Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of fluid inerter nonlinearities on vehicle suspension performance

An ideal inerter has been widely used in various vibration isolation fields. Due to its mechanical construction, some nonlinear properties of the inerter need to be taken into consideration. This article concerns the nonlinearities of the fluid inerter and its impact on vehicle suspension performance. A complete nonlinear dynamic model of the fluid inerter is introduced, and the sensitive analysis of the designed parameters is studied. Comparing to the traditional passive suspension, the vehicle suspension performances of three different suspension layouts incorporating the nonlinear fluid inerter are investigated at different velocities and different spring stiffness. Furthermore, the influences of the nonlinearities in frequency domain are also noted. Results show that the nonlinear properties of the fluid inerter have a great effect on vehicle suspension performance except S2 suspension. The impact is more significant in low frequency domain of the vibration.
RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY AN ANALYSIS OF AFFECTIVE COMPUTING

Nowadays, people spend a lot of time connecting with computers and technology. Because of the high expectations for everyday human-computer interaction, robots may learn from their surroundings and so converse more easily with people. Recent progress in the field of affective computing has arisen as a consequence of these efforts. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the definition, recent developments and applications of affective computing. The literature study reveals that emotions may be a potent tool for enhancing or hindering learning, and that affective computing can be beneficial to researchers. Wide affective computing systems are also expected to have beneficial impacts in various areas such as learning, gaming, entertainment, etc. For computer users or for HCI technology in the future, affective computing is likely to be a normal feature. With few potential concerns, this paper will also respond to this new field.
Refrigeratingthe Beckman “Airfuge” for ImprovedSteroidReceptor Assays

We describe an arrangement for refrigerating the Beckman “Airfuge” to provide excellent low-temperature operation. When the Airfuge was used to prepare cytosols for steroid receptor determinations, refrigeration increased the stability of the progesterone receptor and reduced the between-assay variability of determinations of estrogen receptors. We therefore recommended refrigeration of the Airfuge for routine assay of steroid receptors.
Speciﬁc phosphorylation sites underlie the stimulation of a large conductance, Ca 2 (cid:1) -activated K (cid:1) channel by cGMP-dependent protein kinase

Smooth muscle contractility and neuronal excitability are regulated by large conductance, Ca 2 (cid:1) -activated K (cid:1) (BK Ca ) channels, the activity of which can be increased after modulation by type I cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGKI) via nitric oxide (NO)/cGMP signaling. Our study focused on iden-tifying key phosphorylation sites within the BK Ca channel underlying functional enhancement of channel activity by cGKI. BK Ca channel phosphorylation by cGKI (cid:2) was characterized biochemically using radiola-beled ATP, and regulation of channel activity by NO/ cGMP signaling was quantiﬁed in rat aortic A7r5 smooth muscle cells by cell-attached patch-clamp recording. Serine to alanine substitutions at 3 of 6 putative cGKI phosphorylation sites (Ser691, Ser873, and Ser1112) in the BK Ca (cid:2) subunit individually reduced direct channel phosphorylation by 25–60% and blocked BK Ca activation by either an NO donor or a membrane-permeable cGMP by 80–100%. Acute inhibition of cGKI prevented stimulus-evoked enhancement of BK Ca channel activity. Our data further suggest that augmentation of BK Ca activity by NO/cGMP/cGKI signaling requires phosphorylation at all 3 sites and is independent of elevations in [Ca 2 (cid:1) ] i . Phosphorylation of 3 speciﬁc Ser residues
Analysing livestock network data for infectious diseases control

15 Livestock movements are an important mechanism of infectious disease transmission. Where these are 16 well recorded, network analysis tools have been used to successfully identify system properties, 17 highlight vulnerabilities to transmission and inform targeted surveillance and control. Here we highlight 18 the main uses of network properties in understanding livestock disease epidemiology, discuss statistical 19 approaches to infer network characteristics from biased or fragmented datasets. We use a “hurdle 20 model” approach that predicts (i) the probability of movement and (ii) the number of livestock moved 21 to generate synthetic ‘complete’ networks of movements between administrative wards, exploiting 22 routinely collected government movement permit data from northern Tanzania. We demonstrate that 23 this model captures a significant amount of the observed variation. Combining the cattle movement 24 network with a spatial between-ward contact layer we create a multiplex, over which we simulated the 25 spread of ‘fast’ (R 0 =3) and ‘slow’ (R 0 =1.5) pathogens, and assess the effects of random versus targeted 26 disease control interventions (vaccination and movement ban). The targeted interventions implemented both fast and slow pathogens. to encourage routine collection and centralisation of movement data to construct representative networks.
A Detail Study of Agile Software Developnment with Extreme Programming

