Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fecal transmission of AA amyloidosis in the cheetah contributes to high incidence of disease

AA amyloidosis is one of the principal causes of morbidity and mortality in captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), which are in danger of extinction, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Given the transmissible characteristics of AA amyloidosis, transmission between captive cheetahs may be a possible mechanism involved in the high incidence of AA amyloidosis. In this study of animals with AA amyloidosis, we found that cheetah feces contained AA amyloid fibrils that were different from those of the liver with regard to molecular weight and shape and had greater transmissibility. The infectious activity of fecal AA amyloid fibrils was reduced or abolished by the protein denaturants 6 M guanidine·HCl and formic acid or by AA immunodepletion. Thus, we propose that feces are a vehicle of transmission that may accelerate AA amyloidosis in captive cheetah populations. These results provide a pathogenesis for AA amyloidosis and suggest possible measures for rescuing cheetahs from extinction.
Materials Flow Analysis on the System of Flue Gas Desulfurization and Denitration with Pyrolusite Slurry

Circular economy promotes the establishment of recycling-oriented society and recycling-based businesses. Circular economy is characterized by eco-efficiency improvement and materials recycle, furthermore, it also has provided a practical and feasible way for the sustainable development of human society. Materials flow analysis (MFA) has provided a new and simple way to study the development of circular economy. MFA is based on materials inputs and outputs, and then creates materials inputs and outputs account to manage materials flow. The process using pyrolusite for FGD produces manganese, high-purified manganese carbonates and slag used for cement production as byproducts. Electrolytic manganese production process, high-sulfur coal combustion process and cement production process are studied in the research. Materials flows of these processes are studied. The new production patterns are compared with the traditional ones basing on MFA. The results show that these processes are more environment-friendly and resource-saving in the comparison. To evaluate the circular economy efficiency of the complementary system, the evaluation index system of the circular economy construction is created.
GapFlow : Visualizing Gaps in Care for Medical Treatment Plans

Despite the widespread adoption of clinical guidelines (i.e. canonical treatment plan templates that represent generally accepted best practices), significant variations in care are often found across a population of patients. Gaps between the actual treatment programs performed on patients and the recommended guidelines are inevitable given the complexity of disease, differences between patients, and the individualized patient-centered decisions made by clinicians during each encounter. This poster presents a visualization tool designed to help clinical organizations better understand these gaps in care. We describe the input data, our analysis technique to classify individual gap events, and an interactive visualization technique which aggregates and summarizes the results for clinical interpretation.
The performance and long-term stability of low-cost separators in single-chamber bottle-type microbial fuel cells

ABSTRACT This study evaluates long-term stability of low-cost separators in single-chamber bottle-type microbial fuel cells with domestic wastewater. Low-cost separators tested in this study were nonwoven fabrics (NWF) of polypropylene (PP80, PP100), textile fabrics of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), sulfonated polyphenylene sulfide (SPPS), and cellulose esters. NWF PP80 separator generated the highest power density of 280 mW/m2, which was higher than with ion-exchange membranes (cation exchange membrane; CEM = 271 mW/m2, cation exchange membrane; CMI = 196 mW/m2, Nafion = 260 mW/m2). MFC operations with other size-selective separators such as SPPS, PPS, and cellulose esters exhibited power densities of 261, 231, and 250 mW/m2, respectively. During a 280-day operation, initial power density of PP80 (278 mW/m2) was decreased to 257 mW/m2, but this decrease was smaller than with others (Nafion: 265–230 mW/m2; PP100: 220–126 mW/m2). The anode potential of around −430 mV did not change much with all separators in the long-term operation, but the initial cathode potential gradually decreased. Fouling analysis suggested that the presence of carbonaceous substance on Nafion and PP80 after 280 days of operation and Nafion was subject to be more biofouling.
Preclinical evaluation of biomarkers for response monitoring to the MET inhibitor BAY-853474

Context: The receptor tyrosine kinase MET contributes to a wide range of biological activities, including survival, proliferation, and metastasis, which play an important role in cancer progression. MET is frequently overexpressed or amplified in a range of malignancies. Therefore, MET is an attractive therapeutic target for treatment of cancer. BAY-853474 is a novel specific MET inhibitor highly effective in preclinical tumor models. Objective: For response monitoring in clinical studies, soluble plasma biomarkers are the most convenient and least invasive choice. Therefore, we sought to identify such biomarkers in xenograft models. Results: We show that BAY-853474 reduces the tumor burden in U87MG glioblastoma, NCI-H1993 nonsmall cell lung cancer, and HS746T gastric cancer xenograft models. We demonstrate that the dose dependence is reflected by inhibition of MET phosphorylation and that the soluble plasma biomarkers hepatocyte growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and interleukin-8 as well as the MET-ectodomain can be used to monitor the tumor size and response to treatment. Clinical samples, however, show only moderately elevated levels of these biomarker candidates in cancer patients even with MET amplification. We, therefore, established an immunohistochemistry (IHC) protocol to detect MET phosphorylation that is suitable to monitor the effect of BAY-853474 in tumor biopsies. Conclusion: IHC-based analysis of target phosphorylation in tumor biopsies is recommended in addition to testing plasma biomarkers for response monitoring.
Psychological adaptation and birth outcomes: the role of personal resources, stress, and sociocultural context in pregnancy.

