Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Genome of the Endangered Dryas Monkey Provides New Insights into the Evolutionary History of the Vervets

Genomic data can be a powerful tool for inferring ecology, behaviour and conservation needs of highly elusive species, particularly when other sources of information are hard to come by. Here we focus on the Dryas monkey (Cercopithecus dryas), an endangered primate endemic to the Congo Basin with cryptic behaviour and possibly less than 250 remaining individuals. Using whole genome sequencing data we show that the Dryas monkey represents a sister lineage to the vervets (Chlorocebus sp.) and has diverged from them around 1.4 million years ago with additional bi-directional gene flow ∼750,000 – ∼500,000 years ago that has likely involved the crossing of the Congo River. Together with evidence of gene flow across the Congo River in bonobos and okapis, our results suggest that the fluvial topology of the Congo River might have been more dynamic than previously recognised. Despite the presence of several homozygous loss-of-function mutations in genes associated with sperm mobility and immunity, we find high genetic diversity and low levels of inbreeding and genetic load in the studied Dryas monkey individual. This suggests that the current population carries sufficient genetic variability for long-term survival and might be larger than currently recognised. We thus provide an example of how genomic data can directly improve our understanding of highly elusive species.
A performance review of PSP for joint phase/frequency and data estimation in future broadband satellite networks

In unknown channels, nonadaptive maximum likelihood sequence detection (NA-MLSD) is far from optimum in the presence of channel-induced uncertainty. To counteract this uncertainty, conventional solutions augment MLSD with external channel estimators. However, for very low SNR values this estimation procedure becomes marginal and the conventional adaptive MLSD (CA-MLSD) approaches perform poorly. We consider joint data decoding and parameter estimation techniques, and in particular per survivor processing (PSP) techniques, as a potentially effective solutions to this problem, at the expense of increased complexity. The performance/complexity tradeoff is addressed for a convolutionally encoded Q-PSK return link of an SHF/EHF satellite system for multimedia services impaired by phase noise and frequency offsets. By contrasting NA-MLSD, CA-MLSD, and PSP, ranges are provided for channel conditions where the tradeoff favors a particular technique. Further, CA-MLSD and PSP are also contrasted in terms of scalar/ vector estimation performance.
Remodeling of DNA Methylation and Phenotypic and Transcriptional Changes in Synthetic Arabidopsis Allotetraploids1

The joining of different genomes in allotetraploids played a major role in plant evolution, but the molecular implications of this event are poorly understood. In synthetic allotetraploids of Arabidopsis and Cardaminopsis arenosa, we previously demonstrated the occurrence of frequent gene silencing. To explore the involvement of epigenetic phenomena, we investigated the occurrence and effects of DNA methylation changes. Changes in DNA methylation patterns were more frequent in synthetic allotetraploids than in the parents. Treatment with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine, an inhibitor of DNA methyltransferase, resulted in the development of altered morphologies in the synthetic allotetraploids, but not in the parents. We profiled mRNAs in control and 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine-treated parents and allotetraploids by amplified fragment length polymorphism-cDNA. We show that DNA demethylation induced and repressed two different transcriptomes. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that synthetic allotetraploids have compromised mechanisms of epigenetic gene regulation.
Activity recognition using temporal evidence theory

The ability to identify the behavior of people in a home is at the core of Smart Home functionality. Such environments are equipped with sensors that unobtrusively capture information about the occupants. Reasoning mechanisms transform the technical, frequently noisy data of sensors into meaningful interpretations of occupant activities. Time is a natural human way to reason about activities. Peoples' activities in the home often have an identifiable routine; activities take place at distinct times throughout the day and last for predicable lengths of time. However, the inclusion of temporal information is still limited in the domain of activity recognition. Evidence theory is gaining increasing interest in the field of activity recognition, and is suited to the incorporation of time related domain knowledge into the reasoning process. In this paper, an evidential reasoning framework that incorporates temporal knowledge is presented. We evaluate the effectiveness of the framework using a third party published smart home dataset. An improvement in activity recognition of 70% is achieved when time patterns and activity durations are included in activity recognition. We also compare our approach with Naive Bayes classifier and J48 Decision Tree, with temporal evidence theory achieving higher accuracies than both classifiers.
An efficient indoor localization system based on Affinity Propagation and Support Vector Regression

