Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conditional random matrix ensembles and the stability of dynamical systems

Random matrix theory (RMT) has found applications throughout physics and applied mathematics, in subject areas as diverse as communications networks, population dynamics, neuroscience, and models of the banking system. Many of these analyses exploit elegant analytical results, particularly the circular law and its extensions. In order to apply these results, assumptions must be made about the distribution of matrix elements. Here we demonstrate that the choice of matrix distribution is crucial. In particular, adopting an unrealistic matrix distribution for the sake of analytical tractability is liable to lead to misleading conclusions. We focus on the application of RMT to the long-standing, and at times fractious, ‘diversity-stability debate’, which is concerned with establishing whether large complex systems are likely to be stable. Early work (and subsequent elaborations) brought RMT to bear on the debate by modelling the entries of a system’s Jacobian matrix as independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) random variables. These analyses were successful in yielding general results that were not tied to any specific system, but relied upon a restrictive i.i. d. assumption. Other studies took an opposing approach, seeking to elucidate general principles of stability through the analysis of specific systems. Here we develop a statistical framework that reconciles these two contrasting approaches. We use a range of illustrative dynamical systems examples to demonstrate that: (i) stability probability cannot be summarily deduced from any single property of the system (e.g. its diversity); and (ii) our assessment of stability depends on adequately capturing the details of the systems analysed. Failing to condition on the structure of dynamical systems will skew our analysis and can, even for very small systems, result in an unnecessarily pessimistic diagnosis of their stability.
Bone isoenzyme of serum alkaline phosphatase and serum inorganic phosphate in metabolic bone disease of prematurity

We wanted to improve detection of low bone mineral density in preterm infants by combining serum measurements of total alkaline phosphatase, its bone‐type isoenzyme and serum inorganic phosphate in a prospective design. The subjects were 43 preterm infants. Total and bone isoenzyme activity of alkaline phosphatase was determined at 3 wk chronological age and at 3 and 6 mo corrected age. The main outcome measure, apparent bone mineral density (BMAD) at the distal forearm and forearm shaft, was assessed by dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry at 3 and 6 mo corrected age. An apparent density below 95 mg/cm3 at 3 mo corrected age was considered to indicate bone disease, based on the distribution of BMAD values of children with non‐complicated courses of prematurity. At 3 mo corrected age, total alkaline phosphatase activities exceeding 900 IU/l revealed low bone mineral density with 88% sensitivity and 71% specificity. Measurements of bone isoenzyme activity did not improve diagnostic performance. Serum inorganic phosphate levels below 1.8 mmol/l reflected low bone density with high specificity (96%), but the sensitivity was only 50%.
Arg389Gly beta 1-adrenoceptor polymorphism varies in frequency among different ethnic groups but does not alter response in vivo.

There are marked interethnic differences in beta 1-adrenoceptor-mediated responsiveness, with sensitivity decreased in African-Americans and increased in Chinese compared with Caucasians. Therefore, the frequency of a common naturally occurring polymorphism of the human beta 1-adrenoceptor gene (Arg389Gly), which has functional importance in vitro, was determined in 194 African-Americans, 316 Caucasian-Americans, 221 Hispanic-Americans and 142 Chinese. African-Americans were found to have a significantly lower frequency of the Arg389 allele than the other three ethnic groups (all P < 0.01). In the populations studied, the order of the distribution of the Arg389 allele was: Chinese (74%) > Caucasians (72%) > Hispanics (67%) > African-Americans (58%). To determine the functional significance of the Arg389Gly beta 1-adrenoceptor polymorphism, in-vivo heart rate responses to exercise were compared in healthy subjects homozygous for the Arg (n = 9) and Gly (n = 8) alleles. Heart rate response to exercise was not affected by genotype (P = 0.4). Although ethnic differences in the frequency of the beta 1-adrenoceptor Arg389Gly polymorphism exist, the polymorphism does not appear to have functional significance in healthy subjects and therefore may not contribute to ethnic differences in response to drugs acting through the beta 1-adrenoceptor.
Theft of bower decorations among male Satin Bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus): why are some decorations more popular than others?

