Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantization error-based regularization for hardware-aware neural network training

: We propose “QER”, a novel regularization strategy for hardware-aware neural network training. Although quantized neural networks reduce computation power and resource consumption, it also degrades the accuracy due to quantization errors of the numerical representation, which are deﬁned as diﬀerences between original numbers and quantized numbers. The QER solves such the problem by appending an additional regularization term based on quantization errors of weights to the loss function. The regularization term forces the quantization errors of weights to be reduced as well as the original loss. We evaluate our method by using MNIST on a simple neural network model. The evaluation results show that the proposed approach achieves higher accuracy than the standard training approach with quantized forward propagation.
Mycotoxins: The Hidden Danger in Foods

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites synthesized by a variety of fungal species such as Aspergillus , Penicillium , Fusarium , and Alternaria . These secondary metabolites are toxic and have a significant impact if they enter the production and food chain. Mycotoxins have attracted worldwide attention because of their impact on human health, huge economic losses, and domestic and foreign trade. Although more than 400 mycotoxins have been identified, most studies have focused on aflatoxins (AF), ochratoxin A (OTA), Fusarium toxins, fumonisin (FUM), zearalenone (ZEA), trichothecenes (TCT), and deoxynivalenol/nivalenol due to food safety and economic losses. This chapter will be addressing the type of mycotoxins, its importance in food industry, preventive measures, and implementation of hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) to control mycotoxin.
Synthesis, spectral characterization, DFT, and molecular docking studies of metal(II) complexes derived from thiophene-2-carboxaldehyde and 2-amino-6-picoline

Abstract A novel series of metal complexes ML2Cl2 [M = Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II), L = Schiff base] have been synthesized by the interaction of the ligand derived from the condensation of thiophene-2-carboxaldehyde with 2-amino-6-picoline. Molar conductance measurements indicate that the complexes are non-electrolytes. Infrared data indicate that the ligand is monodentate and binds to the metal ion via azomethine nitrogen atom. Electronic spectral data and magnetic measurements reveal tetrahedral and square planar geometries for the metal complexes. The redox behavior of complex [CuL2Cl2] has been investigated using cyclic voltammetry. Thermal decomposition profiles are consistent with the proposed formulation of the complexes. The XRD and SEM results indicate that ligand and complexes [CuL2Cl2] and [ZnL2Cl2] are nanocrystalline. The metal complexes showed higher photocatalytic efficiency under sunlight as evidenced by photocatalytic studies using methylene blue dye. Molecular structures of the ligand and its complexes have been optimized by DFT computations. Binding affinity of ligand and its complexes with target protein have been examined by molecular docking study. The in vitro antimicrobial activity of the synthesized compounds has been tested against certain bacterial and fungal species. Furthermore, in vitro cytotoxicity of complexes [CoL2Cl2] and [CuL2Cl2] have been tested against L929 fibroblast. Graphical Abstract
Microalgal kinetics — a guideline for photobioreactor design and process development

Kinetics generally describes bio‐(chemical) reaction rates in dependence on substrate concentrations. Kinetics for microalgae is often adapted from heterotrophs and lacks mechanistic foundation, e.g. for light harvesting. Using and understanding kinetic equations as the representation of intracellular mechanisms is essential for reasonable comparisons and simulations of growth behavior. Summarizing growth kinetics in one equation does not yield reliable models. Piecewise linear or rational functions may mimic photosynthesis irradiance response curves, but fail to represent the mechanisms. Our modeling approach for photoautotrophic growth comprises physical and kinetic modules with mechanistic foundation extracted from the literature. Splitting the light submodel into the modules for light distribution, light absorption, and photosynthetic sugar production with independent parameters allows the transfer of kinetics between different reactor designs. The consecutive anabolism depends among others on nutrient concentrations. The nutrient uptake kinetics largely impacts carbon partitioning in the reviewed stoichiometry range of cellular constituents. Consecutive metabolic steps mask each other and demand a maximum value understandable as the minimum principle of growth. These fundamental modules need to be clearly distinguished, but may be modified or extended based on process conditions and progress in research. First, discussion of kinetics helps to understand the physiological situation, for which ranges of parameter values are given. Second, kinetics should be used for photobioreactor design, but also for gassing and nutrient optimization. Numerous examples are given for both aspects. Finally, measuring kinetics more comprehensively and precisely will help in improved process development.
The complete chloroplast genome of alien invasive species, Diodia virginiana L. (rubiaceae), in China

