Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of the correlation between illness perception and anxiety level in cancer patients

PURPOSE To investıgate the relationship between the perception of the disease and level of anxiety in patients with cancer. DESIGN AND METHODS A correlation and descriptive study from a convenience sample of 318 oncological patients aged 18 years and older was done. Subjects were measured with a Patient's Information Form, the Revised Illness Perception Questionnare, and the Strait-Trait Anxiety Inventory. FINDINGS When evaluated together with most of its subscales, illness perception was found to affect anxiety. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Nurses should evaluate the anxiety levels of the cancer patients in every stage and should educate the patients and their relatives on coping with anxiety. Appropriate treatment and care depending on the illness perception of the cancer patients should be planned by nurses.
Comparing young people's experience of technology-delivered v. face-to-face mindfulness and relaxation: Two-armed qualitative focus group study

Background The current popularity of mindfulness-based practices has coincided with the increase in access to mobile technology. This has led to many mindfulness apps and programs becoming available, some specifically for children. However, little is known about the experience of engaging with mindfulness through these mediums. Aims To explore children's experience of mindfulness delivered both face-to-face and through a computer game to highlight any differences or similarities. Method A two-armed qualitative focus groups design was used to explore children's experiences. The first arm offered mindfulness exercises in a traditional face-to-face setting with guided meditations. The second arm offered mindfulness exercises through a computer game avatar. Results Themes of relaxation, engagement, awareness, thinking, practice and directing attention emerged from both arms of focus groups. Subthematic codes highlight key differences as well as similarities in the experience of mindfulness. Conclusions These results indicate that mindfulness delivered via technology can offer a rich experience.
Regulation of profibrotic responses by ADAM17 activation in high glucose requires its C-terminus and FAK

ABSTRACT Glomerular matrix accumulation is the hallmark of diabetic nephropathy. The metalloprotease ADAM17 mediates high glucose (HG)-induced matrix production by kidney mesangial cells through release of ligands for the epidermal growth factor receptor. Here, we study the mechanism by which HG activates ADAM17. We find that the C-terminus is essential for ADAM17 activation and the profibrotic response to HG. In the C-terminus, Src-mediated Y702 phosphorylation and PI3K–MEK–Erk-mediated T735 phosphorylation are crucial for ADAM17 activation, both are also required for the HG-induced increase in cell surface mature ADAM17. The non-receptor tyrosine kinase FAK is a central mediator of these processes. These data not only support a crucial role for the C-terminus in ADAM17 activation and downstream profibrotic responses to HG, but also highlight FAK as a potential alternative therapeutic target for diabetic nephropathy. Summary: ADAM17 mediates fibrosis in diabetic kidney disease. The ADAM17 C-terminus and its phosphorylation at two sites are crucial for enzyme activation and the profibrotic response to high glucose.
Effect of Residual Gradient Stress of Cantilever Plate Structure Deposited Metal Layers with Different Constraints on Deformation

Cantilever plate structure deposited metal layer is widely used MEMS. Due to mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients between structure and metal layers, residual gradient stress would be induced and deform structure as devices cooling down from process high temperature to room temperature. In this work, constraints effect is investigated. There are three constraints discussed and could be fabricated by back etching, isotropic wet etching, and anisotropic dry etching. For detail analysis, finite element method is used to analyze. Different width and length of structure sizes are used to discuss constraint effect. From the results, it is found different constraint would affect deformation. Under the same structure sizes, flat surface constraint has the largest deformation. And ICP etching constraint has the smallest deformation. Due to mechanics behavior of plate being much different comparing to beam, deformation of plate is no long parabolic shape in length direction. There are complex deformations in width direction. It is also found the deformation is determined by mechanics behavior on constraints. Width and constraint types have no significant on deformation when length is large at free end and middle section. And length has no significant effect on deformation for ICP and backside etching at clamped end. Temperature would induce increasing deformation linearly at free end and middle section.
Creation of superhydrophilic surfaces of paper and board

