Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solving systems of linear equations via gradient systems with discontinuous righthand sides: application to LS-SVM

A gradient system with discontinuous righthand side that solves an underdetermined system of linear equations in the L/sub 1/ norm is presented. An upper bound estimate for finite time convergence to a solution set of the system of linear equations is shown by means of the Persidskii form of the gradient system and the corresponding nonsmooth diagonal type Lyapunov function. This class of systems can be interpreted as a recurrent neural network and an application devoted to solving least squares support vector machines (LS-SVM) is used as an example.
Interpersonal and Physical Dating Violence among Teens

The death of a 16 year-old girl, shot and killed by her 17 year-old boyfriend in Oakland, California, epitomizes the potential of interpersonal violence to escalate to a tragic extreme (Contra Costa Times, 2008). Exposure to interpersonal violence often begins in early adolescence and continues into adulthood (CDC, 2006). In the US alone, approximately 1 in 3 adolescent girls (estimates up to 35%) is a victim of interpersonal violence (Bonomi & Kelleher, 2007; CDC 2006 & 2007; Marcus, 2005). This Focus attempts to bring to light various aspects of a little-studied issue of critical importance, especially to youth. What is Interpersonal Violence?
Extensive basal cell carcinoma and disseminated lesions in Hand-Schüller-Christian disease.

Sir, Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis (LCH) includes four clinical entities with a common characteristic of infiltration of LC in different tissues. Biopsy of suspicious lesions and staining for CD1a and S100 protein or antilangerin are needed to establish a definitive diagnosis of LCH. Electron microscopy to identify Birbeck granules is performed less frequently because of time and cost constraints (1, 2). The pathogenesis remains unclear. A neoplastic aetiology has been suggested due to the existence of a single clone in the infiltration, although no cytogenetic abnormalities have been found (3, 4). Most investigators consider LCH to result from an immunological dysfunction (2, 5, 6). The presence of aggregates of other immunologically active cells, decreased numbers of suppressor T lymphocytes and high levels of cytokines in the lesions suggest an exaggerated physiological response of LC to an antigen, or an appropiate response to abnormal signals from other immune cells (1, 7, 8). Although numerous facts are known about the cell mediators, it has not been possible to prove the participation of any factor in the unchaining of the clonal proliferation of the cells in the LCH (9). We present here a new case of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in association with one type of LCH, HandSchuller-Christian disease, with a probably late specific cutaneous infiltration of the LC.
A new colorimetric method to quantify β-1,3-1,6-glucans in comparison with total β-1,3-glucans and a method to quantify chitin in edible mushrooms.

Mushrooms contain high amounts of substances like chitin and glucans, which can be used for medical purposes and nutrient matter. Therefore, an easy quantification method for chitin and for glucans, with high precision, is a matter of particular importance. For this purpose, we developed an easy and unique photometric method for the determination of -1,3-1,6 glucans in mushrooms. This method is specific for -glucans with a triple-helix tertiary structure. The used dye, congo red, forms a complex with the triple-helix, which causes a specific bathochromic shift of the absorption maximum from 483 nm to 523 nm. For the specific determination of total -1,3 glucans a fluorimetric method was adapted, too, which easily can be performed. By the combination of both methods, it was possible to compare the amount of -1,3-1,6 glucans with the total -glucan content. Furthermore, we developed a new colorimetric method for the quantification of chitin and chitosan, which is based on the specific reaction of polyiodide anions and chitosan. After deacetylation, chitin can also be quantified by this method. With this new spot assay, the chitin content of mycelia and fruiting bodies from several basidiomycetes and an ascomycete was analysed. The presented method can be used for determination in other samples, too.
Robust Intelligent Backstepping Longitudinal Control of Vehicle Platoons with H/spl infin/ Tracking Performance

This paper proposes a robust intelligent backstepping control (RIBC) scheme for the car-following control of a platoon of automated vehicles using a recurrent cerebellar model articulation controller (RCMAC) via the Hinfin control technique, so that the robust tracking performance can be achieved. In the RIBC system, an adaptive RCMAC is used to mimic an ideal backstepping control law and a robust controller is designed to attenuate the effects caused by unmodeled dynamics, disturbances and approximate errors. Moreover, the Taylor linearization technique is employed to derive the linearized model of the RCMAC. The adaptation laws of the RIBC system are derived on the basis of the Lyapunov stability analysis and Hinfin control theory so that the stability of the system can be guaranteed. Finally, the simulation results denominate that the proposed RIBC system can achieve favorable tracking performance for a safe car-following control.
Three-dimensional deployment optimization of sensor network based on an improved Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm

