Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Abnormalities in Cutaneous Microcirculation in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Chronic Insomnia Disorder

Impaired sympathetic response is frequently observed in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). On the other hand, chronic insomnia disorder (CID) is also often accompanied by activation of sympathetic nerves. Considering that cutaneous microcirculation reflects sympathetic tone, we hypothesized that baseline cutaneous microcirculation in fingers, as detected by laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), differs among patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), AD, and CID. As light therapy is one of the adjunctive treatments for AD and CID, we designed a randomized controlled cross-over trial of light therapy through eyes for 12 weeks with red light as treatment and green light as control limb, and examined if light therapy has an impact on cutaneous microcirculation. Before light therapy, patients with AD had significantly lower baseline cutaneous perfusion than those with CID in left and right first to fourth fingers. After red light therapy, however, cutaneous perfusion of fingers in CID patients significantly decreased (right fingers, before vs. after = 227.25 ± 62.00 vs. 162.00 ± 49.34, p = 0.007; left fingers, before vs. after = 228.99 ± 58.80 vs. 177.41 ± 59.41, p = 0.003) while cutaneous perfusion of fingers in CID patients did not significantly change after green light therapy. Light therapy with red light also significantly increased cutaneous finger perfusion in patients with AD (right fingers, before vs. after = 130.13 ± 49.82 vs. 172.38 ± 38.32, p = 0.043). Our results suggest that cutaneous perfusion is a useful tool to detect sympathetic dysfunction in patients with CID and AD, and that light therapy with red light is a potential therapeutic intervention to reverse impaired sympathetic function in patients with CID and patients with AD.
Performance of DoFP Polarimeter Calibration

Division-of-focal plane (DoFP) imaging polarimeters are useful instruments for measuring polarization images for a variety of applications, however only recent advances in nanofabrication have enabled the practical manufacture of these sensors. These sensors are made by integrating nanowire polarization filters directly with an imaging array, and size variations of the nanowires due to fabrication can cause the optical properties of the filters to vary up to 20% across the imaging array. If left unchecked, these variations introduce significant errors when reconstructing the polarization image. Calibration methods offer a means to correct these errors. This work evaluates a scalar and matrix calibration derived from a mathematical model of the polarimeter behavior. The methods are evaluated quantitatively with an existing DoFP polarimeter while varying illumination intensity and angle of linear polarization.
Effect of Early Rehabilitation Treatment on Activities of Daily Living in Patients Receiving Conservative Treatment for Vertebral Compression Fracture

ABSTRACT Objectives : Vertebral compression fractures are common among older people. Currently, knowledge of the effects of early rehabilitation treatment on the recovery of activities of daily living (ADL) in older patients who receive conservative treatment for these fractures is limited. Using the instrumental variable (IV) method, we examined the effects on ADL at discharge of a delay in initiating rehabilitation treatment. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, data from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database were analyzed. The subjects were patients with vertebral compression fracture who had undergone rehabilitation treatment during their hospitalization between 2014 and 2019 in one of the 29 acute-care hospitals in Yamagata Prefecture. We analyzed data from 1706 patients (mean age, 82.1 years). The independent variable was the number of days between hospital admission and the start of rehabilitation treatment, and the outcome was the Barthel index (BI) score at discharge. An IV method was applied, with adjustments for covariates, including demographics and functional status at admission. Results: Most patients started rehabilitation treatment within 3 days of hospital admission. Our IV method showed that the interval between hospital admission and the start of rehabilitation treatment was significantly associated with the BI score at discharge. The coefficient was −2.71 (95% confidence interval [CI]: −5.06 to −0.35). Conclusions: A delay in initiating rehabilitation treatment had a negative effect on ADL at discharge. This result emphasizes the importance of including early rehabilitation treatment in acute care, as recommended by several existing guidelines for the treatment of orthopedic diseases.
Potential Link between Ectomycorrhizal Community Composition and Host Tree Phenology

The timing of leaf phenology tends to be crucial in controlling ecosystem processes such as the acquisition of carbon and water loss as well as in controlling tree nutrient cycling. To date, tree phenology has mostly been associated with environmental control (e.g., temperature and photoperiod) in a relationship with inheritance, while it has rarely been linked with ectomycorrhizal community compositional changes through the host tree’s phenological stages. Seasonal variations of fungal communities have been widely studied, but little is known about mycorrhiza community composition changes along phenological stages. Therefore, we analyzed ectomycorrhizal communities associated with silver fir and their compositional changes during the transition between phenological stages. The phenological stages of each individual tree and time of bud break were monitored weekly for two years and, at the same time, ectomycorrhiza was harvested from selected silver fir trees. In total, 60 soil cores were analyzed for differences in the ectomycorrhizal community between phenological stages using Sanger sequencing of individual ectomycorrhizal morphotypes. A significant difference in beta diversity for an overall ectomycorrhizal community was confirmed between analyzed time periods for both sampled years. Species-specific reactions to transitions between phenological stages were confirmed for 18 different ectomycorrhizal taxa, where a positive correlation of Russula ochroleuca, Russula illota, Tomentella sublilacina, and Tylospora fibrillosa was observed with the phenological stage of bud burst.
Improved driveability of a hybrid electric vehicle using powertrain control

