Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decoupling Control of A Class of Underactuated Mechanical Systems Based on Sliding Mode Control

This paper presents a sliding mode control (SMC) based decoupling control for a class of underactuated mechanical systems. For comprehensive description of the proposed approach, we consider a two degree-of-freedom underactuated system. The whole systems, firstly, decomposed into two subsystems and then individual controllers are designed for each subsystem via SMC. Considering zero-dynamics of each closed loop system, a controller for the whole system is designed by a coupling method of each individual controller such that the whole closed loop system is semi-globally asymptotically stable. The proposed design approach is applied to an inverted pendulum system and simulation test is performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design method
Soluble Insulin Receptor Ectodomain Is Elevated in the Plasma of Patients With Diabetes

OBJECTIVE—Insulin binds to the α-subunit of the insulin receptor (IRα) and subsequently exerts its effects in the cells. The soluble ectodomains of several receptors have been found to circulate in the plasma. Therefore, we hypothesized that soluble human insulin receptor (hIR) ectodomain (α-subunit and a part of β-subunit) may exist in the plasma of diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We identified soluble hIR ectodomain in human plasma by a two-step purification followed by immunoblotting and gel-filtration chromatography. Furthermore, we established an hIRα-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and measured the plasma IRα levels in patients with diabetes. We also investigated this phenomenon in streptozotocin-induced diabetic hIR transgenic mice. RESULTS—Soluble hIRα, but not intact hIRβ or whole hIR, exists in human plasma. The plasma IRα levels were significantly higher in type 1 (2.00 ± 0.60 ng/ml; n = 53) and type 2 (2.26 ± 0.80; n = 473) diabetic patients than in control subjects (1.59 ± 0.40 ng/ml; n = 123 (P < 0.001 vs. control). Plasma IRα level was positively correlated with blood glucose level, and 10–20% of the insulin in plasma bound to hIRα. In the in vivo experiments using diabetic hIR transgenic mice, hyperglycemia was confirmed to increase the plasma hIRα level and the half-life estimated to be ∼6 h. CONCLUSIONS—We propose that the increased soluble IR ectodomain level appears to be a more rapid glycemic marker than A1C or glycoalbumin.
Letter to the Editor The incidence and prevalence of dementia with Lewy bodies is underestimated

