Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Energy Efficient and Reliable Transport of Data in Cloud-Based IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) comprises a large number of sensor nodes with limited processing, storage, and battery abilities. The IoT has to operate in a constrained environment with specific challenges, such as hardware malfunctions, battery depletion, and harsh wireless environmental conditions. Deploying a reliable IoT is especially important for critical IoT applications such as smart cities. To ensure the quality of service requirements of these applications, the IoT needs to provide specific reliability guarantees. There are several strategies to ensure energy efficient and reliable transport of data in the IoT. However, there is an inherent conflict between power consumption and reliability: an increase in reliability usually leads to an increase in power consumption as in traditional retransmission-based reliability. To solve this problem, we present four scenarios of optimization using a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model. First, we used a standby routes selection scheme (SBRS) to replace node failures and achieve reliability with minimum traffic power consumption. Second, we used a desired reliability level scheme (DRLS), which minimizes the traffic power consumption of the IoT devices while considering the desired reliability level as a key factor. We also propose a reliability-based sub-channel scheme (RBS) to avoid overhead on busy reliable routes while mitigating interference. Moreover, we present a reliability-based data compression scheme (RBDS) to overcome the capacity limits of the links. The results show that our proposed schemes reduce the negative effect between reliability and total traffic power consumption with an average power saving of 57% in SBRS and 60% in RBDS compared to DRLS.
Comparative Study of Compensation Circuit Topologies in 6.6kW Capacitive Power Transfer System

In this paper, a capacitive power transfer (CPT) system of 1MHz switching frequency was used to supply an electric vehicle battery pack of 6.6kW, 500V at an air-gap of 5cm. Four dual-sided compensation circuit topologies were considered. The dual means the same circuit topology used in both the transmitter and receiver sides. The aims of this study are analyzing and comparing the characteristics of the compensation circuits in order to facilitate of selecting a suitable compensation circuit for a specific application of a CPT system. The considered criteria for analyzing and comparing are input impedance characteristics, input VA rating, and misalignment characteristics. Due to its simplicity, the unipolar structure was used to represent the capacitive coupler.
Adoption of Engineering Education Interventions From a Student Perspective

Various engineering education interventions are proposed to enhance the teaching and learning experience and increase positive outcomes. The effectiveness of these interventions are tested using a number of different methods, for example questionnaires and pre- and post testing. These interventions are focused on students, although marketing of the effectiveness of these interventions to increase adoption are aimed at faculty. This paper examines a number of case studies based on different types of interventions. The focus is on student adoption rates if these interventions are optional or if the consequences of not participating is negligibly small. The adoption patterns are also studied to assist faculty in increasing adoption rates.
Soybean Seed Counting Based on Pod Image Using Two-Column Convolution Neural Network

China’s soybean supply and demand are seriously imbalanced. It is crucial to improve the level of soybean breeding. Hundred-grain weight is one of the most essential phenotypic parameters for crop breeding. Accurate soybean seed counting is a key step for 100-grain weight. There are several seed counting methods, which have their own limitations one way or the other. Among these, manual counting is time-consuming, electronic automatic seed counter devices are expensive and their counting speed is very slow, and the traditional digital image processing techniques are not suitable for seed counting based on individual pod images. This paper attempted to develop a method that would combine the density estimation-based methods and the convolution neural network (CNN)-based methods to accurately estimate the seed count from an individual soybean pod image with a single perspective. In this paper, we first introduced a new large-scale seed counting dataset, named Soybean-pod. The dataset contains 500 annotated pod images with a total of 32 126 seeds and is the largest annotated dataset for soybean seed counting so far. Simultaneously, we used annotation information to generate a ground-truth density map by convolving a Gaussian kernel and, then, devised a simple but effective method that would elucidate pod images to a seed density map using a two-column CNN (TCNN) and thus accomplish seed counting ultimately. We conducted relevant experiments from three aspects on the new dataset to verify the effectiveness of our model and method, which provided 13.21 mean absolute error (MAE) and 17.62 mean squared error (mse). In addition, our research results showed that deep learning techniques can be easily adapted to precision tasks for plant phenotyping and breeding purposes.
Fuzzy Hysteresis Control of the Compensating Capacitor Voltage for an Indirect Current Controlled Active Filter

