Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysing Human Migrations Patterns Using Digital Social Network Analysis

—The success of smartphones and digital social networks has permitted a constant increase in the mobile social networks of users in the last decades. It is now possible for anyone to share content with enriched metadata, providing user’s context and, in particular, times and locations. Contextual information associated with messages’ content allows for the large-scale analysis of users’ spatio-temporal behaviour, affording various possible applications (e.g., geo-marketing, security, smart cities). A number of studies have focused on spatio-temporal social data analyses for event detection and the identiﬁcation of region of interests. This paper proposes a methodology that relies on social network analyses to identify the migrations of users between regions of interest. The proposed methodology allows for the capture of similar events and their characterization by participants’ behaviour (source location and destination, etc.). The methodology is tested on 3 millions tweets from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Development of Mathematical Modeling and its Exploration Based on Genetic Algorithm for Blanking Die Design Parameters Optimization

The blanking operation have several die design parameters which affect the quality of the blank and its productivity. The main input parameters are sheet thickness and the punch and die clearance and the dependent output parameters are tool life and the burr height. The selected values should be in optimal value. The optimum value is achieved by using the genetic algorithm. The genetic algorithm is an optimization process to find the better results as an output. Then the development of mathematical modeling by using the equations derived from the multiple regression analysis is performed. It is achieved by converting the linear equations into the matrix form and then solving it using mathematical relations. This output is compared with the genetic algorithm results, to get the better results.
Interleukin-1 b Induces Bradykinin B 2 Receptor Gene Expression through a Prostanoid Cyclic AMP-Dependent Pathway in Human Bronchial Smooth Muscle Cells

We investigated the hypothesis that inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-1 b (IL-1 b ) might be responsible for the hyperreactivity of asthmatic patients to bradykinin. In cultured human bronchial smooth muscle cells, IL-1 b elicited a rapid and transient increase in the density of bradykinin B 2 receptors without affecting their affinity for ligands. The increase in B 2 receptors was correlated to an enhancement of inositol phos- phate formation elicited by bradykinin, indicating its relevance to the contractile response of smooth muscle cells to bradyki- nin. The increase in receptor density was related to an increase in B 2 receptor mRNA level corresponding to a 5-fold enhancement of the transcriptional rate and to a lengthened half-life of mRNA. These effects of IL-1 b were largely inhibited by indomethacin, suggesting the involvement of a prostanoid pathway in IL-1 b transduction process. An increase in prostaglandin E 2 levels preceded the mRNA increase, confirming this involve- ment. Moreover, IL-1 b and prostaglandin E 2 led to cAMP formation. We propose this predominant transduction pathway of IL-1 b to stimulate the transcription of the bradykinin B 2 gene in bronchial smooth muscle cells as a major mechanism involved in the hyperresponsiveness of asthmatic patients to bradykinin.
Speed Control of Induction Machines Using GA Based PID Controller

: The control over the speed of three phase induction motor provides a challenge for all the industries. This paper explains the speed control of induction motor using Proportional Integral Derivative controller based on Genetic Algorithm. Proportional Integral Derivative controller combines the characteristics of Proportional Integral and Proportional Derivative controller thus giving optimum overshoot, quick settling time and reducing the steady state error. Genetic Algorithm is a part of evolutionary computing, a subordinate of artificial intelligence, whose principle depends on Darwin’s theory of evolution – the survival of the fittest. It mimics the principle of natural selection and natural genetics to construct the optimization procedure. The method of determining the gain parameters of PID controller using GA whose output is used to control the voltage applied to the induction motor thereby controlling its speed is presented in this paper. The results are simulated in MATLAB environment and are compared with the conventional tuning method of PID controller.
Development of a low noise analog readout for a DEPFET pixel detector

