Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Connectivity and Transmit-Energy Considerations Between Any Pair of Nodes in a Wireless Ad Hoc Network Subject to Fading

We investigate an ad hoc network where node locations are distributed according to a homogeneous Poisson process with intensity lambda. We assume that all the nodes are equipped with an identical wireless transceiver capable of operating satisfactorily up to a certain maximal link loss. Our link model depends on the length of the link and on random log-normal fading. Each node functions as a source and a destination of data packets and may also serve as a repeater to transport the packets over multihop routes, as determined by the network router. We study two important properties of the network. The first is connectivity, viz., given the peak transmit power of a node, the probability that a node cannot communicate with a random destination node at distance D when at most t hops are allowed. We provide the exact analytical results for t = 1 and t = 2 and an iterative lower bound for t > 2. We calculate the average number of hops of the minimum-hop-count route between a source and a destination at a distance D apart. The second property relates to power consumption - an important parameter when the nodes are battery operated. We derive the cumulative distribution function of the total transmit energy required per data packet when the distance between the source and the destination node is D, and only one or at most two hops, are allowed. We graphically show the benefit of allowing two hops over just one.
Loss‐on‐Ignition Method to Assess Soil Organic Carbon in Calcareous Everglades Wetlands

Measurement of soil carbon (C) is important for determining the effects of Everglades restoration projects on C cycling and transformations. Accurate measurement of soil organic C by automated carbon–nitrogen–sulfur (CNS) analysis may be confounded by the presence of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in Everglades wetlands. The objectives of this study were to compare a loss‐on‐ignition (LOI) method with CNS analysis for assessment of soil C across a diverse group of calcareous Everglades wetlands. More than 3168 samples were taken from three soil depths (floc, 0–10, 10–30 cm) in 14 wetlands and analyzed for LOI, total C, and total calcium (Ca). The LOI method compared favorably to CNS analysis for LOI contents ranging from 0 to 1000 g kg−1 and for soil total Ca levels from 0 to 500 g Ca kg−1. For all wetlands and soil depths, LOI was significantly related to total C (r2 = 0.957). However, LOI was a better predictor of total C when LOI exceeded 400 g kg−1 because of less interference by CaCO3. Total C measurement by CNS analysis was problematic in soils with high total Ca and low LOI, as the presence of CaCO3 confounded C analysis for LOI less than 400 g kg−1. Inclusion of total Ca in regression models with LOI significantly improved the prediction of total C. Estimates of total organic C by CNS analysis were obtained by accounting for C associated with CaCO3 by calculation, with results being similar to total organic C values obtained from LOI analysis. The proportion of C in organic matter measured by the LOI method (51%) was accurate and applicable across wetlands, soil depths, and total Ca levels; thus LOI was a suitable indicator of total organic C in Everglades wetlands.
Accumulative small-droplet laser soldering

We conducted in vitro laser fusion experiments of bovine aorta using successive accumulation of solder droplets. The solder was composed of serum albumin, sodium hyaluronate and Indocyanine Green dye. After depositing 0.2 (mu) L of the solder onto an aorta incision with a micro-pipette, we used a diode laser at 808 nm with fixed energy parameters to coagulate the solder droplet. A solder strip was formed from 10 droplets photocoagulated to increase the solder-tissue contact area and coagulum volume. Repair of aorta incision was achieved with both a single solder strip and double solder strips. For half of the welded specimens, tensile measurement was performed immediately following solder experiments. Tensile strength was measured in the rest of the specimens after soaking in saline for 24 hours. Scanning electron microscopy was performed on selected specimens. The average ultimate tensile strengths for the single strip group were 261 N/cm2 for acute, and 81 N/cm2 after 1 day of saline immersion. The average ultimate tensile strengths for the double strip group were 253 N/cm2 for acute, and 77 N/cm2 after soaking is saline for 1 day. We also measured native aorta ultimate tensile strength, which was 76 N/cm2. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using micro droplets of solder to increase tensile strength.
Crystallization and enzymatic hydrolysis of PLA grade for orthopedics

