Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Event-triggered H∞ state feedback controller design of a T-S fuzzy system based on piecewise Lyapunov function

The problem of the event-triggered H∞ piecewise controller design is studied for a class of networked Takagi-Sugeno(T-S) fuzzy systems. The nonlinear plant is represented by a T-S fuzzy model, and the event-triggered communication scheme is adopted in the feedback loop to improve the communication bandwidth utilization, in which the sampled state should be transmitted or not is determined by the error between the current sampled state and the latest transmitted one. A piecewise state feedback controller is designed via the piecewise Lyapunov functions and some matrix inequality convex technique such that the closed-loop T-S system is asymptotically stable and preserves a guaranteed H∞ performance. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Using Family Data as a Verification Standard to Evaluate Copy Number Variation Calling Strategies for Genetic Association Studies

A major concern for all copy number variation (CNV) detection algorithms is their reliability and repeatability. However, it is difficult to evaluate the reliability of CNV‐calling strategies due to the lack of gold‐standard data that would tell us which CNVs are real. We propose that if CNVs are called in duplicate samples, or inherited from parent to child, then these can be considered validated CNVs. We used two large family‐based genome‐wide association study (GWAS) datasets from the GENEVA consortium to look at concordance rates of CNV calls between duplicate samples, parent‐child pairs, and unrelated pairs. Our goal was to make recommendations for ways to filter and use CNV calls in GWAS datasets that do not include family data. We used PennCNV as our primary CNV‐calling algorithm, and tested CNV calls using different datasets and marker sets, and with various filters on CNVs and samples. Using the Illumina core HumanHap550 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) set, we saw duplicate concordance rates of approximately 55% and parent‐child transmission rates of approximately 28% in our datasets. GC model adjustment and sample quality filtering had little effect on these reliability measures. Stratification on CNV size and DNA sample type did have some effect. Overall, our results show that it is probably not possible to find a CNV‐calling strategy (including filtering and algorithm) that will give us a set of “reliable” CNV calls using current chip technologies. But if we understand the error process, we can still use CNV calls appropriately in genetic association studies.
The Impact of Nighttime and Weekend Liver Transplants on Graft and Patient Outcomes

Safety concerns have been raised about nocturnal and weekend patient care, but it is unknown if these issues effect liver transplantation. We sought to identify the impact of nighttime and weekend liver transplants on graft and patient survival. We utilized the United Network of Organ Sharing database to review adult liver transplants from 1987 to 2010. Comparisons were made between nighttime and daytime operations, and weekday and weekend operations. Cox proportional hazard ratios were determined at 30, 90 and 365 days post-transplant after controlling for relevant factors. 94,768 transplants were included in the analysis. Patient survival at 30, 90 and 365 days for nighttime operations was 96%, 93% and 86%. Patient survival at 30, 90 and 365 days for weekend operations was 95%, 92% and 86%. This was no different from daytime or weekday operations, respectively. Graft failure was unchanged at 30 and 90 days for weekend transplants, but was modestly increased at 365 days (HR: 1.05 (1.01-1.11). Graft survival was unaffected by nighttime transplant. Nighttime and weekend operations for liver transplantation do not impact patient or graft survival, testifying to patient safety measures in place. re-transplantation, donor location, pre MELD vs. MELD era, diagnosis, donor age, cold and warm ischemia time, nighttime organ procurement, donor
Contributions of developed and developing countries to global climate forcing and surface temperature change

Understanding the relative contributions of individual countries to global climate change for different time periods is essential for mitigation strategies that seek to hold nations accountable for their historical emissions. Previous assessments of this kind have compared countries by their greenhouse gas emissions, but have yet to consider the full spectrum of the short-lived gases and aerosols. In this study, we use the radiative forcing of anthropogenic emissions of long-lived greenhouse gases, ozone precursors, aerosols, and from albedo changes from land cover change together with a simple climate model to evaluate country contributions to climate change. We assess the historical contribution of each country to global surface temperature change from anthropogenic forcing ( Δ Ts), future Δ Ts through year 2100 given two different emissions scenarios, and the Δ Ts that each country has committed to from past activities between 1850 and 2010 (committed Δ Ts). By including forcings in addition to the long-lived greenhouse gases the contribution of developed countries, particularly the United States, to Δ Ts from 1850 to 2010 (58%) is increased compared to an assessment of CO2-equivalent emissions for the same time period (52%). Contributions to committed Δ Ts evaluated at year 2100, dominated by long-lived greenhouse gas forcing, are more evenly split between developed and developing countries (55% and 45%, respectively). The portion of anthropogenic Δ Ts attributable to developing countries is increasing, led by emissions from China and India, and we estimate that this will surpass the contribution from developed countries around year 2030.
Reproducibility of the Internal Load and Performance-Based Responses to Simulated Amateur Boxing

