Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and control of an electrically assisted kick scooter

Traffic congestion, energy efficiency and environmental issues are fueling the interest in Light Electric Vehicles (LEV's). Electric Human-Powered Hybrid vehicles show a great potential: they are cost effective, safe, easy to use and have a small footprint. In this paper, we discuss an electrically assisted kick scooter. Electric scooters are common on the market but, being throttle-controlled, they sit in a legislative gray area between human powered vehicles and electric vehicles. The proposed design solves this issue by designing a genuine electrically assisted scooter. The proposed design does not have any human machine interface but controls the electric assistance in a transparent way. The user only needs to kick the scooter as she would do with a normal scooter and the control system smoothly delivers the assistance. The proposed solution is based on a kick detection algorithm and a closed-loop control of the vehicle velocity. The details of the control system are discussed in the paper and an extensive experimental validation shows that the electric assistance cuts in half the effort necessary to operate the vehicle with a battery consumption of 4 Wh/km (half that of an electrically assisted bicycle).
Impact of Private Tutoring on Learning Levels: Evidence from India

Despite widespread and substantial private expenditure on private tutoring outside the formal school system in many developing countries, not much is known about their effects on learning outcomes. The main challenge in estimating such an effect is that the decision to send the child for private tutoring is correlated with unobserved variables which are also correlated with learning outcomes. This paper utilizes a large household survey conducted in rural India, and employs Fixed Effect (FE) estimation to control for the effect of unobserved variables. We find positive and significant effect of private tutoring on learning outcomes for students at elementary level (grades 1-8). This effect is equivalent to an additional year of schooling or being in a private school instead of a government school. The effect is stronger for the students enrolled in government schools compared to the students enrolled in private schools, for children from economically disadvantaged background, and for children whose parents are relatively less educated. These are, to our knowledge, the first estimates of impact of private tutoring on learning outcomes in the Indian context.
SPECTRUM OF FLUORANTHENE AND PENTACHLOROBENZENE FOR THE FATHEAD MINNOW ( PIMEPHALES PROMELAS )

Internal body residue has been recognized as a potential dose metric for toxicological assessments. This relationship between body residue and biological effects, including both lethal and sublethal effects, is critically important for determining environmental quality in risk assessments. The present study identified the toxic equivalent body residues for fluoranthene (FLU) and pentachlorobenzene (PCBz) associated with mortality, reduced growth, and decreased hatchability in the fathead minnow. The toxic equivalent body residue was defined as the total of the parent compound and the organically extractable metabolites for FLU and of the parent compound only for PCBz, because no biotransformation was measurable. The lethal body residues corresponding to 50% mortality were 0.80 and 1.26 mol/g wet weight for FLU and PCBz, respectively. As expected, residues associated with sublethal effects generally are 2to 40-fold lower than the lethal residues for FLU and PCBz. Juvenile fish growth was the most sensitive endpoint examined for both compounds. The maximum allowable toxicant residues were 0.02 and 0.43 mol/g wet weight for FLU and PCBz, respectively. The information collected from the present study will permit a greater understanding of residue– response relationships, which will be useful in risk assessments. Keywords—Fathead minnow Fluoranthene Pentachlorobenzene Whole-body residue Sublethal effects
China's Global Influence: A Survey Through the Lens of International Trade

One of the most impressive changes in the global economy in the past half‐century has been China's high and sustained growth and its integration into the global economy. This phenomenal change not only brings huge benefits to the Chinese people, but also exerts a tremendous influence on the rest of the world. How large is China's influence on the global economy? How are various countries/regions affected differently? How are various industries in a country affected differently? Answering these questions is not simple. In this paper, we review the recent literature that attempts to answer these questions. The findings of the survey conducted in this study aim to provide a complete picture of China's global influence and to identify issues that require further analysis.
Online Tremor Suppression Using Electromyography and Low-Level Electrical Stimulation

