Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic particle swarm optimization algorithm based maximum power point tracking of solar photovoltaic panels

This paper proposes a novel application of a dynamic particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm for determining a maximum power point (MPP) of a solar photovoltaic (PV) panel. Solar PV cells have a non-linear V-I characteristic with a distinct MPP which depends on environmental factors such as temperature and irradiation. In order to continuously harvest maximum power from the solar PV panel, it always has to be operated at its MPP. The proposed dynamic PSO algorithm is one of the PSO algorithm variants, which modifies the acceleration coefficients of the cognitive and social components in the velocity update equation of the PSO algorithm as linear time-varying parameters to improve the global search capability of particles in the early stage of the optimization process and direct the global optima at the end stage. The obtained simulation results are compared with MPPs achieved using other algorithms such as the standard PSO, and Perturbation and Observation (P&O) algorithms under various atmospheric conditions. The results show that the dynamic PSO algorithm is better than the standard PSO and P&O algorithms for determining and tracking MPPs of solar PV panels.
Quantifying the dynamics of hematopoiesis by in vivo IdU pulse-chase, mass cytometry and mathematical modeling

We present a new method to directly quantify the dynamics of differentiation of multiple cellular subsets in unperturbed mice. We combine a pulse-chase protocol of IdU injections with subsequent analysis by mass cytometry (CyTOF), and mathematical modeling of the IdU dynamics. Measurements by CyTOF allow for a wide range of cells to be analyzed at once, due to the availability of a large staining panel without the complication of fluorescence spill-over. These are also compatible with direct detection of integrated iodine signal, with minimal impact on immunophenotyping based on surface markers. Mathematical modeling beyond a binary classification of surface marker abundance allows for a continuum of cellular states as the cells transition from one state to another. Thus, we present a complete and robust method for directly quantifying differentiation at the systemic level, allowing for system-wide comparisons between different mouse strains and/or experimental conditions.
Role of magnetic resonance spectroscopy in cerebral glutathione quantification for youth mental health: A systematic review

Oxidative stress is strongly implicated in many psychiatric disorders, which has resulted in the development of new interventions to attempt to perturb this pathology. A great deal of attention has been paid to glutathione, which is the brain's dominant antioxidant and plays a fundamental role in removing free radicals and other reactive oxygen species. Measurement of glutathione concentration in the brain in vivo can provide information on redox status and potential for oxidative stress to develop. Glutathione might also represent a marker to assess treatment response.
The QoS Prediction of Web Service with Location Information Ensemble

With the increasing presence and adoption of web services, accurate QoS prediction methods are becoming increasingly important. Although some QoS prediction techniques have been proposed and analyzed recently, the performance is not satisfactory, since they didn't take the relation between QoS values and users' physical locations into consideration. In order to improve the precision of web service QoS prediction, we propose a probabilistic matrix factor model that fuses the users' own properties and their physical neighbors' performance together, so as to make a comprehensive use of both the users' QoS records and their location relation. The experimental results show that our method performs better than the state-of-the-art approaches.
In ovo injection of ascorbic acid and higher incubation temperature modulate blood parameters in response to heat exposure in broilers

