Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimise: An Austrian Multicentre Study on the Effectiveness and Safety of Tocilizumab in Combination with Methotrexate versus Tocilizumab for Mild/Moderate Rheumatoid Arthritis and an Inadequate Response to Methotrexate

Background: As data on the efficacy of biologics in patients with mild/moderate rheumatoid arthritis are limited, this study was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab plus methotrexate versus tocilizumab monotherapy on disease activity. Methods: Seventy-seven patients with mild/moderate rheumatoid arthritis and an inadequate response (Disease Activity Score 28 > 3.2) to methotrexate were initially enrolled (mean Disease Activity Score 28 3.91 +/0.54) and received three infusions of tocilizumab 8 mg/kg every 4 weeks plus methotrexate. Subjects achieving a good/moderate European League Against Rheumatism response after three months of open-label treatment were randomised to Group A (tocilizumab plus methotrexate) or Group B (tocilizumab plus placebo methotrexate). The primary endpoint was the Disease Activity Score 28 change from week 12 to 24. The secondary endpoints included the proportion of patients achieving remission according to the Disease Activity Score 28 and various disease activity indices at week 24. Results: Sixty-five patients were included in the blinded trial phase. At week 12, the mean Disease Activity Score 28 was 1.51 in Group A (n = 32) and 1.72 in Group B (n = 33). The Disease Activity Score 28 difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.19). No substantial differences were seen with regard to the secondary endpoints. Conclusions: Additional tocilizumab treatment led to improvement in patients with mild/moderate rheumatoid arthritis. The study results give no indication that the combination of Tocilizumab with Methotrexate induces a better outcome (preserving the level of disease activity achieved at week 12) in comparison with Tocilizumab monotherapy in patients corresponding to those included into the study.
Theory of Quantum Error Correcting Codes

This is the project report for the course CS682A: Quantum Computing. In this report, we explain briefly about the theory and existence of quantum error correcting codes using density operator notation and logic behind CSS codes without stabilizer formulation. Quantum Error Correction is a major field of research in Quantum Information Processing since this is one of the major hurdles in building a quantum computer and we primarily look at two papers namely ”The theory of quantum error correcting codes”[4] and ”Good quantum error correcting codes exist”[1].
Stochastic Modeling and Optimization for Community Energy Storage Systems

Due to the integration of renewable energy sources such as wind turbines, significant technical challenge exists for the energy management in the future power distribution systems and/or microgrids. In particular, the efficiency and reliability of the energy management may be jeopardized by the randomness of the power production from renewable energy sources. In order to address this challenge and to harness renewable power, community energy storage (CES) systems with dispatchable capacities can be installed to buffer the intermittent supply from renewable energy sources. Yet, how to manage the CES systems still requires extensive research, as the dispatchable capacity of each CES system depends on its state-of-charge (SoC), which is also random in nature. This thesis consists of two parts. In Part I, we focus on the stochastic model of CES system with wind power generation. The power generation of each wind turbine is modeled using a Markov modulated rate process (MMRP), while the CES system is modeled as a queuing system. Based on a diffusion approximation of the queue length, a closed-form representation of the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the SoC of the CES system can be derived. The analytical model is validated by a case study based on the wind power generation data obtained from Changling Wind Farm in Jilin Province of Northeast China. In Part II, we focus on the optimal energy management of the CES systems in a microgrid. During the normal operation of the microgrid, the dispatchable outputs of the CES systems are controlled to minimize the overall operation cost of the microgrid. When a fault occurs in the main grid, the microgrid operates in an islanded mode, and energy stored in the CES systems can be utilized to supply the loads in the microgrid for reliability improvement. In order to control the amount of energy stored in the CES systems, two kinds of SoC thresholds are introduced, which correspond to hard reservation and soft reservation of energy, respectively. Accordingly, the stochastic model of the ii CES system developed in Part I is extended to embed the impact of the two kinds of thresholds. In order to take account of the potential bias in the forecast of wind power generation, the energy management problem is solved based on a general robust optimization technique. The performance of the stochastic model and optimization technique is evaluated based on the IEEE 123 bus test feeder as well as the wind power generation data of Changling Wind Farm.
I . 4 Microarray-based Approaches to Rice Transcriptome Analysis

