Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supply chain collaboration: conceptualisation and instrument development

Facing intensified global competition, firms strive for greater supply chain collaboration by leveraging the resources and knowledge of key suppliers and valued customers to reduce uncertainty, lower transaction costs, build core competence, capitalise on opportunities for learning and knowledge creation, and improve competitive position. This study examines the nature and characteristics of supply chain collaboration. Through an extensive literature review, it conceptualises supply chain collaboration as seven interconnecting elements: information sharing, goal congruence, decision synchronisation, incentive alignment, resource sharing, collaborative communication, and joint knowledge creation. It develops valid and reliable instruments to measure supply chain collaboration through rigorous empirical and statistical analysis including structured interviews, Q-sort, and a large-scale study. Predictive validity is evaluated by demonstrating a strong and positive relationship between a firm's level of supply chain collaboration and its performance. The definitions and measures that result provide a rich and structured understanding of supply chain design and operation. They also facilitate empirical research and provide analytical consistency that enables greater sharing and comparison of research results.
Anlotinib Induces a T Cell–Inflamed Tumor Microenvironment by Facilitating Vessel Normalization and Enhances the Efficacy of PD-1 Checkpoint Blockade in Neuroblastoma

Abstract Purpose: Anlotinib has achieved good results in clinical trials of a variety of cancers. However, the effects of anlotinib on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and systemic immunity have not been reported. There is an urgent need to identify the underlying mechanism to reveal new opportunities for its application in neuroblastoma (NB) and other cancers. Understanding the mechanism will hopefully achieve the goal of using the same method to treat different cancers. Experimental Design: This study used bioinformatics, NB syngeneic mouse models, flow cytometry, RNA-seq, and immunofluorescence staining to explore the mechanisms of anlotinib on the TME, and further explored anlotinib-containing combination treatment strategies. Results: We proved that anlotinib facilitates tumor vessel normalization at least partially through CD4+ T cells, reprograms the immunosuppressive TME into an immunostimulatory TME, significantly inhibits tumor growth, and effectively prevents systemic immunosuppression. Moreover, the combination of anlotinib with a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor counteracts the immunosuppression caused by the upregulation of PD-L1 after monotherapy, extends the period of vascular normalization, and finally induces NB regression. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this study is the first to dynamically evaluate the effect of a multitarget antiangiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitor on the TME. These findings have very important clinical value in guiding the testing of related drugs in NB and other cancers. Based on these findings, we are conducting a phase II clinical study (NCT04842526) on the efficacy and safety of anlotinib, irinotecan, and temozolomide in the treatment of refractory or relapsed NB, and hopefully we will observe patient benefit.
Supervisory control algorithms for telerobotic space structure assembly

A method for applying a task primitive supervisory control capability to a structural assembly teleoperator is presented and compared with manual control modes. The task of structural assembly is often repetitive. Several of the basic steps in an assembly can be completed by the computer faster with more accuracy and repeatability, lowering the workload on operator and increasing productivity. These results are demonstrated by example using the Beam Assembly Teleoperator. The primary application of the Beam Assembly Teleoperator is the assembly of tetrahedral structures constructed of six beams and four nodes. The beam manipulation and joint assembly portions of the assembly are augmented by the task primitive supervisory control algorithm, Triad. Manual and supervisory modes are compared by repeated joint assembly and by full structure assembly. Use of Triad proved to be significantly faster in repeated joint assembly, yielding times for a n'ive subject using Traid equal or better than an experienced operator under manual control. For full EASE structural assembly, Triad produced an estimated full assembly time 20% faster than the previously established manual time, despite increased times for the portions of assembly not under Triad control. The times for the portions assembly under Triad control were decreased 43% from the corresponding manual times. Thesis Supervisor: Prof. David L. Akin Title: Rockwell Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Understanding Low-Sloped Roofs Under Hurricane Charley From Field to Practice

