Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fuzzy H-Infinity Filtering of Discrete-Time Nonlinear Systems with Multiple Time Delays

In this paper, we study the fuzzy Hinfin filter design problem for signal estimation of discrete-time nonlinear systems with multiple time delays and unknown bounded disturbances. First, the Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model is used to represent the state-space model of discrete-time nonlinear systems with multiple time delays. Next, we design a stable fuzzy Hinfin filter based on the T-S fuzzy model, which guarantees asymptotic stability and a prescribed Hinfin index for the filtering error system, irrespective of the time delays and uncertain disturbances. A sufficient condition for the existence of such a filter design is established by using the linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach. The present LMI problem can efficiently be solved with global convergence guarantee using existing convex optimization techniques such as the interior point algorithm. A simulation example is provided to illustrate the design procedure of the present fuzzy Hinfin, filter design method
Recent advances in clustering algorithms : a review

The Unsupervised classification of patterns, observations, data items, or feature vectors is called Clustering. The classification is aimed to group the data into clusters. The clustering problem has been addressed in many contexts and by researchers in many disciplines. This reflects its broad applications in the data analysis. This paper presents an overview of Clustering algorithms, with a goal of providing useful advices and references from fundamental concepts to the present day advancements in the algorithms mentioned, so that the broad community of clustering practitioners will get benefited from this review. KeywordsClustering Algorithms; Information retrieval; Machine learning; Gene Expression;
Surfactant apoprotein A modulates interleukin-8 and monocyte chemotactic peptide-1 production

Previous studies have shown that surfactant apoprotein A (SP-A) and natural or synthetic surfactant can modulate the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from alveolar mononuclear phagocytes. The aim of this study was to assess whether SP-A or Surfactant (Surf) from patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) can affect the release of two chemokines (interleukin (IL)-8 and monocyte chemtactic peptide (MCP)-1) from human monocytes and rat lung type-II cells. In addition IL-8 and MCP-1 levels were assessed in the brochoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of seven patients with PAP and compared with those in a group of control subjects (n=5). SP-A, tested over a wide range of concentrations, significantly increased IL-8 and MCP-1 release from monocytes. SP-A retained its activity after collagenase digestion, but was not active after heat treatment. The release of IL-8 by monocytes was also stimulated by Surf. Finally, median BALF IL-8 and MCP-1 levels in PAP patients were significantly higher than in controls (9.50 and 9.51 pg·mL−1 in controls versus 151.95 and 563.70 pg·mL−1 in PAP, respectively) and significantly correlated with SP-A concentrations in BALF. Overall the results of this study support the view that the high content of alveolar surfactant apoprotein A may contribute to the upregulation of chemokine release in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, thus contributing to airway inflammation.
A density based clustering approach for web robot detection

Distinction between humans and Web robots, in terms of computer network security, has led to the robot detection problem. An exact solution for this issue can preserve Web sites from the intrusion of malicious robots and increase the performance of Web servers by prioritizing human users. In this article, we propose a density based method called DBC_WRD (Density Based Clustering for Web Robot Detection) to discover the traffic of Web robots on two large real data sets. So, we assume the visitors as the spatial instances and introduce two new features to describe and distinguish them. These attributes are based on the behavioral patterns of Web visitors and remain invariant over time. By focusing on one of the disadvantages of DBSCAN as the density based clustering algorithm used in this paper, we just utilize 4 features to reduce the dimensions. According to the supervised evaluations, DBC_WRD can have the 96% of Jaccard metric and produce two clusters which have the entropy and purity rates of 0.0215 and 0.97, respectively. Furthermore, the comparisons show that from the standpoint of clustering quality and accuracy, DBC_WRD performs better than state-of-the-art algorithms. Finally, it can be concluded that some non-malicious popular Web robots, through imitating the human's behavior, make it difficult to be identified.
Therapeutic efficacy of halocidin-derived peptide HG1 in a mouse model of Candida albicans oral infection.

