Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Digital Business Transformation Framework Requirements: Study Literature

The way businesses view consumers has been transformed by technology. The terms digital transformation and digitization are becoming increasingly prevalent in the business world. They discovered that those who did not undergo digital transformation would not survive digital disruption. The value of technology is derived from the results of business transformation that is possible through the application of technology, not from the implementation of technology itself. Therefore, for optimal digital transformation results, a framework is required as a guide. The purpose of this study is to determine the requirements for a digital business transformation framework. From the search results, 224 research papers on digital business transformation were located, and 31 papers containing digital transformation frameworks were screened. These 31 papers were analyzed, resulting in a digital business transformation framework with at least eight domains. The eight domains include the digital business transformation principles, areas of change, drivers, success factors/enablers, impact, challenges, readiness/maturity, and a step-by-step process.
Buck-Boost Charge Pump based DC-DC converter

A dual mode buck-boost charge pump is presented in this paper. The two modes, buck and boost, of the CP can be used by the same circuit for degrading or elevating the output voltage, respectively, compared to the input. Each mode can be achieved by switching only the input-output connections without any other change in the design of the DC-DC converter. This dual mode configuration aims to merge two different functions into one circuit minimizing the area the DC-DC converter occupies on the die. The proposed buck-boost CP has been designed using TSMC 130nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology providing a 3.3V output voltage from a 2.2V supply voltage when the DC-DC converter operates in boost mode and a 1.6V output voltage from a 3.3V supply voltage in buck mode. A 2uF capacitor has been placed at the output of the CP. For the buck mode, the capacitor of the output must be pre-charged in order for the CP to operate properly.
A Modified Generative Adversarial Network for Reconstruction of Compressed Sesning MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive medical imaging modality and has been widely used for clinical diagnostics. However, long lasting data acquisition is not only costly, but also can lead to the deterioration of image quality. How to improve the time efficiency for MRI has been a subject of intensive research in the last 4 decades. In this study, a reconstruction algorithm based on generative adversarial network (GAN) is proposed for compressed sensing MRI (CS-MRI). We adopted dilated residual U-net architecture for the generator and incorporated long global connections to reduce the loss of detailed information in multiple convolution operations. We appended batch-normalization after each convolution in the discriminator to address the gradient vanishing problem. Extensive experimental results based on multiple sampling rates have demonstrated that the proposed model outperforms several other the state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms for CS-MRI reconstruction.
Energy-efficient online resource provisioning for cloud-edge platforms via multi-armed bandits

Edge computing is a new paradigm in which data are locally collected, aggregated and preprocessed before being sent to a Cloud platform. Edge devices, typically IoT objects, are characterized by limited computational capabilities, alongside high energy efficiency operations. In smart building or smart city applications, the overall amount of available IoT devices may account for an important computational capacity. Aggregating the idle CPU cycles of several devices would allow performing on-site parallel and distributed computing, while reusing the available resources in the network. Timely and important computational tasks such as video surveillance processing, HPC jobs, or deep neural network training, can be performed with local available resources. This includes local servers or a private, on-site cloud, as opposed to the use of public clouds, thus avoiding security issues and fostering energy efficiency. An ongoing research topic in such a distributed and volatile context is to design novel algorithms for resource provisioning that allow tasks to be distributed over a set of available IoT devices in an efficient manner. This work presents two online, adaptive and robust scheduling techniques, based on the UCB and EXP3 Multi-Armed Bandit algorithms (MABs), for resource management in Cloud-Edge Computing based environments while improving performance and reducing energy consumption. The novelty of our adapted algorithms lies in the fact that we explicitly account for unavailable computing IoT devices resulting in a time-varying available set of arms at each stage. Our numerical results show the high relevance of our approach in reaching optimal provisioning policies in time-varying environments.
Memetic Algorithm for the Minimum Edge Dominating Set Problem

The minimum edge dominating set (MEDS) is one of the fundamental covering problems ingraph theory, which finds many practical applications in diverse domains. In this paper, wepropose a meta-heuristic approach based on genetic algorithm and local search to solve theMEDS problem. Therefore, the proposed method is considered as a memetic search algorithmwhich is called Memetic Algorithm for minimum edge dominating set (MAMEDS). Inthe MAMEDS method, a new fitness function is invoked to effectively measure the solutionqualities. The search process in the proposed method uses intensification schemes besidethe main genetic search operations in order to achieve faster performance. The experimentalresults proves that the proposed method is promising in solving the MEDS problem. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.11591/ij-ai.v2i4. 3481 Full Text: PDF
Analysis Of Personality Based On Handwriting Using Deep Learning

