Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of a New Model Predictive Controller for Networked Control Systems Subjected to Variable Network Time Delays

 Abstract — In this paper, a novel methodology is proposed to improve performance of the Networked Control System (NCS) in the face of random time-delays, using Model Predictive Controller (MPC) approach. For this purpose, a new state-feedback MPC structure is developed to cope with random network time-delays when the system is subjected to uncertainties with state and control constraints. The main idea is to reduce the disturbing effect of random network time-delays on regulatory performance of the NCS using a new robust formulation in MPC design. A terminal penalty constraint has been added to the finite horizon objective function to guarantee the stability of the system stability. Finally, applicability of the presented method is evaluated in a real pilot plant within a NCS configuration, being realized by an industrial Ethernet and Foundation Fieldbus technology. It is demonstrated that the proposed online methodology is effective to provide a better performance, having faster response, smaller overshoot and stronger robustness compared to the conventional MPC method with less aggressive control actions.
Spatial learning deficit in transgenic mice that conditionally over‐express GSK‐3β in the brain but do not form tau filaments

Deregulation of glycogen synthase kinase‐3 (GSK‐3) activity in neurones has been postulated as a key feature in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. This was further supported by our recent characterization of transgenic mice that conditionally over‐express GSK‐3β in hippocampal and cortical neurones. These mice, designated Tet/GSK‐3β, showed many of the biochemical and cellular aspects of AD neuropathology such as tau hyperphosphorylation and somatodendritic localization, decreased nuclear β‐catenin, neuronal death and reactive gliosis. Tet/GSK‐3β mice, however, did not show tau filament formation up to the latest tested age of 3 months at least. Here we report spatial learning deficits of Tet/GSK‐3β mice in the Morris water maze. In parallel, we also measured the increase in GSK‐3 activity while further exploring the possibility of tau filament formation in aged mice. We found a significant increase in GSK‐3 activity in the hippocampus of Tet/GSK‐3β mice whereas no tau fibrils could be found even in very old mice. These data reinforce the hypothesis of GSK‐3 deregulation in AD pathogenesis, and suggest that Tet/GSK‐3β mice can be used as an AD model and, most remarkably, can be used to test the therapeutic potential of the selective GSK‐3 inhibitors that are currently under development. Additionally, these experiments suggest that destabilization of microtubules and alteration of intracellular metabolic pathways contribute to AD pathogenesis independent of toxicity triggered by the aberrant tau deposits.
An investigation of iron deficiency and anemia in piglets and the effect of iron status at weaning on post-weaning performance

Materials and methods: A small, medium, and large piglet (N = 1095) were selected per litter 1 to 2 days before weaning from 20 Ontario (Canada) swine farms. Serum and whole blood samples and body weights were collected. Three weeks later, a second body weight and blood sample were collected from the same pigs. Hemoglobin (Hb) and other blood parameters were analyzed to assess iron status and associations with postweaning performance. Iron supplementation protocols and ZnO concentrations in nursery feed were collected.
Modeling Student Engagement by Means of Nonverbal Behavior and Decision Trees

In education, student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education. This paper is intended to automatically decide whether students are interested in the class or they are not; this information was obtained from their face expressions and behavior. Five attributes are defined for evaluating: the "face" attribute, the "eyes" attribute, the "shoulders" attribute, the "mouth" attribute and finally the attribute "interested" in which the others attributes are classified in "interested" "uninterested" and "neutral". 60 instances were stored from five different students and were classified using decision trees found in Weka software, among which were used: ID3, RANDOM TREE, C4.5, BFTREE, REPTree. Applying F-Measure metric we evaluate these decision trees in order to obtain the best of them. This work is part of a bigger project.
A Novel Scheme for Peer to Peer File Sharing In MANETs

— Mobile Adhoc Network(MANET) is the dynamically configuring network. This forms connected and disconnected MANETs . Due to the challenges of existing in social network file sharing it makes file transfer ineffective for certain applications. Most of file sharing are made with the use of smart phones, laptops and PCs from one system to another. This paper explains sharing of audio ,text, efficiently over the network . Here various algorithms related to Peer to Peer(P2P)and their features are discussed in this survey. Existing P2P content based file sharing system namely S ocial network-based P 2P c O ntent-based file sharing in disconnected m O bile ad hoc N etworks(SPOON), for disconnected MANETs was used widely. For efficient file searching, SPOON groups common-interest of the nodes that frequently meet with each other as communities. This system uses an interest extraction algorithm to derive node’s interests from its files for content-based file searching . The proposed work is based on social network based file sharing, the objective is to allow users to download media files such as music, movies, and games using a P2P software client that searches for other connected computers. Ant colony algorithm(ACO)is the solution to solve optimisation problems in real world. Ants are the agents that move along between nodes in a graph to find the shortest path. Proposed work will be simulated using NS-2 simulator and further implementation will be performed on real time using Laptops or PC. This will improve the file search efficiency, transmission cost and delay
Bis(benzylammonium) dihydrogen diphosphate

