Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictive Maintenance of Military Systems Based on Physical Failure Models

Preventive maintenance is required to keep critical systems available at reasonable costs. Instead of applying the traditional experience-based approach of statistical analysis of failure data, the present paper proposes to adopt a predictive maintenance policy that relies on detailed knowledge of the physical failure mechanisms. A structured scheme for this approach is presented. Then three case studies from the military, a helicopter, a naval gas turbine and a military vehicle, are used to demonstrate the benefits of this approach.
Design of Kalman filters for mobile robots; evaluation of the kinematic and odometric approach

Kalman filters have for a long time been widely used on mobile robots as a location estimator. Many different Kalman filter designs have been proposed, using models of various complexity. In this paper, two different design methods are evaluated and compared. Focus is put on the common setup where the mobile robot is equipped with a dual encoder system supported by some additional absolute measurements. A common filter type for this setup is the odometric filter, where readings from the odometry system on the robot are used together with the geometry of the robot movement as a model of the robot. If additional kinematic assumptions are made, for instance regarding the velocity of the robot, an augmented model can be used instead. This kinematic filter has some advantages when used intelligently, and it is shown how this type of filter can be used to suppress noise on encoder readings and velocity estimates. The Kalman filter normally consists of a time update followed by one or more data updates. However, it is shown that when using the kinematic filter, the encoder measurements should be fused prior to the time update for better performance.
Healthier by Precommitment

We tested a voluntary self-control commitment device to help grocery shoppers make healthier food purchases. Participants, who were already enrolled in a large-scale incentive program that discounts the price of eligible groceries by 25%, were offered the chance to put their discount on the line. Agreeing households pledged that they would increase their purchases of healthy food by 5 percentage points above their household baseline for each of 6 months. If they reached that goal, their discount was awarded as usual; otherwise, their discount was forfeited for that month. Thirty-six percent of households that were offered the binding commitment agreed; they subsequently showed an average 3.5-percentage-point increase in healthy grocery items purchased in each of the 6 months; households that declined the commitment and control-group households that were given a hypothetical option to precommit did not show such an increase. These results suggest that self-aware consumers will seize opportunities to create restrictive choice environments for themselves, even at some risk of financial loss.
Extensive DNA methylation in normal colorectal mucosa in hyperplastic polyposis

Background: Hyperplastic polyposis of the colorectum is a precancerous condition that has been linked with DNA methylation. The polyps in this condition have been distinguished from typical small hyperplastic polyps and renamed sessile serrated adenomas. Sessile serrated adenomas also occur sporadically and appear to be indistinguishable from their counterparts in hyperplastic polyposis. Aims and methods: The existence of distinguishing molecular features was explored in a series of serrated polyps and matched normal mucosa from patients with and without hyperplastic polyposis by assessing mutation of BRAF, DNA methylation in 14 markers (MINTs 1, 2 and 31, p16, MGMT, MLH1, RASSF1, RASSF2, NORE1 (RASSF5), RKIP, MST1, DAPK, FAS, and CHFR), and immunoexpression of MLH1. Results: There was more extensive methylation in sessile serrated adenomas from subjects with hyperplastic polyposis (p<0.0001). A more clearcut difference in patients with hyperplastic polyposis was the finding of extensive DNA methylation in normal mucosa from the proximal colon. Conclusions: A genetic predisposition may underlie at least some forms of hyperplastic polyposis in which the earliest manifestation may be hypermethylation of multiple gene promoters in normal colorectal mucosa. Additionally, some of the heterogeneity within hyperplastic polyposis may be explained by different propensities for MLH1 inactivation within polyps.
Automated Word Stress Detection in Russian

In this study we address the problem of automated word stress detection in Russian using character level models and no part-speech-taggers. We use a simple bidirectional RNN with LSTM nodes and achieve accuracy of 90% or higher. We experiment with two training datasets and show that using the data from an annotated corpus is much more efficient than using only a dictionary, since it allows to retain the context of the word and its morphological features.
Priority-based cache allocation in throughput processors

GPUs employ massive multithreading and fast context switching to provide high throughput and hide memory latency. Multithreading can Increase contention for various system resources, however, that may result In suboptimal utilization of shared resources. Previous research has proposed variants of throttling thread-level parallelism to reduce cache contention and improve performance. Throttling approaches can, however, lead to under-utilizing thread contexts, on-chip interconnect, and off-chip memory bandwidth. This paper proposes to tightly couple the thread scheduling mechanism with the cache management algorithms such that GPU cache pollution is minimized while off-chip memory throughput is enhanced. We propose priority-based cache allocation (PCAL) that provides preferential cache capacity to a subset of high-priority threads while simultaneously allowing lower priority threads to execute without contending for the cache. By tuning thread-level parallelism while both optimizing caching efficiency as well as other shared resource usage, PCAL builds upon previous thread throttling approaches, improving overall performance by an average 17% with maximum 51%.
Identification of clinical target areas in the brainstem of prion‐infected mice

