Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A homology and AOA based hole healing strategy in wireless sensor networks

Coverage hole healing is one significant part in deployment of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this paper, we propose a decentralized homology and angle of arrival (AOA) based coverage hole healing strategy in wireless sensor networks. Our strategy exploits movement-assisted redundant nodes to repair coverage holes in interesting area which is partly covered by wireless sensors that are not required to move. Each process of repairing work heals part of coverage hole as well as shrinks the hole size. The hole healing mission would be completed iteratively. Simulation results show that our strategy could repair coverage holes to achieve over 99.5% average coverage ratio when the number of sensors deployed is adequately large to meet the necessary requirement of total coverage. Our strategy utilizes AOA for hole healing and simulation results show that our strategy could tolerate low degree AOA estimation error without obvious coverage ratio loss.
Attentional Modulation of Auditory Steady-State Responses

Auditory selective attention enables task-relevant auditory events to be enhanced and irrelevant ones suppressed. In the present study we used a frequency tagging paradigm to investigate the effects of attention on auditory steady state responses (ASSR). The ASSR was elicited by simultaneously presenting two different streams of white noise, amplitude modulated at either 16 and 23.5 Hz or 32.5 and 40 Hz. The two different frequencies were presented to each ear and participants were instructed to selectively attend to one ear or the other (confirmed by behavioral evidence). The results revealed that modulation of ASSR by selective attention depended on the modulation frequencies used and whether the activation was contralateral or ipsilateral. Attention enhanced the ASSR for contralateral activation from either ear for 16 Hz and suppressed the ASSR for ipsilateral activation for 16 Hz and 23.5 Hz. For modulation frequencies of 32.5 or 40 Hz attention did not affect the ASSR. We propose that the pattern of enhancement and inhibition may be due to binaural suppressive effects on ipsilateral stimulation and the dominance of contralateral hemisphere during dichotic listening. In addition to the influence of cortical processing asymmetries, these results may also reflect a bias towards inhibitory ipsilateral and excitatory contralateral activation present at the level of inferior colliculus. That the effect of attention was clearest for the lower modulation frequencies suggests that such effects are likely mediated by cortical brain structures or by those in close proximity to cortex.
PREPARATION AND PARTICLE-SIZE MEASUREMENT OF ULTRA-FINE TOURMALINE POWDER

Tourmaline has the characteristics of releasing thermions,far-off infrared radiations and negative ions of oxygen.Ultra-fine powders of tourmaline have extensive applications in the fields of spin and weave,pigment and paint,as well as water purification.The preparation technology of ultra-fine tourmaline powder is discussed.The key equipment of a pilot plant to produce ultra-fine tourmaline powder with jet mill and stirred ball mill is described.Using this pilot plant facility we can produce tourmaline powder with particle size less than 100nm,and a continuous production process can be realized.
Crowdsourcing-based real-time urban traffic speed estimation: From trends to speeds

Real-time urban traffic speed estimation provides significant benefits in many real-world applications. However, existing traffic information acquisition systems only obtain coarse-grained traffic information on a small number of roads but cannot acquire fine-grained traffic information on every road. To address this problem, in this paper we study the traffic speed estimation problem, which, given a budget K, identifies K roads (called seeds) where the real traffic speeds on these seeds can be obtained using crowdsourcing, and infers the speeds of other roads (called non-seed roads) based on the speeds of these seeds. This problem includes two sub-problems: (1) Speed Inference - How to accurately infer the speeds of the non-seed roads; (2) Seed Selection - How to effectively select high-quality seeds. It is rather challenging to estimate the traffic speed accurately, because the traffic changes dynamically and the changes are hard to be predicted as many possible factors can affect the traffic. To address these challenges, we propose effective algorithms to judiciously select high-quality seeds and devise inference models to infer the speeds of the non-seed roads. On the one hand, we observe that roads have correlations and correlated roads have similar traffic trend: the speeds of correlated roads rise or fall compared with their historical average speed simultaneously. We utilize this property and propose a two-step model to estimate the traffic speed. The first step adopts a graphical model to infer the traffic trend and the second step devises a hierarchical linear model to estimate the traffic speed based on the traffic trend. On the other hand, we formulate the seed selection problem, prove that it is NP-hard, and propose several greedy algorithms with approximation guarantees. Experimental results on two large real datasets show that our method outperforms baselines by 2 orders of magnitude in efficiency and 40% in estimation accuracy.
Usefulness of assisted procedures for arteriovenous fistula maturation without compromising access patency

