Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multiprotocol monitor and simulator for conformance and interoperability tests at smart grid equipment

It was developed an Interoperability Test Platform (ITP) which is capable of interoperability, functional and penetration tests in equipment applied to Smart Grids and their protocols. One of the implemented protocols is the ABNT NBR 14522, which has several particularities related to the Brazilian energy market which make it of special interest for evaluation. The main one is that there isn't so far a test environment for it. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the protocol simulation and monitoring resources of ITP through conformance, interoperability and functional test scripts for the ABNT protocol. ITP has also the capability to test Zigbee and DNP3 protocols and some results on them will also be presented.
Reducing the Influence of Memory Access Instructions on Stall Cycles

Memoryaccessinstructionsaccountfor a significantportionof stall cycleson integer codes. In this work,weevaluateits influence, and,in anspecificcase, wepresenttwo techniquesto reduceit: addresscalculationcollapsingand zero offset load/store advancing. We analyse these proposals in some codes and performance studies show that the achieved improvements r ely upon the data-structur es used by the pr ograms.
Five vs. ten days of antibiotic therapy for acute otitis media in young children

Background. Many publications in recent years have argued in favor of shortened therapy for acute otitis media. However, doubt persists regarding children younger than 2 years, and some authors therefore restrict short course therapy to children older than 2 years. Methods. In a prospective, comparative, double blind, randomized, multicenter trial we compared cefpodoxime-proxetil, 8 mg/kg/day in two divided doses for 10 days, with an identical 5-day regimen followed by a 5-day placebo period. Results. Between October, 1996, and April, 1997, 450 children (mean age, 14.3 months) were enrolled, 227 in the 5-day group and 223 in the 10-day group. In the per protocol analysis clinical success was obtained on Days 12 to 14 after the beginning of treatment (main analysis) in 175 (84.1%) of the 208 children receiving the 5-day regimen and 194 (92.4%) of the 210 children receiving the 10-day regimen (P = 0.009). The superiority of the standard regimen was more marked among children cared for outside their homes (92.5% vs. 81.5%). Clinical success persisted on Days 28 to 42 among 134 (85.4%) of the 157 assessable patients in the 5-day group and 144 (83.7%) of the 172 assessable patients in the 10-day group (P = 0.68). Conclusions. The 10-day regimen resulted in a higher success rate at the conclusion of therapy, but there were no differences between the two study groups 4 to 6 weeks after enrollment in the study protocol.
Effect of duration of pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus on subsequent cognitive function in rats.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the duration of pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE) on subsequent cognitive function in rats. SE was induced by pilocarpine (320 mg/kg i.p.) and was terminated by injection of 1 mg/kg diazepam at 30, 60 and 90 min in 3 groups of 10 rats each. Cognitive function was tested by a passive avoidance task and was assessed at the baseline and on days 1, 7, 14 and 21 (post SE). It was found that cognitive function was disrupted on days 7, 14 and 21 post SE in rats who had SE for 60 and 90 min, whereas it was not affected in rats that had 30 min of SE. Hence, the duration of SE may affect future cognitive performance and mandates emergency treatment.
Online Appendix : Impact of Competition on Product Decisions: Movie Choices of Exhibitors

Economides (1993) studies the optimal quality choices of differentiated firms. We study a specialized case of his model, where the prices are exogenous and horizontal differentiation among firms (due to location or brand) is pre-determined. In order to analyze short-term responses in product quality to entry while allowing for other product differences across firms, the model allows for three characteristics of a product of firm j : its exogenous location (x j ), which captures pre-existing differentiation; its exogenous quality level (k j ), which captures long-term investments such as the amenities; and the endogenous quality decision of interest q j , which captures the quality dimension over which the firm has control in the short run. The model studies how the firms will choose q j conditional on other exogenous product characteristics in the market. The reason for including both x j and k j is to allow for differentiating features for which consumers have heterogenous tastes as well as those that are desirable for all consumers. The endogenous quality level q j is to be chosen from the interval [0, q]. Each firm’s location x j on the circle is exogenously assigned on a circle of length 1. Assuming constant consumer transportation costs and separability of utility determinants, the value of one unit of the product sold at price p j to consumer i is
A Computer-Based Simulator for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is widely used in the treatment of coronary artery disease. This procedure requires interventional cardiologists to have high proficiency and therefore demands an extensive training period to ensure successful outcome. This paper presents a computer-based interactive simulator for training PCI procedure. Trainee can interact with the virtual simulator with real instruments and basic manipulations encountered in clinical PCI procedure. Although presently targeted at PCI, our simulator could be easily extended to mimic the basic necessities of any vascular interventional radiology procedures by updating vascular anatomy.
Phage-displayed peptide targeting on the Puumala hantavirus neutralization site

