bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An undecomposed approach to control design for a class of nonlinear descriptor systems
Authors: Sun Liying , Wang Yuzhen 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYThis paper studies control designs for a class of nonlinear descriptor systems under state undecomposed status and presents a number of new results on the stabilization, H∞ control, and robust adaptive control. It is shown that under a suitable state feedback, two sufficient conditions of impulse‐free can be established for the resulted closed‐loop system. Using the established conditions, the stabilization problem is then discussed for the nonlinear descriptor system, and a stabilization control design procedure is presented; on the basis of which, an admissible H∞ controller and an admissible robust adaptive controller are designed for the system with external disturbances and/or parametric uncertainties. Simulation results on a nonlinear descriptor circuit system show the efficiency of the controllers proposed in this paper. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Unmatched uncertainties compensation based on high‐order sliding mode observation
Authors: de Loza Alejandra Ferreira , Bejarano Francisco J. , Fridman Leonid 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYThe problem of compensation of the effects of unmatched uncertainties ∕ perturbations is considered. High‐order sliding mode observers are employed for exact state and uncertainties ∕ perturbations reconstruction. A sliding mode control design is proposed ensuring theoretically exact compensation of the uncertainties ∕ perturbations for the corresponding unmatched states based on the identified perturbation values. An inverted pendulum simulation example is considered illustrating the feasibility of the proposed approach.Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimal sensor and path selection for target tracking in wireless sensor networks
Authors: Mansouri Majdi 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTThis paper addresses target tracking in wireless sensor networks where the nonlinear observed system is assumed to progress according to a probabilistic state space model. Thus, we propose to improve the use of the quantized variational filtering by jointly selecting the optimal candidate sensor that participates in target localization and its best communication path to the cluster head. In the current work, firstly, we select the optimal sensor in order to provide the required data of the target and to balance the energy dissipation in the wireless sensor networks. This selection is also based on the local cluster node density and their transmission power. Secondly, we select the best communication path that achieves the highest signal‐to‐noise ratio at the cluster head; then, we estimate the target position using quantized variational filtering algorithm. The best communication path is designed to reduce the communication cost, which leads to a significant reduction of energy consumption and an accurate target tracking. The optimal sensor selection is based on mutual information maximization under energy constraints, which is computed by using the target position predictive distribution provided by the quantized variational filtering algorithm. The simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms the quantized variational filtering under sensing range constraint, binary variational filtering, and the centralized quantized particle filtering. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Wernicke‐like encephalopathy during classic maple syrup urine disease decompensation
Authors: Manara R. , Del Rizzo M. , Burlina A. P. , Bordugo A. , Citton V. , Rodriguez‐Pombo P. , Ugarte M. , Burlina A. B. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractWe describe a new neuroradiologic picture observed during metabolic decompensation in two maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) patients that resembles Wernicke encephalopathy (WE). Clinical observations and the review of the literature regarding WE and MSUD pathophysiology prompted us to hypothesize a pathogenic link between these two disorders. Based on these findings, clinicians and neuroradiologists should be aware of MSUD as a possible predisposing factor of WE in children.
Upholding pregnant women's right to life
Authors: Cook Rebecca J. , Dickens Bernard M. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractRecent decisions of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Inter‐American Court of Human Rights, and the High Court of Delhi have shown how the pregnancy‐related deaths of individual women have been bases on which these authoritative tribunals have held Brazil, Paraguay, and India respectively accountable for avoidable maternal mortality not only in these cases, but also among their populations more generally. The right to life is the most fundamental of women's human rights, recognized in international human rights treaties and national laws. Failure of governments to apply their resources adequately to address, respect, and protect this right violates the law of human rights. These cases show, however, that governments may fail to allocate adequate resources to women's survival of pregnancy. Tribunals can build on the failures in individual cases to set standards of performance to which governments will legally be held to achieve safe motherhood.
The ecology and age structure of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus outbreak in wild mute swans
Authors: PYBUS O. G. , PERRINS C. M. , CHOUDHURY B. , MANVELL R. J. , NUNEZ A. , SCHULENBURG B. , SHELDON B. C. , BROWN I. H. 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYThe first UK epizootic of highly pathogenic (HP) H5N1 influenza in wild birds occurred in 2008, in a population of mute swans that had been the subject of ornithological study for decades. Here we use an innovative combination of ornithological, phylogenetic and immunological approaches to investigate the ecology and age structure of HP H5N1 in nature. We screened samples from swans and waterbirds using PCR and sequenced HP H5N1-positive samples. The outbreak's origin was investigated by linking bird count data with a molecular clock analysis of sampled virus sequences. We used ringing records to reconstruct the age-structure of outbreak mortality, and we estimated the age distribution of prior exposure to avian influenza. Outbreak mortality was low and all HP H5N1-positive mute swans in the affected population were <3 years old. Only the youngest age classes contained an appreciable number of individuals with no detectable antibody responses to viral nucleoprotein. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the outbreak strain circulated locally for ∼1 month before detection and arrived when the immigration rate of migrant waterbirds was highest. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that HP H5N1 epizootics in wild swans exhibit limited mortality due to immune protection arising from previous exposure. Our study population may represent a valuable resource for investigating the natural ecology and epidemiology of avian influenza.
Age and birth cohort differences in depression in repeated cross-sectional surveys in England: the National Psychiatric Morbidity Surveys, 1993 to 2007
Authors: Spiers N. , Brugha T. S. , Bebbington P. , McManus S. , Jenkins R. , Meltzer H. 
Published: February 2012

