Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of adaptive block backstepping controllers for semi-strict feedback nonlinear systems with perturbation estimation

Based on the Lyapunov stability theorem, a design methodology of adaptive block backstepping control with perturbation estimation scheme is proposed in this paper for a class of multi-input systems with perturbations to solve regulation problems. First of all, the virtual input controllers are designed from the first block to the (m-1)th block. Then the proposed robust controller and the perturbation estimator are designed in accordance with the last block. Adaptive mechanisms are employed in each of the virtual input as well as the robust controller so that they may automatically adapt the least upper bounds of perturbations or perturbation estimation errors which may not fulfill the strict-feedback form. Furthermore, the proposed control scheme is able to achieve asymptotic stability. A numerical example is also given for demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed control scheme.
Loss-based inference of multicast network topology

The use of multicast inference on end-to-end measurement has recently been proposed as a means to infer network internal characteristics such as packet loss rate and network topology. In this paper we propose and evaluate new algorithms for multicast topology inference based on measurement of end-to-end loss. We compare their accuracy and comment on their computational complexity.
Lack of Plasma Protein Hemopexin Results in Increased Duodenal Iron Uptake

Purpose The body concentration of iron is regulated by a fine equilibrium between absorption and losses of iron. Iron can be absorbed from diet as inorganic iron or as heme. Hemopexin is an acute phase protein that limits iron access to microorganisms. Moreover, it is the plasma protein with the highest binding affinity for heme and thus it mediates heme-iron recycling. Considering its involvement in iron homeostasis, it was postulated that hemopexin may play a role in the physiological absorption of inorganic iron. Methods and Results Hemopexin-null mice showed elevated iron deposits in enterocytes, associated with higher duodenal H-Ferritin levels and a significant increase in duodenal expression and activity of heme oxygenase. The expression of heme-iron and inorganic iron transporters was normal. The rate of iron absorption was assessed by measuring the amount of 57Fe retained in tissues from hemopexin-null and wild-type animals after administration of an oral dose of 57FeSO4 or of 57Fe-labelled heme. Higher iron retention in the duodenum of hemopexin-null mice was observed as compared with normal mice. Conversely, iron transfer from enterocytes to liver and bone marrow was unaffected in hemopexin-null mice. Conclusions The increased iron level in hemopexin-null duodenum can be accounted for by an increased iron uptake by enterocytes and storage in ferritins. These data indicate that the lack of hemopexin under physiological conditions leads to an enhanced duodenal iron uptake thus providing new insights to our understanding of body iron homeostasis.
Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms Associate with Microbiogical Agents in Periodontal Disease: Our Experience

Periodontics has evolved from a simplistic model to a more complex interplay between infection and host response. Genetic factors have been a new addition to the list of risk factors for periodontal diseases. The processes leading to destruction and regeneration of the destroyed tissues are of great interest to both researchers and clinicians. The selective susceptibility of subjects for periodontitis has remained an enigma and wide varieties of risk factors have been implicated for the manifestation and progression of periodontitis. Emerging pathway models suggest that gene-environment interactions are etiologically important in disease pathogenesis. The current practical utility of genetic knowledge in periodontitis is limited. Allelic variants at multiple gene loci probably influence periodontitis susceptibility. The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a key modulator of host responses to microbial infection and a major modulator of extracellular matrix catabolism and bone resorption, and polymorphisms in the IL-1 gene cluster have been associated with an increased risk of developing severe adult periodontitis. The aim of this study was to test if polymorphisms of genes of IL-1α+4845 and IL-1β +3954 were linked with periodontitis, in a case-control study population, delimited to a specific geographic area, in association with microbiological findings. The polymorphisms observed in IL-1α+4845 and IL-1β+3954 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), was significantly different among the study groups (healthy controls, mild, moderate and severe periodontitis with p<0.05, d.f.=1. We found a significant correlation between the severe form of periodontitis and the presence of composite genotype (p < 0.05, d.f.=1, calculated among healthy vs. severe). Furthermore a statistically significant association between the presence of bacteria and periodontitis was detected (p<0.05, d.f.=1). In the current investigation findings were concordant with literature observations.
Automated activity monitoring using a visual sensor

