Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Magnetic Resveratrol Liposomes as a New Theranostic Platform for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Guided Parkinson’s Disease Targeting Therapy

Resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene, Res), as a natural product and neuroprotective drug, plays important roles in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, Res is seriously hindered by the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which limits the access of Res to the central nervous system. In addition, the differential diagnosis of PD has been considered one of the most challenging in neurology. Herein, a magnetic targeting drug nanocarrier, Fe3O4-modified Res liposomes (Res-lips@Fe3O4), was designed and fabricated. The factional anisotropy (FA) values and T2 relaxation time of the Res-lips@Fe3O4 treated rats were obtained by magnetic resonance imaging. The Res-lips@Fe3O4 possessed high drug capability and stability, which exhibited strong magnetic response properties. Res-lips@Fe3O4 displayed sustained and slow drug release in vitro. In vivo experiments showed that the Res-lips@Fe3O4 could effectively cross the BBB and increase the drug content at the target site under the external magnetic field.
Therapeutic Effect of Magnetic Stimulation Therapy on Pelvic Floor Muscle Dysfunction

Pelvic bottom dysfunction includes sexual dysfunction, lower urinary tract dysfunction, defecation dysfunction, etc., and the quality of daily life is significantly impaired. Although drug based and surgical therapies exist as treatment methods, non-invasive treatment methods for pelvic floor dysfunction are highly desired, and magnetic stimulation therapy is attracting attention as a potential new approach. Magnetic stimulation therapy can generate deeper stimulations as compared to electrical stimulation therapy, is less painful, and can be performed while wearing clothes. In addition, it is a very safe treatment method with only few reports of side effects. From nocturnal enuresis in children to middle-aged sexual dysfunction and urinary incontinence in the elderly, therapeutic effects on various pelvic floor dysfunctions have been confirmed regardless of age and gender. It is expected that magnetic therapy will continue to develop as a new therapy in the futures. This chapter first describes the pelvic floor muscles and the principles of anatomy and magnetic therapy. In addition, the therapeutic effects of magnetic therapy will be explained in detail one by one. We will also explain the potential application of magnetic therapy for sarcopenia, which is a problem in our aging society.
Evaluation of thermally and chemically reduced graphene oxide films as counter electrodes on dye-sensitized solar cells

Graphene oxide (GO) was prepared by modified Hummer's method to produce reduced graphene oxide (RGO) following standard thermal and chemical reduction processes. Prepared RGO colloids were utilized to fabricate RGO films over glass and FTO coated glass substrates through drop-coating. A systematic study was performed to evaluate the effect of reduction degree on the optical and electrical properties of the RGO film. We demonstrate that both the reduction process (thermal and chemical) produce RGO films of similar optical and electrical behaviors. However, the RGO films fabricated using chemically reduced GO colloid render better performance in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), when they are used as counter electrodes (CEs). It has been demonstrated that RGO films of optimum thicknesses fabricated using RGO colloids prepared using lower concentration of hydrazine reducer have better catalytic performance in DSSCs due to a better catalytic interaction with redox couple. The better catalytic performance of the RGO films fabricated at optimal hydrazine concentration is associated to their higher available surface area and lower grain boundaries.
Real-time Estimation of Road Surfaces using Fast Monocular Depth Estimation and Normal Vector Clustering

Estimating a road surface or planes for applying AR(Augmented Reality) or an autonomous vehicle using a camera requires significant computation. Vision sensors have lower accuracy in distance measurement than other types of sensor, and have the difficulty that additional algorithms for estimating data must be included. However, using a camera has the advantage of being able to extract various information such as weather conditions, sign information, and road markings that are difficult to measure with other sensors. Various methods differing in sensor type and configuration have been applied. Many of the existing studies had generally researched by performing the depth estimation after the feature extraction. However, recent studies have suggested using deep learning to skip multiple processes and use a single DNN(Deep Neural Network). Also, a method using a limited single camera instead of a method using a plurality of sensors has been proposed. This paper presents a single-camera method that performs quickly and efficiently by employing a DNN to extract distance information using a single camera, and proposes a modified method for using a depth map to obtain real-time surface characteristics. First, a DNN is used to estimate the depth map, and then for quick operation, normal vector that can connect similar planes to depth is calculated, and a clustering method that can be connected is provided. An experiment is used to show the validity of our method, and to evaluate the calculation time.
Exogenously Applied Proline Modulates Drought Tolerance in Maize (Zea mays L)

