Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal Pricing Under Vertical and Horizontal Interaction Structures for IoT Networks

An Internet of Things (IoT) system can include several different types of service providers, who sell IoT service, network service, and computation service to customers, either jointly or separately. The complicated coupling among these providers in terms of pricing and service decisions is an under-explored research area, the understanding of which is critical to the success of IoT networks. This paper studies the impact of the provider interaction structures on the overall IoT system with massive heterogeneous customers. Specifically, we consider three interaction structures: coordinated, vertically-uncoordinated, and horizontally-uncoordinated structures. Despite the challenging non-convex optimization problems involved in modeling and analyzing these structures, we successfully obtain the closed-form optimal pricing strategies of providers in each interaction structure. We prove that the coordinated structure is better than two uncoordinated structures for both providers and customers, as it avoids selfish price markup behaviors in uncoordinated structures. When customers’ demand variance is large and utility-cost ratio is medium, vertically-uncoordinated structure is better than horizontal one for both providers and customers, due to the complementary providers’ competition in horizontally-uncoordinated structure. Counter-intuitively, we identify that providers’ optimal prices do not change with their costs at the critical point of customers’ full participation in the vertically-uncoordinated structure.
Genomic and Evolutionary Analysis of Salmonella enterica Serovar Kentucky Sequence Type 198 Isolated From Livestock In East Africa

Since its emergence in the beginning of the 90’s, multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Kentucky has become a significant public health problem, especially in East Africa. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance profile and the genotypic relatedness of Salmonella Kentucky isolated from animal sources in Ethiopia and Kenya (n=19). We also investigated population evolutionary dynamics through phylogenetic and pangenome analyses with additional publicly available Salmonella Kentucky ST198 genomes (n=229). All the 19 sequenced Salmonella Kentucky isolates were identified as ST198. Among these isolates, the predominant genotypic antimicrobial resistance profile observed in ten (59.7%) isolates included the aac(3)-Id, aadA7, strA-strB, bla TEM-1B, sul1, and tet(A) genes, which mediated resistance to gentamicin, streptomycin/spectinomycin, streptomycin, ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline, respectively; and gyrA and parC mutations associated to ciprofloxacin resistance. Four isolates harbored plasmid types Incl1 and/or Col8282; two of them carried both plasmids. Salmonella Pathogenicity islands (SPI-1 to SPI-5) were highly conserved in the 19 sequenced Salmonella Kentucky isolates. Moreover, at least one Pathogenicity Island (SPI 1–4, SPI 9 or C63PI) was identified among the 229 public Salmonella Kentucky genomes. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that almost all Salmonella Kentucky ST198 isolates (17/19) stemmed from a single strain that has accumulated ciprofloxacin resistance-mediating mutations. A total of 8,104 different genes were identified in a heterogenic and still open Salmonella Kentucky ST198 pangenome. Considering the virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance genes detected in Salmonella Kentucky, the implications of this pathogen to public health and the epidemiological drivers for its dissemination must be investigated.
Dosing Regimens of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Attempts at Lower Dose, Less Frequency, Shorter Course

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a revolutionary breakthrough in the field of cancer by modulating patient’s own immune system to exert anti-tumor effects. The clinical application of ICIs is still in its infancy, and their dosing regimens need to be continuously adjusted. Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies showed a significant plateau in the exposure-response curve, with high receptor occupancy and plasma concentrations achieved at low dose levels. Coupled with concerns about drug toxicity and heavy economic costs, there has been an ongoing quest to reevaluate the current ICI dosing regimens while preserving maximum clinical efficacy. Many clinical data showed remarkable anticancer effects with ICIs at the doses far below the approved regimens, indicating the possibility of dose reduction. Our review attempts to summarize the clinical evidence for ICIs regimens with lower-dose, less-frequency, shorter-course, and provide clues for further ICIs regimen optimization.
Microbial Normal Flora: Its Existence And Their Contribution To Homeostasis

Aims: To describe the existence of microbial normal flora and its contribution to homeostasis, with emphasize on several major systems of the human body. Discussion: Normal microflora are a group of various microorganisms that reside in the bodies of all humans or animals. These organisms are consistently exist, and relatively stable, with specific genera populating various body regions during particular periods in an individual's life, from shortly after birth until death. The indigeneous normal microbiota provides a first line of defense against microbial pathogens, assists in digestion, and contributes to maturation of the immune system and in general able to assists the anatomy, physiology, susceptibility to pathogens, and even morbidity of the host. Several internal factors like age and external factors like geographical position, diets habbits, the condition of stress, infection and even antibiotics consumption, are some factors that can affect the function of normal microflora. Conclusion: Normal microbial microflora consistently inhabits some region of the body and influences the hots’s homeostasis. Several factors such as diets, stress, infection and antibiotics administration, can affect the existence and performance of normal microflora.
A New Frequency Analysis Operator for Population Improvement in Genetic Algorithms to Solve the Job Shop Scheduling Problem

