Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measurement of thermal and electrical conductivities of graphene nanofluids

The current work experimentally investigates the thermal and electrical conductivities of nanofluids containing graphene sheets that have very high thermal conductivity. Here, the graphene is prepared from natural graphite by oxidation-reduction process through a single step method. The graphene nanofluid thus obtained exhibited greater stability even after six months of preparation without addition of any surfactants. The detailed characterization process involving TEM, UV absorption and DLS measurements revealed the well dispersed nature of nanofluid with sheets appropriately interconnected and entangled. The DLS measurement indicates a trimodal size distribution of graphene sheet ranging from 5nm to 1500nm. It was also found that the absorption peak of the sample was 269 nm. This reveals the complete reduction of graphene oxide to graphene and the value is in good agreement with the literature. The thermal conductivity is measured using the traditional Transient Hot Wire (THW) method and enhancements are substantial even at lower concentrations while such behaviour is not predicted by the classical Maxwell theory. The thermal conductivity of graphene nanofluids are measured for different concentrations of 0.01 0.2 volume % at different temperatures. It is observed that the thermal conductivity increases with increase in concentration of grapheme, which is as expected. The maximum enhancement obtained is 27% at 0.2% concentration. The enhancement also shows a strong temperature dependence which is unlike that of its carbon predecessors like CNT and graphene oxide nanofluids. Electrical conductivity is measured using a 4 cell conductivity meter with inbuilt automatic temperature compensation. Electrical conductivity enhancement is found to be linear with increase in graphene volume fraction.
Tyrosine-derived polycarbonate membrane in treating mandibular bone defects. An experimental study

This study was designed to evaluate the suitability of a novel bioabsorbable material in treating bone defects. A poly(desaminotyrosyl-tyrosine-ethyl ester carbonate) (PDTE carbonate) membrane (thickness 0.2–0.3 mm) was implanted into the mandibular angle of 20 New Zealand White rabbits to cover a through-and-through defect (12×6 mm). In group 1, the defects were left unfilled but covered with membrane and in group 2 the defects were filled with bioactive glass mesh and covered with membrane, too. Controls were left uncovered and unfilled. The animals were followed for 6, 12, 24 and 52 weeks, respectively. The material was evaluated by qualitative analysis of histological reactions and newly formed bone. We found that PDTE carbonate elicited a modest foreign body reaction in the tissues, which was uniform throughout the study. New bone formation was seen in all samples after six weeks. Group 1 had more new bone formation until 24 weeks and after this the difference settled. Based on findings of this study it was concluded that PDTE carbonate membranes have good biocompatibility and are sufficient to enhance bone growth without additional supportive matrix.
10-701 Machine Learning : Assignment 2 Due on March 11 , 2014 at 11 : 59

Instructions: Failure to follow these directions may result in loss of points. • Your solutions for this assignment need to be in a pdf format and should be submitted to the blackboard and the webpage http://barnabas-cmu-10701.appspot. com for peer-reviewing. • For the programming question, your code should be well-documented, so a TA can understand what is happening. • We are NOT going to use Autolab in this assignment. • DO NOT include any identification (your name, andrew id, or email) in both the content and filename of your submission.
Recent Advancement in the Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy-Based Biosensors for Infectious Disease Diagnosis

Diagnosis is the key component in disease elimination to improve global health. However, there is a tremendous need for diagnostic innovation for neglected tropical diseases that largely consist of mosquito-borne infections and bacterial infections. Early diagnosis of these infectious diseases is critical but challenging because the biomarkers are present at low concentrations, demanding bioanalytical techniques that can deliver high sensitivity with ensured specificity. Owing to the plasmonic nanomaterials-enabled high detection sensitivities, even up to single molecules, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has gained attention as an optical analytical tool for early disease biomarker detection. In this mini-review, we highlight the SERS-based assay development tailored to detect key types of biomarkers for mosquito-borne and bacterial infections. We discuss in detail the variations of SERS-based techniques that have developed to afford qualitative and quantitative disease biomarker detection in a more accurate, affordable, and field-transferable manner. Current and emerging challenges in the advancement of SERS-based technologies from the proof-of-concept phase to the point-of-care phase are also briefly discussed.
Campylobacter spp. as a Foodborne Pathogen: A Review

