Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association Between the Cholinesterase Inhibitor Donepezil and the Cholinergic Precursor Choline Alphoscerate in the Treatment of Depression in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: Depressive symptoms are common in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and are associated with an increased functional decline. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants showed a limited efficacy. Objective: The purpose of this work was to evaluate if a higher brain cholinergic stimulation induced by the association between the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil and the cholinergic precursor choline alphoscerate has any effect on depression in AD patients. Methods: Patients were selected among those recruited in the ASCOMALVA (association between the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil and the cholinergic precursor choline alphoscerate in AD) trial. Depressive symptoms were investigated in 90 AD patients through the neuropsychiatric inventory at baseline and after 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months of treatment. Patients were randomized in a group association therapy (45 subjects) receiving donepezil 10 mg plus choline alphoscerate 1,200 mg/day, and a group monotherapy (45 subjects) receiving donepezil 10 mg/day plus placebo. Based on the results of the MMSE at the recruitment patients were divided into 3 groups: severely impaired (score < 15); moderately impaired (score 19-16); mild-moderately impaired (score 24-20). Results: Depression symptoms were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in patients treated with donepezil plus choline alphoscerate compared to patients treated with donepezil alone. Subjects of the group having mild to moderate cognitive impairment were those more sensitive to the association treatment. Conclusion: Depression symptoms of AD patients in the mild to moderate stage probably could to benefit of a stronger cholinergic stimulation induced by associating donepezil with the cholinergic precursor choline alphoscerate.
A Web-based Host Platform for Pedagogical Virtual Machines Uma plataforma de hospedagem baseada na Web para máquinas pedagógicas

Difficulties in the multi platform deployment and use of pedagogical Virtual Machines can have an annoying impact in the success of a compilers construction course. This paper introduces a compilers construction course sup- port platform that tackles this issue. The proposed platform is web-based, where the virtual machines are remotely accessed through a browser and by the adequate use of web services. Moreover, both command line and graphical user interface versions are supported. Aside portability and maintenance issues, an interesting feature of the archi- tecture design is its ability to easily integrate new virtual machines. As proof of concept we will show some prelimi- nary results on the integration of two very different virtual machines that are used in compiler construction courses in Portuguese universities.
Climate Extrapolations in Hydrology: The Expanded Bluecat Methodology

Bluecat is a recently proposed methodology to upgrade a deterministic model (D-model) into a stochastic one (S-model), based on the hypothesis that the information contained in a time series of observations and the concurrent predictions made by the D-model is sufficient to support this upgrade. The prominent characteristics of the methodology are its simplicity and transparency, which allow its easy use in practical applications, without sophisticated computational means. In this paper, we utilize the Bluecat methodology and expand it in order to be combined with climate model outputs, which often require extrapolation out of the range of values covered by observations. We apply the expanded methodology to the precipitation and temperature processes in a large area, namely the entire territory of Italy. The results showcase the appropriateness of the method for hydroclimatic studies, as regards the assessment of the performance of the climate projections, as well as their stochastic conversion with simultaneous bias correction and uncertainty quantification.
Effect of Two Feed Additives—One Multicomponent Based on Nanosilica and the Second Containing Mycelium of Lentinula edodes Fortified with Selenium—On Production Parameters and Histological Analysis of Calves’ Duodenum and Abdominal Rumen

Simple Summary In the current study, we investigated the effects of two different additives on calves’ production parameters (body weight, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and feed conversion ratio), hematological and biochemical results; serum selenium level, and histology of duodenum and rumen. A total of 18 1-day-old male calves were randomly assigned to control and two experimental treatments for 70 days. The first additive contained nanosilica with pancreatic enzymes, a mixture of fat-coated organic acids (fumaric, malic, citric, and sorbic acids), and sodium butyrate, whereas the second was based on the mycelium of L. edodes enriched in selenium. At the end of the experiment, three animals from each group were sacrificed for histological analysis of the digestive tract (abdominal rumen and small intestine). The findings of this study indicate that supplementation had no influence on growth performance, nor hematological or biochemical parameters. The additives did not increase duodenal crypt depth, villi height or width, or rumen papillae height or width. In the study, we observed higher levels of serum selenium and lower average daily milk replacer intake at 35–42 d but higher levels from 42 to 70 d in the animals receiving the inclusion of modified L. edodes mycelium. Abstract With this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of two multicomponent feed additives given to animals from 10 to 70 d with milk replacer on the production parameters of reared calves: serum selenium level and histology of duodenum and rumen. The first additive was based on nanosilica (3000 mg) containing pancreatic enzymes (protease (18 mg), lipase (45 mg)), a mixture of fat-coated organic acids (2000 mg) (fumaric, malic, citric, and sorbic acids), and sodium butyrate (10,000 mg) (nanosilica/E/OA/SB), whereas the second was based on the mycelium of L. edodes (7 g) enriched in selenium (0.058 mg/g d.w.) (L. edodes/Se). The study was conducted on 18 male crossbred Holstein dairy calves from birth to 70 days of age, which were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups (six animals in each). From each group, three animals were sacrificed at 70 days of age, and histological analysis of the digestive tract (abdominal rumen and small intestine) was performed. It was observed that the additives used did not have any effect on growth performance and hematological or biochemical parameters. However, higher levels of selenium were found in serum in the calves fed with modified L. edodes mycelium on days 35 and 70 (44.33 and 51.33 µg/L in the control group and 132 and 93 µg/L in the L. edodes/Se group, respectively; p < 0.001). Moreover, we noticed lower average daily milk replacer intake at 35–42 d, which increased significantly from 42 to 70 d in the animals receiving L. edodes/Se.
Active Metamaterials for Terahertz Communication and Imaging

