Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modified Fast Inverse Square Root and Square Root Approximation Algorithms: The Method of Switching Magic Constants

Many low-cost platforms that support floating-point arithmetic, such as microcontrollers and field-programmable gate arrays, do not include fast hardware or software methods for calculating the square root and/or reciprocal square root. Typically, such functions are implemented using direct lookup tables or polynomial approximations, with a subsequent application of the Newton–Raphson method. Other, more complex solutions include high-radix digit-recurrence and bipartite or multipartite table-based methods. In contrast, this article proposes a simple modification of the fast inverse square root method that has high accuracy and relatively low latency. Algorithms are given in C/C++ for single- and double-precision numbers in the IEEE 754 format for both square root and reciprocal square root functions. These are based on the switching of magic constants in the initial approximation, depending on the input interval of the normalized floating-point numbers, in order to minimize the maximum relative error on each subinterval after the first iteration—giving 13 correct bits of the result. Our experimental results show that the proposed algorithms provide a fairly good trade-off between accuracy and latency after two iterations for numbers of type float, and after three iterations for numbers of type double when using fused multiply–add instructions—giving almost complete accuracy.
PSYCHO-MOTOR AND PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF AFFECTIVE-STATE WHILE EXPLORING 360° VIDEOS USING HEAD-MOUNTED VIRTUAL REALITY

The growing scope of virtual reality (VR) applications demonstrates the potential to address burgeoning problems in today’s and future world. The power of VR comes through the sense of embodiment, allowing people to experience the virtual environment from a first-person perspective [71]. It empowers the experiencer to perceive a real-world inside the simulated world, breaking the limits of the physical dimension, further enabling the capturing of natural psychological, behavioural and physiological responses as one would manifest in real-life situations. These measures act as a magnifying glass to understand the underlying perception and cognition processes of every interaction made with the environment. This thesis studies the affective-state (psychological), psycho-motor (behavioural) and skin conductance (physiological) response to the affective stimuli projected through VR. The stimuli consist of pleasant and unpleasant videos varied across valence and arousal dimensions, selectively chosen from the VR Stanford affective database [76]. In this research, emotional affective state was studied by asking participants to rate their feeling after exploring each video by using the self-assessment manikin (SAM) scale. We chose Skin-Conductance Response (SCR) to measure physiological response corresponding to the affective state while exploring the affective videos and used head-tracking data to measure the psycho-motor scanning behaviour in correspondence with the affective state. We conducted two studies, in which we used HMD to display the 360° affective videos to the participants. Participants were asked to explore the video, as they would do in real world, by making their head movement in all the three directions, i.e. yaw (left-right headmovement), pitch (up-down head-movement) and roll (shoulder-tilt head-movement). The first study focuses on the physiological and psychological relationship with VR emotional stimuli with an objective to find differences in SCR data in response to varying emotional stimuli. This was a pilot study carried out with 10 volunteers, and all were shown 10 videos (5 pleasant and 5 unpleasant). We observed no significant difference in physiological activity while exploring pleasant as compared to unpleasant emotional videos. The second study focuses on the behavioural and psychological relationship with VR emotional stimuli to analyse the differences in head-orientation in all the three directions while exploring pleasant and unpleasant videos. Here, 30 volunteers participated, and all were shown 4 videos (2 pleasant and 2 unpleasant), pseudo-randomly selected from 10 videos (5 pleasant and 5 unpleasant). We observed a significant positive correlation between the standard deviation of head-movement and valence and a significant positive correlation between scanning speed
Effect of the maltodextrin-induced chemical reticulation on the physical properties and healing potential of collagen-based membranes containing Brazilian red propolis extract

The study evaluated the physical properties and healing potential of chemically modified collagen-based membranes containing hydroalcoholic extract of Brazilian red propolis (HERP) in rodents. The collagen chemical modification was carried out through Maillard’s reaction using maltodextrin as reticulant agent, and HERP was incorporated at 0.5%. The HERP-incorporated collagen-based membranes were evaluated regarding the mechanical properties, water vapor permeability and swelling rates. For the wound healing assay, surgical wounds were performed on the back of 100 rats, assigned into five groups (n = 20), whose wounds were dressed as follows: (C) – original membranes; CM – modified membranes; CP – HERP-incorporated original membranes; CMP – HERP-incorporated modified membranes; CTR – undressed wounds (control). Five animals of each group were euthanized at 3, 7, 14 and 21 days and the wounded areas were macroscopic and microscopically analyzed. The CMP-membranes showed lower thickness (p < 0.05), permeability (p < 0.001) and swelling (p < 0.05) than the C-membranes. The CMP-membranes promoted increased wound contraction rates at 3 (p < 0.01), 14 (p < 0.001) and 21 days (p < 0.01) compared to CTR, and provided earlier granulation tissue and cutaneous appendages formation, as well as better organization of the collagen deposition. In conclusion, the CMP-membranes presented advantageous properties to be used as wound dressing and improved wound healing in rodent model. Key words: Collagen, chemical modification, propolis, wound healing.
WeepingCAN: A Stealthy CAN Bus-off Attack

