Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring of Pre-Load on Rock Bolt Using Piezoceramic-Transducer Enabled Time Reversal Method

Rock bolts ensure structural stability for tunnels and many other underground structures. The pre-load on a rock bolt plays an important role in the structural reinforcement and it is vital to monitor the pre-load status of rock bolts. In this paper, a rock bolt pre-load monitoring method based on the piezoceramic enabled time reversal method is proposed. A lead zirconate titanate (PZT) patch transducer, which works as an actuator to generate stress waves, is bonded onto the anchor plate of the rock bolt. A smart washer, which is fabricated by sandwiching a PZT patch between two metal rings, is installed between the hex nut and the anchor plate along the rock bolt. The smart washer functions as a sensor to detect the stress wave. With the increase of the pre-load values on the rock bolt, the effective contact surface area between the smart washer and the anchor plate, benefiting the stress wave propagation crossing the contact surface. With the help of time reversal technique, experimental results reveal that the magnitude of focused signal clearly increases with the increase of the pre-load on a rock bolt before the saturation which happens beyond a relatively high value of the pre-load. The proposed method provides an innovative and real time means to monitor the pre-load level of a rock bolt. By employing this method, the pre-load degradation process on a rock bolt can be clearly monitored. Please note that, currently, the proposed method applies to only new rock bolts, on which it is possible to install the PZT smart washer.
Valued Workflow Satisfiability Problem

A workflow is a collection of steps that must be executed in some specific order to achieve an objective. A computerised workflow management system may enforce authorisation policies and constraints, thereby restricting which users can perform particular steps in a workflow. The existence of policies and constraints may mean that a workflow is unsatisfiable, in the sense that it is impossible to find an authorised user for each step in the workflow and satisfy all constraints. In this paper, we consider the problem of finding the "least bad" assignment of users to workflow steps by assigning a weight to each policy and constraint violation. To this end, we introduce a framework for associating costs with the violation of workflow policies and constraints and define the valued workflow satisfiability problem (Valued WSP), whose solution is an assignment of steps to users of minimum cost. We establish the computational complexity of Valued WSP with user-independent constraints and show that it is fixed-parameter tractable. We then describe an algorithm for solving Valued WSP with user-independent constraints and evaluate its performance, comparing it to that of an off-the-shelf mixed integer programming package.
Medical Case Based Reasoning Frameworks: Current Developments and Future Directions

Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) is one of the most suitable AI techniques for building clinical decision support systems. Medical domain complexity introduces many challenges for building these systems. Building the systems' knowledge base from the Electronic Health Record (EHR), the encoding of case-base knowledge with standard medical ontology, and the handling of vague data are examples of these challenges. Although several advantages of using CBR in medicine have been identified, there are no real systems acceptable to physicians. This systematic review examines the current state of CBR and its limitations in the medical domain, especially for diabetes mellitus. The critical evaluation of the status of diabetes CBR systems presents unique opportunities for improving these systems. The literature review covers most of the English language studies extracted from relevant databases by using search terms relating CBR, ontology, Fuzzy, and standard terminology concepts. The authors identify 38 articles published between 1999 and 15 January 2015, which represent original researches in CBR domain. The study includes 15 (39.5%) non-medical studies and 23 (60.5%) medical studies with ~22% for diabetes CBR. A list of 18 integrated evaluation metrics has been proposed and used in the analysis. The results show that the non-medical CBR systems achieved higher advances (50%) than medical systems (42.9%). In addition, the diabetes management CBR systems achieve the lowest advances (21.4%) compared to other systems. These shortages explain the question â€œwhy CBR paradigm are not fully utilized in the commercial medical systems? â€ As a result, there is a distinct need for more comprehensive enhancements in clinical CBR especially diabetes systems.
Precise ERBB2 copy number assessment in breast cancer by means of molecular inversion probe array analysis

