Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of L1 norm approach to data acquired by the array GPR “Yakumo”

We apply the L1 norm approaches on sparsely acquired data of the array ground penetrating radar (GPR) system YAKUMO. Due to the limitation of the antenna size of YAKUMO system, the antenna offsets between each element are much larger than the wavelength. Such sparsely acquired data may introduce strong artifacts to the imaging results such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing and the velocity analysis. In order to use these sparsely acquired data properly, we improved these algorithms by applying the sparsely promoted L1 norm regularization. The results shows that the proposed method can provide high resolution results with sparsely acquired dataset.
Global finite-time stabilization of planar nonlinear systems by output feedback

This paper considers the problem of global finite-time stabilization by output feedback for a class of planar systems without controllable/observable linearization. The novelties of this work are: (1) we show that the adding a power integrator technique can be modified to construct a finite-time stabilizer for the planar systems; (2) a new nonsmooth one-dimensional observer is developed to estimate the unmeasurable state of the system; and (3) a rigorous stability analysis procedure is proposed to appropriately select the gain of the observer. The combination of the finite-time stabilizer and nonsmooth observer makes the planar system globally finite-time stable. We also show that as a direct application of the main result, global output feedback finite-time stabilization can be achieved for the double linear integrator systems perturbed by some nonlinear functions which are not necessarily homogenous.
InP thin films with single-crystalline-like properties on flexible metal substrates for photovoltaic application

We demonstrate heteroepitaxial growth of single-crystalline-like InP thin films by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on low-cost flexible metal foils. The epitaxy was enabled by a multilayer oxide buffer made using ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). The InP films were biaxially textured with sharp in-plane texture and exhibited strong (002) preferential out-of-plane orientation. Strong room-temperature photoluminescence was also observed with band gap of ~ 1.27 eV. Electron mobility of > 700 cm2/V-s at a carrier concentration of 5 × 1017 cm-3 was obtained. High quality single crystalline-like InP films on low-cost metal substrates may potentially be used in the fabrication of inexpensive flexible InP solar cells.
Characterization of the mVSA-UT

In this paper, we present the mechanical design of the mVSA-UT, a miniaturized variable stiffness actuator. The apparent output stiffness of this innovative actuation system can be changed independently of the output position by varying the transmission ratio between the internal mechanical springs and the actuator output. The output stiffness can be tuned from zero to almost infinite by moving a pivot point along a lever arm. The mVSA-UT is actuated by means of two motors, connected in a differential configuration, which both work together to change the output stiffness and the output position. The output shaft can perform unbounded and continuous rotation. The design ensures high output torque capability, light weight and compact size to realize a multiple purpose actuation unit for a great variety of robotic and biomechatronic applications.
Clinical Features of Gastrointestinal Follicular Lymphoma: Comparison with Nodal Follicular Lymphoma and Gastrointestinal MALT Lymphoma

We retrospectively compared the clinicopathological features of primary intestinal follicular lymphomas (FL-GIs), nodal follicular lymphomas (FL-LNs) and gastrointestinal MALT lymphomas (MALT-GIs), and investigated the distribution and the endoscopic appearances of FL-GI to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment modality. The subjects were 28 FL-GI patients, 135 FL-LN patients and 70 MALT-GI patients. In FL-LNs the clinical stage III–IV was 83%, while in FL-GIs clinical stage I–II was 68%. In MALT-GIs clinical stage I–II was 87%. The overall survival was significantly better in MALT-GI patients than in FL-LN patients. All FL-GI patients were alive at the time of evaluation. Regarding the histological grade (WHO), grade 1 was 81% in FL-GI, whereas in FL-LN grade 2 was 28% and grade 3 was 11%. The Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index was low in 61% of FL-GIs, while in FL-LNs it was equally distributed to low, intermediate and high, suggesting that the prognosis is better in FL-GIs than in FL-LNs. The clinicopathological studies revealed the FL-GI has intermediate characteristics between FL-LN and MALT-GI. We recommend a ‘watch-and-wait’ policy or chemotherapy with rituximab for the therapy of FL-GIs because the lesions are often located in broader areas from the lower duodenum to the small intestine.
Correlated response in litter size components in rabbits selected for litter size variability

