Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of signalling methods for high-speed backplane transceiver

ABSTRACT A combined analysis of transient simulation and statistical method is proposed for comparative study of signalling methods applied to high-speed backplane transceivers. This method enables fast and accurate signal-to-noise ratio and symbol error rate estimation of a serial link based on a four-dimension design space, including channel characteristics, noise scenarios, equalisation schemes, and signalling methods. The proposed combined analysis method chooses an efficient sampling size for performance evaluation. A comparative study of non-return-to-zero (NRZ), PAM-4, and four-phase shifted sinusoid symbol (PSS-4) using parameterised behaviour-level simulation shows PAM-4 and PSS-4 has substantial advantages over conventional NRZ in most of the cases. A comparison between PAM-4 and PSS-4 shows PAM-4 gets significant bit error rate degradation when noise level is enhanced.
The mechanisms behind environmental strategies in chemical manufacturing firms

The evaluation of an effective environmental strategy goes beyond understanding its antecedents and benefits. Identifying and understanding the various mechanisms behind the formulation, design and implementation of environmental strategies is important – yet past studies have not adequately addressed this issue. This paper explores corporate environmentalism, and extends the framework by identifying the internal mechanisms behind the environmental strategies in large Malaysian chemical manufacturing firms. Given the exploratory nature of the study, a case study method using semi-structured interviews was used to ascertain these mechanisms. Interestingly, the results revealed seven important mechanisms of the environmental strategies in large chemical firms. These are a central system, internal system, quantifiable measurement, specific environmental management unit, strategy alignment, collaboration, and collective involvement. The mechanisms are clustered as systems and commitments based on the role that these mechanisms play in the environmental strategy of the firms. Additionally, powerful and influential top management commitments were found to contribute to the initiation of these mechanisms.
Impact of automatic identification system (AIS) on safety of marine navigation

Automatic Identification System (AIS) was introduced with the overall aim to promote efficiency and safety of navigation, protection of environment, and safety of life at sea. Consequently, ship-borne AIS was implemented on a mandatory basis by IMO in 2000 and later amendments to chapter V of Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention. Therefore SOLAS Convention vessels were required to carry AIS in a phased approach, from I" July 2002 to end of December 2004. The intention is to provide more precise information and a clear traffic view in navigation operations, particularly in anti-collision operation. This mandatory implementation of AIS has raised a number of issues with respect to its success in fulfilment of the intended role. In order to improve the efficiency of the AIS in navigation operation, this research mainly focused on the accuracy of AIS information, and practical use of the technology on board the ships. The intentions were to assess reliability of data, level of human failure associated with AIS, and the degree of actual use of the technology by navigators. This research firstly provided impressions about AIS technology for anti-collision operation and other marine operation and, about a system's approach to the issue of human failure in marine risk management. Secondly, this research has assessed reliability of AIS data by examination of data collected through three AIS data studies. Thirdly, it has evaluated navigators' attitude and behaviour to AIS usage by analysing the data from navigators' feedback collected through the AIS questionnaire survey focused on their perceptions about different aspects of AIS related to its use. This research revealed that some aspects of the AIS technology and some features of its users need further attention and improvement, so as to achieve its intended objectives in navigation. This study finally contributed in proposing the AIS User Satisfaction Model as a suitable framework for evaluation of navigators' satisfaction and extent of the use of AIS. This model can probably be used as the basis for measuring navigators' attitude and behaviour about other similar maritime technologies.
Male and Female Mitigation in Institutional Conversation Setting: Viewed from the Strategies in Speech Acts

