Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protective Effect on Bone of Nacre Supplementation in Ovariectomized Rats

Nacre has emerged as a beneficial natural product for bone cells and tissues, but its effect was only studied by gavage in the ovariectomized mouse model. We sought to assess the antiosteoporotic effect of nacre through a nutritional supplementation in the ovariectomized rat model. Sixteen‐week‐old female Wistar rats were either Sham‐operated or bilateral ovariectomized (OVX) and then fed with standard diet (Sham and OVX groups) or standard diet supplemented with either 0.25% CaCO3 or nacre (OVX CaCO3 and OVX Nacre group, respectively) for 28 days (n = 10/group). The bone microarchitecture was assessed at appendicular and axial bones by micro‐computed tomography (μCT). Histomorphometric analysis was performed to determine cellular and dynamic bone parameters. Bone metabolism was also evaluated by biochemical markers and gene expression levels. Nacre‐based diet prevented the OVX‐induced bone loss better than that of the CaCO3 supplement, given the significant changes in trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) both at the femoral distal metaphysis (difference, 35%; p = 0.004) and at the second lumbar spine (difference, 11%; p = 0.01). Trabecular osteoclast surfaces (Oc.S/BS) were also 1.5‐fold lower at the tibial proximal metaphysis in OVX Nacre group compared with OVX CaCO3 group (p = 0.02). By principal component analysis (PCA), OVX Nacre group formed a cluster away from OVX group and with a trend closest to Sham group. These data were consistent with biological measurements demonstrating a positive profile related to nacre supplementation, which blunted an increase in serum CTX level and enhanced serum P1NP secretion 14 days post‐OVX compared with CaCO3 supplementation. Bmp2 mRNA expression in OVX Nacre group was +1.76‐fold (p = 0.004) and +1.30‐fold (p = 0.20) compared with OVX and OVX CaCO3 groups, respectively. We conclude that supplementation with nacre could effectively limit bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency just after OVX in rats by modulating the negative imbalance of bone turnover. © 2022 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Fossil Benthic Foraminifera in the Nakdong River Delta (Southeast Korea) during the Early to Middle Holocene

Abstract. We investigated early to middle Holocene benthic foraminifera from four borehole cores in the Nakdong River Delta (southeast Korea) to document faunal associations and the transition of benthic foraminifera in coastal areas along the Tsushima Warm Current. We recognized four varimax factor assemblages. The varimax factor 1 assemblage (characterized by Pseudoparrella naraensis with Eilohedra nipponica) is common throughout core ND-02, which is seaward in the delta, whereas the varimax factor 2 assemblage (characterized by Haynesina sp. A) is dominated by low evenness in core 16ND-C02, which is landward in the delta. The varimax factor 4 assemblage (characterized by Buccella frigida) is generally common at the bottom and/or top part of the studied cores, whereas the varimax factor 3 assemblage (characterized by Elphidium somaense) tends to be common in the upper part of the three cores in the delta's seaward area. Both the contrasting high diversity and low diversity with low evenness of benthic foraminifera (varimax factor 1 and 2 assemblages, respectively) were present between the seaward and landward portions of the delta during the same period (∼7–6 ka), respectively. The combination of these contrasting faunas tended to appear in the delta with the intensification of the Tsushima Warm Current during ∼8–6 ka in addition to the sea-level rise. Common taxa in the Nakdong River Delta are largely neritic species of the temperate region in the East Asian margin, whereas some upper bathyal species, such as Angulogerina ikebei, Bolivina decussata, and E. nipponica, were subordinated in the delta's seaward portion. Such faunal features in the Nakdong River Delta are distinguishable from other coastal areas in the Japanese Islands.
2D Green’s theorem receiver deghosting in the (x-omega) domain using a depth-variable cable towards on-shore and ocean-bottom application with variable topography

Green’s theorem derived deghosting methods in the (x-ω) domain using flat cables have been successfully applied to synthetic and field data. Based on Green’s theorem wavefield separation concepts, this paper derives a 2D acoustic receiver deghosting formula for a depth-variable cable assuming the shape of the cable is known. In numerical tests, the air-water boundary is assumed to be horizontal. We use the Cagniardde Hoop method to generate synthetic data on parabolic cables and on periodically semicircular cables, respectively. The normal derivative of the total field on the cable is assumed to be known and is estimated by finite difference. Numerical results show that current Green’s theorem up/down separation formula for a constant depth cable remains useful for a mildly depth-variable cable. When the actual cable deviates significantly from horizontal, the horizontal cable formula produces serious errors and artifacts whereas the new formula produces an effective and satisfactory result. While the analysis and tests in this paper are based on nonhorizontal towed streamers, the motivation (and future work) is for on-shore and ocean bottom acquisition. Under these circumstances, the deviation from horizontal acquisition can be significant and the ability to accommodate a variable topography can have a considerably positive impact on subsequence processing and interpretation objectives.
A local real-time bar detector based on the multiscale Radon transform