Abstract Thomson, ED and Lamb, KL. Reproducibility of the internal load and performance-based responses to simulated amateur boxing. J Strength Cond Res 31(12): 3396–3402, 2017—The aim of this study was to examine the reproducibility of the internal load and performance-based responses to repeated bouts of a three-round amateur boxing simulation protocol (boxing conditioning and fitness test [BOXFIT]). Twenty-eight amateur boxers completed 2 familiarization trials before performing 2 complete trials of the BOXFIT, separated by 4–7 days. To characterize the internal load, mean (HRmean) and peak (HRpeak) heart rate, breath-by-breath oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2), aerobic energy expenditure, excess carbon dioxide production (CO2excess), and ratings of perceived exertion were recorded throughout each round, and blood lactate determined post-BOXFIT. Additionally, an indication of the performance-based demands of the BOXFIT was provided by a measure of acceleration of the punches thrown in each round. Analyses revealed there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between repeated trials in any round for all dependent measures. The typical error (coefficient variation %) for all but 1 marker of internal load (CO2excess) was 1.2–16.5% and reflected a consistency that was sufficient for the detection of moderate changes in variables owing to an intervention. The reproducibility of the punch accelerations was high (coefficient of variance % range = 2.1–2.7%). In general, these findings suggest that the internal load and performance-based efforts recorded during the BOXFIT are reproducible and, thereby, offer practitioners a method by which meaningful changes impacting on performance could be identified.
The effect of ouabain on the rabbit corneal endothelium.

With the method of in vitro incubation of the isolated rabbit cornea with the modified KEI medium, the effects of ouabain applied to the endothelial surface have been investigated. The change in corneal hydration with varying concentrations of ouabain was determined; one-half maximum rate of corneal swelling was found at an ouabain concentration of 3 x 10~ 7 moles per liter. Endothelial permeability in corneas exposed to ouabain was evaluated by assessing permeability to water flow and to radioactive nonelectrolytes. No significant change in these permeability coefficients was found in the corneas which were swelling under the influence of ouabain as compared to normal corneas.
Chest X-Ray Investigation: A Convolutional Neural Network Approach

Though India being home of one out of every six people in the globe, is facing an arduous task of providing healthcare service, especially to the large number of patients in remote areas due to lack of diagnosis support systems and doctors. It is reported that hospitals in rural areas have an insufficient radiologist due to which thousands of cases are usually handled by single doctor. In this context, we aim to develop an AI based computer-aided diagnosis tool, which can classify abnormalities by reading chest X-ray so that it could assist the doctors in arriving at quick diagnosis. We have employed a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) designed by Google known as XceptionNet to detect those pathologies in ChestX-ray14 data. Further, same data is being used for executing other CNN- ResNet. Finally, both the results obtained are compared to assess the superior CNN model for X-ray level diagnosis.
Efficient Geo-Textual Hybrid Indexing Techniques for Moving Objects and Queries

Advancements of various Geographic Information Technologies have resulted in huge growth in Geo-Textual data. Many Indexing and searching algorithms are developed to handle this Geo-Textual data which contains spatial, textual and temporal information. In past, Indexing and searching algorithms are developed for the applications in which the object trajectory or velocity vector is known in advance and hence we can predict the future position of the objects. There are real time applications like emergency management systems, traffic monitoring, where the objects movements are unpredictable and hence future position of the objects cannot be predicted. Techniques are required to answer the geo-textual kNN query where the velocity vectors or trajectories of moving and moving queries are not known. In case of moving objects, capturing current position of the object and maintaining spatial index optimally is very much essential. The hybrid indexing techniques used earlier are based on R-tree spatial index. The nodes of the R-tree index structure are split or merged to maintain the locations of continuously moving objects, increasing the maintenance cost as compared to the grid index. In this paper a solution is proposed for creating and maintaining hybrid index for moving objects and queries based on grid and inverted list hybrid indexing techniques. The method is also proposed for finding Geo-Textual nearest neighbours for static and moving queries using hybrid index and conceptual partitioning of the grid. The overall gain reported by the experimental work using hybrid index over the non- hybrid index is 30 to 40 percent depending on the grid size chosen for mapping the data space and on the parameters of queries.
Packing forces in nine crystal forms of cutinase

