Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiac risk assessment with the Revised Cardiac Risk Index index before elective non-cardiac surgery: A retrospective audit from an Australian tertiary hospital

Clinicians assessing cardiac risk as part of a comprehensive consultation before surgery can use an expanding set of tools, including predictive risk calculators, cardiac stress tests and measuring serum natriuretic peptides. The optimal assessment strategy is unclear, with conflicting international guidelines. We investigated the prognostic accuracy of the Revised Cardiac Risk Index for risk stratification and cardiac outcomes in patients undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery in a contemporary Australian cohort. We audited the records for 1465 consecutive patients 45 years and older presenting to the perioperative clinic for elective non-cardiac surgery in our tertiary hospital. We calculated individual Revised Cardiac Risk Index scores and documented any use of preoperative cardiac tests. The primary outcome was any major adverse cardiac events within 30 days of surgery, including myocardial infarction, pulmonary oedema, complete heart block or cardiac death. Myocardial perfusion imaging was the most common preoperative stress test (4.2%, 61/1465). There was no routine investigation of natriuretic peptide levels for cardiac risk assessment before surgery. Major adverse cardiac events occurred in 1.3% (18/1366) of patients who had surgery. The Revised Cardiac Risk Index score had modest prognostic accuracy for major cardiac complications, area under receiver operator curve 0.73, 95% confidence interval 0.60 to 0.86. Stratifying major adverse cardiac events by the Revised Cardiac Risk Index scores 0, 1, 2 and 3 or greater corresponded to event rates of 0.6% (4/683), 0.8% (4/488), 4.1% (6/145) and 8.0% (4/50), respectively. The Revised Cardiac Risk Index had only modest predictive value in our single-centre experience. Patients with a revised cardiac risk index score of 2 or more had an elevated risk of early cardiac complications after elective non-cardiac surgery.
Design of Granular Model: A Method Driven by Hyper-Box Iteration Granulation

Recently, granular models have been highlighted in system modeling and applied to many fields since their outcomes are information granules supporting human-centric comprehension and reasoning. In this study, a design method of granular model driven by hyper-box iteration granulation is proposed. The method is composed mainly of partition of input space, formation of input hyper-box information granules with confidence levels, and granulation of output data corresponding to input hyper-box information granules. Among them, the formation of input hyper-box information granules is realized through performing the hyper-box iteration granulation algorithm governed by information granularity on input space, and the granulation of out data corresponding to input hyper-box information granules is completed by the improved principle of justifiable granularity to produce triangular fuzzy information granules. Compared with the existing granular models, the resulting one can yield the more accurate numeric and preferable granular outcomes simultaneously. Experiments completed on the synthetic and publicly available datasets demonstrate the superiority of the granular model designed by the proposed method at granular and numeric levels. Also, the impact of parameters involved in the proposed design method on the performance of ensuing granular model is explored.
RCRdiff: A fully integrated Bayesian method for differential expression analysis using raw NanoString nCounter data

The medium‐throughput mRNA abundance platform NanoString nCounter has gained great popularity in the past decade, due to its high sensitivity and technical reproducibility as well as remarkable applicability to ubiquitous formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue samples. Based on RCRnorm developed for normalizing NanoString nCounter data and Bayesian LASSO for variable selection, we propose a fully integrated Bayesian method, called RCRdiff, to detect differentially expressed (DE) genes between different groups of tissue samples (eg, normal and cancer). Unlike existing methods that often require normalization performed beforehand, RCRdiff directly handles raw read counts and jointly models the behaviors of different types of internal controls along with DE and non‐DE gene patterns. Doing so would avoid efficiency loss caused by ignoring estimation uncertainty from the normalization step in a sequential approach and thus can offer more reliable statistical inference. We also propose clustering‐based strategies for DE gene selection, which do not require any external dataset and are free of any arbitrary cutoff. Empirical evidence of the attractiveness of RCRdiff is demonstrated via extensive simulation and data examples.
EEG power spectral responses to wind farm compared with road traffic noise during sleep: A laboratory study