HER2/ERBB2 amplification/overexpression determines the eligibility of breast cancer patients to HER2-targeted therapy. This study evaluates the agreement between ERBB2 copy number assessment by fluorescence in situ hybridization, a standard method recommended by the American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists (ASCO/CAP), and newly available DNA extraction-based methods. A series of n=29 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded breast cancers were subjected to ERBB2 copy number assessment by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH, Vysis, Abbott). Following macrodissection of invasive breast cancer tissue and DNA extraction, ERBB2 copy number was also determined by molecular inversion probe array analysis (MIP, OncoScan, Affymetrix) and next generation sequencing combined with normalized amplicon coverage analysis (NGS/NAC, AmpliSeq, Ion Torrent). ERBB2 copy number values obtained by MIP or NGS/NAC were tightly correlated with ERBB2 copy number values obtained by conventional FISH (rs = 0.940 and rs = 0.894, P < 0.001). Using ASCO/CAP guideline-conform thresholds for categorization of breast cancers as HER2-negative, equivocal or positive, nearly perfect concordance was observed for HER2 classification by FISH and MIP (93% concordant classifications, κ = 0.87). Substantial concordance was observed for FISH and NGS/NAC (83% concordant classifications, κ = 0.62). In conclusion, MIP facilitates precise ERBB2 copy number detection and should be considered as an ancillary method for clinical HER2 testing.
An Angular Displacement Sensor With a Curved Two-Metal-Layer CPW Loaded by an EBG Structure

This paper presents a microwave angular displacement sensor that consists of a curved two-metal-layer coplanar waveguide (TML CPW) loaded by an electromagnetic bandgap structure (two semi-cylindrical periodic air-gap structures of dielectrics, allocated at the top and bottom of the curved TML CPW). Rotating one of the dielectrics against the other one, produces a variation in the depth of the stopband at the central frequency. The magnitude change is proportional to the angle of the rotation. The curved TML CPW line with the length of 140 mm is fabricated on a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$254~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> thick RO3010 Rogers substrate (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\varepsilon _{r} = 10.2$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\tan \delta = 0.0022$ </tex-math></inline-formula>), which is arched in a semi-cylindrical shape with a radius of 50 mm. The periodic air-gap structures, in order to create the electromagnetic bandgap, are manufactured by laser cutting of an optically transparent polycarbonate (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\varepsilon _{r} = 2.8$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\tan \delta =0.01$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) in semi-cylindrical shapes. The analysis, finite element method simulation, realization, and measurements have been performed for the sensor with 15 unit cells. An average sensitivity and a dynamic range of about 3 dB/deg and 5° degrees, respectively, have been obtained at 10.2 GHz. The fixed operating frequency and the wide bandwidth of the sensor (>1 GHz) will simplify the design and fabrication of the data readout circuit. The impact of the structure curvature on the sensor response is also investigated as an important practical issue.
Human skeleton tree recurrent neural network with joint relative motion feature for skeleton based action recognition

Recently, the recurrent neural network(RNN) has been widely used for skeleton based action recognition because of its ability to model long-term temporal dependencies automatically. However, current methods cannot accurately describe the characteristics of actions, because they only consider joint positions rather than high order features like relative motion to different joints and ignore the impact of human physical structure. In this paper, a novel high order joint relative motion feature(JRMF) and a novel human skeleton tree RNN network(HST-RNN) are proposed. Human skeleton joints structure can be represented by a tree. The JRMF for each skeleton joint consists of the relative position, velocity and acceleration to this joint of all its descendant joints. It describes the instantaneous status of the skeleton joint better than joint positions. The HST-RNN network is constructed with the same tree structure as the human skeleton joints. Each node of the tree is a Gated Recurrent Unit(GRU) and represents a skeleton joint. The outputs of its child nodes and the corresponding JRMF are concatenated and fed into each GRU. The network combines low-level features and extracts high level features from the leaf nodes to the root node in a hierarchical way according to the human physical structure. The experimental results demonstrates that the proposed HST-RNN with JRMF achieves the state-of-art performance on challenging datasets like MSR-Action3D, UT-Kinect and UTD-MHAD.
Fast and Simple Analytical Method for Direct Determination of Total Chlorine Content in Polyglycerol by ICP-MS

