Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Organisational Effectiveness and Upward Communication: A Study of Selective Automobile Firms in India

It is clear that the management of organisation is undergoing a paradigm shift. Globally, over the past five decades, there has been a growing trend towards more participative working relationships and practices. The system of hierarchy and the distance power culture, which is very strong in Indian culture, finds itself being challenged by the notion of collaborative and team-based organisations. Also, the new generation of employees who are increasingly becoming more demanding, expecting to be respected and valued as individuals in the workplace, refuse to follow the conventional employer-employee hierarchy. The Indian economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and the Indian automobile sector has also grown rapidly in the recent past. The present study investigated the effectiveness of upward communication in Indian automobile companies, as perceived by managers, and how it impacted the organisational effectiveness.
Study on the technology of mutual alignment based on the four-quadrant photo electric detector

Panoramic stereo cameras and laser radars have their own coordinate system in the dynamic spatial sensing area and they have to determine the position relationship between each other through joint calibration. As using the traditional technology of mutual alignment based on the telescope cross wire is tedious and requires high operating skills, a new method of mutual alignment using lasers and four-quadrant photo electric detectors is provided after analyzing the working principle of four-quadrant photo electric detectors. Firstly make the laser beam irradiate the active area of the four-quadrant photo electric detector through coarse aiming. Then the center of a light spot offset relative to the center of the active area can be obtained according to the output voltage of four quadrants. The pose of two instruments can be adjusted properly to realize mutual alignment. The experimental results indicate that the alignment accuracy of four-quadrant detectors can meet the requirements of mutual alignment, which provides a new idea for joint calibration.
Exploring the Molecular Mechanism of lncRNA–miRNA–mRNA Networks in Non-Syndromic Cleft Lip with or without Cleft Palate

Background Non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is a common craniofacial birth defect. Growing evidence has demonstrated the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) hypothesis has played a role in the pathogenesis of NSCL/P. Here, we identified the important lncRNAs in NSCL/P and constructed a ceRNA regulatory network to predict their underlying functional mechanism. Methods Total RNA isolated from the peripheral blood samples were analyzed by the Human Clariom D Affymetrix platform and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Using the limma package in R software, DEGs in the expression profile of GSE42589 were identified from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Co-differentially expressed lncRNAs (co-DElncRNAs) were used to predict the microRNAs that may bind to them. Co-differentially expressed mRNAs (co-DEmRNAs) were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. The hub genes were screened using the cytohubba plug-in in Cytoscape. A ceRNA network was built to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the etiology of NSCL/P. The expression levels of lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in the network were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results We found 116 DElncRNAs and 2955 DEmRNAs from the GSE42589 dataset, and 2626 DElncRNAs and 2771 DEmRNAs from the Human Clariom D gene chip. A network of co-DEmRNAs containing 3712 edges and 621 nodes were identified by PPI analysis. A ceRNA regulatory network comprising lncRNA USP17L6P, hsa-miR-449c-5p, and MYC was established. qRT-PCR results revealed significantly lower expression levels of lncRNA USP17L6P and c-Myc in NSCL/P tissues, while the expression level of hsa-miR-449c-5p was higher as compared to control samples (p < 0.05). Conclusion The identified lncRNAs and the established ceRNA regulatory network provide novel insight into the pathogenesis of NSCL/P, therefore hold great promise in NSCL/P management in clinical practice.
Ultra‐thin ISFET‐based sensing systems

The ion-sensitive field effect transistors (ISFETs), proposed little over 50 years ago, today make the most promising devices for lab-on-a-chip, implantable, and point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. Their compatibility with CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technology and the low cost through mass production have been the driving factors so far. Nowadays, they are also being developed in flexible form factors for new applications such as wearables and to improve the effective usage in existing applications such as implantable systems. In this regard, the CMOS ultra-thin chip (UTC) technology and the bonding by printing are the noteworthy advances. This paper comprehensively reviews such new developments in the CMOS-compatible ISFETs, along with their theory, readout circuitries, circuit-based techniques for compensation of the ISFET’s instabilities, such as the offset, flicker noise, and drift. The sensing mechanisms and the properties of interface between the electrolyte under test and the metal-oxide based ion-sensitive electrodes have been discussed along with a brief overview of the metal-oxide based pH sensors. An overview of the reported mechanically flexible pH sensors, including ISFETs, is provided and the history of ISFET applications are also covered. Finally, established models that can be used to design flexible circuits are presented, and possible opportunities to use circuit techniques to compensate for mechanical deformation are discussed.
Aerial Manipulator Suspended from a Cable-Driven Parallel Robot: Preliminary Experimental Results

