Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Senescence and Sexual Selection in a Pelagic Copepod

The ecology of senescence in marine zooplankton is not well known. Here we demonstrate senescence effects in the marine copepod Oithona davisae and show how sex and sexual selection accelerate the rate of ageing in the males. We show that adult mortality increases and male mating capacity and female fertility decrease with age and that the deterioration in reproductive performance is faster for males. Males have a limited mating capacity because they can fertilize < 2 females day−1 and their reproductive life span is 10 days on average. High female encounter rates in nature (>10 day−1), a rapid age-dependent decline in female fertility, and a high mortality cost of mating in males are conducive to the development of male choosiness. In our experiments males in fact show a preference for mating with young females that are 3 times more fertile than 30-day old females. We argue that this may lead to severe male-male competition for young virgin females and a trade-off that favours investment in mate finding over maintenance. In nature, mate finding leads to a further elevated mortality of males, because these swim rapidly in their search for attractive partners, further relaxing fitness benefits of maintenance investments. We show that females have a short reproductive period compared to their average longevity but virgin females stay fertile for most of their life. We interpret this as an adaptation to a shortage of males, because a long life increases the chance of fertilization and/or of finding a high quality partner. The very long post reproductive life that many females experience is thus a secondary effect of such an adaptation.
High verticality InP/InGaAsP etching in Cl2/H2/Ar inductively coupled plasma for photonic integrated circuits

High verticality and reduced sidewall deterioration of InP/InGaAsP in Cl2/H2/Ar inductively coupled plasma etching is demonstrated for a hydrogen dominant gas mixture. Selectivity >20:1, an etch rate of 24 nm/s, and a sidewall slope angle of >89° have been measured for etch depths >7 μm. The Ar flow is minimized to reduce surface etch damage while increased Cl2 and H2 gas flow is shown to increase etch rate and selectivity. The high chamber pressure required for plasma ignition causes isotropic etching at the start and creates an undercut beneath the masking layer. A novel ignition scheme using a hydrogen gas “flood” is suggested and results are presented.
Single-Camera-Based Method for Step Length Symmetry Measurement in Unconstrained Elderly Home Monitoring

Objective: single-camera-based gait monitoring is unobtrusive, inexpensive, and easy-to-use to monitor daily gait of seniors in their homes. However, most studies require subjects to walk perpendicularly to camera's optical axis or along some specified routes, which limits its application in elderly home monitoring. To build unconstrained monitoring environments, we propose a method to measure step length symmetry ratio (a useful gait parameter representing gait symmetry without significant relationship with age) from unconstrained straight walking using a single camera, without strict restrictions on walking directions or routes. Methods: according to projective geometry theory, we first develop a calculation formula of step length ratio for the case of unconstrained straight-line walking. Then, to adapt to general cases, we propose to modify noncollinear footprints, and accordingly provide general procedure for step length ratio extraction from unconstrained straight walking. Results: Our method achieves a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 1.9547% for 15 subjects’ normal and abnormal side-view gaits, and also obtains satisfactory MAPEs for non-side-view gaits (2.4026% for 45°-view gaits and 3.9721% for 30°-view gaits). The performance is much better than a well-established monocular gait measurement system suitable only for side-view gaits with a MAPE of 3.5538%. Conclusion: Independently of walking directions, our method can accurately estimate step length ratios from unconstrained straight walking. Significance: This demonstrates our method is applicable for elders’ daily gait monitoring to provide valuable information for elderly health care, such as abnormal gait recognition, fall risk assessment, etc.
Application of rasch measurement model in determining weight of readiness items for client's organization in Malaysian software outsourcing

Readiness assessment is one of important process should be carried out to ensure the effectiveness and successful outsourcing engagement. The assessment should be performed for both client and supplier to ensure the effectiveness and successful outsourcing. Previous study showed that various approaches and concepts were needed in order to assess client readiness such as assessment on business-IT alignment, capability and maturity of organization and stakeholder assessment in order to make an effective outsourcing. However, even there are much guidance and effort take place problem due to low readiness level still arise in client's organization to take up outsourcing activities. Public sector in Malaysia are one of the organizations also being reported having issues in outsourcing arrangement and problem arise related on low readiness. Currently, research focuses on level of readiness before implementation of outsourcing are very less. Therefore, the aimed of this study is to investigate the readiness factors in software outsourcing project from Malaysian public sectors. The factors were derived from the literature review. In order to validate the factors, survey has been carried out to 30 experienced IT officers software outsourcing project from Malaysian public sectors. The data were analysed using the Rasch Measurement Model. Outcome of the analysis are used to construct a readiness assessment model for client's organization. Findings indicate that there are 28 factors and 96 items under 6 dimensions which are strategy, human, organization, process, technology and management contribute to readiness level. From the analysis results, some suggestions such important readiness factor and evaluation method were proposed to improve future outsourcing practices. It also provides better guideline to assess readiness level in order to ensure success of outsourcing software projects especially in Malaysia public sectors.
Rough set Based Ensemble Classifier for Web Page Classification

