Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relative cost routing and spectrum allocation in elastic optical networks

Elastic optical networks (EONs) are being used to adapt to the recent rapid changes in traffic behavior and the exponential growth in bandwidth demand. Routing and spectrum allocation (RSA) is one of the most important determining factors of the design, performance, and operation of EONs. In this work, we propose an adaptive RSA algorithm based on the relative cost concept under which the transient effect when a call is admitted on a given route/spectrum set at a given network state is estimated. The algorithm computes the relative cost of forwarding an arriving call across all available route/spectrum sets to the destination. The algorithm selects the route/spectrum set with the least relative cost; if the minimum relative cost is more than the call’s value, the call is potentially rejected. In this study, the efficiency of using relative cost to solve the RSA problem is demonstrated via simulation.
Simplified Level Decision in Rate-distortion Optimized Quanitzation

Rate-distortion optimized quantization (RDOQ) provides a considerable compression improvement in High efficiency video coding (HEVC) but with high computational complexity. This paper addresses a simplified RDOQ scheme for HEVC encoder by developing a level estimation (LE) bypass scheme based on the coefficient group location and transform coefficient value. Early termination of last nonzero coefficient search is also investigated to further save the number of rate-distortion cost calculation. Its experimental result shows that our proposed simplified level decision scheme can save the total quantization time by 5.11% and 4.08% with BDBR loss of just 0.02% and 0.01%, respectively under all intra and random access coding configurations.
From Digital Government to Digital Governance: Are We There Yet?

This paper focuses on the knowledge problem of economics by discussing its current status in light of digitalization. This problem highlights the paradox of not having the necessary knowledge to take an economic decision, but pretending to have it and act, hence questioning the legitimacy of governmental decision-making and its impacts on the economy. Current technological developments are challenging this problem. Big Data has been a neglected phenomenon when it comes to its impact on the nature of knowledge and the decision-making processes associated with it, and it is easy to think that Big Data solves this problem. This research gap is evaluated by re-visiting the knowledge problem and evaluating whether the knowledge problem can still be valid in the digital era. The digital governance issue has been largely covered by literature in terms of technical possibilities. However, the main challenge is not the technical one, but rather how to create governance structures to involve people in decision-making processes, and at the same not fall into the trap of the knowledge problem. The sustainable transition from digital government to digital governance is a transition from a technical structure to multiple processes on different levels, and these processes have their own limits.
Characterizing Volcanic Ash Elements from
the 2015 Eruptions of Bromo and Raung Volcanoes,
Indonesia

The volcanic eruptions of Mt. Bromo and Mt. Raung in East Java, Indonesia, in 2015 perturbed volcanic materials and affected surface-layer air quality at surrounding locations. During the episodes, the volcanic ash from the eruptions influenced visibility, traffic accidents, flight schedules, and human health. In this research, the volcanic ash particles were collected and characterized by relying on the detail of physical observation. We performed an assessment of the volcanic ash elements to characterize the volcanic ash using two different methods which are aqua regia extracts followed by MP-AES and XRF laboratory test of bulk samples. The analysis results showed that the volcanic ash was mixed of many materials, such as Al, Si, P, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, and others. Fe, Si, Ca, and Al were found as the major elements, while the others were the trace elements Ba, Cr, Cu, Mn, P, Mn, Ni, Zn, Sb, Sr, and V with the minor concentrations. XRF analyses showed that Fe dominated the elements of the volcanic ash. The XRF analysis showed that Fe was at 35.40% in Bromo and 43.00% in Raung of the detected elements in bulk material. The results of aqua regia extracts analyzed by MP-AES were 1.80% and 1.70% of Fe element for Bromo and Raung volcanoes, respectively.
Prevalence of dental caries among primary and secondary school students in Guangxi province in 2010

Objective To analyze the prevalence of dental caries among primary and secondary school students in Guangxi province in 2010,and to provide bases for the prevention on dental caries. Methods The total subjects were primary and secondary school students aged 7,9,12,14 and 17years old selected from Guangxi student physical health survey.Caries prevalence rate,the percentage of decaying missing and filling,and mean caries of the tooth were used as measures,data were analyzed and compared with those of 2000 and 2005. Results Both of caries prevalence rates and mean caries of2010 were higher than those of 2000 among primary and secondary school students in Guangxi province.In 2000,the primary caries rate and permanent caries rate were 44.89% and 16.49% respectively,up to 55.82% and 40.96% in 2010.From2000 to 2010,mean caries of the deciduous and permanent tooth were increased from 1.62 and 0.32 to 2.70 and 1.44. The percentage of decay in filling both of the deciduous and permanent tooth were increased by 1.33 and 1.96 percentage.In2010,the permanent caries rate of boys was lower than girls,the rural students' caries rate was significantly higher than the city,while the percentage of decay in filling was lower. Conclusion The prevalence of dental caries among primary and secondary school students in Guangxi is still serious,the relevant departments should take the corresponding prevention measure according to the popular characteristic such as different age,sex and region.
Influence of layering pattern of modified kenaf fiber on thermomechanical properties of epoxy composites