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) absorbable reinforcement ligaments that are used in orthopedics for the repair and reinforcement of articulation instabilities as well as PLA samples synthesized in the laboratory were studied with respect to their thermal properties, crystallization kinetics, mechanical properties, and enzymatic hydrolysis. For these purposes, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), step-scan modulated temperature DSC, hot stage polarized light microscopy (PLM), scanning electron microscopy, tensile testing, and enzymatic hydrolysis experiments were performed on both cases of samples and findings were compared. The PLA ligament showed higher tensile properties and higher crystallization rates under both isothermal and nonisothermal conditions. Isothermal crystallization and cold crystallization kinetics were studied using various models. The effective energy barrier of nonisothermal crystallization was also evaluated using the isoconversional method of Friedman. The generated morphology in the case of isothermal crystallization was observed with the use of PLM, and the spherulite growth rates were calculated. Finally, both materials showed very slow enzymatic degradation rates, although in the case of the reinforcement ligament they were substantially higher compared to the laboratory PLA sample. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 29:280–299, 2010; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.20194
Automatic Tracking of Retinal Vessel Segments using Radius-Lifted Minimal Path Method

In this paper, we propose an automatic radius-lifted minimal path method to track theretinal vessels fast and accurately. Our method is related to the minimal path techniquewhich is particularly efficient to extract a tubular shape, like a blood vessel. The proposedmethod consists of a set of pairs of points: each pair of points provides the initial sourcepoint and target point. For each pair of such points, we calculate a special anisotropicRiemannian metric with an additional Radius dimension to constrain the fast marchingpropagation so that our method can get an exact path without any overlapping extraction.
PHANTOM: predicting performance of parallel applications on large-scale parallel machines using a single node

For designers of large-scale parallel computers, it is greatly desired that performance of parallel applications can be predicted at the design phase. However, this is difficult because the execution time of parallel applications is determined by several factors, including sequential computation time in each process, communication time and their convolution. Despite previous efforts, it remains an open problem to estimate sequential computation time in each process accurately and efficiently for large-scale parallel applications on non-existing target machines. This paper proposes a novel approach to predict the sequential computation time accurately and efficiently. We assume that there is at least one node of the target platform but the whole target system need not be available. We make two main technical contributions. First, we employ deterministic replay techniques to execute any process of a parallel application on a single node at real speed. As a result, we can simply measure the real sequential computation time on a target node for each process one by one. Second, we observe that computation behavior of processes in parallel applications can be clustered into a few groups while processes in each group have similar computation behavior. This observation helps us reduce measurement time significantly because we only need to execute representative parallel processes instead of all of them. We have implemented a performance prediction framework, called PHANTOM, which integrates the above computation-time acquisition approach with a trace-driven network simulator. We validate our approach on several platforms. For ASCI Sweep3D, the error of our approach is less than 5% on 1024 processor cores. Compared to a recent regression-based prediction approach, PHANTOM presents better prediction accuracy across different platforms.
Interfaces within flax fibre bundle: Experimental characterization and numerical modelling

In natural fibre based-composites, the interfaces within the fibre bundles are not as well described as those between fibres and classical polymer matrices. To compensate for this lack of information, which is however of great importance when trying to model the composite behaviour, morphological and mechanical characterization of the middle lamella present between flax fibres has been carried out. The interfacial strength of the pectic cement was found to be very low compared with that of the fibre/matrix interface. Assuming this fibre/fibre interface to be a cohesive zone material and using the experimental results obtained on pairs of fibres, a model has been developed at the scale of the fibre and applied to study numerically the tensile properties of bundles. The results of the simulations were in agreement with the experimental data obtained on bundles, both leading to a mean bundle strength of 500 MPa.
Fetuin-A levels and free leptin index are reduced in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a hospital-based case-control study