Wind turbine noise is dominated by low frequencies for which effects on sleep relative to more common environmental noise sources such as road traffic noise remain unknown. This study examined the effect of wind turbine noise compared with road traffic noise on sleep using quantitative electroencephalogram power spectral analysis. Twenty‐three participants were exposed to 3‐min samples of wind turbine noise and road traffic noise at three sound pressure levels (33, 38 and 43 dBA) in randomised order during established sleep. Acute (0–30 s) and more sustained (30–180 s) effects of noise presentations during N2 and N3 sleep were examined using spectral analysis of changes in electroencephalogram power frequency ranges across time in 5‐s intervals. Both noise types produced time‐ and sound pressure level‐dependent increases in electroencephalogram power, but with significant noise type by sound pressure level interactions in beta, alpha, theta and delta frequency bands (all p < 0.05). Wind turbine noise showed significantly lower delta, theta and beta activity immediately following noise onset compared with road traffic noise (all p < 0.05). However, alpha activity was higher for wind turbine noise played at lower sound pressure levels (33 dBA [p = 0.001] and 38 dBA [p = 0.003]) compared with traffic noise during N2 sleep. These findings support that spectral analyses show subtle effects of noise on sleep and that electroencephalogram changes following wind turbine noise and road traffic noise onset differ depending on sound pressure levels; however, these effects were mostly transient and had little impact on conventionally scored sleep. Further studies are needed to establish if electroencephalogram changes associated with modest environmental noise exposures have significant impacts on sleep quality and next‐day functioning.
A review of MEMS oscillators for frequency reference and timing applications

MEMS-based oscillators are an emerging class of highly miniaturized, batch manufacturable timing devices that can rival the electrical performance of well-established quartz-based oscillators. In this review, a description is given of the key properties of a MEMS resonator that determine the overall performance of a MEMS oscillator. Piezoelectric, capacitive and active resonator transduction methods are compared and their impact on oscillator noise and power dissipation is explained. An overview is given of the performance of MEMS resonators and MEMS-based oscillators that have been demonstrated to date. Mechanisms that affect the frequency stability of the resonator, such as temperature-induced frequency drift, are explained and an overview is given of methods that have been demonstrated to improve the frequency stability. The aforementioned performance indicators of MEMS-based oscillators are benchmarked against established quartz and CMOS technologies.
Comparisons of Hydraulic Performance in Permanent Maglev Pump for Water-Jet Propulsion

The operation of water-jet propulsion can generate nonuniform inflow that may be detrimental to the performance of the water-jets. To reduce disadvantages of the nonuniform inflow, a rim-driven water-jet propulsion was designed depending on the technology of passive magnetic levitation. Insufficient understanding of large performance deviations between the normal water-jets (shaft) and permanent maglev water-jets (shaftless) is a major problem in this paper. CFD was directly adopted in the feasibility and superiority of permanent maglev water-jets. Comparison and discussion of the hydraulic performance were carried out. The shaftless duct firstly has a drop in hydraulic losses (K1), since it effectively avoids the formation and evolution of the instability secondary vortex by the normalized helicity analysis. Then, the shaftless intake duct improves the inflow field of the water-jet pump, with consequencing the drop in the backflow and blocking on the blade shroud. So that the shaftless water-jet pump delivers higher flow rate and head to the propulsion than the shaft. Eventually, not only can the shaftless model increase the thrust and efficiency, but it has the ability to extend the working range and broaden the high efficiency region as well.
ESRC/SFC Scoping Study into Quantitative Methods Capacity Building in Scotland

