Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal Smoothing Splines for Detecting Extrema from Observational Data

In this paper, we present a method for detecting and computing the extrema from observational data by using spline curves. First, we approximate a given set of discrete data by designing optimal smoothing spline curves using normalized uniform B-splines as the basis functions. Then, we show the method for detecting and computing all the extrema of designed splines and/or of its first derivative. Here, utilizing the fact that splines are continuously differentiable piecewise polynomials, we only need to detect and compute the extrema of the polynomial and its first derivative in turn for each interval between the knot points. This process is easily carried out since the polynomial in each interval is characterized by a few control points. Finally we verified the validities by numerical experiments. In particular, the detection and computation of the extrema of the first derivative are used for edge detection in digital images.
Clinical trial of a novel surface cooling system for fever control in neurocritical care patients*

Objective:To compare the efficacy of a novel water-circulating surface cooling system with conventional measures for treating fever in neuro-intensive care unit patients. Design:Prospective, unblinded, randomized controlled trial. Setting:Neurologic intensive care unit in an urban teaching hospital. Patients:Forty-seven patients, the majority of whom were mechanically ventilated and sedated, with fever ≥38.3°C for >2 consecutive hours after receiving 650 mg of acetaminophen. Interventions:Subjects were randomly assigned to 24 hrs of treatment with a conventional water-circulating cooling blanket placed over the patient (Cincinnati SubZero, Cincinnati OH) or the Arctic Sun Temperature Management System (Medivance, Louisville CO), which employs hydrogel-coated water-circulating energy transfer pads applied directly to the trunk and thighs. Measurements and Main Results:Diagnoses included subarachnoid hemorrhage (60%), cerebral infarction (23%), intracerebral hemorrhage (11%), and traumatic brain injury (4%). The groups were matched in terms of baseline variables, although mean temperature was slightly higher at baseline in the Arctic Sun group (38.8 vs. 38.3°C, p = .046). Compared with patients treated with the SubZero blanket (n = 24), Arctic Sun-treated patients (n = 23) experienced a 75% reduction in fever burden (median 4.1 vs. 16.1 C°-hrs, p = .001). Arctic Sun-treated patients also spent less percent time febrile (T ≥38.3°C, 8% vs. 42%, p < .001), spent more percent time normothermic (T ≤37.2°C, 59% vs. 3%, p < .001), and attained normothermia faster than the SubZero group median (2.4 vs. 8.9 hrs, p = .008). Shivering occurred more frequently in the Arctic Sun group (39% vs. 8%, p = .013). Conclusion:The Arctic Sun Temperature Management System is superior to conventional cooling-blanket therapy for controlling fever in critically ill neurologic patients.
Investigating the OO characteristics of software using CKJM metrics

Software metrics are measures used to improve the software development process and quality. Various software metrics have been projected and analyzed over the years. This paper calculates and analyzes twelve object-oriented software metrics. The metrics calculated for our analysis were object-orented and based on the Chidamber and Kemerer metric suit. ckjm and intelliJIdea were the two previously alive open-source tools used for metric calculation. These metrics were tested for ten sample open-source programs written in Java. The frequency and descriptive analysis was then performed on the obtained results using SPSS tool. The effect of these metrics on the cohesion, coupling and inheritance characteristics of the considered ten programs was then analyzed.
Rainfall Trend Analysis in Uma Oya Basin, Sri Lanka, and Future Water Scarcity Problems in Perspective of Climate Variability

The effect of climate variability on the rainfall pattern is canvassed on the Uma Oya river basin, Sri Lanka, consisting of 5 rainfall gauging stations. The Uma Oya basin (720 km2) is given utmost precedence due to environmental concerns seen in the ongoing Uma Oya multipurpose development project (529 million USD worth) which is expected to divert water to the southeast dry zone of the country while adding 231 GWh/year electricity to the national grid. The rainfall data for a period of 26 years (1992–2017) were analysed using Mann–Kendall’s test and Sen’s slope estimator test to identify the rainfall trends. Both of these trend analysis test results depict only one negative trend for Hilpankandura Estate for the month of June; however, the seasonal trend analysis and annual trend analysis do not support this observation. Nevertheless, Mann–Kendall’s test showed potential positive trends for the 3 rainfall gauging stations Kirklees Estate, Ledgerwatte Estate, and Welimada Group only in the 1st intermediate period (March-April), and this is well supported by the monthly trend analysis. Other than these trends, the results do not show any significant negative trends in the Uma Oya catchment. Therefore, the results vividly explain that there is no threat of water scarcity to the catchment area being resistant to changing global climate for the past 26 years.
Stretchable and transparent electrodes based on patterned silver nanowires by laser-induced forward transfer for non-contacted printing techniques

