Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study on interaction between layered self-organization based control

Self-organization is considered one of key design principles to establish highly scalable, adaptive, and robust network systems to accommodate dynamic, diverse, and massive nodes and traffic. Although there are many proposals on self-organization based protocols that are useful, effective, and practical, there has never been any in-depth investigation into interaction, interference, and synergetic effects among multiple self-organization based control. In this paper, we show an idea of analysis of mutual interaction among layered self-organization based control. We consider an overlay network that is constructed over an ad-hoc network, both of which adopt adaptive routing protocols based on the attractor selection model, i.e. a mathematical model of adaptive behavior of biological systems. We modified the degree of coupling by changing the way how layered self-organization control shared an objective parameter. Through simulation experiments, we showed that lower layer-aware routing can provide the best performance, while coupling sometimes brings worse results than independent control.
Encoding Shortest Paths in Triangular Grids for Delivery Without Errors

We consider the problem of encoding shortest paths in a triangular grid so that there are no false positives adjacent to the path. In terms of message delivery, this means that each message in a computer network of this shape will be only forwarded along the path and not along other connections. We use Bloom filters to encode edges, but instead of using random labels for edges, we allocate labels according to the position of the edge in the network.
European starlings use their acute vision to check on feline predators but not on conspecifics

Head movements allow birds with laterally placed eyes to move their centers of acute vision around and align them with objects of interest. Consequently, head movements have been used as indicator of fixation behavior (where gaze is maintained). However, studies on head movement behavior have not elucidated the degree to which birds use high-acuity or low-acuity vision. We studied how European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) used high-acuity vision in the early stages of visual exploration of a stuffed cat (common terrestrial predator), a taxidermy Cooper’s hawk (common aerial predator), and a stuffed study skin of a conspecific. We found that starlings tended to use their high acuity vision when looking at predators, particularly, the cat was above chance levels. However, when they viewed a conspecific, they used high acuity vision as expected by chance. We did not observe a preference for the left or right center of acute vision. Our findings suggest that starlings exposed to a predator (particularly cats) may employ selective attention by using high-acuity vision to obtain quickly detailed information useful for a potential escape, but exposed to a social context may use divided attention by allocating similar levels high- and low-quality vision to monitor both conspecifics and the rest of the environment.
Thermography in High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation

Application of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in therapeutic medicine has started in the 1950s for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. With the development of medical diagnosis, such as ultrasound imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), automatic control, imaging processing and electrical technology, extracorporeal and intrarectal HIFU systems have been developed for clinical trials since the middle of 1990s. Available targets include: prostate, pancreatic, liver, kidney, brain, bone, breast cancers and uterine fibroids. In Asia and Europe more than 100,000 patients have been involved with promising results. In comparison to conventional open surgery, radioor chemo-therapy, HIFU has the advantages of non-invasiveness, non-ionization, few complications, easy recoveries and potentially infinite number of sessions [1,2]. HIFU was selected by TIME magazine as one of the 50 most inspired ideas, innovations and revolutions of 2011 [3]. The principle of HIFU is that the absorption of acoustic energy by the internal tissue leads to the temperature elevation over 65oC to denature the protein in the solid tumor/cancer for the generation of coagulative necrosis. The beam size of HIFU is usually 1-2 mm in the lateral and 1 cm in the axial directions, respectively. The boundary between apparently totally disrupted cells and normal tissue is no more than 50 μm in width. No damage on the intervening tissue (i.e., artery, nerve and skin surface) is found in the clinics if acoustic coupling is kept good during the ablation. Since the major mechanism of HIFU is the thermal effect, accurate and real-time temperature monitoring at the HIFU focal region is of importance for the efficacy and efficiency in clinical HIFU application as well as the medical device approval by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of United States.
Incorporating primary human renal proximal tubule cells into a hollow fibre bioreactor in the development of an in vitro model for pharmaceutical research

