Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vibration Analysis of Non-Uniform Beams Resting on Elastic Foundations Using the Spline Collocation Method

The natural frequencies of non-uniform beams resting on elastic foundations are numerically obtained using the spline collocation procedure. The spline collocation method is a numerical approach effective at solving partial differential equations. The boundary conditions that accompanied the spline collocation procedure were used to convert the partial differential equations of non-uniform beam vibration problems into a discrete eigenvalue problem. The beam model considers the taper ratios α, β, the boundary conditions, and the elastic foundation stiffness, k(subscript f), all of which impact the dynamic behavior of non-uniform beams resting on elastic foundations. This work developed the continuum mechanics and combined with the spline collocation method to simulate the dynamic properties of non-uniform beams resting on elastic foundations.
Comparative Performance Analysis of Ordering Strategies in Atomic Broadcast Algorithms

Comparative Performance Analysis of Ordering Strategies in Atomic Broadcast Algorithms Xavier Defago, Andre Schiper, Peter Urban In this paper, we present the results of a comparative analysis of Atomic Broadcast algorithms. The analysis was done by using an analytical method to compare the performance of five different classes of Atomic Broadcast algorithms. The five classes of Atomic Broadcast algorithms are determined by the mechanisms used by the algorithms to define the delivery order. To evaluate the performance of algorithms, the analysis relies on contention-aware metrics to provide a measure for both their latency and their throughput. The results thus obtained yield interesting insight into the performance tradeoffs of different Atomic Broadcast algorithms, thus providing helpful information to algorithms and systems designers. keywords: distributed algorithms, atomic broadcast, total order, performance analysis, contention-aware metrics
Metabolic and molecular-genetic regulation of proline signaling and itscross-talk with major effectors mediates abiotic stress tolerance in plants

Proline (Pro) accumulation is a common response of several plant species to combat abiotic stresses. Under stress conditions, Pro acts as an excellent compatible solute in the plant system, participating in the alleviation of stress sensitivity. Though the metabolic pathways associated with Pro are well studied, parts of its regulatory cascades are still not properly known. It has also been conjectured that epigenetic modifications regulate Pro metabolism during abiotic stress. Apart from Pro, the plant abiotic stress responses are essentially mediated by multiple effectors. Hence, proper analysis of the cross-talks of Pro with the other components of the abiotic stress response has turned out to be mandatory in order to design multistress-tolerant transgenic lines. Highlighting the relation between Pro and seed germination is also essential to understand the notion behind plant susceptibility and survival during stress. Generally, Pro has a universal mechanism to generate abiotic stress tolerance through stabilization of structural components, enzyme structures, and regulation of osmotic adjustments. The success achieved through recent transgenic approaches leading to more accumulation of Pro in the sink has also been focused on in the present review.
Physical activity change during adolescence: a systematic review and a pooled analysis.

BACKGROUND It is presumed that physical activity (PA) level declines during the lifespan, particularly in adolescence. However, currently, there is no study that quantifies these changes and pools results for a common interpretation. Therefore, the purpose was to systematically review the international literature regarding PA change during adolescence, and to quantify that change according to a series of study variables, exploring gender-and-age differences. METHODS An electronic search was conducted in the Medline/PubMed and Web of Science databases. Longitudinal studies with, at least, two PA measures throughout adolescence (10-19 years old) or the first PA measure during childhood and the second one during adolescence were selected. From each article, study project name, country, year of the first data collection, sample size, baseline age, follow-up duration, characteristics of the instrument (type, recall time, PA intensity and PA domain), unit of PA measure and report of statistical significance were collected. RESULTS Overall, 26 studies matched the inclusion criteria. Most were carried out in the USA, assessed PA by questionnaire, and found a decline in PA levels during the adolescence. On average, the mean percentage PA change per year, across all studies, was -7.0 (95% confidence interval: -8.8 to -5.2), ranging from -18.8 to 7.8. The decline was significant according to most sub-groups of variables analysed. Although earlier studies revealed a higher PA decline in boys, the decline has been greater in girls in more recent studies (commenced after 1997). Moreover, although the decline among girls was higher in younger ages at baseline (9-12 years), it was higher in older ages (13-16 years) among boys. CONCLUSIONS The decline of PA during adolescence is a consistent finding in the literature. Differences between boys and girls were observed and should be explored in future studies. Interventions that attempt to attenuate the PA decline, even without an increase in PA levels, could be considered as effective.
A Brain-Computer Interface to a Plan-Based Narrative