We propose a local bar-shaped structure detector that works in real time on high-resolution images. It is based on the Radon transform. Specifically in the muti-scale variant, which is especially fast because it works in integer mathematics and does not use interpolation. The Radon transform conventionally works on the whole image, and not locally. In this paper we describe how by stopping at the early stages of the Radon transform we are able to locate structures locally. We also provide an evaluation of the performance of the algorithm running on the CPU, GPU and DSP of mobile devices to process at acquisition time the images coming from the device's camera.
Pronunciation Learning Strategies Used among Thai EFL Tertiary Students with Different Self-Evaluated Pronunciation Abilities

The current research aimed to 1) identify the pronunciation abilities of EFL tertiary students at Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna Phitsanulok (RMUTL PLC) according to their self-evaluation, 2) reveal the English pronunciation learning strategies employed among EFL tertiary students with different self-evaluated pronunciation abilities, and 3) investigate whether there is any different employment of the English pronunciation learning strategies among the EFL tertiary students with different English pronunciation abilities. The participants were 270 EFL students enrolling in the second semester of the Academic Year 2019. Of the 270 participants, 40 participants anonymously and voluntarily took part in the semi-structured interviews. The data for analyses were obtained through the questionnaire and the semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data were statistically analyzed, and the qualitative data were scrutinized using the thematic analysis method. The results showed that, of the three pronunciation ability groups, namely good (GG), moderate (MG), and low (LG) groups, most of the EFL tertiary students at RMUTL PLC evaluated themselves as having a moderate English pronunciation ability. The GG participants employed the cognitive pronunciation learning strategy most often, while the MG and LG used the affective and social pronunciation learning strategies most often. Accordingly, the divergent employment of pronunciation learning strategies exists among these EFL tertiary students with diverse pronunciation abilities. They relied on online applications, such as Google Translate, for pronunciation demonstration because of its convenience and ease to access. When the participants did not use an online application, they sought help from their classmates rather than asking the teachers owing to their proximity and intimacy.
Identifying the assets of emergent bilingual middle school students’ writing: opportunities to validate students’ linguistic repertoires and identities

ABSTRACT We highlight how the use of holistic biliteracy and translanguaging perspectives can be applied in the assessment of emergent bilingual middle school students’ writing to counter deficit views of their divergent repertoires. The study took place in a Mountain West middle school with a large Latinx population. We analyzed eleven emerging bilingual students’ (EBs) responses to a writing prompt in an English language arts class. Findings include EBs’ use of translanguaging [García, O. 2009. Bilingual Education in the 21st Century: A Global Perspective. Wiley-Blackwell], or strategic languaging, in which the students used different codes/languages in their writing. Additionally, this study found that EBs might show different patterns of spelling development as they learn to access the different alphabetic patterns of their respective repertoires. Finally, the study highlights how EBs draw from diverse discourse patterns as they compose. The analysis revealed the cultural and linguistic knowledge(s) EBs bring to developing their writing, which are often not part of monolingual English writing rubrics. Thus, the implications suggest that teachers need to develop critical sociolinguistic responsive practices as the field seeks to equitably assess the writing of EBs. Moreover, we suggest that critical cultural and linguistic awareness is needed in order to nurture the identities and competencies of EBs.
Wanxi White goose and Yangzhou goose exhibited differences in the level of egg production, serum biochemical, hormones and related gene expression under the same natural photoperiod regulation

ABSTRACT Egg production is seasonally regulated by the photoperiod in geese. To evaluate the effect of the natural photoperiod on egg production, 30 males and 120 females of 270-day-old Wanxi white geese and Yangzhou geese were selected and divided into two groups according to the breed. Both groups were raised under the natural photoperiod. Compared with the Yangzhou goose, the Wanxi white goose had a lower laying rate and higher expression levels of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor and anti-Müllerian hormone receptor 2 (AMHR2) in the ovary at the peak-laying period. Compared with the early-laying period, both breeds had lower serum uric acid and triacylglycerol levels, and higher serum cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels at the peak-laying period. The level of the serum luteinizing hormone (LH) at the pre-laying period was higher than that of the other egg-laying periods in the Yangzhou goose. In conclusion, the photoperiod affected egg production in geese, which was accompanied by changes in serum biochemical parameters and serum reproductive hormone levels. The concentration of the serum LH might be associated with the maturation of ovary and oviducts. In the Wanxi white goose, higher expression of AMHR2 might cause a lower sensitivity of follicles to the level of the FSH.
Multimodal radiothermomic biomarkers for breast cancer screening