Abstract There are limited data on fetuin-A, soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R) and free leptin index (FLI) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The aim of this study was to compare circulating fetuin-A, sOB-R levels and FLI between 95 patients with CLL and 95 matched controls, as well as among different stages of CLL. Circulating fetuin-A was significantly lower in cases than controls (241.9 ± 99.2 vs. 288.8 ± 127.7 μg/mL; p = 0.005). Although circulating sOB-R levels were similar between groups, FLI was lower in cases than controls (0.45 ± 0.42 vs. 0.67 ± 0.57; p = 0.003). Furthermore, lower fetuin-A or FLI, but not sOB-R, were independently associated with CLL (p < 0.05), particularly among overweight/obese individuals. Fetuin-A, s-OB-R and FLI were similar between different stages of CLL severity, or between symptomatic and asymptomatic disease. In conclusion, circulating fetuin-A and FLI, but not sOB-R, were lower in patients with CLL than controls, a finding warranting further investigation.
Strangulated Small Bowel in a Spigelian Hernia and a Review of the Literature

Spigelian hernia was named after the Belgian anatomist Adriaan van den Spieghel who first described the semilunar line in 1645. Spigelian hernia remains an exceedingly rare abdominal wall defect amongst all the abdominal wall hernias. It has a reported incidence of 0.2 to 2% in the literature. Clinical diagnosis of Spigelian hernia remains a challenge to all clinicians due to its vague and non-specific signs and symptoms. As a consequence, most patients often present to the emergency department with incarceration of Spigelian hernia as the first visit. The risk of strangulation of Spigelian hernia is thought to be ranged between 17 to 24%. Computed tomography is the most helpful imaging tool in diagnosing Spigelian hernia and guide pre-operative planning. Herein, we report a case of a 78-year-old man who presented with strangulated loop of small bowel in a right-sided Spigelian hernia in the setting of newer anticoagulation (Factor Xa inhibitor). We also aimed toreview the literature with a focus on emergency approaches for incarcerated Spigelian hernia. ABBREVIATIONS SH: Spigelian Hernia; COPD: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; CT: Computer Tomography; TEPP: Transabdominal Extraperitoneal Patch; TAPP: Transabdominal Preperitoneal; IPOM: Intraperitoneal Onlay Mesh
Crystalline‐Lens Position and Accommodative Efficiency

Abstract The effective power of the crystalline lens, as well as the effective change in its power (accommodation), depends on its location with respect to the cornea and the retina. This study examines these factors in a theoretical model. The most important factor influencing effective power is shown to be anterior‐chamber depth. Eyes with smaller anterior‐chamber depths are more efficient in increasing the power of the eye by accommodation.
System identification for listening-room compensation by means of acoustic echo cancellation and acoustic echo suppression filters

Subsystems for dereverberation and acoustic echo cancellation (AEC)/acoustic echo suppression (AES) are important components in high-quality hands-free telecommunication systems. This contribution describes and analyzes a combined system for dereverberation and AEC/AES. The system identification inherently achieved by the AEC/AES system is used for the design of the room impulse response (RIR) equalization filter, i.e. the listening-room compensation (LRC) system. We use complex RIR smoothing and decoupled filtered-X least-mean-squares (dFxLMS) gradient algorithm for LRC and a combined AEC/AES system for the system identification necessary for the LRC filter design. The performance of the combined system and the mutual influences of LRC and AEC/AES are analyzed.
A Survey on Wireless Transmitter Localization Using Signal Strength Measurements

