Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Formation flight of fixed-wing UAVs based on linear quadratic affine game

In this paper we propose a model of zero-sum differential games (ZSG) to perform the formation flight of a group of three fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The dynamics of these UAVs are described in the linearized model around nominal values. For the formation strategy, the game scheme for one of the UAVs acts as the leader vehicle following a freely designed trajectory meanwhile the two vehicles just follow the leader. A reduced dimension Riccati equation is solved in order to achieve the desired formation. A numerical example is provided to prove the strategy of the formation fight.
Thymectomy and anti‐muscle autoantibodies in late‐onset myasthenia gravis

Thymectomy is still widely carried out in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients, but its role, especially in late‐onset MG patients, is not established. These patients are immunologically heterogeneous, some with thymoma‐like and others with early onset‐like features. We evaluated whether any therapeutic effects of thymectomy correlate with the presence of non‐acetylcholine receptor (AChR) muscle antibodies. The severity of MG, and titin and ryanodine receptor (RyR) antibodies, were assessed yearly starting from MG onset in 21 thymectomized and 22 non‐thymectomized AChR antibody positive late‐onset MG patients, who were followed for 2, 3 and 5 years. Clinical or pharmacological remission were seen in six of 11 titin antibody negative but none of the 10 titin antibody positive thymectomized patients, however, the non‐thymectomized cases showed an opposite trend. The three MG‐related deaths were all in patients with titin antibodies. There was no significant difference in MG severity between thymectomized and non‐thymectomized patients; 2 years after MG onset, both groups were significantly improved. This study showed no dramatic benefit from thymectomy in late‐onset MG in general. Any limited improvement appeared less likely in cases with titin and/or RyR antibodies.
Reviews: Use of Warfarin in People with Low Glomerular Filtration Rate or on Dialysis

Atrial fibrillation, venous thromboembolism, and access malfunction are common clinical problems in dialysis patients that prompt consideration of warfarin therapy. Atrial fibrillation appears to be more common in people with low glomerular filtration rate (GFR) or on dialysis than in the general population, but the risk of stroke in this population is not known. No randomized trials have addressed the safety and efficacy of warfarin in these patients. Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are also more common in this population and, again, no randomized trials have addressed the safety and efficacy of warfarin in this group. Pending such information, we suggest an approach that generalizes from large randomized controlled trials in the general population, modifying the assessment of risks and benefits for individual patients using the CHADS2 and HEMORR2HAGES scores. A single randomized trial reported a clinically important benefit in prevention of catheter malfunction from warfarin and low‐molecular weight heparin started within 12 hours of catheter insertion, in the prevention of catheter thrombosis, in people treated with ticlopidine. Trials of low‐intensity anticoagulation for people with grafts and of fixed 1 mg daily warfarin dosing in people with catheters showed no benefit. Warfarin substantially increases the risk of bleeding in patients on dialysis. It is possible that it may contribute also to accelerated vascular calcification. Large randomized studies are needed to assess the risk–benefit ratio of warfarin in people with low GFR or on dialysis for a range of indications.
Generation of infectious Moloney murine leukemia viruses with deletions in the U3 portion of the long terminal repeat

Deletional analysis within the long terminal repeat (LTR) of Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV) was performed. By molecular cloning, deletions were made in the vicinity of the XbaI site at -150 base pairs (bp) in the U3 region, between the tandemly repeated enhancers and the TATA box. The effects of the deletions on LTR function were measured in two ways. First, deleted LTRs were fused to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and used in transient expression assays. Second, infectious M-MuLVs were generated by transfection of M-MuLV proviruses containing the deleted LTRs, and the relative infectivity of the mutant viruses was assessed by XC-syncytial assay. Most of the deleted LTRs examined showed relatively high promoter activity in the transient chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assays, with values ranging from 20 to 50% of the wild-type M-MuLV LTR. Thus, the sequences between the enhancers and the TATA box were not absolutely required for transient expression. However, infectivity of viruses carrying the same deleted LTRs showed more pronounced effects. Deletion of sequences from -195 to -174 bp reduced infectivity 20- to 100-fold. Deletion of sequences within the region from -174 to -122 bp did not affect infectivity, indicating that this region is dispensable. On the other hand, deletion of sequences from -150 to -40 bp reduced infectivity from 5 to 6 logs, although the magnitude of the reduction partly may have reflected threshold envelope protein requirements for positive XC assays. The reduced infectivity did not appear to result from a failure of proviral DNA synthesis or integration by the mutant. Thus, the infectivity measurements identified three functional domains in the region between the enhancers and the TATA box.
A review on Piper betle L.