Natural wind hazard damages have been dramatic in recent years, incurring losses of life and property around the world. Wind-induced failure is one of the major contributors to insurance claims, and it is rising. To address these growing concerns, RICOWI (Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues) started a Wind Investigation Program (WIP) to investigate the field performance of roofing assemblies after major windstorm events and to factually describe roof assembly performance and modes of damage. As part of this program, Hurricane Charley, which hit Punta Gorda, FL, with winds exceeding 140 mph (63 m/s), was investigated. This paper mainly focuses on the field performance of the low-sloped roofs with three important parameters that were found critical in the failure of the roofing systems, namely, • Effect of corner wind suction, • Effect of parapet, • Effect of internal pressure. For each scenario, first scientific documentation was presented, and then how the field observation reflects the fundamental principles were discussed. Based on this exercise, correlations are developed for roof wind design. In addition, wind design data from the North American codes of practice are also calculated and compared to show the impact of science and field observation on durable roof design. With these illustrations, this paper offers recommendations to advance the roof system design for hurricane-prone regions.
Time-multiplexed signals and parallel signal analysis/switch optimization for MEMS-based optical cross-connect

The calibration of the numerous mirror pairs, or switches, in MEMS-mirror optical cross-connect systems is a critical process in their manufacture. Because the number of switch connections for these systems scales quadratically to the number of inputs/outputs, this places great demands on the equipment used to perform testing. We propose and demonstrate a calibration technique for generic optical subsystems based on optical time-division multiplexing (OTDM).
Nucleo-cytoplasmic RNA distribution responsible for maintaining neuroinflammatory microenvironment

ABSTRACT Subcellular localization of transcripts is highly associated with regulation of gene expression, synthesis of protein, and also the development of the human brain cortex. Although many mechanisms are prevalent in the occurrence of neuroinflammation, the mechanisms based on differences in subcellular localization of transcripts have not been explored. To characterize the dynamic profile of nuclear and cytoplasmic transcripts during the progress of haemorrhage-induced neuroinflammation, we isolated nucleo-cytoplasmic RNA fractions of oxyhaemoglobin (oxy-Hb) treated microglia cells and sequenced both fractions. We discovered that cytoplasmic retained genes were the major forces to maintain the neuroinflammatory microenvironment with 10 hub genes and 40 conserved genes were identified. Moreover, antisense RNA Gm44096 and lincRNA Gm47270, which co-expressed with a crowd of inflammatory genes in the cytoplasm, were discovered as regulatory strategies for sustaining the neuroinflammatory microenvironment. Thus, our study provides a new perspective on understanding haemorrhage-induced neuroinflammation and also reveals a mechanism of lncRNA responsible for maintaining the neuroinflammatory microenvironment.
Multimodal biomarker discovery for active Onchocerca volvulus infection

The neglected tropical disease onchocerciasis, or river blindness, is caused by infection with the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus. Current estimates indicate that 17 million people are infected worldwide, the majority of them living in Africa. Today there are no non-invasive tests available that can detect ongoing infection, and that can be used for effective monitoring of elimination programs. In addition, to enable pharmacodynamic studies with novel macrofilaricide drug candidates, surrogate endpoints and efficacy biomarkers are needed but are non-existent. We describe the use of a multimodal untargeted mass spectrometry-based approach (metabolomics and lipidomics) to identify onchocerciasis-associated metabolites in urine and plasma, and of specific lipid features in plasma of infected individuals (O. volvulus infected cases: 68 individuals with palpable nodules; lymphatic filariasis cases: 8 individuals; non-endemic controls: 20 individuals). This work resulted in the identification of elevated concentrations of the plasma metabolites inosine and hypoxanthine as biomarkers for filarial infection, and of the urine metabolite cis-cinnamoylglycine (CCG) as biomarker for O. volvulus. During the targeted validation study, metabolite-specific cutoffs were determined (inosine: 34.2 ng/ml; hypoxanthine: 1380 ng/ml; CCG: 29.7 ng/ml) and sensitivity and specificity profiles were established. Subsequent evaluation of these biomarkers in a non-endemic population from a different geographical region invalidated the urine metabolite CCG as biomarker for O. volvulus. The plasma metabolites inosine and hypoxanthine were confirmed as biomarkers for filarial infection. With the availability of targeted LC-MS procedures, the full potential of these 2 biomarkers in macrofilaricide clinical trials, MDA efficacy surveys, and epidemiological transmission studies can be investigated.
On the Distribution of SINR for Widely Linear MMSE MIMO Systems With Rectilinear or Quasi-Rectilinear Signals

