Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new improved cluster validity indexing technique: harnessed from Goodman-Kruskal validity index

The true potential of clustering techniques is not harnessed optimally because of several reasons. Clustering is implemented either on the preclassified datasets or if implemented on unclassified datasets, it remains unacceptable because its validity cannot be established. Cluster validity techniques come to rescue in the latter cases. Several internal and external cluster validity indices are studied and used to validate the clustering techniques. Moreover, the validity of the indexing techniques is needed to be established first. The current work suggests an improvement over the Goodman-Kruskal indexing technique and establishes its validity by applying it on several benchmark datasets. Hence, it suggests a new cluster validity indexing technique.
Testing of RF Differential Low Noise Amplifiers using Built-In- Test circuits

This paper presents an efficient, low-cost, built-in test (BIT) circuit for radio frequency differential low noise amplifiers (DLNAs). The BIT circuit detects amplitude alterations at the outputs of the DLNA, due to parametric or catastrophic faults, and provides a single digital Pass/Fail indication signal. A triple modular redundancy approach has been adopted for the BIT circuit design to avoid possible yield loss in case of a malfunctioning test circuitry. This technique evaluated on typical CMOS RF DLNA and simulation result is presented.
Nutritional supplementation for hip fracture aftercare in older people.

Older people with hip fractures are often malnourished at the time of fracture and may have poor food intake while treated in hospital (Lumbers et al., 2001). Malnutrition can lead to mental apathy, reduce mobility and increase the tendency to develop postoperative complications such as wound, respiratory or urine infections, pressure sores and deep vein thrombosis. Prolonged stay in hospital is undesirable and costly to provide. Long-term rehabilitation and support in the community will add to the burdens of costs. It is possible that nutritional supplements may provide a convenient way to improve the intake of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Neonatal Nutrition: Metabolic Programming of Pancreatic Islets and Obesity1

Obese individuals are more likely to suffer from diseases termed the “metabolic syndrome,” which includes type 2 diabetes. It is now recognized that early life dietary experiences play an important role in the etiology of such diseases. In this context, the consequences of a high carbohydrate (HC) dietary intervention in neonatal rats is being studied in our laboratory. Artificial rearing of 4-day-old rat pups on a HC milk formula up to Day 24 results in the immediate onset of hyperinsulinemia, which persists throughout the period of dietary intervention. Several adaptations at the biochemical, cellular, and molecular levels in the islets of these HC rats support the onset and persistence of the hyperinsulinemic condition during this period. Some of these adaptations include a distinct leftward shift in the insulin secretory capacity, increased hexokinase activity, increased gene expression of preproinsulin and related transcription factors and specific kinases in 12-day-old HC islets, and alterations in the number and size of islets. These adaptations are programmed and expressed in adulthood thereby sustain the hyperinsulinemic condition in the postweaning period and form the basis for adult-onset obesity. HC females spontaneously transmit the HC phenotype (chronic hyperinsulinemia and adult-onset obesity) to their progeny. Collectively, our results indicate that even a mere switch in the nature of the source of calories (from fat rich in rat milk to carbohydrate rich in the HC milk formula) during critical phases of early development in the rat results in metabolic programming of islet functions leading to chronic hyperinsulinemia (throughout life) and adult-onset obesity. This metabolic programming, once established, forms a vicious cycle because HC female rats spontaneously transmit the HC phenotype to their progeny. The results from our laboratory in the context of metabolic programming due to neonatal nutritional experiences are discussed in this review.
Dose Painting in Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Value of Repeated Functional Imaging with 18F-FDG PET, 18F-Fluoromisonidazole PET, Diffusion-Weighted MRI, and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the potential of functional imaging with 18F-FDG PET, 18F-fluoromisonidazole PET, diffusion-weighted MRI, and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI to provide an appropriate and reliable biologic target for dose painting in radiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods: Fifteen patients with locally advanced HNSCC, treated with concomitant chemoradiotherapy, were prospectively enrolled in a bioimaging protocol. Sequential PET (18F-FDG and 18F-fluoromisonidazole) and MRI (T1, T2, dynamic enhanced, and diffusion-weighted sequences) were performed before, during, and after radiotherapy. Results: Median follow-up was 30.7 mo (range, 6.3–56.3 mo); in 7 patients, disease recurred. Disease-free survival correlated negatively with the maximum tissue-to-blood 18F-fluoromisonidazole ratio (T/Bmax) on the baseline 18F-fluoromisonidazole scan (P = 0.04), with the size of the initial hypoxic volume (P = 0.04), and with T/Bmax on the 18F-fluoromisonidazole scan during treatment (P = 0.02). All locoregional recurrences were within the 18F-FDG–avid regions on baseline 18F-FDG PET; 3 recurrences mapped outside the hypoxic volume on baseline 18F-fluoromisonidazole PET. Lesions (primary tumor and lymph nodes) where a locoregional recurrence developed during follow-up had significantly lower apparent diffusion coefficients on diffusion-weighted MRI during week 4 of radiotherapy (0.0013 vs. 0.0018 mm2/s, P = 0.01) and at 3 wk after treatment (0.0014 vs. 0.0018 mm2/s, P = 0.01) and a significantly higher initial slope on baseline dynamic enhanced MRI (26.2 vs. 17.5/s, P = 0.03) than did lesions that remained controlled. Conclusion: These results confirm the added value of 18F-FDG PET and 18F-fluoromisonidazole PET for radiotherapy planning of HNSCC and suggest the potential of diffusion-weighted and dynamic enhanced MRI for dose painting and early response assessment.
Toward long-term quality of protection in mobile networks: a context-aware perspective