Hybridisation of vehicles is not only equivalent to improved energy efficiency and reduced emissions. In this paper, the additional degree-of-freedom introduced by electrifying the propulsion system of a vehicle is used for improving driveability. The vehicle in focus is a truck with an electric machine integrated into the engine's flywheel, a so-called integrated starter–alternator, that is, a vehicle with a low level of hybridisation. The electric machine is used to assist the internal combustion engine during transients. The idea is to use the internal combustion engine in combination with the electric machine to actively damp out oscillations induced in the driveline during acceleration. This paper includes driveline modelling, control design and verifications by simulations. The simulation shows that the use of powertrain control for a mild hybrid parallel powertrain configuration works very well. Not only can the driveability of the vehicle be improved it also reduces the emissions and is energy efficient.
MSTCN: A multiscale temporal convolutional network for user independent human activity recognition

Background: In recent years, human activity recognition (HAR) has been an active research topic due to its widespread application in various fields such as healthcare, sports, patient monitoring, etc. HAR approaches can be categorised as handcrafted feature methods (HCF) and deep learning methods (DL). HCF involves complex data pre-processing and manual feature extraction in which the models may be exposed to high bias and crucial implicit pattern loss. Hence, DL approaches are introduced due to their exceptional recognition performance. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) extracts spatial features while preserving localisation. However, it hardly captures temporal features. Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) learns temporal features, but it is susceptible to gradient vanishing and suffers from short-term memory problems. Unlike RNN, Long-Short Term Memory network has a relatively longer-term dependency. However, it consumes higher computation and memory because it computes and stores partial results at each level. Methods: This work proposes a novel multiscale temporal convolutional network (MSTCN) based on the Inception model with a temporal convolutional architecture. Unlike HCF methods, MSTCN requires minimal pre-processing and no manual feature engineering. Further, multiple separable convolutions with different-sized kernels are used in MSTCN for multiscale feature extraction. Dilations are applied to each separable convolution to enlarge the receptive fields without increasing the model parameters. Moreover, residual connections are utilised to prevent information loss and gradient vanishing. These features enable MSTCN to possess a longer effective history while maintaining a relatively low in-network computation. Results: The performance of MSTCN is evaluated on UCI and WISDM datasets using a subject independent protocol with no overlapping subjects between the training and testing sets. MSTCN achieves accuracies of 97.42 on UCI and 96.09 on WISDM. Conclusion: The proposed MSTCN dominates the other state-of-the-art methods by acquiring high recognition accuracies without requiring any manual feature engineering.
Families as A Guideline for Children According to Tarbiyahtul Aulad Fil Islam

This study aims to examine the role of families in children using the approach found in Kitab Tarbiyatul Aulad Fil Islam. This analysis was conducted by looking at the characters of family members found in the novel “. Rahsia Dhia! ” by Mustapha which is the winning novel of the Hadiah Sastera Perdana Malaysia (HSPM). The importance of this study is because the children are easily influenced by the treatment of family members when they see something good or bad in their lives. The act of imitating this behavior can also occur during the reading process of children especially through novels that are known to have a very significant impact on the reader compared to other literary genres. In this regard, this study will also apply the approach of education of children according to Islam expressed by Ulwan in the book Tarbiyatul Aulad Fil Islam as a form of guidance to family members in educating children's behavior. The selection of this approach is seen to coincide with the need for a framework based on Islam to evaluate novels written by Muslim authors, as well as read by the majority of Muslims. This approach demonstrates five family roles to be analyzed which are examples of noble character, examples of humility, examples of worship, exemplary conduct, and physical examples. Thus, every aspect of the novel proves that the role of families presented in children's novels is following the norms of the life of children in Malaysia.
In Tuber Biocontrol of Potato Late Blight by a Collection of Phenazine-1-Carboxylic Acid-Producing Pseudomonas spp.

Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) produced by plant-beneficial Pseudomonas spp. is an antibiotic with antagonistic activities against Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of potato late blight. In this study, a collection of 23 different PCA-producing Pseudomonas spp. was confronted with P. infestans in potato tuber bioassays to further understand the interaction existing between biocontrol activity and PCA production. Overall, the 23 strains exhibited different levels of biocontrol activity. In general, P. orientalis and P. yamanorum strains showed strong disease reduction, while P. synxantha strains could not effectively inhibit the pathogen’s growth. No correlation was found between the quantities of PCA produced and biocontrol activity, suggesting that PCA cannot alone explain P. infestans’ growth inhibition by phenazine-producing pseudomonads. Other genetic determinants potentially involved in the biocontrol of P. infestans were identified through genome mining in strains displaying strong biocontrol activity, including siderophores, cyclic lipopeptides and non-ribosomal peptide synthase and polyketide synthase hybrid clusters. This study represents a step forward towards better understanding the biocontrol mechanisms of phenazine-producing Pseudomonas spp. against potato late blight.
Geoprocessing Applied in the Estimate of Infiltration and Surface Runoff in HPP’s Contribution Watershed

The knowledge of the hydrological regime contributes to the prediction of periods of higher or lower water supply as a function of the frequency and volume of rainfall in relation to the pedological, land cover, and land use conditions. This work aims at evaluating the spatio-temporal variability of the infiltration and runoff potential of an area formed by 4 sub-basins tributary to the São Marcos River in Cristalina (GO). The SCS/NRCS-USDA (2004) method was used, using geoprocessing resources, considering soils in dry, semi-humid and humid conditions. The estimates indicate that rainfall with an average of 6.83 mm, in the September-October transition, in the face of soils in the dry condition does not provide surface runoff. Thus, the variability of pedological characteristics associated with the various conditions of coverage and land use indicates that even the areas with lower infiltration potential begin to contribute effectively with their respective channels in the transition from October to November, when rainfall events are more frequent and significant, and the soils are already in conditions of greater humidity.
11.5.3 Cost‐Benefit Analysis of SysML Modelling for the Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) Simulator

Systems Engineering has successfully supported the space industry since its inception with methodologies and techniques to handle complex projects. However, the conventional design approach, ‘Document‐Based Systems Engineering’ (DBSE), is more and more reaching its limits. This research evaluates the benefits and the cost associated with the paradigm of ‘Model Based Systems Engineering’ (MBSE) instead of DBSE by applying the Systems Modelling Language (SysML) in the frame of the Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) project. ACES is indeed deemed to be a suitable project for this study as it includes both a very complex ground segment as well as a challenging space segment on board the International Space Station.
Influence Mechanism of Production-Living-Ecological Space Changes in the Urbanization Process of Guangdong Province, China

Referencing the land use classification system of the “production-living-ecological” space and using 1 km × 1 km grids, this study examines the spatial pattern changes of “production-living-ecological” space in Guangdong Province, China, from 1990 to 2017. In the study, a multiple linear regression analysis model was constructed to explore the influencing factors and attribution mechanism of the changes. The results showed that between 1990 and 2017, the production spaces were mainly distributed in the Pearl River Delta and other coastal areas, showing a slight expansion trend (1). The expansion of production spaces mainly gathered in the Pearl River Delta, while the reduction was characterized by point-type dispersed. Living spaces were mainly distributed in the Pearl River Delta, the Shantou–Shanwei–Chaozhou–Jieyang urban agglomeration, the Zhanjiang-Maoming–Yangjiang urban agglomeration, and other rapidly growing urbanized areas. They showed a spatial pattern of “large scale agglomeration and small scale dispersion” with a trend towards expansion. Living spaces in urban agglomerations such as the Pearl River Delta showed a large-scale expansion from the core to the peripheral area, while expansion in other areas was small-scale and point-type. The reduction of living spaces was point-type dispersed. The ecological spaces were mainly distributed in mountainous and hilly areas in eastern, western, and northern Guangdong and showed a “regional agglomeration and partially fragmented” spatial pattern. Ecological spaces in urban agglomerations showed large-scale and regional reductions, while reductions in other areas were small-scale and point-type. Ecological space expansions were point-type dispersed. Human, natural, and especially land-use type factors drove the changes of Guangdong’s production-living-ecological spaces (2). The changes of the production-living-ecological space pattern resulted from the interaction between human society, nature, and politics (3).
PLGA-based drug delivery system for combined therapy of cancer: research progress

In recent years, PLGA micro/nano particle drug delivery systems has been widely used in cancer treatment. According to the unique properties of PLGA, carriers of various structures are designed to keep the function of drugs or bioactive substances, ensure the effective load of molecules and improve the bioavailability of drugs in diseased parts. PLGA is one of the earliest and most commonly used biodegradable materials. It is often used for functional modification with other polymers (such as polyethylene glycol and chitosan) or other molecules (such as aptamers and ligands) to deliver various small molecule drugs (such as DOX and DTX) and bioactive macromolecules (such as proteins and nucleic acids) to improve targeting, controlled release and therapeutic properties. In this paper, the preparation methods, physical and chemical properties and medical applications of PLGA micro/nano particles are discussed. We focused on the recent research progress of the PLGA-based drug carrier system in tumor combination therapy.
Simulation for a New Cascade of Helium Compressor With Enhanced Pressure Ratio

