Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiotoxicity of Chemical Substances: An Emerging Hazard Class

(1) Background: Human health risks and hazards from chemical substances are well regulated internationally. However, cardiotoxicity, is not defined as a stand-alone hazard and therefore there are no defined criteria for the classification of substances as cardiotoxic. Identifying and regulating substances that cause cardiovascular adverse effects would undoubtedly strengthen the national health systems. (2) Methods: To overcome the aforementioned gap, a roadmap is proposed for identifying regulatory criteria from animal studies and endorse legislation in order to classify substances as cardiotoxic. The roadmap consists of: (i) the identification of the appropriate animal species and strains; (ii) the identification of the lines of scientific evidence (e.g., histopathological, biochemical and echocardiographic indices etc.) from animal studies with relevance to humans; (iii) the statistical analysis and meta-analysis for each line of scientific evidence after exposure to well-established cardiotoxicants to humans (e.g., anthracyclines) in order to identify threshold values or range of normal and/ or altered values due to exposure; (iv) validation of the above described lines of evidence in animals exposed to other alleged cardiotoxic substances (e.g., anabolic androgen steroids (AAS) and pesticides); (v) establishment of mechanisms of action based on information of either known or alleged cardiotoxicants; and (vi) introduction of novel indices and in silico methods. (3) Results: Preliminary results in rats indicate a clear distinction from normal values to values measured in rats exposed to anthracyclines regarding left ventricle (LV) fractional shortening (FS) and LV ejection fraction (EF). A distinctive pattern is similarly observed for Creatine Kinase-Myocardial Band isoenzyme (CK-MB) and cardiac tissue glutathione (GSH). These findings are encouraging and indicate that there is room for targeted research to this end, and that these specific indices and biochemical markers should be further investigated in order to be developed to regulatory criteria. (4) Conclusions: Further research should be conducted by both the scientific and regulatory community that aims to clearly define the cardiotoxicity hazard caused by chemicals and develop a full set of scientific criteria.
Digital twin based identification of degradation parameters of DC-DC converters using an Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm

Power electronic converters are extensively used in various fields. The reliability and stability of converters are a significant concern in practice. So, the estimation of unknown parameters of power converters without additional hardware is necessary. The digital twin is a virtual dynamical model of a physical system. In this paper, identifying unknown circuit parameters of a buck converter is proposed using digital twin with Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm (AOA). First, the state variables of buck converter such as inductor current and output voltage are derived under steady-state and transient conditions for estimating the physical entity. Then, AOA is applied to estimate the unknown parameter of the buck converter based on the data coming from the digital twin model and its counterpart. Finally, the performance of AOA is compared with particle swarm optimization (PSO), and it concludes that AOA has fast convergence and efficient global search than PSO.
HARMONI at ELT: pick-off arm module design status and prototype results

HARMONI is the first light visible and near-IR integral field spectrograph for the ELT. It covers a large spectral range from 450nm to 2450nm with resolving powers from 3500 to 18000 and spatial sampling from 60mas to 4mas. It can operate in three Adaptive Optics modes – SCAO, HCAO and LTAO - or with NOAO. The project is preparing for Final Design Reviews. The Pick-Off Arm (POA) module is part of the Low Order Wavefront Subsystem (LOWFS) which provides field stabilisation and low-order wavefront sensing in seeing-limited and LTAO observing modes, measuring the motion of the instrument focal plane relative to the telescope wavefront sensors. The POA module provides the source acquisition and tracking capabilities with 6 μm accuracy over a technical field of 400 mm (120 arcseconds) in diameter. The acquired beam is then reflected into the AO bench (LOB). A two-axis theta-phi architecture is proposed, with a large 600mm diameter “theta” axis carrying at its perimeter a small “phi” axis; the combined rotation of both therefore allowing a 300mm long periscope carried on the phi axis to position a Pick-Off Mirror anywhere within the full technical field. A flow-down of the main requirements is presented, describing the interaction between the different error contributors and the overall accuracy budget. Furthermore, we present the POA baseline design, together with the analysis of the technologies used within the POA different units. Finally, the prototype activities developed are also described with preliminary results of tests demonstrating the required positioning accuracy.
Numerical Modeling and Simulation of the Droplet Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the Ambient Environment and Its Relevance to Social Distancing