: As a multidisciplinary field, pragmatics tries to explain meaning and language structure by refering to aspects beyond the language itself. Phenomena in using language still demands an investigation on sociopragmatic field completely. This research aims to investigate how academic society choose and utilize mitigation in using speech acts especially directive speech acts. Besides investigating the mitigation marker, the researcher also consider local language elements as a choice of communication strategy to show honor, intimacy, and other values. Mitigation choice used in the context of interaction between male and female becomes singular uniqeness in this field since it involves how they try to understand each other linguistically. This research uses sociopragmatic approach with descriptive qualitative as the method. Based on the use of linguistic strategies, several variables are found: (1) social distance between locutor and interlocutor determined based on the general variable, socio-economic background, and culture; (2) social stratification between locutor and interlocutor, (3) difference of mitigation between male and female in academic situation. The use of mitigation is not only about the locutor’s choices to treat the interlocutor, but also about a reflection of social causes and psychological causes which resemble the character in expressing language. Through language, moral and value and behavior can be expressed; it includes saying thank you, discussing with someone older or younger, and replying someone in academic situation.
Microtab Design and Implementation on a 5 MW Wind Turbine

Microtabs (MT) consist of a small tab placed on the airfoil surface close to the trailing edge and perpendicular to the surface. A study to find the optimal position to improve airfoil aerodynamic performance is presented. Therefore, a parametric study of a MT mounted on the pressure surface of an airfoil has been carried out. The aim of the current study is to find the optimal MT size and location to increase airfoil aerodynamic performance and to investigate its influence on the power output of a 5 MW wind turbine. Firstly, a computational study of a MT mounted on the pressure surface of the airfoil DU91W(2)250 has been carried out and the best case has been found according to the largest lift-to-drag ratio. This airfoil has been selected because it is typically used on wind turbine, such as the 5 MW reference wind turbine of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Second, Blade Element Momentum (BEM) based computations have been performed to investigate the effect of the MT on the wind turbine power output with different wind speed realizations. The results show that, due to the implementation of MTs, a considerable increase in the turbine average power is achieved.
Measurement of Entropy Evaluation Method and Matter-Element Analysis Model

Tourism carrying capacity means the intensity of tourism activities that can be accommodated by urban tourism. In this study, urban tourism carrying capacity is analyzed from five aspects, namely, tourism resources, tourism security, economic base, social environment and ecological capacity. Harbin City’s tourism carrying capacity is measured based on an entropy evaluation method and a matter-element analysis model. In this paper, the five aspects are subdivided, and the entropy method and matter-element analysis model are used to calculate the tourism carrying capacity of Harbin. The calculation results show that from 2010 to 2021, the tourism carrying capacity of Harbin is on the rise. From these indicators, it can be seen that ecological capacity and social environment are the best for tourism carrying capacity development. In terms of tourism resources and tourism security, the preliminary construction effect is obvious, and the tourism carrying capacity increases significantly, but after 2016-2017, there is a significant downward trend. The economic level is growing significantly, and the effect is obvious. It can be seen that the index of economic foundation has been steadily improving and will be at the highest value in five measures in 2021.
A Case Report: The Efficacy of Human Amniotic Membrane Mesenchymal Stem Cells-Conditioned Medium (hAMMSC-CM) for Treating Plantar Pedis Trophic Ulcer in Leprosy Patients

: Leprosy is an endemic disease in many countries with consequences of neuropathy that may leads to plantar trophic ulcer. The management of trophic ulcers is difficult due to its recurrent and recalcitrant characteristics. Placental derived cells are known to release factors with potential immunomodulatory and trophic activities. In this study we use the human amniotic membrane mesenchymal stem cells-conditioned medium (hAMMSC-CM) gel to promote the wound healing of trophic ulcer. A-50-years-old female presented with a trophic ulcer over the sole of her right foot since 3 years ago. The patient gave a history of decreased sensation over the right foot and was a known case of lepromatous leprosy released from treatment 2 years back after completing multibacillary multi-drug therapy for 1 years. Cutaneous examination revealed a single non-healing ulcer over the plantar aspect of the right foot with pale granulation tissue and seropurulent discharge at the base. Touch and pain sensation were lost over the foot and up to the lower leg one-third of the leg. The result of microbiology Mycobacterium leprosy examination was bacterial index (BI) 0 and morphological index (MI) was negative. A diagnosis of plantar pedis trophic ulcer in a treated case of leprosy was made. The ulcer managed by given topical hAMMSC-CM gel and covered with transparent film dressings. Application of gel was done every 3 days, and weekly evaluation included measurement of the size and the depth of the ulcer was done. The patient was treated with hAMMSC-CM for 8 weeks. The ulcer was significantly resolved, but there was no complete healing.
Shell Disorder Models Detect That Omicron Has Harder Shells with Attenuation but Is Not a Descendant of the Wuhan-Hu-1 SARS-CoV-2

