Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reinforcement optimization for decentralized service placement policy in IoT‐centric fog environment

A decentralized service placement policy plays a key role in distributed systems, such as fog computing, where sharing workloads fairly among active computing nodes is critical. A decentralized policy is an inherent feature of the service placement process that may improve load balancing among computers and can reduce the latency in many real‐time Internet of Things (IoT) applications. This article proposes reinforcement optimization for a decentralized service placement policy, which attempts to mitigate some of the drawbacks of existing service placement policies. Matching task size with node specifications and the allocation of less popular but time‐sensitive applications in the fog layer are the primary contributions of this study. Extensive experimental comparisons are made between the proposed algorithm and other well‐known algorithms over service latency, network usage, and computing usage using the iFogSim simulator. A microservice‐based application with varying sizes of computing requests are tested experimentally and show that the proposed algorithm effectively serves computing instances that are closer to users, reducing service latency and network usage. Compared to the existing models, the proposed modified algorithm reduces service latency by 24.1%, network usage by 4%, and computing usage by 20%, thus highlighting positive outcomes when using the proposed algorithm for fog analytics in future real‐time IoT applications.
Properties of Internal Solitary Waves in Deep Temperate Lakes

High-resolution thermistor chain data collected between 5 and 20 m in a large stratified freshwater lake (Lake Constance) at a water depth of 50 m reveal the frequent occurrence of largeamplitude (≥ 1 m) vertical density inversions that indicate overturns in the pelagic thermocline. Velocity data collected simultaneously to the temperature measurements suggest that the density inversions are mainly produced by shear instabilities. A comparison between the timing of the passage of the basin-scale internal Kelvin wave and the density inversions demonstrates a pronounced phase relationship, implying that the processes leading to the occurrence of turbulence and mixing are connected to the passage of the Kelvin wave. Two different processes are identified during which density inversions were particularly common. An increased number of density inversions and especially high dissipation rates of turbulent kinetic energy were observed when Kelvin wave induced critical shear supported the generation of large Kelvin-Helmholtz billows. A particularly large number of density inversions was also associated with the passage of nonlinear high-frequency waves of large amplitudes. The density inversions typically occurred at the wave troughs, which indicates breaking of these waves. These observations suggest that self-induced shear generated by the basin-scale seiche and by high-frequency internal waves leads to a significant amount of turbulence and mixing in the pelagic thermocline.
Extrusion of Cell Encapsulated in Boron Nitride Nanotubes Reinforced Gelatin—Alginate Bioink for 3D Bioprinting

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting, an innovative technology, has gained the attention of researchers as a promising technique for the redevelopment of complex tissue or organ structures. Despite significant advancements, a major challenge in 3D bioprinting is the limited number of suitable bioinks that fulfil the physiochemical requirements to produce complicated structures. Therefore, there is a demand for the production of bioinks for 3D bioprinting techniques. In this short communication, THP-1 cells encapsulated in boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) reinforced gelatin and alginate bioink was prepared. The study investigated the impact on the cells during printing using a fluorescence cell image. The results showed that the pure polymer bioinks demonstrated poor printability properties with the incorporation of cells. However, BNNT-combined bioink showed a significant increase in structural integrity even after the incorporation of cells. Furthermore, the scaffold structure was successfully printed with the cells incorporated bioink, and a considerable number of live cells were observed. With further studies, BNNTs as a promising nanomaterial for formulating bioink encapsulated with cells can be understood fully.
Spline Smoothing Over Difficult Regions

We consider the problem of smoothing data on two-dimensional grids with holes or gaps. Such grids are often referred to as difficult regions. Since the data is not observed on these locations, the gap is not part of the domain. We cannot apply standard smoothing methods since they smooth over and across difficult regions. More unfavorable properties of standard smoothers become visible when the data is observed on an irregular grid in a non-rectangular domain. In this paper, we adopt smoothing spline methods within a state space framework to smooth data on one- or two-dimensional grids with difficult regions. We make a distinction between two types of missing observations to handle the irregularity of the grid and to ensure that no smoothing takes place over and across the difficult region. For smoothing on two-dimensional grids, we introduce a two-step spline smoothing method. The proposed solution applies to all smoothing methods that can be represented in a state space framework. We illustrate our methods for three different cases of interest.
Some examples of Hayward wormholes

The first part of this paper discusses a model for the theoretical construction of a simple traversable wormhole with zero density that depends on a preexisting black hole. By assuming the interconvertibilty of black holes and wormholes proposed by S.A. Hayward, it is shown that a toy model suggested by the first model may yield several possible transitions from the preexisting black hole to a wormhole. A final topic is the conversion to a wormhole by assuming a specific model for the exotic matter.
Selected Antimicrobial Peptides Inhibit In Vitro Growth of Campylobacter spp.

