Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human Blood Platelets Adsorption on Polymeric Materials for Liquid Biopsy

Platelets are emerging as a promising source of blood biomarkers for several pathologies, including cancer. New automated techniques for easier manipulation of platelets in the context of lab-on-a-chips could be of great support for liquid biopsy. Here, several polymeric materials were investigated for their behavior in terms of adhesion and activation of human platelets. Polymeric materials were selected among the most used in microfabrication (PDMS, PMMA and COC) and commercial and home-made resins for 3D printing technology with the aim to identify the most suitable for the realization of microdevices for human platelets isolation and analysis. To visualize adherent platelets and their activation state scanning, electron microscopy was used, while confocal microscopy was used for evaluating platelets’ features. In addition, atomic force microscopy was employed to further study platelets adherent to the polymeric materials. Polymers were divided in two main groups: the most prone to platelet adhesion and materials that cause few or no platelets to adhere. Therefore, different polymeric materials could be identified as suitable for the realization of microdevices aimed at capturing human platelets, while other materials could be employed for the fabrication of microdevices or parts of microdevices for the processing of platelets, without loss on surfaces during the process.
A Study on the Impact of Basketball on the Physical Fitness and Health of Adolescents Based on the Method of Correlation Analysis

Basketball can improve physical fitness, keep healthy, and become the main form of modern sports. However, basketball generally has the problem of unreasonable sports schemes and even reduces physical fitness. Therefore, finding an effective basketball program is an urgent problem to be solved at present. In order to improve the level of public health, this paper proposes a correlation analysis method to study the impact of basketball on teenagers' health. The correlation analysis method is used to analyze the health data of adolescents, combined with the influence of basketball on fitness and the characteristics of basketball itself. Previous studies on basketball neglected comprehensive analysis and lack of correlation analysis of basketball indexes, resulting in unsatisfactory analysis results. The correlation analysis method can adjust the technical method, intensity, and program of basketball in combination with the physical development of teenagers. MATLAB simulation shows that the correlation analysis method can accurately analyze the impact of basketball on teenagers' health, with an accuracy of 95%. Therefore, the correlation analysis method constructed in this paper can provide guidance for basketball and improve the health level of teenagers.
The Effect of Ramadan and COVID-19 on the Relationship between Physical Activity and Burnout among Teachers

The objective of this study was to explore the effect of COVID-19 and Ramadan on physical activity (PA) and burnout in teachers and the relationship between them. A total of 57 secondary school teachers from public education centers participated in the present study. They were aged between 29 and 52 years. To determine the effect of Ramadan and COVID-19 on PA and burnout, participants completed the online questionnaires before COVID-19, one week before Ramadan and during the second week of Ramadan. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-BREF and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey were used to assess PA intensities and burnout, respectively. The data revealed that total PA (p < 0.001, p < 0.05, respectively) vigorous metabolic equivalent of task (MET) (p < 0.001, p < 0.05, respectively), moderate MET (p < 0.001, p < 0.01, respectively) were higher before COVID-19 and before Ramadan than during Ramadan. Regarding burnout subscales, emotional exhaustion (p < 0.001, p < 0.01, respectively) was higher before Ramadan than before COVID-19 and during Ramadan. A lower personal accomplishment was reported before Ramadan than before COVID-19 and during Ramadan (both p < 0.05). In addition, low to high correlations were observed between PA intensities and burnout subscales, except for the correlation between depersonalization and all PA intensities. In conclusion, Ramadan intermittent fasting along with PA was highly recommended for teachers and the general population to improve positive emotions and general health.
Determination of Interlaminar Shear Properties of Fibre-Reinforced Composites under Biaxial Loading: A New Experimental Approach

The complexity of biaxial tests and analysis of their results makes it difficult to study the interlaminar shear properties of fibre-reinforced composites, particularly under through-thickness compression, which occurs in thick-walled composite elements. The improvements in experimental methods to study the features of the nonlinear behaviour of composites under biaxial loading is now an important and relevant task in the development aircraft structural elements made of carbon fibre-reinforced polymers. This study aimed to develop a new experimental approach for the reliable determination of the interlaminar shear properties of laminates under through-thickness compression using a standard testing machine. An appropriate V-notched specimen was developed based on the configuration of well-known Iosipescu and butterfly-shaped specimens. The approach is demonstrated using woven carbon/epoxy laminates. Both the preliminary assessment of the stress fields under combined compression/shear loading and the analysis of fracture mechanisms were performed with finite-element modelling in a three-dimensional formulation. The digital image correlation (DIC) method was used to obtain experimental, full-field deformations of the specimens and to estimate the uniformity of the strain distribution in the gauge section. The stress–strain curves were obtained under biaxial loading, and the corresponding features of the composite failure behaviour were analysed in detail. It was found that the maximum compression strain on the stress–strain curves, in some cases, corresponded to the discontinuity in the composite structure. In these cases, the disproportionate changes in through-thickness strains in the gauge section of the specimens were recorded at the maximum load. With the increase in through-thickness compression stresses, the difference between the shear strength values, determined by the maximum load and the maximum compressive strain, increased by up to 20%. It was shown that the assessment of the composite strength at maximum load at the design stage significantly increased the risk of premature failure of the composite elements during exploitation.
Influence of Convective and Vacuum-Type Drying on Quality, Microstructural, Antioxidant and Thermal Properties of Pretreated Boletus edulis Mushrooms