The fast and simple method for total chlorine determination in polyglycerols using low resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) without the need for additional equipment and time-consuming sample decomposition was evaluated. Linear calibration curve for 35Cl isotope in the concentration range 20–800 µg/L was observed. Limits of detection and quantification equaled to 15 µg/L and 44 µg/L, respectively. This corresponds to possibility of detection 3 µg/g and determination 9 µg/g of chlorine in polyglycerol using studied conditions (0.5% matrix-polyglycerol samples diluted or dissolved with water to an overall concentration of 0.5%). Matrix effects as well as the effect of chlorine origin have been evaluated. The presence of 0.5% (m/m) of matrix species similar to polyglycerol (polyethylene glycol—PEG) did not influence the chlorine determination for PEGs with average molecular weights (MW) up to 2000 Da. Good precision and accuracy of the chlorine content determination was achieved regardless on its origin (inorganic/organic). High analyte recovery level and low relative standard deviation values were observed for real polyglycerol samples spiked with chloride. Additionally, the Combustion Ion Chromatography System was used as a reference method. The results confirmed high accuracy and precision of the tested method.
Structure of the Arabidopsis JMJ14-H3K4me3 Complex Provides Insight into the Substrate Specificity of KDM5 Subfamily Histone Demethylases[OPEN]

The structure of the Arabidopsis JMJ14 catalytic domain in complex with H3K4me3 peptide reveals a conserved substrate binding mode shared by both plant and animal KDM5 subfamily histone demethylase. In chromatin, histone methylation affects the epigenetic regulation of multiple processes in animals and plants and is modulated by the activities of histone methyltransferases and histone demethylases. The jumonji domain-containing histone demethylases have diverse functions and can be classified into several subfamilies. In humans, the jumonji domain-containing Lysine (K)-Specific Demethylase 5/Jumonji and ARID Domain Protein (KDM5/JARID) subfamily demethylases are specific for histone 3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) and are important drug targets for cancer treatment. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the KDM5/JARID subfamily H3K4me3 demethylase JUMONJI14 (JMJ14) plays important roles in flowering, gene silencing, and DNA methylation. Here, we report the crystal structures of the JMJ14 catalytic domain in both substrate-free and bound forms. The structures reveal that the jumonji and C5HC2 domains contribute to the specific recognition of the H3R2 and H3Q5 to facilitate H3K4me3 substrate specificity. The critical acidic residues are conserved in plants and animals with the corresponding mutations impairing the enzyme activity of both JMJ14 and human KDM5B, indicating a common substrate recognition mechanism for KDM5 subfamily demethylases shared by plants and animals and further informing efforts to design targeted inhibitors of human KDM5.
Enteric viruses’ dissemination in a private reserve of natural heritage

This study aimed to assess anthropogenic impact of surrounding population in the Private Reserve of Natural Heritage at Pantanal, the world's largest freshwater wetland ecosystem located in the centre of South America. Viral aetiological agents of acute gastroenteritis as rotavirus A (RVA), noroviruses, human adenoviruses, klassevirus and of hepatitis, as hepatitis A virus, were investigated in different aquatic matrices. Annual collection campaigns were carried out from 2009 to 2012, alternating dry and rainy seasons. Viral particles present in the samples were concentrated by the adsorption–elution method, with negatively charged membranes, and detected by qualitative and quantitative PCR. From a total of 43 samples at least one virus was detected in 65% (28) of them. Viruses were detected in all matrices with concentrations ranging from 2 × 102 to 8·3 × 104 genome copies per litre. A significant higher RVA frequency was observed in the dry season. Our data revealing dissemination of human enteric viruses in water matrices both inside and outside the reserve could be useful to trace faecal contamination in the environment and to minimize the risk of infection by exposure of susceptible individuals.
Quantification provides a conceptual basis for convergent evolution