—The controller area network (CAN) is a high-value asset to defend and attack in automobiles. The bus-off attack exploits CAN’s fault conﬁnement to force a victim electronic control unit (ECU) into the bus-off state, which prevents it from using the bus. Although pernicious, the bus-off attack has two distinct phases that are observable on the bus and allow the attack to be detected and prevented. In this paper we present Weeping-CAN, a reﬁnement of the bus-off attack that is stealthy and can escape detection. We evaluate WeepingCAN experimentally using realistic CAN benchmarks and ﬁnd it succeeds in over 75% of attempts without exhibiting the detectable features of the original attack. We demonstrate WeepingCAN on a real vehicle.
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT CASH FLOW PLANNING USING THE PARETO OPTIMALITY EFFICIENCY NETWORK MODEL

Cash flow is crucial for ensuring the viability of a project. It consists of a complete history of all cash disbursement, cash shortage, loans, cost of money, and all earnings received. Although significant research work has been conducted on cash flow forecast, planning, and management, the objective is constantly the maximization of profit/final cash balance, or minimization of total project cost. Moreover, cash flow forecasting needs to be effective and fast. The paper develops multiple-objective cash flow planning model – Pareto optimality efficiency network model, which considers typical banking instruments, the constraints of the financial market, the budget constraints, and retention of money. A case study illustrates the multi-objective project cash flow management approach by applying the proposed model to a real world problem. A what-if-analysis depicts the tradeoff between profitability and loan interests, which are major issues in project cash flow planning and management. The model presents an effective decision making tool to be used by industry practitioners with reasonable accuracy.
“Study of Clinical Profile and Outcomes of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in ST Elevation Myocardial Infraction”

Background: Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) is the preferred method of revascularization in Acute ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Aim: Our aim was to study the clinical profile and outcomes of patients who underwent PCI for STEMI at tertiary cardiac centre of Bangladesh. Methods: It is a retrospective, single centre study, performed at Bangabandu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh. All patients who underwent PCI for STEMI from November 2017 to July 2019 were enrolled in this study. All the data were collected from hospital registry and cath lab records. Results: The Study showed that out of 232 patients who presented with STEMI, 74.5% were male with average age of 57.39 years. The mean time of presentation after onset of symptom/s was 17.5 hours. About 66% patients presented in less than 12 hours of symptoms onset, 21% presented at 12-24 hours of symptoms onset and 13% patients presented late. Primary PCI was done in 87% of patients. Almost all patients (98.2%) underwent coronary artery stenting with drug eluting stents. Multivessel PCI during index procedure was done in 7 patients. TIMI III flow following PCI was achieved in 97% cases. Average LVEF at discharge was 44.73%. There were 8 deaths, all after Primary PCI. In-hospital mortality rates for patients presenting with and without cardiogenic shock were 38.46% and 1.59% respectively. The overall mortality rate was 3.98%. Conclusion: This study has reemphasized that PCI is effective in the management of STEMI cases in Bangladesh with improving mortality rates and decreasing complications. Minimizing the delayed presentation after the onset of symptoms should be one of the prime focuses for effective management of STEMI.
Subpixel heterogeneity of ice-wedge polygonal tundra: a multi-scale analysis of land cover and evapotranspiration in the Lena River Delta, Siberia

ABSTRACT Ignoring small-scale heterogeneities in Arctic land cover may bias estimates of water, heat and carbon fluxes in large-scale climate and ecosystem models. We investigated subpixel-scale heterogeneity in CHRIS/PROBA and Landsat-7 ETM+ satellite imagery over ice-wedge polygonal tundra in the Lena Delta of Siberia, and the associated implications for evapotranspiration (ET) estimation. Field measurements were combined with aerial and satellite data to link fine-scale (0.3 m resolution) with coarse-scale (up to 30 m resolution) land cover data. A large portion of the total wet tundra (80%) and water body area (30%) appeared in the form of patches less than 0.1 ha in size, which could not be resolved with satellite data. Wet tundra and small water bodies represented about half of the total ET in summer. Their contribution was reduced to 20% in fall, during which ET rates from dry tundra were highest instead. Inclusion of subpixel-scale water bodies increased the total water surface area of the Lena Delta from 13% to 20%. The actual land/water proportions within each composite satellite pixel was best captured with Landsat data using a statistical downscaling approach, which is recommended for reliable large-scale modelling of water, heat and carbon exchange from permafrost landscapes.
Incorporating Aspects of the Ohio REEL Program into the Organic Chemistry Laboratory: The SN1 Reaction of Bromotriphenylmethane