Final report for the following ITT: "The ESRC and the Funding Councils recognise that there is a growing body of evidence that highlights the need to develop quantitative skills amongst the social science population. In particular, this needs to take place during the earliest stages of career development, to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of quantitatively trained social science researchers entering the academic, public and voluntary sectors. To meet this need the ESRC is working with the Funding Councils to develop an integrated strategy which aims to improve the supply of quantitatively trained social scientists. To inform the development of this strategy the ESRC and SFC wish to commission a scoping study to identify the particular quantitative capacity building needs in Scotland. Tenders are currently being sought from individuals or teams interested in undertaking the study. "
CRISPR / Cas 9 mediated T 7 RNA polymerase gene knockin in E . coli BW 25113 makes T 7 expression system work e � ciently

Changchuan Ye China Agricultural University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0683-5290 Xi Chen China Agricultural University Mengjie Yang National Feed Engineering Technology Research Centre Xiangfang Zeng China Agricultural University College of Animal Science and Technology Shiyan Qiao (  87062@cau.edu.cn ) China Agricultural University College of Animal Science and Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4434-318X
Does Financial Inclusion Promote Human Development? Evidence from India

The present study investigates the relationship between Financial Inclusion Index (FII) and Human Development Index (HDI) of Indian economy. The study developed FII for the Indian economy from 1991 to 2020 by using the dimensions of banking penetration, banking availability and usage of banking services. The well-known techniques of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used to develop FII. The ARDL bound test confirms the existence of a long-run relationship between financial inclusion and human development. Granger non-causality confirms the existence of bidirectional causality between financial inclusion and human development. As financial inclusion acts as a key for human development, government should adopt policies to speed up the financial inclusion process in India.
Comparative Comprehensive Analysis on Natural Infections of Hymenolepis Diminuta and Hymenolepis Nana in Commensal Rodents

Summary This first comprehensive report from Punjab province of India relates to patho-physiological alterations alongwith morpho-molecular characterisation and risk assessment of natural infections of Hymenolepis diminuta and Hymenolepis nana in 291commensal rodents including house rat, Rattus rattus (n=201) and lesser bandicoot rat, Bandicota bangalensis (n=90). Small intestine of 53.61 and 64.95 % rats was found infected with H. diminuta and H. nana, respectively with a concurrent infection rate of 50.86 %. There was no association between male and female rats and H. diminuta and H. nana infections (ᵡ2 = 0.016 and 0.08, respectively, d.f.= 1, P>0.05), while the host age had significant effect on prevalence of H. diminuta and H. nana (ᵡ2 = 28.12 and 7.18, respectively, d.f.= 1, P≤0.05) infection. Examination of faecal samples and intestinal contents revealed globular shaped eggs of H. diminuta without polar filaments (76.50 ± 3.01μm x 67.62 ± 2.42 μm), while smaller sized oval eggs of H. nana were with 4 – 8 polar filaments (47.87 ± 1.95 μm x 36.12 ± 3.05 μm). Cestode infection caused enteritis, sloughing of intestinal mucosa, necrosis of villi and inflammatory reaction with infiltration of mononuclear cells in the mucosa and submucosa. Morphometric identification of the adult cestodes recovered from the intestinal lumen was confirmed by molecular characterisation based on nuclear ITS-2 loci which showed a single band of 269 bp and 242 bp for H. diminuta and H. nana, respectively. Pairwise alignment of the ITS-2 regions showed 99.46 % similarity with sequences of H. diminuta from USA and 100 % similarity with sequences of H. nana from Slovakia, Kosice.
Publication pattern, study design, authors and countries involved in orthodontic RCTs – a bibliometric MEDLINE survey over the past 50 years