-Under the current economic conditions many organizations strive to continue the trend towards adopting agile processes, in order to take advantage of the numerous benefits that these can offer. Those benefits include quicker return on investment, better software quality, and higher customer satisfaction. While there are numerous studies of agile development in academic and educational settings, there has been Little detailed reporting of the usage, penetration and challenges of extreme programming agile methodologies in traditional, professional software development organizations. This paper explains the differences between traditional software development methods and agile software development methods, and introduces the characteristics of one of the popular agile methods i.e, extreme programming. Along with that we conducted a web-based survey of employees who are directly involved in the production of software from three different companies. The insights presented in the paper can be used in organizations that are in the process of agile software development using Extreme Programming.
review Renal insufﬁciency in elderly cancer patients: International Society of Geriatric Oncology clinical practice recommendations

Background: Elderly cancer patients commonly have renal function decline. This warrants particular caution during the administration of renally excreted cancer drugs or those with established nephrotoxicity. Design: An International Society for Geriatric Oncology task force was formed to discuss treatment recommendations for this group of patients. Results: Before drug therapy, the assessment and optimization of hydration status and evaluation of renal function is required. Serum creatinine alone is insufﬁcient as a means of evaluating renal function, and creatinine clearance should at least be calculated in every patient by the abbreviated modiﬁcation of diet in renal disease or Cockcroft-Gault equations. In the extremes of obesity and cachexia and at very high and low creatinine values, no single tool is really accurate. In these patients, the best estimate of glomerular ﬁltration rate is provided by direct methods such as 51 Cr-EDTA or inulin measurement. Within each drug class, preference may be given to agents less likely to be inﬂuenced by renal clearance, which are minimally nephrotoxic, or for which appropriate methods of prevention for renal toxicity exist. Coadministration of known nephrotoxic drugs should be avoided or minimized. Conclusions: Future trials should be designed to present data in a way that allows evaluation of the contribution of renal function to toxicity efﬁcacy.
An Assessment of Leadership Style as Perceived by Followers When Considering Leader Integrity and Employee Attitudes Towards Whistleblowing

Corporate illegal behavior, wrong doing and unethical behavior is a global concern. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (2016) reports that approximately 50% of fraud related cases stem from poor internal controls due to lack of leadership. Current literature suggests that whistleblowing is an ethical issue upheld by positive leadership. Therefore, we cannot discount the importance of leadership as a deterrent (Lui, Liao, & Wei, 2015). Although there are some studies that reflect upon authentic leadership and whistleblowing, very little has been done to expand upon the correlation of a follower’s perception of leader integrity and attitudes towards whistleblowing; and how both may conceptually predict leadership style. This study first explores the relationship between the follower’s perception of leader integrity measured by Craig and Gustafson’s (1998) Perceived Leader Integrity Scale and his/her attitude towards whistleblowing which is measured by the Attitudes Toward Whistleblowing Scale (Park & Blenkinsopp, 2008). The study then examined the relationship between perceived leader integrity and attitude towards whistleblowing as predictors of the follower’s rating of the leader’s style as transformational, transactional, and passive-avoidant as measured by the Multifactor Leadership Ques- tionnaire (Bass & Avolio, 2004).
Low Birth Weight, a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Diseases in Later Life, Is Already Associated With Elevated Fetal Glycosylated Hemoglobin at Birth Epidemiology

Background —It remains unclear whether the association between low birth weight and insulin resistance in adulthood has its origin in utero or whether it develops later in life depending on predisposition and exogenous factors. Methods and Results —Total glycosylated hemoglobin (TGH) was quantified at delivery in 1295 mother/child pairs serving as a surrogate of maternal and fetal glycemia. Multivariable regression analysis considering gestational age at delivery, the child’s sex, maternal body mass index, and smoking during pregnancy revealed that an increase in TGH by 1% in the child was significantly associated with a mean birth weight reduction of 135 g ( P (cid:1) 0.0001), whereas the same increase in the mother was associated with a mean birth weight increase of 88 g ( P (cid:1) 0.0001). The ratio of fetal/maternal TGH suggests that lighter newborns have a higher percentage of TGH than would be expected from maternal TGH. Conclusions —The study demonstrates for the first time in a large population that there is an inverse association between TGH of a newborn and its birth weight. This might be due to increased insulin resistance in newborns with lower birth weight. Our data suggest that the pathophysiological mechanisms linking prenatal growth and postnatal sensitivity to insulin are present as early as before birth. ( Circulation . 2006;114:1687-1692.) in newborns with lower birth weight. These newborns are at risk for cardiovascular diseases in later life. Our data indicate that the pathophysiological mechanisms that link prenatal growth and postnatal sensitivity to insulin are present as early as before birth. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the association between birth weight and modifications of glucose metabolism develops in utero.
ACQUISITION AND RETENTION AS A FUNCTION OF THREE TYPES OF REPETITION