Campylobacter is a major cause of acute human diarrheal illness. Broiler chickens constitute a primary reservoir for C. jejuni leading to human infection. Consequently, there is a need for developing novel intervention methods. Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) are small proteins which have evolved in most lifeforms to provide defense against microbial infections. To date, over 3000 AMP have been discovered; however, few of them have been analyzed specifically for ability to kill campylobacters. We selected and evaluated a set of 11 unique chemically synthesized AMP for ability to inhibit growth of C. jejuni. Six of the AMP we tested produced zones of inhibition on lawns of C. jejuni. These AMP included: NRC-13, RL-37, Temporin L, Cecropin–Magainin, Dermaseptin, and C12K-2β12. In addition, MIC were determined for Cecropin–Magainin, RL-37 and C12K-2β12 against 15 isolates of Campylobacter representing the three most common pathogenic strains. MIC for campylobacters were approximately 3.1 µg/mL for AMP RL-37 and C12K-2β12. MIC were slightly higher for the Cecropin–Magainin AMP in the range of 12.5 to 100 µg/mL. These AMP are attractive subjects for future study and potential in vivo delivery to poultry to reduce Campylobacter spp. populations.
Trauma-Related Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors in Adolescence: A Bridge between Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience

The adolescent brain is an open window on the environment, which is vulnerable to perturbations and the traumatic experiences occurring before or during this period have an increased saliency in affecting cognitive, emotional, and social levels. During adolescence, trauma-related effects causing significant impairment or suffering could be manifest in internalizing and externalizing behaviors. The present mini review aimed to clarify trauma effects on adolescence by examining the neurobiological correlates associated with an increased risk of externalizing/internalizing conducts, as well as the transformative effects of multiple and multimodal therapeutic interventions.
Orofacial abnormalities in mucopolysaccharidosis and mucolipidosis type II and III: A systematic review

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs) and mucolipidosis II and III (ML II and III) often manifest with orofacial (progressive) abnormalities, which may have a major impact on quality of life. However, because these patients have multiple somatic health issues, orofacial problems are easily overlooked in clinical practice and available literature on this topic solely consists of case reports, small case series, and small cohort studies. The aim of this systematic review was to gain more insight in the nature and extent of orofacial abnormalities in MPS, ML II, and III. A systematic review of all previously published articles addressing orofacial abnormalities in MPS, ML II, and III was performed. Both clinical studies and case reports were included. Outcome was the described orofacial abnormalities, subdivided into abnormalities of the face, maxilla, mandible, soft tissues, teeth, and occlusion. The search resulted in 57 articles, describing orofacial features in 340 patients. Orofacial abnormalities were present in all subtypes of MPS, ML II, and III, and consisted of thickened lips, a hypoplastic midface, a high‐arched palate, hypoplastic condyles, coronoid hyperplasia, macroglossia, gingival hyperplasia, thick dental follicles, dentigerous cysts, misshapen teeth, enamel defects, and open bite. Orofacial abnormalities are present in all subtypes of MPS, ML II, and III. As orofacial abnormalities may cause complaints, evaluation of orofacial health should be part of routine clinical care.
Three-dimensional elliptic grid generation technique with application to turbomachinery cascades

Described is a numerical method for generating 3-D grids for turbomachinery computational fluid dynamic codes. The basic method is general and involves the solution of a quasi-linear elliptic partial differential equation via pointwise relaxation with a local relaxation factor. It allows specification of the grid point distribution on the boundary surfaces, the grid spacing off the boundary surfaces, and the grid orthogonality at the boundary surfaces. A geometry preprocessor constructs the grid point distributions on the boundary surfaces for general turbomachinery cascades. Representative results are shown for a C-grid and an H-grid for a turbine rotor. Two appendices serve as user's manuals for the basic solver and the geometry preprocessor.
Antibiofilm Activity of Biocide Metal Ions Containing Bioactive Glasses (BGs): A Mini Review

One of the major clinical issues during the implantation procedure is the bacterial infections linked to biofilms. Due to their tissue localization and the type of bacteria involved, bacterial infections at implant sites are usually difficult to treat, which increases patient morbidity and even mortality. The difficulty of treating biofilm-associated infections and the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria are further challenges for the scientific community to develop novel biomaterials with excellent biocompatibility and antibacterial properties. Given their ability to stimulate bone formation and have antibacterial properties, metal ion-doped bioactive glasses (BGs) have received considerable research. This mini review aims to be successful in presenting the developments made about the role of biocide metal ions incorporated into BGs against the development of bacterial biofilms and the spread of nosocomial diseases.
Nanocomposites of Titanium Dioxide and Peripherally Substituted Phthalocyanines for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Sulfamethoxazole

