Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On low back pain: Identification of structural changes in system parameters for fatigue loaded intervertebral disc using PCA

This paper presents the background of low back problem caused by repetitive fatigue loading. We emphasize on mechanism of Intervertebral Disc (IVD) and conditions for which the disc does not recover its original status under repetitive work and cause low back pain. The objective of this study is to identify structural changes in system parameters for fatigue loaded intervertebral disc. Principal component analysis (PCA) is used for studying the behavioral change of spine against cyclic loading as a function of time. Percentage difference and similarity factor was calculated for the analysis. Specimens were applied with impulse testing to measure the stiffness and acceleration after fracture, augmentation and fatigue loading. The fatigue loading were 650N, 950N and 1150N at 5Hz for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 hours. 12 hours rest was given between different loadings. Based on PCA analysis, it is observed that IVD does not restore to original condition after 50 minutes of fatigue loading. In addition, if people set load at range between 30 to 50 minutes, vertebra discs cannot fully return to the normal position anymore depending on total load. Vertebra can support load as much as 0.5kN limited to 30 to 50 minutes. It implies that fracture may occur. Rest is very important in order to prevent the deformity and abnormalities of backbone discs. We found that in spine vertebral acceleration and displacement are dependent on the applied force.
Exploring the Decision Forest

We report on a series of experiments in which all decision trees consistent with the training data are constructed. These experiments were run to gain an understanding of the properties of the set of consistent decision trees, and the factors that a ect the error rate of individual trees. The experiments were performed on a massively parallel Maspar 1 computer. The results of the experimentation on two arti cial and two real world problems indicate that for three of the four problems investigated, the smallest consistent decision trees tend to be less accurate than the average accuracy of those slightly larger.
HST/STIS optical spectroscopy of five super star clusters in the starburst galaxy M82

We present optical spectroscopy obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph of five young massive star clusters in the starburst galaxy M82. A detailed analysis is performed for one cluster 'M82-A1' and its immediate environment in the starburst core. From Hubble Space Telescope archive images, we find that it is elliptical with an effective radius of 3.0 +/- 0.5 pc and is surrounded by a compact (r = 4.5 +/- 0.5 pc) H II region. We determine the age and reddening of M82-A1 using synthetic spectra from population synthesis models by fitting both the continuum energy distribution and the depth of the Balmer jump. We find an age of 6.4 +/- 0.5 Myr and a photometric mass estimate of M = 7 - 13 x 10(5) M-circle dot. We associate its formation with the most recent starburst event 4 - 6 Myr ago. We find that the oxygen abundance of the H II region surrounding M82-A1 is solar or slightly higher. The H II region has a high pressure P/k = 1-2 x 1(0)7 cm(-3) K. The diffuse gas in region A has a slightly lower pressure, which together with the broad Ha emission-line width, suggests that both the thermal and turbulent pressures in the M82 starburst core are unusually high. We discuss how this environment has affected the evolution of the cluster wind for M82-A1. We find that the high pressure may have caused the pressure-driven bubble to stall. We also obtain spectroscopic ages for clusters B1-2 and B2-1 in the 'fossil' starburst region and for the intermediate age clusters F and L. These are consistent with earlier studies and demonstrate that star formation activity, sufficiently intense to produce super star clusters, has been going on in M82 during the past Gyr, perhaps in discrete and localized episodes.
SWorD : A S imple Wor m D etection Scheme

Detection of fast-spreading Internet worms is a problem for which no adequate defenses exist. In this paper we present a S imple Worm Detection scheme (SWorD). SWorD is designed as a statistical detection method for detecting and automatically filtering fast-spreading TCP-based worms. SWorD is a simple two-tier counting algorithm designed to be deployed on the network edge. The first-tier is a lightweight traffic filter while the second-tier is more selective and rarely invoked. We present results using network traces from both a small and large network to demonstrate SWorD ’s performance. Our results show that SWorD accurately detects over 75% of all infected hosts within six seconds, making it an attractive solution for the worm detection problem.
Dreams and the reconstruction of infant trauma

Based on the psychoanalytic discoveries of Bernard Bail, M.D., this paper demonstrates that the earliest experiences of life, particularly the earliest traumatic experiences, can be retained in the unconscious mind of the infant and then lived out throughout the course of life in the form of behavior, symptoms, and characterological manifestations. The paper brings to bear research in child psychiatry, developmental psychology, neurobiology, and psychoanalytic infant observation. Three detailed clinical vignettes are presented using Bail's method of dream analysis to illustrate how even pre- and neonatal experiences can be accessed in the psychotherapeutic setting. The work illustrates the enduring effects of earliest trauma and represents a contribution to the study of primitive states of mind.
Human longevity is influenced by many genetic variants: evidence from 75,000 UK Biobank participants