Although the widely linear least mean square error (WLMMSE) receiver has been an appealing option for multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) wireless systems, a statistical understanding on its pose-detection signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) in detail is still missing. To this end, we consider a WLMMSE MIMO transmission system with rectilinear or quasi-rectilinear (QR) signals over the uncorrelated Rayleigh fading channel and investigate the statistical properties of its SINR for an arbitrary antenna configuration with <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N_t$</tex-math></inline-formula> transmit antennas and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N_r$</tex-math></inline-formula> receive ones. We first derive an analytic probability density function (PDF) of the SINR in terms of the confluent hypergeometric function of the second kind, for WLMMSE MIMO systems with an arbitrary <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N_r$</tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N_t=2, 3$</tex-math></inline-formula>. For a more general case in practice, i.e., <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N_t>3$</tex-math></inline-formula>, we resort to the moment generating function to obtain an approximate but closed form PDF under some mild conditions, which, as expected, is more Gaussian-like as <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2N_r-N_t$</tex-math></inline-formula> increases. The so-derived PDFs are able to provide key insights into the WLMMSE MIMO receiver in terms of the outage probability, the symbol error rate, and the diversity gain, all presented in closed form. In particular, its diversity gain and the gain improvement over the conventional LMMSE one are explicitly quantified as <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N_r-(N_t-1)/2$</tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$(N_t-1)/2$</tex-math></inline-formula>, respectively. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations support the analysis.
Fishes regulate tail-beat kinematics to minimize speed-specific cost of transport

Energetic expenditure is an important factor in animal locomotion. Here we test the hypothesis that fishes control tail-beat kinematics to optimize energetic expenditure during undulatory swimming. We focus on two energetic indices used in swimming hydrodynamics, cost of transport and Froude efficiency. To rule out one index in favour of another, we use computational-fluid dynamics models to compare experimentally observed fish kinematics with predicted performance landscapes and identify energy-optimized kinematics for a carangiform swimmer, an anguilliform swimmer and larval fishes. By locating the areas in the predicted performance landscapes that are occupied by actual fishes, we found that fishes use combinations of tail-beat frequency and amplitude that minimize cost of transport. This energy-optimizing strategy also explains why fishes increase frequency rather than amplitude to swim faster, and why fishes swim within a narrow range of Strouhal numbers. By quantifying how undulatory-wave kinematics affect thrust, drag, and power, we explain why amplitude and frequency are not equivalent in speed control, and why Froude efficiency is not a reliable energetic indicator. These insights may inspire future research in aquatic organisms and bioinspired robotics using undulatory propulsion.
New Evidence of Two Transitions in the Neolithic Sequence of Northeastern Iran

During preliminary fieldwork at an endangered site in the Shahroud area in northeast Iran, evidence of two transitional periods in the Neolithic sequence of the region were observed and partially documented. The first transition, around 6700–6200 BCE, corresponds with the temporal gap between the West Mound and the East Mound of Sang-e Chakhmaq sequences, as the type sites of the Aceramic/Proto-Ceramic Neolithic and the Ceramic Neolithic of northeastern Iran, respectively. The second transition demonstrates the contextual relationship between the ceramic of the final phase of Chakhmaq culture and the first manifestation of the distinct ceramic of the succeeding culture of Cheshmeh Ali in the second half of the sixth millennium BCE. This is the first time that evidence of these two transitions, augmented by new 14C dates, has been documented.
Habituation of common vampire bats to biologgers

