Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative Assessment of Cytokine Pattern in Early and Late Onset of Neonatal Sepsis

Neonatal sepsis is a significant health issue associated with high mortality. Immune responses associated with neonatal sepsis, such as proinflammatory cytokine production, are believed to play a central role in the pathogenesis of this disease. In the present study, serum levels of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL1-β, and IL-6 and the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 were evaluated for 25 subjects with neonatal sepsis. We observed that subjects with late onset of sepsis (LOS), as well as those with early onset of sepsis (EOS), had a substantial increase in serum TNF-α. In contrast to EOS, subjects with LOS demonstrated a significant increase in serum levels IL-6 and IL-10. Additionally, we observed a significant difference in cytokine profiles between acute and postacute cases of neonatal sepsis. For instance, the level of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-6, was elevated in the acute phase, whereas the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-10, became substantially upregulated during the postacute phase. Additionally, no correlation was observed between cytokine levels and CRP levels or lymphocyte counts. Thus, in contrast to CRP levels and lymphocyte counts, examination of the cytokine profile can provide valuable information when determining the most effective therapy for treating neonatal sepsis. This information may be useful to physicians when determining if anti-inflammatory or immune stimulatory therapy is warranted.
Differential operators for elliptic genera

Using the generalisation of Zhu's recursion relations to N=2 superconformal field theories we construct modular covariant differential operators for weak Jacobi forms. We show that differential operators of this type characterise the elliptic genera of N=2 superconformal minimal models, and sketch how they can be used to constrain extremal N=2 superconformal field theories.
Stability of Planar Compass Gait Walking with Series Elastic Ankle Actuation

Passive dynamic walking models capture the natural dynamics of stable human-like walking. The passive compass gait (PCG) model, consisting of a point mass and two rigid legs, is among the simplest of such models. The fully passive nature of these models, however, necessitates a sloped ground to recover the energy lost during the ground collisions [1]. A variety of methods have been proposed to eliminate this requirement through different actuation methods. Among these are impulsive energy injection after foot collision, torque actuation on the hip, active ankle joints or tunable compliance in the leg [2, 3]. In this study, we propose a simple model to investigate how series elastic actuation (SEA) at the ankle can be used to achieve stable walking on level ground. The structure we propose is designed to behave in a similar fashion to how humans utilize toe push-off prior to leg liftoff, and is intended for eventual use within a lower-body robotic orthosis.
Recording Rationale in for Plan Analysis

The aim of this paper is to show how the rationale behind a plan can be recorded in the plan itself. The model which underlies the I-X framework will be described in detail, focussing on annotations. It is there that a planner can record the justifications for including components into the plan. Recording rationale information of this type can be used for a number of purposes in the life cycle of a plan, including plan indexing and retrieval, failure recovery, plan explanation and establishing trust as explained in this paper.
Ligation module for in vitro selection in DNA computing

In this paper a classical AI problem is proposed to be solved by DNA computing: theorem proving. Since the complexity grows exponentially with the size of the problem, the solving process should be done in parallel. Massive parallelism is one of the advantages of DNA computers. It will be shown that the resolution refutation proof can be readily implemented by DNA hybridisation and ligation. Microreactors lend themselves to a relatively simple implementation of DNA computing. Not only is the design of the DNA critical for the success of the system but also the architecture of the microfluidic structure. Here the DNA performs the computation, while the microfluidics aids the biochemical steps necessary to manipulate the DNA, i.e. hybridisation and ligation.
Hierarchical Real-Time Scheduling Framework for Imprecise Computations

Hierarchical scheduling frameworks provide ways for composing large and complex real-time systems from independent sub-systems. In this paper, we consider the imprecise reward-based periodic task model in a compositional scheduling framework. Thus, we introduce the imprecise periodic resource model to characterize the imprecise resource allocations, and the interface model to abstract the imprecise real-time requirements of the component. The schedulability analysis of mandatory parts is analyzed to meet the minimum requirement of tasks. In addition, we provide a scheduling algorithm for guaranteeing a certain amount of reward, which makes it feasible to compose multiple imprecise components efficiently.
Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Absorption and the Intrinsic Spectrum of Markarian 501 during the 1997 Flare

Using the recent models of Malkan & Stecker for the infrared background radiation and extrapolating them into the optical and UV range using recent galaxy count data, we rederive the optical depth of the universe to high-energy γ-rays as a function of energy and redshift for energies between 50 GeV and 100 TeV and redshifts between 0.03 and 0.3. We then use these results to derive the intrinsic γ-ray spectrum of Mrk 501 during its 1997 high state. We find that the time-averaged spectral energy distribution of Mrk 501 while flaring had a broad, flat peak in the ~5-10 TeV range that corresponds to the broad, flat, time-averaged X-ray peak in the ~50-100 keV range observed during the flare. The spectral index of our derived intrinsic differential photon spectrum for Mrk 501 at energies below ~2 TeV was found to be ~1.6-1.7. This corresponds to a time-averaged spectral index of 1.76 found in soft X-rays at energies below the X-ray (synchrotron) peak. These results apparently favor a synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) origin for the TeV emission, together with jet parameters that are consistent with time variability constraints within the context of a simple SSC model.
Low-cost finger gesture recognition system for disabled and elderly people