Combining the results of a number of individually trained cl assification systems to obtain a more accurate classifier is a widely used technique in patte rn recognition. In this article, we have introduced a rough set based meta classifier to classify web p ages. The proposed method consists of two parts. In the first part, the output of every individual classifier is considered for constructing a decision table. In the second part, rough set attribute red uction and rule generation processes are used on the decision table to construct a meta classifier. It h as been shown that (1) the performance of the meta classifier is better than the performance of every constituent classifier and, (2) the meta classifier is optimal with respect to a quality measure define d i the article. Experimental studies show that the meta classifier improves accuracy of classifica tion uniformly over some benchmark corpora and beats other ensemble approaches in accuracy by a decisive margin, thus demonstrating the theoretical results. Apart from this, it reduces the CPU load compared to other ensemble classification techniques by removing redundant classifier from the combination.
Radiometric Identification Based on Low-Rank Representation and Minimum Prediction Error Regularization

Recently, radiometric identification has attracted much attention. Previous research works considered feature extraction and classification separately, which resulted in that the extracted RF fingerprint features may not be good features and not be suitable for a designated classifier. In this letter, a novel radiometric identification method is proposed to improve the performance of radiometric identification. This method attempts to find a low-rank representation matrix of original data and the optimal classifier parameter simultaneously, by imposing a regularization item of minimum prediction error. Since the recovered radio-frequency fingerprint features are discriminative, the proposed method is suitable for radiometric identification. Experiments on real data sets demonstrate that the proposed method not only outperforms the competitive methods with a higher accuracy of radiometric identification but also has a better robustness against noise. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm can discriminate different emitters with high classification accuracy even if they are from the same manufacturer.
CMV-specific immune reconstitution following allogeneic stem cell transplantation

ABSTRACT Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a major contributor to morbidity and mortality following allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) despite widespread use of viraemia monitoring and pre-emptive antiviral therapy. Uncontrolled viral replication occurs primarily in the first 100 d post transplant but this high risk period can extend to many months if immune recovery is delayed. The re-establishment of a functional population of cellular effectors is essential for control of virus replication and depends on recipient and donor serostatus, the stem cell source, degree of HLA matching and post-transplant factors such as CMV antigen exposure, presence of GVHD and ongoing use of immune suppression. A number of immune monitoring assays exist but have not yet become widely accessible for routine clinical use. Vaccination, adoptive transfer of CMV specific T cells and a number of graft engineering processes are being evaluated to enhance of CMV specific immune recovery post HSCT.
Figure-of-Merit-Based Area-Constrained Design of Differential Amplifiers

A new methodology based on the concept of figure of merit under area constraints is described for designing optimum performance dierential amplifiers. First a figure of merit is introduced that includes the three performance parameters, namely, input-referred noise, dierential dc gain, and unity-gain bandwidth. Expressions for these parameters have been derived analytically and finally arrived at an expression for the figure of merit. Next it is shown how these performance parameters vary with the relative allocation of the total available area between the input and load transistors. The figure of merit peaks at a certain value of relative area allocation in the range of 60% to 80% of the available area to the input transistors. The peak value of figure of merit is a function of area. However, it is independent of biasing current (and, therefore, power consumption) subject to the minimum current (and, therefore, a minimum power) required to keep all the transistors biased in the saturation region. The peak figure of merit and minimum power required to achieve the peak figure of merit are also plotted as a function of area. These analyses help in synthesizing optimal dierential amplifier circuit designs under area constraints.
Index admission laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis restores Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) score