Variation in human lifespan is 20 to 30% heritable but few genetic variants have been identified. We undertook a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) using age at death of parents of middle-aged UK Biobank participants of European decent (n=75,244 with father’s and/or mother’s data). Genetic risk scores for 19 phenotypes (n=777 proven variants) were also tested. Genotyped variants (n=845,997) explained 10.2% (SD=1.3%) of combined parental longevity. In GWAS, a locus in the nicotine receptor CHRNA3 – previously associated with increased smoking and lung cancer - was associated with paternal age at death, with each protective allele (rs1051730[G]) being associated with 0.03 years later age at father’s death (p=3x10-8). Offspring of longer lived parents had more protective alleles (lower genetic risk scores) for coronary artery disease, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, type-1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease and Alzheimer’s disease. In candidate gene analyses, variants in the TOMM40/APOE locus were associated with longevity (including rs429358, p=3x10-5), but FOXO variants were not associated. These results support a multiple protective factors model for achieving longer lifespans in humans, with a prominent role for cardiovascular-related pathways. Several of these genetically influenced risks, including blood pressure and tobacco exposure, are potentially modifiable.
Minimum-distortion-based self-steering algorithm for microphone arrays using switched fixed beamforming

This article presents a new self-steering algorithm for microphone arrays in audio communications devices such as desktop phones, mobile handsets and multimedia tablets. The general framework is that of fixed beamforming on a predefined set of look directions to cover the spatial range of interest, followed by post filtering. The proposed algorithm improves on existing algorithms by introducing a feedback mechanism between signal-path beamforming and talker localization instead of the conventional two-step approach, with the latter implemented as an independent preprocessing step to the former. The new algorithm is shown to be an extension of the popular Steered Response Power (SRP) algorithm and is compatible with traditional decorrelation techniques such as Phase Transform (PHAT).
Modeling uncertainties for tropospheric nitrogen dioxide columns affecting satellite-based inverse modeling of nitrogen oxides emissions

Abstract. Errors in chemical transport models (CTMs) interpreting the relation between space-retrieved tropospheric column densities of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) have important consequences on the inverse modeling. They are however difficult to quantify due to lack of adequate in situ measurements, particularly over China and other developing countries. This study proposes an alternate approach for model evaluation over East China, by analyzing the sensitivity of modeled NO 2 columns to errors in meteorological and chemical parameters/processes important to the nitrogen abundance. As a demonstration, it evaluates the nested version of GEOS-Chem driven by the GEOS-5 meteorology and the INTEX-B anthropogenic emissions and used with retrievals from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) to constrain emissions of NO x . The CTM has been used extensively for such applications. Errors are examined for a comprehensive set of meteorological and chemical parameters using measurements and/or uncertainty analysis based on current knowledge. Results are exploited then for sensitivity simulations perturbing the respective parameters, as the basis of the following post-model linearized and localized first-order modification. It is found that the model meteorology likely contains errors of various magnitudes in cloud optical depth, air temperature, water vapor, boundary layer height and many other parameters. Model errors also exist in gaseous and heterogeneous reactions, aerosol optical properties and emissions of non-nitrogen species affecting the nitrogen chemistry. Modifications accounting for quantified errors in 10 selected parameters increase the NO 2 columns in most areas with an average positive impact of 18% in July and 8% in January, the most important factor being modified uptake of the hydroperoxyl radical (HO 2 ) on aerosols. This suggests a possible systematic model bias such that the top-down emissions will be overestimated by the same magnitude if the model is used for emission inversion without corrections. The modifications however cannot eliminate the large model underestimates in cities and other extremely polluted areas (particularly in the north) as compared to satellite retrievals, likely pointing to underestimates of the a priori emission inventory in these places with important implications for understanding of atmospheric chemistry and air quality. Note that these modifications are simplified and should be interpreted with caution for error apportionment.
Understanding epileptiform after-discharges as self-terminating transients

