Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AODV Multicast Routing for the Zigbee Heterogeneous Networks in 5G Environment on Wireless Sensor Network

A modified AODV routing protocol is adopted as part of the combined routing strategy in the ZigBee networks. Considering the deploying environment, the emerging 5G technology tends to be ubiquitous in the near future. Aiming to the higher efficiency and the shorter path, an improved ZigBee AODV (Z-AODV) routing protocol using associated gateways for the heterogeneous networks in the 5G environment is proposed in this paper. Besides the regular ZigBee function, by sharing the neighbour and routing information via IP network, the AGs are also responsible for collaboratively finding the optimum path and transmitting the packets to reduce the consumption for ZigBee devices. Moreover, an additional routing information collecting method is developed to further improve the routing performance. The proposed algorithm is evaluated based on simulation results. It is shown that our routing method outperforms the existing ones by higher picketer deliver ratio, shorter path length, lower latency, fewer packets sent per ZigBee node and lower routing overhead.
Asymptotics of K-Fold Cross Validation

This paper investigates the asymptotic distribution of the K-fold cross validation error in an i.i. d. setting. As the number of observations n goes to infinity while keeping the number of folds K fixed, the K-fold cross validation error is √ n-consistent for the expected out-of-sample error and has an asymptotically normal distribution. A consistent estimate of the asymptotic variance is derived and used to construct asymptotically valid confidence intervals for the expected out-of-sample error. A hypothesis test is developed for comparing two estimators’ expected out-of-sample errors and a subsampling procedure is used to obtain critical values. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the asymptotic validity of our confidence intervals for the expected out-of-sample error and investigate the size and power properties of our test. In our empirical application, we use our estimator selection test to compare the out-of-sample predictive performance of OLS, Neural Networks, and Random Forests for predicting the sale price of a domain name in a GoDaddy expiry auction.
EFFECTIVENESS OF ACAMPROSATE FOR TINNITUS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF CLINICAL TRIALS

Introduction: The effectiveness of tinnitus treatment represents a huge gap in the medical science. Acamprosate is a glutamatergic antagonist drug and GABA-agonist that could be used to control tinnitus due to its action on peripheral and central neurotransmission. Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of acamprosate in the treatment of tinnitus. Material and Methods: This is a systematic review and we searched for randomized clinical trials linking acamprosate to tinnitus in six databases: Cochrane - Central Register of Controlled Trials - CENTRAL (2021), PUBMED (1966-2021), EMBASE (1974-2021), IBECS (1982-2021), QINSIGHT (2021) and SCOPUS (2021). Two researchers independently extracted the data and assessed the quality of the studies. Results: Two trials involving 121 patients were included. The methodological quality of these studies was low. Both studies evaluated as primary outcome the efficacy of acamprosate in improving tinnitus. The meta-analysis by random model resulted in no significant difference between the groups treated with acamprosate and placebo (RR = 3,69, 95% CI 0,87-15,62; p=0,08), considering tinnitus improvement. Conclusions: There is no evidence that acamprosate is effective for tinnitus treatment. We recommend new trials using rigorous methodology. Randomization and blinding should be of the highest quality, given the subjective nature of tinnitus and the strong likelihood of a placebo response. The CONSORT statement should be used in the design and reporting of future studies.
Inequalities in healthcare disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from 12 UK population-based longitudinal studies

Objectives We investigated associations between multiple sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, occupational social class, education and ethnicity) and self-reported healthcare disruptions during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design Coordinated analysis of prospective population surveys. Setting Community-dwelling participants in the UK between April 2020 and January 2021. Participants Over 68 000 participants from 12 longitudinal studies. Outcomes Self-reported healthcare disruption to medication access, procedures and appointments. Results Prevalence of healthcare disruption varied substantially across studies: between 6% and 32% reported any disruption, with 1%–10% experiencing disruptions in medication, 1%–17% experiencing disruption in procedures and 4%–28% experiencing disruption in clinical appointments. Females (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.40; I2=54%), older persons (eg, OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.13 to 1.72; I2=77% for 65–75 years vs 45–54 years) and ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.35; I2=0% vs white) were more likely to report healthcare disruptions. Those in a more disadvantaged social class were also more likely to report healthcare disruptions (eg, OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.27; I2=0% for manual/routine vs managerial/professional), but no clear differences were observed by education. We did not find evidence that these associations differed by shielding status. Conclusions Healthcare disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic could contribute to the maintenance or widening of existing health inequalities.
Comparative Study of Force Fields for Molecular Dynamics Simulations of α-Glycine Crystal Growth from Solution