Tremor is one of the most prevalent movement disorders. There is a large proportion of patients (around 25%) in whom current treatments do not attain a significant tremor reduction. This paper proposes a tremor suppression strategy that detects tremor from the electromyographic signals of the muscles from which tremor originates and counteracts it by delivering electrical stimulation to the antagonist muscles in an out of phase manner. The detection was based on the iterative Hilbert transform and stimulation was delivered above the motor threshold (motor stimulation) and below the motor threshold (sensory stimulation). The system was tested on six patients with predominant wrist flexion/extension tremor (four with Parkinson disease and two with Essential tremor) and led to an average tremor reduction in the range of 46%-81% and 35%-48% across five patients when using the motor and sensory stimulation, respectively. In one patient, the system did not attenuate tremor. These results demonstrate that tremor attenuation might be achieved by delivering electrical stimulation below the motor threshold, preventing muscle fatigue and discomfort for the patients, which sets the basis for the development of an alternative treatment for tremor.
Do Non-debt Tax Shields Matter for Debt Policy?

We provide new evidence on the relationship between non-debt tax shields (NDTS) and debt tax shields by using a novel proxy for NDTS called “tax spread” measured by the difference between tax expenses and taxes paid. We find a positive and significant relationship between Graham’s (2000) measure of under-leverage and our measure of NDTS, inferring that firms have alternatives to debt in order to reduce taxable income. Using our tax spread measure as a replacement for previous proxies of NDTS in extant capital structure models, we find that as predicted by theory, NDTS substitute for debt tax shields leading to a negative relation between the two. We also verify that our measure does indeed capture the effects of NDTS by comparing the tax spreads of firms involved in tax shelter cases to a matched sample. Overall, we contribute by devising an easy-to-measure proxy for NDTS which provides more robust evidence about its role in capital structure compared to extant empirical research in this area. “You can’t underestimate how many of America’s greatest minds are being devoted to what economists would all say is totally useless economic activity. ” - Peter Cobb, former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation
Low Frequency Dielectric Properties of Human Blood

Nano- and microparticles in human blood affect drastically the charge transfer CT through the viable fluid. Low-frequency dielectric properties of the blood, characterized by CT of β-dispersion type, are widely investigated with special stress on physical mechanisms. However, no publication in the literature deals with the presence of α-dispersion in human blood. In the present study, a mechanism associated with α-, β-, and γ-dispersions is presented. The dielectric losses (electrical conduction) phenomenon is also discussed with special emphasis on the distribution of relaxation times. These losses cause problems with low-frequency dielectric measurements, thus, they are correlated with the famous empirical Col-Cole factor, (1-α). A Gaussian distribution of relaxation times is suggested and found to be exponentially related with (1-α). The results suggest new diagnostic and therapeutic methods for blood disorders.
Antibody-conjugated soybean oil-filled calcium phosphate nanoshells for targetted delivery of hydrophobic molecules