Rapid advancements in biologging technology have led to unprecedented insights into animal behaviour, but testing the effects of biologgers on tagged animals is necessary for both scientific and ethical reasons. Here, we measured how quickly 13 wild-caught and captively isolated common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) habituated to mock proximity sensors glued to their dorsal fur. To assess habituation, we scored video-recorded behaviours every minute from 18.00 to 06.00 for 3 days, then compared the rates of grooming directed to the sensor tag versus to their own body. During the first hour, the mean tag-grooming rate declined dramatically from 53% of sampled time (95% CI = 36–65%, n = 6) to 16% (8–24%, n = 9), and down to 4% by hour 5 (1–6%, n = 13), while grooming of the bat's own body did not decline. When tags are firmly attached, isolated individual vampire bats mostly habituate within an hour of tag attachment. In two cases, however, tags became loose before falling off causing the bats to dishabituate. For tags glued to fur, behavioural data are likely to be impacted immediately after the tag is attached and when it is loose before it falls off.
Boundaries and Journalistic Authority in Newspaper Coverage of the Hutchins Report

Abstract In the weeks following its March 1947 release, the much-anticipated Hutchins Commission’s report on the press prompted intense US newspaper coverage on both news pages and in editorial columns. Using textual analysis, this study examines these reports on the Commission’s work, and builds on the research of Margaret Blanchard, Victor Pickard, Stephen Bates, and others. It finds that newspapermen immediately began working to stake their claim to journalistic authority amid the rise of broadcast. Newspapers took great pains to tell audiences that they, more than any other entity, answered to their customers’ interests. This paper argues that with radio thriving and the rise of television just around the corner, print news coverage of the report’s release largely marked an early case of newspapers attempting to set boundaries and establishing themselves as the true “press” that was willing to take responsibility on its own terms and knew its audience better than other mediums.
Afamin predicts the prevalence and incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract Objectives In the general population, increased afamin concentrations are associated with the prevalence and incidence of metabolic syndrome as well as type 2 diabetes. Although metabolic syndrome is commonly associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), there exist no information on afamin and NAFLD. Methods Afamin concentrations were cross-sectionally measured in 146 Austrian patients with NAFLD, in 45 patients without NAFLD, and in 292 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Furthermore, the feasibility of afamin to predict incident NAFLD was evaluated in 1,434 adult participants in the population-based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study during a 10-year follow-up. Results Median afamin concentrations were significantly higher in NAFLD patients (83.6 mg/L) than in patients without NAFLD (61.6 mg/L, p<0.0001) or in healthy controls (63.9 mg/L, p<0.0001). In age- and sex-adjusted logistic regression analyses a 10 mg/L increase of afamin was associated with a 1.5-fold increase of having NAFLD as compared with patients without NAFLD and the risk was even two-fold when compared with healthy controls. In the population-based cohort, afamin concentrations at baseline were significantly lower in participants without NAFLD (n=1,195) than in 239 participants who developed NAFLD (56.5 vs. 66.9 mg/L, p<0.0001) during the 10-year follow up, with highest afamin values observed in individuals developing severe forms of NAFLD. After adjustment for several potentially confounding parameters, afamin remained an independent predictor for the development of NAFLD (OR=1.37 [95% CI 1.23–1.54] per 10 mg/L increase, p<0.0001). Conclusions Afamin concentrations are increased in patients with NAFLD and independently predict the development of NAFLD in a population-based cohort.
Risso's dolphins perform spin dives to target deep-dwelling prey

