Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of stationary means of measurement filters with optimum sensitivity

When transmitting information and control signals to electrical, electromechanical and mechatronic systems are require reduction to the lowest possible levels of noise interference. For this is substantiated in the general formulation of the one-dimensional problem of determining the sensitivity of a linear stationary optimal Wiener filtration. It is proposed to use the method of local approximation of the spectral densities for the quantitative determination of indicators of sensitivity converting electrical signals from the means of measurement. In relation to the different models produced rec-ommendations on the advisability of accounting the characteristics of the signal deviations from nominal, deviations from the optimal structures and parameters for their implementation and configura-tion of the filters themselves.
A comparison of intravenous ketoprofen with pethidine for postoperative pain relief following nasal surgery

A controlled investigation was conducted to compare the efficacy of ketoprofen and pethidine in relief of postoperative pain after nasal surgery. Sixty patients were randomly allocated to receive intravenous ketoprofen 1.5 mg · ml‐1 or pethidine 1 mg · kg‐1 during induction of anaesthesia. Appearance, pain and headache were assessed 1, 2, and 4 h postoperatively, and the following morning. The use of ketoprofen was associated with a significantly faster recovery from anaesthesia (P<0.001), and a more rapid return to calm awakening (P<0.05). Patients who received ketoprofen had significantly lower pain and headache scores (P<0.01 and P<0.001, respectively), and required significantly (P<0.05) less postoperative analgesia. No significant difference in incidence and severity of postoperative nausea or vomiting was found between the two groups at any time. A single intravenous dose of ketoprofen during anaesthesia may offer an advantage compared to pethidine in reducing postoperative pain following nasal surgery.
Robust Controller Design: New Approaches in the Time and the Frequency Domains

Robust stability and robust control belong to fundamental problems in control theory and practice; various approaches have been proposed to cope with uncertainties that always appear in real plants as a result of identification /modelling errors, e.g. due to linearization and approximation, etc. A control system is robust if it is insensitive to differences between the actual plant and its model used to design the controller. To deal with an uncertain plant a suitable uncertainty model is to be selected and instead of a single model, behaviour of a whole class of models is to be considered. Robust control theory provides analysis and design approaches based upon an incomplete description of the controlled process applicable in the areas of non-linear and time-varying processes, including multi input – multi output (MIMO) dynamic systems. MIMO systems usually arise as interconnection of a finite number of subsystems, and in general, multivariable centralized controllers are used to control them. However, practical reasons often make restrictions on controller structure necessary or reasonable. In an extreme case, the controller is split into several local feedbacks and becomes a decentralized controller. Compared to centralized full-controller systems such a control structure brings about certain performance deterioration; however, this drawback is weighted against important benefits, e.g. hardware, operation and design simplicity, and reliability improvement. Robust approach is one of useful ways to address the decentralized control problem (Boyd et al., 1994; Henrion et al., 2002; de Oliveira et al., 1999; Gyurkovics & Takacs, 2000; Ming Ge et al., 2002; Skogestad & Postlethwaite, 2005; Kozakova and Veselý, 2008; Kozakova et al., 2009a). In this chapter two robust controller design approaches are presented: in the time domain the approach based on Linear (Bilinear) matrix inequality (LMI, BMI), and in the frequency domain the recently developed Equivalent Subsystem Method (ESM) (Kozakova et al., 2009b). As proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers are the most widely used in industrial control systems, this chapter focuses on the timeand frequency domain PID controller design techniques resulting from both approaches. The development of Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) computational techniques has provided an efficient tool to solve a large set of convex problems in polynomial time (e.g. Boyd et al., 1994). Significant effort has been therefore made to formulate crucial control problems in
Compensation of magnetic data for autonomous underwater vehicle mapping surveys

Magnetic surveying is well established in land based mineral exploration. Magnetic data is routinely used to map geology in covered terrains, to identify altered zones, mineralization, bedding attitudes, and fault networks. However, other than during specialized commercial, military, and academic surveys, magnetic data is not normally collected on autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) conducting geological mapping and hydrographic survey operations. One reason for this is the magnetic field produced by the local geology is often overwhelmed by the heading and attitude dependent magnetic fields of the vehicle when the magnetometer is mounted close to or inside the AUV. Magnetometers can be mounted away from the AUV with specialized mounting apparatus e.g. a towed body or pole-mounts, but at the cost of increased complication to operations and risk to vehicle safety. To produce useful data from a magnetometer mounted inside the body of an AUV, it is necessary to compensate not only for the attitude of the AUV in the earth's field, but also for secondary effects related to the strength of the electric currents flowing in the vehicle propulsion and vehicle control circuits. To calculate the compensation terms, both a physical calibration routine and a mathematical treatment of the data are required. Prior to each survey, flying a short calibration maneuver enables the calculation of correction terms to the raw magnetic data. The calibration maneuver consists of two sequential, coincidental squares of four calibration legs per square. These squares are flown in opposite directions with the sides of the squares aligned parallel with the primary survey and tie lines. The AUV is typically flown in terrain following (constant altitude) mode at the nominal altitude of the survey, but is changed during each leg to induce pitch into the flight of the AUV. Correction terms are then calculated from the calibration magnetic field data, AUV attitude and heading and vehicle control data. Applying these correction terms to the raw magnetic data collected during the survey produces very useful magnetic maps for interpreting regional, subsurface geology in the survey area. As shown in this paper, OFG has successfully demonstrated this process in commercial surveys.
Zoledronic Acid and PTH Increase Survival and Quality of Life Following Radiation Therapy for Osteolytic Bone Metastases

