Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Observers and output feedback stabilising controllers for nonlinear strict-feedback systems with sampled observation

ABSTRACT The design of observers and output feedback stabilising controllers for continuous-time strict-feedback systems with sampled observation is considered. First two types of observers are designed. One is a discrete-time semiglobal and practical reduced-order observer for the exact model and the other is a continuous-time semiglobal and practical full-order observer for continuous-time strict feedback systems with sampled observation. Then by combining the designed continuous-time observers and continuous-time state feedback laws that are continuous, zero at the origin, and uniformly globally asymptotically stabilise continuous-time systems, output feedback semiglobally practically uniformly asymptotically stabilising controllers are constructed. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the proposed design of observers and output feedback controllers.
Social Media Use in the United States: Implications for Health Communication

Background Given the rapid changes in the communication landscape brought about by participative Internet use and social media, it is important to develop a better understanding of these technologies and their impact on health communication. The first step in this effort is to identify the characteristics of current social media users. Up-to-date reporting of current social media use will help monitor the growth of social media and inform health promotion/communication efforts aiming to effectively utilize social media. Objective The purpose of the study is to identify the sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with current adult social media users in the United States. Methods Data came from the 2007 iteration of the Health Information National Trends Study (HINTS, N = 7674). HINTS is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey on health-related communication trends and practices. Survey respondents who reported having accessed the Internet (N = 5078) were asked whether, over the past year, they had (1) participated in an online support group, (2) written in a blog, (3) visited a social networking site. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors of each type of social media use. Results Approximately 69% of US adults reported having access to the Internet in 2007. Among Internet users, 5% participated in an online support group, 7% reported blogging, and 23% used a social networking site. Multivariate analysis found that younger age was the only significant predictor of blogging and social networking site participation; a statistically significant linear relationship was observed, with younger categories reporting more frequent use. Younger age, poorer subjective health, and a personal cancer experience predicted support group participation. In general, social media are penetrating the US population independent of education, race/ethnicity, or health care access. Conclusions Recent growth of social media is not uniformly distributed across age groups; therefore, health communication programs utilizing social media must first consider the age of the targeted population to help ensure that messages reach the intended audience. While racial/ethnic and health status–related disparities exist in Internet access, among those with Internet access, these characteristics do not affect social media use. This finding suggests that the new technologies, represented by social media, may be changing the communication pattern throughout the United States.
Binding of the B cell activation antigen B7 to CD28 costimulates T cell proliferation and interleukin 2 mRNA accumulation

A successful immune response requires intercellular contact between T and B lymphocytes. We recently showed that CD28, a T cell surface protein that regulates an activation pathway, could mediate intercellular adhesion with activated B cells by interaction with the B7 antigen. Here we show that CD28 is the primary receptor for B7 on activated peripheral blood T cells, that CD28 binds to B7 in the absence of other accessory molecules, and that interaction between CD28 and B7 is costimulatory for T cell activation. To characterize the binding of CD28 to B7, we have produced genetic fusions of the extracellular portions of B7 and CD28, and immunoglobulin (Ig) C gamma 1 chains. 125I-labeled B7 Ig bound to CD28-transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, and to immobilized CD28 Ig with a Kd approximately 200 nM. B7 Ig also inhibited CD28-mediated cellular adhesion. The function of CD28-B7 interactions during T cell activation was investigated with soluble fusion proteins and with B7-transfected CHO cells. Immobilized B7 Ig and B7+ CHO cells costimulated T cell proliferation. Stimulation of T cells with B7+ CHO cells also specifically increased levels of interleukin 2 transcripts. These results demonstrate that the CD28 signaling pathway could be activated by B7, resulting in increased T cell cytokine production and T cell proliferation. Cellular interactions mediated by B7 and CD28 may represent an important component of the functional interactions between T and B lymphoid cells.
Information hiding for G.711 speech based on substitution of least significant bits and estimation of tolerable distortion

In this paper, we propose a novel data hiding technique for G.711 speech based on the LSB substitution method. The novel feature of the proposed method is that a low-bitrate encoder, G.726 ADPCM, is used as a reference for deciding how many bits can be embedded in a sample. Experiments showed that the method outperformed the simple LSB substitution method and the selective embedding method proposed by Aoki. We achieved 4-kbit/s embedding with almost no subjective degradation of speech quality, and 10 kbit/s while keeping good quality.
Action potential classification with dual channel intrafascicular electrodes

Using recordings of peripheral nerve activity made with carbon fiber intrafascicular electrodes, the authors compared the performance of three different recording techniques (single channel, differential, and dual channel) and four different unit classification methods (linear discriminant analysis, template matching, a novel time amplitude windowing technique, and neural networks) in terms of errors in waveform classification and artifact rejection. Dual channel recording provided uniformly superior unit separability, neural networks gave the lowest classification error rates, and template matching had the best artifact rejection performance. <<ETX>>
Association Between Local Atherosclerosis and Renal Cell Carcinomas