In SARS and influenza-type infections, the transmission of the viral particles from the infected individual to the susceptible individual involves the respiratory route. The current novel CoV2 transmission also involves a similar mechanism. The virus particles are present as droplets ranging from 5 to 10 μm in diameter and are expelled into ambient air when the infected individual coughs, sneezes, or even speaks. These tiny droplets move over a distance through the atmosphere, and the initial velocity determines the maximum distance the droplets reach. In this work, a computational fluid dynamic model was developed using Ansys Fluent software, incorporating the physical characteristics of the viral droplets and the ambient atmosphere. The movement of these particles was analyzed for three different initial velocities of 1, 5, and 10 m/s. Furthermore, the maximum distance traveled by the simulated particles for higher velocities was analyzed using a linear regression model. Results demonstrate that the simulated viral particles embedded in the droplets can travel a maximum distance of 1.24 m for an initial velocity of 10 m/s. Furthermore, an increase in the initial velocity to a value of 30 m/s results in the particle’s movement to a maximum distance of 2.595 m. The study results indicate that at least 2.5 meters distance has to be maintained for effective social distancing to prevent the further spread of the novel CoV2 transmission. Even after the lifting of the lockdown, institutional social distancing needs to be practiced to abate the transmission to a near-zero level and to prevent a rebound. In public places such as public transport and shopping malls, strict adherence to wearing masks must be made mandatory by social regulation.
Short-Interval, Low-Dose Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy in Combination with PD-1 Checkpoint Immunotherapy Induces Remission in Immunocompromised Patients with Metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a neuroendocrine skin cancer of the elderly, with high metastatic potential and poor prognosis. In particular, the primary resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in metastatic (m)MCC patients represents a challenge not yet met by any efficient treatment modality. Herein, we describe a novel therapeutic concept with short-interval, low-dose 177Lutetium (Lu)-high affinity (HA)-DOTATATE [177Lu]Lu-HA-DOTATATE peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (SILD-PRRT) in combination with PD-1 ICI to induce remission in patients with ICI-resistant mMCC. We report on the initial refractory response of two immunocompromised mMCC patients to the PD-L1 inhibitor avelumab. After confirming the expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTR) on tumor cells by [68Ga]Ga-HA-DOTATATE-PET/CT (PET/CT), we employed low-dose PRRT (up to six treatments, mean activity 3.5 GBq per cycle) at 3–6 weeks intervals in combination with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab to restore responsiveness to ICI. This combination enabled the synergistic application of PD-1 checkpoint immunotherapy with low-dose PRRT at more frequent intervals, and was very well tolerated by both patients. PET/CTs demonstrated remarkable responses at all metastatic sites (lymph nodes, distant skin, and bones), which were maintained for 3.6 and 4.8 months, respectively. Both patients eventually succumbed with progressive disease after 7.7 and 8 months, respectively, from the start of treatment with SILD-PRRT and pembrolizumab. We demonstrate that SILD-PRRT in combination with pembrolizumab is safe and well-tolerated, even in elderly, immunocompromised mMCC patients. The restoration of clinical responses in ICI-refractory patients as proposed here could potentially be used not only for patients with mMCC, but many other cancer types currently treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors.
Jieduan–Niwan Formula Ameliorates Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure by Suppressing HMGB1/TLR-4/NF-κB Signaling Pathway: A Study In Vivo and In Vitro

Jieduan-Niwan (JDNW) formula is a traditional Chinese medicine compound created by the famous Chinese medicine expert Professor Qian Ying, and has been used clinically for decades to treat acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and exhibits remarkable efficacy. However, the exact mechanism remains to be discovered. As an important hepatocyte damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMP) factor, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a potential therapeutic target as an accelerator of ACLF in the pathogenesis. Therefore, the present study investigated whether JDNW inhibits the overexpression and cytoplasmic translocation of HMGB1 in ACLF liver tissue and alleviates its mediated oxidative stress and apoptosis. In vivo, an immune-induced ACLF rat model was established, and then treated with JDNW for 5, 10, and 15 d. The results showed that a large number of cytoplasmic translocations of HMGB1 occurred in the ACLF group. And there was an increase in the expression of HMGB1 in the M-5 d group. After the intervention of JDNW, the overexpression and translocation of HMGB1 were inhibited. In vitro, D-GaLN caused an increase in the expression and translocation of HMGB1 in L02 cells. Similar to the inhibitor of HMGB1, JDNW serum alleviated this kind of increase. Further tests showed that JDNW attenuated ACLF-related oxidative stress and apoptosis, and the inhibition was associated with the regulation of TLR-4/NF-κB signaling pathway. In conclusion, our present findings suggest that the therapeutic effect of JDNW on ACLF was associated with the inhibition of high expression and cytoplasmic translocation of HMGB1 during the acute injury phase, thus, attenuating oxidative stress injury and apoptosis induced by HMGB1/TLR-4/NF-κB pathway.
Proposal of a System Architecture based on Emerging Technologies to motivate and engage STEM undergraduate students

