Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FPGA based Uniform ChannelizerImplementation

Channelizers are widely used in modern digital communication systems. Advanced uniform multirate channelization have been theoretically proved to be capable of reducing the computational load, with a better performance. Therefore, in this thesis, we implement these designs on a FPGA board for the sake of the comprehensive evaluation of resource usage, performance and frequency response. The uniform filter-banks are one of the most essential unit in channelization. The Generalised Discrete Fourier Transform Modulated Filter Bank (GDFT-FB), as an important variant of basic a DFT-FB, has been implemented in FPGA and demonstrated with a better computational saving rather than traditional schemes. Moreover the oversampling version is demonstrated to have a better frequency response with an acceptable amount of extra resources. On the other hand, frequency response masking (FRM) techniques is able to reduce the number of coefficients. Therefore, the full FRM GDFT-FB and alternative narrowband FRM GDFT-FB are both implemented in FPGA platform, in order to achieve a better performance and hardware efficiency.
Association of Pre-Pregnancy BMI and Gestational Weight Gain with Neonatal Body Size: A Cross- Sectional Study

Background: Pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG partially reflect maternal nutrition. The study aimed to explore the effects of pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG on the body size of neonates at birth. Methods: A total of 546 mothers and their babies were selected from August 2017 to April 2018 at Obstetrical Department of the 3rd Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. The levels of leptin and adiponectin in cord blood were measured. The mass of placenta was evaluated based on the size. The maternal subjects were defined as low (BMI<18.5), normal (18.5≤BMI<25.0) and overweight/ obese (BMI≥25.0) groups. Moreover, the maternal subjects were divided into low, normal and high GWG groups corresponding to the guidelines of GWG. The neonates were divided into small (SGA), large (LGA) and appropriate (AGA) for gestational age groups based on their birth weight and gestational weeks. Results: The incidence of SGA was higher in low pre-pregnant weight group than that in normal and overweight/obese groups (both P<0.05). The incidence of LGA was higher in high GWG group than that in normal and low GWG groups (both P<0.05). The correlation analysis showed that the birth weight (BW), body length (BL), head circumference (HC), and Ponderal Index (PI) of neonates were positively correlated with pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG (P<0.05, P<0.01). Neonatal BW, BL, HC, PI, placental weight and placental volume were positively correlated with the levels of adiponectin and leptin in umbilical cord blood respectively (P<0.05). BMI and GWG are positively correlated with the full term neonatal size. It is crucial for neonatal physical development to maintain appropriate BW before and during pregnancy. The adiponectin and leptin in cord blood were positively correlated with neonatal physical development suggests that both them play an important role in regulating fetal growth and development.
A Gene Encoding a SHINE1/WAX INDUCER1 Transcription Factor Controls Cuticular Wax in Barley

All land plants seal their above ground body parts with a lipid-rich hydrophobic barrier called the cuticle to protect themselves from dehydration and other terrestrial threats. Mutational studies in several model species have identified multiple loci regulating cuticular metabolism and development. Of particular importance are the eceriferum (cer) mutants characterized by a loss of cuticular wax. Some barley cer mutants, including cer-x, show defects in the distinctive β-diketone-enriched wax bloom on reproductive stage leaf sheaths, stems, and spikes. We exploited extensive allelic populations, near-isogenic lines, and powerful genotyping platforms to identify variation in the HvWAX INDUCER1 (HvWIN1) gene, encoding a SHINE transcription factor, as underlying cer-x. Comparing the cer-x allelic glossy sheath4.l Bowman Near Isogenic Line BW407 to cv. Bowman revealed an increased cuticular permeability in tissues showing reduced accumulation of β-diketones and altered cuticular metabolic gene expression in BW407. Analyses across the barley pangenome and hundreds of exome-capture datasets revealed high sequence conservation of HvWIN1 and two non-synonymous variants exclusive to the cultivated germplasm. Taken together, we suggest that variation in HvWIN1 controls multiple cuticular features in barley.
Platelet-Rich Plasma and Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Association with Arthroscopic Microfracture of Knee Articular Cartilage Defects: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Background This study aims to compare the effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) alone or in combination with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) in patients affected by cartilage defects, undergoing knee arthroscopic microfracture. Methods Thirty-eight patients diagnosed with a knee monocompartmental cartilage defect (Outerbridge grade IV) on the MRI, underwent an arthroscopic procedure. After the confirmation of the lesion, they all received the same bone marrow stimulation technique (microfracture) and were randomized into two groups: the first one had additional PRP injection (group A), while the second received PRP and AD-MSC injection (group B). Knee assessment and pain score were documented with Knee Injury Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Short-Form (SF) 12, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before the treatment and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of follow-up postoperatively. An additional arthroscopic procedure, performed in four patients for a subsequent meniscal lesion, let us evaluate cartilage evolution by performing a macro/microscopical assessment on cartilage biopsy specimens. Results At the 12-month follow-up, both groups showed a comparable functional improvement. The scores on the IKDC form, KOOS, pain VAS, and SF-12 significantly improved from baseline (p < 0.05) to 12 months postoperatively in both treatment groups. The four second-look arthroscopies showed a complete repair of the articular defects by smooth solid cartilage layer, with a good chondrocytic population, in both groups. A thick smooth hyaline-like cartilage with a predominantly viable cell population and normal mineralization (a form closely resembling native tissue) was observed in group B. Conclusions Modern regenerative medicine techniques, such as PRP and AD-MSC, associated with traditional arthroscopic bone marrow stimulating techniques, seem to enhance cartilage restoration ability. The preliminary results of this pilot study encourage the synergic use of these regenerative modulating systems to improve the quality of the regenerated cartilage.
Evaluation of the Effects of Skin-to-Skin Contact on Newborn Sucking, and Breastfeeding Abilities: A Quasi-Experimental Study Design

Mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact (SSC) after birth has numerous protective effects. Although positive associations between SSC and breastfeeding behavior have been reported, the evidence for such associations between early SSC and breastfeeding success was limited in high-income countries. This quasi-experimental intervention design study aimed to evaluate the impact of different SSC regimens on newborn breastfeeding outcomes in Taiwan. In total, 104 healthy mother–infant dyads (52 in the intervention group and 52 in the control group) with normal vaginal delivery were enrolled from 1 January to 30 July 2019. The intervention group received 60 min of immediate SSC, whereas the control group received routine care (early SSC with 20 min duration). Breastfeeding performance was evaluated by the IBFAT and BSES-Short Form. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. In the intervention group, the breastfeeding ability of newborns increased significantly after 5 min of SSC and after SSC. The intervention also improved the total score for breastfeeding self-efficacy (0.18 point; p = 0.003). GEE analysis revealed that the interaction between group and time was significant (0.65 point; p = 0.003). An initial immediate SSC regimen of 60 min can significantly improve neonatal breastfeeding ability and maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy in the short term after birth.
Information Technology Implementation in SMEs: A Comparison of Indonesia and Malaysia

Objective: The purpose of the study is to compare SMEs in Indonesia and Malaysia regarding the implementation of information technology, especially on the sustainable competitive advantage factors, IT adoption, perceived simplicity, green technology capability, and performance. Design/Methods/Approach: Survey data are collected from 269 SME leaders and managers SMEs in Indonesia and 241 respondents in Malaysia. The sampling model is purposive sampling while analysis involved a non-parametric test (Mann-Whitney U-test). Findings: The results show that there are significant differences for the variables SCA, SMEs performance expectation, and IT adoption. There are no significant differences between Indonesian and Malaysian SMEs for the variables of perceived simplicity and green technology capability. Originality: The paper contributes to the growing research on information technology implementation by using factors within Sustainable Competitive Advantage, IT adoption, perceived simplicity, green technology capability, and performance. Practical/Policy implication: This finding can encourage SMEs in Indonesia and Malaysia to work together to develop important variables to improve the implementation of information technology to increase competitiveness.
Who owes? Class struggle, inequality and the political economy of leverage in the twenty-first century

The prevalent consensus in critical social sciences is that finance articulates the world economy as a global hierarchy of creditor-debtor relations that reproduce and further aggravate existing income and wealth inequalities. Class struggle is correspondingly understood as a conflict between elite creditors, who are members of the global top 1% of wealth holders, and mass debtors, who are burdened by growing costs of servicing public and private debts. This article offers an alternative understanding of how debt, inequality and class relate to one another. At its basis is the recognition that over the past four decades, finance has empowered upper class borrowers, including the top 1%, as it has magnified their capacity to generate capital gains and capture greater wealth and income shares via levered-up investments and other forms of positioning in financial and property markets. The article thus provides a political economy of leverage as power, showing how contemporary global finance has not given shape to a distributional conflict between creditors and debtors as two distinct classes, but instead has set debtors against debtors, and namely the greater borrowers against the lesser ones.
Modeling Networks and Dynamics in Complex Systems: from Nano-Composites to Opinion Formation