While much of evolutionary biology attempts to explain the processes of diversification, there is an important place for the study of phenotypic similarity across life forms. When similar phenotypes evolve independently in different lineages this is referred to as convergent evolution. Although long recognised, evolutionary convergence is receiving a resurgence of interest. This is in part because new genomic data sets allow detailed and tractable analysis of the genetic underpinnings of convergent phenotypes, and in part because of renewed recognition that convergence may reflect limitations in the diversification of life. In this review we propose that although convergent evolution itself does not require a new evolutionary framework, none the less there is room to generate a more systematic approach which will enable evaluation of the importance of convergent phenotypes in limiting the diversity of life's forms. We therefore propose that quantification of the frequency and strength of convergence, rather than simply identifying cases of convergence, should be considered central to its systematic comprehension. We provide a non‐technical review of existing methods that could be used to measure evolutionary convergence, bringing together a wide range of methods. We then argue that quantification also requires clear specification of the level at which the phenotype is being considered, and argue that the most constrained examples of convergence show similarity both in function and in several layers of underlying form. Finally, we argue that the most important and impressive examples of convergence are those that pertain, in form and function, across a wide diversity of selective contexts as these persist in the likely presence of different selection pressures within the environment.
Heterozygous mutations in GTP-cyclohydrolase-1 reduce BH4 biosynthesis but not pain sensitivity

Abstract Human studies have demonstrated a correlation between noncoding polymorphisms of “the pain protective” haplotype in the GCH1 gene that encodes for GTP cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH1)—which leads to reduced tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) production in cell systems—and a diminished perception of experimental and clinical pain. Here, we investigate whether heterozygous mutations in the GCH1 gene which lead to a profound BH4 reduction in patients with dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD) have any effect on pain sensitivity. The study includes an investigation of GCH1-associated biomarkers and pain sensitivity in a cohort of 22 patients with DRD and 36 controls. The patients with DRD had, when compared with controls, significantly reduced levels of BH4, neopterin, biopterin, and GTPCH1 in their urine, blood, or cytokine-stimulated fibroblasts, but their pain response with respect to non-painful stimulation, (acute) stimulus-evoked pain, or pain response after capsaicin-induced sensitization was not significantly different. A family-specific cohort of 11 patients with DRD and 11 controls were included in this study. The patients with DRD were heterozygous for the pain protective haplotype in cis with the GCH1 disease-causing mutation, c.899T>C. No effect on pain perception was observed for this combined haplotype. In conclusion, a reduced concentration of BH4 is not sufficient to alter ongoing pain sensitivity or evoked pain responses.
Protective Effect of Kolaviron on Cyclophosphamide-Induced Cardiac Toxicity in Rats

Background. Cyclophosphamide (CP) is a nitrogen mustard alkylating drug used for the treatment of chronic and acute malignant lymphomas, myeloma, leukemia, neuroblastoma, adenocarcinoma, retinoblastoma, breast carcinoma, and immunosuppressive therapy. Despite its vast therapeutic uses, it is known to cause severe cardiac toxicity. Kolaviron (KV), a Garcinia kola seed extract containing a mixture of flavonoids, is reputed for its antioxidant and membrane stabilizing properties. Objective. This study investigated the protective effect of KV on CP-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. Methods. Thirty rats were used, and they were divided into 6 groups of 5 rats each. Group I received 2 mL/kg propylene glycol orally for 14 days; group II received CP (50 mg/kg/d, intraperitoneally [i.p.]) for 3 days; groups III and IV received 200 and 400 mg/kg/d KV, respectively, orally for 14 days and groups V and VI were pretreated with 200 and 400 mg/kg/d KV, respectively, orally for 14 days followed by CP (50 mg/kg/d, i.p.) for 3 days. Results. CP treatment resulted in a significantly lower food consumption and body weight in rats. The lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase enzymes in cardiac tissues of rats treated with CP were significantly higher. In cardiac tissues, 3-day doses of CP resulted in significantly higher heart weight, cardiac troponin I, myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide and lower superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase activities, and reduced glutathione levels. Histological examination of cardiac tissues showed sign of necrosis of myocardium after CP treatment. However, administration of KV at 200 and 400 mg/kg for 14 days prior to CP treatment, increase food consumption, body weight, and attenuates the biochemical and histological changes induced by CP. Conclusions. These results revealed that KV attenuates CP-induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting oxidative stress and preserving the activity of antioxidant enzymes.
Porous CNTs/chitosan composite with lamellar structure prepared by ice-templating