Gesture recognition is increasingly being used to design systems that assist the disabled people and elderly people, who struggle with motor control and motor functionality. In this paper, we propose a device which helps people with severe motor disabilities, however, have full functionality in their fingers even if they can not move or lift their arms. The proposed device tracks the movement of the fingers of the users and classifies them as gestures. The classified gestures can be used to control various electrical devices such as switches, electrical appliances, wheelchairs, etc. and can also be used to signal the need for human assistance. The device is robust, easy to use, highly accurate, and low power consuming. Therefore, it can be used for an extended period of time and is reliable for helping the disabled people and elderly people.
β-Amyloid Peptides Induce Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress in Astrocytes and Death of Neurons through Activation of NADPH Oxidase

β-Amyloid (βA) peptide is strongly implicated in the neurodegeneration underlying Alzheimer's disease, but the mechanisms of neurotoxicity remain controversial. This study establishes a central role for oxidative stress by the activation of NADPH oxidase in astrocytes as the cause of βA-induced neuronal death. βA causes a loss of mitochondrial potential in astrocytes but not in neurons. The mitochondrial response consists of Ca2+-dependent transient depolarizations superimposed on a slow collapse of potential. The slow response is both prevented by antioxidants and, remarkably, reversed by provision of glutamate and other mitochondrial substrates to complexes I and II. These findings suggest that the depolarization reflects oxidative damage to metabolic pathways upstream of mitochondrial respiration. Inhibition of NADPH oxidase by diphenylene iodonium or 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-acetophenone blocks βA-induced reactive oxygen species generation, prevents the mitochondrial depolarization, prevents βA-induced glutathione depletion in both neurons and astrocytes, and protects neurons from cell death, placing the astrocyte NADPH oxidase as a primary target of βA-induced neurodegeneration.
SOLUTIONS for present and future emerging pollutants in land and water resources management

Werner Brack, Rolf Altenburger, Gerrit Schüürmann, Martin Krauss, David López Herráez, Jos van Gils, Jaroslav Slobodnik, John Munthe, Bernd Manfred Gawlik, Annemarie van Wezel, Merijn Schriks, Juliane Hollender, Knut Erik Tollefsen, Ovanes Mekenyan, Saby Dimitrov, Dirk Bunke, Ian Cousins, Leo Posthuma, Paul J. van den Brink, Miren López de Alda, Damià Barceló, Michael Faust, Andreas Kortenkamp, Mark Scrimshaw, Svetlana Ignatova, Guy Engelen, Gudrun Massmann, Gregory Lemkine, Ivana Teodorovic, Karl-Heinz Walz, Valeria Dulio, Michiel T.O. Jonker, Felix Jäger, Kevin Chipman, Francesco Falciani, Igor Liska, David Rooke, Xiaowei Zhang, Henner Hollert, Branislav Vrana, Klara Hilscherova, Kees Kramer, Steffen Neumann, Ruth Hammerbacher, Thomas Backhaus, Juliane Mack, Helmut Segner, Beate Escher, Gisela de Aragão Umbuzeiro
THE HE-RICH CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVA 2007Y: OBSERVATIONS FROM X-RAY TO RADIO WAVELENGTHS

A detailed study spanning approximately a year has been conducted on the Type Ib supernova (SN) 2007Y. Imaging was obtained from X-ray to radio wavelengths, and a comprehensive set of multi-band (w2m2w1u′g′r′i′UBVYJHKs) light curves and optical spectroscopy is presented. A virtually complete bolometric light curve is derived, from which we infer a 56Ni mass of 0.06 M☉. The early spectrum strongly resembles SN 2005bf and exhibits high-velocity features of Ca ii and Hα; during late epochs the spectrum shows evidence of an ejecta-wind interaction. Nebular emission lines have similar widths and exhibit profiles that indicate a lack of major asymmetry in the ejecta. Late phase spectra are modeled with a non-LTE code, from which we find 56Ni, O, and total-ejecta masses (excluding He) to be 0.06, 0.2, and 0.42 M☉, respectively, below 4500 km s−1. The 56Ni mass confirms results obtained from the bolometric light curve. The oxygen abundance suggests that the progenitor was most likely a ≈3.3 M☉ He core star that evolved from a zero-age-main-sequence mass of 10–13 M☉. The explosion energy is determined to be ≈1050 erg, and the mass-loss rate of the progenitor is constrained from X-ray and radio observations to be ≲10−6 M☉ yr−1. SN 2007Y is among the least energetic normal Type Ib SNe ever studied.
Who's asking for help?: a Bayesian approach to intelligent assistance