OBJECTIVES HG1 is an antimicrobial peptide derived from halocidin, which is naturally found in tunicates. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of HG1 as a novel antifungal agent for treating oral candidiasis. METHODS The pharmacokinetic properties of HG1 were explored in mice, which were orally administered a single dose of HG1. Anti-Candida activity of HG1 was investigated in a time-dependent manner in the presence of saliva obtained from healthy donors or patients with oral candidiasis. In addition, HG1 was evaluated for its anti-Candida activity in the presence of proteins extracted from the culture supernatant of Candida albicans. The therapeutic potential in vivo and ex vivo of HG1 against oral candidiasis was investigated using a mouse model of oral candidiasis. RESULTS Our data showed that absorption of HG1 into the blood did not occur following oral administration. In addition, HG1 exerted marked anti-Candida activity after short-term incubation at a concentration of 20 mg/L and it also caused a considerable reduction in fungal burden in the oral candidiasis mouse model when treated with 1 mg or 0.5 mg. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that HG1, as a novel component of mouthwash, might become an alternative antifungal agent to conventional drugs used to manage oral candidiasis.
Mining for Availability Models in Large-Scale Distributed Systems:A Case Study of SETI@home

In the age of cloud, Grid, P2P, and volunteer distributed computing, large-scale systems with tens of thousands of unreliable hosts are increasingly common. Invariably, these systems are composed of heterogeneous hosts whose individual availability often exhibit different statistical properties (for example stationary versus non-stationary behaviour) and fit different models (for example Exponential, Weibull, or Pareto probability distributions). In this paper, we describe an effective method for discovering subsets of hosts whose availability have similar statistical properties and can be modelled with similar probability distributions. We apply this method with about 230,000 host availability traces obtained from a real large-scale Internet-distributed system, namely SETI@home. We find that about 34% of hosts exhibit availability that is a truly random process, and that these hosts can often be modelled accurately with a few distinct distributions from different families. We believe that this characterization is fundamental in the design of stochastic scheduling algorithms across large-scale systems where host availability is uncertain.
A new motor synergy that serves the needs of oculomotor and eye lid systems while keeping the downtime of vision minimal

The purpose of blinks is to keep the eyes hydrated and to protect them. Blinks are rarely noticed by the subject as blink-induced alterations of visual input are blanked out without jeopardizing the perception of visual continuity, features blinks share with saccades. Although not perceived, the blink-induced disconnection from the visual environment leads to a loss of information. Therefore there is critical need to minimize it. Here we demonstrate evidence for a new type of eye movement serving a distinct oculomotor demand, namely the resetting of eye torsion, likewise inevitably causing a loss of visual information. By integrating this eye movement into blinks, the inevitable down times of vision associated with each of the two behaviors are synchronized and the overall downtime minimized. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.16290. 001
Experimental studies of printed wide-slot antenna for wide-band applications

An experimental investigation was conducted on printed wide-slot antennas fed by microstrip lines for wideband applications. Results show that the impedance matching of this kind of antenna is greatly affected by the feed-slot combination and feed gap width, with the slot shape being a main contributor of the radiation characteristics. By properly choosing suitable slot shapes, selecting similar feed shapes and tuning their dimensions, two designs with significantly enhanced impedance bandwidths and improved radiation patterns are obtained.
Efficient management solutions for software-defined infrastructures