Abstract Male Satin Bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus) build stick structures known as bowers that serve as the focus for courtships and matings. Males decorate their bowers with numerous coloured decorations and are known to steal these decorations from one another. We investigated the stealing of bower decorations among males at the Bunya Mountains in Queensland, Australia. We aimed to (1) determine which classes of decorations were targets for theft in the studied population, and (2) examine whether the frequency at which individual decorations were stolen related to their intrinsic properties. To address our first aim, all decorations on the bowers of 21 adult males were labelled and their movements tracked throughout one mating season. To address our second aim, decorations stolen at least three times during the season were collected and their morphological and reflectance properties compared to those of decorations that were not stolen. In terms of the classes of decorations, tail feathers of Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans) were stolen more than any other class of decoration, but blue plastic bottletops were the most popular decorations relative to their availability on bowers. Frequently stolen individual decorations were similar to non-stolen items in their weights and surface areas, but were darker blue in colour than the decorations never stolen. Both bottletops and feathers reflected higher levels of ultraviolet (UV) light than did all other classes of bower decorations tested, thus suggesting that males may be using UV reflectance in sexual signalling. The darker blue, stolen decorations may increase contrast between the decoration collection and the platform, while the UV-reflecting subset of most frequently stolen decorations (bottletops and feathers) may increase contrast within the decoration collection. This in turn may increase the attractiveness of the display to females.
Strategies for Resolving Camera Metamers Using 3+1 Channel

This paper discusses the problem of reducing camera metamerism by using a fourth spectral channel in addition to the typical red, green, and blue channels of the tristimulus sensor used in the commercial consumer cameras. Specifically, we consider three options for this fourth channel. The first option is to use a color channel from another camera to reduce metamerism. The second option is to use a color channel from an image captured by the same camera but with a color filter as the fourth channel. The third option is to design a specific spectral channel to be fabricated with the existing camera sensor. This option uses the metameric black space to design the channel. The commercial cameras' original metamerism is typically more than 20%, as observed in a dataset of 335 spectral images captured in 5 different indoor illuminations. Our results show that the third option is the best since it reduces metamerism down to about 5%. Among the first and second options, the first option is more effective and it reduces metamerism down to about 15%. The channel designed using the third option can be used for advanced applications such as distinguishing objects with different spectral reflectances but similar colors.
Two-dimensional surface emitting photonic crystal laser with hybrid triangular-graphite structure

Laser emission of a compact surface-emitting microlaser, optically pumped and operating around 1.55 µm at room temperature is presented. The two-dimensional photonic crystal is conformed in a hybrid triangular-graphite lattice designed for vertical emission. The structures have been fabricated on InP slabs. The heterostructure consists of four In0.65As0. 35P/InP quantum wells grown on an InP substrate by molecular beam epitaxy and it is transferred onto a silicon-on-silica substrate by wafer bonding (SiO2 thickness = 0.9 ± 0.1 mm). Standard techniques of electron-beam lithography, reactive ion beam etching and reactive ion-etching have been used for the patterning. The optical characterization was performed by micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy. Single-mode, strongly polarized laser emission has been achieved with quality factors Q exceeding 6000.
IMPROVED COMBINATORIAL BOUNDS ON VARIABLE LENGTH ERROR CORRECTING CODES

Theory of error correcting codes mostly considers all words of same lengths. Mathematical tools of linear algebra and finite fields greatly helped in its development. However all words of equal lengths idea compromises with efficiency which can be better achieved through variable length codes for noisy channels. There is quite some interest and scope in error coding through variable length cod words. Sharma & Bernard’s study has provided a lead by initiating combinatorial bounds on the average codeword length of variable length error correcting codes. This paper proves a bound which provides an improvement on an earlier result. Some examples given in the paper elucidate this further. The improved lower bound is much closer to the actual average codeword length as compared to the previously obtained bound. Thus the previous bound results in a trivial constraint on the average codeword length which is then improved using the new bound.
Effects of linagliptin on human immortalized podocytes: a cellular system to study dipeptidyl‐peptidase 4 inhibition

Dipeptidyl‐peptidase 4 (DPP4) is expressed by resident renal cells, including glomerular cells. DPP4 inhibitors (gliptins) exert albuminuria lowering effects, but the role of renal DPP4 as a pharmacological target has not been elucidated. To better understand the actions of gliptins, the effects of linagliptin on the behaviour of immortalized human podocytes and mesangial cells were evaluated.
Think Tank X Networking for Sustainable Tourism 82 Sustainability : What Matters to Students , Educators , and Hospitality and Tourism Professionals ?

As climate change gains global attention from events like the summit in Copenhagen held during December of 2009, the need for sustainable tourism is more important than ever; with comprehensive education in sustainability concepts and practices essential, and methods for networking to share information critical. Specifically, sustainability focuses on the triple bottom line of equity, economics, and environment; or people, products, and the planet (Dhiman, 2008); or education, environment, and economics (personal communication with Carrie Blaskowski, Jackson County Green Energy Park, January 12, 2010). All of these relate to sustainable tourism, which can be defined as “an alternative form of tourism that improves or, at the minimum, maintains the quality of experiences for the visitors, life of host communities, and the environment [indefinitely] on which both the host community and the visitor depend. ” (McIntyre, 1993, p. 11; Sirakaya-Turk, Ekinci, & Kaya, 2008, p. 414; Tosun, 1998, p. 596).
A dual-mode dual-band ring resonator bandpass filter with controllable in-between isolation

