Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response of the mechatronic system, pilot-aircraft, on incurred step disturbance

The paper follows previous research of a mechatronic system, in terms of the pilot action/intervention to the flight control system. In this paper authors focus on the system behavior owing to a step disturbance to the plant. The plant under consideration represents the longitudinal dynamics of an aircraft, and an associated feedback controller to augment the damping pitch. Various pilot models are considered, but pilot behavior model "A" is used mainly for simulation purposes, which is done using MATLAB-Simulink. The outputs are 3D graphs of the mechatronic system response on appeared step disturbance, where the variable parameter is the integration time constant (T1) of the human behavior model.
The Conservative Physiology of the Immune System. A Non-Metaphoric Approach to Immunological Activity

Historically, immunology emerged as a biomedical science, concerned with host defense and production of anti-infectious vaccines. In the late 50s, selective theories were proposed and from then on, immunology has been based in a close association with the neo-Darwinian principles, such as random generation of variants (lymphocyte clones), selection by extrinsic factors (antigens)—and, more generally, on genetic determinism and functionalism. This association has had major consequences: (1) immunological jargon is full of “cognitive” metaphors, founded in the idea of “foreignness”; (2) the immune system is described with a random clonal origin, coupled to selection by random encounters; and (3) physiological events are virtually absent from immunological descriptions. In the present manuscript, we apply systemic notions to bring forth an explanation including systemic mechanisms able to generate immunological phenomena. We replace “randomness plus selection” and the notion of foreignness by a history of structural changes which are determined by the coherences of the system internal architecture at any given moment. The importance of this systemic way of seeing is that it explicitly attends to the organization that defines the immune system, within which it is possible to describe the conservative physiology of the immune system. Understanding immune physiology in a systemic way of seeing also suggests mechanisms underlying the origin of immunopathogeny and therefore suggests new insights to therapeutic approaches. However, if seriously acknowledged, this systemic/historic approach to immunology goes along with a global conceptual change which modifies virtually everything in the domain of biology, as suggested by Maturana.
Impact of the motion compensation step in wavelet-based blotch detection in old movies

In this work, we are interested in detecting blotches in degraded old films. The objective of this paper is to study the impact of the motion estimation technique on our wavelet-based blotch detector and we propose a robust multiresolution motion estimation approach based on the block-matching algorithm. The experimental results indicate that this robust algorithm significantly improves the detector performances and reduces its computational complexity.
Interactive Segmentation Relabeling for Classification of Whole-Slide Histopathology Imagery

Collecting ground-truth or gold standard annotations from expert pathologists for developing histopathology analytic algorithms and computer-aided diagnosis for cancer grading is an expensive and time consuming process. Efficient visualization and annotation tools are needed to enable ground-truthing large whole-slide imagery. KOLAM is our scalable, cross-platform framework for interactive visualization of 2D, 2D+t and 3D imagery of high spatial, temporal and spectral resolution. In the current work KOLAM has been extended to support rapid interactive labelling and correction of automatic image classifier-based region labels of the tissue microenvironment by pathologists. Besides annotating regions-of-interest (ROIs), KOLAM enables extraction of the corresponding large polygonal image subregions for input into automatic segmentation algorithms, single-click region label reassignment and maintaining hierarchical image subregions. Experience indicates that clinicians prefer simple-to-use interfaces that support rapid labelling of large image regions with minimal effort. The incorporation of easy-to-use tissue annotation features in KOLAM makes it an attractive candidate for integration within a multi-stage histopathology image analysis pipeline supporting assisted segmentation and labelling to improve whole-slide imagery (WSI) analytics.
Tuning in-sensor data filtering to reduce energy consumption in wireless sensor networks

