Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bench study of the accuracy of a commercial AED arrhythmia analysis algorithm in the presence of electromagnetic interferences

This paper presents a bench study on a commercial automated external defibrillator (AED). The objective was to evaluate the performance of the defibrillation advisory system and its robustness against electromagnetic interferences (EMI) with central frequencies of 16.7, 50 and 60 Hz. The shock advisory system uses two 50 and 60 Hz band-pass filters, an adaptive filter to identify and suppress 16.7 Hz interference, and a software technique for arrhythmia analysis based on morphology and frequency ECG parameters. The testing process includes noise-free ECG strips from the internationally recognized MIT-VFDB ECG database that were superimposed with simulated EMI artifacts and supplied to the shock advisory system embedded in a real AED. Measurements under special consideration of the allowed variation of EMI frequency (15.7–17.4, 47–52, 58–62 Hz) and amplitude (1 and 8 mV) were performed to optimize external validity. The accuracy was reported using the American Heart Association (AHA) recommendations for arrhythmia analysis performance. In the case of artifact-free signals, the AHA performance goals were exceeded for both sensitivity and specificity: 99% for ventricular fibrillation (VF), 98% for rapid ventricular tachycardia (VT), 90% for slow VT, 100% for normal sinus rhythm, 100% for asystole and 99% for other non-shockable rhythms. In the presence of EMI, the specificity for some non-shockable rhythms (NSR, N) may be affected in some specific cases of a low signal-to-noise ratio and extreme frequencies, leading to a drop in the specificity with no more than 7% point. The specificity for asystole and the sensitivity for VF and rapid VT in the presence of any kind of 16.7, 50 or 60 Hz EMI simulated artifact were shown to reach the equivalence of sensitivity required for non-noisy signals. In conclusion, we proved that the shock advisory system working in a real AED operates accurately according to the AHA recommendations without artifacts and in the presence of EMI. The results may be affected for specificity in the case of a low signal-to-noise ratio or in some extreme frequency setting.
Quantitative Efficiency and Temperature Analysis of Battery-Ultracapacitor Hybrid Energy Storage Systems

This paper provides quantitative analysis on system efficiency and battery temperature rise in battery-alone system, passive, battery semiactive, and capacitor semiactive hybrid energy storage systems (HESSs). First the system efficiencies and the temperature rises in battery are derived under a pulsed load profile and the four different topologies. Sensitivity analysis is then performed to investigate the influences of the factors (the characteristics of the load profile, the state of charge of battery, and the efficiency of the dc-dc converter) on the four energy storage systems. The proper usage of the HESSs is discussed later based on the results of the sensitivity analysis. It is found that in the most cases the capacitor semiactive HESS is superior in both system efficiency and the suppression of the battery temperature rise. Meanwhile, its behavior is more complicated than that of the battery semiactive HESS. The battery semiactive HESS is suitable for the highly dynamic loads, but its performance more depends on the efficiency of the dc-dc converter. Finally experiments are conducted that validate the previous theoretical discussions.
Estimating Deep Recharge Rates Beneath an Interlobate Moraine Using Temperature Logs

The Sandilands area of southeastern Manitoba contains an interlobate moraine that is a major ground water recharge area. Underlying the highly permeable sediments of the moraine are up to 100 m of till and the subcrop of the Winnipeg Formation, which contains a major sandstone aquifer. Ground water flow within the till is examined using high‐resolution temperature profiles and solutions to the differential equation for heat flow in porous media. These analyses indicate that recharge to the sandstone aquifer is occurring at a rate of approximately 2 × 10−8 m/sec beneath the moraine, which is in agreement with recharge rates determined by conventional ground water hydraulics (10−7 to 10−10 m/sec) and another study using multiple environmental tracers (1 × 10−9 to 6 × 10−9 m/sec). The use of temperature to determine ground water flux is not limited by half‐lives as many environmental tracers are, and this allows for cost‐effective estimation of recharge and discharge rates over longer periods.
Energy Measurement of SPDY Protocol on Mobile Platform