During the characterization of mutants and covalently inhibited complexes of Fusarium solani cutinase, nine different crystal forms have been obtained so far. Protein mutants with a different surface charge distribution form new intermolecular salt bridges or long‐range electrostatic interactions that are accompanied by a change in the crystal packing. The whole protein surface is involved in the packing contacts and the hydrophobicities of the protein surfaces in mutual contact turned out to be noncorrelated, which indicates that the packing interactions are nonspecific. In the case of the hydrophobic variants, the packing contacts showed some specificity, as the protein in the crystal tends to form either crystallographic or noncrystallographic dimers, which shield the hydrophobic surface from the solvent. The likelihood of surface atoms to be involved in a crystal contact is the same for both polar and nonpolar atoms. However, when taking areas in the 200–600 Å2 range, instead of individual atoms, the either highly hydrophobic or highly polar surface regions were found to have an increased probability of establishing crystal lattice contacts. The protein surface surrounding the active‐site crevice of cutinase constitutes a large hydrophobic area that is involved in packing contacts in all the various crystalline contexts. Proteins 31:320–333, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of Feeding Patterns on the Performance of Activated Sludge Systems

Excessive amounts of monovalent cations are known to cause deterioration in settling and dewatering properties of activated sludge. In this study, variations in the feeding pattern to a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) were evaluated to determine if the feed pattern could influence effluent quality and sludge characteristics under high monovalent cation concentrations. Data showed that deflocculation caused by high concentrations of sodium could be mitigated by using a feed cycle where the influent to the SBR was provided over a period of 1 minute. In contrast, when the feed was provided over 4 hours, deterioration in settling and effluent water quality was observed, as reflected by an increase in effluent suspended solids, effluent chemical oxygen demand, and capillary suction time.
Blood pressure and pulse wave velocity as metrics for evaluating pathologic ageing of the cardiovascular system

Abstract The influence of chronological ageing on the components of the cardiovascular system is of fundamental importance for understanding how hemodynamics change and the cardiovascular risk increases with age, the most important risk marker. An increase in peripheral vascular resistance associated with increased stiffness of central elastic arteries represents hallmarks of this ageing effect on the vasculature, referred to as early vascular ageing (EVA). In clinical practice, it translates into increased brachial and central systolic blood pressure and corresponding pulse pressure in subjects above 50 years of age, as well as increased carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (c-f PWV) – a marker of arterial stiffness. A c-f PWV value ≥ 10 m/s is threshold for increased risk according. Improved lifestyle and control of risk factors via appropriate drug therapy are of importance in providing vascular protection related to EVA. One target group might be members of risk families including subjects with early onset cardiovascular disease.
Candida spp. isolated from inpatients, the environment, and health practitioners in the Pediatric Unit at the Universitary Hospital of the Jundiaí Medical College, State of São Paulo, Brazil.

INTRODUCTION This study aimed to isolate and identify Candida spp. from the environment, health practitioners, and patients with the presumptive diagnosis of candidiasis in the Pediatric Unit at the Universitary Hospital of the Jundiaí Medical College, to verify the production of enzymes regarded as virulence factors, and to determine how susceptible the isolated samples from patients with candidiasis are to antifungal agents. METHODS Between March and November of 2008 a total of 283 samples were taken randomly from the environment and from the hands of health staff, and samples of all the suspected cases of Candida spp. hospital-acquired infection were collected and selected by the Infection Control Committee. The material was processed and the yeast genus Candida was isolated and identified by physiological, microscopic, and macroscopic attributes. RESULTS The incidence of Candida spp. in the environment and employees was 19.2%. The most frequent species were C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis among the workers, C. guilliermondii and C. tropicalis in the air, C. lusitanae on the contact surfaces, and C. tropicalis and C. guilliermondii in the climate control equipment. The college hospital had 320 admissions, of which 13 (4%) presented Candida spp. infections; three of them died, two being victims of a C. tropicalis infection and the remaining one of C. albicans. All the Candida spp. in the isolates evidenced sensitivity to amphotericin B, nystatin, and fluconazole. CONCLUSIONS The increase in the rate of hospital-acquired infections caused by Candida spp. indicates the need to take larger measures regarding recurrent control of the environment.
Monte Carlo variance reduction in applications to Systems Reliability using Phase Space Splitting

Splitting is a widely known Monte Carlo variance reduction method (VRM). It has been successfully applied for a long time in Monte Carlo applications to neutral particles transport in Nuclear Engineering. In this field splitting is usually referred to as a Geometric Splitting method since it relies on geometric properties of the medium, namely distance and direction. Splitting is remarkable in the sense that it is a "safe" method. Unlike VRMs based on biasing it can not cause the sow tooth phenomenon in which a wrong result appears with very small statistical error. The only risk of using this method is increasing computation time. This makes the application of this method to such areas as safety-critical systems reliability and risk assessment a very attractive option. Suggested work concerns application of splitting to systems reliability problems. The system's structure based metric is used instead of the geometric approach. This metric takes into account importance of each system's component for the target event. Multiple disjunctive surfaces splitting, and splitting combined with the Cluster-Event biasing are considered. The optimal splitting parameters are predicted using the mathematical apparatus developed for applications of splitting in neutral particles transport. Provided numerical examples show considerable benefit of the method.
Scalable Economic Dispatch for Smart Distribution Networks