Novel evolutions in the networking world have been proposed under the umbrella of 5G initiatives. The NFV concept is related with the building blocks for virtual networks that are characterized as highly dynamic network environments. SDN performs logically-centralized network control that is decoupled from the data plane, enabling holistic network management. Furthermore, there is a recent trend towards lightweight virtualized network devices and servers bringing significant advantages in terms of adaptability and responsiveness to the network and service environment dynamics. The above paradigms can be combined together, resulting in unprecedented flexibility in Software Defined Infrastructures (SDI) operations. Such unified environments require new efficient and distributed management facilities that are characterized by scalability, reliability, and adaptability to the dynamic conditions in terms of resource availability and changing service and infrastructure requirements. To assist the evaluation of these components, we developed a distributed facility for testing, evaluating, and experimenting with the management of these SDI environments - the Very Lightweight Software-Driven Network and Services Platform (VLSP). It exhibits the following properties: (i) it is a complete integrated management platform for SDI environments; and (ii) it is distributed and scalable, making it suitable for a wide range of topologies and network service deployments.
Serum Level of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 in Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by the upregulation of a large number of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). The aim of the study was to investigate the level of MMP-9 in the sera of HNSCC patients and its relationship to clinicopathological features. METHODS Serum samples from sixty-five patients (56M/9F, 59.11 ± 9.02 years) with HNSCC were quantitatively measured by ELISA assay, before and two days after surgery. Forty healthy volunteers served as controls (29M/ 11F, 56.21 ± 12.13 years). RESULTS Median serum concentrations of MMP-9 were consistently upregulated in HNSCC patients both preoperatively (1593.0 ng/mL, IQR: 833.0 - 1942.0 ng/mL) and postoperatively (1382.0 ng/mL, IQR: 778.6 - 2062.0 ng/mL) in comparison to healthy controls (291.3 ng/mL, IQR: 223.8 - 330.5 ng/mL) (p < 0.001). Pretreatment levels of MMP-9 were related to the size of primary tumor (p = 0.018) and lymph node involvement (p = 0.045). No statistically significant association was found between serum MMP-9 concentrations and clinical stage or degree of differentiation of the tumor cells. CONCLUSIONS Serum MMP-9 level could be used as a diagnostic tool for early detection of HNSCC and for determining prognosis. Moreover, our results suggest that MMP-9 might be a good marker in evaluating the size of the primary tumor and lymph node involvement. Further studies are needed to show whether MMP-9 could serve as a marker for recurrence.
Intra-Facility Linkage of HIV-Positive Mothers and HIV-Exposed Babies into HIV Chronic Care: Rural and Urban Experience in a Resource Limited Setting

Introduction Linkage of HIV-infected pregnant women to HIV care remains critical for improvement of maternal and child outcomes through prevention of maternal-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and subsequent chronic HIV care. This study determined proportions and factors associated with intra-facility linkage to HIV care and Early Infant Diagnosis care (EID) to inform strategic scale up of PMTCT programs. Methods A cross-sectional review of records was done at 2 urban and 3 rural public health care facilities supported by the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI). HIV-infected pregnant mothers, identified through routine antenatal care (ANC) and HIV-exposed babies were evaluated for enrollment in HIV clinics by 6 weeks post-delivery. Results Overall, 1,025 HIV-infected pregnant mothers were identified during ANC between January and June, 2012; 267/1,025 (26%) in rural and 743/1,025 (74%) in urban facilities. Of these 375/1,025 (37%) were linked to HIV clinics [67/267(25%) rural and 308/758(41%) urban]. Of 636 HIV-exposed babies, 193 (30%) were linked to EID. Linkage of mother-baby pairs to HIV chronic care and EID was 16% (101/636); 8/179 (4.5%)] in rural and 93/457(20.3%) in urban health facilities. Within rural facilities, ANC registration <28 weeks-of-gestation was associated with mothers' linkage to HIV chronic care [AoR, 2.0 95% CI, 1.1–3.7, p = 0.019] and mothers' multi-parity was associated with baby's linkage to EID; AoR 4.4 (1.3–15.1), p = 0.023. Stigma, long distance to health facilities and vertical PMTCT services affected linkage in rural facilities, while peer mothers, infant feeding services, long patient queues and limited privacy hindered linkage to HIV care in urban settings. Conclusion Post-natal linkage of HIV-infected mothers to chronic HIV care and HIV-exposed babies to EID programs was low. Barriers to linkage to HIV care vary in urban and rural settings. We recommend targeted interventions to rapidly improve linkage to antiretroviral therapy for elimination of MTCT.
Protective Effects of Betulin and Betulinic Acid against Ethanol-induced Cytotoxicity in Hepg2 Cells