The past few years have witnessed an explosive growth in mobile Internet data traffic with web browsing being one of the key activities on mobile devices. There is tremendous interest in optimizing mobile web. In this regard, a new protocol called SPDY was introduced by Google to augment web browsing, however it's impact on the device energy consumption is not clearly understood. In this work we evaluate the energy characteristics of SPDY-based web browsing on mobile devices. In order to measure the energy consumption of web activities, we use AT&T’s ARO [1]. This tool is widely accepted and used by the industry as well as academia for radio (LTE) energy measurement. However the tool was initially designed as a GUI and hence the efficiency for handling large-scaled data was compromised. The first part of the project involves optimizing ARO so that the program runs automatically on a fairly large amount of data with minimum time. In this process we reduced the running time of ARO by a factor of 13 in average compared to the baseline GUI version. In the second part of the project, we set up a SPDY proxy to be used in our evaluations, since there are limited number of websites that support SPDY at this moment. Further we conduct an initial evaluation comparing SPDY proxy-based download to traditional HTTP-based download. Our initial analysis shows that for 18 out of 20 page that we evaluated SPDY is doing better than the existing HTTP energy wise. E.g. for 50% of pages, SPDY reduces the LTE energy consumption by at least 3J (>20%) while for few pages the benefits are small and sometimes it is doing worse than HTTP. As part of future work, we will extend our evaluation to get a comprehensive understanding on the energy characteristics of SPDY and compare it to other better approaches.
Dual-polarization TCDA-IB with substrate loading

Recent efforts on tightly-coupled dipole arrays (TCDA) have yielded conformal, low profile designs that demonstrate remarkable bandwidths. In [1], a TCDA with integrated balun (TCDA-IB) and substrate loading was presented. In the current paper, we extend this work to a dual-polarization TCDA that scans up to 45°. It exhibits an infinite array bandwidth of 13.5:1 (290MHz-3.9GHz) with an active VSWR<;3 and total efficiency (including reflection) >60% in all planes. The validity of the design is verified fabricating and testing an 8x8 prototype with a measured bandwidth of 11:1.
Checkpoint genes required to delay cell division in response to nocodazole respond to impaired kinetochore function in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Inhibition of mitosis by antimitotic drugs is thought to occur by destruction of microtubules, causing cells to arrest through the action of one or more mitotic checkpoints. We have patterned experiments in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae after recent studies in mammalian cells that demonstrate the effectiveness of antimitotic drugs at concentrations that maintain spindle structure. We show that low concentrations of nocodazole delay cell division under the control of the previously identified mitotic checkpoint genes BUB1, BUB3, MAD1, and MAD2 and independently of BUB2. The same genes mediate the cell cycle delay induced in ctf13 mutants, limited for an essential kinetochore component. Our data suggest that a low concentration of nocodazole induces a cell cycle delay through checkpoint control that is sensitive to impaired kinetochore function. The BUB2 gene may be part of a separate checkpoint that responds to abnormal spindle structure.
Fluorescent Protein Candidate Genes in the Coral Acropora digitifera Genome

The vivid coloration of corals depends on fluorescent proteins that include cyan (CFP), green (GFP) and red (RFP) fluorescent proteins, and a non-fluorescent blue/purple chromoprotein. We examined how many genes encoding fluorescent proteins are present in the recently sequenced genome of the coral Acropora digitifera. Based on molecular phylogenetic analysis, we found one, five, one, and three candidate genes for CFP, GFP, RFP, and chromoprotein, respectively. The CFP and GFP genes are clustered in a ∼80-kb-long genomic region, suggesting that they originated from an ancestral gene by tandem duplication. Since CFP and GFP possess the same chromophore, the gene clustering may provide the first genomic evidence for a common origin of the two proteins. Comparison between the fluorescent protein genes of closely related coral species suggests an expansion of chromoprotein genes in the A. digitifera genome, and of RFP genes in the A. millepora genome. The A. digitifera fluorescent protein genes are expressed during embryonic and larval developmental stages and in adults, suggesting that the genes play a variety of roles in coral physiology.
The Effects of a Summer Youth Employment Program for School Alienated and Adjudicated Youth

