Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optical Signal Processing and Pulse Shaping for Wavelength Multiplexed High Speed Communication Systems

The steady growth of capacity demand in telecommunication networks has sparked the development of various photonic devices for ultrafast optical signal processing functions to meet the requirements of future flexible fiber networks in general and backbone in particular. Although these photonic devices expand the electrical bandwidth operation, they mostly operate at single wavelength and hence remain non-viable solutions for practical implementation in WDMnetworks that are considered as the major technology for high speed communications. Another key challenge of future optical networks is the ability tomerge channels in time and frequency domain in the most efficient way in order to reach the theoretical Nyquist limit of transmission links. A promising technique is the use of sinc-shaped Nyquist pulses that enable multiplexing channels in time domain with no inter-symbol interference (ISI) while exhibiting a rectangular spectrumthat alleviates the need for guard-band. The sinc pulse is indeed the basic building block in most theoretical papers that have estimated overall capacity limits, and intense efforts are being made to generate optical Nyquist pulses beyond the limit of electronics that can directly be used at the physical layer. Within the above context, two approaches, referred to as optical signal processing of WDM networks and generation/detection of Nyquist superchannels, have been studied in this thesis. The first addressed problem is simultaneous signal processing of WDMchannels. We present two principal blocks required for routing and transporting data in WDM networks, both based on dual-pump fiber optical parametric amplifier (FOPA) with (sinusoidally) modulated pumps. We show that this scheme can be designed to operate simultaneously on WDM channels at any desired wavelength range. The former block enables simultaneous wavelength conversion and time compression which is a necessary functionality in connecting dissimilar rate WDM networks. The latter processing block is all-optical 3R regeneration (reamplification, reshaping, retiming) which is crucial for maintaining pulse quality along long-haul WDMlinks. We use theoretical analysis supported by experimental results to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed technique. The second problem that we investigate is the generation and detection of WDM-Nyquist superchannels. We developed a simple technique based onMach-Zehnder modulators (MZM) to generate a sinc-shaped Nyquist time window by direct synthesis of a rectangular, phase locked frequency comb. We show the produced pulses have exceptional quality as well as high tunability in terms of pulse width and repetition rate. We also further demonstrate a noncoherent method based on the proposed technique to performreal-time demultiplexing of WDM-Nyquist superchannels, simultaneously in time and frequency. The experimental results that are proved by mathematical analysis are employed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Traffic-Aware Transmission Strategy of Fog Cell in Green Industrial Internet

In Industrial Internet application scenarios, due to the ubiquitous connection requirements of the massive Internet of Things (IoT) devices in the edge layer. The data transmission rate is reduced, and the transmission delay increases, increasing the transmission energy consumption per bit. So a low-energy transmission strategy based on real-time edge layer traffic sensing is proposed. First, a mixed-integer modeling method for low-energy transmission of the IoT is proposed. This method aims to optimize the overall energy consumption of the system. The low-energy transmission task of the IoT is modeled as a mixed-integer linear programming problem. Second, a traffic prediction method for the estimation of the number of access packets is designed. Solve the problem of fog access point (F-AP) state change caused by the real-time change of network load. Finally, an energy-driven mapping strategy is designed. The transmission task can be dynamically mapped to the appropriate F-AP. The simulation results show that the strategy proposed in this article can effectively reduce the transmission energy consumption of IoT devices and the overall energy consumption of the system in the massive device access scenario.
Generation Z job seekers in Vietnam: CSR-based employer attractiveness and job pursuit intention

ABSTRACT This study aims to advance our understanding of the effects of Generation Z job seekers’ attitudes towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) and initial job pursuit intention (JPI). A survey of 290 senior students in Vietnam shows that two of three aspects of Generation Z job seekers’ attitudes towards CSR (positive CSR assessment and CSR engagement) are positively related to JPI. In addition, the relationship between Generation Z job seekers’ attitudes towards CSR and JPI is mediated by CSR-based employer attractiveness. These findings suggest that including social and environmental issues into corporate strategy is a valuable approach for attracting Generation Z job seekers. We discuss the implications for theory and practice as well as the limitations and directions for future research, of these findings.
Dynamics and Predictability of Tropical Cyclone Rapid Intensification in Ensemble Simulations of Hurricane Patricia (2015)

