Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Energy-efficient reconfiguration of flash-based FPGAs in heterogeneous wireless sensor nodes

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can be used as hardware-accelerators in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Their in-field reconfigurability can be utilized for bug fixing and capability enhancements, but the distributed nature of WSNs strongly demands Over-the-air Programming (OTAP) for reconfiguration to avoid manual maintenance at every single network node. In this paper, the implementation of OTAP for Microsemi IGLOO FPGAs utilized in heterogeneous WSN motes is described. As the entire configuration bitstream can not be buffered at the sensor node at once due to memory limitations, a paging mechanism is utilized and improved to minimize the energy-intensive radio network traffic required for the bitstream configuration and verification. By applying lossless bitstream compression, the overall configuration time can be reduced by 11 % to 24 %, depending on the complexity of the configured hardware design. The energy spent during the configuration process is reduced by 11 % to 37 % using this compression. Another approach utilizes the prediction of page requests to overlap the wireless transport of the next page with the processing of the current page. This prediction mechanism reduces the configuration time by 40 %, independently of the actual bitstream content. The required configuration energy is also reduced by 40 % using the page prediction.
Use of clinical characteristics to predict spirometric classification of obstructive lung disease

Background There is no consensus on how to define patients with symptoms of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A diagnosis of asthma–COPD overlap (ACO) syndrome has been proposed, but its value is debated. This study (GSK Study 201703 [NCT02302417]) investigated the ability of statistical modeling approaches to define distinct disease groups in patients with obstructive lung disease (OLD) using medical history and spirometric data. Methods Patients aged ≥18 years with diagnoses of asthma and/or COPD were categorized into three groups: 1) asthma (nonobstructive; reversible), 2) ACO (obstructive; reversible), and 3) COPD (obstructive; nonreversible). Obstruction was defined as a post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity <0.7, and reversibility as a post-albuterol increase in FEV1 ≥200 mL and ≥12%. A primary model (PM), based on patients’ responses to a health care practitioner-administered questionnaire, was developed using multinomial logistic regression modeling. Other multivariate statistical analysis models for identifying asthma and COPD as distinct entities were developed and assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) assessed the degree of overlap between groups. Results The PM predicted spirometric classifications with modest sensitivity. Other analysis models performed with high discrimination (area under the ROC curve: asthma model, 0.94; COPD model, 0.87). PLS-DA identified distinct phenotypic groups corresponding to asthma and COPD. Conclusion Within the OLD spectrum, patients with asthma or COPD can be identified as two distinct groups with a high degree of precision. Patients outside these classifications do not constitute a homogeneous group.
The Processing of YSZ Films for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell by the Slip Casting

To fabricate the yttria-stablized zirconia (YSZ) films for solid oxide fuel cell by the slip casting, viscosity of YSZ slips and sintering property of green bodies have been investigated. Chlorine in as-received YSZ powders was removed as Cl- ion by repetitive laundering of admixing distilled water. The sintering property of as-received YSZ powders was superior to that of laundered ones, because YSZ particles were condensed in the laundering process. Both as-received and laundered YSZ particles were stabilized in the slip with a deflocculant containing NH4+ salt of polyacrylic acid as a major component. For some slips the square of thickness of casting layer, L2, was proportional to the casting time, t. Casting rate consant, L2/t, was increased with increasing concentration of YSZ powders in the slips. The thickness of casting layer for fabricating YSZ films could be controlled by the casting data of YSZ slips. The relative densities of sintered YSZ specimens were 92 and 96% at sintering temperatures of 1300° and 1500°C, respectively. Dense YSZ films were fabricated by slip cast, and sintered without pressure at 1500°C. The I-V characteristics of the flat thick film type solid oxide fuel cell based on the YSZ electrolyte film of 140μm thick, La0.6Sr0. 4MnO3 cathode and NiO+YSZ anode was excellent, and the power of this cell was about 450mW/cm2.
From Gauss to Kolmogorov: Localized Measures of Complexity for Ellipses