Corona, flame, atmospheric plasma, and liquid flame spray (LFS) techniques were used to create highly hydrophilic surfaces for pigment-coated paper and board and machine-glossed paper. All the surface modification techniques were performed continuously in ambient atmosphere. The physical changes on the surfaces were characterized by field emission gun-scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), atomic force microscopy and Parker Print-Surf surface roughness. The chemical changes were analysed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The superhydrophilic surfaces, i.e. contact angle of water (CAW) <10°, were created mainly by modifying the surface chemistry of the paper and board by argon plasma or SiO2 coating. The nano- and microscale roughness existing on paper and board surfaces enabled the creation of the superhydrophilic surfaces. Furthermore, the benefits and limitations of the surface modification techniques are discussed and compared. For example, the SiO2 coating maintained its extreme hydrophilicity for at least six months, whereas the CAW of argon plasma-treated surface increased to about 20° already in one day.
Robust detection of biasing attacks on misappropriated distributed observers via decentralized H∞ synthesis

We develop a decentralized H∞ synthesis approach to detection of biasing misappropriation attacks on distributed observers. Its starting point is to equip the observer with an attack model which is then used in the design of attack detectors. A two-step design procedure is proposed. First, an initial centralized setup is carried out which enables each node to compute the parameters of its attack detector online in a decentralized manner, without interacting with other nodes. Each such detector is designed using the H∞ approach. Next, the attack detectors are embedded into the network, which allows them to detect misappropriated nodes from innovation in the network interconnections.
Sustainable Concrete made of Construction and Demolition Wastes using Recycled Wastewater in the UAE

Most of the previous research on the use of recycled materials for concrete examined only the effect of using recycled aggregate in concrete mixes. In this paper, the combined effects of recycled aggregate and recycled water on the strength and durability of recycled concrete are presented and discussed. Three types of mixing water were examined and found to comply with the requirements of EN 1008 and ASTM C94. The test program involved the preparation of a moderate strength concrete made out of recycled water and recycled aggregate obtained from demolition and construc- tion wastes. In the demolition waste series, four mixes of concrete were prepared using different contents of aggregate extracted from demolition waste and recycled water. The effect of the recycled aggregate and recycled water on the ax- ial and flexural strength was found to be moderate but had a significant negative impact on the durability. In the con- struction waste series, to enhance the durability and to lower the carbon footprint of the recycled concrete mix, the OPC was replaced by GGBS. Four replacement ratios, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90%, of the OPC were examined. While all the four mixes achieved good strength and durability, the mix with 90% GGBS did not achieve the target strength of 40 MPa even after 56 days. In general, fully recycled concrete mix with 80% GGBS replacement is recommended for any sustainable future construction in the Gulf with an expected carbon footprint of 129.9 kg/m 3 .
Comparative Normal Mode Analysis of the Dynamics of DENV and ZIKV Capsids

Key steps in the life cycle of a virus, such as the fusion event as the virus infects a host cell and its maturation process, relate to an intricate interplay between the structure and the dynamics of its constituent proteins, especially those that define its capsid, much akin to an envelope that protects its genomic material. We present a comprehensive, comparative analysis of such interplay for the capsids of two viruses from the flaviviridae family, Dengue (DENV) and Zika (ZIKV). We use for that purpose our own software suite, DD-NMA, which is based on normal mode analysis. We describe the elements of DD-NMA that are relevant to the analysis of large systems, such as virus capsids. In particular, we introduce our implementation of simplified elastic networks and justify their parametrization. Using DD-NMA, we illustrate the importance of packing interactions within the virus capsids on the dynamics of the E proteins of DENV and ZIKV. We identify differences between the computed atomic fluctuations of the E proteins in DENV and ZIKV and relate those differences to changes observed in their high resolution structures. We conclude with a discussion on additional analyses that are needed to fully characterize the dynamics of the two viruses.
A novel aperture coupled microstrip circular patch antenna for dual band operation

