Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Geodesic Tracks: Computing Discrete Geodesics With Track-Based Steiner Point Propagation

This article presents a simple yet effective method for computing geodesic distances on triangle meshes. Unlike the popular window propagation methods that partition mesh edges into intervals of varying lengths, our method places evenly-spaced, source-independent Steiner points on edges. Given a source vertex, our method constructs a Steiner-point graph that partitions the surface into mutually exclusive tracks, called geodesic tracks. Inside each triangle, the tracks form sub-regions in which the change of distance field is approximately linear. Our method does not require any pre-computation, and can effectively balance speed and accuracy. Experimental results show that with 5 Steiner points on each edge, the mean relative error is less than 0.3<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\%$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mo>%</mml:mo></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="xin-ieq1-3109042.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> for common 3D models used in the graphics community. We propose a set of effective filtering rules to eliminate a large amount of useless broadcast events. For a 1000K-face model, our method runs 10 times faster than the conventional Steiner point method that examines a complete graph of Steiner points in each triangle. We also observe that using more Steiner points increases the accuracy at only a small extra computational cost. Our method works well for meshes with poor triangulation and non-manifold configuration, which often poses challenges to the existing PDE methods. We show that geodesic tracks, as a new data structure that encodes rich information of discrete geodesics, support accurate geodesic path and isoline tracing, and efficient distance query. Our method can be easily extended to meshes with non-constant density functions and/or anisotropic metrics.
IMAGE-BASED ORIENTATION DETERMINATION OF MOBILE SENSOR PLATFORMS

Estimating the pose of a mobile robotic platform is a challenging task, especially when the pose needs to be estimated in a global or local reference frame and when the estimation has to be performed while the platform is moving. While the position of a platform can be measured directly via modern tachymetry or with the help of a global positioning service GNSS, the absolute platform orientation is harder to derive. Most often, only the relative orientation is estimated with the help of a sensor mounted on the robotic platform such as an IMU, with one or multiple cameras, with a laser scanner or with a combination of any of those. Then, a sensor fusion of the relative orientation and the absolute position is performed. In this work, an additional approach is presented: first, an image-based relative pose estimation with frames from a panoramic camera using a state-of-the-art visual odometry implementation is performed. Secondly, the position of the platform in a reference system is estimated using motorized tachymetry. Lastly, the absolute orientation is calculated using a visual marker, which is placed in the space, where the robotic platform is moving. The marker can be detected in the camera frame and since the position of this marker is known in the reference system, the absolute pose can be estimated. To improve the absolute pose estimation, a sensor fusion is conducted. Results with a Lego model train as a mobile platform show, that the trajectory of the absolute pose calculated independently with four different markers have a deviation < 0.66 degrees 50% of the time and that the average difference is < 1.17 degrees. The implementation is based on the popular Robotic Operating System ROS.
Transcriptomic Responses to Coaggregation between Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus oralis