Knowledge of deployed transmittersź (Tx) locations in a wireless network improves many aspects of network management. Operators and building administrators are interested in locating unknown Txs for optimizing new Tx placement, detecting and removing unauthorized Txs, selecting the nearest Tx to offload traffic onto it, and constructing radio maps for indoor and outdoor navigation. This survey provides a comprehensive review of existing algorithms that estimate the location of a wireless Tx given a set of observations with the received signal strength indication. Algorithms that require the observations to be location-tagged are suitable for outdoor mapping or small-scale indoor mapping, while algorithms that allow most observations to be unlocated trade off some accuracy to enable large-scale crowdsourcing. This article presents empirical evaluation of the algorithms using numerical simulations and real-world Bluetooth Low Energy data.
Perioperative neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio and postoperative NSAID use as predictors of survival after lung cancer surgery: a retrospective study

The association between neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and poor long‐term outcomes in patients with non–small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been demonstrated in numerous studies. The benefit of perioperative administration of anti‐inflammatory drugs on these outcomes has not been well established. Our aim in this retrospective study was to investigate the effects of postoperative nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) administration and NLR on tumor recurrence and survival in patients' undergoing surgical resection for NSCLC. This retrospective study included perioperative data from 1139 patients who underwent surgical resection for stages I–III NSCLC. Perioperative data such as baseline characteristics, adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy, pre‐ and postoperative NLR, and NSAID use (ketorolac, ibuprofen, celecoxib, or in combination) were included. We evaluated the association between preoperative NLR and NSAID use on recurrence‐free (RFS) and overall survival (OS). In all, 563 patients received an NSAID as a part of their postoperative management. The majority of patients received ketorolac (n = 374, 67.16%). Ketorolac administration was marginally associated with better OS (P = 0.05) but not with RFS (P = 0.38). Multivariate analysis (n = 1139) showed that preoperative NLR >5 was associated with a reduction in RFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05–1.78; P = 0.02) and OS (HR = 1.69; 95% CI = 1.27–2.23; P = 0.0003). However, after accounting for tumor stage, NLR ≥5 was a predictor of RFS and OS only in patients with stage I NSCLC. To conclude, preoperative NLR was demonstrated to be an independent predictor of RFS and OS in a subset of patients with early stage NSCLC. Ketorolac administration was not found to be an independent predictor of survival.
Novel Genetic Loci Associated With Retinal Microvascular Diameter

Background—There is increasing evidence that retinal microvascular diameters are associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions. The shared genetic effects of these associations are currently unknown. The aim of this study was to increase our understanding of the genetic factors that mediate retinal vessel size. Methods and Results—This study extends previous genome-wide association study results using 24 000+ multiethnic participants from 7 discovery cohorts and 5000+ subjects of European ancestry from 2 replication cohorts. Using the Illumina HumanExome BeadChip, we investigate the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms and variants collectively across genes with summary measures of retinal vessel diameters, referred to as the central retinal venule equivalent and the central retinal arteriole equivalent. We report 4 new loci associated with central retinal venule equivalent, one of which is also associated with central retinal arteriole equivalent. The 4 single-nucleotide polymorphisms are rs7926971 in TEAD1 (P=3.1×10−11; minor allele frequency=0.43), rs201259422 in TSPAN10 (P=4.4×10−9; minor allele frequency=0.27), rs5442 in GNB3 (P=7.0×10−10; minor allele frequency=0.05), and rs1800407 in OCA2 (P=3.4×10−8; minor allele frequency=0.05). The latter single-nucleotide polymorphism, rs1800407, was also associated with central retinal arteriole equivalent (P=6.5×10−12). Results from the gene-based burden tests were null. In phenotype look-ups, single-nucleotide polymorphism rs201255422 was associated with both systolic (P=0.001) and diastolic blood pressures (P=8.3×10−04). Conclusions—Our study expands the understanding of genetic factors influencing the size of the retinal microvasculature. These findings may also provide insight into the relationship between retinal and systemic microvascular disease.
Nanofur for Biomimetic Applications

