Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular characterization and phylogenetic studies of Echinococcus granulosus and Taenia multiceps coenurus cysts in slaughtered sheep in Saudi Arabia

Abstract Taeniids, consisting of two genera Echinococcus and Taenia, are obligatory tapeworms of mammals, and their pathogenicity was due to infection with larval stages. Hydatid (the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus) and coenurus (the larval stage of Taenia multiceps) cysts are prevalent in domestic, wild ruminants, livestock, swine, and dogs, and accidentally they could also be found in humans. They lead to different clinical manifestations that cause economic loss in livestock and human morbidity. In Saudi Arabia, few studies were performed on hydatid and coenurus cyst genetic variations. The main goal of the present study was to identify E. granulosus and T. multiceps cyst isolates collected from slaughtered Harri sheep in Saudi Arabia by partial sequencing with PCR amplification of the cytochrome C oxidase 1 (COX1) gene. Molecular and phylogenetic evaluation based on COX1 sequences indicated that cyst isolates belong to E. granulosus and T. multiceps, respectively, successfully submitted in NCBI Genbank. Molecular characterization showed a low nucleotide diversity with two submitted isolates of coenurus with related isolates of Genbank. Conversely, E. granulosus isolates showed higher nucleotide diversity. The reported data could serve as a foundation for future molecular epidemiological and biological studies.
CPW-fed crescent patch antenna for UWB applications

A novel printed antenna for ultra-wideband (UWB) applications is presented. The antenna consists of an open annulus strip as a ground plane and an open crescent patch in the inner space of the annulus as a radiating element. The antenna is fed by a coplanar waveguide with a central strip connected to the crescent patch. The antenna has a compact structure, and the total size is 33×30×1.57 mm. A relative impedance bandwidth of 129% is achieved, which covers 3–14 GHz.
Urban Digital Twins – A FIWARE-based model

Abstract This article describes the use of digital twins for smart cities, i. e. , the Urban Digital Twin (UDTw) concept. It shows how UDTws can be realized using the open source components from the FIWARE ecosystem that are already used in more than 200 cities worldwide. The used NGSI-LD standard is supported by the European Connecting Europe Facility, the Open and Agile Smart City community, the Indian Urban Data Exchange platform, and the Japanese Smart City Reference Model. Unlike digital twins in other domains, e. g. , manufacturing, where digital twins are co-developed with their physical counterparts, UDTws often evolve driven by different stakeholders, on different time scales, as well as by utilizing many different data sources from the city. This article builds on a well-established lifecycle model for Digital Twins and combines this with a conceptual model for digital twins consisting of data, reactive, predictive and forecasting (“what if”) digital twin functionalities. The article also describes how AI-based technologies can be used to extract knowledge to build the UDTws from the IoT-based infrastructure of a smart city.
Interaction between Theta Phase and Spike Timing-Dependent Plasticity Simulates Theta-Induced Memory Effects

Abstract Rodent studies suggest that spike timing relative to hippocampal theta activity determines whether potentiation or depression of synapses arise. Such changes also depend on spike timing between presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons, known as spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). STDP, together with theta phase-dependent learning, has inspired several computational models of learning and memory. However, evidence to elucidate how these mechanisms directly link to human episodic memory is lacking. In a computational model, we modulate long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) of STDP, by opposing phases of a simulated theta rhythm. We fit parameters to a hippocampal cell culture study in which LTP and LTD were observed to occur in opposing phases of a theta rhythm. Further, we modulated two inputs by cosine waves with 0° and asynchronous phase offsets and replicate key findings in human episodic memory. Learning advantage was found for the in-phase condition, compared with the out-of-phase conditions, and was specific to theta-modulated inputs. Importantly, simulations with and without each mechanism suggest that both STDP and theta phase-dependent plasticity are necessary to replicate the findings. Together, the results indicate a role for circuit-level mechanisms, which bridge the gap between slice preparation studies and human memory.
Intelligent Steering Control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

This paper considers the development of three autopilots for controlling the yaw responses of an autonomous underwater vehicle model. The autopilot designs are based on the adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), a simulated, annealing-tuned control algorithm and a traditional proportional-derivative controller. In addition, each autopilot is integrated with a line-of-sight (LOS) guidance system to test its effectiveness in steering round a series of waypoints with and without the presence of sea current disturbance. Simulation results are presented that show the overall superiority of the ANFIS approach.
Intelligent Vehicle Local Planning Based on Optimized Path Generation and Selection

