Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High tidal end expiratory flow – an index of dynamic hyperinflation?

Dynamic hyperinflation is considered an important mechanism behind shortness of breath and reduced exercise capacity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Prevailing methods to assess dynamic hyperinflation are crude because of the large normal variation of both functional residual capacity and inspiratory capacity (IC). In the present study, we hypothesized that expiratory flow on a relatively high level near the end of tidal expiration is an indication of dynamic hyperinflation. A method to measure tidal end expiratory flow (TEEF), i.e. the flow between 0·6 s and 0·04 s before start of inspiration is presented and evaluated in 15 healthy subjects and 16 COPD patients. The COPD patients had more than twice as high TEEF values compared with the healthy subjects (45·4 ± 23·8 and 20·4 ± 7·3 ml s−1 respectively; mean ± SD; P = 0·0002, for TEEF at 0·4 s before start of inspiration). TEEF values correlated to IC, e.g. TEEF at 0·4 s before start of inspiration expressed as a fraction of mean expiratory flow, correlated to IC (% pred.) (r = 0·74; P<0·0001). These results justifies further testing of the relationship between TEEF and dynamic hyperinflation.
The effect of positive emotions on cognitive processes in multimedia-based learning

The study examined whether the positive emotions experienced during multimedia teaming facilitate cognitive processes that leads to better learning performance and other affective experiences such as satisfaction, perception, motivation and cognitive load. One hundred eighteen college students were randomly assigned to four experimental treatment conditions These four conditions were created by two design factors, which were the manipulation of emotions by means of self-referencing mood induction procedure (positive or neutral emotions), and the manipulation of affect by means of the aesthetic design of the learning materials (positive or neutral design). A self-referencing mood induction procedure developed by Seibert & Ellis (1991) was provided before a multimedia-based base learning. A computer-based lesson of 'How immunization works' was used as multimedia learning material. The 'positive emotional design' version was revised from the neutral one to have better quality in aesthetic design using emotional design principles such as color combination, anthropomorphism, and baby-face effect. Participants' emotions were measured before and after the learning using PAS (Positive Affect Schedule) questionnaire (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988). Afterwards, they took comprehension and transfer tests for learning performance and answered questionnaires of other experiences. The result showed that the positive emotions experienced during the learning improved the learners' learning performance, motivation, satisfaction and perception toward the learning. It also indicated that positive emotions were generated by the aesthetic design of the learning material. The results of the study supported the facilitation hypothesis of positive emotions in the context of learning. The study implies that positive emotions should be considered as important factors in instructional design and that emotional design principles should be studied in more detail for better instructional material design.
Microalgae as Sustainable Renewable Energy Feedstock for Biofuel Production

The world energy crisis and increased greenhouse gas emissions have driven the search for alternative and environmentally friendly renewable energy sources. According to life cycle analysis, microalgae biofuel is identified as one of the major renewable energy sources for sustainable development, with potential to replace the fossil-based fuels. Microalgae biofuel was devoid of the major drawbacks associated with oil crops and lignocelluloses-based biofuels. Algae-based biofuels are technically and economically viable and cost competitive, require no additional lands, require minimal water use, and mitigate atmospheric CO2. However, commercial production of microalgae biodiesel is still not feasible due to the low biomass concentration and costly downstream processes. The viability of microalgae biodiesel production can be achieved by designing advanced photobioreactors, developing low cost technologies for biomass harvesting, drying, and oil extraction. Commercial production can also be accomplished by improving the genetic engineering strategies to control environmental stress conditions and by engineering metabolic pathways for high lipid production. In addition, new emerging technologies such as algal-bacterial interactions for enhancement of microalgae growth and lipid production are also explored. This review focuses mainly on the problems encountered in the commercial production of microalgae biofuels and the possible techniques to overcome these difficulties.
Repeated-Task Canadian Traveler Problem