Electro-cortical activity in patients with epilepsy may show abnormal rhythmic transients of different waveforms in response to stimulation. These transients have long been considered important for mapping excitability levels in the epileptic brain, but their dynamic mechanism is still not well-understood. To understand the occurrence of abnormal transients dynamically, we use a thalamo-cortical neural population model of epileptic spike-wave activity and study the interaction between slow and fast subsystems. In a reduced version of the thalamo-cortical model, slow wave oscillations arise from a fold of cycles (FoC) bifurcation. This marks the onset of a region of bistability between a high amplitude oscillatory rhythm and a background state. Near the bistability, the model has excitable dynamics, showing prolonged rhythmic transients in response to suprathreshold pulse stimulation. We analyse the state space geometry of the bistable and the excitable state, and find that the rhythmic transient arises when the impending FoC bifurcation deforms the state space and creates an area of locally reduced attraction to the fixed point. This area allows trajectories to dwell in it for before escaping to the stable steady state, thus creating rhythmic transients. In the full thalamo-cortical model, we find a similar FoC bifurcation structure. In addition, the (fast) cortical subsystem can undergo a supercritical Andronov-Hopf bifurcation to fast spiking. Combined with the slow subsystem this results in transient self-terminating (poly)-spike-wave oscillations. We compare our dynamic mechanism with other mechanisms to generate excitable transients and discuss why our mechanism is well-suited to explain stimulus induced epileptiform activity. We also interpret the proposed excitability mechanism in the context of stimulation responses in the epileptic cortex.
STUDIES ON THE O ANTIGEN OF SALMONELLA TYPHOSA

Quantitative studies have demonstrated that a purified lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) derived from the O-901 strain of Salmonella typhosa markedly enhanced the antibody response of rabbits when given separately or in conjunction with protein antigens. The augmentation of antibody levels varied from 2- to 40-fold with the number of injections, the dosage of antigen and endotoxin, and the route of administration. This antibody-enhancing property was found to be common to a broad group of endotoxins from Gram-negative bacilli and was not restricted to the lipopolysaccharide derived from S. typhosa. Factors affecting this enhancement were investigated, and data are presented which indicate that host susceptibility to endotoxin is a prerequisite for elevation of antibody levels; the intact lipopolysaccharide, as isolated, might not be essential for this activity; and the rate of clearance of antigen from the circulation of rabbits was accelerated when endotoxin was given in conjunction with protein. The data obtained are discussed in relation to postulated mechanisms on the antibody-enhancing action of endotoxin.
The Role of Nondetects in Statistical Analysis the Role of Nondetects in Statistical Analysis

In environmental studies, scientists often report nondetect in place of an observed measurement when a sample measurement cannot be quantiied. When the data is analyzed, some work must be done to combine the nonde-tects with the detected values. A variety of procedures exist for estimating parameters using data which contains nondetects. This paper reviews the current methods used to account for nondetects in the analysis of environmental data and suggests areas of study which need further exploration.
A vector based model approach for defining trust in Multi-Organization Environments

A Multi-Organization Environment is composed of several players that depend on each other for resources and services. In order to manage the security of the exchange process we introduce the concept of trust. We show how this aspect of the cooperative work allows us to increase some security aspects. In particular, we provide a framework where the concepts of trust requirement and trust evaluation play important roles for defining trust vectors. These vectors evaluate a set of requirements, under some conditions, and provide a degree of confidence. In our framework we consider two different types of vectors. On the one hand a vector that relates a user to an organization and on the other hand a vector that links two organizations. Finally we show how these vectors are evaluated and shared among the different organizations, and how we combine the provided trust information in order to enhance the security.
Be Fruitful and Multiply: Fertility and Tradeoffs in Latter-Day Saints

Customizing the Content: The placeholders in this formatted for you. placeholders to add text, or click an icon to add a table, chart, SmartArt graphic, picture or multimedia file. T from text, just click the Bullets button on the Home tab. If you need more placeholders for titles, make a copy of what you need and drag it into place. PowerPoint’s Smart Guides will help you align it with everything else. Want to use your own pictures instead of ours? No problem! Just right Change Picture. Maintain the proportion of pictures as you resize by dragging a corner. Be Fruitful and Multiply: Fertility and Tradeoffs in Latter-Day Saints Amanda Cook and Claire Hanson Anthropology Program: Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology Utah State University
Distributed decision in sensor networks based on local coupling through Pulse Position Modulated signals

In this work we propose a physical layer design, based on pulse position modulated (PPM) signals, for a decentralized wireless sensor network implementing an iterative consensus algorithm. The proposed scheme does not require any MAC protocol to avoid or resolve collisions, and is also suitable for a half-duplex implementation. The considered network model assumes only local coupling among the nodes, thus allowing for low transmit power even in large scale networks. Furthermore, we show how to remove the effect of propagation delays, multipath, and non perfect synchronization among the nodes, without requiring any channel parameter estimate. As an example of application, we consider a simple parameter estimation problem, which is instrumental to discuss the fundamental trade-offs arising in the system parameters settings, when both observation noise and coupling noise are considered in the performance analysis.
Wideband Electrostatic Vibration Energy Harvester (e-VEH) Having a Low Start-Up Voltage Employing a High-Voltage Integrated Interface

