Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Double space time diversity-CDMA system for frequency-selective channel

In this work, transmission of photograph by using approach Double Space-Time Transmit-Diversity (DSTTD) Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) designed module is carried over through Wi-Fi networks. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) set of rules for information encryption and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) technique is occupied for image compression. To conquer high quality picture with fewer signal to noise ratio (SNR). DSTTD encompasses two STBC block units by which we can achieve full-rate and full-diversity. At the Mobile Station, non-linear detector is instigated which embraces of Block-nulling technique, that will separate two STBC block units to offers higher throughput. In specific, LTE-Extended vehicular channel models is taken for DWT and encrypted image transmission and examined. Results spot that system provides improved picture quality for less SNR in the perspective of downlink DL communication.
Detecting Community-Wide Patterns: Estimating Power Strengthens Statistical Inference

Power statistics are drastically underutilized in basic and applied ecological research where they could provide objective measures of the sensitivity of null hypotheses tests and thereby strengthen some statistical inferences. Null models are being used increasingly to investigate the causes of community-wide patterns, yet researchers tend to ignore the risks involved in committing the type II error associated with these models. The three factors that determine power, e.g., critical level of α, sample size, and "effect size" are explained and their effects on power are discussed. In our examples we have attempted to illustrate how power analysis can assist investigators in interpreting their research results. In ecological studies' failing to demonstrate an effect is quite different than implicitly or explicitly concluding that no difference exists. In this situation, assuming low power, the cost of committing a type II error is that of making false claim. Pesticide and drug examples demonstrate that often there can be serious economic, health, and social costs associated with the commission of type II errors. Lastly we describe a situation whereby power analysis can be used to measure the degree to which an effect occurs and thereby expand our conclusions.
Users' Learning Pathways on Cross-site Open Educational Resources

: The availability of open educational resources is growing at an increasingly fast pace since its ﬁrst promotion by UNESCO in 2002. Today, large variability of opportunities for free and online educational resources are available and accessible by everyone from all around the world who has access to the Internet. An Internet user may exploit numbers of different platforms to ﬁnd what they are looking for, where one platform may ﬁt their study goal while another platform suits their learning approach. Finding the appropriate content and platform could be like searching for a needle in the haystack where users desperately need help from personalised recommendations. Many platforms aim to transform to a more personalised learning environment, mostly by recommending a content or a peer to study with, providing timely feedback, or a gamiﬁed learning environment within the platform. We expect that in the next decade it will be necessary to provide user guidance to the Open Educational Resources not only in a single domain but in cross-domain, cross-site, and cross-cultural nature of the Internet. In this paper, we investigate the users’ learning behaviour by analysing their clickstream data across different learning platforms. The results indicate that most of the users tend to stay on a website for a short duration. Also, the design of materials on different websites affect the number of clicks and the pattern of engagement.
Size and Plumage Dimorphism in Lek-Breeding Birds: A Comparative Analysis

It has often been taken for granted that, among lekking avian species more than among species with other mating systems, males are larger and more brightly colored than females as a result of strong sexual selection. This assumption, however, is not supported by a phylogenetic analysis. In families with at least one lekking species, where phylogenies could be reconstructed, both plumage dimorphism (males being more brightly colored) and size dimorphism were not correlated with lekking. It was also found that lekking did not precede dimorphism more often than the reverse in the phylogenies for which the temporal order of these two events could be determined. Larger males are found particularly in species with ground displays. It is suggested that size monomorphism may be explained by selection for small agile males in species with aerial and/or arboreal displays. Although lekking seems to have favored the evolution of plumage dimorphism in some groups, it is suggested that in other groups sexual selection .
Fitness, parasitoids, and biological control: an opinion1

