Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heart Rate Variability During Exercise: A Comparison of Artefact Correction Methods

Abstract Giles, DA and Draper, N. Heart rate variability during exercise: a comparison of artefact correction methods. J Strength Cond Res 32(3): 726–735, 2018—There is a need for standard practice in the collection and processing of RR interval data recorded using heart rate monitors (HRMs) in research. This article assessed the validity of RR intervals and heart rate variability (HRV) data obtained using an HRM during incremental exercise and artefact correction methods. Eighteen participants completed an active orthostatic test and incremental running V[Combining Dot Above]O2max test, while simultaneous recordings using a Polar V800 HRM and an electrocardiogram were made. Artefacts were corrected by deletion; degree zero, linear, cubic, and spline interpolation; and Kubios HRV software. Agreement was assessed using percentage bias, effect size (ES), intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and Bland-Altman limits of agreement (LoA). Artefacts increased relative to exercise intensity, to a peak of 4.46% during 80–100% V[Combining Dot Above]O2max. Correction of RR intervals was necessary with unacceptably increased bias, LoA, and ES and reduced ICC in all but resting recordings. All correction methods resulted in data with reduced percentage bias and ES for resting and <60% V[Combining Dot Above]O2max recordings. However, at >60% V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, even with correction, large amounts of variation were present in HRV measures of root mean square of the successive difference of intervals, low-to-high frequency ratio, Poincaré dispersion perpendicular to the axis (SD1), and sample entropy. Linear interpolation produced RR intervals with the lowest bias and ES. However, caution should be given to HRV parameters at high exercise intensities, as large amounts of variation were still present. Recommendations for minimizing artefacts are discussed, along with guidelines for their identification, correction, and reporting.
Manimal: relational optimization for data-intensive programs

The MapReduce distributed programming framework is very popular, but currently lacks the optimization techniques that have been standard with relational database systems for many years. This paper proposes Manimal, which uses static code analysis to detect MapReduce program semantics and thereby enable wholly-automatic optimization of MapReduce programs. For example, a programmer's map function that emits data only when an if. statement holds true is essentially encoding a selection condition; code analysis can detect and characterize these conditions. If Manimal has an appropriate index available, it can then alter MapReduce execution to use it. Manimal can address many different optimization opportunities, including projections, structure-aware data compression, and others. However, this paper illustrates the system by focusing on one: efficient selection. We give a static analysis algorithm that can detect selections in user programs, and cover how Manimal can employ a B+Tree to execute these selections efficiently at runtime. Testing Manimal on several standard MapReduce programs, we show that selection alone can automatically reduce a standard program's runtime to 63% of conventional MapReduce execution time on identical hardware. We also give an in-depth discussion of other optimization targets and detection techniques.
Oncogenic mutations are associated with histological subtypes but do not have an independent prognostic value in lung adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinomas have diverse genetic and morphological backgrounds and are usually classified according to their distinct oncogenic mutations (or so-called driver mutations) and histological subtypes (the de novo classification proposed by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer/American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society [IASLC/ATS/ERS]). Although both these classifications are essential for personalized treatment, their integrated clinical effect remains unclear. Therefore, we analyzed 981 lung adenocarcinomas to detect the potential correlation and combined effect of oncogenic mutations and histological subtype on prognosis. Analysis for oncogenic mutations included the direct sequencing of EGFR, KRAS, HER2, BRAF, PIK3CA, ALK, and RET for oncogenic mutations/rearrangements, and a rereview of the IASLC/ATS/ERS classification was undertaken. Eligible tumors included 13 atypical adenomatous hyperplasia/adenocarcinoma in situ, 20 minimally invasive adenocarcinomas, 901 invasive adenocarcinomas, 44 invasive mucinous adenocarcinomas, and three other variants. The invasive mucinous adenocarcinomas had a lower prevalence of EGFR mutations but a higher prevalence of KRAS, ALK, and HER2 mutations than invasive adenocarcinomas. Smoking, a solid predominant pattern, and a mucinous component were independently associated with fewer EGFR mutations. The ALK rearrangements were more frequently observed in tumors with a minor mucinous component, while the KRAS mutations were more prevalent in smokers. In addition, 503 patients with stage I–IIIA tumors were analyzed for overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival. The stage and histological pattern were independent predictors of relapse-free survival, and the pathological stage was the only independent predictor for the OS. Although patients with the EGFR mutations had better OS than those without the mutations, no oncogenic mutation was an independent predictor of survival. Oncogenic mutations were associated with the novel IASLC/ATS/ERS classification, which facilitates a morphology-based mutational analysis strategy. The combination of these two classifications might not increase the prognostic ability, but it provides essential information for personalized treatment.
Caregiving burden and gain among adult-child caregivers caring for parents with dementia in China: the partial mediating role of reciprocal filial piety