Compared with the traditional two-dimensional (2D) deployment form, three-dimensional (3D) deployment of sensor network has greater research significance and practical potential to satisfy the detecting needs of targets with complex properties. In this paper, a method for 3D deployment optimization of sensor network based on an improved Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is proposed. Many factors such as coverage scale, detection probability and resource utilization are synthetically considered to optimize the sensor network's overall detection performance. To evaluate the network's performance, four indexes are presented and the 3D deployment space is divided into different height levels. Accordingly, the mathematical model is formulated by weighting the performance indexes and height levels due to their importance degrees. In order to solve the optimization problem, an algorithm called WCPSO is carried out, which has a dynamic inertia weight and adaptable acceleration constants. Verified by the simulation results, the presented 3D deployment optimization method effectively improves the sensor network's detection performance. The method in this paper can provide guidance and technical reference in future application of relevant research.
The nature of the visual representations involved in eye movements when walking down the street

In this paper we set out to answer two questions. The first aims to discover whether saccades are driven by low level image features (as suggested by a number of recent and influential models), a position we call image salience, or whether they are driven by the meaning and reward associated with the world, a position we call world salience. The second question concerns the reference frame in which the eye movements are planned. To answer these questions, we recorded six videos, using a head mounted camera, with the viewer walking down a popular shopping street in Bristol. As well as showing these videos to our participants, we also showed spatially and temporally filtered versions of them. We found that, at a coarse spatial scale, subjects viewed similar locations in the image, irrespective of the filtering, and that fixation distributions found when viewing videos with similar filtering were no more alike than if the filtering varied widely. Using a novel mixture modelling technique, we also showed that the most important reference frame was world-centred rather than head or body-based. This was confirmed by a second experiment where the fixation distributions to identical videos was systematically changed by using a swivelling tent that only altered subjects’ perception of the gravitational vertical. We conclude that eye movements should not be understood in terms of image salience, or even information maximization, but in terms of the more flexible concept of reward maximization.
Effective therapy for a murine model of adult T-cell leukemia with the humanized anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody, Campath-1H.

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) develops in a small proportion of human T-cell leukemia virus I-infected individuals. Presently, there is no effective therapy for ATL. A murine model of ATL was produced by introducing leukemic cells (MET-1) from an ATL patient into nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice. The MET-1 cells are activated T cells that express CD2, CD3, CD4, CD25, CD122, and CD52. We evaluated the efficacy of Campath-1H (alemtuzumab; a humanized monoclonal antibody directed to CD52), alone and in combination with humanized anti-Tac (HAT) directed to CD25 (interleukin 2 receptor alpha) or with MEDI-507 directed to CD2. We observed that four weekly treatments with 4 mg/kg HAT significantly prolonged survival of MET-1-bearing mice. However, the survival of mice receiving 4 weeks of 4 mg/kg Campath-1H was significantly longer than that of the group receiving four weekly treatments with HAT (P < 0.001). Treatment with Campath-1H for 4 weeks led to a striking prolongation of the survival of MET-1 ATL-bearing mice that was comparable with that of tumor-free nontreated controls. Using Fc receptor (FcR) gamma(-/-) mice, we found that FcRgammas on polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes are required for Campath-1H-mediated tumor killing in vivo. These results demonstrate that Campath-1H has therapeutic efficacy on ATL in vivo in that the life span of the Campath-1H treatment group was comparable with that of mice that did not receive a tumor or therapy. The main tumor killing mechanism with Campath-1H in vivo involves FcRgamma-containing receptors (e.g., FcRgammaIII) on polymorphonuclear leukocytes and macrophages that mediate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and/or trigger cross-linking induced apoptosis. This study provides support for a clinical trial of Campath-1H in the treatment of patients with T-cell leukemias and lymphomas.
Real-time hardware implementation of symbolic health monitoring for aircraft engine components

Symbolic dynamics based fault detection and condition monitoring is a new research area that provides a new set of tools for data analysis, fault detection and investigation of the dynamical systems. The partitioning concept is used to obtain a finite number of non-overlapping segments for a low-dimensional representation of time series. This analysis method for fault progression can be constructed from observed data sequences. This paper presents hardware implementation of symbolic dynamic filtering technique for real-time health monitoring of aircraft engine components using piezoelectric sensors. The signal processing tools are implemented in a two-step procedure using MATLAB/Simulink. The Simulink implementation gives a direct code generation capability that enables the generated code to be executed on the microprocessor for real-time applications.
Locomotor activity in depressed children and adolescents: I. Circadian dysregulation.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether circadian activity rhythms were altered in pediatric patients with depression. Evidence was sought for a shift in the timing of the rhythm, blunting of circadian amplitude, or emergence of noncircadian periodicities. METHOD Locomotor activity was quantified in 57 patients with major depressive mood disorders (mean age 12.4 years) and 16 normal controls (9.9 years). Activity was measured in 5-minute epochs during 72 hours using belt-worn electronic activity monitors. RESULTS Patients with mood disorders displayed a 15% decrease in the amplitude of their circadian rhythm, and a 52% increase in the magnitude of their twice-daily (hemicircadian) rhythm. No significant difference emerged in the timing of the circadian rhythm. Depressed inpatients and outpatients displayed comparable disturbances, which were most marked in adolescents. CONCLUSIONS Circadian activity rhythms were dysregulated in pediatric patients with major depression. These findings may have etiological and diagnostic significance.
Going the Extra Mile