Chitosan possesses beneficial properties such as its biodegradability, biocompatibility, and adsorption of metallic ions, which make it attractive in various applications. In addition, besides excellent mechanical and electrical properties, carbon nanotubes have been reported to be biocompatible platforms for neuronal growth and differentiation. In this work, porous carbon nanotubes/chitosan (CNTs/CHI) composites are prepared by unidirectional freezing CNTs dispersion in chitosan aqueous solution and subsequent freeze drying, which is named as ice-templating. Two types of macroscopic shapes with high and low aspect ratio are produced by immersion freezing and one-side contact freezing respectively. The SEM characterization indicates that the produced CNTs/CHI composites are composed of a three dimensional network with lamellar structure and macropores in micron scale, and the products by two freezing styles have different micro-structural characters. The produced CNTs/CHI composite has a very low density and self-standing ability, which makes it having very good permeability and processability. It is anticipated that the CNTs/CHI composites have various applications such as conductive network in polymer, biological carrier, catalyst supports, adsorbents, and permeable membranes.
A study on content-based video recommendation

Video streaming services heavily depend on the video recommender system to help the users discover videos they would enjoy. Most existing recommender systems compute video relevance based on users implicit feedbacks, e.g., watch and search behaviors. For example, one can use Collaborative Filtering based methods to model the user-video preference, and compute the video-video relevance scores. However, when a new coming video is added to the library, the recommender system has to deal with the cold-start problem, i.e., to bootstrap the video relevance score with very few user behavior with respect to the newly added video. To solve this problem, in this paper we propose a content-based video recommendation approach by taking the advantage of deep convolutional neural networks to alleviate the cold-start problem. The proposed approach works well, especially in the case of serious data incompleteness. In addition to the vision feature, we also conduct extensive evaluation on video meta-data, and audio features.
Fabrication Scaffold by Extrusion Freeforming from High Solid Loading Ceramic Paste

A method for fabrication of mineral materials was studied. Micro extrusion freeforming of ceramics from high solid loading ceramic paste has advantages of low shrinkage stress, high sinter density, and environmental friendliness. Hydroxyapatite and alumina lattices were directly fabricated using 80 microns to 500 microns filaments. We report here on the implementation of design and fabrication of these scaffolds for photonic band gap materials. Influence of the solid contents of paste in the process of extrusion freeforming was studied.
Classification of multi-focal nematode image stacks using a projection based multilinear approach

In this paper, we propose to use projection methods such as coefficient of variation projection (COV) to exploit the entire information of Digital Multi-focal Images (DMI) using its projection images along different directions. The COV projection takes into account the intensity distribution feature of multi-focal images, so it overcomes the limitation of poor contrast of the projection images from the 3D X-Ray Transform, which is used in a previous work. Because the DMI stacks represent the effect of different factors — texture, projection directions, different instances within the same class and different classes of objects, we embed the projection method within a multilinear classification framework. The experimental results on the nematode data show that the image projection based multilinear classifier can achieve very reliable recognition rate (95.5%), even we only use the texture feature instead of the combination of texture and shape features as in the previous work.