Objective: Atherosclerosis induce changes in reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress by hypoxia leading to oxidative DNA damage and therefore it could be expected that the cancer risk in patients with atherosclerotic diseases is increased. Materials and Methods: The present study therefore aimed to morphometrically compare atherosclerotic changes (e.g., intima-to-media ratio [IMR]) in renal cell cancer (n = 514) and tumor-negative renal specimens (n = 70). Results: Renal cell cancer specimens, in contrast to tumor-negative renal specimens, had more advanced atherosclerotic lesions, which moreover in immediately peritumorous (near-field) arteries were more strongly developed than in somewhat more distant (far-field) arteries. IMR > 1 was significantly associated with renal cell carcinoma and the odds ratio of having renal cell cancer was significantly higher for patients with an IMR > 1. Conclusion: Local atherosclerosis was more pronounced in tumor-positive than in tumor-negative renal specimens with significant association between IMR > 1 and renal cancer. This finding encourages the hypothesis of atherosclerosis causing oxidative stress as a potential risk factor for the development of renal cell cancer.
Ni(II) and Cd(II) Simple and Competitive Adsorption on ActivatedCarbon Oxidized. Influence of the Oxidant Agents H2O2 and NaClO

Granular activated carbon, GAC, modified by oxidation with H 2 O 2 and NaClO aqueous solutions and heat treatment at 900 °C. The N 2 adsorption isotherms at −196 °C and SEM and FTIR results were used to characterize the properties of the prepared ACs. Textural parameters such as BET surface area and pore volumes were assessed by gas adsorption. The BET surface area values of solids are between 687 and 876 m 2 g -1 . Additionally immersion enthalpies of activated carbons in benzene, water, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide solutions and Ni(II) and Cd(II) solutions of 500 mgL -1 were determined, with values between 32 and 145 Jg -1 . Ni(II) and Cd(II) adsorption isotherms were determined at pH 6 on activated carbons and competitive adsorption tests were realized between the two ions. The results show that for the tests carried out, the adsorption capacity decreases when the content of chemical groups on the surface also decreases. Finally, the experimental results of the adsorption from solution were adjusted to the Langmuir and Freundlich models and a better fit with the first was found. With maximum adsorption capacities values for Ni(II) between 3.99 and 64.9 mgg -1 for Cd(II) between 2.61 and 55.2 mgg -1 . Values for competitive adsorption ions present in solution, Ni(II) and Cd(II), on the activated carbons, diminishes compared to those obtained in simple adsorption, this indicates the effect of the an ion competitive presence in adsorption another.
Pathogen detection using single mode planar optical waveguides

We utilize an optical waveguide-based biosensor recently developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory for the sensitive and specific detection of protein markers. Our planar optical waveguides are based on single mode structures that provide high optical field intensity at the active surface while providing discrimination from sample background fluorescence through spatial filtering. We have incorporated sandwich immunoassays where the capture antibody is immobilized on a biocompatible film attached to the surface of an optical waveguide. The approach can be adapted to any marker protein and is faster (<10 min), more sensitive, and as specific as conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA, the current lab standard). Results are presented for the detection of several analytes of Bacillus anthracis including protective antigen, a virulence marker for B. anthracis, and the bacterial cell or cellular debris.
Conserved localization of Pax6 and Pax7 transcripts in the brain of representatives of sarcopterygian vertebrates during development supports homologous brain regionalization

Many of the genes involved in brain patterning during development are highly conserved in vertebrates and similarities in their expression patterns help to recognize homologous cell types or brain regions. Among these genes, Pax6 and Pax7 are expressed in regionally restricted patterns in the brain and are essential for its development. In the present immunohistochemical study we analyzed the distribution of Pax6 and Pax7 cells in the brain of six representative species of tetrapods and lungfishes, the closest living relatives of tetrapods, at several developmental stages. The distribution patterns of these transcription factors were largely comparable across species. In all species only Pax6 was expressed in the telencephalon, including the olfactory bulbs, septum, striatum, and amygdaloid complex. In the diencephalon, Pax6 and Pax7 were distinct in the alar and basal parts, mainly in prosomeres 1 and 3. Pax7 specifically labeled cells in the optic tectum (superior colliculus) and Pax6, but not Pax7, cells were found in the tegmentum. Pax6 was found in most granule cells of the cerebellum and Pax7 labeling was detected in cells of the ventricular zone of the rostral alar plate and in migrated cells in the basal plate, including the griseum centrale and the interpeduncular nucleus. Caudally, Pax6 cells formed a column, whereas the ventricular zone of the alar plate expressed Pax7. Since the observed Pax6 and Pax7 expression patterns are largely conserved they can be used to identify subdivisions in the brain across vertebrates that are not clearly discernible with classical techniques.
Crowdsourcing for search and data mining