In this document, we propose a system architecture that aims to improve the performance and learning of basic sciences in STEM undergraduate students at Peruvian national universities. For this purpose, we first analyze the problems that arise in the most representative STEM university of Peru, the National University of Engineering (UNI by its initials in Spanish). Then, we review some papers with topics on STEM education, Human-Agent Interaction and Artificial Intelligence to finally propose the mentioned system and explain how it works. So, since the present document contains the first progress of a project that is currently under development, it will serve as a basis for future experiments, which will be defined and discussed at the end of this paper. Keywords-Engineering Education, Gamification, Human Agent Interaction, Intrinsic Motivation, Social Robotics.
Gender mainstreaming in public policies in Rio Grande do Norte (2003-2021)

Abstract The article investigates the institutional conditions for gender mainstreaming in policies for women and the LGBTQIA+ population in the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), regarding their (dis)connection with the Federal Government, from 2003 to 2021. Based on documents and interviews, we carried out process-tracing of the institutional conditions of these policies (entities and mechanisms) in RN, considering three coordination levels (intersectoral, participatory, and federative). The results indicate that the structuring of institutional conditions was marked by a combination of advances and discontinuities of which the ideological orientation of governments was the decisive factor. We did not identify a federative system of gender mainstreaming characterized by collaborative and dialogic dynamics between federative entities. When present, federative coordination favoured a top-down approach, mainly through induction. These findings point to the potential and limits of institutional conditions for gender mainstreaming in a sustainable fashion.
Cascaded Extended State Observer-Based Sliding Mode Control for DC-DC Converter with Time-Varying Power Fluctuation

In this paper, a cascaded extended state observer-based sliding mode control (SMC) is proposed for the typical microgrid (MG) interfaced dc-dc boost converter. For a given MG system, the power fluctuation is unpredictable, which may cause an unstable dc-bus voltage. In that situation, all the dc-bus connected electronic loads cannot work normally. In order to maintain a stable dc-bus voltage, additional power sources with a suitable power converter and the advanced controller are necessary. Especially, the controller for the power converter plays a crucial role in reducing the power fluctuation and regulating the dc-bus voltage. In this paper, to improve the ability of the converters to reject external power disturbance, a cascaded extended state observer is designed to estimate the lumped disturbance more accurately. Besides, the continuous SMC method is adopted to provide a feedback control loop. The corresponding simulation results could highly validate the effectiveness of the proposed control method.
Modelling and Control of the Secondary Combustion Chamber in an Energy from Waste Plant

Thermal conversion of municipal and industrial waste is an environmentally friendly way to recover energy from waste. There are many governmental requirements regarding air emissions from such processes. A tight control is required for the operation of the combustion chamber as there are many unknown disturbances, the biggest being the composition of the waste. Classic PID controllers will only just provide the required control, hence model predictive control, MPC, was proposed to optimise the control. This thesis covers the preparatory work for the implementation of MPC. This report describes how a transient model of the secondary combustion chamber was derived. The model consists of material and energy balances for six control volumes with a simplified approach the combustion reaction. The report also gives a short description of the entire process in a typical Energos energy from waste plant and some basics on MPC and Kalman filtering. Model simulations were performed in Cybernetica’s software ModelFit. Operational data from an Energos plant was used as input to the model and measured outputs were compared to predicted outputs. Parameter estimation was also performed using the process data. The implementation of model predictive control for this system was considered. A first order divided difference Kalman filter was implemented in ModelFit for model updating that improved the accuracy of the predictions. This is an important step on the way towards MPC.
Effects of Commercial No-Clean Flux on Reliability of Fine Pitch Flip-Chip Package With Solder Bumps and Copper Pillars

