Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neglect umber of childhood abuse perpetrators and the occurrence of epressive episodes in adulthood

Objective: Although past research has documented a link between adverse childhood experiences – particularly childhood emotional (CEA), physical (CPA), and sexual abuse (CSA) – and depression, relatively few studies have examined the unique impact of each of these highly co-occurring abuse types. Moreover, relatively little is known about the specific aspects of abuse experiences that increase risk for depression (e.g., number of perpetrators). The current study provides a conservative test of the association between the number of CEA, CPA, and CSA perpetrators, and depressive episodes in adulthood. Method: Two hundred and ninety-nine participants were followed longitudinally for 2.5 years. CEA, CPA, and CSA were measured using the Lifetime Experiences Questionnaire, and depressive episodes were assessed with diagnostic interviews administered every 6 weeks. Results: After statistically controlling for the influence of cognitive risk for depression, baseline depressive symptoms, past history of clinical depression, and total number of different types of CEA, CSA, and CPA events, the number of CEA and CSA, but not CPA, perpetrators were uniquely associated with the number of depressive episodes experienced over the prospective follow-up. Conclusions: These results indicate that experiencing CEA and CSA from multiple perpetrators increased risk for clinical depression beyond what is accounted for by the total number of types of abuse experiences. This study highlights the need for future research to assess the specific qualities of childhood abuse experiences that uniquely confer risk for clinical depression, as well as possible mechanisms through which they exert their deleterious effect. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An Optimal Nudging Data Assimilation Scheme Using Parameter Estimation

SUMMARY A new optimal nudging dynamical relaxation technique is tested in the framework of 4-dimensional variational data assimilation, applied to an adiabatic T40 version of the National Meteorological Center (NMC) spectral model with 18 vertical layers. Several experiments are performed using the NMC operationally analysed data. The variational data assimilation algorithm is also employed in a parameter-estimation mode to determine the vector of optimal nudging coefficients. Results of data-assimilation experiments involving estimated nudging. optimal nudging and variational data assimilation are compared. Issues are addressed related to the dependence of the assimilation on the length of the assimilation period ;is well as to the ability of retrieving high-quality model initial conditions. The study outlines the ability to obtain optimal nudging coefficients, which can vary in space, in the framework of a parameter-estimation approach using variational data assimilation. Based on our preliminary results the optimal nudging seems to be a most promising data-assimilation scheme.
, Diffraction , and Quasicrystals

differences among these nonperiodic, repetitive tilings are more obvious than their similarities, though it is not easy to characterize these differences in a precise way. We will just point out a few of them. First, notice that the vertices of the tiles of the chair (and also sphinx) tilings occupy some – but not all – of the sites of a two-dimensional lattice. None of the other four tilings has this property. Second, the prototiles of the Penrose and binary tilings are identical (there are two of them, " thick " and " thin " rhombs) and they occur with the same frequencies (the ratio of thick to thin is the Golden Number (1 + çå 5)ˇ2, which is also the ratio of their areas), but the Penrose tiling is much more " orderly " than the binary. Third, the chiral and pinwheel tilings both appear to be somewhat chaotic, in the nontechnical sense of the word. In fact, the chiral tiling is a variant of the Penrose tiling in which some randomness has been introduced in the construction algorithm. There is no randomness in the pinwheel tiling; the apparent disorder is due to the fact that the tiles (in the infinite tiling) occur in infinitely many orientations! No other tiling of the plane with this property is known, at least as of March 1994. Substitution is a composite operation consisting of decomposition and inflation. The substitution method is applicable when each prototile can be subdivided into smaller copies of itself and the other prototiles (if there is more than one pro-totile). To generate the tiling, we begin with one tile or a Nonperiodic tilings exhibit a remarkable range of " order types " between periodic and amorphous. The six tilings shown on these pages are a representative sample. How can we characterize these states, and how are they reflected in various measures of order, such as diffraction images? The answers to these questions – which are still wide open – may have applications to contemporary crystallography. Not so many years ago, patterns were classified as periodic or nonperiodic, and no further distinctions seemed necessary. But a glance at the tilings shown on these pages (at the upper left of each plate), all of which are nonperiodic, suggests that " nonperiodic " encompasses a broad range of order types, from what we might call " almost periodic " to " …
Elliptic Preconditioner for Accelerating the Self-Consistent Field Iteration in Kohn-Sham Density Functional Theory

