Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Soil-skin adherence from carpet: Use of a mechanical chamber to control contact parameters

A computer-controlled mechanical chamber was used to control the contact between carpet samples laden with soil, and human cadaver skin and cotton sheet samples for the measurement of mass soil transfer. Mass soil transfers were converted to adherence factors (mg/cm2) for use in models that estimate dermal exposure to contaminants found in soil media. The contact parameters of pressure (10 to 50 kPa) and time (10 to 50 sec) were varied for 369 experiments of mass soil transfer, where two soil types (play sand and lawn soil) and two soil sizes (< 139.7 μm and ≥139.7 < 381) were used. Chamber probes were used to record temperature and humidity. Log transformation of the sand/soil transfers was performed to normalize the distribution. Estimated adjusted means for experimental conditions were exponentiated in order to express them in the original units. Mean soil mass transfer to cadaver skin (0.74 mg/cm2) was higher than to cotton sheets (0.21 mg/cm2). Higher pressure (p < 0.0001), and larger particle size (p < 0.0001) were also all associated with larger amounts of soil transfer. The original model was simplified into two by adherence material type (i.e., cadaver skin and cotton sheets) in order to investigate the differential effects of pressure, time, soil size, and soil type on transfer. This research can be used to improve estimates of dermal exposure to contaminants found in home carpets.
The role of sunlight in the removal and repair of viruses in the sea

We investigated the in situ destruction rates of marine viral particles as well as the decay rates of infectivity for viral isolates along an ~400‐km transect from oligotrophic offshore waters to productive coastal waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Light‐mediated decay rates of viral infectivity averaged over the solar day ranged from 0.7 to 0.85 h−1 in surface waters at all stations and decreased with depth in proportion to the attenuation of UVB (305 nm). The destruction rates of viral particles also decreased with depth, although the rates of particle destruction were only 22–61% of infectivity when integrated over the mixed layer. The rates of viral particle destruction indicated that at three of four stations 6–12% of the daily bacterial production would have to be lysed in order to maintain ambient viral concentrations. At the fourth station, where there was a dense bloom of Synechococcus spp. and the mixed layer was shallower, 34–52% of the daily bacterial production would have to be lysed. A comparison of the difference between destruction rates of viral particles and infectivity integrated over the depth of the mixed layer implies that host‐mediated repair must have restored infectivity to 39–78% of the sunlight‐damaged viruses daily. The calculated frequency of contacts between viral particles and bacterial cells that resulted in infection (contact success) ranged from ~18 to 34% in offshore waters, where the frequency of contacts between viruses and bacteria was much lower, to ~1.0% at the most inshore station, where contact rates are much higher. This suggests that in offshore waters bacterial communities are less diverse, and that there is less selection to be resistant to viral infection. This paper provides a framework for balancing viral production, destruction, and light‐dependent repair in aquatic viral communities.
Predicting service metrics for cluster-based services using real-time analytics

Predicting the performance of cloud services is intrinsically hard. In this work, we pursue an approach based upon statistical learning, whereby the behaviour of a system is learned from observations. Specifically, our testbed implementation collects device statistics from a server cluster and uses a regression method that accurately predicts, in real-time, client-side service metrics for a video streaming service running on the cluster. The method is service-agnostic in the sense that it takes as input operating-systems statistics instead of service-level metrics. We show that feature set reduction significantly improves prediction accuracy in our case, while simultaneously reducing model computation time. We also discuss design and implementation of a real-time analytics engine, which processes streams of device statistics and service metrics from testbed sensors and produces model predictions through online learning.
Agreement in electrocardiogram interpretation in patients with septic shock*