This research was a reanalysis of an extant data set on a Youth Employment Demonstration Projects Act (YEDPA) summer program. The ten week, seven site program combined classroom training with a worksite experience and was targeted to drop-outs, potential drop—outs and adjudicated youth. Eligible youth were randomly assigned to participant and control groups and were measured at pre— and postprogram and three and eight month follow-up. The data set included information on 1901 participant and 978 control youth.
Candidates in 2013 Italian general election: evidence from the Italian Candidate Survey

Introduzione Changes in electoral politics in contemporary democracies have contributed to shifting the focus of research from parties to individual candidates. The 2013 Italian Candidate Survey (ICS) has collected original survey data with the aim of gaining new insights into the role of political elites, looking in particular at the candidates running for office in the last Italian general election. Based on interviews with individual candidates, the ICS provides a tool for analysing party members; and for comparing them with voters in several ways. In this paper, we spell out the main features of our research that was conducted within the framework of a larger project that examined political representation in Italy between 2013 and 2015. Moreover, we offer three examples of potential applications of ICS data. First, we present a model of political representation favoured by Italian candidates that matches with a well-known typology of political representation. Second, we utilize our ICS data to estimate candidates’ policy preferences and to assess the level of congruence with their voters. Finally, by comparing the distribution of candidates’ self-placements and their own party mean position on the left-right scale, we show how our data can be used to explore intra-party cohesion.
Building Trust in Rural Producer Organizations in Senegal: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Trust is crucial for successful collective action. A prime example is collective commercialization of agricultural produce through producer organizations. We conduct a cluster-randomized controlled trial in rural Senegal in which we vary the number and the type of smallholder farmers – members and/or leaders of local producer organizations – invited to a three-day training on collective commercialization. We use this variation to identify effects on intra-group trust, both direct treatment effects of having participated in the training and spillover effects on farmers who did not partake. Looking at different measures of trust in leaders' competence and motives and of trust in members we find that participating in the training significantly enhances both trust in leaders and trust in members. For trust in leaders, we also find a strong spillover effect. Our findings suggest that relatively soft and non-costly interventions such as a group training appear to be able to positively affect trust within producer organizations.
Exercise and weight control in sedentary overweight men: effects on clinic and ambulatory blood pressure

Objective To examine whether restriction of caloric intake and exercise of vigorous intensity can independently and additively influence clinic and ambulatory blood pressures in sedentary overweight men. Design Sixty subjects aged 20-50 years were randomly allocated either to continue their normal caloric intake or to restrict it by 4186-6279 kJ/day, with 15% provided by protein, 30% by fat and 55% by carbohydrate, for 16 weeks. Within each of these groups subjects were further randomly allocated either to a control light intensity programme of exercise or to a vigorous intensity programme of exercise for 30min three times a week. The light exercise group performed stationary cycling against no resistance, flexibility exercises and slow walking, The vigorous intensity group cycled on an ergometer at 60-70% of maximum their workload. Results Fifty-one subjects completed the study. Their maximal oxygen uptake was increased by approximately 24% with vigorous exercise but did not change with light exercise. Caloric intake restriction led to a significant loss of body mass of 9.5 kg (95% confidence interval 7.6-11.3), whereas vigorous exercise had no effect Restriction of caloric intake reduced supine clinic systolic and diastolic blood pressures significantly by 5.6 (2.3-8.9) and 2.4 mmHg (0.4-4.2), respectively. Relative to the control light exercise group, exercise of vigorous intensity exercise had no significant effect on clinic blood pressure. In contrast, time series analysis revealed that both caloric intake restriction and vigorous exercise were associated with lower daytime ambulatory systolic blood pressure, the reduction in systolic blood pressure being sustained throughout the 24h period when vigorous exercise and caloric intake restriction were combined. Conclusion Compared with the effects of caloric intake restriction, the effects of a vigorous exercise programme on blood pressure are inconsistent, there being no influence on clinic blood pressure but a reduction in daytime ambulatory blood pressure. However, when combined with caloric intake restriction, regular vigorous exercise exhibits a synergistic effect in reducing ambulatory blood pressure throughout a 24h period.
The effect of time pressure on stress levels during virtual wheelchair navigation

