Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Extreme Weather Events in the Niger Delta Part of Nigeria

The Niger Delta is the most climate-vulnerable region in Nigeria. Flooding events are recorded annually in settlements along the River Niger and its tributaries, inundating many towns and displacing people from their homes. In this study, climate change impacts from extreme meteorological events over the period 2010–2099 are predicted and analyzed. Four coupled model intercomparison project phase 5 (CMIP5) global climate models (GCMs) under respectively concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) emission scenarios were used for climate change predictions. Standardized precipitation indices (SPI) of 1-month and 12-month time steps were used for extreme event assessment. Results from the climate change scenarios predict an increase in rainfall across all future periods and under both emission scenarios, with the highest projected increase during the last three decades of the century. Under the RCP8.5 emission scenario, the rainfall at Port Harcourt and Yenagoa Stations is predicted to increase by about 2.47% and 2.62% while the rainfall at Warri Station is predicted to increase by about 1.39% toward the end of the century. The 12-month SPI under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emission scenarios predict an exceedance in the extreme wet threshold (i.e., SPI > 2) during all future periods and across all study locations. These findings suggest an increasing risk of flooding within the projected periods. The finding can be useful to policymakers for the formulation and planning of flood mitigation and adaptation measures.
New Cost Function for Multi-Robot Exploration

This paper discusses the problem of multi-robot exploration. The objective of this problem is to explore an unknown environment using a team of mobile robots in a minimum amount of time. We believe that in an unknown environment, it is very difficult to estimate the amount of new information expected from a frontier location. We propose a new objective for the assignment algorithm and introduce a new cost function to be used in the assignment algorithm that leads to better motion planning. For the sake of simplicity, we suggest to use greedy algorithm for the assignment algorithm. In this paper, we also proposed a method for exploration problem with robots' limited communication capability, by estimating the missing robots' position, so that the outcome will not degrade significantly.
10-Gb/s limiting amplifier and laser/modulator driver in 0.18-μm CMOS technology

A limiting amplifier incorporates active feedback, inductive peaking, and negative Miller capacitance to achieve a voltage gain of 50 dB, a bandwidth of 9.4 GHz, and a sensitivity of 4.6 mV/sub pp/ for a bit-error rate of 10/sup -12/ while consuming 150 mW. A driver employs T-coil peaking and negative impedance conversion to achieve operation at 10 Gb/s while delivering a current of 100 mA to 25-/spl Omega/ lasers or a voltage swing of 2 V/sub pp/ to 50-/spl Omega/ modulators with a power dissipation of 675 mW. Fabricated in 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS technology, both prototypes operate with a 1.8-V supply.
De-noising method research on bearing fault signal based on particle filter

Bearing is a part that easily occur fault, because of its harsh working environment, the vibration signal that is needed for fault diagnosis is usually mixed with relatively complex noise signal, so it needs to conduct noise reduction firstly. As a state estimation method, simulation analysis shows that particle filter has superior result on signal de-noising processing. Finally, apply the particle filter noise reduction idea in noise reduction processing of the bearing fault vibration signal collected from the laboratory, and result shows the noise reduction effect is better.
Robust Face Tracking Using Self-Skin Color Segmentation

This paper addresses the problem of human face tracking in color image sequences. A method using human skin color feature integrated with condensation algorithm is proposed. At first, this paper presents a method of self-skin color segmentation to detect human skin in color image. Compared with conventional skin color model methods, this method has more precise detection performance in varying lighting condition. Additionally, this paper presents two improvements for condensation algorithm: a simple and efficient sampling method based on the Metropolis algorithm and an adaptive dynamical model are used for robust face tracking. Experimental results show that this approach could track human face's free movement, even in complex backgrounds and occlusion case
A New Security Architecture for Personal Networks

