Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis and characterisation of experimental real-time series of a semiconductor laser under optical injection

Optical injection into a semiconductor laser is a promising technique for generating optical microwave oscillations and chaotic signals as well as enhancing the characteristics of the injected laser. Conventionally the dynamic state of the output of the slave laser (SL) is mapped in the parameter plane of frequency detuning between the master laser (ML) and the SL, and that of the injected power. These can be generated using methods such as the Correlation Dimension Analysis (CDA) [1] to analyse the time series of the output of the SL. However such techniques often incur a notable computational cost and only partly characterise the features of the dynamics. Moreover the processing of experimental data found in the literature usually focuses on where periodic or chaotic dynamics can be found [2] while most of the main signal features are either discarded or not fully mapped [3]. In this work we propose a novel approach for the analysis of the time series of a semiconductor laser under optical injection based on the use of a combination of basic data analysis techniques. Using these we produce a richer representation of the experimental stability maps which provides new and useful insight into the characteristics of the non-linear dynamics, and present the first experimental mapping, to our knowledge, of the frequency of period one (P1) dynamics.
Community and Species-Specific Responses of Wild Bees to Insect Pest Control Programs Applied to a Pollinator-Dependent Crop

ABSTRACT Wild bee conservation is regarded as essential for sustainable production of pollinator dependent crops, yet little is known about the effects on wild bee communities of typical insect pest management programs used postbloom. We developed an insecticide program risk (IPR) index to quantify the relative risk to wild bees of insecticide programs applied to blueberry fields. This was used to determine the relationship between IPR and the abundance, diversity, and richness of wild bee communities sampled during three successive flowering seasons. In 2 of 3 yr, bee abundance and species richness declined with increasing IPR. Bee diversity declined with IPR in one of 3 yr. These results indicate that wild bee communities are negatively affected by increasingly intensive chemical pest management activities in crop fields and that interyear variability in bee populations has the potential to mask such effects in short-term studies. When several wild bee species were analyzed separately, two of three solitary and one of three social blueberry-foraging species declined with increasing IPR values, suggesting that different life histories and nesting habits may help some bee populations escape the negative effects of insecticides applied after bloom. Pollinator conservation programs aimed strictly at reducing insecticide use may have varying success, depending on the biology of the target bee species. The IPR index provides a standard method to compare pest management programs for their potential effect on wild bee communities, with broad application for use in other agricultural systems.
9 Calibration of Parallel Kinematic Machines : Theory and Applications

As already stated in the chapter addressing the calibration of serial manipulators, kinematic calibration is a procedure for the identification and the consequent compensation of the geometrical pose errors of a robot. This chapter extends the discussion to Parallel Manipulators (also called PKM Parallel Kinematic Machines). As described in the following (Section 2) this extension is not obvious but requires special care. Although for serial manipulators some procedures for the calibration based on automatic generation of a MCPC (Minimum Complete Parametrically Continuos) model exist, for PKMs only methodologies for individual manipulators have been proposed but a general strategy has not been presented since now. A few examples of the numerous approaches for the calibration of individual PKMs are proposed in (Parenti-Castelli & Di Gregorio, 1995), (Jokiel et al., 2000) for direct calibration and (Neugebauer et al., 1999), (Smollett, 1996) for indirect or self calibration techniques. This paper makes one significant step integrating available results with new ones and reordering them in simple rules that can be automatically applied to any PKM with general kinematic chains. In all the cases a MCPC kinematic model for geometrical calibration is automatically obtained. In Section 2 the main features of PKMs calibration is pointed out and the total number of the necessary parameters is determined; this is an original contribution. In Sections 3 and 4 two novel approaches for the generation of a MCPC model are described. Sections 5 and 6 are dedicated to the analysis of the singular cases and to the procedure for the elimination of the redundant parameters respectively; actual cases are discussed. Section 7 presents several examples of application of the two proposed procedures to many existing PKMs. Section 8 eventually draws the conclusions. Note: in this chapter it is assumed that the reader has already familiarised himself with the notation and the basic concepts of calibration described in the chapter devoted to serial manipulators.
The role of donor T cells for target organ injuries in acute and chronic graft‐versus‐host disease

