Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GA tuned Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Controller for vehicle suspension system

Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Controllers (T2FLC) have recently been used in active suspension system, because it handles uncertainties to a greater extent. In this paper, the performance of T2FLC based Vehicle Active Suspension System (VASS) in terms of sprung mass displacement, body acceleration, suspension deflection and tyre deflection are compared with that of Type-1 Fuzzy Logic Controller (T1FLC) based VASS using MATLAB and SIMULINK software. Root Mean Square (RMS) value of body acceleration is considered as the performance index. Also it is proposed to apply the Genetic Algorithm to T2FLC (GA-T2FLC) based VASS. Simulation results show that GA-T2FLC based VASS outperforms T2FLC, T1FLC and passive suspension system.
Production, Manufacturing and Logistics A simple procedure for determining order quantities under a fill rate constraint and normally distributed lead-time demand

One of the most common practical inventory control problems is considered. A single-echelon inventory system is controlled by a continuous review (R, Q) policy. The lead-time demand is normally distributed. We wish to minimize holding and ordering costs under a fill rate constraint. Although, it is not especially complicated to derive the optimal solution, it is much more common in practice to use a simple approximate two-step procedure where the order quantity is determined from a deterministic model in the first step. We provide an alternative, equally simple technique, which is based on the observation that the considered problem for each considered fill rate has a single parameter only. The optimal solution for a grid of parameter values is stored in a file. When solving the problem for an item we use interpolation, or for parameter values outside the grid special approximations. The approximation errors turn out to be negligible. As an alternative to the interpolation we also provide polynomial approximations. � 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Oral Administration of Polymyxin B Modulates the Activity of Lipooligosaccharide E. coli B against Lung Metastases in Murine Tumor Models

Introduction Polymyxin B (PmB) belongs to the group of cyclic peptide antibiotics, which neutralize the activity of LPS by binding to lipid A. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of PmB on the biological activity of lipooligosaccharide (LOS E. coli B,rough form of LPS) in vitro and in experimental metastasis models. Results Cultures of murine macrophage J774A.1 cells and murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BM-DC) stimulated in vitro with LOS and supplemented with PmB demonstrated a decrease in inflammatory cytokine production (IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α) and down-regulation of CD40, CD80, CD86 and MHC class II molecule expression. Additionally, PmB suspended in drinking water was given to the C57BL/6 mice seven or five days prior to the intravenous injection of B16 or LLC cells and intraperitoneal application of LOS. This strategy of PmB administration was continued throughout the duration of the experiments (29 or 21 days). In B16 model, statistically significant decrease in the number of metastases in mice treated with PmB and LOS (p<0.01) was found on the 14th day of the experiments, whereas the most intensive changes in surface-antigen expression and ex vivo production of IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α by peritoneal cells were observed 7 days earlier. By contrast, antigen expression and ex vivo production of IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ by splenocytes remained relatively high and stable. Statistically significant decrease in LLC metastases number was observed after the application of LOS (p<0.01) and in the group of mice preconditioned by PmB and subsequently treated with LOS (LOS + PmB, p<0.01). Conclusions In conclusion, prolonged in vivo application of PmB was not able to neutralize the LOS-induced immune cell activity but its presence in the organism of treated mice was important in modulation of the LOS-mediated response against the development of metastases.
Collusion-Secure Fingerprinting for Digital Data

This paper discusses methods for assigning code-words for the purpose of fingerprinting digital data, e.g., software, documents, music, and video. Fingerprinting consists of uniquely marking and registering each copy of the data. This marking allows a distributor to detect any unauthorized copy and trace it back to the user. This threat of detection will deter users from releasing unauthorized copies. A problem arises when users collude: for digital data, two different fingerprinted objects can be compared and the differences between them detected. Hence, a set of users can collude to detect the location of the fingerprint. They can then alter the fingerprint to mask their identities. We present a general fingerprinting solution which is secure in the context of collusion. In addition, we discuss methods for distributing fingerprinted data.
Inhibition of Rac and ROCK Signalling Influence Osteoblast Adhesion, Differentiation and Mineralization on Titanium Topographies