Backgrounds/Aims Previous studies have evaluated quality of life (QoL) in patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for cholelithiasis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate QoL after index admission LC in patients diagnosed with acute cholecystitis (AC) using the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) questionnaire. Methods Patients ≥21 years admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore for AC and who underwent index admission LC between February 2015 and January 2016 were evaluated using the GIQLI questionnaire preoperatively and 30 days postoperatively. Results A total of 51 patients (26 males, 25 females) with a mean age of 60 years (24–86 years) were included. Median duration of abdominal pain at presentation was 2 days (1–21 days). 45% of patients had existing comorbidities, with diabetes mellitus being most common (33%). 31% were classified as mild AC, 59% as moderate and 10% as severe AC according to Tokyo Guideline 2013 (TG13) criteria. Post-operative complications were observed in 8 patients, including retained common bile duct stone (n=1), wound infection (n=2), bile leakage (n=2), intra-abdominal collection (n=1) and atrial fibrillation (n=2). 86% patients were well at 30 days follow-up and were discharged. A significant improvement in GIQLI score was observed postoperatively, with mean total GIQLI score increasing from 106.0±16.9 (101.7–112.1) to 120.4±18.0 (114.8–125.9) (p<0.001). Significant improvements were also observed in GIQLI subgroups of gastrointestinal symptoms, physical status, emotional status and social function status. Conclusions Index admission LC restores QoL in patients with AC as measured by GIQLI questionnaire.
The electrocardiographic manifestations of athlete’s heart and their association with exercise exposure

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to define the minimum amount of exercise per week (‘current exposure’) and the total amount of exercise (‘lifetime exposure’) needed to lead to the electrocardiographic changes fitting athlete’s heart. Methods: All the pre-participation screenings (including electrocardiograms (ECGs)) from collegiate athletes performed at University Sports Medical Center in 2013 and 2014 were collected. Data on height, weight, sex, age, current sport(s) participation and lifetime sport(s) participation were collected. Current exposure was categorised into 0–3, 3–6, 6–10 and >10 hours/week. Lifetime sport exposure was divided into five categories: 0–1000, 1001–2000, 2001–3000, 3001–4000 and >4000 hours. Results: The study population consisted of 1229 athletes (current exposure) and 1104 athletes (lifetime exposure). Current sport exposure: There was a significant increase in training-related ECG changes in the category 3–6 vs. <3 hours/week. When looking at individual parameters, we found an association with a significant difference in sinus bradycardia and QRS voltage (<3 vs. 3–6 hours/week) and first-degree AV-block (<3 vs. >10 hours/week). Lifetime sport exposure: There was an increase in training-related ECG changes that reached significance at an exposure >3000 hours. When looking at individual parameters, we found an association with a significant difference in sinus bradycardia (0–1000 vs. 2001–3000), QRS voltage (0–1000 vs. 3001–4000) and first-degree AV-block (0–1000 vs. >4000). Conclusion: A minimum of ≥3 hours/week of current exposure and a lifetime exposure of >3000 hours is needed to lead to the electrocardiographic changes fitting athlete’s heart.
Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Two Genes Encoding Dihydroflavonol-4-Reductase from Populus trichocarpa

Dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR, EC 1.1.1.219) is a rate-limited enzyme in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins and condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins) that catalyzes the reduction of dihydroflavonols to leucoanthocyanins. In this study, two full-length transcripts encoding for PtrDFR1 and PtrDFR2 were isolated from Populus trichocarpa. Sequence alignment of the two PtrDFRs with other known DFRs reveals the homology of these genes. The expression profile of PtrDFRs was investigated in various tissues of P. trichocarpa. To determine their functions, two PtrDFRs were overexpressed in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The associated color change in the flowers was observed in all 35S:PtrDFR1 lines, but not in 35S:PtrDFR2 lines. Compared to the wild-type control, a significantly higher accumulation of anthocyanins was detected in transgenic plants harboring the PtrDFR1. Furthermore, overexpressing PtrDFR1 in Chinese white poplar (P. tomentosa Carr.) resulted in a higher accumulation of both anthocyanins and condensed tannins, whereas constitutively expressing PtrDFR2 only improved condensed tannin accumulation, indicating the potential regulation of condensed tannins by PtrDFR2 in the biosynthetic pathway in poplars.
Synthesizing Power and Area Efficient Image Processing Pipelines on FPGAs using Customized Bit-widths