Donor T cells are crucial for target organ injury in graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD). We examined the effects of donor T cells on the target organs using a parent‐into‐F1 model of acute and chronic GVHD. Donor T cells showed engraftment in the spleen, small intestine and liver of mice with acute GVHD, causing typical GVHD pathology in these organs. Interferon‐γ and Fas ligand expression were up‐regulated, and host lymphocytes were depleted in the target organs of these mice. In contrast, donor T cells did not show engraftment in the small intestine of mice with chronic GVHD, and no GVHD pathology was observed in this organ. However, both donor T‐cell engraftment and GVHD pathology were observed in the spleen and liver of chronic GVHD mice, along with the up‐regulation of interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) and IL‐10 expression plus the expansion of host lymphocytes such as splenic B cells and hepatic natural killer (NK) 1.1+ T cells. Donor anti‐host cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte activity was observed in spleen cells from mice with acute GVHD, but not in spleen cells from mice with chronic GVHD. Transplantation of Fas ligand‐deficient (gld) spleen cells did not induce host lymphocyte depletion in target organs. These results indicate that donor T cells augment type 1 T helper immune responses and deplete the host lymphocytes from target organs mainly by Fas‐mediated pathways in acute GVHD, while donor T cells augment type 2 T helper immune responses and expand host splenic B cells and hepatic NK1.1+ T cells in chronic GVHD.
Semisupervised Dimensionality Reduction of Hyperspectral Images via Local Scaling Cut Criterion

Hyperspectral images (HSIs) provide a vast amount of geometrical, radiation, and spectral information about a scene. However, high-dimensional data make HSI classification complex and time consuming. It is important to reduce the dimensionality and find a low-dimensional representation of the high-dimensional data. Since the labels of HSI data are really difficult to collect while the unlabeled data are abundant and easy to obtain, in this letter, a semisupervised dimensionality reduction method using both limited labeled samples and a large number of unlabeled samples based on a local scaling cut (LSC) criterion is proposed. LSC is similar to linear discriminant analysis (LDA), but it can handle the heteroscedastic and multimodal data for which LDA fails. The framework of our proposed method contains two terms: 1) a discrimination term based on the labeled samples and 2) a regularization term based on the prior knowledge provided by both labeled and unlabeled samples. Experimental results show that our proposed algorithm provides a relatively promising performance compared with other methods. Moreover, the algorithm is stable and insensitive to parameters.
Test-Retest Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change Scores for Sit-to-Stand-to-Sit Tests, the Six-Minute Walk Test, the One-Leg Heel-Rise Test, and Handgrip Strength in People Undergoing Hemodialysis

Background Determining the relative and absolute reliability of outcomes of physical performance tests for people undergoing hemodialysis is necessary to discriminate between the true effects of exercise interventions and the inherent variability of this cohort. Objective The aims of this study were to assess the relative reliability of sit-to-stand-to-sit tests (the STS-10, which measures the time [in seconds] required to complete 10 full stands from a sitting position, and the STS-60, which measures the number of repetitions achieved in 60 seconds), the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), the one-leg heel-rise test, and the handgrip strength test and to calculate minimal detectable change (MDC) scores in people undergoing hemodialysis. Design This study was a prospective, nonexperimental investigation. Methods Thirty-nine people undergoing hemodialysis at 2 clinics in Spain were contacted. Study participants performed the STS-10 (n=37), the STS-60 (n=37), and the 6MWT (n=36). At one of the settings, the participants also performed the one-leg heel-rise test (n=21) and the handgrip strength test (n=12) on both the right and the left sides. Participants attended 2 testing sessions 1 to 2 weeks apart. Results High intraclass correlation coefficients (≥.88) were found for all tests, suggesting good relative reliability. The MDC scores at 90% confidence intervals were as follows: 8.4 seconds for the STS-10, 4 repetitions for the STS-60, 66.3 m for the 6MWT, 3.4 kg for handgrip strength (force-generating capacity), 3.7 repetitions for the one-leg heel-rise test with the right leg, and 5.2 repetitions for the one-leg heel-rise test with the left leg. Limitations A limited sample of patients was used in this study. Conclusions The STS-16, STS-60, 6MWT, one-leg heel rise test, and handgrip strength test are reliable outcome measures. The MDC scores at 90% confidence intervals for these tests will help to determine whether a change is due to error or to an intervention.
Susceptibilities of 201 anaerobes to erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, and roxithromycin by oxyrase agar dilution and E test methodologies

The susceptibility of 201 anaerobes to erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, and roxithromycin was tested by agar dilution and E test methods by using a commercially available plate and dish system (OxyDish) to provide anaerobic conditions. Plates were incubated for 48 h. MICs for 50% of strains tested and MICs for 90% of strains tested by agar dilution and E test methods corresponded within 1 doubling dilution for all compounds. When all antibiotics were considered together, agar and E test MICs were within 1 and 2 doubling dilutions of each other in 84 to 91% and > 99% of cases, respectively.
Narratives of Iraqi Adult Learners: Experiences of Spoken Register in English for Academic Purposes Programs at an Australian University

