Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Attitude control of acrobot by gain scheduling control based on sum of squares

The acrobot is a two-link underactuated system and its dynamics has strong nonlinearity that gives rise to difficulty of controller design. Gain scheduling (GS) control is an alternative method for stabilizing such system in a wide range of operation with desired performance specifications. In this paper, problems of GS controller design for the attitude control of the acrobot are reduced to solving polynomially parameter-dependent linear matrix inequalities (PDLMIs). The polynomially PDLMIs are relaxed by matrix sum of squares (SOS) polynomials to find feasible solutions. Several reduction techniques for the GS controller design of the acrobot are developed to decrease the amount of computation for solving the SOS problems while direct formulations are too cost to solve. For two attitude modes of the acrobot, the effectiveness of GS control is shown by experiments as well as simulations.
Applications of cumulants to array processing. Part VI. Polarization and direction of arrival estimation with minimally constrained arrays

A fourth-order statistics-based method is presented for joint estimation of polarization and direction of arrival parameters of as many as M-1 narrowband signals with an M-element array having M-3 elements that are of arbitrary and unknown response and geometry and a subarray consisting of three short dipole antennas configured in a certain fashion. The method is computationally efficient and offers considerable savings in hardware over a recently published second-order statistics based method.
Building Inter-Organizational Social Capital Instruments to Evaluate Collaborative Networks

This paper presents the development process of an inter-organizational social capital survey to evaluate collaborative networks. The survey instrument construction was based on three main sources. The first one, was a deep literature research that covered social capital and collaborative network issues. The second, a meta-analysis from well-known journals basically taken from the Business Source Premier Database. Finally, the third, was an exploratory research done in a Brazilian enterprise collaborative network. In this exploratory phase, we used semi-structured interviews, direct observation and document analysis. As a result of this work, we present two instruments for inter-organizational social capital evaluation: a qualitative instrument, built in the first stage of the study and a quantitative instrument (survey) built from the results of the exploratory phase.
The Role of Kaolin Particles in the Performance of a Carbamate‐Based Biocide for Water Bacterial Control

The influence of kaolin particles on the activity of Pseudomonas fluorescens and on the efficacy of a carbamate‐based biocide was investigated. The results indicated that kaolin particles stimulated the activity of the bacteria for all buffered pH values studied (5, 7, and 9); this effect being more evident for the tests carried out at pH 5 and 9. The presence of the clay in P. fluorescens suspensions decreased the efficiency of disinfection of the carbamate. The results also showed that kaolin was very effective in removing carbamate from the culture media. Therefore, the biocide concentration in the solution decreased, and consequently its availability to the bacteria was reduced. The results could be explained by the interaction between kaolin particles and carbamate and by the changes in the configuration of kaolin aggregates, depending on the pH value.
A stochastic unit commitment model for a local CHP plant

Local CHP development in Denmark has during the 90's been characterised by large growth primarily due to government subsidies in the form of feed-in tariffs. In line with the liberalisation process in the EU, Danish local CHPs of a certain size must operate on market terms from 2005. This paper presents a stochastic unit commitment model for a single local CHP plant (consisting of CHP unit, boiler, and heat storage facility) which takes into account varying spot prices. Further, additional technology is implemented in the model in the form of an immersion heater. Simulations are conducted using the spot prices of the years 2001-2003, both with and without the immersion heater included in the model, and the results are compared to the full information case.
A Porcine Model for Adipose Tissue-Derived Endothelial Cell Transplantation

The transplantation of endothelial cells represents a technology which has been suggested for applications ranging from improvement in function of implanted vascular devices to genetic therapy. The use of microvascular endothelial cell transplantation has seen increased use both in animal studies as well as clinical use. This report describes our techniques for the isolation and establishment of initial cultures of microvascular endothelial cells derived from porcine fat. A variety of anatomic sites within the pig were evaluated to determine the appropriateness of different sources of fat for endothelial cell isolation. The properitoneal fat was determined to be optimal due to the predominance of endothelium in this tissue and the ease of isolation of microvascular endothelium following collagenase digestion. The study of endothelial cell transplantation in the porcine model is now possible using the methods described for adipose tissue-derived micro vessel endothelial cell isolation.
Employing RST structure for finding answers to wAj-questions

This paper presents the work that we have carried out in investigating the purpose of discourse structure for why-question answering (why-QA). We developed a system for answer­ ing why-questions that employs the discourse relations in a pre-annotated document collection (the R ST Treebank). With this method, we obtain a recall o f 53.3% with a mean reciprocal rank (MRR) o f 0.662. We argue that the maximum recall that can be obtained from the use o f RST relations as proposed in the present paper is 58.0%. I f we discard the questions that require world knowledge, maximum recall is 73.9%. We conclude that discourse structure can play an important role in complex question answering, but that more forms o f linguistic processing are needed for increasing recall.
The relationship between longitudinal change in pulmonary function and nonspecific airway responsiveness in children and young adults.

