Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time series forecasting of utility load duration curves

The load duration curve is a primary tool used in the economic analysis of electric utility operations and for the purpose of planning new construction. In general equilibrium models and also in other models using linear programming, piecewise linear approximations to the load duration curve are required. This paper endeavors to develop a forecasting model for such discrete approximations using Box-Jenkins time series analysis. A model is structured and estimated for six, twenty, and fifty discrete approximations for two utility regions in the United States. The forecast results are extremely good, indicating that while a larger number of approximations perform marginally better, there is nothing to lessen the advantage of using only a six-step approximation.
Study of X(3915) --> J/\psi \omega\ in two-photon collisions

We study the process $\gamma \gamma \to J/\psi \omega$ using a data sample of 519.2 $fb^{-1}$ recorded by the BaBar detector at SLAC at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy $e^+ e^-$ collider at center-of-mass energies near the $\Upsilon(nS)$ ($n = 2,3,4$) resonances. We confirm the existence of the charmonium-like resonance X(3915) decaying to $J/\psi \omega$ with a significance of 7.6 standard deviations, including systematic uncertainties, and measure its mass $(3919.4 \pm 2.2 \pm 1.6) MeV/c^2$ and width $(13 \pm 6 \pm 3) MeV$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. A spin-parity analysis supports the assignment $J^P=0^+$ and therefore the ident ification of the signal as due to the $\chi_{c0}(2P)$ resonance. In this hypothesis we determine the product between the two-photon width and the final state branching fraction to be $(52 \pm 10 \pm 3) eV$
An application of total serum protein , serum gamma glutamyltransferase and serum glutaraldehyde coagulation test as markers of passive immunity transfer in neonatal Brahman calves

Newborn calves acquire passive maternal immunity through the ingestion of colostrums. Inadequate colostrums ingestion will result in failure of passive immunity transfer (FPT). The purpose of this study is applying the use of total serum protein (TSP), serum gamma glutamyl transferase enzyme (GGT) and serum glutaraldehyde coagulation test (GCT) as markers of passive immunity transfer in neonatal Brahman calves. Blood samples from 107 calves aged between 2 – 7 days old were collected from January 2012 to April 2013. Age, gender and the dam’s parity were recorded in addition with mortality from birth to weaning. The value of TSP < 5.5 g/dl as determined by refractometer, GGT level <200 U/l by Reflotron and GCT > 10 min were employed as the cutoff points of the FPT. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data. It was found that there was no correlation among successive immunity level, age and gender. In contrary calves borne from cows with parity ≤4 showed significantly higher immunity than calves from cows with the parity >4 (P<0.05) with odds ratio equivalent to 2.9 and 3.2 times for TSP and GGT, respectively. The results of FPT determined from 107 calves revealed 21.5%, 23.7% and 29.0% FPT by TSP, GGT and GCT respectively. Consequently, the combination of special care, treatment with antibiotics and improvement of farm managements in the separated FPT calves for provided effectively benefit to reduce the calves mortality rate to 0% by the end of the study period. In conclusion TSP, GGT and GCT could be applied for health care and reduce losses in neonatal calves.
A Survey of Interdependent Security Games

Interdependence of information systems is a fundamental property that shapes the problems in information security. The risks faced by system operators and users is not only determined by their own security posture, but is heavily aected by the security-related decisions of other connected systems. Therefore, defending networked systems relies on the correlated action of the system operators or users. In this survey, we summarize game-theoretic interdependence models, characterize the emerging security ineciencies and present solution methods. Our goal is to distill the main insights from the state-of-theart and to identify the areas that need more attention from the research community.
Guiding SAT Solving by Formula Partitioning

When deciding the satisfiability of a Boolean formula, one promising approach is to split the formula into two smaller independent sub-formulas. While many studies report encouraging early results with such methods, the approach is rarely used in state-of-the-art solvers. In this paper, we present a technique that uses formula partitioning to guide the solution of the SAT problem through providing initialization values for the VSIDS heuristic. Our results on a large number of benchmark instances show that the method can notably improve the performance of modern solvers, especially if the time available for solving is short. We also present some findings in the area of hypergraph partitioning, which is used as a tool for our technique.
Direct Estimation of the Derivative of Quadratic Mutual Information with Application in Supervised Dimension Reduction