A divergent selection experiment for the environmental variability of litter size (Ve) over seven generations was carried out in rabbits at the University Miguel Hernández of Elche. The Ve was estimated as the phenotypic variance within the female, after correcting for year-season and parity-lactation status. The aim of this study was to analyse the correlated responses to selection in litter size components. The ovulation rate (OR) and number of implanted embryos (IE) in females were measured by laparoscopy at 12 day of the second gestation. At the end of the second gestation, the total number of kits born was measured (TB). Embryonic (ES), foetal (FS) and prenatal (PS) survival were computed as IE/OR, TB/IE and TB/OR, respectively. A total of 405 laparoscopies were performed. Data were analysed using Bayesian methodology. The correlated response to selection for litter size environmental variability in terms of the litter size components was estimated as either genetic trends, estimated by computing the average estimated breeding values for each generation and each line, or the phenotypic differences between lines. The OR was similar in both lines. However, after seven generations of selection, the homogenous line showed more IE (1.09 embryos for genetic means and 1.23 embryos for phenotypic means) and higher ES than the heterogeneous one (0.07 for genetic means and 0.08 for phenotypic means). The probability of the phenotypic differences between lines being higher than zero (p) was 1.00 and . 99, respectively. A higher uterine overcrowding of embryos in the homogeneous line did not penalize FS; as a result, this line continued to show a greater TB (1.01 kits for genetic means and 1.30 kits for phenotypic means, p = .99, in the seventh generation). In conclusion, a decrease in litter size variability showed a favourable effect on ES and led to a higher litter size at birth.
Molecular Markers in Acute and Chronic Phases of Human Toxoplasmosis: Determination of Immunoglobulin G Avidity by Western Blotting

ABSTRACT We characterized antigenic markers recognized by human serum samples from patients presenting with acute and chronic toxoplasmosis by the determination of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody avidity by a Western blot modified technique (avidity immunoblotting) that includes the dissociation of the antigen-antibody interaction with 6 or 8 M urea solutions. Human serum samples from 20 patients presenting with recent infection and from 20 patients with chronic infection were analyzed. It was observed that bands p16, p32, p38, p40, p43, p54, p60, p66, and p97 were more frequently recognized by low-avidity IgG in recent infection and by high-avidity IgG in chronic toxoplasmosis. From these antigenic bands, p38 can be characterized as an optimal antigenic marker of low avidity for recent forms of toxoplasmosis due to a significant decrease of their frequencies (from 80 to 0%) after treatment with 6 M urea solutions. The p30 antigen was not considered a good marker to distinguish acute from chronic infection since corresponding IgG antibodies were determined to have high avidity in both phases of the infection. Thus, the avidity immunoblotting assay proved to be a useful tool for determining antigenic markers of recent and chronic phases ofToxoplasma gondii infection.
Corianin from Coriaria japonica A. Gray, and sesquiterpene lactones from Loranthus parasiticus Merr. used for treatment of schizophrenia.

Pseudotutin previously isolated from Coriaria japonica A. GRAY was revealed to be a molecular compound consisting of equimolar tutin (2) and a new related sesquiterpene lactone, corianin (3). Corianin was also isolated together with coriamyrtin (1), tutin (2) and coriatin (4), from Loranthus parasiticus MERR. , a parasitic plant that grows on the twigs of Coriaria sinica MAXIM. The structure of corianin was elucidated on the basis of nuclear magnetic resonance and chemical evidence. The previously proposed structure (4) for coriatin was also s ubstantiated.
Identification of Interleukin-27 (IL-27)/IL-27 Receptor Subunit Alpha as a Critical Immune Axis for In Vivo HIV Control