The advent of rice genome sequences and subsequent annotation is having two marked, complementary effects on the relatively new discipline of plant transcriptomics. First, the rice genome contains approximately 60,000 annotated protein-coding loci that top other full sequenced genomes. Although masking protein related transposable elements considerably reduces this number, abundant riceor cereal-specific genes exist. Second, the application of various transcriptome-profiling techniques in rice has generated a large number of putative transcripts that have yet to be incorporated into the genome annotation. The unprecedented complexity and impending completeness of the transcriptome data are simultaneously demanding and creating opportunities for new avenues of discovery using novel, high-throughput approaches. In this chapter, we review the recent advances in rice microarray systems and the application of these systems in deep and comprehensive transcriptome analysis.
Metabolomics insight into the response mechanism of anammox consortia to temperature

[Background] Most cold-tolerant bacteria are isolated from activated sludge. Understanding the response of activated sludge consortia to low temperatures contributes to the domestication of cold-tolerant bacteria. [Objective] Anammox consortia was studied as the research object to study the effects of decreasing temperature on metabolic pathways and metabolites of anammox consortia, in order to explain the response mechanism of anammox consortia to decreased temperature. [Methods] The anammox sludge was domesticated at 25 °C and 35 °C to study the effects of temperature on the nitrogen removal performance of the reactors, bacterial activity and biomass yield, and community structure. Metabolite abundance and metabolic pathway activity of anammox consortia were compared under two temperatures by metabolomics. [Results] Under decreased temperature, although CO2 fixation, TCA cycle and pyruvate metabolism of anammox consortia were down-regulated, which led to a significant decrease in nitrogen removal activity and biomass yield. However, RNA synthesis level, and synthesis of putrescine 霍唐燃等: 基于代谢组的厌氧氨氧化菌群对温度的响应机制 1937 Tel: 010-64807511; E-mail: tongbao@im.ac.cn; http://journals.im.ac.cn/wswxtbcn and signal molecules were up-regulated, thereby regulating the metabolism of the consortia to adapt to the low temperature through transcriptional regulation, regulation of membrane lipid composition and changes in membrane structure. [Conclusion] The physiological mechanism of anammox consortia adapting to low temperature was explored from the perspective of molecular mechanism, and the important role of putrescine and signal molecules in the adaptation of sludge consortia to low temperature was explained for the first time.
PHONETIC MOTIVATION FOR CONSONANT GEMINATION : EVIDENCE FROM GREEK , ROMANCE , AND GERMANIC

In the history of Greek, Romance and Germanic, certain consonant geminations were conditioned by immedi at l following glides and/or liquids. Despite phonological and prosodic differences across the three languages, this common conditioning of consonant gemination suggests that some property of these resonants causes strengthening of preceding consonants. This paper reports on an acoustic analysis of the English intervocalic and pre-resonant word-internal consonants of three speakers and reveals that resonants and high vowels have a lengthening effect on the VOT of stops and on constriction durations of nasals and liquids. These findings demonstrate that the geminations in Greek, Proto-Romance and Germanic may have been phonetically motivated fortitions.
Mindfulness and blood pressure across demographics: Analyses from the Serenity Study

iv List of Figures . vii List of Tables . viii Chapter One: Introduction . 1 Mindfulness.4 Chapter Two: Methods . 12 Participants . 12 Baseline . 13 Pre-Post Intervention . 14 Procedure . 14 Measures . 17 Clinic BP . 17 Ambulatory BP . 17 BP Reactivity . 17 Demographics and Self-Report Questionnaires . 18 Trait Mindfulness . 18 Interventions . 19 Lifestyle Modification . 19 Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) . 19 Stress Management Education (SME) . 21 Wait-List Control (WLC) . 21 Data Analyses . 21 vi Aim 1 Data Analyses . 22 Aim 2 Data Analyses . 24 Aim 3 Data Analyses . 25 Chapter Three: Results . 27 Aim 1 . 27 Aim 1 Exploratory Analyses . 31 Aim 2 . 45 Aim 3 . 48 Chapter Four: Discussion . 52 References . 55 Appendix A . 63 Appendix B . 67 Appendix C . 73 Appendix D . 77 Appendix E . 79
ASTRODYNAMICS SUMMER COURSE BARCELONA , JULY 2004 NOTES FOR THE NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES LECTURES ( draft version )

