Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
One-pot Low-Temperature Synthesis of High Crystalline Cu Nanoparticles

This research work has developed a classic method to synthesize high crystalline ~50nm copper (Cu) nanoparticles at a low temperature of 80oC. While nanoparticle synthesis is a concern, a rapid chemical reduction method (CRM) was introduced by reducing copper salts and an appropriate capping agent. The capping agent facilities controlled the movement and formation of nanoparticles that were further investigated by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermo-gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) as well as TEM couple EDS. The such in-depth analysis demonstrates a 100% crystalline phase with having to predominate (111), (200), and (220) planes and 84% purity. The medium and process protocol selection may be adapted to synthesize other nanoparticles for different functional applications.
Fermi Surface of ThRu2Si2 as a Reference to the Strongly Correlated Isostructural Metals Investigated by Quantum Oscillations

We have successfully grown a high-quality single crystal of ThRu2Si2 with the residual resistivity ratio (RRR) of 120, which is a reference compound to the heavy-fermion systems CeRu2Si2 and URu2Si2 crystallizing in the tetragonal ThCr2Si2-type structure, and observed the quantum oscillations (de Haas–van Alphen effect). The result is compared with the Fermi surfaces of CeRu2Si2 and URu2Si2 as well as the band structure calculations. The main features of Fermi surface topology of ThRu2Si2 are similar to those of the heavy-fermion compound CeRu2Si2, indicating that the 4f electron in CeRu2Si2 contributes to the conduction band. On the other hand, the Fermi surfaces of ThRu2Si2 significantly differ from those obtained for URu2Si2, suggesting the itinerant nature of 5f electrons rather than the conventionally assumed localized 5f2 configuration.
In Vitro and In Vivo Biocompatibility Assessment of a Thermosensitive Injectable Chitosan-Based Hydrogel for Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering

Musculoskeletal impairments, especially cartilage and meniscus lesions, are some of the major contributors to disabilities. Thus, novel tissue engineering strategies are being developed to overcome these issues. In this study, the aim was to investigate the biocompatibility, in vitro and in vivo, of a thermosensitive, injectable chitosan-based hydrogel loaded with three different primary mesenchymal stromal cells. The cell types were human adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hASCs), human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs), and neonatal porcine infrapatellar fat-derived cells (IFPCs). For the in vitro study, the cells were encapsulated in sol-phase hydrogel, and then, analyzed via live/dead assay at 1, 4, 7, and 14 days to compare their capacity to survive in the hydrogel. To assess biocompatibility in vivo, cellularized scaffolds were subcutaneously implanted in the dorsal pouches of nude mice and analyzed at 4 and 12 weeks. Our data showed that all the different cell types survived (the live cell percentages were between 60 and 80 at all time points in vitro) and proliferated in the hydrogel (from very few at 4 weeks to up to 30% at 12 weeks in vivo); moreover, the cell-laden hydrogels did not trigger an immune response in vivo. Hence, our hydrogel formulation showed a favorable profile in terms of safety and biocompatibility, and it may be applied in tissue engineering strategies for cartilage and meniscus repair.
Perceived Superiority Complex and Interpersonal Relationships in Medical Libraries in Nigeria: Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach

This study examined the extent of library personnel's understanding of the concept 'superiority complex', its existence in medical libraries in Nigeria and how it influences their interpersonal relationships. The study adopted a quantitative method using a survey as the research design. Total enumeration sampling technique was used to select all library personnel in 300 medical libraries in Nigeria. An online questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics using structural equation modeling. Seventy-eight library personnel participated in the study. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the measurement model produced an acceptable fit: x2= 476.090, df= 328, CFI= 0.898, TLI= 0.882, RMSEA= 0.077(0.061-0.091), RMR=0.098 SRMR= 0.072. Further empirical evidence showed that even at moderate level, perceived superiority complex had negative relationship with interpersonal relationships among library personnel in medical libraries in Nigeria. The results suggest that a decrease in perceived superiority complex is highly beneficial to increasing positive interpersonal relationships among the participants. Wherefore, the significance of the findings of this study lies in the fact that it will create awareness on the need to identify the affected library personnel for appropriate counselling or psychotherapy recommendation. Self-assessment and seeking help are also crucial to reducing the level of superiority complex and checking attitudes that are detrimental to positive interpersonal relationships and professionalism.
Polynomial Behaviour of Kostka Numbers