Automated activity monitoring becomes important in many applications such as healthcare. In this paper, we propose an automated solution for measuring the daily-life activities of livestock by using video data in order to manage the healthcare problem of group-housed pigs. We first extract activity data from the video and then measure the amount of the daily-life activities caused by group-housed pigs. From the experimental results, we believe our method can be either a standalone solution or an additional solution to known methods for detecting abnormal behavior in group-housed pigs accurately.
Inductive characterisation of database relations

The general claims of this paper are twofold: there are challenging problems for Machine Learning in the field of Databases, and the study of these problems leads to a deeper understanding of Machine Learning. To support the first claim, we consider the problem of characterising a database relation in terms of high-level properties, i.e. attribute dependencies. The problem is reformulated to reveal its inductive nature. To support the second claim, we show that the problems presented here do not fit well into the current framework for inductive learning, and we discuss the outline of a more general theory of inductive learning.
Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in pregnant women in Aguascalientes City, Mexico: a cross-sectional study

Objectives We determined the seroprevalence and correlates of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women in Aguascalientes City, Mexico. Design A cross-sectional survey. Setting Pregnant women were enrolled in the central Mexican city of Aguascalientes. Participants We studied 338 pregnant women who attended prenatal care in 3 public health centres. Primary and secondary outcome measures Women were examined for IgG/IgM antibodies to T. gondii by using commercially available enzyme immunoassays, and an avidity test. Multiple analyses were used to determine the association of T. gondii seropositivity with the characteristics of the pregnant women. Results Of the 338 pregnant women studied, 21 (6.2%) had IgG antibodies to T. gondii, and 1 (4.8%) of them was also positive for IgM antibodies to T. gondii. Avidity of IgG antibodies to T. gondii was high in the IgM-positive sample. Logistic regression analysis of sociodemographic, behavioural and housing variables showed that T. gondii seropositivity was associated with white ethnicity (OR=149.4; 95% CI 10.8 to 2054.1; p<0.01), not washing hands before eating (OR=6.41; 95% CI 1.73 to 23.6; p=0.005) and use of latrine (OR=37.6; 95% CI 4.63 to 306.31; p=0.001). Conclusions Results demonstrate that pregnant women in Aguascalientes City have a low seroprevalence of T. gondii infection. However, this low prevalence indicates that most pregnant women are at risk for a primary infection. Factors associated with T. gondii exposure found in this study, including food hygiene, may be useful to determine preventive measures against T. gondii infection and its sequelae.
Tyrosine Phosphorylation of NR2B Contributes to Chronic Migraines via Increased Expression of CGRP in Rats

Tyrosine phosphorylation of NR2B (NR2B-pTyr), a subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, has been reported to develop central sensitization and persistent pain in the spine, but its effect in chronic migraines has not been examined. We hypothesized that tyrosine phosphorylation of NR2B contributes to chronic migraines (CM) through calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in rats. Ninety-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to seven inflammatory soup (IS) injections. In a subset of animals, the time course and location of NR2B tyrosine phosphorylation were detected by western blot and immunofluorescence double staining. Another set of animals were given either genistein, vehicle, or genistein and recombinant CGRP. The mechanical threshold was measured, the expressions of NR2B-pTyr, NR2B, and CGRP were quantified using western blot, and nitric oxide (NO) was measured with the nitric acid reductase method. NR2B-pTyr expression, in neurons, peaked at 24 hours after CM. Genistein improved the mechanical threshold and reduced migraine attacks 24 and 72 hours after CM. Tyrosine phosphorylation of NR2B decreased the mechanical threshold and increased migraine attacks via upregulated CGRP expression in the rat model of CM. Thus, tyrosine phosphorylation of NR2B may be a potential therapeutic target for treatment of CM.
RETHINKING DYNAMIC CAPITAL STRUCTURE MODELS WITH ROLL‐OVER DEBT

