Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance assessment of multivariable control systems using PCA control charts

In the MIMO system, the benchmark of the multivariable system in the past is computed from the traces of the multivariable covariance matrices. This may cause false detection since the correlation among variables is not considered. In this paper, a new method, called ARMA-PCA based MV, is proposed. It is an integrated framework of multivariable principal component analysis (PCA) and the autoregressive moving average (ARMA) filter for building up the minimum variance (MV) performance bound of the MIMO feedback control system. The benchmark of the multivariable system is achievable by the minimum score of the variances using the resulting decomposition structure of the PCA model without the risk of the overdetermined or underdetermined problems in the MIMO system. After extracting the essential features of the benchmark information, subsequently, improved statistics is selected as the performance benchmark index to monitor the progress of the current operation. The case study indicates that the proposed method yields better monitoring results than the conventional approaches in terms of sensitivity and time to the degraded system.
Multiscale deconvolution using wavelet transform for improving the depth resolution in secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis

In this paper multiscale deconvolution scheme, based on Tikhonov-Miller regularization and wavelets transformation, was developed and applied to improve the depth resolution of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis. Both local applying of the regularization parameter and shrinking the wavelet coefficients of blurred and estimated solutions at each resolution level in the multiscale deconvolution provide to smoothed results without the risk of generating spurious oscillations related to noise content in the profile. This, leads to a significant improvement of the depth resolution. The results obtained by using multiscale deconvolution are compared to those obtained by mono resolution deconvolution method which is Tikhonov-Miller regularization with a model of solution. The advantages of multiresolution deconvolution are presented and discussed.
A 25-Year Longitudinal Evaluation of Gastric Emptying in Diabetes

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the natural history of gastric emptying in diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Thirteen patients with diabetes (12, type 1; 1, type 2) had measurements of gastric emptying, blood glucose levels, glycated hemoglobin, upper gastrointestinal symptoms, and autonomic nerve function at baseline and after 24.7 ± 1.5 years. RESULTS There was no change in gastric emptying of either solids (% retention at 100 min) (baseline 58.5 ± 5% vs. follow-up 51.9 ± 8%; P = 0.35) or liquids (50% emptying time) (baseline 29.8 ± 3 min vs. follow-up 34.3 ± 6 min; P = 0.37). Gastric emptying of solid at follow-up was related to emptying at baseline (r = 0.56, P < 0.05). At follow-up, blood glucose concentrations were lower (P = 0.006), autonomic function deteriorated (P = 0.03), and gastrointestinal symptoms remained unchanged (P = 0.17). CONCLUSIONS In unselected patients with diabetes, gastric emptying appears remarkably stable over 25 years.
Format-Transforming Encryption: More than Meets the DPI

Nation-states and other organizations are increasingly deploying deep-packet inspection (DPI) technologies to censor Internet traffic based on application-layer content. We introduce a new DPI circumvention approach, format-transforming encryption (FTE), that cryptographically transforms the format of arbitrary plaintext data (e.g. packet contents) into specified formats that are designed to bypass DPI tests. We show how to build a general-purpose FTE system, in which these formats are defined compactly by families of regular expressions. Moreover, we specify and implement a full FTE record-layer protocol. We exhibit formats that are guaranteed to avoid known filters, and give a framework for learning formats from noncensored HTTP traffic. These formats are put to use in our FTE record layer, to explore trade-offs between performance and steganographic capabilities. As one example, we visit the top 100 Alexa webpages through an FTE tunnel, incurring an average overhead of roughly 5%.
TRANSTORNOS DE IDENTIDADE E DE COMPORTAMENTO SEXUAL: UMA ABORDAGEM EPIDEMIOLÓGICA DISORDERS OF IDENTITY AND SEXUAL BEHAVIOR: AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL APPROACH TRASTORNOS DE IDENTIDAD Y COMPORTAMIENTO SEXUAL: UN ENFOQUE EPIDEMIOLÓGICO