Many stereotypes of new media workers exist: they are exemplary of the future of work and of working in the new economy; their work is emotional; their passion for new media translates into creativity in the production process. Of course, none of these stereotypes paints a full picture. This article proposes that a study of the micropolitics of a new media production process, which explores the articulation of the emotional with commercial imperatives, results in a different story about new media work and points to some of the many complexities of making new media objects. The article further suggests that there is a need for a nuanced unpacking of the concepts of emotional and affective labour, which recognizes the different, sometimes opposing affects and emotions that drive new media work. It concludes that the science and technology studies' term 'interpretative flexibility' provides a useful conceptual tool with which to conceive of the complex emotional and commercial imperatives that drive new media work.
Decapentaplegic transcripts are localized along the dorsal‐ventral axis of the Drosophila embryo.

The decapentaplegic gene of Drosophila melanogaster (dpp) is related to the TGF‐beta family of mammalian growth factors. In order to investigate the role of dpp during early development we examined the spatial pattern of expression of dpp transcripts in embryos. Transcription is first detected along the dorsal side of early syncytial blastoderm embryos. During germ band elongation, the gene is expressed in the region which will give rise to the dorsal epidermis. Since dppHin‐embryos lack all derivatives of the dorsal epidermis, this suggests that dpp is required early in development for the determination of dorsal positional values. Later in embryogenesis, expression in the ectoderm changes to give two thin stripes running anterior‐posteriorly along the length of the embryo. This pattern of expression may be involved in further subdivisions along the dorsal‐ventral axis. At this stage, transcription can also be detected in discrete parts of the visceral mesoderm, foregut and hindgut.
The architecture of a root system related to its function

Root architecture can be very important in plant productivity. The importance of studies on root morphology and development is discussed to improve seedling growth. Root systems of dicotyledonous species are reviewed, with emphasis on differences between growth of basal and lateral roots. The presence of different types of roots in plant species suggests possible differences in function as well. The architecture of a root system related to its functions is considered. Classical methods for studying root systems comprise excavation of root system, direct observation, and indirect analyses. While the first method is destructive and the third is effective in understanding root architecture only on a relatively gross scale, observation methods allow the scientist a complete a nondestructive architectural study of a root system. The three groups are reviewed related to their potential to give valuable information related to the root architecture and development of the seedling, with emphasis on the availability of a medium-transparent plant-growing system, enabling nondestructive daily observations and plant measurements under controlled environmental conditions. Effects of CO2 enrichment on seedling growth is reviewed, emphasizing the effects of CO2 on root growth.
Noradrenergic and peptidergic innervation of lymphoid tissue.

Sympathetic noradrenergic nerve fibers innervate both the vasculature and parenchymal fields of lymphocytes and associated cells in several lymphoid organs, including the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), and bone marrow, in a variety of mammalian species. This innervation is both regional and specific, and generally is directed into zones of T lymphocytes and plasma cells rather than into nodular regions or B lymphocyte regions. In the thymus, noradrenergic fibers enter with nerve bundles and plexuses around blood vessels, travel into the cortex from subcapsular plexuses and with the vasculature, and branch into the parenchyma of the thymic cortex. The vasculature and parenchymal regions of both the outer and deep cortex are innervated by these fibers. In the spleen, noradrenergic fibers enter with the vasculature, travel along the trabeculae and along the branching vasculature, and are distributed mainly in the white pulp along the central artery and associated periarterial lymphatic sheath. Fibers branch from a dense plexus around the central artery and travel into the parenchyma, where they end among fields of lymphocytes and other cell types. In lymph nodes, noradrenergic fibers enter at the hilus, travel along the vasculature and in a subcapsular plexus, and branch into the parenchyma in paracortical and cortical regions, where they end among lymphocytes. In the GALT, represented in these studies by rabbit appendix, sacculus rotundus, and Peyer's patches, noradrenergic fibers enter at the serosal surface, travel longitudinally with the muscularis interna, turn radially into internodular plexuses, plunge directly through the thymus-dependent zones, and ramify profusely among lymphocytes, enterochromaffin cells, and plasma cells in the interdomal regions. In the bone marrow, noradrenergic fibers enter with blood vessels, distribute deeply into the marrow on those vessels, and branch sparsely into the substance of the marrow. Immunocytochemical observations revealed the presence of neuro-peptide-like immunoreactivity in the thymus and spleen. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-like immunoreactivity is found in varicose profiles in the thymus within the cortex. In the spleen, immunoreactive profiles showing neuropeptide Y-like, Met-enkephalin-like, cholecystokinin-8 (CCK)-like, and neurotensin-like immunoreactivity are present along the central artery of the white pulp and its smaller branches, with only sparse fibers of most of these peptides entering the parenchyma. CCK-like profiles are present in abundance in the white pulp among parenchymal elements. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Analysis and Design of Power Harvesting Circuits for Ultra-Low Power Applications