Abstract Fitness, defined as the per capita rate of increase of a genotype with reference to the population carrying the associated genes, is a concept used by biologists to describe how well an individual performs in a population. Fitness is rarely measured directly and biologists resort to proxies more easily measured but with varying connection to fitness. Size, progeny survival, and developmental rate are the most common proxies used in the literature to describe parasitoid fitness. The importance of the proxies varies between papers looking at evolutionary theories and those assessing ecological applications. The most direct measures of fitness for parasitoids are realised fecundity for females and mating ability for males, although these proxies are more difficult to measure under natural conditions. For practical purposes, measure of size, through body size or mass, is the proxy easiest to use while providing good comparative values; however, care must be taken when using a single proxy, as proxies can be affected differently by rearing conditions of the parasitoid. Résumé La valeur adaptative, définie comme le taux d’accroissement per capita d’un génotype en référence à une population possédant les gènes associés, est un concept utilisé par les biologistes pour décrire la performance d’un individu dans une population. Cependant la valeur adaptative est rarement mesurée directement et les biologistes utilisent plutôt des indices, plus faciles à mesurer mais qui sont de valeur inégale. La taille, la survie de la progéniture et le taux de développement sont les indices les plus souvent utilisés dans la littérature scientifique pour décrire la valeur adaptative des parasitoïdes. Toutefois, l’importance des indices varie selon que les articles traitent d’écologie évolutive ou d’écologie appliquée. Les indices les plus directement reliés à la valeur adaptative des parasitoïdes sont la fécondité réalisée pour les femelles et la capacité d’accouplement pour les mâles. Cependant, ces indices sont difficiles à mesurer dans des conditions réalistes. D’un point de vue pratique la taille, mesurée par le biais des dimensions ou de la masse du corps, est l’indice donnant une bonne valeur comparative le plus facile à utiliser. Toutefois, la prudence s’impose lorsqu’un seul indice est utilisé. En effet, les indices peuvent être influencés différemment par les conditions d’élevage d’un parasitoïde.
Effects of Bud Scale Removal, Calcium Cyanamide, GA3, and Ethephon on Bud Break of ‘Muscat of Alexandria’ Grape (Vitis vinifera L.)

Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of bud scale removal and application of supernatant of calcium cyanamide (CaCN2) at 20%, gibberellic acid (GA3) at 100ppm, and ethephon at 500 and 1, 000ppm on the termination of bud rest in single eye cuttings of ‘Muscat of Alexandria’ grape (Vitis vinifera L.). Bud scale removal greatly reduced the rest of cutting buds during the collection period from August 30, 1977, to February 28, 1978. In buds treated with CaCN2, termination of rest was hastened during the period from August 30 to November 1, and then delayed gradually until December 27. The bud rest was broken naturally around January 30. Bud rest was markedly prolonged by GA3 application during the collection period. Ethephon applied on November 30, when buds remained in a profound dormant condition, delayed termination of bud rest. These treatments were given to mature grapevines grown in a glasshouse. Appreciable increase in emergence rate was observed in the spring in both scale-removed and CaCN2-applied buds.
Investigation of Ixodid ticks as vectors of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi (Protozoa: Apicomplexa) in central Italy

ABSTRACT: Babesia caballi and Theileria equi are widely recognized as causative agents of equine pirolasmosis (EP), an acute, sub-acute, and chronic disease of equines, with relevant economic impact on horse trade worldwide. Although several studies on EP prevalence from central Italy have been published, data on ticks responsible for its transmission are still lacking. In this study, we identified a potential competent vector, investigating main features of its ecology together with EP infection rates. A two-year sampling of questing ticks was carried out for the first time in Italy in an area known for high EP prevalence in horse sera, detecting the association between Rhipicephalus bursa and causative agents of EP. Most of the positive pools harbored a single infection (91.1%); mixed infections were also detected (8.9%). The infection rate for T. equi slightly decreased among years; B. caballi showed a lower, but increasing, infection rate. Tick phenology, climate variables, and peaks of EP prevalence indicated late May and second half of June as periods with the highest risk of new infections, especially during warm and dry days.
Incidence of Keratinophilic Fungi from Selected Soils of Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra State, India

One hundred and fifty samples were collected from eleven districts of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra state and screened for the presence of keratinophilic fungi using hair baiting technique for isolation. Seventy-one isolates were recovered and identified. The cultures were identified using macro- and micromorphological features. Their identification was also confirmed by the BLAST search of sequences of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA region against the NCBI/Genbank data and compared with deposited sequences for identification purpose. Thirteen species of eight genera were isolated, namely, Auxarthron conjugatum (2.00%), Chrysosporium indicum (14.00%), Chrysosporium evolceanui (2.66%), Chrysosporium tropicum (4.66%), Chrysosporium zonatum (1.33%), Chrysosporium state of Ctenomyces serratus (3.33%), Gymnascella dankaliensis (1.33%), Gymnascella hyalinospora (0.66%), Gymnoascoideus petalosporus (0.66%), Microsporum gypseum complex (9.33%), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (2.00%), T. terrestre (3.33%), and Uncinocarpus queenslandicus (2.00%). This study indicates that the soils of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra may be significant reservoirs of certain keratinophilic fungi.
The critical need for postmarketing surveillance in gene therapy for haemophilia