In the Canadian Traveler Problem (CTP) a traveling agent is given a weighted graph, where some of the edges may be blocked, with a known probability. The agent needs to travel to a given goal. A solution for CTP is a policy, that has the smallest expected traversal cost. CTP is intractable. Previous work has focused on the case of a single agent. We generalize CTP to a repeated task version where a number of agents need to travel to the same goal, minimizing their combined travel cost. We provide optimal algorithms for the special case of disjoint path graphs. Based on a previous UCT-based approach for the single agent case, a framework is developed for the multi-agent case and four variants are given - two of which are based on the results for disjoint-path graphs. Empirical results show the benefits of the suggested framework and the resulting heuristics. For small graphs where we could compare to optimal policies, our approach achieves near optimal results at only a fraction of the computation cost.
Threats to Enabling Contexts: Exploring Adolescents' Experiences of Aggression

This article explores adolescents' experiences of aggression in a secondary, multi-cultural school context in South Africa. The study group comprised of boys (n=24) and girls (n=17), attending grades 8–12. An inductive qualitative research approach was chosen where participants wrote about their experiences and participated in focused semi-structured interviews. Central themes were derived by means of a thematic content analysis. The results revealed that adolescents experienced negative feelings about aggression at school and that aggression was related to individual characteristics, the adolescent developmental stage, socialization, status, competition, home environment, prior experiences, learnt behaviour and the effect of the media and music. Exposure to aggression had emotional consequences such as feelings of anger, fear, depression, being controlled and a loss of self-content. Behavioural responses included retaliation, pacifism, vandalism and suicide. The findings suggest that learner involvement, conflict resolution skills and school guidance are necessary to manage aggression in the secondary school context.
A Review on Level Set Method for Image Segmentation

Image segmentation has played a vital role in image processing. The aim is to cluster the pixels into salient image regions consisting of individual surfaces, objects, etc. This paper describes various techniques used in image segmentation using level set method. General Terms Image Segmentation, Level Set Method, Partial Differential Equations, Distance Regularized Level Set Evolution.
A Literature Survey on Empirical Evidence in Software Engineering

Context: Software Engineering research makes use of collections of software artifacts (corpora) to derive empirical evidence from. Goal: To improve quality and reproducibility of research, we need to understand the characteristics of used corpora. Method: For that, we perform a literature survey using grounded theory. We analyze the latest proceedings of seven relevant conferences. Results: While almost all papers use corpora of some kind with the common case of collections of source code of open-source Java projects, there are no frequently used projects or corpora across all the papers. For some conferences we can detect recurrences. We discover several forms of requirements and applied tunings for corpora which indicate more specific needs of research efforts. Conclusion: Our survey feeds into a quantitative basis for discussing the current state of empirical research in software engineering, thereby enabling ultimately improvement of research quality specifically in terms of use (and reuse) of empirical evidence.
Cysteine Mutagenesis and Homology Modeling of the Ligand-binding Site of a Kainate-binding Protein*

Glutamate receptors comprise the most abundant group of neurotransmitter receptors in the vertebrate central nervous system. Cysteine mutagenesis in combination with homology modeling has been used to study the determinants of kainate binding in a glutamate receptor subtype, a low molecular weight goldfish kainate-binding protein, GFKARβ. A construct of GFKARβ with no cysteines in the extracellular domain was produced, and single cysteine residues were introduced at selected positions. N-Ethylmaleimide or derivatized methanethiosulfonate reagents (neutral or charged) were used to modify the introduced cysteines covalently, and the effect on [3H]kainate binding was determined. In addition, cysteine mutants of GFKARβ transiently expressed in HEK293 cells were labeled with a membrane-impermeable biotinylating reagent followed by precipitation with streptavidin beads and specific detection of GFKARβ by Western blot analysis. The results are consistent with the proposal that the energy driving kainate binding is contributed both from residues within the binding site and from interactions between two regions (i.e. two lobes) of the protein that are brought into contact upon ligand binding in a manner analogous to that seen in bacterial amino acid-binding proteins.
QOS on multimedia streaming using compression in MANET