ABSTRACT Background: The majority of the family caregivers are adult children in China. The aim of this study was to examine the mediating role of reciprocal filial piety (RFP) between the care recipient's behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and the caregiver's burden or gain among adult-child caregivers caring for parents with dementia in China. Methods: Using Kramer's caregiver adaptation model as the research framework, a cross-sectional survey collected data from 401 adult-child caregivers caring for parents with dementia from hospitals in China. Results: Results of the regression analysis revealed that after adjusting for covariates, the regression coefficient between care recipient's BPSD and caregiver burden reduced from c = 1.01 to c′ = 0.91 when controlling for RFP. Using the bootstrap approach, the estimated indirect effect through RFP between care recipient's BPSD and caregiver burden was 0.11 (95% CI: 0.03, 0.20). The mediation proportion was 11%. The absolute value of the regression coefficient between care recipient's BPSD and caregiver gain reduced from c = −0.75 to c′ = −0.63 when controlling for RFP. The bootstrapped estimate of the indirect effect through RFP between care recipient's BPSD and caregiver gain was −0.12 (95% CI: −0.18, −0.07). The mediation proportion was 12%. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the effect of care recipient's BPSD on caregiver's burden/gain may be related to the level of RFP among adult-child caregivers in China.
Performance Analysis of MAC Scheduler in LTE (EUTRAN) for "ASAR": Resource Allocation

Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) offer high uplink and downlink throughput. This enhances user experience in term of Quality-of-Service (QoS). Radio resource allocation is a complex arrangement of resources in multiuser scenario. Generally in network, radio resources are configured in pool, however resources are offered to user on the basis of "as soon as required (ASAR)". LTE in EUTRAN provides radio resource to user, with different scheduling mechanism. This definitely reduces network capacity in whole, but at the same time increases resources availability per user at particular state of time. In every cycle of resource allocation a feedback mechanism works to cater operational resource requirement. In this paper we investigate performance of different strategies of resource allocation, driven through different scheduler such as round robin, proportional fair, best channel quality indicator (CQI), max transmission point (TP) and resource fair(RF). We evaluate strategy for resource allocation under indistinguishable arrangement and conclude with comparative performance analysis and find proportional fair offers balance throughput, fairness and spectral efficiency.
Permutation Preference Based Alternate Sampling and Clustering for Motion Segmentation

In this letter, permutation preference is used to represent the data points for the linkage clustering to segment the tracking points belonging to different motions. In order to exclude the impact of outliers, an alternate sampling and clustering strategy is performed, that iteratively alternates between sampling the hypotheses within the clusters and clustering the points with the permutation preference. As a result, points with similar permutation preferences are sampled as the hypotheses, and outliers are effectively excluded, thus, making the preferences more distinguishable and improving the clustering. The iterative interaction between sampling and clustering results in a good convergent result. The proposed method obtains robust segmentation results with the Hopkins 155 dataset, which are better than the results obtained by the state-of-the-art methods.
RAMP: a reputation-aware multi-hop routing protocol in wireless ad-hoc networks

