Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alternative SPICE implementation of circuit uncertainties based on orthogonal polynomials

The impact on circuit performance of parameters uncertainties due to possible tolerances or partial information on devices can be effectively evaluated by describing the resulting stochastic problem in terms of orthogonal polynomial expansions of electrical parameters and of circuit voltages and currents. This contribution formalizes a rule for the construction of an augmented instance of the original circuit, that provides a systematic solution approach for the unknown coefficients of the expanded electrical variables. The use of SPICE as a solution engine of the augmented circuit is straightforward, thus providing a convenient and efficient alternative to the conventional approach SPICE uses for uncertainty analysis. An application example involving the stochastic simulation of a digital link with variable substrate parameters demonstrates the potential of the proposed approach.
Substrate Specificities of Hybrid Naphthalene and 2,4-Dinitrotoluene Dioxygenase Enzyme Systems

ABSTRACT Bacterial three-component dioxygenase systems consist of reductase and ferredoxin components which transfer electrons from NAD(P)H to a terminal oxygenase. In most cases, the oxygenase consists of two different subunits (α and β). To assess the contributions of the α and β subunits of the oxygenase to substrate specificity, hybrid dioxygenase enzymes were formed by coexpressing genes from two compatible plasmids in Escherichia coli. The activities of hybrid naphthalene and 2,4-dinitrotoluene dioxygenases containing four different β subunits were tested with four substrates (indole, naphthalene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and 2-nitrotoluene). In the active hybrids, replacement of small subunits affected the rate of product formation but had no effect on the substrate range, regiospecificity, or enantiomeric purity of oxidation products with the substrates tested. These studies indicate that the small subunit of the oxygenase is essential for activity but does not play a major role in determining the specificity of these enzymes.
Channel backscattering characteristics of uniaxially strained nanoscale CMOSFETs

Channel backscattering characteristics of uniaxially strained nanoscale CMOSFETs are reported for the first time. Channel backscattering ratio increases and decreases under uniaxial tensile and compressive strain, respectively. It is found that in sub-100-nm devices, strain-induced modulation of carrier mean-free path for backscattering and reduction in k/sub B/T layer thickness are responsible for the different behaviors of backscattering ratio. Nevertheless, the source-side injection velocity improves irrespective of the strain polarities. The impact of channel backscattering ratio on drive current is also analyzed in terms of ballistic efficiency and injection velocity.
Prevalence and Associated Factors of Elder Mistreatment in a Rural Community in People's Republic of China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Current knowledge about elder mistreatment is mainly derived from studies done in Western countries, which indicate that this problem is related to risk factors such as a shared living situation, social isolation, disease burden, and caregiver strain. We know little about prevalence and risk factors for elder mistreatment and mistreatment subtypes in rural China where the elder population is the most vulnerable. Methods In 2010, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among older adults aged 60 or older in three rural communities in Macheng, a city in Hubei province, China. Of 2245 people initially identified, 2039 were available for interview and this was completed in 2000. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data regarding mistreatment and covariates. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors related to elder mistreatment and subtypes of mistreatment. Results Elder mistreatment was reported by 36.2% (95% CI: 34.1%–38.3%) of the participants. Prevalence rates of psychological mistreatment, caregiver neglect, physical mistreatment, and financial mistreatment were 27.3% (95% CI: 25.3%–29.2%), 15.8% (95% CI: 14.2%–17.4%), 4.9% (95% CI: 3.9%–5.8%) and 2.0% (95% CI: 1.3%–2.6%), respectively. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that depression, being widowed/divorced/single/separated, having a physical disability, having a labor intensive job, depending solely on self-made income, and living alone were risk factors for elder mistreatment. Different types of elder mistreatment were associated with different risk factors, and depression was the consistent risk factor for the three most common mistreatment subtypes. Conclusion Older adults in rural China self-report a higher rate of mistreatment than their counterparts in Western countries. Depression is a main risk factor associated with most subtypes of mistreatment. Our findings suggest that prevention and management of elder mistreatment is a challenge facing a rapidly aging Chinese population.
An integrated model of planning and scheduling: main advantages and challenges

In this paper we properly analyze the main advantages and challenges of a novel model that integrates planning and scheduling. Both are artificial intelligence processes for tackling real-world problems. Planning studies action-selection for obtaining good quality plans. On the other hand, scheduling studies the suitable resources application in any plan. However, when the AI planning community has tried to solve real-world problems, they have seen the necessity to combine both planning and scheduling techniques. Additionally, in the state-of-the-art, there are two approaches to solve these problems: extended planning and extended scheduling. The first approach results in a high computational complexity, and the second approach uses a rigid plan template (embedded planner) avoiding the possibility of re-planning. Otherwise, our system homogeneously solves resources conflicts, in a flexible design with a strongly coupled form. Consequently, this model promises to be efficiently enough to obtain executable and consistent plans.
Optimal bandwidth reservation in hose-model VPNs with multi-path routing

