Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of Hardware Neural Networks IC with Switchable Gait Pattern for Insect-Type Microrobot

The authors are studying Hardware Neural Networks (HNN) for generating a driving waveform of a millimeter size insect-type microrobot. HNN can generate the pulse waveform such as the neural networks of living organisms. In the previous research, the HNN constructed by an Integrated Circuit (IC) could generate only a tripod gait pattern which is necessary to perform the locomotion of the microrobot. The microrobot can move six legs independently; thus, the mechanical structure of the microrobot allows the several gaits by changing the driving waveform. The HNN with switchable gait pattern could perform the different locomotion of the microrobot. In this paper, the authors discuss HNN which can switch the gait pattern of the microrobot. HNN can generate two gait pattern such as the tripod gait pattern and the ripple gait pattern which is typical gaits of insects. The tripod is for fast walking and the ripple is for slow walking, respectively. Usually, six cell body models mutually connected by 18 inhibitory synaptic models were required to generate the tripod gait pattern. Also, six cell body models mutually connected by 30 inhibitory synaptic models were required to generate the ripple gait pattern. The authors simplified the network with proposal excitatory-inhibitory switchable synaptic model. The HNN can simplify as six cell body models connected by two excitatory-inhibitory switchable synaptic model and ten inhibitory synaptic models. In addition, two types of gait patterns can be switched using a single external voltage source. As a result, The HNN generates tripod gait pattern with an external voltage of 3.0 V and ripple gait pattern with an external voltage of -3.0 V.
Inflatable Robotic Arm with Overlaid Plastic Sheet Structure

An inflatable structure has been focused by several researchers in the field of soft robotics, owing to its features: flexible, lightweight and compactable. In particular, inflatable robotic arms have been expected to perform daily tasks near humans due to safe contact. To date, several inflatable robotic arms have been proposed, however, the number of robotic arms composed of only plastic materials is quite limited. In addition, the control performance of the robots has not been discussed sufficiently.This paper proposes a novel inflatable robotic arm composed of poly-laminated sheets and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) sheets. The combination of the two materials provides high-pressure resistance. Several advantages are also given: high torque, high control performance, and high load capacity. Moreover, both pressure and visual feedback controls are utilized to realize precise motion control. The end-effector of the robot is composed of pleated structures and grasps flexibly according to object shapes. The performance of the robot is finally described by some experiments.
A Framework for Bearing-Only Sparse Semantic Self-Localization for Visually Impaired People

Self-localization in indoor environments is a critical issue for visually impaired people. Most localization approaches use low-level features and metric information as input. This can result in insufficient output for visually impaired people since humans understand their surroundings from high-level semantic cues. They need to be provided their location with respect to the objects in their surroundings. Thus, in this work, we develop a novel framework that uses semantic information directly for localization, which can also be used to inform the user about his surroundings. The developed framework directly uses sparse semantic information such as the existence of doors, windows, tables, etc. directly within the sensor model and localizes the user within a 2D semantic map. It does not make use of any distance information to each semantic landmark, which is usually quite difficult to obtain. Nor does it require any kind of data association- the objects need not be uniquely identified. Hence, it can be implemented with simple sensors like a camera, with object detection software. For our framework, one of the most popular game engines, Unity was chosen to create a realistic office environment, consisting of necessary office items and an agent with a wide-angle camera representing the user. Experimentally, we show that this semantic localization method is an efficient way to make use of sparse semantic information for locating a person.
An H-Shaped, Differential Antenna, for 5G/FR1 Applications

A structurally simple, H-Shaped, differential antenna is presented. The antenna is operating at 5.2GHz, with a −10dB bandwidth of 4 percent, and has a differential impedance of 100Ω. The size of the intrinsic antenna is 2.07cm × 1.4cm. The proposed antenna has a gain of 5.7dBi and a directivity of 7dB at the center frequency. It has a front to back ratio of 15.7dB across the operating band. The proposed antenna is designed, simulated and verified experimentally. As the paper presents ways for scaling at different frequencies, the developed antenna finds its application in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, Wireless LAN, 5G, energy harvesting circuits and any wireless sensor nodes, where differential inputs/outputs are required.
Control of Malaria Vector Mosquitoes by Insecticide-Treated Combinations of Window Screens and Eave Baffles

