Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelling and Optimal Control of Typhoid Fever Disease with Cost-Effective Strategies

We propose and analyze a compartmental nonlinear deterministic mathematical model for the typhoid fever outbreak and optimal control strategies in a community with varying population. The model is studied qualitatively using stability theory of differential equations and the basic reproductive number that represents the epidemic indicator is obtained from the largest eigenvalue of the next-generation matrix. Both local and global asymptotic stability conditions for disease-free and endemic equilibria are determined. The model exhibits a forward transcritical bifurcation and the sensitivity analysis is performed. The optimal control problem is designed by applying Pontryagin maximum principle with three control strategies, namely, the prevention strategy through sanitation, proper hygiene, and vaccination; the treatment strategy through application of appropriate medicine; and the screening of the carriers. The cost functional accounts for the cost involved in prevention, screening, and treatment together with the total number of the infected persons averted. Numerical results for the typhoid outbreak dynamics and its optimal control revealed that a combination of prevention and treatment is the best cost-effective strategy to eradicate the disease.
Cutting Edge: Resistance to Apoptosis and Continuous Proliferation of Dendritic Cells Deficient for TNF Receptor-11

The individual roles of the two TNFRs on dendritic cells (DC) are poorly understood. Investigating bone marrow-derived DC from TNFR-deficient mice, we found that cultures from TNFR1−/− mice continue to form proliferating clusters for 6–9 mo. In contrast, DC derived from wild-type, TNFR2−/−, or TNFR1/2−/− mice survived for only 3–4 wk. DC obtained from these TNFR1−/− long term cultures (LTC) mice show an unusual mixed immature/mature phenotype. The continuous proliferation of the LTC is GM-CSF dependent and correlates with decreased protein levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p27KIP1 and p21CIP1. Prolonged survival of TNFR1−/− DC appears to be independent from NF-κB and Bcl-2 pathways and is rather enabled by the down-regulation of CD95, resulting in the resistance to CD95 ligand-induced apoptosis. These data point to proapoptotic signals mediated via TNFR1 and antiapoptotic signals mediated via TNFR2 in DC.
Cooperative interaction of Ets‐1 with USF‐1 required for HIV‐1 enhancer activity in T cells

The distal enhancer region of the human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV‐1) long terminal repeat (LTR) is known to be essential for HIV replication and to contain immediately adjacent E‐box and Ets binding sites. Based on a yeast one‐hybrid screen we have identified the E‐box binding protein USF‐1 as a direct interaction partner of Ets‐1 and found that the complex acts on this enhancer element. The binding surfaces of USF‐1 and Ets‐1 map to their DNA‐binding domains and although these domains are highly conserved, the interaction is very selective within the respective protein family. USF‐1 and Ets‐1 synergize in specific DNA binding as well as in the transactivation of reporter constructs containing the enhancer element, and mutations of the individual binding sites dramatically reduce reporter activity in T cells. In addition, a dominant negative Ets‐1 mutant inhibits both USF‐1‐mediated transactivation and the activity of the HIV‐1 LTR in T cells. The inhibition is independent of Ets DNA‐binding sites but requires the Ets binding surface on USF‐1, highlighting the importance of the direct protein–protein interaction. Together these results indicate that the interaction between Ets‐1 and USF‐1 is required for full transcriptional activity of the HIV‐1 LTR in T cells.
Study of finite ground plane effects in circularly-polarized circular microstrip antennas

Finite ground plane effects of circularly-polarized circular microstrip antenna (CMA), working in dominant TM11 mode, are studied. The results of an analytic solution, based on the induced currents on the ground plane, show that the beamwidth where the axial ratio is below 3 dB, has its maximum value when the ground diameter is around 0.6 λ. This result is verified by full-wave simulation and through experiment. Based on the results, we conclude that for a single circularly polarized CMA, a ground diameter around 0.68 λ, ensures an axial ratio which remains below 3 dB in the upper hemisphere. This is particularly useful for the global positioning system.
SVM-Based Fuzzy Decision Trees for Classification of High Spatial Resolution Remote Sensing Images