Current in vitro cellular methods utilised in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic (DMPK) studies during drug development do not provide the 3D structure and functions of organs found in vivo, such that resulting in vitro-in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) may not always accurately reflect clinical outcome. This highlights the need for the development of new dynamic in vitro cell models to aid improvement of IVIVE. The aim of this project was to incorporate characterised primary renal cells within a hollow fibre bioreactor for use in DMPK studies investigating renal clearance. Fluorescence based assays were developed to assess the functionality of three drug transporters involved in the renal transport of pharmaceutical compounds: P-gp, BCRP and OCT2. The developed assays were then applied alongside transporter visualisation and genetic expression assays to characterise primary human proximal tubule cells over a series of population doublings. Cells at a population doubling of 5 demonstrated the best transporter activity whilst allowing cells to be expanded in vitro. Polysulfone (PSF) based membranes, which are widely used in dialysis components were developed by blending additives to improve renal cell attachment and culture. The membranes exhibited a characteristic porous internal structure with smooth skin layers on the surface, and were able to be sterilised via autoclaving due to their high thermal stability. PSF blended with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was the most hydrophilic with cell metabolic activity similar to standard tissue culture plastic. The production of hollow fibres of varying thicknesses and properties from the PSF and PVP blend yielded a marked difference in renal cell attachment and long term viability. Fibres incorporated into glass casings to produce the single hollow fibre bioreactors (HFBs) were able to be sterilised by autoclaving whilst remaining intact. Due to the variation of fibre integrity within the batch, many fibres exhibited tears within the HFBs. This ultimately led to cell depletion within the fibre over the culture period; however, intact fibres demonstrated an increase in cell growth towards the end of the culture period under flow conditions. These results demonstrate the progress made towards a small scale in vitro renal model incorporating characterised primary renal cells to aid the improvement of IVIVE in DMPK research.
Asia-Pacific consensus on the management of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: an update focusing on refractory reflux disease and Barrett's oesophagus

Objective Since the publication of the Asia-Pacific consensus on gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in 2008, there has been further scientific advancement in this field. This updated consensus focuses on proton pump inhibitor-refractory reflux disease and Barrett's oesophagus. Methods A steering committee identified three areas to address: (1) burden of disease and diagnosis of reflux disease; (2) proton pump inhibitor-refractory reflux disease; (3) Barrett's oesophagus. Three working groups formulated draft statements with supporting evidence. Discussions were done via email before a final face-to-face discussion. We used a Delphi consensus process, with a 70% agreement threshold, using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria to categorise the quality of evidence and strength of recommendations. Results A total of 32 statements were proposed and 31 were accepted by consensus. A rise in the prevalence rates of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in Asia was noted, with the majority being non-erosive reflux disease. Overweight and obesity contributed to the rise. Proton pump inhibitor-refractory reflux disease was recognised to be common. A distinction was made between refractory symptoms and refractory reflux disease, with clarification of the roles of endoscopy and functional testing summarised in two algorithms. The definition of Barrett's oesophagus was revised such that a minimum length of 1 cm was required and the presence of intestinal metaplasia no longer necessary. We recommended the use of standardised endoscopic reporting and advocated endoscopic therapy for confirmed dysplasia and early cancer. Conclusions These guidelines standardise the management of patients with refractory gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and Barrett's oesophagus in the Asia-Pacific region.
The comparison of modified early warning score and Glasgow coma scale-age-systolic blood pressure scores in the assessment of nontraumatic critical patients in Emergency Department.

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to assess and compare the discriminatory ability of the Glasgow coma scale (GCS)-age-systolic blood pressure (GAP) score and modified early warning scoring system (mEWS) score for 4-week mortality, for the patients being in the triage category 1 and 2 who refer to Emergency Department (ED). METHODS Five hundred and two nontraumatic cases being in the triage category 1 and 2 who were ≥18-year-old and who referred to ED were assessed prospectively. Reason of referral, fashion of referral, age, gender, vital signs, GCS/alert/verbal/painful/unresponsive scores, consultations, diagnoses, and treatments and final outcome (hospitalization, transfer, discharge, treatment rejection, and exitus) were recorded. The mEWS and GAP scores and the mortality ratios of the cases were calculated by observing both in ED and 4-week survivals of the patients. RESULTS When the mEWS and GAP scores were compared in the prediction of 4-week mortality, no statistically significant difference was found between them (P > 0.05). The power of mortality estimation was found significant for both scoring systems (for both; P< 0.001). CONCLUSION GAP score with a simple use being a score developed for the estimation of mortality of trauma patients seems to be usable also for the nontraumatic patients with triage category 1-2 in the ED.
Attentional modulation of early visual areas

