Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Web-Based Quality Assurance Process Drives Improvements in Obstetric Ultrasound in 5 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Newly trained sonographers improved performance through a quality assurance process that merged (1) evaluation by remote experts of images uploaded to a website, with (2) periodic in-person skill tests. To promote sustainability, in-country supervisors gradually assumed more responsibility for image evaluation. The user-friendly and efficient interface used simple menus and forms, customized based on the user's role. Newly trained sonographers improved performance through a quality assurance process that merged (1) evaluation by remote experts of images uploaded to a website, with (2) periodic in-person skill tests. To promote sustainability, in-country supervisors gradually assumed more responsibility for image evaluation. The user-friendly and efficient interface used simple menus and forms, customized based on the user's role. ABSTRACT High quality is important in medical imaging, yet in many geographic areas, highly skilled sonographers are in short supply. Advances in Internet capacity along with the development of reliable portable ultrasounds have created an opportunity to provide centralized remote quality assurance (QA) for ultrasound exams performed at rural sites worldwide. We sought to harness these advances by developing a web-based tool to facilitate QA activities for newly trained sonographers who were taking part in a cluster randomized trial investigating the role of limited obstetric ultrasound to improve pregnancy outcomes in 5 low- and middle-income countries. We were challenged by connectivity issues, by country-specific needs for website usability, and by the overall need for a high-throughput system. After systematically addressing these needs, the resulting QA website helped drive ultrasound quality improvement across all 5 countries. It now offers the potential for adoption by future ultrasound- or imaging-based global health initiatives.
Development and functionalization of quantum dots as luminescent labels towards mycotoxin detection

To create bright and stable PL biolabels for immunoassay detection of mycotoxin deoxynivalenol in food and feed, CdSe/CdS/ZnS core-shell QDs were encapsulated in silica capping layer through a water-in-oil reverse microemulsion process. The optical properties and stability of the obtained silica coated QDs (QD@SiO2), modified with amino, carboxyl and epoxy groups and stabilized with polyethylene glycol fragments, were characterized in order to assess their bioapplicability. The developed co-condensation techniques allowed maintaining 80% of the initial PL properties and yielded stable PL labels that could be easily activated and bioconjugated.
Christoph Jansen , Georg Schollmeyer and Thomas Augustin Quantifying Degrees of E-admissibility in Decision Making with Imprecise Probabilities

This paper is concerned with decision making using imprecise probabilities. In the first part, we introduce a new decision criterion that allows for explicitly modeling how far decisions that are optimal in terms of Walley’s maximality are accepted to deviate from being optimal in the sense of Levi’s E-admissibility. For this criterion, we also provide an efficient and simple algorithm based on linear programming theory. In the second part of the paper, we propose two new measures for quantifying the extent of E-admissibility of an E-admissible act, i.e. the size of the set of measures for which the corresponding act maximizes expected utility. The first measure is the maximal diameter of this set, while the second one relates to the maximal barycentric cube that can be inscribed into it. Also here, for both measures, we give linear programming algorithms capable to deal with them. Finally, we discuss some ideas in the context of ordinal decision theory. The paper concludes with a stylized application example illustrating all introduced concepts.
Complete DNA barcode reference library for a country's butterfly fauna reveals high performance for temperate Europe

DNA barcoding aims to accelerate species identification and discovery, but performance tests have shown marked differences in identification success. As a consequence, there remains a great need for comprehensive studies which objectively test the method in groups with a solid taxonomic framework. This study focuses on the 180 species of butterflies in Romania, accounting for about one third of the European butterfly fauna. This country includes five eco-regions, the highest of any in the European Union, and is a good representative for temperate areas. Morphology and DNA barcodes of more than 1300 specimens were carefully studied and compared. Our results indicate that 90 per cent of the species form barcode clusters allowing their reliable identification. The remaining cases involve nine closely related species pairs, some whose taxonomic status is controversial or that hybridize regularly. Interestingly, DNA barcoding was found to be the most effective identification tool, outperforming external morphology, and being slightly better than male genitalia. Romania is now the first country to have a comprehensive DNA barcode reference database for butterflies. Similar barcoding efforts based on comprehensive sampling of specific geographical regions can act as functional modules that will foster the early application of DNA barcoding while a global system is under development.
Antimicrobial & Antioxidant Activity of Orange Pulp and Peel