The Gaussian width is a fundamental quantity in probability, statistics and geometry, known to underlie the intrinsic difficulty of estimation and hypothesis testing. In this work, we show how the Gaussian width, when localized to any given point of an ellipse, can be controlled by the Kolmogorov width of a set similarly localized. This connection leads to an explicit characterization of the estimation error of least-squares regression as a function of the true regression vector within the ellipse. The rate of error decay varies substantially as a function of location: as a concrete example, in Sobolev ellipses of smoothness $\alpha$, we exhibit rates that vary from $(\sigma^2)^{\frac{2 \alpha}{2 \alpha + 1}}$, corresponding to the classical global rate, to the faster rate $(\sigma^2)^{\frac{4 \alpha}{4 \alpha + 1}}$. We also show how the local Kolmogorov width can be related to local metric entropy.
Association Between Heart Rate and Subclinical Cerebrovascular Disease in the Elderly

Background and Purpose— Although increased heart rate (HR) is a predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality, its possible association with subclinical cerebrovascular disease, which is prevalent in the elderly, has not been evaluated. This study aimed to investigate the association of daytime, nighttime, 24-hour HR, and HR variability with subclinical cerebrovascular disease in an elderly cohort without history of stroke. Methods— The study cohort consisted of 680 participants (mean age, 73±7 years; 42% men) in sinus rhythm who underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure and HR monitoring, 2-dimensional echocardiography, and brain magnetic resonance imaging as part of the CABL study (Cardiac Abnormalities and Brain Lesion). Subclinical cerebrovascular disease was defined as silent brain infarcts and white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV). The relationship of HR measures with the presence of silent brain infarct and upper quartile of log WMHV (log WMHV4) was analyzed. Results— Presence of silent brain infarct was detected in 93 participants (13.7%); mean log WMHV was −0.92±0.93 (median, −1.05; min, −5.88; max, 1.74). Multivariate analysis showed that only nighttime HR (adjusted odds ratio, 1.29 per 10 bpm; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.61; P=0.026) was significantly associated with log WMHV4, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, ambulatory systolic blood pressure, and echocardiographic parameters. No similar association was observed for daytime HR and HR variability. There was no significant association between all HR measures and silent brain infarct. Conclusions— In a predominantly elderly cohort, elevated nighttime HR was associated with WMHV, suggesting an independent role of HR in subclinical cerebrovascular disease.
Diagnosing Developmental Dyscalculia on the Basis of Reliable Single Case FMRI Methods: Promises and Limitations

FMRI-studies are mostly based on a group study approach, either analyzing one group or comparing multiple groups, or on approaches that correlate brain activation with clinically relevant criteria or behavioral measures. In this study we investigate the potential of fMRI-techniques focusing on individual differences in brain activation within a test-retest reliability context. We employ a single-case analysis approach, which contrasts dyscalculic children with a control group of typically developing children. In a second step, a support-vector machine analysis and cluster analysis techniques served to investigate similarities in multivariate brain activation patterns. Children were confronted with a non-symbolic number comparison and a non-symbolic exact calculation task during fMRI acquisition. Conventional second level group comparison analysis only showed small differences around the angular gyrus bilaterally and the left parieto-occipital sulcus. Analyses based on single-case statistical procedures revealed that developmental dyscalculia is characterized by individual differences predominantly in visual processing areas. Dyscalculic children seemed to compensate for relative under-activation in the primary visual cortex through an upregulation in higher visual areas. However, overlap in deviant activation was low for the dyscalculic children, indicating that developmental dyscalculia is a disorder characterized by heterogeneous brain activation differences. Using support vector machine analysis and cluster analysis, we tried to group dyscalculic and typically developing children according to brain activation. Fronto-parietal systems seem to qualify for a distinction between the two groups. However, this was only effective when reliable brain activations of both tasks were employed simultaneously. Results suggest that deficits in number representation in the visual-parietal cortex get compensated for through finger related aspects of number representation in fronto-parietal cortex. We conclude that dyscalculic children show large individual differences in brain activation patterns. Nonetheless, the majority of dyscalculic children can be differentiated from controls employing brain activation patterns when appropriate methods are used.
Experimental Comparison of the MIG and Friction Stir Welding Processes for AA 6005 Aluminium Alloy

In this study, the mechanical properties of welded joints of AA 6005 aluminum alloy obtained with friction stir welding (FSW) and conventional metal inert gas welding (MIG) are studied. FSW welds were carried out on a semi-automatic milling machine. The performance of FSW and MIG welded joints were identified using tensile and bending impact tests, as far as the environmental aspects are also included in the discussion. The joints obtained with FSW and MIG processes were also investigated in their microstructure. The results indicate that, the microstructure of the friction stir weld is different from that of MIG welded joint. The weld nugget consists of small grains in FSW than those found in MIG weld. Taking into consideration the process conditions and requirements, FSW and MIG processes were also compared with each other to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the processes for welding applications of studied Al alloy. Better tensile and bending strength were obtained with FSW welded joints.
Water Absorption of Lignocellulosic Phenolic Composites

