Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induced Diabetic Rats

Background-Reduction of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in the liver and kidney of streptozocin-induced diabetic rats has been attributed to lowered synthesis and perhaps higher degradation of such compounds in these organs. Objective-To measure hepatic lysosomal arylsulfatases A and B, (the enzymes responsible for the removal of sulfate groups from GAG), in starved and streptozocin-induced diabetic rats. Methods-Diabetes was induced by streptozocin injection (40 mg per kg body weight) through the caudal vein in rats. After two weeks, the livers were removed and homogenized. Activities of arylsulfatases A and B were measured and compared with those of the liver homogenates from healthy and starved rats. Results-The activity of liver arylsulfatase A in starved diabetic rats increased 2.15 fold as compared with normal starved animals, while that of fed diabetic rats was 3.16 fold higher than their respective control group. Increases of 1.70 and 1.94 fold in specific activities of arylsulfatase B was noticeable in the livers of diabetic animals under fed and starved conditions, respectively. Conclusion-It appears that increased hydrolysis of sulfated GAG by liver lysosomal arylsulfatases A and B in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats may be among the contributing factors in the reduction of such sulfated compounds in this tissue.
Knowledge of Preconception Care and Associated Factors among Pregnant Mothers with Pre-existing Diabetes Mellitus in selected Governmental Hospitals, Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Background: Many women with diabetes mellitus experience high rates of unintended pregnancies, infant morbidity and mortality and preventable birth defects.Thus, preconception care offers the potential for earlier risk assessment and intervention that can benefit women before pregnancy and ensure the healthiest possible start for the newborn child. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge and experience of preconception care and associated factors among pregnant mothers with pre-existing diabetes mellitus. Methods: Facility based quantitative cross-sectional study design was employed among 142 conveniently selected pregnant women between March 11and April 12, 2018. Logistic regression including bivariate and multivariate analysis considering 95% CI was utilized to examine association between dependent and independent variables. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result: this study found that 67(42.7%) of pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes mellitus had good knowledge on preconception care. Educational level, occupation and duration of diabetes was associated with knowledge about preconception care AOR= 0.24 [0.065, 0.828], AOR= 0.042[0.102(0.011-0.918] and AOR= 0.035 [3.599(. 095-11.833] respectively. Conclusion: women’s knowledge on preconception care in this study is low. Education, occupation and duration of diabetes were factors associated with knowledge of preconception care. Establishment of preconception care strategies addressing all components of the care and increasing women’s knowledge about preconception care is an important component to ensure prevention of potential risks.
Preliminary Work in Progress RETENTION RATIO REGULATION OF BANK ASSET SECURITIZATION

To evaluate the welfare effect of the recently proposed financial regulatory measures of bank asset securitization-retention ratio regulation and information disclosure regulation, we build up a two-period model with asymmetric information on asset quality between a risk averse originating bank and a continuum of risk averse investors. We find that it is impossible for a flat rate retention ratio requirement to be optimal for all markets. Although both regulatory proposals are effective in reducing investors’ informational loss, neither can improve upon the unregulated case unconditionally, due to the associated regulatory cost: retention ratio regulation aggravates adverse selection problem due to “information destruction effect”, and information disclosure requirement leads to a distortion in securitization intensity to send positive signals. However, information disclosure regulation complements retention ratio regulation when investors are relatively risk averse.
Performance Analysis of NOMA-Based Cooperative Spectrum Sharing in Hybrid Satellite-Terrestrial Networks