ABSTRACT Intact and broad immune cell effector functions and specific individual cytokines have been linked to HIV disease outcome, but their relative contribution to HIV control remains unclear. We asked whether the proteome of secreted cytokines and signaling factors in peripheral blood can be used to discover specific pathways critical for host viral control. A custom glass-based microarray, able to measure >600 plasma proteins involved in cell-to-cell communication, was used to measure plasma protein profiles in 96 HIV-infected, treatment-naive individuals with high (>50,000) or low (<10,000 HIV RNA copies/ml) viral loads. Univariate and regression model analysis demonstrate that plasma levels of soluble interleukin-27 (IL-27) are significantly elevated in individuals with high plasma viremia (P < 0.0001) and are positively correlated with proviral HIV-DNA copy numbers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) (Rho = 0.4011; P = 0.0027). Moreover, soluble IL-27 plasma levels are negatively associated with the breadth and magnitude of the total virus-specific T-cell responses and directly with plasma levels of molecules involved in Wnt/β-catenin signaling. In addition to IL-27, gene expression levels of the specific IL-27 receptor (IL27RA) in PBMC correlated directly with both plasma viral load (Rho = 0.3531; P = 0.0218) and the proviral copy number in the peripheral blood as an indirect measure of partial viral reservoir (Rho = 0.4580; P = 0.0030). These results were validated in unrelated cohorts of early infected subjects as well as subjects before and after initiation of antiretroviral treatment, and they identify IL-27 and its specific receptor as a critical immune axis for the antiviral immune response and as robust correlates of viral load and proviral reservoir size in PBMC. IMPORTANCE The detailed knowledge of immune mechanisms that contribute to HIV control is a prerequisite for the design of effective treatment strategies to achieve HIV cure. Cells communicate with each other by secreting signaling proteins, and the blood is a key conduit for transporting such factors. Investigating the communication factors promoting effective immune responses and having potentially antiviral functions against HIV using a novel focused omics approach (“communicome”) has the potential to significantly improve our knowledge of effective host immunity and accelerate the HIV cure agenda. Including 140 subjects with variable viral loads and measuring the plasma levels of >600 soluble proteins, our data highlight the importance of Th17 cells and Wnt/β-catenin signaling in HIV control and especially identify the IL-27/IL-27 receptor subunit alpha (IL-27RA) axis as a predictor of plasma viral load and proviral copy number in the peripheral blood. These data may provide important guidance to therapeutic approaches in the HIV cure agenda.
Bodily pain and coping styles among four geriatric age groups of women

No research is available regarding the association between coping styles and bodily pain by age-specific sub-groups in non-clinical older populations. To address this research gap, we recruited 317 older women (age 55–105, mainly from minority ethnic backgrounds) and divided our sample into sub-groups by decade. Regression analyses on the total sample and the age group of 65–74 demonstrated that denial and venting were inversely related to pain. Findings for the age groups 55–64 and 75–84 were non-significant. Among women age 85 or older, seeking emotional support was inversely associated with pain, while active coping was related to higher pain reports.
SNACKING HABIT, MENTAL HEALTH, AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE

There is now considerable evidence that eating habits are moving away from consumption of a few large meals a day to a pattern that involves more frequent consumption of smaller amounts of food (snacking). The main aim of the present study was to consider the relationship between snacking habits and mental health and cognitive performance. The above issues were examined in four samples: one from a general population sample (aged 20-60); one from a sample in their late teens living at home; another from a student sample (aged 18-30); and finally an elderly sample (aged 65 +). The results showed little evidence of significant differences as a function of snacking habit. The snacks consumed were typically crisps, sweets, biscuits, and cakes. The absence of an effect of these types of snacks contrasts with the positive effects associated with breakfast cereal. Cereal based snacks may, therefore, have greater benefits and further research is required to test this view and investigate other types of snack food.
Band-gap renormalization in semiconductor quantum wells.