Dental plaque is responsible for two of the most prevalent diseases in humans, dental caries and periodontitis. Controlling the formation of dental plaque and preventing the transition from oral health to disease requires a detailed understanding of microbial colonization and biofilm development. ABSTRACT Cell-cell adhesion between oral bacteria plays a key role in the development of polymicrobial communities such as dental plaque. Oral streptococci such as Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus oralis are important early colonizers of dental plaque and bind to a wide range of different oral microorganisms, forming multispecies clumps or “coaggregates. ” S. gordonii actively responds to coaggregation by regulating gene expression. To further understand these responses, we assessed gene regulation in S. gordonii and S. oralis following coaggregation in 25% human saliva. Coaggregates were formed by mixing, and after 30 min, RNA was extracted for dual transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis. In S. oralis, 18 genes (6 upregulated and 12 downregulated) were regulated by coaggregation. Significantly downregulated genes encoded functions such as amino acid and antibiotic biosynthesis, ribosome, and central carbon metabolism. In total, 28 genes were differentially regulated in Streptococcus gordonii (25 upregulated and 3 downregulated). Many genes associated with transporters and a two-component (NisK/SpaK) regulatory system were upregulated following coaggregation. Our comparative analyses of S. gordonii-S. oralis with different previously published S. gordonii pairings (S. gordonii-Fusobacterium nucleatum and S. gordonii-Veillonella parvula) suggest that the gene regulation is specific to each pairing, and responses do not appear to be conserved. This ability to distinguish between neighboring bacteria may be important for S. gordonii to adapt appropriately during the development of complex biofilms such as dental plaque. IMPORTANCE Dental plaque is responsible for two of the most prevalent diseases in humans, dental caries and periodontitis. Controlling the formation of dental plaque and preventing the transition from oral health to disease requires a detailed understanding of microbial colonization and biofilm development. Streptococci are among the most common colonizers of dental plaque. This study identifies key genes that are regulated when oral streptococci bind to one another, as they do in the early stages of dental plaque formation. We show that specific genes are regulated in two different oral streptococci following the formation of mixed-species aggregates. The specific responses of S. gordonii to coaggregation with S. oralis are different from those to coaggregation with other oral bacteria. Targeting the key genes that are upregulated during interspecies interactions may be a powerful approach to control the development of biofilm and maintain oral health.
Ultrasound-Assisted Ultra-Mild-Acid Hydrolisis of -Carrageenan

The low molecular weight fraction of κ-carrageenan is useful in biomedical applications. An ultrasound-assisted acid hydrolysis of κ-carrageenan has been studied. κ-carrageenan with an initial number-average molecular weight of 629 kDa was dispersed in distilled water to form a 5 g/l solution. The pH (3 and 6) of the solution was adjusted by adding HCl solution. The depolymerization reaction was carried out in an ultrasonic device at various temperatures (30, 40, 50, and 60 ° C) and times (8, 16, 24, and 32 min). The experimental results showed that ultrasound positively contributed to acid hydrolysis process. The number-average molecular weight of the treated k -carrageenan was lower or the percentage of reduction was higher at lower pH, longer reaction time, and higher temperature. The lowest number-average molecular weight (14 kDa) or the highest percent of molecular weight reduction reduction (97.7%) was achieved after ultrasonic irradiation at 60 ° C and pH 3 for 32 min . Keywords: depolymerization ; midpoint scission; ultrasonication
Novel, Low-Cost Intervention to Promote Women's Advancement in Global Health Research.

PROBLEM Women comprise 7 out of every 10 health care workers globally yet are significantly underrepresented in leadership positions. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated underlying gender disparities, placing additional burdens on many female global health professionals. APPROACH The authors describe the development of a novel, low-cost pilot program-the Female Global Scholars Program (Weill Cornell Medicine)-established in April 2018 to promote the advancement of female global health research professionals and prepare them for leadership positions in this field. Using a logic model, the program was informed by discussion with peers at scientific symposia, qualitative research examining the barriers women experience in global health, discussions with experts in the fields of global health and medical education, and a literature review of other initiatives focused on fostering female advancement. The program provides opportunities to learn leadership skills and peer mentoring to female junior investigators in global health research over the course of 2 years through attendance of a symposium and skill-building workshop, skill-building webinars, and the building of a peer mentor group. OUTCOMES The inaugural cohort of the Female Global Scholars Program (April 2018-March 2020) included 10 female global health researchers from 6 countries (Haiti, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and the United States) across 3 continents. By the end of year 1, 6 participants received academic promotions. Additionally, the inaugural 10 scholars collectively presented at 11 international conferences and submitted 22 abstracts and 19 manuscripts. NEXT STEPS The authors hope to provide additional support and guidance to scholars as they become leaders of their own versions of this program at their home sites and plan to expand the faculty group to further lessen the time burden, while enabling the program to provide additional research mentorship to scholars.
Colloidal Quantum Dot Enhanced Color Conversion Layer for Micro LEDs