This paper reports on an electrostatic Vibration Energy Harvester (e-VEH) system, for which the energy conversion process is initiated with a low bias voltage and is compatible with wideband stochastic external vibrations. The system employs the auto-synchronous conditioning circuit topology with the use of a novel dedicated integrated low-power high-voltage switch that is needed to connect the charge pump and flyback – two main parts of the used conditioning circuit. The proposed switch is designed and implemented in AMS035HV CMOS technology. Thanks to the proposed switch device, which is driven with a low-voltage ground-referenced logic, the e-VEH system may operate within a large voltage range, from a pre-charge low voltage up to several tens volts. With such a high-voltage e-VEH operation, it is possible to obtain a strong mechanical coupling and a high rate of vibration energy conversion. The used transducer/resonator device is fabricated with a batch-processed MEMS technology. When excited with stochastic vibrations having an acceleration level of 0.8 g rms distributed in the band 110–170 Hz, up to 0.75 μW of net electrical power has been harvested with our system. This work presents an important milestone in the challenge of designing a fully integrated smart conditioning interface for the capacitive e-VEHs.
Process Mining in Information Technology Incident Management: A Case Study at Volvo Belgium

The goal of this study is to identify opportunities that improve operational performance of information technology incident management at Volvo, Belgium. Findings are derived exclusively from computational analysis of incident and problem event logs (totaling 74,544 events) from May-June 2012, provided as part of the 2013 Business Processing Intelligence Challenge. Improvements that increase resource efficiency and reduce incident resolution times and subsequently customer impacts were identified across the following areas: service level push-to-front, ping pong between support teams, and Wait-User status abuse. Specific products, support teams, organizational structures, and process elements most appropriate for further study are identified and specific analyses are recommended. We conclude that operational improvement areas can be elucidated exclusively from obfuscated event logs.
Perceptions of Racial Group Size in a Minority-majority Area

Americans overestimate the size of minority groups and underestimate the size of the majority. Research on perceived racial group size, however, has focused on areas where non-Hispanic whites are dominant and has neglected to examine the impact of group conflict attitudes other than perceived threats. This study examines perceptions of group size in Harris County, Texas, in 2007, which became a minority-majority area by 2006. It also examines whether perceived racial discrimination influences perceived group size. Analyses demonstrate that people underestimate the size of the largest group, which in this case is the local Hispanic population. The sizes of the black and Asian populations, by contrast, are overestimated while estimates of the white population are accurate. Race and perceived discrimination play important roles in shaping perceptions of group size. Perceptions of group size are also based on the objective size of these groups, but are unrelated to recent changes in group size.
A Model of Reference-Dependent Belief Updating

We propose a model of instrumental belief choice under loss aversion. When new information arrives, an agent is prompted to abandon her prior. However, potential posteriors may induce her to take actions that generate a lower utility in some states than actions induced by her prior. These losses loom larger than gains in other states in which potential posteriors lead to larger utility than the prior. In choosing her belief, the agent optimally trades off these psychological gains and losses against the belief's objective performance. Consistent with empirical evidence, belief updating in this model is conservative and can be asymmetric, so that bad news is updated more conservatively than good news. These updating biases generate prior-dependent information preferences, such that agents may avoid information when being unconfident but are information seeking otherwise. Because belief updating depends on the decision problem in which new information is going to be used, the model allows us to explore how these predictions change with either individual preferences or the choice context.
Interannual covariability in Northern Hemisphere air temperatures and greenness associated with El Niño‐Southern Oscillation and the Arctic Oscillation

[1] In this paper, we estimate the year-to-year variations in northern vegetation greenness as they relate to the dominant modes of climate variability. In particular, we analyze spatial data of Northern Hemisphere satellite-sensed vegetation greenness, surface temperature, precipitation, and upper air data for the 1982–1998 period to isolate well correlated modes of variability between temperature and greenness and to assess their relationship to large-scale circulation anomalies. It is found that during spring, large-scale modes of interannual vegetation variability are strongly correlated with spatiotemporal modes of variability in the overlying temperature field. In addition, the results indicate that the two predominant hemispheric-scale modes of covariability are related to teleconnections associated with the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Arctic Oscillation (AO). The warm event ENSO signal is manifested as warmer and greener conditions in North America, Far East Asia, and to some extent central Europe, while the features of the positive phase AO signal include enhanced warm and green conditions over large regions in Europe and Asian Russia, with opposite anomalies in the eastern half of North America. Whether observed trends in vegetation activity over the past 20 years are also related to systematic changes in these two modes of variability is still unclear.