In recent years, research on wireless sensor networks has been undergoing a revolution, promising to have significant impact on a broad range of applications from military to health care to food safety. An important problem in many sensor network applications is to decide the amount of computation (or filtering) that needs to be done in the sensor nodes before the data are shifted to a central base station. Right amount of data filtering in the sensor nodes can lead to large savings in network-wide energy consumption. The main goal of this paper is to develop an automated strategy for data filtering in wireless sensor nodes. Assuming that one needs to reduce the overall energy consumption (as opposed to reducing just computation energy or communication energy), the proposed strategy attempts to strike a balance between computation energy consumption and communication energy consumption. Our experimental results clearly indicate that the proposed data filtering strategy generates substantial energy savings in practice.
Analysis of requirements for Big Data Adoption to maximize IT Business Value

The measurement of Information Technology success is critical for any organization. Understanding value of the Information Technology solutions is the need of every management, researchers and practitioners for taking the efficient decisions. Resource based view and contingency theory have been used by the researchers to measure IT Business Value (ITBV). Various studies have examined the relationship between the Information technology and organizational performance. Understanding and measuring ITBV is ongoing research area. Business Analytics is the area of deriving the knowledge from raw data using statistical and quantitative techniques, predictive models to make efficient and evidence based business decisions. Business Analytical Systems have provided positive impact on the decision making process of the organization. Researchers have used process and variance models to explain how organizations use business analytics to create business value. Understanding the business value becomes more challenging in the context of the Big Data. The business value depends on the relationship between business and IT objects. Big Data make this relationship more complex and hence possess challenges for knowing the business value. The objective of this paper is to define the requirements for Big Data Adoption so that organizations can maximize their IT Business Value.
Kidney Function Is Related to Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Background and Purpose— Poor kidney function, as measured by glomerular filtration rate (GFR), is closely associated with presence of glomerular small vessel disease. Given the hemodynamic similarities between the vascular beds of the kidney and the brain, we hypothesized an association between kidney function and markers of cerebral small vessel disease on MRI. We investigated this association in a population-based study of elderly persons. Methods— We measured GFR using the Cockcroft-Gault equation in 484 participants (60 to 90 years of age) from the Rotterdam Scan Study. Using automated MRI-analysis we measured global as well as lobar and deep volumes of gray matter and white matter, and volume of WML. Lacunar infarcts were rated visually. Volumes of deep white matter and WML and presence of lacunar infarcts reflected cerebral small vessel disease. We used linear and logistic regression models to investigate the association between GFR and brain imaging parameters. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and additionally for cardiovascular risk factors. Results— Persons with lower GFR had less deep white matter volume (difference in standardized volume per SD decrease in GFR: −0.15 [95% CI −0.26 to −0.04]), more WML (difference per SD decrease in GFR: 0.14 [95% CI 0.03 to 0.25]), and more often lacunar infarcts, although the latter was not significant. GFR was not associated with gray matter volume or lobar white matter volume. Additional adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors yielded similar results. Conclusions— Impaired kidney function is associated with markers of cerebral small vessel disease as assessed on MRI.
Multitasking and interruptions: a SIG on bridging the gap between research on the micro and macro worlds

Within the CHI community there has been sustained interest in interruptions and multitasking behaviour. Research in the area falls into two broad categories: the micro world of perception and cognition; and the macro world of organisations, systems and long-term planning. Although both kinds of research have generated insights into behaviour, the data generated by the two kinds of research have been effectively incommensurable. Designing safer and more efficient interactions in interrupted and multitasking environments requires that researchers in the area attempt to bridge the gap between these worlds. This SIG aims to stimulate discussion of the tools and methods we need as a community in order to further our understanding of interruptions and multitasking.
Analysis of noise effects on DTI‐based tractography using the brute‐force and multi‐ROI approach