In this paper, we introduce our latest progress in the colloidal quantum dot enhanced color conversion layer for micro LEDs. Different methods of how to deploy colloidal quantum dots can be discussed and reviewed. The necessity of the using color conversion layer can be seen and color conversion efficiency of such layer can be calculated from the measured spectrum. A sub-pixel size of 5 micron of colloidal quantum dot pattern can be demonstrated in array format. key words: colloidal quantum dots, micro LEDs, mini LEDs, heterogeneous integration
Real-time RSS-based positioning system using neural network algorithm

Locating services have come under the spotlight in recent years in various applications. However, locating methods that use received signal strength have low accuracy due to signal fluctuations. For this purpose, we present a Wi-Fi based locating system using artificial neural network to enhance the positioning process performances. We optimized the Levenberg Marquardt algorithm to propose the better configuration of the multi-layer time-delay perception neural network. We achieved an average error of 10.3 centimeters with a grid of 0.4 meter in four tests. Yet, due to the instability of the received signal strength RSS-based locating systems present a limitation in the resolution finesse that depends on the grid size.
FAKE REVIEW DETECTION ON YELP DATASET

: Online reviews are often the primary factor in a customer’s decision and are a valuable source of information that can be used to determine public opinion on the services. Reviews provide feedback to the companies about their services for any kind of improvement. The huge impact of reviews on customer’s decision making motivates wrongdoers to create fake reviews to deliberately promote or demote a services. This is known as Review Spam, where spammers manipulate and poison reviews for their profit.
Automatic Thai Finger Spelling Transcription

This article explores a transcription of a video recording Thai Finger Spelling (TFS)—a specific signing mode used in Thai sign language—to a corresponding Thai word. TFS copes with 42 Thai alphabets and 20 vowels using multiple and complex schemes. This leads to many technical challenges uncommon in spelling schemes of other sign languages. Our proposed system, Automatic Thai Finger Spelling Transcription (ATFS), processes a signing video in 3 stages: ALS marking video frames to easily remove any non-signing frame as well as conveniently group frames associating to the same alphabet, SR classifying a signing image frame to a sign label (or its equivalence), and SSR transcribing a series of signs into alphabets. ALS utilizes the TFS practice of signing different alphabets at different locations. SR and SSC employ well-adopted spatial and sequential models. Our ATFS has been found to achieve Alphabet Error Rate (AER) 0.256 (c.f. 0.63 of the baseline method). In addition to ATFS, our findings have disclosed a benefit of coupling image classification and sequence modeling stages by using a feature or penultimate vector for label representation rather than a definitive label or one-hot coding. Our results also assert the necessity of a smoothening mechanism in ALS and reveal a benefit of our proposed WFS, which could lead to over 15.88 % improvement. For TFS transcription, our work emphasizes the utilization of signing location in the identification of different alphabets. This is contrary to a common belief of exploiting signing time duration, which are shown to be ineffective by our data.
Dental Caries Occurrence in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: The present review aimed to systematically evaluate the occurrence of caries in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), either Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC), compared to healthy controls. Materials and Methods: MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, Google Scholar, LILACS, and Cochrane Library electronic databases were screened. Caries experience was measured through the Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth (DMFT) index. The weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence interval was calculated between IBD patients and healthy controls. Results: Six studies were selected for the inclusion in the systematic review, 5 of which were also included in the quantitative synthesis of data. The WMD in the DMFT index between IBD and healthy subjects was 3.04 (1.52, 4.56) (p = 0.10). Subgroup analysis showed no difference (p = 0.31) between CD (2.52 [0.54, 4.49]) and UC (4.01 [1.52, 4.56]) subjects. Conclusions: There is a remarkably higher past and present occurrence of dental caries in subjects with IBD than healthy controls. This result should encourage clinicians to include oral health preventive programs in the overall treatment plan of IBD patients.
Liquid Metal-Based Epidermal Flexible Sensor for Wireless Breath Monitoring and Diagnosis Enabled by Highly Sensitive SnS2 Nanosheets