Before the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emergence, shell disorder models (SDM) suggested that an attenuated precursor from pangolins may have entered humans in 2017 or earlier. This was based on a shell disorder analysis of SARS-CoV-1/2 and pangolin-Cov-2017. The SDM suggests that Omicron is attenuated with almost identical N (inner shell) disorder as pangolin-CoV-2017 (N-PID (percentage of intrinsic disorder): 44.8% vs. 44.9%—lower than other variants). The outer shell disorder (M-PID) of Omicron is lower than that of other variants and pangolin-CoV-2017 (5.4% vs. 5.9%). COVID-19-related CoVs have the lowest M-PIDs (hardest outer shell) among all CoVs. This is likely to be responsible for the higher contagiousness of SARS-CoV-2 and Omicron, since hard outer shell protects the virion from salivary/mucosal antimicrobial enzymes. Phylogenetic study using M reveals that Omicron branched off from an ancestor of the Wuhan-Hu-1 strain closely related to pangolin-CoVs. M, being evolutionarily conserved in COVID-19, is most ideal for COVID-19 phylogenetic study. Omicron may have been hiding among burrowing animals (e.g., pangolins) that provide optimal evolutionary environments for attenuation and increase shell hardness, which is essential for fecal–oral–respiratory transmission via buried feces. Incoming data support SDM e.g., the presence of fewer infectious particles in the lungs than in the bronchi upon infection.
p -Anilinoaniline Enhancement of Dioxin-induced CYP1A1 Transcription and Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Occupancy of CYP1A1 Promoter: Role of the Cell Cycle

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is targeted by ubiquitination for degradation by the proteasome shortly after its activation by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD). In silico screening identified p -anilinoaniline ( p AA) as a putative inhibitor of an E2 ligase that partners with an E3 ligase implicated in AhR ubiquitination. We investigated if p AA could modify AhR-dependent activation of its target gene CYP1A1 . p AA (1-200 μ M) alone did not affect AhR content, or stimulate CYP1A1 mRNA accumulation in human mammary epithelial MCF10A cultures. However, pretreatment with ≥ 100 μ M p AA suppressed TCDD-induced CYP1A1 activation and AhR degradation via its functioning as an AhR antagonist. At a lower concentration (25 μ M) p AA cotreatment increased TCDD-induced CYP1A1 mRNA accumulation, without inhibiting AhR turnover, or altering CYP1A1 mRNA half life. Whereas TCDD alone did not affect MCF10A proliferation, 25 μ M p AA was cytostatic, and induced a G 1 arrest lasting ~7 h, and a S phase arrest that peaked 5-8 h later. TCDD neither affected MCF10A cell cycle progression, nor did it alter p AA effects on the cell cycle. The magnitude of CYP1A1 activation depended upon the time elapsed between p AA pretreatment and TCDD addition. Maximum AhR occupancy of the CYP1A1 promoter, and accumulation of CYP1A1 hnRNA and mRNA occurred when p AA pretreated cultures were exposed to TCDD in late G 1 and early/mid S phase. TCDD-mediated induction of CYP2S1 was also cell cycle dependent in MCF10A cultures. Similar studies with HepG2 cultures indicated that the cell cycle dependency of CYP1A1 induction is cell context dependent.
Radiogenomics: A Valuable Tool for the Clinical Assessment and Research of Ovarian Cancer