Natural fiber-reinforced composites gained considerable interest in the scientific community due to their eco-friendly nature, cost-effective, and excellent mechanical properties. Here, we reported a chemical modification of kenaf fiber using propionic anhydride to enhance the compatibility with the epoxy matrix. The incorporation of the modified woven and nonwoven kenaf fibers into the epoxy matrix resulted in the improvement of the thermal and mechanical properties of the composite. The thermal stability of the epoxy composites was enhanced from 403°C to 677°C by incorporating modified woven kenaf fibers into the epoxy matrix. The modified and unmodified woven kenaf fiber-reinforced epoxy composites had a tensile strength of 64.11 and 58.82 MPa, respectively. The modified woven composites had highest flexural strength, which was 89.4 MPa, whereas, for unmodified composites, it was 86.8 MPa. The modified woven fiber-reinforced epoxy composites showed the highest value of flexural modulus, which was 6.0 GPa compared to unmodified woven composites (5.51 GPa). The impact strength of the epoxy composites was enhanced to 9.43 kJ m−2 by the incarnation of modified woven kenaf fibers into epoxy matrix. This study will be an effective platform to design the chemical modification strategy on natural fibers for enhancing the compatibility toward the hydrophobic polymer matrices.
Metabolomic Determination of Specialized Metabolites Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry in the Traditional Chinese Medicines Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix

The Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) Astragali Radix (AR) derived from Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao and A. membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. , and Hedysari Radix (HR) derived from Hedysarum polybotrys Hand. -Mazz. (family Leguminosae) are well-known for increasing the tonic effects on “Qi. ” A better insight into the specialized (secondary) metabolites is essential to understand the effects of TCM; however, such metabolites remain largely unknown. Here, we performed a metabolomics-based analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in 3 plant tissues—periderm, phloem, and xylem—to identify potential bioactive metabolites. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed 29 metabolites showing a significant difference between groups and 10 biomarker candidates of AR and HR. An anti-inflammatory assay showed that the xylem of both AR and HR and the phloem of HR showed higher anti-inflammatory activity than the positive control quercetin in terms of nitric oxide inhibition.
Antihypertensive Effects of Rg3-Enriched Korean Vitamin Ginseng in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Ginseng is well known to treat various diseases. Ginsenoside Rg3 exhibits a variety of pharmacological activities including cardiovascular protective effects. Vitamins utilized as supplements have minimal interactions with other drugs making them attractive targets for therapeutics. Here, we prepared Rg3-enriched Korean ginseng catalyzed by vitamin (REKVG) and evaluated its ability to improve hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). The ginsenoside content in both Korean Red ginseng (KRG) and REKVG were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Male SHRs and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKYs) were randomly divided into 6 groups (WKY saline, WKY KRG, WKY REKVG, SHR saline, SHR KRG, and SHR REKVG). KRG and REKVG were orally administered once daily to the rats at a dose of 10 mg/kg for 6 weeks, and blood pressure was measured in live rats using the tail-cuff method. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were used for the in vitro experiment. HPLC chromatograms revealed that the concentration of ginsenoside Rg3 in REKVG was much higher than that in KRG. The administration of REKVG significantly decreased the systolic blood pressure in SHRs at the end of 6 weeks as compared to KRG. Further, REKVG use resulted in a dose-dependent increase in Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation and NO production in endothelial cells. In addition, the administration of REKVG significantly increased Akt and eNOS phosphorylation and increased plasma NO levels in SHRs. We conclude that REKVG effectively lowers the blood pressure in rats and therefore could be considered for use in preventing or improving hypertension.
Bacterial and fungal profile of burn wound infections in Tertiary Care Center