In this work, two commercial no clean fluxes, namely, extremely low residue no-clean flux (NCF) (NC-1) and ordinary NCF (NC-2), were used for the preparation of a fine pitch flip-chip package with a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$7.6\,\times \,7.6$ </tex-math></inline-formula> mm<sup>2</sup> Si die on a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$17\,\times \,17$ </tex-math></inline-formula> mm<sup>2</sup> organic substrate. One water-soluble (WS) flux was also used for comparison. Moisture sensitivity of the package was evaluated using JESD22-A113D (30 °C/60% relative humidity (RH), 192 h, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> reflow at 260 °C). Thermal cycling tests were performed following JESD22-A104D (−65 °C to 150 °C). The high-temperature storage life (HTSL) of the packages was investigated using JESD22-A103C (175 °C). Underfill delamination or voids in the package were investigated by confocal scanning acoustic microscopy (C-SAM). Failure characteristics of the packages were also studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After moisture sensitivity level (MSL) test, vehicles prepared by NC-1 and NC-2 showed failure. SEM images revealed severe delamination between underfill and solder mask in the presence of amine/amide and carboxylic acid-based NCF residue. Solder bump crack were found at < 500 cycles for samples prepared with NC-1 which contains tertiary amine and long carbon chain (C8:C10:C12) carboxylic acid-based. However, failure occurred at < 1500 cycles for NC-2 containing secondary amide and shorter carbon chain length (C3) carboxylic acid. Samples prepared using WS did not show any failure for up to 2000 cycles. Thus, NCF-treated assemblies performed poorly in moisture sensitivity and temperature cycling tests.
Economic Order Quantity Model-Based Optimized Fuzzy Nonlinear Dynamic Mathematical Schemes

Fuzzy mathematics-informed methods are beneficial in cases when observations display uncertainty and volatility since it is of vital importance to make predictions about the future considering the stages of interpreting, planning, and strategy building. It is possible to realize this aim through accurate, reliable, and realistic data and information analysis, emerging from past to present time. The principal expenditures are treated as fuzzy numbers in this article, which includes a blurry categorial prototype with pattern-diverse stipulation and collapse with salvation worth. Multiple parameters such as a shortage, ordering, and degrading cost are not fixed in nature due to uncertainty in the marketplace. Obtaining an accurate estimate of such expenditures is challenging. Accordingly, in this research, we develop an adaptive and integrative economic order quantity model with a fuzzy method and present an appropriate structure to manage such uncertain parameters, boosting the inventory system's exactness, and computing efficiency. The major goal of the study was to assess a set of changes to the company current inventory processes that allowed an achievement in its inventory costs optimization and system development in optimizing inventory costs for better control and monitoring. The approach of graded mean integration is used to determine the most efficient actual solution. The evidence-based model is illustrated with the help of appropriate numerical and sensitivity analysis through the related visual graphical depictions. The proposed method in our study aims at investigating the economic order quantity (EOQ), as the optimal order quantity, which is significant in inventory management to minimize the total costs related to ordering, receiving, and holding inventory in the dynamic domains with nonlinear features of the complex dynamic and nonlinear systems as well as structures.
A Review of Properties of Nanocellulose, Its Synthesis, and Potential in Biomedical Applications

Cellulose is the most venerable and essential natural polymer on the planet and is drawing greater attention in the form of nanocellulose, considered an innovative and influential material in the biomedical field. Because of its exceptional physicochemical characteristics, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and high mechanical strength, nanocellulose attracts considerable scientific attention. Plants, algae, and microorganisms are some of the familiar sources of nanocellulose and are usually grouped as cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), cellulose nanofibril (CNF), and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC). The current review briefly highlights nanocellulose classification and its attractive properties. Further functionalization or chemical modifications enhance the effectiveness and biodegradability of nanocellulose. Nanocellulose-based composites, printing methods, and their potential applications in the biomedical field have also been introduced herein. Finally, the study is summarized with future prospects and challenges associated with the nanocellulose-based materials to promote studies resolving the current issues related to nanocellulose for tissue engineering applications.
Effects of Acupuncture on Cortical Activation in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

Background Disorder of consciousness (DoC) is a clinical condition caused by severe brain damage. Some studies have reported that acupuncture, a traditional Chinese treatment, could facilitate the recovery of the patient's consciousness. The therapeutic effects of acupuncture may be due to its modulation of facilitating cortex (PFC) activity, but it has not been greatly demonstrated. Objectives We intended to observe the effects of acupuncture on prefrontal cortical activity, explore the potential correlation between cortical activation and the severity of DoC, and analyze the functional brain network connectivity to provide a theoretical basis for its application in clinical practice. Methods Participants diagnosed with DoC were included in the study. Before the intervention, we assessed the patient's state of consciousness using relevant scales, such as the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and the coma recovery scale-revised (CRS-R). All patients received acupuncture manipulation with the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system monitored. Result A total of 16 subjects participated in our study. We observed that the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) in the PFC was increased during the acupuncture manipulation and declined during the resting state. Then, the connection strength of the left cerebral cortex was generally higher than that of the right. Finally, we observed only a weak difference in hemodynamic responses of PFC between the vegetative state (VS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) groups. However, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion Our results indicated that acupuncture can increase the concentration of HbO in the PFC and strengthen the connection strength of the left cerebral cortex. However, our present study did not find a significant correlation between the cortical hemodynamic response and the severity of DoC.