Improving drought stress tolerance in maize is essential to increase its production and yield worldwide. Thus, the present study was conducted to investigate the improvement of drought tolerance in maize (Zea mays L.) by exogenous application of proline (25 and 50mM) on two maize varieties. Maize plants were subjected to drought stress at various phases of plant growth under pot culture conditions and proline was applied as foliar spray. Water deficit stress caused a significant decrease (by approximately 25%) in growth and yield of both maize varieties by decreasing plant height, cob length, dry root weight, grains per cob and 100-grain weight. Water deficit stress also decreased chlorophyll and intercellular proline contents, and antioxidant enzyme activities viz. catalase (CAT), guaiacol peroxidase (POX) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). Exogenous application of proline (50 mM) was found to be more effective in increasing growth and yield of both varieties. These increases were positively associated with increased levels (by at least 15%) of chlorophyll and intracellular proline, and enhanced activities of CAT, POX and APX enzymes in both varieties. Interaction effects of exogenous proline and water deficit stress were significant in aspects of higher growth and yields and enhanced levels of chlorophyll, intracellular proline and antioxidant enzyme activities. Therefore, it is concluded that foliar application of proline improves drought tolerance by modulating chlorophyll and intracellular proline contents, and antioxidant enzyme activities.
Mangrove distribution and diversity during three Cenozoic thermal maxima in the Northern Hemisphere (pollen records from the Arctic–North Atlantic–Mediterranean regions)

Past pollen records reveal the changes in latitudinal distribution of plants in relation to climate, particularly their expansion in response to global warming. The maximum northward expansion of the mangrove genus Avicennia since the Early Eocene is known, but this information is missing for other mangrove taxa. Here, we evaluate the diversity of past mangroves with respect to latitude during three Cenozoic thermal maxima (PETM: 56 Ma; EECO: 54–49 Ma; MMCO: 17–14 Ma).
Engineered Generation of Human Natural Killer Cells From Different Somatic Cells Subjected to Physical Reprogramming

Background: As part of the innate immune system, natural killer (NK) cells can directly kill virus-infected cells and malignant cells without pre-immunization. NK cell-based immunotherapy has attracted tremendous attention as a practical treatment for cancer and other diseases. In order to provide unlimited “off-the-shelf” NK cells to serve many recipients, we designed and demonstrated an overall manufacturing scheme for mass production of NK cells from physically reprogrammed somatic cells. Methods: Different somatic cells would be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by physical-dynamic suspension culture system, which was non-viral, non-integrated, non-compound-induced, feeder-free, and serum-free. The pluripotency of iPSCs was assessed by immunofluorescence, flow cytometry analysis, western blot, and teratoma assay. By using a combination of cytokines, iPSCs would be further differentiated into NK cells. Immunofluorescence, flow cytometry analysis, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release method were performed to evaluate the characteristics of NK cells. Results: Starting from human somatic cells, we obtained iPSCs in the form of spherical embryoids (SEs) through physical reprogramming. iPSCs were similar to embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in their characteristics, including morphology, expression of pluripotency-associated markers, and teratoma formation. NK cells were efficiently generated from SEs by a combination of cytokines under feeder-free conditions. SEs-NK cells share similar phenotypic and functional characteristics with human NK cells, including morphology, cell surface markers, and cytotoxicity. Conclusions: We have not only established a practical approach for large-scale production of universal NK cells, but also provided a platform for generating good manufacturing practice (GMP)-compliant iPSCs through physical dynamics, thus suggesting that the physical reprogramming will become a more promising strategy for future biotherapies.
“Long COVID” follow-up pathway: results of longitudinal cohort study to investigate 6- and 12-month outcomes after hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 infection

Long-term sequelae of symptomatic infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 are largely undiscovered. We performed a prospective cohort study on consecutively hospitalized Sars-CoV-2 patients (March-May 2020) for evaluating COVID-19 outcomes at 6 and 12 months. After hospital discharge, patients were addressed to two follow-up pathways based on respiratory support needed during hospitalization. Outcomes were assessed by telephone consultation or ambulatory visit. Among 471 patients, 81.6% received no respiratory support during hospitalization; 8.2% received non-invasive ventilation; 0.2% required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). 64 patients died during hospitalization, therefore 407 were enrolled for follow-up. At 6 months, among 355patients, the 27.0% had any symptoms, 19.4% dyspnea, 5.4% neurological symptoms. Fifty-two out of 104 had major damages in interstitial Computed Tomography images. IMV patients had higher probability to suffer of neurological symptoms (OR=4.12, p=0.01). At 12 months, among 344, the 24.4% suffered on any symptoms, 14.0% dyspnea, 10.0% neurological symptoms. Severe interstitial lesions were present in 37 out of 47 investigated patients. IMV patients in respect to no respiratory support, had higher probability of experiencing symptoms (OR=3.51, p<0.01), dyspnea (OR=3.08, p<0.01 ), neurological symptoms (OR= 11.50, p<0.01). COVID-19 patients showed prolonged sequelae up to 12 months, highlighting the need of follow-up pathways for post-COVID-19 syndrome.
Design of a Multiloop Control Structure for Load-Disturbance Attenuation and Power-Mismatch Mitigation in Isolated Multiport Power Converters