Hollow calcium phosphate nanoparticles capable of encapsulating poorly water-soluble molecules were produced by self-assembly. Previously reported were solid calcium phosphate nanoparticles and water-filled calcium phosphate nanocapsules suited for encapsulating mostly hydrophilic, but not hydrophobic compounds. Here, calcium phosphate was deposited around 100 nm diameter, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate stabilized soybean oil nanoemulsions using either calcium chloride or NaOH titrations to achieve shell thickness between 20–70 nm. The surface was functionalized with carboxylic acid via the addition of carboxyethylphosphonic acid to attach Molecular Probes AB-594C antibody using sulpho-n-hydroxysuccinimide and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride with an efficiency of ∼70%, while retaining near complete antibody function. Hydrophobic pyrene was encapsulated with an efficiency of 95%, at concentrations much higher than its water solubility limit, and exhibited spectral features characteristic of a hydrophobic environment. These materials can be used in the targeted delivery of many useful, yet poorly water-soluble pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds.
Practice Patterns and Outcomes of Treatments for Atrial Fibrillation During Sepsis: A Propensity-Matched Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) during sepsis is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, but practice patterns and outcomes associated with rate- and rhythm-targeted treatments for AF during sepsis are unclear. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study using enhanced billing data from approximately 20% of United States hospitals. We identified factors associated with IV AF treatments (? -blockers [BBs], calcium channel blockers [CCBs], digoxin, or amiodarone) during sepsis. We used propensity score matching and instrumental variable approaches to compare mortality between AF treatments. RESULTS Among 39,693 patients with AF during sepsis, mean age was 77 ± 11 years, 49% were women, and 76% were white. CCBs were the most commonly selected initial AF treatment during sepsis (14,202 patients [36%]), followed by BBs (11,290 [28%]), digoxin (7,937 [20%]), and amiodarone (6,264 [16%]). Initial AF treatment selection differed according to geographic location, hospital teaching status, and physician specialty. In propensity-matched analyses, BBs were associated with lower hospital mortality when compared with CCBs (n = 18,720; relative risk [RR], 0.92; 95% CI, 0.86-0.97), digoxin (n = 13,994; RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.75-0.85), and amiodarone (n = 5,378; RR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.61-0.69). Instrumental variable analysis showed similar results (adjusted RR fifth quintile vs first quintile of hospital BB use rate, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.58-0.79). Results were similar among subgroups with new-onset or preexisting AF, heart failure, vasopressor-dependent shock, or hypertension. CONCLUSIONS Although CCBs were the most frequently used IV medications for AF during sepsis, BBs were associated with superior clinical outcomes in all subgroups analyzed. Our findings provide rationale for clinical trials comparing the effectiveness of AF rate- and rhythm-targeted treatments during sepsis.
GLRT-Based Combining Schemes for PPM IR-UWB Systems with Multiple Receive Antennas

This paper deals with impulse-radio ultra wide-band systems with multiple receive antennas. For binary PPM modulations, we propose various combining/detection schemes derived by the generalized likelihood ratio criterion. These schemes first combine delayed versions of the waveforms received at the different antennas and then compute the energies of the resulting signal over intervals smaller than half the symbol period. The decision statistic is finally obtained by a linear combination of these energies. The proposed algorithms can be implemented using currently available technology. They outperform a detection scheme that simply combines the decision statistics obtained (at each antenna) by means of a conventional energy-based detector. Their advantage increases with the number of antennas.
Anr and Its Activation by PlcH Activity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Host Colonization and Virulence

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa hemolytic phospholipase C (PlcH) degrades phosphatidylcholine (PC), an abundant lipid in cell membranes and lung surfactant. A ΔplcHR mutant, known to be defective in virulence in animal models, was less able to colonize epithelial cell monolayers and was defective in biofilm formation on plastic when grown in lung surfactant. Microarray analyses found that strains defective in PlcH production had lower levels of Anr-regulated transcripts than the wild type. PC degradation stimulated the Anr regulon in an Anr-dependent manner under conditions where Anr activity was submaximal because of the presence of oxygen. Two PC catabolites, choline and glycine betaine (GB), were sufficient to stimulate Anr activity, and their catabolism was required for Anr activation. The addition of choline or GB to glucose-containing medium did not alter Anr protein levels, growth rates, or respiratory activity, and Anr activation could not be attributed to the osmoprotectant functions of GB. The Δanr mutant was defective in virulence in a mouse pneumonia model. Several lines of evidence indicate that Anr is important for the colonization of biotic and abiotic surfaces in both P. aeruginosa PAO1 and PA14 and that increases in Anr activity resulted in enhanced biofilm formation. Our data suggest that PlcH activity promotes Anr activity in oxic environments and that Anr activity contributes to virulence, even in the acute infection phase, where low oxygen tensions are not expected. This finding highlights the relationships among in vivo bacterial metabolism, the activity of the oxygen-sensitive regulator Anr, and virulence.
A dynamic state observer for real-time reconstruction of the tokamak plasma profile state and disturbances