Hurricane Patricia (2015) over the eastern Pacific was a record‐breaking tropical cyclone (TC) under a very favorable environment during its rapid intensification (RI) period, which makes it an optimal real case for studying RI dynamics and predictability. In this study, we performed ensemble Kalman filter analyses at Patricia's early development stage using both traditional observations and the Office of Naval Research Tropical Cyclone Intensity (TCI) field campaign data. It is shown that assimilating the inner‐core TCI observations produces a stronger initial vortex and significantly improves the prediction of RI. Analysis of observation sensitivity experiments shows that the deep‐layer dropsonde observations have high impact on both the primary and secondary circulations for the entire troposphere while the radar observations have the most impact on the primary circulations near aircraft flight level. A wide range of intensification scenarios are obtained through two sets of ensemble forecasts initialized with and without assimilating the TCI data prior to the RI onset. Verification of the ensemble forecasts against the TCI observations during the RI period shows that forecast errors toward later stages can originate from two different error sources at early stages of the vortex structure: One is a timing error from a delayed vortex development such that the TC evolution is the same but shifted in time; the other is due to a totally different storm such that there is no moment in time the simulated storm can obtain a correct TC structure.
Environmental and Anthropogenic Influence on the Core Beneficial Honeybee Gut Microbiota—A Short Communication from Bulgaria

Bees’ and beehives’ health are strongly influenced by the honeybees’ gut microbiota which in turn is strongly dependent on many different factors, including environmental factors as well as anthropogenic pressure. In this study, in four locations in Bulgaria differing strongly in environmental conditions and anthropogenic pressure, an assessment was made using several obligatory core symbiont species and genera for reference, such as Lactobacillus sp. , Bifidobacterium sp. , Snodgrassiella alvi, Gilliamella apicola, Frishella perrara, and Commensalibacter sp. , as well as an observation of the overall number of species. A snapshot of the relative abundances of the total number of species and the core species was made using a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based metagenomic approach using the Illumina 2 × 250 bp paired-end platform. It was found that the two forms of anthropogenic pressure, the agricultural and the urban/industrial, have distinct effects, affecting different core genera and species. It was also demonstrated that both types of anthropogenic pressure cause a reduction in the overall number of bacterial species.
Pooling sputum for Xpert MTB/RIF and Xpert Ultra testing during the Covid-19 pandemic in Lao People’s Democratic Republic

The global Covid-19 pandemic has limited access to molecular TB diagnostics and National Programmes are struggling to maintain essential services. The pooling method (testing several samples together) could reduce the number of cartridges and staff time needed for TB diagnosis but has not been tested within the pandemic. We conducted two independent cross-sectional surveys. Pools composed of four sputum samples were tested using either Xpert-MTB/RIF or Xpert-Ultra. Pooled and individual results were compared to determine the level of agreement. Each survey included 840 participants and 210 pools. In the Xpert MTB/RIF survey, 77/81 (sensitivity 95.1%, 95%CI 87.8%-98.6%) pools containing ≥1 positive sample tested MTB-positive and 4/81 (4.9%, 95%CI 1.4%-12.2%) tested MTB-negative. All 129/129 pools containing MTB-negative samples tested MTB-negative (specificity 100%, 95%CI 97.2%-100%), with 98.1% agreement (Kappa: 0.959). In the Xpert-Ultra survey, 70/70 (sensitivity 100%, 95%CI 94.9%-100%) pools containing ≥ 1 MTB-positive sample tested MTB-positive and 140/140 (specificity 100%, 95%CI 97.4%-100%) pools containing only MTB-negative samples tested MTB-negative, with 100% agreement (Kappa: 1). Pooled testing with Xpert-MTB/RIF and Xpert-Ultra saved 38.3% and 41.7% (322/840 and 350/840, respectively) in cartridge costs alone. The pooling method with Xpert-MTB/RIF and Xpert-Ultra has similar performance to individual testing and can reduce the number of cartridges needed. These efficiencies can facilitate maintenance of stocks and sustain essential services as countries face difficulties for laboratory procurement during the pandemic and will provide cost and time savings post-pandemic.
The Power of Hashtags in Online Presentation Promotes Interactivity and Globalization in Students’ Learning

Online presentation is emerging when classroom presentation is not possible. This study was to compare students’ interactivity between the asynchronized online presentations with hashtags and the synchronized classroom presentations. This was a secondary analysis with seven courses conducted between 2016 and 2020. Students’ interactivity in group presentations was evaluated from the videos recorded in classrooms and the posts on social media. Three and four courses in the classroom mode and online mode, respectively were included. Students’ presentations if posted in social media with hashtags, it gained higher accessibility, more attention, more views and the interactions between the presenters and the audiences generated more themes. No significant difference was found between groups in students’ self-reported learning experience on exchanging ideas, learning from various sources and engaging in their own learning. The application of hashtags allowed more time and more viewers to give feedback to the students.
On the Performance of Massive MIMO Full-Duplex Relaying With Low-Resolution ADCs

