Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glucose prediction data analytics for diabetic patients monitoring

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is one of the leading health complication around the world causing national economic burden and low quality of life. This increases the need to focus on prevention and early detection to improve the management and treatment of diabetes. The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive critical review focusing on recent glucose prediction models and a best fit model is proposed based on the evaluation to perform data analytics in a wireless body area network system. The proposed glucose prediction algorithm is based on autoregressive (ARX) model which consider exogenous inputs such as CGM data, blood pressure (BP), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high density lipoproteins (HDL). A dataset of 442 diabetic patients is used to evaluate the performance of the algorithm through mean absolute error (MAE), root-mean-square error (RMSE), and coefficient of determination (R2). The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed prediction algorithm can improve the prediction accuracy of glucose. Potential research work and challenges are pointed out for further development of glucose prediction models.
A reconfigurable 60GHz subsampling receiver architecture with embedded channel filtering

This paper presents a 60GHz heterodyne receiver architecture with IF sub-sampling. A particular arrangement of the frequency plan allows anti-alias filtering by the charge-domain subsampler. Down-conversion, channel filtering and IQ demodulation are merged into a unique operator without any extra cost in terms of area and power consumption. The proposed architecture is able to receive up to 4 bonded channels and complies with the requirements of the standards for 60GHz wireless communications. The result of this study shows that subsampling is a good candidate for low power and configurable receivers for mmW wireless communications.
Interfaces are the dominant feature of dielectrics at the nanometric level

It is argued that the behavior of dielectric particles as they shrink in size through micrometric to nanometric scales will be increasingly dominated by the properties of their interfaces with the environment. The various interatomic and intermolecular forces that determine the structure of these interfaces are reviewed with special emphasis on their electrical nature. A number of situations in which passive and dynamic dielectric properties are traceable to nanometric interfacial properties are considered. It is also demonstrated that such interfaces are nanometric electromechanical (NEM) systems which acting collectively also explain piezoelectricity in macroscopic systems. Interfaces are naturally nanometric entities and must have a major role in the future development of nanotechnology. Their ubiquitous employment in living systems is noted and comparison suggests synergistic opportunities.
Efficacy and safety of sitagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus : a meta-analysis

Backround: Several dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors have been developed and commonly used. However, healthcare providers question that which one is superior over the other for both hypoglycemic efficacy and safety as very few comparison trials have been conducted so far. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the hypoglycemic efficacy and safety of sitagliptin with other DPP-IV inhibitors directly in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Material and method: We conducted a systematic review of English articles using database of Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane library, Sinomed and clinical trial register centers, for randomized controlled trials of DPP-IV inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Two authors extracted the articles independently. A meta-analysis was performed when homogeneous enough. Results: Four studies, including 6 comparisons (2 for sitagliptin vs. saxagliptin, 2 for sitagliptin vs. vildagliptin and 2 for sitagliptin vs. gemigliptin) were included in this meta-analysis. HbA1c was analyzed, and there was no statistical difference between sitagliptin and three other agents in total (mean difference -0.09, 95% CI, -0.17 to -0.00). Pooled data of total side effects did not find any statistical difference in total and when compared to other side effects. However, two studies reported the side effect of arthralgia, and one showed that the incidence of arthralgia was higher in sitagliptin than saxagliptin. Conclusions: All the four agents of DPP-IV inhibitors have good efficacy and safety. Sitagliptin was not superior to other three DPP-IV inhibitors (saxagliptin, vildagliptin, and gemigliptin).
Diversificating the Undiversified Mutual Fund World

One of the major advantages of Equity mutual funds is that they allow retail investors to attain a diversified portfolio, which could not be easily obtained buying individual stocks. Our results indicate that mutual funds are not totally diversified; they hold a significant part of idiosyncratic risk and, in general, retail investors do not hold diversified portfolios of funds as it is possible to highly reduce the percentage of the idiosyncratic risk with respect to the total variance of their portfolios. A strategy selecting funds that minimize the idiosyncratic risk of the portfolio (MIR) behaves well in terms of diversification even for those investors worried about the alpha of funds. The benefits of diversification hold even out-of-sample. Finally we use downside risk measures to confirm that mutual funds do not seem to be well diversified and this drawback increases as the investor’s risk aversion increases.
Gravitational and tectonic forces controlling postcollisional deformation and the present‐day stress field of the Alps: Constraints from numerical modeling