The aim of this paper is the implementation of a fuzzy logic controller for the compensating capacitor voltage regulation of a shunt active filter, based on the indirect current control. The obtained performances of the fuzzy voltage controller are compared to the corresponding performances obtained on an identical system implemented with the well documented PI controller. Because the fuzzy controller output contains an important ripple, the possibility of using a low pass filter was investigated. It results that the fuzzy controller has an aperiodic response, but when adding a low pass filter at its output, the response is oscillatory, similar to the PI controller response. Although the compensation performance is better for the fuzzy controller, and the steady state regime is entered faster (with lower overshoot, when using the low pass filter), compared to the PI controller, the voltage regulation is poor. The regulation can be improved by properly adjusting the membership functions, with the cost of output ripple, which in turn, can be reduced by adding a low pass filter. The controller implementation and performance comparative study were accomplished on a comprehensive active compensator system built in the Matlab Simulink environment.
Prospective evaluation of nonenhanced MR imaging in acute pancreatitis

To compare the value of nonenhanced (NE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (NE‐MRI) with contrast‐enhanced (CE) computed tomography (CT) (CE‐CT) scan in assessing acute pancreatitis (AP) and in evaluating the severity index (SI) with clinical outcome.
Efficacy of Erythropoietin on Dialysis in Patients with Beta Thalassemia Minor

Background: It is unknown whether chronic erythropoietin (EPO) treatment is able to normalize hemoglobin (Hb) levels and ameliorate cardiac remodeling avoiding blood transfusions in uremic blood transfusion-dependent patients with β-thalassemia minor (β-thal). Methods: In 12 hemodialysis (HD) patients with β-thal, requiring blood transfusions despite EPO therapy, we planned to increase Hb levels up to the target levels (11–12 g/dl) within a one-year period by administering progressively higher doses of EPO (correction phase). We also planned to maintain the Hb target for an additional year (maintenance phase). Results: In the year before the study, patients required 3.3 ± 0.9 units of packed red blood cells. At baseline, the Hb level obtained with an EPO dose of 212 ± 73 U/kg/week i.v. was 8.2 ± 0.8 g/dl. The EPO dose was gradually increased within the first year up to 458 ± 78 U/kg/week at month 12 (correction phase) and then significantly tapered down during the maintenance phase (390 ± 54 U/kg/week at month 24). During the correction phase, the Hb levels markedly increased (11.1 ± 0.3 g/dl at month 12) and did not change in the maintenance phase. No blood transfusion was required throughout the 2 years of follow-up. Left ventricular (LV) mass index progressively decreased from the basal value of 144 ± 12 to 124 ± 11 g/m2 in the first year and normalized in all patients at month 24 (109 ± 12 g/m2, p < 0.001); this occurred in the absence of any change of LV cavity volume index (<90 ml/m2). Conclusions: In HD transfusion-dependent patients with β-thal, the administration of high EPO dose for 2 years permits the attainment and the maintenance of Hb targets without blood transfusions. This therapeutic approach permits a complete remission of concentric LV hypertrophy without any adverse effects on the vascular system.
ASDAS, BASDAI and different treatment responses and their relation to biomarkers of inflammation, cartilage and bone turnover in patients with axial spondyloarthritis treated with TNFα inhibitors