We discuss techniques for accelerating the self consistent field (SCF) iteration for solving the Kohn-Sham equations. These techniques are all based on constructing approximations to the inverse of the Jacobian associated with a fixed point map satisfied by the total potential. They can be viewed as preconditioners for a fixed point iteration. We point out different requirements for constructing preconditioners for insulating and metallic systems respectively, and discuss how to construct preconditioners to keep the convergence rate of the fixed point iteration independent of the size of the atomistic system. We propose a new preconditioner that can treat insulating and metallic system in a unified way. The new preconditioner, which we call an elliptic preconditioner, is constructed by solving an elliptic partial differential equation. The elliptic preconditioner is shown to be more effective in accelerating the convergence of a fixed point iteration than the existing approaches for large inhomogeneous systems at low temperature.
Duality in staffing problems: Between holding costs and waiting constraints

There are two alternative ways to capture the tension between capacity expenses and customer-delay costs in staffing problems. The cost paradigm assigns a price tag to customer delay and optimizes the combined costs of staffing and waiting. The constraint paradigm, in contrast, replaces the waiting-time cost with constraints and seeks to minimize staffing costs subject to these constraints. The duality of these two formulations is important for both the implementation of delay costs through constraints (e.g., specifying constraints in a contract) and for the reverse engineering of the dollar value that a provider, solving a given constraint formulation, assigns implicitly to customer delay. In the single-class queue, this duality is a simple matter: the optimal trade-off of capacity and delay can be implemented via a staffing problem with, for example, average waiting constraints. Given the waiting-time constraints that a provider uses, we can figure out the underlying implicit delay costs. In the multiclass case—where one must determine both the optimal staffing and the optimal prioritization—things become more involved. Strictly convex costs can be reliably implemented by any strictly convex constraints. Linear waiting constraints, while common in practice, do not provide a “safe” implementation of any simple cost structure. They can be made safe, however, by augmenting them with a variance constraint. When seeking to reverse engineer constraints to costs, strictly convex constraints are straightforward. Linear constraints are, however, not uniquely reversible, and strictly concave constraints cannot be an implementation of any strictly increasing waiting costs. Finally, since strictly convex costs have multiple implementations through constraints, it is desirable to propose a “best” implementation. We numerically study the robustness of different implementations.
Education and its Effects on the Income, Health and Survival of those aged Sixty-five and Over

We explore the effects of income and, additionally education on the income, self-reported health and survival of people aged sixty-five and over in order to identify benefits resulting from education which are omitted in the conventional analysis with its focus on labour income excluding employer contributions. We find that well educated people enjoy substantially higher incomes and longer healthy lives. However our estimates of the magnitudes of these are sharply reduced if we imposed on our model, estimated from British Household Panel Survey Data, the restrictions that the mortality rates it generates should be consistent with aggregate official data. Nevertheless, discounted back to age 21 we estimate that men with higher education qualifications receive on average, after the age of sixtyfive, benefits worth £42, 000. For women the comparable figure is £26,000. JEL Codes: C33, C35, J17, J24
Cancer Preventive Activities of Tea Catechins

Catechins are widely occurring in our diet and beverages. The cancer-preventive activities of catechins have been extensively studied. Of these, (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the principal catechin in green tea, has received the most attention. The inhibitory activities of tea catechins against carcinogenesis and cancer cell growth have been demonstrated in a large number of laboratory studies. Many mechanisms for modulating cancer signaling and metabolic pathways have been proposed based on numerous studies in cell lines with EGCG, the most active tea catechin. Nevertheless, it is not known whether many of these mechanisms indeed contribute to the anti-cancer activities in animals and in humans. Human studies have provided some results for the cancer preventive activities of tea catechins; however, the activities are not strong. This article reviews the cancer preventive activities and mechanisms of action of tea catechins involving their redox activities, biochemical properties and binding to key enzymes or signal transduction proteins. These mechanisms lead to suppression of cell proliferation, increased apoptosis and inhibition of angiogenesis. The relevance of the proposed mechanisms for cancer prevention are assessed in the light of the situation in vivo. The potential and possible problems in the application of tea and tea-derived products for cancer prevention are discussed.
Porphyromonas gingivalis and disease-related autoantibodies in individuals at increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship of Porphyromonas gingivalis to the presence of autoantibodies in individuals at risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Study participants included the following: 1) a cohort enriched in subjects with HLA-DR4 and 2) subjects at risk of RA by virtue of having a first-degree relative with RA. None of the study subjects satisfied the American College of Rheumatology 1987 classification criteria for RA. Autoantibodies measured included anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA; by second-generation anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]) and rheumatoid factor (RF; by nephelometry or ELISA for IgA, IgM, or IgG isotype). Individuals were considered autoantibody positive (n = 113) if they had ≥1 RA-related autoantibody; individuals were further categorized as high risk (n = 38) if they had ACPA or positive findings ≥2 assays for RF. Autoantibody-negative individuals (n = 171) served as a comparator group. Antibody to P gingivalis, P intermedia, and F nucleatum were measured. Associations of bacterial antibodies with group status were examined using logistic regression. RESULTS Anti-P gingivalis concentrations were higher in high-risk (P = 0.011) and autoantibody positive group (P = 0.010) than in the autoantibody negative group. There were no group differences in anti-P intermedia or anti-F nucleatum concentrations. After multivariable adjustment, anti-P gingivalis concentrations (but not anti-P intermedia or anti-F nucleatum) were significantly associated with autoantibody-positive and high-risk status (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Immunity to P gingivalis, but not P intermedia or F nucleatum, is significantly associated with the presence of RA-related autoantibodies in individuals at risk of RA. These results support the hypothesis that infection with P gingivalis may play a central role in the early loss of tolerance to self antigens that occurs in the pathogenesis of RA.
SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINES

The present paper deals with novel developments and application of Support Vector Machines (Support Vector Classifier SVC and Support Vector Regression SVR) for the analysis and modeling of spatially distr ibuted environmental and pollution information (categor ical and/or continuous data). SVC/SVR models are based on the Statistical Learning Theory or Vapnik-Chervonenkis (VC)-theory. The SVC provide non-linear classification by mapping the input space into high dimensional feature spaces where a special type of hyper-planes with maximal margins (giving r ise to good generalizations) are constructed. SVR provide robust non-linear regression of spatially distr ibuted data. Real case studies of the present paper deal with binary classification problem of indicator var iables, multi-class classification of soil types, and prediction mapping of radioactively contaminated ter r itor ies. Geostatistical tools (var iography) is used to control the per formance of the machines and for better understanding of the results. The SVC/SVR are well adapted to fuzzy environmental and pollution data.
Comparison of prednisolone with piroxicam in complex regional pain syndrome following stroke: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) following stroke aggravates morbidity. CRPS is categorized as CRPSI when no clear nerve injury is defined, and CRPSII when associated with clear nerve injury. AIM To compare the effect of prednisolone with that of piroxicam in patients with CRPSI following stroke. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. METHODS Patients with CRPSI fulfilling the inclusion criteria (n = 60) underwent a detailed neurological examination, cranial CT scan, radiograph of chest and shoulder joint, blood counts and serum chemistry. Severity of stroke was assessed by the Canadian Neurological Scale (CNS), CRPS by scoring sensory, autonomic and motor symptoms, and activity of daily living by Barthel index (BI) score. Patients were randomly assigned prednisolone 40 mg or piroxicam 20 mg daily, and outcome was assessed at 1 month on the basis of CRPS and BI score. RESULTS Mean patient age was 56 years and 20 were female. Baseline clinical and radiological parameters were comparable between the two groups. In the prednisolone group, 83.3% patients showed significant improvement, compared to 16.7% in the piroxicam group. The mean change in CRPS score in prednisolone group was 6.47 (95%CI 4.37-7.36), whereas in piroxicam group it was only 0.47. The mean change in BI score was 7.9 (95%CI 0.82-5.98) in the prednisolone group, and 4.5 in the piroxicam group. DISCUSSION In this patient group, prednisolone resulted in significant improvement in the symptoms and signs of CRPSI following stroke, compared to piroxicam. Both drugs produced an improvement in the BI score.
Optimal H 1 filtering in networked control systems with multiple packet dropouts I

This paper studies the problem of H1 filtering in networked control systems (NCSs) with multiple packet dropouts. A new formulation enables us to assign separate dropout rates from the sensors to the controller and from the controller to the actuators. By employing the new formulation, random dropout rates are transformed into stochastic parameters in the system’s representation. A generalized H1-norm for systems with stochastic parameters and both stochastic and deterministic inputs is derived. The stochastic H1-norm of the filtering error is used as a criterion for filter design in the NCS framework. A set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) is given to solve the corresponding filter design problem. A simulation example supports the theory. c 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Changements organisationnels et performances économiques: théories, mesures et tests

Cette these etudie les changements affectant l’organisation du travail interne aux entreprises en mobilisant les outils de l’economiste : formalisation theorique et tests empiriques s’appuyant sur des donnees statistiques. Elle definit un espace des choix organisationnels separe des choix de technologie. Elle analyse les determinants des changements organisationnels et leurs consequences sur les performances et la demande de travail des entreprises. Au sein des theories economiques des changements organisationnels, on peut distinguer les theories formalisant le systeme d’information ou l’organisation definit un mode efficace d’allocation de l’information et de prise de decision, des theories formalisant l’organisation du systeme de production, pensee comme une rationalisation des liens entre les tâches productives et les facteurs de production. Les modeles theoriques originaux presentes dans cette these relient ces deux systemes en formalisant la maniere dont s’accumule un savoir collectif sur les activites productives et ses consequences sur le comportement de l’entreprise dans un contexte ou la main d’œuvre est homogene puis heterogene. Les tests empiriques realises s’appuient sur une source statistique sur les entreprises elaboree dans le cadre de cette these et sur une nouvelle facon de mobiliser une enquete statistique aupres des salaries. Ils donnent des elements de reponse a trois questions presentes dans le debat public : le determinisme techniques des choix organisationnels, le paradoxe de la productivite et le biais technologique.
HRV in isolated rabbit hearts and in vivo rabbit hearts