The asymmetric unit of the title salt, 2C6H5CH2NH3 +·H2P2O7 2−, contains two independent benzylammonium cations and a dihydrogen diphosphate dianion. In the crystal, O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the cations and anions, forming a two-dimensional network parallel to (010). Within this network, weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds are observed.
Egg Production and Some Hatchability Characteristics of Rock Partridges (Alectoris graeca) Mated at Different Rates

This study was carried out to determine the hatchability characteristics of rock partridges mated at the ratio of one male to three females, one male to four females and one male to five females. Egg production/hen (%), fertile eggs/hen, fertility, hatchability and hatchability of fertile eggs of one male to three females, one male to four females and one male to five females groups were determined to be 40.53, 48.79 and 44.85%; 38.94, 42.16 and 38.30%; 88.37, 81.73 and 81.95%; 69.70, 65.47 and 66.50% and 78.97, 79.78 and 81.16%, respectively. There were significant differences between total egg production/hen and the fertility values of the groups (P < 0.05), but there were no significant effects for the other hatchability traits. It was determined that the number of females (from three to five) mated to a male had no effect on the hatchability characteristics of the rock partridge except for fertility; thus, this finding indicates that it is not necessary to keep extra breeding males.
Comparison of field and circuit generator models in single machine infinite bus system simulations

This paper compares the transient response of a finite element salient pole synchronous generator model connected to an infinite network bus to that of a system model based on an equivalent circuit representation of the machine. The characteristics and operating conditions of the two models are made equal as far as possible by thoroughgoing initiation and by using the finite element model for estimation of the circuit model parameters. It is found that the circuit model underestimates the stiffness and damping properties of the machine in comparison with the electromagnetic model, which largely is believed to be attributable to inadequate representation of the rotor circuits. The results raise questions regarding some common applications of equivalent circuit models.
Responses of elite road motorcyclists to racing in tropical conditions: a case study.

INTRODUCTION Anecdotal reports suggest that elite road motorcyclists suffer from high core body temperatures and physiological and perceptual strain when competing in hot conditions. METHODS Four male non-heat-acclimatized elite motorcyclists (3 Superbike, 1 Supersport) had their gastrointestinal temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate measured and recorded throughout practice, qualifying, and race sessions of an Australian Superbike and Supersport Championship round contested in tropical conditions. Physiological strain was calculated during the sessions, and fluid-balance measures were taken during practice and qualifying. Rider thermal sensation was assessed immediately postsession. RESULTS Mean ambient temperature and relative humidity were 29.5-30.2°C and 64.5-68.7%, respectively, across the sessions. Gastrointestinal temperature rose from 37.6°C to 37.7°C presession at a median rate of 0.035°C, 0.037°C ,and 0.067°C/min during practice, qualifying, and race sessions to reach medians of 38.9°C, 38.8°C, and 39.1°C postsession, respectively. The peak postsession gastrointestinal temperature was 39.8°C. Median heart rates were ~164, 160, and 177 beats/min during the respective practice, qualifying, and race sessions, contributing to median physiological strain of 5.5, 5.6, and 6.2 across the sessions. Sweat rates were 1.01 and 0.90 L/h during practice and qualifying sessions, while rider thermal sensation was very hot after each session. CONCLUSIONS This investigation confirms that elite road motorcyclists endure moderate to high physiological strain during practice, qualifying, and race sessions, exhibiting more-rapid rates of body-heat storage, higher core body temperatures, and higher physiological and perceptual strain than their stock-car-racing counterparts when competing in tropical conditions.
Association between maternal circulating 25 hydroxyvitamin D concentration and placental volume in the first trimester

Abstract Objectives: We aimed to assess placental volume and placental mean gray value in vitamin D deficiency and healthy placentas in the first trimester of pregnancy using three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography (USG) and Virtual Organ Computer-aided Analysis (VOCAL). Methods: This prospective cross sectional study comprised 274 patients, divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/ml deficient, n = 153, >20 ng/ml not deficient, n= 121) in the first trimester of pregnancy. Placental volume and placental volumetric mean gray values were evaluated. Placental volume (cm3) was analyzed using the VOCAL imaging program and a 3D histogram was used to calculate the volumetric mean gray value (%). Results: Placental volume was significantly less in the vitamin D deficiency group (p = 0.017) Volumetric mean gray value of the placenta was significantly higher in the vitamin D deficiency group (p= 0.003). Maternal serum PAPP-A (MoM) and f-β Hcg (MoM) were significantly lower in the vitamin D deficiency group (p= 0.008, p = 0.003, respectively). In linear regression analyses, serum vitamin D concentration was significantly associated with the plasental volume (β = 0.16; p = 0.01). Conclusion: Placental configuration and development were associated with vitamin D even in the first trimester of pregnancy. To ensure healthy pregnancy outcomes, vitamin D screening applied in the early stages of pregnancy or even before pregnancy.
Scavenger Receptor-BI Inhibits ATP-binding Cassette Transporter 1- mediated Cholesterol Efflux in Macrophages*