A novel fuzzy decision tree is proposed in this paper (the FDT-support vector machine (SVM) classifier), where the node discriminations are implemented via binary SVMs. The tree structure is determined via a class grouping algorithm, which forms the groups of classes to be separated at each internal node, based on the degree of fuzzy confusion between the classes. In addition, effective feature selection is incorporated within the tree building process, selecting suitable feature subsets required for the node discriminations individually. FDT-SVM exhibits a number of attractive merits such as enhanced classification accuracy, interpretable hierarchy, and low model complexity. Furthermore, it provides hierarchical image segmentation and has reasonably low computational and data storage demands. Our approach is tested on two different tasks: natural forest classification using a QuickBird multispectral image and urban classification using hyperspectral data. Exhaustive experimental investigation demonstrates that FDT-SVM is favorably compared with six existing methods, including traditional multiclass SVMs and SVM-based binary hierarchical trees. Comparative analysis is carried out in terms of testing rates, architecture complexity, and computational times required for the operative phase.
Impact of Retailers with Knowledge of Supplier's Inventory on Supply Chain Performance

We model a supply chain consisting of a supplier and multiple retailers facing deterministic demand. We denote some retailers as strategic in the sense that given the supplier inventory information, they will implement the optimal stocking policy by incorporating such information. On the other hand, some retailers are denoted as naïve in the sense that they ignore supply information and resort to a simplistic ordering policy. Naïve retailers learn the optimal policy over time and adjust their orders accordingly. We study the dynamics of this game and investigate the impact of such strategic and naïve retailers on the cost, ordering pattern and stocking policies of all parties. We analyze the supply chain under two scenarios: the centralized supply chain where the objective is to minimize the total supply chain cost, and the decentralized supply chain where each self‐interested player minimizes its own cost in a Stackelberg game setting. We fully characterize the optimal policies under both centralized and decentralized scenarios and show that, surprisingly, the supply chain might be better off by virtue of naïve retailers. The result is driven by the fact that strategic and naïve players’ decisions shift the positioning of inventory in the supply chain with its final impact being determined by the relative costs of different retailer‐types. Our results also offer managerial insights into how access to supply information can improve supply chain performance.
The remarkable restoration of the Rhine: plural rationalities in regional water politics

ABSTRACT The restoration of the Rhine basin is widely viewed as an exemplary case of international water protection. The river’s clean-up has been characterized by a number of puzzling developments. These include chemical companies reducing their toxic effluents by more than legally required, and riparian governments quarrelling internationally over environmental measures that each of them were undertaking domestically. It is argued that the plural rationality (or cultural) theory pioneered by Dame Mary Douglas offers an empirically valid explanation of these remarkable processes.
Diagonal examples for design space exploration in an educational environment City-1

City-1 is an educational environment for microcomputer design using hardware description languages (HDLs) such as VHDL and Verilog-HDL, which are used to describe specifications expected to be implemented by using field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). More than 40 original computers ore created within 15 weeks by junior students every year since 1996. The key aspect of this educational environment is the teaching materials to present "diagonal examples", which are two types of HDL descriptions: (1) a horizontal microcode like state assignment for the control unit and (2) three stages fully interlocked pipelined CISC with its reservation table. These descriptions are placed diagonally with the prior (1') shift-register like state assignment for the control unit and (2') several stages pipelined RISC with delayed operations expressed by a data-path chart, which are familiar to the students through other course subjects. During the first three years, 140 students out of 164 students succeeded to complete entire design and fabrication phases. 76 machines were CISC and 64 machines were RISC. 93 machines out of 140 machines were from 2 to 4 stages pipelined CISC/RISC. A couple of students advanced their studies on Data-Driven Neumann Machine (DDNM) architecture in their graduation reports.
Diet quality score is a predictor of type 2 diabetes risk in women: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health

