Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Energy‐efficient multipliers using imprecise compressors for image multiplication

Approximate computing has been deemed to be an effective way to improve energy efficiency for error‐tolerant applications. In this work, a set of approximate 3‐2, 4‐2, and 5‐2 compressors are proposed by, respectively, introducing specific errors to the truth tables of the exact designs to lower hardware cost. Four 8 × 8 and four 16 × 16 Dadda multipliers are then designed and analyzed using the proposed compressors to achieve a significant optimization in compressing partial products, while keeping an acceptable computing accuracy. Synthesis and simulation results indicate that the proposed 8 × 8 multipliers obtain efficient reductions in area, power, and critical path delay, respectively, by up to 38%, 26%, and 8%, compared with the cutting‐edge designs. An application to the image multiplication algorithm is realized to verify the practicability of the significantly optimized inexact multipliers. Two figures of merits present that the proposed inexact multipliers surpass the counterparts in overall performance embracing hardware cost and computing accuracy in image processing. In this work, a set of approximate 3‐2, 4‐2, and 5‐2 compressors are proposed by respectively introducing specific errors to the truth tables of the exact designs to lower hardware cost. Four 8 × 8 Dadda and four 16 × 16 multipliers are then designed and analyzed using the proposed compressors to achieve a significant optimization in compressing partial products while keeping an acceptable computing accuracy.
Management of Myelofibrosis during Treatment with Ruxolitinib: A Real-World Perspective in Case of Resistance and/or Intolerance

The development and approval of ruxolitinib, the first JAK1/2 inhibitor indicated to treat myelofibrosis, has improved patient outcomes, with higher spleen and symptoms responses, improved quality of life, and overall survival. Despite this, several unmet needs remain, including the absence of resistance criteria, suboptimal response, the timing of allogeneic transplant, and the management of patients in case of intolerance. Here, we report the results of the second survey led by the “MPN Lab” collaboration, which aimed to report physicians’ perspectives on these topics. As in our first survey, physicians were selected throughout Italy, and we included those with extensive experience in treating myeloproliferative neoplasms and those with less experience representing clinical practice in the real world. The results presented here, summarized using descriptive analyses, highlight the need for a clear definition of response to ruxolitinib as well as recommendations to guide the management of ruxolitinib under specific conditions including anemia, thrombocytopenia, infections, and non-melanoma skin cancers.
Patterns of Two-Year College Library Websites

Abstract Trends in website design among libraries of two-year academic institutions have been under-studied. These libraries are a unique population because they have different goals and challenges than other types of academic libraries. Data were gathered from the library websites of 264 randomly-selected, two-year, nonprofit colleges in the United States. The data were then analyzed to assess the frequency of multiple basic web design elements. Some were common across the sample, such as database lists, and some were infrequent, such as social media integration. The data also showed some relationships between features, for example the presence of a database list tended to be a good indicator of whether a website would have course guides or subject-specific research guides.
Autophagic membranes participate in hepatitis B virus nucleocapsid assembly, precore and core protein trafficking, and viral release

Significance Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is an important human pathogen that can cause severe liver diseases. It can induce autophagy, a cellular pathway that is important for maintaining cellular homeostasis, to support its replication. In this report, we demonstrate that autophagic membranes participate in HBV DNA replication, mediate the trafficking of HBV proteins, and likely also regulate the release of mature HBV particles. Our study provides detailed information for understanding the roles of phagophores, autophagosomes, and amphisomes in the lifecycle of HBV and opens a new avenue for the development of novel anti-HBV drugs.
Main Bioactive Components and Their Biological Activities from Natural and Processed Rhizomes of Polygonum sibiricum

Polygonatum sibiricum (Asparagaceae) is often used as an herbal drug in the traditional medicine of Southeast Asia. Its rhizome, called “Huang Jing”, is used in traditional Chinese medicine as an immune system stimulant, hypolipidemic agent, anti-aging agent, anti-fatigue agent, and cardiovascular protectant. We investigated the antioxidant, anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE), anti-inflammatory, and anti-α-glucosidase effects of various solvent extracts and major bioactive components of Polygonatum sibiricum (PS) and processed Polygonatum sibiricum (PPS). Dichloromethane extract of PS showed stronger antioxidant effects by DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays, and EtOAc extract displayed relatively high antioxidant activity by a superoxide radical scavenging test. Moreover, acetone, EtOAc, and dichloromethane extracts displayed a significant anti-α-glucosidase effect. EtOH and CH2Cl2 extracts showed effective AChE inhibitory activity. In addition, dichloromethane extract showed the best inhibition against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) accumulation in RAW264.7 macrophages. HPLC analysis was used to investigate and compare the content of major active components of various solvent extracts of PS and PPS. Rutin showed the most effective scavenging of DPPH and ABTS free radicals, while scopoletin and isoquercetin displayed the strongest anti-α-glucosidase and anti-AChE effect, respectively. Rutin showed the best inhibition against LPS-induced NO production and also inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in Western blot. The molecular docking of AChE and iNOS revealed that active components could have a better antagonistic effect than positive controls (common inhibitors). This study shows that the active extracts and components of Polygonatum sibiricum have the potential to be further developed as a natural anti-AChE, anti-α-glucosidase, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.
Multielemental Characterization of Chicken Breasts from Conventional and Sustainable Farms by Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) and Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)