While prion infection ultimately involves the entire brain, it has long been thought that the abrupt clinical onset and rapid neurological decline in laboratory rodents relates to involvement of specific critical neuroanatomical target areas. The severity and type of clinical signs, together with the rapid progression, suggest the brainstem as a candidate location for such critical areas. In this study we aimed to correlate prion pathology with clinical phenotype in order to identify clinical target areas.
Pointwise Error Estimates for Differences in Piecewise Linear Finite Element Approximations

We consider piecewise linear finite element approximations uh to u the solution of an elliptic boundary value problem. New estimates for the differences |e(x1)-e(x2)| (where e(x) = u(x)-u_h(x) is the error and x1 and x2 are any two points in the domain) are obtained in terms of weighted $L_\infty$ norms. As a consequence, so-called asymptotic expansion inequalities are derived that have been applied to obtain asymptotically exact a posteriori estimators for the gradient on each element.
Quinolones with Enhanced Bactericidal Activity Induce Autolysis in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Objectives: DC-159a and sitafloxacin show greater bactericidal activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae than garenoxacin and other quinolones. We investigated whether the autolysis induced by these quinolones contributes to their rapid bactericidal activity. Methods: Time-kill studies were conducted against a S. pneumoniae clinical isolate in broth with choline chloride, which is known to inhibit autolytic amidases, and lytA mutants. Western blot analysis was performed to examine LytA production. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate morphological differences after exposure to quinolone. Results: Bactericidal activity of DC-159a and sitafloxacin against S. pneumoniae at 2 h of exposure to twice the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was found to decrease by approximately 1 log CFU/ml when autolytic amidases were blocked. Time-kill studies using lytA mutants showed that DC-159a exhibited slower killing than that against the lytA-positive strains. On exposure to the MIC and twice the MIC of DC-159a and sitafloxacin, R6 and a clinical isolate overexpressed LytA, while garenoxacin caused a less significant increase in LytA than DC-159a and sitafloxacin. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that R6 treated with DC-159a underwent distinct morphological changes, while the lytA mutant did not. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that quinolone-induced autolysis may provide quinolones more powerful bactericidal activity against S. pneumoniae.
Latent Tree Language Model

In this paper we introduce Latent Tree Language Model (LTLM), a novel approach to language modeling that encodes syntax and semantics of a given sentence as a tree of word roles. The learning phase iteratively updates the trees by moving nodes according to Gibbs sampling. We introduce two algorithms to infer a tree for a given sentence. The first one is based on Gibbs sampling. It is fast, but does not guarantee to find the most probable tree. The second one is based on dynamic programming. It is slower, but guarantees to find the most probable tree. We provide comparison of both algorithms. We combine LTLM with 4-gram Modified Kneser-Ney language model via linear interpolation. Our experiments with English and Czech corpora show significant perplexity reductions (up to 46% for English and 49% for Czech) compared with standalone 4-gram Modified Kneser-Ney language model.
Multi-scale seismicity model for seismic risk

For a general use of the frequency-magnitude (FM) relation in seismic risk assessment, we formulate a multi-scale approach that relies on the hypothesis that only the ensemble of events that are geometrically small, compared with the elements of the seismotectonic regionalization, can be described by a log-linear FM relation. It follows that the seismic zonation must be performed at several scales, depending upon the self-similarity conditions of the seismic events and the linearity of the log FM relation, in the magnitude range of interest. The analysis of worldwide seismicity, using the Harvard catalog, where the seismic moment is recorded as the earthquake size, corroborates the idea that a single FM relation is not universally applicable. The multi-scale model of the FM relation is tested in the Italian region.
A Comparison of Life Events in Adolescents with Major Depression, Borderline Personality Disorder and Matched Controls: A Pilot Study

Background: The study assessed the prevalence of life events (LE) in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD, n = 19), borderline personality disorder (BPD, n = 20) and matched controls (n = 20). Methods: Assessment measures included: the Child Suicide Potential Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Life Events Checklist, the Childhood Sexual Abuse Questionnaire and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Results: The percentage of negative lifetime LE was significantly higher in both MDD and BPD groups than in the control group, while the opposite was true for the percentage of positive LE. No difference was detected between the groups in the number of negative LE in the year preceding their admission. The MDD group reported more death-related LE than the control group, while the BPD group reported more sexual abuse LE than the control and MDD groups. Conclusions: The present study is a cross-sectional study, and therefore, we cannot draw definite conclusions regarding causality. Yet, the significance of negative LE as contributors to and of positive LE as protective factors against the development of nonsuicidal psychopathology is suggested. Further, the possible association between death of a first-degree relative and MDD and between sexual abuse occurring in early childhood and BPD is raised.
Cellular Neuroscience