Campylobacter is well recognized as the leading cause of bacterial foodborne diarrheal disease worldwide. Symptoms can range from mild to serious infections of the children and the elderly and permanent neurological symptoms. The organism is a cytochrome oxidase positive, microaerophilic, curved Gram-negative rod exhibiting corkscrew motility and is carried in the intestine of many wild and domestic animals, particularly avian species including poultry. Intestinal colonization results in healthy animals as carriers. In contrast with the most recent published reviews that cover specific aspects of Campylobacter/campylobacteriosis, this broad review aims at elucidating and discussing the (i) genus Campylobacter, growth and survival characteristics; (ii) detection, isolation and confirmation of Campylobacter; (iii) campylobacteriosis and presence of virulence factors; and (iv) colonization of poultry and control strategies.
Analytical Models for QoS-driven VNF Placement and Provisioning in Wireless Carrier Cloud

Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) represents a promising solution for wireless network operators to improve business agility and cope with the continuing growth in data traffic. Furthermore, by virtualizing core network functions as well as radio-access network functions, NFV can effectively reduce the cost to deploy and operate large wireless networks. Face to this technology revolution, a new underlying cloud architecture is emerging. This architecture is based on the combination of edge clouds and a centralized cloud, referred to as the edge-central cloud. This notably improves user experience while ensuring scalability and load balancing. In such carrier cloud environment, efficient management mechanisms for the Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) are of crucial importance. In this paper, we introduce VNF placement and provisioning optimization strategies over an edge-central carrier cloud infrastructure taking into account QoS requirements (i.e., response time, latency constraints and real-time requirements) and using analytical and QoS models. Our main design goals are to optimize resource utilization, to prevent cloudlet overload, and to avoid violation of SLA requirements. We propose different solutions to achieve a trade-off between these conflicting objectives according to the wireless operator requirements. These solutions are evaluated through extensive simulations using different performance metrics and encouraging results are obtained.
Hybrid FE/BI modeling of 3-D doubly periodic structures utilizing triangular prismatic elements and an MPIE formulation accelerated by the Ewald transformation

We present the formulation of a finite-element/boundary-integral method for the analysis of three-dimensional doubly periodic structures based on arbitrary nonorthogonal lattice configurations. The method starts from a functional description of the field problem where only a single unit cell of the array is considered. This unit cell is meshed with triangular prismatic volume elements and the electric field intensity is discretized with edge-based expansion functions. On the sidewalls of the unit cell, phase boundary conditions are employed to relate the fields on opposing walls of the unit cell. On the top and/or bottom unit cell planar surfaces, the mesh is terminated using a mixed potential integral equation. The required space-domain periodic Green's function is calculated after applying the Ewald (1921) transformation to convert the slowly converging series representation into two rapidly converging series. The method is validated for simple slot and strip frequency-selective surfaces as well as microstrip dipole arrays. More complex geometries investigated are slot-coupled microstrip patches, photonic bandgap materials, and the so-called "artificial puck plate" frequency-selective surface bandpass structure.
Quantification of Radiation Biomarkers in Leukocytes of Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Different Modalities of 3D-CRT or IMRT