In recent years there has been significant interest in terahertz (THz) systems mostly due to their unique applications in communication and imaging. One of the primary reason for this resurgence is the use of metamaterials to design THz devices due to lack of natural materials that can respond to this electromagnetic spectrum, the so-called ”THz gap”. Even after years of intense research, THz systems are complex and expensive, unsuitable for mainstream
Literature review of students’ perceptions of generic competence development in problem-based learning in engineering education

ABSTRACT The development of generic skills and competences has become a central component of contemporary engineering education due to increased societal and occupational complexity. Problem- and project-based learning (PBL) has been highlighted as one of the pedagogical approaches fostering generic skills and competences that are transferable between various contexts. However, the arguments linking PBL and generic competences have mostly been theoretically grounded or based on singular cases of teaching experience. The purpose of this literature review is therefore to present a comprehensive overview of the different types of generic competences documented in a PBL environment. The review includes 28 peer-reviewed articles that have documented engineering students’ perceptions of generic skill and competence development. The results reveal either an emphasis in the studies on teamwork, typically combined with a couple of other types of generic competences, or, in a few cases, a narrow focus on problem-solving. The synthesis of generic competences perceived by engineering students in PBL environments furthermore unfolds a landscape of generic competences, which provides a frame of reference to discuss strategies to foster the broad set of generic competences needed for future engineers to deal with the complex societal challenges of our time.
Defect density of states in natural and synthetic MoS2 multilayer flakes

It has become important to identify and study dominant defects in different forms of transition metal dichalcogenide materials, which are being explored for use in electronic devices. We have investigated the density and distribution of deep defect states in natural and synthetic multilayer MoS2 (m–MoS2) flakes using temperature-dependent admittance spectroscopy. The flakes sandwiched between suitable electrodes with an Au|m-MoS2|ZnO structure act as good quality diodes suitable for capacitance-based studies. The defect density of states (DOS) show Gaussian distribution, and density was found to be approximately 1014 and 1013 cm−3 eV−1 in the natural and synthetic MoS2 flake devices, respectively. Both types of flakes showed a deep level around 0.8 eV below the conduction band edge with a Gaussian disorder parameter of around 33 and 30 meV, respectively, at room temperature, indicating a common origin corresponding to these defect states. The synthetic MoS2 flake device shows the appearance of an additional defect state at around 0.7 eV, which is probably related to a stoichiometric defect. Our results point to the possible occurrence of a large lattice relaxation of donors with associated trap levels deep within the gap. Our results demonstrate an excellent non-destructive method of deriving defect DOS in multilayer flakes.
Hybrid routing and bridging strategies for large scale mobile ad hoc networks