The concept of personal networks is very user- centric and representative for the next generation networks. However, the present security mechanism is not considering at all what happens whenever a mobile node (device) is compromised, lost or stolen. This kinds of leakage of stored secrets has been a great danger in the field of communication security since it sometimes leads to the complete breakdown of the intended security level. In order to solve the problem, we propose a 3- way Leakage-Resilient and Forward-Secure Authenticated Key Exchange (3LRFS-AKE) protocol and its security architecture for personal networks. The 3LRFS-AKE protocol guarantees not only forward secrecy of the shared key between device and its server but also a new additional layer of security against leakage of stored secrets. The security architecture includes two different types of communications: PN wide communication and communication between P-PANs of two different users. In this paper, we propose a new LR-AKE protocol, called 3-way Leakage-Resilient and Forward-Secure Authenticated Key Exchange (3LRFS-AKE), suitable for personal networks. We also present how the 3LRFS-AKE protocol works in a security architecture in order to solve the issues of both key management and leakage of stored secrets from devices with- out jeopardizing several security properties the original LR- AKE protocol holds. Note that the previous LR-AKE protocols cannot be applied directly since additional key management system is needed for personal networks. This paper is organized as follows. Section II provides overview of PN/PAN/P-PAN and a brief description of the imprinting procedure. Section III and IV is devoted to proposal of a new LR-AKE protocol suitable for personal networks and its security architecture, respectively. We briefly discuss about security and efficiency of the proposed security architecture in Section V and VI. Some concluding remarks and future works are given in Section VII.
How Non-invasive in vivo Cell Tracking Supports the Development and Translation of Cancer Immunotherapies

Immunotherapy is a relatively new treatment regimen for cancer, and it is based on the modulation of the immune system to battle cancer. Immunotherapies can be classified as either molecular or cell-based immunotherapies, and both types have demonstrated promising results in a growing number of cancers. Indeed, several immunotherapies representing both classes are already approved for clinical use in oncology. While spectacular treatment successes have been reported, particularly for so-called immune checkpoint inhibitors and certain cell-based immunotherapies, they have also been accompanied by a variety of severe, sometimes life-threatening side effects. Furthermore, not all patients respond to immunotherapy. Hence, there is the need for more research to render these promising therapeutics more efficacious, more widely applicable, and safer to use. Whole-body in vivo imaging technologies that can interrogate cancers and/or immunotherapies are highly beneficial tools for immunotherapy development and translation to the clinic. In this review, we explain how in vivo imaging can aid the development of molecular and cell-based anti-cancer immunotherapies. We describe the principles of imaging host T-cells and adoptively transferred therapeutic T-cells as well as the value of traceable cancer cell models in immunotherapy development. Our emphasis is on in vivo cell tracking methodology, including important aspects and caveats specific to immunotherapies. We discuss a variety of associated experimental design aspects including parameters such as cell type, observation times/intervals, and detection sensitivity. The focus is on non-invasive 3D cell tracking on the whole-body level including aspects relevant for both preclinical experimentation and clinical translatability of the underlying methodologies.
Mechanisms of increased susceptibility to influenza infection in mouse models of chronic lung diseases