Since omnidirectional aerial vehicles can generate a six degrees of freedom wrench, they could be used for dexterous manipulation tasks without the need for an additional robotic arm. However, they suffer from a reduced efficiency and dynamics range due to the huge amount of energy lost in gravity compensation.In this work, we introduce an omnidirectional aerial manipulator suspended from a cable-driven parallel robot (CDPR) by a spring, combining the advantages of the CDPR large workspace with the high dynamics of aerial vehicles, while reducing energy consumption thanks to gravity compensation.A partitioned control scheme is implemented to regulate both systems separately. A preliminary control strategy is proposed for the CDPR motion that minimizes the total energy consumption. Experiments are carried out to assess the added value of the CDPR carrier.
Interfacial Friction Prediction in a Vertical Annular Two-Phase Flow Based on Support Vector Regression Machine

Accurate prediction of interfacial friction factor is critical for calculation of pressure drop and investigation of flow mechanism of vertical annular two-phase flows. Theoretical models of interfacial friction factor based on physical insight have been developed; however, these are inconvenient in engineering practice as too many parameters need to be measured. Although many researchers have proposed various empirical correlations to improve computation efficiency, there is no generally accepted simple formula. In this study, an efficient prediction model based on support vector regression machine (SVR) is proposed. Through sensitivity analysis, five factors are determined as the input parameters to train the SVR model, relative liquid film thickness, liquid Reynolds number, gas Reynolds number, liquid Froude number and gas Froude number. The interfacial friction factor is chosen as the output parameter to check the overall performance of the model. With the help of particle swarm algorithm, the optimization process is accelerated considerably, and the optimal model is obtained through iterations. Compared with other correlations, the optimal model shows the lowest average absolute error (AAE of 0.0004), lowest maximum absolute error (MAE of 0.006), lowest root mean square error (RMSE of 0.00076) and highest correlation factor (r of 0.995). The analysis using various data in the literature demonstrates its accuracy and stability in interfacial friction prediction. In summary, the proposed machine learning model is effective and can be applied to a wider range of conditions for vertical annular two-phase flows.
Open VS Closed Techniques for Laparoscopic Abdominal Surgeries

Background: Laparoscopic surgery or "minimally invasive" surgery is a type of specialist surgery. The most crucial, demanding, and risky part of the laparoscopy is the creation of pneumoperitoneum. The two most prevalent methods for creating a pneumoperitoneum are the closed and open approaches. Despite the fact that there is no universal consensus on the best approach to gain access to the peritoneal cavity in order to create a pneumoperitoneum. The aim of present study was to compare the operative time and post-operative outcome associated with closed technique and open classic technique. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was carried out by recruiting patients presented in surgery department of Ziauddin Hospital North campus. The samples were divided into two equal groups A and B. Group A was operated for Laparascopic abdominal surgery by open technique while group B operated through closed technique. Effectiveness of procedures was measured by number of complications occurred during and after surgery. Chi-square test and independent T-test were applied for association. P-value of < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Mean age was found to be 45.5±16 years and mean weight was 68±10.5 kilograms. Mean time of operations was 84.5±18.5 minutes. 60 (69.8%) of patients included underwent the laparoscopic cholecystectomy while 15 (17.4%) patients had laparoscopic appendectomy. 13/86: 15.1% of patients had the minor complication including 12/43: 27.9% in group B and 1/43: 2.3% in group A. The comparative analysis between the two groups in terms of effectiveness of either method compared by means of development of the complications was found to be highly significant with p value 0.002. Conclusion: The open approach to laparoscopic entrance has been linked to fewer surgical problems than the closed approach.
Design of a Large-scale Electrically-actuated Quadruped Robot and Locomotion Control for the Narrow Passage