Abstract Sustainable chicken meat production has grown rapidly worldwide in the context of development. The study aimed to analyze macro (Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, S), micro (Cu, Mn, Rb, Sr, Zn), trace (Ba, Co, Cr, Ga, Li, Se, V), and toxic trace (As, Cd, Pb) elements in chicken breast meat from conventional and sustainable farms of South Korea. The elemental analyses were conducted by inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The contents of Zn, Sr, Ba, Se, Li, and Ga were higher in sustainable samples compared to in conventional farms. The trace and toxic element contents were lower compared to recommended standard values. Chemometric tests, including principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analyses (LDA), together explained the highest variability index (100.0%). The outcomes of this study help in profiling the elemental composition of chicken breast meat from South Korean conventional and sustainable farms.
Disruption of O-GlcNAcylation Homeostasis Induced Ovarian Granulosa Cell Injury in Bovine

O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification is a ubiquitous, reversible, and highly dynamic post-translational modification, which takes charge of almost all biological processes examined. However, little information is available regarding the molecular regulation of O-GlcNAcylation in granulosa cell function and glucose metabolism. This study focused on the impact of disrupted O-GlcNAc cycling on the proliferation and apoptosis of bovine granulosa cells, and further aimed to determine how this influenced glucose metabolism. Pharmacological inhibition of OGT with benzyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranoside (BADGP) led to decreased cellular O-GlcNAc levels, as well as OGT and OGA protein expressions, whereas increasing O-GlcNAc levels with the OGA inhibitor, O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-gluco-pyranosylidene) (PUGNAc), resulted in elevated OGA protein expression and decreased OGT protein expression in granulosa cells. Dysregulated O-GlcNAc cycling reduced cell viability, downregulated the proliferation-related genes of CDC42 and PCNA transcripts, upregulated the pro-apoptotic genes of BAX and CASPASE-3 mRNA and the ratio of BAX/BCL-2, and increased the apoptotic rate. Glycolytic enzyme activities of hexokinase and pyruvate kinase, metabolite contents of pyruvate and lactate, mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP levels, and intermediate metabolic enzyme activities of succinate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, were significantly impaired in response to altered O-GlcNAc levels. Moreover, inhibition of OGT significantly increased the expression level of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), but repression of OGA had no effect. Collectively, our results suggest that perturbation of O-GlcNAc cycling has a profound effect on granulosa cell function and glucose metabolism.
Variable Natural Frequency Damper for Minimizing Response of Offshore Wind Turbine: Principle Verification through Analysis of Controllable Natural Frequencies

Resonance causes extreme stress, acceleration of fatigue, and reduction in lifespan of offshore wind structures. The main factors that cause resonance are environmental loads such as wind and waves, and dynamic loads caused by rotor movement. Estimation of the natural frequency at the design stage is highly uncertain, and natural frequency changes occur due to various factors during long-term operation. Therefore, it is important to ensure structural safety from resonance through a vibration-monitoring system or an additional damper. In this study, the effect of seawater existing inside the substructure on the natural frequency of the structure was dealt with. The natural frequency estimation equation for a fixed offshore wind structure was derived with the “inner fluid simplification assumption”. The finite element modal analysis was performed to verify the principle of Variable Natural Frequency Damper (VNFD), a system that controls the natural frequency of offshore wind structures through a pump, and to find the range of natural frequency control. As a result, interior fluid affects the natural frequency of the wind turbine support structure. Specifically, the variable natural frequency range was very low, at about 0.027% for the monopile model at a depth of 10 m, but increased rapidly to about 3.66% at a depth of 70 m. Furthermore, when estimating the natural frequency of a fixed offshore wind turbine in deep water without consideration of interior fluid, the estimates can be higher than with consideration of it.
Microbiological Quality and Presence of Foodborne Pathogens in Raw and Extruded Canine Diets and Canine Fecal Samples