Soon after its discovery, microRNA-9 (miR-9) attracted the attention of neurobiologists, since it is one of the most highly expressed microRNAs in the developing and adult vertebrate brain. Functional analyses in different vertebrate species have revealed a prominent role of this microRNA in balancing proliferation in embryonic neural progenitor populations. Key transcriptional regulators such as FoxG1, Hes1 or Tlx, were identified as direct targets of miR-9, placing it at the core of the gene network controlling the progenitor state. Recent data also suggest that this function could extend to adult neural stem cells. Other studies point to a role of miR-9 in differentiated neurons. Moreover miR-9 has been implicated in human brain pathologies, either displaying a protective role, such as in Progeria, or participating in disease progression in brain cancers. Altogether functional studies highlight a prominent feature of this highly conserved microRNA, its functional versatility, both along its evolutionary history and across cellular contexts. microRNAs are small regulatory RNAs that modulate, generally negatively, the translation and/or stability of mRNA targets through complementary binding to their 3 untranslated region (3 UTR; Bartel, 2009). microRNA genes are transcribed as primary transcripts (pri-miR), which are cleaved in the nucleus to generate precursor transcripts (pre-miR) (Yang and Lai, 2011). One characteristic of pre-miR is that they form a secondary hairpin structure. Pre-miR are exported to the cytoplasm where they are further cleaved by the enzyme Dicer. This cleavage gives rise to a duplex of short RNA strands (the 5 and 3 strands), one of which is then loaded into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). The discovery of microRNAs unraveled a new layer of complexity of gene regulatory networks. Computational and experimental approaches have demonstrated that a single microRNA can regulate the expression of hundreds of mRNA targets. However, despite their large spectrum of action, loss of microRNA function often results in paradoxically subtle phenotypes, some of which are only apparent in a sensitized genomic or environmental context (Li et al., 2009). In the light of these findings, microRNAs are hypothesized to confer robustness to developmental programs, and to facilitate transitions between different cellular states (Takacs and Giraldez, 2010; Ebert and Sharp, 2012). Therefore, studying their implication during neu-rogenesis, which implies the transition of a neural progenitor to a differentiated neuronal cell, might shed new light on regulation of this process. microRNA-9 (miR-9) captured the attention of neurobiologists because of its high sequence conservation in …
Management of hepatitis B: 2000--summary of a workshop.

Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is estimated to affect 400 million persons and to be the single most common cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. 1 The prevalence of chronic hepatitis B varies greatly among different areas of the world. In the Western world, hepatitis B is relatively uncommon, is largely a disease acquired in adulthood, affects 0.2%‐1% of the general population, and accounts for only 5%‐10% of all chronic liver disease. In contrast, in Asia and most of Africa, chronic hepatitis B is common, is usually acquired perinatally or in childhood, affects 5%‐20% of the population, and is a leading cause of mortality. Hepatitis B is a preventable disease, and a safe and effective vaccine has been available for almost 20 years. Because of this and other public health measures, the incidence of hepatitis B has been decreasing. 2 Nevertheless, hepatitis B remains a common cause of acute hepatitis. Hepatitis B is also a treatable disease, and 2 forms of therapy are available: interferon a and lamivudine. However, neither therapy is completely satisfactory; long-term response rates are in the range of only 20%‐ 30%. There is also controversy over which patients should be treated with what agent and what regimen. To evaluate these issues and to develop better strategies for prevention and treatment of hepatitis B, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in collaboration with the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) sponsored a 3-day research workshop on September 8 ‐10, 2000, entitled “Management of Hepatitis B: 2000. ” This review provides a summary of the conference along with concluding recommendations on management of chronic hepatitis B.
Growth of Subalgebras for Restricted Lie Algebras and Transitive Actions

We study a growth of subalgebras for restricted Lie algebras over a finite field 𝔽q. This kind of growth is an analog of the subgroup growth in the group theory. Let L be a finitely generated restricted Lie algebra. Then an(L) is the number of restricted subalgebras H ⊂ L such that dim𝔽q L/H = n, n ≥ 0. We compute the numbers an(Fd) explicitly and find asymptotics, where Fd is the free restricted Lie algebra of rank d, d ≥ 1. As an important instrument, we use the notion of transitive L-action on coalgebras and algebras.
Cavity Resonator Wireless Power Transfer System for Freely Moving Animal Experiments