Betel vine (Piper betle L.) belongs to genus Piper of the family Piperaceae. Leaves of Piper betle posses several bioactivities and are used in traditional medicinal systems. Many research studies on Piper betle has reported that it contains important chemical constituents and are acts to arouse action for its medicinal properties like anticancer, anti-allergic, anti-malaria, anti-filarial, antibacterial, antifungal study, insecticidal, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, gastro-protective, cyto-toxic, anti-platelet, wound healing activity, chlorophyllase activity, oral hygiene and anti-asthmatic effect. The present paper also focused on diseases of betel vine and their various symptoms.
μSmartScope: 3D-printed Smartphone Microscope with Motorized Automated Stage

Microscopic examination is currently the gold standard test for diagnosis of several neglected tropical diseases. However, reliable identification of parasitic infections requires in-depth train and access to proper equipment for subsequent microscopic analysis. These requirements are closely related with the increasing interest in the development of computer-aided diagnosis systems, and Mobile Health is starting to play an important role when it comes to health in Africa, allowing for distributed solutions that provide access to complex diagnosis even in rural areas. In this paper, we present a 3D-printed microscope that can easily be attached to a wide range of mobile devices models. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first proposed smartphone-based alternative to conventional microscopy that allows autonomous acquisition of a pre-defined number of images at 1000x magnification with suitable resolution, by using a motorized automated stage fully powered and controlled by a smartphone, without the need of manual focus of the smear slide. Reference smears slides with different parasites were used to test the device. The acquired images showed that was possible to visually detect those agents, which clearly illustrate the potential that this device can have, specially in developing countries with limited access to healthcare services.
GRAIL: A Goal-Discovering Robotic Architecture for Intrinsically-Motivated Learning

In this paper, we present goal-discovering robotic architecture for intrisically-motivated learning (GRAIL), a four-level architecture that is able to autonomously: 1) discover changes in the environment; 2) form representations of the goals corresponding to those changes; 3) select the goal to pursue on the basis of intrinsic motivations (IMs); 4) select suitable computational resources to achieve the selected goal; 5) monitor the achievement of the selected goal; and 6) self-generate a learning signal when the selected goal is successfully achieved. Building on previous research, GRAIL exploits the power of goals and competence-based IMs to autonomously explore the world and learn different skills that allow the robot to modify the environment. To highlight the features of GRAIL, we implement it in a simulated iCub robot and test the system in four different experimental scenarios where the agent has to perform reaching tasks within a 3-D environment.
Successful treatment with rituximab and mycophenolate mofetil of refractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia post‐hematopoietic stem cell transplant for dyskeratosis congenita due to TINF2 mutation

AIHA following allogeneic HSCT is appearing more frequently in the literature. It occurs as a result of donor cell‐derived antibodies targeting donor red cell antigens. Little guidance exists on the management of such patients, particularly in the pediatric setting. First‐line conventional treatment is corticosteroids and/or immunoglobulin therapy with monoclonal antibody therapy reserved for treatment failure. We report our experience of a child refractory to immunoglobulin and steroid therapy who required several infusions of rituximab and immunomodulatory therapy to obtain a clinically significant response.
A class of hierarchical fuzzy systems with constraints on the fuzzy rules

This paper presents a class of hierarchical fuzzy systems where previous layer outputs are used not in IF-parts, but only in THEN-parts of the fuzzy rules of the current layer. The proposed scheme is shown to be a universal approximator to any real continuous function on a compact set if complete fuzzy sets are used in the IF-parts of the fuzzy rules with singleton fuzzifier and center average defuzzifier. From the example of ball-and-beam control system simulation, it is demonstrated that the proposed scheme approximates with high accuracy a model nonlinear controller with fewer fuzzy rules than a centralized fuzzy system, and its control performance is comparable to that of a nonlinear controller.
Stochastic analysis of the departure and quasi-input processes in a versatile single-server queue

This paper is concerned with the stochastic analysis of the departure and quasi-input processes of a Markovian single-server queue with negative exponential arrivals and repeated attempts. Our queueing system is characterized by the phenomenon that a customer who finds the server busy upon arrival joins an orbit of unsatisfied customers. The orbiting customers form a queue such that only a customer selected according to a certain rule can reapply for service. The intervals separating two successive repeated attempts are exponentially distributed with rate c + j#, when the orbit size is j >_ 1. Negative arrivals have the effect of killing some customer in the orbit, if one is present, and they have no effect otherwise. Since customers can leave the system without service, the structural form of type M/G/1 is not preserved. We study the Markov chain with transitions occurring at epochs of service completions or negative arrivals. Then we investigate the departure and quasi-input processes.
Activation of the Hexosamine Pathway by Glucosamine in Vivo Induces Insulin Resistance in Multiple Insulin Sensitive Tissues.