The oranges were purchased from the local market of Bela. The orange peel and pulp were subjected to successive extraction with solvents in increasing order of their polarity viz. Acetone, hexane, methanol and distilled water. Orange peel and pulp powder was extracted separately by aqueous extraction. The phenolic content of these samples were studied according to the method described by Folin Ciocalteu. In vitro antioxidant activity of orange peel and pulp were assessed using three different methods (Reducing power, Gallic acid method and DPPH scavenging activity). The in-vitro antioxidant activities on these two samples were evaluated. The antioxidant activity by Gallic acid in the orange peel higher in the distilled water (210mg/g) and low in the hexane (79mg/g) and in orange pulp higher in the acetone (522mg/g) and lower in the hexane (210mg/g) and by the DPPH method the higher in distilled water and hexane of orange peel and pulp.
Member based separations and counter current multicolumn systems for decolorization, ion exchange and ion exclusion : Emerging technologies for the sugar industry

Competitive pressures from the sugar beet and corn sweetener industries, the rising cost of solid and liquid waste disposal and other factors are forcing the US sugarcane and refining industries to consider technologies developed first in other industries, but easily adaptable to the sugar industry. Most notably, applications of polymeric and particularly, ceramic membranes, and benefits from introducing counter current continuous systems for decolorization, ion exchange and chromatography separations, hold the promise of a virtual revolution for the industry. This review provides a brief overview of some of the current and anticipated applications, aswell as examples of representative test results from the author's lab.
New Multilinear Maps from CLT13 with Provable Security Against Zeroizing Attacks

We devise the first weak multilinear map model for CLT13 multilinear maps (Coron et al., CRYPTO 2013) that captures all known classical polynomial-time attacks on the maps. We then show important applications of our model. First, we show that in our model, several existing obfuscation and order-revealing encryption schemes, when instantiated with CLT13 maps, are secure against known attacks under a mild algebraic complexity assumption used in prior work. These are schemes that are actually being implemented for experimentation. However, until our work, they had no rigorous justification for security. Next, we turn to building constant degree multilinear maps on top of CLT13 for which there are no known attacks. Precisely, we prove that our scheme achieves the ideal security notion for multilinear maps in our weak CLT13 model, under a much stronger variant of the algebraic complexity assumption used above. Our multilinear maps do not achieve the full functionality of multilinear maps as envisioned by Boneh and Silverberg (Contemporary Mathematics, 2003), but do allow for re-randomization and for encoding arbitrary plaintext elements.
Relatively Smooth Convex Optimization by First-Order Methods, and Applications

The usual approach to developing and analyzing first-order methods for smooth convex optimization assumes that the gradient of the objective function is uniformly smooth with some Lipschitz constant $L$. However, in many settings the differentiable convex function $f(\cdot)$ is not uniformly smooth---for example, in $D$-optimal design where $f(x):=-\ln \det(HXH^T)$ and $X:= \mbox{{\bf D}iag} (x)$, or even the univariate setting with $f(x) := -\ln(x) + x^2$. In this paper we develop a notion of “relative smoothness” and relative strong convexity that is determined relative to a user-specified “reference function” $h(\cdot)$ (that should be computationally tractable for algorithms), and we show that many differentiable convex functions are relatively smooth with respect to a correspondingly fairly simple reference function $h(\cdot)$. We extend two standard algorithms---the primal gradient scheme and the dual averaging scheme---to our new setting, with associated computational guarantees. We apply our new a.
Rapid synthesis of cyclic oligomeric depsipeptides with positional, stereochemical, and macrocycle size distribution control

Significance This work resonates with the intense, rapidly broadening interest in macrocycle synthesis, enabling the preparation of collections of size-congener macrocycles in a single reaction. More specifically, we have outlined the use of the Mitsunobu reaction to forge ester linkages between hydroxy acid monomers for depsipeptides in an oligomerization/macrocyclization mode. Additionally, we disclose that salt additives, which are normally contraindicated in a Mitsunobu reaction, are able to either enhance ring-size diversity (collections) or optimize the production of one macrocycle (selection) in an ion-templated fashion. Combination of this strategy and contemporary chemical methods allows rapid access to cyclodepsipeptide natural products and their unnatural isomers. Macrocyclic small molecules are attractive tools in the development of sensors, new materials, and therapeutics. Within early-stage drug discovery, they are increasingly sought for their potential to interact with broad surfaces of peptidic receptors rather than within their narrow folds and pockets. Cyclization of linear small molecule precursors is a straightforward strategy to constrain conformationally mobile motifs, but forging a macrocycle bond typically becomes more difficult at larger ring sizes. We report the development of a general approach to discrete collections of oligomeric macrocyclic depsipeptides using an oligomerization/macrocyclization process governed by a series of Mitsunobu reactions of hydroxy acid monomers. Ring sizes of 18, 24, 30, and 36 are formed in a single reaction from a didepsipeptide, whereas sizes of 24, 36, and 60 result from a tetradepsipeptide. The ring-size selectivity inherent to the approach can be modulated by salt additives that enhance the formation of specific ring sizes. Use of chemical synthesis to prepare the monomers suggests broad access to functionally and stereochemically diverse collections of natural product-like oligodepsipeptide macrocycles. Two cyclodepsipeptide natural products were prepared along with numerous unnatural oligomeric congeners to provide rapid access to discrete collections of complex macrocyclic small molecules from medium (18) to large (60) ring sizes.
Monitoring senior wellness status using multimodal biosensors

