Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An evolutionary computation based approach for reduced order modelling of linear systems

A new model order reduction algorithm taking the advantages of reciprocal transformation and principal pseudo break frequency estimation is presented. The denominator polynomial is constructed using the approximate dominant poles obtained. Ultimately the denominator polynomial formation is based on simple calculations involving high order system characteristic polynomial. Numerator polynomial is then determined using a recently proposed evolutionary computation algorithm-Big Bang Big Crunch algorithm. The method is simple and yields stable reduced order models. Difficulty may arise in finding complex poles in the reduced order model. However a modification in the algorithm by introducing search method to find the imaginary parts of such poles helps in overcoming this.
Uncertain Spatiotemporal Logic for General Intelligence

Spatiotemporal reasoning is an important skill that an AGI is expected to have, innately or not. Much work has already been done in defining reasoning systems for space, time and spacetime, such as the Region Connection Calculus for space, Allen’s Interval Algebra for time, or the Qualitative Trajectory Calculus for motion. However, these reasoning systems rarely take adequate account of uncertainty, which poses an obstacle to using them in an AGI system confronted with an uncertain reality. In this paper we show how to use PLN (Probabilistic Logic Networks) to represent spatiotemporal knowledge and reasoning, via incorporating existing spatiotemporal calculi, and considering a novel extension of standard PLN truth values inspired by P(Z)-logic. This ”PLN-ization” of existing spatiotemporal calculi, we suggest, constitutes an approach to spatiotemporal inference suitable for use in AGI systems that incorporate logic-based components.
Glibenclamide, a putative ATP-sensitive K+ channel blocker, inhibits coronary autoregulation in anesthetized dogs.

We tested the hypothesis that ATP-sensitive K+ channels are involved in the mechanism mediating coronary autoregulation in open-chest dogs. We perfused the left anterior descending coronary artery with arterial blood from an extracorporeal circuit and measured steady-state coronary blood flow (CBF) with stepwise changes in coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) between 50 and 150 mm Hg during an intracoronary infusion of vehicle or glibenclamide (a putative blocker of ATP-sensitive K+ channels). CBF was relatively stable over CPP between 50 and 110 mm Hg during vehicle infusion, indicating the presence of autoregulation at the CPP range. During glibenclamide infusion (10 micrograms.min-1 x kg-1), CBF progressively decreased with reduction in CPP below 110 mm Hg, whereas the CPP-CBF relation at CPP above 110 mm Hg was not altered by glibenclamide. The autoregulation index [1-(delta F/F)/(delta P/P), where F indicates CBF and P indicates CPP] was greater than 0 over the CPP range between 50 and 100 mm Hg during vehicle infusion and was less than 0 during glibenclamide infusion. Glibenclamide did not alter systemic arterial pressure, heart rate, left ventricular pressure, and changes in regional myocardial oxygen consumption associated with changes in CPP. In the absence of glibenclamide, the CPP-CBF relation was reproducible in the repeated studies for time control. These results suggest that ATP-sensitive K+ channels play an important role in mediating coronary autoregulation at the lower range of CPP in the blood-perfused dog heart.
Evaluating the quality of medical care.

This p aper i s a n a ttempt t o d escribe a nd evaluate current methods for assessing the quality of medical care and to suggest some directions for further study. It is concerned with methods rather than findings, and with an evaluation of methodology in general, rather than a detailed critique of methods in specific studies. This is not an exhaustive review of the pertinent literature. Certain key studies, of course, have been included. Other papers have been selected only as illustrative examples. Those omitted are not, for that reason, less worthy of note. This paper deals almost exclusively with the evaluation of the medical care process at the level of physician-patient interaction. It excludes, therefore, processes primarily related to the effective delivery of medical care at the community level. Moreover, this paper is not concerned with the administrative aspects of quality control. Many of the studies reviewed here have arisen out of the urgent need to evaluate and control the quality of care in organized programs of medical care. Nevertheless, these studies will be discussed only in terms of their contribution to methods of assessment and not in terms of their broader social goals. The author has remained, by and large, in the familiar territory of care provided by physicians and has avoided incursions into other types of
Probabilistic Approach with Three Hierarchies of Motion Estimation for Video Stabilization

This paper proposes a hierarchical and probabilistic approach for interframe motion estimation to eliminate unwanted camera motions. This approach adopts three hierarchies, local motion estimation, region motion estimation, and global motion estimation. The local motion is described as a probability distribution for randomly selected local patches. The region motion is defined as maximum likelihood solution using the local motions in certain area, and the region motion estimator can reduce the influence of outliers such as moving objects. The global motion is obtained from homography estimation by using the region motions. Through experiments, the effectiveness of the proposed method is shown in the sense of robustness and computation.
Positron emission tomography quantification of serotonin(1A) receptor binding in suicide attempters with major depressive disorder.