Dynamic thermography has been widely used as a diagnostic tool in breast cancer screening before mammography and with clinical breast examination (CBE). Thermal imaging biomarkers, thermomics, are proven to highlight the heterogeneous thermal patterns and vasodilation indicating abnormalities in the area due to angiogenesis blood vessel formation. This study shows two sets of analyses. The first set is a feasibility study involving a combined multimodal imaging biomarker using mammographic and thermographic imaging for 11 cases of breast cancer screening. The second part of this paper shows the application of the t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (tSNE) method to provide a low dimensional representation of thermal sequence and tested for 55 breast cancer screening participants. We extracted high dimensional radiomics and thermomics and reduced the dimensionality of these features using spectral embedding technique, and trained a random forest model with tuned hyperparameters to perform diagnostic prediction. The results of tSNE combining clinical and demographics yield 77.4% (69.8%, 86.8%), while the highest accuracy belonged to Sparse PCT + Clinical with 79.3% (73.6%, 84.9%). The proposed method results indicated that the tSNE can preserve thermal patterns driven radiothermomics, which leads to significantly aid in CBE and early detection of breast cancer.
Application of the AUSAM System for Fatigue Crack Monitoring in a Wing Skin: A Case Study

Acousto-ultrasonics offers a promising basis for broad-field detection of structural damage in aircraft and could provide a basis for the development of condition-based maintenance approaches for airframes. When applied in situ, the technique can offer both substantial cost savings and performance improvements over conventional ultrasonic nondestructive inspection (NDI). The application of the technique involves the insertion of piezoelectric elements and attendant electrical conductors in the host structure. The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) has worked with a lo cal industry partner to develop the Acousto Ultrasonic Structural health monitoring Array Module (AUSAM), a compact device for the control of embedded piezoelectric transducer networks. The module, which has the footprint of a small tissue box, provides autonomous control of two send and four receive elements, and can operate synchronously with other modules to accommodate larger transducer numbers. The efficacy of the system is demonstrated through a case study involving fatigue crack monitoring in an F-111C lower wing skin test coupon. The results indicate that the system can be successfully used for crack growth monitoring, however they also highlight several issues that need to be resolved before the approach can be applied routinely in practice.
Energy-Efficient User Pairing for Downlink NOMA in Massive MIMO Networks

The motivations for deploying energy and spectral-efficient network architectures are the high energy consumption and the need for more spectral resources in modern cellular networks. The key method to solve the energy efficiency EE maximization problem of the downlink non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)-based massive MIMO system is to decouple it into user pairing and efficient power allocation problems. This work studies the performance of three main pairing methods in NOMA-based networks: Hungarian, Gale–Shapley, and correlation-based approaches. Firstly, we provide a mathematical analysis for EE of downlink NOMA in a massive MIMO system for the non-line of sight (NLoS) channel model with perfect successive interference cancellation (SIC). Finally, the sequential convex programming (SCP) approach is used to tackle the power allocation problem. Simulation results show that the Hungarian algorithm for pairing plus SCP for power allocation (Hungarian algorithm-SCP) achieves the highest energy efficiency among all the three pairing algorithms with an identical performance to joint user and resource block association with power allocation (joint user-RB PA) algorithm but with much lower computational complexity and outperforms the NOMA SCP greedy algorithm (NOMA-SCP-GA).
An Unusual Cause of Tenosynovitis by Group B Streptococcus in the Immunocompromised Patient: A Case Report

This case report describes a 49-year-old immunocompromised woman with tenosynovitis of the left middle finger caused by Group B Streptococcus (GBS). She claimed that a fishbone picked over her left middle finger. An orthopaedic surgeon operated for incision and drainage of pus discharge, wound debridement of the left middle finger and A1 and A2 pulley release. Treatment was initiated with parenteral cefepime three times per day given the growth of mixed Enterobacter species on the culture media and continued with oral cefuroxime twice daily upon discharge for one week. Unfortunately, during the orthopaedic clinic follow-up, the wound was unclean with a slough and skin necrotic patch. Therefore, Ray’s amputation of the left middle finger proceeded. This case contributes to further investigation of the GBS tenosynovitis due to the rise in GBS invasive infections and shows the importance of early diagnosing and initiating treatment with antibiotics that are effective against this pathogen.
Application of ultrasonic nondestructive testing to the diagnosis of consolidation of a restored dome

We have applied ultrasonic nondestructive techniques to gain information about the state of the first layers of a historical church dome wall. This may help in the restoration of the dome. Before the restoration, it can help us to find the areas where consolidation is required. After the restoration, it can help us to evaluate the quality of the consolidation process. Measurements have been made in the real dome and in a 1:1 scale model, where there is a prior knowledge about the layers' state. We have shown that valuable information may be obtained from ultrasonic analysis by the pulse/echo mode. Two complementary 2D diagrams, instantaneous power and instantaneous centroid frequency, are proposed. It has been shown that the centroid frequency can precisely estimate the depth of discontinuities, although power information seems to be better suited to locate the most affected area. This work shows promising results for the applicability of ultrasonic technology inside the restoration area of historical heritage buildings.
Late fusion of pre-trained networks for satellite image classification