Indoor localization using fingerprinting techniques became more attracting to researchers in recent years because of their high accuracy. However, unpredictable Received Signal Strength (RSS) is one of the challenges. In our proposed system, it can be reduced by using strong Access Points (APs) selection method to select a subset of reliable APs and decrease the input of feature dimension. In addition, the computational cost due to a large fingerprint database was addressed by using Affinity Propagation clustering algorithm. The efficient indoor localization system relies on Support Vector Regression (SVR) due to its advantage of high generalization ability. The detailed results of real experiments indicate that the proposed system using SVR achieved a high accuracy compared to the conventional indoor algorithm.
A Single Drop of 0.5% Proparacaine Hydrochloride for Uncomplicated Clear Corneal Phacoemulsification

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of a single drop of 0.5% proparacaine hydrochloride in uncomplicated cataract surgery with phacoemulsification. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and ninety five patients scheduled for the phacoemulsification were divided into 2 groups based on the anesthetic agents they were to receive: 146 patients who received a single drop of 0.5% proparacaine 2 min before the start of the surgery (proparacaine group) and; 149 patients who received supplementation of 0.5% intracameral preservative free xylocaine (xylocaine group). A single surgeon performed all surgeries. Intraoperative and post-operative pain scores were evaluated on a visual analog scale. The surgeon noted his subjective impression of corneal clarity, discomfort while performing the surgery any supplemental anesthesia required and intraoperative complications. An anesthetist noted vital parameters and the need for intravenous sedation. Total surgical time was noted. Comparison of parameters was performed with the Chi-square test, and A P value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: No statistically significant difference was seen in the intraoperative (P = 0.24) and post-operative (P = 0.164) pain scores between groups. There was no pain (0 score) in 41.8% of patients in the proparacaine group and 46.3% of patients in the xylocaine group. The average surgical time (P = 0.279) and surgeon discomfort (P = 0.07) were not statistically significantly different between groups. No patients required supplemental anesthesia. There were no surgical complications that could compromise the visual outcome. An equal number of patients in both groups preferred same type of anesthetic technique for the fellow eye cataract surgery (89.11% for the proparacaine group and 90.18% for the xylocaine group). No patients in either group had changes in vital parameters or required intravenous sedation. Conclusion: A single drop pre-operatively, of proparacaine hydrochloride was comparable to the intracameral supplementation of preservative free xylocaine for phacoemulsification in uncomplicated cataract surgery without compromising the visual outcome. However, we recommend individualizing the anesthetic technique according to the requirements of the surgeon.
A Novel Differential Voltage Current Conveyor (DVCC) Based Instrumentation Amplifier

This research paper brings an instrumentation amplifier (IA) that exhibits all possible mode specifically voltage, current, transadmittance, and transimpedance mode using a single differential voltage current conveyor (DVCC) and few active resistors using transistors. The proposed design offers high range of 3 dB frequency for both differential gain (Ad ) and common mode rejection ratio (CMRR). The introduced topology of different IA are analyzed and simulated with PSPICE using 0.18 µm CMOS technology parameter for the realization of DVCC. Also, the experimental verification using commercially available Current Feedback Operational Amplifier (CFOA) named as IC AD844 is used to check the practical feasibility of proposed design. Apart from the ideal analysis of IA, nonidealities of the proposed work, temperature-dependent variation that affects the nature of IA, Monte Carlo simulations are well depicted in this report.
Size tunable nanoparticle formation employing droplet fusion by acoustic streaming applied to polyplexes