Freshly harvested Boletus edulis mushrooms are subjected to rapid loss of quality due to the high moisture content and enzymatic activity. Drying time, quality characteristics, microstructural and thermal properties were studied in mushrooms ground to puree subjected to hot air drying (HAD), freeze drying (FD) and centrifugal vacuum drying (CVD). The influence of hot water blanching and UV-C pretreatments was additionally investigated. The rehydration ability of mushroom powders was improved by FD, especially without pretreatment or combined to UV-C exposure. The HAD and CVD, with no pretreatment or combined to UV-C, ensured good preservation of phenolics and antioxidant activity of dried mushrooms. The total difference in color of mushroom pigments extracted in acetone was lower in samples dried by CVD and higher in ones by FD. Blanching before HAD produced whiter product probably due to the reduced polyphenoloxidase activity. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis showed fewer physical changes in FD-samples. Heat-induced structural changes were noticed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermogravimetry (TG) and Derivative Thermogravimetry (DTG) analysis, in particular of biopolymers, confirmed by ATR-FTIR analysis. Based on our complex approach, the UV pretreatment of mushrooms could be a better alternative to water blanching. Centrifugal vacuum emerged as a new efficient drying method in terms of bioactive compounds, color and thermal stability, while FD led to better rehydration ability and microstructure.
The effects of (chemo) radiation therapy on the voice and quality of life in patients with non-laryngeal head and neck cancers: a subjective and objective assessment

Background : Factors affecting the patient’s voice and Quality of Life (QOL) by means of Persian Voice Handicap Index (VHI) are important in non - laryngeal Head and Neck Cancers (HNCs) following (chemo)radiation therapy. This study aimed to investigate the vocal problems caused by (chemo)radiation therapy among Iranian patients with non - laryngeal HNCs and to evaluate the factors affecting the patient’s voice QOL by means of Persian VHI. Material and Methods : Seventy patients with non - laryngeal Head and Neck Cancers (HNCs) were treated by radiation therapy, and eighty individuals with normal voice were considered. Acoustic analysis and self - assessment with the Persian VHI questionnaire were performed before, during, and 6 months after the treatment. Normal subjects were tested once. Changes in the acoustic parameters and VHI questionnaire scores over the time and their correlation was assessed using statistical analysis. The effect of important factors on the patient’s voice and QOL in different groups was investigated. Results : The results showed that the acoustic parameters except mean F0, and questionnaire data deteriorated significantly ( P < 0.001) during the treatment and improved at the final assessment, but not to the initial level. There was a significant relationship between some of the acoustic parameters and subgroups of the VHI questionnaire at the end and 6 months after treatment. Chemotherapy, mean laryngeal dose and smoking were factors that affecting the patient’s QOL. Conclusions : Radiation dose in non - laryngeal tumor in HNCs causes laryngeal damage and vocal problems. Acoustic analysis and Persian VHI questionnaire were two valuable methods in evaluating the patients’ voice and QOL. Radiation dose, chemotherapy and smoking greatly impact the aggravation of vocal problems.
Fully 3D Iterative Reconstruction of Planogram Data

This work is supported by NIH grant CA80943. Background At the previous Fully 3D meeting we presented the concept of the 'planogram' data format for fully-3D imaging. The planogram data format is a generalization of the 2D linogram data format of Edholm et al. [1, 2]. This planogram format is based on the native acquisition geometry of planar detectors, illustrated in figure 1, where the natural rectangular detector coordinates are given by ( , ) x y d d 1 1 and ( , ) x y d d 2 2 for two individual detector events that determine a line of response (LOR). We can parameterize the LOR orientation by the coordinates ( , , , ) u u v v 1 2 1 2 where u x x d d 1 1 2 2 = − ( ) / , u y y d d 2 1 2 2 = + ( ) / , v x x d d 1 1 2 2 = − + ( ) / , a n d v y y d d 2 2 1 2 = − ( ) / . In this parameterization we assume the detectors are separated by unit distance so ( , ) v v 1 2 are the tangents of the angle of the LOR projected onto the x y − and y z − planes, respectively relative to the y axis. We can then further parameterize the LOR w.r. t. the y -coordinate as u x v y 1 1 = + and u z v y 2 2 = + .
Temporal and Wash-Out Studies Identify Medicines for Malaria Venture Pathogen Box Compounds with Fast-Acting Activity against Both Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma brucei