Abstract A new interdisciplinary approach based on medical imaging phenotypes, gene expression patterns, and clinical parameters, referred to as radiogenomics, has recently been developed for biomarker identification and clinical risk stratification in oncology, including for the assessment of ovarian cancer. Some radiological phenotypes (implant distribution, lymphadenopathy, and texture-derived features) are related to specific genetic landscapes (BRCA, BRAF, SULF1, the Classification of Ovarian Cancer), and integrated models can improve the efficiency for predicting clinical outcomes. The establishment of databases in medical images and gene expression profile with large sample size and the improvement of artificial intelligence algorithm will further promote the application of radiogenomics in ovarian cancer.
On Covid-19 and mental health

Abstract While visiting and socialization restrictions during lockdowns were instituted to cope with the Covid-19 spread and to prolong the life of residents of retirement homes, these measures could have been expected to decrease the quality of life of their residents. We assessed longitudinal effects of the two successive lockdowns, as implemented in France, on mental health (i.e., depression, anxiety, and loneliness) in 62 retirement home residents with Alzheimer disease (AD). Analysis demonstrated higher levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness during the second lockdown than during the first lockdown. The increased levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness during the second lockdown can be attributed to the longer duration of the restrictive measures, especially the restriction of visits, that were implemented in retirement homes. In addition, the increased workload of geriatric healthcare workers leading to higher levels of burnout and decreased quality of care may help explain the increased loneliness, depression, and anxiety of retirement home residents with AD, which were observed during the second Covid-19 era lockdown.
Editorial: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - advances in epidemiology, diagnostics, treatments, host-directed therapies, pathogenesis, vaccines, and ongoing challenges

Two and a half years into the unprecedented pandemic outbreak of novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), health services worldwide remain on alert despite rapid development, evaluation, and rollout of diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. COVID-19 remains the top cause of death from a single infectious disease globally and has added substantially to the huge toll of respiratory tract infections globally. The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated that rankings of countries based on their Global Health security Indices and their national pandemic preparedness plans did not materialize in the actual relative performance of countries in their public health responses. There is a plethora of information and updates on real-time COVID-19 data dashboards and on various epidemiological, clinical, and public health aspects of COVID-19 [1]. Such is the world of fast-paced information and datasharing. It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health services worldwide and resources moved to the COVID-19 response have undermined health services for other infectious and noncommunicable diseases. In this issue of Current Opinions of pulmonary Medicine, apart from COVID-19, we also cover developments in other causes of respiratory tract infections.
Administration of Glutaredoxin-1 Attenuates Liver Fibrosis Caused by Aging and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Liver fibrosis is a sign of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progression towards steatohepatitis (NASH) and cirrhosis and is accelerated by aging. Glutaredoxin-1 (Glrx) controls redox signaling by reversing protein S-glutathionylation, induced by oxidative stress, and its deletion causes fatty liver in mice. Although Glrx regulates various pathways, including metabolism and apoptosis, the impact of Glrx on liver fibrosis has not been studied. Therefore, we evaluated the role of Glrx in liver fibrosis induced by aging or by a high-fat, high-fructose diet. We found that: (1) upregulation of Glrx expression level inhibits age-induced hepatic apoptosis and liver fibrosis. In vitro studies indicate that Glrx regulates Fas-induced apoptosis in hepatocytes; (2) diet-induced NASH leads to reduced expression of Glrx and higher levels of S-glutathionylated proteins in the liver. In the NASH model, hepatocyte-specific adeno-associated virus-mediated Glrx overexpression (AAV-Hep-Glrx) suppresses fibrosis and apoptosis and improves liver function; (3) AAV-Hep-Glrx significantly inhibits transcription of Zbtb16 and negatively regulates immune pathways in the NASH liver. In conclusion, the upregulation of Glrx is a potential therapeutic for the reversal of NASH progression by attenuating inflammatory and fibrotic processes.
and Lesion Localization in Multiple SclerosisType Reactivity to Myelin Proteins with HLA Correlation of Blood T Cell and Antibody