Sensor-equipped smartphones as well as wearable devices have undoubtedly become the predominant source of user-generated data in mobile networks. The proliferation of user-generated data has created a plethora of opportunities for personalized services based on the states of users and their surrounding environments. Those personalized services, although improving users' perceived quality of experience, have raised severe privacy concerns, as most of these applications aggressively collect users' personal data without providing clear statements on the usage and disclosure policies of such sensitive information. In order to sustain personalized services with long-term privacy preservation, disruptive paradigms are required. We envision that context awareness is a key pillar to providing long-term quality of protection (QoP) for individual privacy. In particular, users transit between different contexts, including mobility modes and social activities, and these contexts are temporally or logically correlated, which can be leveraged by adversaries to compromise users' privacy. In addition, users may have different QoP preferences in different contexts. With these salient features in mind, this article investigates context-aware QoP mechanism designs for personalized services in mobile networks. We discuss possible attacks and propose corresponding countermeasures. In particular, we develop a QoP framework that exploits context awareness to achieve better trade-offs between service quality and privacy protection in long-term services. Finally, we provide some implications for future context-aware QoP mechanism designs by conducting a case study on smartphone traces.
A comparative study of switched reluctance motors with conventional and toroidal windings

This paper deals with a comparative study of switched reluctance motors (SRMs) with conventional and toroidal windings, which is called CSRM and TSRM, respectively. In the CSRM there is a complete magnetic decoupling between phases, so that torque is produced entirely due to the rate of change of winding self inductance. If the same machine is wound with toroidal windings then it can be shown that a new configuration produces torque as a result of changing phase inductance, which becomes much smaller due to mutual inductance between phases. This difference of inductance makes the two SRMs have quite different characteristics. Consequently, the CSRM is proper for high voltage and small current and the TSRM is for low voltage and large current. The characteristics comparison is theoretically performed with respect of torque, current, output power, and efficiency according to speed variation
Rethinking the Ramey State: Was Cahokia the Center of a Theater State?

Archaeologists often portray Cahokia as the center of a chiefdom. A minority view is that Cahokia was the center of a state. These competing views are considered here, and an alternative model is presented, that Cahokia might be considered the center of a theater state. This model agrees with other models that Cahokia was an economic and political center, but also emphasizes Cahokia's role as a center of ritual. In the theater state model, the power of a state lies more in its ceremonies than in its armies. People came to Cahokia, helping to build it and feed it, not because they were coerced but because they wanted to be part of the drama. This view of Cahokia is not presented in order to replace all other models but, rather, to stimulate archaeologists to rethink what Cahokia might have been like. Geertz's theater state model suggests an alternative, non-Western view of the state that might be useful in reconsidering other archaeological complex societies as well.
Activation of Notch signaling pathway precedes heart regeneration in zebrafish

Several vertebrates display the ability to regenerate parts of their body after amputation. During this process, differentiated cells reenter the cell cycle and proliferate to generate a mass of undifferentiated cells. Repatterning mechanisms act on these cells to eventually shape a regenerated tissue or organ that replaces the amputated one. Experiments with regenerating limbs/fins in newts and zebrafish have shown that members of the Msx family of homeodomain-containing transcription factors play key roles during blastema formation and patterning. Here we show that adult zebrafish have a remarkable capacity to regenerate the heart in a process that involves up-regulation of msxB and msxC genes. We present evidence indicating that heart regeneration involves the execution of a specific genetic program, rather than redeployment of a cardiac development program. Preceding Msx activation, there is a marked increase in the expression of notch1b and deltaC, which we show are also up-regulated during fin regeneration. These data suggest a role for the Notch pathway in the activation of the regenerative response. Taken together, our results underscore the use of zebrafish as a model for investigating the process of regeneration in particular and the biology of stem cells in general. Advances in these fields will undoubtedly aid in the implementation of strategies for regenerative medicine.
Anterior regeneration in the hemichordate Ptychodera flava