A dynamic observer is presented which can reconstruct the internal state of a tokamak fusion plasma, consisting of the spatial distribution of current and temperature, from measurements. Today, the internal plasma state is usually reconstructed by solving an ill-conditioned inversion problem using a large number of measurements at one point in time. Such an approach does not take into account the time evolution of the underlying dynamical system (the plasma) and strongly relies on (technically challenging) internal measurements. The observer-based approach presented here includes the dynamics of the plasma current and temperature, modeled by a set of coupled nonlinear 1-D PDEs which are discretized in space and time to yield a finite-dimensional nonlinear model. The observer, which is based on an Extended Kalman Filter, estimates the state of an augmented model which includes additive state disturbances modeled as a random walk. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of this observer in the case of perturbed models and input disturbances.
Survey on Supervised Image Classification Techniques

Image classification is one of the most challenging problems in computer vision, especially in the presence of intra-class variation,clutter,occlusion and pose changes. Image classification refers to the labeling of images into one of the predefined categories. In image classification it is very difficult to deal with background information. The main two methods for image classification are supervised and unsupervised classification. The objective of this survey is to provide a summarization of major advanced supervised image classification techniques. This literature survey suggests that the selection of the classification procedure depends on the dataset to be dealt with. Efficient classification can be achieved by multiscale information fusion method which has a classification accuracy of 78.24%. Index Terms—Image Classification, Supervised Classifi- cation, Support Vector Machine, Bag Of Words Model.
Autoregressive models for fading channel simulation

Autoregressive stochastic models for the computer simulation of correlated Rayleigh fading processes are investigated. The unavoidable numerical difficulties faced by this method are elucidated and a simple heuristic approach is adopted to enable the synthesis of accurately correlated, bandlimited Rayleigh variates. Performance comparisons are made with a popular generation technique to demonstrate the merits of the method.
Age- and time-dependent prevalence and incidence of hepatitis C virus infection in drug users in France, 2004–2011: model-based estimation from two national cross-sectional serosurveys

SUMMARY Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a public health issue worldwide. Injecting drug use remains the major mode of transmission in developed countries. Monitoring the HCV transmission dynamic over time is crucial, especially to assess the effect of harm reduction measures in drug users (DU). Our objective was to estimate the prevalence and incidence of HCV infection in DU in France using data from a repeated cross-sectional survey conducted in 2004 and 2011. Age- and time-dependent HCV prevalence was estimated through logistic regression models adjusted for HIV serostatus or injecting practices. HCV incidence was estimated from a mathematical model linking prevalence and incidence. HCV prevalence decreased from 58·2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 49·7–66·8] in 2004 to 43·2% (95% CI 38·8–47·7) in 2011. HCV incidence decreased from 7·9/100 person-years (95% CI 6·4–9·4) in 2004 to 4·4/100 person-years (95% CI 3·3–5·9) in 2011. HCV prevalence and incidence were significantly associated with age, calendar time, HIV serostatus and injecting practices. In 2011, the highest estimated incidence was in active injecting DU (11·2/100 person-years). Given the forthcoming objective of generalizing access to new direct antiviral agents for HCV infection, our results contribute to decision-making and policy development regarding treatment scale-up and disease prevention in the DU population.
Reconciliation of Rotavirus Temperature-Sensitive Mutant Collections and Assignment of Reassortment Groups D, J, and K to Genome Segments