Interactive Narrative is a form of digital entertainment heavily based on AI techniques to support narrative generation and user interaction, significant progress arriving with the adoption of planning techniques. However, there is a lack of unified models that integrate generation, user responses and interaction. This paper addresses this by revisiting existing Interactive Narrative paradigms, granting explicit status to users' disposition towards story characters as part of narrative generation as well as adding support for new forms of interaction. We demonstrate this with a novel Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) design, incorporating empathy for a main character derived from brain signals within filmic conceptions of narrative which drives generation using planning techniques. Results from an experimental study with a fully-implemented system demonstrate the effectiveness of a EEG neurofeedback-based approach, showing that subjects can successfully modulate empathic support of a character in a medical drama. MRI analysis also shows activations in associated regions of the brain during expression of support.
Interaction skills for a coat-check robot: Identifying and handling the boundary components of clothes

Identifying the relevant functional degrees of freedom is a key prerequisite for the proper handling of everyday objects. Recognizing and exploiting these degrees of freedom in the context of non-rigid objects poses challenges that are significantly different from the rigid case. As a major generic subtask, we consider the identification and exploitation of boundary components during clothes manipulation, combining RGBD vision with uni- and bi-manual handling through a robot. Specifically, we present a novel graph-based approach to detecting boundary components by extracting closed contours from depth images. Based on that, we suggest a planner minimizing a heuristic energy function for an optimal grasp pose of a robot hand around the boundary of a garment. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach in interactive perception and regrasping experiments with a dual arm and two attached anthropomorphic hands. Furthermore, we show how to make use of these capabilities to implement a basic skill for a coat-check robot: hanging up a knit cap on a hat-stand.
Aberrant Promoter Hypermethylation of the Death-Associated Protein Kinase Gene Is Early and Frequent in Murine Lung Tumors Induced by Cigarette Smoke and Tobacco Carcinogens

Loss of expression of the death-associated protein (DAP)-kinase gene by aberrant promoter methylation may play an important role in cancer development and progression. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the commonality for inactivation of the DAP-kinase gene in adenocarcinomas induced in mice by chronic exposure to mainstream cigarette smoke, the tobacco carcinogens 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and vinyl carbamate, and the occupational carcinogen methylene chloride. The timing for inactivation was also determined in alveolar hyperplasias that arise in lung cancer induced in the A/J mouse by NNK. The DAP-kinase gene was not expressed in three of five NNK-induced lung tumor-derived cell lines or in a spontaneously arising lung tumor-derived cell line. Treatment with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine restored expression; dense methylation throughout the DAP-kinase CpG island detected by bisulfite sequencing supported methylation as the inactivating event in these cell lines. Methylation-specific PCR detected inactivation of the DAP-kinase gene in 43% of tumors associated with cigarette smoke, a frequency similar to those reported in human non-small cell lung cancer. In addition, DAP-kinase methylation was detected in 52%, 60%, and 50% of tumors associated with NNK, vinyl carbamate, and methylene chloride, respectively. Methylation was observed at similar prevalence in both NNK-induced hyperplasias and adenocarcinomas (46% versus 52%), suggesting that inactivation of this gene is one pathway for tumor development in the mouse lung. Bisulfite sequencing of both premalignant and malignant lesions revealed dense methylation, substantiating that this gene is functionally inactivated at the earliest histological stages of adenocarcinoma development. This study is the first to use a murine model of cigarette smoke-induced lung cancer and demonstrate commonality for inactivation by promoter hypermethylation of a gene implicated in the development of this disease in humans.
A life course approach to cognitive reserve: A model for cognitive aging and development?

The concept of reserve in neuroscience maintains that there are aspects of brain structure and function that can buffer the effects of neuropathology such that the greater the reserve, the more severe the pathology must be to cause functional impairment. This article provides a concise overview of structural and functional approaches to reserve and shows how reserve may be conceived as the sum of its lifetime input. In this context, reserve therefore provides an empirical yet general model of cognitive aging and development. Ann Neurol 2005;58:617–622
Command Control for Many-Robot Systems

Rapidly evolving sensor, effector and processing technologies, including micromechanical fabrication techniques, will soon make possible the development of very inexpensive autonomous mobile devices with adequate processing but fairly limited sensor capabilities. One goal which has been proposed is to employ large numbers (more than 100) of these simple robots to achieve real-world military mission goals in the ground, air, and underwater environments, using sensor-based reactive planners to realize desired emergent collective group behaviors. One key prerequisite to realizing this goal is the capability to command and control the system of robots in terms of meaningful mission-oriented system-level parameters. A commander requires an understanding of a system's capabilities, doctrine for employing it, and measures of effectiveness to assess its performance once deployed. It is thus necessary to relate system (ensemble) functionality and performance to the behaviors realized by the individual autonomous elements. This paper describes a program of analysis, modeling, algorithm development, and simulation which has been undertaken to develop, refine, and validate this basic approach to real-world problem solving. The initial thrust has been to develop generic behaviors, such as blanket, barrier, and sweep coverage, and various deployment and recovery modes, which can address a broad spectrum of generic applications such as mine deployment, minesweeping, surveillance, sentry duty, maintenance inspection, ship hull cleaning, and communications relaying. Initial simulation results are presented. 1.0 INTRODUCTION The critical sensor, effector, and processing technologies that are prerequisite to the development of the military mobile robots of the 21st century are evolving rapidly. Moreover, while major thrusts in the development of military mobile robots have been undertaken in the areas of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs), Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs), and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs), continuing developments in solid-state sensor and effector technologies suggest that unexploited opportunities exist at the "lower end" of the spectrum of robotic vehicle functionality and performance [1, 2]. In fact, the emerging field of "micromachines" (also termed "microdynamics", "mechatronics", or "microelectromechanical systems") was selected
MetaMind Neural Machine Translation System for WMT 2016