Given two standard partitions λ+ = (λ + 1 ≥ · · · ≥ λs ) and λ− = (λ − 1 ≥ · · · ≥ λr ) we write λ = (λ+, λ−) and set sλ(x1, . . . , xt) := sλt(x1, . . . , xt) where λt = (λ + 1 , . . . , λ + s , 0, . . . , 0,−λr , . . . ,−λ1 ) has t parts. We provide two proofs that the Kostka numbers kλμ(t) in the expansion sλ(x1, . . . , xt) = ∑ μ kλμ(t)mμ(x1, . . . , xt) demonstrate polynomial behaviour, and establish the degrees and leading coefficients of these polynomials. We conclude with a discussion of two families of examples that introduce areas of possible further exploration.
Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin Versus Warfarin in Adult Cancer Patients as a Precision Medicine for Thrombosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a condition often seen in patients diagnosed with cancer and is recognized as a predictor of poor outcomes in these patients. The probability of VTE recurring is generally higher in people with cancer than in those without; hence, addressing this issue is essential when making healthcare decisions. Therefore, our systematic review was primarily designed to compare low-weight- molecular heparin (LMWH) to warfarin in reducing recurrent VTE among cancer patients. However, other outcomes were also evaluated, such as mortality and bleeding events observed more in cancer patients. The selection of relevant articles was carried out using a database search and a manual search, which involved reviewing reference lists of articles eligible for inclusion in the current review. The methodological quality of each included study was then assessed using Cochrane’s risk of bias tool in the Review Manager software (RevMan 5.4.1). Additionally, pooled results were examined using the Review Manager software and presented as forest plots. Our search of electronic databases elicited a total of 2163 articles, of which only six were deemed eligible for inclusion and analysis. Data pooled from the six studies demonstrated the effectiveness of LMWH in minimizing the reoccurrence of VTE over warfarin [risk ratio (RR): 0.67; 95% CI: 0.47 - 0.95; p = 0.03]. However, LMWH had a similar effect statistically as warfarin on the major bleeding events (RR: 1.05; 95% CI: 0.62 - 1.77; p = 0.85), minor bleeding events (RR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.54 - 1.20; p = 0.28), and all-cause mortality (RR: 1.00; 95% CI: 0.88 - 1.13; p = 0.99). While LMWH demonstrated its effectiveness in minimizing the incidence of VTE recurrence over warfarin in cancer patients, it had no statistical difference in terms of mortality or bleeding events when compared to warfarin. Based on our findings, we recommend that LMWH continues to be used as a first-line treatment regimen to mitigate recurrent VTE in cancer patients.
A 0.4-4 THz p-i-n Diode Frequency Multiplier in 90-nm SiGe BiCMOS

This article introduces a silicon-based source that can radiate power from the lower end of the terahertz (THz) spectrum into the far-infrared region. The radiator consists of a millimeter-wave (mm-wave) oscillator that drives a PIN diode multiplier. The p-i-n diodes exhibit reverse recovery when driven strongly, and the diode switches a large amount of current in a short interval. This process is highly non-linear and generates a harmonic-rich waveform, which is utilized here for higher harmonic generation. An on-chip folded dipole antenna is used to radiate the generated THz signal. The harmonic radiation properties of the folded dipole are analyzed and presented here. Wireless harmonic injection locking is also demonstrated in this work in order to synchronize the chip to an external source. Designed in GlobalFoundries 90-nm SiGe BiCMOS process, the chip has an effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of 13 dBm and −14.2-dBm radiated power at 0.39 THz. The chip is characterized up to 0.8 THz using Virginia Diodes (VDI) mixers, and an EIRP of −3.8 dBm is measured at 0.78 THz. In order to measure the radiated tones at higher frequencies, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is used with a room-temperature deuterated triglycine sulfate (DTGS) detector. Measurement results confirm the presence of tones extending from the THz region into the far-infrared region, with an SNR of 18.4, 14, 9.3, and 6.7 dB at 1.17, 2.21, 3.25, and 4.03 THz, respectively. This work is the first demonstration of a silicon source capable of generating detectable tones at far-infrared frequencies.
VHR coastal bathymetry using WorldView-3: colour versus learner