Automated mixing of fluids with control over mixing parameters is of highest importance for reproducible production and chemical synthesis processes. We here introduce surface acoustic waves (SAW) induced mixing of µl droplets for tailorable nanoparticle (NP) formation. Nucleic acid therapeutics represent extremely potent and innovative approaches to a variety of medical challenges, such as the treatment of cancer and genetic diseases. In this study, we apply this method to produce nucleic acid polymer complexes. Fusing two droplets containing either pDNA or cationic polymers leads to the formation of well-defined polyplexes. We show that droplet size and incubation time do not influence the desired particle characteristics significantly. However, the resulting nanoparticle diameter strongly depends on the SAW power level and educt concentrations, which indicates a kinetically controlled assembly process, while the particle shape is largely unaffected. Applying our novel technique to the formation of three-component-NP, we find that the choice of the mixing order can be used to decrease NP size even further. To address the kinetic interplay between mixing and particle growth, we apply our technique to homogenous mixing at high salt concentrations followed by a subsequent dilution step. Finally, by comparing various hand and SAW mixed polyplexes, we demonstrate significant differences in size while the cytotoxicity and in vitro efficacy remain roughly the same.
Analysis of phenotype, genotype and serotype distribution in erythromycin-resistant group B streptococci isolated from vaginal flora in Southern Ireland

SUMMARY The screening of 2000 women of childbearing age in Cork between 2004 and 2006 produced 37 erythromycin-resistant group B streptococcus (GBS) isolates. PCR analysis was performed to determine the basis for erythromycin resistance. The ermTR gene was most frequently expressed (n=19), followed by the ermB gene (n=8). Four isolates harboured the mefA gene. Six isolates yielded no PCR products. Some phenotype–genotype correlation was observed. All isolates expressing the mefA gene displayed the M phenotype whilst all those expressing ermB displayed the constitutive macrolide resistance (cMLSB) phenotype. Of 19 isolates that expressed the ermTR gene, 16 displayed the inducible macrolide resistance (iMLSB) phenotype. Serotype analysis revealed that serotypes III and V predominated in these isolates. The identification of two erythromycin-resistant serotype VIII isolates among this collection represents the first reported finding of erythromycin resistance in this serotype. A single isolate was non-typable using two latex agglutination serotyping kits.
Rhinitis following intraoperative gastro-oesophageal reflux in a dog

A four-month-old, male dog underwent surgical repair of femoral and pelvic fracture. The dog was premedicated with acepromazine combined with morphine; anaesthesia was induced with propofol to effect and maintained with isoflurane in 100 per cent oxygen. One hour after induction the dog regurgitated and gastric contents emerged through the nares. At the end of the surgery rhinoscopy and oesophagoscopy were performed. The oesophageal mucosa was apparently normal, while posterior and retrograde rhinoscopy revealed diffused hyperaemia and oedema of the nasal cavity and nasopharyngeal mucosa; food particles and moderate amount of mucous exudates were also seen. Copious lavage was performed, and administration of antibiotics, metoclopramide, cimetidine and sucralfate was initiated. Nasal mucosa was re-evaluated four days later. No abnormalities were detected in both nasal cavities and nasopharynx. The development of rhinitis following regurgitation during anaesthesia should be considered as a possible complication.
Optimal control with limited controls

We consider a linear discrete-time optimal control problem where the control is limited in terms of the number of times it can be applied. We assume an additive quadratic performance criterion that does not penalize the control directly, and show that for a scalar plant driven by an independent additive Gaussian noise the optimal control is piecewise linear based on some offline computed thresholds on the optimal estimate of the plant state which can be generated by a Kalman filter
Simplified Spatial Correlation Models for Clustered MIMO Channels With Different Array Configurations