We assessed window screens and eave baffles (WSEBs), which enable mosquitoes to enter but not exit houses, as an alternative to indoor residual spraying (IRS) for malaria vector control. WSEBs treated with water, the pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin, or the organophosphate pirimiphos-methyl, with and without a binding agent for increasing insecticide persistence on netting, were compared with IRS in experimental huts. Compared with IRS containing the same insecticide, WSEBs killed similar proportions of Anopheles funestus mosquitoes that were resistant to pyrethroids, carbamates and organochlorines and greater proportions of pyrethroid-resistant, early exiting An. arabiensis mosquitoes. WSEBs with pirimiphos-methyl killed greater proportions of both vectors than lambda-cyhalothrin or lambda-cyhalothrin plus pirimiphos-methyl and were equally efficacious when combined with binding agent. WSEBs required far less insecticide than IRS, and binding agents might enhance durability. WSEBs might enable affordable deployment of insecticide combinations to mitigate against physiologic insecticide resistance and improve control of behaviorally resistant, early exiting vectors.
Digital chest drainage is better than traditional chest drainage following pulmonary surgery: a meta-analysis

In this systematic review with meta-analysis, we sought to determine the current strength of evidence for or against digital and traditional chest drainage systems following pulmonary surgery with regards to hard clinical end points and cost-effectiveness. PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science were searched from their inception to 31 July 2017. The weighted mean difference (WMD) and the risk ratio were used for continuous and dichotomous outcomes, respectively, each with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The heterogeneity and risk of bias were also assessed. A total of 10 randomized controlled trials enrolling 1268 patients were included in this study. Overall, digital chest drainage reduced the duration of chest tube placement (WMD -0.72 days; 95% CI -1.03 to -0.40; P < 0.001), length of hospital stay (WMD -0.97 days; 95% CI -1.46 to -0.48; P < 0.001), air leak duration (WMD -0.95 days; 95% CI -1.51 to 0.39; P < 0.001), and postoperative cost (WMD -443.16 euros; 95% CI -747.60 to -138.73; P = 0.004). However, the effect differences between the 2 groups were not significant for the duration of a prolonged air leak and the percentage of patients discharged home on a device. The stability of these studies was strong. No publication bias was detected. It may be necessary to use a digital chest drainage system for patients who underwent pulmonary surgery to reduce the duration of chest tube placement, length of hospital stay and air leak duration.
Informational value of percent body fat with body mass index for the risk of abnormal blood glucose: a nationally representative cross-sectional study

Objective To examine the value of percent body fat (%BF) with body mass index (BMI) to assess the risk of abnormal blood glucose (ABG) among US adults who are normal weight or overweight. We hypothesised that normal-weight population with higher %BF is more likely to have ABG. Design A cross-sectional study. Setting National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2006, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Participants Participants were US adults aged 40 and older who have never been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes by a doctor (unweighted n=6335, weighted n=65 705 694). The study population was classified into four groups: (1) normal weight with normal %BF, (2) normal weight with high %BF, (3) overweight with normal %BF and (4) overweight with high %BF. Main outcome measures ORs for ABG including pre-diabetes and undiagnosed diabetes (HbA1c ≥5.7%, ≥39 mmol/mol). Results 64% of population with normal BMI classification had a high %BF. Prevalence of ABG in normal-weight group with high %BF (13.5%) is significantly higher than the overweight group with low %BF (10.5%, P<0.001). In an unadjusted model, the OR of ABG was significantly greater in adults at normal BMI with high %BF compared with individuals at normal weight with low %BF. In an adjusted model controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, first-degree-relative diabetes, vigorous-intensity activities and muscle strengthening activities, risks of ABG were greater in population with normal weight and high %BF (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.38) and with overweight and low %BF (OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.98, P<0.05). Conclusions Integrating BMI with %BF can improve in classification to direct screening and prevention efforts to a group currently considered healthy and avoid penalties and stigmatisation of other groups that are classified as high risk of ABG.
An Embedded Sensing and Communication Platform, and a Healthcare Model for Remote Monitoring of Chronic Diseases

This paper presents a new remote healthcare model, which, exploiting wireless biomedical sensors, an embedded local unit (gateway) for sensor data acquisition-processing-communication, and a remote e-Health service center, can be scaled in different telemedicine scenarios. The aim is avoiding hospitalization cost and long waiting lists for patients affected by chronic illness who need continuous and long-term monitoring of some vital parameters. In the “1:1” scenario, the patient has a set of biomedical sensors and a gateway to exchange data and healthcare protocols with the remote service center. In the “1:N” scenario the use of gateway and sensors is managed by a professional caregiver, e.g., assigned by the Public Health System to a number N of different patients. In the “point of care” scenario the patient, instead of being hospitalized, can take the needed measurements at a specific health corner, which is then connected to the remote e-Health center. A mix of commercially available sensors and new custom-designed ones is presented. The new custom-designed sensors range from a single-lead electrocardiograph for easy measurements taken by the patients at their home, to a multi-channel biomedical integrated circuit for acquisition of multi-channel bio signals, to a new motion sensor for patient posture estimation and fall detection. Experimental trials in real-world telemedicine applications assess the proposed system in terms of easy usability from patients, specialist and family doctors, and caregivers, in terms of scalability in different scenarios, and in terms of suitability for implementation of needed care plans.
Spherical convective dynamos in the rapidly rotating asymptotic regime

