Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel serious game engineering based interactive visualization and evaluation platform for cellular technologies

In today's world, mobile communication has become a ubiquitously used technology, currently on the verge of its fifth generation (5G). 5G anticipates higher traffic volume and connected device density than present. It further envisions variety of service types and use cases arising from them. Various 5G concepts are being developed in order to satiate the aforementioned challenges. One of the key tasks for 5G consortium however, is to present the developed technology and concepts to wider audience (academia, industry) and even convince decision makers from non-information and communications technology (ICT) industries. Thus, it is desired to have easy to understand illustrations of envisioned 5G use cases and proposed technical solutions, targeting the non-experts. The contemporary simulation framework has limited or no provision to dynamically visualize and interact with the simulation scenario, rendering it difficult to be used for marketing as well as academic purposes. In this paper, we propose a serious game engineering based 3D visualization and evaluation framework, which allows dynamic and interactive visualization of simulated scenario. The proposed framework is simulator agnostic which enables viewer to immerse oneself into the simulated scene, visualize key performance indicators (KPI) in almost real time and even interact with simulator by changing key simulation parameters. These features equip the proposed interactive visualization/evaluation platform (IVEP) to demonstrate the 5G use cases and developed concepts better, paving way for easier understanding and evaluation of the concepts even by non-experts.
Microcontact Imprinted Plasmonic Nanosensors: Powerful Tools in the Detection of Salmonella paratyphi

Identification of pathogenic microorganisms by traditional methods is slow and cumbersome. Therefore, the focus today is on developing new and quicker analytical methods. In this study, a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensor with a microcontact imprinted sensor chip was developed for detecting Salmonella paratyphi. For this purpose, the stamps of the target microorganism were prepared and then, microcontact S. paratyphi-imprinted SPR chips were prepared with the functional monomer N-methacryloyl-L-histidine methyl ester (MAH). Characterization studies of the SPR chips were carried out with ellipsometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The real-time Salmonella paratyphi detection was performed within the range of 2.5 × 106–15 × 106 CFU/mL. Selectivity of the prepared sensors was examined by using competing bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. The imprinting efficiency of the prepared sensor system was determined by evaluating the responses of the SPR chips prepared with both molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and non-imprinted polymers (NIPs). Real sample experiments were performed with apple juice. The recognition of Salmonella paratyphi was achieved using these SPR sensor with a detection limit of 1.4 × 106 CFU/mL. In conclusion, SPR sensor has the potential to serve as an excellent candidate for monitoring Salmonella paratyphi in food supplies or contaminated water and clearly makes it possible to develop rapid and appropriate control strategies.
Percutaneously injectable fetal pacemaker: Electronics, pacing thresholds, and power budget

We are developing a cardiac pacemaker that is designed to be implanted percutaneously into a fetus to treat complete heart block and consequent hydrops fetalis, which is otherwise fatal. One of the most significant considerations for this device is the technical challenges presented by the battery and charging system. The size of the device is limited to about 3 mm in diameter; batteries on this scale have very small charge capacities. The smaller capacity means that the device needs to be designed so that it uses as little current as possible and so that its battery can be recharged wirelessly. We determined the pacing thresholds for a simple relaxation oscillator that can be assembled from discrete, surface mount components and analyzed the power consumption of the device given different electrode configurations and stimulus parameters. An inductive recharging system will be required for some patients; it is feasible within the package constraints and under development.
Static analysis of android apps for lifecycle conformance

Building robust and reliable mobile applications requires the developer to be fully aware of the lifecycle models for mobile applications. During different states of the mobile application lifecycle, such as start-up, running, background etc., various system resources need to be acquired for use and released so that other applications can use them. However, novice and amateur developers, who are a growing fraction in the mobile development community, often find such a task to be non-trivial and complex and limited in support for by existing tools. This paper presents an automated approach based on static code analysis to aid novice developers in managing system resources during different stages of a mobile application's lifecycle. In order to achieve this, we present a software model to encapsulate lifecycle rules for system resources and then create a repository for these resources. In addition, a novel code analysis algorithm is presented to show how Android application source code can be analyzed in order to verify that system resources have been correctly initiated and released. A proof-of-concept software tool known as ALCI has been developed to evaluate our approach. We used ALCI to analyze 10 Android applications and our initial results show that ALCI is effective and successful.
Dynamic capabilities approach to information communication technology adoption in SMEs