An approximate spatial correlation model for clustered multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels is proposed in this paper. The two ingredients for the model are an approximation for uniform linear and circular arrays to avoid numerical integrals and a closed-form expression for the correlation coefficients that is derived for the Laplacian azimuth angle distribution. A new performance metric to compare parametric and nonparametric channel models is proposed and used to show that the proposed model is a good fit to the existing parametric models for low angle spreads (i.e., smaller than 10deg). A computational-complexity analysis shows that the proposed method is a numerically efficient way of generating the spatially correlated MIMO channels.
Feature Extraction of Forearm SEMG Signals

The Electromyography (EMG) signal with broad applications in various areas especially in prosthetics and myoelectric control is one of the bio-signals utilized in helping humans to control equipments. Here presents a new technique for feature extraction of forearm electromyographic (EMG) signals using a proposed mother wavelet matrix (MWM). A MWM including 45 potential mother wavelets is suggested to help the classification of surface EMG signals recorded from multiple locations on the upper forearm for ten hand motions. Also, a surface electrode matrix (SEM) is suggested to select the proper sensors for each pair of motions. For this purpose, EMG signals were recorded from sixteen locations on the forearms of six subjects in ten hand motion classes. The main goal in classification is to define a proper feature vector able to generate acceptable differences among the classes. The MWM includes the mother wavelets which make the highest difference between two particular classes. Six statistical feature vectors are compared using the continuous form of wavelet packet transform. The mother wavelet functions are selected with the aim of optimum classification between two classes using one of the feature vectors. The locations where the satisfactory signals are captured are selected from several mounted electrodes. Finally, two ten-by-ten symmetric MWM and SEM represent the proper mother wavelet function and the surface selection for recording the ten hand motions.
Seroepidemiology of pertussis in a cross-sectional study of an adult general population in Denmark

SUMMARY An increase in pertussis has been observed in several countries over the last decades, especially in adult populations. The seroprevalence of pertussis was determined in a cross-sectional study of the adult population in the Copenhagen area, Denmark, conducted between 2006 and 2008. Specific IgG antibodies against pertussis toxin (PT) were measured in 3440 persons resulting in an age-standardized seroprevalence of 3·0% (95% confidence interval 1·9–4·7) using an IgG anti-PT cut-off of 75 IU/ml. By using antibody decay profiles from longitudinal data the estimated seroincidence was 143/1000 person-years. In contrast, an incidence of 0·03/1000 person-years was estimated from the official data of notified cases during the same period. Of the investigated risk factors, only age and education were significantly associated with pertussis infection. This study indicates that pertussis is highly underestimated in the adult population in Denmark, which has implications for future prevention strategies, including raising the awareness of pertussis.
A fine grained power management supported by just-in-time compiler

A low-power computing is now on high demand for both high performance computing and mobile computing. This research suggests the framework for controlling finely grained power saving hardware such as power gating, based on on-time analysis supported by JIT Compiler. By adapting the framework to control over fine-grained power gating control, the authors have succeeded to reduce the leakage power of processor by the maximum of 22%, and the average of 6%.
Constraints on anisotropic cosmic expansion from supernovae

Aims. We test the isotropy of the expansion of the Universe by estimating the hemispherical anisotropy of supernova type Ia (SN Ia) Hubble diagrams at low redshifts (z< 0.2). Methods. We compare the best fit Hubble diagrams in pairs of hemisphere s and search for the maximal asymmetric orientation. For an isotropic Universe, we expect only a small asymmetry due to noise and the presence of nearby structures. This test does not depend on the assumed content of the Universe, the assumed model of gravity, or the spatial curvature of the Universe. The expect ation
Postoperative complications and clinical outcomes among patients undergoing thoracic and gastrointestinal cancer surgery: A prospective cohort study