The relationship between airway hyperresponsiveness and longitudinal change in lung function was assessed in a population-based sample of 184 children and young adults observed over a maximum span of 12 yr. Pulmonary function was assessed annually with spirometry, and health and household information was obtained with standardized questionnaires. Nonspecific airway responsiveness to eucapneic hyperventilation with subfreezing air was measured on at least two occasions between the sixth and twelfth annual surveys. At any given survey, a significant bronchoconstrictor response was defined as [( prechallenge FEV1-postchallenge FEV1]/pre-FEV1) greater than or equal to 0.13, a value that identified 10% of the population. Subjects were classified as "never", "always", or "inconsistent" responders according to the consistency of responsiveness determined in different surveys. Subjects were classified further as "labile" if their maximal survey-to-survey difference in delta FEV1/FEV1 was greater than or equal to 0.18, and as "nonlabile" otherwise. A Markov-type autoregressive model that adjusts for previous pulmonary function level, sex, growth variables, and smoking exposures was used to model growth of FEV1, FEF25-75, and FVC. Overall, 135 (73%) of subjects never responded to the cold air challenge, six (3%) always responded, and 43 (24%) responded on one but not all occasions. Levels and rates of increase in level of FEF25-75 were significantly lower in the inconsistent and always responders. In contrast, levels of FVC were greatest and increased most in the always responders. In labile subjects, both FEF25-75 and FEV1 growth rates were reduced. These effects persisted when asthmatics were excluded from the analyses. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Trend of Heavy Metal Wastewater Treatment by Adsorption Method

Heavy metal wastewater emissions have been increased a lot along with the development of our industry, moreover the pollution problem was getting worse. Adsorption method made a considerable development as one of the important methods in heavy metal wastewater treatment recent years. This paper reviewed the achievements of heavy metal wastewater treatment from the biological adsorption, high polymer absorption, inorganic adsorption.
Wearable Quarter-Wave Folded Microstrip Antenna for Passive UHF RFID Applications

A wearable low-profile inset-fed quarter-wave folded microstrip patch antenna for noninvasive activity monitoring of elderly is presented. The proposed antenna is embedded with a sensor-enabled passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag operating in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) industrial-scientific-medical (ISM) band around 900 MHz. The device exhibits a low and narrow profile based on a planar folded quarter-wave length patch structure and is integrated on a flexible substrate to maximise comfort to the wearer. An extended ground plane made from silver fabric successfully minimises the impact of the human body on the antenna performance. Measurements on a prototype demonstrate a reflection coefficient () of −30 dB at resonance and a −10 dB bandwidth from 920 MHz to 926 MHz. Simulation results predict a maximum gain of 2.8 dBi. This is confirmed by tag measurements where a 4-meter read range is achieved using a transmit power of 30 dBm, for the case where the passive wearable tag antenna is mounted on a body in a practical setting. This represents an almost 40% increase in read range over an existing dipole antenna placed over a 10 mm isolator layer on a human subject.
Response to EGFR-TKI in patients with gastrointestinal metastasis from primary lung adenocarcinoma : report of two cases

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The most common sites of lung cancer metastasis are the lymph nodes, brain, liver, bones, and adrenal glands, whereas the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is rare. Here we report two cases of non-small cell lung cancer with GI metastases. Both patients were given epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) during treatment. The patient of case 1 died soon after being given icotinib for late-stage multiple organ failure. The patient of case 2 with wild-type EGFR achieved 13 months of progression-free survival after erlotinib therapy, and the most recent follow-up evaluation suggested a stable condition in which no lesions demonstrated progression. Through these two cases, we observed different clinical effects and prognosis after EGFR-TKI-based therapy for these patients, but the mechanism of action requires further elucidation.
Differential loss of ancestral gene families as a source of genomic divergence in animals

A phylogenetic approach was used to reconstruct the pattern of an apparent loss of 2106 ancestral gene families in four animal genomes (Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, human and fugu). Substantially higher rates of loss of ancestral gene families were found in the invertebrates than in the vertebrates. These results indicate that the differential loss of ancestral gene families can be a significant factor in the evolutionary diversification of organisms.
The utilization of systematic outcome mapping to improve performance management in health care