High-level synthesis (HLS) has received significant attention in recent years, improving programmability for FPGAs. PolyMage is a domain-specific language (DSL) for image processing pipelines that also has a HLS backend to translate the input DSL into an equivalent circuit that can be synthesized on FPGAs, while leveraging an HLS suite. The data at each stage of a pipeline is stored using a fixed-point data type (alpha,beta) where alpha and beta denote the number of integral and fractional bits. The power and area savings while performing arithmetic operations on fixed-point data type is known to be significant over using floating point. In this paper, we first propose an interval-arithmetic based range analysis (alpha-analysis) algorithm to estimate the number of bits required to store the integral part of the data at each stage of an image processing pipeline. The analysis algorithm uses the homogeneity of pixel signals at each stage to cluster them and perform a combined range analysis. Secondly, we propose a software architecture for easily deploying any kind of interval/affine arithmetic based range analyses in the DSL compiler. Thirdly, we propose a new range analysis technique using Satisfiability Modulo Theory (SMT) solvers, and show that the range estimates obtained through it are very close to the lower bounds obtained through profile-driven analysis.We evaluated our bitwidth analysis algorithms on four image processing benchmarks listed in the order of increasing complexity: Unsharp Mask, Down-Up Sampling, Harris Corner Detection and Horn-Schunck Optical Flow. For example, on Optical Flow, the interval analysis based approach showed an 1.4x and 1.14x improvement on area and power metrics over floating-point representation respectively; whereas the SMT solver based approach showed 2.49x and 1.58x improvement on area and power metrics when compared to interval analysis.
Sexual dimorphism in Litopenaeus vannamei ( Decapoda ) identified by geometric morphometrics

Sexual dimorphism is a dominant condition between species of crustaceans. Although sometimes the morphological discrimination may be shown conspicuous, in others it can only be accessed through statistics analyses based on comparative morphometric techniques. In particular, the geometric morphometrics (GM) have incremented the power of discrimination between the sexes, by identifying minimal morphological differences in body structures unnoticed by traditional morphometrics. With objective to identify the level of sexual dimorphism between males and females breeding of Litopenaeus vannamei, GM analyzes were performed. The females showed greater robustness in the cephalothorax, besides a greater width in the second abdominal segment compared to males. The sexual dimorphism here observed is probably linked to functional aspects of reproduction of this species and contributes to new morphometric information of L. vannamei individuals in adult phase.
Long-term safety and efficacy of factor IX gene therapy in hemophilia B.

BACKGROUND In patients with severe hemophilia B, gene therapy that is mediated by a novel self-complementary adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (AAV8) vector has been shown to raise factor IX levels for periods of up to 16 months. We wanted to determine the durability of transgene expression, the vector dose-response relationship, and the level of persistent or late toxicity. METHODS We evaluated the stability of transgene expression and long-term safety in 10 patients with severe hemophilia B: 6 patients who had been enrolled in an initial phase 1 dose-escalation trial, with 2 patients each receiving a low, intermediate, or high dose, and 4 additional patients who received the high dose (2×10(12) vector genomes per kilogram of body weight). The patients subsequently underwent extensive clinical and laboratory monitoring. RESULTS A single intravenous infusion of vector in all 10 patients with severe hemophilia B resulted in a dose-dependent increase in circulating factor IX to a level that was 1 to 6% of the normal value over a median period of 3.2 years, with observation ongoing. In the high-dose group, a consistent increase in the factor IX level to a mean (±SD) of 5.1±1.7% was observed in all 6 patients, which resulted in a reduction of more than 90% in both bleeding episodes and the use of prophylactic factor IX concentrate. A transient increase in the mean alanine aminotransferase level to 86 IU per liter (range, 36 to 202) occurred between week 7 and week 10 in 4 of the 6 patients in the high-dose group but resolved over a median of 5 days (range, 2 to 35) after prednisolone treatment. CONCLUSIONS In 10 patients with severe hemophilia B, the infusion of a single dose of AAV8 vector resulted in long-term therapeutic factor IX expression associated with clinical improvement. With a follow-up period of up to 3 years, no late toxic effects from the therapy were reported. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00979238.).
Image super-resolution using nonlocally centralized sparse representation and fields of experts priors

Although the high-resolution image can be reconstructed in the super-resolution reconstruction algorithm based on nonlocally centralized sparse representation, it does not effectively suppress the noise in the reconstructed image. It is necessary to select the appropriate priors constraint to reduce the impact of noise in the reconstructed image, so that the quality of reconstructed image can be improved when observed image have different noises. In this paper, we consequently introduced the Fields of Experts model into the nonlocally centralized sparse representation framework as the prior knowledge of image, which can effectively enhances the effect of image denoising. Moreover, the experimental results show that the proposed method can reduces the noise and gets better reconstructed images.