Prenatal psychosocial predictors of infant birth weight and length of gestation were investigated in a prospective study of 120 Hispanic and 110 White pregnant women. Hypotheses specifying that personal resources (mastery, self-esteem, optimism), prenatal stress (state and pregnancy anxiety), and sociocultural factors (income, education, ethnicity) would have different effects on birth outcomes were tested using structural equation modeling. Results confirmed that women with stronger resources had higher birth weight babies (beta = .21), whereas those reporting more stress had shorter gestations (beta = -.20). Resources were also associated with lower stress (beta = -.67), being married, being White, having higher income and education, and giving birth for the first time. There was no evidence that resources buffered the effects of stress. The importance of personal resources in pregnancy is highlighted along with implications for understanding the etiology of adverse birth outcomes.
Using aided cortical assessment as an objective tool to evaluate cochlear implant fitting in users with single-sided deafness

Objectives To assess the use of cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) to verify, and if necessary, optimize the cochlear implant (CI) fitting of adult CI users with postlingual single-sided deafness (SSD). Methods Sound field cortical responses to the speech tokens /m/, /g/, /t/, and /s/ were recorded from input to the CI while the normal hearing ear was masked. Responses were evaluated by visual inspection and classified as presence or absence of the CAEPs components P1, N1, P2. In case of an absence fitting was adjusted accordingly. After fitting, subjects were asked to use their new setting for 2–3 weeks for acclimatization purposes and then return for retesting. At retesting, new CAEP recordings were performed to objectively ensure that the new fitting maps effectively activated the auditory cortex. Results In 14/19 subjects, as per visual inspection, clear CAEPs were recorded by each speech token and were, therefore, not refit. In the other 5 subjects, CAEPs could not be evoked for at least one speech token. The fitting maps in these subjects were adjusted until clear CAEPs were evoked for all 4 speech tokens. Conclusions CAEP can be used to quickly and objectively verify the suitability of CI fitting in experienced adult CI users with SSD. If used in the early post-implantation stage, this method could help CI users derive greater benefit for CI use and, therefore, be more committed to auditory training.
Vorgehensmodell zur Entwicklung von Reifegradmodellen

Kurzfassung Reifegradmodelle stellen fur das IT-Management ein wichtiges Instrument dar, weil sie die Positionierung der eigenen Organisation ermoglichen und Entwicklungsrichtungen aufzeigen. Obwohl eine Vielzahl Reifegradmodelle entwickelt wurden, ist die Dokumentation des Vorgehens zu ihrer Entwicklung verhaltnismasig luckenhaft. Der vorliegende Beitrag will helfen, diese Lucke zu schliesen, indem auf der Basis wissenschaftstheoretischer Uberlegungen Anforderungen an die Entwicklung von Reifegradmodellen abgeleitet, anhand dieser Kriterien einige der wenigen dokumentierten Vorgehensweisen verglichen und die Ergebnisse in einem allgemeingultigen Vorgehensmodell zusammengefasst werden.
A bi-material microbeam based thermal actuator for out-of-plane rotation

A new design for bi-material microbeams is presented in this paper which enables the tuning of their thermal actuation response to deliver out-of-plane rotation . The design is applied to a group of 300 μm long and 20 μm wide gold-over-polysilicon microbeams with a 60 μm long top gold strip positioned in different locations along the beam length. Numerical simulation predicts that if the gold strip is situated 20 μm from one end of the microbeam, a maximum out-of- plane rotation angle of 0.9 degree can be achieved with a temperature increase of 150 °C. Thermal loading experiments carried out on fabricated similar microbeams show similar responses to those predicted by finite element simulations.
Efficient Algorithms for Computing a Strong Rank-Revealing QR Factorization

Given anm n matrixM withm > n, it is shown that there exists a permutation FI and an integer k such that the QR factorization MYI= Q(Ak ckBk) reveals the numerical rank of M: the k k upper-triangular matrix Ak is well conditioned, IlCkll2 is small, and Bk is linearly dependent on Ak with coefficients bounded by a low-degree polynomial in n. Existing rank-revealing QR (RRQR) algorithms are related to such factorizations and two algorithms are presented for computing them. The new algorithms are nearly as efficient as QR with column pivoting for most problems and take O (ran2) floating-point operations in the worst case.
Beyond Continuous Delivery: An Empirical Investigation of Continuous Deployment Challenges