With the gradual maturity of the software and hardware of quadruped robots, the application scenarios of quadruped robots are increasing, such as security, rescue, exploration and other tasks. Quadruped robots are flexible and adaptive to challenging or complex environment. This study presents a large-scale quadruped robot, Pegasus II, which is a new version upgraded from the previous quadruped robot, Pegasus [1]. System design of Pegasus II is introduced, including mechanical and electronic design. Locomotion control for a special scene, L-shaped narrow corner, in which a large-scale quadruped robot is not able to traverse in a common quadrupedal mode, is demonstrated. The long body length of a large-scale quadruped robot, such as Pegasus II, incurs difficulty in traversing freely in such a narrow passage. Motivated by this issue, this study proposes an experimental implementation to realize the transition from quadrupedal mode to bipedal mode. The control framework is presented, which mainly includes trajectory optimization, whole-body control, compliance control, and joint torque estimator. Simulations and experiments are conducted to validate the performance, including gait transition, compliance control.
Ribociclib Induces Broad Chemotherapy Resistance and EGFR Dependency in ESR1 Wildtype and Mutant Breast Cancer

Simple Summary Disease progression while receiving treatment is a major problem in breast cancer. Mutations in the oestrogen receptor-α often lead to loss of drug activity, resulting in an inability of anti-oestrogens to stop cancer growth. There is an urgent need to establish which therapies can effectively eradicate cancer cells and also to understand how these therapies work. The aim of this study was to find compounds that diminish viability of breast cancer cells harbouring mutated oestrogen receptor-α. We discovered that cells, regardless of their oestrogen receptor-α mutational status, are vulnerable to the cell-cycle inhibitor ribociclib, which causes senescence accompanied by a decrease in sensitivity to various chemotherapies. Importantly, we found that viability of ribociclib-induced senescent cells is maintained by the EGFR signalling pathway, which may be therapeutically exploited. Abstract While endocrine therapy is highly effective for the treatment of oestrogen receptor-α (ERα)-positive breast cancer, a significant number of patients will eventually experience disease progression and develop treatment-resistant, metastatic cancer. The majority of resistant tumours remain dependent on ERα-action, with activating ESR1 gene mutations occurring in 15–40% of advanced cancers. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover novel effective therapies that can eradicate cancer cells with aberrant ERα and to understand the cellular response underlying their action. Here, we evaluate the response of MCF7-derived, CRISPR-Cas9-generated cell lines expressing mutant ERα (Y537S) to a large number of drugs. We report sensitivity to numerous clinically approved inhibitors, including CDK4/6 inhibitor ribociclib, which is a standard-of-care therapy in the treatment of metastatic ERα-positive breast cancer and currently under evaluation in the neoadjuvant setting. Ribociclib treatment induces senescence in both wildtype and mutant ERα breast cancer models and leads to a broad-range drug tolerance. Strikingly, viability of cells undergoing ribociclib-induced cellular senescence is maintained via engagement of EGFR signalling, which may be therapeutically exploited in both wildtype and mutant ERα-positive breast cancer. Our study highlights a wide-spread reduction in sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs accompanied with an acquired vulnerability to EGFR inhibitors following CDK4/6 inhibitor treatment.
Best Practices for Building Interprofessional Telehealth: Report of a Conference

The Arizona Biomedical Research Centre (ABRC) has funded a series of workshops and conferences since 2016 to build the capacity of local, tribal, and state agencies, healthcare delivery organizations, and non-governmental organizations to engage in meaningful research related to health disparities. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth has dramatically increased, particularly in nursing, occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech-language pathology (SLP). The purpose of this paper is to summarize the presentations and discussion from the conference titled “Telerehabilitation and Telepractice: An Interprofessional Conference to Build Connections and Best Practices,” held remotely on March 4-5, 2021. Terminology and concepts from the conference were debated, modified, and refined, based on an interprofessional audience. Presenters at the conference, all leaders in their field, discussed the current status of telehealth in their professions, including best practices, challenges, future trends, and research needs.
COVID-19 and the shifting organisation of sex work markets in Singapore

Abstract While past studies have sought to capture how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on the health and sexual lives of sex workers internationally, less attention has been paid to the reorganisation of sex markets as a result of COVID-19. We conducted a sequential exploratory mixed methods study using in-depth interviews, cyber ethnography and surveyor-administered structured surveys among sex workers. We report two key findings on how the pandemic has impacted sex markets in Singapore. First, the organisation of sex markets shifted as a result of lockdown and associated movement control measures. This shift was characterised by the out-migration of sex workers, the reduction in supply and demand for in-person sex work, and a shift towards online spaces. Second, we found that sex workers experienced greater economic hardship as a result of such changes. Given the potential shifts in sex markets as a result of the pandemic, we adopt a World Health Organisation Health Workplace Framework and Model to identify interventions to improve the occupational safety and health of sex workers in a post-COVID-19 era.
Relationship Between Uterine Development, mRNA and Protein Expression of FSH and LH Receptors in New Zealand White Rabbits

