Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On a Retrial Queueing Model with Customer Induced Interruption

This paper presents a retrial queueing system with customer induced interruption while in service. We consider a single server queueing system of infinite capacity to which customers arrive according to a Poisson process and the service time follows an exponential distribution. An arriving customer to an idle server obtains service immediately and customers who find server busy go directly to the orbit from where he retry for service. The inter-retrial time follows exponential distribution. The customer interruption while in service occurs according to a Poisson process and the interruption duration follows an exponential distribution. The customer whose service is got interrupted will enter into a finite buffer. Any interrupted customer, finding the buffer full, is considered lost. Those interrupted customers who complete their interruptions will be placed into another buffer of same size. The interrupted customers waiting for service are given non-preemptive priority over new customers. We analyse the steady-state behavior of this queuing system. Several performance measures are obtained. Numerical illustrations of the system behaviour are also provided with example.
The Use of Aptamers and Molecularly Imprinted Polymers in Biosensors for Environmental Monitoring: A Tale of Two Receptors

Effective molecular recognition remains a major challenge in the development of robust receptors for biosensing applications. Over the last three decades, aptamers and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have emerged as the receptors of choice for use in biosensors as viable alternatives to natural antibodies, due to their superior stability, comparable binding performance, and lower costs. Although both of these technologies have been developed in parallel, they both suffer from their own unique problems. In this review, we will compare and contrast both types of receptor, with a focus on the area of environmental monitoring. Firstly, we will discuss the strategies and challenges involved in their development. We will also discuss the challenges that are involved in interfacing them with the biosensors. We will then compare and contrast their performance with a focus on their use in the detection of environmental contaminants, namely, antibiotics, pesticides, heavy metals, and pathogens detection. Finally, we will discuss the future direction of these two technologies.
Berberine inhibits liver damage in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by regulating TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway.

BACKGROUND/AIMS This study aimed to explore the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanism of berberine (BBR) on the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by high-fat diet (HFD). MATERIALS AND METHODS Rats were randomly divided into the following 4 groups: control (normal diet), model (HFD), polyene phosphatidylcholine HFD+PPC, and BBR (HFD+BBR) group. The NAFLD models were prepared by feeding with HFD for 12 weeks. The liver tissues were observed by oil red O staining. H-E staining was used to detect pathological changes in the liver tissues. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer. ELISA was performed to observe the inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β) expressions. The levels of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 were analyzed using western blot and qRT-PCR, respectively. The nuclear translocation levels of NF-κB in the primary liver cells were measured using flow cytometry. RESULTS BBR could significantly alleviate the liver tissue steatosis and inflammatory cell infiltration; reduce the NAFLD activity scores and serum levels of ALT, AST, TC, and LDL-C; decrease the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β, and reduce the expression of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB in the liver tissues. BBR could also reverse the nuclear translocation of NF-κB in the primary liver cells. CONCLUSION BBR alleviated the progress of NAFLD and liver damage, which might contribute to inhibit the nuclear translocation of NF-κB via the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway.
An Efficient Technique of QRS Complex Detection of Electrocardiography Signal Based on Optimized Median Filter and Efficient Signal Reshaping

: Automatic detection of R-peak is changing into a prominent tool for automatizing the designation of significant cardiovascular components. R-wave peaks in electrocardiography is a major indicator of the cardiac dysfunction. Most of the R-wave peaks prospectors have great troubles owing to non-stationary attitude of the ECG signal. In our current research, a smart technique established on bases of median filter and an automated R-wave peaks detection technique has been proposed. First median filter approach is used to eliminate the base line from the ECG signal. Then an efficient signal reshaping with sequential steps was proposed to detect the QRS position. The efficiency of the proposed work has been tested on MIT-BIH arrhythmia database. The technique has also been applied to a real signal for patients with different heart diseases. The proposed technique showed better performance and faster detection compared to the latter techniques at the same time. Error rate detection is low 0.05%, Positive predictivity (P+) of 99.85% Sensitivity (Se) of 99.94% and an average F-score of 0.999 are accomplished for the suggested ECG detector which are superior to the former results.
Agronomic Performance and Stability of 1A vs. 1AL.1RS Genotypes Derived from Winter Wheat ‘Nekota’