1 Dynamical systems 3 1.1 Continuous dynamical systems . 3 1.2 Discrete dynamical systems. 6 1.3 Orbit generation in a dynamical system . 8 1.4 Poincaré maps . 9 1.4. 1 Numerical computation of a Poincaré map . 10
Computer vision-based structural assessment exploiting large volumes of images

Author: Yeum, Chul Min. Ph.D. Institution: Purdue University Degree Received: December 2016 Title: Computer Vision-Based Structural Assessment Exploiting Large Volumes of Images. Major Professor: Shirley J. Dyke. Visual assessment is a process to understand the state of a structure based on evaluations originating from visual information. Recent advances in computer vision to explore new sensors, sensing platforms and high-performance computing have shed light on the potential for vision-based visual assessment in civil engineering structures. The use of lowcost, high-resolution visual sensors in conjunction with mobile and aerial platforms can overcome spatial and temporal limitations typically associated with other forms of sensing in civil structures. Also, GPU-accelerated parallel computing offers unprecedented speed and performance, accelerating processing the collected visual data. However, despite the enormous endeavor in past research to implement such technologies, there are still many practical challenges to overcome to successfully apply these techniques in real world situations. A major challenge lies in dealing with a large volume of unordered and complex visual data, collected under uncontrolled circumstance (e.g. lighting, cluttered region, and variations in environmental conditions), while just a tiny fraction of them are useful for conducting actual assessment. Such difficulty induces an undesirable high rate of falsepositive and false-negative errors, reducing the trustworthiness and efficiency of their implementation. To overcome the inherent challenges in using such images for visual assessment, high-level computer vision algorithms must be integrated with relevant prior knowledge and guidance, thus aiming to have similar performance with those of humans conducting visual assessment. Moreover, the techniques must be developed and validated in the realistic context of a large volume of real-world images, which is likely contain numerous practical challenges. In this dissertation, the use of computer vision algorithms is explored to address two promising applications of vision-based visual assessment in civil engineering: visual inspection, and visual data analysis for post-disaster evaluation. For both applications, techniques are developed here to enable reliable and efficient visual
Job Attribute Preferences of Undergraduate Agricultural Majors—Do They Match with Careers in Grain Merchandising?

Assessing Student Learning Using a Digital Grading Platform Andrew W. Stevens Calculating and Interpreting Percentage Changes for Economic Analysis Matthew A. Andersen Enhancing the Teaching of Product Substitutes/Compliments: A Pedagogical Note on Diversion Ratios Oral Capps, Jr. and Senarath Dharmasena Teaching Undergraduate Economics: Emphasize Early the Idea of Adding Vertical Distances Over Quantities Matthew G. Interis Case Studies
The Heterogeneous Tool Set — some recent developments and highlights

The is a large body of literature on modular structured and architectural specification, refinement, colimits, proof calculi etc. [3, 13, 4, 1, 2, 12, 14], which develops these notions (at the level of definitions, theorems and also language design) independently of the underlying logic. The logic at hand needs to be formalised as an institution. The notion of institution is a powerful abstraction, introduced by Goguen and Burstall [7]. The satisfaction condition imposed by the notion of institution is a rather mild requirement met by most logical systems. The Heterogeneous Tool Set (Hets [11]) is a parsing, analysis and proof management tool for heterogeneous specifications, available at hets.eu. It provides a software interface for plugging-in institutions, and provides tool support for modular specification and refinement in an institution-independent way, thus complementing the theoretical institution-independent approach in the literature with a practical tool. Moreover, based on a graph of institutions and institution translations (formalised as comorphisms [8]), Hets supports heterogeneous multi-logic specifications as developed in [15, 6, 9]. In this work, we update the ten-year old description of Hets in [11] with recent highlights and developments.
FLUCONAZOLE INJECTION, USP(in 0.9% Sodium Chloride)For Intravenous Infusion only