| Gonadotropin receptors; follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) and luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR), are well known for their indispensable function in female reproductive regulation. LHR and FSHR were previously thought to have only gonadal tissue expression, however it has recently been discovered that they are expressed in a range of extragonadal tissues. However, whether these receptors play a role in rabbit uterine development is uncertain. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between uterine development and mRNA and protein expression of FSHR and LHR in the New Zealand white rabbits. Uteri were collected from thirty New Zealand rabbits at Day 0, week (W) 2, W4, W16, and Day18 of pregnancy (n = 6/group), and ovarian histology, gene as well as protein expression were investigated using light microscopy, real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. The findings revealed that uterus was not yet differentiated into its definite three layers, and there was no evidence of glandular development at birth. Primordium of uterine gland formation was first observed at W 2. By W16, extensive tubular glands underwent branching and coiling within the stroma. At pregnancy, endometrial glands became abundant. No significant changes in FSHR and LHR mRNA and protein expression were detected from birth to W16 which was not compatible with the linear increase of histological features of the rabbit uterus during developmental stages. However, the mRNA and protein for these receptors during pregnancy were significantly (p < 0.05) increased. In conclusion, there was no relation between rabbit uterine developmental changes and FSHR and LHR expression, suggesting that these receptors are not involved in regulating rabbit uterine development and that uterine development is controlled by other factors.
A new mathematical model and control of a three-phase AC-DC voltage source converter

A new mathematical model of the power circuit of a three-phase voltage source converter (VSC) was developed in the stationary and synchronous reference frames. The mathematical model was then used to analyze and synthesize the voltage and current control loops for the VSC. Analytical expressions were derived for calculating the gains and time constants of the current and voltage regulators. The mathematical model was used to control a 140-kW regenerative VSC. The synchronous reference-frame model was used to define feedforward signals in the current regulators to eliminate the cross coupling between the d and q phases. It allowed the reduction of the current control loops to first-order plants and improved their tracking capability. The bandwidths of the current and voltage-control loops were found to be approximately 20 and 60 times (respectively) smaller than the sampling frequency. All control algorithms were implemented in a digital signal processor. All results of the analysis were experimentally verified.
Performance Analysis of a Modified Direct Power Controlled Photovoltaic System Connected to a Weak AC Grid

A Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) controlled by vector current control is popularly used to integrate distributed energy sources to main grid. However, the interaction between the Phase Locked Loop (PLL) and the controller makes the system unstable when the grid is weak. In this paper a modified direct power control technique is used to integrate a photovoltaic system to a weak AC grid. This control technique does not need a PLL for its operation. The performance of the controller is evaluated using simulation studies done in MATLAB/Simulink. The effect of change in irradiation, temperature and sag in grid voltage is also analyzed. The results show that the controller is able to follow the active and reactive power commands with permissible THD in the current injected to grid.
DeepSIL: A Software-in-the-Loop Framework for Evaluating Motion Planning Schemes Using Multiple Trajectory Prediction Networks*

Testing and verification is still an open issue on the way to fully automated driving. Simulations can help to reduce the required testing efforts, however, classical simulators based on physical models and heuristics, such as the intelligent driver model (IDM), show limited model accuracy on a microscopic scenario level. In turn, learning-based driver models are often capable to predict human driver’s behavior accurately, but are difficult to tailor such that they follow an intended scenario description. In this work, we propose a software-in-the-loop framework to combine a learned model with a rule-based logic layer and a kinematic vehicle model of a classical traffic simulator. Thus, the merits of both, classical simulators and learning-based models are exploited. We demonstrate with a case study of evaluating a motion planning scheme that the simulator fits well with the needs of testing such methods. Furthermore, we show by experiments with real-world traffic data from a traffic surveillance system that the proposed simulator yields realistic behavior of the simulated road users.
Local silicon-gate carbon nanotube field effect transistors using silicon-on-insulator technology

A local silicon-gate carbon nanotube field effect transistor (CNFET) configuration has been proposed and implemented for integration purpose. By combining the advantages of in situ carbon nanotube growth technology and the silicon-on-insulator technology, we have realized the CNFETs with individual device operation, low parasitic capacitance, high yield fabrication, and better compatibility to the complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process. The CNFETs show up-to-date electrical performance. The scaling effect of gate oxide is also explored. This configuration makes CNFET a step closer to the CMOS integrated circuit application.