Pet food can be a source of microbiological hazards that might affect companion animals and owners. Even though owners usually rely on conventional pet diets, such as extruded diets, new feeding practices, such as raw meat-based diets (RMBDs), have grown. RMBDs' benefits are still scientifically uncertain, while its risks have been documented. The use of canine RMBDs might increase the exposure to zoonotic pathogens, such as Salmonella spp. , Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter spp. , among others. Identifying pathogen prevalence in canine food and pets is required to contribute to public health measures. The aims of this study were: (1) to compare the microbiological quality of RMBDs and extruded diets (2) to identify and compare the prevalence of Salmonella spp. , Campylobacter jejuni, and L. monocytogenes from raw and extruded canine diets and canine fecal samples, and (3) to characterize pet owners according to the diet chosen to be used on their pets, their motivations for using RMBDs, and their knowledge about benefits and risks related to this feeding practice. Conventional and molecular microbiological methods were used to identify pathogen presence from food and fecal samples, while pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed to evaluate the clonal relationship between isolates. Aerobic plate counts for RMBDs were higher than those detected for extruded diets. Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes were isolated from 35.7% (15/42) RMBDs, while Salmonella spp. , C. jejuni, and L. monocytogenes from 33.3% (11/33) fecal samples from RMBD-fed dogs. From the RMBD samples positive to Salmonella spp. , chicken was the main meat ingredient composing the diets. PFGE analysis confirmed a genetic association between Salmonella spp. isolates from fecal and raw food samples from the same household. We did not detect pathogens from extruded food samples or feces from extruded-fed dogs. Using a survey, we identified dog owners' unawareness and/or underestimation of risks related to RMBDs. We demonstrated that canine raw pet food might be a source of zoonotic foodborne pathogens that represent a health risk for both humans and pets. While clinical findings caused by the mentioned pathogens vary among pets, the zoonotic potential implies a significant concern.
Clinical Manifestations and Complications of Children With COVID-19 Compared to Other Respiratory Viral Infections: A Cohort Inpatient Study From Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Introduction The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) clinical manifestations in children and adolescents are diverse, despite the respiratory condition being the main presentation. Factors such as comorbidities and other respiratory infections may play a role in the initial presentation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. This study aims to describe the epidemiological aspects, clinical, and laboratory manifestations of pediatric patients admitted to a tertiary pediatric hospital in Rio de Janeiro, diagnosed with COVID-19, and compare these with other viral conditions during the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Methods All patients under 18 years of age that were admitted with upper airway infection were enrolled and followed up for 30 days. The main dependent variable was the laboratorial diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, and independent variables were studied through logistic regression. Results A total of 533 patients were recruited, and 105 had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Detection of other viruses occurred in 34% of 264 tested participants. Six patients died (two in SARS-CoV-2 infected group). The variables independently associated with COVID-19 were older age (OR = 1.1, 95% CI = 1.0–1.1), lower leukocytes count at entry (OR = 0.9, 95% CI = 0.8–0.9), and contact with suspected case (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.0–2.6). Patients with COVID-19 presented higher odds to be admitted in an intensive care unit (OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.08–3.66). Conclusions Even during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, several other respiratory viruses were present in admitted pediatric patients. Variables associated with COVID-19 infection were older age, lower leukocytes count at entry, and a domiciliary suspect contact. Although patients with COVID-19 were more frequently admitted to ICU, we did not observe higher mortality in this group.
Fault Injection for TensorFlow Applications

As machine learning (ML) has seen increasing adoption in safety-critical domains (e.g., autonomous vehicles), the reliability of ML systems has also grown in importance. While prior studies have proposed techniques to enable efficient error-resilience (e.g., selective instruction duplication), a fundamental requirement for realizing these techniques is a detailed understanding of the application's resilience. In this work, we present TensorFI 1 and TensorFI 2, high-level fault injection (FI) frameworks for TensorFlow-based applications. TensorFI 1 and 2 are able to inject both hardware and software faults in any general TensorFlow 1 and 2 program respectively. Both are configurable FI tools that are flexible, easy to use, and portable. They can be integrated into existing TensorFlow programs to assess their resilience for different fault types (e.g., bit-flips in particular operations or layers). We use TensorFI 1 and TensorFI 2 to evaluate the resilience of 11 and 10 ML programs respectively, all written in TensorFlow, including DNNs used in the autonomous vehicle domain. The results give us insights into why some of the models are more resilient. We also measure the performance overheads of the two injectors, and present 4 case studies, two for each tool, to demonstrate their utility.
Interference-aware ML receivers for single-user MIMO LTE systems