We determined the effect of infusion of glucosamine (GlcN), which bypasses the rate limiting reaction in the hexosamine pathway, on insulin-stimulated rates of glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in vivo in rat tissues varying with respect to their glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFA) activity. Three groups of conscious fasted rats received 6-h infusions of either saline (BAS), insulin (18 mU/kg·min) and saline (INS), or insulin and GlcN (30 μmol/kg·min, GLCN). [3-3H]glucose was infused to trace whole body glucose kinetics and glycogen synthesis, and rates of tissue glucose uptake were determined using a bolus injection of[ 1-14C]2-deoxyglucose at 315 min. GlcN decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (315–360 min) by 49% (P < 0.001) at the level of the whole body, and by 31–53% (P < 0.05 or less) in the heart, epididymal fat, submandibular gland and in soleus, abdominis and gastrocnemius muscles. GlcN completely abolished glycogen synthesis in the liver. GlcN decreased insulin-stimu.
A Protocol for Peer-to-Peer Multi-Player Networked Virtual Ball Game

This paper reports our study of how to gain consistency of states in a ball-game typed Distributed Virtual Environment (DVE) with lag, in peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture. That is, we are studying how to reduce in real-time the difference of states between the participating terminals in a virtual ball game caused by transmission lag or update interval. We are also studying how to control shared objects in real-time in a server-less network architecture. Specifically, a priority field called Allocated Topographical Zone (AtoZ) is used in P2P for DVE. By implementing this function, each terminal can compute which avatar holds the ownership of a shared object by calculating mutually the state of the local avatar predicted by the remote terminals. The region for ownership determined by AtoZ allows an avatar to access and control an object dominantly, so that a geometrical property is dynamically changed depending upon the relative arrangement between the object and avatars. Moreover considering the critical case, defined as inconsistent phenomena between the peers, caused by the network latency, a stricter ownership determination algorithm, called dead zone is introduced. By using these protocols in combination, a robust and effective scheme is achieved for a virtual ball game. As an example of the application, a real-time networked doubles air-hockey is implemented for evaluation of the influence of these protocols on interactivity and on consistency.
Cellular drug resistance profiles that might explain the prognostic value of immunophenotype and age in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Immunophenotype and age have prognostic value in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) but how this operates is not understood. In 84 children with ALL at initial diagnosis we studied the correlation between these factors and the in vitro resistance to eight drugs, determined with the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. B-lineage ALL samples were classified into four differentiation stages: the CD10- proB ALL; cALL; preB ALL with cytoplasmic mu positive ALL cells; and B-ALL with surface immunoglobulin-positive (Ig+) cells. cALL and preB ALL cases have the best prognosis; proB and T-ALL cases show a worse prognosis and B-ALL the poorest prognosis. Patients aged < 18 months and > 10 years have a poor prognosis compared to patients in the intermediate age group. Our results show that cALL and preB ALL cells were the most drug-sensitive cells compared to the other phenotypes. No differences were found between cALL and preB ALL cases with the exception that preB cells were more sensitive to mustine and mafosfamide (Maf). Compared to cALL and preB ALL cases, T-ALL cases were significantly more resistant to prednisolone (Pred), daunorubicin (DNR), L-asparaginase (L-Asp), cytosine arabinoside (AraC), and Maf; proB ALL cases were more resistant to Pred, DNR, L-Asp, and 6-thioguanine. The three B-ALL cases were resistant to vincristine and DNR. Two out of three B-ALL were resistant to Pred. Compared to cells from patients aged 18 months to 10 years, cells from children < 18 months were more resistant to Pred and DNR; cells from children > 10 years were more resistant to Pred. We conclude that cellular drug-resistance patterns might at least partly explain the prognostic value of immunophenotype and age in childhood ALL.
Gastric Carcinoma Among Younger Individuals in Mississippi

During a time when gastric cancer in the United States appears to be decreasing in incidence and occurring primarily in older individuals, a 12-year review of our experience (1977 to 1989) has identified a disproportionate number of gastric cancers in the young black population. In this series of 97 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma, the mean age at diagnosis was 58 years (range, 22 to 84 years). There were 54 men (56%) and 43 women; 78 (80%) were black, 17 (18%) were white, one was American Indian, and one was Mexican. Fifty-two patients (54%) had stage IV disease at the time of presentation. Fifty-two patients (54%) were less than 60 years old at diagnosis; 45 (86%) of these were black men. We do not know the reason for this unusual age distribution, but a combination of environmental factors or an unusually susceptible population may be involved. Identification of a gastric ulcer in this cohort warrants careful follow-up and appropriate treatment.
Uprooted and Displaced: A Critical Narrative Study of Homeless, Aboriginal, and Newcomer Girls in Canada