The goal of this study was to determine whether the quantification of radiation biomarkers in peripheral leukocytes of 111 breast cancer patients after adjuvant treatment with different modalities of three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) or intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) revealed any difference in the patients' radiation burden by out-of-field doses and an associated risk of second malignancies. Whole-breast radiation therapy was performed by 3D-CRT using either a hard wedge (n = 32) or a virtual wedge (n = 49) at dose rates of 3 and 6 Gy per min each. Patients receiving additional radiotherapy to lymph nodes were treated by 3D-CRT (n = 21) or IMRT (n = 9). DNA damage was measured as γ-H2AX foci (n = 111) and as unstable chromosomal aberrations (n = 15) in leukocytes drawn 30 min and 24 h after the first radiation fraction, respectively. The individual basal yield and radiation sensitivity ex vivo were assessed in leukocytes obtained before the first treatment. After radiation therapy, the average rate of γ-H2AX foci and chromosomal aberrations per leukocyte were dependent on multiple parameters of irradiation: the treatment volume, the administered equivalent whole-body dose, the number of monitor units and the beam-on time. Different modalities of radiation therapy caused significant variations in the levels of both radiation biomarkers irrespective of the treatment volume and administered dose, and in particular, a twofold higher rate after IMRT compared to 3D-CRT. Any deviation in biomarker response between radiation therapy techniques was directed by a linear dependence on the absolute beam-on time. However, the dispersion of γ-H2AX foci in peripheral leukocytes after radiation therapy correlated very well with the relative distribution of dose in the whole-body volume for each radiation therapy technique. In conclusion, the induction of radiation biomarkers in leukocytes of breast cancer patients by different radiotherapy modalities is dominated by general variables of irradiation. There was no significant difference in peripheral dose exposure observed in the investigated radiation therapy techniques. Radiotherapy techniques with prolonged absolute beam-on time increase the fraction of exposed leukocytes with pronounced risks for hematologic toxicities or immunosuppressive side effects.
Greater lower limb flexion in gymnastic landings is associated with reduced landing force: a repeated measures study

High impact forces during gymnastic landings are thought to contribute to the high rate of injuries. Lower limb joint flexion is currently limited within gymnastic rules, yet might be an avenue for reduced force absorption. This study investigated whether lower limb flexion during three gymnastic landings was related to force. Differences between landings were also explored. Twenty-one elite women's artistic gymnasts performed three common gymnastic techniques: drop landing (DL), front and back somersaults. Ankle, knee, and hip angles, and vertical ground reaction force [(vGRF) magnitude and time to peak], were measured using three-dimensional motion analysis and force platform. The DL had significantly smaller peak vGRF, greater time to peak vGRF and larger lower limb flexion ranges than landing from either somersault. Peak vGRF and time to peak vGRF were inversely related. Peak vGRF was significantly reduced in gymnasts who landed with greater hip flexion, and time to peak was significantly increased with increasing ankle, knee, and hip flexion. Increased range of lower limb flexion should be encouraged during gymnastic landings to increase time to peak vGRF and reduce high impact force. For this purpose, judging criteria limitations on lower limb flexion should be reconsidered.
Basilar Artery Occlusion Treated with Mechanical Thrombectomy beyond Eight Hours with Successful Recanalization and Good Functional Outcomes

Patient 1 A 67-year-old man with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia developed sudden right hemiparesis, dysarthria and lethargy. He presented to our institution 10 h following symptom onset. During the previous 3 weeks, he had had 2 episodes of transient leg weakness and headache. Neurological examination revealed severe lethargy, right gaze palsy, right facial weakness, deviation of the tongue to the right and right hemiparesis. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score was 15. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed acute infarcts in the left pontine tegmentum, medial occipital and parietal lobes and cerebellum. Digital subtraction angiography, performed 17 h after the stroke, revealed midbasilar occlusion. Mechanical thrombectomy, using the X6 Merci retriever, followed by balloon angioplasty of a midbasilar artery stenosis was successfully performed, without procedure-related complications. Heparin was administered for 24 h after this procedure. Aspirin had been started upon admission. There is a growing interest in mechanical endovascular therapy for stroke patients who are ineligible for, or do not respond to, intravenous thrombolytic therapy. The effect of such interventions on functional outcome is yet to be proven. However, a narrow time window has limited wider use of these techniques, especially in the context of randomized trials. We illustrate 2 patients who underwent late but successful mechanical thrombectomy Published online: May 13, 2009
Reinforcement Learning with Safe Exploration for Network Security