ABSTRACT 1. This study analysed whether in ovo injection of ascorbic acid before incubation and at high incubation temperature influenced blood characteristics and performance in broilers reared in different temperature conditions. 2. A total of 3,000 fertile eggs from broiler breeders (Cobb®) were randomly divided into three incubation treatments: no ascorbic acid injection and egg incubation at 37.5°C (control); no ascorbic acid injection and egg incubation at 39°C; in ovo ascorbic acid injection prior to incubation (6 µg AA/100 µl water) and egg incubation at 39°C. 3. Male chicks hatched from the three incubation treatments were submitted to three distinct rearing temperatures (control, cold and hot) from the third week of age onwards (540 chicks were divided into 6 treatments with 5 replicates per treatment). 4. Measurements at 42 d showed that, after egg incubation at 39°C, the haematocrit, haemoglobin values, ionised calcium and glucose concentrations were increased and base excess values were reduced. However, in ovo injection of ascorbic acid normalised all these parameters. 5. Partial CO2 and O2 pressure were higher with increased rearing temperature. Blood pH was lower when eggs were incubated at 39°C and injected with ascorbic acid. In ovo injection of ascorbic acid induced leucocytosis due to lymphocytosis and heterophilia, restored basophils rate and led to monocytopoenia. Leucocytosis was triggered by hot rearing temperature due to lymphocytosis, eosinophilia and heterophilia. 6. The results obtained in this study showed that in ovo injection of ascorbic acid before incubation may serve as a long-term stimulator and modulator of the broiler immune system, and that high incubation temperatures induce adaptations in the electrolytic balance, minimising or avoiding the occurrence of respiratory alkalosis under hot rearing temperature.
Culex torrentium: A Potent Vector for the Transmission of West Nile Virus in Central Europe

The continuous circulation of West Nile virus (WNV) in Central, South and East Europe and its recent detection in several dead birds and two horses in Germany highlights the need for information on WNV vector competence of mosquitoes from Central Europe. Therefore, three common Culex species (Culex pipiens biotype pipiens, Culex pipiens biotype molestus and Culex torrentium) from Germany were orally infected with WNV and kept at 18 °C, 21 °C, 24 °C or 27 °C for 14 or 21 days post infection (dpi). Thereafter viable WNV was present in the saliva in all tested taxa, but only at incubation temperatures of 24 °C or 27 °C and predominantly at the extended incubation period of 21 dpi. Highest transmission efficiency rates of 17 % (24 °C) and 24% (27 °C) were found for Cx. torrentium. Culex p. pipiens and Cx. p. molestus showed low transmission efficiencies with a maximum of only 3%. Consequently, temperatures above 21 °C support transmission of WNV, which matches the predominant distribution of human WNV cases around the Mediterranean Sea and in South-East Europe. Culex torrentium has been identified as a potent vector for WNV in Central and Northern Europe, which highlights the need for surveillance of mosquito-borne viruses north of the Alps.
Psychological Comorbidities in Childhood Celiac Disease: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES Mental health disorders comorbid to chronic illness are associated with higher medical care utilization and costs for adults and children. Celiac disease (CD) has a substantial perceived treatment burden and is associated with higher rates of psychopathology in adults. However, establishing the risk for psychological comorbidities in children with CD is still needed. This study aimed to review existing research on mental health concerns in pediatric CD and propose an initial psychosocial research and clinical agenda. METHODS Databases, including Scopus and PubMed. Additional publications were accessed and reviewed from the references provided by initially identified publications. Two investigators screened studies using predetermined criteria (peer-reviewed, published in English, electronically available, inclusive of child participants, and examining CD). One investigator initially extracted data, with subsequent review by the second investigator. RESULTS Twenty-six publications met criteria for the current review (16 case-control, nine observational, and one clinical trial). Publications were heterogeneous in symptoms examined, methodology, and population characteristics. Several studies found elevated risk for psychological comorbidities and poorer quality of life in children with CD. However, many studies were limited by small sample sizes and inconsistent or non-validated approaches to measuring psychological symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Many existing studies have found increased prevalence of comorbid CD and psychological symptoms or diagnoses. Therefore, screening for psychological symptoms in CD and also screening for CD in psychological clinic populations is needed. We have identified the importance for further study of mechanisms and risk, and identify preliminary priorities for psychosocial research and clinical care in pediatric CD.
Management of Complications of First Instance of Hepatic Trauma in a Liver Surgery Unit: Portal Vein Ligation as a Conservative Therapeutic Strategy

