Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wireless Water Quality Monitoring and Quality Deterioration Prediction System

Water is an essential resource in day-to-day life. Pollution and urbanization have led to higher susceptibility of source water to contamination. There is a pressing need to develop a water quality monitoring system to preserve the quality of source water and ultimately safeguard human health. This paper proposes a low cost, wireless water quality monitoring system, wherein the quality of water stored in overhead tanks is continuously monitored. The quality of water is measured by parameters that are critical quality indicators. The data encompassing these parameters are stored in a Cloud database (in real-time) along with its timestamp. The quality of water is ascertained based on the comparison of the monitored data to standard well-established thresholds. The data, annotated with its timestamp is treated as a time-series. A univariate non-seasonal AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model is employed to forecast individual water quality parameters. The results of forecasting is used to predict water quality deterioration. The model used is found to have mean square errors of 0.001 for pH, 0.076 for temperature and 0.001 for turbidity between the actual and forecasted values.
Effect of isoliensinine on stretch-induced arrhythmia

OBJECTIVE To study the antagonistic effects of isoliensinine(IL) on stretch-induced arrhythmia.METHODS The kinds of arrhythmia,shorting of action potential duration(APD) and triggered activity(TA) models were established by inflating the intracavitary balloon,clamping the ascending aorta.The recordings of electrocardiogram and monophasic action potentials(MAP) were used in vivo and in vitro.RESULTS(1,2.5,5 μmol· L~(-1)) could concentrationdependently reduce the persistent duration of stretch-induced arrhythmia in Langendorff heart from(2.18±0.28) s as control to(1.12±0.18) s,((0.75)±0.14) s and(0.57±0.15)s,respectively.In anesthetized guinea pigs,IL 2.5 mg·kg~(-1) intravenously could significantly counteract the shortening of 50% and 90% monophasic action potential duration(APD_(50) and APD_(90)) evoked by clamping ascending aorta and decline the ratio of triggered activities(TA) from(94±7)ms and(112±8) ms as control to(114±8) ms and(128±8)ms,and from(28.6±8.1)% to(6.5±4.6)%. CONCLUSION IL possesses the antagonistic effects on stretch-induced arrhythmia,which may be related to blockade of stretch-activated ion channels.
Factors Affecting Crowdfunding Success: A Systematic Analysis of the Empirical Studies

Crowdfunding defined as collecting the capital from a vast crowd of individuals to realize a new business idea is a recent method that has attracted growing attention of fund seekers, supporters and researchers. Extensive studies have attempted to explore the factors that shape crowdfunding success. However, limited research synthesized and integrated the findings of these studies. This paper aimed to systematically analyze the existing empirical published articles on the factors affecting crowdfunding success. A total of 58 papers on crowdfunding success published in 29 scientific journals was selected and 31 papers were included in the final analysis. Four main crowdfunding success factors emerged from this study including the campaign characteristics, network management, traditional investment criteria, and contextual factors. This paper concludes with highlighting the implications of the findings for fund seekers, fund providers, campaign managers and researchers and suggesting future research directions.
Biometric Security and Performance Metrics: FAR, FER, CER, FRR

Biometrics manages the computerized acknowledgment of people dependent on natural and social attributes. The example acknowledgment framework perceives an individual by deciding the credibility of a particular conduct normal for person. The primary rule of biometric framework is recognizable proof and check. A biometric confirmation framework use fingerprints, face, hand geometry, iris, and voice, mark, and keystroke elements of a person to recognize an individual or to check a guaranteed character. Biometrics authentication is a form of identification and access control process which identify individuals in packs that are under reconnaissance. Biometric security system increase in the overall security and individuals no longer have to deal with lost ID Cards or forgotten passwords. It helps much organization to see everyone is at a certain time when something might have happened that needs reviewed. The current issues in biometric system with individuals and many organization facing are personal privacy, expensive, data’s may be stolen.
Artificial Intelligence and the Privacy Paradox of Opportunity, Big Data and The Digital Universe