Context: A growing number of software organizations have been adopting Continuous DElivery (CDE) and Continuous Deployment (CD) practices. Researchers have started investing significant efforts in studying different aspects of CDE and CD. Many studies refer to CDE (i.e., where an application is potentially capable of being deployed) and CD (i.e., where an application is automatically deployed to production on every update) as synonyms and do not distinguish them from each other. Despite CDE being successfully adopted by a large number of organizations, it is not empirically known why organizations still are unable or demotivated to have automatic and continuous deployment (i.e., CD practice). Goal: This study aims at empirically investigating and classifying the factors that may impact on adopting and implementing CD practice. Method: We conducted a mixed-method empirical study consisting of interviewing 21 software practitioners, followed by a survey with 98 respondents. Results: Our study reveals 11 confounding factors that limit or demotivate software organizations to push changes automatically and continuously to production. The most important ones are "lack of automated (user) acceptance test", "manual quality check", "deployment as business decision", "insufficient level of automated test coverage", and "highly bureaucratic deployment process". Conclusion: Our findings highlight several areas for future research and provide suggestions for practitioners to streamline deployment process.
An Adaptive Signal Detection Model applied to Perceptual Learning

We introduce a new model of adaptive criterion setting within a signal detection framework, and show how this provides psychological insights that allow us to segregate causes of suboptimality in perceptual learning. We apply this to a perceptual learning task for both neurotypical and autistic participants. The model parameters provide a bridge between the mechanisms of an aberrant precision account of autism and resulting behavior that can be interpreted within a receiver operating characteristic framework. The model makes superior out-ofsample predictions compared to standard signal detection theory, about how people adapt to different environmental manipulations when asked to categorize audio-spatial stimuli. We find that accuracy of participants is more strongly correlated to the construct of persistence signals that inhibit response flexibility, than to the neuromodulatory gain. We also find evidence for individual differences in persistence that are correlated to scores on the autistic traits questionnaire.
Biomass char production at low severity conditions under CO2 and N2 environments.

In a perspective of biomass value addition, biomass char, a thermochemical product, long time considered as a residue, is now getting attention and may represent a vector in the sustainability of the whole biomass sector. Some char types were shown to have great potential as a solid fuel or precursor for further transformations as well as having attributes for storage and transportation. Other types showed potential as a soil carbon sequestration technique and soil amendment enhancing biomass yields. Depending on several factors, but mostly on biomass and production conditions, biomass char physico-chemical characteristics may vary tremendously. Therefore, in order to be used in accordance for specific utilizations, its characteristics must be carefully understood and controlled. In this study, chars with varying properties were produced in a custom-made lab-scale fixed bed reactor. Along these experiments, various biomass chars were produced under CO2 and N2 for temperatures of 300 and 500°C. Char was produced from switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) an energy crop grown in Canada. It was then characterized for ultimate and proximate analysis as well as for calorific value. In addition, specific surface was characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) technique. Char organic content composition was verified by Soxhlet extractions using dichloromethane and extracts were analysed by GC-MS.
Towards a Better Measure of Customer Experience

Defining and improving customer experience is a growing priority for market research because experience is replacing quality as the competitive battleground for marketing. Service quality is an outgrowth of the total quality management (TQM) movement of the 1980s and suffers from that movement's focus on the provider rather than the value derived by customers. Researchers today state that customer experience is generated through a longer process of company–customer interaction across multiple channels, generated through both functional and emotional clues. Our research with practitioners indicates that most firms use customer satisfaction, or its derivative the Net Promoter Score, to assess their customers' experiences. We question this practice based on the conceptual gap between these measures and the customer experience. In IJMR 53, 6 (2011), we introduce a new measure appropriate for the modern conceptualisation of customer experience: the customer experience quality (EXQ) scale. In this article we extend that work and compare EXQ's predictive power with that of customer satisfaction. We establish that EXQ better explains and predicts both, loyalty and recommendations, than customer satisfaction.
A systematic review of odontological sex estimation methods.