The presence of the short arm of rye (Secale cereale L.) chromosome one (1RS) has been associated with an increase in grain yield in hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). This positive effect has been demonstrated when the 1RS arm is present in the 1BL.1RS translocation. However, little information is available regarding the 1AL.1RS translocation. Our objective was to determine the effect of the 1AL.1RS translocation on yield and yield components and their stability across environments. Eighteen homogeneous 1A lines (non-1RS) and 16 1AL.1RS lines were randomly derived from the heterogeneous cultivar Nekota. These 34 lines, four composites (1A,1AL.1RS, 1AL.1RS + 1A, and Nekota), along with six check cultivars were grown in eight Nebraska environments. The 1AL.1RS translocation in the Nekota background increased kernel weight (3.3%) and grain volume weight (0.4%); had no effect on grain yield, kernels per spike, and anthesis date; and decreased plant height (1.2%) and number of spikes per square meter (2.9%). The 1A lines and 1AL.1RS lines were equally stable for grain yield, kernels per spike, spikes per square meter, and plant height. For kernel weight, the 1A lines were more responsive and tended to have heavier kernels under favorable environments, while the 1AL.1RS lines had heavier kernels under lower yielding environments. For grain volume weight, the 1A lines were more responsive than the 1AL.1RS lines, which had heavier grain volume weight under lower yielding environments. Hence, the 1AL.1RS translocation in Nekota was not beneficial for either agronomic performance or stability.
COVID-19: Multiple Diseases Simulating Extreme High-Altitude Exposure? Oxygen Transport Physiology and Scarce Need of Ventilators; Andean Condor’s-Eye-View

The critical hypoxia in COVID-19 patients during this pandemic, has taken away many lives all around the globe. The mechanism has been poorly understood and initially, word got around that it was a SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) pneumonia. The atypical images in lung computerized axial tomography (CAT) scans were alarming. This immediately alerted everyone including poor countries to purchase lacking sophisticated ventilator equipment. However, in some countries, even 88% of the patients on ventilators lost their lives. New observations and pathological findings are gradually clarifying the disease. What seems evident is that it is not only one disease but several, with different responses in different countries and different altitudes. The critical hypoxia and «gasping» present in some patients are not totally understood. It was mentioned that it could be like a High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE). Hereby, as high-altitude medicine and hypoxia physiology specialists, we compare the pathophysiology with that of high-altitude exposure in order to understand the mechanisms involved. Some differences in lung radiological images along with transmission and viral attack mechanisms are discussed. The oxygen transport triad used at high-altitude can be applied on this pathology in order to propose even the use of erythropoietin (EPO) early in the treatment. The immune system is the most important long-term survival tool, so we suggest a short-term strategy: the use of special Earth open-circuit astronaut-resembling suits with effective outside air filtering re-breathing mechanisms in order to return to work and daily activities, without contamination risk. Thereby, the curve can be flattened without quarantine and the economy could recover.
Reproductive Correlates of Breeding-Site Fidelity in Bobolinks (Dolichonyx Oryzivorus)

To investigate the relationship between reproductive success (RS) and breeding—site fidelity in a transequatorial migrant, we studied two populations of marked Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) in upstate New York during 1982—1985. At these sites, 44% of the males and 25% of the females resident in one year returned in one or more subsequent years. There were more nests built, eggs laid, eggs hatched, and young fledged in territories of returning males in this polygynous species than in territories of males that did not return in subsequent years (P < .04). For females that returned, the number of eggs hatched, young fledged, young fledged on last nest attempt, and young fledged per egg laid were higher than for females that did not return (P < .02). Discriminant function analysis and data from 1982—1984 were used to predict correctly the return behavior of 30 to 42 individuals (sexes combined) in 1985, based on their reproductive success (RS) in 1984 (P < .01). Using data on RS and return rate for all years, the best single—variable model for males based on the number of young fledged from each territory classified correctly 59 of 85 individuals (69%) as returning or not (P < .005). The best single—variable model for females based on the number of yound fledged on their last nest attempt classified correctly 61 of 86 individuals (71%; P < .005). Using all data for 1982—1985, sex—specific models that included only whether an individual fledged one or more young classified correctly the same proportion as the best single—variable models above. However, among males that fledged one or more young, those that returned had fledged significantly more young the previous year than those that did not return (P < 0.5). Not all individuals that failed to return were dead, because five individuals that did not return to our study sites were captured in a subsequent year at another site. We concluded that male and female Bobolinks used information on their breeding success in one year to influence their choice of breeding site in the next year.
Effects of Supplemental Dietary Tannic Acid on Digestion in Plateau Zokors (Eospalax baileyi)

We examined the effects of tannins on food digestion in the plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi), a rodent that lives primarily underground. Our results indicate that (1) all experimental groups maintained their body weight; (2) food intake and food assimilation increased, while food digestibility decreased with an increasing tannin concentration in the diet; (3) protein digestibility, but not protein assimilation, decreased significantly with an increasing tannin concentration in the diet; (4) mean dry weights of the small intestine of the zokors fed with feed containing 3% and 6% tannic acid were 67% and 87%, respectively, greater than that of the control. Therefore, tannins in the diet affected negatively food and protein digestibility in zokors. The animals counteracted these effects and maintained their body weight and nutrient assimilation by increasing food intake as well as widening the lumen of their small intestine.
Risk Matters: Breaking Certainty Equivalence in Linear Approximations