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can and does use individual's data to make predictions about their wants, their needs, their influences on them and predict what they could do. The use of individual's data naturally raises privacy concerns. This article focuses on AI, the privacy issue against the backdrop of the endless growth of the Digital Universe where Big Data, AI, Data Analytics and 5G Technology live and grow in The Internet of Things (IoT).
Review on Smart Grid Communication Technologies

Smart grid (SG) has given a better vision for electricity infrastructure. The quality, quantity of power transmitted and the usage of available data from smart sensing, metering and communication has dramatically increased with the introduction of smart grid to power systems. SG also has empowered customer participation by managing their load pattern to take advantage of choosing their supply and pricing options. The heart of the SG lies on the communication between the consumers and the grid operators. Grids operators need the real time customer meter data to schedule their supply and pricing policies and the consumers need the same to manage their loads. The Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) uses Aggregation Protocol with Error Detection (APED) to improve the security of data. The SG with SCADA is facilitated by data acquisitions which includes the meter reading, system conditions, etc. that are monitored and transmitted at regular intervals in real time. The security of data transfer is assured by the introduction of improvised Ciphertext Policy_ Attribute Based Encryption (CP-ABE) is used to achieve the security parameters like confidentiality, integrity, and availability in cloud computing. Block chain-based systems combine distributed register and cryptographic security measures. Introduction of block chain in SG has revolutionized the functioning of SG with smart contracts, and transaction of huge amount of data in a fully decentralized market platform.This paper reviews the modern technologies used in smart grid communication based on IEEE 802.15. 4 standard to the SG and how it is modified to ensure effective, efficient and economical and secured communication of the huge real time data from the smart meters.
Rolling Horizon Models for Inter-Depot Empty Container Repositioning

Export customers requesting empty containers in the hinterland areas are serviced by maintaining sufficient inventory at each regional depot. The supply-demand imbalance at the regional level is stabilized by repositioning empty containers between inland depots. We propose an inter-depot empty container repositioning problem and a heuristic real-time decision algorithm to solve it. Initially, single-period travel time is considered and three models: Allocation Problem (AP), Value Approximation Model (SPL-VA), and Node Decomposition Heuristic (NDH-SP) are presented. The system is simulated over a certain time horizon by generating real-time supply and demand values, and the system’s evolution is studied under each of the proposed models. The VA models perform better than the AP with modest computational effort. The NDH-SP is further generalized to accommodate multi-period travel times. By simulating this algorithm with a demand rejection policy, we observe that maximum demand satisfaction is obtained by allowing medium-sized demand queues at the depots.
PollO: Polling-aware On-demand Governor for Improving Power Efficiency

Efficient power management is one of the most important requirements for modern mobile computing devices. To satisfy it, the Linux kernel provides CPU governors which can adjust the CPU frequency. Meanwhile, as high-performance storage devices being matured, vendors have begun to employ them into mobile devices. To sufficiently exploit this high performance of storage devices, we can use polling-based I/O service mechanism, because it can perform better than conventional methods. However, polling-based I/O service mechanism does not have benefit in power consumption, and traditional CPU governors do not consider this characteristic of polling-based I/O service. In this paper, we introduce Polling-aware Ondemand governor, called PollO governor, which improves the power efficiency while ensuring comparable I/O performance. Our experimental results show that PollO governor achieves 26.93% lower power consumption without a performance drop.
On Two Problems Concerning Universal Bounds for Codes

We consider two problems related to proofs and technologies of obtaining linear programming bounds for codes (spherical and in Hamming spaces). We develop a verification technique for a conjecture concerning the optimality of the Levenshtein bounds for spherical codes and prove that the conjecture holds true under certain mild assumptions. We investigate recent conditions which are sufficient for the validity of Levenshtein-type bounds for q-ary codes with given minimum and maximum distances. We provide description of all cases for lengths n ≤ 36 and alphabet sizes 2 ≤ q ≤ 4 such that our conditions are fulfilled.
Online Consent Enables a Randomized, Controlled Trial Testing a Patient-Centered Online Decision-Aid for Medicare Beneficiaries to Meet Recruitment Goal in Short Time Frame