We perform numerical modeling to investigate the mechanisms leading to the postcollisional tectonic evolution of the Alps. We model the lithospheric deformation as a viscous thin sheet with vertically averaged rheology and coupled with surface mass transport. The applied kinematic boundary conditions simulate the convergence between the Adria indenter and the European foreland during the last 35 Myr. Model predictions of elevation, lithospheric structure, erosion/sedimentation pattern and vertical axis rotation are compared with observations of the planform shape of the chain, topography, crustal thickness, distribution of rock exhumation and sediment thickness, and paleomagnetic rotations. Thickening of the lithosphere in the Alpine region is shown to be highly sensitive to the assumed viscosity law, to the strength contrasts between the different regions and to the surface mass transport. Modeling results indicate that the large‐scale deformation of the Alps during the postcollisional phase is mainly controlled by accommodation of convergence in a weak orogenic zone caught between a nearly rigid Adria plate and a strong European foreland. Modeling of the present‐day stress field shows that (1) the present rotation of Adria is responsible for the change of extension direction from strike‐perpendicular in the western Alps to strike‐parallel in the east and (2) the strike‐perpendicular extension observed in the western Alps is likely due to lateral variations of gravitational potential energy. The results suggest a NNE shift of about 700 km of the Euler pole of Adria relative to Europe from its mean position during postcollisional deformation to the present day.
Protective Effect of Colored Rice over White Rice on Fenton Reaction-based Renal Lipid Peroxidation in Rats

Rice has been one of the most important grains. While polished white rice is favored, colored strains of rice, red, or black, have been maintained for religious purposes in Japan. We studied whether feeding of unpolished colored rice instead of white rice ameliorates oxidative renal tubular damage in rats induced by ferric nitrilotriacetate. Whereas renal lipid peroxidation was exacerbated in white rice-fed group in comparison with standard chow group, this exacerbation was not observed in red or black rice-fed groups. These changes were dependent on the proportion of colored rice to standard chow in the diet. Cyanidin 3- O - g - d -glucoside was detectable neither in the serum nor kidney after one week of colored rice diet, but serum protocatechuic acid was significantly increased after black rice diet. There was a generalized decrease in the renal glutathione peroxidase activity in rice diet groups. Renal enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione S -transferase and NAD(P)H quinone reductase were not associated with the levels of lipid peroxidation. However, renal catalase activity was significantly increased in black rice-fed groups. These may partly explain the antioxidative effect. Furthermore, colored strains of rice are rich in proteins. Thus, our data warrants further investigation of the antioxidative effect of colored rice.
On-glass operational amplifier using solution-processed a-IGZO TFTs

In this paper, we presented a novel operational amplifier (op-amp) only with solution-processed n-type amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs). The a-IGZO TFTs and common-source amplifier were fabricated on glass substrate through the solution process and confirmed to show stable electrical characteristics suitable for display driving circuits. Based on the experimental results, we designed an op-amp to have an overall gain of 30.5 dB, a cut-off frequency of 1.47 kHz, and a unit gain frequency of 6.65 kHz when supply voltage was ±15 V. Finally, by constituting the comparator, the proposed op-amp is expected to be used in power control and driving systems for display applications.
Flexible and Efficient Routing Based on Progressive Deadlock Recovery

The development of fully adaptive, cut-through (wormhole) networks is important for achieving high performance in communication-critical parallel processor systems. Increased flexibility in routing allows network bandwidth to be used efficiently, but also creates more opportunity for cyclic resource dependencies to form which can cause deadlock. If not guarded against, deadlocks in routing make packets block in the network indefinitely and, eventually, could result in the entire network coming to a complete standstill. The paper presents a simple, flexible, and efficient routing approach for multicomputer interconnection networks which is based on progressive deadlock recovery as proposed to deadlock avoidance or regressive deadlock recovery. Performance is optimized by allowing the maximum routing freedom provided by network resources to be exploited. True fully adaptive routing is supported in which all physical and virtual channels at each node in the network are available to packets without regard for deadlocks. Deadlock cycles, upon forming, are efficiently broken in finite time by progressively routing one of the blocked packets through a connected, deadlock-free recovery path. This routing approach enables the design of high-throughput networks that provide excellent performance. Simulations indicate that progressive deadlock recovery routing can improve throughput by as much as 45 percent and 25 percent over leading deadlock avoidance-based and regressive recovery-based routing schemes, respectively.
Country of Origin Effects in Capital Structure Decisions: Evidence from Foreign Direct Investments in China