Abstract The first complete chloroplast genome sequences of new intercepted alien weeds in China, Diodia, were reported in this study. The D. virginiana plastome was 154,387 bp long, with the large single copy (LSC) region of 83,625 bp, the small single copy (SSC) region of 17,475 bp, and two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 26,643 bp. The plastome contained 137 genes, including 92 proteincoding, eight ribosomal RNA, and 37 transfer RNA genes. The overall GC content was 37.2%. Phylogenetic analysis of 24 representative plastomes within the order Gentianales suggests that subfamily Cinchonoideae is closely related to subfamily Ixoroideae compared with subfamily Rubioideae in Rubiaceae. Tribe Spermacoceae was most closely related to Rubieae among the three representative groups of subfamily Rubioideae.
Comparison of characteristics during backward walking according to various stride frequencies in underwater and ground environments

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between heart rate (HR), self-awareness of exercise intensity (rating of perceived exertion, RPE), and 5-meter walk test (5MWT) of persons affected by stroke during backward walking according to the preferred stride frequency (PSF), PSF＋3 and PSF＋6 conditions. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: A total of 11 persons with stroke (9 males, 2 females) participated voluntarily. All patients underwent backward walking under the PSF, PSF＋3, and PSF＋6 conditions in underwater and ground environments, and each condition was performed for 5 minutes. The HR, RPE, and walking speeds were measured during walking, and the measured values from underwater and ground environments were compared. Results: The HR and RPE in the ground environment were significantly increased (p<0.05), and although the 5MWT showed an increase in speed, it was not significant. The HR and RPE in the underwater environment were also significantly increased (p<0.05), however, although the 5MWT results was increased, it was not significant. The HR and RPE were significantly increased in the PSF＋6 condition (p<0.05). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that backward gait training underwater can provide an appropriate exercise intensity for stroke survivors and suggests that exercises performed in an underwater environment is more effective compared to the ground environment.
The complete plastome of Gymnotheca chinensis (Saururaceae) and its phylogenetic analysis

Abstract The complete plastome of Gymnotheca chinensis, an important medicinal herb, was firstly elucidated and analyzed in this study. The plastome is 161,621 bp in size, which comprises of one large single-copy (LSC) region and one small single-copy (SSC) region of 89,291 bp and 18,592 bp, respectively, separated by a pair of IR regions of 26,869 bp each. It encodes a total of 132 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA, and 8 rRNA. The phylogeny robustly supports that G. chinensis is sister to the clade including Piper kadsura, Piper cenocladum, Saruma henryi, Asarum sieboldii.
Synthesis and study of the properties of containers of DCOIT with the polyurea shell

Microbiological contamination of surfaces is a general and everyday phenomenon, which, however, is often underestimated or not taken into account at all. The formation of a microorganism film is the first stage of such an unpleasant phenomenon as biofouling, from which shipping, as well as sea and port infrastructure, suffer particularly. This paper is devoted to the synthesis of micro- and nanocapsules with a polyurea shell, containing a 4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (DCOIT) biocide core by using surface polycondensation. The obtained capsules were characterised by the scanning electron microscopy, laser correlation spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of the EDXS, and by thermogravimetric analysis. The studies revealed the monodispersity and positive charge of the containers, which have folded morphology. The biocide content in the finished containers was 30÷32%.
LinkBlackHole<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{*}$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:msup><mml:mrow/><mml:mo>*</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="kim-ieq1-2873750.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>: Robust Overlapping Community Detection Using Link Embeddi

This paper proposes LinkBlackHole$^{*}$*, a novel algorithm for finding communities that are (i) overlapping in nodes and (ii) mixing (not separating clearly) in links. There has been a small body of work in each category, but this paper is the first one that addresses both. LinkBlackHole$^{*}$* is a merger of our earlier two algorithms, LinkSCAN$^{*}$* and BlackHole, inheriting their advantages in support of highly-mixed overlapping communities. The former is used to handle overlapping nodes, and the latter to handle mixing links in finding communities. Like LinkSCAN and its more efficient variant LinkSCAN$^{*}$*, this paper presents LinkBlackHole and its more efficient variant LinkBlackHole$^{*}$*, which reduces the number of links through random sampling. Thorough experiments show superior quality of the communities detected by LinkBlackHole$^{*}$* and LinkBlackHole to those detected by other state-of-the-art algorithms. In addition, LinkBlackHole$^{*}$* shows high resilience to the link sampling effect, and its running time scales up almost linearly with the number of links in a network.
Breath Acetone Sensors as Non-Invasive Health Monitoring Systems: A Review

Finding a non-invasive, painless and simple method for monitoring of health parameters and early detection of physiological disorders is of utmost importance in today’s world. Breath analysis has been attracted tremendous attention as a potentially powerful tool for studying the medical diagnosis diseases because of its noninvasive nature and capability of real-time monitoring. For metabolic monitoring, several candidates are attractive. As an example, acetone has been considered as a main breath biomarker for diabetes. In addition to diabetes, fat burn monitoring is another application for breath acetone. This article provides a comprehensive study on the state of the art research activities in gas sensor field. It mainly focuses on the metal oxide semiconductor based acetone sensors such as WO3, ZnO, SnO2, Fe2O3, In2O3, TiO2, Co2O3, NiO and etc. Several different type of acetone sensor technologies such as polymer based chemiresistors, mixed potential, optical and mass sensitive devices are presented as well. The effect of nano structures and morphology on response of sensors are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of different techniques used for metal oxide semiconductor synthesis are also discussed. Finally, sensor arrays with different receptor materials and transducers for breath analyzing are discussed.
Abnormal Back Channel Leakage Under Large Drain Voltage in Short Channel Organic Thin-Film Transistors