We have selected ligands for Puumala hantavirus, the causative agent of nephropathia epidemica, from a seven-amino-acid peptide library flanked by cysteines and displayed on a filamentous phage. To direct the selection to areas on the virus particle which are essential for infection, phages were competitively eluted with neutralizing monoclonal antibodies specific for the viral glycoproteins. The selected phage populations were specific for the same sites as the antibodies and mimicked their functions. The peptide insert, CHWMFSPWC, when displayed on the phages, completely inhibited Puumala virus infection in cell culture at the same effective concentration as the eluting antibody specific for envelope glycoprotein G2. The binding of the phage clones to the virus and inhibition of infection were not necessarily coincident; Pro-6 was critical for virus inhibition, while consensus residues Trp-2 and Phe-4 were essential for binding. The strategy described can be applied to any virus for production of molecules mimicking the effect of neutralizing antibodies.
Experimental evaluation of arm motion using tri-axial accelerometers based on factorized quaternion approach

In this paper, we evaluate a factorized quaternion approach for determining the arm orientation experimentally. The proposed approach uses tri-axial accelerometers with consideration of anatomical and sensor constraints. Experiments have been conducted using a wireless sensor network that comprises of tri-axial accelerometer sensor nodes attached to the arm. The results have been benchmarked with a commercial inertial measurement unit to validate the performance and advantages of this new system. Comparable performance in terms of accuracy has been obtained at a much reduced cost and lower power consumption.
Comparison of Surface Reconstruction Methods for Mobile Robotics- Acronym

This work focuses on surface reconstruction from oriented point clouds gained by scanning objects using the Kinect sensor and modified for use in the Reconbench benchmark. It also divides methods used for surface reconstruction and describes some of them more closely. Then, the given methods are evaluated and compared using Reconbench. After a comparison of the results, the method with the best behavior on the testing datasets is selected. This method is modified to be executable in the PCL library, which collects algorithms aimed at surface reconstruction, visualization and other methods for collecting and processing point cloud data. Abstrakt Tato práce se zaměřuje na rekonstrukci povrchu z orientovaného mračna bod̊u, které byly źıskány sńımáńım objekt̊u za použit́ı senzoru Kinect a upraveny tak, aby mohly být použity v nástroji Reconbench. Také rozděluje metody, které se pro rekonstrukci povrchu použ́ıvaj́ı, a popisuje vybrané z nich podrobněji. Potom jsou některé z metod vyhodnoceny a porovnány za pomoćı Reconbench. Po porovnáńı výsledk̊u je určena metoda, která se nejlépe chová na testovaćıch datech. Tato metoda je přepsána tak, aby byla spustitelná v PCL knihovně, která shromažd’uje algoritmy zabývaj́ıćı se rekonstrukćı povrchu, vizualizaćı a daľśımi metodami na źıskáváńı a upravováńı mračna bod̊u. CONTENTS Comparison of Surface Reconstruction Methods
Metagenome Survey of Biofilms in Drinking-Water Networks