In this paper, the performance of non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) based cooperative spectrum sharing in hybrid satellite-terrestrial networks (HSTNs) is investigated, where the primary satellite network recruits the secondary terrestrial network as a cooperative relay. To improve the fairness and spectrum utilization under cooperative spectrum sharing (i.e. overlay paradigm of cognitive radio), the NOMA power allocation profile is determined by instantaneous channel conditioning at the second temporal phase. The closed-form outage probability and approximated ergodic capacity expressions for the primary user (PU) and the secondary user (SU) are derived by decode-and-forward (DF) relay protocols, where the generalized Shadowed-Rician fading and Nakagami- $m$ fading are considered for satellite links and terrestrial links, respectively. Simulation results are conducted for validation of the theoretical derivation and analysis of the impact of key parameters, and prove the superiority of NOMA comparing to conventional orthogonal multiple access (OMA) schemes on cooperative spectrum sharing in HSTNs. Besides, the fairness analysis between the PU and the SU is introduced by Jain’s fairness index (JFI).
Nested-Wasserstein Distance for Sequence Generation

Reinforcement learning (RL) has been widely studied for improving sequencegeneration models. However, the conventional rewards used for RL training typically cannot capture sufficient semantic information and therefore render model bias. Further, the sparse and delayed rewards make RL exploration inefficient. To alleviate these issues, we propose the concept of nested-Wasserstein distance for measuring the distance between two policy distributions. Based on this, a novel nested-Wasserstein self-imitation learning framework is developed, encouraging the model to exploit historical high-rewarded sequences for deeper explorations and better semantic matching. Our solution can be understood as approximately executing proximal policy optimization with nested-Wasserstein trust-regions. Experiments on a variety of unconditional and conditional sequence-generation tasks demonstrate the proposed approach consistently leads to improved performance.
Separation Behaviour Difference Between Gelatin and Porcine Liver Under High-Speed Waterjet Impact

Different from the rigid separation of biological tissue by scalpel, medical waterjet technology utilizes the impact kinetic energy of high-speed waterjet to instantly destroy the surface of biological tissue to achieve better clinical separation effect. Since the gelatin samples are transparent biomaterials, they were taken as the only substitute for soft tissue in experimental studies and observation in the current studies of medical waterjet separation technology, but the mechanical behavioural difference between the two has not been reported. To verify the adaptability of gelatin as a substitute of soft tissue under the impact of high-speed waterjet. Firstly, the dynamic process of impact was described through the energy balance equation. Then, based on the principle of altering a single variable, the difference of damage depth between 8 wt. %, 10 wt. %, and 12 wt. % gelatin samples and porcine liver tissue under various impact pressure, impact distance, and waterjet speed of motion (as opposed to flow velocity) was compared. The results show that the gelatin sample replicates the damage behaviour of porcine liver samples under the specific waterjet impact conditions, and the direction of the waterjet hydraulic power optimisation of the two materials is also consistent: however, due to the different sampling sites and anisotropy of porcine liver samples, the mechanical response of soft tissue under high-speed waterjet impact cannot be fully expressed by gelatin samples. The experimental results can provide support for the further study of medical waterjet separation technology.
Relationship between TIMI Myocardial Perfusion Grade and ST Resolution in Evaluating the Coronary Reperfusion

the current research was conducted and implemented to evaluate the relationship between TIMI grade and STR after PCI. by reviewing the medical record of 112 patients with diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome and under coronary angiography, the primary characteristics of the patients were extracted in this research. Coronary flow was evaluated after PCI by 200 μg nitroglycerin bolus intracoronary prescribing. TIMI value was determined based on the contrast opacification dynamics of coronary microcirculation. By aggregating the total values in increase in ST in all infarction leads and reduction in reciprocal leads, SSTD value was determined. Relative SSTD value, which means percentage of reduction in SSTD (SSTD%) compared to its base value, was calculated. strong and significant correlation was found between TIMI variations after PCI and SSTD (correlation coefficient=0.340, P = 0.001). Additionally, a strong and significant correlation was found between TIMI variations after PCI and SSTD% (correlation coefficient =0.442, P = 0.001). Based on the analysis of area under the ROC curve, evaluation of SSTD (AUC = 0.699) and SSTD% (AUC = 0.621) could predict improvement in TIMI flow in patients after PCI. According to the analysis of area under ROC curve, evaluation of SSTD (AUC = 0.667) and SSTD% (AUC = 0.873) could predict the occurrence of mortality in patients after PCI. measuring STR can predict TIMI grade variations strongly after performing the PCI process. In addition, determining STR has great value in predicting the mortality after the mentioned procedure.
Characterization of High Intensity Ultrasound Exposures by Quantitative Ultrasound