In this paper, a dual-mode dual-band bandpass filter with controllable in-between isolation is presented using a single microstrip ring resonator. By installing two dispersion-controlled coupled-line sections on the ring resonator at the two ports with 90°-separation, two transmission poles can be easily emerged and distributed in each passband. Meanwhile, two transmission zeros are generated between the two passbands, which can be used to control the rejection level of the in-between isolation. Instead of perturbing the gap distance between one of the open ends of the coupled-line section and the ring, a pair of open-circuited stubs is further installed along the symmetrical plane of the ring resonator, which can effectively enlarge the tuning range of the two transmission zeros. A prototype dual-band filter is finally designed, fabricated, and verified through the experiment.
Chair of Engineering Mechanics Ifm-publication 2-382 Nonstationary Response of Large, Non-linear Finite Element Systems under Stochastic Loading

of large, non-linear finite element systems under stochastic loading. Abstract A very efficient and straightforward numerical procedure for the computation of statistical second moment characteristics of large, non-linear finite element systems under stochastic loading is presented. For the modeling of both the loading and the response of the system an orthogonal series expansion of the corresponding covariance matrix, the so-called Karhunen-Lò eve expansion is applied, allowing to incorporate potentially available statistical data of an excitation process directly into the analysis. The non-linear equation of motion is linearized by the method of equivalent statistical linearization. According to the present capabilities of this linearization technique , one-dimensional hysteretic elements are used for modeling the non-linear system behavior. The mode acceleration method is applied in order to reduce significantly the size of the system equation and thus increasing the computational efficiency of the proposed procedure. Contrary to methodologies based on state space formulations , this procedure relies on deterministic step by step integration , implying that the dimension of the system equation is the same as in a purely deterministic analysis .
Energy metabolism of young rats after early postnatal overnutrition

Early postnatal overnutrition (PNO) induced by restricting litter size in rats leads to increased body-weight (BW) and body-fat gain in later life. PNO rats are used as an animal model of moderate obesity and early hyperinsulinism. We investigated whether the increased adiposity could be due to a decreased energy expenditure. Male newborn Wistar rats were raised in litters of either two (SL) or twelve pups (NL), weaned at 4 weeks of age and subsequently fed ad libitum. BW was recorded continuously until 12 weeks of age. Daily energy intake, total daily energy expenditure (EE, measured by indirect calorimetry) and body composition were measured in weaned pups at 5, 8 and 12 weeks of age. SL rats displayed increased BW compared with NL rats from week 2 to 5 and again from week 10 to 12. Lean body mass, body fat and protein content and total EE were increased in SL rats at week 5. The same linear correlation described the relationship between BW and total EE in NL and SL rats. At week 8 to 12 no differences in energy metabolism could be found, but the total fat content was increased in SL rats at week 12. Energy balance, i.e. assimilated energy minus EE, was no different between SL and NL at any time that it was measured. We conclude that although PNO rats display increased adiposity in early life, there seem to be no long-lasting effects on energy metabolism in later life, even if a tendency to increased adiposity can still be detected.
Effect of home telehealth care on blood pressure control: A public healthcare centre model

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of home telehealth care combined with case management by public health nurses, in improving blood pressure control in patients with hypertension. Methods This cohort study examined the data of patients with hypertension obtained from a telehealth service centre database, between July 2011– June 2012. Eligible patients were adults (≥40 years old) with both prehypertension and hypertension, living alone or in the remote suburbs of metropolitan areas. Demographic data were collected from 12 district public health centre in Taipei, Taiwan. Following enrolment, patients received an appropriate and validated home telehealth device kit for automatic blood pressure monitoring and automated modem via a telephone line or a desktop computer with Internet connection to enable data transmission between the patient’s home and telehealth service centre. Patients were instructed to upload the measured data immediately every day. The study outcomes included blood pressure and home telehealth service utilisation. Results Of the 432 patients recruited, 408 (94%) completed data collection. Linear regression analysis found an average 22.1 mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure after one year. The mean slope of systolic blood pressure was classified as decreased or non-decreased. An systolic blood pressure decreasing trend was observed in 52.2% patients, while 47.8% patients showed an increasing systolic blood pressure trend. Patients in the decreased systolic blood pressure group tended to be older (p = 0. 0001), with a greater proportion of hypertension alarms (p = 0. 001), improved self-blood pressure monitoring behaviour (p = 0.009) and higher self-measured blood pressure monitoring frequency (p = 0. 010). Patients in the decreased systolic blood pressure group had a higher self-measured blood pressure monitoring frequency (odds ratio = 0.95, 95% confidence interval, 0.91–0.99, p = 0. 013) than their counterparts. Conclusions Home telehealth care combined with care management by public health nurses based in public health care centre was feasible and effective for improving blood pressure control among patients with hypertension. Further studies should conduct a thorough analysis of the cost-effectiveness of this intervention. A randomised controlled trial with a longer follow-up period is required to examine the effects of the improved home telehealth device kit on the care of patients with hypertension.
The Evolution of Advanced Molecular Diagnostics for the Detection and Characterization of Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Over the past decade there have been significant advancements in the methods used for detecting and characterizing Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common cause of respiratory illness and community-acquired pneumonia worldwide. The repertoire of available molecular diagnostics has greatly expanded from nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAATs) that encompass a variety of chemistries used for detection, to more sophisticated characterizing methods such as multi-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA), Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), single nucleotide polymorphism typing, and numerous macrolide susceptibility profiling methods, among others. These many molecular-based approaches have been developed and employed to continually increase the level of discrimination and characterization in order to better understand the epidemiology and biology of M. pneumoniae. This review will summarize recent molecular techniques and procedures and lend perspective to how each has enhanced the current understanding of this organism and will emphasize how Next Generation Sequencing may serve as a resource for researchers to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the genomic complexities of this insidious pathogen.
The Evolution of Robust Development and Homeostasis in Artificial Organisms

