Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Phase Structure of Novel Polycarbonate-Based Polyurethane-Organoclay Nanocomposites

Polycarbonate-based polyurethane nanocomposites were prepared using one step procedure by addition of either organically modified bentonite or montmorillonite (1 wt. %). All aliphatic components (polycarbonate diol, hexamethylene-diisocyanate and 1,4-butane diol) were used as reactants. The hard segment content of obtained thermoplastic polyurethanes was 30 wt. %. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to investigate the morphology of obtained hybrid materials. The structure of synthesized elastomers was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In order to obtain the degree of phase separation and investigate the hydrogen bonding constitution, deconvolution of –NH and –C=O IR regions was done, using Gaussian equations. It was determined that the degree of phase separation is not influenced by addition of organoclays, indicating uniform dispersion of silicate layers in the polyurethanes, which was also confirmed by SEM experiments.
Motion-based design of elastic belts for passive assistive device using musculoskeletal model

We are developing a passive power assist supporter called Smart Suit Lite. Smart Suit Lite is a compact and lightweight power assist device that utilizes the elastic force of elastic belts. To design the Smart Suit Lite, we developed a motion-based assist method and an extended musculoskeletal model. The motion-based assist method was used to design the arrangements and properties of the elastic belts by utilizing the relation between the target motions and the corresponding muscle forces. To analyze the assistive forces provided by the elastic belts, skin segments that represent the surface of the human body features the extended musculoskeletal model and can reproduce changes in length of the body surface with changes in posture. In this study, we used the developed method to produce the Smart Suit Lite for care workers. Furthermore, through a trial experiment, we found that wear comfort was strongly correlated with the assistance perceived the user. Thus, we have improved the Smart Suit Lite from the aspect of wear comfort, and verified the enhancement of the assistance provided by the device. In user testing, 90% of the participants reported a decrease in load on the low back during care work.
The Influence of Carbon Addition on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of WC-Co Sintered Powders

The mechanical properties of WC-Co are highly dependent on its cobalt content, density and grain size of the WC particles. Addition of free carbon during the consolidation of process is said to improve the densification process and inhibit grain growth. However, there are still plenty of works needs to be done regarding this matter to support the fact. Therefore, this study is to evaluate the effect of carbon addition on the physical and mechanical properties of WC-Co-C sintered powders. The WC-Co-C sample is fabricated using powder metallurgy technique, in which the powders were uniaxially pressed at 625 MPa and cold-isostatic pressed at 200 MPa. Then, the sample is sintered in nitrogen-based atmosphere at temperature range of 1350-1450C. The physical and mechanical properties of the WC-Co sintered powders were analysed. It is found that WC-Co-C has a relatively higher density and hardness but exhibit lower transverse rupture strength compared to WC-Co.
Comparison of Two Goal-Oriented Methods for the Evaluation of the Text-Line Segmentation Algorithms

Text line segmentation process represents the key step in the optical character recognition. Hence, the efficiency evaluation procedure for text line segmentation algorithms is the challenge. Text line segmentation process is established by the algorithms application to the text dataset. Furthermore, two goal-oriented methods for the evaluation of the text line segmentation results based on extended errors type and binary classification are explained. The paper presents the main points of the provided analyses and results discussion. The results confirm the superiority of the extended errors type over binary classification evaluation method.
SonicAIR: Supporting Independent Living with Reciprocal Ambient Audio Awareness

Sonic Atomic Interaction Radio (SonicAIR) is an ambient awareness technology probe designed to explore how connecting the soundscapes of friends or family members might reduce the isolation of seniors living independently. At its core, SonicAIR instruments kitchen activity sites to produce an always-on real-time aural representation of remote domestic rhythms. This article reports how users in two pilot SonicAIR deployments used the sounds as resources for recognizing comfortable narratives of sociability. Used alongside telecare monitoring, such technologized interaction might enable older people to engage in community-oriented soundscape narratives of shared social responsibility.
Ureterocalycostomy - final resort in the management of secondary pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction: our experience

ABSTRACT Ureterocalycostomy can be performed in patients in whom desired methods of treating secondary PUJ (Pelvi-Ureteric Junction) obstructions either failed or could not be used. In our study, one child and two adults in whom one redo-ureterocalycostomy and two ureterocalycostomies were performed for severely scarred PUJ. The causes for secondary PUJ obstruction were post-pyelolithotomy in one case, post-pyeloplasty and ureterocalycostomy for PUJ obstruction in the second patient and the third patient had long upper ureteric stricture post-ureteropyeloplasty due to tuberculosis. In all these cases ureterocalycostomy proved to be salvage/final resort for preserving functional renal unit.
An Efficient and Accurate Solution Methodology for Bilevel Multi-Objective Programming Problems Using a Hybrid Evolutionary-Local-Search Algorithm