A virtual private network (VPN) provides private network connections over a publicly accessible shared network. Bandwidth provisioning for VPNs leads to challenging optimization problems. In the hose model proposed by Duffield et al., each VPN endpoint specifies bounds on the total amount of traffic that it will send or receive at any time. The network provider must provision the VPN so that there is sufficient bandwidth for any traffic matrix that is consistent with these bounds. While previous work has considered tree routing and single-path routing between the VPN endpoints, we demonstrate that the use of multipath routing offers significant advantages. On the one band, we present an optimal polynomial-time algorithm that computes a bandwidth reservation of minimum cost using multi-path routing. This is in contrast to tree routing and single-path routing, where the problem is computationally hard. On the other hand, we present experimental results showing that the reservation cost using multi-path routing can indeed be significantly smaller than with tree or single-path routing.
Robust and Flexible Mixed-Initiative Dialogue for Telephone Services

In this work, we present an experimental analysis of a Dialogue System for the automatization of simple telephone services. Starting from the evaluation of a preliminar version of the system we conclude the necessity to desing a robust and flexible system suitable to have to have different dialogue control strategies depending on the characteristics of the user and the performance of the speech recognition module. Experimental results following the PARADISE framework show an important improvement both in terms of task success and dialogue cost for the proposed system.
Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: The Effects of Combined Intervention on Motor Coordination, Occupational Performance, and Quality of Life

This pilot study, which included a group of 33 boys and 12 girls (5.4 to 10.7 years) with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) aimed to analyze (1) the effects of a combined approach on motor coordination, occupational performance, and quality of life and (2) the relationship between motor coordination and occupational performance. Movement ABC (M-ABC) and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) were administered at the beginning of occupational therapy (T1) and after 3 (T2) and 9 months (T3). Results showed significant improvements at T2 in the COPM and at T3 in the M-ABC. No relationship between the results of M-ABC and those of COPM was found.
Probing activated sludge with oligonucleotides specific for proteobacteria: inadequacy of culture-dependent methods for describing microbial community structure

Bacterial community structures in activated sludge samples from aeration tanks of a two-stage system with a high-load first stage and a low-load second stage were analyzed with oligonucleotide probes. The probes were complementary to conserved regions of the rRNA of the alpha, beta, and gamma subclasses of proteobacteria and of all bacteria. Group-specific cell counts were determined by in situ hybridization with fluorescent probe derivatives. Contributions of the proteobacterial subclasses to total bacterial rRNA were quantified by dot blot hybridization with digoxigenin-labeled oligonucleotides. The activated sludge samples were dominated by proteobacteria from the alpha, beta, or gamma subclass. These proteobacteria account for about 80% of all active bacteria found in the activated sludge. For both samples the community structures determined with molecular techniques were compared with the composition of the heterotrophic saprophyte flora isolated on nutrient-rich medium. Probes were used to rapidly classify the isolates and to directly monitor population shifts in nutrient-amended, activated sludge samples. The rich medium favored growth of gamma-subclass proteobacteria (e.g., enterobacteria) and selected against beta-subclass proteobacteria. The culture-dependent community structure analysis of activated sludge produced partial and heavily biased results. A more realistic view will be obtained by using in situ techniques.
Effects of oral intake of plasmacytoid dendritic cells-stimulative lactic acid bacterial strain on pathogenesis of influenza-like illness and immunological response to influenza virus

Abstract Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis JCM5805 has been shown to be a rare lactic acid bacterium that can activate plasmacytoid dendritic cells in both murine and human species. In this study, we carried out a randomised placebo-controlled double-blind experiment to evaluate its effect on the pathogenesis of influenza-like illness during the winter season. A total of 213 volunteers were divided into two groups, which received either yogurt made with L. lactis JCM5805 or a placebo beverage daily for 10 weeks. In the JCM5805 group, the cumulative incidence days of ‘cough’ and ‘feverishness’, which are defined as major symptoms of an influenza-like illness, were significantly decreased compared with the placebo group. In addition, peripheral blood mononuclear cells prepared from volunteers were cultured in the presence of inactivated human influenza virus A/H1N1 (A/PR/8/34). IFN-α elicited by A/H1N1 tended to be higher in the JCM5805 group compared with the placebo group, and an IFN-α-inducible antiviral factor, interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15), elicited by A/H1N1 was significantly higher in the JCM5805 group compared with the placebo group after the intake period. These results suggest that intake of JCM5805 is able to prevent the pathogenesis of an influenza-like illness via enhancement of an IFN-α-mediated response to the influenza virus.
The Values of Volunteering: Cross-Cultural Perspectives