The study of crystal growth using molecular dynamics is very difficult due to the slow rate of growth and the complex intermolecular interactions involved. In order to perform molecular dynamics simulations of crystal growth from aqueous solution accurately, both interactions within the crystal and interactions between the crystal molecules and water need to be described correctly. In this study, we have investigated and compared various force fields for their applicability in the molecular dynamics study of α-glycine crystallization. The force fields that have been investigated include Charmm27, general AMBER, OPLS-AA/L, and Gromos53a6. As the electrostatic interactions are expected to play a significant role in the properties of bulk glycine crystal and solution, five other charge sets obtained from first principles calculations have also been investigated. Simulations in the bulk crystal and aqueous solution environments have been carried out, and results for the α-glycine lattice energy, solution dens.
Demand Estimation Using Managerial Responses to Automated Price Recommendations

We provide a new framework to identify demand elasticities in markets where managers rely on algorithmic recommendations for price setting and apply it to a data set containing bookings for a sample of midsized hotels in Europe. Using nonbinding algorithmic price recommendations and observed delay in price adjustments by decision makers, we demonstrate that a control-function approach, combined with state-of-the-art model-selection techniques, can be used to isolate exogenous price variation and identify demand elasticities across hotel room types and over time. We confirm these elasticity estimates with a difference-in-differences approach that leverages the same delays in price adjustments by decision makers. However, the difference-in-differences estimates are more noisy and only yield consistent estimates if data are pooled across hotels. We then apply our control-function approach to two classic questions in the dynamic pricing literature: the evolution of price elasticity of demand over and the effects of a transitory price change on future demand due to the presence of strategic buyers. Finally, we discuss how our empirical framework can be applied directly to other decision-making situations in which recommendation systems are used. This paper was accepted by Omar Besbes, revenue management and market analytics.
Digital Design and Technology and Market Outreach in Rural Zimbabwe

Despite producing top of the range products and services, entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe's rural Gokwe face limited access to markets. Access to local and regional trading markets is further aggravated by inadequate technological infrastructure and financial resources to carry out business activities. Aim: This article investigates the role of digital design and technology in expanding market outreach in Zimbabwe. Methods: A mixed methods research design was adopted. The qualitative data, obtained from semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion, was analysed through thematic analysis. The quantitative data was obtained from the administration of a questionnaire and used to corroborate the findings of the qualitative tool. Results: The findings revealed that while digital design and technology had little effect on identifying entrepreneurial opportunities and communicating with potential customers in Gokwe, there were clear signs that plans were being made to integrate digital technology and internet connectivity in at least one sector of the rural economy of the district. Implications: The findings may provide vital information for rural entrepreneurs and policymakers looking to benefit from the digital revolution. Recommendation: The paper encourages the use of digital marketing and advertising to take advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities.
Complete mitochondrial genome of the Pacific limpet Cellana nigrolineata (Gastropoda: Patellogastropoda) determined by shotgun sequencing using the Illumina NGS platform