In this paper we use the property that certainty equivalence, as implied by a first-order approximation to the solution of stochastic discrete-time models, breaks in its equivalent continuous-time version. We study the extent to which a first-order approximated solution built by perturbation methods accounts for risk. We show that risk matters economically in a real business cycle (RBC) model with habit formation and capital adjustment costs and that neglecting risk leads to substantial pricing errors. A first-order approximation in continuous time reduces pricing errors by 90 percent relative to the certainty equivalent linear solution.
What drives fine-scale movements of large herbivores? A case study using moose

Understanding animal movements across heterogeneous landscapes is of great interest because it helps explain the dynamic processes influencing the distribution of individuals in space. Research on how animals move relative to short-range environmental characteristics are scarce. Our objective was to determine the variables influencing movement of a large ungulate, the moose Alces alces, ranging across a boreal landscape, and to link movement behaviour with limiting factors at a fine scale. We assessed 7 candidate models composed of vegetation, solar energy, and topography variables using step selection functions (SSF) for male and female moose across daily and annual periods. We selected and weighted models using the Bayesian Information Criterion. Variables influencing small-scale movements of moose differed among periods and between sexes, likely in response to corresponding changes in the importance of limiting factors. Best models often combined many types of variables, although simpler models composed of only vegetation or topography variables explained male's movements during rut and early winter. Moose steps were observed in good feeding stands from summer to early winter for females and from spring to early winter for males, supporting other studies of moose habitat selection. From summer to early winter, females alternatively selected and avoided cover stands during day and night, respectively. Solar energy reaching the ground was important, particularly during late winter and spring, likely due to its effect on snow cover, air temperature, or plant phenology. Moose generally moved in gentle slopes and variable elevation, which may have increased their chances of finding high quality forage, or improved their search of suitable calving sites or mates. Our study revealed the great complexity and dynamic aspects of animal movements in a heterogeneous landscape. Analysis of animal movement provides complementary information to more static habitat selection analyses and helps understanding the spatial variations in the distribution of individuals through time.
A Double-Density Clustering Method Based on "Nearest to First in" Strategy

The existing density clustering algorithms have high error rates on processing data sets with mixed density clusters. For overcoming shortcomings of these algorithms, a double-density clustering method based on Nearest-to-First-in strategy, DDNFC, is proposed, which calculates two densities for each point by using its reverse k nearest neighborhood and local spatial position deviation, respectively. Points whose densities are both greater than respective average densities of all points are core. By searching the strongly connected subgraph in the graph constructed by the core objects, the data set is clustered initially. Then each non-core object is classified to its nearest cluster by using a strategy dubbed as ‘Nearest-to-First-in’: the distance of each unclassified point to its nearest cluster calculated firstly; only the points with the minimum distance are placed to their nearest cluster; this procedure is repeated until all unclassified points are clustered or the minimum distance is infinite. To test the proposed method, experiments on several artificial and real-world data sets are carried out. The results show that DDNFC is superior to the state-of-art methods like DBSCAN, DPC, RNN-DBSCAN, and so on.
The Effectiveness of Progressive Time Delay on Teaching Pedestrian Skill to Individuals with Intellectual Disability

The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of progressive time delay teaching method on teaching a pedestrian skill to individuals with intellectual disabilities. The study was conducted with three participants with mild intellectual disabilities who were 10-11 years old. Multiple probe design across participants was used in the study. The results of the study revealed that the participants of the study acquired the targeted pedestrian skill, the first participant maintained the acquired skill one, three and five weeks after the implementation was completed whereas the third participant maintained the skill one, two and four weeks after the implementation was completed. Besides, all participants generalized the skill which they acquired on a simulation material to a real environment. Social validity results of the study revealed that the parents of the participants and the policeman who took part in the generalization session had positive opinions about the study.
Research on Feature Dimension Reduction Method for Multivariate Time Series

Existing dimension reduction methods for multivariate time series can′t preserve its feature effectively.Firstly,it analyses the drawback of PCA method when it is used in MTS dimension reduction;Secondly,based on common principal component analysis,it proposes a linear dimension reduction method for multivariate time series;Then,based on common kernel principal component analysis which is deduced from common principal component analysis and kernel trick,a nonlinear dimension reduction method is proposed;At last,validity of dimension reduction are compared between different methods.Compared with PCA method,the proposed nonlinear method can reflect nonlinear relation between different variables,and is robust to different kinds of data by choosing kernel function and parameters.The results of experiments show that the proposed methods can reduce dimension effectively,and at the same time preserve most feature of multivariate time series.
A Comparison of Methods for Determining the Hydrogen-Ion Concentration of Soils.