At Miami University Middletown, second-year, organic chemistry students perform a classic SN1 synthesis reaction to prepare an ether from the reactants bromotriphenylmethane and ethanol. The published experimental procedure of monitoring the reaction progress by measuring the pH of the reaction vapor was unreliable; therefore, an alternate method for executing and following the course of the reaction was needed. Drawing upon concepts inherent to the Ohio “Research Experiences to Enhance Learning (REEL)” program (NSF funded; 15 participating Ohio institutes including Miami University), students in the fall 2010 course designed and performed a series of experiments to develop an alternate method for the execution of this reaction. Subsequent refinement and further testing has led to an improved experimental procedure which is now incorporated into the laboratory course. The collaborative and cooperative design of these experiments, as well as the application of REEL concepts to the process, is described.
Biomonitoring of Metal Deposition in the Vicinity of Eregli Steel Plant in Turkey

This article describes the first attempt to study the concentration of seven element (Fe, Pb, Ni, Cr, Cu, Co, and As) contaminations in the vicinity of the Eregli Iron and Steel Plant (ERDEMIR) by analysis of two pleurocarpic moss species (Hypnum cupressiforme and Scleropodium purum). Samples of H. cupressiforme were collected from May 2003 to October 2004. Unwashed, dried samples were digested with HNO3/HClO4, and the concentrations of heavy metals were determined by graphite–furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). In the region, general orders of heavy metal content in samples of mosses were determined as follows: Fe > Pb > Cr > Ni > Cu > Co > As. Comparisons were made between the two moss species for those elements presents at different concentrations and regression analysis were made to see interspecies relationship. H. cupressiforme and S. purum are significantly correlated for only Fe (P < 0.01) having Pearson's correlation coefficient as 0.93, indicating interspecies calibration for Fe. The ratios (Hc/Sp) were relatively better correlated with 1/Sp for As than for other metals, suggesting a saturation effect in H. cupressiforme for As. The deposition of metals due to the operation of the steel plant has been established and could be further monitored. Such information could be useful for forensic studies aiming to apportion between different possible sources of those metals.
Sublattice Magnetization of Quadratic‐Layer Antiferromagnets

Both the temperature dependence and zero‐temperature value of the sublattice magnetization have been investigated for the quadratic‐layer antiferromagnets K2NiF4, K2MnF4, and Rb2MnF4 using magnetic resonance techniques. The temperature dependence has been determined by measuring the NMR frequency of out‐of‐layer 19F nuclei in these compounds. The results are found to agree with a simple two‐dimensional spin‐wave theory for T⪝TN/2, with TN = Neel temperature. For K2NiF4, the zero‐point spin reduction Δ0 has been estimated by combining these results with the exchange constant obtained from neutron experiments, giving Δ0 = 0.20±0.03. For the Mn2+ compounds Δ0 has been determined by measuring the 55Mn NMR at helium temperatures with an ENDOR technique, giving Δ0 = 0.17±0.03. The zero‐point spin reduction values are in excellent agreement with spin‐wave theory. These as well as related results from the literature on other compounds will be discussed.
Application of an Intraparticle Diffusion Model to Describe the Release of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons from Field Soils

The fate and transport of chemicals of concern released from field soils must be known to protect human and ecological receptors. A mechanistic approach to modeling chemical release from soil is advantageous to implement effective remediation strategies at an impacted site. The focus of this research was to gain an understanding of the processes causing slow release of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from field soils collected at sites with historical releases. A mechanistically based intraparticle diffusion model was applied to experimentally measured hydrocarbon release data and particle size distributions obtained from three field soils. For these field soils, the intraparticle diffusion model was able to describe the measured chemical release data. Fitted effective diffusion coefficients ( Deff ) of the intraparticle diffusion model correlated to expected results. Trends were found to exist between the Deff and both the molecular weight (MW) and the octanol–water partition coefficient ( Kow ) of the .
Customer Churn Prediction in Telecom Sector: A Survey and way a head

—The telecommunication (telecom)industry is a highly technological domain has rapidly developed over the previous decades as a result of the commercial success in mobile communication and the internet. Due to the strong competition in the telecom industry market, companies use a business strategy to better understand their customers’ needs and measure their satisfaction. This helps telecom companies to improve their retention power and reduces the probability to churn. Knowing the reasons behind customer churn and the use of Machine Learning (ML) approaches for analyzing customers' information can be of great value for churn management. This paper aims to study the importance of Customer Churn Prediction (CCP) and recent research in the field of CCP. Challenges and open issues that need further research and development to CCP in the telecom sector are explored.
Seasonal and spatial variability in soil CO2 efflux rates for a central Siberian Pinus sylvestris forest