Vann Jones & O’Brien’s meta-analysis of epidemiological studies (Vann Jones & O’Brien, 2013) reported incidence (0.57–1.4 cases/1000 person-years), and prevalence (3.8–4.5% of all new diagnoses) for dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The authors do an excellent job explaining the complexities underlying the significant data variation in the source reports. I would like to expand upon their arguments as to why the true incidence and prevalence may be significantly higher than the reported ranges. First, as Vann Jones & O’Brien note, under-diagnosis is common: the sensitivity of the clinical diagnosis of DLB is only 32%, whereas specificity is 95% (Nelson et al. 2010). Clinicians in these expert centers suspected DLB, or dual Alzheimer’s/DLB pathology in 8.1% of 2861 cases, yet 14.3% of the cases had significant Lewy pathology at autopsy (Nelson et al. 2010). DLB may be further under-diagnosed outside of specialist dementia settings, where the clinical syndrome is less well-known. Against this we must factor in referral bias. Atypical cases are also more likely to undergo autopsy, and thus enrich the pathology data with atypical findings. Second, the prevalence increases by 40–300% when possible DLB is included (Vann Jones & O’Brien 2013), and when populations in secondary referral centers are examined. Third, the ‘1-year rule’ arbitrarily divides these Lewy body diseases: subjects with cognitive impairment within a year of the onset parkinsonism are diagnosed with DLB, whereas those whose cognitive problems begin after 1 year are labeled Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD; McKeith et al. 2005; Aarsland et al. 2009). DLB sits at the cusp between movement disorder and behavioral neurology specialty clinics, and referral patterns may dictate diagnosis. Movement disorder specialists underestimate cognitive deficits (Hely et al. 2008) and dementia specialists overlook parkinsonism (Schneider et al. 2007). Yet 42% of incident PD cases have mild cognitive impairment (Yarnall et al. 2013) and 31% of all PD patients are demented (Aarsland et al. 2005), almost triple the rate of controls (de Lau et al. 2005). Finally, DLB diagnosis can stand or fall on the basis of this core criterion: ‘spontaneous features of parkinsonism’. An unanswered question is this: how much parkinsonism is ‘enough’ parkinsonism? More research is needed.
Sexual well-being among survivors of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe sexual well-being among non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) survivors. DESIGN Descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study. SETTING NHL survivors identified via the Los Angeles County Cancer Surveillance Program. SAMPLE 222 NHL survivors two- to five-years postdiagnosis. METHODS Data were collected via mailed questionnaire. Multivariate models were used to examine sexual well-being. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Three indices of sexual well-being were examined in relation to sociodemographic and medical variables: participation in sexual activity, satisfaction with sex life, and sexual function. FINDINGS Most NHL survivors were participating in sexual activity; however, more than half were dissatisfied with their sex life. A substantial minority "usually or always" experienced problems with sexual function. Associations between study variables and outcomes differed across indices of sexual well-being and by gender; older age was associated with decreased participation, decreased satisfaction, and impaired sexual function for men as well as with decreased participation for women. Poorer physical functioning was associated with decreased participation for men and women as well as poorer sexual function for women. Finally, poorer mental functioning was associated with less satisfaction and poorer sexual function for men and women; shorter times since diagnosis were associated with poorer sexual function for women. CONCLUSIONS Most NHL survivors were sexually active, but many reported difficulties with satisfaction and function. Sexual well-being is a multifaceted construct that requires continued attention throughout survivorship. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Oncology nurses are in an excellent position to ensure that survivors' sexual concerns are addressed. Survivorship care plans may help to facilitate communication about survivors' sexual well-being.
Therapeutic Potential of Novel Nano-Based Curcumin Compounds In Vitro and In Vivo

Despite recent advances in cancer medication, malignant tumors continue to be the second leading cause of death worldwide. Furthermore, introducing a therapeutic compound with low-side effects as well as low-price for consumers is controversial. Recent efforts have been focusing on traditional medicines as a rich source of herbal agents. Curcumin, the major turmeric phytochemical, has been widely assessed as an anti-cancer compound in vitro and in vivo. However, the use of curcumin in cancer treatment has limitations because of its low solubility, poor tissue absorption, rapid metabolism and rapid systemic elimination. Recent work has focused on improving the stability of curcumin to facilitate clinical application. Dendrosomal nano-corcumin (DNC) is one of the most successful compounds showing significant cellular absorption and also anti-tumor effects. The present overview of newest applicable strategies for curcumin-based therapy and their clinical potential usefulness has the emphasis on DNC.
Tunable terahertz plasmonics sensor using doped graphene

Graphene plasmons exhibit much larger confinement and relatively long propagation distances at terahertz (THz) regime, with the advantage of being highly tunable via electrical and chemical doping. Thus, it provide a suitable alternative to noble-metal plasmons. We investigated the Otto configuration based THz-plasmonics sensor using a continuous suspended monolayer graphene (MLG) and graphene/insulator stacks (GIS) by finite element method (FEM). We revealed that a continuous suspended MLG based sensor has extremely high detection accuracy and promising prospect of application in ultrasensitive THz-plasmonics gas sensing. In addition, more layers of graphene will result in higher detection accuracy, but lower sensitivity and FOM of the sensor using GIS.
Stress and alcohol consumption in heavily drinking men: 2 years of daily data using interactive voice response.