Diffusion tensor tractography based on line propagation is a promising and widely used technique, but it is known to be sensitive to noise and the size and location of the seed regions of interest (ROIs). The effects of these parameters on the tractography results were analyzed quantitatively using high‐resolution diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with a high signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) on a fixed mouse brain. The anterior commissure (AC), as judged from a T2‐weighted image, was used as an anatomical reference within which the tracts could be located. Monte Carlo simulation was performed by adding Gaussian noise to the time domain data and repeating the tractography. Deviations of the tracking results were measured as a function of SNR. Such noise effects were evaluated for a simple one‐ROI approach and a combined two‐ROI and brute‐force (BF) approach. The influence of ROI size and location for the two‐ROI + BF approach was also analyzed. The results confirmed the hypothesis that one can increase the validity of DTI‐based tractography by adopting the BF and multi‐ROI approach, with respect to the simple one‐ROI approach. Magn Reson Med 52:559–565, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Five Years On - The Organisational Culture Saga Revisited

The paper presents a follow‐up to the saga of organizational culture, first chronicled in two issues of the Leadership & Organization Development Journal in 1996 and tracing culture’s development from the organization development model through to the interest in total quality management (TQM), forming a link between the three concepts. Since the 1996 articles, culture as a concept has proceeded to develop in many new directions. In revisiting organizational culture after five years, this paper attempts to show how it has branched out from TQM and has since been associated with business process reengineering, organizational learning, and knowledge management; all of which claim to involve either changing a culture or working with an existing culture. Discusses also the role of culture in the emerging ideas and perspectives of strategic alliances, sustainability and future organizations. It is argued that the culture saga is far from finished. While many of its components may turn out to be no more than passing fads and fashions, culture has proven itself to be an enduring concept that, as it has travelled many paths in the past, will travel many different paths in the future.
Activated BRAF targets proximal colon tumors with mismatch repair deficiency and MLH1 inactivation

BRAF, a serine/threonine kinase of the RAF family, is a downstream transducer of the RAS‐regulated MAPK pathway and signals upstream of MEK1/2 kinases. Recently, activating mutations within BRAF have been reported in a high percentage of melanomas and colorectal carcinomas and shown to have oncogenic capabilities. Further, their association to mismatch‐repair‐deficient tumors has suggested the involvement of the RAS/RAF pathway in the tumorigenesis of microsatellite‐unstable colon cancers, and that RAS and RAF mutations are alternative genetic events. We determined whether colorectal mismatch‐repair‐deficient tumors with BRAF mutations show a specific genotype when compared with tumors with wild‐type BRAF, and whether they can be associated with a particular clinicopathological feature. Here, we report a striking association of BRAF, but not of APC, KRAS2, AXIN2, and TP53 mutations, with proximal mismatch‐repair‐deficient colon tumors and MLH1 hypermethylation. Our results support the hypothesis that proximal and distal colorectal tumors with mismatch repair deficiency harbor different genetic alterations, and we suggest that the involvement of the RAS/RAF pathway in colorectal tumorigenesis is differentially modulated according to tumor location and MLH1 inactivation. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Multiwinner Rules on Paths From k-Borda to Chamberlin-Courant

The classical multiwinner rules are designed for particular purposes. For example, variants of k - Borda are used to ﬁnd k best competitors in judging contests while the Chamberlin-Courant rule is used to select a diverse set of k products. These rules represent two extremes of the multiwinner world. At times, however, one might need to ﬁnd an appropriate trade-off between these two extremes. We explore continuous transitions from k -Borda to Chamberlin-Courant and study intermediate rules.
FORMATION OF PROTOPLASTS FROM STREPTOCOCCUS FAECALIS BY LYSOZYME