Silicon pixel detectors have become very popular in a large variety of applications such as experimental particle physics, medical imaging, video and digital cameras. The DEPFET pixel detector is a novel concept of a silicon detector consisting of a JFET transistor integrated on a fully depleted silicon substrate. The signal charge generated by an ionizing particle within the detector substrate is collected at the transistor gate by means of a special depletion scheme called sideward depletion. From the gate, the signal charge modulates directly the JFET channel current. The current signal is further ampliﬁed and processed by external electronics. The internal ampliﬁcation mechanism ensures low noise, even at room temperature. The electrical charge is removed from the JFET gate by a clear mechanism. Two possible clear methods have been suggested: pulsed clear and continuous clear. In the present work, DEPFET structures with continuous clear mechanism have been studied. A low noise analog readout circuit has been developed in CMOS technology. This readout chip has been tested with diﬀerent DEPFET pixel structures. By recording energy spectra of known radioactive sources, an electronic noise of about 13 e− has been measured at room temperature. The DEPFET device opens therefore new possibilities for applications that require very good energy resolution at room temperature. Silizium Pixel-Detektoren werden in vielen Bereichen eingesetzt, zum Beispiel in der experimentellen Teilchenphysik, bei bildgebenden Verfahren in der Medizin oder in Video- und Digitalkameras. Der DEPFET-Pixel-Detektor beruht auf einen neuen Konzept fur Silizium Detektoren. Er besteht aus einem JFET-Transistor, welcher auf einem vollstandig verarmten Silizium Substrat integriert ist. Eine durch ionisierende Partikel hervorgerufene Ladung wird am Gate des Transistors mittels sogenannter ”Seitwartsverarmung” gesammelt. Diese Ladung moduliert direkt den JFET-Kanalstrom, welcher dann in einer externen Schaltung verstarkt und weiterverarbeitet wird. Der interne Verstarkungsmechanismus garantiert selbst bei Raumtemperatur ein geringes Rauschen. Die am Gate des JFET entstandene Ladung wird durch einen Loschmechanismus entfernt. Dafur wurden zwei Methoden vorgeschlagen: gepulster und kontinuierlicher Loschmechanismus. In der hier vorliegenden Arbeit werden DEPFET-Detektoren mit kontinuierlichem Loschmechanismus untersucht. Eine rauscharme analoge Ausleseelektronik wurde mittels CMOS-Technologie entwickelt und an verschiedenen DEPFET-Pixelstrukturen getestet. Durch Aufnahme von Energiespektren bekannter radioaktive Quellen, konnte ein Rauschen von ungefahr 13 Elektronen bei Raumtemperatur gemessen werden. Der DEPFET eroffnet daher neue Moglichkeiten fur Anwendungen bei denen es auf gute Energieauflosung bei Raumtemperatur ankommt.
Speech recognition and speech intelligibility index in intra‑aural hearing aids users: a comparative study

Purpose: To compare the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) and the Word Recognition Score (WRS) in quiet obtained pre and post adjustments according to prescribed values, to investigate correlations between the Speech Intelligibility Index before and after adjustments, and to investigate correlations between pre- and post-adjustment SII in intra-aural hearing aids users. Methods: 20 adults participated, aged 18 to 59 years, with moderate or severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. We compared the Speech Intelligibility Index and the WRS obtained with hearing aids in two moments: with the adjustments previously used (pre-adjustment moment) and after modification according to the values prescribed in verification using the NAL-NL1 method (post-adjustment moment). The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests, with a significance level of 0.05. Results: There was a negative correlation between the pre-adjustment WRS and its post-pre adjustment difference, as well as between the pre-adjustment Speech Intelligibility Index and its post-pre adjustment Delta. There was a positive correlation between post-adjustment PISR and the SII. Conclusion: The lower the pre-adjustment WRS and Speech Intelligibility Index, the greater their differences comparing the pre- and post-adjustment moments. The greater the access to speech sounds, promoted by the ideal regulation of the hearing aids, the higher the WRS.
Low‐Cost, Facile, and Scalable Manufacturing of Capacitive Sensors for Soft Systems