Many plants and insects possess multi‐functional surfaces covered by dense nanohair. Such a nanofur is of high interest for various biomimetic applications like self‐healing, air retention, and oil/water separation. Here, we introduce a highly scalable and competitive molding technique for the fabrication of biomimetic nanofur. With this method, we pull nanofur out of flat polycarbonate and tune its wettability from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic. By mechanically structuring these samples we create various devices suitable for microfluidics. The nanofur can be also used for the fabrication of self‐healing surfaces inspired by pitcher plants as well as for air‐retaining surfaces mimicking the water fern Salvinia minima. Finally, we utilize the nanofur for oil/water separation and the cleaning of oil spills.
Helicopter Routing for Maintaining Remote Sites in Alaska using a Genetic Algorithm

The Department of Fish and Game keeps observational sites in remote locations for such purposes as counting fish, measuring weather, and various research projects. In Alaska, fishing and natural tourism are vital to the economy of the state, making these measurements all the more important. However, due to large geographic spread with little transportation infrastructure (none, between many villages), helicopters must be used to visit these sites. It is extremely expensive, primarily in fuel costs, to fly helicopters all over the state, so optimal or near-optimal routing of these helicopters is paramount. Currently, the “by-eye” technique is used, in which a route is chosen that simply looks like it would have the lowest total distance.
Cdc2-Like Kinase 2 Suppresses Hepatic Fatty Acid Oxidation and Ketogenesis Through Disruption of the PGC-1α and MED1 Complex

Hepatic ketogenesis plays an important role in catabolism of fatty acids during fasting along with dietary lipid overload, but the mechanisms regulating this process remain poorly understood. Here, we show that Cdc2-like kinase 2 (Clk2) suppresses fatty acid oxidation and ketone body production during diet-induced obesity. In lean mice, hepatic Clk2 protein is very low during fasting and strongly increased during feeding; however, in diet-induced obese mice, Clk2 protein remains elevated through both fed and fasted states. Liver-specific Clk2 knockout mice fed a high-fat diet exhibit increased fasting levels of blood ketone bodies, reduced respiratory exchange ratio, and increased gene expression of fatty acid oxidation and ketogenic pathways. This effect of Clk2 is cell-autonomous, because manipulation of Clk2 in hepatocytes controls genes and rates of fatty acid utilization. Clk2 phosphorylation of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ coactivator (PGC-1α) disrupts its interaction with Mediator subunit 1, which leads to a suppression of PGC-1α activation of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor α target genes in fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis. These data demonstrate the importance of Clk2 in the regulation of fatty acid metabolism in vivo and suggest that inhibition of hepatic Clk2 could provide new therapies in the treatment of fatty liver disease.
Immunophenotypic Changes of Fetal Cord Blood Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells During Gestation

We measured cell surface expression of CD34, HLA-DR, CD38, CD19, CD33, CD71, and CD45 antigens in the hematopoietic progenitor cells of fetal cord blood to investigate immunophenotypic changes at different gestational ages. These antigens were identified by flow cytometry in 11 fetuses (gestational age 19–24 wk, in 12 preterm (25–28 wk) and in ten newborn infants born at term. The frequency and number of CD34+ cells were higher in the blood of the 11 fetuses; in addition, a statistically significant inverse correlation between number of CD34+ cells and advancing gestational age was noted. The numbers of CD34+CD19+, CD34+CD33+, and CD34+CD45+ coexpressing cells were significantly higher in the fetuses, whereas CD34+CD38+ cells were more represented in the neonates at term. Gestational age was inversely correlated with the number of CD34+CD19+ and CD34+CD33+ coexpressing cells. A positive correlation between gestational age and CD34+CD38+ cells was noted. The number of CD34–CD19+, CD34–CD38+, and CD34–CD45+ cells was higher in term infants; furthermore, a significant correlation between advancing gestational age and CD34–CD38+ or CD34–CD45+ cells was demonstrated. The proliferative capacity was also higher at lower gestational ages. These data suggest that the development and lineage commitment of fetal cord blood hematopoietic progenitor cells are very active during the last two trimesters of pregnancy. The most significant changes of hematopoietic cells maturation seem to occur within 25 wk of gestation.