We develop a theory for the many-body electron-electron-- and electron-phonon--interaction--induced band-gap renormalization of quasi-two-dimensional electron systems by calculating the electron and hole dynamical self-energy corrections at the band edges of semiconductor quantum-well structures. The self-energy calculations are performed within the random-phase approximation (RPA) by treating the electron-electron Coulomb interaction and the electron--optical-phonon Fr\"ohlich interaction on an equal footing. We calculate the band-gap renormalization as a function of the carrier density and the quantum-well width and obtain good agreement with existing experimental results. We find that, when the carrier density and the well width are expressed in terms of effective dimensionless variables by scaling them with the effective Bohr radius for the material, the dimensionless--band-gap renormalization expressed in units of effective rydberg shows a universality, independent of the band-structure details of the material and dependent only on ${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$, the dimensionless interparticle separation, and on the dimensionless well width. We show that this two-parameter universality can be reduced to an approximate one-parameter universality by choosing suitable quasi-two-dimensional Bohr radius and effective rydberg as effective length and energy scaling units, respectively. Finally, our complete RPA calculation shows that the popular and easy-to-use plasmon-pole approximation may not be quantitatively accurate in quasi-two-dimensional systems whereas the usual ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{0}$ approximation employed to include approximately the effects of Fr\"ohlich interaction in the theory works extremely well for the weakly polar III-V compound semiconductor materials studied in this paper.
A heterologous membrane protein domain fused to the C-terminal ATP-binding domain of HlyB can export Escherichia coli hemolysin

The hydrophobic-rich NH2-terminal 34 amino acids of a tetracycline resistance determinant (TetC) were fused to the COOH-terminal 240 amino acids of the hemolysin transporter, HlyB, which contains a putative ATP-binding domain. This hybrid protein replaced the NH2-terminal 467-amino-acid portion of HlyB and could still export the Escherichia coli hemolysin (HlyA). Export by the hybrid protein was approximately 10% as efficient as transport by HlyB. Extracellular secretion of HlyA by the TetC-HlyB hybrid required HlyD and TolC. The extracellular and periplasmic levels of beta-galactosidase and beta-lactamase in strains that produced the hybrid were similar to the levels in controls. Thus, HlyA transport was specific and did not appear to be due to leakage of cytoplasmic contents alone. Antibodies raised against the COOH terminus of HlyB reacted with the hybrid protein, as well as HlyB. HlyB was associated with membrane fractions, while the hybrid protein was found mainly in soluble extracts. Cellular fractionation studies were performed to determine whether transport by the hybrid occurred simultaneously across both membranes like wild-type HlyA secretion. However, we found that HlyA was present in the periplasm of strains that expressed the TetC-HlyB hybrid. HlyA remained in the periplasm unless the hlyD and tolC gene products were present in addition to the hybrid.
Linearization method in classification problems of linear algebra

The author devised in (Math. USSR-Izv. 31 (1988) 481- 501) a procedure that reduces the problem of classifying systems of forms and linear mappings to the problem of classifying systems of linear mappings. We give a brief exposition of this method, review results that were obtained by using this method (and were published mainly in Russian), and give examples of classification problems that can be solved by this method.
Comprehensive hygro-thermo-mechanical modeling and testing of stacked die BGA module with molded underfill