FENG SHI: Modeling Networks and Dynamics in Complex Systems: from Nano-Composites to Opinion Formation (Under the direction of M. Gregory Forest and Peter J. Mucha) Complex networks are ubiquitous in systems of physical, biological, social or technological origin. Components in those systems range from as large as cities in power grids, to as small as molecules in metabolic networks. Since the dawn of network science, significant attention has focused on the implications of dynamics in establishing network structure and the impact of structural properties on dynamics on those networks. The first part of the thesis follows this direction, studying the network formed by conductive nanorods in nano-materials, and focuses on the electrical response of the composite to the structure change of the network. New scaling laws for the shear-induced anisotropic percolation are introduced and a robust exponential tail of the current distribution across the network is identified. These results are relevant especially to “active” composite materials where materials are exposed to mechanical loading and strain deformations. However, in many real-world networks the evolution of the network topology is tied to the states of the vertices and vice versa. Networks that exhibit such a feedback are called adaptive or coevolutionary networks. The second part of the thesis examines two closely related variants of a simple, abstract model for coevolution of a network and the opinions of its members. As a representative model for adaptive networks, it displays the feature of self-organization of the system into a stable configuration due to the interplay between the network topology and the dynamics on the network. This simple model yields interesting dynamics and the slight change in the rewiring strategy results in qualitatively different behaviors of the system. In conclusion, the dissertation aims to develop
Neural Responses to Hedonic and Utilitarian Banner Ads: An fMRI Study

Previous interactive marketing literature has concluded that banner attributes are key drivers of ad effectiveness and online consumer behaviors. In particular, prior advertising studies have largely defined the two most commonly used ad appeals in online settings: hedonic (i.e., visually attractive, joy-focused, and interactive) and utilitarian (i.e., informative, convenient, and functional). However, no unanimous conclusions have been drawn about their effects on online consumer behavior. Furthermore, no studies have assessed the psychological mechanisms underlying the processing of hedonic and utilitarian banner ads, which could be crucial given the unconscious, internal, and introspective nature of ad evaluation and online purchasing decisions. In this research, the authors used neuroimaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI]) to identify the neural mechanisms underlying the evaluation of hedonic and utilitarian banners. The results reveal that whereas hedonic layouts engage brain areas associated with reward, self-relevance, and emotion, utilitarian banner ads trigger brain networks related to object identification and recognition, reasoning, executive function, and cognitive control. This research also examines the extent to which neural data derived from processing hedonic and utilitarian banners complement the ability of self-reported banner effectiveness to predict online consumer behavior. The results reveal that neural data from banner appeals help predict between 9% and 18% of online consumer behavior beyond that indicated by the perceived ad effectiveness reported by consumers. Taken together, these results provide new insights into the connection between neuropsychological data and real-world online consumer behavior.
Mutational Pattern Induced by 5-Fluorouracil and Oxaliplatin in the Gut Microbiome

Chemotherapeutic agents, such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and oxaliplatin (Oxi), can not only kill the cancer cell but also influence the proliferation of gut microbiota; however, the interaction between these drugs and gut microbiota remains poorly understood. In this study, we developed a powerful framework for taxonomy composition and genomic variation analysis to investigate the mutagenesis effect and proliferation influence of chemotherapeutic agents, such as 5-FU and Oxi, on gut microbiota and the interaction between these drugs and gut microbiota during chemotherapy. Using the gut microbiome data, we detected 1.45 million variations among the chemotherapy groups and found the drugs significantly affected mutation signatures of gut microbiota. Oxi notably increased transversion rate, whereas 5-FU reduced the rate. Traits related to cell division and nutrient mobilization showed evidence of strong selection pressure from chemotherapeutic agents. In addition, drug-associated bacteriome shift patterns and functional alterations were found: the metabolism changes in the 5-FU group implied that gut microbiota could provide additional nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) to inhibit cancer cell autophagy; in the Oxi group, the ribosome and lysine biosynthesis genes were obviously enriched. Our study provides a blueprint for characterizing the role of microbes and drug–microbe interaction in the gut microbiota response to chemotherapy.
Biodegradable Nanoparticles Loaded with Levodopa and Curcumin for Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder. Levodopa (L-DOPA) remains the gold-standard drug available for treating PD. Curcumin has many pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-amyloid, and antitumor properties. Copolymers composed of Poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) and biodegradable polyesters such as Poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) can self-assemble into nanoparticles (NPs). This study describes the development of NH2–PEO–PCL diblock copolymer positively charged and modified by adding glutathione (GSH) on the outer surface, resulting in a synergistic delivery of L-DOPA curcumin that would be able to pass the blood–brain barrier. Methods: The NH2–PEO–PCL NPs suspensions were prepared by using a nanoprecipitation and solvent displacement method and coated with GSH. NPs were submitted to characterization assays. In order to ensure the bioavailability, Vero and PC12 cells were treated with various concentrations of the loaded and unloaded NPs to observe cytotoxicity. Results: NPs have successfully loaded L-DOPA and curcumin and were stable after freeze-drying, indicating advancing into in vitro toxicity testing. Vero and PC12 cells that were treated up to 72 h with various concentrations of L-DOPA and curcumin-loaded NP maintained high viability percentage, indicating that the NPs are biocompatible. Conclusions: NPs consisting of NH2–PEO–PCL were characterized as potential formulations for brain delivery of L-DOPA and curcumin. The results also indicate that the developed biodegradable nanomicelles that were blood compatible presented low cytotoxicity.
Case Study on Cooperative Car Data for Estimating Traffic States in an Urban Network