During embryogenesis, multicellular animals are shaped via cell proliferation, cell rearrangement, and apoptosis. At the end of development, tissue architecture is then maintained through balanced rates of cell proliferation and loss. Here, we take an in silico approach to look for generic systems features of morphogenesis in multicellular animals that arise as a consequence of the evolution of development. Using artificial evolution, we evolved cellular automata-based digital organisms that have distinct embryonic and homeostatic phases of development. Although these evolved organisms use a variety of strategies to maintain their form over time, organisms of different types were all found to rapidly recover from environmental damage in the form of wounds. This regenerative response was most robust in an organism with a stratified tissue-like architecture. An evolutionary analysis revealed that evolution itself contributed to the ability of this organism to maintain its form in the face of genetic and environmental perturbation, confirming the results of previous studies. In addition, the exceptional robustness of this organism to surface injury was found to result from an upward flux of cells, driven in part by cell divisions with a stable niche at the tissue base. Given the general nature of the model, our results lead us to suggest that many of the robust systems properties observed in real organisms, including scar-free wound-healing in well-protected embryos and the layered tissue architecture of regenerating epithelial tissues, may be by-products of the evolution of morphogenesis, rather than the direct result of selection.
Short-term load forecasting using a long short-term memory network

Load forecasting is an essential part of a power system. It enhances the energy-efficiency and reliable operation of the power system. As depicted in the proposal of the smart grid, an increasing number of smart meters have been being installed in many utilities on a global scale. Thus, a large number of historical residential consumption data now can be obtainable easily which were not available in the past. However, traditional forecasting techniques may not satisfy the much higher demand of precision in load forecasting. In this paper, a novel approach to short-term load forecasting using a LSTM (long short-term memory) network based on RNNs (recurrent neural networks) is proposed. RNNs have powerful nonlinear mapping capabilities, especially in field of time series, and LSTM models take advantage of memory units to make better abstract for long sequences. Test results show that the method can obtain high precision.
Algorithms for clustering molecular dynamics configurations

Two traditional clustering algorithms are applied to configurations from a long molecular dynamics trajectory and compared using two sets of test data. First, a subset of atoms was chosen to present conformations which naturally fall into a number of clusters. Second, a subset of atoms was selected to span a relatively continuous region of conformational space rather than form discrete conformational classes. Of the two algorithms used, the single linkage method is inappropriate for this kind of data. The divisive hierarchical method, based on minimizing the difference between cluster centroids and extrema, is successful but also prone to imposing clustering hierarchy where none can be justified. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Selection of Target Sites for Mobile DNA Integration in the Human Genome

DNA sequences from retroviruses, retrotransposons, DNA transposons, and parvoviruses can all become integrated into the human genome. Accumulation of such sequences accounts for at least 40% of our genome today. These integrating elements are also of interest as gene-delivery vectors for human gene therapy. Here we present a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of integration targeting by HIV, MLV, ASLV, SFV, L1, SB, and AAV. We used a mathematical method which allowed annotation of each base pair in the human genome for its likelihood of hosting an integration event by each type of element, taking advantage of more than 200 types of genomic annotation. This bioinformatic resource documents a wealth of new associations between genomic features and integration targeting. The study also revealed that the length of genomic intervals analyzed strongly affected the conclusions drawn—thus, answering the question “What genomic features affect integration? ” requires carefully specifying the length scale of interest.