Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Angle closure glaucoma in rural and urban populations in eastern India—The Hooghly River Glaucoma Study

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence, features, and associations of primary angle closure disease (PACD) in rural and urban populations from West Bengal in eastern India. Methods: This was a population-based cross-sectional study with two arms, rural and urban. The rural study area consisted of 28 contiguous villages from 13 gram panchayats in Balagarh Police Station, with rural base hospital at Dhobapara, Balagarh Police Station, in the village Kuliapara of Hooghly district. A tertiary eye hospital in central Kolkata was the urban study center. Individuals residing in the study area aged 40 years and above were included in this study using multistage random cluster sampling. All subjects underwent a detailed ophthalmic examination at our base hospitals including applanation tonometry, ultrasound pachymetry, gonioscopy, and frequency doubling technology perimetry. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS 13. Multiple logistic regressions were used to analyze risk factors for PACD. Results: A total of 7,408 and 7,248 subjects aged 40 years or older were enumerated from Hooghly district and Kolkata city, respectively. PACD was detected in 1.9% subjects in rural arm and 1.54% subjects in the urban arm (P < 0.001). In rural arm, 0.3% had PACS, 0.56% had PAC, and 1.03% had PACG. In urban arm, 0.22% had PACS, 0.35% had PAC, and 0.97% had PACG. Conclusion: The study concludes that higher age, higher CCT, and shorter axial length/presence of hyperopia are important independent predictors of ACD. ACD is more common in eastern India than previous estimates.
Design of a RF-to-dc Link for in-body IR-WPT with a Capsule-shaped Rotation-insensitive Receiver

This paper proposes the design and experimental validations of a 6.78 MHz IR-WPT with one conformal transmitter (Tx) and a couple of receiver (Rx) coils, suitable for powering implantable devices. The Rx coils are arranged in such a way that quasi-constant dc-output voltage and conversion efficiency are obtained, regardless of the receiver rotation, with respect to the transmitter. A 3-D miniaturized receiver, consisting of two elliptical coils wrapped around a capsule and orthogonal to each other, is faced to a conformal transmitter designed to maximize the magnetic flux in the receiver region. In order to avoid dark areas for energy transfer, due to unknown capsule rotations, each Rx coil is connected to one rectifier and the dc output ports are series-connected.
Envelope detection for a double-sideband Low IF CW radar

The requirement to detect weak physiology motion by Doppler radar arises new architectures utilizing low intermediate frequency (IF) to achieve high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). With the help of low IF, the significant motion information is modulated to IF domain, promoting the system's resistivity to both noise impact and AC distortion. However, the requirement for simultaneously sampling IF outputs and IF carrier would waste more analog to digital converter (ADC) resources in a digitally assisted low IF system. In this paper, we propose a new method of envelope detection for a double-sideband low IF con-tinuous-wave (CW) radar without sampling the IF carrier. Together with the carrier compensation method realized in hardware, the motion information can be extracted with fewer ADC resources.
Analytical Challenges in Reliability and Resiliency Modeling

A significant number of the generation, transmission and distribution facilities in the North America were designed and configured for serving electric loads and economic activities under certain reliability and resiliency requirements over 30 years ago. With the changing generation mix, the electric grid is tasked to deliver electricity made by fuel uncertain and energy limited resources. How adequate are the existing facilities to meet the industry expectations on reliability? What level of grid resiliency should be designed and built to sustain reliable electric services given the increasing exposure to frequent and lasting severe weather conditions? There is a need to review the modeling assumptions, operating and maintenance records before we can answer these questions.
Image Denoising Based on Online Dictionary Learning

Many state-of-the-art denoising algorithms often employ dictioanary learning methods to acquire the mapping relationship between the polluted image by noise and the original clean image. It is critical to generate the appropriate dictionary in image de noising based on dictionary learning. In order to promote the de noising efficiency, the proposed algorithm employs Online Dictionary Learning (ODL) to train the overcomplete dictionaries to make the dictionary more accurate. The dictionary updating procedure is improved with a warm start. The dictionary is updated by the last computed dictionary and the current input image patches. Hence the dictionary is more accurate to get better denoising images. In the experiments, the PSNR of ODL dictionary is 0.12dB higher than SCDL and 0.21dB higher than K-SVD in average. The proposed method can eliminate the artifacts and recover the texture details efficiently.
Real-Time Stereo Vision System: A Multi-Block Matching on GPU

Real-time stereo vision is attractive in many areas such as outdoor mapping and navigation. As a popular accelerator in the image processing field, GPU is widely used for the studies of the stereo vision algorithms. Recently, many stereo vision systems on GPU have achieved low error rate, as a result of the development of deep learning. However, their processing speed is normally far from the real-time requirement. In this paper, we propose a real-time stereo vision system on GPU for the high-resolution images. This system also maintains a low error rate compared with other fast systems. In our approach, the image is resized to reduce the computational complexity and to realize the real-time processing. The low error rate is kept by using the cost aggregation with multiple blocks, secondary matching and sub-pixel estimation. Its processing speed is 41 fps for $2888\times 1920$ pixels images when the maximum disparity is 760.
Development of 16 microsatellite markers for the Korean endemic Vicia hirticalycina (Fabaceae)