Objectives To investigate the relation between ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score (ASDAS), Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) and treatment response and biomarkers of inflammation (C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), YKL-40), angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)), cartilage (C-terminal crosslinking telopeptide of type II collagen (CTX-II), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), total aggrecan, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein) and bone (C-terminal crosslinking telopeptide of type I collagen, osteocalcin) turnover in 60 patients with axial spondyloarthritis initiating tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) inhibitor therapy. Methods ASDAS (CRP-based), BASDAI and biomarkers were determined before and seven times during 46 weeks of TNFα inhibitor therapy. Results Very high ASDAS were associated with high levels of inflammatory biomarkers, while high BASDAI were not related to any biomarkers. Mixed modeling demonstrated significant longitudinal associations between ASDAS and IL-6, VEGF, MMP-3 and osteocalcin and between BASDAI and CRP, IL-6 and VEGF. Major improvement in ASDAS was associated with larger percentage decreases in biomarkers of inflammation, angiogenesis, MMP-3 and increases in aggrecan and osteocalcin. BASDAI response was associated with larger decreases in CRP and IL-6. Biomarkers with moderate/high differences in responsiveness for major versus no/clinically important improvement in ASDAS were CRP, IL-6, VEGF, aggrecan and osteocalcin, and VEGF and CTX-II for BASDAI response versus non-response. Conclusion Levels and changes of 10 biomarkers in patients with axial spondyloarthritis during anti-TNFα therapy were documented. Construct validity and responsiveness of IL-6, VEGF, MMP-3, total aggrecan and osteocalcin were demonstrated. ASDAS was more associated with these biomarkers than BASDAI, and may better reflect the inflammatory disease processes. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00133315.
Evaluation of ethyl alcohol for use in a minimally invasive technique for equine proximal interphalangeal joint arthrodesis.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether intra-articular 70% ethyl alcohol alone (IAEA) or in combination with 2 percutaneously placed transarticular lag screws (EA-TLS) would result in arthrodesis of the equine proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint. STUDY DESIGN Experimental. ANIMALS Healthy horses (n=6), aged 1.5-3 years, free of lameness, diagonally paired front and hind PIP joints. METHODS Six milliliters 70% ethyl alcohol was injected into randomly selected diagonally paired front and hind PIP joints. Thirty days later, 2 parallel 5.5 mm cortical screws were inserted in lag fashion across the hind PIP joints and the limbs were cast. Horses were confined for 60 days after surgery before free exercise was permitted. Serial lameness examinations were performed at 1, 6, and 10 months. Radiographs of the PIP joints were obtained before injection with alcohol (front, hind PIP joints), at 6 and 10 months (front PIP joints) and 1, 3, 6, and 10 months (hind PIP joints). At 10 months, horses were euthanatized and gross and histopathologic examination of the treated joints was performed. RESULTS Horses had variable cartilage thinning (more severe in hind PIP joints) and dorsal bone proliferation. One front and 1 hind PIP joint were fused 10 months after alcohol injection. CONCLUSIONS Ethyl alcohol injected alone or in combination with percutaneously placed transarticular lag screws failed to reliably produce fusion of the PIP joint.
Dose titration study of live attenuated varicella vaccine in healthy children. Pennridge Pediatric Associates.

To approximate the effect of prolonged storage on safety and immunogenicity, healthy children were given a single dose of the currently marketed live attenuated varicella vaccine (3625 pfu) or of a partially heat-inactivated vaccine (1125 or 439 pfu). The 3 doses had similar antigen content (attenuated plus inactive virus particles). The vaccine was well tolerated. No significant differences in adverse reactions were observed. Although the seroconversion rates were excellent at each dose (> or = 98%), the higher doses resulted in significantly greater geometric mean antibody titers at 6 weeks (10.5 and 10.6 ELISA U/mL) compared with the 439 pfu dose (5.7 ELISA U/mL), P < or = . 01. One year after immunization, differences in antibodies were similar to the 6-week postimmunization results. Results indicate that until the date of expiry, the vaccine's immunogenicity will be preserved and there will be no clinically important changes in type or frequency of adverse events.
Directed polymers in the presence of colununar disorder

