Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intravenous high‐dose interferon with or without maintenance treatment in melanoma at high risk of recurrence: meta‐analysis of three trials

Resected stage IIB–IIIC malignant melanoma has a poor prognosis with a high risk of relapse and death. Treatment with adjuvant interferon alfa‐2b (IFN‐α‐2b) is associated with improved relapse‐free and overall survivals (OS), but the most appropriate dose and duration of treatment are unknown. In this article, we present an individual patient data random effects meta‐analysis of melanoma patients from the U.K., Greek, and Chinese randomized trials. All patients were randomized either to IFN‐α‐2b 15–20 MIU/m2 IV daily 5 days per week for 4 weeks (IV) or to the same regimen followed by IFN‐α‐2b 9–10 MIU/m2 administered three times per week for 48 weeks (IV and SC). Allowing for dose interruptions and reductions, an equivalent total dose of IFN‐α‐2b was delivered in all three studies. We assessed whether IV was noninferior to IV and SC in terms of relapse‐free survival (RFS) and investigated tumor and patient characteristics that impacted on outcomes. Median follow‐up of 716 stage IIB–IIIC patients was 5.4 years. Noninferiority of IV compared to IV and SC could not be conferred for RFS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89–1.52; noninferior P = 0.17). Stage (P < 0.0001), site (acral vs. other, P < 0.0001), and Breslow thickness (P = 0.02) were significant predictors of RFS. The HR for death was 1.13 for IV compared to IV and SC, (95% CI 0.91–1.39). Stage (P < 0.0001) and Breslow thickness (P = 0.001) were significant independent predictors of OS. The available data suggest that where adjuvant high‐dose interferon is being considered there is no evidence to deviate from the year long regimen described in the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and Intergroup studies.
Composition, digestibility and nutritive value of cereals for dogs

Most dry dog foods are based on cereals, but very little published information and few comparative studies are available on the nutritive value of various cereals in dogs. To determine the apparent nutrient digestibilities and feed values of five different autoclave-processed and ground cereals: oat groats, barley, wheat, corn and rice, a digestibility trial was carried out on twelve adult huskies according to a 6 × 4 cyclic changeover design. Total tract organic matter (OM), crude carbohydrate and gross energy (GE) digestibilities were higher in rice than in all the other cereals. Apparent crude protein (CP) and acid hydrolyzed fat digestibilities of rice (80% and 94%, respectively) were as good as for oat groats (81% and 93%). However, oat groats had higher OM, CP and GE digestibilities than barley, wheat and corn. The amount of digestible crude protein (118 g kg-1 DM) was higher in oat groats than in the other cereals. Digestible energy contents (MJ kg-1 DM) of oat groats, rice, corn, wheat and barley were 17.1, 16.0, 15.7, 15.6 and 15.5, respectively. The quantity of excreted wet faeces increased and the percentage of dry matter (DM) in faeces decreased when oat groats, barley, wheat or corn were supplemented to the basal diet, in contrast to rice, which had the opposite effect on wet faeces excretion. Oat groats are good substitutes for rice or other cereals in dry dog foods.
Disruption of Lipid Uptake in Astroglia Exacerbates Diet-Induced Obesity

Neuronal circuits in the brain help to control feeding behavior and systemic metabolism in response to afferent nutrient and hormonal signals. Although astrocytes have historically been assumed to have little relevance for such neuroendocrine control, we investigated whether lipid uptake via lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in astrocytes is required to centrally regulate energy homeostasis. Ex vivo studies with hypothalamus-derived astrocytes showed that LPL expression is upregulated by oleic acid, whereas it is decreased in response to palmitic acid or triglycerides. Likewise, astrocytic LPL deletion reduced the accumulation of lipid droplets in those glial cells. Consecutive in vivo studies showed that postnatal ablation of LPL in glial fibrillary acidic protein–expressing astrocytes induced exaggerated body weight gain and glucose intolerance in mice exposed to a high-fat diet. Intriguingly, astrocytic LPL deficiency also triggered increased ceramide content in the hypothalamus, which may contribute to hypothalamic insulin resistance. We conclude that hypothalamic LPL functions in astrocytes to ensure appropriately balanced nutrient sensing, ceramide distribution, body weight regulation, and glucose metabolism.
Performance Evaluation Tests for Environmental Research (Peter): Evaluation of 114 Measures