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)%%%%Influenza infections are of major importance as they have a significant impact on the health of individuals and impart substantial socio-economic ramifications on society. Prevention and treatment of influenza infections are complicated by frequent genetic mutations of the influenza virus. Patients with underlying chronic lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are more susceptible to influenza infection, and infection with influenza exacerbates these diseases. Therefore, elucidation of the mechanisms underpinning increased susceptibility to influenza in these patients is vital. Here, we established an experimental mouse model of COPD and utilised an existing ovalbumin-induced allergic airways disease (AAD) model to investigate the effects of influenza infection in COPD and asthma, respectively. Influenza infection in experimental COPD resulted in increased viral titre, exaggerated airway inflammation and further impaired lung function. These effects were accompanied by decreased neutrophil influx into the airways, reduced antiviral interferon responses, and the suppression of a range of cytokines and chemokines, including interferon (IFN)-γ, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IFN-γ-induced protein (IP)-10, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC, or IL-8 in humans) and interleukin (IL)-10, as well as increased IL-6. This increased susceptibility was mediated by an increase in phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) protein expression. The inhibition of PI3K effectively reduced viral titre, enhanced antiviral IFNs and improved lung function. Influenza infection in recombinant IL-13-treated or ovalbumin (Ova)-induced AAD models led to increased viral titre, impaired antiviral responses and increased airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR). It also resulted in exaggerated airway inflammation, more severe histopathology, increased mucus secreting cell numbers and increased IL-13. Importantly, we also showed that inhibition of IL-13 by administration of anti-IL-13 (αIL-13) monoclonal antibody during influenza infection reduced viral titre, AHR, eosinophil infiltration and MSCs, which were associated with improved antiviral IFN responses. In summary, these data highlight the important roles of PI3K and IL-13 in the increased susceptibility to influenza infection in experimental models of COPD and asthma, respectively. Such findings offer evidence for new and promising avenues for influenza disease management in these chronic lung diseases. In fact, both PI3K inhibitors and anti-IL-13 antibodies have already entered clinical trials and may be utilised as novel therapeutic approaches for influenza infections in the future.
BAdabouM: a genomic structural variations discovery tool for polymorphism analyses

Genomic Structural Variations (SVs) are known to impact the evolution of genomes and to have consequences on individual’s fitness. Nevertheless, they remain challenging to detect in whole genome re-sequencing (WGS) data. Lots of methods detecting SVs are described in the literature but they might be hard to install, have non-trivial settings, do not detect all SVs categories and have generally high levels of false positive. Here we introduce BAdabouM, a fast (C written) and easy to install SVs discovery tool. BAdabouM auto evaluates read length, library size and mean coverage to set thresholds specific to each experiment. BAdabouM interprets multiple SVs signatures (reads aligned with a split, non-concordant mapped pairs or uneven coverage) to detect insertions, deletions, copy number variations, inversions, and translocations at single-nucleotide resolution. When compared with two widely used methods on simulated and real datasets, BAdabouM was faster, exhibited a similar accuracy with a good concordance on SVs detected, and detected significantly more insertions. BAdabouM was more reproducible to detect independently SVs across individuals, which is a clear advantage when characterizing population polymorphism. Furthermore, BAdabouM demonstrated a superior ability to detect breakpoints with a base pair resolution. BAdabouM proved to be efficient, fast and accurate to detect SVs, and handle. BAdabouM is a complementary method to be used for a more comprehensive detection of SVs, and is especially suited for studying polymorphism for all types of SVs with a high accuracy.
Co-evolution between codon usage and Protein-Protein Interaction Networks in Bacterial genomes

In this work, we study the correlation between codon usage and the network features of the PPI in bacteria genomes. We want to extend the information by Dilucca et al. (2015) about E.Coli’s genome for a set of other 34 bacteria. We use PCA techniques in the space of codon bias indices (compAI, compAI_w, tAI, NC) and GC content to show that genes with similar patterns of codon usage feature have a significantly higher probability that their encoded proteins interact within the PPI. And vice-versa, we show that interacting in the PPI have a coherent codon usage. This work could allow for future investigations into the possible effects that codon bias signal can have on the topology of protein interaction network and, as such, to improve existing bioinformatics methods for predicting protein interactions.
The relationship between height and diameter trees of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and the extent of crown defoliation in the Kampinos National Park