Since the 1980s, a substantial number of theories have been developed on ICT adoption. While these theories have contributed extensively in ICT adoption studies, they have always regard ICT adoption as a one-off action and focuses on factors affecting the decision making at one particular decision point. These theories have ignored the fact that as decision to adopt progresses at one particular stage, they may be challenged or influenced by same or different factors across stages. The paper examines the dynamic process of ICT adoption using the concepts of dynamic capabilities a n d e m p l o y s a qualitative approach to investigate how UK services SMEs constantly engage in ICT adoption. A framework was derived based on the concepts of dynamic capabilities with a t o t a l o f 26 interviews and critical adoption factors were unveiled. The findings suggest that using ANT to examine the process of Emerging Information Communication Technology (EICT) adoption helps to unveil the recursive nature of the process and how the factors vary at both single and multiple stages of adoption. This paper presents and discusses the key findings.
From Recursive Pattern to Correspondence Rule: Developing Students' Abilities to Engage in Functional Thinking

Thirdthrough fifth-grade students participating in a classroom teaching experiment investigating the impact of an Early Algebra Learning Progression completed preand postassessment items addressing their abilities to engage in functional thinking. We found that after a sustained early algebra intervention, students grew in their abilities to shift from recursive to covariational thinking about linear functions and to represent correspondence rules in both words and variables.
Common mechanism of ampC beta-lactamase induction in enterobacteria: regulation of the cloned Enterobacter cloacae P99 beta-lactamase gene

Expression of the chromosomal beta-lactamase from the ampC gene in inducible in both Enterobacter cloacae and Citrobacter freundii. Cloning of ampC as well as its regulatory gene, ampR, from E. cloacae P99 revealed a gene organization indentical to that of C. freundii in the corresponding region. Although almost no similarities could be found between the restriction maps of ampC and ampR in the two species, the genes cross-hybridize. Also, both ampR gene products have a size of about 31,000. The regulatory features of E. cloacae beta-lactamase induction are very similar to those in C. freundii, i.e., beta-lactamase synthesis is repressed by AmpR in the absence, and stimulated in the presence, of inducer. The AmpR function can be transcomplemented between the two species, but there are quantitative regulatory aberrations in such hybrids, in contrast to the total complementation obtained within each system. These results suggest that the mechanism of beta-lactamase induction is the same in E. cloacae, C. freundii, and other gram-negative bacteria with inducible chromosomal beta-lactamase expression.
Gate Tunable Transport in Graphene/MoS2/(Cr/Au) Vertical Field-Effect Transistors

Two-dimensional materials based vertical field-effect transistors have been widely studied due to their useful applications in industry. In the present study, we fabricate graphene/MoS2/(Cr/Au) vertical transistor based on the mechanical exfoliation and dry transfer method. Since the bottom electrode was made of monolayer graphene (Gr), the electrical transport in our Gr/MoS2/(Cr/Au) vertical transistors can be significantly modified by using back-gate voltage. Schottky barrier height at the interface between Gr and MoS2 can be modified by back-gate voltage and the current bias. Vertical resistance (Rvert) of a Gr/MoS2/(Cr/Au) transistor is compared with planar resistance (Rplanar) of a conventional lateral MoS2 field-effect transistor. We have also studied electrical properties for various thicknesses of MoS2 channels in both vertical and lateral transistors. As the thickness of MoS2 increases, Rvert increases, but Rplanar decreases. The increase of Rvert in the thicker MoS2 film is attributed to the interlayer resistance in the vertical direction. However, Rplanar shows a lower value for a thicker MoS2 film because of an excess of charge carriers available in upper layers connected directly to source/drain contacts that limits the conduction through layers closed to source/drain electrodes. Hence, interlayer resistance associated with these layers contributes to planer resistance in contrast to vertical devices in which all layers contribute interlayer resistance.
Biophysical Modeling to Simulate the Response to Multisite Left Ventricular Stimulation Using a Quadripolar Pacing Lead

Background: Response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is reduced in patients with posterolateral scar. Multipolar pacing leads offer the ability to select desirable pacing sites and/or stimulate from multiple pacing sites concurrently using a single lead position. Despite this potential, the clinical evaluation and identification of metrics for optimization of multisite CRT (MCRT) has not been performed.
Recovery from disaster.