Abstract A typical goal of linear-supervised dimension reduction is to find a low-dimensional subspace of the input space such that the projected input variables preserve maximal information about the output variables. The dependence-maximization approach solves the supervised dimension-reduction problem through maximizing a statistical dependence between projected input variables and output variables. A well-known statistical dependence measure is mutual information (MI), which is based on the Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence. However, it is known that the KL divergence is sensitive to outliers. Quadratic MI (QMI) is a variant of MI based on the distance, which is more robust against outliers than the KL divergence, and a computationally efficient method to estimate QMI from data, least squares QMI (LSQMI), has been proposed recently. For these reasons, developing a supervised dimension-reduction method based on LSQMI seems promising. However, not QMI itself but the derivative of QMI is needed for subspace search in linear-supervised dimension reduction, and the derivative of an accurate QMI estimator is not necessarily a good estimator of the derivative of QMI. In this letter, we propose to directly estimate the derivative of QMI without estimating QMI itself. We show that the direct estimation of the derivative of QMI is more accurate than the derivative of the estimated QMI. Finally, we develop a linear-supervised dimension-reduction algorithm that efficiently uses the proposed derivative estimator and demonstrate through experiments that the proposed method is more robust against outliers than existing methods.
Fast Pedestrian Recognition Based on Multisensor Fusion

A fast pedestrian recognition algorithm based on multisensor fusion is presented in this paper. Firstly, potential pedestrian locations are estimated by laser radar scanning in the world coordinates, and then their corresponding candidate regions in the image are located by camera calibration and the perspective mapping model. For avoiding time consuming in the training and recognition process caused by large numbers of feature vector dimensions, region of interest-based integral histograms of oriented gradients (ROI-IHOG) feature extraction method is proposed later. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier is trained by a novel pedestrian sample dataset which adapt to the urban road environment for online recognition. Finally, we test the validity of the proposed approach with several video sequences from realistic urban road scenarios. Reliable and timewise performances are shown based on our multisensor fusing method.
Chaperone Activity of ERD10 and ERD14, Two Disordered Stress-Related Plant Proteins1[OA]

ERD10 and ERD14 (for early response to dehydration) proteins are members of the dehydrin family that accumulate in response to abiotic environmental stresses, such as high salinity, drought, and low temperature, in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Whereas these proteins protect cells against the consequences of dehydration, the exact mode(s) of their action remains poorly understood. Here, detailed evidence is provided that ERD10 and ERD14 belong to the family of intrinsically disordered proteins, and it is shown in various assays that they act as chaperones in vitro. ERD10 and ERD14 are able to prevent the heat-induced aggregation and/or inactivation of various substrates, such as lysozyme, alcohol dehydrogenase, firefly luciferase, and citrate synthase. It is also demonstrated that ERD10 and ERD14 bind to acidic phospholipid vesicles without significantly affecting membrane fluidity. Membrane binding is strongly influenced by ionic strength. Our results show that these intrinsically disordered proteins have chaperone activity of rather wide substrate specificity and that they interact with phospholipid vesicles through electrostatic forces. We suggest that these findings provide the rationale for the mechanism of how these proteins avert the adverse effects of dehydration stresses.
A low-cost sub-nanosecond trapezoidal pulse generator for radar imaging

Applications of Microwave Radar imaging based on UWB systems are increasing significantly and the need to design low-cost and efficient system components became vital. In this paper, a novel design for a low-cost baseband sub-nanosecond narrow pulse generator (NPG) is presented. This NPG suits microwave Radar imaging applications like object detection and through-the-wall detection. The design methodology was based on minimizing rise and fall times for the generated pulses in order to increase the bandwidth of the narrow pulse and hence the reconstructed image resolution. The proposed NPG generates clock pulses with the trapezoidal waveform of which duration time is 820 ps and fall time of 68 ps only. Simulation results on an object detection application proved that the trapezoidal pulse of the proposed NPG produced sharper and clearer image than that reconstructed from a Gaussian pulse of the same duration. In order to produce a similar quality, the Gaussian pulse width has to be reduced to about one-fifth of that of the NPG pulse.
Triage of Limited Versus Extensive Disease on 18F-FDG PET/CT Scan in Small Cell lung Cancer

Objective(s): Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma, which accounts for 10-15% of pulmonary cancers and exhibits early metastatic spread. This study aimed to determine the added value of 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging in tumor, node, and metastasis (TNM) staging of SCLC, compared to the conventional computed tomography (CT) scan and its potential role as a prognosticator. Methods: This retrospective review was conducted on 23 patients, who were histopathologically diagnosed to have SCLC and referred for undergoing 18F-FDG PET/CT scanning during October 2009-December 2015. The rate of agreement between the CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT findings for TNM staging was calculated using the Cohen’s kappa (κ). The median follow-up time was eight months, ranging 27-3 months). The overall and disease-free survival rates were calculated based on the extent of disease. Results: 19 cases were male and four female with the mean age of 58±9 years. The 18F-FDG PET/CT identified limited and extensive diseases in 2 (8.7%) and 21 (91.3%) patients, respectively. In addition, the results of the Cohen’s kappa demonstrated a strong (κ=0.82), fair (κ=0.24), and poor (κ=0.12) agreement between the PET/CT and CT findings for determining tumor, node, and metastasis stages, respectively. The 18F-FDG PET/CT scans upstaged disease in 47% of the cases with visceral and osseous metastasis. The disease-free survival rates for the limited and extensive diseases were 100% and 23% within the 12-month follow-up. In addition, 8 (35%) patients expired during the follow-up period. Conclusion: Improved nodal and metastatic disease identification highlights the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT scanning in initial staging of SCLC with prognostic implications.
Mortality in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

