Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Canal Identification for Fractional Linear Control Purposes

In this paper an LPV rational order control model of an irrigation canal is experimentally obtained by using the described LPV fractional identification procedure. Global LPV model is obtained from polynomial interpolation of local model parameters. Validation results demonstrate that rational order models are more accurate than integer order models. Therefore rational order models of an irrigation canal have an important role to play in management and efficient use of water resources.
An unified formalism based on gain switching for second order sliding mode control

In this paper, an unified formalism using gain switching is proposed, thanks to which some second order sliding mode control laws can be rewritten. Indeed, three second order sliding mode control laws, including the twisting algorithm, a second order sliding mode output feedback control and a very recent output feedback control (called “twisting-like”), are presented and written under a similar formalism. Then, convergence analysis is made for these three control laws by proposing a new theorem for the convergence condition. Finally, a comparison of the three control laws performances is made through an academic example.
Invasion of Protozoa by Legionella pneumophila and Its Role in Bacterial Ecology and Pathogenesis

The first recognized outbreak of pneumonia due to Legionella pneumophila occurred in Philadelphia, Pa. , in July of 1976 among 180 persons attending the 56th annual American Legion Convention. Twenty-nine patients died, and the disease became known as Legionnaires’ disease (23). Guinea pigs were infected with postmortem lung tissue from the patients with fatal Legionnaires’ disease, and embryonated yolk sacs were inoculated with spleen homogenates from the infected guinea pigs. In January of 1977, a gram-negative bacterium was isolated and designated L. pneumophila (36). The source of the infection during the Legionnaires’ convention was later found to be the air-conditioning system in the hotel. It has been documented that the hallmark of Legionnaires’ disease is the intracellular replication of L. pneumophila in alveolar spaces. At least 39 species of legionellae have been identified. Some of these are associated with disease, while others are environmental isolates; whether the latter can cause disease is not known. L. pneumophila is responsible for more than 80% of cases of Legionnaires’ disease, and among the 13 serogroups of L. pneumophila, serogroup 1 is responsible for more than 95% of Legionnaires’ disease cases. It is estimated that L. pneumophila is responsible for at least 25,000 cases of pneumonia per year in the United States, which is very probably an underestimate due to the difficulty of isolating bacteria from clinical samples. Since L. pneumophila is the most frequent cause of Legionnaires’ disease, most pathogenic and environmental studies have focused on L. pneumophila. In 1980, Rowbotham described the ability of L. pneumophila to multiply intracellularly within protozoa (40). Since then, L. pneumophila has been described to multiply in many species of protozoa, and this host-parasite interaction is central to the pathogenesis and ecology of L. pneumophila. Intracellular replication of L. pneumophila within mammalian and protozoan cells has been shown to occur in a ribosome-studded phagosome that does not fuse to lysosomes. Fields hypothesized that the L. pneumophila phagosome fuses to the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) (20). Immunocytochemistry has proven this prediction by demonstrating the presence of an RER-specific chaperon, the Bip protein, in ribosome-studded phagosomes within macrophages (45) and protozoa (1). Based on these characteristics, the L. pneumophila phagosome may be accurately described as an endosomal maturation-blocked (EMB) phagosome.
Circulating tumor cells: what goes around, comes around.