Safe reinforcement learning is important for the safety critical applications especially network security, as the exploration of some dangerous actions can result in huge short-term losses such as network failure or large scale privacy leakage. In this paper, we propose a reinforcement learning algorithm with safe exploration and uses transfer learning to reduce the initial random exploration. A blacklist is maintained to record the most dangerous state-action pairs as a safety constraint. A safe deep reinforcement learning version uses a convolutional neural network to estimate the risk levels and thus further improves the safety of the exploration and accelerates the learning speed for the learning agent. As a case study, the proposed reinforcement learning with safe exploration is applied in the anti-jamming robot communications. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithms can improve the jamming resistance of the robot and reduce the outage rate to enter the most dangerous states compared with the benchmark algorithms.
A first-come-first-served mutual-exclusion algorithm with small communication variables

Mutual exclusion is a basic and classic synchronization problem. Informally, it can be formulated as follows: We have a collection of N processes each having the structure illustrated in Figure 1. Each process iterates repeatedly through a noncritical section (NCS) and a critical section (C S). The problem is to design a trying protocol and exit protocol that surround the CS and that synchronize access to it in the following sense:
Metabolic Origins and Transport of Vitamin E Biosynthetic Precursors

Tocochromanols are organic compounds mostly produced by photosynthetic organisms that exhibit vitamin E activity in animals. They result from the condensation of homogentisate with four different polyprenyl side chains derived all from geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate. The core tocochromanol biosynthesis has been investigated in several photosynthetic organisms and is now well-characterized. In contrast, our current knowledge of the biosynthesis and transport of tocochromanol biosynthetic precursors is much more limited. While tocochromanol synthesis occurs in plastids, converging genetic data in Arabidopsis and soybean demonstrate that the synthesis of the polar precursor homogentisate is located in the cytoplasm. These data implies that tocochromanol synthesis involves several plastidic membrane transporter(s) that remain to be identified. In addition, the metabolic origin of the lipophilic isoprenoid precursor is not fully elucidated. While some genetic data exclusively attribute the synthesis of the prenyl component of tocochromanols to the plastidic methyl erythritol phosphate pathway, multiple lines of evidence provided by feeding experiments and metabolic engineering studies indicate that it might partially originate from the cytoplasmic mevalonate pathway. Although this question is still open, these data demonstrate the existence of membrane transporter(s) capable of importing cytosolic polyprenyl pyrophosphate such as farnesyl pyrophosphate into plastids. Since the availability of both homogentisate and polyprenyl pyrophosphates are currently accepted as major mechanisms controlling the type and amount of tocochromanols produced in plant tissues, we summarized our current knowledge and research gaps concerning the biosynthesis, metabolic origins and transport of tocochromanol biosynthetic precursors in plant cells.
MiniMIPS: a simulation project for the computer architecture laboratory

We developed the project presented in this paper for an undergraduate computer architecture course specifically aimed at non-engineering students. The project is designed to develop understanding of processor organisation at the functional unit level by building a series software execution driven simulators, from a single cycle sequential processor to a simple pipelined processor. The students are lead through the functional design process step by step, in a succession of carefully structured tasks. The project starts by building functional units of a processor. These units are then used to construct a single cycle processor, a multi cycle processor, and finally a pipelined processor with data hazard detection and forwarding. The main goal of the project is to give students a true insight into the fundamental ideas, which are the basis of the development of the modern microprocessor.
Low‐profile triple‐band microstrip antenna via sharing a single multi‐mode patch resonator