ABSTRACT Most naturally occurring biofilms contain a vast majority of microorganisms which have not yet been cultured, and therefore we have little information on the genetic information content of these communities. Therefore, we initiated work to characterize the complex metagenome of model drinking water biofilms grown on rubber-coated valves by employing three different strategies. First, a sequence analysis of 650 16S rRNA clones indicated a high diversity within the biofilm communities, with the majority of the microbes being closely related to the Proteobacteria. Only a small fraction of the 16S rRNA sequences were highly similar to rRNA sequences from Actinobacteria, low-G+C gram-positives and the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides group. Our second strategy included a snapshot genome sequencing approach. Homology searches in public databases with 5,000 random sequence clones from a small insert library resulted in the identification of 2,200 putative protein-coding sequences, of which 1,026 could be classified into functional groups. Similarity analyses indicated that significant fractions of the genes and proteins identified were highly similar to known proteins observed in the genera Rhizobium, Pseudomonas, and Escherichia. Finally, we report 144 kb of DNA sequence information from four selected cosmid clones, of which two formed a 75-kb overlapping contig. The majority of the proteins identified by whole-cosmid sequencing probably originated from microbes closely related to the alpha-, beta-, and gamma-Proteobacteria. The sequence information was used to set up a database containing the phylogenetic and genomic information on this model microbial community. Concerning the potential health risk of the microbial community studied, no DNA or protein sequences directly linked to pathogenic traits were identified.
Clustered lot quality assurance sampling: a tool to monitor immunization coverage rapidly during a national yellow fever and polio vaccination campaign in Cameroon, May 2009

SUMMARY We used the clustered lot quality assurance sampling (clustered-LQAS) technique to identify districts with low immunization coverage and guide mop-up actions during the last 4 days of a combined oral polio vaccine (OPV) and yellow fever (YF) vaccination campaign conducted in Cameroon in May 2009. We monitored 17 pre-selected districts at risk for low coverage. We designed LQAS plans to reject districts with YF vaccination coverage <90% and with OPV coverage <95%. In each lot the sample size was 50 (five clusters of 10) with decision values of 3 for assessing OPV and 7 for YF coverage. We ‘rejected’ 10 districts for low YF coverage and 14 for low OPV coverage. Hence we recommended a 2-day extension of the campaign. Clustered-LQAS proved to be useful in guiding the campaign vaccination strategy before the completion of the operations.
Effects of Inspiratory Pressure Rise Time and Hypoxic or Hypercapnic Breathing on Inspiratory Laryngeal Constrictor Muscle Activity During Nasal Pressure Support Ventilation

Objective:We previously reported the development of an active inspiratory laryngeal narrowing against ventilator insufflations when inspiratory pressure is increased during nasal pressure support ventilation in lambs. The present study aimed to further understand the factors involved in this inspiratory laryngeal narrowing. More specifically, we tested the hypothesis that a short inspiratory pressure rise time or a low PaCO2 level promotes inspiratory laryngeal narrowing observed in nasal pressure support ventilation. The effect of hypoxia was also assessed. Design:Prospective, randomized, interventional study. Setting:Animal research laboratory at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada. Subjects:Thirteen lambs aged 4–5 days. Interventions:Polysomnographic recordings were performed in chronically instrumented lambs to study states of alertness, glottal muscle electrical activity, tracheal pressure, SpO2, and respiratory movements. Lambs were ventilated with progressively increasing levels of nasal pressure support ventilation (10/4, 15/4, and 20/4 cm H2O), using a broad range of inspiratory rise times from 0.05 to 0.4 s. Thereafter, either CO2 (PaCO2 = baseline value + 10 mm Hg) or N2 (PaO2 = 45–55 mm Hg) was added to the inspiratory line. Measurements and Main Results:The percentage of respiratory cycles with phasic inspiratory activity of glottal constrictor muscle was measured and compared between the various experimental conditions. The different inspiratory pressure rise times tested did not alter the phasic inspiratory activity of glottal constrictor muscle during nasal pressure support ventilation. By contrast, this activity was virtually abolished by increasing PaCO2 in all lambs. Finally, no alterations in the phasic inspiratory activity of glottal constrictor muscle during nasal pressure support ventilation were observed during hypoxia. Conclusions:Active inspiratory laryngeal narrowing during nasal pressure support ventilation is not altered by inspiratory rise times ranging from 0.05 to 0.4 s or by moderate hypoxia, whereas a moderate increase in PaCO2 abolishes this activity.
A pilot study on the motivational effects of an internet-delivered physical activity behaviour change programme in Nova Scotian cancer survivors