This article proposes a multiloop control structure for isolated multiport power converters (IMPCs), which includes a multiloop load-disturbance attenuation controller (MLDAC) and also an improved multiloop power-mismatch mitigation controller (MPMMC). The inherent capability of the IMPC to use a common magnetic link (CML) instead of multiple magnetic links offers an attractive solution to design a compact multimodule-based IMPC. With the proposed MLDAC, the IMPC can regulate the system voltage for any load disturbance without requiring any feedforward output current sensor. Moreover, the proposed MPMMC effectively mitigates leakage parameter mismatch and strictly balances the power routing in the multiple ports of the IMPC. The proposed MLDAC and MPMMC are decoupled with an improved decoupling mechanism. Additionally, this article develops a control law to indicate a safe operating area of the MPMMC. The strict voltage regulation of the IMPC under random load disturbance facilitates plug-n-play connectivity and supply of power to pulsed power loads. Moreover, eliminating the power-mismatch issues in the CML ensures equal thermal stresses and duty-life cycles of the solid-state switching devices. The performance of the proposed MLDAC is tested and compared with existing disturbance attenuation techniques. The simulation and the experimental results substantiate the superiority of the proposed MLDAC and MPMMC.
Psychological stress, job satisfaction, and career decisions of taxi drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study of male senior taxi drivers

Background and objective: The purpose of this study aims to understand and explore the relationships of stress, job satisfaction, and the career decisions of taxi drivers in South Korea, particularly during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Based on the self-efficacy approach and social cognitive career and motivation theory, this study was guided by two research questions, as follows: (1) What are the stress factors for senior taxi drivers? How do senior taxi drivers describe the relationship between stress and job satisfaction, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea? Does age play a role? (2) Did senior taxi drivers leave or retire from the taxi driving profession due to stress and job satisfaction during or after the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea? Why? Does age play a role? Materials and methods: The purposive and snowball sampling strategies were employed to recruit 62 male senior taxi drivers all across South Korea. The in-depth, semi-structured, and private interview session was employed.Results: The results indicated that the surrounding environment and individuals, personal considerations with health and body condition, and financial consideration with insufficient pension from the government policy were three key elements for motivations and career decisions. Contributions and conclusion: Government leaders and policymakers should take the results from this study as a blueprint to reform and polish human resources planning and working rights for senior citizens who continue to work in the professions. Although the government has encouraged senior citizens to be part of the workforce until the age of 65, many senior citizens in late adulthood still suffer from negative workplace conditions and stress. Immediate solutions are needed as senior citizens deserve a manageable retirement.
Orthogonally Dual-Polarized Leaky-Wave Antenna for Endfire Radiation Based on Periodical Loading

We propose a dual-polarized leaky-wave antenna (LWA) with orthomode based on a metallic square waveguide for broadband endfire radiation applications. Several double-sided slots acting as radiation elements are notched on the waveguide to produce an endfire pattern. To overcome the restriction associated with the endfire radiation condition of a linear array, a metallic core periodically loaded with pins is used to control the dispersion of the proposed double-sided-slot waveguide. By optimizing the height distribution of the loading pins along the longitudinal direction using a cosine function, stable endfire radiation can be achieved over a broad operating band. Moreover, dual-polarized radiation can be automatically implemented because of the rotational symmetry of the proposed LWA. Furthermore, two rectangular waveguides connected with a square waveguide are used as the orthomode transducer (OMT) of the proposed LWA. The numerical and experimental results verify that dual-polarized endfire radiation is achieved in the frequency range of 7.6–9.1 GHz with an isolation of higher than 45 dB. The realized gain achieved is in the range of 13–15 dBi with a cross-polarization level of below −30 dB.
Definition of Optimal Maize Seeding Rates Based on the Potential Yield of Management Zones

The decision on crop population density should be a function of biotic and abiotic field parameters and optimize the site-specific yield potential, which can be a real challenge for farmers. The objective of this study was to investigate the yield of maize hybrids subjected to variable rate seeding (VRS) and in differentiated management zones (MZs). The experiment was conducted between 2013 and 2015 in a commercial field in the Central-West region of Brazil. First, MZ were delineated using the K-means algorithm with layers involving soil electrical conductivity, yield maps from previous years, and elevation. Seven maize hybrids at five seeding rates were evaluated in the context of each MZ and the cause-and-effect relationship with soil attributes was investigated. Optimal yields were obtained for crop population densities between 70,000 plants ha−1 and 80,000 plants ha−1. Hybrids which perform well under higher densities are key in achieving positive results using VRS. The plant population densities that resulted in maximum yields were obtained for densities at least 27% higher than the recommended seeding rates. The yield variance between MZs can be explained by the variance in soil attributes, while the yield variance within MZs can be explained by the variance in plant population densities. The study shows that on-farm experimentation can be key for obtaining information concerning yield potential. The management by VRS in different MZs is a low-cost technique that can reduce input application costs and optimize yield according to the site-specific potential of the field.
Predicting vote choice in the 2020 Irish general election