Bibb, William R. (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) and W. R. Straughn. Formation of protoplasts from Streptococcus faecalis by lysozyme. J. Bacteriol. 84:1094–1098. 1962. —Incubation of whole cells of Streptococcus faecalis F24 in the presence of the crystalline egg-white lysozyme and appropriate sucrose concentration resulted in the formation of discrete spherical structures. On dilution, these osmotically fragile structures lysed immediately. Methyl pentose determinations on isolated cell walls and protoplast membranes verified the presence of rhamnose in the cell walls and its essentially complete absence in protoplast membranes. Cell walls were rendered soluble by lysozyme. After lysozyme treatment of cell walls, 96% of the rhamnose present was not sedimented by centrifugation at 12,500 × g for 30 min. No cell-wall structures were recognized by phasecontrast or electron microscopy. After direct lysis of whole cells of S. faecalis F24 by lysozyme, protoplast membranes were isolated. It is concluded that, in the strain of group D streptococcus studied, lysozyme effectively removes the cell wall.
Hardware-based ray casting for tetrahedral meshes

We present the first implementation of a volume ray casting algorithm for tetrahedral meshes running on off-the-shelf programmable graphics hardware. Our implementation avoids the memory transfer bottleneck of the graphics bus since the complete mesh data is stored in the local memory of the graphics adapter and all computations, in particular ray traversal and ray integration, are performed by the graphics processing unit. Analogously to other ray casting algorithms, our algorithm does not require an expensive cell sorting. Provided that the graphics adapter offers enough texture memory, our implementation performs comparable to the fastest published volume rendering algorithms for unstructured meshes. Our approach works with cyclic and/or non-convex meshes and supports early ray termination. Accurate ray integration is guaranteed by applying pre-integrated volume rendering. In order to achieve almost interactive modifications of transfer functions, we propose a new method for computing three-dimensional pre-integration tables.
2-deoxy-D-glucose combined with ferulic acid enhances radiation response in non-small cell lung carcinoma cells

The present study was undertaken to investigate the radiosensitizing effects of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG), a glycolytic inhibitor, and ferulic acid (FA), a phenolic prooxidant, in relatively radioresistant human non-small cell lung carcinoma cells (NCI-H460). NCI-H460 cells were treated with 4 mM 2DG and/or 53.8 µM FA for 24 h and then exposed to 2 Gy irradiation. Compared to cells that were 2 Gy-irradiated alone (50%), FA and 2DG with radiation (FA+2DG+IR) showed additional decrease in cell viability (15%). This has been further validated by decreased (86%) colony formation in 2DG+FA+IR group compared to 2DG (29%), FA (24%) and IR (37%) group alone. Increased apoptotic cells (84%) in 2DG+FA+IR group further confirm the radiosensitizing property of 2DG or FA. In NCI-H460 cells 2DG decreased NADPH levels (10%) and FA increased ROS levels leading to enhanced oxidative damage in the 2DG+FA+IR group. This was reflected as altered mitochondrial membrane potential, increased lipid peroxidative markers (TBARS), DNA damage and decreased intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels in combined treatment groups when compared to radiation or 2DG or FA treatment alone. The present study suggests that FA and 2DG act by increasing oxidative damage in NCI-H460 cells.
Effects of BDE-85 on the Oxidative Status and Nerve Conduction in Rodents

BDE-85 is a congener of a class of flame-retardant compounds called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Although there are some studies on other congeners of PBDEs, there are none on the toxicity potential of this penta-BDE member. This study, therefore, reports the oxidative status and sciatic nerve conduction properties following BDE-85 treatment in rodents. The oxidative stress markers, lipid hydroperoxides, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes, namely superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and catalase, in the exposed mice liver and brain tissues showed tissue-specific alterations following intraperitoneal injection of 0.25 mg/kg body weight of BDE-85 for 4 days. The results indicate a significant disruption in the oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium and setting in of oxidative stress. Isolated sciatic nerves of rats exposed to 5 µg/mL or 20 µg/mL of BDE-85 showed a significant reduction in nerve conduction velocity and compound action potential amplitudes, indicating physiological damage to the sciatic nerves.
PH Measurements of the Brain Using Phosphorus Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (31PMRS) in Healthy Men – Comparison of Two Analysis Methods