Objective: To examine the effects of an internet-delivered, distance-based physical activity (PA) behaviour change programme on motivation to perform PA in cancer survivors. Design: Breast, prostate and colorectal cancer survivors (N = 95) were randomized to either an online Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)-based PA behaviour change programme (UCAN) or usual care. Main Outcome Measures: Motivational variables from the TPB including intention, planning, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and underlying beliefs. Results: UCAN had significant negative effects on self-efficacy (−.7; 95% CI = −1.2 to −.1; d = −.53, p = .019), affective attitude (−.4; 95% CI = −.8 to −.0; d = −.45, p = .044), instrumental attitude (−.5; 95% CI = −.9 to −.1; d = −.43, p = .026) and confidence to perform PA in bad weather (−.8; 95% CI = −1.6 to −.1; d = −.49, p = .030), despite health issues (−.7; 95% CI = −1.3 to −.1; d = −.48, p = .031), despite pain/soreness (−.7; 95% CI = −1.4 to −.1; d = −.52, p = .020), despite family responsibilities (−1.0; 95% CI = −1.7 to −.3; d = −.62, p = .005) and when PA is boring (−.8; 95% CI = −1.4 to −.1; d = −.54, p = .016). Conclusion: UCAN had negative effects on motivational variables in cancer survivors. These findings may be explained by methodological issues related to measuring motivation and/or the absence of post-intentional constructs.
Vaccinia virus DNA ligase: specificity, fidelity, and inhibition.

Vaccinia DNA ligase and mammalian DNA ligases II and III comprise a distinct subgroup of structurally homologous enzymes within the eukaryotic DNA ligase family. The specificity and fidelity of the viral enzyme were investigated using purified recombinant ligase and synthetic duplex DNA substrates containing a single strand discontinuity. Vaccinia ligase catalyzed efficient strand joining on nicked DNAs in the presence of magnesium and ATP (Km = 95 microM). dATP, ITP, AMPPCP, 3'dATP, and ATP alpha S could not substitute for ATP; of these, 3'dATP and ATP alpha S were inhibitors of ligation. The vaccinia enzyme was unable to seal strands across a 1 nt (nucleotide) or 2 nt gap. Ligase action at a 1 nt gap resulted in accumulation of high levels of the normally undetectable DNA-adenylate reaction intermediate. In contrast, no DNA-adenylate was formed at a 2 nt gap. A native gel mobility shift assay showed that vaccinia DNA ligase was capable of discriminating between nicked and gapped DNAs at the substrate binding step. The ligase was fairly tolerant of mismatches at a nick involving the 5' phosphate donor terminus but was inhibited strongly by mismatches at the 3' OH acceptor terminus, especially by purine. -purine mispairs. These findings underscore the importance of a proper 3' OH terminus in substrate recognition and reaction chemistry but also raise the possibility that ligase may generate mutations during DNA repair by sealing DNA molecules with mispaired ends. Ligase was inhibited by several DNA binding drugs, including, in order of decreasing potency, distamycin, ethidium bromide, and actinomycin. Strand joining by purified ligase was not affected by etoposide, a drug that inhibits vaccinia virus replication in vivo and which depends on the presence of vaccinia ligase for its antiviral action.
Democratic community-based search with XML full-text queries