Bilevel optimization problems involve two optimization tasks (upper and lower level), in which every feasible upper level solution must correspond to an optimal solution to a lower level optimization problem. These problems commonly appear in many practical problem solving tasks including optimal control, process optimization, game-playing strategy developments, transportation problems, and others. However, they are commonly converted into a single level optimization problem by using an approximate solution procedure to replace the lower level optimization task. Although there exist a number of theoretical, numerical, and evolutionary optimization studies involving single-objective bilevel programming problems, not many studies look at the context of multiple conflicting objectives in each level of a bilevel programming problem. In this paper, we address certain intricate issues related to solving multi-objective bilevel programming problems, present challenging test problems, and propose a viable and hybrid evolutionary-cum-local-search based algorithm as a solution methodology. The hybrid approach performs better than a number of existing methodologies and scales well up to 40-variable difficult test problems used in this study. The population sizing and termination criteria are made self-adaptive, so that no additional parameters need to be supplied by the user. The study indicates a clear niche of evolutionary algorithms in solving such difficult problems of practical importance compared to their usual solution by a computationally expensive nested procedure. The study opens up many issues related to multi-objective bilevel programming and hopefully this study will motivate EMO and other researchers to pay more attention to this important and difficult problem solving activity.
Consensus in leaderless networks of high-order-integrator agents

This paper investigates the consensus problem for a group of high-order-integrator agents with fixed topology. A linear distributed consensus protocol is proposed, which only depends on the agent's own information and its neighbors' partial information. A necessary and sufficient condition for convergence to consensus is established. It is proved that the topology having a spanning tree is a necessary condition for convergence to consensus. Based on the consensus protocol for networks of high-order-integrator agents, a consensus controller is provided for a group of identical agents with dynamics described by a completely controllable single-input linear time-invariant (LTI) system. It is shown that the consensus of this kind of networks is equivalent to that of networks of high-order-integrator agents. Finally, the parameter design of the protocol is discussed.
A Randomised Study of Two Doses of Biosynthetic Human Growth Hormone on Final Height of Pubertal Children with Growth Hormone Deficiency

Aims: To determine the effectiveness of different doses of r-hGH therapy during puberty in children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Methods: Randomized controlled trial of different doses of r-hGH therapy administered during puberty in 49 children with GHD. The patients were allocated randomly using a random number table to one of two groups: group 1 (15 IU/m2/week) or group 2 (30 IU/m2/week). Patients were included if they had received r-hGH daily at a dose of 15 IU/m2/week (0.7 mg/m2/day) for at least 1 year before randomization. Results: Height increase standard deviation scores (SDS) were similar between the two groups (group 1: 1.1; group 2: 1.2; p = 0.81). Conclusion: A higher dose of r-hGH administered during puberty does not appear to have a significant effect on final height of children with GH deficiency. Altering pubertal tempo or intensifying prepubertal r-hGH therapy may be a more promising approach to improving final height in children with GH deficiency.
Degraded lands worth protecting: the biological importance of Southeast Asia's repeatedly logged forests

Southeast Asia is a hotspot of imperilled biodiversity, owing to extensive logging and forest conversion to oil palm agriculture. The degraded forests that remain after multiple rounds of intensive logging are often assumed to be of little conservation value; consequently, there has been no concerted effort to prevent them from being converted to oil palm. However, no study has quantified the biodiversity of repeatedly logged forests. We compare the species richness and composition of birds and dung beetles within unlogged (primary), once-logged and twice-logged forests in Sabah, Borneo. Logging had little effect on the overall richness of birds. Dung beetle richness declined following once-logging but did not decline further after twice-logging. The species composition of bird and dung beetle communities was altered, particularly after the second logging rotation, but globally imperilled bird species (IUCN Red List) did not decline further after twice-logging. Remarkably, over 75 per cent of bird and dung beetle species found in unlogged forest persisted within twice-logged forest. Although twice-logged forests have less biological value than primary and once-logged forests, they clearly provide important habitat for numerous bird and dung beetle species. Preventing these degraded forests from being converted to oil palm should be a priority of policy-makers and conservationists.
Compression functions of uniform embeddings of groups into Hilbert and Banach spaces