BackgroundThe National Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (NPMS) programme was partly designed to monitor trends in mental disorders, including depression, with comparable data spanning 1993 to 2007. Findings already published from this programme suggest that concerns about increasing prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs) may be unfounded. This article focuses on depression and tests the hypothesis that successive birth cohorts experience the same prevalence of depression as they age.MethodWe carried out a pseudo-cohort analysis of a sequence of three cross-sectional surveys of the English household population using identical diagnostic instruments. The main outcome was ICD-10 depressive episode or disorder. Secondary outcomes were the depression subscales of the Clinical Interview Schedule – Revised (CIS-R).ResultsThere were 8670, 6977 and 6815 participants in 1993, 2000 and 2007 respectively. In men, the prevalence of depression increased between cohorts born in 1943–1949 and 1950–1956 [odds ratio (OR) 2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4–4.2], then remained relatively stable across subsequent cohorts. In women, there was limited evidence of change in prevalence of depression. Women born in 1957–1963, surveyed aged 44–50 years in 2007, had exceptionally high prevalence. It is not clear whether this represents a trend or a quirk of sampling.ConclusionsThere is no evidence of an increase in the prevalence of depression in male cohorts born since 1950. In women, there is limited evidence of increased prevalence. Demand for mental health services may stabilize or even fall for men.
Stability and transitions of depressive subtypes over a 2-year follow-up
Authors: Lamers F. , Rhebergen D. , Merikangas K. R. , de Jonge P. , Beekman A. T. F. , Penninx B. W. J. H. 
Published: February 2012

BackgroundIdentifying depressive subtypes is an important tool in reducing the heterogeneity of major depressive disorder. However, few studies have examined the stability of putative subtypes of depression over time.MethodThe sample included 488 persons from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) who had major depressive disorder at baseline and at the 2-year follow-up assessment. A latent transition analysis (LTA) was applied to examine the stability of depressive subtypes across time-points. Differences in demographic, clinical, psychosocial and health correlates between subtypes were evaluated in a subsample of persons with stable subtypes.ResultsThree subtypes were identified at each time-point: a moderate subtype (prevalence T0 39%, T1 42%), a severe typical subtype (T0 30%, T1 25%), and a severe atypical subtype (T0 31%, T1 34%). The LTA showed 76% stability across the 2-year follow-up, with the greatest stability in the severe atypical class (79%). Analyses of correlates in the stable subtypes showed a predominance of women and more overweight and obesity in the severe atypical subtype, and a greater number of negative life events and higher neuroticism and functioning scores in the severe typical subtype.ConclusionsSubtypes of major depressive disorder were found to be stable across a 2-year follow-up and to have distinct determinants, supporting the notion that the identified subtypes are clinically meaningful.
Do all schizophrenia patients need antipsychotic treatment continuously throughout their lifetime? A 20-year longitudinal study
Authors: Harrow M. , Jobe T. H. , Faull R. N. 
Published: February 2012