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) are excellent candidate electrode materials in next-generation wearable devices due to their high flexibility and high conductivity. In particular, patterning techniques for AgNWs electrode manufacture are very important in the roll-to-roll printing process to achieve high throughput and special performance production. It is also essential to realize a non-contact mode patterning for devices in order to keep the pre-patterned components away from mechanical damages. Here, we report a successful non-contact patterning of AgNWs-based stretchable and transparent electrodes by laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) technique. The technique was used to fabricate a 100% stretchable electrode with a width of 200 μm and electrical resistivity 10−4 Ωcm. Experiments conducted integrating the stretchable electrode on rubber substrate in which LED was pre-fabricated showed design flexibility resulting from non-contact printing. Further, a patterned transparent electrode showed over 80% in optical transmittance and less than 100 Ω sq−1 in sheet resistance by the optimized LIFT technique.
Blocking Probabilities for an Underloaded or Overloaded Link with Trunk Reservation

A single link in a circuit-switched network is considered. The link has C circuits, R of which are reserved for the primary traffic. Offered calls arrive in independent Poisson streams with mean rates $\lambda$ and $\nu$ for the primary and secondary traffic, respectively, and corresponding independent and exponentially distributed holding times with means 1 and $1/\kappa$. Both primary and secondary calls require 1 circuit. A primary call is blocked on arrival if all C circuits are busy, whereas a secondary call is blocked if more than C-R-1 circuits are busy. Blocked calls are lost to the link. It is assumed that R=O(1) and $\lambda\gg 1$, $\nu=O(\lambda)$ and C=O($\lambda$), and that the link is either underloaded, corresponding to $\lambda + \nu/\kappa C$. Asymptotic approximations to the blocking probabilities B1 and B2 of the primary and secondary calls, respectively, are derived. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the accuracy o.
Casino Atmospherics from a Customer ' s Perspective : A Re-Examination Abstract

Lesley Johnson Karl J. Mayer Elena Champaner Considerable research in recent years has examined the influence of physical evidence, or atmosphere, in a variety of service settings, including leisure services. Not fully covered has been the area of atmosphere in a casino gaming setting. This extension of a previous study further investigates atmospherics in casinos. The findings showed that customers defined casino atmosphere in five key elements: theme, floor layout, ceiling height, employee uniforms, and noise level. Three of the five contributed positively to a player's satisfaction with the gaming experience as shown by the regression analysis. This reinforces previous indications of the need for casino management to create an inviting atmosphere that will maximize customer satisfaction, with specific attention to those aspects that players appear to value most highly.
Closed-loop multi-rate identification with zone-MPC using constrained subspace method

In many industrial processes, process variables have different sampling intervals and they are referred to as multi-rate (MR) systems. When these systems are controlled by model predictive control which is useful to control of constrained multivariable process, model mismatch can occur because of changing in process dynamics. Thus, identification of a new model is necessary. The new model should be identified in closed-loop if the process needs to comply particular operating range for product specification or safety requirement. In this paper, the re-identification problem of a MR system in a closed-loop with a MPC controller is addressed, considering the lifted system and known dynamic characteristics. In comparison with the existing approach, the proposed identification method provides more accurate and realistic model.
How Proteins Fold

Computational and experimental results provide support for defined protein folding pathways. Two reports in this issue probe single protein chains as they spontaneously unfold and refold. On page 517 of this issue, Lindorff-Larsen et al. (1) use state-of-the-art molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to elucidate the folding mechanisms of 12 different proteins. On page 512 of this issue, Stigler et al. (2) study the folding and unfolding of single calmodulin domains with single-molecule force spectroscopy. The results provide remarkable views of the folding process and address basic questions, such as whether proteins fold along pathways.
Characterisation of a second patched gene in the zebrafish Danio rerio and the differential response of patched genes to Hedgehog signalling.

Hedgehog signalling has been implicated in a variety of processes in vertebrate development, and in each case, the activity of Hh proteins is thought to be mediated by their interaction with a large multipass transmembrane protein encoded by the patched (ptc) gene. In this study we present the full-length coding sequence and describe the wild-type expression pattern of a second ptc gene in zebrafish, Zf-ptc2. We find that at the sequence level Zf-ptc2 is more closely related than Zf-ptc1 to the ptc genes initially characterised in other vertebrate species. We also show that transcription of Zf-ptc2, like Zf-ptc1, is dependent upon Hh signalling and present evidence that it is activated in response to lower levels of Hh activity than is Zf-ptc1. In addition we find no evidence for any specificity in the regulatory interactions between the various Hh proteins and the two ptc genes in the zebrafish.
Transformational Benefits of AMI Data in Transformer Load Modeling and Management