Fractal based structures have been widely used in numerous antenna designs for several applications. In this paper, a tree fractal based aperture coupled microstrip circular patch antenna for dual band wireless communication applications is presented. The aperture is in the form of a tree fractal structure which acts as the slot for coupling the energy to the circular patch. The slot is fed by using a microstrip transmission line printed on the other side of the substrate. The aperture coupled microstrip circular patch antenna resonates for dual frequencies at 3.5 GHz in one direction and 5.8 GHz in the opposite direction. The antenna may find applications in WLAN and WiMAX frequencies.
Effects of Operating Conditions on Bimodal Atomic Force Microscopy

Bimodal Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is a recently developed dynamic AFM technique. Recent work [1] has shown the existence of different regimes of operation in Bimodal AFM depending on the operating conditions. The current work focuses on the effects of different operating parameters while imaging an impact copolymer blend of polypropylene (PP) and ethylene-propylene (E-P) rubber. The higher mode amplitude and phase contrasts reverse at different points between the PP and rubber regions as the free amplitude of the higher eigenmode is increased. The observed contrast reversal suggests that the cantilever kinetic energy and its free air drive input energy play a role in determining the regimes of operation. Understanding the role of cantilever dynamics in determining these operation regimes will help guide a more rational operation of Bimodal AFM.
ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Rhabdoviridae.

The family Rhabdoviridae comprises viruses with negative-sense (-) single-stranded RNA genomes of 10.8-16.1 kb. Virions are typically enveloped with bullet-shaped or bacilliform morphology but can also be non-enveloped filaments. Rhabdoviruses infect plants and animals including mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, as well as arthropods which serve as single hosts or act as biological vectors for transmission to animals or plants. Rhabdoviruses include important pathogens of humans, livestock, fish and agricultural crops. This is a summary of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Report on the taxonomy of Rhabdoviridae, which is available at www.ictv. global/report/rhabdoviridae.
Prehypertension is a comorbid state with autonomic and metabolic dysfunction

We aimed to elucidate the role of autonomic dysfunction in the context of complex metabolic and cardiovascular changes in subjects with prehypertension. We identified 556 asymptomatic subjects without hypertension who underwent comprehensive cardiovascular exams. We obtained heart rate recovery (HRR) after peak exercise to quantitatively measure autonomic dysfunction. Of the 556 participants, 279 individuals had prehypertension and the remaining 277 had optimal BP. HRR was significantly lower in the prehypertension group (36.0 ± 14.5 bpm) than in the optimal BP group (39.3 ± 14.7 bpm, P = .009). The prehypertension group more frequently demonstrated features of metabolic disturbances and subclinical target organ damage. Among the various baseline cardiovascular and metabolic factors assessed, resting systolic BP and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol level were independent determinants of HRR (both P < .05). Autonomic dysfunction coexists with prehypertension and is closely linked to changes in systolic BP and lipid metabolism.
Nonlinear Convergence Algorithm: Structural Properties with Doubly Stochastic Quadratic Operators for Multi-Agent Systems

Abstract This paper proposes nonlinear operator of extreme doubly stochastic quadratic operator (EDSQO) for convergence algorithm aimed at solving consensus problem (CP) of discrete-time for multi-agent systems (MAS) on n-dimensional simplex. The first part undertakes systematic review of consensus problems. Convergence was generated via extreme doubly stochastic quadratic operators (EDSQOs) in the other part. However, this work was able to formulate convergence algorithms from doubly stochastic matrices, majorization theory, graph theory and stochastic analysis. We develop two algorithms: 1) the nonlinear algorithm of extreme doubly stochastic quadratic operator (NLAEDSQO) to generate all the convergent EDSQOs and 2) the nonlinear convergence algorithm (NLCA) of EDSQOs to investigate the optimal consensus for MAS. Experimental evaluation on convergent of EDSQOs yielded an optimal consensus for MAS. Comparative analysis with the convergence of EDSQOs and DeGroot model were carried out. The comparison was based on the complexity of operators, number of iterations to converge and the time required for convergences. This research proposed algorithm on convergence which is faster than the DeGroot linear model.
Comments on: "Lyapunov matrices for a class of time delay systems" by V. L. Kharitonov