: Handwriting is one of the distinguishing characteristics that distinguishes a person's identity, and it is a method of identifying the writer's physical characteristics. It displays a person's genuine personality, including their actions, emotional outbursts, sense of self, rage, creativity, honesty, phobias, and a range of other traits. In this paper a multi-layered approach is proposed for analyzing personality traits by identifying the type of handwriting and classify the personality of the individual human being using deep learning models such as Resnet 34 and YOLO v5 model
Association of QT interval-prolonging drugs with clinical trial eligibility in patients with advanced cancer

Introduction Drug-induced prolongation of the heart rate-corrected QT interval (QTc) is associated with increased risk for the potentially fatal arrhythmia torsades de pointes. Due to arrhythmia risk, clinical trials with cancer therapeutics often exclude patients based on thresholds for QTc prolongation. Our objective was to assess associations between prescriptions for QT-prolonging drugs and the odds of meeting cancer trial exclusionary QTc thresholds in a cohort of adults with advanced cancer. Methods Electronic health records were retrospectively reviewed for 271 patients seen at our institutional molecular solid tumor clinic. Collected data included demographics, QTc measurements, ventricular arrhythmia-related diagnoses, and all inpatient and outpatient prescriptions. Potential associations were assessed between demographic and clinical variables, including prescriptions for QT-prolonging drugs, and QTc measurements. Results Women had longer median QTc measurements than men (p = 0.030) and were prescribed more QT-prolonging drugs during the study (p = 0.010). In all patients, prescriptions for QT-prolonging drugs were associated with longer median and maximum QTc measurements at multiple assessed time points (i.e., for QT-prolonging drugs prescribed within 10, 30, 60, and 90 days of QTc measurements). Similarly, the number of QT-prolonging drugs prescribed was correlated with longer median and maximum QTc measurements at multiple time points. Common QTc-related exclusionary criteria were collected from a review of ClinicalTrials.gov for recent cancer clinical trials. Based on common exclusion criteria, prescriptions for QT-prolonging drugs increased the odds of trial exclusion. Conclusion This study demonstrates that prescriptions for QT-prolonging drugs were associated with longer QTc measurements and increased odds of being excluded from cancer clinical trials.
Income-related health inequality among rural residents in western China

Objective Health equality has drawn much public attention in both developed and developing countries. China, the largest developing country, has implemented a new round of health system reform to improve health equality since 2009. This study aims to examine the magnitude and sources of income-related health inequality in western rural regions of China. Methods Data were obtained from the Survey of Rural Economic and Social Development in Western China conducted in 2014, in which 14,555 individuals from 5,299 households in 12 provinces were included. Health outcome variables of interest were self-rated health status, prevalence of chronic disease and four-week illness. Concentration index was calculated to assess magnitude of income-related health inequality, and nonlinear decomposition analysis was performed to identify the sources of health inequality. Results The Concentration indexes for poor self-rated health status, prevalence of chronic disease and four-week illness were −0.0898 (P<0.001),−0.0860 (P<0.001) and −0.1284 (P<0.001), respectively. Income and education were two main sources of health inequality, accounting for about 25−50% and 15% contribution to the inequality. Ethnicity made <10% contribution to income-related health inequality, and enrollment in New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme contributed to <1%. Conclusion This study found slight income-related health inequality among rural residents in western China, implying that although China has made substantial progress in economic development and poverty alleviation, health inequality in western rural region should still be concerned by the government. To achieve health equality further, the Chinese government should not only strengthen its reimbursement mechanism of the current health insurance scheme to improve affordability of primary healthcare for residents in western rural regions, but also implement health poverty alleviation policies targeting socioeconomically vulnerable population and ethnic minorities in future.
Phycospheric bacterial community structure and function succession during the typical harmful macroalgal blooms

Based on the diversity and importance of phycospheric microorganisms as well as their complex interaction with algae, their ecological correlation with algal bloom events has become a research topic of great interest that remains unclear in the natural dynamic process of harmful macroalgal blooms (HMBs). The world’s largest green tides caused by macroalgae Ulva prolifera have occurred in the Yellow Sea for 16 consecutive years, and seriously affected the coastal ecosystem. Here, we monitored the spatiotemporal dynamics of the phycospheric bacterial community during the U. prolifera green tide bloom. The 73-day continuous field survey covered the whole process of initial invasion until the extinction of the green tide. The phycospheric bacterial community has a higher richness than the control seawater bacteria; in addition, it has more enriched taxa with organic nutrition preference and environmental pressure adaption, such as Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Desulfobacterota. The same differences in populations and functional profiles were observed among the epiphytic bacterial and phycospheric seawater bacterial communities, which may be driven by the spatial heterogeneity of biogenic elements (e.g., organic nutrients and oxygen) among the habitats. Significant succession occurred in both the epiphytic bacterial and phycospheric seawater bacterial communities; their diversity and richness exhibited significant heterogeneity variation patterns, and their community structure became more similar in late phases. Our study revealed that macroalgal phycospheric microbial communities have a highly complex and dynamic composition and variable ecological functions, which indicate that phycospheric microorganisms are closely related to the fate of HMBs and may have the profound effect coastal biogeochemical cycles.
Hail Growth by Stochastic Collection in a Cumulus Model