Pathological fracture is a devastating complication of osteolytic bone metastases. The progression of osteolysis and its effect on bone fracture risk are poorly understood. The goal of this study was to determine the temporal changes in bone strength following tumor inoculation in a preclinical model of tumor osteolysis. In addition, a predictive model was developed between non-invasive radiographic measures and bone strength. The right femora of female nude mice were injected with breast cancer cells; the left limb served as a sham-operated control. Radiographs and DEXA scans were obtained at the time of surgery and at 3, 6, and 9weeks. Groups ofmicewere euthanized at each time point for mechanical assessment.Micro-CT analysis was performed on a sub-set of mice with advanced state disease to quantify bone loss. Radiographs documented an increase in tumor osteolysis over time, with 58% of themice showing signs of osteolysis at 3 weeks, 75% at 6weeks, and 81% at 9weeks. BMDmeasurements revealed a 21.6% increase from baseline in the controls whereas tumor-injected femora failed to increase in BMD over the same time course. Tumor-bearing limbs exhibited statistically significant decreases in torque at failure (86%), energy to failure (88%), and initial stiffness (94%) compared to the controls. Both lysis scores and BMD measurements proved to be modest predictors of mechanical strength, accounting for approximately 73% and 41% of variation in torque at failure, respectively. Micro-CT analysis revealed decreases in both total bone volume in the distal femur (31%) and metaphyseal fractional trabecular bone (89%). We have shown that non-invasive radiographic techniques provide a useful tool for monitoring the progression of tumor osteolysis and for predicting the mechanical strength of tumor-bearing bones in this model. By integrating non-invasive measures of tumor osteolysis and fracture risk, we have validated a clinically relevant platform for evaluating new therapeutic approaches for preserving and/or restoring bone affected by metastatic disease. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A local approach for the modeling of linear parameter-varying systems based on transfer function interpolation with scaling coefficients

In this paper, we propose a novel modeling method for linear parameter-varying systems. First, a set of frequency-domain data samples of the system transfer function is computed for fixed values of the scheduling parameters. Then, a system identification step is performed to generate a set of rational models called root macromodels. Finally, a linear parameter-varying model is built by means of interpolation of the root macro-models at the transfer function level with scaling coefficients. This interpolation scheme is different from standard interpolation of state-space matrices for the modeling of linear parameter-varying systems. A measurement-based example is used to validate the proposed linear parameter-varying modeling technique.
Comparison of Optic Disc Parameters Measured by RTVue-100 FDOCT Versus HRT-II

PurposeTo compare optic disc measurements between the new Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (RTVue-100) and the confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (Heidelberg retinal tomography, HRT-II) in clinical practice. MethodsPatients seen from the glaucoma service of an academic department of ophthalmology between August 2008 to August 2009 with good-quality RTVue-100 and HRT-II images within 6 months of each other were included (363 patients were included, 1 eye from each patient). The rim of the optic disc was drawn automatically by RTVue-100 and manually by a single experienced observer for HRT-II. Optic disc measurements from both imaging devices were compared using Bland-Altman plots and the Student t test to assess agreement. The main outcome measure was the agreement in optic disc parameters between the two imaging devices. ResultsBland-Altman plots indicate significant differences between the RTVue-100 and HRT-II for all optic nerve parameters. The mean HRT-II values were consistently larger than RTVue-100 values for optic disc area and rim area. The RTVue-100 values were larger for the cup area, cup-to-disc area ratio, and vertical and horizontal cup-to-disc ratio. The Student t test showed P<0.001 for averages of all measurements between the two devices. ConclusionsWe conclude that the disc parameters from these two imaging devices are not interchangeable.
Ultrasound simulator for venous access

By Henry Guly. Published by Palgrave Macmillan, 2005, pp 192, hardcover, £47.50. 1403947155 This history of Accident and Emergency Medicine is a must read for all who are committed to a career in Emergency Medicine. Henry Guly has produced a well-researched history of our specialty since 1948. He shows how the needs of patients and the foresight of Emergency Medicine pioneers led to the development of our specialty despite rigidity of thought by others. Guly makes clear that as a speciality “of time and place” we are the experts in providing the initial management of trauma and the seriously ill. The first two chapters show how the Platt Report was a forerunner to the Bruce Report of 1971, which resulted in the first 30 Consultant appointments in Accident and Emergency Medicine. This built on the pioneering work …
Multichannel Analysis and Suppression of Sea Clutter for Airborne Microwave Radar Systems