Abstract Background According to the National Trauma Data Bank, the liver, after the spleen, is the first most injured organ in closed abdominal trauma. Methods From June 2010 to December 2015 we observed in our department of Hepato-biliary Surgery and Liver Transplant Unit of the A.O. R.N. A. Cardarelli of Naples 40 patients affected by hepatic trauma. In our retrospective study, we review our experience and propose portal vein ligation (PVL) as a first – line strategy for damage control surgery (DCS) in liver trauma. Results 26/40 patients (65%) which received gauze-packing represented our study group. In 10 cases out of 26 patients (38,4%) the abdominal packing was enough to control the damage. In 7 cases (18,4%) we performed a liver resection. In 7 cases, after de-packing, we adopted PVL to achieve DCS. Trans Arterial Embolization was chosen in 6 patients. 2 of them were discharged 14 days later without performing any other procedure. In 3 cases we had to perform a right epatectomy in second instance. Two hepatectomies were due to hemoperitoneum, and the other for coleperitoneum. Two patients were treated in first instance by only doing hemostasis on the bleeding site. We observed 6 patients in first instance. Five of them underwent surgery with hepatic resection and surgical hemostasis of the bleeding site. The other one underwent to conservative management. In summary we performed 15 hepatic resections, 8 of them were right hepatectomies, 1 left hepatectomy, 2 trisegmentectomies V-VI-VII. So in second instance we operated on 10 patients out of 34 (30%). Conclusions The improved knowledge of clinical physio-pathology and the improvement of diagnostic and instrumental techniques had a great impact on the prognosis of liver trauma. We think that a rigid diagnostic protocol should be applied as this allows timely pathological finding, and consists of three successive but perfectly integrated steps: 1) patient reception, in close collaboration with the resuscitator; 2) accurate but quick diagnostic framing 3) therapeutic decisional making. Selective portal vein ligation is a well-tolerated and safe manoeuvre, which could be effective, even if not definitive, in treating these subjects. That is why we believe that it can be a choice to keep in mind especially in post-depacking bleeding.
Pyruvate phosphate dikinase: sequence of the histidyl peptide, the pyrophosphoryl and phosphoryl carrier.

Pyruvate phosphate dikinase contains a pivotal histidyl residue which functions to mediate the transfer of phosphoryl moieties during the reaction catalyzed by the enzyme. The tryptic peptide which contains this essential histidyl residue has been isolated by a two-step procedure originally developed by Wang and co-workers [Wang, T. , Jurasek, L. , & Bridger, W. A. (1972) Biochemistry 11, 2067]. This peptide has been sequenced by the manual dansyl-Edman procedure and is shown to be NH2-Gly-Gly-Met-Thr-Ser-His-Ala-Ala-Val-Val-Ala-Arg-CO2H. There is no readily interpretable homology between this peptide and other phosphorylated histidyl peptides previously isolated from other enzymes. By use of Chou & Fasman [Chou, P. Y. , & Fasman, G. D. (1974) Biochemistry 13, 222], it is predicted that the sequence contains an alpha helix from the methionine residue through to the carboxyl terminal arginine residue.
Mapping global Muslim mental health research: analysis of trends in the English literature from 2000 to 2015

Background. By 2030, the global Muslim population is expected to reach 2.2 billion people. The representations of Islam and Muslims in the media and academic literature may unconsciously impact how clinicians perceive and approach their Muslim patients. Our study focuses on the emerging Muslim mental health (MMH) literature using bibliometric analysis, specifically social network analysis of word co-occurrence and co-authorship networks of academic publications, to describe how the content of MMH discourse is evolving. Methods. We conducted an Ovid search (including Medline and PsycInfo databases) to identify articles written in English from 2000 to 2015 that had the terms ‘Islam’ and/or ‘Muslim’ in the abstract as well as research conducted in Muslim-majority countries and among Muslim minorities in the rest of the world. Results. Of the 2652 articles on MMH, the majority (65.6%) focused on describing psychopathology; the minority (11.2%) focused on issues around stigma, religiosity, spirituality, identity, or acculturation. Among the top 15 most frequent terms in abstracts were ‘post-traumatic stress disorder’, ‘violence’, ‘fear’, ‘trauma’, and ‘war’. Social network analysis showed there was little collaborative work across regions. Conclusions. The challenges of producing MMH research are similar to the challenges faced across global mental health research. Much of the MMH research reflects regional challenges such as the impact of conflict and violence on mental health. Continued efforts to develop global mental health researchers through cross-cultural exchanges, academic journals' dedicated sections and programs for global mental health recruitment, and online training are needed to address the gap in research and collaborations.
Haplotype‐based analysis: a summary of GAW16 Group 4 analysis