Abstract Forests in Kampinos National Park contain some of the most valuable tree populations in Poland. Particularly interesting are stands of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) that are more than 130-years-old. Periodic observations of the health of tree crowns in these stands facilitates a wide range of research investigations. This article evaluates statistical relationships between allometric features of trees and the occurrence and severity of crown defoliation. Observations were made of 5 pine populations in 2017 and 2019, in which detailed data were collected for 250 trees. The percentage loss of the assimilation apparatus and level of stand damage were calculated. The results revealed a significant increase in defoliation between 2017 and 2019. The deterioration of crown condition was particularly evident on the most fertile sites. The degree of crown damage was not correlated with tree height or diameter. The greatest increase in defoliation between 2017 and 2019 was observed for the most severely damaged trees growing on fertile sites. This study contributes analyses aimed at correlating the allometric features of a stand with its health. Such information is valuable as it describes the status of the analysed stands, as well as providing information about how trees have responded to environmental conditions. In this study, crown defoliation coincided with a period of drought in Poland, which appears to have affected pine stands. For these reasons, the results are of both scientific and practical value.
The Transition from Underwater to Surface Swimming During the Push-off Start in Competitive Swimmers

Abstract The objective of the present study was to analyze (based on gender and the style of swimming) the kinematic parameters of the transition phase between underwater swimming and surface swimming after the push-off start in competitive national swimmers. Seventy-four swimmers participating in the Spanish Swimming Championships were filmed and analyzed by DLT-2D photogrammetry during the start with the push-off in crawl, backstroke and butterfly styles. Between genders there were small differences in the distance and speed of transition. The male swimmers travelled greater distances (0.84 ± 0.04 vs. 0.66 ± 0.04 m, η2 = 0.05, F = 10.34, p < 0.001) and they were faster (1.59 ± 0.03 vs. 1.38 ± 0.03 m/s, η2 = 0.08, F = 19.54, p < 0.001) in the transition phase than female swimmers. Among styles there were greater differences in time (η2 = 0.47, F = 94.50, p < 0.001) and transition distance (η2 = 0.38, F = 67.08, p < 0.001), than in speed (η2 = 0.05, F = 5.63, p < 0.001). During the backstroke push-off, swimmers spent more time (0.88 ± 0.04 s) and distance (1.17 ± 0.05 m), this being the slowest style (1.37 ± 0.04 m/s). In butterfly, athletes used less time (0.26 ± 0.03 s) and distance (0.39 ± 0.05 m) whereas crawl was the fastest of all (1.57 ± 0.04 m/s). These results allow the phase of transition from underwater to surface swimming to be characterized and to provide useful data for competitive swimmers and coaches to improve performance.
The Impact of Aspirin Intake on Lactate Dehydrogenase, Arterial Stiffness, and Oxidative Stress During High‐Intensity Exercise: A Pilot Study

Abstract Aspirin is a common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to reduce fever, pain, and inflammation. However, aspirin’s anti-inflammatory properties may also prevent increased levels of blood lactate dehydrogenase, vascular arterial stiffness and oxidative stress induced by high-intensity exercise. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 4 weeks of aspirin supplementation on lactate dehydrogenase activity, lactate, arterial stiffness, and antioxidant capacity during high-intensity exercise in Taekwondo athletes. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: aspirin supplementation (n = 10) and placebo-control (n = 10). Blood levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme activity and lactate were assessed to examine muscle damage and carotid-to-radial pulse wave velocity and the augmentation index were measured to examine arterial stiffness. Blood levels of superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, and glutathione peroxidase were assessed to determine antioxidant capacity and levels of oxidative stress. There were significant group × time interactions for enzyme activity of LDH (Δ-60 ± 24.36 U/L) and carotid-to-radial pulse wave velocity (Δ-1.33 ± 0.54 m/s), which significantly decreased (p < 0.05) following aspirin supplementation compared to placebo-control. Superoxide dismutase (Δ359 ± 110 U/gHb) and glutathione peroxidase (Δ28.2 ± 10.1 U/gHb) significantly decreased while malondialdehyde (0Δ3.0 ± 0.1 mmol/mL) significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the placebo-control group compared to the supplementation group. However, there were no changes in lactate concentration levels or augmentation index. These results reveal that low-dose aspirin supplementation would be a useful supplementation therapy to prevent high-intensity exercise training-induced increases in oxidative damage, inflammation, skeletal muscle fatigue, and arterial stiffness in elite Taekwondo athletes.
Assessing Change of Direction Ability in a Spanish Elite Soccer Academy