To the Editor. —With the increasing age of the population, many ophthalmologists have now undergone cataract extraction successfully and have returned to productive ophthalmic practices. Cataract extractions were not all that successful a few years ago. I was stunned when I was told I had a cataract in my left eye by my associate, Dr Tom Cloud, in 1958. The connotations were overwhelming. I had just been promoted from associate professor to professor and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. Could I successfully undergo cataract extraction and resume my surgical practice? Would I be able to carry on my academic duties? What if something went wrong with the surgery? Would I be able to support my family? I had every reason to develop a cataract in my left eye. At age 7 years, my brother shot me with an arrow, which penetrated the sclera
Investigation of Dynamic Properties of a Novel Capacitive-Based Sensing Skin for Nondestructive Evaluation

A capacitive-based soft elastomeric strain sensor was recently developed by the authors for structural health monitoring applications. Arranged in a network configuration, the sensor becomes a sensing skin, where local deformations can be monitored over a global area. The sensor transduces a change in geometry into a measurable change in capacitance, which can be converted into strain using a previously developed electromechanical model. Prior studies have demonstrated limitations of this electromechanical models for dynamic excitations beyond 15 Hz, due to a loss in linearity in the sensor’s response. In this paper, the dynamic behavior beyond 15 Hz is further studied, and a new version of the electromechanical model is proposed in order to accommodate dynamic strain measurements up to 40 Hz. This behavior is characterized by subjecting the sensor to a frequency sweep, and identifying possible sources of nonlinearities beyond 15 Hz. Results show possible frequency dependence of the materials’ Poisson’s ratio, which is successfully modeled and integrated into the electromechanical model. This demonstrates that the proposed sensor can be used for monitoring and evaluation of structural responses up to 40 Hz, a range covering the vast majority of the dominating frequency responses of civil infrastructures.
Expression of flagella is coincident with uropathogenic Escherichia coli ascension to the upper urinary tract

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) cause most uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in humans. Because UTIs are considered to occur in an ascending manner, flagellum-mediated motility has been suggested to contribute to virulence by enabling UPEC to disseminate to the upper urinary tract. Previous studies from our laboratory and others have demonstrated a modest yet important role for flagella during ascending UTI. To better understand the role of flagella in vivo, we used biophotonic imaging to monitor UPEC infection and temporospatial flagellin gene expression during ascending UTI. Using em7-lux (constitutive) and fliC-lux transcriptional fusions, we show that flagellin expression by UPEC coincides with ascension of the ureters and colonization of the kidney. The patterns of fliC luminescence observed in vitro and in vivo were also validated by comparative quantitative PCR. Because fliC expression appeared coincident during ascension, we reassessed the contribution of fliC to ascending UTI using a low-dose intraurethral model of ascending UTI. Although wild-type UPEC were able to establish infection in the bladder and kidneys by 6 hours postinoculation, fliC mutant bacteria were able to colonize the bladder but were significantly attenuated in the kidneys at this early time point. By 48 hours postinoculation, the fliC mutant bacteria were attenuated in the bladder and kidneys and were not detectable in the spleen. These data provide compelling evidence that wild-type UPEC express flagellin and presumably utilize flagellum-mediated motility during UTI to ascend to the upper urinary tract and disseminate within the host.
Human cytomegalovirus US2 destabilizes major histocompatibility complex class I heavy chains

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection causes down-regulation of major histocompatibility complex class I heavy chains. We determined previously that there are two HCMV loci which encode functions responsible for that phenotype and that US11 is one of these loci (T. R. Jones, L. A. Hanson, L. Sun, J. S. Slater, R. M. Stenberg, and A. E. Campbell, J. Virol. 69:4830-4841, 1995). Through the construction and analysis of defined viral mutants and stably transfected cell lines, we identify US2 as the other locus. US2 is expressed from very early through late times postinfection, with its predominant product being a relatively unstable 24-kDa endoglycosidase H-resistant glycoprotein. In cell lines constitutively expressing US2, free class I heavy chains are proximal targets for US2-induced degradation, shortly after their synthesis. Both US2 and US11 can function in concert with US3 to down-regulate class I. Beta-2-microglobulin-associated heavy chains which are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum as a result of binding to the US3 glycoprotein are susceptible to destabilization caused by both US2 and US11 gene products. Thus, three HCMV genes which affect either the stability or the transport of class I heavy chains have been identified. The observation that each of these proteins is most abundant early in the replicative cycle suggests that they may play an important immunomodulatory role in vivo prior to productive infection, either during the latent or persistent phase or during reactivation.
Content storage architectures for boosted IPTV service

Television (TV) consumers adore interactivity and personalization. Internet Protocol television (IPTV) systems help satisfy this desire by providing different services including video-on-demand (VoD), network personal video recording (NPVR), and time shift TV (TSTV). However, these services place a heavy traffic load on the network by requiring a unicast video stream for each active customer. This paper discusses means to reduce the network traffic load by introducing storage deep in the network—thus avoiding the need for unicast traffic support over the metro or core network—and algorithms to place content intelligently on those storage devices. An algorithm for intelligent redistribution is described that endeavors to place the most appropriate content close to consumers. The paper discusses further how this new paradigm of network storage can help improve quality of experience for the IPTV consumer and can assist in the deployment of Internet video and sharing of user-generated content (UGC).
Does an extended stroke unit service with early supported discharge have any effect on balance or walking speed?