Mobile ad-hoc networks are spontaneous, on the fly, self adaptive networks. Every mobile node acts as route. Data is transmitted from host to destination through an ever changing network topology. In recent day's scenario multimedia streaming one of the important challenging tasks in Mobile ad hoc network (MANET) as it affects the Quality-Of-Services (QOS) of the network as it needs more bandwidth for smooth transmission of data. The QOS constraints of the network that includes minimum delay, maximum bandwidth and effective throughput for real time multimedia streaming needs to be enhanced. Ad-hoc on demand Distance Vector Multipath routing (AOMDV) protocol is used on Mac layer or in network layer for frequent and constant streaming of audio, video and text type of data. This work proposes a new approach of data compression with Ad-hoc on demand multipath distance vector (AOMDVc) to enhance the QOS of the network. Simulations were carried out by Network simulator tool (NS2) and measure the effective minimization of end to end delay and improvement of throughput of the network and results were compared with existing techniques. Results clearly exhibit the performance of the proposed approach over the existing protocols.
Does shivering thermogenesis enhance the individual's ability to maintain rectal temperature during immersion in cold water?

Shivering thermogenesis may enable individuals to maintain rectal temperature during acute cold exposure. This data analysis revisited this hypothesis and compared previously published data with unpublished data from our laboratory on those subjects that were terminated from cold water immersion early because of a reduction in rectal temperature (Tre) ≤ 35°C. Tre, mean skin temperature ( T ¯ sk ), and oxygen uptake ( V ˙ o 2 ) were recorded at 5, 30, 60, and 90 min of immersion and were used to calculate 3Δ readings for each exposure, that is, T30 minus T5, T60 minus T30, and T90 minus T60. Single group f-tests were used to examine differences in ΔTre, Δ T ¯ sk , and Δ V ˙ o 2 between the published data (PD) group and the individual subjects who were terminated early (TE) at each of three water temperatures (18°C, 22°C, 26°C). For Δ V ˙ o 2 the TE subjects were dichotomized by fatness (low percent fat, 8%-12% or high percent fat, 18%-22%) to account for the V ˙ o 2 differences between these groups (i.e., fatness) during cold water immersion. ΔTre was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in TE subjects compared with PD subjects at all timepoints for 18°C and 26°C. At 22°C, the TE subject exhibited a significantly greater (p < 0.05) decrease in ΔTre than the PD group at 90 min of immersion only. No significant (p > 0.05) differences in Δ T ¯ sk between the PD and TE groups were detected for any of the exposure temperatures over all time points. No difference (p > 0.05) between PD subjects and TE subjects for Δ V ˙ o 2 was exhibited at any time point at any temperature. It appears that with respect to the TE group, elevations in V ˙ o 2 were comparable to the PD group, but the TE group was unable to maintain Tre during cold water immersion. In conclusion, from these data it appears that shivering thermogenesis does in part enhance the individual's ability to maintain Tre; however, as evidenced in the TE group, it also appears that the alterations in shivering thermogenesis for certain individuals may not be great enough to offset heat loss.
The RCU-Reader Preemption Problem in VMs

When synchronization primitives such as locking and read-copy update (RCU) execute within virtual machines (VMs), preemption can cause multi-second latency spikes, increasing peak memory footprint and fragmentation inside VMs, which in turn may trigger swapping or VM ballooning. The resulting CPU utilization and memory footprint increases can negate the serverconsolidation benefits of virtualization. Although preemption of lock holders in VMs has been well-studied, the corresponding solutions do not apply to RCU due to its exceedingly lightweight read-side primitives. This paper presents the first evaluation of RCU-reader preemption in a virtualized environment. Our evaluation shows 50% increase in the peak memory footprint and 155% increase in fragmentation for a microbenchmark, 23.71% increase in average kernel CPU utilization, 2.9× increase in the CPU time to compute a grace period and 2.18× increase in the average grace period duration for the Postmark benchmark.
ENERGY BASED TRUSTEDSOURCE ROUTING PROTOCOL FOR MOBILE ADHOC NETWORKS