This study was undertaken to perform a systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies of mortality in Parkinson's disease (PD) and to investigate which factors were associated with mortality. We conducted comprehensive searches of studies reporting a ratio of mortality in PD versus controls, descriptive survival measures, or factors predicting survival; assessed study quality; and extracted relevant data. Descriptive analysis, meta‐analysis, and meta‐regression were performed as appropriate. Eighty‐eight studies were included in the review with variable study methods and quality. Almost all studies reported increased mortality in PD (vs. controls), with mortality ratios ranging from 0.9 to 3.8, with major between‐study heterogeneity. Inception cohorts were more consistent with a pooled mortality ratio of approximately 1.5. Inception cohorts, measurements at longer follow‐up duration, and older study recruitment year were associated with lower mortality ratios, but these findings were not robust in sensitivity analyses. Within studies, mortality ratios increased over time. No robust evidence was found that mortality has decreased after the introduction of levodopa (L‐dopa). On average, PD survival reduced by approximately 5% every year of follow‐up, although there was significant heterogeneity. In post‐mortem studies, mean duration until death ranged from 6.9 to 14.3 years. Increasing age and presence of dementia were most commonly associated with increased mortality. Parkinson's disease is associated with increased mortality, but major heterogeneity is seen in estimates of mortality, which is probably explained by variable methodology and patient selection. Individual‐patient‐data meta‐analysis of high‐quality inception studies with long‐term follow‐up would be the optimal way to investigate the factors influencing mortality. © 2014 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Fighting for Academic Surgical Oncology: Where Do We Come From, Where Are We Now, and Where Should We Head?

F irst of all, I would like to express my deep gratefulness and appreciation, having been elected President of the European Surgical Association. This makes me really proud and is an outstanding honor in my academic career. Before starting my speech, please let me offer some personal words and take a look in the mirror of my ancestors’ history. To open this conference in Warsaw as a German and a Jew causes in me conflicting feelings. The Warsaw ghetto was constructed in 1940, and was the largest transit camp in the Nazi regime. This regime tried everything possible to annihilate my family and European Judaism. The trains left, actually not far from here, towards the extermination camps. Only 75 years have passed since then, and according to the German National Socialists’ obsession with hate and race, I, too, should never have existed. It is a miracle that today Jewish life exists again in Germany— and a great fortune, too. However, Jewish communities are still fighting for acceptance and against prejudice and even hate, which reappears again and again, and against which no permanent remedy has yet been found. Every day we have to work together on the abolishment of prejudice and the promotion of tolerance and freedom. I started studying medicine in 1970 in Köln and went on to become a surgeon in 1978. The combination of science and craft, as displayed especially in surgery fascinated me then and still does. Pushing the frontiers of medical principles and challenging surgical guidelines for each individual patient has always been my foremost interest. Academic debate is fundamental for this kind of treatment and, although sometimes hard fought, it has always been a special pleasure to me. Accordingly, the topic of my short address is first a short look back, then the actual situation, and eventually a look towards the future tasks of surgical clinical research, with a focus on individualized therapy. When I was a young surgeon, clinical surgical science used to be performed as an add-on to the clinical work and was done in quite an amateurish fashion: 20 Whipple, or 20 Frey-Beger operations, no previously defined primary end point and a prospective study was set up. From today’s perspective of good clinical and scientific practice—a nightmare. But we did not know any better at that time. As you all know, since then, research culture has significantly changed.
Health Behavior Segmentation and Campaign Planning to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Hispanics

Using the social marketing principle of audience segmentation, a Hispanic audience was disaggregated to examine heterogeneous behaviors and lifestyles that could guide planning for public information campaigns designed to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Signal detection analysis resulted in six mutually exclusive subgroups, based on self-reported behavioral changes to improve health. Subgroups differed significantly in communication, behavioral, psychological, and demographic dimensions, indicating they may require unique campaign planning strategies. To determine whether subgroups were meaningful relative to external health-related criteria, they were compared as to health knowledge and status on cardiovascular disease risk factors. The results showed significant differences among audience subgroups in plasma high-density lipoprotein levels and hypertensive status. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for campaign planning and the need for public health campaigns to diversify strategies when targeting Hispanic audiences.
Differences in Intention to Use Educational RSS Feeds between Lebanese and British Students: A Multi-Group Analysis Based on the Technology Acceptance Model.