The goal of the Performance Evaluation Tests for Environmental Research (PETER) Program was to identify a set of measures of human capabilities for use in the study of environmental and other time-course effects. 114 measures studied in the PETER Program were evaluated and categorized into four groups based upon task stability and task definition. The Recommended category contained 30 measures that clearly obtained total stabilization and had an acceptable level of reliability efficiency. The Acceptable-But-Redundant category contained 15 measures. The 37 measures in the Marginal category, which included an inordinate number of slope and other derived measures, usually had desirable features which were outweighed by faults. The 32 measures in the Unacceptable category had either differential instability or weak reliability efficiency. It is our opinion that the 30 measures in the Recommended category should be given first consideration for environmental research applications. Further, it is recommended that information pertaining to preexperimental practice requirements and stabilized reliabilities should be utilized in repeated-measures environmental studies.
PULMONARY DEPOSITION OF MONODISPERSE AEROSOLS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

In order to improve patient convenience and drug availability for patients with α 1 -protease inhibitor deficiency, the administration via the inhalation route has been considered. This study investigated if it is possible to obtain high values of peripheral aerosol deposition by using optimized and controlled inhalation conditions. Therefore, peripheral deposition was studied in 10 patients with α 1 -protease inhibitor deficiency (phenotype PiZ) and moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by measuring the 24-hour Clearance of radiolabeled inert iron oxide particles with diameters of 2 μ m, 3 μ m, and 4 μ m. Patients inhaled a large volume of aerosol (1000 to 2000 cm 3) , which was normalized to the individual lung function, with a flow rate of 200 cm 3 /S. Due to this breathing pattern, peripheral deposition was for all particle sizes above 50% of the inhaled aerosol. The highest peripheral deposition (68%) was found for 3-μ m particles.
Does more mean less? The value of information for conservation planning under sea level rise

Many studies have explored the benefits of adopting more sophisticated modelling techniques or spatial data in terms of our ability to accurately predict ecosystem responses to global change. However, we currently know little about whether the improved predictions will actually lead to better conservation outcomes once the costs of gaining improved models or data are accounted for. This severely limits our ability to make strategic decisions for adaptation to global pressures, particularly in landscapes subject to dynamic change such as the coastal zone. In such landscapes, the global phenomenon of sea level rise is a critical consideration for preserving biodiversity.
Simulation of Handoff Techniques in Mobile Cellular Networks

Mobility is the distinct feature of wireless mobile cellular system. Usually, continuous services is achieved by supporting handoff which is the transfer of an ongoing call from the current cell to the next adjacent cell as the mobile moves through the coverage area. usually handoff calls are given higher priority than new calls since it has a significant impact on the network performance. Simulation study of the relative signal strength with hysteresis and threshold (RSS-HT) algorithm for varying hysteresis and threshold are studies to evaluate the mean number of cell handoffs, mean number of wrong cell handoffs and expected average signal strength.
Diffusely elevated cerebral choline and creatine in relapsing‐remitting multiple sclerosis

It is well known that multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis continues even during periods of clinical silence. To quantify the metabolic characteristics of this activity we compared the absolute levels of N‐acetylaspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr), and choline (Cho) in the normal‐appearing white matter (NAWM) between relapsing‐remitting (RR) MS patients and controls. Metabolite concentrations were obtained with 3D proton MR spectroscopy at 1.5 T in a 480 cm3 volume‐of‐interest (VOI), centered on the corpus callosum of 11 MS patients and 9 matched controls. Gray/white‐matter/cerebral‐spinal‐fluid (CSF) volumes were obtained from MRI segmentation. Patients' average VOI tissue volume (VT), 410.8 ± 24.0 cm3, and metabolite levels, NAA = 6.33 ± 0.70, Cr = 4.67 ± 0.52, Cho = 1.40 ± 0.17 mM, were different from the controls by –8%, –9%, +22% and +32%. The Cho level was the only single metric differentiating patients from controls at 100% specificity and >90% sensitivity. Diffusely elevated Cho and Cr probably reflect widespread microscopic inflammation, gliosis, or de‐ and remyelination in the NAWM. Both metabolites are potential prognostic indicators of current disease activity, preceding NAA decline and atrophy. Magn Reson Med 50:190–195, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Geostatistical interpolation for mapping radio-electric exposure levels