The present study aimed to determine the ability of two diet quality scores to predict the incidence of type 2 diabetes in women. The study population comprised a nationally representative sample of 8370 Australian middle-aged (45–50 years) women participating in the ALSWH (Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health), who were free of diabetes and completed FFQ at baseline. The associations between the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) and Dietary Guideline Index (DGI) with type 2 diabetes risk were assessed using multiple logistic regression models, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors and energy intake. During 6 years of follow-up, 311 incident cases of type 2 diabetes were reported. The DGI score was inversely associated with type 2 diabetes risk (OR comparing the highest with the lowest quintile of DGI was 0·51; 95 % CI 0·35, 0·76; P for trend = 0·01). There was no statistically significant association between the ARFS and type 2 diabetes risk (OR comparing the highest with the lowest quintile of ARFS was 0·99; 95 % CI 0·68, 1·43; P for trend = 0·42). The results of the present prospective study indicate that the DGI score, which assesses compliance with established dietary guidelines, is predictive of type 2 diabetes risk in Australian women. The risk of type 2 diabetes among women in the highest quintile of DGI was approximately 50 % lower than that in women in the lowest quintile. The ARFS was not significantly predictive of type 2 diabetes.
Globally Distributed Mycobacterial Fish Pathogens Produce a Novel Plasmid-Encoded Toxic Macrolide, Mycolactone F

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium ulcerans and Mycobacterium marinum are closely related pathogens which share an aquatic environment. The pathogenesis of these organisms in humans is limited by their inability to grow above 35°C. M. marinum causes systemic disease in fish but produces localized skin infections in humans. M. ulcerans causes Buruli ulcer, a severe human skin lesion. At the molecular level, M. ulcerans is distinguished from M. marinum by the presence of a virulence plasmid which encodes a macrolide toxin, mycolactone, as well as by hundreds of insertion sequences, particularly IS2404. There has been a global increase in reports of fish mycobacteriosis. An unusual clade of M. marinum has been reported from fish in the Red and Mediterranean Seas and a new mycobacterial species, Mycobacterium pseudoshottsii, has been cultured from fish in the Chesapeake Bay, United States. We have discovered that both groups of fish pathogens produce a unique mycolactone toxin, mycolactone F. Mycolactone F is the smallest mycolactone (molecular weight, 700) yet identified. The core lactone structure of mycolactone F is identical to that of M. ulcerans mycolactones, but a unique side chain structure is present. Mycolactone F produces apoptosis and necrosis on cultured cells but is less potent than M. ulcerans mycolactones. Both groups of fish pathogens contain IS2404. In contrast to M. ulcerans and conventional M. marinum, mycolactone F-producing mycobacteria are incapable of growth at above 30°C. This fact is likely to limit their virulence for humans. However, such isolates may provide a reservoir for horizontal transfer of the mycolactone plasmid in aquatic environments.
Image enhancement and iris localization based on 2D complex matched filter for noisy images

Iris image preprocessing is one of the most important steps in iris recognition system. It includes both iris localization and some solutions for in-band noise removal like lighting, eyelashes, eyelids, reflections, etc. In this paper, it proposed a new iris-preprocessing algorithm, in which adopted on one of the famous phenomena on communication system (Matched filter). After this, it made some enhancement for noisy databases that is necessary in the automatic iris recognition system. The algorithm is test to be in effect through our experiments on 2400 iris images from The Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and 2435 iris images University of Bath database. Our goal is to remove the unwanted information and emphasis the wanted one in less time for noisy images. This improvement is significant for the real time application systems that are sensitive to noise, demand precise segmentation results and has time constraints.
TCP for wireless network

Video transmitted over error prone channel is always subject to packet losses. One way, how to deal with this problem is using connection-oriented, end-to-end reliable protocol. In this paper we focused on several implementations of transmission control protocol, which fulfill the conditions for reliable delivery of information. Tahoe, Reno and New Reno implementation supported by TCP are part of congestion avoidance mechanisms of the protocol suite. The main difference between them is mechanism of detection and reaction on the packet loss. Thus we have tried to evaluate their performance.
Noun-modifying clauses in Cantonese