In this summary article, we describe the contributions included in the haplotype‐based analysis group (Group 4) at the Genetic Analysis Workshop 16, which was held in September 17–20, 2008. Our group applied a large number of haplotype‐based methods in the context of genome‐wide association studies. Two general approaches were applied: a two‐stage approach that selected significant single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the first stage and then created haplotypes in the second stage and genome‐wide analysis of smaller sets of SNPs selected by sliding windows or estimating haplotype blocks. Genome‐wide haplotype analyses performed in these ways were feasible. The presence of the very strong chromosome 6 association in the North American Rheumatoid Arthritis Consortium data was detected by every method, and additional analyses attempted to control for this strong result to allow detection of additional haplotype associations. Genet. Epidemiol. 33 (Suppl. 1):S24–S28, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
From MOOCs to Micro Learning Activities

Mobile devices are omnipresent in our daily lives. They are utilized for a variety of tasks and used multiple times for short periods throughout the day. MOOC providers optimized their platforms for these devices in order to support ubiquitous learning. While a combination of desktop and mobile learning yields improved course performances, standalone learning on mobile devices does not perform in the same manner. One indicator for this is the mismatch between the average usage pattern of mobile devices and the time to consume one content item in a MOOC. Micro learning builds on bite-sized learning material and focusses on short-term learning sessions. This work examines the potential of micro learning activities in the context of MOOCs. Therefore, a framework for video-based micro learning is presented, which features a personalized curriculum. Videos are suggested to the user in a non-linear order that is determined by content dependencies, users’ preferences and watched videos, as well as explicit and implicit user feedback. A mobile application was implemented to test the approach with restructured MOOC content resulting in 58 connected short videos about engineering education – e.g. web technologies and programming languages. The usage data indicates initial curiosity by the users. To improve retention rates, more user motivation will be required for future studies. A survey gathered additional qualitative feedback. While the content suggestions were seen as a vital feature for such an approach, the results showed good interest and acceptance rates to create a better learning experience for MOOCs on mobile devices.
QoS-Constrained Energy-Efficient AF Two-Way Full-Duplex Relaying With Massive Antennas

We consider a system where multiple full-duplex (FD) user pairs exchange information via a shared FD massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) two-way relay. Most of the previous massive MIMO relaying works maximize the spectral efficiency. We maximize the global energy efficiency (EE) with quality-of-service (QoS) constraints, expressed as the rate required by the users. The problem is non-convex and is solved by approximating it as a sequence of pseudo-concave problem, which is then solved using the Dinkelbach method.
FPGA-based SIFT implementation for wearable computing

The article describes the first steps to achieve control over a robotic or prosthetic arm based on analysis of visual environment acquired in real-time by video cameras on glasses and on the prosthesis. One of the main goals of the research is to develop a wearable, portable, lightweight, and low power consumption device for visual scene analysis. This paper will discuss the critical steps of its implementation on an FPGA board. We implemented some time-consuming parts of the SFT algorithm needed for the analysis in C/C++ language on TUL PYNQ-Z2 FPGA board. This implementation allows for a low power consumption of the programmable logic part of the system. The obtained value is 0. 274W. Processing capacity is 96.45 images per second on a small wearable size device which allow for the real-time implementation of the whole analysis in the future.
Floorplan Based Performance Evaluation of 3D Variants of Mesh and BFT Networks-on-Chip