Secure transmission in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks has proven to still be a challenging task due to the openness in network topology and absence of a centralized administration. In order to enhance the security of network and protect the nodes from vulnerabilities, this paper proposes a novel energy based trusted routing scheme to select the most trustable path based on the route trust and also the energy level of nodes in the route. The path obtained by using this scheme not only includes the nodes with high trusted values but also excludes the nodes which have low residual energy. We have integrated the proposed model into the popular DSR routing protocol. Our novel on-demand trust-based source routing protocol for MANETs, called as Energy based Trusted DSR routing protocol (ET-DSR), provides a flexible and feasible method to choose the route that meets the security requirement of data packets transmission. Extensive experiments have been conducted to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed mechanism in malicious node identification and attack resistance. The results show that ET-DSR protocol selects trustworthy and energy based and improves the overall performance of the protocol in presence of malicious nodes.
Collusive Attacks Against Software Watermarks

Software fingerprinting is a technique to protect software by embedding unique watermarks in different copies of the same program. This makes individual copies of the program easier to trace. However, fingerprinted software is susceptible to collusive attacks if an attacker has access to two or more fingerprinted versions of the same program. We present the first framework for performing collusive attacks against fingerprinted software. In this paper, we describe two static collusive attacks against programs fingerprinted with different instances of the well-known Collberg-Thomborson (CT) watermark. We also describe a promising novel type of collusive attack we call a "dynamic collusive attack". Our preliminary experiments show that such attacks are highly effective at locating CT watermarks
Direct Resampling for Isotropic Surface Remeshing

We present a feature-sensitive remeshing algorithm for relaxation-based methods. The ﬁrst stage of the algorithm creates a new mesh from scratch by resampling the reference mesh with an exact vertex budget with either uniform or non-uniform vertex distribution according to a density function. The newly introduced samples on the mesh surface are triangulated directly in 3D by constructing a mutual tessellation. The second stage of the algorithm optimizes the positions of the mesh vertices by building a weighted centroidal Voronoi tessellation to obtain a precise isotropic placement of the samples. We achieve isotropy by employing Lloyd’s relaxation method, but other relaxation schemes are applicable. The proposed algorithm handles diverse meshes of arbitrary genus and guarantees that the remeshed model has the same topology as the input mesh. The density function can be deﬁned by the user or derived automatically from the estimated curvature at the mesh vertices. A subset of the mesh edges may be tagged as sharp features to preserve the characteristic appearance of technical models. The new method can be applied to large meshes and produces results faster than previously achievable.
Inherent biological variation and reference values

Abstract There is a need for revisiting theoretical concepts and practical applications of conventional population-based reference values to make for better clinical use of laboratory data. Knowledge of the underlying biological variation of quantities examined in medical laboratories is vital to understanding the proper generation and application of traditional population-based reference values. Appreciation of the biological changes that occur over the span of life is a necessary prerequisite to deciding whether stratification of reference values according to age is likely to be necessary. Knowledge of the detail of predictable biological cyclical rhythms is required for correct clinical interpretation of laboratory data and appropriate collection of specimens at times relevant to the clinical purpose. Quantitative data on inherent within- and between-subject biological components of variation have shown the marked individuality of most quantities of interest in laboratory medicine. This individuality casts light on why examinations are not generally very successfully applied in population screening or case-finding. Consideration of individuality demonstrates why stratification of reference values is often very advantageous. Individuality provides an indisputable argument for better use of individual specific reference values.
Oxaziridine-mediated oxyamination of indoles: an approach to 3-aminoindoles and enantiomerically enriched 3-aminopyrroloindolines.