Seventy-two university students were exposed to one of four repetition treatments for one of three different amounts of information presented in a chunked format. Implicit chunk repetition, i.e., the presentation of words not present in the original word list but logically belonging to a previously seen chunk, facilitated acquisition and retention of information relative to explicit chunk repetition (p<.01 and p<.05, respectively), explicit item repetition (p<.05 in both instances), and a no repetition condition (p<.01 and p<.10, respectively). No repetition was found to be most efficient, while implicit repetition combined effectiveness with efficiency relative to traditional techniques of repetition. An association-restructuring hypothesis was proposed as the functioning cognitive mechanism for enhancement of learning under repeti-
ClinicalUsefulnessof an EnzymaticDeterminationof Total Unnary Polyamines,Excluding Cadaverine

In one widely used enzymatic method for urinary polyamines, the total concentrations of four polyamines-putrescine, spermidine, spermine, and cadavenne-are determined. We report here a simple enzymatic method for measuring the total concentrations of unnary polyamines except cadaver-me. The coefficients of variation (CV) for within-run measurements by this method were 4.3% (X = 17.2 pxnol/L) and 1.5% (X = 66.5 /Lmol/L), between-run CVs were 4.8% (X = 16.8 .unol/L) and 1.8% )? = 67.5 . tmol/L). The central 95% normal reference interval was 12.3-29.1 moI/g creatinine for men and 14.1-36.8 . unoI/g creatinine for women. In some cases, physiological variations in urinary polyamine excretion were large, mainly because of variations in cadavenne excretion, even in health. Pathological changes in polyamine production in the body may therefore be more easily shown by the excretion of total polyamines excluding cadavenne than by that including cadaverine.
Scholars' Mine Scholars' Mine A Systematic Review of Technological Advancements to Enhance A Systematic Review of Technological Advancements to Enhance Learning Learning

Assessing student learning styles and incorporating thought-provoking activities has been a focus of research for years. Virtual technology and social media are transforming traditional classrooms into training spaces that can be tailored for individual learning patterns and personalized for different skill levels. These technological tools are not only revolutionizing the conventional lecture-based classroom but also beginning to incorporate options such as flipped and blended classrooms. Students in these nontraditional settings are given additional hands-on experience that allows them to become immersed in a variety of subjects. Flipped classrooms in particular use class time effectively by challenging students to prepare prior to class. In return the allotted time provides a place for students to work through problems and encourage cooperative learning. Furthermore, social media is being used to increase subject interest and boost class attendance by improving instructor and student interactions. These techniques challenge students enough to maintain focus while remaining within their capabilities to preserve student curiosity. Learning enhancement using these new teaching styles was assessed through surveys provided at the beginning and end of each experiment. The studies sampled students from a variety of backgrounds and skill sets including military, medical, and college students. Alternative and cost effective approaches are revolutionizing learning to help improve each student’s motivation, concentration, and confidence.
Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Dependable machine intelligence at the tactical edge Dependable machine intelligence at the tactical edge

The paper describes a vision for dependable application of machine learning-based inferencing on resource-constrained edge devices. The high computational overhead of sophisticated deep learning learning techniques imposes a prohibitive overhead, both in terms of energy consumption and sustainable processing throughput, on such resource-constrained edge devices (e.g., audio or video sensors). To overcome these limitations, we propose a “cognitive edge” paradigm, whereby (a) an edge device ﬁrst autonomously uses statistical analysis to identify potential collaborative IoT nodes, and (b) the IoT nodes then perform real-time sharing of various intermediate state to improve their individual execution of machine intelligence tasks. We provide an example of such collaborative inferencing for an exemplar network of video sensors, showing how such collaboration can signiﬁcantly improve accuracy, reduce latency and decrease communication bandwidth compared to non-collaborative baselines. We also identify various challenges in realizing such a cognitive edge, including the need to ensure that the inferencing tasks do not suffer catastrophically in the presence of malfunctioning peer devices. We then introduce the soon-to-be deployed Cognitive IoT testbed at SMU, explaining the various features that enable empirical testing of various novel edge-based ML algorithms.
AN ATTEMPT TO PROBLEMATIZE VALUES