Phthalocyanines (Pcs) are often used in photosensitization of titanium(IV) oxide, a commonly employed photocatalyst, as such an approach holds the promise of obtaining highly stable and efficient visible light-harvesting materials. Herein, we report on the preparation, characterization and photoactivity of a series of composites based on TiO2 and peripherally modified metallophthalocyanines: either tetrasulfonated or 4,4′,4′′,4′′′-tetraazaphthalocyanines, with either copper(II), nickel(II) or zinc(II) as the central metal ion. Physicochemical characterization was performed using UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, hydrodynamic particle-size analysis, surface-area analysis using N2 adsorption-desorption measurements and thermogravimetry combined with differential scanning calorimetry. The band-gap energy values were lower for the composites with peripherally modified phthalocyanines than for the commercial TiO2 P25 or the unsubstituted zinc(II) phthalocyanine-grafted TiO2. TG–DSC results confirmed that the chemical deposition, used for the preparation of Pc/TiO2 composites, is a simple and efficient method for TiO2 surface modification, as all the Pc load was successfully grafted on TiO2. The photocatalytic potential of the Pc/TiO2 materials was assessed in the photocatalytic removal of sulfamethoxazole—a commonly used antibacterial drug of emerging ecological concern. To compare the activity of the materials in different conditions, photodegradation tests were conducted both in water and in an organic medium.
An Overview of State-of-the-Art D-Band Radar System Components

In this article, a literature study has been conducted including 398 radar circuit elements from 311 recent publications (mostly between 2010 and 2022) that have been reported mainly in the F-, D- and G-Band (80–200 GHz). This study is intended to give a state-of-the-art comparison on the performance of the different technologies—RFCMOS, SiGe/BiCMOS and III–V semiconductor composites—regarding the most crucial circuit parameters of Voltage-Controlled Oscillators (VCO), Power Amplifiers (PA), Phase Shifters (PS), Low-Noise Amplifiers (LNA) and Mixers. The most common topologies of each circuit element as well as the differences between the technolgies will futher be laid out while reasoning their benefits. Since not all devices were derived solely from single device publications, necessary steps to yield as fairly a comparison as possible were taken. Results include the area and power efficiency in RFCMOS, superior noise and power performance in III–V semiconductors and a continuous compromise between efficiency and performance in SiGe. The most rarely published devices, being Mixers and PSs, in the given frequency range have also been identified to give incentive for further developments.
Cracks and Fracture

"Cracks and Fracture" consists of nine chapters in logical sequence. In two introductory chapters, physical processes in the vicinity of the crack edge are discussed and the fracture process is described. Chapter 3 develops general basic concepts and relations in crack mechanics, such as path independent integrals, stress intensity factors and energy flux into the crack edge region. Chapters 4-7 deal with elastostatic cracks, stationary or slowly moving elastic-plastic cracks, elastodynamic crack mechanics and elastoplastic aspects of fracture, including dynamic fracture mechanics. Appendices include general formulae, the basic theory of analytic functions, introduction to Laplace and Hankel transforms and description of certain basic relations, for instance for stress waves in solids. There is an extensive bibliography, containing references to both classical and recent work, and a comprehensive index. It presents an extensive bibliography containing references to both classical and recent works and a comprehensive index. Appendices include general formulas, the basic theory of analytic functions, introduction to Laplace and Hankel transforms, and descriptions of certain basic relations, for instance for stress waves in solids.
Fluoroscopic Image-Based 3-D Environment Reconstruction and Automated Path Planning for a Robotically Steerable Guidewire

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally and surgical treatments for these often begin with the manual placement of a long compliant wire, called a guidewire, through different vasculature. To improve procedure outcomes and reduce radiation exposure, we propose steps towards a fully automated approach for steerable guidewire navigation within vessels. In this letter, we utilize fluoroscopic images to fully reconstruct 3-D printed phantom vasculature models by using a shape-from-silhouette algorithm. The reconstruction is subsequently de-noised using a deep learning-based encoder-decoder network and morphological filtering. This volume is used to model the environment for guidewire traversal. Following this, we present a novel method to plan an optimal path for guidewire traversal in three-dimensional vascular models through the use of slice planes and a modified hybrid A-star algorithm. Finally, the developed reconstruction and planning approaches are applied to an ex vivo porcine aorta, and navigation is demonstrated through the use of a tendon-actuated COaxially Aligned STeerable guidewire (COAST).
FINITE TIME TRAJECTORY TRACKING CONTROL OF A QUADROTOR BASED ON ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK

In this paper, a robust hierarchical method for trajectory tracking control of a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) subjected to parameter uncertainties and external disturbances is presented. A robust control scheme based on a fast nonsingular terminal sliding mode strategy is designed to achieve fast response and excellent tracking accuracy. Moreover, a radial basis function artificial neural network with online adaptive schemes to estimate unknown aerodynamic parameters and external disturbances is developed to improve the control performance and reduce the chattering phenomenon. Numerical simulation and experimental results are used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control method.
Home- and Community-Based Interventions for Physical Activity and Early Child Development: A Systematic Review of Effective Strategies

This systematic review examined the effects of home/family and community-based interventions on physical activity (PA) and developmental outcomes in early childhood. A search strategy was employed using four electronic databases (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, and SPORTDiscus). Interventions investigating weight status (i.e., BMI), physical activity, sedentary behavior, and/or motor proficiency that took place in home, family, or community settings were assessed. Studies were eligible if they were peer-reviewed, available in English, published between 2011 and 2021, and if samples consisted of healthy young children (2–5 years old). There were 24 studies retained (8351 participants) spanning from the United States (n = 12), Australia (n = 3), Canada (n = 2), Switzerland (n = 2), Finland (n = 2), Netherlands (n = 1), and other Eastern European countries (n = 2). There were 19 studies that incorporated home/family-based approaches and 14 studies that incorporated community-based approaches. Studies ranged in intervention duration from 6 weeks to 24 months. It suggests that improving PA participation in young children was especially challenging to solicit improvement (only 25% of all studies found significant improvement in PA after intervention). Distributing educational material to parents/families, consistent, direct contact with parents, and encouraging community engagement were identified as effective strategies to promote physical activity, healthy weight status, and motor skills in young children.
Sex Differences of Sarcopenia in an Elderly Asian Population: The Prevalence and Risk Factors

The loss of muscle mass is widespread in age-related health phenomena in the elderly population. This study examined the prevalence of sarcopenia in a community-dwelling elderly population according to gender. The study also identified gender-specific risk factors in older people aged 75–84 years old. One thousand two hundred and ninety-three participants aged between 75 and 84 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys in Korea were investigated. The prevalence of sarcopenia in males and females in the weighted-value sample was 41.2% (95%CI: 35.8–46.8) and 37.2% (32.7–41.9), respectively. Gender-specific clinical risk factors in males were height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, skeletal muscle mass index, fasting glucose, and triglyceride levels. Height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, skeletal muscle mass index, and total cholesterols were clinical risk factors for females. These outcomes would be crucial to primary care clinicians and health care professionals when patients require a referral for early detection and treatment. Health care professionals and clinicians can quickly identify potential sarcopenic patients by acknowledging the gender-specific prevalence and risk factors.
Nanostructured optical fiber by the sol-gel process in the SiO2–ZrO2 system

A SiO2–ZrO2 nanostructured optical fiber developed using the chemical sol-gel method is fabricated and its waveguiding properties are studied. The refractive index difference between the core and the cladding is 0.021 for a (30%ZrO2–70%SiO2) molar core composition. Illumination of the fiber with a supercontinuum source (350–1750nm) shows that the light is guided over this entire range. The measured attenuation losses are 0.7dB∕m at a 1064nm wavelength and the calculated cutoff wavelength is 714nm.
GRASP algorithms for the unrelated parallel machines scheduling problem with additional resources during processing and setups

ABSTRACT This paper addresses an unrelated parallel machines scheduling problem with the need of additional resources during the processing of the jobs, as well as during the setups that machines need between the processing of any two jobs. This problem is highly complex, and therefore in this paper we propose several constructive heuristics to solve it. To improve the performance of these heuristics, we propose several variations, including randomisation with different probability distributions and a local search phase, having this way GRASP algorithms. The results of extensive experiments over randomly generated instances show several findings on the different parameters that characterise our constructive algorithms. In particular, we highlight the fact that non-uniform probability distributions might be advisable for choosing elements of a restricted candidate list in GRASP algorithms.
Estimation of a unimodal density

Grenander (1956) derived the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) for a unimodal density ƒ. We obtain the asymptotic distribution of this estimator in this paper and we shall also prove that this estimator is consistent. The estimation problem is reduced at first to that of a stochastic process and the asymptotic distribution of MLE is obtained by means of theorems on convergence of distributions of stochastic processes.