Local planning is of great importance to intelligent vehicle driving at high speed where the traffic environment is complex. The local planning must satisfy the performance of good real-time and guarantee feasibility and safety. In this paper, a novel local planning method based on the optimization of curve generation and selection is proposed. By optimizing the curve parameter model, we can get the feasible path which is satisfied with vehicle dynamics constraints. Then taking into account the obstacle constraint, we apply this method to generate a cluster of candidate paths used for tracking global path. Next, we use optimization indicators presented in this paper to choose the suitable desired local path. Experimental results show that: using our method, the change in the curvature of the generated desired local path is slight and it meet the requirement of safety and control smoothness. Besides, this method can satisfy the meeting of tracking global path. What’s more, in real traffic environment, this method reflects a good performance in real-time and safety.
A novel high spectral efficiency waveform coding-OVFDM

Based on the Overlapped Multiplexing Principle [12], a frequency domain OVFDM (Overlapped Frequency Domain Multiplexing) Coding is proposed. By the data weighted shift overlapped version of any band-limited Multiplexing Transfer Function H(f) the coding gain and spectral efficiency are both achieved. The heavier the overlap of the data weighted Multiplexing Transfer Function H(f), the higher the coding gain and spectral efficiency as well as the closer the output to the optimum complex Gaussian distribution. The bit error probability performance is estimated. The time domain OVTDM (Overlapped Time Domain Multiplexing) Coding, the dual of OVFDM in time domain is incidentally proposed as well. Both theoretical analysis and testified simulations show that OVFDM (OVTDM) is suitable for high spectral efficiency application and its spectral efficiency is only roughly linear to SNR rather than the well-known logarithm to SNR.
An artificial magnetic ground-plane for a log-periodic antenna

This paper presents the implementation of an artificial magnetic ground-plane with a low profile Log-periodic Dipole Array (LPDA) antennas. After the properties of three typical Electromagnetic Bandgap (EBG) structures are investigated and their bandwidth properties are studied, a mechanism is presented to improve the band-width over which the EBG surface acts as a perfect magnetic conductor (PMC). A low profile LPDA is modeled above this surface and the results indicate an improved band-width region. Compared with a LPDA in free space the frequency band is shifted higher by the EBG surface and the gain pattern is shifted from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation.
Analysis of the subgrade stiffness effect on the behaviour of ground‐supported concrete slabs

This paper confirms that the structural behaviour of ground‐supported slabs is a non‐linear function of the structural properties of slabs as well as the supporting soil. The findings reported emphasize that the suggested equations used in design codes pay insufficient attention to the effect of the supporting ground stiffness within the context of the mechanical behaviour of slabs as far as ductility is concerned. The results presented demonstrate that ground stiffness has a significant effect on the ductility of ground‐supported slabs. It also pays particular attention to the possibility of determining the ductility limit of slabs.
G&A Compass Methodology to Business Rescue and Compromise Offers , K.L. Gribnitz and R.L. Appelbaum : company law book review

The business rescue provisions contained in Chapter 6 of the new Companies Act, 2008 have turned out to be by far the most featured and litigated provisions under this statute since it came into force in May 2011. Whether this is a positive or negative sign probably depends on how one looks at it. On the one hand it appears that business rescue is being resorted to as a real and practical alternative to liquidation for financially distressed companies but, on the other one questions the extent to which the frequent use of business rescue is a symptom of economic factors of the times.
ESTIMATION OF NOISE IN HYPERSPECTRAL REMOTE SENSING IMAGES USING CURVELET TRANSFORM

: In this paper, the author have attempted to estimate the noise in hyperspectral images over the belt of 35 0 N to 35 0 S and 118 0 E to 118 0 W from the satellite AVIRIS images obtained from JPL, NASA for the period October 1992. The paper aims in particular, to find out the thresholding technique and image transform for satellite image denoising. For this purpose the authors have investigated a few threshold techniques and wavelet transforms. The study shows that the curvelet transform is better than wavelet transform for noise estimation in hyperspectral images.
Effect of volute geometry on the steady and unsteady performance of mixed-flow turbines

Abstract The steady and unsteady performance of two mixed-flow turbocharger turbine rotors has been investigated. These rotors differ mainly in their inlet blade angle geometry; one has a constant blade angle (rotor A) and the other a notionally constant incidence angle (rotor B). The results indicate that the constant blade inlet angle design offers improved efficiency characteristics over the constant incidence one with total-to-static efficiency at the design point ranging between 0.7 and 0.76. A detailed assessment of the influence of volute geometry on the turbine performance has been carried out, which confirmed that the geometry of volute plays a critical role in the overall performance of a turbine. The unsteady performance tests have indicated a substantial deviation from the performance and flow characteristics of equivalent steady-state tests, which is quantified and discussed.
When PKI (ﬁnally) met Provable Security

—Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) schemes were ﬁrst proposed in 1978 and standardized in 1988, yet, unlike most cryptographic schemes, PKI schemes were never rigorously deﬁned. Achieving provable security for PKI is necessary and long overdue, as PKI provides the foundation for important applications of public key cryptography, such as TLS/SSL. In response, we present the ﬁrst precise speciﬁcations of a secure PKI scheme, suitable for a variety of PKI designs. PKI schemes have signiﬁcantly evolved since X.509, with more complex goals, e.g., transparency , to ensure security against corrupt issuers. In addition to the basic PKI properties, our deﬁnitions encompass these more recent and advanced aspects. Our results have important implications. First, our speciﬁca-tions allow a better scrutiny and comparison of the multitude of new PKI designs recently proposed, such as Google’s Certiﬁcate Transparency (CT) and related PKIs, as well as future designs. Second, the speciﬁcations facilitate proper analysis of protocols and systems that use PKI, such as TLS/SSL, code signing, IPsec, DNSSEC, RPKI, BGPsec, permissioned blockchains, voting, recommendations, which is of critical importance as most real-world security schemes inherently rely on PKI. Finally, we use our speciﬁcations to formalize and prove X.509 version 2 PKI, showing that provable security is achievable for ‘real’ PKI designs.
Identification of Important Proteins in Protein Interaction Network Based on SVM

Importance of proteins are different to perform functions of cells in living organisms according to the relevant experiment results, and more essential proteins is the most important kind of proteins. There are recently many computational approaches proposed to predict essential proteins in network level through network topologies combined with biological information of proteins. However it is still hard to identify them because of limitations of topological centralities and bioinformatic sources. And more it is the challenge is to perform better with less resources. Therefore in this paper, we first examine the correlation between common topological centralities and essential proteins and choose a few particular centralities, and then to build a SVM model, names as TC-SVM, for predicting the essential proteins. The new method has been applied to a yeast protein interaction networks, which are obtained from the BioGRID database. The ten folds experimental results show that the performance of predicting essential proteins by TC-SVM is excellent.
Distributed Parameter Modal Filtering Using Smart Sensors

This paper considers the design of distributed parameter modal sensors called smart sensors, with a particular emphasis on filtering the combination of appropriately weighted vibration modes providing a specific performance index in control strategy. First, with a two-dimensional distributed parameter sensor using a PVDF film, the necessary and sufficient condition for sensing the transformed modes of a structure is derived. Then, by considering the practicability of the two-dimensional sensors, an alternative approach based upon one-dimensional smart sensors is presented. It is found that the latter approach holds the necessary condition for sensing the transformed mode. This problem is overcome by introducing multiple one-dimensional smart sensors. Moreover, the design procedure for the multiple one-dimensional smart sensors for measuring the transformed mode is established. Finally, an experiment is conducted, demonstrating the validity of the smart sensors.
Distribution of some potentially toxic elements in the soils of the Jharia Coalfield: A probabilistic approach for source identification and risk assessment

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in coal mining soil degrade soil quality and adversely affect people's health. The increasing mining activities in the Jharia Coalfield (JCF) may increase the concentration of PTEs in soils. Therefore, it is vital to have an in‐depth analysis of land degradation caused by them, but there is a lack of accurate and efficient methods to estimate land degradation and health risk analysis in JCF. Therefore, finite mixture distribution model (FMDM), positive matrix factorization (PMF), and Monte Carlo simulation were applied to Jharia's PTEs dataset. The FMDM was employed to distinguish the background concentration and the contamination due to anthropogenic activity. In addition, the contribution of the source was determined through PMF. The FMDM suggested two possible sources of PTEs, while the PMF defines the influence of PTEs more broadly and identifies three sources of PTEs in soil. The results showed that PTEs contribution by a natural source, coal mining, and atmospheric deposition accounted for 45.72%, 27.34%, and 26.94%, respectively. Based on health risk results, this region does not pose a noncarcinogenic risk, but it does pose a carcinogenic risk, especially to infants. JCF comprises a relatively low concentration of PTEs as compared with other possible values for India. Probabilistic health risk assessment studies are scarce for Indian soils, especially in mining areas. In combination, these approaches will provide deeper insights and help identify potential solutions for PTEs contamination in these areas.
Simultaneous pathway engagement of translation in astrocytes, circadian rhythm in GABAergic neurons and cytoskeleton in glutamatergic neurons precede electroencephalographic changes in neurodegenerative prion disease