One efficient method to detect slow targets with low signal-to-clutter-plus-noise ratios is space-time adaptive processing (STAP). To apply STAP to maritime radar systems, the multichannel properties of sea clutter have to be known. This paper investigates these characteristics for airborne microwave radar systems to detect vessels in the open sea. It is shown that the motion of sea echoes and different sea scattering types cause different multichannel properties of sea clutter compared with land clutter. This paper provides a mathematical basis to describe multichannel sea clutter and predict STAP performance over water. To confirm the derived properties, several real multichannel sea data sets for different swell directions and sea states were acquired with the airborne radar system Phased Array Multifunctional Imaging Radar (PAMIR), and simulations were conducted. This paper demonstrates the reproducibility of real sea clutter multichannel characteristics for different sea conditions with the help of calculations and simulations, which are proposed in this analysis.
Vascular Access-Related Bloodstream Infections in First Nations, Community and Teaching Canadian Dialysis Units, and Other Centre-Level Predictors

Background/Aims: Vascular access-related bloodstream infection (BSI) is frequent among patients undergoing hemodialysis increasing their morbidity and mortality, but its occurrence across various dialysis centre types is not known. The aims of this study were to describe the incidence rates and assess the variability in BSI risk between dialysis centre types and other centre-level variables. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 621 patients initiating hemodialysis in 7 Canadian dialysis centres. Cox regression models, where access type was continuously updated, were used to identify predictors of BSI occurrence. Results: During follow-up of the cohort (median age 68.1 years, 41.7% female, and 76.7% initiating with a central venous catheter, CVC), 73 patients had a BSI (rate: 0.21/1000 person-days). The BSI risk was not different in First Nation units (adjusted relative risk: 0.47, 95% confidence interval: 0.06–3.72) and teaching hospitals (1.33, 0.70–2.54) compared to community hospitals. No other centre-related variables were associated with the risk of BSI. Conclusion: We did not find differences in the BSI risk among dialysis unit types, or any other centre-related variables. The rates of BSI in our population were lower than those observed in other settings, but the high proportion of patients using CVCs is concerning.
Finite-dimensional control of parabolic PDE systems using approximate inertial manifolds

This paper introduces a methodology for the synthesis of nonlinear finite-dimensional output feedback controllers for systems of quasi-linear parabolic partial differential equations (PDE), for which the eigenspectrum of the spatial differential operator can be partitioned into a finite-dimensional slow one and an infinite-dimensional stable fast one. Combination of Galerkin's method with a novel procedure for the construction of approximate inertial manifolds for the PDE system is employed for the derivation of ordinary differential equation (ODE) systems (whose dimension is equal to the number of slow modes) that yield solutions which are close, up to a desired accuracy, to the ones of the PDE system, for almost all times. These ODE systems are used as the basis for the synthesis of nonlinear output feedback controllers that guarantee stability and enforce the output of the closed-loop system to follow up to a desired accuracy, a prespecified response for almost all times.
(Re)integrating the web: beyond 'socio-technical'

In this paper we present a socio-technical framework for understanding the Web, which attempts to re-integrate the micro perspective of engineered activity with the macro perspective of emergent global phenomena. Our conceptualization of the Web’s growth is grounded in a social theoretical approach to the interactions between humans and technologies and draws upon a three year study of Open Government Data as an emerging Web activity. The study, which has been conducted using a mixed methods approach to explore Web data, reveals a number of elements shaping the growth of this particular area of Web activity. Abstracting these elements, we have constructed an alternative paradigm to the popular micro-to-macro understanding of the Web’s evolution (build in lab, release to the public). The new paradigm presented in this paper argues that the Web grows through continuously emergent interactions, phases, and re-configurations. This transcends the separation of micro from macro in previous models and redefines the boundaries of what constitutes the Web, as a highly coupled social and technical phenomenon.
Ultrasound evaluation of an abdominal aortic fluid-structure interaction model