This letter investigates the spectral/energy efficiency (SE/EE) of a full-duplex massive multiple-input multiple-output amplify-and-forward relaying system. The relay and destination receive antennas are connected to low-resolution analog-to-digital converters to reduce energy consumption and cost. Assuming imperfect channel state information, we first derive approximate closed-form expressions for the SE with zero-forcing processing. Next, with a realistic power consumption model, the EE is analyzed as a function of the number of relay antennas and quantization bits. The proposed closed-form solutions show the SE and EE trade-off for various system configurations.
U.S. Army Corps Engineers Construction Contract Claims Guidance System

Researchers at the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (USA-CERL) have been developing an expert system called Claims Guidance System (CGS) to provide claims analysis expertise at the field level of the Corps of Engineers. This system uses an expert system shell for IBM-compatible microcomputers, Personal Consultant Plus by Texas Instruments. The objectives of this system are (1) to provide an inexperienced project engineer with prelegal assistance in the analysis of potential claims from construction contracts and (2) to serve as a training device for new personnel in field offices, familiarizing them with the related legal issues.
Food insufficiency and Twitter emotions during a pandemic

Abstract The COVID‐19 pandemic initially caused worldwide concerns about food insecurity. Tweets analyzed in real‐time may help food assistance providers target food supplies to where they are most urgently needed. In this exploratory study, we use natural language processing to extract sentiments and emotions expressed in food security‐related tweets early in the pandemic in U.S. states. The emotion joy dominated in these tweets nationally, but only anger, disgust, and fear were also statistically correlated with contemporaneous food insufficiency rates reported in the Household Pulse Survey; more nuanced and statistically stronger correlations are detected within states, including a negative correlation with joy.
A lidar-based openness index to aid conservation planning for grassland wildlife

Visual openness is a key element in habitat selection for many animals of grasslands and other open habitats, especially birds. Obstructions to visual openness in the form of human infrastructure or inopportune woody vegetation growth can lead to habitat avoidance, and thus pose conservation challenges. Here we introduce a remotely sensed, lidar-based index of visual openness. Like previous indices of visual openness, ours is based on the vertical angle to the horizon; however, its calculation from remotely sensed data allows it to be easily mapped across the landscape. We illustrate its potential usage by calculating the index multiple ways within two large fields in central New Jersey, USA, and evaluating the effects of openness on habitat use by a grassland bird, the Grasshopper Sparrow ( Ammodramus savannarum ), within an occupancy modeling framework. We used the best performing model and digitally edited openness maps to project population responses under five hypothetical management scenarios of increased habitat openness. Occupancy modeling revealed that a version of the index calculated based on the maximum angle to the horizon best explained Grasshopper Sparrow occupancy patterns. Models also revealed that Grasshopper Sparrows showed a negative response to openness reductions caused by both powerlines and trees. Predictions based on the increased openness scenarios indicated that removal of tree lines and powerlines could increase patch-level occupancy of the sparrows in the affected fields by up to 15% and 9%, respectively. Where adequate data exist, de l'ouverture de l'habitat. La modélisation de la présence a révélé qu'une version de l'indice calculée sur la base de l'angle maximal par rapport à l'horizon expliquait le mieux les profils de présence du Bruant sauterelle. Les modèles ont également révélé que les bruants réagissaient négativement aux réductions de l'ouverture causées par les lignes électriques et les arbres. Les prévisions basées sur les scénarios d'ouverture accrue ont indiqué que l'élimination de rangées d'arbres et de lignes électriques pourrait favoriser l'augmentation de la présence des bruants à l'échelle des îlots dans les champs étudiés de 15 % et de 9 %, respectivement. Lorsque les données adéquates existent, cet indice peut faciliter l'étude des relations entre l'ouverture et l'utilisation de l'habitat chez une variété de faune vivant en milieu ouvert et dans une diversité d'habitats, de la toundra aux marais en passant par les prairies. Il présente notamment un potentiel prometteur pour la modélisation de la qualité de l'habitat et la projection des impacts potentiels consécutifs aux changements anthropiques de l'ouverture visuelle, tels que les parcs éoliens, les infrastructures électriques ou la gestion de la végétation.
A hybrid computational pathology method for the detection of perineural invasion junctions