Job Shop Scheduling is currently one of the most addressed planning and scheduling optimization problems in the field. Due to its complexity, as it belongs to the NP-Hard class of problems, meta-heuristics are one of the most commonly used approaches in its resolution, with Genetic Algorithms being one of the most effective methods in this category. However, it is well known that this meta-heuristic is affected by phenomena that worsen the quality of its population, such as premature convergence and population concentration in regions of local optima. To circumvent these difficulties, we propose, in this work, the use of a guidance operator responsible for modifying ill-adapted individuals using genetic material from well-adapted individuals. We also propose, in this paper, a new method of determining the genetic quality of individuals using genetic frequency analysis. Our method is evaluated over a wide range of modern GAs and considers two case studies defined by well-established JSSP benchmarks in the literature. The results show that the use of the proposed operator assists in managing individuals with poor fitness values, which improves the population quality of the algorithms and, consequently, leads to obtaining better results in the solution of JSSP instances. Finally, the use of the proposed operator in the most elaborate GA-like method in the literature was able to reduce its mean relative error from 1.395% to 0.755%, representing an improvement of 45.88%.
RISK FACTORS FOR THE NEED OF INTENSIVE CARE UNIT ADMISSION AMONG ACUTE CLOZAPINE POISONED PATIENTS: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Introduction: Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic drug for the treatment of refractory schizophrenia. It is also seen as the most toxic in its class. Drug poisoning has been detected as one of the major causes of intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The study aimed to develop a decision tool using readily available parameters in the emergency room for patients with acute clozapine poisoning to identify patients who need ICU admission. Patients and Methods: This retrospective cohort study was carried out on 121 patients with acute clozapine poisoning admitted to the Tanta University Poison Control Center. For each patient, demographic, toxicological, clinical data, laboratory findings, and electrocardiography records were analyzed against ICU admission. Results: The results revealed that 29 patients needed ICU admission, and they were significantly older than patients who did not. A significant association was found between the history of addiction and/or psychiatric illness, mode of poisoning, amount and dose of clozapine, and the need for ICU admission. Patients admitted to ICU had a significantly higher percentage of tachycardia, tachypnea, and hyperthermia, while they had a lower Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and oxygen saturation. Besides, they had a significantly higher percentage of hyperglycemia, respiratory alkalosis, and prolonged QTc interval. There was a significant association between the need for ICU admission and both electrocardiogram (ECG) severity grading and acute clozapine poisoning severity score. The logistic regression model showed that large doses of clozapine, tachypnea, increased the severity of ECG grading, and decreased level of O2 saturation on admission significantly increased the probability of requiring ICU admission. Based on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, take a dose of clozapine at a cut-off value above 250 mg is a good predictor of the need for ICU admission. Conclusion: It could be concluded that higher taken doses of clozapine, tachypnea, low O2 saturation, and increased severity of ECG grading are considered independent predictors of the need for ICU admission in acute clozapine poisoned patients.
The Monocyte-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Acute Kidney Injury After Acute Hemorrhagic Stroke