6A pesquisa teve como objetivo caracterizar os pacientes acometidos por Transtornos de Identidade e de Comportamento Sexual e identificar sua ocorrencia por sexo, bem como a procedencia do paciente, diagnostico e tempo de internacao, tipo de alta e internacao e fonte financiadora dos servicos prestados. Trata-se de estudo retrospectivo realizado em uma clinica psiquiatrica do Centro Oeste Mineiro. A amostra foi composta por 2715 pacientes, predominante do sexo masculino (1518-55,9%); a faixa etaria de 21 a 30 anos (917-33,7%); a procedencia para internacao dos Centros de Atencao Psicossocial (1123-41,3%), os diagnosticos de “Outros Transtornos de preferencia sexual” (2567-94,5%); o tempo de permanencia de 1 a 30 dias (1770-65,2%); as altas medicas (181866,9%); as primeiras internacoes (1775-65,3%) e o Sistema Unico de Saude como principal financiador (2.004-73,1%). Evidenciou-se que os transtornos sao mais comuns nos homens jovens e percebeu-se o pouco conhecimento dos profissionais de saude sobre estes transtornos. Descritores: Comportamento Sexual; Hospitalizacao; Pessoas Mentalmente Doentes; Enfermagem Psiquiatrica. The research aimed to characterize patients affected by Identity Disorders and Sexual Behavior and identify their occurrence by sex, as well as the patient's origin, diagnosis and length of stay, type of admission and discharge and funding source for services rendered. This is a retrospective study conducted in a psychiatric clinic in the Midwest Miner. The sample consisted of 2715 patients, predominantly male (1518- 55.9%), age range 21-30 years (917- 33.7%), the origin of hospitalization for Psychosocial Care Centers (1123 - 41.3%), the diagnosis of "Other Disorders of sexual preference" (2567- 94.5%), the residence time of 1 to 30 days (177065.2%), the high medical (1818-66,9%), the first admissions (1775-65.3%) and Health System as the main funder (2004 to 73.1%). It was evident that the disorders are more common in young men and it was realized how little knowledge of health professionals about these disorders.
Raman Spectroscopy-Compatible Inactivation Method for Pathogenic Endospores

ABSTRACT Micro-Raman spectroscopy is a fast and sensitive tool for the detection, classification, and identification of biological organisms. The vibrational spectrum inherently serves as a fingerprint of the biochemical composition of each bacterium and thus makes identification at the species level, or even the subspecies level, possible. Therefore, microorganisms in areas susceptible to bacterial contamination, e.g., clinical environments or food-processing technology, can be sensed. Within the scope of point-of-care-testing also, detection of intentionally released biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) agents, such as Bacillus anthracis endospores, or their products is attainable. However, no Raman spectroscopy-compatible inactivation method for the notoriously resistant Bacillus endospores has been elaborated so far. In this work we present an inactivation protocol for endospores that permits, on the one hand, sufficient microbial inactivation and, on the other hand, the recording of Raman spectroscopic signatures of single endospores, making species-specific identification by means of highly sophisticated chemometrical methods possible. Several physical and chemical inactivation methods were assessed, and eventually treatment with 20% formaldehyde proved to be superior to the other methods in terms of sporicidal capacity and information conservation in the Raman spectra. The latter fact has been verified by successfully using self-learning machines (such as support vector machines or artificial neural networks) to identify inactivated B. anthracis-related endospores with adequate accuracies within the range of the limited model database employed.
Improving Software Performance and Reliability with an Architecture-Based Self-Adaptive Framework

