichoplusia ni (T. ni) larvae through aerosol inoculation of budded virus at a pressure of 5.5 × 104 Pa. The dipping T. ni larvae in virus‐containing solution efficiently infected them. These results indicate that surface contamination, either by aerosol or dipping, lead to infection via spiracles. The aerosol infection route for AcMNPV was restricted to T. ni and Plutella xylostella larvae, whereas Spodoptera litura and Helicoverpa armigera larvae were resistant to this inoculation process. The yields of the reporter proteins DsRed and EGFP from T. ni larvae following aerosol infection were nearly identical to those following oral feeding or injection. This alternative baculovirus infection strategy facilitates recombinant protein and virus production by insect larvae. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 2009
Audit Pricing of Shared Leadership

ABSTRACT This study explores audit implications of shared leadership in client firms. Analyzing data from 2002 to 2013 of Korean listed companies, we find that auditors spend fewer audit hours and charge lower audit fees for clients with multiple CEOs. Additional tests reveal that the lower audit fees for co-CEO clients are likely attributable to reduced audit effort rather than to reduced hourly rates. We also document that firms with co-CEOs exhibit better-reporting quality than do firms with a solitary CEO. In sum, this article presents evidence that mutual monitoring via co-CEO appointments assures high-quality financial reporting of audit clients, and thus leads to reduced audit fees.
The HIV-1 transactivator protein Tat is a potent inducer of the human DNA repair enzyme β-polymerase

ObjectiveThis study examines the effects of the HIV-1 regulatory proteins, Tat and Rev, on the expression of the DNA polymerase β (β-pol) gene, which encodes a key protein in the DNA base-excision repair pathway. The rationale for these experiments is to examine the potential involvement of base-excision repair protein deregulation in HIV-1-related lymphomas. DesignExpression of β-pol mRNA was examined in AIDS-related lymphomas and non-AIDS-related lymphomas and as a function of HIV-1 infection of B cells in culture. The effect of Tat or Rev over-expression on β-pol promoter expression was tested by transient co-transfection assays with a β-pol promoter reporter plasmid and a Tat or Rev over-expression plasmid. MethodsNorthern blot analysis was used to quantitate β-pol expression in lymphoma and cells. Raji cells were co-transfected with a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter plasmid and a plasmid over-expressing Tat or Rev. CAT activity was measured in transfected cells. Resultsβ-Pol mRNA was > 10-fold higher in AIDS-related than in non-AIDS B-lineage lymphomas. β-Pol expression was up-regulated in a B-cell line upon infection with HIV-1, and increased in Raji cells upon recombinant expression of the Tat gene. The β-pol promoter was transactivated (fourfold induction) by Tat, but not by Rev. Tat-dependent transactivation required a binding site for the transcription factor Sp1 in the β-pol promoter. ConclusionThese results suggest that HIV-1 Tat can interact with cellular transcription factors to increase the steady-state level of β-pol in B cells. Tat-mediated induction of β-pol may alter DNA stability in AIDS-related lymphomas.