Objective:The reliability of electrocardiogram interpretation to diagnose myocardial ischemia in critically ill patients is unclear. In adults with septic shock, we assessed intra- and inter-rater agreement of electrocardiogram interpretation, and the effect of knowledge of troponin values on these interpretations. Design:Prospective substudy of a randomized trial of vasopressin vs. norepinephrine in septic shock. Setting:Nine Canadian intensive care units. Patients:Adults with septic shock requiring at least 5 &mgr;g/min of norepinephrine for 6 hrs. Interventions:Twelve-lead electrocardiograms were recorded before study drug, and 6 hrs, 2 days, and 4 days after study drug initiation. Measurements:Two physician readers, blinded to patient data and group, independently interpreted electrocardiograms on three occasions (first two readings were blinded to patient data; third reading was unblinded to troponin). To calibrate and refine definitions, both readers initially reviewed 25 trial electrocardiograms representing normal to abnormal. Cohen's Kappa and the &phgr; statistic were used to analyze intra- and inter-rater agreement. Results:One hundred twenty-one patients (62.2 ± 16.5 yrs, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II 28.6 ± 7.7) had 373 electrocardiograms. Blinded to troponin, readers 1 and 2 interpreted 46.4% and 30.0% of electrocardiograms as normal, and 15.3% and 12.3% as ischemic, respectively. Intrarater agreement was moderate for overall ischemia (&kgr; 0.54 and 0.58), moderate/good for “normal” (&kgr; 0.69 and 0.55), fair to good for specific signs of ischemia (ST elevation, T inversion, and Q waves, reader 1 &kgr; 0.40 to 0.69; reader 2 &kgr; 0.56 to 0.70); and good/very good for atrial arrhythmias (&kgr; 0.84 and 0.79) and bundle branch block (&kgr; 0.88 and 0.79). Inter-rater agreement was fair for ischemia (&kgr; 0.29), moderate for ST elevation (&kgr; 0.48), T inversion (&kgr; 0.52), and Q waves (&kgr; 0.44), good for bundle branch block (&kgr; 0.78), and very good for atrial arrhythmias (&kgr; 0.83). Inter-rater agreement for ischemia improved from fair to moderate (&kgr; 0.52, p = .028) when unblinded to troponin. Conclusions:In patients with septic shock, inter-rater agreement of electrocardiogram interpretation for myocardial ischemia was fair, and improved with troponin knowledge.
Stochastic continuum armed bandit problem of few linear parameters in high dimensions

We consider a stochastic continuum armed bandit problem where the arms are indexed by the $\ell_2$ ball $B_{d}(1+\nu)$ of radius $1+\nu$ in $\mathbb{R}^d$. The reward functions $r :B_{d}(1+\nu) \rightarrow \mathbb{R}$ are considered to intrinsically depend on $k \ll d$ unknown linear parameters so that $r(\mathbf{x}) = g(\mathbf{A} \mathbf{x})$ where $\mathbf{A}$ is a full rank $k \times d$ matrix. Assuming the mean reward function to be smooth we make use of results from low-rank matrix recovery literature and derive an efficient randomized algorithm which achieves a regret bound of $O(C(k,d) n^{\frac{1+k}{2+k}} (\log n)^{\frac{1}{2+k}})$ with high probability. Here $C(k,d)$ is at most polynomial in $d$ and $k$ and $n$ is the number of rounds or the sampling budget which is assumed to be known beforehand.
Damping of input LC filter resonance based on virtual resistor for matrix converter

An inductor-capacitor (LC) filter is normally required at the input of the matrix converter, to assist in the commutation of switching devices and to mitigate input current harmonics. However, its presence, in turn, often results in degradation of dynamic performance and instability of the system. This paper gives a simple procedure to select the input filter parameters for the matrix converter and four conventional methods to employ real resistors to damp filter oscillation. Then, an effective damping method is proposed by using a virtual resistor that can be connected in parallel with the filter capacitor. And it only changes the calculation of the modulation index of the space vector modulation strategy for matrix converter. This method is suitable for the microcontroller implementation without sacrificing the power efficiency. Simulation and experiment results are included to verify the proposed method.
Correlation of Global MicroRNA Expression With Basal Cell Carcinoma Subtype

Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are the most common cancers in the United States. The histologic appearance distinguishes several subtypes, each of which can have a different biologic behavior. In this study, global miRNA expression was quantified by high-throughput sequencing in nodular BCCs, a subtype that is slow growing, and infiltrative BCCs, aggressive tumors that extend through the dermis and invade structures such as cutaneous nerves. Principal components analysis correctly classified seven of eight infiltrative tumors on the basis of miRNA expression. The remaining tumor, on pathology review, contained a mixture of nodular and infiltrative elements. Nodular tumors did not cluster tightly, likely reflecting broader histopathologic diversity in this class, but trended toward forming a group separate from infiltrative BCCs. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays were developed for six of the miRNAs that showed significant differences between the BCC subtypes, and five of these six were validated in a replication set of four infiltrative and three nodular tumors. The expression level of miR-183, a miRNA that inhibits invasion and metastasis in several types of malignancies, was consistently lower in infiltrative than nodular tumors and could be one element underlying the difference in invasiveness. These results represent the first miRNA profiling study in BCCs and demonstrate that miRNA gene expression may be involved in tumor pathogenesis and particularly in determining the aggressiveness of these malignancies.
Local response of L‐type Ca2+ current to nitric oxide in frog ventricular myocytes

1 The regulation of L‐type Ca2+ current (ICa) by the two nitric oxide (NO) donors sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 1 μm to 1 mm) and (±)‐S‐nitroso‐N‐acetylpenicillamine (SNAP, 3 or 10 μm) was investigated in frog ventricular myocytes using double voltage clamp and double‐barrelled microperfusion techniques. 2 SNP and SNAP depressed the isoprenaline (ISO, 10‐100 nm)‐ or forskolin (FSK, 1 μm)‐mediated stimulation of ICa via cGMP activation of the cGMP‐stimulated phosphodiesterase (PDE2). Complete inhibition of the ISO (100 nm) response was observed at 1 mm SNP. 3 When SNP was applied locally, i.e. to one‐half of the cell, and ISO to the whole cell, the response of ICa to ISO was strongly antagonized in the cell half exposed to SNP (up to 100 % inhibition at 1 mm SNP) but a relatively small depression was observed in the other half of the cell (only 20 % inhibition at 1 mm SNP). 4 The NO scavenger 2‐(4‐carboxyphenyl)‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl 3‐oxide (carboxy‐PTIO, 1 mm) reversed the local effect of SNAP (3 μm) on FSK‐stimulated ICa when applied to the same side as the NO donor, but had no effect when applied to the other side of the cell. 5 A local application of erythro‐9‐(2‐hydroxy‐3‐nonyl)adenine (EHNA, 30 μm), a selective inhibitor of PDE2, fully reversed the local effect of SNP (100 μm) or SNAP (10 μm) on ICa but had no effect on the distant response. 6 When EHNA was applied on the distant side, with SNP (1 mm) and ISO (100 nm) applied locally, the distant effect of SNP was fully reversed. 7 Our results demonstrate that in frog ventricular myocytes stimulation of guanylyl cyclase by NO leads to a strong local depletion of cAMP near the L‐type Ca2+ channels due to activation of PDE2, but only to a modest reduction of cAMP in the rest of the cell. This may be explained by the existence of a tight microdomain between L‐type Ca2+ channels and PDE2.
Naming Abilities in Low-Proficiency Second Language Learners

Difficulties in second language (L2) learning are often associated with recognizable learning difficulties in native language (L1), such as in dyslexia. However, some individuals have low L2 proficiency but intact L1 reading skills. These L2 learners experience frequent tip-of-the-tongue states while naming in L1, which indicates that they have a weakness in retrieval of phonological codes of words. The authors hypothesized that if naming ability is shared across languages, this difficulty would reemerge in L2 naming, which was tested using the tip-of-the-tongue experimental paradigm. Consistent with this hypothesis, low-proficiency L2 learners (n = 15) reported more tip-of-the-tongue states, more frequently mispronounced correctly retrieved words, and benefited less from phonological cuing compared to high-proficiency L2 learners (n = 23). It is notable that low-proficiency L2 learners performed worse than individuals with dyslexia (n = 16) on some of these measures, despite the same level of L2 proficiency. These results indicate that L2 naming difficulties of low-proficiency L2 learners are a manifestation not merely of their low L2 proficiency but rather of a general weakness in phonological word form retrieval, which is shared across languages. More broadly, the study provides further evidence for the existence of a distinct profile of cognitive weaknesses characteristic of the behavioral phenotype of low-proficiency L2 learners.
Evaluation and field testing of an embedded antenna in a small UAV wing structure