Modern computer systems for distributed service computing become highly complex and difficult to manage. A selfadaptive approach that integrates monitoring, analyzing, and actuation functionalities has the potential to accommodate to a dynamically changing environment. The main objective of this paper is to develop an architecture-based self-adaptive framework to improve performance and resource efficiency of a server while maintaining reliable services. The target problem is distributed and concurrent systems. This paper proposes a Self-Adaptive Framework for Concurrency Architecture (SAFCA) that includes multiple concurrency architectural patterns or alternatives. The framework has monitoring and managing capabilities that can invoke another architectural alternative at run-time to cope with increasing demands or for reliability purpose. Two control mechanisms have been developed: SAFCA-Q and SAFCA-R. With SAFCA-Q, the system does not need to be statically configured for the highest workloads; hence, resource usage becomes more efficient in normal conditions and the system still is able to handle busty demands. SAFCA-R is used to improve reliability in the case of a failure by conducting a switchover to another software architecture. Experiment results demonstrate that the performance of SAFCA-Q is better than systems using only standalone concurrency architecture and resources are also better utilized. SAFCA-R also shows fast recovery in the face of a failure.
Multiple-model Q-learning for stochastic reinforcement delays

The main contribution of this work is a novel machine reinforcement learning algorithm for problems where a Poissonian stochastic time delay is present in the agent's reinforcement signal. Despite the presence of the reinforcement noise, the algorithm can craft a suitable control policy for the agent's environment. The novel approach can deal with reinforcements which may be received out of order in time or may even overlap, which was not previously considered in the literature. The proposed algorithm is simulated and its performance is compared to a standard Q-learning algorithm. Through simulation, the proposed method is found to improve the performance of a learning agent in an environment with Poissonian-type stochastically delayed rewards.
Tonsillectomy As a Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults With Tonsillar Hypertrophy

Objectives High surgical success rates for adenotonsillectomy in children with sleep‐related breathing disorders have been described in various studies. The purposes of the present study were to observe how often a substantial tonsillar hypertrophy is associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults and to evaluate the efficiency of a bilateral tonsillectomy.
Implementing a fully distributed certificate authority in an OLSR MANET

OLSR (optimal link state routing) is one of the four base routing protocols being considered for use with MANETs (mobile ad hoc networks) by the lETF's MANET working group. OLSR belongs to the proactive class of routing protocols in which the connection setup delay is minimized at the expense of the heavier control traffic load on the wireless channel. Existing IETF draft proposals on OLSR does not yet address security issues. Although a PKI (public key infrastructure) based security is deemed more appropriate for MANETs including OLSR MANETs, care should be taken to ensure that such an infrastructure does not add to the already heavy control traffic load in OLSR and, as much as possible, the existing OLSR control packets are utilized to support such infrastructures as well. In this paper we describe our approach in which a PKI is tightly coupled with an OLSR MANET at the network layer level and the OLSR control packets are leveraged to support various security related activities as well. We have implemented a fully distributed CA (certificate authority) and integrated it with an existing implementation of OLSRv4 (OLSR for IP version 4). Intricate details of our implementation are presented to develop insights into the key aspects of the proposed solution.
Time-related grammatical use by children with SLI across languages: Beyond tense

Abstract Purpose. For years, investigators have studied the use of tense by children with specific language impairment (SLI). This review article provides a summary of research on the use of other time-related grammatical forms by these children. Method. The literature on children's use of grammatical and lexical aspect, modal verbs and temporal adverbs is reviewed. Findings from children with SLI acquiring a range of different languages are considered. Result. Grammatical aspect and lexical aspect appear to be special weaknesses in children with SLI and problems with lexical aspect may also have an adverse effect on these children's ability to use past tense morphology. Although children with SLI are below age level in their use of modal verbs and temporal adverbs, the available evidence suggests that these weaknesses are no greater than these children's more general limitations with language. Conclusion. The evidence thus far indicates that time-related notions further on the morphosyntactic end of the language continuum (aspect) are more problematic for these children than those time-related notions (modals, temporal adverbs) that include a pragmatic and/or semantic component. In some languages, aspect may prove to be a useful clinical marker of this disorder.
Quark matter in compact stars: astrophysical implications and possible signatures

