Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of changes in albumin levels with survival and toxicities in patients (pts) with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) receiving enfortumab vedotin (EV).

481 Background: EV is an anti-Nectin-4 antibody-drug conjugate that has been approved by the US FDA for mUC progressing on platinum and PD1/L1 inhibitor therapy and in cisplatin-ineligible pts following prior therapy. However, prognostic and predictive biomarkers in the setting of EV therapy are unclear. We aimed to investigate baseline and early changes in commonly available clinical and laboratory tests that could help predict survival and toxicities in patients with mUC treated with EV. Methods: Data from patients with mUC who were treated with EV at Dana Farber Cancer Institute between 2017 and 2021 were reviewed retrospectively. We assessed the association of demographic (age, sex), clinical (ECOG-performance status [PS], sites of metastasis) and laboratory variables (hemoglobin, RDW, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet count and serum albumin) at baseline as well as after 4-7 weeks of treatment with Overall Survival (OS) by constructing univariate and multivariable Cox proportional-hazards models. Any variables significantly associated with OS at the univariate level (using an alpha-level of 0.1 to determine statistical significance) were then entered into the multivariable model. Predictors were eliminated from the final multivariable models by a backward selection process, retaining only those with a p-value of ≤ 0.05. Results: A total of 49 patients who received EV were included in the analysis. The median age was 72 years (range 48-88) and 36 (73.5%) were male. The median OS was 13.3 months (range: 2.7-38.7) and grade 3-4 toxicities were seen in 11 pts (22.4%). In the final multivariable models, lower serum albumin at 4-7 weeks (HR = 0.18; 95% CI = 0.05-0.71; p = 0.015), and baseline ECOG-PS of 1 vs. 0 (HR = 2.56; 95% CI = 1.05-6.21; p = 0.038) were significantly associated with worse OS (Table). Patients with higher serum albumin levels at 4-7 weeks also had significantly lower odds of experiencing grade 3-4 adverse events on EV (OR = 0.05; 95% CI = 0.002-0.52; p = 0.02). Conclusions: Lower serum albumin appeared to predict worse survival and severe toxicities in mUC pts receiving EV. This information may guide therapy and assist in the prevention of toxicities. Additionally, ECOG-PS was prognostic while the location of metastatic disease was not prognostic in the setting of EV. [Table: see text]
A gold nanoparticle-based visual aptasensor for rapid detection of acetamiprid residues in agricultural products using a smartphone

Based on the colorimetric analysis of gold nanoparticles and a smartphone readable strategy, a stable, sensitive, and visual method was established for rapid detection of acetamiprid residues in agricultural products. By optimizing the key parameters, the detection process only took 40 minutes with good specificity. The acetamiprid aptamer can help AuNPs to resist salt-induced aggregation. Conversely, in the presence of acetamiprid, the anti-protection is weakened and the AuNPs aggregated with the color change of the solution. The photographs of the solution are recorded by the smartphone and analyzed through image processing. In the range from 25 to 300 μM the method can realize a quantitative analysis of acetamiprid, and the detection limit is about 3.81 μM. Excellent recoveries are taken in samples of cucumber, cabbage, and river water, ranging from 96.78% to 129.95%. These results show no significant difference from the results obtained by the microplate reader. What's more, the method employs a smartphone to read without the assistance of professional equipment, which greatly reduces the cost of detection, and shows a promising application prospect for on-site rapid detection of acetamiprid.
Skin Cancer Classification using Deep Learning Models

: In recent years, researches proved that Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. In the early stages, it can be treated successfully with surgery alone and survival rates are high. A large number of methods for Melanoma classification has been proposed to deal with this problem, but although they did not find better ways to create the final solution. Thus, our aim is to go further and explore the classic models in order to handle the Melanoma classification problem based on modified VGG16 and modified InceptionV3. The conducted experiments revealed the effectiveness of our proposed method based on modified VGG16 with 73.33% of accuracy, when compared to other state-of-the-art methods on the same data sets, in terms of finding optimal and effective solutions and improving the objective function.
Standard Clinical Screening Tests, Sural Radial Amplitude Ratio and F Wave Latency Compared to Conventional Nerve Conduction Studies in the Assessment of Sensorimotor Polyneuropathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background and Aims: The measuring tools used for assessment of neuropathy include various questionnaires, monofilament testing, Biothesiometry and the gold standard test, nerve conduction studies (NCS). This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracies of Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI), Biothesiometry, Semmes Weinstein Monofilament (SWMF), Sural Radial Amplitude Ratio (SRAR) and minimal F wave latency as compared to conventional NCS and arrive at a simple diagnostic algorithm for early detection of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN). Methods: In a cross-sectional observational study on 48 Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, MNSI, Biothesiometry, SWMF and NCS including F waves and SRAR were done and diagnostic accuracies (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values) calculated taking NCS as gold standard. Results: MNSI, Biothesiometry, SWMF, SRAR and minimal F wave latency had a sensitivity of 64.3%, 78.6%, 14.3%, 100% and 78.6% and specificity of 67.7%, 52.9%, 94.1%, 23.53% and 76.47% respectively, with reference to NCS. Based on combined sensitivities and specificities, we arrived at a simple algorithm for early diagnosis of DPN, which showed that DPN could either be diagnosed or ruled out in 75% of the patients by a combination of the Biothesiometry, SRAR and left lower limb minimal F wave latency results. Conclusions: In the setting of an outpatient, multidisciplinary diabetic clinic, simple tests such as questionnaires, monofilament testing and biosthesiometer could be performed with greater ease while considering NCS as the gold standard. This algorithm, combining Biothesiometry, SRAR and left lower limb minimal F wave latency would be less time consuming and help in early diagnosis of DPN.
An Activation Function with Probabilistic Beltrami Coefficient for Deep Learning