Plant triterpenes, such as oleanolic acid and betulin were described as hepatoprotectants active against cytotoxicity of acetaminophen or cadmium. The aim of this paper is to compare the cytoprotective activity of betulin, betulinic acid and oleanolic acid against ethanol-induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells. The influence of three triterpenes on ethanol-induced production of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide was also examined. Among the examined triterpenes, betulin was the most active protectant of HepG2 cells against ethanol-induced cytotoxicity. Betulin and betulinic acid significantly decreased ethanol-induced production of superoxide anion. Oleanolic acid inhibited only ethanol-and phorbol ester-induced production of hydrogen peroxide. The results indicate that cytoprotective or antioxidative activity of triterpenes depends on their chemical structure. Abbreviations: DMSO – dimethylsulfoxide, FCS – fetal calf serum, HBSS – Hanks's Balanced Salt Solution, HRPO – horseradish peroxidase, MTT –
Hyperhomocysteinemia and Venous Thrombosis

In recent years hyperhomocysteinemia has been established as a new risk factor for neural tube defects, arterial cardiovascular disease, and venous thrombosis. Concerning vascular problems, it first became clear that hyperhomocysteinemia might be (though not proven) a risk factor for arterial disease as observed in case-control studies, as well as in prospective analysis. More recently, the subject of hyperhomocysteinemia and venous thrombosis has received much attention. In this article, we discuss the issue of hyperhomocysteinemia, in general, the known causes of hyperhomocysteinemia and the association with venous thrombosis. Special attention is given to the value of the methionine loading test to diagnose hyperhomocysteinemia. An association of venous thrombosis and hyperhomocysteinemia has now been documented in several case control studies, but only in one prospective analysis. Thus far, there is limited evidence for a causal relationship for mild hyperhomocysteinemia in venous thrombosis. Briefly, the possible mechanisms of how hyperhomocysteinemia can lead to venous thrombosis are discussed. The article ends with therapeutic options to treat hyperhomocysteinemia (hyperhomocysteinemia can easily be treated with vitamins) and the description of a study that is presently being undertaken in an international multicenter design. This placebo-controlled study might resolve the question of whether lowering of homocysteine levels is of any clinical relevance in preventing recurrent venous thrombosis.
Symbolic system synthesis in the presence of stringent real-time constraints

Stringent real-time constraints lead to complex search spaces containing only very few or even no valid implementations. Hence, while searching for a valid implementation a substantial amount of time is spent on timing analysis during system synthesis. This paper presents a novel system synthesis approach that efficiently prunes the search space in case real-time constraints are violated. For this purpose, the reason for a constraint violation is analyzed and a deduced encoding removes it permanently from the search space. Thus, the approach is capable of proving both the presence and absence of a correct implementation. The key benefit of the proposed approach stems from its integral support for real-time constraint checking. Its efficiency, however, results from the power of deduction techniques of state-of-the-art Boolean Satisfiability (SAT) solvers. Using a case study from the automotive domain, experiments show that the proposed system synthesis approach is able to find valid implementations where former approaches fail. Moreover, it is up to two orders of magnitude faster compared to a state-of-the-art approach.
Pore Size Distribution in Granular Material Microstructure

Pore scale modeling plays a key role in fluid flow through porous media and associated macroscale constitutive relationships. The polyhedral shape and effective local pore size within granular material microstructure are computed in this study by means of the Euclidean Distance Transform (EDT), a local maxima search (non-maximum suppression), and a segmentation process. Various synthetic packed particles are simulated and employed as comparative models during the computation of pore size distribution (PSD). Reconstructed un-sheared and sheared Ottawa 20–30 sand samples are used to compute PSD for non-trivial and non-spherical models.
Oblique remote sensing image matching based on improved AKAZE algorithm