In this work stress is assessed based on EEG features. We focus our efforts on the correlation between subjective ratings and cerebral indices during virtual navigation scenarios. Ten male paraplegic subjects took part in the experiment and navigated in a virtual indoor environment. They had to fulfill two missions where time pressure parameter is introduced. Subjects were equipped with Electroencephalography sensors. Temporal and frequency data were filtered and extracted. A correlation study was conducted based on principal component analysis, Fisher's tests and ANOVA. The results showed that the introduction of time pressure has a significant impact on stress levels.
Expression of Human TIM‐1 and TIM‐3 on Lymphocytes from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients

The T‐cell immunoglobulin‐ and mucin‐domain‐containing molecules (TIMs) comprise a new family of cell surface molecules expressed on T cells. TIM‐3 is expressed on T helper type 1 (Th1) cells and implicated in the pathogenesis of Th1‐driven auto‐ and allo‐immune diseases. TIM‐1 is suggested to act as a co‐stimulatory molecule for all T cells, but with potentially stronger effects on Th2 than Th1 cells and is associated with Th2‐related immune diseases. However, the TIM molecules have not been investigated in the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, we examined the expression of TIM‐1 and TIM‐3 on peripheral blood mononuclear cells from SLE patients using quantitative real‐time RT‐PCR. An increased TIM‐1 expression was detected in SLE patients, which correlates with interleukin‐10 expression. We also found that there was a significant increase in the expression of TIM‐1 in SLE patients with quite active disease (SLE disease activity index > 6), indicating that TIM‐1 expression might be related to active clinical phases. In contrast, TIM‐3 expression remained normal in SLE patients with low statistical power (34.89%). However, the expression of TIM‐3 ligand, galectin‐9 increased in SLE patients indicating an enhanced engagement of TIM‐3 with its ligand in SLE, which may result in a decreased regulatory T‐cell function as shown by the decreased expression of FoxP3 and TGF‐β1 in SLE. These data suggest that TIM‐1 and TIM‐3/TIM‐3L are involved in the pathogenesis of SLE.
On the Hardness of Approximating the Chromatic Number

k-colorable for some fixed . Our main result is that it is NP-hard to find a 4-coloring of a 3-chromatic graph. As an immediate corollary we obtain that it is NP-hard to color a k-chromatic graph with at most colors. We also give simple proofs of two results of Lund and Yannakakis [20]. The first result shows that it is NP-hard to approximate the chromatic number to within for some fixed ε > 0. We point here that this hardness result applies only to graphs with large chromatic numbers. The second result shows that for any positive constant h, there exists an integer , such that it is NP-hard to decide whether a given graph G is -chromatic or any coloring of G requires colors.
A Low Power Localized 2T1R STT-MRAM Array With Pipelined Quad-Phase Saving Scheme for Zero Sleep Power Systems

The high leakage power due to process nodes scaling down has been one of the critical issues in CMOS circuits, especially the sleep power critical systems. The conventional retention CMOS register based approaches cannot fully address the high standby energy issue in long time standby systems. The recent non-volatile Flip-Flop (nvFF) based approaches may achieve zero sleep power consumption, but still face the challenges of high saving power and area overhead, and low data reliability. This paper presents a new resistive Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) based circuit architecture with zero leakage power dissipation. It stores the states of the registers in the localized spin-torque-transfer magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) array through scan chains, which has reduced by more than 20% sleep energy than conventional nvFF schemes, and saved by more than 99.8% sleep energy compared to the retention CMOS register based approaches when the sleep time is longer than 1 s. Moreover, the proposed pipelined quad-phase saving scheme maximizes the saving speed, while reduces the peak saving current.
Implantable High-Gain Dental Antennas for Minimally Invasive Biomedical Devices