When invasive tumors are merely a few millimeters, they have the capacity to infiltrate normal tissue, create a reactive stroma, and generate a neovascular response. The tumor neovascularization creates an angiogenic support for cellular proliferation and vascular entry that leads to tumor dissemination. Despite excision of the primary neoplastic mass, residual tumor cells remain occult to physical or radiologic examination or serologic testing until recurrent malignancy is later identified in a metastatic site (1). These isolated tumor cells may have invaded the lympho-vascular system as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) or achieved an isolated tumor focus designated as disseminated tumor cells (DTCs), possibly detected in a bone marrow biopsy (2–4). Occult malignancy or minimal residual disease is thought to be the source of cancer relapse in patients whose postsurgical status represents no evidence of disease. Given that hematogenous metastases occur through a complex biologic pathway of vascular invasion, circulation, identification of a favorable metastatic site, and clonal expansion, it appears intuitive that identification of the leukemic phase of CTCs in peripheral blood or the deposition phase of DTCs in vascular-rich environments may be prognostic for tumor recurrence and metastasis. DTCs at the time of diagnosis predict a poor prognosis, and persistence of DTCs is associated with an increased risk for relapse (2,5,6). Although DTCs serve as a valuable prognostic tool, the invasive nature and pain associated with a bone marrow biopsy has encouraged researchers to seek other options to act as a surrogate for minimal residual disease. One of the more promising alternatives is the identification of CTCs in the peripheral blood (4,7,8). The basis for adjuvant chemotherapy is to reduce these residual tumor cells and prevent or prolong the time for these malignant cells to proliferate, disseminate, and generate clonal expansion in metastatic sites. The risk or hazard of tumor recurrence and formation of metastases is dependent on the biology of the tumor and may be predicted based on a set of surrogate markers. Prognostic factors have traditionally included tumor burden and extent (stage) and pathologic features and molecular expression indicative of relative aggressive behavior. The identification of CTCs represents an additional biomarker that provides insight into clinical behavior. Studies have shown that identification of CTCs reflects minimal residual disease and may offer prognostic information for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (9–12). CTCs are present in the buffy coat of a centrifuged blood sample with enhanced detection using a …
Crystal structure of pencycuron

In the title compound [systematic name: 1-(4-chlorobenzyl)-1-cyclopentyl-3-phenylurea], C19H21ClN2O, which is a urea fungicide, the cyclopentyl ring adopts an envelope conformation, with one of the methylene C atoms adjacent to the C atom bonding to the N atom as the flap. The dihedral angles between the mean planes of the central cyclopentyl ring (all atoms) and the chlorobenzyl and phenyl rings are 77.96 (6) and 57.77 (7)°, respectively. In the crystal, N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link adjacent molecules, forming C(4) chains propagating along the b-axis direction. The chains are linked by weak π–π interactions between the chlorobenzene rings [centroid–centroid separation = 3.9942 (9) Å], resulting in two-dimensional networks extending parellel to the (110) plane.
Adesivos de contacto na CaetanoBus

v Glossario viii 1. Introducao 1 1.1 Apresentacao da Empresa CaetanoBus 1 1.2 A substituicao dos adesivos de contacto a base de solvente na empresa CaetanoBus 2 1.3 Agentes quimicos no ambiente de trabalho 3 1.4 Analise comparativa dos adesivos a base solvente e a base de agua 5 2. Os adesivos a base de agua 8 2.1 Vantagens do uso de adesivos de contacto a base de agua 8 2.2 Composicao dos adesivos a base de agua 9 2.3 Os filmes adesivos 13 3. Os Compostos Orgânicos Volateis (COV’s) na CaetanoBus 15 3.1 Balanco de Gestao de Solventes 15 4. Estudo dos adesivos 18 4.1 Adesivos utilizados 18 4.2 Procedimento experimental 21 4.3 Ensaios de aderencia das juntas adesivas 24 4.4 Resultados e discussao dos ensaios a base de agua 27 4.5 Propostas para ambos os adesivos seleccionados 36 5. Comparacao dos custos na substituicao dos adesivos de contacto 38 6. Conclusoes 40 7. Apreciacao global do estagio 40 8. Bibliografia 41
Fine-scale behaviour of bottlenose dolphins around gillnets

We studied the fine-scale behaviour of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus around gillnets in North Carolina, USA, during May and June 2002. We made observations from an overhead digital video camera, suspended from a helium-filled aerostat, tethered 70 m above a fishing vessel. We positioned the camera above a gillnet set for Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus maculatus. We observed frequent encounters (n = 36) and interactions (n = 27) between dolphins and the net, but no dolphins became entangled. Most dolphins diverted their course around the net, but on nine occasions we observed dolphins engaging in depredation. We conclude that interactions between dolphins and these gillnets are common, but that entanglement is rare.
Estimation of the perceived level of reverberation using non-intrusive single-channel variance of decay rates