The High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) and external-combustion heat engine firing with non-traditional fuel bring Brayton-cycle helium turbine a very good prospect. If the helium compressor is designed according to conventional air-compressor rule, the compression ratio of single stage will be smaller and the number of stages will be excessive. These problems present a topic which must be solved in further development. Therefore a new velocity triangle of helium compressor is presented and analyzed. It can increase severalfold stage loading. The test data and experiences of air cascade are used to estimate the profile losses and stage efficiency of the new helium cascade. On the basis of validation for selected turbulence model and mesh division, fluid analysis software FLUENT6.3 is used to simulate the flow of new helium cascade. Simulation results show that, comparing with the conventional design, the new stage loading can be increased by 2 to 4 times when inlet Mach number is 0.466 to 0.7013. Therefore the stage number of helium compressor is reduced severalfold, while profile efficiency can reach 0.939 to 0.894; The air turning angle reaches 38.75° to 49.43°, while the outlet angle reaches 0.78° to −12.45°; There is basically no separating phenomenon in flow field. Because the experimental data are lacking to support the new cascade structural parameters and air cascade test is a kind of low-speed test, there is some deviation to estimate helium cascade performance at the higher Mach number by use of air cascade experiences. In this cascade simulation, traditional original profile thickness distribution (C-4 blade profile) is applied, therefore the optimizing for the profile thickness distribution and the shape of flow field are expected to be a greater potential for enhancing performance. © 2008 ASME
A Dual-Band Rectifier for RF Energy Harvesting

Our cities are surrounded by a large number of radio frequency (RF) signals broadcasted by various wireless systems. In order to enhance the efficiency of energy usage in addition to the purpose of communication, ambient RF energy harvesting systems are designed to harvest and recycle wireless energy for many applications such as battery chargers, sensor devices and portable devices. The main element of the ambient RF energy harvesting system is a rectenna which is the combination of an antenna and a rectifying circuit. Even though the ambient RF energy is widely broadcasted by many systems, the energy is extremely low. Therefore, high performance antenna and rectifying circuits have to be designed for supporting small incident power; also the number of frequency channels of the rectenna can enhance the performance and support different harvesting locations. This paper proposes a dual-band rectifier for RF energy harvesting which is designed to operate at 2.1 GHz and 2.45 GHz. The first channel can provide the maximum efficiency of 24% with 1.9 V of the output voltage at 10 dBm of input power. On the other hand, a maximum efficiency of 18% and 1.7 V of the output voltage can be achieved by the second channel at 10 dBm of input power.
Identifying Freight Intermediaries

This study discusses freight trip generation of pure receiver establishments, establishments that only receive goods, and freight intermediaries, establishments that both receive and ship goods. In addition, freight trip attraction and freight trip production patterns of establishments in different industry sectors were compared by using freight generation models. The analyses indicated important differences between production and attraction between establishments across and within industry segments and between pure receivers and intermediaries. As a result, econometric models (discrete and discrete-continuous models) were estimated to identify intermediary establishments. External data were used to validate the estimated models. The analyses and models could be used to improve modeling of freight trip generation.
Genome-Scale Computational Identification and Characterization of UTR Introns in Atalantia buxifolia

Accumulated evidence has shown that CDS introns (CIs) play important roles in regulating gene expression. However, research on UTR introns (UIs) is limited. In this study, UIs (including 5′UTR and 3′UTR introns (5UIs and 3UIs)) were identified from the Atalantia buxifolia genome. The length and nucleotide distribution characteristics of both 5UIs and 3UIs and the distributions of cis-acting elements and transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) in 5UIs were investigated. Moreover, PageMan enrichment analysis was applied to show the possible roles of transcripts containing UIs (UI-Ts). In total, 1077 5UIs and 866 3UIs were identified from 897 5UI-Ts and 670 3UI-Ts, respectively. Among them, 765 (85.28%) 5UI-Ts and 527 (78.66%) 3UI-Ts contained only one UI, and 94 (6.38%) UI-Ts contained both 5UI and 3UI. The UI density was lower than that of CDS introns, but their mean and median intron sizes were ~2 times those of the CDS introns. The A. buxifolia 5UIs were rich in gene-expression-enhancement-related elements and contained many TFBSs for BBR-BPC, MIKC_MADS, AP2 and Dof TFs, indicating that 5UIs play a role in regulating or enhancing the expression of downstream genes. Enrichment analysis revealed that UI-Ts involved in ‘not assigned’ and ‘RNA’ pathways were significantly enriched. Noteworthily, 119 (85.61%) of the 3UI-Ts were genes encoding pentatricopeptide (PPR) repeat-containing proteins. These results will be helpful for the future study of the regulatory roles of UIs in A. buxifolia.