: We propose an activation function that has a probabilistic Beltrami coefficient for deep neural networks. Activation functions play a crucial role in the performance and training dynamics of deep learning models. In recent years, it has been suggested that the performance of real-valued neural networks can be improved by adding a stochastic perturbation term to the activation function. Meanwhile, numerous studies have been conducted on activation functions of complex-valued neural networks. The proposed approach probabilistically deforms the Beltrami coefficient of complex-valued activation functions. The Beltrami coefficient represents the distortion by mapping at each point. In previous research, when dealing with complex numbers, adding a perturbation term meant applying probabilistic parallel translation from a geometric viewpoint. By contrast, our approach introduces a stochastic perturbation for rotation and scaling. Our experimental results show that the proposed activation function improves the performance of image classification tasks, implying that the suggested activation function produces effective representations during training.
Chemical composition of soybean seeds subjected to fertilization with rock dusts

Rock dusts in association with organic sources have been used in agriculture to improve soil chemical characteristics and food composition. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of the rock dusts siltstone, tephrite, and olivine melilitite pure or combined and associated or not with cattle manure on the chemical composition of soybean seeds of the cultivar BRS 232 grown on a Cambisol and Nitisol subjected to these treatments and conventional fertilization. For this, an experiment was carried out with pots in a greenhouse using a Cambisol and Nitisol to cultivate the soybean from January to May 2019 until seed production. The seeds were harvested, ground, and sieved through a 1 mm mesh sieve to determine the nutrient, phytate, and crude protein contents. The effects of the rock dusts on the chemical composition of seeds were directly related to the chemical characteristics of the evaluated soils. The tested rock dusts had a more pronounced response in the Cambisol (poorer soil) than in the Nitisol (more fertile). The contents and accumulation of nutrients in the seeds, as well as the total dry matter production in both soils subjected to the treatments with the rock dusts olivine melilitite and siltstone + olivine melilitite, pure and combined with manure, were similar and, in some cases, higher than the treatments subjected to conventional fertilization. The combination of manure and rock dusts provided an increase in the concentration of nutrients in both soils, resulting in their higher availability for plants and directly reflecting on the chemical composition of seeds.
Modeling and simulation for STATCOM using switching function

With consideration of the shortages of output model-constructing method and topological model-constructing method for Static Synchronous Compensator(STATCOM),a switching function mathematical model of this device based on physical characteristics and topology of the converter is constructed by introducing the concept of the single-pole two-valued logic switching function.The parameters of the model are real physical ones of STATCOM device,which makes this model easier to be certain and more general.Simulation results of 380 V double-machine system prove that not only the proposed model and method are correct and effective,but STATCOM plays an important role on voltage stability and reactive supply in power systems.
Short-Term Treatment of Metformin and Glipizide on Oxidative Stress, Lipid Profile and Renal Function in a Rat Model with Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Oxidative stress, lipid profile and renal functions are well-known conventional risk factors for diabetes mellitus (DM). Metformin and gliclazide are popularly used monotherapy drugs for the treatment of DM. Aims: This study aims to assess the short-term treatment of single and dual therapy of glipizide/metformin on oxidative stress, glycemic control, serum lipid profiles and renal function in diabetic rats. Methods: DM was induced in rats with streptozotocin (STZ), then five different treatments were applied, including group I (untreated healthy control), group II (diabetic and untreated), group III (diabetic and treated with metformin), group IVI (diabetic and treated with glipizide) and group V (diabetic and treated with a combination of metformin and glipizide. Lipid peroxidation (LPO), nitric oxide (NO), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), creatinine and urea were measured. Results: Compared to the untreated DM group, FBG and HbA1c were significantly reduced in the DM groups (p < 0.01) treated with metformin (159.7 mg/dL & 6.7%), glipizide (184.3 mg/dL & 7.3%) and dual therapy (118 mg/dL & 5.2%), respectively. Treatment with dual therapy and metformin significantly decreased LPO and NO levels but increased TAC in diabetic rats more than glipizide compared to untreated diabetic rats. Furthermore, metformin (19.8 mg/dL, p < 0.001), glipizide (22.7 mg/dL, p < 0.001), and dual therapy (25.7 mg/dL, p < 0.001) significantly decreased urea levels in the treated rats compared to untreated DM rats (32.2 mg/dL). Both drugs and their combination exhibited a substantial effect on total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and atherogenic index. Conclusions: These results suggest that the therapeutic benefits of metformin and glipizide are complementary. Metformin exhibited superior performance in improving glycemic control and decreasing oxidative stress, while glipizide was more effective against dyslipidemia. These findings could be helpful for the treatment of future vascular patients, antilipidemic medicines and antioxidant therapy to improve the quality of life.
Performance Enhancement of Photovoltaic Water Pumping System Based on BLDC Motor under Partial Shading Condition