Background: Burn patients are at high risk for infection, and it has been estimated that 75% of all deaths following burns are related to infection. It is, therefore, essential for a burn institution to determine its specific pattern of burn wound microbial colonization, time-related changes in predominant flora and antimicrobial profiles. Aim: To find out the bacterial and fungal profile of burn wound and evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the organism isolated. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, Dr. V. M. Government Medical College, Solapur, Maharashtra from December 2012 to December 2014. The wound swabs were collected from 50 patients, having total body surface area of burn in between 20% and 40% on the 4 th , 10 th , and 16 th day. Total 202 wound swabs were collected aseptically and cultured for the growth of bacteria and the fungi. Bacterial growths were then subjected to various biochemical tests for identification and antibiotic sensitivity testing. Results: Single isolates were present in 71.28%, and multiple isolates were noted in 18.31% of wound swabs. The isolation rate of Gram-negative organisms was high. The most common isolate was Klebsiella pneumoniae (34.40%) followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (23.94%), Staphylococcus aureus (22.94%), Escherichia coli (7.34%), Acinetobacter spp. (2.75%), Proteus mirabilis (2.75%), and Citrobacter species (1.38%). Candida species (4.59%) was the only fungus isolated, of which Candida albicans (50%) was the most common. Gram-negative bacteria were the most sensitive to imipenem (93.67%) and amikacin (75.94%) while Gram-positive bacteria were the most sensitive to linezolid (100%) and vancomycin (100%). Conclusion: K. pneumoniae was found to be the most common bacterial agent involved. The results of the present study will be helpful in understanding the pattern of burn wound microbial infection, the dominant bacterial and fungal flora, and the antimicrobial resistance.
An Antiproliferative ent-Kaurane Diterpene Isolated from the Roots of Mallotus japonicus Induced Apoptosis in Leukemic Cells

Mallotus japonicus has been evaluated for the treatment of dermatitis, inflammatory conditions, and cancer. Diterpenes, one of the major constituents of M. japonicus, possess various pharmacological effects. In this study, 2 known diterpenes, anomaluone (6) and 16-epiabbeokutone (7), along with other known compounds, 2-hydroxy ferulic acid (1), bergenin (2), gallocatechin (3), catechin (4), erythro,erythro-1-[4-[2-hydroxy-2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1-(hydroxymethyl) ethoxy]-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl]-1,2,3- propanetriol (5), and gallincin (8), were isolated from M. japonicus. Cytotoxicity assays in blood cancer cell models demonstrated that M. japonicus compounds possess potent antiproliferative activity. In addition, treatment with compound 6 increased the number of apoptotic cells, led to cell-cycle arrest at the subG0/G1 phase, and decreased the number of cells in the S and G2/M phases. Compound 6 also displayed potent mitochondrial depolarization effects in Jurkat cells. These findings revealed that the cytotoxic effects of 6 were mediated by intracellular signaling, possibly through a mechanism involving upregulation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. Thus, compound 6 could be a potential multi-target therapeutic agent for leukemia.
The inhibitor of autophagy SBI-0206965 aggravates atherosclerosis through decreasing myeloid-derived suppressor cells

Atherosclerosis (AS) is currently the leading cause of mortality worldwide, with the development of new strategies to prevent the formation and rupture of atherosclerotic plaques being a paramount area of research. Amounting evidence suggests autophagy has an important role in the pathogenesis of AS and may be a potential therapeutic target. In this study, the effect of SBI-0206965(6965), a novel inhibitor of autophagy, was tested on the development of AS in apolipoprotein E deficient (ApoE−/−) mice. Systemic application of 6965 was found to aggravate AS, with increased plaque size and decreased plaque stability in comparison with the control. Of note, it was observed that 6965 decreased the proportion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Further investigation demonstrated MDSCs markedly alleviated AS in ApoE−/− mice; while 6965 reduced the viability and promoted apoptosis of MDSCs in vitro. This is the first study describing an association between autophagy and MDSCs in AS models, providing a novel mechanism to potentially target in the management of this condition.
Correlation between adiponectin, chemerin, vascular endothelial growth factor and epicardial fat volume in patients with coronary artery disease

Epicardial fat, a local visceral fat depot surrounded by visceral pericardial sac, surrounds the coronary arteries for most of their course and may contribute to the development of coronary atherosclerosis by local production of inflammatory cytokines. Some studies on non-invasive measurement of epicardial fat mass have shown that epicardial fat mass is associated with the increased incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD), onset and progression of coronary plaque, mainly including major adverse cardiovascular events, myocardial ischemia, and atrial fibrillation. In the present study the correlation of adiponectin, chemerin, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with the epicardial fat volume in patients with coronary artery disease was explored, and the risk factors for vascular remodeling of CAD patients were analyzed. A total of 50 CAD patients, treated in Chongzuo People's Hospital from August 2017 to September 2018, were enrolled as the observation group, and further 50 healthy individuals, who underwent physical examinations in the hospital at the same period, were enrolled as the control group. RT-qPCR was adopted to detect the expression levels of adiponectin, chemerin and VEGF in the two groups, a 64-slice dual-source CT to detect epicardial fat volume, and Pearson's correlation to analyze adiponectin, chemerin, VEGF and epicardial fat volume. Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors for vascular remodeling in CAD patients, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to analyze the value of indexes with multifactorial significance in vascular remodeling. The observation group showed obviously larger epicardial fat volume than the control group (P<0.001), lower adiponectin expression than the control group (P<0.001), and higher chemerin and VEGF expression than the control group (P<0.001). In the observation group, adiponectin expression decreased with the increase of epicardial fat volume (P<0.001), while the expression of chemerin and VEGF increased with the increase of epicardial fat volume (P<0.001). Remodeling occurred in 27 of the 50 patients. ROC curve analysis showed that the areas under the curves of adiponectin, chemerin, VEGF and epicardial fat volume were 0.697, 0.652, 0.696 and 0.689, respectively. Epicardial fat volume, adiponectin, chemerin and VEGF are independent risk factors for vascular remodeling and the expression of adiponectin, chemerin and VEGF can reflect epicardial fat volume.
Direct light–induced spin transfer between different elements in a spintronic Heusler material via femtosecond laser excitation