Multi-hop packet radio networks (or mobile ad-hoc networks) are an ideal technology to establish “instant” communication infrastructure for military and civilian applications in which both hosts and routers are mobile. In this dissertation, a position-based/link-state hybrid, proactive routing protocol (Position-guided Sliding-window Routing—PSR) that provides for a flat, mobile ad-hoc routing architecture is described, analyzed and evaluated. PSR is based on the superposition of link-state and position-based routing, and it employs a simplified way of localizing routing overhead, without having to resort to complex, multiple-tier routing organization schemes. A set of geographic routing zones is defined for each node, where the purpose of the ith routing zone is to restrict propagation of position updates, advertising position differentials equal to the radius of the (i-1)th routing zone. Thus, the proposed protocol controls position-update overhead generation and propagation by making the overhead generation rate and propagation distance directly proportional to the amount of change in a node's geographic position. An analytical model and framework is provided, in order to study the various design issues and trade-offs of PSR routing mechanism, discuss their impact on the protocol's operation and effectiveness, and identify optimal values for critical design parameters, under different mobility scenarios. In addition an in-depth performance evaluation, via modeling and simulation, was performed in order to demonstrate PSR's operational effectiveness in terms of scalability, mobility support, and efficiency. Furthermore, power and energy metrics, such as path fading and battery capacity considerations, are integrated into the routing decision (cost function) in order to improve PSR's power efficiency and network lifetime. It is demonstrated that the proposed routing protocol is ideal for deployment and implementation especially in large scale mobile ad hoc networks. Wireless local area networks (WLAN) are being deployed widely to support networking needs of both consumer and enterprise applications, and IEEE 802.11 specification is becoming the de facto standard for deploying WLAN. However IEEE 802.11 specifications allow only one hop communication between nodes. A layer-2 bridging solution is proposed in this dissertation, to increase the range of 802.11 base stations using ad hoc networking, and therefore solve the hotspot communication problem, where a large number of mobile users require Internet access through an access point. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Species Surface Distribution and Surface Tension of Aqueous Solutions of MIBC and NaCl Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC) is a high-performance surfactant with unusual interfacial properties much appreciated in industrial applications, particularly in mineral flotation. In this study, the structure of air–liquid interfaces of aqueous solutions of MIBC-NaCl is determined by using molecular dynamics simulations employing polarizable and nonpolarizable force fields. Density profiles at the interfaces and surface tension for a wide range of MIBC concentrations reveal the key role of polarizability in determining the surface solvation of Cl− ions and the expulsion of non-polarizable Na+ ions from the interface to the liquid bulk, in agreement with spectroscopic experiments. The orientation of MIBC molecules at the water liquid–vapor interface changes as the concentration of MIBC increases, from parallel to the interface to perpendicular, leading to a well-packed monolayer. Surface tension curves of fresh water and aqueous NaCl solutions in the presence of MIBC intersect at a reproducible surfactant concentration for a wide range of salt concentrations. The simulation results for a 1 M NaCl aqueous solution with polarizable water and ions closely capture the MIBC concentration at the intercept. The increase in surface tension of the aqueous MIBC/NaCl mixture below the concentration of MIBC at the intersection seems to originate in a disturbance of the interfacial hydrogen bonding structure of the surface liquid water caused by Na+ ions acting at a distance and not by its presence on the interface.
Field-Effect Capacitors Decorated with Ligand-Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles: Modeling and Experiments

Nanoparticles are recognized as highly attractive tunable materials for designing field-effect biosensors with enhanced performance. In this work, we present a theoretical model for electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitors (EISCAP) decorated with ligand-stabilized charged gold nanoparticles. The charged AuNPs are taken into account as additional, nanometer-sized local gates. The capacitance-voltage (C–V) curves and constant-capacitance (ConCap) signals of the AuNP-decorated EISCAPs have been simulated. The impact of the AuNP coverage on the shift of the C–V curves and the ConCap signals was also studied experimentally on Al–p-Si–SiO2 EISCAPs decorated with positively charged aminooctanethiol-capped AuNPs. In addition, the surface of the EISCAPs, modified with AuNPs, was characterized by scanning electron microscopy for different immobilization times of the nanoparticles.
Adaptive temperature limits for air-conditioned museums in temperate climates

ABSTRACT Indoor temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) are important for collection preservation and thermal comfort in museums. In the 20th century, the notion evolved that T and RH need to be stringently controlled, often resulting in excessive energy consumption. However, recent studies have shown that controlled fluctuations are permissible, enabling improved energy efficiency. Consequently, the thermal comfort requirements are increasingly important to determine temperature limits, but knowledge is limited. Therefore, a thermal comfort survey study and indoor measurements were conducted at Hermitage Amsterdam museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands for one year, including: (1) monitoring of existing conditions (T = 21°C, RH = 50%); and (2) an intervention in which T is controlled based on an adaptive comfort approach (T = 19.5–24°C, RH = 50%). The results show that the thermal comfort of the existing conditions is far from optimum; visitors feel too cool in summer and slightly too warm in winter. The adaptive temperature limits were developed to improve thermal comfort significantly without endangering the collection, thereby saving energy. Furthermore, facilitating visitors to adapt their clothing may contribute to enlarging the temperature bandwidth and improve (individual) thermal comfort.
Formal cooperation and the performance of Italian firms operating inside and outside industrial districts

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the impact of formal cooperation on the performance of Italian firms operating inside and outside industrial districts (IDs). The analysis is focused on a policy tool (Contratti di Rete or network agreements) introduced in Italy to promote the use of non-equity alliances among smaller firms. We claim that the impact of both inward- and outward-looking partnerships is moderated by the local environment in which member firms are embedded. The results show that the benefits from the policy measure are more evident for outward-looking agreements that do not involve ID firms. Inside IDs, firms do not seem to be capable of reaping significant gains from the use of formal cooperation. From a policy perspective, our findings suggest that decision-makers should tailor their interventions to the features of the local economic environment, promoting strategies aimed at maximizing the outcomes of formal cooperation while accounting for geographical differences.
PKU-SHRC Team Description for RoboCup 2010