This paper presents a deep learning approach to image classification in satellite imagery based on late fusion in conjunction with pre-trained networks. The pre-trained models are especially useful for image classification and can be used as the backbone for transfer learning. The intuition behind transfer learning is that these pre-trained models will effectively serve as a generic model of the visual world. This paper addresses the problem of object classification in representative data limited environment and exploits the pre-trained networks in conjunction with late fusion to perform classification on satellite images. Interestingly, the pre-trained networks namely ResNet50 and VGG16 trained on ImageNet (a large collection of photographs), and yet yield results with high accuracy on satellite images. The experimental results show that the late fusion method outperforms the other competing approaches buy a considerable margin of over 10 percentage points.
Application of Bioprinting in Ophthalmology

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is an emerging technology that is widely used in regenerative medicine. With the continuous development of the technology, it has attracted great attention and demonstrated promising prospects in ophthalmologic applications. In this paper, we review the three main types of 3D bioprinting technologies: Vat polymerization-based bioprinting, extrusion-based bioprinting, and jetting-based bioprinting. We also present in this review the analysis of the usage of both natural and synthesized hydrogels as well as the types of cells adopted for bioinks. Cornea and retina are the two main types of ocular tissues developed in bioprinting, while other device and implants were also developed for the ocular disease treatment. We also summarize the advantages and limitations as well as the future prospects of the current bioprinting technologies based on systematic reviews.
Multi-aircraft Trajectory Optimization for Continuous Descent Arrivals

IT is a known fact that aircraft noise and fuel emissions are the most constraining factors for the growth of aviation. Continuous Descent Arrivals (CDAs) provide significant reductions in fuel consumption and noise footprint on the ground, by following idle thrust descent and eliminating low altitude leveling off. However, limitations such as unpredictability of the trajectory and separation management for CDAs prevent wide-spread implementation. The thesis focuses on overcoming some of these limitations. Optimal control theory is used to optimize the descent trajectory of the aircraft by using fuel and time as the performance index. The problem is formulated as amulti-phase optimal control and is solved by using a pseudospectral method. The theory is also the backbone of General Pseudospectral OPtimal Control Software (GPOPS). The main focus of the thesis is to enable multi-aircraft trajectory optimization for CDAs and ensure sufficient separation between all aircraft along the entire trajectory by implementing the separation algorithm. The possibility of using both distance based and the time based separation is explored in detail. It is demonstrated using Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) airport’s real-time inbound flight data that it is feasible to apply the separation algorithm to separate aircraft along the entire lateral path while still being able to performCDAs during the peak and non-peak periods. All the limitations pertaining to the separation algorithmare analyzed and discussed in detail. By addressing some of these shortcomings, the simulation environment can be improved to bring itmore close to a real-time scenario. Although a lot of other factors have to be considered for a practical wide-spread implementation, success of this method will result in the aircraft trajectory being more predictable to the ground controller, effectively addressing one of the major shortcomings of CDAs. On a more important note, the success of this method will also result in reduced noise footprint and fuel consumption by aircraft, benefiting both the environment and airlines.
Event-driven SPAD camera with 60 ps IRF and up to 1.6 · 108 photon time-tagging measurements per second

We present a compact camera module based on an array of 16 × 16 single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) with fastgating capabilities and hosting 16 shared time-to-digital converters (TDCs) with a least significant bit (LSB) of 6 ps. SPADs are gated with a rising-edge of less than 500 ps and show an average instrument response function (IRF) of 60 ps FWHM, including the TDCs, with less than 4 ps time-dispersion across a 30 ns gate window. Differential non-linearity (DNL) and integral non-linearity (INL) are as good as 0.04 LSB and 3.6 LSB, respectively. An event-driven readout protocol optimizes data transfer from the SPAD chip to the FPGA, handling the time-of-flight (TOF) pre-processing in order to minimize the dead-time of the TDCs, thus sustaining up to 1.6 · 108 conversions per second. TOF data can be transferred towards a PC via USB-C with a maximum throughput of about 6 Gbit/s. Our camera meets the requirements of an optimized multi-pixel solution for non-line-of-sight (NLOS) imaging, as it combines fast-gating with narrow IRF: the sub-nanosecond activation of the SPADs is exploited to reject spurious light pulses, like the first bounce one from the relay wall, and properly acquire multiply-scattered photons arriving from the hidden target, while its narrow IRF allows for centimeter-accurate NLOS reconstructions. Furthermore, while the high throughput paves the way towards real-time NLOS acquisitions at video-rates, the compact form