Premise of the Study Vicia hirticalycina (Fabaceae) is a narrowly endemic species restricted to mountain valleys of southern Korea. To investigate its fine‐scale genetic diversity and differentiation in Korea, we developed polymorphic microsatellite markers. Methods and Results Sixteen polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed from Illumina MiSeq data. In 74 individual plants from four populations, one to seven alleles were expressed for each locus. The levels of observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 0.778 and from 0.000 to 0.738, respectively. Cross‐amplification was conducted with three related species and seven to 11 markers were successfully amplified. Conclusions These new microsatellite markers will be useful in future studies on the population genetics of V. hirticalycina.
Through Scalp and Skull NIR‐II Photothermal Therapy of Deep Orthotopic Brain Tumors with Precise Photoacoustic Imaging Guidance

Brain tumor is one of the most lethal cancers owing to the existence of blood–brain barrier and blood–brain tumor barrier as well as the lack of highly effective brain tumor treatment paradigms. Herein, cyclo(Arg‐Gly‐Asp‐D‐Phe‐Lys(mpa)) decorated biocompatible and photostable conjugated polymer nanoparticles with strong absorption in the second near‐infrared (NIR‐II) window are developed for precise photoacoustic imaging and spatiotemporal photothermal therapy of brain tumor through scalp and skull. Evidenced by the higher efficiency to penetrate scalp and skull for 1064 nm laser as compared to common 808 nm laser, NIR‐II brain‐tumor photothermal therapy is highly effective. In addition, via a real‐time photoacoustic imaging system, the nanoparticles assist clear pinpointing of glioma at a depth of almost 3 mm through scalp and skull with an ultrahigh signal‐to‐background ratio of 90. After spatiotemporal photothermal treatment, the tumor progression is effectively inhibited and the survival spans of mice are significantly extended. This study demonstrates that NIR‐II conjugated polymer nanoparticles are promising for precise imaging and treatment of brain tumors.
Concerted regulation of mitochondrial and nuclear non‐coding RNAs by a dual‐targeted RNase Z

The molecular roles of the dually targeted ElaC domain protein 2 (ELAC2) during nuclear and mitochondrial RNA processing in vivo have not been distinguished. We generated conditional knockout mice of ELAC2 to identify that it is essential for life and its activity is non‐redundant. Heart and skeletal muscle‐specific loss of ELAC2 causes dilated cardiomyopathy and premature death at 4 weeks. Transcriptome‐wide analyses of total RNAs, small RNAs, mitochondrial RNAs, and miRNAs identified the molecular targets of ELAC2 in vivo. We show that ELAC2 is required for processing of tRNAs and for the balanced maintenance of C/D box snoRNAs, miRNAs, and a new class of tRNA fragments. We identify that correct biogenesis of regulatory non‐coding RNAs is essential for both cytoplasmic and mitochondrial protein synthesis and the assembly of mitochondrial ribosomes and cytoplasmic polysomes. We show that nuclear tRNA processing is required for the balanced production of snoRNAs and miRNAs for gene expression and that 3′ tRNA processing is an essential step in the production of all mature mitochondrial RNAs and the majority of nuclear tRNAs.
Automatic underwater moving object detection using multi-feature integration framework in complex backgrounds

Moving object detection in a video sequence is one of the leading tasks of marine scientists to explore and monitor applications. The videos acquired in the underwater environment are usually degraded due to the physical properties of water medium as compared with images acquired in the air and that affects the performance of feature descriptors. In this study, a new feature descriptor, multi-frame triplet pattern (MFTP) is proposed for underwater moving object detection. The MFTP encodes the structure of local region based on three sets of frames, which are calculated by considering local differences in intensities between the centre pixel and its nine neighbours. Furthermore, the robustness of the proposed method is increased by integrating it with colour and motion features. The performance of the proposed framework is tested by conducting seven experiments on Fish4Knowledge database for underwater moving object detection applications. The results of the proposed method show a significant improvement as compared with state-of-the-art techniques in terms of their evaluation measures.
NAVEX: Precise and Scalable Exploit Generation for Dynamic Web Applications

