Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The distribution, effectiveness and environmental threshold of soil aggregate phosphorus fractions in the sub‐alpine region of Southwest China

This article is a study of total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP) and phosphorus (P) fractions of soil aggregates along an altitude gradient in the sub‐alpine region of Southwest China. We conclude that soil aggregate TP and AP contents are higher at 3980 m and 3347 m; there are no significant differences in soil aggregate TP at any altitude (p > 0.05); the AP and phosphorus activation coefficient (PAC) are higher in 0.25–0.5 mm aggregate. Soil aggregates TPi > TPo at 3009 m and TPo > TPi at 3347, 3654 and 3980 m. Using multiple stepwise regression analysis, we conclude that NaOH‐Pi is the key fraction of AP supply, NaHCO3‐Pi and NaOH‐Pi are important fractions of CaCl2‐P. Through piecewise linear fitting of soil aggregate AP and CaCl2‐P, the soil P environmental threshold obtained is 27.766 mg kg−1 in this region. Also we got <0.25 mm, 0.25–0.5 mm aggregates at 3980 m which have high soil P loss risk. Our study fills in gap about the distribution of P fraction in aggregates and effects of soil P fraction for AP and CaCl2‐P in high‐altitude areas. Our study provides a reference and scientific basis for understanding the soil aggregate P storage capacity and the biological effectiveness of P fractions at high altitudes. Our study on the P environmental threshold provides a reference for soil P storage capacity. Our study provides a reference value for the soil P loss risk management, and sustainable development of soil ecosystems in the sub‐alpine region of Southwest China.
CIRNN: An Ultra-Wideband Non-Line-of-Sight Signal Classifier Based on Deep-Learning

: Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) error is the main factor that reduces indoor positioning accuracy. Identifying NLOS signals and eliminating NLOS errors are the keys to improving indoor positioning accuracy. To better identify NLOS signals, a multi-stream model channel-impulse-response-neural-network (CIRNN) was proposed. The inputs of CIRNN include the channel impulse response (CIR) and a small number of channel parameters. To make a more obvious comparison between NLOS signals and line-of- sight (LOS) signals, a new energy normalization method is proposed. Fusing multi-dimensional features, the CIRNN network has a good convergence performance and shows stronger sensitivity to NLOS signals. Experimental results show that the CIRNN achieves the best accuracy on the open-source data set, the F 1 score is 89.3%. At the same time, the working efficiency of CIRNN meets industry needs, CIRNN can refresh the target position at about 92.6 Hz per second.
A Mechanistic Exploratory Study on the Therapeutic Efficacy of Astragaloside IV Against Diabetic Retinopathy Revealed by Network Pharmacology

Purpose: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus, which nearly happens to all the diabetic sufferers. This study aims to identify the preliminary molecular regulation involved in the therapeutic efficacy of astragaloside IV (AS- IV) for DR. Methods: Diabetic rat models were established and treated with AS-IV. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was employed to demonstrate the histopathological changes. The main targets of AS-IV were identified by searching from public databases of traditional Chinese medicine (GeneCards, PharmMapper and Swiss Target Prediction). Besides, disease targets of DR were also obtained by integrated data from GEO datasets and predicted from public databases. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by Cytoscape with overlapping genes and 10 core targets were selected, on which Gene Ontology (GO) along with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were conducted. The interaction between AS-IV and these crucial genes were analyzed using molecular docking. RT-qPCR and western blot were used to verify the expression variation of core targets. Results: OCT imaging and HE staining demonstrated that AS-IV administration significantly increased retinal thickness in diabetic rats, obviously alleviating DR induced histopathological changes as well as elevated blood glucose levels. 107 common targets of AS-IV and DR were determined after intersection. PPI network analysis filtered 10 hub genes potentially targeted by AS-IV, including VEGFA, CASP3, HIF1α, STAT3, CTNNB1, SRC, AKT1, EGFR, IL1β and IL6. Enrichment analysis indicated that these genes were mainly enriched in biological processes like T cell activation, epithelial cell proliferation and protein kinase B signaling, and involved in oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammation-related pathways. The molecular docking prediction suggested that AS-IV exhibited stable binding to these core targets. In addition, mRNA levels of core targets in diabetic rats were differentially expressed before and after AS-IV treatment. Western blot further revealed that AS-IV treatment elevated DR-depressed protein levels of PI3K and AKT. Conclusion: Our study elucidated the effect of AS-IV in attenuating retinopathy induced by diabetes in rats and preliminarily unveiled the therapeutic efficacy of AS-IV in the treatment of DR might be attributed to activation of PI3K-AKT signaling pathway.
Energy- and Area-Efficient CMOS Synapse and Neuron for Spiking Neural Networks With STDP Learning