Selective vulnerability is an enigmatic feature of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), whereby a widely expressed protein causes lesions in specific brain regions and cell types. This selectivity may arise from cells possessing varying capacities to regain proteostasis when stressed by cytotoxic protein conformers. Using the RiboTag method in mice, translational responses of five neural subtypes to acquired prion disease (PrD) were measured. Pre-onset and disease onset timepoints were chosen based on longitudinal electroencephalography (EEG) that revealed a gradual increase in theta power between 10- and 18-weeks after prion injection, resembling a clinical feature of human PrD. At disease onset, marked by significantly increased theta power and histopathological lesions, mice had pronounced translatome changes in all five cell types despite having a normal outward appearance. Remarkably, at a pre-onset stage, prior to EEG and neuropathological changes, we found that 1) translatomes of astrocytes indicated a sharply reduced synthesis of ribosomal and mitochondrial components, 2) excitatory neurons showed increased expression of cytoskeletal genes, and 3) inhibitory neurons revealed reduced expression of circadian rhythm network genes. Further assessment for the role of circadian rhythms using a jet lag paradigm modestly exacerbated disease. These data demonstrate that early translatome responses to neurodegeneration emerge prior to other signs of disease and are unique to different cell types. Therapeutic strategies may need to target multiple pathways, each in specific populations of cells, early in the disease process.
A Comparison of the Marshall and Superpave Design Procedure for Materials Sourced in India

Developing countries are striving for the development of infrastructure facilities including transportation systems. India has a national highway with a length over 52,000 km. A further 14,000 km length of express highway is currently being built under the golden quadrangle and North–South and East–West corridor projects. These projects have large scope for adopting superpave technology. The strategic highway research program (SHRP) conducted a $ 50 million research effort from 1987 to 1993 to develop a new concept for the design of bituminous mixes referred to as superior performing asphalt pavements (superpave). Superpave mixes have been widely used by the developed countries for the last few years but the developing countries are still working with the conventional mixes i.e. marshall mixes. Flexible pavements, with bituminous surfacing as a wearing course, are widely used in India. The objective of this study was to compare the design of asphaltic concrete by the superpave and marshall methods of mix design. A detailed laboratory study was carried out using aggregate from the Delhi region and bitumen from the Mathura refinery. From the analysis of design of asphaltic concrete, it was observed that superpave mixes fulfill all the criteria for easy and good construction at lesser binder content than the marshall mixes. Apart from superpave mix design, the effect of angle of gyration, number of gyrations on mix properties like density, stability, indirect tensile strength were also determined. Results revealed that percentage theoretical maximum density increases with the increase in number of gyrations. At any level of gyration, theoretical maximum density percentage increases with increase in gyratory angle. Further, it was observed that indirect tensile strength decreases with increase in angle of gyrations. Comparing both the design methods, it was observed that marshall compactor is unable to answer the rutting resistance of the designed mixture. The marshall compaction effort in the field laboratory corresponded to an air void content of slightly less than six percent, and the mixture appeared to stabilize under traffic at an air void content between three and four percent. In contrast, superpave gyratory compactor is capable of achieving air void contents much lower than achieved by mechanical marshall hammer compaction. This prevents additional compaction under traffic, which could result in rutting in the wheel paths. Hence, marshall mix design should be replaced by superpave mix design for Indian national highways/express highways, which compact the specimens in the same manner as compacted under actual pavement climate and loading conditions.
Bullying prevalence and numeracy performance among primary school children in Johannesburg: Implications for school-based interventions

Background: Research has provided evidence about the negative impact of school bullying on the academic performance of primary school children, but studies on the prevalence of school bullying and numeracy performance of children are very scant.Aim: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of school bullying and numeracy performance among primary school children, and its implications for school-based interventions.Setting: The sample comprised 435 children (56.3% females and 43.7% males; Grades 1–7; median age = 11 years) attending six primary schools in three different education districts in Johannesburg, South Africa.Method: The children self-reported their experience of bullying by peers through a questionnaire. In addition, they completed numeracy tests. For children aged 6 to 9 years, the questionnaire was completed with the assistance of trained field workers.Results: The results following a linear regression with multiple predictors indicated that numeracy was significantly associated with contextual variables such as grade and home language. Bullying was strongly associated with socio-economic indicators such as school quintile and regional situation. These variables are important in early school support interventions directed at improving learner numeracy performance in the primary school.Conclusion: The results show a relatively high percentage of bullying in primary schools in the Johannesburg region. The performance in numeracy was significantly associated with the grade and home language of the learner. Contextual variables related to socio-economic situation of learners such as school quintiles and regional situation had strong associations with bullying.