Receiver design has been intensively studied over the years and has evolved together with the standardization process of wireless communication systems. Initially conceived as a simple linear processing, it has since then transformed into advanced non-linear detection mechanisms. Advanced architectures allow to achieve high levels of performance even in the harmful presence of fading, multipath propagation, and interference. However, the real-world feasibility remains the prime criterion when trying to balance the complexity and the performance of receivers. In this thesis we present a pragmatic evaluation of the low complexity alternatives to the optimum joint Maximum Likelihood (ML) detection in Single-User Multiple-InputMultiple-Output (MIMO) systems with spatially multiplexed transmissions. The complexity reduction is achieved thanks to the novel interference-aware log-likelihood metrics introduced by Ghaffar and Knopp. We focus on two low complexity receiver architectures: the ML Parallel Interference Aware (PIA) detection and the ML Successive Interference Aware Canceling (SIC). To be eligible for deployment in practical modems, the receiver design should fulfill computational efficiency requirements and be evaluated in simulators or emulators that are compliant with real-world wireless standards. The simulations and experiments are performed in the downlink simulator of OpenAirInterface, which is extensively developed during this thesis. In the first part of this thesis, we present a complete comparative study of the PIA and the SIC receivers, focusing on the implementation, optimal SNR regimes and levels of the Modulation and Coding Schemes (MCS), and on the computational effort. A theoretical analysis of the potential performance, supported by exhaustive empirical results, demonstrates that our practical SIC receiver outperforms the PIA receiver in terms of throughput and computational time. The latter is achieved by replacing the time consuming interference-aware LLR metric of one of the spatial streams with the light-weight SIC block with interference-free metrics. This result is particularly important since the time consumption for downlink signal processing is one of the crucial performance indicators and criteria for deployment in real-time modems. To make our receivers compatible with practical LTE MIMO systems, we revisit in the second part of this thesis essential LTE protocols such as the Incremental Redundancy Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) protocol and the Link Adaptation. Exploiting the specific structure of our SIC receiver, we show how the multi-round SIC procedure can be used to handle retransmission processing at the UE. Real time-feedback estimation for adaptive transmissions is a challenging aspect of the receiver procedures. The main limitations are brought by signaling overhead, channel
A Comparative Study of Several Properties of Plywood Bonded with Virgin and Recycled LDPE Films

In this work, to better understand the bonding process of plastic plywood panels, the effects of recycled low-density polyethylene (rLDPE) film of three thicknesses (50, 100, and 150 µm) and veneers of four various wood species (beech, birch, hornbeam, and poplar) on the properties of panels were studied. The obtained properties were also compared with the properties of plywood panels bonded by virgin low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film. The results showed that properties of plywood samples bonded with rLDPE and virgin LDPE films differ insignificantly. Samples bonded with rLDPE film demonstrated satisfactory physical and mechanical properties. It was also established that the best mechanical properties of plywood are provided by beech veneer and the lowest by poplar veneer. However, poplar plywood had the best water absorption and swelling thickness, and the bonding strength at the level of birch and hornbeam plywood. The properties of rLDPE-bonded plywood improved with increasing the thickness of the film. The panels bonded with rLDPE film had a close-to-zero formaldehyde content (0.01–0.10 mg/m2·h) and reached the super E0 emission class that allows for defining the laboratory-manufactured plastic-bonded plywood as an eco-friendly composite.
A Comparative Evaluation of the Strain Transmitted through Prostheses on Implants with Two Different Macro-Structures and Connection during Insertion and Loading Phase: An In Vitro Study

Background: The purpose of this study was to measure and compare the strain levels in the peri-implant bone as generated by the blade-like implant (BLI) and the screw-type implant (STI) with two different internal connections (hexagonal and conical) and with a 1:1 and 2:1 crown/implant (C/I) ratio. Methods: The implants (BLI and STI) were placed into sawbones according to the manufacturer’s protocol. Two strain gauges, horizontal and vertical to the implant axis, were placed around each implant on the bone surface 1 mm from the cervical part. Each implant was loaded by a material testing machine at a force of 100 N. Micro-strains (με) generated in the surrounding bone were measured by a strain gauge and recorded. Results: Recorded micro-strains were not significant in both the insertion and loading phases (p < 0.0625). The average recorded micro-strain values were lower in the horizontal dimension of STI with hexagonal connection when the C/I ratio was 2:1 compared with BLI, 210 με and 443 με, respectively. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, implant design, implant-abutment connection and C/I ratio did not influence strain values in bone and there is no statistically significant effect of these parameters on bone.