This paper proposes CMOS synapse and neuron for use in spiking neural networks to perform cognitive functions in a bio-inspired manner. The proposed synapse can trace the eligibility of the timing relationship between pre- and post-synaptic spikes, supporting a bio-plausible local learning rule called the spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) in an energy- and area-efficient manner. The proposed neuron can support neural functions such as synaptic current integration, threshold-based firing, neuronal leaking, membrane potential resetting, and adjustable refractory period with improved energy and area efficiency. The STDP curve shape of the synapse and the firing rate of the neuron can be adjusted as desired. Their variability due to process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations can also be minimized. The proposed CMOS neuron and synapse circuits were designed in a 28-nm CMOS process. The performance evaluation results indicate that the proposed synapse reduces energy consumption and area by up to 94% and 43% compared to conventional CMOS synapses. They also indicate that the proposed neuron achieves energy and area reductions of 37% and 23%, respectively, compared to conventional CMOS neurons. An associative neural network composed of the proposed neuron and synapse was designed to verify that they together work well for performing a cognitive function of associative learning and inferencing.
Chitosan: Sources, Processing and Modification Techniques

Chitosan, a copolymer of glucosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine, is derived from chitin. Chitin is found in cell walls of crustaceans, fungi, insects and in some algae, microorganisms, and some invertebrate animals. Chitosan is emerging as a very important raw material for the synthesis of a wide range of products used for food, medical, pharmaceutical, health care, agriculture, industry, and environmental pollution protection. This review, in line with the focus of this special issue, provides the reader with (1) an overview on different sources of chitin, (2) advances in techniques used to extract chitin and converting it into chitosan, (3) the importance of the inherent characteristics of the chitosan from different sources that makes them suitable for specific applications and, finally, (4) briefly summarizes ways of tailoring chitosan for specific applications. The review also presents the influence of the degree of acetylation (DA) and degree of deacetylation (DDA), molecular weight (Mw) on the physicochemical and biological properties of chitosan, acid-base behavior, biodegradability, solubility, reactivity, among many other properties that determine processability and suitability for specific applications. This is intended to help guide researchers select the right chitosan raw material for their specific applications.
A New Axial Stress Measurement Method for High-Strength Short Bolts Based on Stress-Dependent Scattering Effect and Energy Attenuation Coefficient

The accurate estimation of axial stresses is a major problem for high-strength bolted connections that needs to be overcome to improve the assembly quality and safety of aviation structures. However, the conventional acoustoelastic effect based on velocity-stress dependence is very weak for short bolts, which leads to large estimation errors. In this article, the effect of axial stress on ultrasonic scattering attenuation is investigated by calculating the change in the energy attenuation coefficient of ultrasonic echoes after applying axial preload. Based on this effect, a stress-dependent attenuation estimation model is developed to measure the bolt axial stress. In addition, the spectrum of the first and second round-trip echoes is divided into several frequency bands to calculate the energy attenuation coefficients, which are used to select the frequency band sensitive to the axial stress changes. Finally, the estimation model between axial stress and energy attenuation coefficients in the sensitive frequency band is established under 20 steps of axial preloads. The experimental results show that the energy attenuation coefficient in the sensitive band corresponds well with axial stress. The average relative error of the predicted axial stress is 6.28%, which is better than that of the conventional acoustoelastic effect method. Therefore, the proposed approach can be used as an effective method to measure the axial stress of short bolts in the assembly of high-strength connections.
A retrospective study

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the incidence of inappropriate hospital stay and to identify the reasons behind inappropriate hospitalisation. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients admitted in the General Internal Medicine Unit, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, from January to June 2020. The average length of hospital stay for all included patients was calculated. The appropriateness evaluation protocol technique was used to examine admissions that exceeded the average length of hospital stay; subsequently, the reasons for the inappropriate hospital stay were identified. Results: There were 855 admissions during the study period. In this cohort, 53.1% were male and the median age was 64 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 44–75 years). There was a total of 6,785.4 hospitalisation days and the average length of hospital stay was five days (IQR: 3–9 days). A total of 31.8% of admissions (n = 272) and 9.9% of hospitalisation days (n = 674 days) were classified as inappropriate. Delay in complementary tests (29.0%) and unavailability of extra hospital resources (21.7%) were identified as the most common reasons associated with inappropriate hospital stays. Old age was associated with increase in inappropriate hospital stay. Conclusion: A significant proportion of hospitalisation days were inappropriate due to hospital-related factors. Therefore, auditing hospital services and investing in home-based care are among the top strategies that are likely to improve early discharge and minimise inappropriate hospital bed occupancy.
Arthroscopic Bankart repair improves upper limb exercise capacity, shoulder function and quality of life