Volunteering and Values: An Introduction P. Dekker, L. Halman. All in the Eyes of the Beholder? Perceptions of Volunteering Across Eight Countries L.C. P.M. Meijs, F. Handy, R.A. Cnaan, J.L. Brudney, U. Ascoli, S. Ranade, L. Hustinx, S. Weber, I. Weiss. Volunteering in Global Perspective V. Hodgkinson. Modernization and Volunteering R. Inglehart. Institutional Roots of Volunteering: Towards a Macro-Structural Theory of Individual Voluntary Action L.M. Salamon, S.W. Sokolowski. Do People Who Volunteer Have a Distinctive Ethos? A Canadian Study P. Reed, L.K. Selbee. A Humanistic Perspective on the Volunteer-Recipient Relationship: A Mexican Study J. Butcher. From Restitution to Innovation: Volunteering in Post-Communist Countries S. Juknevicius, A. Savicka. Volunteering in Romania: A 'Rara Avis' M. Voicu, B. Voicu. Generations and Organizational Change D. Wollaboek, P. Selle. Volunteering, Democracy, and Democratic Attitudes L. Halman. Cultivating Apathy in Voluntary Associations N. Eliasoph.
A prediction model for peak power output from different incremental exercise tests.

CONTEXT There is currently no model that predicts peak power output (PPO) thereby allowing comparison between different incremental exercise test (EXT) protocols. In this study we have used the critical power profile to develop a mathematical model for predicting PPO from the results of different EXTs. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the level of agreement between actual PPO values and those predicted from the new model. METHODS Eleven male athletes (age 25 +/- 5 years, VO(2max) 62 +/- 8 mL . kg(-1) . min(-1)) completed 3 laboratory tests on a cycle ergometer. Each test comprised an EXT consisting of 1-min workload increments of 30 W (EXT30/1) and 3-min (EXT25/3) and 5-min workload increments (EXT25/5) of 25 W. The PPO determined from each test was used to predict the PPO from the remaining 2 EXTs. RESULTS The differences between actual and predicted PPO values were statistically insignificant (P > .05). The random error components of the limits of agreement of <or=30 W also indicated acceptable levels of agreement between actual and predicted PPO values. CONCLUSIONS Further data collection is necessary to confirm whether the model is able to predict PPO over a wide range of EXT protocols in athletes of different aerobic and anaerobic capacities.
An empirical study of applying a reflective-distributed memory for automation systems

Recently, utilizing ICT is a key of success in every field of industries, and its importance is growing more and more. Typical example is introducing ERP software which assists decision making of stakeholders by providing data regarding running business such as supply chain, procurement, inventory, finance, product lifecycle, projects, human resources, and so on in an integrated form. Especially for manufactures, vertical integration of data from a plant floor to the ERP is highly desirable. However, in most the case the vertical data integration is implemented via some relational database. Database has to endorse ACID property for its nature, and the ACID property could be a burden to realize the vertical integration in “real-time” manner. We propose a data management scheme that all the data at the plant floor, which are mostly held on PLCs' (Programmable Logic Controller) memory, are reflected to the memory which is held in some machine nodes of a data center. It allows users to see whole picture of the plant floor, and enables both data modification from both the data center and from the PLCs in a real-time manner from anywhere in the world. We describe the implementation of the proposing data management scheme and discuss what operations from the data center to the factory are applicable, against the relatively high communication latency from the plant floor to the data center.
Interactive Data Compression