Self-sustained convective dynamos in planetary systems operate in an asymptotic regime of rapid rotation, where a balance is thought to hold between the Coriolis, pressure, buoyancy and Lorentz forces (the MAC balance). Classical numerical solutions have previously been obtained in a regime of moderate rotation where viscous and inertial forces are still significant. We define a uni-dimensional path in parameter space between classical models and asymptotic conditions from the requirements to enforce a MAC balance and to preserve the ratio between the magnetic diffusion and convective overturn times (the magnetic Reynolds number). Direct numerical simulations performed along this path show that the spatial structure of the solution at scales larger than the magnetic dissipation length is largely invariant. This enables the definition of large-eddy simulations resting on the assumption that small-scale details of the hydrodynamic turbulence are irrelevant to the determination of the large-scale asymptotic state. These simulations are shown to be in good agreement with direct simulations in the range where both are feasible, and can be computed for control parameter values far beyond the current state of the art, such as an Ekman number $E=10^{-8}$ . We obtain strong-field convective dynamos approaching the MAC balance and a Taylor state to an unprecedented degree of accuracy. The physical connection between classical models and asymptotic conditions is shown to be devoid of abrupt transitions, demonstrating the asymptotic relevance of classical numerical dynamo mechanisms. The fields of the system are confirmed to follow diffusivity-free, power-based scaling laws along the path.
Acute Effects of Capsaicin on Energy Expenditure and Fat Oxidation in Negative Energy Balance

Background Addition of capsaicin (CAPS) to the diet has been shown to increase energy expenditure; therefore capsaicin is an interesting target for anti-obesity therapy. Aim We investigated the 24 h effects of CAPS on energy expenditure, substrate oxidation and blood pressure during 25% negative energy balance. Methods Subjects underwent four 36 h sessions in a respiration chamber for measurements of energy expenditure, substrate oxidation and blood pressure. They received 100% or 75% of their daily energy requirements in the conditions ‘100%CAPS’, ‘100%Control’, ‘75%CAPS’ and ‘75%Control’. CAPS was given at a dose of 2.56 mg (1.03 g of red chili pepper, 39,050 Scoville heat units (SHU)) with every meal. Results An induced negative energy balance of 25% was effectively a 20.5% negative energy balance due to adapting mechanisms. Diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) and resting energy expenditure (REE) at 75%CAPS did not differ from DIT and REE at 100%Control, while at 75%Control these tended to be or were lower than at 100%Control (p = 0.05 and p = 0.02 respectively). Sleeping metabolic rate (SMR) at 75%CAPS did not differ from SMR at 100%CAPS, while SMR at 75%Control was lower than at 100%CAPS (p = 0.04). Fat oxidation at 75%CAPS was higher than at 100%Control (p = 0.03), while with 75%Control it did not differ from 100%Control. Respiratory quotient (RQ) was more decreased at 75%CAPS (p = 0.04) than at 75%Control (p = 0.05) when compared with 100%Control. Blood pressure did not differ between the four conditions. Conclusion In an effectively 20.5% negative energy balance, consumption of 2.56 mg capsaicin per meal supports negative energy balance by counteracting the unfavorable negative energy balance effect of decrease in components of energy expenditure. Moreover, consumption of 2.56 mg capsaicin per meal promotes fat oxidation in negative energy balance and does not increase blood pressure significantly. Trial Registration Nederlands Trial Register; registration number NTR2944
HIV drug resistance and related factors in patients receiving second-line combination antiretroviral therapy in rural China

Objective: This study aims to understand the rates of and analyze the risk factors for HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) among patients on second-line combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Methods: Patients receiving cART between January 2007 and December 2009 whose regimens were changed to second-line cART for at least 6 months, were included in this cross-sectional study, conducted from 2013 to 2014. Patients completed a questionnaire, and blood samples were collected to measure CD4 cell count and HIV viral load (VL), and to perform HIV resistance genotyping. Factors associated with HIVDR were identified using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Of the 122 patients included in this study, 33 (27%) had virologic failure (VL >1000 copies/mL). In these 33 patients, HIVDR was found to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (42.4%), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (36.4%), and to both of these drug classes (24.2%). Virologic failure was associated with a shorter duration of first-line cART and lower CD4 cell counts, whereas HIVDR was associated with higher CD4 cell counts (OR 10.62; 95% CI 2.46, 45.91). Conclusions: The prevalence of HIVDR was high in the study population, representing a challenge to the scaling up of treatment in the country. Adherence to cART should be given with greater attention.
Prospective study of incidence and predictors of peripheral intravenous catheter-induced complications