1. The antimony oxide electrode has been applied in a simple form to measure the pH value of soils. 2. The pH values of representative Australian soils have been determined by means of the hydrogen, quinhydrone and antimony oxide electrodes and the results compared. 3. The limitations of the quinhydrone electrode have been investigated and their nature elucidated, special attention being paid to alkaline and manganiferous soils.
OPTIMIZATION STUDY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CITRIC AND GLUCONIC ACID FROM FIG WATER EXTRACT BY ASPERGILLUS NIGER IN SURFACE FERMENTATION

ABSTRACT The production of citric and gluconic acid from fig extract by Aspergillus niger ATCC 10577 and A. niger B60 in surface fermentation was investigated. The strain 10577 gave higher concentration of citric and gluconic acid than strain B60. A maximum citric and gluconic acid concentration (20.5 and 97.0 g/L, respectively), citric acid yield (12%), biomass dry weight (18.5 g/L), and sugar utilization (85%) was achieved at an initial sugar concentration of 200 g/L and a pH of 7.0. On the other hand, the highest gluconic acid yield (79.7%) was obtained in culture grown at initial sugar concentration 100 g/L. The addition of 4% (v/v) methanol in the fig extract increased the concentration of citric and gluconic acid from 20.5 and 97.0 g/L to 30.7 and 145.5 g/L, respectively. Citric acid was separated from the gluconic acid by extraction with diethyl ether or ethyl acetate.
Redox-Sensitive Kinases of the Nuclear Factor-κB Signaling Pathway

NF-κB is an inducible transcription factor that plays a role in the expression of over one hundred genes involved in immunity, inflammation, proliferation, and in defense against apoptosis. NF-κB has been known to be redox regulated for some time and is a direct target for oxidation that can affect its ability to bind to DNA. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been identified as second messengers in cells, and play a role in receptor signaling and posttranslation modification of signaling molecules. These posttranslation modifications include oxidations of critical cysteines to sulfenic acids or mixed disulfides, which can affect the activity of proteins. Many kinases involved in direct or indirect activation of NF-κB are affected by oxidants and therefore, have the potential to alter NF-κB activity. This review will provide a summary of the NF-κB family, their activation and regulation, followed by a summary of cytoplasmic and nuclear kinases in this pathway whose activity is affected by oxidants. Additi.
A Recurrent Encoder-Decoder Network Architecture for Task Recognition and Motion Prediction in Human-Robot Collaboration based on Skeletal Data

—To achieve more accurate early prediction of human motion and enable robots to respond in a safe manner, a human-robot collaboration (HRC) architecture is proposed to predict future human activities and their trajectories using skeletal data collected from a Kinect. The architecture is the combination of two models. The ﬁrst model is designed to predict motion trajectories and is based on a recurrent Encoder-Decoder long-short-term-memory (LSTM) network that takes a historical trajectory as input and predicts a future trajectory as its output. The second model predicts the next activity to be performed using a combined LSTM and conditional random ﬁeld network (LSTM-CRF). Preliminary results are presented showing the efﬁcacy of the approach with the LSTM-CRF able to achieve high-quality human activity classiﬁcation, and the encoder-decoder LSTM able to accurately predict the coordinates of future human motion trajectories.
Fault diagnosis method for worm gearbox using convolutional network and ensemble learning

Worm gearboxes are popular across various industrial applications since they offer significant gear ratios in small installation spaces. Despite having multiple advantages, worm gearboxes are subjected to higher friction due to sliding design and are prone to damage and increased transmission error over the period of operation. Delayed diagnosis of worm gearbox degradation can lead to low-quality products and/or unnecessary production line downtime. Using vibration characteristics of worm gearbox, it is possible to determine the fault and transmission error at a given period in time. In this paper, an ensemble machine learning model is trained and deployed to monitor the transmission error of worm gearbox and classify between new, operational and old conditions. 1D CNN (one dimensional convolutional neural network) model is used to automatically extract features in vibration signal of X, Y, and Z axes and predict the relevant state of worm gear. The proposed technique uses ensemble machine learning technique fusion of features extracted by multi-layer 1D CNN for three axes vibration data. The proposed method could achieve 96% accuracy and performs significantly better than traditional sequential and ensemble machine learning models on a dataset of with 7,870 samples with 800 samples labeled as new condition, 4,740 samples as operational and 2,330 as old.