ABSTRACT This special issue of Cognitive Neuroscience focuses on the debate regarding whether spatial attention can rapidly modulate the event-related potential (ERP) C1 component, which reflects the initial feedforward signal in V1. A discussion paper by Baumgartner, Graulty, Hillyard, and Pitts (this issue) included an empirical experiment that failed to replicate the significant C1 attention effects of Kelly, Gomez-Ramirez, and Foxe. Commentaries were received by Ding (this issue), Klein (this issue), Pourtois, Rossi, Vuilleumier, and Rauss (this issue), Kelly and Mohr (this issue), Slagter, Alilovic, and Van Gaal (this issue), and Fu (this issue). The author response highlighted that C1 attention effects may be obtained in only limited conditions, considered problems of investigating C1 attention effects, and proposed future strategies. An empirical paper by Herde, Rossi, Pourtois, and Rauss (this issue) found that C1 was modulated by stimulus predictability, which indicates higher-level cognitive processes can modulate V1. A second discussion paper (Slotnick, this issue) compared experimental parameters across spatial attention studies and concluded certain stimulus, task, and analysis conditions were more likely to produce significant C1 attention effects. Commentaries were received by Fu (this issue), Qu and Ding (this issue), Zani and Proverbio (this issue), Pitts and Hillyard (this issue), Di Russo (this issue), and Mohr and Kelly (this issue). The author response included a more in depth analysis, and several studies that observed significant C1 attention effects survived critical analysis. The topics considered in this issue have clarified the current state of this debate and provided directions for future research.
Lossy kernels for connected distance-$r$ domination on nowhere dense graph classes

For $\alpha\colon\mathbb{N}\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$, an $\alpha$-approximate bi-kernel is a polynomial-time algorithm that takes as input an instance $(I, k)$ of a problem $Q$ and outputs an instance $(I',k')$ of a problem $Q'$ of size bounded by a function of $k$ such that, for every $c\geq 1$, a $c$-approximate solution for the new instance can be turned into a $c\cdot\alpha(k)$-approximate solution of the original instance in polynomial time. This framework of \emph{lossy kernelization} was recently introduced by Lokshtanov et al. We prove that for every nowhere dense class of graphs, every $\alpha>1$ and $r\in\mathbb{N}$ there exists a polynomial $p$ (whose degree depends only on $r$ while its coefficients depend on $\alpha$) such that the connected distance-$r$ dominating set problem with parameter $k$ admits an $\alpha$-approximate bi-kernel of size $p(k)$. Furthermore, we show that this result cannot be extended to more general classes of graphs which are closed under taking subgraphs by showing that if a class $C$ is somewhere dense and closed under taking subgraphs, then for some value of $r\in\mathbb{N}$ there cannot exist an $\alpha$-approximate bi-kernel for the (connected) distance-$r$ dominating set problem on $C$ for any function $\alpha\colon\mathbb{N}\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ (assuming the Gap Exponential Time Hypothesis).
What makes an effective European works council? Considerations based on three case studies

This article analyses the operation of European works councils (EWCs) in three multinational companies (GSK, Coca-Cola and UniCredit) across six EU Member States (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Italy and the UK). Based on interviews with EWC members and other employee representatives in these companies, it argues that EWCs are in a process of continual development, and examines the influences on their effectiveness by using a fivefold typology: company type, path dependency, socio-institutional environments, actors’ strategies and internal EWC dynamics. The article reveals that our respondents refer most frequently to the internal dynamics of EWCs as the key influence on their effectiveness, and concludes by assessing the policy implications for trade unions.
Best Practices in Data Analysis and Sharing in Neuroimaging using MRI

Neuroimaging enables rich noninvasive measurements of human brain activity, but translating such data into neuroscientific insights and clinical applications requires complex analyses and collaboration among a diverse array of researchers. The open science movement is reshaping scientific culture and addressing the challenges of transparency and reproducibility of research. To advance open science in neuroimaging the Organization for Human Brain Mapping created the Committee on Best Practice in Data Analysis and Sharing (COBIDAS), charged with creating a report that collects best practice recommendations from experts and the entire brain imaging community. The purpose of this work is to elaborate the principles of open and reproducible research for neuroimaging using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and then distill these principles to specific research practices. Many elements of a study are so varied that practice cannot be prescribed, but for these areas we detail the information that must be reported to fully understand and potentially replicate a study. For other elements of a study, like statistical modelling where specific poor practices can be identified, and the emerging areas of data sharing and reproducibility, we detail both good practice and reporting standards. For each of seven areas of a study we provide tabular listing of over 100 items to help plan, execute, report and share research in the most transparent fashion. Whether for individual scientists, or for editors and reviewers, we hope these guidelines serve as a benchmark, to raise the standards of practice and reporting in neuroimaging using MRI.
A Lever Coupling Mechanism in Dual-Mass Micro-Gyroscopes for Improving the Shock Resistance along the Driving Direction