Reducing the time required for initial integration of bone-contacting implants with host tissues would be of great clinical significance. Changes in osteoblast adhesion formation and reorganization of the F-actin cytoskeleton in response to altered topography are known to be upstream of osteoblast differentiation, and these processes are regulated by the Rho GTPases. Rac and RhoA (through Rho Kinase (ROCK)). Using pharmacological inhibitors, we tested how inhibition of Rac and ROCK influenced osteoblast adhesion, differentiation and mineralization on PT (Pre-treated) and SLA (sandblasted large grit, acid etched) topographies. Inhibition of ROCK, but not Rac, significantly reduced adhesion number and size on PT, with adhesion size consistent with focal complexes. After 1 day, ROCK, but not Rac inhibition increased osteocalcin mRNA levels on SLA and PT, with levels further increasing at 7 days post seeding. ROCK inhibition also significantly increased bone sialoprotein expression at 7 days, but not BMP-2 levels. Rac inhibition significantly reduced BMP-2 mRNA levels. ROCK inhibition increased nuclear translocation of Runx2 independent of surface roughness. Mineralization of osteoblast cultures was greater on SLA than on PT, but was increased by ROCK inhibition and attenuated by Rac inhibition on both topographies. In conclusion, inhibition of ROCK signalling significantly increases osteoblast differentiation and biomineralization in a topographic dependent manner, and its pharmacological inhibition could represent a new therapeutic to speed bone formation around implanted metals and in regenerative medicine applications.
Signalling Pathways Involved in Adult Heart Formation Revealed by Gene Expression Profiling in Drosophila

Drosophila provides a powerful system for defining the complex genetic programs that drive organogenesis. Under control of the steroid hormone ecdysone, the adult heart in Drosophila forms during metamorphosis by a remodelling of the larval cardiac organ. Here, we evaluated the extent to which transcriptional signatures revealed by genomic approaches can provide new insights into the molecular pathways that underlie heart organogenesis. Whole-genome expression profiling at eight successive time-points covering adult heart formation revealed a highly dynamic temporal map of gene expression through 13 transcript clusters with distinct expression kinetics. A functional atlas of the transcriptome profile strikingly points to the genomic transcriptional response of the ecdysone cascade, and a sharp regulation of key components belonging to a few evolutionarily conserved signalling pathways. A reverse genetic analysis provided evidence that these specific signalling pathways are involved in discrete steps of adult heart formation. In particular, the Wnt signalling pathway is shown to participate in inflow tract and cardiomyocyte differentiation, while activation of the PDGF-VEGF pathway is required for cardiac valve formation. Thus, a detailed temporal map of gene expression can reveal signalling pathways responsible for specific developmental programs and provides here substantial grasp into heart formation.
The Louvain Observation Scales for Objectives in Psychomotor Therapy

In this paper the construction of the new observation scales for objectives in psychomotor therapy is discussed. In the first phase some 213 therapeutic goals found in the scientific literature are reduced to nine objective clusters by cluster analysis: emotional relations, self-confidence, activity, relaxation, movement control, focusing attention on the situation, movement expressivity, verbal communication, and social regulation ability. In the second phase these objectives are made operational as observation categories, and for each item a 7-point scale is constructed with positive as well as negative gradations (e.g., the patient is extremely active vs. passive). Two versions of the scale were developed. The results of the reliability studies of these two variants are satisfactory.
Analysis and design of armature magnetic field distribution in permanent-magnet vernier machines

This paper presents an analytical method to determine the air-gap flux density caused by armature windings in a permanent magnet vernier (PMV) machine. In this method, the air-gap flux density is calculated by the magneto-motive force and the air-gap permeance function. The permeance function is defined by using the simple magnetic reluctance network. Based on the analysis method, the working harmonic of the air-gap flux density that generates the torque is analyzed according to the shapes of the stator. And then, its validity is confirmed by the results from a finite element analysis method.
A Study on the Electrical Circuit Model for Impedance-based Microfluidic Sensor

In this paper, we derived the exact impedance parameter for planar electrodes system by varying configuration of electrode area, the distance between electrodes and channel width. The impedance parameters have been experimentally extracted from custom designed microfluidic chip that measures the impedance between two sensing electrodes separated by microfluidic channel. The solution resistance and electrode capacitance were fitted as 31kΩ and 0.339pF for 1mm channel length and 500 x 500 μm Pt electrodes in PBS solution. Keywords-electrochemical impedance sensor, MEMS, microfluidic chip
Feedback Reliability Ratio of an Intrusion Detection System

The behavior and nature of attacks and threats to computer network systems have been evolving rapidly with the advances in computer security technology. At the same time however, computer criminals and other malicious elements find ways and methods to thwart such protective measures and find techniques of penetrating such secure systems. Therefore adaptability, or the ability to learn and react to a consistently changing threat environment, is a key requirement for modern intrusion detection systems. In this paper we try to develop a novel metric to assess the performance of such intrusion detection systems under the influence of attacks. We propose a new metric called feedback reliability ratio for an intrusion detection system. We further try to modify and use the already available statistical Canberra distance metric and apply it to intrusion detection to quantify the dissimilarity between malicious elements and normal nodes in a network.
Renal sympathetic nerves – what have they got to do with cardiovascular disease?