Abstract The Pacific limpet Cellana nigrolineata is one of the most commonly found limpets in the intertidal shores of Japan. Here, we report the full mitogenome sequence of an individual specimen of the species, which was collected from the intertidal rocky beach in the Nada beach of Gobo City, Wakayama, Japan (33.8316 N, 135.1751 E), in 2018. The sequence was determined by the shotgun sequencing method using the NGS Illumina MiSeq platform. The genomic structure of C. nigrolineata is the same as the previously reported congener, C. radiata, which shows a representative Nacellidae and metazoan mitogenomic structures. The mitogenome has all of its 37 genes included in its 16,153 bp, with one control region located between the tRNA-Cys and tRNA-Gly genes. In order to clarify the phylogenetic position of C. nigrolineata in Gastropoda, a data set including the mitogenomes of 10 patellogastropods, 10 non-patellogastropod gastropods, and four outgroups were used in maximum likelihood inferences. Although with some exceptions, the resulting phylogeny supported the monophylies of traditionally accepted gastropod subclasses, and thus confirms the position of C. nigrolineata in Patellogastropoda.
Effect of Technological Process on True Retention Rate of Eicosapentaenoic and Docosahexaenoic Acids, Lipid Oxidation and Physical Properties of Canned Smoked Sprat (Sprattus sprattus)

In connection with the severe deficiencies of EPA and DHA in the human diet, the industry should provide inexpensive fish products that are characterized by the appropriate lipid quality. The influence of the technological process on true retention rate of EPA and DHA, indicators of lipid oxidation and physical properties, of canned smoked sprat in oil was investigated. It was assumed that the double dose of heat during the technological process (smoking/sterilization) can significantly affect the quality of lipids. The study was carried out on fresh fish and after frozen storage. After smoking, the percentage of EPA and DHA in lipids did not change significantly, while the content of these acids per wet weight (g/100 g) increased by about 20%. During smoking, a faster increase in oxidation products was observed in frozen fish (increase by 22%-36%) than in fresh fish (increase by 31%-54%). Sterilization caused EPA and DHA to be “regrouped” from the fish to the oil rather than their physical losses. After sterilization, the fish retained 70%-77% EPA and DHA content (the rest passed into the oil). EPA and DHA losses were 8.5% higher in canned products obtained from frozen fish compared to fresh fish. True retention should be used to assess changes in EPA and DHA content in fish after sterilization (and not the expression of EPA and DHA content in % or g/100 g). A better indicator of changes in the physical parameters of canned fish after sterilization is the analysis of the proportion of the water layer rather than mass measurement. Despite the double dose of heat that occurred during the canned sprat production process, the peroxide value in fish and in oil did not exceed 10 (mEqO2/kg of lipid) and p-anisidine value did not exceed 20. This means that these lipids were characterized by good quality.
Deep learning applications in automatic segmentation and reconstruction in CT-based cervix brachytherapy

Purpose Motivated by recent advances in deep learning, the purpose of this study was to investigate a deep learning method in automatic segment and reconstruct applicators in computed tomography (CT) images for cervix brachytherapy treatment planning. Material and methods U-Net model was developed for applicator segmentation in CT images. Sixty cervical cancer patients with Fletcher applicator were divided into training data and validation data according to ratio of 50 : 10, and another 10 patients with Fletcher applicator were employed to test the model. Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and 95th percentile Hausdorff distance (HD95) were used to evaluate the model. Segmented applicator coordinates were calculated and applied into RT structure file. Tip error and shaft error of applicators were evaluated. Dosimetric differences between manual reconstruction and deep learning-based reconstruction were compared. Results The averaged overall 10 test patients’ DSC, HD95, and reconstruction time were 0.89, 1.66 mm, and 17.12 s, respectively. The average tip error was 0.80 mm, and the average shaft error was less than 0.50 mm. The dosimetric differences between manual reconstruction and automatic reconstruction were 0.29% for high-risk clinical target volume (HR-CTV) D90%, and less than 2.64% for organs at risk D2cc at a scenario of doubled maximum shaft error. Conclusions We proposed a deep learning-based reconstruction method to localize Fletcher applicator in three-dimensional CT images. The achieved accuracy and efficiency confirmed our method as clinically attractive. It paves the way for the automation of brachytherapy treatment planning.
The accuracy and dosimetric analysis of 3D-printing non-coplanar template-assisted iodine-125 seed implantation for recurrent chest wall cancer