This paper presents an analytical model for power harvester circuits used in Ultra-low power applications. Assuming that the MOS devices of the circuit fully operate in the Sub-threshold regime in both forward and reverse regions, closed-form equations for important properties of the rectifier circuit such as output voltage, efficiency and input resistance are derived. The model includes the effect of the compensation voltage on the circuit behavior. There is a good agreement between the simulation results and the model. In addition, the contour plots needed to simultaneously optimize the matching network and the rectifier circuit are derived by the resulting equations. A 50-Stage rectifier was fabricated in a 180-nm standard CMOS Process. The proposed model is verified with the measurement results. The model has a maximum error of 10% in comparison with the circuit simulation, and a maximum error of 12% with the measured values.
Characterization of an antagonistic switch between histone H3 lysine 27 methylation and acetylation in the transcriptional regulation of Polycomb group target genes

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are transcriptional repressors, which regulate proliferation and cell fate decisions during development, and their deregulated expression is a frequent event in human tumours. The Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) catalyzes trimethylation (me3) of histone H3 lysine 27 (K27), and it is believed that this activity mediates transcriptional repression. Despite the recent progress in understanding PcG function, the molecular mechanisms by which the PcG proteins repress transcription, as well as the mechanisms that lead to the activation of PcG target genes are poorly understood. To gain insight into these mechanisms, we have determined the global changes in histone modifications in embryonic stem (ES) cells lacking the PcG protein Suz12 that is essential for PRC2 activity. We show that loss of PRC2 activity results in a global increase in H3K27 acetylation. The methylation to acetylation switch correlates with the transcriptional activation of PcG target genes, both during ES cell differentiation and in MLL-AF9-transduced hematopoietic stem cells. Moreover, we provide evidence that the acetylation of H3K27 is catalyzed by the acetyltransferases p300 and CBP. Based on these data, we propose that the PcG proteins in part repress transcription by preventing the binding of acetyltransferases to PcG target genes.
Explorer GDF-15 plasma levels in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are associated with subclinical coronary artery disease

Background: Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), a cytokine associated with cardiovascular mortality, increases during chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, but any role in stable COPD is unknown. We tested associations between GDF-15 and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, assessed by coronary artery calcium (CAC) score, in COPD subjects free of clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of COPD participants (GOLD stages 2–4) in the COPDGene cohort without CVD at enrollment, using baseline CAC (from non-EKG-gated chest computed tomography) and plasma GDF-15 (by custom ELISA). We used multinomial logistic modeling of GDF-15 associations with CAC, adjusting for demographics, baseline risk (calculated using the HEART: Personal Heart Early Assessment Risk Tool (Budoff et al. 114:1761-1791, 2006) score), smoking history, measures of airflow obstruction, emphysema and airway disease severity. Results: Among 694 participants with COPD (47% women, mean age 63.6 years) mean GDF-15 was 1,304 pg/mL, and mean CAC score was 198. Relative to the lower GDF-15 tertile, higher tertiles showed bivariate association with increasing CAC score (mid tertile odds ratio [OR] 1.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29, 2.51; higher tertile OR 2.86, CI 2.04, 4.02). This association was maintained after additionally adjusting for baseline CVD risk, for co-morbidities and descriptors of COPD severity and impact, markers of cardiac stress (N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide, troponin T) and of inflammation (Interleukin-6), and in subgroup analysis excluding men, diabetics, current smokers or those with limited ambulation. Conclusions: In ever-smokers with COPD free of clinical CVD, GDF-15 contributes independently to subclinical coronary atherosclerosis. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00608764. Registered 28 January 2008.