We present a novel algorithm for economic dispatch in electric power grids. The method is inspired by statistical inference methods. Using discretized optimization variables, our algorithm finds the globally optimal, single time-step dispatch assignment for radial grids in linear time with respect to the number of network nodes. For such problems, the algorithm outperforms state-of-the-art mixed-integer scheduling, both in run-time and in the allowed complexity of component and line models. Moreover, the necessary computations can be performed in a distributed fashion, facilitating both practical implementation as well as information privacy. Our algorithm is thus optimally suited for the very large dispatch problems that will arise in future smart distribution grids with hosts of small, decentralized, and flexibly controllable prosumers, i.e., entities able to consume and produce electricity.
Donor corneae for preservation. A modified dissection technique.

THE simple method of dissecting a corneo-scleral button from the donor eye described below is useful in maintaining a uniform plane of dissection for lamellar grafts because a dark background is provided by the uveal tissue kept in situ with the preserved donor cornea. After enucleation the eye is washed with sterile normal saline, kept immersed in 1: 5000 solution of Merthiolate for 5 minutes, and then washed with Ne-Ba-Sulf solution (Dumex). The eye is held in the hand on a sterile cotton pad. Remnants of conjunctiva, if any, are removed. A scratch incision about 5 mm. in length is made on the sclera 4 mm. away from the limbus with a Bard-Parker knife, care being taken not to puncture the underlying uveal tissue. One blade of a blunt-bladed scissors is introduced through this incision and carefully swept through the cleavage between the sclera and ciliary body; the incision is then enlarged concentric to the limbus (Fig. 1). A small cut is now made in the ciliary body with a spring scissors close to its attachment to the sclera to enter the posterior chamber. This cut is gently extended around so that the iris and the attached part of the anterior surface of the ciliary body are freed from the remaining posterior ciliary body. Separation of the attached zonular fibres with an iris repositor completes the dissection of the comeo-scleral disc, which can now be lifted up with all the iris diaphragm in place, attached to a rim of ciliary body. Fig. 2 shows the parts of the anterior segment ofeye which are included in the dissection. This is washed with Ne-Ba-Sulf solution, all the fluid is drained off, and the button is placed in a previously prepared bottle containing 5 g. molecular sieve granules and 15 ml. sterile glycerin (McNair and King, 1955). The cap of the bottle is screwed on, sealed with melted paraffin, and stored at room temperature (King, McTigue, and Meryman, 1961). tN
What we mean by social determinants of health

Thank you very much for inviting me to give the inaugural speech at the Eighth European Conference of the International Union of Health Promotion and Education, taking place in this beautiful setting in Turin, Italy. Let me start by congratulating you on choosing as a major theme of this conference the social determinants of health. As you know, the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health has just published its long-awaited report. The report has, deservedly, created worldwide interest and within a few days has monopolized the health and medical news worldwide – with some notable exceptions such as the US, where the report has barely been noticed in the media. I saluted the establishment of the WHO Commission and now applaud most of the recommendations in its report. But my enthusiasm for the report is not uncritical, and I will enlarge on this later in my presentation. Let’s start with some of the facts presented in the Commission’s report, facts that should cause discomfort for any person committed to the health and quality of life of our populations, because the problems described in the report – how death and poor health are not randomly distributed in the world – are easily solvable. We know how to solve them. The problem, however, is not a scientific one. But before touching on this issue – the major theme of my talk – let’s look at the facts. To quote one statistic directly from the report: “A girl born in Sweden will live 43 years longer than a girl born in Sierra Leone. ” The mortality differentials among countries are enormous. But such inequalities also appear within each country, including the so-called rich or developed countries. Again, quoting from the report: “In Glasgow, an unskilled, working-class person will have a lifespan 28 years shorter than a businessman in the top income bracket in Scotland. ” We could add here similar data from the US. In East Baltimore (where my university, The Johns Hopkins University, is located), a black unemployed youth has a lifespan 32 years shorter than a white corporate lawyer. Actually, as I have documented elsewhere (1), a young African American is 1.8 times more likely than a young white American to die from a cardiovascular condition. Race mortality differentials are large in the US, but class mortality differentials are even larger. In the same study, I showed that a bluecollar worker is 2.8 times more likely than a businessman to die from a cardiovascular condition. In the US as in any other country, the highest number of deaths could be prevented by interventions in which the mortality rate of all social classes was made the same as the mortality rate of those in the top income decile. These are the types of facts that the WHO Commission report and other works have documented. So, at this point, the evidence that health and quality of life are socially determined is undeniable and overwhelming.