After a brief non technical introduction of the basic properties of strange quark matter (SQM) in compact stars, we consider some of the late important advances in the field, and discuss some recent astrophysical observational data that could shed new light on the possible presence of SQM in compact stars. We show that above a threshold value of the gravitational mass a neutron star (pure hadronic star) is metastable to the decay (conversion) to an hybrid neutron star or to a strange star. We explore the consequences of the metastability of "massive" neutron stars and of the existence of stable compact "quark" stars (hybrid neutron stars or strange stars) on the concept of limiting mass of compact stars, and we give an extension of this concept with respect to the "classical" one given in 1939 by Oppenheimer and Volkoff.
Red flags in the clinical interview may forecast invalid neuropsychological testing

Abstract Objective: Evaluating assessment validity is expected in neuropsychological evaluation, particularly in cases with identified secondary gain, where malingering or somatization may be present. Assessed with standalone measures and embedded indices, all within the testing portion of the examination, research on validity of self-report in the clinical interview is limited. Based on experience with litigation-involved examinees recovering from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), it was hypothesized that inconsistently reported date of injury (DOI) and/or loss of consciousness (LOC) might predict invalid performance on neurocognitive testing. Method: This archival study examined cases of litigation-involved mTBI patients seen at an outpatient neuropsychological practice in Philadelphia, PA. Coded data included demographic variables, performance validity measures, and consistency between self-report and medicolegal records. Results: A significant relationship was found between the consistency of examinees’ self-report with records and their scores on performance validity testing, X2 (1, N = 84) = 24.18, p < . 01, Φ = . 49. Post hoc testing revealed significant between-group differences in three of four comparisons, with medium to large effect sizes. A final post hoc analysis found significance between the number of performance validity tests (PVTs) failed and the extent to which an examinee incorrectly reported DOI r(83) = . 49, p < . 01. Using inconsistently reported LOC and/or DOI to predict an examinee’s performance as invalid had a 75% sensitivity and a 75% specificity. Conclusion: Examinees whose reported DOI or LOC differs from records may be more likely to fail one or more PVTs, suggesting possible symptom exaggeration and/or under performance on cognitive testing.s
Cellular glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐specific phospholipase D regulates urokinase receptor shedding and cell surface expression

The glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) ‐ anchored, multifunctional receptor for the serine proteinase, urokinase plasminogen activator (uPAR, CD87), regulates plasminogen activation and cell migration, adhesion, and proliferation. uPAR occurs in functionally distinct, membrane‐anchored and soluble isoforms (s‐uPAR) in vitro and in vivo. Recent evidence indicates that s‐uPAR present in the circulation of cancer patients correlates with tumor malignancy and represents a valuable prognostic marker in certain types of cancer. We have therefore analyzed the mechanism of uPAR shedding in vitro. We present evidence that uPAR is actively released from ovarian cancer cells since the rate of receptor shedding did not correlate with uPAR expression. While s‐uPAR was derived from the cell surface, it lacked the hydrophobic portion of the GPI moiety indicating anchor cleavage. We show that uPAR release is catalyzed by cellular GPI‐specific phospholipase D (GPI‐PLD), an enzyme cleaving the GPI anchor of the receptor. Thus, recombinant GPI‐PLD expression increased receptor release up to fourfold. Conversely, a 40% reduction in GPI‐PLD activity by GPI‐PLD antisense mRNA expression inhibited uPAR release by more than 60%. We found that GPI‐PLD also regulated uPAR expression, possibly by releasing a GPI‐anchored growth factor. Our data suggest that cellular GPI‐PLD might be involved in the generation of circulating prognostic markers in cancer and possibly regulate the function of GPI‐anchored proteins by generating functionally distinct, soluble counterparts. J. Cell. Physiol. 180:225–235, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
SYD985, a Novel Duocarmycin-Based HER2-Targeting Antibody–Drug Conjugate, Shows Antitumor Activity in Uterine Serous Carcinoma with HER2/Neu Expression

Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is an aggressive form of endometrial cancer. Up to 35% of USC may overexpress the HER2/neu oncogene at strong (i.e., 3+) levels by IHC while an additional 40% to 50% express HER2/neu at moderate (2+) or low (1+) levels. We investigated the efficacy of SYD985, (Synthon Biopharmaceuticals), a novel HER2-targeting antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) composed of the mAb trastuzumab linked to a highly potent DNA-alkylating agent (i.e., duocarmycin) in USC. We also compared the antitumor activity of SYD985 in head-to-head experiments to trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), a FDA-approved ADC, against multiple primary USC cell lines expressing different levels of HER2/neu in in vitro and in vivo experiments. Using antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), proliferation, viability, and bystander killing assays as well as propidium iodide–based flow cytometry assays and multiple in vivo USC mouse xenograft models, we demonstrate for the first time that SYD985 is a novel ADC with activity against USC with strong (3+) as well as low to moderate (i.e., 1+/2+) HER2/neu expression. SYD985 is 10- to 70-fold more potent than T-DM1 in comparative experiments and, unlike T-DM1, it is active against USC demonstrating moderate/low or heterogeneous HER2/neu expression. Clinical studies with SYD985 in patients harboring chemotherapy-resistant USC with low, moderate, and high HER2 expression are warranted. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(8); 1900–9. ©2016 AACR.
Modern Urban Theory in Question

The modem city gave rise to modern urban theory. Essentialist metaphors drawn from biology or economics have often been used to explain modern urban processes. Recently a literature has emerged which suggests a break has occurred between modern and post-modern ways of theorizing the city and other spheres of social life. A number of different critiques of this view are considered. Following a discussion of similarities and differences between the modern city and its theory, and the post-modem city and its theory, it is suggested that there are many continuities as well as discontinuities between them.
SulE, a Sulfonylurea Herbicide De-Esterification Esterase from Hansschlegelia zhihuaiae S113

ABSTRACT De-esterification is an important degradation or detoxification mechanism of sulfonylurea herbicide in microbes and plants. However, the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of sulfonylurea herbicide de-esterification are still unknown. In this study, a novel esterase gene, sulE, responsible for sulfonylurea herbicide de-esterification, was cloned from Hansschlegelia zhihuaiae S113. The gene contained an open reading frame of 1,194 bp, and a putative signal peptide at the N terminal was identified with a predicted cleavage site between Ala37 and Glu38, resulting in a 361-residue mature protein. SulE minus the signal peptide was synthesized in Escherichia coli BL21 and purified to homogeneity. SulE catalyzed the de-esterification of a variety of sulfonylurea herbicides that gave rise to the corresponding herbicidally inactive parent acid and exhibited the highest catalytic efficiency toward thifensulfuron-methyl. SulE was a dimer without the requirement of a cofactor. The activity of the enzyme was completely inhibited by Ag+, Cd2+, Zn2+, methamidophos, and sodium dodecyl sulfate. A sulE-disrupted mutant strain, ΔsulE, was constructed by insertion mutation. ΔsulE lost the de-esterification ability and was more sensitive to the herbicides than the wild type of strain S113, suggesting that sulE played a vital role in the sulfonylurea herbicide resistance of the strain. The transfer of sulE into Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4741 conferred on it the ability to de-esterify sulfonylurea herbicides and increased its resistance to the herbicides. This study has provided an excellent candidate for the mechanistic study of sulfonylurea herbicide metabolism and detoxification through de-esterification, construction of sulfonylurea herbicide-resistant transgenic crops, and bioremediation of sulfonylurea herbicide-contaminated environments.
Explicit federal relationship management to support semantic integration

Integration of disparate information resources has long been a significant research topic. Semantic approaches can help by allowing expression of concepts divorced from syntax and allowing rich, structured meta-data to be published in a form that is amenable to machine processing, reasoning and inter-domain concept mapping. However the creation of mappings, especially in a dynamic federations of autonomous entities, is time-consuming and vulnerable to brittleness and high maintenance costs due to change at many levels in the system. In this paper we propose an approach to managing change and maximizing mapping reuse by building explicit models of the federal relationship context of mapping deployment. These descriptions enable automated support for mapping reuse suggestions and ease discovery of relevant mappings due to changes at the federation, peer domain, shared capability or local model levels.