The electromagnetic environment in urban areas is growing increasingly complex. Sources of electromagnetic exposure like TV, FM, GSM, Wifi and others are spreading continuously and in the case of Wifi their geographical locations cannot be cataloged exhaustively anymore. Furthermore, the complexity of any highly urbanized environment and the lack of information about the dielectric properties of buildings lead to complex configuration so that a precise deterministic modeling of the electromagnetic exposure at any a given location of interest is probably out-of-reach.
The HIV-1 Nef Protein and Phagocyte NADPH Oxidase Activation*

Nef, a multifunctional HIV protein, activates the Vav/Rac/p21-activated kinase (PAK) signaling pathway. Given the potential role of this pathway in the activation of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase, we have investigated the effect of the HIV-1 Nef protein on the phagocyte respiratory burst. Microglia (cell line and primary culture) were transduced with lentiviral expression vectors. Expression of Nef did not activate the NADPH oxidase by itself but led to a massive enhancement of the responses to a variety of stimuli (Ca2+ ionophore, formyl peptide, endotoxin). These effects were not caused by up-regulation of phagocyte NADPH oxidase subunits. Nef mutants lacking motifs involved in the interaction with Vav and PAK failed to reproduce the effects of wild type Nef, suggesting a role for the Vav/Rac/PAK signaling pathway. The following results suggest a key role for Rac in the priming effect of Nef. (i) Inactivation of Rac by Clostridium difficile toxin B abolished the Nef effect. (ii) The fraction of activated Rac1 was increased in Nef-transduced cells, and (iii) the dominant positive Rac1(V12) mutant mimicked the effect of Nef. These results are to our knowledge the first analysis of the effect of Rac activation on the NADPH oxidase in intact phagocytes. Rac activation is not sufficient to stimulate the phagocyte NADPH oxidase; however, it markedly enhances the NADPH oxidase response to other stimuli.
User adaptation of human-robot interaction model based on Bayesian network and introspection of interaction experience

We propose a behavior learning method based on Bayesian networks and experience of interaction between human and robots, which does not need a priori knowledge and can be applied to human-robot interaction models. In this method, the behavior learning based on interaction experience was established. However, developers must adjust initial sensor state of the Bayesian network according to the user preference. In this paper, we propose a new method of state space construction for user adaptation based on introspection of interaction experience using genetic algorithms. We also give two examples: 1) obstacle avoidance tasks for mobile robots; and 2) symbol grounding for natural language instruction, for realization of user's adaptation of human-robot interaction.
Butter increased total and LDL cholesterol compared with olive oil however resulted in higher HDL cholesterol than habitual diet 1

Background: Butter is known to have a cholesterol-raising effect and, therefore, has often been included as a negative control in dietary studies, whereas the effect of moderate butter intake has not been elucidated to our knowledge. Objective: We compared the effects of moderate butter intake, moderate olive oil intake, or a habitual diet on blood lipids, highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), glucose, and insulin. Design: The study was a controlled, double-blinded, randomized 2 3 5-wk crossover dietary intervention study with a 14-d run-in period during which subjects consumed their habitual diets. The study included 47 healthy men and women (mean 6 SD total cholesterol: 5.22 6 0.90 mmol/L) who substituted a part of their habitual diets with 4.5% of energy from butter or refined olive oil. Results: Study subjects were 70% women with a mean age and body mass index (in kg/m) of 40.4 y and 23.5, respectively. Butter intake increased total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol more than did olive oil intake (P , 0.05) and the run-in period (P , 0.005 and P , 0.05, respectively) and increased HDL cholesterol compared with the run-in period (P , 0.05). No difference in effects was observed for triacylglycerol, hsCRP, insulin, and glucose concentrations. The intake of saturated fatty acids was significantly higher in the butter period compared with olive oil and the run-in period
KnowRob: A knowledge processing infrastructure for cognition-enabled robots