The use of photovoltaic (PV) energy for water pumping is considered one of the most promising areas of photovoltaic applications. This work aims to improve the power extraction of a battery-less photovoltaic pumping system. The DC–DC converter is used to accomplish the maximum power point tracking (MPPT). In addition, the BLDC motor is used for maximum exploitation of the delivered power by the PV array, and to enhance the reliability of the pumping system. Furthermore, an MPPT strategy, based on the cuckoo swarm optimization technique, has been developed to improve the control performance under partial shading conditions. The effectiveness of the proposed system has been examined through simulation using MATLAB and Simulink software.
A scalable, self‐supervised calibration and confounder removal model for opportunistic monitoring of road degradation

Assessing road degradation typically requires specialized hardware (such as laser profilometers) or labor‐intensive visual inspection. To facilitate large‐scale, timely inspection of road surfaces, opportunistic sensing is proposed: Sound and vibration measurements are obtained from vehicles that are on the road for other purposes than measuring road quality. Prior work has addressed the problem of calibration and measurement noise removal from this abundance of measurements for a small number of measurement vehicles that drive on the same roads. However, as the deployment of opportunistic monitoring progresses, the applied techniques suffer from scalability. Here, a scalable self‐supervised calibration and confounder removal (SCCR) algorithm is introduced. It allows to self‐calibrate even if the data collection is done in distinct geographic areas and is capable of generalizing to vehicles not encountered during the training phase. Several model design alternatives are explored. After the application of SCCR, supervised training on a small subset of roads allows to predict observations made by standardized techniques also in areas where the latter have not been performed. The approach is tested and validated with 41 cars driving on 23,000 km of roads.
Towards nanoscale resonant gas sensors

In this paper, we present preliminary results in the field of resonant Nano- Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS), where the gas/bio detection is performed by the frequency shift due to mass loading of the adsorbed analyte. The sensitivity of the resonant NEMS chemical sensors based on SOI-CMOSFET technology platform and a given sensor geometry is theoretically proven to be equal to 1 Hz/zeptogram in mass loading for the case of a novel detector circuit based on MOSFET transistor. The minimum frequency shift of 1 ppm is designed for the case of an readout consisting of a MEMS/NEMS based oscillator. Piezoresistive detection circuits performed in SOI- CMOSFET technology are also investigated due to their attractiveness for integrated resonant NEMS sensors. Surface functionalization for NO 2 detection with CNT moieties is described, in accordance with the HSAB theory. Also, localized functionalization with NH 2 self-assembled monolayer followed by biotin attachment or Au nanoparticles decoration is experimentally proven within SOI-CMOS technology. Novel reliability challenges due to Wan Der Waals and Casimir forces acting in the nanometer gaps between different parts are identified. Finally, the noise limitations for the minimum detectable mass in resonant NEMS are shown. The adsorption-desorption noise on the functionalized surface appears to be the most important, and this may be in agreement with the kinetic theory of gases giving us a first indication of the number collisions per second per our sensing surface, in the range of 2·10 9 .
Simulation Analysis of Field Uniformity Distribution in the Test Space of a Reverberation Chamber

In order to study the distribution rule of the field uniformity in the test space(or work space)of a reverberation chamber by using numerical calculation,a physical model of a reverberation chamber is established by the electromagnetic simulation software FEKO.Electric field intensity in twenty-four positions of the test space of a reverberation chamber is calculated by using the method of moment(MOM)and physical optics(PO). Standard deviations of electric field of three test spaces with different volumes are calculated.It is discovered that the standard deviation of NO.2 work space is less than that of NO.1 work space,and the standard deviation of NO.3 work space is less than that of NO.2 work space.This verifies that the field uniformity in the test space is improved with the volume reduction of the test space.The field uniformity is better when the position is closer to the centre of the work space.The equipment under test(EUT)which is used to carry out EMC test is requested to be put in the centre of the work space.
Interpolatory model reduction of uncertain dynamic and vibro-acoustic systems in the mid- and high-frequency ranges