Ptychodera flava is a hemichordate whose anterior structures regenerate reproducibly from posterior trunk pieces when amputated. We characterized the cellular processes of anterior regeneration with respect to programmed cell death and cell proliferation, after wound healing. We found scattered proliferating cells at day 2 of regeneration using a proliferating cell nuclear antigen antibody. On day 4, most proliferating cells were associated with the nerve tract under the epidermis, and on day 6, a small proboscis derived from proliferated cells was regenerated, and a mouth had broken though the epidermis. TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated deoxyuridinetriphosphate nick end‐labeling) detected elevated levels of apoptosis in the endoderm that began furthest away from the region of wound healing, then moved anteriorly over 8 days. Posterior to anterior apoptosis is likely to remove digestive endoderm for later differentiation of pharyngeal endoderm. We hypothesize that P. flava regeneration is nerve dependent and that remodeling in the gut endoderm plays an important role in regeneration. Developmental Dynamics 237:3222–3232, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A sub-100µW multi-functional cardiac signal processor for mobile healthcare applications

A multi-functional cardiac signal processor (CSP) with integrated sensor interfaces is designed for mobile healthcare applications, especially for heart activity diagnosis in different phases. Applying dedicated processing engines, the CSP extracts critical cardiac signal features based on compressed data with 90% storage reduction, while keeping the data network secure. Implemented in 90nm CMOS, the CSP consumes 22. 6μW to 46. 5μW at 0.5/1.0V in different configurations. Besides, the 10. 2μW biopotential and 11. 4μW capacitive sensor interfaces further enhance the system functionality.
Can the catastrophizing interview technique be used to develop understanding of childhood worry

Background: The current research-base into childhood worry is extremely limited, in part owing to the lack of appropriately validated measures of worry suitable for use with children. Although some adult measures of worry have successfully been adapted for use with children, as of yet no measure suitable for use within an experimental paradigm has been developed, meaning that the majority of the existing research is based on correlational designs and therefore does not allow exploration of causative relationships between childhood worry and other factors. Aim: This thesis aimed to explore the use of the catastrophizing interview technique with children, with the goal of validating this technique as an experimental measure of childhood worry. Method: A mixed methodology was employed, using both single group correlation and between group comparisons. Additionally, a qualitative aspect to the design allowed greater exploration of the interview responses given by participants. The data from 88 participants aged 9 – 11 was used for the analysis. Participants completed a number of interviewer-assisted measures of worry, verbal reasoning, verbal fluency and tendency to respond in a socially desirable manner, before completing two catastrophizing tasks. Results: Limited evidence was found for a relationship between the catastrophizing interview responses and tendency to worry. However, when confounding variables such as verbal ability were controlled, a relationship between the number of steps generated using the interview and tendency to worry was found. Additionally, high worriers were more likely to respond in an extreme or circular manner, than low worriers. Discussion: Although this study found limited support for using the catastrophizing interview technique with children, there were a number of methodological issues with the study design that may have affected results. Given the need for a greater understanding of the processes of childhood worry, further exploration of using the catastrophizing interview technique is warranted.
VLSI architectures for block matching algorithms using systolic arrays

We investigate hardware implementation of block matching algorithms (BMAs) for motion estimation of moving sequences. Using systolic arrays, we propose VLSI architectures for the two-stage BMA and full search (FS) BMA. The two-stage BMA using integral projections reduces greatly the computational complexity with its performance comparable to that of the FS BMA. The proposed hardware architectures for the two-stage BMA and FS BMA are faster than the conventional hardware architectures with lower hardware complexity. Also, the proposed architecture of the first stage of the two-stage BMA is modeled in VHDL and simulated. Simulation results show the functional validity of the proposed architecture.
Understanding rice plant resistance to the Brown Planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens): A proteomic approach

Engineering and breeding resistant plant varieties are the most effective and environmentally friendly ways to control agricultural pests and improve crop performance. However, the mechanism of plant resistance to pests is poorly understood. Here we used a quantitative mass‐spectrometry‐based proteomic approach for comparative analysis of expression profiles of proteins in rice leaf sheaths in responses to infestation by the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens Stål, BPH), which is a serious rice crop pest. Proteins involved in multiple pathways showed significant changes in expression in response to BPH feeding, including jasmonic acid synthesis proteins, oxidative stress response proteins, beta‐glucanases, protein; kinases, clathrin protein, glycine cleavage system protein, photosynthesis proteins and aquaporins. The corresponding genes of eight important proteins were further analyzed by quantitative RT‐PCR. Proteomic and transcript responses that were related to wounding, oxidative and pathogen stress overlapped considerably between BPH‐resistant (carrying the resistance gene BPH15) and susceptible rice lines. In contrast, proteins and genes related to callose metabolism remained unchanged and glycine cleavage system protein was up‐regulated in the BPH‐resistant lines, indicating that they have an efficient and specific defense mechanism. Our results provide new information about the interaction between rice and the BPH.
Decentralized robust control for multi-vehicle navigation