High Intensity Ultrasound (HIU) is of proven value in the treatment of many medical disorders by using US energy without incisions or radiation. The development of an effective method for guiding HIU therapies remains necessary. Changes in spectral-based Quantitative UltraSound (QUS) parameters have been correlated with the temperature changes during HIU exposure (Ghoshal et al. IEEE UFFC 2016). The aim of this study is to quantify the changes in QUS parameters due to temperature elevation after HIU exposure of ex vivo bovine livers. The QUS experiments are conducted in high frequencies (12-38 MHz) to provide insight into the specific changes in liver tissues that cause the changes of backscatter properties for fixed temperature ranging from 37°C up to 80°C after HIU exposure.Samples of porcine livers are exposed to HIU using a plane 3 MHz transducer with aperture diameter of 4 cm. Samples were heated up to 37, 50, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80°C. After reaching the desired temperature, the sample is cut in half at the center of the lesion. US backscatter signals were recorded from the cut samples by using the Visualsonics Vevo 770 imaging system with the RMV710 probe of center frequency 25 MHz. The backscatter coefficients (BSCs) were estimated using the reference phantom technique and the attenuation coefficients were determined using a standard substitution method.Structural scatterer properties were estimated by fitting the measured BSCs with the spherical Gaussian model (SGM) or with the Structure Factor Model (SFM) to estimate the effective scatterer diameter (ESD) and acoustic concentration (EAC). The QUS parameters estimated by the sparse SGM and the concentrated SFM differ strongly from each other for HIU treated samples and suggests that the treated livers can be considered as concentrated media. Results showed that both integrated BSC and ESD estimated by the SFM increased as a function of temperature.
Performance of missing energy reconstruction in 13 TeV pp collision data using the CMS detector

The performance of missing transverse momentum reconstruction algorithms is presented using 13 TeV pp collision data collected with the CMS detector in 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12.9 fb−1. Events with anomalous missing transverse momentum are studied, and the performance of algorithms used to identify and remove those events is presented. The scale and resolution for missing transverse momentum and the performance of advanced missing transverse momentum algorithms are measured using events with an identified Z boson or isolated photon.
Lightweight Mask R-CNN for Long-Range Wireless Power Transfer Systems

Resonant Beam Charging (RBC) is a wireless charging technology which supports multi-watt power transfer over meter-level distance. The features of safety, mobility and simultaneous charging capability enable RBC to charge multiple mobile devices safely at the same time. To detect the devices that need to be charged, a Mask R-CNN based dection model is proposed in previous work. However, considering the constraints of the RBC system, it's not easy to apply Mask R-CNN in lightweight hardware-embedded devices because of its heavy model and huge computation. Thus, we propose a machine learning detection approach which provides a lighter and faster model based on traditional Mask R-CNN. The proposed approach makes the object detection much easier to be transplanted on mobile devices and reduce the burden of hardware computation. By adjusting the structure of the backbone and the head part of Mask R-CNN, we reduce the average detection time from 1.02s per image to 0.6132s, and reduce the model size from 245MB to 47.1MB. The improved model is much more suitable for the application in the RBC system.
When does managerial ownership affect firm performance? Agency reconsidered

According to agency theory, the diverging interests of managers and shareholders can result in opportunistic behavior by managers that have an adverse effect on firm performance. One suggested solution to this problem is the use of equity ownership in compensation packages to align the interests of shareholders and managers. We develop a theoretical concept of shareholder preferences and firm performance and estimate financial alignment as the relationship between firm performance and managerial ownership (MO). Our results, based on this new concept and its measurement, suggest a more nuanced framework of intervals of strong alignment and strong misalignment than what has been reported in previous studies. The intervals of the alignments and misalignments vary according to the proportion of MO in total equity ownership in ways that have not been tested in previous studies.
Growth of Continental Plateaus by Channel Injection: Constraints and Thermo-Mechanical Consistency