In multi-hop routing protocols within Wireless Ad-hoc Networks (MANET), all the nodes are assumed to be cooperative. However, this assumption might not hold especially when the nodes behave selfishly to reduce their own resource utilization or there exist intentional attackers. Therefore, how to enforce the cooperative behavior is an important issue in MANET. In this paper, we propose a Reputation-Aware Multi-hop routing Protocol (RAMP) to enforce node cooperation. We take advantage of congestion control from Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to quantify the reputation/trust value of each node, which makes the selfish behaviors not attractive in MANET. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to integrate the congestion control from TCP for the reputation-based system design. In addition, the respective simulation in NS2 shows RAMP could achieve 10--15% less packet loss than the existing reputation-based scheme such as CONFIDANT and RAMP could outperform CONFIDANT by up to 20% in goodput with the presence of the compromised/selfish nodes.
Bioplastic based on starch and cellulose nanocrystals from rice straw

Bioplastic based on starch as the matrix and cellulose nanocrystals from rice straw as reinforcing filler were prepared in this study. The isolation of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) followed a series of steps: delignification, sulfuric acid hydrolysis, and sonication. The process afforded short, rod-like CNCs with particle diameter ranging from 10 to 12 nm and crystallinity index of 76.1%. Fourier transform infrared analysis of the CNCs also confirmed absorption patterns typical of cellulose and the removal of silica. Bioplastic with different starch-to-CNC ratios were prepared by solution casting and evaporation method. Scanning electron micrographs of the films showed uniform dispersion of CNC in the starch matrix. Mechanical tests revealed that both tensile strength and modulus significantly increased with increasing CNC load while percent elongation decreased. The moisture uptake of the films reinforced with CNC also decreased an indication of improvement in water resistance. However, the thermal stability of the films decreased by the addition of CNC.
Opportunistic communications in interference alignment networks with wireless power transfer

IA is a promising technology for interference management in wireless networks. However, there are still some practical challenges. Signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) decrease is one of the key challenging issues due to the inherent property of IA and channel fading. Recent advances in OC, including multiuser diversity and antenna selection, can be applied in IA wireless networks to improve the SINR performance. In this article we review some existing research work on OC-based IA wireless networks. In addition, we propose a novel simultaneous wireless information and power transfer scheme based on OC in IA wireless networks. Simulation results are presented to show the performance comparison of these schemes. The methods to reduce the complexity of the OC-based IA algorithms are finally summarized.
A Sparse Dictionary Learning-Based Adaptive Patch Inpainting Method for Thick Clouds Removal from High-Spatial Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery

Cloud cover is inevitable in optical remote sensing (RS) imagery on account of the influence of observation conditions, which limits the availability of RS data. Therefore, it is of great significance to be able to reconstruct the cloud-contaminated ground information. This paper presents a sparse dictionary learning-based image inpainting method for adaptively recovering the missing information corrupted by thick clouds patch-by-patch. A feature dictionary was learned from exemplars in the cloud-free regions, which was later utilized to infer the missing patches via sparse representation. To maintain the coherence of structures, structure sparsity was brought in to encourage first filling-in of missing patches on image structures. The optimization model of patch inpainting was formulated under the adaptive neighborhood-consistency constraint, which was solved by a modified orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm. In light of these ideas, the thick-cloud removal scheme was designed and applied to images with simulated and true clouds. Comparisons and experiments show that our method can not only keep structures and textures consistent with the surrounding ground information, but also yield rare smoothing effect and block effect, which is more suitable for the removal of clouds from high-spatial resolution RS imagery with salient structures and abundant textured features.
PIWIL3/OIP5-AS1/miR-367-3p/CEBPA feedback loop regulates the biological behavior of glioma cells