Abstract A one-dimensional, time-dependent numerical model of a cumulus cloud is presented that generates hail and radar reflectivities at realistic rates. The distribution of hydrometeors evolves with time as a result of condensation, sublimation, stochastic collection through collision and coalescence, sedimentation, drop freezing, and drop breakup. A total of 40 mass categories, each twice the mass of the former, corresponding to radii from 2.5 μm to 2 cm, are used to determine the ice and hail distribution. The first 31 categories up to a radius of 2.5 mm are used for the water drop distribution. Radar reflectivities are computed from Mie scattering theory for water and ice spheres in each category, then summed to give the reflectivities that can be compared to those observed by radar. Only the updraft radius at the earth's surface, the mixing coefficients, and the initial droplet distribution at cloud base are arbitrarily specified. Four initial droplet distributions are studied separately to determi.
Diaphanous-related formin subfamily: Novel prognostic biomarkers and tumor microenvironment regulators for pancreatic adenocarcinoma

The diaphanous-related formin subfamily includes diaphanous homolog 1 (DIAPH1), DIAPH2, and DIAPH3. DIAPHs play a role in the regulation of actin nucleation and polymerization and in microtubule stability. DIAPH3 also regulates the assembly and bipolarity of mitotic spindles. Accumulating evidence has shown that DIAPHs are anomalously regulated during malignancy. In this study, we reviewed The Cancer Genome Atlas database and found that DIAPHs are abundantly expressed in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). Furthermore, we analyzed the gene alteration profiles, protein expression, prognosis, and immune reactivity of DIAPHs in PAAD using data from several well-established databases. In addition, we conducted gene set enrichment analysis to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the roles of DIAPHs in the carcinogenesis of PAAD. Finally, we performed the experimental validation of DIAPHs expression in several pancreatic cancer cell lines and tissues of patients. This study demonstrated significant correlations between DIAPHs expression and clinical prognosis, oncogenic signature gene sets, T helper 2 cell infiltration, plasmacytoid dendritic cell infiltration, myeloid-derived suppressor cell infiltration, ImmunoScore, and immune checkpoints in PAAD. These data may provide important information regarding the role and mechanisms of DIAPHs in tumorigenesis and PAAD immunotherapy.
Preoperative embolization in the treatment of patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression: A retrospective analysis

Purpose The purpose of the study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of preoperative embolization in the treatment of patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC). Methods A retrospective analysis of 138 MESCC patients who underwent decompressive surgery and spine stabilization was performed in a large teaching hospital. Among all enrolled patients, 46 patients were treated with preoperative embolization (the embolization group), whereas 92 patients did not (the control group). Patient’s baseline clinical characteristics, surgery-related characteristics, and postoperative neurological status, complications, and survival prognoses were collected and analyzed. Subgroup analysis was performed according to the degree of tumor vascularity between patients with and without preoperative embolization. Results Patients with severe hypervascularity experienced more mean blood loss in the control group than in the embolization group, and this difference was statistically significant (P=0.02). The number of transfused packed red cells (PRC) showed a similar trend (P=0.01). However, for patients with mild and moderate hypervascularity, both blood loss and the number of PRC transfusion were comparable across the two groups. Regarding decompressive techniques, the embolization group (64.29%, 9/14) had a higher proportion of circumferential decompression in comparison to the control group (30.00%, 9/30) among patients with severe hypervascularity (P=0.03), whereas the rates were similar among patients with mild (P=0.45) and moderate (P=0.54) hypervascularity. In addition, no subgroup analysis revealed any statistically significant differences in operation time, postoperative functional recovery, postoperative complications, or survival outcome. Multivariate analysis showed that higher tumor vascularity (OR[odds ratio]=3.69, 95% CI [confident interval]: 1.30-10.43, P=0.01) and smaller extent of embolization (OR=4.16, 95% CI: 1.10-15.74, P=0.04) were significantly associated with more blood loss. Conclusions Preoperative embolization is an effective and safe method in treating MESCC patients with severe hypervascular tumors in terms of intra-operative blood loss and surgical removal of metastatic tumors. Preoperative tumor vascularity and extent of embolization are independent risk factors for blood loss during surgery. This study implies that MESCC patients with severe hypervascular tumors should be advised to undergo preoperative embolization.
Evaluation of dendritic cell-targeting T7 phages as a vehicle to deliver avian influenza virus H5 DNA vaccine in SPF chickens