Background/aim Anterior glenohumeral instability is an important cause of shoulder disability. The aim of the present study was to investigate arm exercise capacity in patients with anterior glenohumeral instability before and after arthroscopic Bankart repair and to compare the results with those of healthy controls. Materials and methods The patient group included a total of 11 males between the ages of 18 and 40 years. The control group consisted of 13 healthy males with an age range of 23 to 41 years. An incremental arm crank exercise test was performed to determine upper limb exercise capacity, as expressed by peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak). The shoulder function of the patients was evaluated by the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI), and the quality of life was assessed with the Short Form-36 (SF-36). All evaluations were performed preoperatively, and at the postop 3rd and 6th months. Results The patient group had lower VO2peak and exhaustion duration at the preoperative assessment (p = 0.025 and p = 0.007, respectively). SF-36 domains were lower in patients (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in VO2peak between preoperative and postop 6th-month measurements and between postop 3rd and 6th-month measurements (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). The total WOSI score increased from preoperative 50.27% to 57.77% at the postop 3rd month, and to 65.56% at the final follow-up. Although improvements were detected in all SF-36 domains at postop follow-ups, they were not statistically significant except role limitations due to the physical problems domain (p = 0.006). There were no significant differences between controls and patients at the postop 3rd and 6th months with regard to exercise test parameters except the peak rating of perceived exertion. Conclusion Shoulder function, exercise capacity, and quality of life were lower in the patient group and improved after arthroscopic Bankart repair. Clinicians should use the exercise capacity assessment for the evaluation of the recovery of shoulder function after providing stabilization.
Effect of Storage on The Chemical Quality of Pasteurized Milk with Supplemented Soybean Oil and Phycocyanin

The interaction between the addition of soybean oil and phycocyanin extract on the protein, fat, and solid non-fat content of pasteurized milk after a one-week storage period is highly important to investigate. Soybean oil is used to improve the quality of pasteurized milk, particularly its chemical quality, consisting of fat, protein, and Solid Non-Fat (SNF). Phycocyanin extract provides a source of protein, whereas soybean oil contains healthy fatty acids. Before the fresh milk is pasteurized, soybean oil and phycocyanin are added. The LTLT (Low Temperature Long Time) technique was used to pasteurize the milk at 63 °C for 30 minutes. After the pasteurization procedure was completed, the milk samples were refrigerated for one week at a temperature of 4 °C. Following the storage period, the chemical composition of pasteurized milk is examined. With the addition of soybean oil and phycocyanin extract, the protein content of milk rose, as shown by the findings. The sample T1 with a concentration of 0.45% soybean oil and 0.50% phycocyanin extract had the greatest amount of protein (3.58). The sample T2 with 0.45% soybean oil concentration and phycocyanin extract (1%) had the greatest fat content (6.4%). Adding soybean oil and phycocyanin extract enhanced the total SNF concentration. On the basis of the study conducted, it can be concluded that the addition of soybean oil and phycocyanin extract to pasteurized milk has an influence and interaction on the milk's protein, fat, and SNF content. The addition of soybean oil and phycocyanin extract to pasteurized milk held for one week may boost protein, fat, and SNF concentrations.
Procedural generation of virtual pavilions via a deep convolutional generative adversarial network

Virtual pavilions can help spread culture and bring fun. A virtual pavilion needs a designed map, and terrain editors then manually layout each part of it. Procedural content generation via machine learning can quickly generate virtual pavilion maps to assist in virtual pavilion design. This article proposes adding a self‐attention module to some commonly used deep convolutional generative adversarial networks to generate virtual pavilion maps. A three‐dimensional(3D) virtual pavilion is built based on these maps, and interactive features are added to make it more experiential. Then the improved and original networks are mainly evaluated in generating maps that are solvable and similar to the training data for finding the best generator. The evaluation results show that our improved methods always perform better on each metric, and the WGAN with a self‐attention module is what we need.
Fellows’ Perspective of Educational Changes in Medical Sports Medicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, graduate medical education, along with most of daily life, was disrupted. The goal of this study was to explore the experiences of fellows in primary care/medical sports medicine (MSM) and view the changes made to training programs through their eyes. Methodology A questionnaire was developed to collect qualitative and quantitative data regarding the fellow’s experiences in training from March to June 2020. Fellows on the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine list of current Sports Medicine Fellows in the United States and Canada were invited to participate. Of the 329 invited, 90 (27.4%) fellows returned questionnaires. Results MSM fellows highlighted positive adaptations as well as losses to their educational programs related to the pandemic. The biggest gain reported was additional learning time, and the greatest loss was to sports and event coverage. Most fellows reported attending collaborative sessions, and they noted an increase in didactics compared to pre-pandemic levels. The largest losses were noted in event coverage and training room exposures, with smaller declines in ultrasounds, procedures, and research experiences. They also described challenges, including changing clinical roles, managing social isolation and boredom, and balancing work and family responsibilities. Conclusions Fellows identified gains, losses, and challenges due to pandemic-related changes to their fellowship programs. Fellowship directors and educators in different fields can use this understanding of the fellows’ experiences to build on current resources, further develop collaborative efforts, create new educational opportunities, and provide additional support for fellow learning.
Identification of Gene Biomarkers for Tigilanol Tiglate Content in Fontainea picrosperma

