Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sternocostoclavicular Hyperostosis: An Ill-Recognized Disease

Sternocostoclavicular hyperostosis (SCCH) is an ill-recognized, rarely diagnosed disease. Today, SCCH is widely considered part of the synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis and osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome. SCCH develops over years with intermittent attacks of pain, swelling, and reddening of the sternocostoclavicular region. The disease causes progressive hyperostosis, fusion of the sternocostoclavicular joints, and soft tissue ossification. SCCH is chronic, non-malignant, and occurs predominantly bilaterally in middle-aged women. The incidence of the disease is unknown. We present a case of isolated SCCH, where chest radiographs showed a clear development of bilateral disease over the course of more than a decade. Whole-body bone scintigraphy was performed and was suggestive of SCCH. The diagnosis was established as late as 14 years from the onset of symptoms. During this period, the patient underwent several inconclusive examinations, resulting in a delay of diagnosis and in prolonged and aggravated symptoms. With this case report, we want to draw attention to SCCH and the importance of early diagnosis of the disease.
Research Statement 1 Resource Allocation -algorithmic Perspective

The focus of my research is on the algorithmic and game-theoretic issues in resource allocation problems including, but not limited to, auctions and bargaining. The Internet has led to a large scale computing platform where independent agents interact with each other. As a result, new allocation markets have emerged with a novel and rich set of algorithmic and game-theoretic challenges. A look into the recent advancements in online advertising and ad auctions shows how new ideas from different areas of research (data mining, algorithms, optimization, auctions, equilibrium notions etc.) are needed to support this multi-billion dollar ad marketplace. A part of my research involves the study of ad auctions. I have designed approximation and online algorithms for combinatorial optimization problems related to ad auctions. I have also used the insights gained from the study of these new models to improve the results for a variety of other well-studied problems. From a game-theoretic perspective, my research involves the study of Nash bargaining games, Bayesian auctions, and robust protocol design.
Adjusting Electrode Potentials to Compensate Thermal/Tissue Effects in Deep Brain Stimulation via Finite Element Electromagnetic Analysis

The proposed method is intended to adjust the electrode potentials used in deep brain stimulation (DBS) with the consideration of both tissue transform and thermal effects caused by stimulation. During a typical DBS process, it is essential, for an effective treatment, to control the stimulation strength and region with varied applied electrode potentials. Some previous studies have been devoted for numerical simulations to find suitable electrode voltage levels for pre-desired stimulated strength and region. These studies consider only one of the two complexity factors due to the intrusion of the DBS lead: 1) a layer of extracellular fluid and giant cell often formed around the DBS leads, called the peri-electrode space and 2) thermal effects. These two factors should both be considered in finite element electromagnetic analysis (FEA), which provides the means to adjust electrode potential for the originally-desired DBS region-called the volume of tissue activated (VTA). Simulation results show that there should be a limiting stimulation voltage to meet the temperature constraint.
Fluorescent monitoring using microfluidics chip and development of syringe pump for automation of enucleation to automate cloning

We have developed a novel technique for fluorescent monitoring of a bovine oocyte nucleus for an automatic cloning device. Animal cells that have been chemically softened by cytochalasin and stained with Hoechst dye are aspirated into a thin microchannel of a microfluidic chip and stretched thin, allowing the nucleus of the expanded oocyte to be monitored. Half the volume of the oocyte is aspirated into the thin microchannel and a high-velocity fluid flow is generated in the wide microchannel to bisect the oocyte. Then, the half-oocytes are monitored to determine which contains the nucleus. To control flow velocity with high accuracy and rapid response, we also developed a syringe pump that is small, has no backlash, and has highly-accurate volume control and a good response for automatic cutting. In this report, we describe the monitoring method and construction of the syringe pump.
CATACLYSMIC VARIABLE PRIMARY EFFECTIVE TEMPERATURES: CONSTRAINTS ON BINARY ANGULAR MOMENTUM LOSS