Whether relative clauses can be identified in Chinese is a recurrent question. We ask whether relative clauses are distinct from other noun-modifying clause constructions in Cantonese, one of many East Asian languages in which a noun can be preceded by a diverse range of modifying clauses. The relationship between head noun and modifying clause may be a grammatical one, with the head noun being understood as an argument or an adjunct of the modifying clause; or its interpretation may be dependent on semantic and pragmatic factors. We conclude that Cantonese has a General Noun-Modifying Clause Construction as proposed for Japanese (Matsumoto et al., this volume), with relative clauses forming a subset of modifying clauses in which a grammatical relation obtains.
Pattern Recognition in Drug Design Through Image Processing

The aim of the study is molecular features extraction from bulky scientific data. Pattern recognition is used in many scientific areas. It can be viewed as a kind of "learning" from sample patterns. In chemistry, graphical images based on specific descriptions of molecules are a kind of patterns, and these images were used for the activity of compounds prediction through the use of different techniques for image processing
Chromium picolinate, rather than biotin, alleviates performance and metabolic parameters in heat-stressed quail

1. The effects of chromium picolinate and biotin supplementation alone and in combination on performance, carcase characteristics, malondialdehyde (MDA), vitamin C, vitamin E, glucose and cholesterol levels were evaluated in Japanese quail exposed to high ambient temperature. 2. Two hundred and forty quails (10 d old) were assigned randomly to 4 dietary treatments at room temperature (22°C; thermoneutral, TN) or ambient (34°C for 8 h/d; heat stress, HS). Both TN and HS were fed either on a basal (control) diet or the basal diet supplemented with 400 µg of Cr/kg (Cr group), 0·5 mg of biotin/kg of diet (biotin group) or both (Cr + Biotin group). 3. Supplementing the diet of heat-stressed quails with chromium picolinate improved live weight gain, feed intake, feed efficiency and carcase traits. Biotin supplementation during TN and HS conditions did not have any beneficial effects on body weight gain, feed intake, feed efficiency or carcase traits. 4. Either in combination or alone, chromium picolinate increased serum concentrations of vitamins C and E, but decreased MDA, glucose and cholesterol concentrations in birds kept at high ambient temperature. There was no difference in vitamins C and E and MDA concentrations between birds given chromium picolinate and birds receiving chromium picolinate plus biotin, while glucose and cholesterol levels were significantly lower in all groups. The lowest concentrations of cholesterol and glucose were found in the combination group under both TN and HS conditions. An interaction between diet and temperature was detected for glucose and cholesterol concentrations. 5. Excretion rates for zinc, iron and chromium were lower in TN groups than in the corresponding HS groups. Supplementing diet with chromium picolinate and chromium picolinate plus biotin decreased excretion of minerals while biotin alone did not effect excretion of minerals. 6. Chromium supplementation, but not biotin supplementation, attenuated the decline in performance and antioxidant status resulting from heat stress.
Molecular Detection of FUS-CREB3L2 Fusion Transcripts in Low-grade Fibromyxoid Sarcoma Using Formalin-fixed, Paraffin-embedded Tissue Specimens