Performance management is an important mechanism for ensuring accountability and improving the quality of health-care services. The last decade has witnessed a proliferation in the development of performance measurement systems for assessing health-care processes and outcomes at the program, hospital, district, system and national level. This has allowed for comparison and benchmarking between similar aspects of care at each of these levels. Unfortunately, most performance systems are devoid of clear mechanisms for translating feedback from measures into strategies for action, thus leaving largely unfulfilled the quality and management aspect necessary to improve health-care services. Therefore, the thinking that goes into designing these systems must change. This article outlines a management framework called systematic outcome mapping that provides for performance management rather than just performance measurement by allowing for quality improvement to be built into performance indicator development. It utilizes evidence-based medicine and expert consensus opinion to establish linkages between processes of care and their outcomes with the clear intent that feedback from information provided by performance indicators can be used to modify health-care activities so as to improve health outcomes. This fulfils the quality improvement aspect of performance measurement and makes it an integral part of a performance management framework that reinforces organizational learning through feedback from outcomes and the assessment of organizational routines.
An improved Apriori–based algorithm for friends recommendation in microblog

With the rapid development of Internet, the world has come into a new era of network interaction. Internet development in China makes various kinds of software available to users, by which relatives, close friends, and partners can achieve real‐time interactions. It is acknowledged that the recommended issues and persons are the most important parts for user experience. This study concentrates on how to provide a recommendation for users with a common interest in Microblog. We first illustrate some recommended algorithms based on data mining, and the implementation process of friend‐recommended system is then stated. After that, by integrating the characteristics of the user information, the forwarding and comments on information to associated users, we present an improved Apriori–based algorithm to rank the recommended information with confidence interval. Simulation results demonstrate the superiority and efficiency of our method.
An Analytical Model for SLTDM to Reduce the PAPR and ICI in OFDM Systems for Fast Varying Channels

OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) technique is a promising candidate for the most of current and future modern wireless communication systems. It however suffers from two major drawbacks, namely the high PAPR and ICI. The later is present only in time varying channels. To combat with these problems various researchers of the current era have proposed numerous techniques. However most of the known techniques fail considerably when the channel characteristics change considerably within symbol duration. An analytical model for an alternative technique is proposed in this paper. This model maintains the major advantages of OFDM and gives better solutions to both PAPR and ICI problems. It keeps all the global OFDM structure but unlike OFDM this model uses TDM technique instead of FDM, which is used in OFDM. This suggests considering it a symbol-level TDM (SLTDM) technique. In this paper we have proposed the SLTDM analytical model, which follows the similar steps as we have in OFDM analytic model. Simulation results confirmed the SLTDM supremacy over OFDM in time varying channels
Why did that happen? Exploring the proliferation of barely usable software in healthcare systems

Clinicians and support staff are faced with increasingly complex computer applications. This complexity stems partly from the integration of heterogeneous systems ranging from computerized patient records to theatre management and dosage planning applications, and also from the increased functionality offered by the new generation of IT systems. Many members of clinical staff are bewildered by the vast array of configuration options and operating modes supported by computer based systems, while manufacturers often feel compelled to offer more and more software features to retain market position. These factors combine to create “usability” problems that have had a direct impact on patient outcomes as well as a number of indirect effects—for example, the costs of replacing and upgrading inadequate computer systems carry significant opportunity costs in terms of services that might otherwise have been funded. In the future we need to educate staff to reject substandard computer interfaces early in the acquisition process; encourage the use of human computer interaction techniques in health care; and train staff to recognize the dangers of “working around” poor interface design.
Autosomal recessive ichthyosis with hypotrichosis syndrome: further delineation of the phenotype

Autosomal recessive ichthyosis with hypotrichosis (ARIH) syndrome, which is characterized by congenital ichthyosis, abnormal hair and corneal involvement, has recently been shown in one consanguineous Israeli Arab family to be caused by a mutation in the ST14 gene, which encodes serine protease matriptase. No other families have so far been described since the original report. In this current report we describe a female patient from a second family with ARIH syndrome who carries a homozygous novel mutation, p.M1I. The patient has congenital ichthyosis, light brown, curly, sparse hair, improving with age, and sparse body hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. She does not suffer from photophobia, but has blepharitis. The phenotype of this patient closely resembles that of the affected individuals in the previously reported family, although she does not have tooth abnormalities and the ichthyosis is milder.
Epithelial Phenotype in Ewing's Sarcoma/Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor

Neural differentiation is an integral component of Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET), which exhibits a continuous spectrum from minimal to prominent neural phenotype. Differentiation of Ewing's sarcomas/PNETs along other lineages or the expression of an epithelial phenotype is less common and-if present-may cause diagnostic difficulties. In this study we evaluated the frequency of epithelial differentiation in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues of 33 (22 primary and 11 metastatic) Ewing's sarcomas/PNETs by using an immunohistochemical assay with several antikeratin antibodies. Focal positivity for lowor highmolecular-weight keratins was documented in 18% of the cases, and diffuse coexpression of lowand high-molecular-weight keratins was observed in two cases. Expression of the MIC-2 gene product was documented in 94% of the tumors. The primitive neural phenotype as revealed by expression of either neuron-specific enolase or synaptophysin was observed in 30% of the cases, but coexpression of both neural markers was present in only 15% of the tumors. This study documents that, in addition to primitive neural differentiation, Ewing's sarcomas/PNETs frequently exhibit focal positivity for keratins, with rare strong diffuse coexpression of both lowand high-molecular-weight keratins. The findings indicate that the expression of an epithelial phenotype, at least in a focal fashion, is a relatively frequent finding in otherwise typical Ewing's sarcomas/PNETs.
CTA Quantification of Internal Carotid Artery Stenosis: Application of Luminal Area vs. Luminal Diameter Measurements and Assessment of Inter‐observer Variability

Background and Purpose. In contrast to digital subtraction angiography (DSAdia), computed tomography angiography (CTA) provides exact delineation of the perfused lumen in the axial plane, thus allowing luminal (CTAdia) as well as cross‐sectional area (CTAarea) internal carotid artery stenosis (ICAS) assessment. The purposes of the present study were to correlate CTAdia and CTAarea with DSAdia and to assess the inter‐observer variabilities of both CTA techniques.
Population Genetics and Comparative Genetics of CLDN1, a Gene Involved in Hepatitis C Virus Entry

The claudin-1 gene (CLDN1) is a member of a family of genes that encodes proteins found in tight junctions and it has recently been implicated as one of several receptors for late stage binding of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Exploration of the population genetics of this gene could be informative, especially in the investigation of a possible genetic contribution to HCV infection. Comparison to a highly similar gene, claudin-7 (CLDN7) could provide insight into the recent molecular evolution of CLDN1. Mean interspecies conservation score was 0.11 (SD 0.28) for CLDN1 and 0.31 (SD 0.43) for CLDN7. Re-sequence analysis was performed across all exons and evolutionarily conserved regions in CLDN1 (13 kb in total) and CLDN7 (2 kb in total) in 204 chromosomes drawn from the SNP500Cancer resource of four self-described ethnic groups in the US. For CLDN1, 133 SNPs were identified as well as 8 indels and an AC repeat length polymorphism. For CLDN7, 5 SNPs were identified. Assessment of nucleotide diversity (includingFst, θ and π statistics) did not show evidence for recent positive or negative selection in either gene. The pattern of linkage disequilibrium was determined for each group and there is substantial difference for common SNPS (>5%) between populations as well as genes, further supporting the absence of signatures of recent selection.
Death rates of Salmonellae in fishmeals with different water activities. I. During storage.

Fishmeals with different moisture contents, having water activities (aw) ranging from 0.34 to 0.71, were infected with strains of Salmonella oranienburg or S. senftenberg and were stored at 15, 20 and 30°c, packed in nitrogen or air. The initial death rates (calculated over storage periods of 70 days) were not appreciably influenced by reduction of aw from 0.71 to 0.54. Further reduction of aw to 0.34 caused a decrease of the initial death rate, in particular in meals stored at 15 or 20°c. As compared with fishmeals packed in air, meals packed in nitrogen showed a decrease of initial death rates, especially in meals with the lowest aw and stored at 15 and 20°c. Death rates calculated over longer storage periods were smaller than initial death rates, in particular in meals with aw 0.54 stored at 15 and 20°c and meals with aw 0.34 stored at 15, 20 and 30°c. Pelletisation of meals with aw 0.72-0.74 caused a 102-103-fold reduction of initial Salmonella counts. The death rates of salmonellae which survived the pelletisation treatments were of about the same order as found for the initial death rates of salmonellae in non-pelletised meals with about the same aw.
SEARCH OF DYNAMIC MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGES USING ACTIVE SHAPE MODEL

This paper focuses on segmenting dynamic magnetic resonance (MR) images of the human heart stored in a database. Heart MR images are dynamic, as the size a nd shape of a person’s heart vary in time. Active Shape Model segmentation was used to segment dynamic images of the heart. The input data is a points file of a set of random points. This method is economical since points of all the frames need not be placed in the points file for search. Segmented d ynamic images of an o rgan such as a heart would h elp ph ysicians to b etter understand certain medical conditions. The novelty of this approach is that it allows automatic segmentation of thousands of dynamic MR images in the database, visualization of the shape variation and retrieval of similar cases of interest from the image database.