ABSTRACT Four rotavirus SA11 temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants and seven rotavirus RRV ts mutants, isolated at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and not genetically characterized, were assigned to reassortment groups by pairwise crosses with the SA11 mutant group prototypes isolated and characterized at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). Among the NIH mutants, three of the RRV mutants and all four SA11 mutants contained mutations in single reassortment groups, and four RRV mutants contained mutations in multiple groups. One NIH mutant [RRVtsK(2)] identified the previously undefined 11th reassortment group (K) expected for rotavirus. Three NIH single mutant RRV viruses, RRVtsD(7), RRVtsJ(5), and RRVtsK(2), were in reassortment groups not previously mapped to genome segments. These mutants were mapped using classical genetic methods, including backcrosses to demonstrate reversion or suppression in reassortants with incongruent genotype and temperature phenotype. Once located to specific genome segments by genetic means, the mutations responsible for the ts phenotype were identified by sequencing. The reassortment group K mutant RRVtsK(2) maps to genome segment 9 and has a Thr280Ileu mutation in the capsid surface glycoprotein VP7. The group D mutant RRVtsD(7) maps to segment 5 and has a Leu140Val mutation in the nonstructural interferon (IFN) antagonist protein NSP1. The group J mutant RRVtsJ(5) maps to segment 11 and has an Ala182Gly mutation affecting only the NSP5 open reading frame. Rotavirus ts mutation groups are now mapped to 9 of the 11 rotavirus genome segments. Possible segment locations of the two remaining unmapped ts mutant groups are discussed.
Antigen presentation 1

This paper reviews some of the cellular events involved in the immune recognition of foreign proteins. The recognition of an antigen by T lymphocytes is essential for its effective elimination by the host. T lymphocytes of the CD4 or CD8 subset recognize antigen but only after the antigen is handled by antigen‐handling cells (antigen‐presenting cells). Antigen molecules are recognized after an internal processing event by antigen‐presenting cells that results in the generation of immunogenic peptides. Such peptides associate with histocompatibility molecules to form bimolecular complexes on the cell surface. The T cell receptors for antigen recognize the bimolecular complex and initiate the events that result in an inflammatory response. Antigen‐presenting cells also produce molecules — termed co‐stimulators — that stimulate the growth and differentiation of T lymphocytes. —Unanue, E. R. , and Cerottini, J.‐C. Antigen presentation. FASEB J. 3: 2496‐2502; 1989.
Prognostic significance of hormone receptors in endometrial cancer

Background. Endometrial carcinoma is the most common femalé pelvic genital malignancy. Many studies suggest that approximately 75% of all endometrial cancers are clinical Stage I. More than 50% of cancer deaths are in patients with clinical Stage I disease. As a result, prognostic factors have been evaluated in an attempt to identify those patients with presumed early stage disease who will be at high risk for recurrence. Recently, hormone receptor status (estrogen [ER], progesterone [PR]) in endometrial cancer has been suggested to be a prognostic factor.
An Analytical Model to Design Processor Sharing for SDN/NFV Nodes

The introduction of the two new paradigms Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) in the Internet is revolutionizing its design and management, creating many new challenging problems regarding resource allocation and orchestration. Little attention has been paid up to now to the "intranode" resource allocation. In this context, this paper introduces an analytical model of an SDN/NFV node that implements NARR, a processor sharing strategy proposed by the same authors to reduce delays by assigning a larger processor portion to the flows that will leave the node through a less loaded output network interface card (NIC). Numerical results analytically demonstrates the gain achieved by applying NARR, and give important insights for future work.
Flies in the ointment: a morphological and molecular comparison of Lucilia cuprina and Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in South Africa

Abstract Complementary nuclear (28S rRNA) and mitochondrial (COI) genes were sequenced from blowflies that phenotypically resembled Lucilia cuprina (W.), Lucilia sericata (Meigen) or exhibited characters of both species. The aim was to test a long‐held hypothesis that these species hybridize under natural conditions in South Africa ( Ullyett, 1945 ). Blowflies were obtained predominantly from the Cape Town metropolitan area, but reference samples were acquired for L. sericata from Pretoria. Several L. cuprina‐like flies were shown to possess a conflicting combination of nuclear and mitochondrial genes that has also been seen in Hawaiian specimens. Homoplasy, sampling of pseudogenes, hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting are discussed as possible hypotheses for the pattern and the latter is concluded to represent the most likely explanation.