Rationale: PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a class of newly discovered small RNA molecules that function by binding to the Argonaute protein family (i.e., the PIWIL protein subfamily), and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) are implicated in several cancers. However, the detailed roles of ncRNAs in glioma remain unclear. Methods: The expression of PIWIL3, piR-30188, OIP5-AS1, miR-367, CEBPA and TRAF4 were measured in glioma tissues and cells. The role of PIWIL3/OIP5-AS1/miR-367-3p/CEBPA feedback loop was evaluated in cell and animal models. The association of the above molecules was analyzed. Results: Over-expression of PIWIL3, piR-30188 and miR-367-3p or knockdown of OIP5-AS1 resulted in inhibition of glioma cells progression. Binding sites between piR-30188 and OIP5-AS1 as well as between OIP5-AS1 and miR-367-3p were confirmed by RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays. OIP5-AS1 knockdown or miR-367-3p over-expression contributed to a decrease in CEBPA (CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha) protein. Furthermore, CEBPA was detected as a target of miR-367-3p and played an oncogenic role in glioma. Treatment with CEBPA and miR-367-3p resulted in the modulation of downstream TRAF4 (TNF receptor-associated factor 4). PIWIL3 was also a target of CEBPA, forming a positive feedback loop in the growth regulation of glioma cells. Significantly, knockdown of OIP5-AS1 combined with over-expression of PIWIL3 and miR-367-3p resulted in tumor regression and extended survival in vivo. Conclusion: These results identified a novel molecular pathway in glioma cells that may provide a potential innovative approach for tumor therapy.
An experimental and macromechanical study of two-way shape recovery characteristics in NiTi alloy

ii potency to align/realign the generated dislocation structures. Partial reverse transformation through thermal arrest during heating leads to the accommodation of stress-assisted and detwinned martensite variants. Such accommodation process causes the internal forward and back stress formations. The effects of partial transformation on the SATWME and TWME are studied by the macromechanical approaches. A strain comparison approach demonstrates that the generation of two-step reverse transformation is proceeded by the sequential transformation of stress-assisted and detwinned martensite variants in the order of increasing temperature. SATWME under 350MPa cycling is dominated by the stressassisted martensite. Consequently, from an equal strain position (ESP) analysis, it is demonstrated that internal back stress formation is promoted by this effect. TWME is promoted through dominant internal forward stress formation, while the dominance of internal back stress reduces the TWME by decreasing the martensitic strain. A two-step transformation model is proposed on the basis of dislocation pile-up theory, strain comparison and ESP analysis. Based on the thermodynamic analysis, the thermomechanical mechanisms involved in the development of SATWME and TWME, though similar at their maximum recovery strain magnitudes, they are different below and above the maximum level. It is also demonstrated that the appearance of two-step reverse transformation is a one-time only phenomenon. The presented experimental and macromechanical results create a more in-depth knowledge towards understanding the principle mechanism of two-way shape recovery characteristics in NiTi and other alloy systems. ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library
Practical Testing Solutions to Optimal Stator Harmonic Current Design for PMSM Torque Ripple Minimization Using Speed Harmonics

Torque ripple has been a critical issue in permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs). After PMSMs are designed, an efficient way for torque ripple minimization is to inject an optimized harmonic current into the machine to produce an additional torque ripple to cancel existing torque ripple resulted from the imperfection of machine design and manufacturing. This paper proposes a testing-based approach for optimal harmonic current design by using the speed harmonics. In particular, two testing solutions (TS), TS-A and TS-B, are proposed. In TS-A, two test signals are injected into the machine, and the optimal harmonic current is calculated from the test signals as well as the measured speed harmonics. In TS-B, two test signals are injected and adjusted to achieve the designed objective in terms of speed harmonics, and the optimal harmonic current is calculated from only the test signals. These two solutions can find the optimal harmonic current to minimize the torque ripple with minimal machine losses. Moreover, machine parameters are not required in the optimal harmonic current design, so the proposed solutions are not affected by the machine and drive nonlinearities. Compared with existing approaches, the proposed solutions have advantages in terms of computation efficiency and simple implementation. The proposed solutions are evaluated on a laboratory PMSM drive system.
Exosomal long noncoding RNA CRNDE-h as a novel serum-based biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer

Cancer-secreted long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging mediators of cancer-host cross talk. The aim of our study was to illustrate the clinical significance of the lncRNA CRNDE-h in exosomes purified from the serum of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). The study was divided into four parts: (1) The exosome isolated methods and lncRNA detected methods which accurately and reproducibly measure CRC-related exosomal CRNDE-h in serum were optimized in preliminary pilot stage; (2) The stability of exosomal CRNDE-h was evaluated systematically; (3) The origin of exosomal CRNDE-h was explorated in vitro and in vivo; (4) The diagnostic and prognostic value of exosomal CRNDE-h for CRC were validated in 468 patients. In pilot study, our results indicated that exosomal CRNDE-h was detectable and stable in serum of CRC patients, and derived from tumor cells. Then, the increased expression of exosomal CRNDE-h was successfully validated in 148 CRC patients when compared with colorectal benign disease patients and healthy donors. Exosomal CRNDE-h level significantly correlated with CRC regional lymph node metastasis (P = 0.019) and distant metastasis (P = 0.003). Moreover, at the cut-off value of 0.020 exosomal CRNDE-h level of serum, the area under ROC curve distinguishing CRC from colorectal benign disease patients and healthy donors was 0.892, with 70.3% sensitivity and 94.4% specificity, which was superior to carcinoembryogenic antigen. In addition, high exosomal CRNDE-h level has a lower overall survival rates than that for low groups (34.6% vs. 68.2%, P < 0.001). In conclusion, detection of lncRNA CRNDE-h in exosome shed a light on utilizing exosomal CRNDE-h as a noninvasive serum-based tumor marker for diagnosis and prognosis of CRC.
Automatically complementing protocol specifications from network traces

Network servers can be tested for correctness by resorting to a specification of the implemented protocol. However, producing a protocol specification can be a time consuming task. In addition, protocols are constantly evolving with new functionality and message formats that render the previously defined specifications incomplete or deprecated. This paper presents a methodology to automatically complement an existing specification with extensions to the protocol by analyzing the contents of the messages in network traces. The approach can be used on top of existing protocol reverse engineering techniques allowing it to be applied to both open and closed protocols. This approach also has the advantage of capturing unpublished or undocumented features automatically, thus obtaining a more complete and realistic specification of the implemented protocol. The proposed solution was evaluated with a prototype tool that was able to complement an IETF protocol (FTP) specification with several extensions extracted from traffic data collected in 320 public servers.
Diminished Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 DNA Yield from Dried Blood Spots after Storage in a Humid Incubator at 37°C Compared to −20°C

ABSTRACT Collecting whole blood on filter paper simplifies the processing, transport, and storage of specimens used for the diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and other tests. Specimens may be collected in tropical or rural areas with minimal facilities for handling specimens. To compare simulated tropical conditions with freezer storage, we examined the stability of HIV-1 DNA in dried blood spots (DBS) stored in humid heat and at −20°C. DBS were created by spotting 50-μl aliquots of whole blood on 903 filter paper. DNA was extracted from DBS at baseline and after 2, 6, or 12 months of storage at −20°C or at 37°C with ∼85% humidity. The DNA was tested undiluted or diluted using the Amplicor HIV-1 DNA PCR (Roche), version 1.5. Each reaction was scored positive, negative, or indeterminate based on optical density. Results were compared between storage conditions and over time. A total of 1,832 reactions from 916 DBS were analyzed, including 100 DBS at baseline, 418 stored at −20°C, and 398 stored at 37°C. A chi-square test showed fewer positive reactions for DBS stored at 37°C (55%) than for those stored at −20°C (78%) (P < 0.0001). Samples stored at −20°C showed little change in the probability of detection of HIV-1 DNA over time; the odds ratio (OR) was 0.93 after storage for 1 year. Samples stored at 37°C demonstrated a significant change in detection at 1 year (OR, 0.29). We conclude that exposure of DBS to 37°C and high humidity impaired the recovery of HIV-1 DNA from DBS, whereas DNA recovery was preserved when DBS were stored frozen.