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are extensively being used in exploration, surveillance and military applications to collect data via special sensors and send the data back to a central station via wireless links. Printed antennas embedded in wing structures will eliminate the drag due to friction, and allow for extended load capability due to their extra light weight. In this work, we assess the performance of an embedded small size monopole antenna within the wing structure of a UAV and compare its performance in two environments with a standard wire type monopole inside the fuselage. Their performance is similar with an average difference of 6% in the open field test.
Effects of Bio‐Mos® on Growth and Survival of Channel Catfish Challenged with Edwardsiella ictaluri

A major problem in the catfish farming industry has been high disease loss to enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC), caused by the bacterium Edwardsiella ictaluri. Methods currently used to control this disease include antibiotic therapy, vaccination, and restricted feeding. Another method that has been examined is the addition of immunostimulants to the diet. Immunostimulants such as glucans with β-1,3 and β-1,6 glycosidic linkages (β-glucans) have been used to improve disease resistance but the results have been inconsistent. Channel catfish injected with yeast glucan responded to subsequent E. ictaluri immunization with higher serum antibody titers and reduced mortality relative to controls (Chen and Ainsworth 1992). Similarly, Aakre et al. (1994) reported that Atlantic salmon injected with a mixture of Aeromonas salmonicida bacterin and yeast glucan showed enhanced antibody responses. Yeast glucan has also been applied by immersion and oral administration. Raa et al. (1992) demonstrated that oral administration of yeast glucan to Atlantic salmon increased protection against V. anguillarum and V. salmonicida. Tiger shrimp immersed in yeast glucan solution showed enhanced protection against V. vulnificus infection (Sung et al. 1994). Although
Differential expression of protein kinase C isoforms in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND The cellular effects of hyperglycemia are mediated by protein kinase C (PKC). However, PKC consists of several distinct isoforms, and their contribution to the pathogenesis of diabetic complications in different organs is not clear. We investigated the expression and translocation of PKC isoforms alpha, betaI, betaII, delta, epsilon, and zeta in kidney, heart, and aorta from diabetic rats. METHODS Hyperglycemia was induced with streptozotocin (70 mg/kg) in the rat. After four weeks, PKC isoform expression was assessed by Western blot after tissue fractionation and by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Streptozotocin increased blood glucose from 117.0 +/- 3.6 to 510.0 +/- 19.4 mg/dl (N = 8, P < 0.01) and induced albuminuria. PKC isoforms alpha, beta, delta, epsilon, and zeta were all detected in control animals. Western blot showed increased PKC alpha expression in kidney and heart (160% and 170%, respectively). PKC betaI, betaII, and delta expression was not influenced by hyperglycemia. PKC zeta was decreased in diabetic animals in both tissues by 60%. The membrane association of PKC alpha and PKC epsilon was increased; however, the relative amount of PKC in the particulate fraction was not influenced by hyperglycemia. Immunohistochemistry revealed a marked increase in PKC alpha immunoreactivity in renal glomeruli and interstitial capillaries, cardiac capillaries, and skeletal muscle, as well as in the endothelial cells of larger arteries. PKC beta showed a small decrease in the glomeruli. PKC epsilon was increased in renal tubules in diabetic rats but was decreased in the myocardium. PKC zeta was expressed in both myocardial and glomerular cells but was decreased during hyperglycemia. Our results demonstrate that PKC isoforms are differentially regulated in kidney and heart in diabetes. High glucose increases PKC alpha expression, whereas PKC zeta is down-regulated. The finding that PKC alpha is mostly increased in endothelial cells supports a role for PKC alpha in functional endothelial disturbances observed in diabetes.
Ocean Acidification Affects Larval Swimming in Ostrea lurida but not Crassostrea gigas

iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.v LIST OF FIGURES.vii LIST OF TABLES.x INTRODUCTION.1 METHODS.6 Study organisms.6 Larval rearing.6 Carbonate chemistry.8 Larval swimming observations.10 Larval shell morphology.13 Larval energetics.14 RESULTS.18 Carbonate chemistry analysis.18 Larval swimming performance.20 Larval swimming behavior.25 Larval shell growth.33 Larval energetics.36 DISCUSSION.40 Effect of ocean acidification on C. gigas.40 Effect of ocean acidification on O. lurida.43 Species-specific comparison.45 Implications for wild populations.46 REFERENCES.49 APPENDIX A.56 APPENDIX B.60
Social work in a multilingual world: Interpreter-mediated encounters