Network on Chips(NoC) emerged as the reliable communication framework in CMPs and SoCs which enables in increase the number and complexity of cores. Many 2-D NoC architectures have been proposed for efficient on-chip communication. Cycle accurate simulators model the functionality and behavior of NoCs by considering micro-architectural parameters of the underlined components to estimate performance metric. Using 3D IC technology in NoC can lead to improved communication latency and power compared to their 2D counterpart with use of through-silicon via (TSVs) as vertical interconnect. In this paper, we explore the design space of 3D variants of the Mesh and Butterfly Fat Tree(BFT) NoCs using floorplan driven wire and TSV lengths. Analysed the performance of 2D and 3D variants of the Mesh and BFT topologies by injecting uniform traffic pattern. Results of our experiments show that, average network latency of a 4-layer 3D Mesh shows better on-chip communication performance compare to other 3D variants. In 4-layer 3D Mesh, on-chip communication performance is improved up to 2.2× compare to 2D Mesh and 4.5× compare to 4-layer 3D BFT.
The e-LIVES Project: e-Engineering Where and When Students Need

Students’ engagement in their learning process is essential for its success. However, many factors out of students’ control may impair their learning process leading to demotivation and studies abandonment. Some of these factors are related to low economic conditions. Even in developed countries, higher education is concentrated in medium and large cities, which forces many countryside students into expensive temporary relocations if they want to pursue their studies. The same happens when the existing offer does not match the student’s preferences. The problem is even more acute in developing countries where the offer is reduced, and the economic conditions of students are even worse, with many being forced to work from a young age. For these students, the flexibility provided by e-Engineering courses may be the answer to their otherwise bare chances of achieving a higher education degree. In this paper, we present the e-LIVES – e-Learning InnoVative Engineering Solutions project, whose aim is to document a set of good practices, following a hands-on approach, to help Universities to build innovative e-Engineering courses by themselves in a sustainable way.
Concept and Hardware Considerations for Product-Service System Achievement in Internet of Things

Cloud computing was considered last decade as a principal support for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. However, cloud solution introduces various constraints including mobility, reliable, scalability, and power consumption. To face such issues, researchers have proposed several solutions including mobile cloud computing, fog computing, and smart gateways. Recently, a PSS (product-service system) concept was proposed in the literature. In this paper, we focused on this concept which exploits the IoT object resources to further avoid IoT architecture issues while still meeting low-power and small-size object requirements. Thus, this paper discusses the emerging technologies and techniques that would be exploited towards PSS achievement. In addition, the promising hardware platforms for PSS achievement are presented and compared in terms of energy consumption.
Multi-Workflow Scheduling Based on Genetic Algorithm

Most of the existing multi-workflow scheduling algorithms combine multi-workflow into one workflow, and then use a single workflow scheduling method to schedule the synthetic workflow. This approach of merging multi-workflow into one workflow requires the first workflow to wait for the workflow behind, which reduces the response time of workflow and user experience. To address this gap, this paper considers the arrival time of different workflows and two conflicting objectives, to proposes a multi-objective genetic algorithm for multi-workflow scheduling. This algorithm divides each of the arrival workflows into tasks, then uses the genetic algorithm to find the optimal mapping tasks to virtual machines based on task execution overhead and the virtual machine idle time slots. The algorithm makes full use of the virtual machine’s resources and finds optimal trade-off solutions between the cost of tasks and the resource utilization. In the real-world scientific workflows experiment, the algorithm is superior to the exiting scheduling algorithm.
On Artificial Intelligent Malware Tolerant Networking for IoT

With the recent progress in development of low-budget sensors and machine-to-machine communication, the Internet of Things (IoT) has attracted considerable attention. Unfortunately, many of today’s IoT devices are rushed to market with little consideration for basic security and privacy protection making them easy targets for various attacks. As a result, number of malware and their variants designed for IoT devices has been constantly increasing. Traditional intrusion detection approaches are unsuitable for IoT networks due to limited computational capacity of smart devices and diversity in their technology. In this paper, we propose a defense system for IoT networks based on software-defined networking and network function virtualization. The defense system core component is a reinforcement machine learning agent that evaluates risks of potential attack and takes the most optimal action in order to mitigate it.