Chagas disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi is endemic to 21 countries in the Americas, effects approximately 6 million people and on average results in 12,000 deaths annually. Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is caused by the Trypanosoma brucei sub-species, endemic to 36 countries within sub-Saharan Africa. Treatment regimens for these parasitic diseases are complicated and not effective against all disease stages; thus, there is a need to find improved treatments. To identify new molecules for the drug discovery pipelines for these diseases, we have utilised in vitro assays to identify compounds with selective activity against both T. cruzi and T.b. brucei from the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) Pathogen Box compound collection. To prioritise these molecules for further investigation, temporal and wash off assays were utilised to identify the speed of action and cidality of compounds. For translational relevance, compounds were tested against clinically relevant T.b. brucei subspecies. Compounds with activity against T. cruzi cytochrome P450 (TcCYP51) have not previously been successful in clinical trials for chronic Chagas disease; thus, to deprioritise compounds with this activity, they were tested against recombinant TcCYP51. Compounds with biological profiles warranting progression offer important tools for drug and target development against kinetoplastids.
Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) System using convolutional and Recurrent neural Network Approach

Nowadays, speech recognition is an active research field, where various deep neural architectures are explored. The published successful models are optimized on massive, transcribed datasets, most of which are closed. A deep neural network solves two closely related tasks. It learns to recognize phonemes and formulate grammar rules at the same time. A model can parallel and accurately build both of them when a training corpus is large enough. However, inflected languages such as Polish contain much more grammar rules to define than in the case of English. Therefore, to achieve comparable results in the Polish language, the corpus must be substantially larger than the one presented for the English language. In contrast, to build more massive datasets, we present the Synthetic Boosted Model, which is an attempt to use synthetic data to enrich more profound the implicit language model. In the presented work, we propose the new model architecture, the new objective function, and the new training policy.
Development and Design of a Near-Field High-Energy Gamma Camera for Use with Neutron Stimulated Emission Computed Tomography

DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN OF A NEAR-FIELD HIGH-ENERGY GAMMA CAMERA FOR USE WITH NEUTRON STIMULATED EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY by Amy Congdon Sharma Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Date: November 14, 2007 Approved: ___________________________ Gregg E. Trahey, Ph.D., Co-Supervisor ___________________________ Georgia D. Tourassi, Ph.D., Co-Supervisor ___________________________ Calvin R. Howell, PhD ___________________________ Srinivasan Mukundan, Jr., Ph.D., M.D. ___________________________ Timothy G. Turkington, Ph.D. An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the Graduate School of Duke University 2007 Copyright by Amy Congdon Sharma 2007
Study on the vibration evaluation method and allowable differential settlement of road-bridge transition section with full-car model

ABSTRACT The differential settlement between bridge approach slab and abutment causes bump problems when vehicles passing this area. This study aims at evaluating the roughness of area between road-bridge transition properly and putting forward the allowable differential settlement value based on the comfortable feeling of passengers. In this research, the maximum transient vibration value (MTVV) was chosen to be the evaluation index of roughness vibration comfort, and full-car model and bridge approach pavement models were established using Carsim software. Then, the interactions of human-vehicle-road were simulated when the car passed the bridge at different speeds, and the influences of step height, approach slab length, approach relative slope and vehicle speed on MTVV were studied. According to the simulation results and the comfortable feeling questionnaire when a testing car passed different bridge areas, the specific grading standard of MTVV was given, and for the bridge with and without approach slab, the allowable differential slope and the step height of the bridge under difference were put forward. The results have a significant value for the roughness evaluation of the road-bridge transition area and can be used to judge whether this area is needed or not to maintain.
Robust probit linear mixed models for longitudinal binary data

In this paper, we propose Bayesian analysis methods dealing with longitudinal data involving repeated binary outcomes on subjects with dropouts. The proposed Bayesian methods implement probit models with random effects to capture heterogeneity and hypersphere decomposition to model the correlation matrix for serial correlation of repeated responses. We investigate the model robustness against misspecifications of the probit models along with techniques to handle missing data. The parameters of the proposed models are estimated by implementing an Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm, and simulations were performed to provide a comparison with other models and validate the choice of prior distributions. The simulations show that when suitable correlation structures are specified, the proposed approach improves estimation of the regression parameters in terms of the mean percent relative error and the mean squared error. Finally, two real data examples are provided to illustrate the proposed approach.
Sequential models of intergroup contact and social categorization: An experimental field test of integrated models