IMPORTANCE Serotonergic system dysfunction has been associated with increased lethal suicide attempts and suicide. Dysfunction includes higher binding of serotonin(1A) autoreceptor in the brainstem raphe of individuals who die by suicide. OBJECTIVES To determine the relationships between brain serotonin(1A) binding and suicidal behavior in vivo in major depressive disorder (MDD) using positron emission tomography and the serotonin(1A) antagonist radiotracer carbon C 11 [11C]-labeled WAY-100635. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional positron emission tomography study at an academic medical center from 1999 through 2009. We compared serotonin(1A) binding between individuals with MDD who did not attempt suicide (nonattempters) (n = 62) and those who attempted suicide (attempters) (n = 29). We subdivided the attempters into those with lower (n = 16) and higher (n = 13) levels of lethality. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The binding potential (BPF) of [11C]WAY-100635 (calculated as the number of receptors available divided by affinity) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and brainstem, estimated by kinetic modeling with an arterial input function; the severity of suicidal behaviors, including lethality and intent of suicide attempts; and suicidal ideation. RESULTS Using a linear mixed-effects model, we found no difference between attempters and nonattempters with MDD in serotonin(1A) BPF in the PFC regions (F1,88 = 0.03; P = .87) or in the raphe nuclei (F1,88 = 0.29; P = .59). Raphe nuclei serotonin(1A) BPF was 45.1% greater in higher-lethality attempters compared with lower-lethality attempters (F1,25 = 7.33; P = .01), whereas no difference was observed in the PFC regions (F1,25 = 0.12; P = .73). Serotonin(1A )BPF in the raphe nuclei of suicide attempters was positively correlated with the lethality rating (F1,25 = 10.56; P = .003) and the subjective lethal intent factor (F1,25 = 10.63; P = .003; R2 = 0.32) based on the most recent suicide attempt. Suicide ideation in participants with MDD was positively correlated with serotonin(1A) BPF in the PFC regions (F1,88 = 5.19; P = .03) and in the raphe nuclei (F1,87 = 7.38; P = .008; R2 = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Higher brainstem raphe serotonin(1A)BPF observed in higher-lethality suicide attempters with MDD is in agreement with findings in suicide studies and also with the finding of low cerebrospinal fluid levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in higher-lethality suicide attempters. Higher brainstem raphe serotonin(1A) BPF would be consistent with lower levels of serotonin neuron firing and release and supports a model of impaired serotonin signaling in suicide and higher-lethality suicidal behavior. Severity of suicidal ideation in MDD is related to brainstem and prefrontal serotonin(1A) BPF, suggesting a role for both regions in suicidal ideation. Lower levels of serotonin release at key brain projection sites, such as the prefrontal regions, may favor more severe suicidal ideation and higher-lethality suicide attempts.
SEMANTIC UNIFICATION OF HETEROGENOUS MULTIMEDIA ARCHIVES

Multimedia Content is described via textual, semantic and structural Descriptors and Description Schemes, as introduced in MPEG-7. The semantic part of the description is closer to what the user expects from a multimedia search engine, however it poses difficulties, because of the potential incompatibility of the semantic entities among different archives. In this paper, we present FAETHON, a system that unifies the semantic description of heterogeneous archives, through the use of a semantic encyclopaedia.
BIORESIST: a lithographic approach for the patterning of cells in tissue engineering applications

Due to the involvement of organic solvents and strong bases in the pattern development process, conventional lithography, a technique that has been well-developed and widely used in the semiconductor industry, is not suitable for direct cell and protein patterning. In order to address this issue, we recently developed a biocompatible chemically amplified photoresist, BIORESIST, with which patterns can be generated without involving any harsh chemical treatment. Such a BIORESIST contains tert-butoxycarbonyl (t-BOC) protecting groups. In vitro cell culture study has shown that the t-BOC protected BIORESIST and its carboxyl-substituted counter-part interact very differently with cells. The former is non-cell adhesive, while the latter not only keeps cell attached, but also supports cell proliferation. This unique property prompted us to generate patterns (25 μm L/S) with this BIORESIST with no wet development involved. Rat fibroblast cells were cultured on the patterned surfaces. The results demonstrated that cells were strongly aligned along the patterns and attached exclusively to the adhesive region as opposed to a random appearance on the plain control surface after 24 hr of incubation. With this BIORESIST, the scalability aspect of conventional lithography could be well applied for cell patterning.
Reduction of reserve margin with increasing wind penetration: a quantitative first-principles analysis