A low-profile microstrip patch antenna (MPA) operating in triple WLAN bands (2.4 /5.2 /5.8 GHz) with stable broadside radiation is proposed by employing TM 10 , TM 12 , and TM 30 modes. Firstly, the TM 12 mode of the MPA could be excited at around 5.8 GHz by properly selecting its dimensions. Meanwhile, a linear slot is etched out at the center of the radiating patch to transform the radiated fields of TM 12 and TM 30 modes into the broadside radiation with low sidelobe level. Secondly, the shorting pins are symmetrically loaded underneath the patch, aiming to improve the input impedance matching of TM 10 mode and push up its resonant frequency to around 2.4 GHz. Thirdly, a pair of parallel slots is near the radiating edges of the patch radiator, thus extending the surface current distribution of TM 30 mode and reallocating its resonant frequency to around 5.2 GHz. In final, the prototype antenna is fabricated and measured to validate its working principle. The results illustrate that this low-profile MPA makes these three radiative modes resonate at around 2.44, 5.22, and 5.82 GHz, respectively. Most importantly, a stable normal radiation pattern with low cross-polarisation and sidelobe levels is maintained for the proposed antenna as well.
Relation of physician specialty and HIV/AIDS experience to choice of guideline-recommended antiretroviral therapy

AbstractBACKGROUND: Controversy exists regarding who should provide care for those with HIV/AIDS. While previous studies have found an association between physician HIV experience and patient outcomes, less is known about the relationship of physician specialty to HIV/AIDS outcomes or quality of care. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between choice of appropriate antiretroviral therapy (ART) to physician specialty and HIV/AIDS experience. DESIGN: Self-administered physician survey. PARTICIPANTS: Random sample of 2,478 internal medicine (IM) and infectious disease (ID) physicians. MEASUREMENTS: Choice of guideline-recommended ART. RESULTS: Two patients with HIV disease, differing only by CD4+ count and HIV RNA load, were presented. Respondents were asked whether ART was indicated, and if so, what ART regimen they would choose. Respondents’ ART choices were categorized as “recommended” or not by Department of Health and Human Services guidelines. Respondents’ HIV/AIDS experience was categorized as moderate to high (MOD/HI) or none to low (NO/LO). For Case 1, 72.9% of responding physicians chose recommended ART. Recommended ART was more likely (P<.01) to be chosen by ID physicians (88.2%) than by IM physicians (57.1%). Physicians with MOD/HI experience were also more likely (P<.01) to choose recommended ART than those with NO/LO experience. Finally, choice of ART was examined using logistic regression: specialty and HIV experience were found to be independent predictors of choosing recommended ART (for ID physicians, odds ratio [OR], 4.66; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 3.15 to 6.90; and for MOD/HI experience, OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.33 to 3.16). Results for Case 2 were similar. When the analysis was repeated excluding physicians who indicated they would refer the HIV “patient,” specialty and HIV experience were not significant predictors of choosing recommended ART. CONCLUSIONS: Guideline-recommended ART appears to be less likely to be chosen by generalists and physicians with less HIV/AIDS experience, although many of these physicians report they would refer these patients in clinical practice. These results lend support to current recommendations for routine expert consultant input in the management of those with HIV/AIDS.
MLN8054, a Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Aurora A, Causes Spindle Pole and Chromosome Congression Defects Leading to Aneuploidy

ABSTRACT Aurora A kinase plays an essential role in the proper assembly and function of the mitotic spindle, as its perturbation causes defects in centrosome separation, spindle pole organization, and chromosome congression. Moreover, Aurora A disruption leads to cell death via a mechanism that involves aneuploidy generation. However, the link between the immediate functional consequences of Aurora A inhibition and the development of aneuploidy is not clearly defined. In this study, we delineate the sequence of events that lead to aneuploidy following Aurora A inhibition using MLN8054, a selective Aurora A small-molecule inhibitor. Human tumor cells treated with MLN8054 show a high incidence of abnormal mitotic spindles, often with unseparated centrosomes. Although these spindle defects result in mitotic delays, cells ultimately divide at a frequency near that of untreated cells. We show that many of the spindles in the dividing cells are bipolar, although they lack centrosomes at one or more spindle poles. MLN8054-treated cells frequently show alignment defects during metaphase, lagging chromosomes in anaphase, and chromatin bridges during telophase. Consistent with the chromosome segregation defects, cells treated with MLN8054 develop aneuploidy over time. Taken together, these results suggest that Aurora A inhibition kills tumor cells through the development of deleterious aneuploidy.