This study investigates short channel (length <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$< 20~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) p-type organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) devices which exhibit off-state leakage in their I<sub>D</sub>–V<sub>G</sub> characteristics. This phenomenon is attributed to the fact that when a lower positive gate voltage is applied, gate voltage cannot control the back channel, causing back channel leakage. The behavior of back channel leakage is confirmed by the OTFT saturated-regime drain-current formula multiplied by channel length. For dual gate OTFT devices, a top gate voltage sweep and fixed different bottom gate voltages are applied, which indicates that the conduction path is distributed throughout the entire organic semiconductor (OSC) layer, and the back channel leakage can be suppressed by a positive bottom gate voltage. Finally, using dual gate sweeping for a dual gate OTFT device allows the top and bottom gate voltage to simultaneously control the front and back channels, causing a suppression of the back channel leakage, an improvement in subthreshold swing (SS) from 420 to 200 (mV/decade) and an on current increase from <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\textsf {7.8}\times \textsf {10}^{-\textsf {8}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\textsf {3.3}\times \textsf {10}^{-\textsf {7}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> A at V<sub>G</sub>-V<sub>sub-threshold</sub> = −8 V for the W/L <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$=50/20~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> device.
Exploration of insulin amyloid polymorphism using Raman spectroscopy and imaging

We aimed to investigate insulin amyloid fibril polymorphism caused by salt effects and heating temperature, and to visualize the structural differences of the polymorphisms in situ using Raman imaging without labeling. The time course monitoring for amyloid formation was carried out in an acidic condition without any salts and with two species of salts (NaCl and Na2SO4) by heating at 60, 70, 80, and 90 ℃. The intensity ratio of two Raman bands at 1672 and 1657 cm-1 due to β-sheet and α-helix structures was revealed to be an indicator of amyloid fibril formation, and the relative proportion of the β-sheet structure was higher in the case with salts, especially at a higher temperature and with Na2SO4. In conjunction with the secondary structural changes of proteins, the S-S stretching vibrational mode of a disulfide bond (∼514 cm-1) and the ratio of the tyrosine doublet R(I850⁄I826) were also found to be markers distinguishing polymorphisms of insulin amyloid fibrils by principal component analysis (PCA). Especially, amyloid fibrils with Na2SO4 media formed the g-g-g conformation of disulfide bond at a higher rate and without any salts; on the contrary, the g-g-g conformation was partially transformed into the g-g-t conformation at higher temperatures. The different environments of the hydroxyl groups of the tyrosine residue were assumed to be caused by fibril polymorphism. Raman imaging using these marker bands also successfully visualized the two- and three-dimensional structural differences of amyloid polymorphisms. The present results indicate the potential of Raman imaging as a diagnostic tool for polymorphisms in tissues of amyloid-related diseases. Statement of Significance Our results revealed three Raman markers distinguishing amyloid fibril polymorphisms caused by salt and temperature effects; the relative proportion of protein secondary structures (α–helix and β-sheet), the ratio of tyrosine doublet, and the conformational differences of disulfide bonds. The lower values of tyrosine doublet in the case with salts were interpreted as the anions rob the hydration water from proteins which induced protein misfolding. Using these parameters, Raman images captured their higher order structural differences in situ without labeling. The images of hydrogen bonds strength variations due to tyrosine doublet is believed to include significant novelty. The present results imply the potential of Raman imaging for use as a diagnostic imaging tool for tissues with amyloid-induced diseases.
ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF ZANTHOXYLUM AVICENNAE