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the number and proportions, study design, journal publications, authors and countries involved in orthodontic randomised controlled trials (RCTs) over the past 50 years. Method: A MEDLINE database search (Entrez PubMed, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) was performed in November 2018 for RCT publications from 1 January 1968 to 31 December 2017. All orthodontic publications, clinical trials (CTs) or RCTs were selected. For each year from 1968 to 2017, the total number of orthodontic publications and total number of CTs and RCTs were computed. Following this, study design, journal publications, authors and countries involved in orthodontic RCTs were noted. Results: The RCTs accounted for 0.1% of all orthodontic publications in the 1970s and 1980s, and, following this, the proportion of RCTs was increased and amounted to 2.7% over the past decade (2008-2017). The majority of RCTs were of single centre design (93.4%) and in 88.3% a parallel-arm design was performed. The United States and United Kingdom endorsed 16.9% and 15.5% of the RCTs, followed by Turkey (11.1%), Brazil (7.0%), Sweden (6.6%), China (5.6%), Italy (5.4%), and Germany (4.1%). Of all RCTs, 74.2% were published in 20 orthodontic journals and 25.8% in 81 non-orthodontic journals. The American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Angle Orthodontist, European Journal of Orthodontics and Journal of Orthodontics contributed to 60.2% of all the RCTs. Conclusion: The considerable increase in orthodontic RCTs over the past 50 years implies an increased scientific impact of orthodontic literature.
Optimization of 200-800 MHZ eleven feed for GMRT

This paper discusses in brief the electrical design of the Eleven feed for the parabolic reflector antennas of Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT-India) optimized for 200 to 800 MHz bandwidth. Paper also gives the comparison between the simulated and measured antenna input reflection coefficient and radiation patterns. The measured S11 of the feed is less than -8 dB and the computed total aperture efficiency including the mismatch losses, is better than -3.2 dB over desired bandwidth for the reflector antennas of GMRT having 62.5° of half subtended angle. (6 pages)
Catching Transparent Phish: Analyzing and Detecting MITM Phishing Toolkits

For over a decade, phishing toolkits have been helping attackers automate and streamline their phishing campaigns. Man-in-the- Middle (MITM) phishing toolkits are the latest evolution in this space, where toolkits act as malicious reverse proxy servers of online services, mirroring live content to users while extracting cre- dentials and session cookies in transit. These tools further reduce the work required by attackers, automate the harvesting of 2FA- authenticated sessions, and substantially increase the believability of phishing web pages. In this paper, we present the first analysis of MITM phishing toolkits used in the wild. By analyzing and experimenting with these toolkits, we identify intrinsic network-level properties that can be used to identify them. Based on these properties, we develop a machine learning classifier that identifies the presence of such toolkits in online communications with 99.9% accuracy. We conduct a large-scale longitudinal study of MITM phishing toolkits by creating a data-collection framework that monitors and crawls suspicious URLs from public sources. Using this infrastruc- ture, we capture data on 1,220 MITM phishing websites over the course of a year. We discover that MITM phishing toolkits occupy a blind spot in phishing blocklists, with only 43.7% of domains and 18.9% of IP addresses associated with MITM phishing toolkits present on blocklists, leaving unsuspecting users vulnerable to these attacks. Our results show that our detection scheme is resilient to the cloaking mechanisms incorporated by these tools, and is able to detect previously hidden phishing content. Finally, we propose methods that online services can utilize to fingerprint requests origi- nating from these toolkits and stop phishing attempts as they occur.
Who's In Control? On Security Risks of Disjointed IoT Device Management Channels

An IoT device today can be managed through different channels, e.g., by its device manufacturer's app, or third-party channels such as Apple's Home app, or a smart speaker. Supporting each channel is a management framework integrated in the device and provided by different parties. For example, a device that integrates Apple HomeKit framework can be managed by Apple Home app. We call the management framework of this kind, including all its device- and cloud-side components, a device management channel (DMC). 4 third-party DMCs are widely integrated in today's IoT devices along with the device manufacturer's own DMC: HomeKit, Zigbee/Z-Wave compatible DMC, and smart-speaker Seamless DMC. Each of these DMCs is a standalone system that has full mandate on the device; however, if their security policies and control are not aligned, consequences can be serious, allowing a malicious user to utilize one DMC to bypass the security control imposed by the device owner on another DMC. We call such a problem Chaotic Device Management (Codema). This paper presents the first systematic study on Codema, based on a new model-guided approach. We purchased and analyzed 14 top-rated IoT devices and their integration and management of multiple DMCs. We found that Codema is both general and fundamental: these DMCs are generally not designed to coordinate with each other for security policies and control. The Codema problems enable the adversary to practically gain unauthorized access to sensitive devices (e.g., locks, garage doors, etc.). We reported our findings to affected parties (e.g., Apple, August, Philips Hue, ismartgate, Abode), which all acknowledged their importance. To mitigate this new threat, we designed and implemented CGuard, a new access control framework that device manufacturers can easily integrate into their IoT devices to protect end users. Our evaluation shows that CGuard is highly usable and acceptable to users, easy to adopt by manufacturers, and efficient and effective in security control.
MANIAC: A Man-Machine Collaborative System for Classifying Malware Author Groups