Heart rate variability of seven isolated and five in-vivo rabbit hearts was compared. Heart rate of isolated hearts is lower and RR-intervals longer than those of in-vivo hearts. Characteristic peaks in characteristic frequency bands are different and powers of these bands are almost twice higher in in-vivo hearts than in isolated ones. LF/HF ratio is more than five-times higher in isolated heart than in in-vivo hearts.
Redesign CORBA framework for distributed medical informatics model development

The distributed medical informatics (DMI) is a unique suite of multimedia telemedicine applications developed by our team. The applications support real-time patients' data, image files, audio and video diagnosis annotation exchanges. The DMI enables joint collaboration between radiologists and physicians while they are at distant geographical locations. The DMI environment consists of heterogeneous, autonomous, and legacy resources. The Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), Java database connectivity (JDBC), and Java language provide the capability to combine the DMI resources into an integrated, interoperable, and scalable system. The underneath technology, including IDL ORB, event service, IIOP JDBC/ODBC, legacy system wrapping and Java implementation are explored. This distributed collaborative CORBA/JDBC based framework will challenge the advanced, medical information management requirements. It also makes the DMI both hardware and software technologically independent. As our research and development extend, we will continue to incorporate the latest advances in computer technology. DMI is not another new tool in telemedicine, but rather a new paradigm for the delivery of health services that requires process reengineering, cultural changes, as well as organisational It is a whole new way of practicing in telemedicine. We believe that the DMI project has long-term, comprehensive solutions for today tomorrow-healthcare needs.
A control strategy for power management in a PV-battery hybrid system with MPPT

The paper presents a control strategy which manages the power flow between a Photovoltaic (PV) module, battery and the load. Since PV system provides an unregulated voltage output, it is regulated to a desired voltage level and then given to the charge controller, which distributes the power between battery and load. To extract acme power from PV system, a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) scheme is employed. The excess energy left, after meeting the load demand, is stored in the battery. The stored energy is utilized to meet the future load demands, when there is a power deficit from the PV system. Hence power requirement of the load is managed. Also a comparison between the three commonly used MPPT techniques: Perturb & Observe (P&O) algorithm, Incremental Conductance (IC) algorithm and Fractional Open Circuit Voltage (FOCV) algorithms is done and the most suitable technique is employed for the hybrid system. When the battery is fully charged, the excess power is absorbed by the dump load, which is also managed by the charge controller. The entire hybrid system is simulated and verified in the MATLAB/Simulink platform.
Fully human anti-interleukin 8 antibody inhibits tumor growth in orthotopic bladder cancer xenografts via down-regulation of matrix metalloproteases and nuclear factor-kappaB.

PURPOSE We previously demonstrated that overexpression of interleukin 8 (IL-8) in human transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) resulted in increased tumorigenicity and metastasis. This increase in tumor growth and metastasis can be attributed to the up-regulation in the expression and activity of the metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN To investigate whether targeting IL-8 with a fully human anti-IL-8 antibody (ABX-IL8) could be a potential therapeutic strategy for controlling TCC growth, we studied its effects on TCC growth in vitro and in an in vivo mouse model. Human TCC cell lines 253J B-V and UM UC3 (high IL-8 producers), 253J (low IL-8), and 253J transfected with the IL-8 gene (high producer) were used. RESULTS ABX-IL8 had no effect on TCC cell proliferation in vitro. However, in the orthotopic nude mouse model, after 4 weeks of treatment (100 micro g/week, i.p.), a significant decrease in tumor growth of both cell lines was observed. IL-8 blockade by ABX-IL8 significantly inhibited the expression, activity, and transcription of MMP-2 and MMP-9, resulting in decreased invasion through reconstituted basement membrane in vitro. The down-regulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in these cells could be explained by the modulation of nuclear factor-kappaB expression and transcriptional activity by ABX-IL8. CONCLUSIONS Our data point to the potential use of ABX-IL8 as a modality to treat bladder cancer and other solid tumors, either alone or in combination with conventional chemotherapy or other antitumor agents.
Self-triggered networked control systems: An experimental case study

A self-triggered controller is characterized, in general, by a non-periodic sequence of job activations. And each job execution, apart from performing sampling, control algorithm computation and actuation, calculates the next job activation time as a function of the plant state. This paper describes the implementation of self-triggered controllers in networked control systems (NCS). The implementation corroborates that self-triggered control can be used for minimizing bandwidth utilization while providing similar control performance than periodic controllers.