BackgroundThe prevailing standard of care in the field involves background assumptions about the importance of prolonged use of antipsychotic medications for all schizophrenia (SZ) patients. However, do all SZ patients need antipsychotics indefinitely? Are there factors that help to identify which SZ patients can enter into prolonged periods of recovery without antipsychotics? This 20-year longitudinal research studied these issues.MethodA total of 139 early young psychotic patients from the Chicago Follow-up Study, including 70 patients with SZ syndromes and 69 with mood disorders, were assessed, prospectively, at the acute phase and then followed up six times over the next 20 years. Patients were assessed with standardized instruments for major symptoms, psychosocial functioning, personality, attitudinal variables, neurocognition and treatment.ResultsAt each follow-up, 30–40% of SZ patients were no longer on antipsychotics. Starting at the 4.5-year follow-ups and continuing thereafter, SZ patients not on antipsychotics for prolonged periods were significantly less likely to be psychotic and experienced more periods of recovery; they also had more favorable risk and protective factors. SZ patients off antipsychotics for prolonged periods did not relapse more frequently.ConclusionsThe data indicate that not all SZ patients need treatment with antipsychotics continuously throughout their lives. SZ patients not on antipsychotics for prolonged periods are a self-selected group with better internal resources associated with greater resiliency. They have better prognostic factors, better pre-morbid developmental achievements, less vulnerability to anxiety, better neurocognitive skills, less vulnerability to psychosis and experience more periods of recovery.
Discourse context and the recognition of reduced and canonical spoken words
Authors: BROUWER SUSANNE , MITTERER HOLGER , HUETTIG FALK 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTIn two eye-tracking experiments we examined whether wider discourse information helps the recognition of reduced pronunciations (e.g., “puter”) more than the recognition of canonical pronunciations of spoken words (e.g., “computer”). Dutch participants listened to sentences from a casual speech corpus containing canonical and reduced target words. Target word recognition was assessed by measuring eye fixation proportions to four printed words on a visual display: the target, a “reduced form” competitor, a “canonical form” competitor, and an unrelated distractor. Target sentences were presented in isolation or with a wider discourse context. Experiment 1 revealed that target recognition was facilitated by wider discourse information. It is important that the recognition of reduced forms improved significantly when preceded by strongly rather than by weakly supportive discourse contexts. This was not the case for canonical forms: listeners’ target word recognition was not dependent on the degree of supportive context. Experiment 2 showed that the differential context effects in Experiment 1 were not due to an additional amount of speaker information. Thus, these data suggest that in natural settings a strongly supportive discourse context is more important for the recognition of reduced forms than the recognition of canonical forms.
Widespread decreases in cortical muscarinic receptors in a subset of people with schizophrenia
Authors: Gibbons Andrew Stuart , Scarr Elizabeth , Boer Simone , Money Tammie , Jeon Won-Je , Felder Chris , Dean Brian 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThese studies were undertaken to investigate the selectivity of cortical muscarinic receptor radioligand binding in muscarinic M1 and M4 receptor knockout mice and to determine whether a marked decrease in [3H]pirenzepine binding in Brodmann's area (BA) 9 from a subset of people with schizophrenia was predictive of decreased muscarinic receptors in other central nervous system (CNS) regions. Our data show that, under the conditions used, [3H]pirenzepine binding was highly selective for the muscarinic M1 receptor whereas both [3H]AF-DX 386 and [3H]4DAMP had less discriminatory power. In addition, the data suggest that a marked decrease in [3H]pirenzepine binding in BA 9 from a subset of people with schizophrenia is predictive of decreases in muscarinic receptors in other CNS regions. However, there were some region-specific decreases in muscarinic receptors in tissue from people with schizophrenia who were outside this subset. These data add to a growing body of evidence suggesting there are widespread decreases in muscarinic receptors in the CNS of some subjects with schizophrenia, as demonstrated by neuroimaging. Our data have implications for understanding the potential clinical utility of drugs directed at the orthosteric and allosteric sites of muscarinic receptors to treat schizophrenia.
A simple model for calculating magnetic nanowire domain wall fringing fields
Authors: West Adam D , Hayward Thomas J , Weatherill Kevin J , Schrefl Thomas , Allwood Dan A , Hughes Ifan G 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
We present a new approach to calculating magnetic fringing fields from head-to-head type domain walls (DWs) in planar magnetic nanowires. In contrast to calculations based on micromagnetically simulated structures the descriptions of the fields are for the most part analytic and thus significantly less time and resource intensive. We begin with an intuitive picture of DWs, which is built upon in a phenomenological manner. The resulting models require no a priori knowledge of the magnetization structure, and facilitate calculation of fringing fields without any free parameters. Comparisons with fields calculated using micromagnetic methods show good quantitative agreement. We demonstrate that parameters key to atomic physics applications can easily be calculated with errors of around 10%. The model we present has greatest accuracy and hence utility for distances roughly greater than the width of the DW under consideration.
Numerical study on electron transfer mechanism by collision of ions at graphite surface in highly efficient neutral beam generation
Authors: Kubota Tomohiro , Watanabe Naoki , Ohtsuka Shingo , Iwasaki Takuya , Ono Kohei , Iriye Yasuroh , Samukawa Seiji 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
We investigated the neutralization mechanism of ions created by collisions with a graphite surface by numerical simulations using an efficient and stable simulator developed by us based on time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) to clarify the mechanism responsible for generating neutral beams in a highly efficient neutral beam source developed by Samukawa et al (2001 Japan. J. Appl. Phys.
40 L779). The results from the simulations revealed that negative ions (Cl−) have higher neutralization efficiency than positive ions