Package reliability is a great concern in developing new advanced packages. This paper presents some of the modeling and testing activities for the design of mixed flip-chip (FC)-wire bond (WB) stacked die BGA module with molded underfill (MUF). The success of the MUF application depends on its performance in thermal shock (TS) test and pressure cooker test (PCT). Mechanical properties (modulus and adhesion strength) of MUF after post mold cure (PMC), reflow and PCT are measured. Shear strength between die and MUF under various temperature and moisture conditions are also characterized. The results show that reflow process and PCT degrade the material properties and adhesion strength. Hygro-mechanical properties, i.e. coefficient of moisture expansion (CME) and saturated moisture concentration (C/sub sat/), are also measured. Based on the measured mechanical and moisture properties, a combined hygro-mechanical and thermo-mechanical stress modeling is performed on the FC-WB stacked die BGA package to compare three types of MUF materials at various temperatures (-40/spl deg/C,25/spl deg/C,121/spl deg/C, and 150/spl deg/C) PCT condition. It is observed that MUF-D3 material induces the lowest stresses on the die active surface. Die stresses induced by MUF with that of conventional mold compound and underfill materials are also compared. The analysis helps in material selection of MUF to enhance the die and package reliability of BGA module.
Hands‐on laboratory experiments with SOHO networking technologies

Traditional computer networking courses are primarily based on lectures and include a few TCP/IP network socket programming assignments. Students may not know how to apply what they have learned in the classroom to solve real‐world problems. This paper presents several interesting laboratory experiments to provide students with hands‐on experiences in low‐cost small office/home office (SOHO) networking technologies, including SOHO Router/Firewall, Wi‐Fi Wireless LAN, HomePlug Powerline Communication, and HomePNA Phoneline Networking. The feedback from students is encouraging. The result of the assessment tests also shows that the hands‐on projects have had a positive impact on student learning and comprehension. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 21: 586–595, 2013
Real-Time Ray Tracing on the Cell Processor

The first ray casting algorithm was introduced as early as 1966 and was followed by the first ray tracing algorithm in 1979. Since then many revisions to both these algorithms have been presented along with the strong development of computer processors. For a very long time both ray casting and ray tracing were associated with rendering of single images. One single image could take several hours to compute and to date still can for very complex scenes.Only during the last few years have attempts to write algorithms for real time been made. This thesis focuses on the question of how a real time ray caster can be mapped on the Cell Broadband Engine Architecture. It addresses the development of a ray caster on a single unit processor and then goes through the steps on how to rewrite an application to exploit the full potential of the cell broadband engine. This includes identifying the compute intensive parts of the application and parallelizing these over all the available elements in the cell architecture.
Robust audio hashing for audio authentication watermarking

Current systems and protocols based on cryptographic methods for integrity and authenticity verification of media data do not distinguish between legitimate signal transformation and malicious tampering that manipulates the content. Furthermore, they usually provide no localization or assessment of the relevance of such manipulations with respect to human perception or semantics. We present an algorithm for a robust message authentication code in the context of content fragile authentication watermarking to verify the integrity of audio recodings by means of robust audio fingerprinting. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm provides both a high level of distinction between perceptually different audio data and a high robustness against signal transformations that do not change the perceived information. Furthermore, it is well suited for the integration in a content-based authentication watermarking system.
An investigation of dimensional scaling using cervical spine motion segment finite element models

The paucity of experimental data for validating computational models of different statures underscores the need for appropriate scaling methods so that models can be verified and validated using experimental data. Scaling was investigated using 50th percentile male (M50) and 5th percentile female (F05) cervical spine motion segment (C4‐C5) finite element models subject to tension, flexion, and extension loading. Two approaches were undertaken: geometric scaling of the models to investigate size effects (volumetric scaling) and scaling of the force‐displacement or moment‐angle model results (data scaling). Three sets of scale factors were considered: global (body mass), regional (neck dimensions), and local (segment tissue dimensions).
Simulation of pressure wave propagation method for space charge measurement in dielectrics

Pressure Wave Propagation (PWP) method is one of the most significant techniques used in the field of nondestructive investigation on space charge. Even after more than three decades from its invention, several issues related to the experimental arrangement, resolution of the measurement and overall measurement accuracy remain unaddressed. In this paper, to highlight the aforesaid issues, an overview of PWP method has been presented with simulated results. It is believed that the simulation would be useful for understanding the basic concepts of PWP method as well for designing improved diagnostic equipment.