As the web evolves, it is becoming easier to form online communities based on shared interests, and to create and publish data on a wide variety of topics. With this democratization of information creation, it is natural to query, in an ad-hoc and expressive fashion, the global collection that is the union of all local data collections of others within the community. In order to publish and locate documents of interest while fully delivering on the promise of free data exchange, any community-supporting infrastructure needs to enforce the key requirement to preserve privacy of the association of content providers with potential sensitive information. This privacy-preserving publishing requirement prevents censorship, harassment, or discrimination of users by third parties. It also precludes some obvious approaches that reuse and build on existing centralized technologies including search engines and hosted online communities. This dissertation facilitates democratization of data publishing and efficient search with powerful full-text queries over the community global collection by means of a novel distributed framework that disseminate queries in online communities. We address two challenging issues that arise in this context: the design of distributed access methods to publishers and the evaluation of expressive queries (i.e., XML full-text) locally at the publisher thereof. First, given the virtual nature of the global data collection, we study the problem of efficiently discovering publishers in the community that contain documents matching a user query. We call such peers relevant publishers. We propose a novel distributed infrastructure in which data resides only with the publishers owning it. The infrastructure disseminates user queries to publishers, who answer them at their own discretion, under data-location anonymity constraints. That is the query forwarding infrastructure prevents leaking information about which publishers are capable of answering a certain query. Second, once queries reach relevant publishers, we study how they efficiently process the incoming queries over their local repositories. Given that the commonly used data model for information exchange on the Web is semi-structured (e.g., XML), we propose algorithms for the evaluation and optimization of expressive XML queries that integrate structured and full-text search, including the W3C XQuery Full-Text standard.
An improved bang-bang phase detector for clock and data recovery applications

A low power fully integrated PLL-based 5 Gb/s NRZ clock and data recovery circuit was successfully implemented in a 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS process. A novel bang-bang phase detector, used in the implementation, resulted in improved jitter performance compared to conventional bang-bang detectors. Differential topologies were used for the charge-pump and VCO circuits to reduce the design sensitivity to power supply noise. The maximum measured clock jitter from a 2/sup 23/-1 pseudorandom bit stream (PRBS) input data was less than 4.8 ps rms. The total power dissipation was less than 80 mW from a 1.8 V supply.
Development of an Automated Medical Diagnosis System for Classifying Thyroid Tumor Cells using Multiple Classifier Fusion

An automated medical diagnosis system has been developed to discriminate benign and malignant thyroid nodules in multi-stained fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) images using multiple classifier fusion and presented in this paper. First, thyroid cell regions are extracted from the auto-cropped sub-image by implementing mathematical morphology segmentation method. Subsequently, statistical features are extracted by two-level wavelet decomposition based on texture characteristics of the thyroid cells. After that, decision tree (DT), k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), Elman neural network (ENN) and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers are used separately to classify thyroid nodules into benign and malignant. The four individual classifier outputs are then fused together using majority voting rule and linear combination rules to improve the performance of the diagnostic system. The classification results of ENN and SVM classifiers show an overall diagnostic accuracy (DA) of 90%, sensitivity (Se) of 85% and 100%, specificity (Sp) of 90% and 90% respectively. However, the best diagnostic accuracy of 96.66% is obtained by multiple classifier fusion with majority voting rule and linear combination rules. The experimental results show that the proposed method is a useful tool for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer and can provide a second opinion for a physician’s decision.
Sociocultural and psychological features of perceived stigma reported by people with epilepsy in Benin

Purpose: Stigma is a major burden of epilepsy. In sub‐Saharan Africa the few studies that addressed epilepsy stigma emphasize enacted, rather than perceived, stigma. This inattention may compromise clinical management and delay help seeking, thereby contributing to the treatment gap. We assessed perceived stigma and identified sociocultural and psychological factors explaining greater stigma among people with epilepsy (PWE) in Benin.
Kalman – type filtering for discrete – time stochastic systems with state – dependent noise

The paper presents a Kalman–type filtering problem for linear discrete–time stochastic systems subjected both to additive and multiplicative white noise. A deterministic Luenberger observer structure was adopted for the filter. It is proved that the optimal gain of the filter depends on the solution of a system of a Riccati equation coupled with a Lyapunov–type equation. The theoretical results are illustrated by a numerical example for a navigation application.