Objective:The goal of this paper is to create a large wireless powering arena for powering small devices implanted in freely behaving rodents. Methods: We design a cavity resonator based wireless power transfer (WPT) system and utilize our previously developed optimal impedance matching methodology to achieve effective WPT performance for operating sophisticated implantable devices, made with miniature receive coils (<8 mm in diameter), within a large volume (dimensions: 60.96 cm × 60.96 cm × 30 cm). We provide unique cavity design and construction methods which maintains electromagnetic performance of the cavity while promoting its utility as a large animal husbandry environment. In addition, we develop a biaxial receive resonator system to address device orientation insensitivity within the cavity environment. Functionality is demonstrated with chronic experiments involving rats implanted with our custom designed bioelectric recording device. Results: We demonstrate an average powering fidelity of 93.53% over nine recording sessions across nine weeks, indicating nearly continuous device operation for a freely behaving rat within the large cavity resonator space. Conclusion: We have developed and demonstrated a cavity resonator based WPT system for long term experiments involving freely behaving small animals. Significance: This cavity resonator based WPT system offers an effective and simple method for wirelessly powering miniaturized devices implanted in freely moving small animals within the largest space.
A review of 3D concrete printing systems and materials properties: current status and future research prospects

Three-dimensional printing of concrete (3DPC) has a potential for the rapid industrialization of the housing sector, with benefits of reduced construction time due to no formwork requirement, ease of construction of complex geometries, potential high construction quality and reduced waste. Required materials adaption for 3DPC is within reach, as concrete materials technology has reached the point where performance-based specification is possible by specialists. This paper aims to present an overview of the current status of 3DPC for construction, including existing printing methods and material properties required for robustness of 3DPC structures or structural elements. ,This paper has presented an overview of three categories of 3DPC systems, namely, gantry, robotic and crane systems. Material compositions as well as fresh and hardened properties of mixes currently used for 3DPC have been elaborated. ,This paper presents an overview of the state of the art of 3DPC systems and materials. Research needs, including reinforcement in the form of bars or fibres in the 3D printable cement-based materials, are also addressed. ,The critical analysis of the 3D concrete printing system and materials described in this review paper is original.
Optimal PHP production of multiple part-types on a failure-prone machine with quadratic buffer costs

We consider a single, failure-prone machine, producing multiple part-types The objective is to minimize the expected sum of quadratic buffer costs. In general, the optimal solution to this problem is unknown. However, by restricting the allowable set of control policies to the class of prioritized hedging point (PHP) policies, we are able to determine simple, analytical expressions for the optimal hedging points. We also provide some results for choosing the optimal priority ordering.
Experiments on SDN-based network and cloud resource orchestration in FED4FIRE

This paper presents the experimental evaluation of an SDN-based orchestration system enabling the automated and coordinated arrangement of both computing and network resources in cloud Data Centers. The testbed has been set-up in the Fed4FIRE virtual experimental environment that allows for extensive, large-scale and cross-functional tests to be carried out. Results show that the selection of servers and paths that are driven by the estimated trends in their usage allows for resources to be better exploited at the cost of a limited risk of degradations.
Heterogeneity of six children and their mothers with mitochondrial DNA 3243 A>G mutation

To study the clinical, biochemical, and genetic heterogeneity of six Chinese patients and their mothers with the 3243 A>G mutation, six patients (ranging from 5 to 11 years) were hospitalized. All the mothers were healthy. Mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activities were determined by spectrophotometry. Mitochondrial gene was analyzed in all patients. Six core pedigrees were investigated. Two patients had mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes syndrome and one had Leigh syndrome. The common initial symptoms were headache, vomiting, blurred vision, and epilepsy. m.3243A>G mutation was detected in all patients and their mothers. The mutation loads ranged from 43.6% to 58% and those of their mothers ranged from 14.1% to 28.6%. Varied respiratory chain deficiencies were observed in all patients and two mothers. m.3243A>G mutation can result in a wide spectrum of respiratory chain complex deficiencies. Mitochondrial DNA mutation detected in blood may be likely to transmit to offspring, and the mutation load may increase.
Residual response of fire‐damaged high‐strength concrete beams

This paper presents results from an experimental study on residual capacity of fire‐damaged high‐strength concrete (HSC) beams. Four reinforced concrete (RC) beams, fabricated with HSC, were first subject to structural loading and fire exposure with a distinct cooling phase and then loaded to failure upon cooldown to ambient conditions to evaluate residual capacity. Temperatures, deflections, and spalling in the beams were monitored during heating and cooling phases of fire exposure. Further, residual capacity, strains at critical section, and crack patterns (failure mode) of fire‐damaged beams were recorded during residual capacity tests. Results from experiments indicate that the load level during fire exposure, duration of heating phase, rate of cooling, extent (type) of spalling, and duration of postcooling storage influence residual deformations and also residual capacity of RC beams. Further, fire‐damaged HSC beams can recover 40% to 70% of their flexural capacity with respect to their room temperature design capacity provided they survive the entire duration of fire exposure.