A diagnosis of low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS) remains problematic because of its bland-looking histologic features that can be potentially confused with other benign or low-grade fibromyxoid lesions. Recent cytogenetic and molecular analyses have shown that most LGFMSs have a characteristic chromosomal abnormality, t(7;16)(q33;p11), resulting in the FUS-CREB3L2 fusion gene. However, such assays have only rarely been used to analyze formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples. In the present study, we conducted a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay to detect the FUS-CREB3L2 fusion transcripts using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue specimens from 16 LGFMSs including 3 cases with giant collagen rosettes. The primers were newly designed to specifically amplify most of the junctional regions of the FUS-CREB3L2 fusion gene transcripts previously reported. The FUS-CREB3L2 fusion gene transcripts were detected in 14/16 (88%) cases of LGFMS. A nucleotide sequence analysis of the PCR products revealed that different portions of the FUS exon 6 or 7 were fused with various sites of the CREB3L2 exon 5, resulting in 12 different nucleotide sequences. We also tested a primer set to detect the FUS-CREB3L1 fusion transcript, which is a rare variant of the gene fusion in LGFMS, although no PCR products were identified in any case. The FUS-CREB3L2 fusion transcripts were not detected in any of the 123 other soft-tissue tumors, including desmoid-type fibromatoses, myxofibrosarcomas, soft-tissue perineuriomas, and congenital or adult fibrosarcomas. These data suggest that our reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay is a reliable method to detect FUS-CREB3L2, which can thus help in accurately diagnosing LGFMS.
A transcript profiling approach reveals an epicatechin-specific glucosyltransferase expressed in the seed coat of Medicago truncatula

Expression of the Arabidopsis TRANSPARENT TESTA 2 (TT2) MYB family transcription factor leads to massive accumulation of proanthocyanidins (PAs) in hairy roots of Medicago truncatula. Microarray analysis showed that TT2 induces genes for flavonoid/PA biosynthesis, transcription factors, and a large number of genes of unknown function. A second microarray dataset identified genes that were preferentially expressed in the M. truncatula seed coat. Comparison of the two datasets defines target genes for steps that are yet unidentified in PA biosynthesis and accumulation. Of these genes, a glycosyltransferase, UGT72L1, was active specifically toward the PA precursor (−)−epicatechin, and its expression pattern in developing seeds correlated with the presence of epicatechin glucoside and accumulation of PAs. UGT72L1 may be involved in the production of epicatechin 3′-O-glucoside in the seed coat as a key step in PA biosynthesis or its regulation.
BEAS: Bounded Evaluation of SQL Queries

We demonstrate BEAS, a prototype system for querying relations with bounded resources. BEAS advocates an unconventional query evaluation paradigm under an access schema A, which is a combination of cardinality constraints and associated indices. Given an SQL query Q and a dataset D, BEAS computes Q(D) by accessing a bounded fraction DQ of D, such that Q(DQ) = Q(D) and DQ is determined by A and Q only, no matter how big D grows. It identifies DQ by reasoning about the cardinality constraints of A, and fetches DQ using the indices of A. We demonstrate the feasibility of bounded evaluation by walking through each functional component of BEAS. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate how BEAS conducts CDR analyses in telecommunication industry, compared with commercial database systems.
Plasma brain natriuretic peptide level as a biochemical marker of morbidity and mortality in patients with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. Comparison with plasma angiotensin II and endothelin-1.

AIMS To evaluate the level of plasma brain natriuretic peptide as a predictor of morbidity and mortality in patients with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. METHODS We measured plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide, brain natriuretic peptide, norepinephrine, angiotensin II, and endothelin-1 and monitored haemodynamic parameters in 290 consecutive patients with asymptomatic or minimally and newly symptomatic left ventricular dysfunction (functional classes I-II, mean left ventricular ejection fraction=37%). All patients were followed up for a median period of 812 days. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the association of variables with mortality and morbidity. RESULTS At the end of the follow-up, 24 patients had suffered cardiac death and 25 had been hospitalized for worsening heart failure during the follow-up period. Among 21 variables such as clinical characteristics, treatment, haemodynamics, and neurohumoral factors, high levels of plasma brain natriuretic peptide (P<0.0001), norepinephrine (P=0.042), left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (P=0.0035), and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (P=0.033) were shown to be independent predictors of mortality and morbidity by stepwise multivariate analysis. Moreover, only a high level of plasma brain natriuretic peptide (P<0.0001) was shown to be an independent predictor of mortality in these patients. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that a high plasma brain natriuretic peptide level provides information about mortality and morbidity in patients with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic left ventricular dysfunction.