Tigilanol tiglate (EBC-46) is a small-molecule natural product under development for the treatment of cancers in humans and companion animals. The drug is currently produced by purification from the Australian rainforest tree Fontainea picrosperma (Euphorbiaceae). As part of a selective-breeding program to increase EBC-46 yield from F. picrosperma plantations, we investigated potential gene biomarkers associated with biosynthesis of EBC-46. Initially, we identified individual plants that were either high (>0.039%) or low EBC-46 (<0.008%) producers, then assessed their differentially expressed genes within the leaves and roots of these two groups by quantitative RNA sequencing. Compared to low EBC-46 producers, high-EBC-46-producing plants were found to have 145 upregulated genes and 101 downregulated genes in leaves and 53 upregulated genes and 82 downregulated genes in roots. Most of these genes were functionally associated with defence, transport, and biosynthesis. Genes identified as expressed exclusively in either the high or low EBC-46-producing plants were further validated by quantitative PCR, showing that cytochrome P450 94C1 in leaves and early response dehydration 7.1 and 2-alkenal reductase in roots were consistently and significantly upregulated in high-EBC-46 producers. In summary, this study has identified biomarker genes that may be used in the selective breeding of F. picrosperma.
Identifying Frail Patients by Using Electronic Health Records in Primary Care: Current Status and Future Directions

With the rapidly aging population, frailty, characterized by an increased risk of adverse outcomes, has become a major public health problem globally. Several frailty guidelines or consensuses recommend screening for frailty, especially in primary care settings. However, most of the frailty assessment tools are based on questionnaires or physical examinations, adding to the clinical workload, which is the major obstacle to converting frailty research into clinical practice. Medical data naturally generated by routine clinical work containing frailty indicators are stored in electronic health records (EHRs) (also called electronic health record (EHR) data), which provide resources and possibilities for frailty assessment. We reviewed several frailty assessment tools based on primary care EHRs and summarized the features and novel usage of these tools, as well as challenges and trends. Further research is needed to develop and validate frailty assessment tools based on EHRs in primary care in other parts of the world.
Structural Steel Joints with Bolts in Threaded Holes

: The application of tubular columns in steel structures offers many advantages. However, this potential has not been fully utilized due to a lack of access for the installation of standard bolts in end-plate beam-to-column joints. Blind bolts are an alternative way of connecting the beam end-plate to hollow section column, for they can be installed and tightened from outside of the column. Standard high strength bolts can be directly screwed into the threaded hole tapped in the column hole wall. Bolts in threaded holes (BTH) - use threads on the bolt hole wall as an anchorage instead of nuts used in standard bolt assemblies. Provisions regarding BTH can be found in the draft version of new Eurocode 3, Part 1-8, including the definition of minimum thread engagement lengths. Parametric study of beam-to-tubular column joint with extended end-plate was conducted in order to analyse the influence of BTH and specific failure modes on overall joint resistance. Minimum thread engagement length limitations were checked for all considered combinations of parameters, and based on these results, an overview of the general applicability of bolts in threaded holes was gained.
Service Continuity of PV Synchronous Buck/Buck-Boost Converter with Energy Storage†

Numerous advantages offered by Photovoltaic (PV) generation systems coupled with the increasing power demands for clean energy put PV systems in the front of many research works. For stand-alone applications powered with PV systems, the reliability of the power conversion stage is essential to ensure the continuous supply of energy. Therefore, in the case of any failure occurring in the power conversion stage, it is mandatory to provide remedial actions to guarantee the service continuity of the produced electrical power. This paper analyses the service continuity of a two-stage buck/buck-boost converter with energy storage, driven with synchronous control. The initial two-stage converter is made fault-tolerant and robust to failures of its two switches by adding only one additional switch associated with two diodes. In this study, only open-circuit switch faults are considered. The proposed fault-tolerant circuit and the initial one have the same electrical behavior when synchronous control is used. The applied synchronous control in both healthy conditions and post-fault operation ensures the same functionalities without degrading the system’s performances. The proposed two-stage synchronously-controlled circuit is validated through simulation in the cases of open circuit faults on the two switches of the initial converter. The obtained results show the feasibility of the proposed functional redundancy and the continuity of operation at full power after switch fault diagnosis.