Reduction of reserve margin with increasing wind penetration: a quantitative first-principles analysis. " MS ii To my brother, sisters, and parents. iii A Wind that rose though not a Leaf In any Forest stirred, But with itself did cold engage Beyond the Realm of Bird. A Wind that woke a lone Delight Like Separation's Swell – Restored in Arctic Confidence To the Invisible. – Emily Dickinson iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge my advisors, my professors, and the many fellow students who continue to challenge and inspire me. v ABSTRACT Access to reliable electric power is considered by the developed world to be a minimum requirement for a reasonable standard of living. In addition to meeting a fluctuating demand, the modern electricity industry must now integrate intermittent generation sources like wind into the grid. Reserve margin allocation (RMA) for an acceptable loss of load expectation (LOLE) allows traditional generators to maintain grid reliability in the presence of small penetrations of wind energy. However, traditional RMA over-allocates the reserve capacity in the presence of short-term intermittency mitigation techniques like energy storage and demand response. For economic operation of the modern, grid better characterization techniques are needed for reserve margin reduction behavior in the presence of wind energy. This thesis addresses this challenge with a quantitative RMA analysis using real-world and simulated wind data for three different grid scenarios, with and without intermittency mitigation. The research is novel in its first-principles approach and its investigation into the practical validity of the analogy between demand response and energy response.
Statistical Issues in TBI Clinical Studies

The identification and longitudinal assessment of traumatic brain injury presents several challenges. Because these injuries can have subtle effects, efforts to find quantitative physiological measures that can be used to characterize traumatic brain injury are receiving increased attention. The results of this research must be considered with care. Six reasons for cautious assessment are outlined in this paper. None of the issues raised here are new. They are standard elements in the technical literature that describes the mathematical analysis of clinical data. The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to these issues because they need to be considered when clinicians evaluate the usefulness of this research. In some instances these points are demonstrated by simulation studies of diagnostic processes. We take as an additional objective the explicit presentation of the mathematical methods used to reach these conclusions. This material is in the appendices. The following points are made: (1) A statistically significant separation of a clinical population from a control population does not ensure a successful diagnostic procedure. (2) Adding more variables to a diagnostic discrimination can, in some instances, actually reduce classification accuracy. (3) A high sensitivity and specificity in a TBI versus control population classification does not ensure diagnostic successes when the method is applied in a more general neuropsychiatric population. (4) Evaluation of treatment effectiveness must recognize that high variability is a pronounced characteristic of an injured central nervous system and that results can be confounded by either disease progression or spontaneous recovery. A large pre-treatment versus post-treatment effect size does not, of itself, establish a successful treatment. (5) A procedure for discriminating between treatment responders and non-responders requires, minimally, a two phase investigation. This procedure must include a mechanism to discriminate between treatment responders, placebo responders, and spontaneous recovery. (6) A search for prodromes of neuropsychiatric disorders following traumatic brain injury can be implemented with these procedures.
Tolerance of CD8+ T cells developing in parent-->F1 chimeras prepared with supralethal irradiation: step-wise induction of tolerance in the intrathymic and extrathymic environments

Tolerance of CD8+ cells was examined in parent-->F1 bone marrow chimeras (BMC) prepared with supralethal irradiation; host class I expression in the chimeras was limited to non-BM-derived cells. In terms of helper-independent proliferative responses in vitro and induction of graft-vs.-host disease on adoptive transfer, CD8+ cells from long-term chimeras showed profound tolerance to host antigens irrespective of whether the cells were prepared from the thymus or from spleen or lymph nodes. By limiting dilution analysis, cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) precursors specific for host antigens were rare in the extrathymic lymphoid tissues. In the thymus, by contrast, host-specific CTL precursors were only slightly less frequent than in normal parental strain mice. These host-specific CD8+ cells survived when BMC thymocytes were transferred intravenously to a neutral environment, i.e., to donor strain mice. When transferred to further BMC hosts, however, most of the host-reactive cells disappeared. Collectively, the data suggest that tolerance of CD8+ cells in BMC hosts occurs in both the intrathymic and extrathymic environments. In the thymus, contact with host antigens on thymic epithelial cells deletes CD8+ cells controlling helper-independent proliferative responses and in vivo effector functions but spares typical helper-dependent CTL precursors. After export from the thymus, most of the CTL precursors are eliminated after contacting host antigens on stromal cells in the extrathymic environment.
Beech wood shrinkage observed at the micro-scale by a time series of X-ray computed tomographs (μXCT)