Background Although intravenous therapy is one of the most commonly performed procedures in hospitalized patients, it remains susceptible to infectious and noninfectious complications. Previous studies investigated peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) complications mainly in pediatrics, but apparently none were investigated among Saudi adult populations. The aim of this study was to assess the pattern and complications of PIVCs at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods An observational prospective cohort study investigated PIVCs pattern and complications among adults with PIVCs, admitted to various wards at KAMC. PIVCs-related clinical outcomes (pain, phlebitis, leaking, and others) were recorded in 12-hour intervals, using the Visual Inspection Phlebitis scale. Density incidence (DI) and cumulative incidence (CI) of complications and their relative risks (RRs) were calculated. Regression analyses were applied and significance limits were set at P<0.05. Results During the study period, 359 adults were included, mounting to 842 PIVCs and 2,505 catheter days. The majority of patients, 276 (76.9%), had medical, chief admission complaints, whereas 83 (23.1%) were trauma/surgical and infectious cases. Complicated catheters were found in 141 (39.3%) patients, with 273 complications (32.4/100 catheters), in 190 complicated catheters (CI =22.56/100 catheters and DI =75.84/1,000 catheter days). Phlebitis ranked first among complications, 148 (CI =17.6%), followed by pain 64 (CI =7.6%), leaking 33 (CI =3.9%), dislodgement 20 (CI =2.4%), and extravasations and occlusion 4 (CI =0.5% each). Phlebitis was predicted with female sex (P<0.001), insertion in fore/upper arm (P=0.024), and infusion of medication (P=0.02). Removal time for PIVCs insertion was not a significant predictor of phlebitis (RR =1.46, P=0.08). Conclusion Incidence of complications in this study was significantly higher than rates in previous studies. Better insertion techniques may be sought to lower the incidences of PIVC complications, thus extending their onset beyond day 3. Changing catheters is recommended when clinically indicated rather than routinely post-72 hours.
A phase III, double-blind, randomized trial of palonosetron compared with ondansetron in preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting following highly emetogenic chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND This pivotal phase III trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of palonosetron in preventing acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) following highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients were randomized to a single intravenous dose of palonosetron 0.25 mg or 0.75 mg, or ondansetron 32 mg prior to HEC. Dexamethasone pre-treatment (with stratification) was used at investigator discretion. The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients with complete response (CR) during the first 24 h post-chemotherapy (acute phase). RESULTS In the intent-to-treat analysis (n = 667), palonosetron 0.25 mg and 0.75 mg were at least as effective as ondansetron in preventing acute CINV (59.2%, 65.5%, and 57.0% CR rates, respectively); CR rates were slightly higher with palonosetron than ondansetron during the delayed (24-120 h) and overall (0-120 h) phases. Two thirds of patients (n = 447) received concomitant dexamethasone. Patients pre-treated with palonosetron 0.25 mg plus dexamethasone had significantly higher CR rates than those receiving ondansetron plus dexamethasone during the delayed (42.0% versus 28.6%) and overall (40.7% versus 25.2%) phases. Palonosetron and ondansetron were well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS Single-dose palonosetron was as effective as ondansetron in preventing acute CINV following HEC, and with dexamethasone pre-treatment, its effectiveness was significantly increased over ondansetron throughout the 5-day post-chemotherapy period.
Preparation of poly-l-lysine-based nanoparticles with pH-sensitive release of curcumin for targeted imaging and therapy of liver cancer in vitro and in vivo

Abstract Poly-l-lysine (PLL) nanoparticle (NP) system was prepared for the controlled release of curcumin (CUR) by pH stimuli, and its theranostic efficacy on cancer was compared to that of CUR solution in vitro and in vivo. Deoxycholic acid (DOCA), methoxy polyethylene glycol (MPEG) and cyanine 5.5 (cy5.5) were conjugated to the amine group of PLL through condensation reaction (PLL-DOCA-MPEG-cy5.5), followed by encapsulation of CUR by dialysis method (PLL-DOCA-MPEG-cy5.5/CUR NPs). The composition, morphology and size distribution of PLL-DOCA-MPEG-cy5.5 NPs were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), respectively. In vitro tests exhibited that changes in the charge and size of the NPs at low pH led to the improved cellular uptake of CUR into human hepatoma Hep3B cell line by electrostatically absorptive endocytosis. PEGylation with MPEG was turn out to be very effective to have a prolonged blood circulation time, in turn increased the EPR effect. In addition, the incorporation of Cy5.5 into NPs provided successful biodistribution images in vivo and ex vivo. Our findings suggest that PLL-DOCA-MPEG-cy5.5/CUR NPs may have promising applications in cancer theranosis.