In the field of soft robotics there is a need for robust and reliable large‐deformation strain sensing. Further, the field needs a way to produce such sensors in large quantities and at low cost. Toward these goals, the fabrication of highly stretchable capacitive strain sensors made from conductive elastomer composites is described here. Two novel methods of manufacturing these sensors directly onto a fabric substrate are developed: direct writing of elastomer using an extrusion process and screen printing of elastomer patterns. The effect of material processing parameters on the parameters of the finished composite films is studied and it is determined that the process is robust to a wide range of variations. The performance of sensors produced on fabric substrates is shown to be similar between the two fabrication processes. Further, the sensors are highly deformable with consistent performance up to 250% strain, and are reliable, with no changes in performance observed at 1000 cycles. It is also demonstrated that the sensors continue to perform with reduced gauge factors up to 100 000 cycles. For comparison, free‐standing capacitive sensors are also produced with the same materials and it is shown that these devices are equally stable and robust. In conclusion, the fabrication process demonstrated here is robust to process variations and is capable of producing sensors directly on fabric substrates, which facilitates the production of large arrays of sensors without the need for an additional assembly step.
Clinical Validation and Treatment Plan Evaluation Based on Autodelineation of the Clinical Target Volume for Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy

Purpose Clinical target volumes (CTVs) and organs at risk (OARs) could be autocontoured to save workload. This study aimed to assess a convolutional neural network for automatic and accurate CTV and OARs in prostate cancer, while comparing possible treatment plans based on autocontouring CTV to clinical treatment plans. Methods Computer tomography (CT) scans of 217 patients with locally advanced prostate cancer treated at our hospital were retrospectively collected and analyzed from January 2013 to January 2019. A deep learning-based method, CUNet, was used to delineate CTV and OARs. A training set of 195 CT scans and a test set of 28 CT scans were randomly chosen from the dataset. The mean Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), 95th percentile Hausdorff distance (95HD), and subjective evaluation were used to evaluate the performance of this strategy. Predetermined evaluation criteria were used to grade treatment plans, and percentage errors for clinical doses to the planned target volume (PTV) and OARs were calculated. Results The mean DSC and 95HD values of the defined CTVs were (0.84 ± 0.05) and (5.04 ± 2.15) mm, respectively. The average delineation time was < 15 s for each patient's CT scan. The overall positive rates for clinicians A and B were 53.15% versus 46.85%, and 54.05% versus 45.95%, respectively (P > .05) when CTV outlines from CUNet were blindly chosen and compared with the ground truth (GT). Furthermore, 8 test patients were randomly chosen to design the predicted plan based on the autocontouring CTVs and OARs, demonstrating acceptable agreement with the clinical plan: average absolute dose differences in mean value of D2, D50, D98, Dmax, and Dmean for PTV were within 0.74%, and average absolute volume differences in mean value of V45 and V50 for OARs were within 3.4%. Conclusion Our results revealed that the CTVs and OARs for prostate cancer defined by CUNet were close to the GT. CUNet could halve the time spent by radiation oncologists in contouring, demonstrating the potential of the novel autocontouring method.
Integrative Transcriptome Analyses of Metabolic Responses in Yak Liver Define Putative Pivotal LncRNAs

Abstract Background The yak (Bos grunniens) is a crucial resource to supply meat and milk to the people localized in Tibetan plateau area. To systemically identify lncRNAs regulating metabolism in yak, we performed transcriptome analyses to simultaneously profile mRNAs and lncRNAs of liver in yak under three representative age (LD: Liver 1 Day, LM: Liver 15 Month, LY: Liver 5 Year) conditions. Result Of 288 differentially regulated lncRNAs, function-oriented filters yield 88 regulated metabolically related lncRNAs that are differentially expressed at least two age conditions. These lncRNAs predicted by lncRNA-mRNA correlation analyses to function in diverse aspects of metabolism. Specific regulations of liver metabolically related lncRNAs were further defined by qRT-PCR. Conclusion Combining genome-wide screens, bioinformatics function predictions, and qRT-PCR analyses, this study supports that a class of lncRNAs function as important metabolic regulators and establishes a framework for systemically investigating the role of lncRNAs in physiological homeostasis of yak.
Estimating the Costs and Benefits of Introducing a New European Evaporative Emissions Test Procedure : Final Report