Weak, possibly partially molten, middle crust may exist and deform by channel flow beneath continental plateaus, thereby significantly influencing their dynamics. The role of channel flows in the transition zone between the plateau and the foreland is, however, unclear. We develop successively more complete approximate models for the Channel Injection (CI) mode in which differential pressure pumps channel material from beneath the plateau into the transitional crust, thickens it, and widens the plateau. The motivation is to improve our understanding of the controls on the growth of continental plateaus and the interactions in the transition zone, and to gain more insight into the results of more complex numerical models. In CI-1, a channel with constant viscosity and thickness exists in the transitional crust and the pumped material accretes/freezes above and below the channel. Although results compare favorably with the geometry of some natural examples, this model is incomplete because there is no theory for the connection to the plateau. CI-2 includes a decrease in channel viscosity when the channel depth exceeds a critical value, D∗, a proxy for onset of melt weakening or low viscosities at high temperatures. It completes the connection to the plateau but relies on the arbitrary choice of D∗. CI-3 is more physically based and considers the channel viscosity and thickness to depend on temperature, calculated by an associated thermal model that includes radioactive self-heating, and advection of heat by channel material. This model demonstrates self-consistent plateau widening if the channel viscosity decreases at the critical temperature, T ∗. Acceptable comparisons with the topography of Tibet are achieved with transition zone viscosities that decrease from 1019–1022 Pa·s to sub-plateau values of 1018–1019 Pa·s, with T ∗ of 700–750◦C. Additional analysis and tests are used to determine the range of parameter values for which CI models are both internally consistent and compatible with observations. Additional modes of deformation in the transition zone, Viscous Thickening (VT) and Plastic Translation (PT), may also be important. (end of Abstract)
cDNA-AFLP profiling of low-temperature-induced transcripts in winter and spring wheats

The objective of this study was to determine temporal expression profiles of transcripts during coldacclimation of wheat plants using cDNA-AFLP. A winter hardy cultivar, Norstar, a tender spring cultivar, Manitou and two near-isogenic lines (NILs) with the Vrn-A1 (spring Norstar) and vrn-A1 (winter Manitou) alleles of Manitou and Norstar were used in these studies Plants were grown at 6C and leaves were collected at specific time intervals during early stages (0, 2, 14, 21, 35, 42, 56 and 70 days) of cold acclimation. Total RNA was extracted, from which mRNA was isolated and reverse transcribed prior to making double stranded cDNA. cDNA was digested with EcoRI and MseI, and after ligation of EcoRI and MseI adaptors, preamplification was performed. After selective amplification, PCR products were resolved on a PAGE gel. Differentially expressed transcripts were excised, re-amplified and sub-cloned for sequencing. After screening 64 primer combinations, 548 transcriptderived fragments (TDFs) were identified. One hundred and seventy-two of these TDFs have been sequenced and annotated. BLASTX search results indicate that about 27% of the TDFs code for unknown proteins which may be of interest for further studies.
Improvements to the Construction of Bubble Inception Formulae for Use With Transformer Insulation