Uprooting and displacement are a common part of everyday life for millions of girls and young women throughout the world. While much of the discourse has centered on movement from one country to another, uprooting and displacement are also a reality for many within Canada. Notably, a growing population of homeless girls and Aboriginal girls also have experienced uprooting and dislocation from home, community, and in some cases, family. For many of these girls, multiple forms of individual and systemic violence are central features of their lives. The primary purpose of this critical narrative study is to examine how uprooting and displacement have shaped mental health among three groups: (1) newcomers to Canada (immigrant and refugee girls); (2) homeless girls; and (3) Aboriginal girls. In-depth narrative interviews were conducted with 19 girls in Southwestern Ontario. Narrative themes revealed that although there is much diversity within and between these groups, uprooting and displacement create social boundaries and profound experiences of disconnections in relationships. Barriers to re/establishing connections generate dangerous spaces within interlocking systems of oppression. However, in negotiating new spaces, there is the potential for the forming and re-forming of alliances where sources of support hold the promise of hope. It is within these spaces of hope and pathways of engagement where connections offer a renewed sense of belonging and well-being. The findings highlight the relevance of the construct of uprootedness in girls' lives, provide beginning directions for the design of gender-specific and culturally meaningful interventions, and comprise a substantial contribution to the growing body of research related to girls and young women.
Genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators: using genetics and molecular design to understand complex physiology

This article reviews genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators (GECIs), with a focus on the use of these novel molecules in the context of understanding complex cell signalling in mammals, in vivo. The review focuses on the advantages and limitations of specific GECI design strategies and the results of experiments in which these molecules have been expressed in transgenic mice, concentrating particularly on recent experiments from our laboratory in which physiological signalling could be monitored in vivo. Finally, newer strategies for effective genetic specification of GECIs are briefly reviewed.
Does free nicotine replacement therapy for young adults prompt them to call a quitline?

Novel cigarette-appearing items have been introduced to the market with the intent, either stated or implied, of reducing toxicants in mainstream and second-hand smoke and/or helping smokers break their nicotine addiction. We report here the introduction to the market of electronic products that mimic a cigar, cigarette or pipe. These articles are unique in that they are the first to have the appearance of conventional tobacco products but contain no tobacco. The products deliver nicotine, at different amounts, but no smoke or tar. The items have been developed by Beijing SBT Ruyan Technologies and Development, Beijing, China (http:///www.sbtry.cn/anli-en.asp) and are marketed by the Create Times Industrial & Trading, Shenzhen, China (http://www.quism.net). The electronic cigar we purchased …
Political Artifacts In Scandinavia: An American Perspective

How does it stand with Scandinavian attempts to democratize technological choice? How can those efforts improve our grasp of the politics of technology? These are questions posed by an outsider. As a reader of books and articles, I have followed the projects carried out during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, work that sought to politicize technological choices in Scandinavian countries and to illuminate a theoretical grasp of what such work entails. The early history of sociotechnical job design, the Iron and Metals project of the 1970s, the work and ideals of the 1980s Arbetslivsentrum, the DEMOS, UTOPIA and Florence projects, and other such initiatives—all are chapters well worth studying. Along with other American social scientists, I’ve consumed with great relish corresponding sociological reports of design experiments in Swedish automobile manufacturing, studies of efforts in community control of technology in Denmark, as well as the writings of Scandinavian scholars in science and technology studies and design theory. Whether these reports portray successes or failures, they have always seemed to me most promising, not only for the ways they might help us understand the origins and dynamics of technological change, but also for possible help in getting a handle on matters that citizens of liberal democratic societies find baffling and inaccessible. My own connection to these matters stems from an ongoing project that interprets technological choices from the standpoint of classical and contemporary political theory. The issues that matter from this standpoint are one that concern a range of entities I call “political artifacts”. Political artifacts are devices and systems Political Artifacts In Scandinavia: An American Perspective
Learning decision trees from anonymized data

There is much interest in developing solutions for protecting data privacy in recent years, and many privacy models and data sanitization methods have been proposed. However, relatively little has been done to understand how existing data analysis techniques may be adapted to work with sanitized data. In this paper we report a study on learning decision trees from anonymized data. We sanitize data using the Mondrian algorithm to satisfy k-anonymity and adapt the ID3 algorithm to learn decision trees from sanitized data. Our preliminary experiments show that accurate decision trees can be learnt from anonymized data, and degradation of classification accuracy is no more than 2% with typical settings.
La consommation des produits animaux en France : Tendances et perspectives d'évolution

A partir des series statistiques issues de la Comptabilite Nationale, ce texte analyse les grandes tendances de la consommation des produits animaux en France depuis le debut des annees cinquante. Le taux de croissance de la consommation des viandes diminue regulierement tout au long de la periode, et une tendance a la saturation se manifeste de plus en plus clairement au cours des annees quatre-vingt. Les donnees des enquetes de consommation mettent en evidence la forte heterogeneite des comportements mais aussi leur regularite en fonction de certaines caracteristiques des menages comme le revenu et l'âge par exemple. Ces differents constats suggerent que parallelement a la poursuite des efforts de productivite, une politique de differenciation des produits est a l'ordre du jour.