The increasing processing power of hearing aids and mobile devices has led to the potential for incorporation of dereverberation algorithms to improve speech quality for the listener. Assessing the effectiveness of deverberation algorithms using subjective listening tests is extremely time consuming and depends on averaging out listener variations over a large number of subjects. Also, most existing instrumental measures are intrusive and require knowledge of the original signal which precludes many practical applications. In this paper we show that the proposed non-intrusive single-channel algorithm is a predictor of the perceived level of reverberation that correlates well with subjective listening test results, outperforming many existing intrusive and non-intrusive measures. The algorithm requires only a single training step and has a very low computational complexity making it suitable for hearing aids and mobile telephone applications. The source code has been made freely available.
Preliminary studies on genetic diversity of selected Polish local chicken varieties.

The study was aimed at evaluation of the applicability of selected microsatellite markers in examining genetic diversity in five Polish local chicken varieties (two groups of native crested chickens, crestless native chickens from Subcarpathian region and two groups of native miniature chickens) and reveal their genetic relationships to five purebreds (Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Sussex, Greenleg Partridge, Minorca). About 22.8% (overall FST = 0.228) of the genetic variation was explained by differences between breeds and varieties. The DA genetic distances between five Polish native varieties and five purebreds varied between 0.154 and 0.440. The results obtained in this study indicate the great value of the collection and suggest the need for formal protection of these local Polish chicken varieties.
A Parallel Hybrid Framework for Graph Processing

Graphs are fundamental data structures that can capture relationship across different entities. Graphs can be used to model complicated data in different domains like social networks, web graphs, biological networks etc. Currently, the rate at which the data is being produced makes it very common for us to observe graphs with millions of nodes and billions of edges. In order to process these large graphs in an efficient fashion, we need to be able to exploit the inherent parallelism present in the graph traversals to run various graph based algorithms. In this paper, we explore the possibility to build a hybrid graph processing framework that uses both parallel models shared memory and message passing interface to efficiently execute various graph traversal algorithms to a larger scale by parallelizing. By using this hybrid approach we were able to achieve consistent and considerable speed-up of up to 9x over the serial implementation of the algorithms.
The effect of emphasis and position on word identification by adult cochlear implant listeners

Abstract This study examined the effect of emphasis and word position on word identification by postlingually deafened adult cochlear implant (CI) listeners (n = 20). These participants performed an identification task where Swedish (quasi-) minimal pairs were drawn from sentences and presented in a carrier sentence framework. It was found that emphasised stimuli were not identified more accurately than unemphasised stimuli. A regression analysis revealed a significant main effect for words drawn from the initial position in a sentence, however there was no interaction between original word position and emphasis. Post hoc analysis of the stimuli revealed that variations in the mean intensity of items arising from their original position in the sentence or emphasis status were unlikely to account for these results. These findings have implications for those who communicate regularly with CI listeners.
Characterization of surfactant proteins in porcine Eustachian tube

The Eustachian tube (ET) connects the upper respiratory tract and the middle ear. It equilibrates the pressure in the middle ear and prevents the harmful impact of the airways. Middle ear infection, or otitis media, is one of the most common illnesses in childhood and affects nearly all children at least once. ET dysfunction is considered to be a major pathogenic factor in the development of otitis media. Surfactant proteins A (SP-A) and D (SP-D) have an important role in the pulmonary host defence system, and interactions with bacteria that also cause middle ear infections raised a question about the expression of surfactant proteins in ET. The local defence system could be significant in preventing
Weight loss increases circulating levels of ghrelin in human obesity

objective Ghrelin, a novel endogenous ligand for the GH secretagogue receptor, has been reported to have adipogenic actions and induce weight gain in addition to its GH‐releasing properties. Interestingly, recent data indicate that ghrelin is downregulated in human obesity, which is also known to be accompanied by reduced GH levels.
Comparison of cerebral blood flow velocity estimation with cranial ultrasound imaging for early prediction of outcome in preterm infants