What is the topic of this review? This review examines the role played by renal sympathetic nerves in the regulation of cardiovascular function, focusing on changes that occur during the development of hypertension and heart failure. What advances does it highlight? While elevated levels of renal sympathetic activity are a feature of many cardiovascular diseases, the relationship is not straightforward, especially in the case of hypertension. This review highlights that before consideration of targeting the renal nerves in the clinical management of cardiovascular diseases it is essential that their role in the development of the disease is established.
Can Subthreshold Summation Be Observed with the Ehrenstein Illusion?

Subthreshold summation between physical target lines and illusory contours induced by edges such as those produced in the Kanizsa illusion has been reported in previous studies. Here, we investigated the ability of line-induced illusory contours, using Ehrenstein figures, to produce similar subthreshold summation. In the first experiment, three stimulus conditions were presented. The target line was superimposed on the illusory contour of a four-arm Ehrenstein figure, or the target was presented between two dots (which replaced the arms of the Ehrenstein figure), or the target was presented on an otherwise blank screen (control). Detection of the target line was significantly worse when presented on the illusory contour (on the Ehrenstein figure) than when presented between two dots. This result was consistent for both curved and straight target lines, as well as for a 100 ms presentation duration and unlimited presentation duration. Performance was worst in the control condition. The results for the three stimulus conditions were replicated in a second experiment in which an eight-arm Ehrenstein figure was used to produce a stronger and less ambiguous illusory contour. In the third experiment, the target was either superimposed on the illusory contour, or was located across the central gap (illusory surface) of the Ehrenstein figure, collinear with two arms of the figure. As in the first two experiments, the target was either presented on the Ehrenstein figure, or between dots, or on a blank screen. Detection was better in the dot condition than in the Ehrenstein condition, regardless of whether the target was presented on the illusory contour or collinear with the arms of the Ehrenstein figure. These three experiments demonstrate the ability of reduced spatial uncertainty to facilitate the detection of a target line, but do not provide any evidence for subthreshold summation between a physical target line and the illusory contours produced by an Ehrenstein figure. The incongruence of these results with previous findings on Kanizsa figures is discussed.
HARQ Aided Systematic LT Coding for Amplify-Forward and Decode-Forward Cooperation

Systematic Luby Transform (SLT) codes constitute rateless codes, which are capable of adaptively adjusting their code rate depending on the channel quality without explicit channel state information (CSI) at the transmitters. SLTs are also suitable for space-time collaboration aided relay networks. In this paper, an iterative decoding aided SLT scheme is combined with 16-QAM transmission in a wireless relay aided network. The Bit Error Ratio (BER) results and Extrinsic Information Transfer (EXIT) charts are provided to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme using amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying achieves a 2.5dB gain at a BER of 10^{−5}, while the attainable improvement is nearly 6dB for decode-and-forward (DF) relaying, compared to the non-cooperative scheme, where the 16-QAM and the SLT decoder work independently. Moreover, the AF relaying aided SLT coded 16-QAM scheme is more beneficial, when the relay station is close to the source. By contrast, the DF relaying performs best near the mid-point between the source and destination. In addition, a modified Hybrid Automatic-Repeat-reQuest (HARQ) protocol using incremental redundancy is applied along with the SLT coded 16-QAM scheme to enhance the achievable throughput and energy efficiency of cooperative networks. This arrangement reduces the total transmit power by about 8%, compared to the classic HARQ scheme.
Modelling Data Entry Rates for ASR and Alternative Input Methods

An often-cited advantage of automatic speech recognition (ASR) is that it is ‘fast’; it is quite easy for a person to speak at several hundred words a minute, well above the rates that are possible using other modes of data entry. However, in order to conduct a fair comparison between alternative data entry methods, it is necessary to consider not the input rate per se, but the rate at which it is possible to enter information that is fully correct. This paper describes a model for predicting the relative success of alternative method of data entry in terms of the effective ‘throughput’ that is achievable taking into account typical input data entry rates, error rates and error correction times. Results are presented for the entry of both conventional and SMS-style text.
Under Consideration for Publication in Formal Aspects of Computing Testing Conformance to a Quasi-nondeterministic Stream X-machine