Objectives Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication of acute hemorrhagic stroke (AHS). Early detection and early treatment are crucial for patients with AKI. We conducted a study to analyze the role of the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) in predicting the development of AKI after AHS. Methods This retrospective observational study enrolled all subjects with AHS who attended the neurosurgical intensive care unit (NSICU) at the First Affiliated University of South China between 2018 and 2021. Patient demographics, laboratory data, treatment details, and clinical outcomes were recorded. Results Of the 771 enrolled patients, 180 (23.3%) patients developed AKI. Compared to patients without AKI, those with AKI had a higher MLR and the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at admission (P < 0.001). The MLR and the NLR at admission were associated with an increased AKI risk, with odds ratios (ORs) of 8.27 (95% CI: 4.23, 16.17, p < 0.001) and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.22, p < 0.001), respectively. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was conducted to analyze the ability of the MLR and NLR to predict AKI, and the areas under the curve (AUCs) of the MLR and the NLR were 0.73 (95% CI: 0.69, 0.77, p < 0.001) and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.62, 0.72, p < 0.001), with optimal cutoff values of 0.5556 and 11.65, respectively. The MLR and the NLR at admission were associated with an increased in-hospital mortality risk, with ORs of 3.13 (95% CI: 1.08, 9.04) and 1.07 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.14), respectively. The AUCs of the MLR and the NLR for predicting in-hospital mortality were 0.62 (95% CI: 0.54, 0.71, p = 0.004) and 0.52 (95% CI: 0.43, 0.62, p = 0.568), respectively. The optimal cutoff value for the MLR was 0.7059, with a sensitivity of 51% and a specificity of 73.3%. Conclusions MLR and NLR measurements in patients with AHS at admission could be valuable tools for identifying patients at high risk of early AKI. The MLR was positively associated with in-hospital mortality and the NLR showed a weak ability for the prediction of in-hospital mortality.
Prevalence of Pain and Its Risk Factors Among ICU Personnel in Tertiary Hospital in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Although pain is commonly observed among medical staff, studies on pain among intensive care unit personnel are uncommon, especially intensive care unit (ICU) doctors and workers. Moreover, few studies have focused on the prevalence of pain and the associated factors. Purpose The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of pain among ICU personnel (including doctors, nurses and workers) and explore the risk factors for their pain. Methods We conducted an online survey that included sociodemographic and work-related items and questions about pain, ergonomics, and psychological factors. We used the short version of the validated Depression–Anxiety–Stress Scale (DASS-21) to assess the relationship between pain and mental disorders. All ICU personnel at West China Hospital of Sichuan University participated in this study. Results A total of 356 ICU personnel were included in the final analysis. The prevalence of pain was 72.2% among ICU nurses, 64.4% among ICU doctors and 52.9% among ICU workers. The most frequent location of pain was the lower back among nurses (65.9%) and workers (47.1%) and the neck among doctors (49.1%). The factors contributing to pain among ICU personnel were bending or twisting the neck, high levels of psychological fatigue, low self-perceived health status, female sex and high body mass index (BMI). Moreover, participants with pain indicated significantly higher depression (p ≤ 0.001), anxiety (p ≤ 0.001), and stress levels (p = 0.002) than those without pain. Conclusion This study indicates that ICU personnel exhibit a high prevalence of pain. Many factors, especially psychosocial and ergonomic factors, contribute to pain levels among ICU personnel and the poorer mental health levels observed in those experiencing pain. Therefore, disease prevention and health promotion measures are needed to protect the health of ICU personnel.
Discontinuance and Restricted Acceptance to Reduce Worry after Unwanted Incidents with Smart Home Technology

Abstract Interest in and ownership of smart home voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices have exponentially increased in recent years. Many people may purchase or be gifted such devices without knowing their potential for connecting with other home technology, listening to private conversations, sharing information with companies, and creating problems due to misunderstanding vocal commands or technological capabilities. Concerns and worries about these devices may be exacerbated over time or by a specific incident. To understand reactions to such situations, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 10 people who reported different types of worrying incidents with a range of smart home devices and their reactions to reduce that worry. Conducting a thematic coding analysis, we detail how each case study shows a person’s worries about their smart home technology developed vis-à-vis the incident or over time, and their strategies to alleviate their worry. The two dominant reactions were restricted acceptance or discontinuance of the smart home technology, while three other interviews revealed nuanced reactions on the acceptance-rejection continuum. For each interviewee, we highlight their technology use, any major incidents, and their psychological processes leading up to their actions to reduce worry. This provides an in-depth look at worry around smart home technology products themselves, not their ability to perform, and how discontinuance, restricted acceptance, and other reactions reduce those worries.
Chinese Culture Integrated into the Science and Engineering Courses

China’s excellent traditional culture has a history of thousands of years, which may influence the students’ thinking and behavior, therefore, it will be good if the China’s excellent traditional culture is integrated into the teaching. In this paper, the problems that are faced following the integration of “Numerical Calculation Methods” course with the China’s traditional culture, and ideological and political into teaching, were analyzed. Further, the strategy and specific implementation plan for the integration of traditional culture, ideological and political elements with the numerical calculation methods course was proposed. This provides a new platform, and experiences following the integration of basic mathematics courses in colleges and universities with curriculum traditional culture, ideological and political education.
Global Monte Carlo Simulation with High Order Polynomial Expansions