This paper proposes a novel antenna for dental implants. The proposed antenna can be attached to minimally invasive biomedical devices to monitor health conditions. Based on a combination of Archimedean spirals and a Hilbert-based curve, this 3D folded antenna was embedded on a ceramic denture (ZrO2), and operates within the medical radio (MedRadio) band. An omnidirectional radiation pattern was obtained from simulations of human models to eliminate specific orientation dependence. A realistic measurement of an oral cavity was also performed under the Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol to evaluate its practical biomedical effects. A miniature antenna with a total area of less than 245 mm2 was designed and implemented. The measured performance achieved an antenna gain of -6.78 dBi, and had an impedance bandwidth of approximately 60 MHz. Therefore, a compact high-gain antenna with a large bandwidth was achieved.
A Multidisciplinary Conceptualization of Conservation Opportunity

An opportunity represents an advantageous combination of circumstances that allows goals to be achieved. We reviewed the nature of opportunity and how it manifests in different subsystems (e.g., biophysical, social, political, economic) as conceptualized in other bodies of literature, including behavior, adoption, entrepreneur, public policy, and resilience literature. We then developed a multidisciplinary conceptualization of conservation opportunity. We identified 3 types of conservation opportunity: potential, actors remove barriers to problem solving by identifying the capabilities within the system that can be manipulated to create support for conservation action; traction, actors identify windows of opportunity that arise from exogenous shocks, events, or changes that remove barriers to solving problems; and existing, everything is in place for conservation action (i.e., no barriers exist) and an actor takes advantage of the existing circumstances to solve problems. Different leverage points characterize each type of opportunity. Thus, unique stages of opportunity identification or creation and exploitation exist: characterizing the system and defining problems; identifying potential solutions; assessing the feasibility of solutions; identifying or creating opportunities; and taking advantage of opportunities. These stages can be undertaken independently or as part of a situational analysis and typically comprise the first stage, but they can also be conducted iteratively throughout a conservation planning process. Four types of entrepreneur can be identified (business, policy, social, and conservation), each possessing attributes that enable them to identify or create opportunities and take advantage of them. We examined how different types of conservation opportunity manifest in a social–ecological system (the Great Barrier Reef) and how they can be taken advantage of. Our multidisciplinary conceptualization of conservation opportunity strengthens and legitimizes the concept.
Chronic toxicity in monkeys with the thiazolidinedione antidiabetic agent troglitazone.

The antidiabetic agent troglitazone was given to groups of 4 cynomolgus monkeys per sex at 300, 600, or 1200 mg/kg daily by gavage for 52 weeks. A group of 4 monkeys per sex received vehicle alone and served as controls. Emesis and soft stool or diarrhea occurred sporadically in all troglitazone-treated groups, but did not compromise animal health. There were no effects on body weight or food consumption, or ophthalmologic, electrocardiographic, or echocardiographic parameters. Erythrocyte count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit decreased 8% to 16% in males at all doses and serum cholesterol decreased 30% to 46% in both sexes at all doses. Urinary ketones were increased in several animals at 600 and 1200 mg/kg. Absolute and relative liver weights increased at all doses in both sexes by 40% to 71%. The only microscopic change attributable to troglitazone treatment was minimal to mild bile duct hyperplasia in males at all doses and in females at 600 and 1200 mg/kg. No differences in systemic exposure were apparent between sexes. Over the dose range tested, AUC(0-24) values were 27 to 102 micrograms.hr/ml of troglitazone, 401 to 2060 micrograms.hr/ml of its sulfate conjugate, and 34 to 312 micrograms.hr/ml of its quinone metabolite. Therefore, oral administration of troglitazone to monkeys at 300, 600, and 1200 mg/kg for 52 weeks resulted in significant systemic exposure, with only minimal gastrointestinal, hematologic, and hepatic effects.