Abstract The aims of the study were: a) to analyze the reproducibility of the Modified Agility Test (MAT) according to two types of displacement (i.e. constrained [MATtop] vs. free [MATfree]), b) to examine the explanatory capacity of anthropometric characteristics and neuromuscular performance on the ability to change the direction (CODA), c) to look into the practical consequences of the types of displacement from the perspective of an elite soccer academy. 118 male soccer players (age: 16 (13-25) years old) from the same elite Spanish soccer academy (U13 to senior) were tested twice on two versions of the MAT (MATtop and MATfree), with 48 hours between testing sessions. Moreover, they were tested on linear-sprint performance, over 5 m (S5m) and 15 m (S15m), and the vertical jump (VJ) (countermovement jump with [ACMJ] and without an arm swing [CMJ]). The main findings were: a) the type of displacement did not affect the reliability of the CODA test; b) weight, S15m, ACMJ and CMJ variables explained close to 60% of CODA performance; c) MATtop (i.e. constrained displacement) and MATfree (i.e. free-displacement) CODA tests could show different profiles of development along the age groups; and d) the impact of the task’s constraints was relatively higher in U16 and U17 groups. CODA seems to have a variable meaning depending on the characteristics of the test and the age of the participants.
Application of Big Data Analytics in Customization of E-mass Service: Main Possibilities and Obstacles

Abstract The paper is based on a scientific literature analysis and, by examining scientific insights, it focuses on the assumption that Big Data Analytics (BDA) is an alternative used in modern organizations in decision making at e-mass service customization. An overall orientation to BDA application in management processes is presented as a useful construct not only for improving the decision-making procedure but also as a relevant source for strategic planning, process and cost optimization activities as well as for changes in supply chain and risk management. The data was obtained through the scientific literature analysis and systematized theoretical insights of the BDA influence in both possibility and obstacle dimensions to e-mass service customization.
Heart Rate Variability is Correlated with Perceived Physical Fitness in Elite Soccer Players

Abstract Heart Rate Variability (HRV) has been typically used to monitor athletes’ physical fitness readiness. The supine position maximizes parasympathetic tone, which is important for monitoring in continuous aerobic sports, however, this is not the case of team sports that rely on anaerobic intermittent bouts, thus increasing sympathetic activation and vagal withdrawal. We hypothesized that HRV during sympathetic activation and vagal withdrawal would be a useful marker to evaluate perceived physical fitness in team sports. HRV was measured in both supine and standing positions during the mornings of 4 match days in 14 professional players. The supine Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences (RMSSD), as well as spectral analysis indices were recorded. Perceived physical fitness was assessed after each match by means of a visual analogue scale (VAS). Supine RMSSD was moderately correlated with perceived physical fitness (rho = 0.416), however, larger correlations were observed for supine and standing spectral indices (rho > 0.5). Correlation between RMSSD and Total Power was very large, thus questioning the usual interpretation of RMSSD (rho > 0.7). Standing Spectral HRV analyses may be a useful method for evaluating perceived physical fitness in the context of team sports. RMSSD may reflect the overall variability of HR and not only the parasympathetic influence, as observed in the current study.
Progress in perovskite based solar cells: scientific and engineering state of the art

Abstract Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are one of the most promising photovoltaic technologies undergoing rapid developments. PSC efficiency has reached 25.2% in only seven years, which is close to the record efficiency of silicon solar cells. In addition, the use of PSCs in tandem solar cells either in the 4-terminal or monolithic configuration, can lead to a significant increase conversion efficiency. However, the stability and the scalability are the main issues that still hinder the commercialization of the perovskite technology. The present review focusses on the recent development in perovskite solar cells materials, cell architectures and fabrication methods and their effect on the conversion efficiency and stability of the devices. In addition, solutions proposed to overcome the main challenges and to make tandem solar cells are discussed.