ABSTRACT Satellite imagery constitutes an affordable solution to map coastal bathymetry at very high resolution (VHR). Bathymetry retrieval is commonly based on regression analysis linking depth response with remotely-sensed spectral predictors. Most studies have focused on a single regressor using conventional three visible bands over clear waters. However the interdependence of added visible bands in respect to linear and non-linear regressors is poorly studied and strongly lacks for turbid waters. Here we investigate the single and joint contribution of both spectral bands (visible 1.24 m WorldView-3, WV-3) and regressor types on the performance of retrieval. A case study over Saint-Malo (Brittany, France) megatidal turbid waters enables to quantify the accuracy gain related to Coastal and yellow bands as well as ordinary least squares (OLS), generalized linear model (GLM) and artificial neural network (ANN). Correlation analysis reveals that both Coastal and yellow bands do not significantly increase conventional performance for the three regressors. ANN surpassed GLM and OLS for both conventional and boosted WV-3 visible spectral datasets, reaching 0.94 correlation coefficient and 0.52 m accuracy. Comparisons’ significance indicates that selecting a robust regression method (including parameterization) is more efficient than adding spectral bands for mapping VHR bathymetry of coastal turbid waters.
Characterizing Controversiality of Topics Utilizing Eccentricity of Opinions

Access to abundant biased information in echo chambers and social bubbles often intensifies opinions to the extremes. The extremization of opinions results in several topics becoming controversial. However, it is very difficult to measure the degree of controversiality of a topic objectively since the controversiality of any topic is subjective and perceived differently from different communities. The absence of an objective measure of controversiality has been a major hindrance in understanding the causes and effects of it. In this work we propose a method to quantify controversiality of a topic by utilizing eccentricity of opinions on that topic. The eccentricity of an opinion is the amount of strangeness of the opinion relative to other opinions in the social neighborhood. The collective eccentricity of all opinions for a topic works as an indicator of the controversiality of that topic and can be represented by any measure of central tendency. With the help of social network data, we also demonstrate that opinions on several issues related to our routine life show similar trends for diversity though they differ in their controversiality.
Bayesian quantile regression for joint modeling of longitudinal mixed ordinal and continuous data

Abstract In this paper, we develop a joint model based on the random effects approach for bivariate longitudinal mixed ordinal and continuous responses using quantile regression for both responses. In order to model the continuous responses an asymmetric Laplace (AL) distribution is assigned to the error term in continuous model. For modeling the ordinal responses using quantile regression, the threshold concept and a latent variable model in which the error term has AL distribution, is applied. For estimating the parameters a Bayesian approach via Gibbs sampling method is used. Moreover, we use the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) dataset to illustrate an application of the proposed model. According to the results, children with low levels of antisocial behavior have better reading ability than that of children with high levels of antisocial behavior.
Methodological considerations in PISCES 3: a randomized, placebo-controlled study of intracerebral stem cells in subjects with disability following an ischemic stroke