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inﬂammatory demyelinating disease of the CNS. The numbers of autoimmune T cells and Abs speciﬁc for proteins of CNS myelin are increased in the blood in some patients with MS. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there are correlations between the speciﬁcity of the autoimmune responses in the blood, the HLA molecules carried by the patient, and the clinical features of MS, because studies on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of MS, indicate that autoimmune responses targeting particular myelin proteins and the genetic background of the animal play a role in determining the pattern of lesion distribution. We tested blood T cell immunoreactivity to myelin proteins in 100 MS patients, 70 healthy controls, and 48 patients with other neurological disorders. Forty MS patients had strongly increased T cell reactivity to one or more myelin Ags. In these 40 patients, the most robust correlation was between CD4 (cid:1) T cell reactivity to myelin proteolipid protein residues 184–209 (PLP 184–209 ) and development of lesions in the brainstem and cerebellum. Furthermore, carriage of HLA-DR4, -DR7, or -DR13 molecules by MS patients correlated with increased blood T cell immunoreactivity to PLP 184–209 , as well as the development of lesions in the brainstem and cerebellum. Levels of PLP 190–209 -speciﬁc Abs in the blood also correlated with the presence of cerebellar lesions. These ﬁndings show that circulating T cells and Abs reactive against speciﬁc myelin Ags can correlate with lesion distribution in MS and suggest that they are of pathogenic relevance. The Journal of Immunology, 2008, 180: 6402–6410.
New Insights into a Mediterranean Sea Benthic Habitat: High Diversity of Epiphytic Bryozoan Assemblages on Phyllophora crispa (Rhodophyta) Mats

: With its geographically isolated location and geological history, the Mediterranean Sea harbors well-known biodiversity hotspots, such as Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows. Recently, long-living mats formed by the ﬂeshy red alga Phyllophora crispa have been described to be associated with a high diversity of sessile invertebrates in the Tyrrhenian Sea. One of the key taxa among these sessile invertebrates are bryozoans: their abundance, diversity, and spatial distribution in P. crispa mats represent a gap in scientiﬁc knowledge. Thus, we conducted a pilot study on bryozoan assemblages associated with P. crispa mats around Giglio Island (Tuscan Archipelago, Italy) in 2018, followed by a comparative study on four sites distributed around the island in the subsequent year, 2019. We compared these ﬁndings to bryozoan abundance and diversity on P. oceanica shoots and leaves during the second expedition. The ﬁndings revealed more than 46 families, with a signiﬁcantly higher number of taxa identiﬁed in P. crispa mats (33) than in P. oceanica meadows (29). The Shannon diversity index was similar between P. crispa and P. oceanica shoots, while Pielou’s evenness index was lower in P. crispa mats. The most abundant families reported across all habitats were Crisiidae, Aetidae, and Lichenoporidae; but the most abundant family on P. crispa was Chlidoniidae ( Chlidonia pyriformis ). The assemblages associated with P. crispa differed among sites, with higher abundances but lower diversity on the exposed southernmost site. The total bryozoan abundance was signiﬁcantly higher on P. crispa (average 2.83 × 10 6 ± 1.99 × 10 6 colonies per m 2 seaﬂoor) compared to P. oceanica meadows (average 0.54 × 10 6 ± 0.34 × 10 6 colonies per m 2 seaﬂoor). Our results show a high diversity of bryozoans on P. crispa thalli compared to P. oceanica meadows, which was consistent throughout the study. These ﬁndings conﬁrm the value of the red alga-generated habitat for associated bryozoans and may have implications for future biodiversity assessments and conservation measures.
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Author Affiliations: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and Center for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA (M.S.E, D.F, S.J.M.); Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi-110025, India (H.R.A) and Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA (S.L.T.). JPET Fast Forward. Published on May 23, 2011 as DOI:10.1124/jpet.111. 180828