Introduction: To increase the rate of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) use, assisted procedures for immature AVF have been strenuously performed. However, this is controversial in that an AVF matured by these assisted procedures may require more frequent intervention to maintain its patency, and have decreased long‐term patency.
Effectiveness of a Timing and Coordination Group Exercise Program to Improve Mobility in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Importance Timing and coordination exercises may be an important addition to community-based health promotion exercise programs to improve walking in older adults. Objective To compare the effectiveness of the On the Move group exercise program, which focuses on the timing and coordination of movement, with a seated strength, endurance, and flexibility program (usual care) at improving function, disability, and walking ability of older adults. Design, Setting, and Participants Cluster-randomized, single-blind intervention trial. Thirty-two independent living facilities, senior apartment buildings, and senior community centers were randomized to On the Move (16 sites; 152 participants) or usual care (16 sites; 146 participants). Participants were 65 years or older, able to ambulate independently with a gait speed of at least 0.60 m/s, able to follow 2-step commands, and were medically stable. Interventions Exercise classes were 50 minutes, twice a week for 12 weeks and had 10 or fewer participants per class. On the Move consisted of warm-up, timing and coordination (stepping and walking patterns), strengthening, and stretching exercises. The usual-care program consisted of warm-up, strength, endurance, and stretching exercises. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcomes were self-report of function and disability (Late Life Function and Disability Instrument) and mobility (6-minute walk distance and gait speed) assessed by blinded individuals. Results Participants (mean [SD] age, 80.0 [8.1] years) were mostly female (251 [84.2%]) and white (249 [83.6%]) and had a mean (SD) of 2.8 (1.4) chronic conditions. Intervention groups were similar on baseline characteristics. Postintervention, 142 (93.4%) participants in On the Move and 139 (95.2%) participants in usual care completed testing. On the Move had greater mean (SD) improvements than the usual-care group in gait speed (0.05 [0.13] vs −0.01 [0.11] m/s; adjusted difference = 0.05 [0.02] m/s; P = .002) and 6-minute walk distance (20.6 [57.1] vs 4.1 [55.6] m; adjusted difference = 16.7 [7.4] m; P = .03). Attendance was greater in the usual-care program compared with On the Move (95 [65.1%] vs 76 [50.0%] attended ≥20 classes; P = .03). There were no significant differences in any of the other primary or secondary outcomes. Conclusions and Relevance The On the Move group exercise program was more effective at improving mobility than a usual-care exercise program, despite lower attendance. Additional research examining the impact of the intervention on long-term disability outcomes is needed before recommending routine implementation into clinical practice. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01986647
Simulations of Multi-Phase Particle Deposition on a Showerhead With Staggered Film-Cooling Holes

The demand for cleaner, more efficient energy has driven the motivation for improving the performance standards for gas turbines. Increasing the combustion temperature is one way to get the best possible performance from a gas turbine. One problem associated with increased combustion temperatures is that particles ingested in the fuel and air become more prone to deposition with an increase in turbine inlet temperature. Deposition on aero-engine turbine components caused by sand particle ingestion can impair turbine cooling methods and lead to reduced component life. It is necessary to understand the extent to which particle deposition affects turbine cooling in the leading edge region of the nozzle guide vane where intricate showerhead cooling geometries are utilized. For the current study, wax was used to dynamically simulate multi-phase particle deposition on a large scale showerhead cooling geometry. The effects of deposition development, coolant blowing ratio, and particle temperature were tested. Infrared thermography was used to quantify the effects of deposition on cooling effectiveness. Although deposition decreased with an increase in coolant blowing ratio, results showed that reductions in cooling effectiveness caused by deposition increased with an increase in blowing ratio. Results also showed that effectiveness reduction increased with an increase in particle temperature. Reductions in cooling effectiveness reached as high as 36% at M = 1.0. Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Specificity Protein 7 Is Required for Proliferation and Differentiation of Ameloblasts and Odontoblasts