Ultrasound measurements are used for evaluating biomechanics of the abdominal aorta (AA) predicted by a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation model. FSI simulation models describe the complete arterial physiology by quantifying the mechanical response in the vessel wall caused by the percolating pulsating blood. But the predictability of FSI models needs validation for these to be usable for diagnostic purposes. Ultrasound measurements are suitable for such an evaluation as the wall displacement can be measured in vivo and compared to the wall displacement simulated in the FSI model. Spectral Doppler velocity data from 3 healthy male volunteers were used to construct inlet profiles for the FSI model. Simultaneously, wall movement was tracked and used for comparison to FSI model results. Ultrasound data were acquired using a scanner equipped with a research interface. The wall displacement was estimated by time shift estimation obtained from cross-correlation of signals to a fixed reference. The FSI model was constructed as a 2D axis-symmetric pipe with lumen diameter predicted by B-mode images from each volunteer. Visual comparison of wall displacement over 1 cardiac cycle show agreement except for 1 volunteer (Male, 23 yrs.). The magnitude of the displacement in simulation, ufsi, and in vivo, uiv, is within the same order of magnitude for the young (uiv = 1.48 mm, ufsi = 1.12 mm) and middle-aged volunteer (uiv = 0.783 mm, ufsi = 1.31 mm). For the elderly volunteer the simulated displacement (ufsi = 0.975 · 10-3 mm) is much smaller compared to in vivo (uiv = 0.979 mm). In conclusion, the FSI model predicts a much stiffer AA wall compared to measured displacements for the elderly volunteer. From the visual comparison in vivo wall motion is captured in the FSI model for 2 of the 3 volunteers.
Highly flexible transparent conductors based on 2D silver nanowire network

Electronic devices that can be flexed, rolled or folded allow integration of conventionally stiff electronic devices to arbitrary surfaces, such as the curved and elastic human body and its tissues, enabling next-generation bio-electronic devices. Using randomly arranged networks of silver nanowires, ~ 50 μm long, we fabricated and characterized foldable transparent conductors. Silver nanowires are investigated as they exhibit superior electrical, optical and mechanical properties. We examine the change in the percolation network of the silver nanowire films at small bending radii. The electrical resistance is found to increase as the bending radius is decreased. Loss of contact between nanowires at the junctions and poor adhesion to the substrates contribute to an increase in electrical resistance. We propose a simple method to circumvent these problems. By applying a thin layer of conductive polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate), onto the silver nanowire film, we are able to demonstrate a transparent conductor that maintains good electrical conductivity even upon bending to a very small bending radius (<; 1 mm) without deterioration of the electrical properties.
Effects of Misspecifying the First-Level Error Structure in Two-Level Models of Change

Computer simulation methods were used to examine the sensitivity of model fit criteria to misspecification of the first-level error structure in two-level models of change, and then to examine the impact of misspecification on estimates of the variance parameters, estimates of the fixed effects, and tests of the fixed effects. Fit criteria frequently failed to identify the correct model when series lengths were short. Misspecification led to substantially biased estimates of variance parameters. The estimates of the fixed effects, however, remained unbiased for most conditions, and the tests of fixed effects were robust to misspecification for most conditions. The problems in the fixed effects occurred when nonlinear growth trajectories were coupled with data that were unequally spaced by different amounts for different individuals.
In vitro cytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles on human periodontal fibroblasts.

UNLABELLED Silver nanoparticles (NNPs) are extensively used for all kinds of antimicrobial applications in medical research. Their efficacy has been demonstrated against Streptococcus mutans, which is associated with dental caries. However their cytotoxic effects on human periodontal tissue are not completely understood. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible toxic cellular effects of different concentrations and sizes of silver nanoparticles, less than 10 nm, 15-20 nm, and 80-100 nm, respectively, on human periodontal fibroblasts. STUDY DESIGN Primary culture cells isolated from human periodontal tissue were exposed to 0-1,000 microM silver nanoparticles of each size for 24-, 72-, and 168-hour periods. Cytotoxicity was evaluated with a nonradioactive, soluble MTS/PMS assay. RESULTS The results demonstrated that silver nanoparticles of less than 20 nm increased cytotoxicity in human periodontal fibroblasts in a dose- and time-dependent manner. CONCLUSION The 80-100-nm-sized nanoparticles did not modify the viability of human primary culture cells.
Surveillance and System Avoidance

The degree and scope of criminal justice surveillance increased dramatically in the United States over the past four decades. Recent qualitative research suggests the rise in surveillance may be met with a concomitant increase in efforts to evade it. To date, however, there has been no quantitative empirical test of this theory. In this article, I introduce the concept of “system avoidance,” whereby individuals who have had contact with the criminal justice system avoid surveilling institutions that keep formal records. Using data from Add Health (n = 15,170) and the NLSY97 (n = 8,894), I find that individuals who have been stopped by police, arrested, convicted, or incarcerated are less likely to interact with surveilling institutions, including medical, financial, labor market, and educational institutions, than their counterparts who have not had criminal justice contact. By contrast, individuals with criminal justice contact are no less likely to participate in civic or religious institutions. Because criminal justice contact is disproportionately distributed, this study suggests system avoidance is a potential mechanism through which the criminal justice system contributes to social stratification: it severs an already marginalized subpopulation from institutions that are pivotal to desistance from crime and their own integration into broader society.