The use of floating car data as a particular case of probe vehicle data has been the object of extensive research for estimating traffic conditions, travel times, and origin-to-destination trip matrices. It is based on data collected from a GPS-equipped vehicle fleet or available cell phones. Cooperative cars with vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication capabilities represent a step forward, as they also allow tracking of vehicles surrounding the equipped car. This paper presents the results of a limited experiment with a small fleet of cooperative cars in the central business district of Barcelona, Spain, known as L’Eixample District. Data collected from the experiment were used to build and calibrate the emulation of cooperative functions in a microscopic simulation model that captured the behavior of vehicle sensors in Barcelona’s central business district. Such a calibrated model allows emulating fleet data on a large scale that goes far beyond what a small fleet of cooperative vehicles could capture. To determine the traffic state, several approaches were developed for estimating traffic variables—whose accuracy depends on the penetration level of the technology—on the basis of extensions of Edie’s generalized definitions of the fundamental traffic variables with the emulated data.
Alternative production strategies based on the comparison of additive and traditional manufacturing technologies

Additive manufacturing technology has been evolving for several years. New material options, better processing speeds and greater autonomy are some of the characteristics of this technology that are still under research. However, in its current state, many commercially available 3D printers are competing with traditional manufacturing techniques in the fabrication of end-use products. In this paper, different additive manufacturing technologies are compared with injection moulding in a real-world case study. The comparison is conducted in terms of lead time and total production cost. From the case under study, it becomes obvious that none of the additive manufacturing technologies examined is yet able to practically replace injection moulding for medium- and high production volumes. However, when considering low-volume production, both rapid tooling and additive manufacturing may offer an alternative that could result into shorter lead times and decreased total production costs. In addition, the introduction of Additive Manufacturing in a producer’s production portfolio can increase flexibility, reduce warehousing costs and assist the company towards the adoption of a mass customisation business strategy.
Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury: A Review of Recent Clinical Trials

Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains an incurable, life-changing neurological condition, causing permanent loss of motor and sensory function in millions of people worldwide and affecting them in every aspect of their personal and social life. In the last two decades, after its success in various fields of medicine, stem cell therapy has been investigated in the research field as a potential treatment for SCI. This review focuses on the pathophysiology of SCI, the characteristics of the different stem cell therapies used for its treatment, and the results of these therapies in recently published clinical trials.
DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE, AND SOURCE OF ENTANGLEMENT DEBRIS AND OTHER PLASTICS ON ALASKAN BEACHES, 1982-88

Sixty kilometers of outer coast beaches at 25 locations in Alaska were surveyed from 1982 to 1988 to determine distribution, composition, quantity, deposition, and source of plastic debris washed ashore. Approximately 67% of all plastic debris found was fishing gear (e.g., net fragments, rope, floats) and 33% was packaging material (e.g., plastic bags, bottles). Debris found which could entangle marine mammals, seabirds, and fish included trawl web, rope, packing straps, and monofilament gillnet. Monofilament gillnet was not abundant (usually <5 pieces/km) on beaches, but trawl web was found on beaches throughout Alaska and exceeded 10 fragments/km at more than 50% of the locations sampled. Foreign fisheries were the source of most (98%) of the monofilament gillnet washed ashore;