Abstract The shrinkage behavior of European beech wood was successfully observed on a time series of images obtained by high resolution X-ray computed tomography (μXCT). The calculated measures for shrinkage and shrinkage anisotropy are consistent with published data. Evidence was provided for the ‘ray restraint’ theory of shrinkage anisotropy. This technique has a high potential for the study of dynamic processes in wood at the micro-scale, though the resolution of the images is lower and the measurement times are longer in comparison to synchroton radiation μXCT.
Iron Based Cellular Structures – Status and Prospects

Cellular metals based on iron have been intensively investigated during the last two decades. Because of the significant decrease in of the structural density of iron based cellular structures, numerous technologies have been developed for their manufacturing. Besides the tremendous weight reduction a combination with other properties like energy and noise absorption, heat insulation and mechanical damping can be achieved. This contribution will give an overview about the latest state in iron based cellular materials, including technologies in manufacturing, properties and potential applications.
An Exploration on Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Production by Insect Species Suitable for Animal or Human Consumption

Background Greenhouse gas (GHG) production, as a cause of climate change, is considered as one of the biggest problems society is currently facing. The livestock sector is one of the large contributors of anthropogenic GHG emissions. Also, large amounts of ammonia (NH3), leading to soil nitrification and acidification, are produced by livestock. Therefore other sources of animal protein, like edible insects, are currently being considered. Methodology/Principal Findings An experiment was conducted to quantify production of carbon dioxide (CO2) and average daily gain (ADG) as a measure of feed conversion efficiency, and to quantify the production of the greenhouse gases methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) as well as NH3 by five insect species of which the first three are considered edible: Tenebrio molitor, Acheta domesticus, Locusta migratoria, Pachnoda marginata, and Blaptica dubia. Large differences were found among the species regarding their production of CO2 and GHGs. The insects in this study had a higher relative growth rate and emitted comparable or lower amounts of GHG than described in literature for pigs and much lower amounts of GHG than cattle. The same was true for CO2 production per kg of metabolic weight and per kg of mass gain. Furthermore, also the production of NH3 by insects was lower than for conventional livestock. Conclusions/Significance This study therefore indicates that insects could serve as a more environmentally friendly alternative for the production of animal protein with respect to GHG and NH3 emissions. The results of this study can be used as basic information to compare the production of insects with conventional livestock by means of a life cycle analysis.
Handwritten Word Spotting with Corrected Attributes

We propose an approach to multi-writer word spotting, where the goal is to find a query word in a dataset comprised of document images. We propose an attributes-based approach that leads to a low-dimensional, fixed-length representation of the word images that is fast to compute and, especially, fast to compare. This approach naturally leads to an unified representation of word images and strings, which seamlessly allows one to indistinctly perform query-by-example, where the query is an image, and query-by-string, where the query is a string. We also propose a calibration scheme to correct the attributes scores based on Canonical Correlation Analysis that greatly improves the results on a challenging dataset. We test our approach on two public datasets showing state-of-the-art results.
A Web more Geospatial: Insights into the Location Inside

The Web today is considered to be a sheer unlimited resource of interlinked information which can be explored following links or can be found employing keyword-based search engines. A feature that becomes more and more relevant for our search and use of the Web is the geospatial reference of information. In this paper, we understand the Web as a vast geospatial information space in which most of the location information is still hidden inside the Web’s content. We discuss the processes of uncovering hidden spatial information on the Web to realize a multitude of geospatial user scenarios. To explore the spatial character of the Web, location information needs to be discovered, understood, and augmented. By providing location insights into the existing Web, its content becomes accessible to spatial applications and thus allow users exploring the geospatial Web.
Crisp Rule Extraction from Perceptron Network Classifiers

A method of extracting intuitive knowledge from neural network classifiers is presented in the paper. An algorithm which obtains crisp rules in the form of logical implications which approximately describe the neural network mapping is introduced. The number of extracted rules can be selected using an uncertainty margin parameter as well as by changing the precision level of the soft quantization of inputs. A fuzzy decision system based on the iris database has been developed using this approach to produce linguistic rules for flower classification.
Facial Wrinkles Detection Techniques and its Application

Face recognition is process of identifying or verifying individual person by their face. One of the most important sources of the information is human face which can be intended for personal verification and identification of individual person. Wrinkles play an essential role in age estimation. They have been commonly used in applications, such as face age estimation, facial retouching and facial expression recognition. Facial wrinkles present 3D form of skin and appear as skillful discontinuities or cracks in surrounding skin texture. There are different techniques present for facial wrinkles detection. This paper presents the study and review of various techniques used in wrinkle detection. This paper is motivated by need of fast and robust algorithm for detection and classification of human age and