ABSTRACT This research note has two functions. It first sets the scene for this special issue using the 2020 Irish National Election Study (INES), which comprises several discrete data sets. The note also reports on findings from one part of the INES – an online poll of voters of polling day, which included a battery of questions related to attitudes and behaviours relevant to national politics. The note provides an empirical analysis of the vote choice in this election. Rather than taking a theory-testing approach, we use a more data-driven strategy and identify the key variables in the data set that are of relevance to an understanding of vote choice. Our findings support the views of other recent commentaries of Irish elections that Irish electoral politics is undergoing major transformation. The new electoral politics that is emerging is personified by a clear left vs. right divide in which strongly held ideological positions separate the voters of the main parties.
Tuning of Graphene-Based Optical Devices Operating in the Near-Infrared

Graphene is a material with exceptional optical, electrical and physicochemical properties that can be combined with dielectric waveguides. To date, several optical devices based on graphene have been modeled and fabricated operating in the near-infrared range and showing excellent performance and broad application prospects. This paper covers the main aspects of the optical behaviour of graphene and its exploitation as electrodes in several device configurations. The work compares the reported optical devices focusing on the wavelength tuning, showing how it can vary from a few hundred up to a few thousand picometers in the wavelength range of interest. This work could help and lead the design of tunable optical devices with integrated graphene layers that operate in the NIR.
Outlier based Human Fall Detection using One-Class Classification

Objective: This work aims to develop a human fall detection method that is trained using data of routine movement of people only collected from accelerometer sensor to stay away from irregular fall detection model. This work also aims to analyze the effect of calculated features on the fall detection model. Methodology: In the proposed method, The fall detection model is built using one-class classification. At first, data of accelerometer sensor in three directions has been used to detect the fall events. Five feature vectors i.e. resultant, variance, standard deviation, Root Mean square, and Euclidean Norm have been calculated. These four features along with one class SVM have been used to build fall detection model in ways (1) Using only resultant features only (2) Using all calculated features. This model was trained using only activities of daily living (ADL) and tested on both daily living activities and fall activities. Findings: It is found that when the model was built using all calculated features, the sensitivity was 100% and specificity was 94.92% when mobile is in the pocket and; sensitivity was 100% and specificity was 93.61% when mobile is in handbag which is better than when the model was built using resultant features only. We have also studied the effect of individual features on this fall detection model and it is found that variance played a very important role to classify fall activities and ADL activities. Novelty - The proposed fall detection method is built using one-class classification so that the proposed model will be reliable to detect falls in real life. In the proposed work, the effect of features on the fall detection model is also analyzed. Keywords: One class classification; accelerometer; outlier detection; fall detection; Bagging classifier
An Edge Caching Strategy Based on User Speed and Content Popularity for Mobile Video Streaming

Mobile users’ demands to delay-sensitive video streaming media put forward new requirements for mobile networks, such as architecture optimization. Edge caching as a new paradigm is proposed to enhance the quality of service (QoS) for mobile users at the network edge. Due to the limited coverage of edge cache nodes, the frequent handoffs between base stations would aggravate network traffic overhead, resulting in a bad experience of high latency and service interruption when mobile users browse videos. This paper first proposes a three-layer mobile edge network architecture and applied edge caching to video streams to build an efficient caching system. Given the user’s mobility and low latency of mobile video streaming, we propose an edge caching strategy based on user speed and content popularity. Horizontally, the user’s speed affects the spanning area and the buffer size of the cache on edge; vertically, content popularity determines the priority of cached videos. Experimental results demonstrate that our caching strategy outperforms other schemes in terms of the average delay and the cache hit ratio in mobile video streaming scenes compared with the other three classic caching methods.
Atmospheric Circulation Sensitivity to Changes in the Vertical Structure of Polar Warming

This study examines the effects of the vertical structure of polar warming on the remote atmospheric circulation. We apply thermal forcing at different vertical levels in the Northern Hemisphere polar region in two atmospheric global climate models of different complexity, both coupled to an aquaplanet slab ocean. The efficacy of polar heating in perturbing the remote climate increases with the altitude at which it is applied. This robust sensitivity arises from the dominance of surface temperature contribution to the outgoing longwave radiation owing to the large emissivity of the polar troposphere. An upper‐level polar heating has a smaller fraction of forcing balanced by radiative flux changes and a larger contribution from atmospheric energy transport changes, which provokes larger shifts in the extratropical jet and Hadley circulation. Our results suggest increasingly far‐reaching impacts of Arctic warming as a less surface‐trapped profile is projected for seasonally ice‐free conditions in the near future.