We prove that an auxiliary two-point boundary value problem presented in V. L. Kharitonov, Lyapunov matrices for a class of time delay systems, Systems & Control Letters 55 (2006) 610-617 has linearly dependent boundary conditions, and consequently a unique solution does not exist. Therefore, the two-point boundary value problem presented therein fails to be a basis for constructing Lyapunov matrices for the class of time delay systems investigated.
Featherlight on-the-fly false-sharing detection

Shared-memory parallel programs routinely suffer from false sharing---a performance degradation caused by different threads accessing different variables that reside on the same CPU cacheline and at least one variable is modified. State-of-the-art tools detect false sharing via a heavyweight process of logging memory accesses and feeding the ensuing access traces to an offline cache simulator. We have developed Feather, a lightweight, on-the-fly false-sharing detection tool. Feather achieves low overhead by exploiting two hardware features ubiquitous in commodity CPUs: the performance monitoring units (PMU) and debug registers. Additionally, Feather is a first-of-its-kind tool to detect false sharing in multi-process applications that use shared memory. Feather allowed us to scale false-sharing detection to myriad codes. Feather detected several false-sharing cases in important multi-core and multi-process codes including previous PPoPP artifacts. Eliminating false sharing resulted in dramatic (up to 16x) speedups.
Epidemiology of autism in adults across age groups and ability levels

Background The epidemiology of autism in adults has relied on untested projections using childhood research. Aims To derive representative estimates of the prevalence of autism and key associations in adults of all ages and ability levels. Method Comparable clinical diagnostic assessments of 7274 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey participants combined with a population case-register survey of 290 adults with intellectual disability. Results The combined prevalence of autism in adults of all ages in England was 11/1000 (95% CI 3–19/1000). It was higher in those with moderate to profound intellectual disability (odds ratio (OR) = 63.5, 95% CI 27.4–147.2). Male gender was a strong predictor of autism only in those with no or mild intellectual disability (adjusted OR = 8.5, 95% CI 2.0–34.9; interaction with gender, P = 0.03). Conclusions Few adults with autism have intellectual disability; however, autism is more prevalent in this population. Autism measures may miss more women with autism.
Modeling Residual-Geometric Flow Sampling

Traffic monitoring and estimation of flow parameters in high-speed routers have recently become challenging as the Internet grew in both scale and complexity. In this paper, we focus on a family of flow-size estimation algorithms we call Residual-Geometric Sampling (RGS), which generates a random point within each flow according to a geometric random variable and records all remaining packets in a flow counter. Our analytical investigation shows that previous estimation algorithms based on this method exhibit bias in recovering flow statistics from the sampled measurements. To address this problem, we derive a novel set of unbiased estimators for RGS, validate them using real Internet traces, and show that they provide an accurate and scalable solution to Internet traffic monitoring.
The global epidemiology of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae

ABSTRACT Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) are an important and increasing threat to global health. Both clonal spread and plasmid-mediated transmission contribute to the ongoing rise in incidence of these bacteria. Among the 4 classes of β-lactamases defined by the Ambler classification system, the carbapenemases that confer carbapenem resistance in Enterobacteriaceae belong to 3 of them: Class A (K. pneumoniae carbapenemases, KPC), Class B (metallo-β-lactamases, MBL including New Delhi metallo-β-lactamases, NDM) and Class D (OXA-48-like carbapenemases). KPC-producing CPE are the most commonly occurring CPE in the United States. MBL-producing CPE have been most commonly associated with the Indian Subcontinent as well as with specific countries in Europe, including Romania, Denmark, Spain, and Hungary. The epicenter of OXA-48-like-producing is in Turkey and surrounding countries. Detailed knowledge of the epidemiology and molecular characteristics of CPE is essential to stem the spread of these pathogens.
Juvenile mycosis fungoides with large‐cell transformation: Successful treatment with psoralen with ultraviolet A light, interferon‐alfa, and localized radiation