Stream X-machines have been used in order to specify a range of systems. One of the strengths of this approach is that, under certain well defined conditions, it is possible to produce a finite test that is guaranteed to determine the correctness of the implementation under test (IUT). Initially only determin-istic stream X-machines were considered in the literature. This is largely because the standard test algorithm relies on the stream X-machine being deterministic. More recently the problem of testing to determine whether the IUT is equivalent to a nondeterministic stream X-machine specification has been tackled ([16]). Since nondeterminism can be important for specifications, this is an extremely useful extension. In many cases, however, we wish to test for a weaker notion of correctness called conformance. This paper considers a particular form of nonde-terminism, within stream X-machines, that shall be called quasi-nondeterminism. It then investigates the generation of tests that are guaranteed to determine whether the IUT conforms to a quasi-nondeterministic stream X-machine specification. The test generation algorithm given is a generalization of that used for testing from a deterministic stream X-machine.
Reduced Nurrl Expression Increases the Vulnerability of Mesencephalic Dopamine Neurons to MPTP‐Induced Injury

Mutation in the Nurr1 gene, a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, causes selective agenesis of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain of null mice. Homozygous Nurr1 knockout mice (Nurr1-/-) die 1 day after birth, but heterozygous mice (Nurr1 +/-) survive postnatally without obvious locomotor deficits. Although adult Nurr1 +/- mice show significantly reduced Nurr1 protein levels in the substantia nigra (SN), they display a normal range of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neuron numbers in the SN and normal levels of dopamine in the striatum. The reduction in Nurr1 expression in Nurr1 +/- mice, however, confers increased vulnerability to the selective dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) compared with wild-type (Nurr1 +/+) mice. This study suggests that Nurr1 may play an important role in maintaining mature mesencephalic dopaminergic neuron function and that a defect in Nurr1 may increase susceptibility to SN injury.
Business Models for Sustainability

While a consensus appears to have evolved among many sustainability researchers and practitioners that sustainable development at the societal level is not very likely without the sustainable development of organizations, the business model as a key initiating component of corporate sustainability has only recently moved into the focus of sustainability management research. Apparently, the usual approaches to sustainable development of philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, and technological process and product innovation are insufficient to create the necessary radical transformation of organizations, industries, and societies toward genuine, substantive sustainable development. More in-depth research is needed on whether both modified and completely new business models can help develop integrative and competitive solutions by either radically reducing negative and/or creating positive external effects for the natural environment and society (cf. Boons & Lüdeke-Freund, 2013; Hansen, Große-Dunker, & Reichwald, 2009; Schaltegger, Lüdeke-Freund, & Hansen, 2012; Stubbs & Cocklin, 2008). One of the first articles in this field was published in Organization & Environment. The Stubbs and Cocklin (2008) article titled “Conceptualizing a ‘Sustainability Business Model” was a seminal study published a few years before the currently emerging wave of academic business model publications. The Stubbs and Cocklin study revealed a set of normative principles of organizational development that together form an “ideal type” of sustainability-oriented business model. These authors pioneered the field of case-based theory building for sustainability-oriented business models, using Interface Inc. and Bendigo Bank as examples of sustainability-driven organizations. Their ideal type comprised different structural and cultural attributes of an organization, such as developing community spirit, investing in employees’ trust and loyalty, and engaging in sustainability assessment and reporting. They also advanced propositions about sustainabilityoriented business models dealing with an organization’s purpose and goals, its performance measurement approach, the need to consider all stakeholders, how nature should be treated, whether the organization’s leaders drive the necessary cultural and structural changes to implement sustainability, and whether a systems-level, as well as a firm-level, perspective should be employed.
Systematics of the Trichoderma harzianum species complex and the re-identification of commercial biocontrol strains

Trichoderma harzianum is known as a cosmopolitan, ubiquitous species associated with a wide variety of substrates. It is possibly the most commonly used name in agricultural applications involving Trichoderma, including biological control of plant diseases. While various studies have suggested that T. harzianum is a species complex, only a few cryptic species are named. In the present study the taxonomy of the T. harzianum species complex is revised to include at least 14 species. Previously named species included in the complex are T. guizhouense, T. harzianum, and T. inhamatum. Two new combinations are proposed, T. lentiforme and T. lixii. Nine species are described as new, T. afarasin, T. afroharzianum, T. atrobrunneum, T. camerunense, T. endophyticum, T. neotropicale, T. pyramidale, T. rifaii and T. simmonsii. We isolated Trichoderma cultures from four commercial biocontrol products reported to contain T. harzianum. None of the biocontrol strains were identified as T. harzianum s. str. In addition, the widely applied culture ‘T. harzianum T22’ was determined to be T. afroharzianum. Some species in the T. harzianum complex appear to be exclusively endophytic, while others were only isolated from soil. Sexual states are rare. Descriptions and illustrations are provided. A secondary barcode, nuc translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) is needed to identify species in this complex.