Automated software customization is drawing increasing attention as a means to help users deal with the scope, complexity, potential intrusiveness, and ever-changing nature of modern software. The ability to automatically customize functionality, interfaces, and advice to specific users is made more difficult by the uncertainty about the needs of specific individuals and their preferences for interaction. Following recent probabilistic techniques in user modeling, we model our user with a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) and propose to explicitly infer the "user's type" --- a composite of personality and affect variables --- in real time. We design the system to reason about the impact of its actions given the user's current attitudes. To illustrate the benefits of this approach, we describe a DBN model for a text-editing help task. We show, through simulations, that user types can be inferred quickly, and that a myopic policy offers considerable benefit by adapting to both different types and changing attitudes. We then develop a more realistic user model, using behavioural data from 45 users to learn model parameters and the topology of our proposed user types. With the new model, we conduct a usability experiment with 4 users and 4 different policies. These experiments, while preliminary, show encouraging results for our adaptive policy.
Apparent Fractal Dimensions in the HMF Model

Abstract We show that recent observations of fractal dimensions in the μ‐space of N‐body Hamiltonian systems with long‐range interactions are due to finite N and finite resolution effects. We provide strong numerical evidence that, in the continuum (Vlasov) limit, a set which initially is not a fractal (e.g., a line in 2D) remains such for all finite times. We perform this analysis for the Hamiltonian mean field (HMF) model, which describes the motion of a system of N fully coupled rotors. The analysis can be indirectly confirmed by studying the evolution of a large set of initial points for the Chirikov standard map.
Word Sense Disambiguation Using an Evolutionary Approach

Word sense disambiguation is a combinatorial problem consisting in the computational assignment of a meaning to a word according to a particular context in which it occurs. Many natural language processing applications, such as machine translation, information retrieval, and information extraction, require this task which occurs at the semantic level. Evolutionary computation approaches can be effective to solve this problem since they have been successfully used for many NP-hard optimization problems. In this paper, we investigate main existing methods for the word sense disambiguation problem, propose a genetic algorithm to solve it, and apply it to Modern Standard Arabic. We evaluated its performance on a large corpus and compared it against those of some rival algorithms. The genetic algorithm exhibited more precise prediction results.
Towards improvements on the quality of service for multi-tenant RDBMS in the cloud

Cloud computing is a trend of technology aimed at providing on-demand services with payment based on usage. To improve the use of resources, cloud providers adopt multi-tenant approaches, reducing the operation cost of services. Moreover, tenants have irregular workload patterns, impacting in the guarantees of quality of service, mainly due to interference between tenants. This paper proposes an approach to improve quality of service for multi-tenant RDBMS. This approach employs migration techniques of tenants, system monitoring, allocation strategy, forecast approach, and benefits of cloud infrastructure to improve performance and reduce provider cost. We carried out experiments on performance and resource usage in order to evaluate it.
Type I interferon production in HIV‐infected patients

Type I IFNs display multiple biological effects. They have a strong antiviral action, not only directly but also indirectly through activation of the immune system. They may also have actions that are deleterious for the host. The cells that produce type I IFN are mostly plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC), but this depends on the viral stimulus. The migration and distribution of pDC into lymphoid organs, driven by chemokine interactions with their ligands, determines interaction with different cell types. In HIV infection, IFN production in vitro is impaired during primary infection and later in association with opportunistic infections. Circulating pDC numbers are decreased in parallel. These parameters may be used to help assess the prognosis of the disease and to monitor treatment.
Virtual UARTs for Reconfigurable Multi-processor Architectures

This paper targets the time-consuming problem of user IOs and debugging in MPSoC. It introduces the concept of dynamic allocation of virtual UARTs to implement standard-IOs in various hardware and software contexts, on a hybrid FPGA. It discusses the advantages and limitations of this abstraction, presents an implementation on the hybrid Xilinx Zynq device. Multiple experiences illustrate how hardware (processors) and software heterogeneities can be handled. As a result, a real MJPEG decoder is debugged and validated in a couple of hours thanks to standard-IOs and virtual UARTs.
Loss of Functional Alpha-Synuclein: A Toxic Event in Parkinson’s Disease?