Online consenting allows potential participants of research projects to deliberate their participation at their own pace and may be more cost-effective than conventional approaches. Yet, online consenting is not widespread in health services research due partly to concerns about security, confidentiality, and lack of established processes. We report our use of online consenting to successfully enroll over 1185 Medicare beneficiaries in a short 9-week time frame for a research study.
Phosphorylated Alpha-Synuclein in Red Blood Cells as a Potential Diagnostic Biomarker for Multiple System Atrophy: A Pilot Study

Diagnosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA) remains a challenge, due to the complexity and overlapping of its symptoms with other Parkinsonian disorders. The critical role of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) in the pathogenesis of MSA makes it an ideal biomarker for the diagnosis of MSA. Although α-syn alterations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood plasma have been extensively assessed for the utility in diagnosing MSA, inconsistent results have been obtained, presumably due to the contamination by hemolysis and other confounding factors. In this study, levels of serine 129-phosphorylated α-syn (pS-α-syn), a major pathologic form of α-syn, in red blood cells (RBCs), were measured using ELISA in a Chinese cohort consisting of 107 MSA patients and 220 healthy controls. A significant increase in the levels of pS-α-syn in RBCs (pS-α-syn-RBC) was observed in MSA patients than in healthy controls (14.02 ± 4.02 ng/mg versus 11.89 ± 3.57 ng/mg; p < 0.0001). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) indicated that pS-α-syn-RBC discriminated the patients well from the controls with a sensitivity of 80.37% (95% confidence interval (CI): 71.58%–87.42%), a specificity of 88.64% (95% CI: 83.68%–92.51%), and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.87–0.94). The levels of pS-α-syn-RBC were negatively correlated with RBD-HK scores and differed between MSA-P and MSA-C subtypes (13.27 ± 1.91 versus 12.19 ± 3.04; p=0.025). The difference between subtypes was seen at Hoehn and Yahr stages 3 and 4, and the age at onset (AAO) between 60 and 69 years (p=0.016). The results suggest that pS-α-syn-RBC is increased in MSA patients and can be used as a potential diagnostic biomarker for MSA.
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Cytopenia in HIV-Infected Patients before and after the Initiation of HAART

Background Cytopenia is a frequent hematological disorder in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. However, the distribution and risk factors of cytopenia in patients starting highly active anti-retrovirus treatment (HAART) and the effect of HAART on cytopenia were not fully investigated. Methods From November 2004 to August 2016, a retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of cytopenia in 4325 HAART-naïve patients. Risk factors of cytopenia at baseline and on recovery from cytopenia were analyzed using logistic regression analysis after 24 months of HAART in Beijing Ditan Hospital. Results The prevalence of cytopenia was 19.1% in HIV-naïve patients. Risk factors for cytopenia in HAART-naïve patients were a CD4 cell count<200 cells/μL, femaleness, WHO stage IV, coinfection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), BMI <18.5 kg/m2, a viral load ≥100,000 copies/ml, and age ≥40 years. In total, 70.2% and 76.4% of patients with cytopenia recovered after 6 and 24 months of HAART, respectively. The predictors of patients without normal blood cells after 24 months HAART were a CD4 cell count of <200 cells/μL, femaleness, WHO stage IV, coinfection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), BMI <18.5 kg/m2, a viral load ≥100,000 copies/ml, and age ≥40 years. In total, 70.2% and 76.4% of patients with cytopenia recovered after 6 and 24 months of HAART, respectively. The predictors of patients without normal blood cells after 24 months HAART were a CD4 cell count of <200 cells/ Conclusion Early detection could decrease the prevalence of HIV-related cytopenia, while starting HAART as early as possible seems to be effective for normalization of the blood cells in HIV-infected patients.
Bioaccessibility and Pharmacokinetics of a Commercial Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Extract