BACKGROUND In human identification sex estimation plays an important role in the search for ante-mortem data. AIM To systematically review studies describing and testing/validating methods of odontological sex estimation. The set research question was: What odontological sex estimation method is the most accurate? MATERIALS AND METHODS An electronic search until November 29th 2016 was performed in 5 databases: MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane, SciELO, LILACS and Grey literature. The PRISMA guidelines were used. Studies were assessed and included based on the reported data. In particular data criteria were set regarding the considered population, sample size, age range, sex estimation method, type of statistical analysis and study outcome. The extracted data enabled to classify the included studies. Meta-analysis was used to compare the study outcomes per obtained study group. RESULTS The established search string detected 4720 studies. 103 were considered eligible after review of title, abstract and full-text. The odontological sex estimation methods were classified based on dental metric and non-metric measurements (n=65), cephalometric analysis (n=13), frontal and maxillary sinuses (n=5), cheiloscopy (n=4), palatal features (n=3) and biochemical analysis of teeth (n=13). Teeth measurements for sex estimation were mainly performed on casts (n=34), followed by skeletal remains (n=13), medical imaging (n=5), intraoral measurements/ photography (n=4), and cascades of the above (n=4). CONCLUSION The variety of published odontological sex estimation methods highlights the importance of sex estimation in human identification. Biochemical analysis of teeth proved to be the most accurate method, but in forensic practice, a need to select the most appropriate evidence based odontological sex estimation method exists.
Analyzing the quality of experience of computer games in rehabilitation: the therapist's perspective

This paper describes the quality of experience (QoE) of a gaming platform developed for the physical rehabilitation of seriously impaired children. Most literature on QoE assessment in such serious games focuses on the difficult issue of assessing the patient's experience, ignoring the therapist's perspective. This paper rather investigates the experience of the therapist in interacting with such a platform. Therapists were asked to use three different user interfaces for configuring the games to the needs of their patients and their preferences were evaluated. Results indicate a preference for a configuration tool with 3D visualization and manipulation over a 2D version. Moreover, a tablet application allowed to setup the exercises much faster than a desktop application, due to the natural way of 3D manipulation with finger gestures.
3D luminescent photonic crystal structures

We report the fabrication of photonic crystal phosphors by atomic layer deposition and the subsequent removal of self-assembled opal templates. ZnS:Mn and TiO2 inverse opals as well as ZnS:Mn/TiO2 composite inverse opals were formed. Shifts in the G-L photonic band gap positions were confirmed by reflectivity and transmission measurements and were consistent with photonic band structure calculations. The peak positions confirm that filling terminates at ~86% of the pore volume in agreement the maximum possible filling fraction for the “shell” infiltration of an opal structure. For TiO2 depositions, SEM and AFM analysis reveals ultra-smooth highly conformal films. In addition, infiltration control to < 1 nm was achieved, making fine-tuning of PC properties possible. Significant changes were observed in the emission characteristics for composite ZnS:Mn/TiO2 photonic crystals. This work demonstrates that precisely controlling the placement of materials is possible by ALD, enabling the fabrication of “optimized” structures, including those which modify emission properties.
Sound Source Localization by Normal-Hearing Listeners, Hearing-Impaired Listeners and Cochlear Implant Listeners

Objective: Our primary aim was to determine whether listeners in the following patient groups achieve localization accuracy within the 95th percentile of accuracy shown by younger or older normal-hearing (NH) listeners: (1) hearing impaired with bilateral hearing aids, (2) bimodal cochlear implant (CI), (3) bilateral CI, (4) hearing preservation CI, (5) single-sided deaf CI and (6) combined bilateral CI and bilateral hearing preservation. Design: The listeners included 57 young NH listeners, 12 older NH listeners, 17 listeners fit with hearing aids, 8 bimodal CI listeners, 32 bilateral CI listeners, 8 hearing preservation CI listeners, 13 single-sided deaf CI listeners and 3 listeners with bilateral CIs and bilateral hearing preservation. Sound source localization was assessed in a sound-deadened room with 13 loudspeakers arrayed in a 180-degree arc. Results: The root mean square (rms) error for the NH listeners was 6 degrees. The 95th percentile was 11 degrees. Nine of 16 listeners with bilateral hearing aids achieved scores within the 95th percentile of normal. Only 1 of 64 CI patients achieved a score within that range. Bimodal CI listeners scored at a level near chance, as did the listeners with a single CI or a single NH ear. Listeners with (1) bilateral CIs, (2) hearing preservation CIs, (3) single-sided deaf CIs and (4) both bilateral CIs and bilateral hearing preservation, all showed rms error scores within a similar range (mean scores between 20 and 30 degrees of error). Conclusion: Modern CIs do not restore a normal level of sound source localization for CI listeners with access to sound information from two ears.
Deep multi-task learning for gait-based biometrics

The task of identifying people by the way they walk is known as ‘gait recognition’. Although gait is mainly used for identification, additional tasks as gender recognition or age estimation may be addressed based on gait as well. In such cases, traditional approaches consider those tasks as independent ones, defining separated task-specific features and models for them. This paper shows that by training jointly more than one gait-based tasks, the identification task converges faster than when it is trained independently, and the recognition performance of multi-task models is equal or superior to more complex single-task ones. Our model is a multi-task CNN that receives as input a fixed-length sequence of optical flow channels and outputs several biometric features (identity, gender and age).