Because of the increased lifespan, there is an increasing demand on prevention of disease for senior wellness. For monitoring senior wellness status, biosensors such as Electroencephalography (EEG), Electrocardiography (ECG), blood pressure (BP), and respiration rate (RR) sensors and environmental sensors (temperature, humidity, motion, and light sensors) were used for data collection. Sensing data from bio- and environmental sensors are transferred to gateway in smart home and gateway send data into smart home server for the storage and analysis. Sensing data is analyzed using SVM for filtering, decision tree for health risk ratio, and EM algorithm for decision making. In this paper, we develop an EM-based inspection service middleware for monitoring elderly wellness status based on time and zone transition. This inspection service middleware for the prediction of abnormal health status has three steps as follows; monitoring, activity assessment, health risk assessment and decision-making. The activity assessment step used fuzzy logic, the health risk assessment step uses the decision-tree model for the classification of health status. Finally, EM-based decision-making step recommend exercise and housework for healthy status and rest or hospital checkup for tired/sick status.
Towards a Generic Context Model for BPM

This paper introduces a new context modeling approach for the business process management field. The proposed approach aims at identifying and formalizing the contextual knowledge relevant to business processes in order to be able to adapt business processes according to the context. This approach has the particularity to be generic and extensible, it can be integrated with many business process modeling approaches. It is based on ontologies and has two layers, i.e. Generic layer and specific layer. Throughout the paper we compare the proposed approach with the related work in order to clearly demonstrate why we propose this approach.
Exploration and Tradeoffs of different Kernels in FPGA Deep Learning Applications

In the field of deep learning, efficient computational hardware has come to the forefront of the large scale implementation and deployment of many applications. In the process of designing hardware, various characteristics of hardware platforms have been studied in order to best implement the high computational demand, high memory bandwidth, and flexibility of networks. In addition to design space exploration of kernels, kernel design must be seen in the context of full system architectures or in terms of the combination of deep learning and other types of applications whether video encoding/decoding or analytics, speech recognition, or the multitude of potential applications combining deep learning kernels with tightly integrated coprocessor architectures. Kernel sizes, on-chip and off-chip memories, numeric datatypes and efficient compute architectures all must be merged into optimal design choices for both performing computations with maximum efficiency as well as programmable flexibility.
Back surface studies of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin film solar cells

Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin film solar cells have attracted a lot of interest because they have shown the highest achieved efficiency (21%) among thin film photovoltaic materials, long-term stability, and straightforward optical bandgap engineering by changing relative amounts of present elements in the alloy. Still, there are several opportunities to further improve the performance of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 devices. The interfaces between layers significantly affect the device performance, and knowledge of their chemical and electronic structures is essential in identifying performance limiting factors. The main goal of this research is to understand the characteristics of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2-back contact interface in order to design ohmic back contacts for Cu(In,Ga)Se2-based solar cells with a range of band gaps and device configurations. The focus is on developing either an opaque or transparent ohmic back contact via surface modification or introduction of buffer layers in the back surface. In this project, candidate back contact materials have been identified based on modeling of band alignments and surface chemical properties of the absorber layer and back contact. For the first time, MoO3 and WO3 transparent back contacts were successfully developed for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells. The structural, optical, and surface properties of MoO3 and WO3 were optimized by controlling the oxygen partial pressure during reactive sputtering and post-deposition annealing. Valence band edge energies were also obtained by analysis of the XPS spectra and used to characterize the interface band offsets. As a result, it became possible to illuminate of the device from the back, resulting in a recently developed “backwall superstrate” device structure that outperforms conventional substrate Cu(In,Ga)Se2 devices in the absorber thickness
Validated psychometric scales to measure dental fear/anxiety among children and adolescents in Italy. A sistematic review