We review the most decisive currently available measurements of the surface effective temperatures, Teff, of white dwarf (WD) primaries in cataclysmic variables (CVs) during accretion quiescence, and use these as a diagnostic for their time-averaged accretion rate, . Using time-dependent calculations of the WD envelope, we investigate the sensitivity of the quiescent Teff to long-term variations in the accretion rate. We find that the quiescent Teff provides one of the best available tests of predictions for the angular momentum loss and resultant mass-transfer rates which govern the evolution of CVs. While gravitational radiation is completely sufficient to explain the of strongly magnetic CVs at all Porb, faster angular momentum loss is required to explain the temperatures of dwarf nova primaries (nonmagnetic systems). This provides evidence that a normal stellar magnetic field structure near the secondary, providing for wind launching and attachment, is essential for the enhanced braking mechanism to work, directly supporting the well-known stellar wind braking hypothesis. The contrast in is most prominent for orbital periods Porb > 3 h, above the so-called period gap, where differs by orders of magnitude, but a modest enhancement is also present at shorter Porb. The averaging time which reflects depends on itself, being as much as 105 years for low- systems and as little as 103 years for high- systems. We discuss in some detail the security of conclusions drawn about the CV population in light of these time scales and our necessarily incomplete sample of systems, finding that, due to the time necessary for the quiescent Teff to adjust, the consistency of measurements between different systems places significant constraints on possible long-timescale variation in . Measurements for nonmagnetic systems above the period gap fall below predictions from traditional stellar wind braking prescriptions, but above more recent predictions with somewhat weaker angular momentum loss. We also discuss the apparently high Teff's found in the VY Scl stars, showing that these most likely indicate in this subclass even larger than predicted by stellar wind braking.
1 Work Package 1 : Expressive Specification

The purpose of this project is to develop a methodology for the specification and verification of heap-manipulating software programs. This methodology will support an engineering approach to software development, whereby formal specifications can be used to guide and verify code implementations. The project will focus on three key aspects, namely (i) expressivity, (ii) scalability and (iii) useability, which are important for promoting the methodology to future programmers. Expressity of specification will allow us to capture full functional correctness of our programs, where desired. Scalability is important to ensure that automated verification can be effectively carried out using present day’s computational platforms. Useability of the technology ensures that creativity of programers could be enhanced rather than hindered by the use of our tools. As a novel test-bed, we shall deploy the methodology and tools developed in this project for the teaching an advanced course on data structures and algorithms. This step will act as an concrete goal for our research work and will also allow the effectivenes of our methodology to be properly evaluated.
The Monetary Transmission Mechanism in the Czech Republic (evidence from VAR analysis)

Due to significant lags between a monetary policy action and the subsequent responses in the economy, understanding the transmission mechanism is of primary importance for conducting monetary policy. This paper analyses the monetary policy transmission mechanism using VAR models - the most widely used empirical methodology for analyzing the transmission mechanism in the Czech economy. Using the VAR methodology, the paper tries to evaluate the effects of an exogenous shock to monetary policy. The results show that an unexpected monetary policy tightening leads to a fall in output, whereas prices remain persistent for a certain time. The exchange rate reaction then heavily depends on the data sample used. Although it is clear that due to the rather short time span of the data, the results should be taken with caution, they at least show that the basic framework of how monetary policy affects the economy does not differ significantly either from what would be predicted by the theory or from the results obtained for more developed economies.
Development of an Ocean Current Model for the North West Approaches

A hindcast current modelling system for the North West Approaches is described. The model system is a regional high resolution version of the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) for the Faroe-Shetland Channel, the Faroes and the UK shelf north of Scotland. The regional model receives realistic boundary conditions from larger scale models and is currently being operated in a 2.5 years hindcast simulation. The model system simulates the broad range of oceanographic processes and conditions in the area, and provides an extensive current data set. The model output is used for the derivation of current operational and extreme statistics to support exploration and production activites in the region. This paper gives a detailed discussion of the overall model system and the approach taken, and also shows some examples from the hindcast simulation. This work has been supported by the North West Approaches Group (NWAG), a group of oil companies with interests in this region.
Assisted living settings in British Columbia : policy goals and gaps

In November 2002, the Community Care and Assisted Living Act (the Act) was assented to by the BC legislature. This thesis examines the extent to which current assisted living settings, services, and clients are consistent with the policy goals of the Act. The data are based on findings from a survey of 31 for-profit and non-profit settings, combined with interviews conducted with a subset of eight administrators. The typical resident was a widow in her mid-to-late 80s, with cognitive and/or physical limitations. Given these attributes, the services that can be offered as proclaimed on May 14, 2004, and the lean staffing level, it is concluded that residents in the AL settings in BC may not be able to receive needed care or "age in place," which undermines the policy goals of the Act.
Models of Axioms for Time Intervals

James Allen and Pat Hayes have considered axioms expressed in first-order logic for relations between time intervals [AllHay85, AllHay87.1, AllHay87.2]. One important consequence of the results in this paper is that their theory is decidable [Lad87.4]. In this paper, we characterise all the models of the theory, and of an important subtheory. A model is isomorphic to an interval structure INT(S) over some unbounded linear order S, and conversely, INT(S), for an arbitrary unbounded linear order S, is a model. The models of the subtheory are similar, but with an arbitrary number of copies of each interval (conversely, all structures of this form are models). We also show that one of the original axioms is redundant, and we exhibit an additional axiom which makes the Allen-Hayes theory complete and count ably categorical, with all countable models isomorphic to INT( Q), the theory of intervals with rational endpoints, if this is desired. These results enable us to directly compare the Allen-Hayes theory with the theory of Ladkin and Maddux [LadMad87.1], and of van Benthem [vBen83].
A differential geometric approach to nonlinear filtering: the projection filter