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) offers a means for university students to receive timely updates from virtual learning environments. However, despite its utility, only 21% of home students surveyed at a university in Lebanon claim to have ever used the technology. To investigate whether national culture could be an influence on intention to use RSS, the survey was extended to British students in the UK. Using the Technology Adoption Model (TAM) as a research framework, 437 students responded to a questionnaire containing four constructs: behavioral intention to use; attitude towards benefit; perceived usefulness; and perceived ease of use. Principle components analysis and structural equation modelling were used to explore the psychometric qualities and utility of TAM in both contexts. The results show that adoption was significantly higher, but also modest, in the British context at 36%. Configural and metric invariance were fully supported, while scalar and factorial invariance were partially supported. Further analysis shows significant differences between perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use across the two contexts studied. Therefore, it is recommended that faculty demonstrate to students how educational RSS feeds can be used effectively to increase awareness and emphasize usefulness in both contexts.
Intraindividual Variability in Physical and Emotional Functioning: Comparison of Adults With Traumatic Brain Injuries and Healthy Adults

Recent research has shown that individuals with certain neurological conditions demonstrate greater intraindividual variability on cognitive tasks compared to healthy controls. The present study investigated intraindividual variability in the domains of physical functioning and affect/stress in three groups: adults with mild head injuries, adults with moderate/severe head injuries, and healthy adults. Participants were assessed on 10 occasions and results indicated that (a) individuals with head injuries demonstrated greater variability in dominant finger dexterity and right grip strength than the healthy controls; (b) increased variability tended to be associated with poorer performance/report both within and across tasks; and (c) increased variability on one task was associated with increased variability on other tasks. The findings suggest that increased variability in physical function, as well as cognitive function, represents an indicator of neurological compromise.
Sympathetic nerve activity underlying electrodermal and cardiovascular reactions in man.

The paper summarizes results of micro-electrode recordings of sympathetic activity in human muscle and skin nerves. The nerve activity was correlated with blood pressure, plasma noradrenaline, electrodermal and/ or plethysmographic activity. Baroreflex and thermoregulatory mechanisms were studied as well as effects of arousal or emotional stimuli.
An efficient FPGA based prototyping platform for MIMO decoding

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) has emerged as a generic technique that promises to be a strong contender for 4G wireless systems. Even with extensive research on the design of transmission and reception algorithms, little is known about the complexity of hardware implementation. This paper proposes an efficient hardware prototype for MIMO decoding that utilizes the resources of the device by adopting the technique of parallelism. The decoder is designed and implemented as a part of MIMO testbed on a Xilinx Virtex™-4 XC4VLX60 Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) device. In this paper, a comprehensive explanation of the complete design process is provided, including an illustration of the tools used in its development. The decoder is developed based on modular design which simplifies system design, eases hardware update and facilitates testing the various modules in an independent manner.
Effect of permeation enhancers in the mucoadhesive buccal patches of salbutamol sulphate for unidirectional buccal drug delivery

The purpose of this work was to study the effect of various permeation enhancers on the permeation of salbutamol sulphate (SS) buccal patches through buccal mucosa in order to improve the bioavailability by avoiding the first pass metabolism in the liver and possibly in the gut wall and also achieve a better therapeutic effect. The influence of various permeation enhancers, such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), linoleic acid (LA), isopropyl myristate (IPM) and oleic acid (OA) on the buccal absorption of SS from buccal patches containing different polymeric combinations such as hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), carbopol, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl pyrollidone (PVP), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC), acid and water soluble chitosan (CHAS and CHWS) and Eudragit-L100 (EU-L100) was investigated. OA was the most efficient permeation enhancer increasing the flux greater than 8-fold compared with patches without permeation enhancer in HPMC based buccal patches when PEG-400 was used as the plasticizer. LA also exhibited a better permeation enhancing effect of over 4-fold in PVA and HPMC based buccal patches. In PVA based patches, both OA and LA were almost equally effective in improving the SS permeation irrespective of the plasticizer used. DMSO was more effective as a permeation enhancer in HPMC based patches when PG was the plasticizer. IPM showed maximum permeation enhancement of greater than 2-fold when PG was the plasticizer in HPMC based buccal patches.