The evaluation of the simplified statistics of dynamic and vibro-acoustic systems by model reduction is discussed. Two kinds of statistical averages can be considered in the same framework: the statistical response of an ensemble of systems with uncertain components and the frequency average of the response of deterministic systems. In both cases, the details of the individual resonances may disappear in the averaging process. The simplified statistics can be extracted from smaller dimension reduced models without having recourse to modelling the detailed resonances. Since no minimum level of uncertainty or modal density is required, the approach can be used for medium level of uncertainty and in the mid-frequency range.
Potassium regulates diel leaf growth of Brassica napus by coordinating the rhythmic carbon supply and water balance.

Carbon and water are two main factors limiting leaf expansion. Restriction of leaf growth by low availability of carbon or water is among the earliest visible effects of potassium (K) deficiency. It is not known how K is involved in regulating the rhythmic supply of these two substrates, which differ remarkably across the day/night cycle, affecting leaf expansion. We investigated the effects of different K regimes on the time courses of leaf expansion, carbon assimilation, carbohydrates, and hydraulic properties of Brassica napus. Potassium supply increased leaf area, predominantly by promoting night-time leaf expansion (>60%), which was mainly associated with increased availability of carbohydrates from photosynthetic carbon fixation and import from old leaves rather than improvement of leaf hydraulics. However, sufficient K improved leaf hydraulic conductance to balance diurnal evaporative water loss and increase the osmotic contribution of water-soluble carbohydrates, thereby maintaining leaf turgor and increasing the daytime expansion rate. The results also indicated an ontogenetic role of K in modifying the amplitude of circadian expansion; almost 80% of the increase in leaf area occurred before the area reached 66.9% of the mature size. Our data provide mechanistic insight into K-mediated diel coordination of rhythmic carbon supply and water balance on leaf expansion.
Warpage Simulation Study by Trace Mapping Method for FCCSP with ETS Substrate

ETS (Embedded trace substrate) has become as the mainstream substrate for FCCSP since it has fine trace, better trace dimension control and low cost advantages which compared to normal substrate. But it usually encountered more serious warpage issue for bare substrate and complete package which may influence D/B (die bonding) and SMT yield rate due to its coreless characteristic. Especially for ETS substrate with special trace pattern design (ex. larger Copper area), bare substrate may appear peculiar warpage contour and led to serious non-wetting issue at specific location during D/B process. Thus, if it can predict warpage value and contour accurately for bare substrate and package is an important topic. In this paper, a FCCSP package with ETS substrate was chosen to study trace impact. Bare substrate and package warpage simulation models w/ and w/o considering trace pattern by trace mapping method were performed and compared to shadow moiré results. Analysis results showed that simulation w/ considering trace pattern could get more accurate warpage value and more similar warpage contour for bare substrate and package warpage.
A feedback analysis of outer hair cell dynamics

Outer hair cells (OHCs) generate active forces in the mammalian cochlea. Acting as cochlear amplifiers, OHCs can counteract viscous drag, generating high gain at characteristic frequencies and allowing for the sharp frequency selectivity and sensitivity observed in mammals. Excitatory displacement of the basilar membrane causes depolarization of OHC membrane potentials which results in contraction. The motor protein prestin is driven by receptor potentials. However, low-pass filtering by the plasma membrane should severely attenuate the receptor potential at high frequencies (> 100 kHz) where mammalian hearing has been observed. Thus, an open question is how OHCs can respond at these high frequencies despite their low frequency cutoff. Inspired by the use of feedback in mechanical and electrical systems to accelerate slow poles, I demonstrate that negative feedback from the coupling of two mechanical modes of vibration can lead to a membrane time constant speedup and a sharpening of the mechanical response. Thesis Supervisor: Rahul Sarpeshkar Title: Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
Falsification-aware Semantics for CTL and Its Inconsistency-tolerant Subsystem: Towards Falsification-aware Model Checking

This study introduces two falsification-aware Kripke-style semantics for computation tree logic (CTL). The equivalences among the proposed falsification-aware Kripke-style semantics and the standard Kripke-style semantics for CTL are proven. Furthermore, a new logic, inconsistency-tolerant CTL (ICTL) is semantically defined and obtained from the proposed falsification-aware Kripke-style semantics for CTL by deleting a characteristic condition on the labeling function of the semantics. Because ICTL is regarded as an inconsistencytolerant and many-valued logic, the proposed semantic framework for CTL and ICTL is regarded as a unified framework for combining and generalizing the standard, inconsistency-tolerant, and many-valued semantic frameworks. This unified semantic framework is useful for generalized model checking, referred to here as falsification-aware model checking.