This paper explores the perceptions of Iraqi students of three different English Programs (a general English for academic purposes program, a pre-enrolment English program and the English component of a disciplinary bridging program) at an Australian University as reflected in their language learning narratives. It focuses specifically on the students' experience of academic spoken register in the aforementioned programs and how their experiences are affected by Australian English higher education policies. Data were collected through narrative interviews and thematically analysed using an inductive approach of open and axial coding. The data reveal that the acquisition of appropriate register by this cohort was impacted by their backgrounds as mature-aged, Arabic Muslim learners and by the nature of the programs they participated in. They valued programs with a varied range of tasks allowing them to practice academic and non-academic registers within the relevant contexts. They also valued programs that took cognisance of their family responsibilities, learning needs and disciplinary backgrounds. In terms of policy, we show how the programs that followed the Good Practice Principles for English language proficiency for international students – a document that underpins Australian higher education English language policy – were highly valued by this cohort because of an increasingly disciplinary focus and explicit instruction.
Impact of Distinct Poxvirus Infections on the Specificities and Functionalities of CD4+ T Cell Responses

ABSTRACT The factors that determine CD4+ T cell (TCD4+ ) specificities, functional capacity, and memory persistence in response to complex pathogens remain unclear. We explored these parameters in the C57BL/6 mouse through comparison of two highly related (>92% homology) poxviruses: ectromelia virus (ECTV), a natural mouse pathogen, and vaccinia virus (VACV), a heterologous virus that nevertheless elicits potent immune responses. In addition to elucidating several previously unidentified major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II)-restricted epitopes, we observed many qualitative and quantitative differences between the TCD4+ repertoires, including responses not elicited by VACV despite complete sequence conservation. In addition, we observed functional heterogeneity between ECTV- and VACV-specific TCD4+ at both a global and individual epitope level, particularly greater expression of the cytolytic marker CD107a from TCD4+ following ECTV infection. Most striking were differences during the late memory phase where, in contrast to ECTV, VACV infection failed to elicit measurable epitope-specific TCD4+ as determined by intracellular cytokine staining. These findings illustrate the strong influence of epitope-extrinsic factors on TCD4+ responses and memory. IMPORTANCE Much of our understanding concerning host-pathogen relationships in the context of poxvirus infections stems from studies of VACV in mice. However, VACV is not a natural mouse pathogen, and therefore, the relevance of results obtained using this model may be limited. Here, we explored the MHC class II-restricted TCD4+ repertoire induced by mousepox (ECTV) infection and the functional profile of the responding epitope-specific TCD4+ , comparing these results to those induced by VACV infection under matched conditions. Despite a high degree of homology between the two viruses, we observed distinct specificity and functional profiles of TCD4+ responses at both acute and memory time points, with VACV-specific TCD4+ memory being notably compromised. These data offer insight into the impact of epitope-extrinsic factors on the resulting TCD4+ responses.
Investigating ICAPM in International Futures Markets

This paper investigates the significance of an intertemporal relation between expected return and risk for the futures markets. The paper not only takes a look at the domestic futures, but the relationship between conditional risk and return is examined in international futures markets as well. We test the significance of a daily risk-return tradeoff in stock index futures for G8 countries (US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Australia). We use GARCH modeling with the thin-tailed normal and the fat-tailed Student t, generalized error, and generalized t distributions to simultaneously generate risk measures and forecast expected futures returns. The maximum likelihood parameter estimates indicate that the relation between risk and return is flat in futures markets. This result is robust across eight different countries.
Online news relations as a business model

In this article we describe a system that is capable of self-organizing news clips collected by readers, into a personal digital library. The system then uses this information to provide a rich set of inferred relations between the clips and clusters of clips to the producers. The inferred information is in the form of news with the `hot' topics, the relations between clips content and the interests of their readers. We describe the Breadcrumbs system which features an online news collecting tool, an inference engine and a social graph. We discuss the outcomes of our system, which allows for a better understanding of the news consumption and trends. Finally, we describe how we can use these outcomes to create a business model.
Iron-responsive Transcription Factor Aft1 Interacts with Kinetochore Protein Iml3 and Promotes Pericentromeric Cohesin*