Mycosis fungoides with large‐cell transformation is historically associated with a poor prognosis. Pediatric cases of mycosis fungoides with large‐cell transformation are rare, with only three other cases reported in the literature. We present the first case of a child with almost complete remission of his mycosis fungoides with large‐cell transformation shortly after administration of psoralen plus ultraviolet A, interferon‐alfa, and localized radiation.
Hybrid particle swarm training for convolution neural network (CNN)

Convolutional Neural Networks(CNN) are one of the most used neural networks in the present time. Its applications are extremely varied. Most recently they have been proving helpful with deep learning, as well. Since it is growing in more convoluted domains, its training complexity is also increasing. To tackle this problem, many hybrid algorithms have been implemented. In this paper, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is used to reduce the overall complexity of the algorithm. The hybrid of PSO used with CNN decreases the required number of epochs for training and the dependency on GPU system. The algorithm so designed is capable of achieving 3–4% increase in accuracy with lesser number of epochs. The advantage of which is decreased hardware requirements for training of CNNs. The hybrid training algorithm is also capable of overcoming the local minima problem of the regular backpropagation training methodology.
Characterization and utilization of cement kiln dusts (CKDs) as partial replacements of Portland cement

The characteristics of cement kiln dusts (CKDs) and their effects as partial replacement of Portland Cement (PC) were studied in this research program. The cement industry is currently under pressure to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and solid byproducts in the form of CKDs. The use of CKDs in concrete has the potential to substantially reduce the environmental impact of their disposal and create significant cost and energy savings to the cement industry. Studies have shown that CKDs can be used as a partial substitute of PC in a range of 5 – 15%, by mass. Although the use of CKDs is promising, there is very little understanding of their effects in CKD-PC blends. Previous studies provide variable and often conflicting results. The reasons for the inconsistent results are not obvious due to a lack of material characterization data. The characteristics of a CKD must be well-defined in order to understand its potential impact in concrete. The materials used in this study were two different types of PC (normal and moderate sulfate resistant) and seven CKDs. The CKDs used in this study were selected to provide a representation of those available in North America from the three major types of cement manufacturing processes: wet, long-dry, and preheater/precalciner. The CKDs have a wide range of chemical and physical composition based on different raw material sources and technologies. Two fillers (limestone powder and quartz powder) were also used to compare their effects to that of CKDs at an equivalent replacement of PC.
Gray matter atrophy in presymptomatic Huntington's patients.

Background and purpose Background - Huntington's disease is a progressive disease in which neurodegeneration is on-going from the early presymptomatic phase. Development of sensitive biomarkers in this presymptomatic stage that are able to monitor the disease progression and test the efficacy of putative neuroprotective treatments are essential. Methods Methods - Seven presymptomatic Huntington mutation carriers and ten age-matched healthy controls were recruited. Six of the patients participated in a 24 months longitudinal study having MRI scans 12 and 24 months after the baseline measurements. High resolution T1 weighted images were carried out and voxel based morphometry was used to analyse the data. Apart of group differences, correlation of CAG repeat number with focal cortical thickness and with global gray matter volume was calculated. Results Results - Focal cortical atrophy was found bilaterally in the superior temporal sulcus and in the left middle frontal gyrus in presymptomatic Huntington patients in whom no sign of cognitive or motor deterioration was detected. Global gray matter atrophy (p<0.048) and decreased total brain volume was found. The number of CAG triplets showed no correlation with the focal gray matter atrophy and total brain volume. Strong correlation between the CAG repeat number and global gray matter volume was found (p<0.016). Conclusion Conclusion - Cortical atrophy is apparent in the early, presymptomatic stage of the disease. With further validation in large patient sample atrophy measure could be biomarker of disease progression and putatively of neurodegeneration.