Autonomous service robots will have to understand vaguely described tasks, such as “set the table” or “clean up”. Performing such tasks as intended requires robots to fully, precisely, and appropriately parameterize their low-level control programs. We propose knowledge processing as a computational resource for enabling robots to bridge the gap between vague task descriptions and the detailed information needed to actually perform those tasks in the intended way. In this article, we introduce the KnowRob knowledge processing system that is specifically designed to provide autonomous robots with the knowledge needed for performing everyday manipulation tasks. The system allows the realization of “virtual knowledge bases”: collections of knowledge pieces that are not explicitly represented but computed on demand from the robot’s internal data structures, its perception system, or external sources of information. This article gives an overview of the different kinds of knowledge, the different inference mechanisms, and interfaces for acquiring knowledge from external sources, such as the robot’s perception system, observations of human activities, Web sites on the Internet, as well as Web-based knowledge bases for information exchange between robots. We evaluate the system’s scalability and present different integrated experiments that show its versatility and comprehensiveness.
TLM-2 base protocol analysis for model-driven design

The SoC design cost is not only dependent on implementation and manufacturing techniques, but also on the used methodologies and design tools. Transaction level modelling (TLM) is among the most promising electronic system level (ESL) design methodology. Recently, TLM-2 library places de facto SystemC as a standard when writing transaction level (TL) models. A TLM-2 based models and especially those using approximately-timed time coding style are very challenging to develop. In this paper, we expose techniques to write well-structured and modular TL models. These techniques bring up more elaborated semantics useful to automate model generation in the context of model-driven design methodology.
Turning behaviour depends on frictional damping in the fruit fly Drosophila

SUMMARY Turning behaviour in the fruit fly Drosophila depends on several factors including not only feedback from sensory organs and muscular control of wing motion, but also the mass moments of inertia and the frictional damping coefficient of the rotating body. In the present study we evaluate the significance of body friction for yaw turning and thus the limits of visually mediated flight control in Drosophila, by scoring tethered flies flying in a flight simulator on their ability to visually compensate a bias on a moving object and a visual background panorama at different simulated frictional dampings. We estimated the fly's natural damping coefficient from a numerical aerodynamic model based on both friction on the body and the flapping wings during saccadic turning. The model predicts a coefficient of 54×10–12 Nm s, which is more than 100-times larger than the value estimated from a previous study on the body alone. Our estimate suggests that friction plays a larger role for yaw turning in Drosophila than moments of inertia. The simulator experiments showed that visual performance of the fruit fly collapses near the physical conditions estimated for freely flying animals, which is consistent with the suggested role of the halteres for flight stabilization. However, kinematic analyses indicate that the measured loss of flight control might be due predominantly to the limited fine control in the fly's steering muscles below a threshold of 1–2° stroke amplitude, rather than resulting from the limits of visual motion detection by the fly's compound eyes. We discuss the impact of these results and suggest that the elevated frictional coefficient permits freely flying fruit flies to passively terminate rotational body movements without producing counter-torque during the second half of the saccadic turning manoeuvre.
Field Evaluation of a Large-Scale Barrier Application of Bifenthrin on a Golf Course to Control Floodwater Mosquitoes