There are few studies about the pharmacokinetics of the low-molecular mass carotenoids crocetin or crocin isomers from saffron (Crocus sativus L.). None has been performed with a galenic preparation of a standardised saffron extract. The aim of the present research work was to study the effect of in vitro digestion process on the main bioactive components of saffron extract tablets and the corresponding pharmacokinetic parameters in humans. Pharmacokinetics were calculated collecting blood samples every 30 min during the first 3 h and at 24 h after administration of two different concentrations (56 and 84 mg of the saffron extract) to 13 healthy human volunteers. Additionally, an in vitro digestion process was performed in order to determine the bioaccessibility of saffron main bioactive compounds. Identification and quantification analysis were performed by HPLC-PAD/MS. Digestion resulted in 40% of bioaccesibility for crocin isomers, whereas, safranal content followed an opposite trend increasing about 2 folds its initial concentration after the digestion process. Crocetin in plasma was detected in a maximum concentration (Cmax) in blood between 60 and 90 min after oral consumption with dose-dependent response kinetics, showing that crocin isomers from galenic preparation of saffron extract are rapidly transformed into crocetin. The results showed that this tested galenic form is an efficient way to administer a saffron extract, since the observed crocetin Cmax was similar and more quickly bioavailable than those obtained by other studies with much higher concentrations of crocetin.
Carious Lesion Severity Induces Higher Antioxidant System Activity and Consequently Reduces Oxidative Damage in Children's Saliva

Oxidative stress biomarkers can be found at detectable concentrations in saliva. These salivary biomarkers reflect specific oxidation pathways associated with caries and periodontitis. Our study evaluated the influence of dental caries severity (assessed using the ICCMS™ criteria) on the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in saliva from children. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from patients (from one to three years old) in a day care center in Birigui, SP, Brazil, two hours after fasting. Children were divided into four groups (n = 30/group), according to caries severity: caries free (group A), early carious lesions (group B), moderate carious lesions (group C), and advanced carious lesions (group D). The following salivary biomarkers were determined: total proteins (TP), measured by the Lowry method; oxidative damage, measured by the TBARS method; total antioxidant capacity (TAC); superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymatic antioxidant activity; and uric acid (UA) non-enzymatic antioxidant activity. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, followed by the Student-Newman-Keuls test, Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients, and multivariable linear regression (p < 0.05). TP, TAC, SOD enzymatic antioxidant activity, and UA non-enzymatic antioxidant activity increased with caries severity, consequently reducing salivary oxidative damage. It was concluded that higher caries severity increases salivary antioxidant system activity, with consequent reduction in salivary oxidative damage.
Redox Biology of Infection and Consequent Disease

Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden N.F. Gamaleja Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 123098 Moscow, Russia Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-Biological Products of Russian Academy of Sciences, 108819 Moscow, Russia Cancer Research Center Lyon, INSERM U1052 and CNRS 5286, Lyon University, 69003 Lyon, France DevWeCan Laboratories of Excellence Network (Labex), France Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Vavilov str, 32, 119991 Moscow, Russia
Development and Validation of a 34-Gene Inherited Cancer Predisposition Panel Using Next-Generation Sequencing