The amount of water that can permeate from inside the container into the overwrap is insufficient to affect the solution significantly. Solutions in contact with the plastic container can leach out certain of its chemical components in very small amounts within the expiration period, e.g., di-2ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP), up to 5 parts per million. However, the suitability of the plastic has been confirmed in tests in animals according to USP biological tests for plastic containers.
Locomotor Network Dynamics Governed By Feedback Control In Crayfish Posture And Walking

Sensorimotor circuits integrate biomechanical feedback with ongoing motor activity to produce behaviors that adapt to unpredictable environments. Reflexes are critical in modulating motor output by facilitating rapid responses. During posture, resistance reflexes generate negative feedback that opposes perturbations to stabilize a body. During walking, assistance reflexes produce positive feedback that facilitates fast transitions between swing and stance of each step cycle. Until recently, sensorimotor networks have been studied using biomechanical feedback based on external perturbations in the presence or absence of intrinsic motor activity. Experiments in which biomechanical feedback driven by intrinsic motor activity is studied in the absence of perturbation have been limited. Thus, it is unclear whether feedback plays a role in facilitating transitions between behavioral states or mediating different features of network activity independent of perturbation. These properties are important to understand because they can elucidate how a circuit coordinates with other neural networks or contributes to adaptable motor output. Computational simulations and mathematical models have been used extensively to characterize interactions of negative and positive feedback with nonlinear oscillators. For example, neuronal action potentials are generated by positive and negative feedback of ionic currents via a membrane potential. While simulations enable manipulation of system parameters that are inaccessible through biological experiments, mathematical models ascertain mechanisms that help to generate biological hypotheses and can be translated across different systems. Here, a three-tiered approach was employed to determine the role of sensory feedback in a crayfish locomotor circuit involved in posture and walking. In vitro experiments using a brain-machine interface illustrated that unperturbed motor output of the circuit was changed by closing the sensory feedback loop. Then, neuromechanical simulations of the in vitro experiments reproduced a similar range of network activity and showed that the balance of sensory feedback determined how the network behaved. Finally, a reduced mathematical model was designed to generate waveforms that emulated simulation results and demonstrated how sensory feedback can control the output of a sensorimotor circuit. Together, these results showed how the strengths of different approaches can complement each other to facilitate an understanding of the mechanisms that mediate sensorimotor integration. INDEX WORDS: central pattern generator, sensory feedback, feedback control, nonlinear oscillator, bifurcation dynamics LOCOMOTOR NETWORK DYNAMICS GOVERNED BY FEEDBACK CONTROL IN CRAYFISH POSTURE AND LOCOMOTION
Effect of whole peptidoglycan from lactobacilli on the imbalance of Th 1 / Th 2 and Treg / Th 17 in lymphocyte of bovine β-Lactoglobulin-sensitized mice in vitro

[Objective] Aim of this study was to investigate the effect of whole peptidoglycan (WPG) from Lactobacillus acidophilus on regulating Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 balance in sensitized splenocytes. [Methods] BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally injected with β-Lactoglobulin (β-Lg), the sensitized splenocytes were stimulated in vitro with different doses of WPG. Supernatants were collected and measured total IgE and β-Lg-specific IgE, Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 related cytokines (IFN-γ, 李丹等:乳杆菌肽聚糖对 β-乳球蛋白致敏小鼠脾细胞 Th1/Th2及 Treg/Th17失衡的体外影响 1335 http://journals.im.ac.cn/wswxtbcn IL-4, TGF-β, IL-17) production by ELISA assay; the percentage of CD3, CD4, CD8 subgroups in spleen cells were measured by flow cytometry, and the levels of T-bet, GATA-3, Foxp3 and RORγt mRNA were measured by RT-PCR. [Results] Compared with the allergy group, treatment with medium and high dose of WPG significantly decreased IL-17, RORγt mRNA response. In addition, the numbers of CD3 and CD4 cells and the ratio of the secretion of total IgE and β-Lg-specific IgE, Th2-type (IL-4, GATA-3 mRNA) and Th17-type (CD4/CD8), Th1-type (IFN-γ, T-bet mRNA) and Treg-type (TGF-β, Foxp3 mRNA) response were increased in the splenocytes stimulated with WPG in a dose manner. [Conclusion] Treatment with WPG from Lactobacillus acidophilus could regulate the imbalance of Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 in allergic spleen cells.
Sequential Administration of EGFR-TKI and Pemetrexed Achieved a Long Duration of Response in Advanced NSCLC Patients with EGFR-mutant Tumours