: Values are the principle of human existence. They are its proto-principle. Human life runs its course within a world of values, is guided and made meaningful by values. Political action, as a kind of social action, is guided by meaning and – directly or indirectly – by values. The cardinal function of values is to legitimate the social and political (individual and/or group) actions. The devaluation of values leads to a crisis of society, the only solution to which is a revaluation of values. And because – not being subject to natural causality – values are a matter of choice, when they are imposed and coercively required of people, they cannot result in the good, and their devaluation becomes inevitable. Devalued values break down the immune system of a person, a group, a society. The disregard for politics as a value is a symptom of a severely ailing society. Overall, researches on values have revealed a tendency to moral degradation and a shortage of social and political values. Sociologists explain this negative trend with reference to the preceding period that had abruptly placed whole generations of people socialized in one type of society – the Socialist one – into a new reality that required a radical elimination of the conflict areas in their now compromised past socialization. A clarification of the interconnection between attitudes and values such as justice, family, work, politics, etc., gives answers to the question as to how far these values are a resource for meaningful construction and/or consolidation of community ties. The extent to which values are accepted by the community as reference points for personal and social realization depends on the interiorization of supra-individual norms and values. Only a person who has interiorized these norms and values – not as imposed coercively from outside but as his/her own – may simultaneously live in society and be “free” of society. Individualization is the basic characteristic of a healthy society. The individualization in question must not consist of individualism, atomization, and/or highlighting the Self, but should involve a collective and normative style of life. In that case, it may alleviate the contrast between desired values that underlie the actual conduct of people, and the desirable values that are related to the normative requirements of society.
Chemical composition of field grown radish ( Raphanus sativus L. var. sativus ) as influenced by season and moderately reduced water supply

Seasonal variations in water availability as increasingly provoked by climate change pose severe challenges for vegetable production, particularly for crops requiring reliable and high water supply for achieving satisfactory quality. In contrast to most previous studies applying severe water deficits, we examined the effects of moderate water deficits on the chemical composition of red radish tubers during three consecutive years with variable climatic conditions. Radish were cultivated in open field, applying two different water supply treatments and following a randomized block design comprising four sets of six plots each. The resulting water reductions of 3-20% led to a significant increase of dry matter-based myo -inositol levels, whereas those of selected minerals and trace elements, phenolics and glucosinolates decreased. Anthocyanin levels remained unchanged. Fresh-matter related levels of most analytes increased upon reduced water treatments due to higher dry matter contents. While pigment levels in radish remained unchanged, mild water deficit affected other quality-related parameters such as pungency-related glucosinolates.
Inflammation is associated with pro-nociceptive brain connections in rheumatoid arthritis patients with concomitant fibromyalgia Running Header: Neurobiological interactions between inflammation and fibromyalgia

: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with comorbid fibromyalgia (FM) manifest alterations in brain connectivity synonymous with central sensitization. Here we consider how peripheral inflammation, the principal nociceptive stimulus in RA, interacts with brain connectivity in RA patients with comorbid FM. RA patients with (FM+, n=27) and without (FM-, n=27) comorbid FM completed functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging. Seed to whole-brain functional connectivity analyses were conducted using left mid/posterior insula and left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) seeds, regions previously linked to FM symptoms and inflammation respectively. The association between functional connectivity and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was assessed in each FM group separately, followed by post-hoc analyses to test for interaction effects. Significance was set at a cluster-level family-wise error (FWE) rate of p < 0.05.
Role of Streptococcal T Antigens in Superﬁcial Skin Infection (cid:1)

FCT region genes of Streptococcus pyogenes encode surface proteins that include f ibronectin- and c ollagen-binding proteins and the serological markers known as T antigens, some of which give rise to pilus-like appendages. It remains to be established whether FCT region surface proteins contribute to virulence by in vivo models of infection. In this study, a highly sensitive and ecologically relevant humanized mouse model was used to measure superﬁcial skin infection. Three genes encoding FCT region surface proteins essential for T- serotype speciﬁcity were inactivated. Both the (cid:1) cpa and (cid:1) prtF2 mutants were highly attenuated for virulence when topically applied to the skin following exponential growth but were fully virulent when delivered in stationary phase. In contrast, the (cid:1) fctA mutant was virulent at the skin, regardless of its initial growth state. Immunoblots of cell extracts revealed anti-FctA-reactive, ladder-like polymers characteristic of streptococcal pili. In addition, FctA formed a heteropolymer with the putative collagen-binding protein Cpa. The (cid:1) fctA mutant showed a loss in anti-Cpa-reactive polymers, whereas anti-FctA-reactive polymers were reduced in the (cid:1) cpa mutant. The ﬁndings suggest that both FctA and Cpa are required for pilus formation, but importantly, an intact pilus is not essential for Cpa-mediated virulence. Although it is an integral part of the T-antigen complex, the ﬁbronectin-binding protein PrtF2 is not covalently linked to the FctA- and Cpa-containing heteropolymer derived from cell extracts. The data provide direct evidence that streptococcal T antigens function as virulence factors in vivo, but they also reveal that a pilus-like structure is not essential for the most common form of streptococcal skin disease.