Minyak atsiri Zanthoxylum avicennae (Lam.) DC diektrak dari organ daun dan buah tanaman koleksi Kebun Raya “Eka Karya” Bali. Spesies ini dikoleksi dari Nusa Tenggara Barat pada 15 Juni 1993, dan kemudian di tanam di Kebun Raya “Eka Karya” Bali sejak 15 Desember 1993. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menggali sifat antibakteri dan antifungi dari minyak atsiri daun dan buah Z. avicennae. Untuk pengujian antimikroba, kedua minyak atsiri diuji dengan lima jamur patogen tanaman, yaitu Fusarium oxysforum(+), F. solani(+), Aspergilus niger(+), Collectotricum sp. (+), and Cladosporium sp. dan empat bakteri manusia yaitu Eschericia coli ATCC 43894, Salmonella typhimurium, E. coli (strain isolasi klinis), dan Staphylococcus aureus. Hasil penelitian mengungkapkan bahwa kedua minyak atsiri Z. avicennae (Minyak daun dan Buah) memiliki aktivitas antifungi yang kuat terhadap kelima jamur uji. Untuk uji antibakteri, Minyak atsiri daun menunjukkan hasil positif aktivitas antibacteri terhadap Eschericia coli, tetapi tidak terhadap bakteri Staphylococcus aureus. Sedangkan minyak atsiri buah menunjukkan hasil positive aktivitas antibakteri terhadap Shalmonella thipymurium and Eschericia coli atcc 43894. Kata kunci : Zanthoxylum avicennae, jamur patogen tanaman, bakteri, minyak atsiri; antimikroba.
Inflammation and Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 (Mmp-9) Function in the Zebrafish Retina

Brain injury activates a complex network of inflammatory signals in dying neurons, surviving neurons, and glia. In zebrafish, inflammatory signals are required for injuryinduced neuronal regeneration in the forebrain. Here, I establish that in zebrafish inflammation also regulates photoreceptor regeneration and determine the cellular expression and function of the inflammatory protease, matrix metalloproteinase 9 (Mmp9), during this process. Genes encoding inflammatory molecules are strongly induced by photoreceptor death, and anti-inflammatory treatment suppresses both the number of injury-induced progenitors and regenerated photoreceptors. Following photoreceptor injury and death, mmp-9 is expressed in Müller glia, the intrinsic retinal stem cell, and Müller glia-derived photoreceptor progenitors. Deleting mmp-9 results in an over production of injury-induced progenitors and regenerated photoreceptors, but compromises the maturation and survival of regenerated cones. These data provide a link between injury-induced inflammation in the vertebrate CNS and Mmp-9 function during photoreceptor regeneration.
Covalent Graft of Lipopeptides and Peptide Dendrimers to Cellulose Fibers

Introduction: Bacterial proliferation in health environments may lead to the development of specific pathologies, but can be highly dangerous under particular conditions, such as during chemotherapy. To limit the spread of infections, it is helpful to use gauzes and clothing containing antibacterial agents. As cotton tissues are widespread in health care environments, in this contribution we report the preparation of cellulose fibers characterized by the covalent attachment of lipopeptides as possible antimicrobial agents. Aim: To covalently link peptides to cotton samples and characterize them. Peptides are expected to preserve the features of the fabrics even after repeated washing and use. Peptides are well tolerated by the human body and do not induce resistance in bacteria. Materials and Methods: A commercially available cotton tissue (specific weight of 150 g/m2, 30 Tex yarn fineness, fabric density of 270/230 threads/10 cm in the warp and weft) was washed with alkali and bleached and died. A piece of this tissue was accurately weighed, washed with methanol (MeOH) and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and air-dried. Upon incubation with epibromohydrin, followed by treatment with Fmoc-NH-CH2CH2-NH2 and Fmoc removal, the peptides were synthesized by incorporating one amino acid at a time, beginning with the formation of an amide bond with the free NH2 of 1,2–diaminoethane. We also linked to the fibers a few peptide dendrimers, because the mechanism of action of these peptides often requires the formation of clusters. We prepared and characterized seven peptide-cotton samples. Results: The new peptide-cotton conjugates were characterized by means of FT-IR spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). This latter technique allows for discriminating among different amino acids and thus different peptide-cotton samples. Some samples maintain a pretty good whiteness degree even after peptide functionalization. Interestingly, these samples also display encouraging activities against a Gram positive strain. Conclusions: Potentially antimicrobial lipopeptides can be covalently linked to cotton fabrics, step-by-step. It is also possible to build on the cotton Lys-based dendrimers. XPS is a useful technique to discriminate among different types of nitrogen. Two samples displaying some antibacterial potency did also preserve their whiteness index.
Student Performance Prediction Model Based on Discriminative Feature Selection

It is a hot issue to be widely studied to determine the factors affecting students' performance from the perspective of data mining. In order to find the key factors that significantly affect students' performance from complex data, this paper pro-poses an integrated Optimized Ensemble Feature Selection Algorithm by Density Peaks (DPEFS). This algorithm is applied to the education data collected by two high schools in China, and the selected discriminative features are used to con-struct a student performance prediction model based on support vector machine (SVM). The results of the 10-fold cross-validation experiment show that, com-pared with various feature selection algorithms such as mRMR, Relief, SVM-RFE and AVC, the SVM student performance prediction model based on the fea-ture selection algorithm proposed in this paper has better prediction performance. In addition, some factors and rules affecting student performance can be extracted from the discriminative features selected by the feature selection algorithm in this paper, which provides a methodological and technical reference for teachers, edu-cation management staffs and schools to predict and analyze the students’ per-formances.