We investigate the role of managers' country of origin in leverage decisions using data on foreign joint ventures in China. By focusing on foreign joint ventures in a single country, we are able to hold constant the financing environment, eliminate the effects of formal institutions in the foreign managers' home country, and consequently reveal the effects of informal institutions such as national culture on corporate finance decisions. Using cultural values of embeddedness, mastery, and uncertainty avoidance to explain country of origin effects, we find that national culture has significant explanatory power in the financial leverage decisions of foreign joint ventures in China. Country-level variation is evident in capital structure and appears to work through choices of firm characteristics, industry affiliation, ownership structure, and region of investment.
Detection of functional modules from protein interaction networks with an enhanced random walk based algorithm

In this paper, we propose a new random walk-based clustering algorithm for detecting functional modules in protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. It has been tested on two yeast PPI networks. Greater precision, better homogeneity and higher modularity were achieved in comparison with the results produced by the recently developed RRW clustering technique and the well-known CFinder algorithm. A much higher level of true positives were observed in the clustering results. The analysis indicated that the proposed method can not only detect overlapping modules but also be potentially used to identify functional modules with different topological structures, which may not be highly connected.
ADA Polymorphisms and Asthma: A Study in the Chinese Han Population

We have studied a sample of 120 asthmatic patients and 116 healthy control subjects from the Chinese Han population. Three polymorphic sites: ADA1, ADA2, and ADA6, within the ADA gene have been examined. The proportion of carriers of *2 allele at locus ADA1 is drastically reduced in asthmatics as compared to controls. There is an epistatic interaction of ADA2 on the ADA1 site characterized by a suppressive effect by the *2 allele of ADA2 on the protective effect exerted by the *2 allele of ADA1 site on susceptibility to asthma. Our data suggest the presence of some DNA sequences influencing the susceptibility to asthma are located in the area between ADA1 and ADA2 sites.
High growth temperatures and high soil nitrogen do not alter differences in CO2 assimilation between invasive Phalaris arundinacea (reed canarygrass) and Carex stricta (tussock sedge).

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Global change in temperature and soil nitrogen availability could affect plant community composition, potentially giving an advantage to invasive species compared to native species. We addressed how high temperatures affected CO2 assimilation parameters for invasive Phalaris arundinacea and a sedge, Carex stricta, it displaces, in natural and controlled environments. METHODS Photosynthetic parameters were measured in a wetland in Indiana, USA during the abnormally warm year of 2012. In a growth chamber, photosynthetic parameters were measured on the plants grown under three levels of nitrogen and exposed to optimum temperatures followed by 2012-like summer conditions and then hot temperatures with an autumn-like photoperiod. KEY RESULTS In the wetland, C. stricta exhibited signs of midsummer leaf senescence, whereas P. arundinacea maintained CO2 assimilation at ambient pCO2 (Aamb ) through mid-October. In the chamber, 2012-like conditions reduced Aamb for both species through reductions in maximum carboxylation (Vcmax ) and electron transport (Jmax ) without further change during subsequent hot, autumn-like conditions, whereas the quantum efficiency of carbon assimilation (qe) declined throughout the experiment. However, P. arundinacea had higher values of Aamb , Jmax , and qe than C. stricta. A general, the positive effect of increasing nitrogen availability occurred for photosynthetic processes for both species in hot conditions. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that C. stricta is more susceptible to excessive light stress than P. arundinacea during hot, sunny periods, leading to leaf senescence. Field confirmation of this idea is needed, but frequent heat waves should favor P. arundinacea over C. stricta with or without eutrophication.
Disruption of Microtubules Ablates the Specificity of Insulin Signaling to GLUT4 Translocation in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes*