This paper presents a decentralized architecture for the navigation of a formation of autonomous mobile robots evolving in an uncertain environment with obstacles. The motion planning scheme consists in decentralized receding horizon controllers that reside on each vehicle to achieve coordination among formation agents. The advantage of the proposed algorithm is that each vehicle only requires local knowledge of its neighboring vehicles. The main requirement for designing a conflict free trajectory that satisfy the coupling constraints, in a decentralized way, is that each robot do not deviate too far from its assumed trajectory designed without taking into account the coupling constraints. Having established an open loop control strategy for motion planning, an effective saturated closed-loop controller based on integral sliding mode for trajectory tracking is presented. Finally, some simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness, real-time and high robustness properties of the proposed architecture.
Supplemental cracked corn or wheat bran for steers grazing endophyte-free fescue pasture: effects on live weight gain, nutrient quality, forage intake, particulate and fluid kinetics, ruminal fermentation, and digestion.

Two experiments were conducted with beef steers (Exp. 1, average BW of 580 kg; Exp. 2, average BW of 247 kg) to evaluate the use of no supplements (CON) or daily supplementation with (OM basis) . 34% of BW of cracked corn (CORN), . 34% of BW of wheat bran (WBBW), or . 48% of BW of wheat bran (WBISO; calculated to be isocaloric to CORN) on digestive responses (Exp. 1) and live weight gain (Exp. 2). In Exp. 1, type of supplement did not affect (P > .10) the dietary fiber or N constituents, but in vitro OM disappearance of the forage differed (P < .10) with supplementation and type of supplement fed. Supplemented steers consumed less (P < .05) forage and total OM. Particulate passage, fluid passage, and ruminal pH were not affected (P > .10) by supplementation. Ruminal NH3 N concentration showed (P < .05) a treatment x sampling time interaction and, in general, WBBW and WBISO steers had greater ruminal NH3 N than CORN and CON steers. Total VFA concentrations and molar proportions of propionate were lower (P < .10) in CON steers than in supplemented steers; no differences were noted (P > .10) among supplemented steers. Molar proportions of acetate were lower (P = .01) in supplemented steers than in CON steers and were greater (P = .03) in WBBW steers than in WBISO steers. Butyrate molar proportions were lower (P < .05) in CON steers than in supplemented steers and differed (P < .10) with type and quantity of supplement supplied. In situ forage NDF disappearance at 6, 9, and 24 h after feeding and rate of disappearance were greater (P < .05) in CON steers than in supplemented steers. In Exp. 2, CON steers weighed less (P = .01) than supplemented steers, CORN steers weighed more (P = .08) than wheat bran-supplemented steers, and WBISO steers weighed more (P = .02) than WBBW steers; ADG for 90 d followed a similar response. Results suggest that supplementation of wheat bran rather than corn did not seem to stop the reduction in forage intake or OM digestion associated with corn supplementation.
Measuring the degree of face familiarity based on extended NMF

Getting familiar with a face is an important cognitive process in human perception of faces, but little study has been reported on how to objectively measure the degree of familiarity. In this article, a method is proposed to quantitatively measure the familiarity of a face with respect to a set of reference faces that have been seen previously. The proposed method models the context-free and context-dependent forms of familiarity suggested by psychological studies and accounts for the key factors, namely exposure frequency, exposure intensity and similar exposure, that affect human perception of face familiarity. Specifically, the method divides the reference set into nonexclusive groups and measures the familiarity of a given face by aggregating the similarities of the face to the individual groups. In addition, the nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) is extended in this paper to learn a compact and localized subspace representation for measuring the similarities of the face with respect to the individual groups. The proposed method has been evaluated through experiments that follow the protocols commonly used in psychological studies and has been compared with subjective evaluation. Results have shown that the proposed measurement is highly consistent with the subjective judgment of face familiarity. Moreover, a face recognition method is devised using the concept of face familiarity and the results on the standard FERET evaluation protocols have further verified the efficacy of the proposed familiarity measurement.
Subroutineto Calculate the Dominant Invariant Subspaceof a Nonsymmetric Matrix

SRRIT is a FORTRAN program to calculate an approximate orthonor-mal basis for a dominant invariant subspace of a real matrix A by the method of simultaneous iteration 12]. Speciically, given an integer m, SRRIT attempts to compute a matrix Q with m orthonormal columns and real quasi-triangular matrix T of order m such that the equation AQ = QT is satissed up to a tolerance speciied by the user. The eigenvalues of T are approximations to the m largest eigenvalues of A, and the columns of Q span the invariant subspace corresponding to those eigenvalues. SRRIT references A only through a user provided subroutine to form the product AQ; hence it is suitable for large sparse problems. Abstract SRRIT is a FORTRAN program to calculate an approximate orthonor