BACKGROUND The relationship between stress and alcohol consumption has been shown in recent research to be more complex than originally thought. Cross-sectional and short-term longitudinal studies may not provide adequate data to address subtle but important relationships that impact consumption frequency and/or quantity. METHODS Participants were 33 males recruited from local bars who reported their alcohol consumption, stress, and other related variables every day for 2 years. Reports were provided by automated telephone to a computer-based interactive voice response (IVR) system. By closely monitoring call completion, we were able to collect over 95% of the daily calls. RESULTS Using hierarchical linear modeling, daily stress was found to be associated with daily alcohol consumption, but in the opposite direction than would be predicted by a "drinking to cope" hypothesis. That is, same-day stress was found to be inversely related to consumption levels. Prior day's stress was not significantly associated with subsequent day's consumption; however, prior day's consumption was predictive of subsequent stress for up to 2 days. Similar analyses using week, rather than day, as the unit of measure paralleled these findings. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the utility of using long-term daily process data to address important research and clinical questions in the alcohol field.
Defining the clinical course of multiple sclerosis

Accurate clinical course descriptions (phenotypes) of multiple sclerosis (MS) are important for communication, prognostication, design and recruitment of clinical trials, and treatment decision-making. Standardized descriptions published in 1996 based on a survey of international MS experts provided purely clinical phenotypes based on data and consensus at that time, but imaging and biological correlates were lacking. Increased understanding of MS and its pathology, coupled with general concern that the original descriptors may not adequately reflect more recently identified clinical aspects of the disease, prompted a re-examination of MS disease phenotypes by the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials of MS. While imaging and biological markers that might provide objective criteria for separating clinical phenotypes are lacking, we propose refined descriptors that include consideration of disease activity (based on clinical relapse rate and imaging findings) and disease progression. Strategies for future research to better define phenotypes are also outlined.
Analog multipliers for deep neural net architectures

Interest in machine learning with Deep Neural Network architectures has exponentially increased since the adoption of Convolution layers and GPUs for faster and larger network sizes. The efficiency of this combination has been proved for many different modalities (speech, video, images, etc.). The next natural progression is to develop dedicated hardware architectures that eventually allows for online learning to happen seamlessly. In this direction, we propose analog multipliers as a candidate for computing the product of the input and weight in the neural network. Since the input and weights are naturally continuous in nature, this class of multipliers is a much better fit than a digital multiplier. Further, subthreshold operation is essential due to the magnitude of Deep networks, and the power consumption will be prohibhitively high when multiple such modules are operating in parallel. We have simulated the schematic and verified the accuracy of the mulitplier for given input signal ranges, both in regular and subthreshold operation.
The short-term regulation of hepatic acetyl-CoA carboxylase during starvation and re-feeding in the rat.

Rapid inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) activity in rat liver in response to 6 h starvation and rapid re-activation in response to 2-6 h of re-feeding chow were shown to be due to changes in the expressed activity of existing enzyme. Decreases and increases in ACC concentration occurred at later stages of the transitions, i.e. 6-48 h starvation and 8-24 h re-feeding respectively. The decrease in expressed activity of ACC was due primarily to changes in its phosphorylation state, demonstrated by a significantly decreased Vmax. and significantly increased Ka for citrate of enzyme purified by avidin-Sepharose chromatography from 6 h- or 48 h-starved rats. These effects were totally reversed within 2-4 h of chow re-feeding. Changes in the activity of purified ACC closely correlated with reciprocal changes in the activity of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMP-PK) over the fed to starved to re-fed transition. Increases in the activity ratio of cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase in response to starvation lagged behind the increase in AMP-PK and the decrease in ACC activity. Changes in AMP-PK and ACC activities of rat liver closely correlated with changes in plasma insulin concentration in response to time courses of starvation and re-feeding.
Magnetic resonance imaging in focal liver lesions : Imaging with pathological correlation