Background: The budding yeast transcription factor Aft1 has been implicated in chromosome stability. Results: Aft1 interacts with the kinetochore protein Iml3 and is required for promoting pericentromeric cohesin. Conclusion: We have identified a new factor impacting the pericentric chromatin spring. Significance: This discovery explains why Aft1 mutants display chromosome segregation defects and sheds light on how the Ctf19 complex promotes pericentric cohesin. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae iron-responsive transcription factor, Aft1, has a well established role in regulating iron homeostasis through the transcriptional induction of iron-regulon genes. However, recent studies have implicated Aft1 in other cellular processes independent of iron regulation such as chromosome stability. In addition, chromosome spreads and two-hybrid data suggest that Aft1 interacts with and co-localizes with kinetochore proteins; however, the cellular implications of this have not been established. Here, we demonstrate that Aft1 associates with the kinetochore complex through Iml3. Furthermore, like Iml3, Aft1 is required for the increased association of cohesin with pericentric chromatin, which is required to resist microtubule tension, and aft1Δ cells display chromosome segregation defects in meiosis. Our work defines a new role for Aft1 in chromosome stability and transmission.
Comparing the influences of age and disease on distortion in the clock drawing test in Japanese patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE The Clock Drawing Test (CDT) is commonly used for cognitive screening, but there are few studies that compare performance on the CDT among schizophrenic patients of different ages. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of schizophrenia and aging on performance in the CDT. METHOD Schizophrenic patients (N = 244) and a comparison group (N = 875) were recruited as subjects. Freedman's CDT was completed by all subjects, and the influences of disease and aging on performance in the CDT were examined. Multiple comparisons of the CDT scores between patients and the comparison group and within three age subgroups (young: less than 40 years, middle aged: 40-59 years, elderly: more than 60 years) were performed. RESULTS There was a significant interaction of diagnosis and age, and the education significantly influenced the total score for all CDT conditions. For almost all age subgroups of patients, individuals with schizophrenia had significantly lower scores on all the CDT conditions than did the comparison group subjects. For patients and the comparison group, the elderly subgroup performed significantly worse than the young and middle-aged subgroups on almost all conditions of the CDT. Qualitative analysis of the clocks drawn revealed that the number of CDT categories in which schizophrenic patients scored significantly lower than the comparison group tended to increase with aging across both groups. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that performance on the CDT was impaired not only by disease but also by aging. The study confirms that the CDT is sensitive enough to screen for cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.
Finite-time boundedness analysis for switched linear systems with large delay period

In this paper, finite-time stability (FTS) and finite-time boundedness (FTB) are investigated for a class of switched linear systems with large delay period and input disturbances. The limitation of the frequent and length of large delay period (LDP) are used to guarantee the properties of the FTS and FTB. By constructing a piecewise Lyapunov functional with large delay integral terms, the sufficient conditions satisfying the finite-time convergence are developed in the form of matrix inequalities. A numercal example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed results.
Science and technology map analysis of a multi-disciplinary field -Case study of aerospace engineering-

Both the expansion of knowledge and the fragmentation of disciplines are causing delay in important development strategy decision in many promising industries. Policy makers and practitioners expect tools to structure the expanding knowledge and to roadmap for breakthroughs. In this paper, we approach this challenge with a citation network analysis to academic publications and patents. The case study is discussed within one of the most complex galaxy of disciplines, Aerospace Engineering (AE). The analysis is based both on academic papers of major AE journals and on patents classified to AE by International Patent Classification. We found the difference between knowledge structure of AE, an integrated multi-technology system and the results obtained from our previous studies in component technology fields. This study contributes toward developing the adaptability of our tool to roadmap for innovation.
Dietary intake and clinical, anthropometric and biochemical indices of malnutrition in elderly demented patients and non-demented subjects

Synopsis Anthropometric and biochemical indices of nutritional status and weighed dietary intake have been studied in hospitalized patients with senile dementia, demented patients living in the community and age-matched control subjects who were not cognitively impaired. Demented patients were lighter than control subjects, and had a lower body mass index, skinfold thickness, mid-arm circumference and arm muscle bulk. The hospitalized patients were more seriously affected than those living in the community, and body weight was significantly negatively correlated with duration of hospitalization. Over a 6-month period the hospitalized patients showed a further weight loss, while those living in the community did not. Both groups of demented patients had higher intakes of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals than the control subjects. The diet of the hospitalized patients was slightly, but not significantly, superior to that of the patients living in the community. Biochemical evidence of specific vitamin inadequacy was equally prevalent in all three groups of subjects, and there were no significant correlations between the degree of cognitive impairment or behavioural disorder and any of the indices of nutritional state. Clinical signs suggestive of malnutrition were not correlated with either biochemical evidence of deficiency or cognitive impairment and behavioural disturbance.