9 Aim One in seven children or adolescents suffer from a high level of dental fear/anxiety (DFA) hindering or delaying their dental service attendance. To overcome this negative psychological condition an early diagnosis should be performed through validated psychometric scales adequate for children, such as the Children’s Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSSDS) and the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (MCDAS). The aim of this paper is to review the literature in order to verify the existence of validation studies regarding the above mentioned two questionnaires. Methods A detailed systematic research of studies published at the end of February 2016 into the most relevant electronic data bases (Medline, Embase and Web of Science) with well calibrated Mesh words was performed. Only studies reporting data about the reliability and validity concerning CFSS-DS and/or MCDAS carried out among Italian children and adolescents were selected for data extraction. Results The literature review yielded 905 records, for 43 of which the full text was retrieved. In addition, a further 5 full texts were also derived by the searching of available papers. After the examination of all full texts no studies reporting validation procedures carried out among Italian children or adolescents were found. Conclusion The absence of validated studies in Italy regarding two of the most relevant psychometric scales (CFSS-DS and MCDAS) raises concerns about the attention shown by Italian dental practitioners to the matter of children’s/adolescents’ dental anxiety. Further methodologically well conduced studies in this field should be performed on Italian population.
Learning to Align Comments to News Topics

With the rapid proliferation of social media, increasingly more people express their opinions and reviews (user-generated content (UGC)) on recent news articles through various online services, such as news portals, forums, discussion groups, and microblogs. Clearly, identifying hot topics that users greatly care about can improve readers’ news browsing experience and facilitate research into interaction analysis between news and UGC. Furthermore, it is of great benefit to public opinion monitoring and management for both industry and government agencies. However, it is extremely time consuming, if not impossible, to manually examine the large amount of available social content. In this article, we formally define the news comment alignment problem and propose a novel framework that: (1) automatically extracts topics from a given news article and its associated comments, (2) identifies and extends positive examples with different degrees of confidence using three methods (i.e., hypersphere, density, and cluster chain), and (3) completes the alignment between news sentences and comments through a weighted-SVM classifier. Extensive experiments show that our proposed framework significantly outperforms state-of-the-art methods.
Evidence for a bone-kidney axis regulating phosphate homeostasis.

A novel circulation phosphaturic hormone is postulated to regulate systemic phosphate homeostasis. Two new studies reveal that the phosphaturic factor FGF-23 is increased in hypophosphatemic subjects with McCune-Albright syndrome and that secreted frizzled-related protein-4 (sFRP-4), a factor produced by tumors derived from subjects with tumor-induced osteomalacia, also has phosphaturic activity. It remains to be established whether FGF-23 and sFRP-4 represent two distinct phosphatonins or are somehow integrated in a novel phosphate-regulating bone-kidney axis.
Common Variable Immunodeficiency Non-Infectious Disease Endotypes Redefined Using Unbiased Network Clustering in Large Electronic Datasets

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is increasingly recognized for its association with autoimmune and inflammatory complications. Despite recent advances in immunophenotypic and genetic discovery, clinical care of CVID remains limited by our inability to accurately model risk for non-infectious disease development. Herein, we demonstrate the utility of unbiased network clustering as a novel method to analyze inter-relationships between non-infectious disease outcomes in CVID using databases at the United States Immunodeficiency Network (USIDNET), the centralized immunodeficiency registry of the United States, and Partners, a tertiary care network in Boston, MA, USA, with a shared electronic medical record amenable to natural language processing. Immunophenotypes were comparable in terms of native antibody deficiencies, low titer response to pneumococcus, and B cell maturation arrest. However, recorded non-infectious disease outcomes were more substantial in the Partners cohort across the spectrum of lymphoproliferation, cytopenias, autoimmunity, atopy, and malignancy. Using unbiased network clustering to analyze 34 non-infectious disease outcomes in the Partners cohort, we further identified unique patterns of lymphoproliferative (two clusters), autoimmune (two clusters), and atopic (one cluster) disease that were defined as CVID non-infectious endotypes according to discrete and non-overlapping immunophenotypes. Markers were both previously described {high serum IgE in the atopic cluster [odds ratio (OR) 6.5] and low class-switched memory B cells in the total lymphoproliferative cluster (OR 9.2)} and novel [low serum C3 in the total lymphoproliferative cluster (OR 5.1)]. Mortality risk in the Partners cohort was significantly associated with individual non-infectious disease outcomes as well as lymphoproliferative cluster 2, specifically (OR 5.9). In contrast, unbiased network clustering failed to associate known comorbidities in the adult USIDNET cohort. Together, these data suggest that unbiased network clustering can be used in CVID to redefine non-infectious disease inter-relationships; however, applicability may be limited to datasets well annotated through mechanisms such as natural language processing. The lymphoproliferative, autoimmune, and atopic Partners CVID endotypes herein described can be used moving forward to streamline genetic and biomarker discovery and to facilitate early screening and intervention in CVID patients at highest risk for autoimmune and inflammatory progression.