The functional expansion technique (FET) was recently developed for Monte Carlo simulation. The basic idea of the FET is to expand a Monte Carlo tally in terms of a high order expansion, the coefficients of which can be estimated via the usual random walk process in a conventional Monte Carlo code. If the expansion basis is chosen carefully, the lowest order coefficient is simply the conventional histogram tally, corresponding to a flat mode. This research project studied the applicability of using the FET to estimate the fission source, from which fission sites can be sampled for the next generation. The idea is that individual fission sites contribute to expansion modes that may span the geometry being considered, possibly increasing the communication across a loosely coupled system and thereby improving convergence over the conventional fission bank approach used in most production Monte Carlo codes. The project examined a number of basis functions, including global Legendre polynomials as well as “local” piecewise polynomials such as finite element hat functions and higher order versions. The global FET showed an improvement in convergence over the conventional fission bank approach. The local FET methods showed some advantages versus global polynomials in handling geometries with discontinuousmore » material properties. The conventional finite element hat functions had the disadvantage that the expansion coefficients could not be estimated directly but had to be obtained by solving a linear system whose matrix elements were estimated. An alternative fission matrix-based response matrix algorithm was formulated. Studies were made of two alternative applications of the FET, one based on the kernel density estimator and one based on Arnoldi’s method of minimized iterations. Preliminary results for both methods indicate improvements in fission source convergence. These developments indicate that the FET has promise for speeding up Monte Carlo fission source convergence. « less
Motivators and impediments to seismic retrofit implementation for wood-frame soft-story buildings: A case study in California

Motivating property owners to mitigate seismic risks for existing buildings is a major challenge for many earthquake-prone regions. This article identifies primary factors that may affect the adoption of seismic retrofit by owners of commercial and residential buildings, assesses the influence of economic, social, regulatory, and individual factors on retrofit implementation in three California cities, and discusses potential approaches to promoting seismic retrofits. Data for three retrofit programs are utilized to create predictive models for retrofit probability. The results suggest that retrofit probability for multifamily residential buildings may increase with building height, median housing value, educational attainment, and population density in the neighborhood, but may decrease with building age, building size, land value, and housing vacancy rate in the neighborhood. The retrofit decision for commercial buildings is strongly correlated with the number of stories and rooms, land value, vacancy rate, and population density, while the retrofit decision for residential buildings is highly associated with building age, number of rooms, land value, median housing value, median contract rent, and educational attainment. Overall, promoting seismic retrofits requires careful consideration of different motivators and impediments to owner’s retrofit actions for commercial and residential buildings, and for older, taller, larger buildings, which tend to be more vulnerable but are associated with higher retrofit costs. In addition, neighborhood characteristics including median housing value and vacancy rate may be strong indicators of the retrofit probability among building clusters.
Phylogenetic relationship and systematic identification of different shrimp and prawn species in Egypt

Crustaceans thrive in a variety of environments including the ocean, brackish water, estuaries and freshwater; they exhibit a spectacular diversity of forms, habits and sizes. Amongst the variety of crustaceans, shrimps (Decapoda, Dall et al., 1990) are considered a source of global fisheries economy (Chanda, 2014). About 3000 shrimp and prawn ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article History: Received: May 2, 2022 Accepted: June 1, 2022 Online: June 11, 2022 _______________
The Association between Maternal Folate Status and Childhood Obesity-Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The Association between Maternal Folate Status and Childhood Obesity-Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysiPURPOSE: Maternal nutrition plays a crucial role in fetal growth and lifelong health outcomes. Folate is an essential methyl donor in the epigenetic programming of offspring. This review and meta-analysis was conducted to compile the evidence reported thus far to identify associations between maternal folate status and childhood obesity.METHODS: A keyword/reference search was performed in EBSCOhost and Web of Science databases. A CMA program was used for a meta-analysis to estimate the pooled effect of maternal folate status on childhood obesity in offspring and to examine the influence of moderating variables on the overall effect.RESULTS: Better maternal folate intake was associated with a lower risk of childhood obesity: the overall effect size (ES; Hedges’ g) was 0.168 (95% CI=0.075 to 0.260, p<.001; small effects; cf., Cohen’s criteria). Moderator analysis revealed that the ≥Q statistic for the age group was statistically significant (Qb=4.730, df=1. p=.030; heterogeneity of ES). In offspring <7 years and >7 years, the ES was 0.277 (95% CI=0.151, 0.404) and 0.089 (95% CI=-0.025, 0.202), respectively. The study design was a statistically significant variable (Qb=4.310, df=1. p=.038; heterogeneity of ES). In cohort studies, ES was 0.251 (95% CI=0.135, 0.367), whereas in randomized controlled trial group, ES was 0.062 (95% CI=-0.073, 0.197). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal folate intake significantly affects childhood obesity, and the effect of maternal folate status is stronger inchildren younger than 7 years.