National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Advanced Composites in Special Environments, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150086, China Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China Shenzhen STRONG Advanced Materials Research Institute Co., Ltd., China School of Communication and Information Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Flexible Printed Electronics Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, No. 9 Duxue Road, Shenzhen 518055, China
Physiological complexity: influence of ageing, disease and neuromuscular fatigue on muscle force and torque fluctuations

What is the topic of this review? Physiological complexity in muscle force and torque fluctuations, specifically the quantification of complexity, how neuromuscular complexityis altered by perturbations and the potential mechanism underlying changes in neuromuscular complexity. What advances does it highlight? The necessity to calculate both magnitude‐ and complexity‐based measures for the thorough evaluation of force/torque fluctuations. Also the need for further research on neuromuscular complexity, particularly how it relates to the performance of functional activities (e.g. manual dexterity, balance, locomotion).
Formulation and Evaluation of Gastroretentive Floating Tablets of Quetiapine Fumarate

The objective of the present study was to develop gastroretentive floating tablets of quetiapine fumarate. The gastroretentive floating tablets of quetiapine fumarate were formulated using natrosol 250 HHX as a sustained release polymer and sodium bicarbonate as a gas forming agents. A 32 factorial design was employed to study the influence of concentration of natrosol HHX 250 (X1) and concentration of sodium bicarbonate (X2) on the dependent variables % drug release at 1h (Y1), % drug release at 8 h (Y2) and floating lag time (Y3). The optimized formulation (O1) showed floating lag time 49 ± 3 sec and % drug release 99.54± 0.81 at 12 h. The in vitro release of F1-F9 batches were found in between 99.95 ± 1.18 % to 86.32 ±1.71 % at 12 h. Floating lag time of F1-F9 batches were found to be 25± 2 sec to 178 ± 3 sec. FTIR studies shown that there was no interaction between quetiapine fumarate and excipients. From the factorial design batches it was found that floating lag time was decreased with increasing the amount of sodium bicarbonate and decreasing the amount of natrosol 250 HHX. Here % release of drug was decreased with increase the extent of natrosol 250 HHX. The in-vitro release kinetics revealed Korsmeyer-Peppas model is followed and drug release is by anomalous diffusion. Keywords: Quetiapine fumarate, Natrosol 250 HHX, Sodium bicarbonate, Gastroretentive floating tablets
Pneumococcal Carriage in Burkina Faso After 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Introduction: Results From 2 Cross-sectional Population-Based Surveys

Abstract Background Burkina Faso, a country in Africa’s meningitis belt, introduced 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in October 2013, with 3 primary doses given at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age. To assess whether the new PCV13 program controlled pneumococcal carriage, we evaluated overall and serotype-specific colonization among children and adults during the first 3 years after introduction. Methods We conducted 2 population-based, cross-sectional, age-stratified surveys in 2015 and 2017 in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso. We used standardized questionnaires to collect sociodemographic, epidemiologic, and vaccination data. Consenting eligible participants provided nasopharyngeal (all ages) and oropharyngeal (≥5 years only) swab specimens. Swab specimens were plated onto blood agar either directly (2015) or after broth enrichment (2017). Pneumococci were serotyped by conventional multiplex polymerase chain reaction. We assessed vaccine effect by comparing the proportion of vaccine-type (VT) carriage among colonized individuals from a published baseline survey (2008) with each post-PCV survey. Results We recruited 992 (2015) and 1005 (2017) participants. Among children aged <5 years, 42.8% (2015) and 74.0% (2017) received ≥2 PCV13 doses. Among pneumococcal carriers aged <1 year, VT carriage declined from 55.8% in 2008 to 36.9% in 2017 (difference, 18.9%; 95% confidence interval, 1.9%–35.9%; P = .03); among carriers aged 1–4 years, VT carriage declined from 55.3% to 31.8% (difference, 23.5%; 6.8%–40.2%; P = .004); and among participants aged ≥5 years, no significant change was observed. Conclusion Within 3 years of PCV13 implementation in Burkina Faso, we documented substantial reductions in the percentage of pneumococcal carriers with a VT among children aged <5 years, but not among persons aged ≥5 years. More time, a change in the PCV13 schedule, or both, may be needed to better control pneumococcal carriage in this setting.
Do depression and its associated factors differ in women daytime and shift workers?: an analysis of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2018