We present a new and systematic method of approximating exact nonlinear filters with finite dimensional filters, using the differential geometric approach in statistics. We define rigorously the projection filter in the case of exponential families. We propose a convenient exponential family, which allows one to simplify the projection filter equation, and to define an a posteriori measure of the performance of the projection filter.
Bacteria are not too small for spatial sensing of chemical gradients: An experimental evidence

By analyzing the chemotactic behavior of a recently described marine bacterial species, we provide experimental evidence that bacteria are not too small for sensing chemical gradients spatially. The bipolar flagellated vibrioid bacteria (typical size 2 × 6 μm) exhibit a unique motility pattern as they translate along as well as rotate around their short axis, i.e., the pathways of the cell poles describe a double helix. The natural habitat of the bacteria is characterized by steep oxygen gradients where they accumulate in a band at their preferred oxygen concentration of ≈2 μM. Single cells leaving the band toward the oxic region typically return to the band within 16 s following a U-shaped track. A detailed analysis of the tracks reveals that the cells must be able to sense the oxygen gradient perpendicular to their swimming direction. Thus, they can detect oxygen gradients along a distance of ≈5 μm corresponding to the extension of their long axis. The observed behavior can be explained by the presence of two independent sensor regions at either cell pole that modulate the rotation speed of the polar flagellar bundles, i.e., the flagellar bundle at the cell pole exposed to higher oxygen concentration is rotating faster than the other bundle. A mathematical model based on these assumptions reproduces the observed swimming behavior of the bacteria.
Data acquisition in multiple-sink sensor networks

Data acquisition in single-sink sensor networks might have issues in scalability. As the size of sensor networks grows, the distances between the sink and responding sensors become larger. This leads to greater energy consumption for queryflooding and data-collection between sensors and the single sink, leading to a reduction in the lifetime of the sensors. Hence, we need to design energy-efficient data acquisition mechanisms that scale with the size of the network. One solution is to simultaneously deploy multiple sinks in the sensor network. To reduce energy consumption, each sensor would then have an option of sending its data to any one of the sinks by diffusing its data toward its closest sink, as determined by an appropriate energy metric. In this abstract, we propose a logical-graph model to seamlessly adapt existing single-sink algorithms to multi-sink sensor networks. From the actual multi-sink sensor graph, we construct a new logical graph with a single virtual sink. In particular, we prove that shortest path tree creation in this logical-graph model is equivalent to that in the multi-sink sensor graph. We then analytically obtain the expected energy savings for data acquisition in a multi-sink network. We consider both a uniform random sink placement as well as a deterministic grid-based sink placement. While our analysis is restricted to one and two dimensional cases, we conjecture that, in general, the expected energy savings in a d-dimensional sensor region due to a random placement of k sinks and n sensors is proportional to k 1 d . We validate our analytical results with the help of simulations.
Recommending Items with Conditions Enhancing User Experiences Based on Sentiment Analysis of Reviews

In this paper we propose a new method of recommending not only items of interest to the user but also the conditions enhancing user experiences with those items, such as recommending to go to a restaurant for seafood. This method is based on the sentiment analysis of user reviews, predicts sentiments that the user might express about the aspects determined in an application, and identiﬁes the most valuable aspects of user’s potential experience with the item. Furthermore, our method recommends the items together with those most important aspects over which the user has control and can potentially select them, such as the time to go to a restaurant, e.g. lunch vs. dinner, or what to have there, such as seafood. We tested our method on three applications (restaurants, hotels and beauty&spas) and experimentally showed that those users who followed our recommendations of items with their corresponding conditions had better experiences, as deﬁned by the overall rating, than others.
Implementing the Weak Temperature Gradient Approximation with Full Vertical Structure

Abstract A two-column, nonrotating radiative–convective model is formulated in which the free-tropospheric temperature profiles of the two columns are assumed to be identical and steady and the temperature equation is used diagnostically to calculate the vertical velocities [the weak temperature gradient (WTG) approximation]. These vertical velocities and the continuity equation are then used to calculate the horizontal velocities. No horizontal momentum equation is used. This model differs from other two-column models that have used similar formulations in that here both columns are governed by the same laws rather than different dynamical roles being assigned a priori to the “warm” and “cold” columns. The current formulation has the advantage of generalizing trivially to an arbitrary number of columns, a necessity for developing a 3D model under WTG. The two-column solutions compare reasonably well with a reference two-column model that uses a linear, nonrotating horizontal momentum equation and the sam.
Utilizing a Novel Approach at the Fuzzy Front-End of New Product Development: A Case Study in a Flexible Fabric Supercapacitor