We consider directed polymers in a random landscape that is completely correlated in the time direction. This problem is closely related to diffusion-reproduction processes and undirected Gaussian polymers in a disordered environment. In contrast to the case of uncorrelated disorder, we find the behavior to be very different at zero temperature, where the scaling exponents depend on the details of the random energy distribution, and at finite temperature, where the transverse wandering is subballistic, x ∼t/(log t)γ with γ= 1 + 2/d for bounded distributions in d + 1 dimensions. Numerically, these strong logarithmic corrections give rise to apparently nontrivial effective exponents. Our analytic results are based on appropriate Flory expressions for the (free) energy at T = 0 and T > 0. Some universal statistical properties of the evolutionary hopping of the optimal path are also derived.
Age‐ and tissue‐specific differences in human germinal center B cell selection revealed by analysis of IgVH gene hypermutation and lineage trees

The elderly produce increased levels of antibodies to autologous antigens and are less able to make high‐affinity antibodies to foreign antigens. Ig gene hypermutation is integral to the affinity maturation process but previous studies of hypermutation with age have yielded conflicting results. The cells studied have represented post‐germinal center (GC) populations and, therefore, the results may be complicated by possible differences in activation history. We studied Ig genes from GC B cells to elucidate which factors in the affinity maturation process change with age. Age‐related changes in the pattern of hypermutation were seen, although the analysis of variable region heavy chain (VH) genes and their lineage trees shows that an alteration in the mechanism of somatic hypermutation is unlikely. The changes are due to founder cell effects and/or the process of selection. Striking tissue‐specific differences were seen. All measurements indicated that selectionof Ig genes may decrease in Peyer's patch GC but increase in splenic GC with age. These tissue‐specific differences highlight the importance of considering the activation and effector sites when studying immune senescence.
Cell‐surface display of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain K pilin peptide within the paracrystalline S‐layer of Caulobacter crescentus

The paracrystalline surface (S)‐layer of Caulobacter crescentus is composed of a single secreted protein (RsaA) that interlocks in a hexagonal pattern to completely envelop the bacterium. Using a genetic approach, we inserted a 12 amino acid peptide from Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain K pilin at numerous semirandom positions in RsaA. We then used an immunological screen to identify those sites that presented the inserted pilin peptide on the C. crescentus cell surface as a part of the S‐layer. Eleven such sites (widely separated in the primary sequence) were identified, demonstrating for the first time that S‐layers can be readily exploited as carrier proteins to display ‘epitope‐size’ heterologous peptides on bacterial cell surfaces. Whereas intact RsaA molecules carrying a pilin peptide could always be found on the surface of C. crescentus regardless of the particular insertion site, introduction of the pilin peptide at 9 of the 11 sites resulted in some proteolytic cleavage of RsaA. Two types of proteolytic phenomena were observed. The first was characterized by a single cleavage within the pilin peptide insert with both fragments of the S‐layer protein remaining anchored to the outer membrane. The other proteolytic phenomenon was characterized by cleavage of the S‐layer protein at a point distant from the site of the pilin peptide insertion. This cleavage always occurred at the same location in RsaA regardless of the particular insertion site, yielding a surface‐anchored 26 kDa proteolytic fragment bearing the RsaA N‐terminus; the C‐terminal cleavage product carrying the pilin peptide was released into the growth medium. When the results of this work were combined with the results of a previous study, the RsaA primary sequence could be divided into three regions with respect to the location of a peptide insertion and its effect on S‐layer biogenesis: (i) insertions in the extreme N‐terminus of RsaA either produce no apparent effect on S‐layer biogenesis or disrupt surface‐anchoring of the protein; (ii) insertions in the extreme C‐terminus either produce no apparent effect on S‐layer biogenesis or disrupt protein secretion; and (iii) insertions more centrally located in the protein either have no apparent effect on S‐layer biogenesis or result in proteolytic cleavage of RsaA. These data are discussed in relation to our previous assignment of the RsaA N‐ and C‐terminus as regions that are important for surface anchoring and secretion respectively.
The DD genotype of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene occurs in very low frequency in Australian Aboriginals.