Abstract We construct finitely generated groups with arbitrary prescribed Hilbert space compression α ∈ [0, 1]. This answers a question of E. Guentner and G. Niblo. For a large class of Banach spaces ℰ (including all uniformly convex Banach spaces), the ℰ-compression of these groups coincides with their Hilbert space compression. Moreover, the groups that we construct have asymptotic dimension at most 2, hence they are exact. In particular, the first examples of groups that are uniformly embeddable into a Hilbert space (moreover, of finite asymptotic dimension and exact) with Hilbert space compression 0 are given. These groups are also the first examples of groups with uniformly convex Banach space compression 0.
A method for localizing ligand binding pockets in protein structures

The accurate identification of ligand binding sites in protein structures can be valuable in determining protein function. Once the binding site is known, it becomes easier to perform in silico and experimental procedures that may allow the ligand type and the protein function to be determined. For example, binding pocket shape analysis relies heavily on the correct localization of the ligand binding site. We have developed SURFNET‐ConSurf, a modular, two‐stage method for identifying the location and shape of potential ligand binding pockets in protein structures. In the first stage, the SURFNET program identifies clefts in the protein surface that are potential binding sites. In the second stage, these clefts are trimmed in size by cutting away regions distant from highly conserved residues, as defined by the ConSurf‐HSSP database. The largest clefts that remain tend to be those where ligands bind. To test the approach, we analyzed a nonredundant set of 244 protein structures from the PDB and found that SURFNET‐ConSurf identifies a ligand binding pocket in 75% of them. The trimming procedure reduces the original cleft volumes by 30% on average, while still encompassing an average 87% of the ligand volume. From the analysis of the results we conclude that for those cases in which the ligands are found in large, highly conserved clefts, the combined SURFNET‐ConSurf method gives pockets that are a better match to the ligand shape and location. We also show that this approach works better for enzymes than for nonenzyme proteins. Proteins 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Modified Kolmogorov's Neural Network in the Identification of Hammerstein and Wiener Systems

This brief deals with the possibilities of using the modified Kolmogorov's neural network for the identification of non-linear dynamic systems, among them the Wiener and Hammerstein systems. The algorithm of training the network is simple, well convergent and with a small error of approximation. The modified neural network is characterized by a simple computer algorithm; it also omits complicated techniques of back propagation. The simulation results are shown to illustrate the modified Kolmogorov theorem.
Characterization of Canopy Layering in Forested Ecosystems Using Full Waveform Lidar

Canopy structure, the vertical distribution of canopy material, is an important element of forest ecosystem dynamics and habitat preference. Although vertical stratification, or “canopy layering,” is a basic characterization of canopy structure for research and forest management, it is difficult to quantify at landscape scales. In this paper we describe canopy structure and develop methodologies to map forest vertical stratification in a mixed temperate forest using full-waveform lidar. Two definitions—one categorical and one continuous—are used to map canopy layering over Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire with lidar data collected in 2009 by NASA’s Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS). The two resulting canopy layering datasets describe variation of canopy layering throughout the forest and show that layering varies with terrain elevation and canopy height. This information should provide increased understanding of vertical structure variability and aid habitat characterization and other forest management activities.
Brief Research Statement

Mathematical systems biology. I analyze both the deterministic and stochastic (i.e. random) mathematical models that arise in cell biology. If the abundances of the constituent molecules of a biochemical reaction system are sufficiently high then their concentrations are typically modeled by a coupled set of ordinary differential equations. If, however, the abundances are low then the standard deterministic models do not provide a good representation of the behavior of the system and stochastic models are used. Due in part to the appearance of new technologies, most notably fluorescent proteins, there is now a large literature demonstrating that the fluctuations arising from the effective randomness of molecular interactions can have significant consequences, including a randomization of phenotypic outcomes and non-genetic population heterogeneity [22, 23, 24, 28, 31, 32, 33]. In such cases, stochastic models, combined with both analytical and computational tools, are essential if these systems are to be well understood. The interactions between the molecular constituents of a cell are often depicted graphically as a reaction network. See Figure 1 for a reaction network describing the interactions of the EnvZ/OmpR signal transduction system in Escherichia coli. The constituent “species” are written in black, and the reactions are the transitions implied by the directed graph. For example, the reaction XP +Y → XpY uses one XP and one Y molecule to generate one XpY molecule.
Mandibular Reconstruction Using the Free Vascularized Fibula Graft: An Overview of Different Modifications