Research has proposed different models of how contact situations should be structured to maximize contact effects, focusing in particular on the role of categorization during contact. We conducted two experimental field interventions (Ns = 247 and 247) to test models that integrate different levels of categorization. Each of the tested models was contrasted against a no-intervention control condition. In both studies, we assessed effects shortly after the intervention (1 week later; i.e., posttest) and then after approximately 6 months (i.e., follow-up). In the first study, results generally supported the model where categorization precedes decategorization, showing effects on major dependent measures highlighted in research on intergroup contact: quantity and quality of contact, cross-group friendships, intergroup anxiety (marginal effect at follow-up), outgroup attitudes (only at follow-up). Evidence for follow-up effects for this model was, however, weaker in Study 2, where the delayed effects of the intervention emerged only indirectly, via changes in contact quality, outgroup attitudes, and approach behavioral intentions at posttest. Comparisons of the other two models (decategorization then categorization; and simultaneous categorization and decategorization) with the control condition (only in Study 1) provided weaker and inconsistent results.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BASED ON DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN CONSTRUCTION

The article discusses the joint application of building information modeling technology and other digital technologies for sustainable construction. Building information modeling technology allows to generate and update a set of data about construction object, and then analyze and use this data throughout the building life cycle. Building information model (BIM) is based on geometric shape. It possible to organize the exchange of BIM data with other digital technologies based on geometric data processing, such as virtual and augmented reality (VR & AR), additive manufacturing (3D printing), generative design technologies. Based on the BIM datal, it is possible to analyze the economic, energy, environmental and social characteristics of the construction object. BIM data is used to assess the compliance of the object with the criteria of "green construction". All these technologies can be used in the tasks of ensuring sustainable construction. The purpose of this study is the integration of digital technologies to ensure the principles of sustainable development in construction. Examples of completed works based on digital technologies together with information modeling of residential buildings are given. An experiment was conducted to create augmented reality based on BIM data. An experiment on 3D printing of a cottage layout was carried out. The algorithm of generative design of the building ramp for low-mobility groups of the population is proposed. A method of using generative design technology in conjunction with standard and modular construction is proposed. The conclusion is made about the advantages of the integrated use of digital technologies.
IDFS: the Individual Distributed File System

Distributed file systems are widely used in the cloud environment, which simplifies the process of accessing files in different machines. By using the distributed file system, commercial cloud storage like Google Drive, OneDrive, and iCloud offers convenient ways for users to access personal files. However, cloud storage has privacy issues, and the expense of purchasing these services is expensive. Therefore, a distributed file system for personal use that utilizes users’ vacant local disks is desired. This paper presents a simple distributed file system, the Individual Distributed File System (IDFS), that enables users to hold their data at their hands conveniently. IDFS allows users to access files that locates in personal devices in different network environments seamlessly. To this end, IDFS uses the wireless device and relay connection of the server. Instead of storing all files in centralized cloud servers in the public network, IDFS keeps files in personal devices, which is promising for keeping personal files private. To evaluate the effectiveness of IDFS, we design a prototype of IDFS and implement several experiments. The results show that IDFS makes an offline device-to-device file transfer quick and convenient, and it provides high file accessibility without consuming too much storage.
Parkinsonian Syndromes in Motor Neuron Disease: A Clinical Study

Background Parkinsonian syndromes may rarely occur in motor neuron disease (MND). However, previous studies are heterogeneous and mostly case reports or small case series. Therefore, we aimed to identify and characterize patients with concurrent parkinsonian syndromes extracted from a cohort of 1,042 consecutive cases diagnosed with MND at a tertiary Italian Center. Methods Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS) was made according to current criteria. Clinical characterization included: upper and lower motor neuron disease features, typical and atypical parkinsonian features, oculomotor disorders, cognitive testing, MRI features, and, when available molecular neuroimaging. Genetic testing was carried out for major MND and PD-associated genes. Results Parkinsonian syndromes were diagnosed in 18/1042 (1.7%) of MND patients (7 PD, 6 PSP, 3 CBS, 2 other parkinsonisms). Based on phenotype, patients could be categorized into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-parkinsonism and primary lateral sclerosis (PLS)-parkinsonism clusters. Across the whole database, parkinsonism was significantly more common in PLS than in other MND phenotypes (12.1 vs. 1.1%, p = 5.0 × 10−10). MND patients with parkinsonian features had older age of onset, higher frequency of oculomotor disorders, cognitive impairment, and family history of parkinsonism or dementia. Two patients showed pathogenic mutations in TARDBP and C9orf72 genes. Conclusion Specific patterns in MND-parkinsonism were observed, with PLS patients often showing atypical parkinsonian syndromes and ALS patients more frequently showing typical PD. Systematic clinical, genetic, and neuropathologic characterization may provide a better understanding of these phenotypes.