In this demo, we show MANIAC, a MAN-machIne collaborative system for malware Author Classification. It is developed to fight a number of author groups who have been generating lots of new malwares by sharing source code within a group and exploiting evasive schemes such as polymorphism and metamorphism. Notably, MANIAC allows users to intervene in the model's classification of malware authors with high uncertainty. It also provides effective interfaces and visualizations with users to achieve maximum classification accuracy with minimum human labor.
LEAP: Leakage-Abuse Attack on Efficiently Deployable, Efficiently Searchable Encryption with Partially Known Dataset

Searchable Encryption (SE) enables private queries on encrypted documents. Most existing SE schemes focus on constructing industrial-ready, practical solutions at the expense of information leakages that are considered acceptable. In particular, ShadowCrypt utilizes a cryptographic approach named ''efficiently deployable, efficiently searchable encryption'' (EDESE) that reveals the encrypted dataset and the query tokens among other information. However, recent attacks showed that such leakages can be exploited to (partially) recover the underlying keywords of query tokens under certain assumptions on the attacker's background knowledge. We continue this line of work by presenting LEAP, a new leakage-abuse attack on EDESE schemes that can accurately recover the underlying keywords of query tokens based on partially known documents and the L2 leakage as per defined by Cash et al. (CCS '15). As an auxiliary function, our attack supports document recovery in the similar setting. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attack on EDESE schemes that achieves keyword recovery and document recovery without error based on partially known documents and L2 leakage. We conduct extensive experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of our attack by varying levels of attacker's background knowledge.
Distributed Ledgers for Distributed Edge: Are we there yet?

Edge computing has received significant attention from both academic and industrial research circles. The paradigm aims to decentralize the existing cloud infrastructure by incorporating resources co-located alongside its client. Researchers have also proposed solutions for a fully decentralized crowdsourced compute paradigm enabled by Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs). This paper investigates the rationale behind DLTs over crowdsourced resource marketplaces to support the requirements of latency-critical applications targeted by edge computing. We develop a fully configurable NEtworked Blockchain emULAtor, or NEBULA, to scrutinize the internal performance bottlenecks of DLTs. We evaluate two blockchain categories - proof-based (popularly used in Bitcoin, Ethereum) and hybrid consensus and find that the enabling factor of DLTs -scale - is also its primary latency contributor. We show that, in reality, the latency overheads due to DLT operation far exceed the operational requirements of edge applications.
Small wind turbine emulator with separately excited DC motor using analog electronic circuit

In this paper, a small wind turbine emulator (WTE) using separately excited DC motor is modelled, simulated, and implemented. An armature controlled 1 HP separately excited DC motor driven by a thyristor DC drive with closed loop cascaded PI controller is used to emulate the characteristics of the rotor of small wind turbine. The DC motor is loaded by a separately excited DC generator. A small cheap analog electronic circuit with less interfacing is designed and implemented to emulate the governing equation of a small wind turbine rotor. This circuit generates a specific reference rotor speed based on the wind turbine rotor characteristics and the mechanical wind power available based on the wind speed. Modelling, simulation and experimental results are presented. (6 pages)