At present, there are no medical interventions proven to improve functional recovery in patients with subacute stroke. We hypothesize that the intraparenchymal administration of CTX0E03, a conditionally immortalized neural stem cell line, linked with a standardized rehabilitation therapy regimen for the upper limb, would improve functional outcomes in patients 6–12 months after an index ischemic stroke.PISCES III was designed as a multicenter prospective, sham-controlled, outcome-blinded randomized clinical trial. Eligibility required a qualifying ischemic stroke 6–12 months prior to surgical intervention. Patients must be between 35 and 75 years of age and have residual moderate or moderately severe disability (mRS 3 or 4), with the preservation of some residual upper limb movement. All patients received a standardized regimen of home physical therapy following the intervention.The primary outcome measure is improvement in the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of disability at 6 months post treatment. Secondary outcomes include assessment of activities of daily living (Barthel Index), functional mobility (Timed Up and Go; Fugl Meyer Assessment), neurological impairment (NIHSS), upper limb function (Chedoke Arm and Hand Inventory), as well as patient related quality of life and global rating scales.PISCES III was designed as a randomized trial directly comparing the effects of intraparenchymal injection of a conditional stem cell line vs. sham procedure in patients with subacute stroke. This is one of the first studies of this type to include a standardized minimum rehabilitation protocol. As there are a limited number of studies evaluating invasive stem cell administration in the chronic setting of CNS injury, study design considerations are discussed.
SuperPatchMatch : Un algorithme de correspondances robustes de patchs de superpixels

Les superpixels sont devenus tres populaires dans de nombreuses applications de vision par ordinateur. Neanmoins, ils restent sous-exploites du fait de l'irregularite des decompositions qui different selon les images. Dans ce travail, nous introduisons d'abord une nouvelle structure, un patch de superpixels, appelee SuperPatch. La structure proposee, basee sur le voisinage du superpixel, definit un descripteur robuste incluant les relations spatiales entre superpixels voisins. La generalisation de la methode de recherche de correspondance PatchMatch aux SuperPatchs, nommee SuperPatchMatch, est alors introduite. Enfin, nous proposons une adaptation de la methode a l'etiquetage automatique depuis une bibliotheque d'images d'exemples. Nous demontrons alors le potentiel de notre approche en obtenant des resultats superieurs a ceux d'approches basees apprentissages, sur des experiences d'etiquetage de visages.
APQ: Automated DNN Pruning and Quantization for ReRAM-Based Accelerators

Emerging ReRAM-based accelerators support in-memory computation to accelerate deep neural network (DNN) inference. Weight matrix pruning is a widely used technique to reduce the size of DNN models, thereby reducing the resource and energy consumption of ReRAM-based accelerators. However, existing pruning works for ReRAM-based accelerators have three major issues. First, they use heuristics or rules from domain experts to prune the weights, leading to sub-optimal pruning policies. Second, they use row or column-level coarse-granularity methods to prune weights, resulting in poor compression rates with model accuracy constraints. Third, they only apply the weight pruning technique individually, losing the compression opportunity of both pruning and quantization. In this article, we propose an Automated DNN Pruning and Quantization framework, named APQ, for ReRAM-based accelerators. First, APQ adopts reinforcement learning (RL) to automatically determine the pruning policy for DNN layers for a global optimum. Second, it prunes and maps weight matrices to a ReRAM-based accelerator in a finer granularity of column-vector, which improves the compression rates with the accuracy constraints. To address the dislocation problem, it uses a new data path in ReRAM-based accelerators to correctly index and feed input to matrix-vector computation. Third, to further reduce resource consumption, APQ also leverages reinforcement learning to automatically determine the quantization bitwidth of each layer of the pruned DNN model. Experimental results show that, APQ achieves up to 4.52X compression rate, 4.11X area efficiency, and 4.51X energy efficiency with similar or even higher model accuracy, compared to the state-of-the-art work.
Bayesian inference for estimating model discrepancy of an electric motor

Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) is highly requested in computational modeling and simulation, especially in an industrial context. A main challenge is related to the fact that computational models are rarely able to represent the true physics perfectly and demonstrate a discrepancy compared to measurement data. Further, an accurate knowledge of considered model parameters is usually not available. E.g. fluctuations in manufacturing processes of hardware components introduce uncertainties which must be quantified in an appropriate way. Mathematically, such UQ tasks are posed as inverse problems, requiring efficient methods for their solution. We address this challenge by investigating the influence of model discrepancies onto the calibration of model parameters and further consider a Bayesian inference framework including an attempt to correct for model discrepancy by an additional term. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method is utilized to approximate the posterior distribution. Synthetic measurement data from an electric motor model and an artificial model error are used to evaluate the framework. The application shows a promising perspective of the framework by good approximation of discrepancy and parameters.
Analysis of anhydrous glucose and human serum assisted by Raman spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy has been considered like a potentially important clinical tool for real-time diagnosis of disease and evaluation of living tissue, whit the proposal to development noninvasive glucose measurements in a near future, with lower power than other reported studies, in this work are reported experimental tests made with a excitation source of semiconductor laser of 785 nm and 35 mW power. Measurements were made to different glucose concentrations, with variation from 50 mg/dL to 6000 mg/dL. For this, three intervals with different ranges of concentration were analyzed, these tests were put into plastic sampling cells, making incise the beam vertically on sample. In the same way measurements to serum human are reported, for healthy volunteers had 12 hours fasting and non-fasting conditions, with it's corresponding values of glucose taken through a conventional glucometer. Freeze-dried human serum was poured on object-holder, in the case of human serum reconstitute, it was used container in which were previously kept samples. Nine spectra per test were obtained and subsequently average was calculated, the spectra were studied in a range of 500 to 1700 cm-1. This work explores the intensity variation of the bands of glucose in 1065 cm-1 and 1127 cm-1 as a function of glucose concentration. In the obtained results, there observes a behavior with positive slope in both substances, interrelation being observed between the measurements, being promissory for non-invasive measurement.
Two-Year Prognostic Utility of Plasma p217+tau across the Alzheimer’s Continuum

Background Plasma p217+tau has shown high concordance with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and positron emission tomography (PET) measures of amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). However, its association with longitudinal cognition and comparative performance to PET Aβ and tau in predicting cognitive decline are unknown. Objectives To evaluate whether p217+tau can predict the rate of cognitive decline observed over two-year average follow-up and compare this to prediction based on Aβ (^18F-NAV4694) and tau (^18F-MK6240) PET. We also explored the sample size required to detect a 30% slowing in cognitive decline in a 2-year trial and selection test cost using p217+tau (pT+) as compared to PET Aβ (A+) and tau (T+) with and without p217+tau pre-screening. Design A prospective observational cohort study. Setting Participants of the Australian Imaging, Biomarker & Lifestyle Flagship Study of Ageing (AIBL) and Australian Dementia Network (ADNeT). Participants 153 cognitively unimpaired (CU) and 50 cognitively impaired (CI) individuals. Measurements Baseline p217+tau Simoa® assay ^18F-MK6240 tau-PET and ^18F-NAV4694 Aβ-PET with neuropsychological follow-up (MMSE, CDR-SB, AIBL-PACC) over 2.4 ± 0.8 years. Results In CI, p217+tau was a significant predictor of change in MMSE (β = −0.55, p < 0.001) and CDR-SB (β =0.61, p < 0.001) with an effect size similar to Aβ Centiloid (MMSE β = −0.48, p = 0.002; CDR-SB β = 0.43, p = 0.004) and meta-temporal (MetaT) tau SUVR (MMSE: β = −0.62, p < 0.001; CDR-SB: β = 0.65, p < 0.001). In CU, only MetaT tau SUVR was significantly associated with change in AIBL-PACC (β = −0.22, p = 0.008). Screening pT+ CI participants into a trial could lead to 24% reduction in sample size compared to screening with PET for A+ and 6–13% compared to screening with PET for T+ (different regions). This would translate to an 81–83% biomarker test cost-saving assuming the p217+tau test cost one-fifth of a PET scan. In a trial requiring PET A+ or T+, p217+tau pre-screening followed by PET in those who were pT+ would cost more in the CI group, compared to 26–38% biomarker test cost-saving in the CU. Conclusions Substantial cost reduction can be achieved using p217+tau alone to select participants with MCI or mild dementia for a clinical trial designed to slow cognitive decline over two years, compared to participant selection by PET. In pre-clinical AD trials, p217+tau provides significant cost-saving if used as a pre-screening measure for PET A+ or T+ but in MCI/mild dementia trials this may add to cost both in testing and in the increased number of participants needed for testing.