Femtosecond light pulses can directly and nearly instantaneously manipulate spins in half-metallic Heusler materials. Heusler compounds are exciting materials for future spintronics applications because they display a wide range of tunable electronic and magnetic interactions. Here, we use a femtosecond laser to directly transfer spin polarization from one element to another in a half-metallic Heusler material, Co2MnGe. This spin transfer initiates as soon as light is incident on the material, demonstrating spatial transfer of angular momentum between neighboring atomic sites on time scales < 10 fs. Using ultrafast high harmonic pulses to simultaneously and independently probe the magnetic state of two elements during laser excitation, we find that the magnetization of Co is enhanced, while that of Mn rapidly quenches. Density functional theory calculations show that the optical excitation directly transfers spin from one magnetic sublattice to another through preferred spin-polarized excitation pathways. This direct manipulation of spins via light provides a path toward spintronic devices that can operate on few-femtosecond or faster time scales.
Enalapril attenuates endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial injury induced by myocardial infarction via activation of the TAK1/NFAT pathway in mice

The present study investigated the effect of enalapril on myocardial infarction (MI) and its mechanism of action in mice. Treatment with enalapril significantly attenuated cellular apoptosis and death. In vivo, enalapril treatment alleviated MI injury, and decreased myocardial apoptosis and the size of the infarct area. This was paralleled by increased Bcl-2 expression, decreased Bax expression, a decreased caspase-3 level, decreased expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated proteins, including activating transcription factor 6 and 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein, and fewer TUNEL-positive cells in the heart. Furthermore, enalapril-treatment increased transforming growth factor-activated kinase 1/nuclear factor of activated T cells 3 signaling, which protected the myocardium.
Interactive association of sleep duration and sleep quality with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in adult Chinese males

The present study aimed to examine the separate and combined association of self-reported sleep duration and quality with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adult Chinese males. A total of 4,144 subjects were enrolled in the present crossed-sectional study. All participants were subjected to anthropometric measurements, blood tests and a survey based on a standardized questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the influence of sleep duration and quality on the prevalence of MetS. The group that had 7 h of sleep had the best results as compared with those with shorter or longer sleep durations, and the prevalence of MetS was the lowest in this group. In addition, poor vs. good sleep quality was associated with an increased risk of MetS. Further analysis suggested that sleep duration and quality had an additive effect on the prevalence of MetS. In conclusion, sleep duration as well as quality should be considered when exploring the potential association between sleep and other conditions.
Evaluation of Flexibility, Microstructure and Elemental Analysis of Some Contemporary Nickel-Titanium Rotary Instruments

BACKGROUND: Contemporary nickel-titanium (NiTi) rotary endodontic instruments had a revolutionary impact on the success of root canal treatment. AIM: To evaluate the flexibility, microstructure and elemental analysis of four different recent NiTi rotary instruments, namely; Wave One Gold, TF adaptive, HyFlex EDM and Gr_Reciproc Blue compared to conventional Protaper Universal (F2). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The NiTi rotary files were subjected to cantilever bending test to evaluate their flexibility. The microstructural characteristics and elemental analysis were examined via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). RESULTS: The TF adaptive, HyFlex EDM and Wave One Gold endodontic files showed significantly lower cantilever bending values (i.e., higher flexibility) than Protaper F2 and Gr_Reciproc Blue (p < 0.05). The SEM micrographs showed that the bulk of all examined files showed multiple striations due to the cutting process, on the other hand, their external surfaces were different: The Protaper Universal F2 showed multiple voids, while the TF Adaptive surface exhibited more uniform structure. The Hyflex EDM had a crater-like surface, whereas Wave one Gold showed machining grooves with minimum defects, while Reciproc Blue displayed machining grooves with random scratch lines. There was a significant difference in bulk and surface elemental analysis of the various examined files, yet composed mainly of the same elements. CONCLUSION: Chemical composition, heat treatment, manufacturing process and geometrical design of the NiTi rotary instrument have a great influence on their flexibility and microstructure.