Let X and Y be two random variables with probabil. ity distribution p(z,y), joint entropy H(X,Y) and conditional entropies H ( X I Y) and H ( Y IX) . Person Px knows X and person P y knows Y. They communicate over a noiseless two-way channel so that both know X a n d Y. It is proved that , on the average, at least H ( X I Y) + H ( Y 13‘) bits must be exchanged and that H(X,Y) + 2 bits are sufficient. If p(z,y) > 0 for all (qy) , then at least H(X,Y) bits must be communicated on the average. However, if p(z,y) is uniform over its support set, the average number of bits needed is close to H(X I Y) + H ( Y IX). Randomized protocols can reduce the amount of communication considerably but only when some probability of error is acceptable.
Heat Flux and Cloud Cover over the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic decadal climate variations are studied using marine meteorological observations. To remove artificial interhemispheric correlation, we perform empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of sea surface temperature (SST) variability separately for the North and South Atlantic. The first EOF for the North (South) Atlantic in the decadal (8–16 years) band features a meridional tripole (dipole). In the tropics, the northern and southern leading EOFs form a meridional dipole with a center of action at 15 on either side of the equator. The leading sea level pressure (SLP) EOFs for the North and South Atlantic each feature a center of action that is displaced poleward of the tropical SST extreme, at 30 latitude. The SLP center of action in the North Atlantic has a barotropic structure and contributes significantly to surface wind variability in the tropics. Despite being derived from statistically independent data samples, the principle components for the leading SST and SLP EOFs (four in total) are significantly correlated with one another, indicative of the existence of an interhemispheric mode spanning the entire Atlantic Ocean. The same analysis for a longer SST record suggests that this pan-Atlantic decadal variability exists throughout the 20th century. In the North Atlantic, composite analysis of wind velocity and heat fluxes based on the PCs of the leading SST modes indicates that wind-induced latent heat flux is the major forcing for decadal SST variability. In the South Atlantic, by contrast, wind anomalies are neither organized in space nor in geostrophic balance with SLP, a problem likely due to poor sampling there as indicated by a comparison with well-sampled satellite measurements. Spatially coherent anomalies of low-level cloud cover are found to be associated with the tropical Atlantic dipole, with increased (decreased) cloudiness over the cold (warm) lobe. These low-level cloud anomalies do not appear to be associated with significant surface wind convergence, unlike the deep convective clouds near the equator. By shielding solar radiation, these low-level cloud anomalies act to reinforce the underlying SST anomalies, reducing the Newtonian cooling rate for SST by as much as 30%.
Production of Overmodified Type I Procollagen in a Case of Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Collagen synthesis in cultured skin fibroblasts from a patient with osteogenesis imperfecta was studied. Approximately 2 fold accumulation of collagen in the cell layer was found. The slower mobility of proα1 (I) and proα2 (I) as well as α1 and α2 (I) polypeptide on sodium dodecylsulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was detected, indicating that abnormal posttranslational modification could be present in type I procollagen in patient fibroblasts. The degrees of hydroxylation and subsequent glycosylation of lysine residues in the affected collagen were elevated 1.5 and 1.4 fold, respectively. There were no significant changes in the relative content of type III to type I collagen nor the incorporation of mannose into the carboxyterminal propeptide of proα1 (I) and proα2 (I). These results indicate that the patient produces an over‐modified type I procollagen which is responsible for the clinical features and has a collagen abnormality already reported in type II osteogenesis imperfecta.
Reconciliation and Transformation through Mutual Learning: Outlining a Framework for Arts-based Service Learning with Indigenous Communities in Australia

Service learning is described as a socially just educational process that develops two-way learning and social outcomes for community and student participants. Despite the focus on mutuality in service learning, very little of this literature specifically deals with the intense importance of mutuality and reciprocity when working with Indigenous community partners and participants. This is problematic for Indigenous service learning projects that seek to partner respectfully with Indigenous communities in Australia and elsewhere. To address this issue, the paper draws on existing international literature and data from an Indigenous arts based service learning project conducted in the Northern Territory of Australia to propose a framework centred on relationships, reciprocity, reflexivity and representation that can be adapted for future Indigenous service learning partnerships and research.
Characterizing Bitterness: Identification of Key Structural Features and Development of a Classification Model

This work describes the first approach in the development of a comprehensive classification method for bitterness of small molecules. The data set comprises 649 bitter and 13 530 randomly selected molecules from the MDL Drug Data Repository (MDDR) which are analyzed by circular fingerprints (MOLPRINT 2D) and information-gain feature selection. The feature selection proposes substructural features which are statistically correlated to bitterness. Classification is performed on the selected features via a naïve Bayes classifier. The substructural features upon which the classification is based are able to discriminate between bitter and random compounds, and thus we propose they are also functionally responsible for causing the bitter taste. Such substructures include various sugar moieties as well as highly branched carbon scaffolds. Cynaropicrine contains a number of the substructural features found to be statistically associated with bitterness and thus was correctly predicted to be bitter by our model. Alternatively, both promethazine and saccharin contain fewer of these substructural features, and thus the bitterness in these compounds was not identified. Two different classes of bitter compounds were identified, namely those which are larger and contain mainly oxygen and carbon and often sugar moieties, and those which are rather smaller and contain additional nitrogen and/or sulfur fragments. The classifier is able to predict 72.1% of the bitter compounds. Feature selection reduces the number of false-positives while also increasing the number of false negatives to 69.5% of bitter compounds correctly predicted. Overall, the method presented here presents both one of the largest databases of bitter compounds presently available as well as a relatively reliable classification method.
MJPEG 2000 TRANSMISSION OVER LOSSY CHANNEL

Obviously in wireless or mobile standards there is always a need to achieve a robust multimedia transmission. Applications require the b est trade-off between Quality of services, bandwidth and delay. The core technology of Motion JPEG2000 targets an intra-frame-based coding system, which differs from the current MPEG (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-2) moving pictures standards, which provide both intra -frame and inter-frame coding. That provides better features such as easy editing and r obustness with respect to an error prone applications as well as professional broadcast syst ems [1], [2]. This paper should be show that features in practise.