Purpose To investigate the accuracy and dosimetry of 3D-printing non-coplanar template (3D-PNCT)-assisted computed tomography (CT)-guided iodine-125 seed implantation (125I-SI) for recurrent chest wall cancer (rCWC). Material and methods This was a retrospective study of 19 patients with 22 rCWC treated with 3D-PNCT-assisted CT-guided 125I-SI, from Mar 2017 to Mar 2020 in our institute. Results Mean needle entrance deviation was 4.50 ±2.70 mm, mean angular deviation was 3.40 ±3.10 degrees, and mean depth deviation was 5.20 ±5.20 mm. No significant difference was found for dosimetric parameters (except conformity index) between pre-plan and post-plan; D90, D100, V100, V150, and V200 were 157.74 ±24.23 and 151.71 ±33.62 (p = 0.228), 85.36 ±34.09 and 70.46 ±23.48 (p = 0.067), 0.93 ±0.04 and 0.90 ±0.07 (p = 0.068), 0.64 ±0.16 and 0.64 ±0.16 (p = 0.984), and 0.35 ±0.17 and 0.37 ±0.18 (p = 0.382) for pre-plan and post-plan, respectively. Conformity index, external index, and homogeneity index were 0.57 ±0.16 and 0.52 ±0.15 (p = 0.007), 0.73 ±0.55 and 0.79 ±0.53 (p = 0.096), and 0.31 ±0.15 and 0.30 ±0.14 (p = 0.504) for pre-plan and post-plan, respectively. Median follow-up time was 8 months (range, 3-30 months). Complete response was observed in 4/22 (18.1%), partial response in 13/22 (59.1%), stable disease in 4/22 (18.1%), and progression disease in 1/22 (4.5%) of the cancers. Among patients with pain before 125I-SI, pain relief rate was 87.5% (7/8). No peri-operative complications of more than grade 2 were observed. Conclusions 3D-PNCT-assisted CT-guided 125I-SI may be safe and feasible as palliative therapy for non-surgical candidates and painful patients with rCWC.
Genomic Island Prediction via Chi-Square Test and Random Forest Algorithm

Genomic islands are related to microbial adaptation and carry different genomic characteristics from the host. Therefore, many methods have been proposed to detect genomic islands from the rest of the genome by evaluating its sequence composition. Many sequence features have been proposed, but many of them have not been applied to the identification of genomic islands. In this paper, we present a scheme to predict genomic islands using the chi-square test and random forest algorithm. We extract seven kinds of sequence features and select the important features with the chi-square test. All the selected features are then input into the random forest to predict the genome islands. Three experiments and comparison show that the proposed method achieves the best performance. This understanding can be useful to design more powerful method for the genomic island prediction.
Longitudinal Clinical Profiles of Hospital vs. Community-Acquired Acute Kidney Injury in COVID-19

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with high mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, it is unclear whether patients with COVID-19 with hospital-acquired AKI (HA-AKI) and community-acquired AKI (CA-AKI) differ in disease course and outcomes. This study investigated the clinical profiles of HA-AKI, CA-AKI, and no AKI in patients with COVID-19 at a large tertiary care hospital in the New York City area. The incidence of HA-AKI was 23.26%, and CA-AKI was 22.28%. Patients who developed HA-AKI were older and had more comorbidities compared to those with CA-AKI and those with no AKI (p < 0.05). A higher prevalence of coronary artery disease, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease was observed in those with HA-AKI compared to those with CA-AKI (p < 0.05). Patients with CA-AKI received more invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, anticoagulants, and steroids compared to those with HA-AKI (p < 0.05), but patients with HA-AKI had significantly higher mortality compared to those with CA-AKI after adjusting for demographics and clinical comorbidities (adjusted odds ratio = 1.61, 95% confidence interval = 1.1–2.35, p < 0.014). In addition, those with HA-AKI had higher markers of inflammation and more liver injury (p < 0.05) compared to those with CA-AKI. These results suggest that HA-AKI is likely part of systemic multiorgan damage and that kidney injury contributes to worse outcomes. These findings provide insights that could lead to better management of COVID-19 patients in time-sensitive and potentially resource-constrained environments.
The Restorative Effect of Red Guava (Psidium guajava L.) Fruit Extract on Pulmonary Tissue of Rats (Rattus norvegicus) Exposed to Cigarette Smoke