The goal of gene therapy for haemophilia is to alter the clinical phenotype to a milder form or even cure, by increasing endogenous coagulation factor levels through transfer of a functional gene encoding the respective deficient coagulation factor and subsequent transgene expression. Over the past decade, there has been tremendous progress in gene therapy, particularly in use of liver‐directed adeno‐associated viral vectors, such that several programmes for both haemophilia A and B are in phase 3 trials. With regulatory approval of the first gene therapy product expected as early as mid‐2020, there is an urgent need for a mechanism to collect long‐term data on safety and variability and durability of efficacy. There will be elements required by regulators for postmarketing surveillance and additional data needed to enhance our understanding of gene therapy outcomes and their impact on the lives of people with haemophilia.
Managing plague on prairie dog colonies: insecticides as ectoparasiticides

ABSTRACT: Human health practitioners and wildlife biologists use insecticides to manage plague by suppressing fleas (Siphonaptera), but insecticides can also kill other ectoparasites. We investigated effects of deltamethrin and fipronil on ectoparasites from black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus, BTPDs). In late July, 2018, we treated three sites with 0.05% deltamethrin dust and 5 sites with host-fed 0.005% fipronil grain. Three non-treated sites functioned as experimental baselines. We collected ectoparasites before treatments (June-July, 2018) and after treatments (August-October, 2018, June-July, 2019). Both deltamethrin and fipronil suppressed fleas for at least 12 months. Deltamethrin had no detectable effect on mites (Arachnida). Fipronil suppressed mites for at least 12 months. Lice (Phthiraptera) were scarce on non-treated sites throughout the study, complicating interpretation. Concentrating on eight sites where all three ectoparasites where found in June-July, 2018 (before treatments), flea intensity was greatest on BTPDs carrying many lice and mites. These three ectoparasites co-occurred at high numbers, which might facilitate plague transmission in some cases. Lethal effects of insecticides on ectoparasite communities are potentially advantageous in the context of plague management.
Determination of the single polyadenylation site of the human proα1(II) collagen gene

Abstract Several cDNA clones for the human type II procollagen mRNA were isolated from a cartilage cDNA library. Six of the clones containing the longest inserts were subjected to restriction site mapping for alignment. All these six clones extended to the poly A tail. The longest clone, containing a 1470 bp insert, was named pHCAR3. Sequencing of pHCAR3 made it clear that neither of the two canonical AATAAA sequences of the human type II collagen gene is used as the polyadenylation signal. Two 60 bp stretches of high interspecies homology terminating in a hexanucleotide ATTAAA, located 23 nucleotides upstream of the poly A tail, apparently have an important role in determining the single polyadenylation signal for this gene. S1 protection experiments confirmed these observations.
Burn Induced Apoptosis of Pulmonary Microvascular Endothelial Cell is NHE1 Dependent and Regulated by PI3K-Akt and p38 MAPK Pathways.

Na/H exchanger 1 (NHE1) is a ubiquitously expressed protein on mammalian plasma membranes and involved in cell apoptosis and tissue injury. Our previous study found that NHE1 inhibition prevents burn-induced acute lung injury (ALI). However, the potential mechanism of NHE1 in burn-induced ALI is still unclear. This study investigated the role of NHE1 in burn-induced apoptosis of human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMVECs). Based on the western blot analyses, real-time PCR, fluorescence spectroscopy, and apoptosis analysis, we found that burn serum significantly induced NHE1 activation, promoted intracellular Na accumulation and elevated apoptosis ratio. Inhibition of NHE1 with cariporide reversed burn-induced intracellular Na accumulation and cell apoptosis. Different doses of cariporide also significantly decreased Cai concentrations and calpain activity induced by burn serum. Furthermore, inhibition of PI3K contributed to the increase of NHE1 activation and cell apoptosis, whereas the inhibition of p38 MAPK led to inhibition of NHE1 activation and significant decreases of cell apoptosis. The data demonstrate that NHE1 activation facilitates burn-induced endothelial cell apoptosis, mediated by Ca-dependent pathway. PI3K-Akt and p38 MAPK were found to be upstream regulators of NHE1. This study provides new mechanisms underlying burn-induced ALI.
Multiband LNAs for Software-Defined Radios: Recent Advances in the Design of Multiband Reconfigurable LNAs for SDRs in CMOS, Microwave Integrated Circuits Technology

The last decade has witnessed an increasing number of wireless standards for civil, military, and space communications. Along with the advances in integrated circuit (IC) technologies and the ever-growing requirements of high data rates, next-generation radios are expected to operate over multiple frequency bands. For example, carrier aggregation is used in LTE-Advanced radios to increase the bandwidth. However, it is challenging for traditional radios to operate over multiple frequency bands. In response to this, software-defined radios (SDRs) have been proposed to handle multiple bands through reconfiguration. They can adapt carrier frequency, transmission bandwidth, modulation, and encoding schemes by modifying digital signal processing (DSP) software algorithms [1]. In contrast to SDR, legacy communication systems are approaching their capability limits. They usually operate on a single band and require dedicated hardware. Thus, SDR is a promising radio technology to increase the flexibility of radio devices and reduce hardware and manufacturing costs, chip size, and power consumption [2].
A Novel Framework for Collecting and Analysing Offline Transaction Data for Digital Marketing