In the diverse linguistic landscape of England, it is not uncommon for social workers to work with families who possess varying degrees of English language proficiency. Within such families children may speak multiple languages, and have greater English language proficiency than their parents. The study involved two areas of inquiry. The first part of the inquiry included semi-structured interviews with child and family social workers (n=9), to explore their experiences of interpreter–mediated encounters, including the use of children as interpreters. The second part focused on child language brokering (CLB), this refers to young people who translate and interpret for adults who do not share a mutual language. This part of the research took place at a youth centre and involved semi-structured interviews with young people (n=9) to explore their experiences of language brokering for various adults in multiple settings. The research draws on social constructionist theorising to describe and analyse the participants’ experiences of interpreting. Child interpreters were found to be used by social workers as an informal interpreting resource, to compensate for inadequate linguistic provision. The research presents four challenges in social work practice: i) providing adequate interpreting provision for service users with limited English language proficiency; ii) working effectively with interpreters; iii) working with families in which children speak more English than their parents; and iv) protecting children from the perceived harm of interpreting. The findings from the young people illuminate CLB as one activity that enables persons with limited English language proficiency to access services in the community. CLB therefore presents a diverse conceptualisation of interpreting, childhood and intergenerational relations between children and adults. The findings from both datasets illuminate different aspects of interpreting encounters; social workers as recipients of interpreting provision and young people as providers of interpreting. These dual perspectives illuminate a taken-for-granted area of social work practice and social life.
A Topology Control Algorithm for Effective Power Efficiency and Throughput for Wireless Mesh Networks

Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) have become a better alternative for extending wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) to provide network coverage up to the furthest of far flung rural areas. This has been implemented by using a meshed backbone network interconnecting the mesh access points (MAPs) that manages each of the WLANs. The routing algorithms use the mesh backbone to establish inter-WLAN routes which are subsequently used by the distantly distributed mesh clients to communicate in a multihop fashion. In this work, a fully scalable power-efficient localized distributed topology control algorithm is proposed to effectively construct such a meshed backbone network of access points. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated via several simulations carried out in the NS-2 simulation environment. The resultant network topology is shown to have (1) reduced average node degree which leads to reduced traffic interference, (2) increased throughput and (3)increased network lifetime.
A 10-MHz bandwidth 70-dB SNDR 640MS/s continuous-time ΣΔ ADC using Gm-C filter with nonlinear feedback DAC calibration

So far almost all wide-band (>10MHz) continuous-time ΣΔ ADCs use active-RC filters. Although this type of filter possesses excellent linearity, it behaves as a resistive load for the preceding stage, which requires a signal buffer. For high speed and high resolution applications, a low noise and low distortion signal buffer consumes quite large power. Gm-C filters have small capacitive loads, which avoids the need of a signal buffer. As a result, the ADC could achieve better power efficiency. However, due to the poor linearity, previous ΣΔ ADCs with Gm-C filters have low SNDR. In this work, the first Gm cell's nonlinearity is calibrated by a nonlinear feedback DAC. The principle of the novel compensation technique is that transfer functions of the Gm cell and the feedback DAC match each other so that the DAC has the same nonlinearity as the first Gm cell. Therefore the distortion is removed at the output. The concept is implemented in a 640MS/s CT EAADC for 10MHz signal bandwidth in a 0.18-μm CMOS process. After calibration, the modulator achieves 77/76/70dB DR/SNR/SNDR with 60mW power. The SNDR and power efficiency are much improved compared to previous ΣΔ ADCs with Gm-C filters. Without the power-hungry signal buffer, this novel on-chip calibration technique enables Gm-C-based ΣΔ ADC with similar SNDR and power efficiency as active-RC-based ΣΔ ADCs.