Objective This study sought to determine the influence of postoperative complications on the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent thoracic and gastrointestinal cancer surgery. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted regarding 179 consecutive patients who received thorax or digestive tract surgery due to cancer and were admitted to an oncological intensive care unit. The Postoperative Morbidity Survey was used to evaluate the incidence of postoperative complications. The influence of postoperative complications on both mortality and length of hospital stay were also assessed. Results Postoperative complications were found for 54 patients (30.2%); the most common complications were respiratory problems (14.5%), pain (12.9%), cardiovascular problems (11.7%), infectious disease (11.2%), and surgical wounds (10.1%). A multivariate logistic regression found that respiratory complications (OR = 18.68; 95%CI = 5.59 - 62.39; p < 0.0001), cardiovascular problems (OR = 5.06, 95%CI = 1.49 - 17.13; p = 0.009), gastrointestinal problems (OR = 26.09; 95%CI = 6.80 - 100.16; p < 0.0001), infectious diseases (OR = 20.55; 95%CI = 5.99 - 70.56; p < 0.0001) and renal complications (OR = 18.27; 95%CI = 3.88 - 83.35; p < 0.0001) were independently associated with hospital mortality. The occurrence of at least one complication increased the likelihood of remaining hospitalized (log-rank test, p = 0.002). Conclusions Postoperative complications are frequent disorders that are associated with poor clinical outcomes; thus, structural and procedural changes should be implemented to reduce postoperative morbidity and mortality.
Hantavirus Nucleocapsid Protein Coiled-Coil Domains*

The nucleocapsid (N) proteins of hantaviruses such as the Sin Nombre virus (SNV) bind to membranes and viral RNAs, associate with transcription and replication complexes, and oligomerize during the process of virus assembly. N proteins trimerize in vitro and in vivo, and associate via assembly domains at their amino- and carboxyl-terminal ends. Because structure prediction algorithms suggested that N protein residues 3–75 form two coiled-coil motifs separated by an intervening kink or turn sequence, we examined the properties of peptides representing SNV N protein residues 3–35, 43–75, and 3–75. Of the three peptides, N-(3–35) assembled coiled-coil oligomers only at high concentration and low temperature. In contrast, N-(43–75) efficiently trimerized at low concentration, implying that it carries a coiled-coil trigger sequence. Interestingly, while the longer peptide, N-(3–75), assembled dimers and/or trimers at high concentration, at low concentration it appeared to adopt an intramolecular helix-turn-helix conformation. These results suggest that N protein oligomerization involves the bundling of intramolecular antiparallel coils or a conformational switch from intra- to intermolecular coiled-coils.
Transconductance amplifier structures with very small transconductances: a comparative design approach

A family of CMOS operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) has been designed for very small G/sub m/'s (of the order of nanoamperes per volt) with transistors operating in moderate inversion. Several OTA design schemes such as conventional, using current division, floating-gate, and bulk-driven techniques are discussed. A detailed comparison has also been made among these schemes in terms of performance characteristics such as power consumption, active silicon area, and signal-to-noise ratio. The transconductance amplifiers have been fabricated in a 1.2-/spl mu/m n-well CMOS process and operate at a power supply of 2.7 V. Chip test results are in good agreement with theoretical results.
Conformal Hybrid Solar and Electromagnetic (EM) Energy Harvesting Rectenna

This paper presents the design of a cost effective, hybrid energy harvesting circuit combining a solar cell and a rectenna capable to harvest ambient electromagnetic energy. Electromagnetic analysis is used to model and optimize the designed circuits in order to allow the antenna and solar cell to share the same area leading to a compact structure. Nonlinear harmonic balance optimization is used to maximize the RF-to-DC conversion efficiency of the rectenna circuitry in the presence of the solar cell and both wideband and multiband topologies are presented. Furthermore, a low cost and flexible polyethylene terephthalate PET substrate and a flexible amorphous silicon solar cell are chosen, providing for both a low cost and conformal structure. A prototype able to generate a maximum DC power of 56 mW when the solar cell is illuminated with 100 mW/cm2 solar irradiance, and a dual band rectenna demonstrating an efficiency of 15% around 850 MHz and 1850 MHz when illuminated by a microwave signal of available power is presented.