Seventy‐four low birth weight infants underwent serial measurements of cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) using Doppler ultrasound together with ultrasound imaging of the brain. Surviving infants were examined and assessed using the Bayley scales of mental and motor development at 18 months post‐term. There were no significant differences in mean CBFV between normal and impaired infants. Infants with abnormal neurological signs (n = 6) or developmental delay (n = 3) did not show the usual steady rise in CBFV during the first few days of life. Four of nine had a rise, then a fall in CBFV compared with 4 of 31 with complete data in the normal group. This difference is significant (χ2 = 4.3, p = 0.03). The magnitude of the percentage increase between day 1 and day 3 was also smaller in the abnormal group (median 0% vs. 39%, Mann–Whitney p = 0.03). A structural abnormality seen on the cranial ultrasound image was a better predictor of adverse outcome than an abnormal CBFV pattern, with a better sensitivity and specificity (66% and 97% for imaging compared to 44% and 87% for CBFV). The addition of serial ultrasound Doppler measurements of CBFV did not improve the prediction of outcome obtained using ultrasound imaging alone. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
High Bone Turnover in Mice Carrying a Pathogenic Notch2 Mutation Causing Hajdu‐Cheney Syndrome

Hajdu‐Cheney syndrome (HCS) is a rare autosomal‐dominant disorder primarily characterized by acro‐osteolysis and early‐onset osteoporosis. Genetically, HCS is caused by nonsense or deletion mutations within exon 34 of the NOTCH2 gene, resulting in premature translational termination and production of C‐terminally truncated NOTCH2 proteins that are predicted to activate NOTCH2‐dependent signaling. To understand the role of Notch2 in bone remodeling, we developed a mouse model of HCS by introducing a pathogenic mutation (6272delT) into the murine Notch2 gene. By μCT and undecalcified histology, we observed generalized osteopenia in two independent mouse lines derived by injection of different targeted embryonic stem (ES) cell clones, yet acro‐osteolysis did not occur until the age of 52 weeks. Cellular and dynamic histomorphometry revealed a high bone turnover situation in Notch2+/HCS mice, since osteoblast and osteoclast indices were significantly increased compared with wild‐type littermates. Whereas ex vivo cultures failed to uncover cell‐autonomous gain‐of‐functions within the osteoclast or osteoblast lineage, an unbiased RNA sequencing approach identified Tnfsf11 and Il6 as Notch‐signaling target genes in bone marrow cells cultured under osteogenic conditions. Because we further observed that the high‐turnover pathology of Notch2+/HCS mice was fully normalized by alendronate treatment, our results demonstrate that mutational activation of Notch2 does not directly control osteoblast activity but favors a pro‐osteoclastic gene expression pattern, which in turn triggers high bone turnover. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Dexamethasone in Vietnamese adolescents and adults with bacterial meningitis.

BACKGROUND It is uncertain whether all adults with bacterial meningitis benefit from treatment with adjunctive dexamethasone. METHODS We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of dexamethasone in 435 patients over the age of 14 years who had suspected bacterial meningitis. The goal was to determine whether dexamethasone reduced the risk of death at 1 month and the risk of death or disability at 6 months. RESULTS A total of 217 patients were assigned to the dexamethasone group, and 218 to the placebo group. Bacterial meningitis was confirmed in 300 patients (69.0%), probable meningitis was diagnosed in 123 patients (28.3%), and an alternative diagnosis was made in 12 patients (2.8%). An intention-to-treat analysis of all the patients showed that dexamethasone was not associated with a significant reduction in the risk of death at 1 month (relative risk, 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45 to 1.39) or the risk of death or disability at 6 months (odds ratio, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.47 to 1.17). In patients with confirmed bacterial meningitis, however, there was a significant reduction in the risk of death at 1 month (relative risk, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.20 to 0.94) and in the risk of death or disability at 6 months (odds ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.98). These effects were not found in patients with probable bacterial meningitis. Results of multivariate analysis indicated that dexamethasone treatment for patients with probable bacterial meningitis was significantly associated with an increased risk of death at 1 month, an observation that may be explained by cases of tuberculous meningitis in the treatment group. CONCLUSIONS Dexamethasone does not improve the outcome in all adolescents and adults with suspected bacterial meningitis; a beneficial effect appears to be confined to patients with microbiologically proven disease, including those who have received prior treatment with antibiotics. (Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN42986828 [controlled-trials.com] .).
Criteria for objective definition of transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxation.