Dynamic capital structure models with roll‐over debt rely on widely accepted arguments that have never been formalized. This paper clarifies the literature and provides a rigorous formulation of the equity holders’ decision problem within a game theory framework. We spell out the linkage between default policies in a rational expectations equilibrium and optimal stopping theory. We prove that there exists a unique equilibrium in constant barrier strategies, which coincides with that derived in the literature. Furthermore, that equilibrium is the unique equilibrium when the firm loses all its value at default time. Whether the result holds when there is a recovery at default remains a conjecture.
Gene Expression Signatures Identify Rhabdomyosarcoma Subtypes and Detect a Novel t(2;2)(q35;p23) Translocation Fusing PAX3 to NCOA1

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a pediatric tumor type, which is classified based on histological criteria into two major subgroups, namely embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. The majority, but not all, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma carry the specific PAX3(7)/FKHR-translocation, whereas there is no consistent genetic abnormality recognized in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. To gain additional insight into the genetic characteristics of these subtypes, we used oligonucleotide microarrays to measure the expression profiles of a group of 29 rhabdomyosarcoma biopsy samples (15 embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, and 10 translocation-positive and 4 translocation-negative alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma). Hierarchical clustering revealed expression signatures clearly discriminating all three of the subgroups. Differentially expressed genes included several tyrosine kinases and G protein-coupled receptors, which might be amenable to pharmacological intervention. In addition, the alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma signature was used to classify an additional alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma case lacking any known PAX3 or PAX7 fusion as belonging to the translocation-positive group, leading to the identification of a novel translocation t(2;2)(q35;p23), which generates a fusion protein composed of PAX3 and the nuclear receptor coactivator NCOA1, having similar transactivation properties as PAX3/FKHR. These experiments demonstrate for the first time that gene expression profiling is capable of identifying novel chromosomal translocations.
Frauen an der Spitze schweizerischer Grossunternehmen: Eine historische Analyse der Geschlechterungleichheiten

Der jungste Vorschlag des Bundesrats, Frauenquoten in schweizerischen Unternehmen einzufuhren, sorgt fur heftige Diskussionen. Dieser Artikel behandelt diese Frage in einer historischen Perspektive und untersucht die Faktoren, die dazu beitrugen, Frauen dauerhaft von Machtpositionen in den grossten Firmen auszuschliessen. Wahrend des grossten Teils des 20. Jahrhunderts stellten die schweizerischen Wirtschaftseliten eine Mannerbastion dar. Die Rekrutierung der Fuhrungskrafte folgte einer Logik der Kooptation und des «unter sich» und erlaubte es, Frauen fast vollstandig auszuschliessen. Nach der Einfuhrung des Frauenstimmenstimmrechts gelang es in den 1970er Jahren einigen politisch aktiven Frauen, eine erste Bresche zu schlagen und Positionen an der Spitze von Grossverteilern zu ubernehmen. Ab den 1990er Jahren trugen zwei Faktoren zur allmahlichen Feminisierung von Verwaltungsraten bei: Einmal forderte der Bund eine Gleichstellungspolitik in den bundesnahen Betrieben. Weiter trug die Internationalisierung der Wirtschaft dazu bei, den nationalen Zusammenhalt der Wirtschaftseliten zu schwachen. Frauen traten nun in die Fuhrungen einiger multinationaler Konzernen ein. Im Vergleich mit anderen europaischen Landern bleibt die Schweiz allerdings klar im Ruckstand.
M ay 2 00 0 Curvature and Smooth Topology in Dimension Four

Seiberg-Witten theory leads to a delicate interplay between Riemannian geometry and smooth topology in dimension four. In particular, the scalar curvature of any metric must satisfy certain non-trivial estimates if the manifold in question has a non-trivial Seiberg-Witten invariant. However, it has recently been discovered [20, 22] that similar statements also apply to other parts of the curvature tensor. This article presents the most salient aspects of these curvature estimates in a self-contained manner, and shows how they can be applied to the theory of Einstein manifolds. We then probe the issue of whether the known estimates are optimal by relating this question to a certain conjecture in Kähler geometry. ∗Supported in part by NSF grant DMS-9802722.
Les systèmes agroalimentaires alternatifs. Une revue de travaux anglophones en sciences sociales