Distribution network designers use a transformer load-management system to estimate and examine the historical and current loads occurring on transformers and test proposed load situations. Due to a lack of measurements at the feeders and distribution transformers, the confidence on the transformer load-management reports was low in the past. Intelligent equipment and advanced information and communication technology are now being integrated into distribution networks at an unprecedented speed. The technology advancement provides an opportunity to enhance transformer load modeling and management. In this paper, a framework using synchronized measurements obtained from different information systems via a utility's enterprise service bus is proposed to calculate the actual load profiles of distribution transformers and reflect changing system conditions. Network analyses resulting from using improved system models based on distribution state estimation allow the system operators and designers to make informed decisions concerning where new loads can be added and when new transformer capacity must be included.
Le français de Suisse romande

Cette recherche est une etude descriptive qui vise a decouvrir et comparer les particularites du francais en Suisse romande et le francais standard en France. Comme la Suisse est un pays avoisinant la France, les habitants de Suisse romande emploient le francais dans la vie quotidienne. La langue francaise fait partie des quatre langues officielles de ce pays. Pourtant, il est courant que les francais se moquent de la facon de parler des Suisses romands, qui emploient souvent des mots differents dans leur quotidien. Dans ce memoire, nous demontrons ces differences par trois aspects : l’aspect historique, les aspects descriptifs ainsi que les aspects sociolinguistiques. Les differences entre le francais de Suisse romande et le francais de France se situent a tous les niveaux linguistiques : lexical, semantique, morphosyntaxique, phonologique et prosodique. Les enquetes menees par les linguistes romands sont importantes pour notre travail. Les Suisses romands ressentent de l’insecurite linguistique. Leurs attitudes face au francais parle en Suisse romande sont a la fois depreciees et valorisees. Nous esperons que cette etude pourra eclairer nos questions posees dans notre recherche : quelle est la difference entre le francais de France (francais standard) et le francais de Suisse romande ? Quelle est l’attitude des Romands face au francais regional de Suisse romande ? Et ainsi donner des idees interessantes pour etudier le francais regional dans d’autres pays francophones.
A pilot survey of medical students' perspectives on their educational exposure to palliative care in two Canadian universities.

BACKGROUND Graduating medical students from the class of 1999 from McGill University and the University of Alberta completed a self-administered, anonymous, pilot survey to determine students' perspectives on how their educational experience in common palliative care topics contrasted with their educational experience in the diagnosis and management of hypertension, non palliative aspects of breast cancer, and patients dying of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). METHODS A Likert scale ranging from "excellent," scored 1, "very poor," scored 5, was used. Students also estimated the number of hours they spent, during their training, in operating rooms, on home visits to terminally ill patients, and in interprofessional teaching. RESULTS Sixty of 114 (53%) students from McGill University, and 53 of 110 (48%) students from the University of Alberta responded to the survey. The mean ratings of education experience in the various topics for both universities combined were as follows: hypertension, 2.03; breast cancer, 2.33; cancer pain, 3.42; communicating with dying patients, 3.32; and caring for patients with AIDS, 4.15. The average number of hours spent in the operating room, on home visits to terminally patients, and in interprofessional teaching for both universities combined were 155 hours, 4.2 hours, and 16 hours, respectively. Of the responding students from both universities 83% favored increased palliative care teaching. CONCLUSION Despite the disproportionate number of hours spent in operating rooms compared to palliative care community exposure, only two students, one from each university, favored shortening surgical rotations to allow for increased time for palliative care education. Recommendations, including increasing palliative care education during clinical clerkships, are provided to improve medical students' perceptions of their educational experiences in palliative care education.
A meta-analysis of predictors of postpartum depression.

A meta-analysis of 44 studies was conducted to determine the magnitude of the relationship between postpartum depression and each of the following predictor variables: prenatal depression, history of previous depression, social support, life stress, child care stress, maternity blues, marital satisfaction, and prenatal anxiety. Effect sizes were calculated three ways: unweighted, weighted by sample size, and weighted by quality index score. Moderate to large significant effect sizes were revealed between these eight predictor variables and postpartum depression. The mean r effect size indicator range for each predictor variable was as follows: prenatal depression (.49 to .51), child care stress (.48 to .49), life stress (.36 to .40), social support (.37 to .39), prenatal anxiety (.30 to .36), maternity blues (.35 to .37), marital satisfaction (.29 to .37), and history of previous depression (.27 to .29).
The spontaneous reactivation function of the herpes simplex virus type 1 LAT gene resides completely within the first 1.5 kilobases of the 8.3-kilobase primary transcript