Although the cytoskeletal network is important for insulin-induced glucose uptake, several studies have assessed the effects of microtubule disruption on glucose transport with divergent results. Here, we investigated the effects of microtubule-depolymerizing reagent, nocodazole and colchicine, on GLUT4 translocation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. After nocodazole treatment to disrupt microtubules, GLUT4 vesicles were dispersed from the perinuclear region in the basal state, and insulin-induced GLUT4 translocation was partially inhibited by 20-30%, consistent with other reports. We found that platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), which did not stimulate GLUT4 translocation in intact cells, was surprisingly able to enhance GLUT4 translocation to ∼50% of the maximal insulin response, in nocodazole-treated cells with disrupted microtubules. This effect of PDGF was blocked by pretreatment with wortmannin and attenuated in cells pretreated with cytochalasin D. Using confocal microscopy, we found an increased co-localization of GLUT4 and F-actin in nocodazole-treated cells upon PDGF stimulation compared with control cells. Furthermore, microinjection of small interfering RNA targeting the actin-based motor Myo1c, but not the microtubule-based motor KIF3, significantly inhibited both insulin- and PDGF-stimulated GLUT4 translocation after nocodazole treatment. In summary, our data suggest that 1) proper perinuclear localization of GLUT4 vesicles is a requirement for insulin-specific stimulation of GLUT4 translocation, and 2) nocodazole treatment disperses GLUT4 vesicles from the perinuclear region allowing them to engage insulin and PDGF-sensitive actin filaments, which can participate in GLUT4 translocation in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent manner.
Activating the Private Clean Innovation Machine

In view of the sizeable climate change challenge, we need a clean innovation machine operating at full speed. The private clean innovation machine, left on its own, is not up for this challenge. It needs government intervention to address the combination of environmental and knowledge externalities and overcome path dependencies. The firm level evidence presented in this contribution on the motives of private sector firms for introducing clean innovations from the latest Flemish CIS eco-innovation survey confirms that firms are responsive to eco-policy interventions. It is however not a panacea. The high importance of demand pull from customers and voluntary codes of conduct or voluntary sector agreements as drivers for introducing clean innovations, is a reminder of the internal strength of the private innovation machine, which government should try to leverage. The evidence is also strongly suggestive of how important the details of the policy design are. Policy interventions are more powerful to induce the adoption and development of new clean technologies when designed time consistently, affecting future expectations.
Evaluation of premise condition index in the context of Aedes aegypti control in Marília, São Paulo, Brazil

The dengue control programme in Brazil involves house-to-house inspection in each municipality, on a bimonthly basis, for vector control and education activities. The sustainability of this strategy has been questioned due to its failure in interrupting dengue transmission and also by the exhaustion of field workers and lack of active cooperation by populations due to the tedious routine of bimonthly visits to all houses. An evaluation of the infestation of Aedes aegypti by larval, pupal and adult collection, and classification of houses with the premise condition index (PCI) in conjunction with residents’ housing characteristics was performed in 11 575 houses in Marilia, Sao Paulo state, Brazil. The results showed that the surveillance tool and associated data on resident housing characteristics were useful in identifying heavily infested premises. The index could thus provide a basis for prioritizing control measures within communities during routine vector control activities.
The heTeROGeneITY In ShIPPeR’S VALUe Of TIMe, ReSULTS fROM An SP exPeRIMenT USInG

The understanding of the heterogeneity of preferences is taking an increasing role in the analysis of transport behaviour. Such understanding has been developed more extensively regarding passenger transportation than regarding freight transportation. However there are solid reasons, based on empirical evidences or heuristic knowledge, to believe that transportation science should take advantage of the new analytical tools developed in the latest decades to incorporate heterogeneity in the framework of Random Utility Maximisation. This paper aims at shedding some light on the question of heterogeneity of preferences among shippers. A first section sets up a model to investigate the cause of heterogeneity for a specific transport attribute namely transport time. Then the different methods to estimate heterogeneity are reviewed. In a second section, we implement analytical tool such as Latent Class and Mixed Logit in order to show evidences of heterogeneity. These results are based on preliminary data processing of a survey among shippers in North-East and Central Italy. We also calculate bayesian posterior individual estimates of parameters for Mixed Logit model and a class membership model for LC analysis.
A multilevel secure relational data model based on views

In order to overcome certain limitations when applied to relational databases, a data model is introduced that is not fully based on the bell-LaPadula security paradigm. The starting point is a conceptual relational database schema and a set of views, representing user groups and applications. Based on the definition of views, the relations of the conceptual schema are decomposed in a set of disjoint fragments. Fragments and views are the granularity of data to which they provide automated security labeling. In order to keep fragmented databases consistent during database update, they give algorithms useful to keep the integrity. Databases based on this model contain data at a variety of classifications, serve a set of users cleared only to access certain data items and may be implemented by using a general purpose database management system extended by a trusted component supporting mandatory access control. <<ETX>>