The fuzzy front-end plays a most crucial part in new product development (NPD), leading to the success of product development and product launch in the market. This study proposes a novel method, TTRI_MP, by combining Crawford and Di Benedetto’s model and Cooper’s model, to strengthen the management of the fuzzy front-end. The proposed method comprises four stages: market exploration and technology forecasting, idea generation and segmentation, portfolio analysis and technology roadmapping (TRM). In the first stage, SWOT was utilized to identify the key strategic areas, and the technology readiness level (TRL) was adopted to position the level of developed technologies. In the second stage, the business concepts were required to go through the viability test and customers, collaborators, competitors and company (4C). In the third stage, the Strategic Position Analysis (SPAN) and Financial Analysis (FAN) developed by IBM were employed in the portfolio analysis to screen out potential NPD projects. In the last stage, the selected NPD projects were linked with their functions and technologies in the TRM chart. The method was successfully implemented by a research team working on a flexible fabric supercapacitor at the Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI).
Comprehensive analysis of prokaryotic mechanosensation genes: Their characteristics in codon usage

In the present study, we examined GC nucleotide composition, relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU), effective number of codons (ENC), codon adaptation index (CAI) and gene length for 308 prokaryotic mechanosensitive ion channel (MSC) genes from six evolutionary groups: Euryarchaeota, Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Gammaproteobacteria. Results showed that: (1) a wide variation of overrepresentation of nucleotides exists in the MSC genes; (2) codon usage bias varies considerably among the MSC genes; (3) both nucleotide constraint and gene length play an important role in shaping codon usage of the bacterial MSC genes; and (4) synonymous codon usage of prokaryotic MSC genes is phylogenetically conserved. Knowledge of codon usage in prokaryotic MSC genes may benefit from the study of the MSC genes in eukaryotes in which few MSC genes have been identified and functionally analysed.
Primary-prioritized reservation spectrum allocation policies in heterogeneous cognitive networks

In this paper, we consider a channel reservation technique in heterogeneous cognitive networks with different priority and present two policies to realize dynamic spectral sharing among wireless systems, i.e., a basic policy and a further policy. With a comprehensive consideration of all systems' block probability, an appropriate number of guard channels can be selected through a primary-priority mechanism. The basic policy is aimed at providing an optimal channel allocation strategy for single cell given a fixed number of physical channels. The further one can realize two-cell combinatorial optimization for both the physical channels and the reservation channels to tradeoff the block probability of the primary system and that of the second system. Numeral results are also given to validate the policies.
Designing a database system for modern processing architectures

The hardware landscape is getting increasingly diverse. A modern desktop computer can contain multiple different processing architectures like multi-core CPUs or GPUs. This diversity is expected to grow significantly in the next ten years, with micro-architectures themselves diverging towards highly parallel and heterogeneous designs. We believe that preparing database systems to exploit this diverse landscape of processing architectures will be one of the major challenges for the coming decade in database research. In this paper, we present our thoughts and results on modifying the components of a database system to efficiently use modern processing architectures. In particular, we discuss our work on offloading parts of the Query Optimizer to highly parallel processors such as graphics cards, and present our work on designing a hardware-oblivious Execution Engine that can run unchanged on a multitude of different processing architectures.
Global Exponential Stability of High-Order Neural Networks with Time-Varying Coefficients and Delays

The paper presents a sufficient condition ensuring global exponential stability for high-order neural networks with time-varying coefficients and delays. The result allows for the consideration of all unbounded neuron activation functions, while the previous results allowed for the consideration of bounded activation functions. The method is based on basic analytical techniques and differential inequality techniques. The result of this paper is new and it complements previously known results. Several remarks are worked out to demonstrate the advantage of our result.
Energy efficiency comparison of massive MIMO and small cell network

In this paper, we compare the average energy efficiency (EE) of massive MIMO system and small cell network (SCN) under the conditions of identical user density, antenna density and data rate requirements, where the uplink and downlink training overhead as well as multi-cell power control are taken into account. Our analysis shows that the average transmit power of SCN decreases faster than massive MIMO as the antenna density increases. Moreover, massive MIMO achieves a higher average EE than SCN if its power consumption except the power for transmitting data is very low or the data rate requirement is very high. Considering that in SCN with large number of base stations (BSs) the opportunity for turning some BSs into idle mode is higher, massive MIMO exhibits higher EE only if its circuit power of each active antenna is lower than that for each antenna at an idle small BS. If antenna idling is allowed for massive MIMO, massive MIMO will be more energy efficient than SCN when the former has smaller circuit power for each idling antenna.