Objectives: The optimal combination of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and chemotherapy has helped to improve therapeutic effects in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to explore the progression free survival (PFS) of patients after sequential administration of TKI and pemetrexed chemotherapy. Methods: This study retrospectively screened treatment-naive advanced NSCLC patients harbouring EGFR mutations who were prescribed a TKI and salvaged with pemetrexed chemotherapy or vice versa. The total, initial and salvage PFS were collected . Results: The total PFS including both the initial and salvage PFS was 18.0 mon (95% CI: 14.1–21.9 mon), which was not influenced by the sequence of administration (TKI first: 18.0 mon, 95% CI: 15.8–20.2 mon, pemetrexed first: 16.1 mon, 95% CI: 9.1–23.1 mon, HR 0.92, P=0.748). A longer PFS was achieved for TKI over chemotherapy in both the initial (10.6 and 5.9 mon, HR 2.62, P=0.001) and salvage therapy (12.0 and 6.0 mon, HR 1.29, P=0.001). TKI remained effective either before (10.6 mon) or after (12.0 mon) chemotherapy (HR 0.96, P=0.853). The same trend was observed for chemotherapy (5.9 and 6.0 mon for initial and salvage therapy, respectively, HR 0.82, P=0.417). Conclusions: The sequential administration of TKI and pemetrexed chemotherapy achieved a long PFS and was a suitable treatment for advanced NSCLC.
LATENT CHANGE IN RECURRENT CHOICE DATA

This paper introduces dynamic latent-class models for the analysis and interpretation of stability and change in recurrent choice data. These latent-class models provide a nonparametric representation of individual taste differences. Changes in preferences are modeled by al. lowing for individual-level transitions from one latent class to another over time. The most general model facilitates a saturated representation of class membership changes. Several special cases are presented to obtain a parsimonious description of latent change mechanisms. An easy to implement EM algorithm is derived for parameter estimation. The approach is illustrated by a detailed analysis of a purchase incidence data set.
Typed Regions for Tag-Free Garbage Collection

This paper presents an extension to the Tofte-Talpin region type system, which makes it possible to combine region-based memory management with a partly tag-free garbage collection algorithm. The memory discipline is implemented for Standard ML in the ML Kit compiler. Experiments show that, for a range of benchmark programs, the discipline improves performance, both with respect to memory usage and execution time.
A No . 3 Ab Initio Study of the Relative Stability and OptoElectronics Properties of the Cu 2 MgSiS 4 Compound

Ab Initio Study of the Relative Stability and Opto-Electronics Properties of the Cu2MgSiS4 Compound Saliha Ould Said, Kadda Amarab,∗, Belmorsli Bekki and Belabbes Soudini Département de Physique, Faculté Des Sciences Exactes, Université Djilali Liabés, Sidi Bel-Abbès 22000, Algeria Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Dr. Tahar Moulay University of Saïda, 20000 Saïda, Algeria Applied Material Laboratory, University of Djilali Liabes, 22000 Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria
Corporate Legal Responsibility and Longer Term Shareholder Value : Evidence from Environmental and Social Fines

This paper empirically examines the impact of corporate violations, specifically monetary fines on long term stock performance. It contributes to existing literature by using data of 1,887 monetary fines incurred by 394 firms hand-collected from the Securities and Exchange Commission filings from 1994 to 2012 for United States based firms. We find that in the long term for one year, there is significant underperformance of these firms between 25 and 29 basis points per month measured as Carhart model alphas. We also find that firms with higher fines have larger underperformances indicating that the level of monetary value of fines do indeed impact stock performance. In addition, we find initial announcements of the violations have larger negative returns. Our results also indicate that investors react to violations in the manufacturing, mining and transportation and public utilities industries compared to other industries. Furthermore using classifications of environmental, social and long term aspects, we were able to find that investors perceive environmental issues on all different stages of violations to be a cause of concern, while social and surprisingly also long term aspects matter somewhat less. Overall, we find consistent results that in the long term, illegal corporate behaviour is detrimental to the performance of firms.