Summary Background Intracellular pH provides information on homeostatic mechanisms in neurons and glial cells. The aim of this study was to define pH of the brain of male volunteers using phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31PMRS) and to compare two methods of calculating this value. Material/Methods In this study, 35 healthy, young, male volunteers (mean age: 25 years) were examined by 31PMRS in 1.5 T MR system (Signa Excite, GE). The FID CSI (Free Induction Decay Chemical Shift Imaging) sequence was used with the following parameters: TR=4000 ms, FA=90°, NEX=2. Volume of interest (VOI) was selected depending on the size of the volunteers’ brain (11–14 cm3, mean 11.53 cm3). Raw data were analyzed using SAGE (GE) software. Results Based on the chemical shift of peaks in the 31PMRS spectrum, intracellular pH was calculated using two equations. In both methods the mean pH was slightly alkaline (7.07 and 7.08). Results were compared with a t-test. Significant difference (p<0.05) was found between these two methods. Conclusions The 31PMRS method enables non-invasive in vivo measurements of pH. The choice of the calculation method is crucial for computing this value. Comparing the results obtained by different teams can be done in a fully credible way only if the calculations were performed using the same formula.
Blind image quality assessment for color images with additive Gaussian white noise using standard deviation

This paper presents a no-reference (NR) quality assessment method for color images contaminated with additive Gaussian white noise (AGWN). The proposed metric operates on the test image and the scaled down version of the test image. Standard deviations for each of the RGB components for the test image and its scaled down version are computed. The standard deviation ratios of the scaled down version image to the original test image are weighted summed to obtain the quality score for noise. The performance of the proposed metric is compared with existing full-reference (FR) and NR metrics on LIVE database. Pearson correlation coefficient (CC), mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed metric. A CC score of 0.9785 shows that the proposed metric has high correlation with the subjective scores for the LIVE database.
Possibilities for QoS in existing Internet Routing Protocols

In classical circuit switching networks Quality of Service is an essential aspect which in(cid:13)uence the entire network design process, including routing consideration. Due to the e(cid:11)orts to introduce Quality of Service (QoS) into IP-based networks, design routing to support QoS becomes increasingly important, e.g. in such concepts like integrated service and di(cid:11)erentiated service IP networks. In this we give an overview of the possibility to introduce QoS in existing routing schemes and give an outlook to new QoS routing protocols currently discussed in the internet community such as the IETF. First of all we give a survey of di(cid:11)erent routing algorithms used in unicast Interior Gateway Protocols and Exterior Gateway Protocols. We describe in detail (E)IGRP a proprietary CISCO routing protocol, followed by a short overview of the di(cid:11)erent aspects for QoS routing protocols in the Internet.
Sleep bruxism and myofascial temporomandibular disorders: a laboratory-based polysomnographic investigation.

BACKGROUND Many dentists believe that sleep bruxism (SB) is a pathogenic factor in myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD), but almost all supportive data rely on patients' self-reports rather than on direct observation. METHODS The authors administered a structured self-report interview to determine whether a large and well-characterized sample of patients with myofascial TMD (124 women) experienced SB more often than did matched control participants (46 women). The authors then used data from a two-night laboratory-based polysomnographic (PSG) study to determine whether the case participants exhibited more SB than the control participants. RESULTS The results of independent sample t tests and χ(2) analyses showed that, although self-reported rates of SB were significantly higher in case participants (55.3 percent) than in control participants (15.2 percent), PSG-based measures showed much lower and statistically similar rates of SB in the two groups (9.7 percent and 10.9 percent, respectively). Grinding noises were common in both case participants (59.7 percent) and control participants (78.3 percent). CONCLUSIONS Most case participants did not exhibit SB, and the common belief that SB is a sufficient explanation for myofascial TMD should be abandoned. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Although other reasons to consider treating SB may exist, misplaced concern about SB's sustaining or exacerbating a chronic myofascial TMD condition should not be used to justify SB treatment.