Introduction There is a growing demand for effective technologies for the delivery of antigen to antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and their immune-activation for the success of DNA vaccines. Therefore, dendritic cell (DC)-targeting T7 phages were used as a vehicle to deliver DNA vaccine. Methods In this study, a eukaryotic expression plasmid pEGFP-C1-HA2-AS containing the HA2 gene derived from the avian H5N1 virus and an anchor sequence (AS) gene required for the T7 phage packaging process was developed. To verify the feasibility of phage delivery, the plasmid encapsulated in DC-targeting phage capsid through the recognition of AS was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. The pEGFP-C1-HA2-AS plasmid could evade digestion by DNase I by becoming encapsulated into the phage particles and efficiently expressed the HA2 antigen in DCs with the benefit of DC-targeting phages. Results For chickens immunized with the DC-targeting phage 74 delivered DNA vaccine, the levels of IgY and IgA antibodies, the concentration of IFN-γ and IL-12 cytokines in serum, the proliferation of lymphocytes, and the percentage of CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocytes isolated from peripheral blood were significantly higher than chickens which were immunized with DNA vaccine that was delivered by non-DC-targeting phage or placebo (p<0.05). Phage 74 delivered one-fiftieth the amount of pEGFP-C1-HA2-AS plasmid compared to Lipofectin, however, a comparable humoral and cellular immune response was achieved. Although, the HA2 DNA vaccine delivered by the DC-targeting phage induced enhanced immune responses, the protection rate of virus challenge was not evaluated. Conclusion This study provides a strategy for development of a novel avian influenza DNA vaccine and demonstrates the potential of DC-targeting phage as a DNA vaccine delivery vehicle.
Bacteroides fragilis participates in the therapeutic effect of methotrexate on arthritis through metabolite regulation

Methotrexate (MTX) is a preferred disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the toxicity and inefficiency of MTX limit its clinical application. Gut microbiota has been implicated in the side effects and efficacy of MTX. In this study, the analysis of the gut microbiota in RA patients revealed that the abundances of intestinal Bacteroides fragilis was reduced after MTX treatment. We observed that MTX has no obvious therapeutic effect in the absence of B. fragilis, while transplantation of B. fragilis restored the efficacy of MTX in antibiotics-pretreated collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice. In addition, B. fragilis gavage was accompanied by an increase in butyrate. Supplementation of butyrate restored the response to MTX in gut microbiota-deficient mice, to a similar level achieved by B. fragilis gavage. These results show that gut microbiota-regulated butyrate plays an essential role in the efficacy of MTX, which will provide new strategies to improve the effectiveness of methotrexate in RA treatment.
In vivo morphological alterations of TAMs during KCa3.1 inhibition—by using in vivo two-photon time-lapse technology

Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) are the mostprevalent cells recruited in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Once recruited, TAMs acquire a pro-tumor phenotype characterized by a typical morphology: ameboid in the tumor core and with larger soma and thick branches in the tumor periphery. Targeting TAMs by reverting them to an anti-tumor phenotype is a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy. Taking advantage of Cx3cr1GFP/WT heterozygous mice implanted with murine glioma GL261-RFP cells we investigated the role of Ca2+-activated K+ channel (KCa3.1) on the phenotypic shift of TAMs at the late stage of glioma growth through in vivo two-photon imaging. We demonstrated that TAMs respond promptly to KCa3.1 inhibition using a selective inhibitor of the channel (TRAM-34) in a time-dependent manner by boosting ramified projections attributable to a less hypertrophic phenotype in the tumor core. We also revealed a selective effect of drug treatment by reducing both glioma cells and TAMs in the tumor core with no interference with surrounding cells. Taken together, our data indicate a TRAM-34-dependent progressive morphological transformation of TAMs toward a ramified and anti-tumor phenotype, suggesting that the timing of KCa3.1 inhibition is a key point to allow beneficial effects on TAMs.
Surface chemical modification of InN for sensor applications

The effect of chemical exposures on the InN surface is reported. InN surface shows a fast capture, slow release, responsivity, and selectivity to certain solvent exposures, such as methanol and water. Enhancement in sheet carrier density as large as 7×1012cm−2 with a simultaneous increase in Hall mobility of thin InN films was determined by Hall measurements. A corresponding reduction in sheet resistance of more than 30% was measured on a 20nm InN film. The added electrons are likely to be surface carriers whose density decays after the solvent fully evaporates. This study shows the promise of using the sensitive InN surface for sensor applications.