Evaporative emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) arise from the vehicle’s fuel system under changes in ambient and vehicle temperature and as a consequence of fuel permeation through plastic material. NMVOCs contribute to ground-level ozone and urban smog and pose a threat to human health. A revised test procedure for evaporative emissions and its possible implementation is currently under discussion by the European Commission. This study undertakes a cost-benefit analysis of four possible scenarios for the implementation of a revised test procedure for the period 2015-2040. Indirect cost multipliers (ICM) were used to estimate shortand long-run costs to the manufacturer. The COPERT model used to estimate EU evaporative emissions from the Euro 6 petrol vehicle population over time. Low and high marginal damage costs for NMVOC emissions from the CAFE Programme were used to calculate the economic value of the damage avoided. The study concludes that the most beneficial strategy is the implementation of a more aggressive purging strategy over 48 hours and greater canister durability (scenario 2+). The average net benefit of implementing scenario 2+ is €146,709,441 at a 6% discount rate is considerably higher than the other scenarios considered. Under scenario2+, the per vehicle benefits range from €6-9 but when fuel savings benefits are added, total benefits range from €13-18. This is compared to average additional cost per vehicle of €9.
Progression to AIDS Associated with Opposite Patterns of New Class I and II HLA Alleles Strongly

The genetics of resistance to infection by HIV-1 cohort consists of 200 slow and 75 rapid progressors to AIDS corresponding to the extremes of HIV disease outcome of 20,000 Caucasians of European descent. A comprehensive analysis of HLA class I and class II genes in this highly informative cohort has identiﬁed HLA alleles associated with fast or slow progression, including several not described previously. A quantitative analysis shows an overall HLA inﬂuence independent of and equal in magnitude (for the protective effect) to the effect of the CCR5- D 32 mutation. Among HLA class I genes, A29 ( p 5 0.001) and B22 ( p < 0.0001) are signiﬁcantly associated with rapid progression, whereas B14 ( p 5 0.001) and C8 ( p 5 0.004) are signiﬁcantly associated with nonprogression. The class I alleles B27, B57, C14 (protective), and C16, as well as B35 (susceptible), are also inﬂuential, but their effects are less robust. Inﬂuence of class II alleles was only observed for DR11. These results conﬁrm the inﬂuence of the immune system on disease progression and may have implications on peptide-based vaccine development. The Journal of Immunology, 1999, 162: 6942–6946.
MS Patients’ Performance Profile in the Time-Limited Subtests of the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRBNT)

Background: Although the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRBNT) is widely used in cognitive screening in multiple sclerosis (MS), the performance profile in it’s’ tests has not been systematically evaluated. Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance profile in the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) in patients with MS, and to find out whether it differs between relapsing and progressive phenotype, as well as whether patient’s mood or cognitive status affects the profiles. Method: 187 MS patients (136 relapsing-remitting, 51 progressive) underwent neuropsychological assessment with the PASAT, the SDMT, and the COWAT. Ppatients’ performances in these tests were evaluated across the items in three phases (beginning, middle, and end). Cognitive status was determined using the BRBNT composite score, and mood with the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). Results: The performance declined from the beginning to the end during all three cognitive tests in both groups. Cognitive status affected the performance profiles. Instead, mood did not. Conclusion: By recording the course of performance during the tests of the BRBNT, important information on performance stability and possible signs of cognitive fatigue can be collected.
Novel Transcriptome Profiling Analyses Demonstrate that Selective PPAR γ Modulators Display Attenuated and Selective Gene Regulatory Activity in Comparison with PPAR γ Full Agonists