Neural Machine Translation (NMT) systems, introduced only in 2013, have achieved state of the art results in many MT tasks. MetaMind’s submissions to WMT ’16 seek to push the state of the art in one such task, English → German news-domain translation. We integrate promising recent developments in NMT, including subword splitting and back-translation for monolingual data augmentation, and introduce the Y-LSTM, a novel neural translation architecture.
Empirical studies in strategies for Arabic retrieval

This work evaluates a few search strategies for Arabic monolingual and cross-lingual retrieval, using the TREC Arabic corpus as the test-bed. The release by NIST in 2001 of an Arabic corpus of nearly 400k documents with both monolingual and cross-lingual queries and relevance judgments has been a new enabler for empirical studies. Experimental results show that spelling normalization and stemming can significantly improve Arabic monolingual retrieval. Character tri-grams from stems improved retrieval modestly on the test corpus, but the improvement is not statistically significant. To further improve retrieval, we propose a novel thesaurus-based technique. Different from existing approaches to thesaurus-based retrieval, ours formulates word synonyms as probabilistic term translations that can be automatically derived from a parallel corpus. Retrieval results show that the thesaurus can significantly improve Arabic monolingual retrieval. For cross-lingual retrieval (CLIR), we found that spelling normalization and stemming have little impact.
Network Coding meets Decentralized Control: Network Linearization and Capacity-Stabilizablilty Equivalence

We take a unified view of network coding and decentralized control. Precisely speaking, we consider both as linear time-invariant systems by appropriately restricting channels and coding schemes of network coding to be linear time-invariant, and the plant and controllers of decentralized control to be linear time-invariant as well. First, we apply linear system theory to network coding. This gives a novel way of converting an arbitrary relay network to an equivalent acyclic single-hop relay network, which we call Network Linearization. Based on network linearization, we prove that the fundamental design limit, mincut, is achievable by a linear time-invariant network-coding scheme regardless of the network topology. Then, we use the network-coding to view decentralized linear systems. We argue that linear time-invariant controllers in a decentralized linear system "communicate" via linear network coding to stabilize the plant. To justify this argument, we give an algorithm to "externalize" the implicit communication between the controllers that we believe must be occurring to stabilize the plant. Based on this, we show that the stabilizability condition for decentralized linear systems comes from an underlying communication limit, which can be described by the algebraic mincut-maxflow theorem. With this re-interpretation in hand, we also consider stabilizability over LTI networks to emphasize the connection with network coding. In particular, in broadcast and unicast problems, unintended messages at the receivers will be modeled as secrecy constraints.
Retinal prostheses for the blind.

INTRODUCTION Using artificial means to treat extreme vision impairment has come closer to reality during the past few decades. The goal of this research has been to create an implantable medical device that provides useful vision for those patients who are left with no alternatives. Analogous to the cochlear implants for some forms of hearing loss, these devices could restore useful vision by converting visual information into patterns of electrical stimulation that excite the remaining viable inner retinal neurons in patients with retinitis pigmentosa or age-related macular degeneration. METHODS Data for this review were selected through a comprehensive literature search. RESULTS Advances in microtechnology have facilitated the development of a variety of prostheses that can be implanted in the visual cortex, around the optic nerve, or in the eye. Some of these approaches have shown the promise of providing useful visual input to patients with visual impairments. CONCLUSION While the development of various retinal prostheses have shown promise in limited clinical trials, there are distinct advantages and disadvantages for each type of prosthesis. This review will focus primarily on the Epiretinal Intraocular Retinal Prosthesis, studied by our group, but will also briefly review other modalities: the subretinal prosthesis, cortical prosthesis, and optic nerve prosthesis.
Two EM-type channel estimation algorithms for OFDM with transmitter diversity

Combining Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with transmitter diversity can be used for capacity improvement in high-rate wireless data communication systems. For coherent detection in such systems, channel state information (CSI) is required. In this paper we investigate a Space-Alternating Generalized Expectation-Maximization (SAGE) algorithm to iteratively estimate the channel impulse responses associated with multiple transmitters and the receiver. The performance of the estimator is compared with a previously proposed Expectation-Maximization (EM) based algorithm in terms of convergence rate.
Apolipoprotein A-II Influences Apolipoprotein E-Linked Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Women with High Levels of HDL Cholesterol and C-Reactive Protein