We developed and evaluated objective manometric criteria that define transient lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxation. In 23 normal subjects and 9 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, systematic analysis of swallow-induced LES relaxation showed that dry swallows preceded LES relaxation by a median of 1.4 s. The relaxation rate was always > 1 mmHg/s, the relaxation nadir always occurred within 7 s, and the duration of relaxation was < 9 s. During concurrent esophageal manometry and pH monitoring, 104 reflux episodes associated with a LES pressure fall that was not related to swallowing were identified and the pressure falls classified as transient LES relaxations or not by visual recognition. LES pressure was always < or = 2 mmHg at time of reflux, and relaxation was significantly longer than for swallow-induced LES relaxation. Of 88 pressure falls classified visually as transient LES relaxations, 90% reached nadir pressure within 7 s at a rate of > 1 mmHg/s. Sixteen pressure falls were classified as a gradual downward drift in LES pressure, which in 15 cases was < 1 mmHg/s. Based on the analysis, transient LES relaxation can be defined by 1) absence of swallowing for 4 s before to 2 s after the onset of LES relaxation, 2) relaxation rate of > or = 1 mmHg/s, 3) time from onset to complete relaxation of < or = 10 s, and 4) nadir pressure of < or = 2 mmHg. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Development and Validation of a Video-Based Social Knowledge Test for Junior Commissioned Army Officers

Abstract : Social knowledge/skill are increasingly critical to the success of U.S. Army officers. In this paper, we describe development and criterion-related validation of an experimental video-based social knowledge test (SKT) that uses an open-ended response format. This SKT, which measures social knowledge required for junior commissioned officers, overcomes important limitations inherent in other types of social knowledge measures. The limitations overcome by this experimental SKT include: (1) reliance on verbal stimuli that are not truly "social" in nature, and (2) specification of response options from which examines must choose, thereby limiting ecological validity since effective social behavior usually requires people to generate their own responses. Our SKT was found to have excellent psychometric properties and to correlate at both statistically and practically significant levels with three out of the five dimensions that make up the social performance domain. This SKT, and others that may be developed using similar methodology but different content, shows great promise both for training and selection/classification applications.
Raciocínio deôntico em reclusos

A teoria dos modelos mentais (Johnson-Laird, 1983, 2006; Johnson-Laird & Byrne, 1991) tem, recentemente, investido na compreensao do processo de modulacao (semântica e pragmatica) do raciocinio condicional (Johnson-Laird & Byrne, 2002; Quelhas & Byrne, 2003; Quelhas & Johnson-Laird, 2004, 2005; Quelhas, Johnson-Laird, & Juhos, 2010). O presente estudo insere-se nesse âmbito, nomeadamente na compreensao da modulacao pragmatica que deriva de conhecimentos relacionados com o modo de vida das pessoas. Para esse efeito seleccionamos uma amostra de participantes que cumpriam pena num estabelecimento prisional (reclusos), e fomos avaliar o seu modo de compreender frases condicionais deonticas (e.g., “Se o jovem votar, entao tem de ter completado 18 anos”), e de raciocinar com esse tipo de frases. Como grupo de controlo usamos uma amostra sem qualquer contacto com o sistema judicial, e avaliamos o juizo moral em ambas as amostras. Os resultados replicam efeitos de modulacao semântica, i.e., frases condicionais identicas na forma (Se p, entao q), mas de diferentes conteudos, sao interpretadas de modo diferente. Como consequencia de as pessoas considerarem diferentes possibilidades, congruentes com cada frase, irao tambem representar diferentes modelos mentais e assim ter diferentes padroes nas inferencias condicionais. Mas, no que respeita a modulacao pragmatica, que nos fazia esperar diferencas no grupo de reclusos, nenhum resultado vai nesse sentido, i.e., os reclusos interpretam as frases deonticas do mesmo modo, fazem os mesmos padroes inferenciais, e tambem nao se diferenciam pelo nivel de juizo moral do grupo de controle.