Background: Magnetic resonance signal intensity of focal liver lesions is affected by numerous pathologic factors. Lesion histologic features, such as cellularity, vascularity, stromal component, and intratumoral necrosis or hemorrhage, strongly affect T1 and T2 relaxation times. Aim: Our study is done to assess the lesion characterization potential of MRI by evaluating unenhanced and dynamic gadolinium enhanced sequences. Materials and methods: A total of 50 consecutive patients who were diagnosed by sonography as having focal liver lesions for period of 2 years were included in the study. Results: Most of the patients are of 30 60 years. The mean age for malignant lesions is 51 years. Of 50 patients 32 are males and 18 are males. Male: female ratio 2:1. 65% of the lesions are located in right lobe of the liver. The most common benign lesion encountered was liver abscess followed by haemangiomas and most common malignant lesion was metastases. Abscess and hemangiomas were predominant in benign whereas metastases and hepatocellular carcinomas were predominant in malignant lesions. The difference in mean ADC values in both the groups was significant. Conclusions: MR imaging is a powerful tool for the evaluation of focal liver lesions. Pre contrast T1 weighted gradient echo images, T2 weighted images, inphase and out phase imaging, EPI DWI and gadolinium enhanced T1 weighted images provide accurate characterization of the lesions. R. Archana, A. Suman Chandra, M. Vijaya Kumari, Yamini. Magnetic resonance imaging in focal liver lesions: Imaging with pathological correlation. IAIM, 2016; 3(11): 1-9.
HSP47: a tissue-specific, transformation-sensitive, collagen-binding heat shock protein of chicken embryo fibroblasts

We report the isolation and characterization of a cDNA clone encoding HSP47, a transformation-sensitive heat shock protein that binds to collagen. A cDNA library was prepared from total RNA isolated from heat-shocked chicken embryo fibroblasts and screened by using oligonucleotide mixtures prepared on the basis of the N-terminal amino acid sequence of biochemically purified HSP47. The cDNA insert contained 3,278 bp, which encoded a 15-amino-acid signal peptide and a mature protein coding region consisting of 390 amino acid residues; it also included part of the 5' noncoding region and a long 3' noncoding region. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed an RDEL sequence at the C terminus, which is a variant of the KDEL retention signal for retention of proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. Northern (RNA) blot analyses and nuclear run-on assays established that the induction of HSP47 by heat shock and its suppression after transformation of chicken embryo fibroblasts by Rous sarcoma virus are regulated at the transcriptional level. A homology search revealed that this protein belongs to the serpin family, the superfamily of plasma serine protease inhibitors. Although structurally homologous to the serpins, HSP47 lacks the active site thought to be essential for the inhibition of proteases and does not appear to bind to intracellular proteases. HSP47 is the first heat shock protein found to be a member of the serpin superfamily. Conversely, it is the first serpin family member that is not secreted from cells, which could be explained by acquisition of the RDEL retention signal during evolution.
Achievable rates and power allocation for two-way AF relaying over Rayleigh fading channels

In this paper, achievable rates and power allocation (PA) schemes are studied for a two-way (TW) amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying system over Rayleigh fading channels in high and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regimes. We consider three different AF techniques: i) the channel inversion (CI) scheme where the relay has full channel side information (CSI) of the two incoming links; ii) the fixed-gain scheme where the relay has only channel distribution information (CDI); and iii) a mixed (MX) scheme where the relay has CSI of one link but only CDI of the other. First, focusing on high SNR regimes, approximations to the achievable rates of the three systems are derived. The approximations are shown to be tight and can be used to analyze the systems under consideration. In particular, it is demonstrated that the CI system provides the best sum rate performance, followed by the MX and CDI techniques. A suboptimal yet effective PA scheme to maximize the sum rate at high SNR is then proposed. In low SNR regimes, we first derive rate approximations for the considered AF systems. It is then shown that the three systems achieve a similar sum rate. An asymptotically optimal PA is then proposed to maximize the sum rate at low SNRs. Finally, the sum rate of the direct transmission (DT) scheme is compared to that of the TWAF system. Although the TWAF is proved to be inferior at low SNRs, it outperforms the DT at high SNRs in various network configurations.
Ultra high sensitive digital electromagnetic balance for measurement of weights in microgram: Design and experimentation