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) latency-associated transcript (LAT) gene is essential for efficient spontaneous reactivation of HSV-1 from latency. We report here that although the LAT gene is 8.3 kb in length, the first 1.5 kb of the LAT gene alone is sufficient for wild-type levels of spontaneous reactivation. We began with a LAT deletion mutant of HSV-1 strain McKrae in which the LAT promoter and the first 1.6 kb of the 5' end of the LAT gene had been deleted from both copies of LAT (one in each viral long repeat). As we previously reported, this mutant (dLAT2903) was significantly impaired for spontaneous reactivation (G. C. Perng, E. C. Dunkel, P. A. Geary, S. M. Slanina, H. Ghiasi, R. Kaiwar, A. B. Nesburn, and S. L. Wechsler, J. Virol. 68:8045-8055, 1994). We then inserted the LAT promoter and the first 1.5 kb of the LAT gene into a location in the unique long region of dLAT2903 far removed from the normal location of LAT in the long repeats. This resulted in a virus (LAT15a) whose capacity for transcribing LAT RNA was limited to the first 1.5 kb of the 8.3-kb LAT primary transcript. Rabbits were ocularly infected with this mutant, and spontaneous reactivation was measured in comparison to those of the original LAT-negative mutant and its marker-rescued (wild-type) virus, dLAT2903R. LAT15a had an in vivo spontaneous reactivation rate of 12%, compared with a rate of 11% for the marker-rescued virus and 0% for the LAT-negative virus. Southern analysis confirmed that the spontaneously reactivated LAT15a virus retained the original deletions in both copies of LAT and the 1.5-kb LAT insertion in the unique long region. Thus, insertion of the first 1.5 kb of LAT (and its promoter) at a site distant from the normal LAT location appeared to completely restore in vivo spontaneous reactivation to wild-type levels, despite the remaining inability of the original LAT genes to transcribe any LAT RNA. The function of LAT involved in efficient spontaneous reactivation therefore appeared to map completely within the first 1.5 kb of the LAT gene.
Renal ischemia/reperfusion and ATP depletion/repletion in LLC-PK(1) cells result in phosphorylation of FKHR and FKHRL1.

BACKGROUND Cell death and survival pathways are critical determinants of epithelial cell fate after ischemia. Forkhead proteins have been implicated in the regulation of cellular survival. METHODS AND RESULTS We have found that none of the forkhead family of proteins, FKHR, is phosphorylated after ischemia/reperfusion in the rat kidney. The time course of phosphorylation is similar to the time course of activation of the forkhead protein kinase Akt/protein kinase B (PKB), with maximal phosphorylation at 24 to 48 hours postreperfusion when the process of regeneration peaks. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 activation has also been implicated as prosurvival in the injured kidney. ERK1/2 were phosphorylated in postischemic kidneys at 5, 30, and 90 minutes of reperfusion, with phosphorylation decreased by 24 and 48 hours. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed increased phospho-ERK1/2 in the thick ascending limb and isolated cells of the S3 segment, which have lost apical actin staining. To understand the relationship between forkhead phosphorylation, Akt, and ERK1/2, an in vitro model of injury was employed. After 40 minutes of chemical anoxia followed by dextrose addition for 20 minutes to replete adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, FKHR and FKHRL1 are phosphorylated. The levels of phospho-Akt are increased for at least 120 minutes after dextrose addition with a maximum at 20 minutes. Phosphorylation of Akt, FKHR, and FKHRL1 are phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) dependent since phosphorylation is reduced by the PI 3-kinase inhibitors, wortmannin, or LY294002. Inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ERK kinase (MEK1/2), the upstream activator of ERK1/2, has no effect on forkhead protein phosphorylation after chemical anoxia/dextrose addition. CONCLUSION We conclude that PI 3-kinase and Akt are activated after renal ischemia/reperfusion and that Akt phosphorylation leads to phosphorylation of FKHR and FKHRL1, which may affect epithelial cell fate in acute renal failure.
Evaluation of Probiotics for Warfighter Health and Performance

The probiotic industry continues to grow in both usage and the diversity of products available. Scientific evidence supports clinical use of some probiotic strains for certain gastrointestinal indications. Although much less is known about the impact of probiotics in healthy populations, there is increasing consumer and scientific interest in using probiotics to promote physical and psychological health and performance. Military men and women are a unique healthy population that must maintain physical and psychological health in order to ensure mission success. In this narrative review, we examine the evidence regarding probiotics and candidate probiotics for physical and/or cognitive benefits in healthy adults within the context of potential applications for military personnel. The reviewed evidence suggests potential for certain strains to induce biophysiological changes that may offer physical and/or cognitive health and performance benefits in military populations. However, many knowledge gaps exist, effects on health and performance are generally not widespread among the strains examined, and beneficial findings are generally limited to single studies with small sample sizes. Multiple studies with the same strains and using similar endpoints are needed before definitive recommendations for use can be made. We conclude that, at present, there is not compelling scientific evidence to support the use of any particular probiotic(s) to promote physical or psychological performance in healthy military personnel. However, plausibility for physical and psychological health and performance benefits remains, and additional research is warranted. In particular, research in military cohorts would aid in assessing the value of probiotics for supporting physical and psychological health and performance under the unique demands required of these populations.