Scavenger receptor BI (SR-BI) facilitates the efflux of cellular cholesterol to plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL). Recently, the ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABC1) was identified as a key mediator of cholesterol efflux to apolipoproteins and HDL. The goal of the present study was to determine a possible interaction between the SR-BI and ABC1 cholesterol efflux pathways in macrophages. Free cholesterol efflux to HDL was increased (∼2.2-fold) in SR-BI transfected RAW macrophages in association with increased SR-BI protein levels. Treatment of macrophages with 8-bromo-cAMP (cAMP) resulted in a 4.1-fold increase in ABC1 mRNA level and also increased cholesterol efflux to HDL (2.2-fold) and apoA-I (5.5-fold). However, in SR-BI transfected RAW cells, cAMP treatment produced a much smaller increment in cholesterol efflux to HDL (1.1-fold) or apoA-I (3.3-fold) compared with control cells. In macrophages loaded with cholesterol by acetyl-LDL treatment, SR-BI overexpression did not increase cholesterol efflux to HDL but did inhibit cAMP-mediated cholesterol efflux to apoA-I or HDL. SR-BI neutralizing antibody led to a dose- and time-dependent increase of cAMP-mediated cholesterol efflux in both SR-BI transfected and control cells, indicating that SR-BI inhibits ABC1-mediated cholesterol efflux even at low SR-BI expression level. Transfection of a murine ABC1 cDNA into 293 cells led to a 2.3-fold increase of cholesterol efflux to apoA-I, whereas co-transfection of SR-BI with ABC1 blocked this increase in cholesterol efflux. SR-BI and ABC1 appear to have distinct and competing roles in mediating cholesterol flux between HDL and macrophages. In nonpolarized cells, SR-BI promotes the reuptake of cholesterol actively effluxed by ABC1, creating a futile cycle.
A Wide Input-Range ΣΔ Modulator for Applications to Spread-Spectrum Clock Generator

A spread-spectrum clock generator (SSCG) using fractional-N phase-locked loop (PLL) with an extended range sigma-delta (ΣΔ) modulator is presented in this paper. The proposed ΣΔ modulator simply adds an extra output bit in the first stage modulator. It can enlarge the input range about three times as compared to the conventional modulator and solve the saturation problem when the input exceeds the boundary of the conventional modulator. The proposed SSCG has been fabricated in TSMC 0.35-mum double-poly quadruple-metal CMOS process with output frequency of 300MHz. The active area is 0.63×0.62 mm2 and the power consumption is 17.5mW
Bayesian Learning Algorithm for Compressive Sensing of Non-Sparse ( EEG ) Signals

Compressive Sensing (CS) is an emerging compression technique that takes advantage of a signal’s sparsity to sample and compress this signal at the same time. Its many advantages as well as its satisfactory compression ratios (CR) makes it a very desirable technique in telemonitoring where the bandwidth available is very small and needs to be efficiently used. In the case of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, the data collected is not sparse and hence CS alone cannot be applied to it. For this reason, a Bayesian learning algorithm (BLA) is proposed in this paper to help with the recovery of the signals at the receiver. This recovery method was shown to outperform the state of the art CS recovery algorithm SPGL1.
Knowledge-based systems' validation: when to stop running test cases

One of the unsettled problems in knowledge engineering and, particularly, in the field of validation is to determine when the validation process of a knowledge-based system is complete. Some hints are given in the literature, but little, if any, work has been done on how to address this problem from an analytical viewpoint. In this paper, the validation field is briefly surveyed, and we take a look at what the validation process should consist of. Then, an analytical model is proposed for obtaining the optimum number of test cases for validating the knowledge-based system under study. This mathematical model takes into account the v-type (knowledge-based system classed according to the validation process) defined in this paper, the expected degree of confidence in the validation process and previous results from similar knowledge-based system validation processes. It should be mentioned here that a theoretical result is given to solve eminently practical problem, a rare occurrence in the field of artificial intelligence as a whole and especially in knowledge engineering.
Teaching practical wisdom in medicine through clinical judgement, goals of care, and ethical reasoning