This paper presents the design and application of a lever coupling mechanism to improve the shock resistance of a dual-mass silicon micro-gyroscope with drive mode coupled along the driving direction without sacrificing the mechanical sensitivity. Firstly, the mechanical sensitivity and the shock response of the micro-gyroscope are theoretically analyzed. In the mechanical design, a novel lever coupling mechanism is proposed to change the modal order and to improve the frequency separation. The micro-gyroscope with the lever coupling mechanism optimizes the drive mode order, increasing the in-phase mode frequency to be much larger than the anti-phase one. Shock analysis results show that the micro-gyroscope structure with the designed lever coupling mechanism can notably reduce the magnitudes of the shock response and cut down the stress produced in the shock process compared with the traditional elastic coupled one. Simulations reveal that the shock resistance along the drive direction is greatly increased. Consequently, the lever coupling mechanism can change the gyroscope’s modal order and improve the frequency separation by structurally offering a higher stiffness difference ratio. The shock resistance along the driving direction is tremendously enhanced without loss of the mechanical sensitivity.
Multi-Mode Estimation for Small Fixed Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Localization Based on a Linear Matrix Inequality Approach

Information fusion from multiple sensors ensures the accuracy and robustness of a navigation system, especially in the absence of global positioning system (GPS) data which gets degraded in many cases. A way to deal with multi-mode estimation for a small fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) localization framework is proposed, which depends on utilizing a Luenberger observer-based linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach. The proposed estimation technique relies on the interaction between multiple measurement modes and a continuous observer. The state estimation is performed in a switching environment between multiple active sensors to exploit the available information as much as possible, especially in GPS-denied environments. Luenberger observer-based projection is implemented as a continuous observer to optimize the estimation performance. The observer gain might be chosen by solving a Lyapunov equation by means of a LMI algorithm. Convergence is achieved by utilizing the linear matrix inequality (LMI), based on Lyapunov stability which keeps the dynamic estimation error bounded by selecting the observer gain matrix (L). Simulation results are presented for a small UAV fixed wing localization problem. The results obtained using the proposed approach are compared with a single mode Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the viability of the proposed strategy.
Leader-Follower Formation Control of UUVs with Model Uncertainties, Current Disturbances, and Unstable Communication

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) have rapidly developed as mobile sensor networks recently in the investigation, survey, and exploration of the underwater environment. The goal of this paper is to develop a practical and efficient formation control method to improve work efficiency of multi-UUV sensor networks. Distributed leader-follower formation controllers are designed based on a state feedback and consensus algorithm. Considering that each vehicle is subject to model uncertainties and current disturbances, a second-order integral UUV model with a nonlinear function is established using the state feedback linearized method under current disturbances. For unstable communication among UUVs, communication failure and acoustic link noise interference are considered. Two-layer random switching communication topologies are proposed to solve the problem of communication failure. For acoustic link noise interference, accurate representation of valid communication information and noise stripping when designing controllers is necessary. Effective communication topology weights are designed to represent the validity of communication information interfered by noise. Utilizing state feedback and noise stripping, sufficient conditions for design formation controllers are proposed to ensure UUV formation achieves consensus under model uncertainties, current disturbances, and unstable communication. The stability of formation controllers is proven by the Lyapunov-Razumikhin theorem, and the validity is verified by simulation results.
High-precision chronology for Central American maize diversification from El Gigante rockshelter, Honduras

Significance Maize was initially domesticated in the Balsas region of Mexico ∼9,000 y ago, but it remains unclear when this globally important cultigen became a staple crop in the Americas. We demonstrate that highly productive maize varieties were present in Central America outside the natural distribution of ancestral teosinte populations [Zea mays subspecies (ssp.) parviglumis] by ∼4,340 calendar years B.P., and we hypothesize that reduced introgression with Z. mays ssp. parviglumis and Z. mays ssp. mexicana was instrumental in the development of more productive staple grain varieties. The first steps toward maize (Zea mays subspecies mays) domestication occurred in the Balsas region of Mexico by ∼9,000 calendar years B.P. (cal B.P.), but it remains unclear when maize was productive enough to be a staple grain in the Americas. Molecular and microbotanical data provide a partial picture of the timing and nature of morphological change, with genetic data indicating that alleles for some domestication traits were not yet fixed by 5,300 cal B.P. in the highlands of Mexico. Here, we report 88 radiocarbon dates on the botanical remains from El Gigante rockshelter (Honduras) to establish a Bayesian chronology over the past ∼11,000 y spanning the transition to maize-based food production. Botanical remains are remarkably well preserved and include over 10,000 maize macrofossils. We directly dated 37 maize cobs to establish the appearance and local change of maize at the site. Cobs are common in deposits dating between 4,340 and 4,020 cal B.P., and again between 2,350 and 980 cal B.P. The earliest cobs appear robustly domesticated, having 10–14 rows, suggesting strong selection for increased yield. The later cobs are comparable to these earliest ones, but show clear emergence of diverse traits, including increased cob width, rachis segment length, and cupule width. Our results indicate that domesticated landraces of maize productive enough to be a staple grain existed in Central America by 4,300 cal B.P.