Modern multi-tier web applications are composed of several dynamic features, which make their vulnerability analysis challenging from a purely static analysis perspective. We describe an approach that overcomes the challenges posed by the dynamic nature of web applications. Our approach combines dynamic analysis that is guided by static analysis techniques in order to automatically identify vulnerabilities and build working exploits. Our approach is implemented and evaluated in NAVEX, a tool that can scale the process of automatic vulnerability analysis and exploit generation to large applications and to multiple classes of vulnerabilities. In our experiments, we were able to use NAVEX over a codebase of 3.2 million lines of PHP code, and construct 204 exploits in the code that was analyzed.
The Effect of Alloying Elements on the Structural Stability, Mechanical Properties, and Debye Temperature of Al3Li: A First-Principles Study

The structural stability, mechanical properties, and Debye temperature of alloying elements X (X = Sc, Ti, Co, Cu, Zn, Zr, Nb, and Mo) doped Al3Li were systematically investigated by first-principles methods. A negative enthalpy of formation ΔHf is predicted for all Al3Li doped species which has consequences for its structural stability. The Sc, Ti, Zr, Nb, and Mo are preferentially occupying the Li sites in Al3Li while the Co, Cu, and Zn prefer to occupy the Al sites. The Al–Li–X systems are mechanically stable at 0 K as elastic constants Cij has satisfied the stability criteria. The values of bulk modulus B for Al–Li–X (X = Sc, Ti, Co, Cu, Zr, Nb, and Mo) alloys (excluding Al–Li–Zn) increase with the increase of doping concentration and are larger than that for pure Al3Li. The Al6LiSc has the highest shear modulus G and Young’s modulus E which indicates that it has stronger shear deformation resistance and stiffness. The predicted universal anisotropy index AU for pure and doped Al3Li is higher than 0, implying the anisotropy of Al–Li–X alloy. The Debye temperature ΘD of Al12Li3Ti is highest among the Al–Li–X system which predicts the existence of strong covalent bonds and thermal conductivity compared to that of other systems.
Biochemical characterization of pure dehydrated binate amniotic membrane: role of cytokines in the spotlight.

AIM Placental allografts used for tissue regeneration differ in membrane compositions and processing techniques. A uniquely folded dehydrated binate amniotic membrane (DBAM) was biochemically characterized to evaluate its potential role in wound healing. METHODS Histology, Luminex-based immunoassay and standard in vitro cell biology techniques were employed. RESULTS Histological staining confirmed that the DBAM was chorion free with epithelial cell layer of the respective amnion membranes facing outward. DBAM had quantifiable levels of relevant cytokines that induced proliferation and migration while bolstering secretory activity of the cells. DBAM retained biological efficacy at a broad range of temperatures. CONCLUSION Cytokines in DBAM stimulate bone marrow stromal and stem cells that may lead to tissue regeneration and wound healing in a clinical setup.
The Nature of Patient- and Family-Centred Care for Young Adults Living with Chronic Disease and their Family Members: A Systematic Review

Background and Aim: The published literature addressing the nature of patient- and family-centred care (PFCC) among young adults (16–25 years old) living with chronic disease and their family members is diverse. The aim of this systematic review was to collect and interpretatively synthesise this literature to generate a conceptual understanding of PFCC in this age group. Method: From an initial pool of 10,615 papers, 51 were systematically identified as relevant to the research question and appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tools. A total of 24 papers passed the quality appraisal and proceeded to a qualitative meta-synthesis. Results: The qualitative meta-synthesis revealed three major elements of PFCC relevant to young adults living with chronic disease and their family members: (1) patients and practitioners felt able to engage with each other on an emotional and social level; (2) patients and families felt empowered to be part of the care process; and (3) patients and families experienced care as effective at addressing their individual needs. Conclusion: There is agreement among young adult patients and families about what constitutes PFCC in a chronic disease setting, independent of the aetiology of the pathological process. Patients and families also have strong feelings about how practitioners can achieve PFCC in practice. These findings have implications for the delivery of health services to young adults living with chronic disease and their family members.
Implementation of Millimeter Wave Antenna Arrays by Diffusion Bonding

The possibilities of hardware miniaturization and bandwidth enhancement at millimeter-wave frequencies are regarded with great interest, specially for the incoming 5G communication environment. However, conventional manufacturing techniques struggle to provide the accuracy and tolerances required in radiofrequency devices at this frequency. In this work, a W-band circularly polarized 16×16 antenna array with a corporate waveguide feeding network is presented. Diffusion bonding manufacturing technique has enabled a working prototype with satisfactory experimental results, namely a 5.6 % effective bandwidth at 90 GHz with efficiency over 50 % and axial ratio under 3 dB.
Effect of nonsurgical periodontal therapy on plasma-reactive oxygen metabolite and gingival crevicular fluid resistin and serum resistin levels in obese and normal weight individuals with chronic periodontitis