The pyrroloindoline natural products have attracted considerable interest both because of their biological activity and their unique structures (Figure 1). i Nature presumably produces these architecturally fascinating compounds via electrophilic cyclization cascades involving appropriately functionalized tryptamine and tryptophan precursors. In the laboratory, the use of chemical oxidants (e.g., m-CPBA, dioxirane, and NBS) to trigger similar cascades has been a common strategy for the total synthesis of these target molecules.ii Recently, several research groups have become interested in the synthesis of the subclass of pyrroloindoline alkaloids such as psychotrimine (1)iii and chaetomin (2)iv that feature a carbon-nitrogen bond at the C3 position of the oxidized indole.v However, only a limited number of methods for the direct electrophilic introduction of nitrogen at this position have been developed,vb,d,g,vi and thus the synthesis of aminated indole alkaloids remains a formidable synthetic challenge, especially in an enantioselective fashion.
Dynamic State Estimation Based Control Strategy for DFIG Wind Turbine Connected to Complex Power Systems

This paper proposes a viable solution to the long-lasting issue of using flux-involved control scheme to regulate the behavior of doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) during faults. Instead of trying to design a complicated method to measure flux, which cannot be directly measured with contemporary technology, the solution utilizes unscented Kalman filter-based dynamic state estimation of DFIG connected to a complex power system to estimate the wanted variables. The decentralized estimation scheme takes into consideration the overall power system network and uses only local noisy PMU measurement data. DFIG control schemes are also investigated to a fair extent where three control methods are discussed with comparison results presented. The improved control scheme displays a better fault recovery response and system compatibility. A number of considerations are taken into account in the design of DFIG control schemes, including reactive power supports and dc-link current compensation.
A Real-Time Demand-Response Algorithm for Smart Grids: A Stackelberg Game Approach

This paper proposes a real-time price (RTP)-based demand-response (DR) algorithm for achieving optimal load control of devices in a facility by forming a virtual electricity-trading process, where the energy management center of the facility is the virtual retailer (leader) offering virtual retail prices, from which devices (followers) are supposed to purchase energy. A one-leader, N-follower Stackelberg game is formulated to capture the interactions between them, and optimization problems are formed for each player to help in selecting the optimal strategy. The existence of a unique Stackelberg equilibrium that provides optimal energy demands for each device was demonstrated. The simulation analysis showed that the Stackelberg game-based DR algorithm is effective for achieving the optimal load control of devices in response to RTP changes with a trivial computation burden.
Enhanced and selective delivery of enzyme therapy to 9L-glioma tumor via magnetic targeting of PEG-modified, β-glucosidase-conjugated iron oxide nanoparticles

The stability of enzyme-conjugated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in plasma is of great importance for in vivo delivery of the conjugated enzyme. In this study, β-glucosidase was conjugated on aminated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles using the glutaraldehyde method (β-Glu-MNP), and further PEGylated via N-hydroxysuccinimide chemistry. The PEG-modified, β-glucosidase-immobilized magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (PEG-β-Glu-MNPs) were characterized by hydrodynamic diameter distribution, zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and a superconducting quantum interference device. The results showed that the multidomain structure and magnetization properties of these nanoparticles were conserved well throughout the synthesis steps, with an expected diameter increase and zeta potential shifts. The Michaelis constant was calculated to evaluate the activity of conjugated β-glucosidase on the magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, indicating 73.0% and 65.4% of enzyme activity remaining for β-Glu-MNP and PEG-β-Glu-MNP, respectively. Both magnetophoretic mobility analysis and pharmacokinetics showed improved in vitro/in vivo stability of PEG-β-Glu-MNP compared with β-Glu-MNP. In vivo magnetic targeting of PEG-β-Glu-MNP was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging and electron spin resonance analysis in a mouse model of subcutaneous 9L-glioma. Satisfactory accumulation of PEG-β-Glu-MNP in tumor tissue was successfully achieved, with an iron content of 627±45 nmol Fe/g tissue and β-glucosidase activity of 32.2±8.0 mU/g tissue.