The reconstruction of the mandible is a complex procedure because various cosmetic as well as functional challenges must be addressed, including mastication and oral competence. Many surgical techniques have been described to address these challenges, including non-vascularized bone grafts, vascularized bone grafts, and approaches related to tissue engineering. This review summarizes different modifications of the free vascularized fibula graft, which, since its introduction by Hidalgo in 1989, has become the first option for mandibular reconstruction. The fibula free flap can undergo various modifications according to the individual requirements of a particular reconstruction. Osteocutaneous flaps can be harvested for reconstruction of composite defects. 'Double-barreling' of the fibula can, for instance, enable enhanced aesthetic and functional results, as well as immediate one-stage osseointegrated dental implantation. Recently described preoperative virtual surgery planning to facilitate neomandible remodeling could guarantee good results. To conclude, the free fibula bone graft can currently be regarded as the "gold standard" for mandibular reconstruction in case of composite (inside and outside) oral cavity defects as well as a way of enabling the performance of one-stage dental implantation.
Anaphylaxis: a history with emphasis on food allergy

In the century since Paul Portier and Charles Richet described their landmark findings of severe fatal reactions in dogs re‐exposed to venom after vaccination with sea anemone venom, treatment for anaphylaxis continues to evolve. The incidence of anaphylaxis continues to be difficult to measure. Underreporting due to patients not seeking medical care as well as failure to identify anaphylaxis affects our understanding of the magnitude of the disease. Treatment with intramuscular epinephrine continues to be the recommended first‐line therapy, although studies indicate that education of both the patients and the medical community is needed. Adverse food reactions continue to be the leading cause of anaphylaxis presenting for emergency care. Current therapy for food‐induced anaphylaxis is built on the foundation of strict dietary avoidance, rapid access to injectable epinephrine, and education to recognize signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis. Investigation into therapy with oral and sublingual immunotherapy as well as other modalities holds hope for improved treatment of food‐induced anaphylaxis.
Using a 3D Puzzle as a Metaphor for Learning Spatial Relations

We introduce a new metaphor for learning spatial relations—the 3D puzzle. With this metaphor users learn spatial relations by assembling a geometric model themselves. For this purpose, a 3D model of the subject at hand is enriched with docking positions which allow objects to be connected. Since complex 3D interactions are required to compose 3D objects, sophisticated 3D visualization and interaction techniques are included. Among these techniques are specialized shadow generation, snapping mechanisms, collision detection and the use of two-handed interaction. The 3D puzzle, similar to a computer game, can be operated at different levels of difficulty. To simplify the task, a subset of the geometry, e.g., the skeleton of an anatomic model, can be given initially. Moreover, textual information concerning the parts of the model is provided to support the user. With this approach we motivate students to explore the spatial relations in complex geometric models and at the same time give them a goal to achieve while learning takes place. A prototype of a 3D puzzle, which is designed principally for use in anatomy education, is presented.
Photoelectric Properties of the Ferroelectric Polymer Poly(vinylidene fluoride)

The photoconductivity, the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPE) and the photoelectret effect were observed experimentally in ferroelectric polymer films of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF). The mutual influence of the photoelectret internal field on the hysteresis loops and ferroelectric switching on the photoelectret charge is discussed.
Public Health Preparedness for the World's Largest Mass Gathering: 2010 World Exposition in Shanghai, China

Abstract The 2010 World Exposition in Shanghai China (Expo) was the largest mass gathering in world history, attracting a record 72 million visitors. More than 190 countries participated in the Expo, along with more than 50 international organizations. The 2010 Expo was six months in duration (May 1 through October 30, 2010), and the size of the venue site comprised 5.28 square kilometers. Great challenges were imposed on the public health system in Shanghai due to the high number and density of visitors, long duration of the event, and other risk factors such as high temperatures, typhoon, etc. As the major metropolitan public health agency in Shanghai, the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (SCDC) implemented a series of actions in preparing for, and responding to, the potential health impact of the world's largest mass gathering to date, which included partnerships for capacity building, enhancement of internal organizational structure, risk assessment, strengthened surveillance, disaster planning and exercises, laboratory management, vaccination campaign, health education, health intervention, risk communication and mass media surveillance, and technical support for health inspection. The clear-cut organizational structures and job responsibilities, as well as comprehensive operational and scientific preparations, were key elements to ensure the success of the 2010 World Exposition. YiH, Zheng'anY, FanW, XiangG, ChenD, YongchaoH, XiaodongS, HaoP, MahanyM, KeimM. Public health preparedness for the world's largest mass gathering: 2010 World Exposition in Shanghai, China. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(6):1-6.