Foraging decisions of deep-diving cetaceans can provide fundamental insight into food web dynamics of the deep pelagic ocean. Cetacean optimal foraging entails a tight balance between oxygen-conserving dive strategies and access to deep-dwelling prey of sufficient energetic reward. Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) displayed a thus far unknown dive strategy, which we termed the spin dive. Dives started with intense stroking and right-sided lateral rotation. This remarkable behaviour resulted in a rapid descent. By tracking the fine-scale foraging behaviour of seven tagged individuals, matched with prey layer recordings, we tested the hypothesis that spin dives are foraging dives targeting deep-dwelling prey. Hunting depth traced the diel movement of the deep scattering layer, a dense aggregation of prey, that resides deep during the day and near-surface at night. Individuals shifted their foraging strategy from deep spin dives to shallow non-spin dives around dusk. Spin dives were significantly faster, steeper and deeper than non-spin dives, effectively minimizing transit time to bountiful mesopelagic prey, and were focused on periods when the migratory prey might be easier to catch. Hence, whereas Risso's dolphins were mostly shallow, nocturnal foragers, their spin dives enabled extended and rewarding diurnal foraging on deep-dwelling prey.
Duty-cycle detector based on time-to-digital conversion

A duty cycle detector based on time-to-digital conversion is presented. It combines the advantages of analogue (high accuracy and simplicity) and digital (digital output) duty cycle correctors in a simple and straightforward topology. Two identical circuits detect the high and low phases of the input clock and deliver two digital words. These two words are then sufficient to accurately estimate the input duty cycle. By using the same topology for both circuits, accuracy is affected only by mismatches between them. Designed in a bulk 28nm CMOS technology the proposed duty cycle detector achieves a maximum linearity error of 4% and a resolution of 0.5% over corners and an input duty cycle range of [20, 80]%.
Visual Transition of Avatars Improving Speech Comprehension in Noisy VR Environments

In order to construct a comfortable communication in the VR space, it is important to improve the speech comprehension in environmental noise. Although there have been many reports on the interaction between vision and acoustic, few studies using noisy VR spaces. In this study, sixteen Japanese male and female were tested to listen to a some sentence in a VR space with environmental noise, to evaluate the effect of the visual stimulus to the avatar speech comprehension against the environmental noise, with using the up-and-down method. The results showed that the cocktail party effect was also observed in the VR avatars, and the cocktail party effect continued even if the avatar vanished visually. In addition, it was suggested that the cocktail party effect was enhanced if the lip of the avatar synchronized correctly.
PAIR: Phone as an Augmented Immersive Reality Controller

Immersive head-mounted augmented reality allows users to overlay 3D digital content on a user’s view of the world. Current-generation devices primarily support interaction modalities such as gesture, gaze and voice, which are readily available to most users yet lack precision and tactility, rendering them fatiguing for extended interactions. We propose using smartphones, which are also readily available, as companion devices complementing existing AR interaction modalities. We leverage user familiarity with smartphone interactions, coupled with their support for precise, tactile touch input, to unlock a broad range of interaction techniques and applications - for instance, turning the phone into an interior design palette, touch-enabled catapult or AR-rendered sword. We describe a prototype implementation of our interaction techniques using an off-the-shelf AR headset and smartphone, demonstrate applications, and report on the results of a positional accuracy study.
A multibeam slot antenna using dual-layer metasurface

ABSTRACT A novel multibeam slot antenna using metasurface is presented in this communication. This antenna is fed by a coupling aperture and its radiating element consists of dual-layer metasurfaces formed by different units. By employing the rectangular loop slot as the coupling aperture, a wide impedance bandwidth is obtained. Meantime, a dual-layer cross-placed checkerboard metasurface is utilized to generate four beams and expand the operation bandwidth. The experimental results demonstrate that the antenna has a bandwidth of 1.37 GHz (2.18–3.55 GHz). Moreover, the four beams point at (φ, θ) = (180°, 23°), (270°, 23°), (0°, 23°), and (90°, 23°) and the maximum gain reaches 7.63 dBi.