The Sp7/Osterix transcription factor is essential for bone development. Mutations of the Sp7 gene in humans are associated with craniofacial anomalies and osteogenesis imperfecta. However, the role of Sp7 in embryonic tooth development remains unknown. Here we identified the functional requirement of Sp7 for dentin synthesis and tooth development. Sp7‐null mice exhibit craniofacial dysmorphogenesis and are completely void of alveolar bone. Surprisingly, initial tooth morphogenesis progressed normally in Sp7‐null mice. Thus the formation of alveolar bone is not a prerequisite for tooth morphogenesis. Sp7 is required for mineralization of palatal tissue but is not essential for palatal fusion. The reduced proliferative capacity of Sp7‐deficient ectomesenchyme results in small and misshapen teeth with randomly arranged cuboidal preodontoblasts and preameloblasts. Sp7 promotes functional maturation and polarization of odontoblasts. Markers of mature odontoblast (Col1a, Oc, Dspp, Dmp1) and ameloblast (Enam, Amelx, Mmp20, Amtn, Klk4) are barely expressed in incisors and molar tissues of Sp7‐null mice. Consequently, dentin and enamel matrix are absent in the Sp7‐null littermates. Interestingly, the Sp7 expression is restricted to cells of the dental mesenchyme indicating the effect on oral epithelium–derived ameloblasts is cell‐nonautonomous. Abundant expression of Fgf3 and Fgf8 ligand was noted in the developing tooth of wild‐type mice. Both ligands were remarkably absent in the Sp7‐null incisor and molar, suggesting cross‐signaling between mesenchyme and epithelium is disrupted. Finally, promoter‐reporter assays revealed that Sp7 directly controls the expression of Fgf‐ligands. Together, our data demonstrate that Sp7 is obligatory for the differentiation of both ameloblasts and odontoblasts but not for the initial tooth morphogenesis. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
A highly invasive subpopulation of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells shows accelerated growth, differential chemoresistance, features of apocrine tumors and reduced tumorigenicity in vivo

The acquisition of an invasive phenotype is a prerequisite for metastasization, yet it is not clear whether or to which extent the invasive phenotype is linked to other features characteristic of metastatic cells. We selected an invasive subpopulation from the triple negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231, performing repeated cycles of preparative assays of invasion through Matrigel covered membranes. The invasive sub-population of MDA-MB-231 cells exhibits stronger migratory capacity as compared to parental cells confirming the highly invasive potential of the selected cell line. Prolonged cultivation of these cells did not abolish the invasive phenotype. ArrayCGH, DNA index quantification and karyotype analyses confirmed a common genetic origin of the parental and invasive subpopulations and revealed discrete structural differences of the invasive subpopulation including increased ploidy and the absence of a characteristic amplification of chromosome 5p14.1-15.33. Gene expression analyses showed a drastically altered expression profile including features of apocrine breast cancers and of invasion related matrix-metalloproteases and cytokines. The invasive cells showed accelerated proliferation, increased apoptosis, and an altered pattern of chemo-sensitivity with lower IC50 values for drugs affecting the mitotic apparatus. However, the invasive cell population is significantly less tumorigenic in orthotopic mouse xenografts suggesting that the acquisition of the invasive capacity and the achievement of metastatic growth potential are distinct events.
Biological Evaluation of Azolla in Ration of Commercial Chicken Broiler