Purpose This study examined health behaviors, use of health services, and depression among women who perform daytime and shift work in Korea, as well as factors related to depression. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis using data from the 2018 data of the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Data on women, 1,493 regular daytime workers and 322 shift workers, were analyzed. Results Women shift workers were younger (χ2=43.97, p<.001), had a lower education level (χ2=45.56, p<.001), and lower personal income (χ2=16.85, p=.030) than their daytime counterparts. A higher proportion of shift workers were unmarried (χ2=37.47, p<.001) and they typically worked fewer than 40 hours per week (χ2=69.94, p<.001). The depression score of shift workers was higher than that of daytime workers (t=2.85, p=.005). A higher proportion of shift workers also drank alcohol (χ2=6.49, p=.032) and smoked (χ2=30.79, p<.001). Over 8% of shift workers typically slept fewer than 5 hours per night (χ2=14.17, p=.024). It was confirmed that depression in women shift workers was affected by age, personal income, marital status, health status, and smoking status, in addition to cancer screening participation, unmet medical care needs, and unmet dental care needs. Conclusion More attention should be given to the health needs of women working shifts. Health promotion programs specific for women shift workers are needed to improve their physical and mental health, encourage use of medical care services, and improve public health policies and systems.
Meta‐analysis of primary producer amino acid δ15N values and their influence on trophic position estimation

Compound‐specific stable isotope analysis of individual amino acids (CSIA‐AA) has emerged as a transformative approach to estimate consumer trophic positions (TPCSIA) that are internally indexed to primary producer nitrogen isotope baselines. Central to accurate TPCSIA estimation is an understanding of beta (β) values—the differences between trophic and source AA δ15N values in the primary producers at the base of a consumers’ food web. Growing evidence suggests higher taxonomic and tissue‐specific β value variability than typically appreciated. This meta‐analysis fulfils a pressing need to comprehensively evaluate relevant sources of β value variability and its contribution to TPCSIA uncertainty. We first synthesized all published primary producer AA δ15N data to investigate ecologically relevant sources of variability (e.g. taxonomy, tissue type, habitat type, mode of photosynthesis). We then reviewed the biogeochemical mechanisms underpinning AA δ15N and β value variability. Lastly, we evaluated the sensitivity of TPCSIA estimates to uncertainty in mean βGlx‐Phe values and Glx‐Phe trophic discrimination factors (TDFGlx‐Phe). We show that variation in βGlx‐Phe values is two times greater than previously considered, with degree of vascularization, not habitat type (terrestrial vs. aquatic), providing the greatest source of variability (vascular autotroph = −6.6 ± 3.4‰; non‐vascular autotroph = +3.3 ± 1.8‰). Within vascular plants, tissue type secondarily contributed to βGlx‐Phe value variability, but we found no clear distinction among C3, C4 and CAM plant βGlx‐Phe values. Notably, we found that vascular plant βGlx‐Lys values (+2.5 ± 1.6‰) are considerably less variable than βGlx‐Phe values, making Lys a useful AA tracer of primary production sources in terrestrial systems. Our multi‐trophic level sensitivity analyses demonstrate that TPCSIA estimates are highly sensitive to changes in both βGlx‐Phe and TDFGlx‐Phe values but that the relative influence of β values dissipates at higher trophic levels. Our results highlight that primary producer β values are integral to accurate trophic position estimation. We outline four key recommendations for identifying, constraining and accounting for β value variability to improve TPCSIA estimation accuracy and precision moving forward. We must ultimately expand libraries of primary producer AA δ15N values to better understand the mechanistic drivers of β value variation.