Abstract In order to better understand the role a barrier application plays in an integrated mosquito management program, we applied a bifenthrin barrier application to a large golf course community and evaluated the mosquito population, service requests, and money spent for control from our barrier site as well as a site that was only treated via ground ultra-low–volume (ULV) application or that was left as a control site. Both the barrier application (t = 2.63, df = 126, P = 0.0147) and the ground ULV application (t = 2.49, df = 126, P = 0.0054) significantly reduced mosquito populations compared to the control, but means within treatments did not differ from each other. Mosquito populations in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traps were reduced by 84% by barrier application and by 52% by ground ULV application at 6 wk posttreatment compared with untreated control. The 2 major species collected during the evaluation period were Anopheles crucians (81%) and Aedes atlanticus (13%). Anopheles crucians was significantly reduced compared with controls for the barrier application (t = 1.55, df = 126, P = 0.003) and ground ULV application (t = 1.85, df = 126, P = 0.052). Aedes atlanticus was significantly reduced by the barrier application (t = 1.54, df = 128, P = 0.002) but not by ground ULV application (P = 0.083). Overall the barrier application resulted in a significant decrease (χ2 = 35.4, df = 1, P < 0.0001) in the number of service requests and ground ULV application (χ2 = 5.3, df = 1, P = 0.02) compared to the site that was only treated with ground ULV application. The barrier application saved an estimated $2,700. Thus, large-scale barrier applications are an appropriate tool for control of floodwater mosquito populations.
Equivalent Circuit Modeling of Broadband Antennas using Vector Fitting and Particle Swarm Optimization

In this paper, the vector fitting was introduced for the robust rational function approximation of broadband antennas. The constrained PSO was then proposed to optimize the sample locations to find the best passive rational function model. The application of the technique to two broadband antennas resulted in RMS errors of 4% and 1%, respectively. However, the method does not guarantee that a passive function can always be found, even though the technique is very successful in all of the antennas tried so far
Asymmetric InGaAs/InP MOSFETs With Source/Drain Engineering

We have developed laterally asymmetric In<sub>0.53</sub>Ga<sub>0.47</sub>As/InP MOSFETs with different regrown contacts at the source (In<sub>0.53</sub>Ga<sub>0.47</sub>As) and the drain (InP). Introducing a wider bandgap material, InP, as the drain electrode, higher voltage gain g<sub>m</sub>/g<sub>d</sub> has been obtained with a reduced output conductance g<sub>d</sub> and improved breakdown voltage V<sub>bd</sub>. For L<sub>g</sub> = 50 nm, a high oscillation frequency f<sub>max</sub> = 300 GHz has been obtained using an InP drain. A gate-connected field-plate has been introduced, which contributes to the device saturation with better impact ionization/band-to-band tunneling immunity.
Speech Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient feature classification using multi level support vector machine

This paper presents the combined application of machine learning algorithm MLSVM (multi level support vector machine) and feature vector MFCC (Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient) to improve the result of speech recognition in comparison to other algorithm which involve formant as feature vector and KNN (k-nearest neighbour), Tree, LDA (linear discriminant analysis) and QDA (quadrature discriminant analysis) as machine learning algorithms. Problem with a machine learning algorithm like KNN, Tree, LDA and QDA is that the accuracy of recognition is limited to increase in the database and training set percentage with respect to total a database available. In this paper analysis and comparison is done between feature vector inspired by speech generation and hearing model to improve the result of recognition for larger database of twenty words. The twenty words are used to generate forty commands which are sufficient to control the on and off state of twenty homes or office appliances. The paper also presents the brief analysis of the effect of training set percentage on the accuracy.
An ac susceptometer for the characterization of large, bulk superconducting samples

The main purpose of this work was to design, develop and construct a simple, low-cost ac susceptometer to measure large, bulk superconducting samples (up to 32 mm in diameter) in the temperature range 78–120 K. The design incorporates a double heating system that enables a high heating rate (25 K h−1) while maintaining a small temperature gradient (<0.2 K) across the sample. The apparatus can be calibrated precisely using a copper coil connected in series with the primary coil. The system has been used successfully to measure the temperature dependence of the ac magnetic properties of entire RE–Ba–Cu–O [(RE)BCO] bulk superconducting domains. A typical ac susceptibility measurement run from 78 K to 95 K takes about 2 h, with excellent temperature resolution (temperature step ∼ 4 mK) around the critical temperature, in particular.