Rates of CO2 efflux from the floor of a central Siberian Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest were measured using a dynamic closed chamber system and by a eddy covariance system placed 2.5 m above the forest floor. Measurements were undertaken for a full growing season: from early May to early October 1999. Spatial variability as determined by the chamber measurements showed the rate of CO2 efflux to depend on location, with rates from relatively open areas (“glades”) only being about 50% those observed below or around trees. This was despite generally higher temperatures in the glade during the day. A strong relationship between CO2 efflux rate and root density was observed in early spring, suggesting that lower rates in open areas may have been attributable to fewer roots there. Continuous measurements with the eddy covariance system provided good temporal coverage. This method, however, provided estimates of ground CO2 efflux rate rates that were about 50% lower than chamber measurements that were undertaken in areas considered to be representative of the forest as a whole. An examination of the seasonal pattern of soil CO2 efflux rates suggests that much of the variability in CO2 efflux rate could be accounted for by variations in soil temperature. Nevertheless, there were also some indications that the soil water deficits served to reduce soil CO2 efflux rates during mid-summer. Overall the sensitivity of CO2 efflux rate to temperature seems to be greater for this boreal ecosystem than has been the case for most other studies.
Why Cells and Viruses Cannot Survive without an ESCRT

Intracellular organelles enwrapped in membranes along with a complex network of vesicles trafficking in, out and inside the cellular environment are one of the main features of eukaryotic cells. Given their central role in cell life, compartmentalization and mechanisms allowing their maintenance despite continuous crosstalk among different organelles have been deeply investigated over the past years. Here, we review the multiple functions exerted by the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery in driving membrane remodeling and fission, as well as in repairing physiological and pathological membrane damages. In this way, ESCRT machinery enables different fundamental cellular processes, such as cell cytokinesis, biogenesis of organelles and vesicles, maintenance of nuclear–cytoplasmic compartmentalization, endolysosomal activity. Furthermore, we discuss some examples of how viruses, as obligate intracellular parasites, have evolved to hijack the ESCRT machinery or part of it to execute/optimize their replication cycle/infection. A special emphasis is given to the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) interaction with the ESCRT proteins, considering the peculiarities of this interplay and the need for HSV-1 to cross both the nuclear-cytoplasmic and the cytoplasmic-extracellular environment compartmentalization to egress from infected cells.
Effects of physical activity on cell‐to‐cell communication during type 2 diabetes: A focus on miRNA signaling

Type 2 diabetes (TD2) is a progressive disease characterized by hyperglycemia that results from alteration in insulin secretion, insulin resistance, or both. A number of alterations involving different tissues and organs have been reported to the development and the progression of T2D, and more relevantly, through cell‐to‐cell communication pathways. Recent studies demonstrated that miRNAs are considerably implicated to cell‐to‐cell communication during T2D. Physical activity (PA) is associated with decreasing risks of developing T2D and acts as insulin‐like factor. Cumulative evidence suggests that this effect could be mediated in part through improving insulin sensitivity in T2D and obese patients and modulating miRNAs synthesis and release in healthy patients. Therefore, the practice of PA should ideally be established before the initiation of T2D. This review describes cell‐to‐cell communications involved in the pathophysiology of T2D during PA.
A combined approach of chemical enhancers and sonophoresis for the transdermal delivery of tizanidine hydrochloride

The effects of chemical enhancers and sonophoresis on the transdermal permeation of tizanidine hydrochloride (TIZ) across mouse skin were investigated. Parameters including drug solubility, apparent partition coefficient (APC), drug permeation, and degradation in skin were determined. Low frequency ultrasound was also applied in the presence and absence of chemical enhancers to assess whether drug permeation improved. APC values indicated that TIZ preferentially partitions into intercellular spaces and does not form a reservoir, with the drug also exhibiting good enzymatic stability in skin. Most of the enhancers studied significantly increased the permeation rate of TIZ through full thickness mouse skin in comparison with TIZ formulated in phosphate buffer. Maximum enhancement was observed for TIZ formulated as a suspension in 50% v/v aqueous ethanol containing 5% v/v citral. Sonophoresis significantly (p < 0.05) increased the cumulative amount of TIZ permeating through the skin at 15 and 30 min in comparison to passive diffusion. A synergistic effect was noted when sonophoresis was applied in the presence of chemical enhancers. The results suggest that the formulation of TIZ with an appropriate penetration enhancer may be useful in the development of a therapeutic system to deliver TIZ across the skin for a prolonged period, i.e. 24 hr. The application of ultrasound in association with chemical enhancers, such as the combination of 5% v/v citral in 50% v/v aqueous ethanol, could further serve as a non-oral and non-invasive drug delivery modality for the immediate therapeutic effect of muscle relaxants such as TIZ.