, which was consistent with previous experimental results. The origin of this difference was investigated in terms of the energy alignment between electronic states participating in the charge transfer process. We found that the electronic states of Cl− have similar energies with those of graphite, while those of

and graphite have large differences in energies. This could be interpreted as resonant charge transfer occurring in the neutralization process of negative ions, while Auger charge transfer is dominant in that of positive ions. This interpretation was also strengthened by results where electron transfer probability to the excited states was much larger for collisions of graphite with

than with Cl−. This suggested that the different mechanisms are the reason for the difference in neutralization efficiency between negative and positive ions.
Properties of TiN/TiCN multilayer films by direct current magnetron sputtering
Authors: Zheng Jianyun , Hao Junying , Liu Xiaoqiang , Liu Weimin 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
In this work, a TiN/TiCN multilayer film was deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering. Its thickness was about 9675 nm and the bilayer numbers were 10. The composition, crystalline structure and amorphous carbon (a-C) phase of the film were investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was employed to observe the inner structure of the film. The TiCN layer exhibited a glass-like structure and the TiN layer presented a columnar structure. The adhesion force between the film and the substrate was 37.8 N determined by scratch tests. The hardness of the uppermost TiCN layer and the total film was 34.22 GPa and 27.22 GPa obtained by nano-indentation tests, respectively. In addition, the TiN/TiCN multilayer thick film showed different types of tribological behaviour against Si3N4 balls and steel balls. The mean coefficient of friction and the wear rate of the film were about 0.14 and 1.15 × 10−6 mm3 N−1 m−1 when the film slid against Si3N4 balls for 1 h.
Methadone and perinatal outcomes: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Cleary Brian J. , Eogan Maeve , O'Connell Michael P. , Fahey Tom , Gallagher Paul J. , Clarke Tom , White Martin J. , McDermott Christine , O'Sullivan Anne , Carmody Deirdre , Gleeson Justin , Murphy Deirdre J. 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTAims  Methadone use in pregnancy has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). This study aimed to examine perinatal outcomes and NAS in relation to (i) concomitant drug use and (ii) methadone dose.Design  Prospective cohort study.Setting  Two tertiary care maternity hospitals.Participants  A total of 117 pregnant women on methadone maintenance treatment recruited between July 2009 and July 2010.Measurements  Information on concomitant drug use was recorded with the Addiction Severity Index. Perinatal outcomes included pre‐term birth (<37 weeks' gestation), small‐for‐gestational‐age (<10th centile) and neonatal unit admission. NAS outcomes included: incidence of medically treated NAS, peak Finnegan score, cumulative dose of NAS treatment and duration of hospitalization.Findings  Of the 114 liveborn infants 11 (9.6%) were born pre‐term, 49 (42.9%) were small‐for‐gestational‐age, 56 (49.1%) had a neonatal unit admission and 29 (25.4%) were treated medically for NAS. Neonates exposed to methadone‐only had a shorter hospitalization than those exposed to methadone and concomitant drugs (median 5.0 days versus 6.0 days, P = 0.03). Neonates exposed to methadone doses ≥80 mg required higher cumulative doses of morphine treatment for NAS (median 13.2 mg versus 19.3 mg, P = 0.03). The incidence and duration of NAS did not differ between the two dosage groups.Conclusions  The incidence and duration of the neonatal abstinence syndrome is not associated with maternal methadone dose, but maternal opiate, benzodiazepine or cocaine use is associated with longer neonatal hospitalization.
Epitope-specific anti-nuclear antibodies are expressed in a mouse model of primary biliary cirrhosis and are cytokine-dependent
Authors: Yang C-Y , Leung P S C , Yang G-X , Kenny T P , Zhang W , Coppel R , Norman G L , Ansari A A , Mackay I R , Worman H J , Gershwin M E 
Published: February 2012

SummaryAlthough the hallmark of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is the presence of anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA), a significant number of patients have anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) directed primarily against two nuclear proteins, gp210 and sp100. In PBC, there are considerable data on the specificity of these anti-nuclear antibodies as well as suggestive evidence that antibodies to gp210 predict a poor outcome. However, a further understanding of the significance of these autoantibodies has been hampered by limitations in accessing human subjects in a preclinical or early asymptomatic stage. To overcome this limitation, we have taken advantage of transgenic mice with abrogated transforming growth factor-β signalling in T cells (dnTGF-βRII) that develop histological features of PBC as well as the same AMA specificity. We studied these mice for serum ANA, including specific autoantibodies against gp210 and sp100. We further examined sera from dnTGF-βRII mice with concurrent deletions of the genes encoding interleukin (IL)-12p35, IL-12p40, IL-23p19, IL-17, IL-6, interferon (IFN)-γ or tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Sera from all the dnTGF-βRII mouse lines contained antibodies against gp210 and sp100. Of significance, mice with germline deletions of the genes encoding IL-12p40, IL-23p19, IL-17, IL-6 and TNF-α had significantly lower titres of anti-gp210 antibodies. These results provide a platform to dissect the mechanisms of gp210 and sp100 autoantibody production in dnTGF-βRII mice as well as to study the possible role of ANA in the pathophysiology of PBC.