Background: The hyperoxidative and a modified inflammatory state in obese individuals cause higher susceptibility to bacterial infection which influences the initiation and progression of periodontal disease. Aim: Our study was aimed to evaluate the role of nonsurgical periodontal therapy on the clinical parameters such as gingival index (GI), plaque index, pocket probing depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL), plasma-reactive oxygen metabolite (ROM) levels, and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) resistin and serum resistin levels in obese or overweight and normal weight individuals with periodontitis. Material and Methods: Sixty individuals of age between 35 and 45 years of both the sexes were selected and categorized into two groups as thirty overweight or obese individuals with chronic periodontitis (Group I) and thirty normal weight individuals with chronic periodontitis (Group II). Clinical parameters, plasma ROM levels, and serum and GCF resistin levels were assessed at baseline and 2 months after periodontal therapy in both the groups and compared. Results: Intergroup comparison of clinical parameters (GI, CAL, PPD) 2 months after therapy showed a significant difference with more reduction in Group II compared to Group I. On comparison, mean plasma ROM, GCF, and serum resistin levels at baseline was higher in Group I compared to Group II. When plasma ROM, GCF, and serum resistin levels were compared 2 months after therapy, the reduction was more in Group II compared to Group I. Conclusion: It is concluded that along with periodontal therapy, motivation of patients for weight reduction program is mandatory for obese or overweight individuals with periodontitis in order to improve periodontal health.
A Developmental Study of Abnormal Behaviors and Altered GABAergic Signaling in the VPA-Treated Rat Model of Autism

Although studies have investigated the role of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic signaling in rodent neural development and behaviors relevant to autism, behavioral ontogeny, as underlain by the changes in GABAergic system, is poorly characterized in different brain regions. Here, we employed a valproic acid (VPA) rat model of autism to investigate the autism-like behaviors and GABAergic glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) expression underlying these altered behaviors in multiple brain areas at different developmental stages from birth to adulthood. We found that VPA-treated rats exhibited behavioral abnormalities relevant to autism, including delayed nervous reflex development, altered motor coordination, delayed sensory development, autistic-like and anxiety behaviors and impaired spatial learning and memory. We also found that VPA rats had the decreased expression of GAD67 in the hippocampus (HC) and cerebellum from childhood to adulthood, while decreased GAD67 expression of the temporal cortex (TC) was only observed in adulthood. Conversely, GAD67 expression was increased in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) from adolescence to adulthood. The dysregulated GAD67 expression could alter the excitatory-inhibitory balance in the cerebral cortex, HC and cerebellum. Our findings indicate an impaired GABAergic system could be a major etiological factor occurring in the cerebral cortex, HC and cerebellum of human cases of autism, which suggests enhancement of GABA signaling would be a promising therapeutic target for its treatment.
SPARSEST NETWORK SUPPORT ESTIMATION: A SUBMODULAR APPROACH

In this work, we address the problem of identifying the underlying network structure of data. Different from other approaches, which are mainly based on convex relaxations of an integer problem, here we take a distinct route relying on algebraic properties of a matrix representation of the network. By describing what we call possible ambiguities on the network topology, we proceed to employ sub-modular analysis techniques for retrieving the network support, i.e., network edges. To achieve this we only make use of the network modes derived from the data. Numerical examples showcase the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in recovering the support of sparse networks.
A Lightweight Embedded Solution for ECG Filtering and QRS Complexes Localization Using Wavelets

This paper proposes a lightweight wavelet solution based on threshold analysis for ECG signal filtering and QRS complexes detection in an electrocardiograph monitoring system. The developed algorithm requires less computational hardware resources, (e.g. no floating point unity) and even so maintains high level of accuracy (99.3%) and high reliability when compared with similar solutions. The method was firstly evaluated against the standard MIT BIH (Massachussets Institute of Technology, Beth Israel Hospital) Arrhythmia database and after that implemented on Black Heart Board (Arduino Leonardo© Microcontroller with electrode interface), developed by the Microelectronics Group of the Federal University of Itajubá. Our approach has been validated and compared with three other algorithms.
Physiological and behavioral response of the Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, to salinity: implications for estuarine distribution and invasion

The invasive Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, is ubiquitous in the rocky intertidal zone of the western North Atlantic. A likely contributor to this colonization is that H. sanguineus is able to handle a wide range of salinities, and is thus more likely to spread through a greater geographic area of estuaries. This study investigated the salinity effects on this animal by observing survival across a range of salinities, the maintenance of hemolymph osmolality under different salinities, and behavioral preference for and avoidance of salinities. H. sanguineus showed high survival across a broad range of salinities, had little change in hemolymph osmolality over a short-term salinity shock, and behaviorally distinguished between salinities when presented with a choice, under both acclimation salinities of 5 PSU or 35 PSU. Such results suggest H. sanguineus has a hardiness for the rapid changes in salinity that happen in the intertidal zone, yet is capable of physically moving to a more optimal salinity. This enhances their competitiveness as an invader, particularly surviving lower salinities that present challenges during high-precipitation events in rocky intertidal areas, and partially explains this species’ dominance in this habitat type.