Perineural invasion refers to a process where tumor cells invade, surround, or pass through nerve cells, serving as an indicator of aggressive tumor and related to poor prognosis. Herein, we propose an efficient and effective hybrid computational method for an automated detection of perineural invasion junctions in multi-tissue digitized histology images. The proposed approach conducts the detection of perineural invasion junctions in three stages. The first state identifies candidate regions for perineural invasion. The second stage delineates perineural invasion junctions. The last stage eliminates any false positive regions for perineural invasion. In the first two stages, we exploit an advanced deep neural network. In the last stage, we utilize hand-crafted features and a conventional machine learning algorithm. To evaluate the proposed approach, we employ 150 whole slide images obtained from PAIP2021 Challenge: Perineural Invasion in Multiple Organ Cancer and conduct a five-fold cross-validation. The experimental results show that the proposed hybrid approach could facilitate an automated, accurate identification of perineural invasion in histology images.
The first genome for the Cape Primrose Streptocarpus rexii (Gesneriaceae), a model plant for studying meristem‐driven shoot diversity

Abstract Cape Primroses (Streptocarpus, Gesneriaceae) are an ideal study system for investigating the genetics underlying species diversity in angiosperms. Streptocarpus rexii has served as a model species for plant developmental research for over five decades due to its unusual extended meristem activity present in the leaves. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the complete nuclear, chloroplast, and mitochondrial genomes of S. rexii using Oxford Nanopore Technologies long read sequencing. Two flow cells of PromethION sequencing resulted in 32 billion reads and were sufficient to generate a draft assembly including the chloroplast, mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, spanning 776 Mbp. The final nuclear genome assembly contained 5,855 contigs, spanning 766 Mbp of the 929‐Mbp haploid genome with an N50 of 3.7 Mbp and an L50 of 57 contigs. Over 70% of the draft genome was identified as repeats. A genome repeat library of Gesneriaceae was generated and used for genome annotation, with a total of 45,045 genes annotated in the S. rexii genome. Ks plots of the paranomes suggested a recent whole genome duplication event, shared between S. rexii and Primulina huaijiensis. A new chloroplast and mitochondrial genome assembly method, based on contig coverage and identification, was developed, and successfully used to assemble both organellar genomes of S. rexii . This method was developed into a pipeline and proved widely applicable. The nuclear genome of S. rexii and other datasets generated and reported here will be invaluable resources for further research to aid in the identification of genes involved in morphological variation underpinning plant diversification.
HistoLens: a generalizable tool for increasing accessibility and interpretability of quantitative analyses in digital pathology

The incorporation of automated computational tools has a great amount of potential to positively influence the field of pathology. However, pathologists and regulatory agencies are reluctant to trust the output of complex models such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) due to their usual implementation as black-box tools. Increasing the interpretability of quantitative analyses is a critical line of research in order to increase the adoption of modern Machine Learning (ML) pipelines in clinical environments. Towards that goal, we present HistoLens, a Graphical User Interface (GUI) designed to facilitate quantitative assessments of datasets of annotated histological compartments. Additionally, we introduce the use of hand-engineered feature visualizations to highlight regions within each structure that contribute to particular feature values. These feature visualizations can then be paired with feature hierarchy determinations in order to view which regions within an image are significant to a particular sub-group within the dataset. As a use case, we analyzed a dataset of old and young mouse kidney sections with glomeruli annotated. We highlight some of the functional components within HistoLens that allow non-computational experts to efficiently navigate a new dataset as well as allowing for easier transition to downstream computational analyses.
Nimodipine Exerts Beneficial Effects on the Rat Oligodendrocyte Cell Line OLN-93

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Therapy is currently limited to drugs that interfere with the immune system; treatment options that primarily mediate neuroprotection and prevent neurodegeneration are not available. Here, we studied the effects of nimodipine on the rat cell line OLN-93, which resembles young mature oligodendrocytes. Nimodipine is a dihydropyridine that blocks the voltage-gated L-type calcium channel family members Cav1.2 and Cav1.3. Our data show that the treatment of OLN-93 cells with nimodipine induced the upregulation of myelin genes, in particular of proteolipid protein 1 (Plp1), which was confirmed by a significantly greater expression of PLP1 in immunofluorescence analysis and the presence of myelin structures in the cytoplasm at the ultrastructural level. Whole-genome RNA sequencing additionally revealed the upregulation of genes that are involved in neuroprotection, remyelination, and antioxidation pathways. Interestingly, the observed effects were independent of Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 because OLN-93 cells do not express these channels, and there was no measurable response pattern in patch-clamp analysis. Taking into consideration previous studies that demonstrated a beneficial effect of nimodipine on microglia, our data support the notion that nimodipine is an interesting drug candidate for the treatment of MS and other demyelinating diseases.