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of an extended stroke unit service with early supported discharge on balance and walking speed, and to explore the association between initial leg paresis, initial movement ability and balance one year after stroke. DESIGN A randomized controlled trial comparing early supported discharge with ordinary stroke unit service. PATIENTS A total of 62 eligible patients after stroke. METHODS The outcome measures were Berg Balance Scale and walking speed at 1, 6, 26 and 52 weeks after stroke. RESULTS We found no significant differences between the 2 groups during follow-up. There was a significant improvement on Berg Balance Scale (p=0.013) and walking speed (p=0.022) in the early supported discharge group, but not in the ordinary service group, from 1 to 6 weeks' follow-up. All patients with initial severe leg paresis suffered from poor balance one year after the stroke. The odds ratio for poor balance was 42.1 (95% confidence interval; 3.5-513.9) among patients with no initial walking ability. CONCLUSION These results do not conclusively indicate that early supported discharge has an effect on balance. A strong association was found between initial severe leg paresis, initial inability to walk and poor balance after one year.
B. F. Skinner and Technology’s Nation: Technocracy, Social Engineering, and the Good Life in 20th-Century America

Psychologist B. F. Skinner developed and promoted a technology of behavior as the basis for widespread social reform over much of his career. In 1948, he published his behaviorally engineered vision of the good life in his utopian novel Walden Two (Skinner, 1948). Skinner’s efforts were part of a much larger social engineering tradition that received one of its fullest expressions in the Technocracy Movement of the 1930s. Fifteen years before Skinner’s Walden Two, at the height of the Technocracy Movement’s public visibility in the United States, technocrat Harold Loeb (1933/1996) published his utopia, Life in a Technocracy: What It Might Be Like. In this article, I place the socially engineered visions of the good life promoted by the Technocracy Movement and by Skinner on an intellectual and ideological continuum to amplify and explore American attitudes toward psychology, technology, and social engineering during the middle decades of the 20th century. I argue that responses to both reveal the possibilities and limits of the social engineering enterprise, and suggest that historians of technology might consider how the history of psychology and other psy-disciplines can deepen conceptualizations of the relationships among the psychological, the social, and the technological in this period.
GPU accelerated surgical simulators for complex morphology

Surgical training in virtual environments, surgical simulation in other words, has previously had difficulties in simulating deformation of complex morphology in real-time. Even fast spring-mass based systems had slow convergence rates for large models. This paper presents two methods to accelerate a spring-mass system in order to simulate a complex organ such as the heart. Computations are accelerated by taking advantage of modern graphics processing units (GPUs). Two GPU implementations are presented. They vary in their generality of spring connections and in the speedup factor they achieve.
Comparison of texture coding algorithm in a unified motion prediction/compensation video compression algorithm

Efficient video compression is based on three principles: reduction of the temporal, spatial and statistical redundancy present in the video signal. Most video compression algorithm, (MPEGs, H.26x, .) use the same principle to reduce the spatial redundancy, i.e. an 8x8 DCT transform. However there exist other transforms capable of similar results. Those are the integer 4x4 DCT and the wavelet transforms for instance. This article compare many transforms in the same global compression scheme, i.e the same motion estimation, compensation strategy and the same entropy coding. Moreover the tests are conducted on sequences of different nature, such as sport, video surveillance and movies. This allows a global performance comparison of those transforms in many different scenarios.
St John's wort for depression: scoping review about perceptions and use by general practitioners in clinical practice

Extracts of Hypericum perforatum, more commonly known as St John's wort (SJW), have good evidence for treating depression. The herb is easily accessible and widely used by consumers, although it has potential for interaction with other medicines. Consumers’ use of SJW is often not discussed with their general practitioners (GPs). It is unclear how GPs perceive use of SJW in practice and the implications for consumers and pharmacists.
Reliable fault tolerant model for grid computing environments

Grid reliability analysis and modeling are not easy tasks because of the complexity and large scale of the system. For some grid services which have large subtasks requiring time-consuming computation, the reliability of grid service could be rather low. To resolve this problem, RNFR and LNFR are proposed in literature. This paper describes the property of the grid computing systems and analyzes the grid program and service reliability. In this paper, we propose a fault tolerance mechanism, namely LRNFR, based both on RNFR and LNFR in a complementary manner with a periodic migration. We select the most reliable node among the set of Neighboring Collaborators. The migration process is divided by the MDTTR of the failed node until its repair or the migration of all its programs. Experiments demonstrate the performance of the proposed approach.