BACKGROUND The DD genotype of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene appears to be an independent risk factor for myocardial infarction, left ventricular hypertrophy and an increased incidence and rate of progression of renal disease. The high incidence of renal disease and end-stage renal failure in the Australian Aboriginal population has prompted investigation of ACE genotypes in these people. METHODS ACE genotypes were determined in four groups: (i) normal Australian Caucasian blood donors (n = 100), (ii) Caucasian renal transplant recipients (n = 173), (iii) normal Australian Aboriginals from a single tribe (n = 184), and (iv) Australian Aboriginals included in the renal-transplant programme (n = 94). FINDINGS The D allele frequency in the normal Australian Caucasian (54.5%) and renal transplant groups (57.2%) was similar. However, the D allele frequency in the normal Australian Aboriginal (3%) and Aboriginal renal patient group (14.4%) was significantly lower than both Caucasian groups. INTERPRETATION The D allele of the ACE gene has little or no influence on the renal disease of Australian Aboriginals.
Validation of a Video Analysis Software Package for Quantifying Movement Velocity in Resistance Exercises

Abstract Sañudo, B, Rueda, D, del Pozo-Cruz, B, de Hoyo, M, and Carrasco, L. Validation of a video analysis software package for quantifying movement velocity in resistance exercises. J Strength Cond Res 30(10): 2934–2941, 2016—The aim of this study was to establish the validity of a video analysis software package in measuring mean propulsive velocity (MPV) and the maximal velocity during bench press. Twenty-one healthy males (21 ± 1 year) with weight training experience were recruited, and the MPV and the maximal velocity of the concentric phase (Vmax) were compared with a linear position transducer system during a standard bench press exercise. Participants performed a 1 repetition maximum test using the supine bench press exercise. The testing procedures involved the simultaneous assessment of bench press propulsive velocity using 2 kinematic (linear position transducer and semi-automated tracking software) systems. High Pearson's correlation coefficients for MPV and Vmax between both devices (r = 0.473 to 0.993) were observed. The intraclass correlation coefficients for barbell velocity data and the kinematic data obtained from video analysis were high (>0.79). In addition, the low coefficients of variation indicate that measurements had low variability. Finally, Bland-Altman plots with the limits of agreement of the MPV and Vmax with different loads showed a negative trend, which indicated that the video analysis had higher values than the linear transducer. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that the software used for the video analysis was an easy to use and cost-effective tool with a very high degree of concurrent validity. This software can be used to evaluate changes in velocity of training load in resistance training, which may be important for the prescription and monitoring of training programmes.
Intravitreal Antivascular Endothelial Growth Factor Therapy May Induce Proteinuria and Antibody Mediated Injury in Renal Allografts

Introduction Systemic adverse effects of intravenous antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy include: hypertension, proteinuria, renal failure, and thrombotic microangiopathy. Intravitreal therapy with these agents is generally believed to be safe. Methods We report 2 cases of renal transplant recipients who developed significant allograft dysfunction after the initiation of intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy. Results The first case is a 67-year-old man with polycystic kidney disease and recipient of a zero-antigen mismatch kidney allograft which developed worsening proteinuria over the first year after transplantation. At 4 months, a biopsy showed only minimal fibrosis and atrophy. At 1 year, an allograft biopsy showed phospholipase A 2 receptor–negative membranous nephropathy. The second patient was a 52-year-old man with tuberous sclerosis who was a recipient of a living related kidney allograft with diminished but stable graft function 16 years from transplantation. After the initiation of intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy, there was an escalating degree of proteinuria. Renal biopsy revealed acute and chronic antibody-mediated rejection with glomerular thrombi and transplant glomerulopathy. Conclusions These cases, although do not prove causality, point to the need for careful follow-up of renal transplant recipients undergoing intravitreal therapy with anti-VEGF agents. These locally administered agents may play a role in the development of proteinuria and modulate antibody-mediated phenomena. We recommend that in renal transplant recipients undergoing therapy with intravitreal anti-VEGF agents, proteinuria be checked monthly, and there should be a low threshold for performing a biopsy to evaluate for allograft injury.