Clinical decision making is a challenging task that requires practical wisdom—the practised ability to help patients choose wisely among available diagnostic and treatment options. But practical wisdom is not a concept one typically hears mentioned in medical training and practice. Instead, emphasis is placed on clinical judgement. The author draws from Aristotle and Aquinas to describe the virtue of practical wisdom and compare it with clinical judgement. From this comparison, the author suggests that a more complete understanding of clinical judgement requires its explicit integration with goals of care and ethical values. Although clinicians may be justified in assuming that goals of care and ethical values are implicit in routine decision making, it remains important for training purposes to encourage habits of clinical judgement that are consciously goal-directed and ethically informed. By connecting clinical judgement to patients' goals and values, clinical decisions are more likely to stay focused on the particular interests of individual patients. To cultivate wise clinical judgement among trainees, educational efforts should aim at the integration of clinical judgement, communication with patients about goals of care, and ethical reasoning. But ultimately, training in wise clinical judgement will take years of practice in the company of experienced clinicians who are able to demonstrate practical wisdom by example. By helping trainees develop clinical judgement that incorporates patients' goals of care and ethical reasoning, we may help lessen the risk that ‘clinical judgement’ will merely express ‘the clinician's judgement. ’
Establishing a standardized quality management system for the European Health Network GA2LEN *

To cite this article: Heinzerling L, Burbach G, van Cauwenberge P, Papageorgiou P, Carlsen K‐H, Lødrup Carlsen KC, Zuberbier T. Establishing a standardized quality management system for the European Health Network GA2LEN. Allergy 2010; 65: 743–752.
MR‐guided biopsy: A review of current techniques and applications

Biopsy has become a cornerstone of modern medicine and most modern biopsies are performed percutaneously using image guidance, typically computed tomography or ultrasound. MR‐guided biopsy offers many advantages over these more traditional modalities, and the recent development of interventional MR imaging techniques has made MR‐guided percutaneous biopsies and aspirations a clinical reality. As the field of MR‐guided procedures continues to expand and to attract more attention from radiologists, it is important to understand the concepts, techniques, applications, advantages, and limitations of MR‐guided biopsy/percutaneous procedures. Radiologists should also recognize the need for their significant involvement in the technical aspects of MR‐guided procedures, since several user‐defined parameters can alter device visualization in the MR imaging environment and affect procedure safety. This article reviews the prerequisites, systems, and applications of MR‐guided biopsy. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2008;27:311–325. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Social Robots: From Research to Commercialization

The fields of Social Robotics and Human-Robot Interaction are undergoing rapid growth, motivated by important societal challenges facing the general public such as aging in place, healthcare, education, manufacturing, transportation, and much more. Such applications motivate the development of ever more intelligent and capable autonomous robots and technologies that can work collaboratively with people in human environments. In the consumer marketplace, intelligent conversational technologies are entering the home at a surprising rate as Internet of Things devices are enabled by AI-based SDKs. Affordable social robots are also poised to enter the market as mass consumer products and 3rd party developer platforms.
Institutional effects of Comparative Government regulation for the Protection and Privacy of Health Data in the Cloud

This research is a comparative study of the institutional effects of regulatory and compliance issues surrounding cloud computing in healthcare. Our focus is on health care organizations and the IT industry, and how these two important stakeholders interpret and apply the privacy and security rules from the U.S. and EU. As an institutional environment, healthcare is experiencing coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphic pressures on macro, meso and micro levels. International governments are seeking ways to build capacity in the cloud computing market, yet they are faced with difficult issues in relation to privacy and security of personal data. Our findings suggest that regulatory and compliance is being developed ‘in response to’ rather than ‘in anticipation of’ technical change. Normative pressures to encourage healthcare organizations to develop effective data protection and privacy policies to comply with new regulatory change are further complicated in an environment where cloud data may be transferred across different legal and regulatory jurisdictions. Our findings show that healthcare organizations and cloud providers need to work more closely together as business associates. However, translating HIPAA and EU rules and regulations into practice is thwarted by a lack of legal and regulatory knowledge, particularly in the smaller
What can we learn from failed neuropathic pain trials?

Neuropathic pain is a complication of nerve injury due to metabolic (diabetes), infectious (HIV, herpes zoster), or traumatic causes. While there has been progress with the introduction of pregabalin and duloxetine, a need still exists for additional therapies and targets. This need is offset by the growing cost and complexity of neuropathic pain trials.1 An improved understanding of factors that might improve trial design is critically important. In this issue of Neurology ®, Katz et al.2 take an important step in this direction. They describe factors that are associated with positive vs negative outcomes in placebo-controlled neuropathic pain trials and draw parallels to similar analyses of depression trials. They analyzed study characteristics of 105 clinical trials performed between 1966 and 2005 that were reported in a recent meta-analysis that focused on drug classes believed to have a treatment effect.3 In some instances, trials in neuropathic pain have failed to demonstrate a treatment effect though there were reasons to be optimistic for a positive result based on prior results. Examples include trials of lamotrigine and gabapentin in painful diabetic neuropathy.4 In multivariate regression analyses, Katz et al. reported that a greater medication …