This paper proposes design of a weight measurement system capable of measuring weight in the range of micrograms to milligrams. The configuration of the system resembles with a conventional straw balance. Unlike straw balance the proposed system employs a force overcome technique. It does not employ any spring as that in case of other types of electromagnetic balance and any vibrating element present in some of the micro-weight measurement technique. The measurement system is digitally controlled using a microcontroller with digital display of measurement. Due to the light weight and extremely low friction, the proposed system becomes the highly sensitive, which can respond to weights in microgram level. The design comprises of a thin aluminum wire as a straw which is suspended by a fine wire and bearing arrangement. A micro-weighing pan is attached to one tip of the wire and a small iron piece is connected to other tip of the wire beneath which a small electromagnet is placed. The unknown weight in micro-weighing pan exerts a force at its end which is overcome by the electromagnetic force exerted on the iron piece present at the other end. Thus the force required to overcome the counterforce exerted by the unknown weight becomes a measure of unknown weight. When the force is overcome the pan is lifted and sensed optically. The electromagnetic force is proportional to the electromagnetic coil current which is again proportional to the DAC output, and hence the digital input of the DAC becomes the measure of the unknown weight. The proposed system was designed and practically implemented for the realization.
Transfer of immunoglobulins and antibodies in the hen's egg.

The presence of immunoglobulins and antibodies were investigated in the fertile hen's egg during embryogenesis. The egg yolk, egg albumin, amniotic and allantoic fluids, chick embryo serum and intestinal contents were examined for the presence of immunoglobulin and level of antibodies. Immunoglobulin G was not detected in fresh egg albumin, but appeared in the albumin from the 4th day of embryogenesis and persisted through the 16th day. The antibody profile of egg albumin during embryogenesis attained two peaks, which were separated by a trough on the 8th day of embryogenesis. The immunoelectrophoretic pattern of albumin IgG was different from that of egg yolk IgG. The IgG of chick embryo serum was of γ2 mobility on the 12th day of incubation and shifted gradually to the full range of γ1 and γ2 mobilities on the 20th day of incubation. Egg-transmitted antibodies appeared on the 12th day of incubation and attained peak values on the 16th day of incubation. Moderate antibody levels were detected in the amniotic and allantoic fluids from the 12th to the 18th days of incubation.
COOPERATIVE STRATEGIES TO LEVERAGE NETWORK EXTERNALITIES: EVALUATING NETWORK PARTNERSHIPS IN THE B2B SOFTWARE MARKET

In the presence of network externalities, product features compatible with standards and larger installed bases of the relevant technologies lead to expanded market shares and increased customer valuation. Our research finds that firms which collaborate with other organizations do so to enhance product compatibility and expand their installed bases. We study the effects of such cooperative strategies in the market for business-to-business software, using the data of 34 publicly-traded firms which announced 1088 network partnerships during the 1998 to 2001 time period, when the largest number of strategic alliances were formed. We estimate cross-sectional and fixed effects panel data models, with appropriate controls in place to deal with a number of firm and environmental issues. The dependent variables that are employed involve firm profitability, cost efficiency for revenue production, and stock price at the firms’ initial public offerings (IPOs). Our results show that companies which formed more alliances to enhance their product compatibility levels were able to obtain higher valuations from the market when they issued stock. Moreover, compatibility partnerships seem to increase revenue efficiency, while installed-base partnerships enhance profitability.
An image segmentation approach based on histogram analysis utilizing cloud model

The paper focuses on the image segmentation methods based on histogram analysis, and proposes a novel image segmentation approach based on cloud model. Firstly, the paper introduces the basic principles of cloud model. Similar to type-2 fuzzy sets, cloud model considers the uncertainty of membership grades. But it also considers the randomness of them. It is a new kind of uncertain model which is different from type-2 fuzzy sets. Secondly, the proposed image segmentation approach is described. The histogram of image is transformed into discrete quality concepts expressed by cloud models. Based on these quality concepts represented by cloud models, image segmentation is realized by the principle of maximum certainty degree. In the end, the paper compares the proposed method with fuzzy C means (FCM) method and Gaussian mixture model (GMM) method. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.