Moisture in transformer insulation is a topic of major interest to power system equipment operators. Moisture plays a large role in the degradation of insulation within the transformer, impacting on the longevity and the failure rate of this crucial asset. Therefore, understanding of how moisture behaves in the transformer insulation has been the focus of many studies. One particular matter that can occur during high-temperature events is the formation of bubbles of water vapor which are released from the cellulosic paper wrapped on the transformer windings. During such events, the presence of these bubbles could lead to an electrical failure of the transformer, and so it is desirable to be able to set operational criteria which prevent such occurrences. A formula which can predict the temperature at which bubbles will form from the paper insulation can allow operators to restrict transformer operation in order to avoid such situations. However, it has proven difficult to generate a formula with global applicability that is simplistic enough for generic use. This paper assesses the current formula against existing data in literature and compares a suggested alternative, drawing on fundamental science to assist in development of both formulae. The alternative formula is based on a better representation of bubbling activity and requires fewer input variables. Finally, adjustments are suggested to the formulae which allow them to be used more generally throughout the transformer fleet, including on service-aged transformers and with alternative insulation materials.
Novel Contradiction Resolution in Fixed Point Transformation-based Adaptive Control

In the control practice the problem of “underactu-ation” often arises: for controlling the state of a multivariable system the number of the independently applicable control signals is smaller than that of the components of the state variables. Then either certain state components can propagate in time without direct control while the others are precisely controlled, or some compromise has to be elaborated on the basis of which the control forces are “distributed” to keep each variable under partial and imprecise control. Normally, only imprecise and/or incomplete system models are available. Traditionally a compromise is achieved by the use of optimal controllers in which the often contradictory requirements are represented as nonnegative contributions to a cost function that is minimized under the constraints representing the available approximate dynamic model. The heuristic “Receding Horizon Controller” (RHC) uses “Nonlinear Programming” (NP): the optimum is found over a discrete grid by the use of Lagrange's Reduced Gradient Method. For dealing with imprecise modeling and unknown external disturbances the control forces are calculated for and are exerted only over a “short” horizon, then, after observing the actual state by measurements, a new horizon is designed, etc. The adaptive controllers, that normally are designed on the basis of Lyapunov's 2nd method, do not allow simple integration with the optimal controllers. The design of optimal and adaptive controllers is a challenge. To take up this challenge in Adaptive Control Lyapunov's 2nd method was replaced by a “Fixed Point Transformation” (FPT)-based approach. At first the control problem is transformed into finding the fixed point of a contractive map over a Banach Space, then it is solved via iteration. With this approach the contradiction resolution was tackled by time-sharing instead of minimizing a cost function. Alternatively, the minimization of a cost function was tackled by FPT simply by driving the gradient of the Auxiliary Function directly to zero. In the present paper, to our best knowledge in the first time, a novel cost function-free adaptive solution is suggested for underactuated systems in which the compromise between the various requirements is “built in” into the FPT by interpretation. This approach is as heuristic as the RHC, and in general no good convergence can be guaranteed. As an application example the control of a 2 degree of freedom system, the FiztHugh Neuron Model is considered via computer simulations. The possibilities and the limitations of the suggested method are discussed.
OPC UA-based Asset Administration Shell

Industry 4.0 is really changing the manufacturing through the convergence of physical systems and their digital counterparts with Information Technology as an enabler. The Asset Administration Shell is core to Industry 4.0 components. Very recently a relevant metamodel has been defined. The paper presents its mapping with OPC UA achieved extending the relevant information model.
TECHNICALNOTE EARTHQUAKEINDUCED PERMANENT DISPLACEMENTOF SLOPES : A NUMERICALSTUDY

The conventional method to evaluate earthquake induced permanent deformations Abstract of slopes is the one proposed by Newmark. In this paper, permanent displacement of slopes is studied using a combination of distinct element and finite difference methods and the results of these numerical evaluations are compared with those of the Newmark's approach. Several parameters involved, including peak ground acceleration, period of excitation, friction and cohesion of the sliding surface, are considered in this study. The results show that the period of excitation is an important parameter in finding the displacements of slopes. In addition, it is shown that in resonance condition, the permanent displacement of a slope, derived by Newmark's method, can be twice the one predicted by the distinct element method. Finally, It is realized that, in frictional materials, permanent displacements of slopes obtained by the distinct element and Newmark's methods are in better agreement compared with the corresponding results in cohesive materials.