The advent of crowdsourcing is revolutionizing data annotation, evaluation, and other traditionally manual-labor intensive processes by dramatically reducing the time, cost, and effort involved. This in turn is driving a disruptive shift in search and data mining methodology in areas such as: Evaluation: the Cranfield paradigm for search evaluation requires manually assessing document relevance to search queries. Recent work on stochastic evaluation has reduced but not removed this need for manual assessment. Supervised Learning: while traditional costs associated with data annotation have driven recent machine learning work (e.g. Learning to Rank) toward greater use of unsupervised and semi-supervised methods, the emergence of crowdsourcing has made labeled data far easier to acquire, thereby driving a potential resurgence in fully-supervised methods. Applications: Crowdsourcing has introduced exciting new opportunities to integrate human labor into automated systems: handling difficult cases where automation fails, exploiting the breadth of backgrounds, geographic dispersion, real-time response, etc.
Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Changes Associated With Potato Autopolyploidization

Polyploidy is remarkably common in the plant kingdom and polyploidization is a major driving force for plant genome evolution. Polyploids may contain genomes from different parental species (allopolyploidy) or include multiple sets of the same genome (autopolyploidy). Genetic and epigenetic changes associated with allopolyploidization have been a major research subject in recent years. However, we know little about the genetic impact imposed by autopolyploidization. We developed a synthetic autopolyploid series in potato (Solanum phureja) that includes one monoploid (1x) clone, two diploid (2x) clones, and one tetraploid (4x) clone. Cell size and organ thickness were positively correlated with the ploidy level. However, the 2x plants were generally the most vigorous and the 1x plants exhibited less vigor compared to the 2x and 4x individuals. We analyzed the transcriptomic variation associated with this autopolyploid series using a potato cDNA microarray containing ∼9000 genes. Statistically significant expression changes were observed among the ploidies for ∼10% of the genes in both leaflet and root tip tissues. However, most changes were associated with the monoploid and were within the twofold level. Thus, alteration of ploidy caused subtle expression changes of a substantial percentage of genes in the potato genome. We demonstrated that there are few genes, if any, whose expression is linearly correlated with the ploidy and can be dramatically changed because of ploidy alteration.
Must diphone synthesis be so unnatural?

An English utterance was synthesized in four versions using sets of diphones produced under four different prosodic and contextual conditions. The synthesis used either accented diphones only or appropriately located accented and unaccented diphones, with each of these conditions being repeated using neutral-context and differentiated-context diphones. They were presented to two listener groups, a native English and a non-native group for paired comparison acceptability judgements. The results show a massive preference for the stress-and context-differentiated condition. Both stress and context had a significant effect on acceptability judgements, but con-text-differentiation raised acceptability more strongly than stress-differentiation. Both the native and the main sub-group of non-native listeners judged the stimuli in essentially the same way.
Pose estimation with radial distortion and unknown focal length

This paper presents a solution to the problem of pose estimation in the presence of heavy radial distortion and a potentially large number of outliers. The main contribution is an algorithm that solves for radial distortion, focal length and camera pose using a minimal set of four point correspondences between 3D world points and image points. We use a RANSAC loop to find a set of inliers and an initial estimate for bundle adjustment. Unlike previous approaches where one starts out by assuming a linear projection model, our minimal solver allows us to handle large radial distortions already at the RANSAC stage. We demonstrate that with the inclusion of radial distortion in an early stage of the process, a broader variety of cameras can be handled than was previously possible. In the experiments, no calibration whatsoever is applied to the camera. Instead we assume square pixels, zero skew and centered principal point. Although these assumptions are not strictly true, we show that good results are still obtained and by that conclude that the proposed method is applicable to uncalibrated photographs.
APC/Fizzy‐Related targets Aurora‐A kinase for proteolysis

Aurora‐A kinase is a mitotic spindle‐pole‐associated protein that has been implicated in duplication and separation of centrosomes and in spindle assembly. The proper timing and amplitude of Aurora‐A expression seems to be important, as elevated levels of this protein have been associated with centrosome abnormalities and aneuploidy in mammalian cells. We show that Aurora‐A increases at the G2–M transistion and disappears completely at G1 in XL2 cells. Using Xenopus oocyte extracts, we demonstrate that degradation of Aurora‐A is mediated by the anaphase‐promoting complex (APC) and is regulated by Fizzy‐Related but not by Fizzy. Degradation of Aurora‐A depends on a D‐Box, but not on its KEN‐Box motif, as mutation of its C‐terminal D‐Box sequence induces stabilization of the protein. Accordingly, addition into the extracts of a cyclin B‐type D‐Box‐motif‐containing peptide completely suppresses its degradation. Furthermore, APC/Fizzy‐Related ubiquitylates the wild type but not a D‐Box mutant form of Aurora‐A in vitro. Consistent with these data, ectopic expression of Fizzy‐Related in Xenopus oocytes induces complete degradation of endogenous Aurora‐A. Aurora‐A is thus the first protein, at least in our assay system, that undergoes a D‐Box‐dependent degradation mediated by APC/Fizzy‐Related but not by APC/Fizzy.
Adhesion Formation: Intraperitoneal Catheters in Surgical Practice