The discovery that alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is the primary component of the neuropathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and the identification of α-syn mutations in numerous inherited forms of PD has positioned α-syn at the top of the list of important factors in the pathogenesis of PD. Based on the pathological accumulation of α-syn in the brains of patients, the field is currently focused on therapeutic strategies that aim to reduce or eliminate α-syn. However, recent evidence suggests α-syn is a critical protein in neuron (i.e. dopamine neurons) survival and that maintaining a certain level of biologically functional α-syn is an important consideration in targeting α-syn for therapies. Despite the widespread interest in α-syn, the normal biological functions remain elusive, but a large body of work is focused on addressing this issue. In this review, we will discuss the current evidence related to α-syn function, α-syn folding and aggregation, and α-syn’s role in disease. Finally, we will propose a relatively novel hypothesis on the pathogenesis of PD that hinges upon the premises that functional α-syn is critical to cell survival and that a reduction in biologically functional α-syn, whether through aggregation or reduced expression, may lead to the neurodegeneration in PD.
Context adaptive training with factorized decision trees for HMM-based speech synthesis

To achieve natural high quality synthesised speech in HMMbased speech synthesis, the effective modelling of complex acoustic and linguistic contexts is critical. Traditional approaches use context-dependent HMMs with decision tree based parameter clustering to model the full combination of contexts. However, weak contexts, such as word-level emphasis in neutral speech, are difficult to capture using this approach. To effectively model weak contexts and reduce the data sparsity problem, weak and normal contexts should be treated independently. Context adaptive training provides a structured framework for this whereby standard HMMs represent normal contexts and linear transforms represent additional effects of weak contexts. In contrast to speaker adaptive training, separate decision trees have to be built for the weak and normal context factors. This paper describes the general framework of context adaptive training and investigates three concrete forms: MLLR, CMLLR and CAT based systems. Experiments on a word-level emphasis synthesis task show that all context adaptive training approaches can outperform the standard full-context-dependent HMM approach. However, the MLLR based system achieved the best performance.
A shadow processing method of high spatial resolution remote sensing image

The shadows on the High Spatial Resolution Remote Sensing Image (HSRRSI) have negative effects and building shadows of large area on HSRRSI (up to 30% in some cases) are one of the biggest obstructions. This paper introduces a semi-automated method for shadow removal in high spatial resolution satellite image. At first, the image consists of three parts: shadow regions, non-shadowed regions and transition regions through semi-automated human-computer interaction. Then the shadow regions are equalized to the non-shadowed regions through histogram transformation. At last, post-processing on the shadow regions edges gets the result of a smooth image without shadows. The experiment results show that this method is valid.
Workshop on the Global Financial Crisis Capital Flows , Output Volatility , and Financial Crises in Emerging Markets

The surge in capital flows towards emerging market countries is one of the major developments in the world economy in the 1990s. In particular, short-term flows, in the form of portfolio investments or bank loans, have grown at an extremely rapid pace. At the same time, emerging markets have experienced an increasing number of financial crises, with dire consequences. It is increasingly argued that the liberalization of capital flows that occurred in several countries has been excessive and is in part responsible for the crises. Consequently, the liberalization of capital flows is no longer a priority in many countries and capital controls are often advocated.
Comparative Mapping

The search for the genetic factors contributing to complex, multifactorial traits such as human hypertension presents many challenges for medical research, and requires significant work in bioinformatics. Hypertension has been studied significantly in rat and mouse model organisms, with which researchers hope to deduce the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the condition [11]. However, significant problems arise transferring the knowledge gained from work with model organisms to identifying genes contributing to hypertension in humans, which is the ultimate goal of the studies. Blood pressure in animals and humans is affected by many different genes, and shows a continuous distribution. A population of rats has been studied allowing researches to identify genetic regions that contribute to the trait. A region on chromosome 2 in rats is one such area that has been shown to contribute to blood pressure variation and hypertension [10]. The region is known as a quantitative trait locus (QTL), in which there may be several genes with small effects on blood pressure. It is therefore desirable to identify the corresponding QTL in the human genome, with the eventual goal of discovering the genes that have a direct effect on hypertension. A set of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) has been obtained that are believed to map closely to the QTL on rat chromosome 2. The ESTs correspond to genes expressed in this region. It is likely that a region exists somewhere in the human genome containing many of the same sequences, known as the syntenic region. Previous work had suggested that the candidate region on chromosome 2 in rats was highly related to an area of human chromosome 1. Therefore, sequence comparison tools such as BLAST [8] can be used to generate a comparative map of human chromosome 1 and rat chromosome 2. The region can then be scanned for candidate genes that may be involved in hypertension.
Distributed robust subspace tracking

In this paper, a distributed, set-theoretic based subspace tracking scheme is presented. In particular, each one of the agents in the network has access to a subset of data, which are not allowed to be shared among them. Moreover, the data vectors lie on a low-rank linear subspace, which is unknown and it might also be time-varying. The agents aim at estimating and tracking the unknown subspace using solely their own data and the tentative subspace estimates of their neighbours. Moreover, some of the the data might be corrupted with outlier noise. Method is evaluated in a synthetic simulation example, where the unknown subspace exhibits abrupt changes.