Selective PPAR γ modulators (SPPAR γ Ms) have been actively pursued as the next generation of insulin sensitizing anti-diabetic drugs since the currently marketed PPAR γ full agonists, pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia), have been reported to produce serious adverse effects in type 2 diabetics. We conducted extensive transcriptome profiling studies to characterize and contrast the activities of 70 SPPAR γ Ms and 7 PPAR γ full agonists. In both 3T3-L1 adipocytes and adipose tissue of db / db mice, the SPPAR γ Ms generated attenuated and selective gene regulatory responses in comparison with full agonists. More importantly, SPPAR γ Ms regulated the expression of anti-diabetic efficacy-associated genes to a greater extent than that of adverse effect-associated genes, while PPAR γ full agonists regulated both gene sets proportionally. Such SPPAR γ M selectivity demonstrates that PPAR γ ligand regulation of gene expression can be fine-tuned, not just turned on and off, to achieve precise control of complex cellular and physiological functions. It also provides a potential molecular basis for the superior therapeutic window previously observed with SPPAR γ Ms vs. full agonists. On the basis of our profiling results, we introduce two novel gene expression based scores, the Gamma Activation Index (GAI) and the Selectivity Index (SI), to aid in the detection and characterization of novel SPPAR γ Ms. In sum, these studies provide new insights into the gene regulatory activity of SPPAR γ Ms as well as novel quantitative indices to facilitate the identification of PPAR γ ligands with robust insulin sensitizing activity and improved tolerance in type 2 diabetes patients compared with presently available PPAR γ agonist drugs.
BILATERAL TRADE BETWEEN ETHIOPIA AND SUDAN: DOES FTA MAKE THEM BETTER?

Bilateral Trade Between Ethiopia and Sudan: Does FTA Make Them Better? Abebe Eshetu Addis Ababa University, 2012 This paper has tried to evaluate the determinants of bilateral trade flows particularly the effect of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Ethiopia and Sudan during the years 2002 to 2011. Based on Panel data, Static and Dynamic Gravity models are applied to assess the determinants of basic and export trade flows including FTA, GDP, population, exchange rate and distance. Estimation results of the static model indicates that Economic size, FTA, distance are the basic factors affecting trade flows. Whereas the dynamic model shows the existence of strong correlation between the Ethiopian contemporary trades (export) flows and those of the previous year. Therefore, we see that the dynamic model fits the data better than the static one.
Running Resilient Distributed Datasets Using DBSCAN on Apache Spark

— The density based data clustering is used because of its ability to find shaped noisy cluster data. However, DBSCAN is hard to scale which limits its utility when working with large data sets. Resilient Distributed Datasets (RDDs), on the other hand, are a fast data-processing abstraction created explicitly for inmemory computation of large data sets. This paper presents a new algorithm based on DBSCAN using the Resilient Distributed Datasets approach: RDD-DBSCAN. RDD-DBSCAN overcomes the scalability limitations of the traditional DBSCAN algorithm by operating in a fully distributed fashion. This paper presents a parallel DBSCAN algorithm on top of Apache Spark the experiment conducted in the paper shows that the proposed method can work well with maritime data.
Short‑term results of a new self‑locking cementless femoral stem: a prospective cohort study of the Lima Master SL

Background Total hip arthroplasty is a successful treatment for hip osteoarthritis. Primary and secondary implant fixation is dependent on implant design and plays an important role in the longevity of an implant. In this study, we assessed the self-locking cementless Master SL femoral stem. Materials and methods In this single-centre prospective study, 50 consecutive hips with the indication for total hip arthroplasty, who met the inclusion criteria, received the Master SL stem from LIMA Corporate. Patients had pre- and post-operative clinical and radiological assessment and completed patient-reported outcome measures [Oxford Hip Score (OHS), Harris Hip Score (HHS) and Forgotten Joint Score (FJS)] at the 6-week and 6-, 12- and 24-month mark. Post-operative X-rays were assessed for osteointegration (Engh Score), alignment and subsidence. Results After 2 years, aseptic survival was 100%. One hip had to be explanted due to early deep infection and was excluded from the study. At 2 years, the patients reported a significant improved HHS and OHS of 95.3 ± 5.8 and 46.1 ± 3.6 (mean ± standard deviation), respectively, compared to preoperatively. The mean ± standard deviation for the FJS was 86.4 ± 18.7 with two-thirds of the patients reporting a score above 85. The mean Engh score is 15.1 ± 5.9 (mean ± standard deviation) with no patient scoring below 1 which suggests good osteointegration in all femoral stems. Conclusions The Master SL femoral stem performed well in this short-term follow-up study, with high patient satisfaction and good signs of osteointegration. Long-term follow-up will be necessary to evaluate longevity.