To compare the adhesion formation, in a rat model, of commercially available materials used as intraperitoneal catheters in clinical practice, pieces of polyurethane, Teflon, silicone, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were placed intraperitoneally in 36 female Wistar rats randomly assigned into four groups. Adhesion development was quantitated according to Nair's classification system (NCS). According to NCS, polyurethane showed the least adhesion formation, while the highest scores were found in the PVC group. Comparing the thickness and the firmness of adhesions in the four groups, significant differences were found, with the polyurethane group developing none or filmy and mild adhesions. In contrast, almost all the rats in the Teflon group developed thick and dense adhesions. Thus, polyurethane caused the least adhesion formation among the four materials evaluated, and can be used more extensively for the construction of catheters for prolonged intraperitoneal use.
Electromechanical flapping produced by ionic polymer-metal composites

An IMPC actuated flapping wing has been designed and demonstrated for mimicking flapping motion of a bird wing. The flapping wing can produce twist motion as well as flap up and down motions. For design of the wing, an equivalent beam model has been proposed based on the measured force-displacement data. The equivalent model is used to determine suitable IPMC actuator patterns that can create twist motion during up- and down-strokes of the wing. The IPMC actuator pattern is inserted in a wing-shaped plastic film to form a complete flapping wing. Experimental results show that the properly shaped IPMCs can create aniosotropic motion that is often required for producing effective thrust and lift forces in bird flight.
The ViibraCane-A White Cane for Tactile Navigation Guidance

During previous CSUN conferences we presented the navigation system TANIA (Tactile-Acoustical Navigation and Information Assistant). The system’s main component is an Ultra Mobile PC and it achieves positioning of the user via an accurate step-tracking method, GPS, and RFID tags, and works both indoors and outdoors. Besides providing information about the surrounding area by an integrated tactile-acoustical map, the system has an inbuilt assistant to guide the user to a chosen destination. The navigation guidance was formerly achieved by text output that was displayed on a Braille display or read out by a text-to-speech engine.
Excitatory Amino Acid Pathway from the Hippocampus to the Prefrontal Cortex. Contribution of AMPA Receptors in Hippocampo‐prefrontal Cortex Transmission

Previous experiments in the rat have demonstrated that field CA1 and the subiculum project to the prefrontal cortex and that this direct unilateral pathway is excitatory. In the present study, anatomical and electrophysiological approaches were used to determine the transmitter mediating the excitatory responses in prefrontal cortex neurons to low‐frequency stimulation of the hippocampus. The method of selective retrograde d‐[3H]aspartate labelling was used to identify putative glutamatergic and/or aspartatergic hippocampal afferent fibres to the prefrontal cortex. Unilateral microinjection of d‐[3H]aspartate into the prelimbic area of the prefrontal cortex resulted in the retrograde labelling of a fraction of hippocampal neurons. Some labelled cell bodies were distributed in field CA1 and the subiculum but larger numbers of neurons were detected in the ventral and intermediary subiculum. In a second series of experiments, the excitatory transmission from the hippocampus to the prefrontal cortex was pharmacologically analysed to provide further evidence for the involvement of glutamate and/or aspartate in the pathway. All prefrontal cortex neurons responding to the stimulation of the hippocampus were activated by selective agonists of the glutamate receptor subtypes α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole‐propionic acid (AMPA) and N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA), and these effects were selectively antagonized by 6‐cyano‐7‐nitroquinoxaline‐2,3‐dione (CNQX) and 2‐amino‐5‐phosphonopentanoic acid (APV) respectively. Most of the excitatory responses of prefrontal cortex neurons to single and paired‐pulse stimulation of the hippocampus were antagonized by CNQX. APV only affected the excitatory response in a few cells. These results suggest that the hippocampal input to the prefrontal cortex utilizes glutamate and/or aspartate as a transmitter. Even though prefrontal cortex neurons responding to the stimulation of the hippocampus appear to have both AMPA and NMDA receptors, low‐frequency stimulation of the hippocampo‐prefrontal cortex pathway activates cortical neurons mostly through AMPA receptors.