The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of filler content and filler size on the water absorption behaviour of phenolic composites filled with oil palm shell flour, rice husk flour and coconut shell flour. Lignocellulosic phenolic composites with three different filler sizes (<38 μm, 38–75 μm and 75–150 μm) and at three different filler loadings (30%, 45% and 55%) were prepared using a two-roll mill before being hot pressed. A pure Novolak sample was produced via the same method. The water absorption rate at different times, the diffusion coefficients, and the kinetic parameters k and n of the samples were calculated. All the samples exhibited a Fickian diffusion mechanism The water absorption rate and the quantity of water absorbed by the composites increased noticeably with increasing filler loading due to the hydrophilic nature of the lignocellulosic fillers. However, filler size does not significantly influence these properties.
Preparation and characterization of graphite/resin composite bipolar plates for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Abstract Preparing conductive composite bipolar plates for fuel cells by compression molding is a promising research direction. The very key point is how to choose the conductivity filler and binder to meet the requirement. In this article, natural graphite and expanded graphite were used as the filler, and phenolic resin and epoxy resin were used as the binder. The composite bipolar plates were prepared by solution intercalation mixing, compression molding, and curing. The variations in electrical conductivity and mechanical properties were evaluated with the resin content. The results show that the types of fillers and binders have significant effects on the performance of composite bipolar plates, and that the thermal stability of all composite bipolar plates is very good at the fuel-cell working temperature. The corrosion current densities were <16 μA/cm2, which indicates that the composites developed in this work meet many attributes of bipolar plates for use in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.
The Pleiotropic Effects of the Canonical Wnt Pathway in Early Development and Pluripotency

The technology to derive embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells from early embryonic stages and adult somatic cells, respectively, emerged as a powerful resource to enable the establishment of new in vitro models, which recapitulate early developmental processes and disease. Additionally, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) represent an invaluable source of relevant differentiated cell types with immense potential for regenerative medicine and cell replacement therapies. Pluripotent stem cells support self-renewal, potency and proliferation for extensive periods of culture in vitro. However, the core pathways that rule each of these cellular features specific to PSCs only recently began to be clarified. The Wnt signaling pathway is pivotal during early embryogenesis and is central for the induction and maintenance of the pluripotency of PSCs. Signaling by the Wnt family of ligands is conveyed intracellularly by the stabilization of β-catenin in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus, where it elicits the transcriptional activity of T-cell factor (TCF)/lymphoid enhancer factor (LEF) family of transcription factors. Interestingly, in PSCs, the Wnt/β-catenin–TCF/LEF axis has several unrelated and sometimes opposite cellular functions such as self-renewal, stemness, lineage commitment and cell cycle regulation. In addition, tight control of the Wnt signaling pathway enhances reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotency. Several recent research efforts emphasize the pleiotropic functions of the Wnt signaling pathway in the pluripotent state. Nonetheless, conflicting results and unanswered questions still linger. In this review, we will focus on the diverse functions of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway on the developmental processes preceding embryo implantation, as well as on its roles in pluripotent stem cell biology such as self-renewal and cell cycle regulation and somatic cell reprogramming.
Screening and Production of Biodegradable Polyester Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) by Bacteria Endophytic to Brassica nigra L.