Despite the importance of understanding customer buying patterns in offline environments, there is currently no effective data collection method for offline venues as compared to online venues. It is noted that for offline transactions, such as in hypermarkets, departmental stores and so on, customers transactions records are normally restricted to the relevant store, which makes it practically impossible for an external entity to be informed of the purchase details of a given customer. Consequently, little is usually known of the actual buying patterns of customers when conducting offline shopping. In this paper, we propose a novel framework, which can easily allow customers to use their smart phones to willingly provide their offline transactions data to a cloud based system for further analysis. Useful insights from analyzed customer data are then expected to support effective digital marketing activities.
Germination alters the chemical composition and protein quality of lupin seeds

The chemical composition and protein quality of the kernels from Lupinus angustifolius seeds were compared with that for sprouts after 6 days germination. Germination resulted in an apparent increase in protein content from 395 g kg−1 to 435 g kg−1 DM. Fat and carbohydrate contents decreased. The oligosaccharide content of the sprouted lupin fell to a negligible level, while the phytate and alkaloid concentrations fell from 4.7 g kg−1 to 1.6 g kg−1 and from 0.72 g kg−1 to 0.16 g kg−1, respectively. The quality of lupin kernel protein was poor with a protein efficiency ratio (PER) of 1.45±0.15. Supplementation of kernel with DL-methionine (2.0 g kg−1) increased the protein quality (PER = 2.87±0.17) to that of casein (PER = 2.86±0.18). Germination reduced protein quality (PER = 0.44±0.16), and did not improve apparent protein digestibility (APD kernel = 80.4%; APD sprout = 77.5%). Supplementation of sprout protein with DL-methionine (2.0 g kg−1) increased the protein quality (PER = 2.57±0.20). The total sulphur-containing amino acid concentration of lupin kernel protein, 1.9 g per 16 g N was low, and decreased further to 1.3 g per 16 g N in the sprout, a drop of 32%. The results showed that germination of lupin seeds reduced the concentration of the anti-nutritive factors; however, it also reduced protein quality.
Contact-Free Biosignal Acquisition via Capacitive and Ultrasonic Sensors

Contact-free detection of human vital signs like heart rate and respiration rate will improve the patients’ comfort and enables long-term monitoring of newborns or bedridden patients. For that, reliable and safe measurement techniques are indispensable. The aim of this work is the development and comparison of novel ultrasonic and capacitive measurement setups, sharing a common hardware platform. Both measurement techniques that are implemented and compared are based on the detection of minor chest wall vibrations in millimeter ranges, due to geometrical thorax changes during respiration and heartbeat activities. After examining the physical measurement conditions and simulating the capacitive sensor, a problem-specific measurement setup is proposed. The system is characterized to be capable of detecting distance changes below $\mathrm {2~\mu m}$ via the ultrasonic sensor and below $\mathrm {800~\mu m}$ via the capacitive sensor. First subject measurements show that the detection of heart activities is possible under ideal conditions and exclusively with the proposed ultrasonic approach. However, the capacitive sensor works reliably for respiration monitoring, even when the subject is fully-clothed and covered with a blanket. The chosen ultrasonic approach is sensitive regarding minor changes of the reflecting surface and therefore has high uncertainty. In contrast, capacitive respiration detection is very reliable. It is conceivable that improvements in the capacitive sensor circuitry will also enable the detection of heart activities. The proposed ultrasonic approach presents current problems of this technique. In contrast to that, the unusual approach of capacitive sensing demonstrates a high potential regarding vital signs acquisition.
COPD Disease Classification Using Network Embedding with Synthetic Relationships

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive and non-reversible lung disease causing obstructed air-ﬂow from the lungs, often occurs with other diseases not restricted to the respiratory system. Therefore, it is important to understand interaction between genes and diseases to uncover the real causes of a disease. In this paper, we propose to automatically classify COPD diseases, using network of gene disease relationships. We simplify interaction between COPD, COPD multimorbidities, and related genes as a bi-partite network, and apply network embedding together with machine learning classiﬁers to classify diseases into different categories. Our experiments conﬁrm that adding synthetic edges in a strategic way statistically enhances quality of node embedding and improve COPD disease classiﬁcation performance.