Based on the analysis of about 110 papers choosen mainly in sociological anglophone scientific litterature, this article intends to highlight the main discussions taking place around alternative food systems. It shows that these systems appear in various contexts depending on national situations and aim at different social goals. It then successively deals with the way in which these alternatives change or not the power relations within the food chains and with the debates emerging from their ambitions of relocalise food production and consumption. It points out the social themes that appear up to now left untreated and finally identifies the main theoretical currents and scientific fronts connected with this litterature
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Exposure and DNA Adduct Semi-Quantitation in Archived Human Tissues

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are combustion products of organic materials, mixtures of which contain multiple known and probable human carcinogens. PAHs occur in indoor and outdoor air, as well as in char-broiled meats and fish. Human exposure to PAHs occurs by inhalation, ingestion and topical absorption, and subsequently formed metabolites are either rendered hydrophilic and excreted, or bioactivated and bound to cellular macromolecules. The formation of PAH-DNA adducts (DNA binding products), considered a necessary step in PAH-initiated carcinogenesis, has been widely studied in experimental models and has been documented in human tissues. This review describes immunohistochemistry (IHC) studies, which reveal localization of PAH-DNA adducts in human tissues, and semi-quantify PAH-DNA adduct levels using the Automated Cellular Imaging System (ACIS). These studies have shown that PAH-DNA adducts concentrate in: basal and supra-basal epithelium of the esophagus, cervix and vulva; glandular epithelium of the prostate; and cytotrophoblast cells and syncitiotrophoblast knots of the placenta. The IHC photomicrographs reveal the ubiquitous nature of PAH-DNA adduct formation in human tissues as well as PAH-DNA adduct accumulation in specific, vulnerable, cell types. This semi-quantative method for PAH-DNA adduct measurement could potentially see widespread use in molecular epidemiology studies.
FINITE-STATE DIMENSION OF INDIVIDUAL SEQUENCES

Classical Hausdorff dimension, popularly known as fractal dimension, has recently been effectivized by gales–functions that are essentially betting strategies that play against infinite binary sequences. Gales are a generalization of martingales and are sufficient for establishing fractal dimension on sets. When gales are restricted to functions computable in a certain complexity class, such a characterization endows sequences (or sets of sequences) with dimension within the complexity class. Countable sets and singletons, that would otherwise have Hausdorff dimension zero, may be given quantifiable positive dimension. In this thesis we restrict our examination to gale functions computable by finite-state machines and explore individual sequences within the topology of the Cantor space. We develop new concepts of periodicity, entropy and betting trees in terms of fixed “blocks” of a sequence. We use these to establish that the entropy rate with respect to blocks is an upper bound to the dimension of any sequence. We also extend these results to the usual Information Theoretic concept of entropy, yielding many implications for well studied automatic sequences such as characteristic sequences of regular languages.
Fuzzy logic techniques for reputation management in anonymous peer-to-peer systems

Emerging approaches to enforce some form of protection in (pseudo)anonymous peer to peer systems propose the use of reputations as a means to establish the reliability of servents and/or resources. How such reputations can be exchanged, aggregated and used in actually determining the trust one may wish to put in a servent or resource is an issue still to be investigated and for which fuzzy techniques can play an important role. We present an approach for managing and exchanging reputations, based on the use of fuzzy techniques, which we adopted as part of our P2P-XRep system.
Nesfatin-1 Action in the Brain Increases Insulin Sensitivity Through Akt/AMPK/TORC2 Pathway in Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance

Nesfatin-1, derived from nucleobindin 2, was recently identified as an anorexigenic signal peptide. However, its neural role in glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity is unknown. To evaluate the metabolic impact and underlying mechanisms of central nesfatin-1 signaling, we infused nesfatin-1 in the third cerebral ventricle of high-fat diet (HFD)–fed rats. The effects of central nesfatin-1 on glucose metabolism and changes in transcription factors and signaling pathways were assessed during euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamping. The infusion of nesfatin-1 into the third cerebral ventricle markedly inhibited hepatic glucose production (HGP), promoted muscle glucose uptake, and was accompanied by decreases in hepatic mRNA and protein expression and enzymatic activity of PEPCK in both standard diet- and HFD-fed rats. In addition, central nesfatin-1 increased insulin receptor (InsR)/insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1)/AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK)/Akt kinase (Akt)/target of rapamycin complex (TORC) 2 phosphorylation and resulted in an increase in Fos immunoreactivity in the hypothalamic nuclei that mediate glucose homeostasis. Taken together, these results reveal what we believe to be a novel site of action of nesfatin-1 on HGP and the PEPCK/InsR/IRS-1/AMPK/Akt/TORC2 pathway and suggest that hypothalamic nesfatin-1 action through a neural-mediated pathway can contribute to increased peripheral and hepatic insulin sensitivity by decreasing gluconeogenesis and promoting peripheral glucose uptake in vivo.
Analysis on Cloud Computing Database in Cloud Environment – Concept and Adoption Paradigm

With the development of the Internet’s new technical functionalities, new concepts have started to take shape. These concepts have an important role especially in the development of corporate IT. Such a concept is „the Cloud”. Various marketing campaigns have started to focus on the Cloud and began to promote it in different but confusing ways. This campaigns do little, to explain what cloud computing is and why it is becoming increasingly necessary. The lack of understanding in this new technology generates a lack of knowledge in business cloud adoption regarding database and also application. Only by focusing on the business processes and objectives an enterprise can achieve the full benefits of the cloud and mitigate the potential risks. In this article we create our own complete definition of the cloud and we analyze the essential aspects of cloud adoption for a banking financial reporting application.
Intensification of Propionic Acid Separation from Aqueous Solution using Reactive Extraction with Trin-butyl Phosphate ( TBP ) Dissolved in n-Decane and 1-Decanol

Over the last three decades, there has been a resurgence of interest in large-scale production of fermentation chemicals due to the sharp increase in petroleum cost. So the potential role of a new energy efficient fermentation technology is receiving growing attention. Propionic acid is widely used in the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Fermentation technology for the production of this acid in particular has been known for more than a century. The importance to recover propionic acid effectively from fermentation broth and aqueous waste effluents has got more attention recently. Generally, the aqueous solutions, such as fermentation broth or wastewater stream has very low concentration of propionic acid (less than 10% (w/w). Also, these aqueous solutions have various impurities. Many separation processes in chemical industries have been employed to recover the organic acids from aqueous solutions. The conventional method for the recovery of propionic acid from fermentation broth is the calcium hydroxide precipitation method. This method of recovery is expensive and unfriendly to the environment as it consumes lime and sulphuric acid and also produces a large quantity of calcium sulphate sludge as solid waste. Among the all alternate, reactive extraction is found to be more efficient separation process, because of its high selectivity for desired compounds and low waste production. So, Separation of propionic acid from aqueous solutions (fermentation broth or wastewater stream) can be intensified through reactive extraction using phosphorus bonded oxygen bearing extractant (TBP) with diluents. The reactive extraction of propionic acid by tri-n-butylphospahte (TBP) in inert diluent (ndecane) and a modifier (1-decanol) is studied. The equilibrium experiments are carried out to investigate the effects of modifier composition (1-decanol), extractant (TBP) concentration, and initial acid concentration on extraction efficiency. The extraction efficiency is defined by distribution coefficient and degree of extraction. The extraction efficiency is found to be increased with increasing modifier composition and TBP composition, and decreased with increasing initial acid concentration. Mathematical modeling using mass action law approach is used to determine the number of extractant (TBP) molecules (n) involved in the acid:TBP complex formation. The extraction equilibrium constants (KE) is also estimated using same modeling approach.