The use of genetic testing to identify individuals with hereditary cancer syndromes has been widely adopted by clinicians for management of inherited cancer risk. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a 34-gene inherited cancer predisposition panel using targeted capture-based next-generation sequencing (NGS). The panel incorporates genes underlying well-characterized cancer syndromes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2), along with more recently discovered genes associated with increased cancer risk. We performed a validation study on 133 unique specimens, including 33 with known variant status; known variants included single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and small insertions and deletions (Indels), as well as copy-number variants (CNVs). The analytical validation study achieved 100% sensitivity and specificity for SNVs and small Indels, with 100% sensitivity and 98.0% specificity for CNVs using in-house developed CNV flagging algorithm. We employed a microarray comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) method for all specimens that the algorithm flags as CNV-positive for confirmation. In combination with aCGH confirmation, CNV detection specificity improved to 100%. We additionally report results of the first 500 consecutive specimens submitted for clinical testing with the 34-gene panel, identifying 53 deleterious variants in 13 genes in 49 individuals. Half of the detected pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants were found in BRCA1 (23%), BRCA2 (23%), or the Lynch syndrome-associated genes PMS2 (4%) and MLH1 (2%). The other half were detected in 9 other genes: MUTYH (17%), CHEK2 (15%), ATM (4%), PALB2 (4%), BARD1 (2%), CDH1 (2%), CDKN2A (2%), RAD51C (2%), and RET (2%). Our validation studies and initial clinical data demonstrate that a 34-gene inherited cancer predisposition panel can provide clinically significant information for cancer risk assessment.
Role of Nanoparticle–Polymer Interactions on the Development of Double-Network Hydrogel Nanocomposites with High Mechanical Strength

Extensive experimental and theoretical research over the past several decades has pursued strategies to develop hydrogels with high mechanical strength. Our study investigated the effect of combining two approaches, addition of nanoparticles and crosslinking two different polymers (to create double-network hydrogels), on the mechanical properties of hydrogels. Our experimental analyses revealed that these orthogonal approaches may be combined to synthesize hydrogel composites with enhanced mechanical properties. However, the enhancement in double network hydrogel elastic modulus due to incorporation of nanoparticles is limited by the ability of the nanoparticles to strongly interact with the polymers in the network. Moreover, double-network hydrogel nanocomposites prepared using lower monomer concentrations showed higher enhancements in elastic moduli compared to those prepared using high monomer concentrations, thus indicating that the concentration of hydrogel monomers used for the preparation of the nanocomposites had a significant effect on the extent of nanoparticle-mediated enhancements. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the hypotheses previously developed to understand the role of nanoparticles on the mechanical properties of hydrogel nanocomposites may be extended to double-network hydrogel systems and guide the development of next-generation hydrogels with extraordinary mechanical properties through a combination of different approaches.
Pseudo-analytical solutions for multi-species biofilm model of aerobic granular sludge

ABSTRACT This paper demonstrates modelling of the aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process with the pseudo-analytical solutions (PAS) of a biofilm model. A MATLAB programmed graphical user interface platform was developed to facilitate the model calculation and access. Model calibration and validation were carried out through using experimental data collected from a granular sludge sequencing batch reactor operation. The experimental and modelling results identified the distribution of heterotrophs and nitrifiers on the AGS and its contribution to the performance of wastewater treatment. The model could describe multi-species biofilms according to the distinguishing features among the three levels of PAS models. The models demonstrated increasing degrees of interaction (no interaction, competition for nitrogen and layering and protection) between heterotrophs and nitrifiers. Modelling the AGS process using PAS increases the accessibility of the simulation of multiple species in both biofilm and suspended biomass. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
A Novel Role for PX, a Structural Protein of Fowl Adenovirus Serotype 4 (FAdV4), as an Apoptosis-Inducer in Leghorn Male Hepatocellular Cell

Hydropericardium-Hepatitis Syndrome (HHS) caused by Fowl Adenovirus Serotype 4 (FAdV4) infection is a severe threat to the poultry industry worldwide, especially in China since 2015. Recent studies show that FAdV4 induces liver injury through apoptosis. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is still unclear. We report here that FAdV4 infection caused apoptosis in Leghorn male hepatocellular (LMH) cells and that PX, a structural protein of FAdV4, acted as a major viral factor inducing apoptosis. Furthermore, the nuclear localization of PX is determined by the R/K regions of PX and required for PX-induced apoptosis. Moreover, alanines 11 and 129 of PX are crucial to PX-induced apoptosis. Inhibition of FAdV4-induced apoptosis by caspase inhibitors retarded viral replication, suggesting that PX serves as a virulence factor for FAdV4 infection, which may further our understandings of the pathogenesis of FAdV4 infection.