Since the damage to alveolar tissue due to cigarette smoke exposure (CSE) is lipid peroxidation, antioxidant treatment is needed. The red guava (Psidium guajava L.) fruit contains antioxidants derived from quercetin, lycopene, and vitamin C. This study aimed to determine the effect of red guava fruit extract (RGFE) on the alveolar tissue of rats exposed to cigarette smoke. The 25 rats (Rattus norvegicus) were divided into five groups. The control and T0 groups were only administered placebo, while T1, T2, and T3 groups were orally administered RGFE of 18.9, 37.8, and 56.7 mg/kg body weight daily for 44 days. The CSE dose of 20 suctions daily was conducted on T0, T1, T2, and T3 groups on days 15–44. On day 45, all rats were sacrificed for serum collection and histopathological lung slides with eosin-nigrosin staining. The result showed that CSE caused an increase (p < 0.05) in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, cell death, apoptosis, and necrosis percentages, congestion and thickening of alveolar septum tissue, and reduction in the alveolar diameter and alveolar number. Administration of RGFE suppressed those effects, and the highest dose of RGFE (T3) restored (p > 0.05) MDA levels, percentage of apoptotic and necrosis, alveolar septal thickening, and alveolar diameter. However, the percentages of cell death, alveolar congestion, and the alveolar number were still worse (p < 0.05) than in normal rats. It could be concluded that RGFE has proved relief and restoration of the alveolar tissue of rats exposed to cigarette smoke.
Food insecurity increases energetic efficiency, not food consumption: an exploratory study in European starlings

Food insecurity—defined as limited or unpredictable access to nutritionally adequate food—is associated with higher body mass in humans and birds. It is widely assumed that food insecurity-induced fattening is caused by increased food consumption, but there is little evidence supporting this in any species. We developed a novel technology for measuring foraging, food intake and body mass in small groups of aviary-housed European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Across four exploratory experiments, we demonstrate that birds responded to 1–2 weeks of food insecurity by increasing their body mass despite eating less. Food-insecure birds therefore increased their energetic efficiency, calculated as the body mass maintained per unit of food consumed. Mass gain was greater in birds that were lighter at baseline and in birds that faced greater competition for access to food. Whilst there was variation between experiments in mass gain and food consumption under food insecurity, energetic efficiency always increased. Bomb calorimetry of guano showed reduced energy density under food insecurity, suggesting that the energy assimilated from food increased. Behavioural observations of roosting showed inconsistent evidence for reduced physical activity under food insecurity. Increased energetic efficiency continued for 1–2 weeks after food security was reinstated, indicating an asymmetry in the speed of the response to food insecurity and the recovery from it. Future work to understand the mechanisms underlying food insecurity-induced mass gain should focus on the biological changes mediating increased energetic efficiency rather than increased energy consumption.
The Study on the Pathogenesis of Pediatric Lymphoma Based on the Combination of Pseudotargeted and Targeted Metabolomics

Pediatric lymphoma is a kind of malignant tumor with high mortality. The complexity of pediatric lymphoma shows a great challenge for effective diagnosis and treatment. In order to meet the challenge, the combination of pseudotargeted and targeted metabolomics was used to analyze the serum metabolites in pediatric lymphoma patients and healthy controls for discovering the metabolites related to pediatric lymphoma. The serum samples were obtained from the treatment group (n = 43), the control group (n = 26), and the patients group (n = 18). A total of 17 serum metabolites, including carnitine, leucine, creatine, urea, (6Z,9Z,12Z)-octadecatrienoic acid, linoleate, octadecenoic acid, L-palmitoylcarnitine, hexadecanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid, (9Z)-hexadecenoic acid, uric acid, glucose, 1-methylnicotinamide, hypoxanthine, L-glutamine, and taurine, were found to be related to pediatric lymphoma. They could provide a scientific diagnostic basis and therapeutic target for pediatric lymphoma and elucidate the mechanism of pediatric lymphoma.