This paper introduces the hardware and software design of robots developed by PKU-SHRC Team for RoboCup 2010, Singapore. Each robot consists of 25 actuated degrees of freedom based on Dynamixel RX28, and RX64 servos. The whole system runs on a powerful ARM and DSP platform at a high speed. Software design combines the technology of computer vision, speech recognition, pattern recognition, and mechanical control. The robots can detect and track each single object in the playfield by vision. They can localize themselves accurately by machine learning algorithm. They can communicate with each other through natural language by speech recognition. They can also do planning and inference by artificial intelligence technology. What we want to do is to make the robot more like a human, not only from its appearance and mechanical design, but also from its innate intelligence.
Cyberattacks on Self-Driving Cars and Surgical and Eldercare Robots

Robots have improved human life and increased the efficiency of performance in tasks that require precision and effort. For example, surgical robots are now used to perform precise surgical procedures and give accurate results. Moreover, robots are also used in elderly care to ease their lives. Perhaps there can even be self-driving cars that could deliver a person to their destination without the need of a driver. So it is very important to mention that these robots should be secure in terms of security for human life. Hence, this paper aims to explore the published studies on robots and their various security vulnerabilities. We review the most prominent weaknesses in the robotic operating system (ROS) and discuss some types of attacks against these robots. Also, this paper discusses the security enhancements to protect ROS that researchers have suggested protecting against some of the attacks and vulnerabilities that may occur on these robots. The primary findings of this work are to generate system copies for backup as well as encryption to protect against information disclosure. Also, a dynamic model is needed to detect and mitigate attacks that may occur in a physical manner, such as injecting malware into robots.
Spatial distribution of bat activity in agricultural fields: implications for ecosystem service estimates

Bats provide a number of ecosystem services in agricultural areas, including the predation of night-flying insects, for which they are estimated to save agricultural industries billions of dollars per year. Intensive agriculture has many negative effects on biodiversity, and it is important to understand how wildlife exploit available habitats to allow persistence in these human-modified landscapes. To better evaluate the effectiveness of bats’ pest-controlling services, and to increase understanding of bat foraging behavior in these historically open grassland landscapes, we estimated bat activity and insect abundance in and around crop fields in southeast Nebraska, USA. Specifically, we used a novel acoustic grid sampling approach to document and visualize spatiotemporal activity patterns by different bat species over agricultural fields and forested habitat along crop field edges. Bat activity was highest in areas with the most forested edge habitat, and sites with more trees and water typically had more species present. Bat species and activity was low in isolated forest fragments and sites with minimal habitat edges, but overall insect volume did not decline away from field edges, suggesting that ecosystem services provided by bats likely diminish not because of a decline in resource availability, but because of the lack of structure. Woodland interfaces are important habitats for bats, and the invasion of grasslands by woody species in the Great Plains has increased available bat habitat, and therefore services provided by bats, but with a cost to grasslands and the ecological services they provide. However, although bats are clearly important insect predators that benefit agricultural activities, our ability to quantify the ecosystem services they provide will be greatly improved with a more nuanced understanding of how their activity varies relative to habitat structure and scale within the landscapes where these services are required.
Fluorine-18 Labeled Urea-Based Ligands Targeting Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) with Increased Tumor and Decreased Renal Uptake

High expression of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in prostate cancers prompted the development of the PSMA-targeted PET-imaging agent [18F]DCFPyL, which was recently approved by the FDA. Fluorine-18-labeled Lys–Urea–Glu-based oxime derivatives of [18F]DCFPyL were prepared for the comparison of their in vitro and in vivo properties to potentially improve kidney clearance and tumor targeting. The oxime radiotracers were produced by condensation of an aminooxy functionalized PSMA-inhibitor Lys–Urea–Glu scaffold with fluorine-18-labeled aldehydes. The radiochemical yields were between 15–42% (decay uncorrected) in 50–60 min. In vitro saturation and competition binding assays with human prostate cancer cells transfected with PSMA, PC3(+), indicated similar high nM binding affinities to PSMA for all radiotracers. In vivo biodistribution studies with positive control PC3(+) tumor xenografts showed that the kidneys had the highest uptake followed by tumors at 60 min. The PC3(+) tumor uptake was blocked with non-radioactive DCFPyL, and PC3(−) tumor xenograft (negative control) tumor uptake was negligible indicating that PSMA targeting was preserved. The most lipophilic tracer, [18F]2a, displayed comparable tumor-targeting to [18F]DCFPyL and a desirable alteration in pharmacokinetics and metabolism, resulting in significantly lower kidney uptake with a shift towards hepatobiliary clearance and increased liver uptake.