In order to address the matching problems of oblique remote sensing image with viewpoint change, geometric deformation and radiometric distortion, this paper presents a new point-based matching method which conducts feature extraction by building nonlinear space on simulation images derived from a full-range resample of the origin image. All distortions caused by the position change of camera are first modeled by different tilts images; then the feature points are localized by improved Accelerated-KAZE (AKAZE) algorithm, namely the feature points are detected in nonlinear space constructed by Fast Explicit Diffusion (FED) and variable conductance function, and the extracted feature points are described by improved SIFT descriptor; finally, Euclidean distance is used as similar metric to determine the correspondences and Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) algorithm is employed to eliminate the false matches. In experiments of oblique images and UAV images, the number of feature points extracted by the proposed method is biggest, the effective correspondences are most and the correct matching ratio is highest among SIFT, ASIFT and our proposed algorithm. Thus, our proposed algorithm can be successfully used in oblique remote sensing image matching.
Analytic continuation of holonomy germs of Riccati foliations along Brownian paths

This paper deals with the question of analytic continuation of holonomy germs of holomorphic foliations. We prove that for a quasi-minimal Riccati foliation of the complex projective plane, any holonomy germ of the foliation between complex projective lines can be analytically continued along a generic Brownian path.
Myelin-associated glycoprotein, a member of the L2/HNK-1 family of neural cell adhesion molecules, is involved in neuron-oligodendrocyte and oligodendrocyte-oligodendrocyte interaction

A monoclonal antibody to the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) was prepared and characterized to probe for the involvement of MAG in cell surface interactions among neural cells in vitro. The antibody reacts specifically with oligodendrocyte cell surface and myelin-rich brain regions as expected from previous investigations. Not all O4 antigen- positive oligodendrocytes express MAG in vitro. Fab fragments of the antibody interfere with neuron to oligodendrocyte and oligodendrocyte to oligodendrocyte adhesion, but not with oligodendrocyte to astrocyte adhesion. MAG-containing liposomes bind to the cell surfaces of the appropriate target cells by a mechanism that is specifically inhibitable by Fab fragments of monoclonal MAG antibodies, demonstrating that MAG is a neural cell adhesion molecule.
Time course of changes in markers of myogenesis in overloaded rat skeletal muscles.

During the process of compensatory muscle hypertrophy, satellite cells are thought to proliferate, differentiate, and then fuse with existing myofibers. We hypothesized that early in this process changes occur in the expression of cellular markers indicative of the onset of myogenic processes. The plantaris muscles of rats were overloaded via the unilateral ablation of synergists. Groups of rats were killed at time points from 6 h to 12 days. Changes in muscle gene expression (mRNA) of cyclin D1, p21, myogenin, MyoD, and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I, mRNA and peptide) were measured. Cyclin D1 (a cell cycle marker) was increased after 24 h of overloading and corresponded with changes in muscle DNA content. In contrast, p21 and myogenin, markers of cellular differentiation, were increased after just 12 h. Muscle IGF-I peptide levels were also increased at early time points. The results of this study indicate that myogenic processes are activated in response to increased loading at very early time points (e.g., 12 h) and that IGF-I may be modulating this response. Furthermore, these findings suggest that some cells may have been differentiating very early in the adaptation process before events leading to cellular proliferation have been initiated.
Posit spaces: a performative model of e-commerce

What distinguishes e-commerce from ordinary commerce? What distinguishes it from distributed computation? In this paper we propose a performative theory of e-commerce, drawing on speech act theory, in which e-commerce exchanges are promises of future commercial actions, whose real-world meanings are constructed jointly and incrementally. We then define a computational model for this theory, called Posit Spaces, along with the syntax and semantics for an agent interaction protocol, the Posit Spaces Protocol or PSP. This protocol enables participants in a multi-agent commercial interaction to propose, accept, modify and revoke joint commitments. Our work integrates three strands of prior research: the theory of Tuple Spaces in distributed computation; formal dialogue games from argumentation theory; and the study of commitments in multi-agent systems.