The study was conducted to evaluate feeding of dried Azolla (Azolla piñnata) and Azolla in combination with exogenous enzymes in commercial broiler poultry birds under complete randomized design. Total 110 day old vancobb broiler chicks were divided into five groups T0,T1, T2, T3 and T4, further each group divided in 2 sub groups (n=11). Group T1 and T3 was given ration containing 2.5 and 5.0 percent dried Azolla without exogenous feed enzyme, where as group T2 and T4 was given ration containing 2.5 and 5.0 per cent dried Azolla with exogenous feed enzyme viz. Phytase and Hizyme. T0 served as standard control diet. Overall growth performance of the dried Azolla fed groups (T1, T2, T3, T4) was found to be similar to the control group (T0) during starter and finisher phase whereas, feed intake per unit gain in live weight was found to be significantly (P<0.05) higher for all the dried Azolla fed groups compared to control group. Further, group T2 offered 2.5 percent substituted dried Azolla supplemented with enzymes exhibited lower feed conversion ratio compared to group T3 offered 5 percent substituted dried Azolla. No effect was recorded in the plasma mineral viz. calcium and phosphorus levels of broilers. Based on the findings it can be concluded that dried Azolla can be safely administered in commercial poultry broiler ration up to 5 percent level without having any deleterious, however inclusion of 2.5 percent Azolla is more effective on the growth performance and biochemical parameters.
Goal-directed visual attention drives health goal priming: An eye-tracking experiment

Objective: Several lab and field experiments have shown that goal priming interventions can be highly effective in promoting healthy food choices. Less is known, however, about the mechanisms by which goal priming affects food choice. This experiment tested the hypothesis that goal priming affects food choices through changes in visual attention. Specifically, it was hypothesized that priming with the dieting goal steers attention toward goal-relevant, low energy food products, which, in turn, increases the likelihood of choosing these products. Methods: In this eye-tracking experiment, 125 participants chose between high and low energy food products in a realistic online supermarket task while their eye movements were recorded with an eye-tracker. One group was primed with a health and dieting goal, a second group was exposed to a control prime, and a third group was exposed to no prime at all. Results: The health goal prime increased low energy food choices and decreased high energy food choices. Furthermore, the health goal prime resulted in proportionally longer total dwell times on low energy food products, and this effect mediated the goal priming effect on choices. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the effect of priming on consumer choice may originate from an increase in attention for prime-congruent items. This study supports the effectiveness of health goal priming interventions in promoting healthy eating and opens up directions for research on other behavioral interventions that steer attention toward healthy foods.
Brain MRI Characteristics of Patients with Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis and Their Associations with 2-Year Clinical Outcome

The authors enrolled 53 patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis and performed 2-year follow-up. Brain MRIs were acquired for all patients at the onset phase. The brain MR imaging manifestations were classified into 4 types—type 1: normal MR imaging findings; type 2: only hippocampal lesions; type 3: lesions not involving the hippocampus; and type 4: lesions inboth the hippocampus and other brain areas. Twenty-eight (28/53, 53%) patients had normal MR imaging findings (type 1), and the others (25/53, 47%) had abnormal MRI findings—type 2: 7 patients (13%); type 3: 7 patients (13%); and type 4: 11 patients (21%). The presence of hippocampal lesions and relapse was associated with poor outcome. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Anti-N-methyl-D-aspertate receptor encephalitis is an autoimmune-mediated disease without specific brain MRI features. Our aim was to investigate the brain MR imaging characteristics of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis and their associations with clinical outcome at a 2-year follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 53 patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis and performed 2-year follow-up. Brain MRIs were acquired for all patients at the onset phase. The brain MR imaging manifestations were classified into 4 types: type 1: normal MR imaging findings; type 2: only hippocampal lesions; type 3: lesions not involving the hippocampus; and type 4: lesions in both the hippocampus and other brain areas. The modified Rankin Scale score at 2-year follow-up was assessed, and the association between the mRS and onset brain MR imaging characteristics was evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-eight (28/53, 53%) patients had normal MR imaging findings (type 1), and the others (25/53, 47%) had abnormal MRI findings: type 2: 7 patients (13%); type 3: seven patients (13%); and type 4: eleven patients (21%). Normal brain MRI findings were more common in female patients (P = .02). Psychiatric and behavioral abnormalities were more common in adults (P = .015), and autonomic symptoms (P = .025) were more common in pediatric patients. The presence of hippocampal lesions (P = .008, OR = 9.584; 95% CI, 1.803–50.931) and relapse (P = .043, OR = 0.111; 95% CI, 0.013–0.930) was associated with poor outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Normal brain MRI findings were observed in half of the patients. Lesions in the hippocampus were the most common MR imaging abnormal finding. The presence of hippocampal lesions is the main MR imaging predictor for poor prognosis in patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis.
In Silico Assessment of Efficacy and Safety of IKur Inhibitors in Chronic Atrial Fibrillation: Role of Kinetics and State-Dependence of Drug Binding