Aims: Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)], the microbially produced biodegradable thermoplastics has find wide range of applications in recent years. Development of low cost production strategies utilizing novel organisms is a crucial challenge. Present study is aimed to isolate and screen bacterial endophytes of Brassica nigra L. for the production of P(3HB). Place and Duration of Study: The experiments were performed in the Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata during 2012-2014. Methodology: Culturable bacterial endophytes were isolated from surface sterilized healthy tissues of B. nigra L. and screened for P(3HB) production in mineral salts medium. The chloroform extracted dried polymer was treated with H2SO4 and quantified spectrophotometrically at 235 nm. Original Research Article Das et al.; BBJ, 7(3): 134-146, 2015; Article no.BBJ. 2015.054 135 Results: About 78% of the bacterial endophytes recovered from surface sterilized B. nigra L. tissues showed different degrees of P(3HB) accumulation. Isolates (9) showing P(3HB) accumulation exceeding 10% of the cell dry weight (CDW) were characterized and tentatively identified as members of Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Xanthomonas, Alcaligenes and Acetobacter. The most potent isolate, BNL 06 identified as Bacillus pumilus BNL 06 (GenBank Accession No. KP202723), accumulated P(3HB) accounting 18% of CDW with an yield of 0.55 g/l. Finally the nature of the polymer was further confirmed by FTIR analysis. Conclusion: Exploration of the endophytic bacterial diversity of B. nigra L. have clearly revealed the potential of Bacillus pumilus BNL 06 for P(3HB) production as an alternative source of thermoplastics.
Betrayal of the Body: Group Approaches to Hypo-Sexuality for Adult Female Sufferers of Childhood Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT Hypo-sexuality, self-reported hypoactive sexual desire and/or sexual aversion, is a common symptom experienced by women who were victims of childhood sexual abuse. This symptom may be distressing to the patient herself, and may place strain on her romantic relationships in adulthood. Unfortunately, this problem often remains undiscussed between patient and provider, in part due to the provider’s lack of comfort or knowledge regarding how best to address this issue. In this article, we explore several strategies that providers may employ in a group setting in order to help women realize their sexuality while minimizing untoward side effects such as feelings of guilt or shame, or flashbacks. We highlight the merits of each technique, and provide insights from clinical experience to guide practitioners to help their patients facing this difficult issue.
PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ELECTROLESS Ni COATING ON THE SURFACE OF MgO WITH POROUS STRUCTURE

Generally,the surface pretreatments such as sensitization and activation are necessary for depositing a nickel metal layer on oxide surface by electroless plating,however,for an oxide surface with porous structure it is possible that the pretreatment is not necessary.In this paper,only by use of the surface activity of porous structure,an electroless plated nickel layer can be prepared on the surface of microarc-oxidation-fabricated porous magnesium oxide film in a conventional electroless nickel plating solution,consisted of nickel sulfate as main salt and sodium hypophosphite as reducing agent.Furthermore,the phase,microstructure,electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance of the obtained nickel layer were characterized.The results indicate that the 5μm-thick nickel layer is composed of fine and homogeneously distributed nickel particles,at the same time the microstructure of nickel layer is dense.Nickel layer spreads into the micropores on the surface of porous magnesium oxide film,so that an interleaving interface is formed at nickel/oxide interface.XRD results reveal that the nickel layer contains crystalline Ni and amorphous Ni-P.Four-point probe measurement indicates that the nickel layer exhibits well electrical conductivity.Meanwhile,polarization curve reveals that corrosion potential elevates notably due to the presence of nickel layer.During electroless nickel plating the nickel ions in solution were reduced and deposited in the micropores of porous magnesium oxide film under the action of reducing agent ions,so as to generate tiny primary nickel particles, subsequently,these primary nickel particles continuously grew and spread,and finally formed an entire nickel layer on oxide surface.
Heritable Genomic Fragment Deletions and Small Indels in the Putative ENGase Gene Induced by CRISPR/Cas9 in Barley

Targeted genome editing with the CRISPR/Cas9 system has been used extensively for the selective mutation of plant genes. Here we used CRISPR/Cas9 to disrupt the putative barley (Hordeum vulgare cv. “Golden Promise”) endo-N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (ENGase) gene. Five single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) were designed for different target sites in the upstream part of the ENGase coding region. Targeted fragment deletions were induced by co-bombarding selected combinations of sgRNA with wild-type cas9 using separate plasmids, or by co-infection with separate Agrobacterium tumefaciens cultures. Genotype screening was carried out in the primary transformants (T0) and their T1 progeny to confirm the presence of site-specific small insertions and deletions (indels) and genomic fragment deletions between pairs of targets. Cas9-induced mutations were observed in 78% of the plants, a higher efficiency than previously reported in barley. Notably, there were differences in performance among the five sgRNAs. The induced indels and fragment deletions were transmitted to the T1 generation, and transgene free (sgRNA:cas9 negative) genome-edited homozygous ENGase knock outs were identified among the T1 progeny. We have therefore demonstrated that mutant barley lines with a disrupted endogenous ENGase and defined fragment deletions can be produced efficiently using the CRISPR/Cas9 system even when this requires co-transformation with multiple plasmids by bombardment or Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. We confirm the specificity and heritability of the mutations and the ability to efficiently generate homozygous mutant T1 plants.