Background In a previous report by our group, high levels of apolipoprotein E (apoE) were demonstrated to be associated with risk of incident cardiovascular disease in women with high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the setting of both low (designated as HR1 subjects) and high (designated as HR2 subjects) levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). To assess whether apolipoprotein A-II (apoA-II) plays a role in apoE-associated risk in the two female groups. Methodology/Principal Outcome event mapping, a graphical data exploratory tool; Cox proportional hazards multivariable regression; and curve-fitting modeling were used to examine apoA-II influence on apoE-associated risk focusing on HDL particles with apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) without apoA-II (LpA-I) and HDL particles with both apoA-I and apoA-II (LpA-I:A-II). Results of outcome mappings as a function of apoE levels and the ratio of apoA-II to apoA-I revealed within each of the two populations, a high-risk subgroup characterized in each situation by high levels of apoE and additionally: in HR1, by a low value of the apoA-II/apoA-I ratio; and in HR2, by a moderate value of the apoA-II/apoA-I ratio. Furthermore, derived estimates of LpA-I and LpA-I:A-II levels revealed for high-risk versus remaining subjects: in HR1, higher levels of LpA-I and lower levels of LpA-I:A-II; and in HR2 the reverse, lower levels of LpA-I and higher levels of LpA-I:A-II. Results of multivariable risk modeling as a function of LpA-I and LpA-I:A-II (dichotomized as highest quartile versus combined three lower quartiles) revealed association of risk only for high levels of LpA-I:A-II in the HR2 subgroup (hazard ratio 5.31, 95% CI 1.12–25.17, p = 0.036). Furthermore, high LpA-I:A-II levels interacted with high apoE levels in establishing subgroup risk. Conclusions/Significance We conclude that apoA-II plays a significant role in apoE-associated risk of incident CVD in women with high levels of HDL-C and CRP.
Model transformations to bridge concrete and abstract syntax of web rule languages

This paper presents a solution to bridging the abstract and concrete syntax of a Web rule languages by using model transformations. Current specifications of Web rule languages such as Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) or RuleML define their abstract syntax (e.g., metamodel) and concrete syntax (e.g., XML schema) separately. Although the recent research in the area of Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) demonstrates that such a separation of two types of syntax is a good practice (due to the complexity of languages), one should also have tools that check validity of rules written in a concrete syntax with respect to the abstract syntax of the rule language. In this study, we use the REWERSE I1 Rule Markup Language (R2ML), SWRL, and Object Constraint Language (OCL), whose abstract syntax is defined by using metamodeling, while their textual concrete syntax is defined by using either XML/RDF schema or Extended Backus-Naur Form (EBNF) syntax. We bridge this gap by a bi-directional transformation defined in a model transformation language (ATLAS Transformation Language, ATL). This transformation allowed us to discover a number of issues in both web rule language metamodels and their corresponding concrete syntax, and thus make them fully compatible. This solution also enables for sharing web rules between different web rule languages.
Etomidate Should be Used Carefully for Emergent Endotracheal Intubation in Patients with Septic Shock

Etomidate and midazolam are the most popular drugs among the induction agents for emergent endotracheal intubation. The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of adrenal insufficiency and mortality between the septic shock patients who received etomidate (ETM group) and those who received midazolam (MDZ group). Between November 2004 and September 2006, 65 patients were analyzed in this study. The hospital mortality rate was 36% in the ETM group (n=25) and 50% in the MDZ group (n=40), which was not statistically significant (p=0.269). The incidence of relative adrenal insufficiency was significantly higher in the ETM group than in the MDZ group (84% and 48%, respectively; p=0.003). On multivariate analysis, the use of etomidate was the only significant factor affecting the incidence of relative adrenal insufficiency (odds radio, 5.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.61-19.4). In conclusion, we think that physicians who treat patients with septic shock should be aware that etomidate can cause adrenal insufficiency, and should start corticosteroids if etomidate is administered.
On the critical Richardson number in stably stratified turbulence

The critical Richardson number, Ric, is used in studies of stably stratified turbulence as a measure of flow laminarization. The accepted range of Ric is between 0.2 and 1. A growing body of experimental and observational data indicates, however, that turbulence survives for Ri ≫ 1. This result is supported by a new spectral theory of turbulence that accounts for strong anisotropy and waves. The anisotropization results in the enhanced horizontal mixing of both momentum and scalar. Internal wave contribution preserves vertical momentum mixing above its molecular level. In the absence of laminarization, Ric becomes devoid of its conventional meaning. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society