Current pharmacological therapy against atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common cardiac arrhythmia, is limited by moderate efficacy and adverse side effects including ventricular proarrhythmia and organ toxicity. One way to circumvent the former is to target ion channels that are predominantly expressed in atria vs. ventricles, such as KV1.5, carrying the ultra-rapid delayed-rectifier K+ current (IKur). Recently, we used an in silico strategy to define optimal KV1.5-targeting drug characteristics, including kinetics and state-dependent binding, that maximize AF-selectivity in human atrial cardiomyocytes in normal sinus rhythm (nSR). However, because of evidence for IKur being strongly diminished in long-standing persistent (chronic) AF (cAF), the therapeutic potential of drugs targeting IKur may be limited in cAF patients. Here, we sought to simulate the efficacy (and safety) of IKur inhibitors in cAF conditions. To this end, we utilized sensitivity analysis of our human atrial cardiomyocyte model to assess the importance of IKur for atrial cardiomyocyte electrophysiological properties, simulated hundreds of theoretical drugs to reveal those exhibiting anti-AF selectivity, and compared the results obtained in cAF with those in nSR. We found that despite being downregulated, IKur contributes more prominently to action potential (AP) and effective refractory period (ERP) duration in cAF vs. nSR, with ideal drugs improving atrial electrophysiology (e.g., ERP prolongation) more in cAF than in nSR. Notably, the trajectory of the AP during cAF is such that more IKur is available during the more depolarized plateau potential. Furthermore, IKur block in cAF has less cardiotoxic effects (e.g., AP duration not exceeding nSR values) and can increase Ca2+ transient amplitude thereby enhancing atrial contractility. We propose that in silico strategies such as that presented here should be combined with in vitro and in vivo assays to validate model predictions and facilitate the ongoing search for novel agents against AF.
Examining Length Scales of Interfacial Dynamics in Ultra-Thin Polymer Glasses

Amorphous polymeric materials are increasingly used in a variety of technologies ranging from organic electronics to gas separation membranes. As many of these applications trend towards the nanoscale, it is imperative to know how the properties of nanoscale polymer glasses compare to those of the bulk material. While many cases have shown that the dynamics of the interfaces affect the properties of a thin film, the length scales of these effects are still heavily debated. In this thesis, I use ellipsometry to perform cooling rate dependent Tg measurements in order to probe the average length scales of interfacial dynamics in ultra-thin polymer glasses. These studies show that segmental motion from the surfaces of a film can influence the dynamics of a material over length scales up to 40 nm, which is over ten times the length scale of segmental motion. Furthermore, they show that while factors such as polymer molecular weight, chain stiffness, and attractive substrate interactions can have an effect on the overall dynamics of the system, they do not change the fact that the dynamics from the air/polymer and polymer/substrate interfaces propagate through the film over long length scales. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Chemistry First Advisor Zahra Fakhraai