Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bone tissue engineering: hope vs hype.

The requirement for new bone to replace or restore the function of traumatised, damaged, or lost bone is a major clinical and socioeconomic need. Bone formation strategies, although attractive, have yet to yield functional and mechanically competent bone. Bone tissue engineering has been heralded as the alternative strategy to regenerate bone. In essence, the discipline aims to combine progenitor or mature cells with biocompatible materials or scaffolds, with or without appropriate growth factors, to initiate repair and regeneration. This brief review outlines the concepts, challenges, and limitations in bone tissue engineering and the potential that could improve the quality of life for many as a result of interdisciplinary collaboration.
Optimized Security of Wireless Sensor Networks Based on a Modified Nk Cryptosystem

Security in the wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is based on using public-key cryptosystems such as RSA cryptosystem to achieve the authentication between wireless sensor nodes and their base station. This cryptosystem has two important problems; (i) the decryption process is slow (ii) it is insecure due to some known attacks such as common modulus attack and low exponent attack. In this paper we modify the encryption algorithm of the NK cryptosystem to avoid the problems of the RSA cryptosystem. We prove that standard attacks that applied on the RSA cryptosystem are not applicable on the NK cryptosystem after our modification.
Capacitive microwave sensor for toxic vapor detection in polluted environments

This paper presents an inkjet printing capacitive microwave sensor for toxic vapor detection. The designed sensors were presented and fabricated with success. The experiments show sensitivity to ethanol vapor according to the S parameters. It is equal to 0.9 kHz/ppm and 1.3 kHz/ppm for the sensors based on 5 and 50 sensitive layers respectively. This sensor will be integrated into real-time multi-sensing platforms adaptable for the Internet of Things (IoT).
Set Cover with Delay - Clairvoyance Is Not Required

We study the maximal independent set (MIS) and maximum independent set (MAX-IS) problems on dynamic sets of $O(n)$ axis-parallel rectangles, which can be modeled as dynamic rectangle intersection graphs. We consider the fully dynamic vertex update (insertion/deletion) model for two types of rectangles: (i) uniform height and width and (ii) uniform height and arbitrary width. These types of dynamic vertex update problems arise, e.g., in interactive map labeling. We present the first deterministic algorithm for maintaining a MIS (and thus a 4-approximate MAX-IS) of a dynamic set of uniform rectangles with amortized sub-logarithmic update time. This breaks the natural barrier of $O(\Delta)$ update time (where $\Delta$ is the maximum degree in the graph) for vertex updates presented by Assadi et al. (STOC 2018). We continue by investigating MAX-IS and provide a series of deterministic dynamic approximation schemes. For uniform rectangles, we first give an algorithm that maintains a $4$-approximate MAX-IS with $O(1)$ update time. In a subsequent algorithm, we establish the trade-off between approximation quality $2(1+\frac{1}{k})$ and update time $O(k^2\log n)$ for $k\in \mathbb{N}$. We conclude with an algorithm that maintains a $2$-approximate MAX-IS for dynamic sets of uniform height and arbitrary width rectangles with $O(\omega \log n)$ update time, where $\omega$ is the largest number of maximal cliques stabbed by any axis-parallel line. We have implemented our algorithms and report the results of an experimental comparison exploring the trade-off between solution size and update time for synthetic and real-world map labeling data sets.
Transfer Learning with Bottleneck Feature Networks for Whispered Speech Recognition

Previous work on whispered speech recognition has shown that acoustic models (AM) trained on whispered speech can somewhat classify unwhispered (neutral) speech sounds, but not vice versa. In fact, AMs trained purely on neutral speech completely fail to recognize whispered speech. Meanwhile, recipes used to train neutral AMs will work just as well for whispered speech, but such methods require a large volume of transcribed whispered speech which is expensive to gather. In this work, we propose and investigate the use of bottleneck feature networks to normalize differences between whispered and neutral speech modes. Our extensive experiments show that this type of speech variability can be effectively normalized. We also show that it is possible to transfer this knowledge from two source languages with whispered speech (Mandarin and English), to a new target language (Malay) without whispered speech. Furthermore, we report a substantial reduction in word error rate for cross-mode speech recognition, effectively demonstrate that it is possible to train acoustic models capable of classifying both types of speech without needing any additional whispered speech.
The Relationship between the Corporate Governance and Performance of Banks during Financial Crisis

The global financial crisis in 2008 as background, this paper empirically researches the performance of banks during the crisis and after the crisis, and the banks have a high corporate governance quality before the crisis. It's found that the higher the corporate governance quality of the banks before the crisis, the better the financial performance during the crisis is; the corporate governance quality is not related to the long-term market performance of banks; the external cross-listing does not significantly affect the relationship between the corporate governance quality and performance of Chinese commercial banks. The results of the paper show that the perfect corporate governance helps improve the performance of banks, especially cope with the impact of financial crisis better.
Adaptive packet scheduling for the uplink traffic in IEEE 802.16e networks

IEEE 802.16e is a telecommunication standard technology designed to support a wide variety of multimedia applications. It defines five service classes, each one with its respective QoS requirements, but does not define the scheduling algorithm for these service classes. In this paper, an adaptive packet scheduling algorithm for the uplink traffic in IEEE 802.16e networks is proposed. This algorithm is designed to be completely dynamic, mainly in networks that use various modulation and coding schemes (MCSs). The algorithm is applied directly to the bandwidth request queues in the base station (BS) and aims at supporting the real‐time and non‐real‐time applications. Using a cross‐layer approach and the states of the bandwidth request queues in the BS, a new deadlines based scheme was defined, aiming at limiting the maximum delay to the real‐time applications. Moreover, this algorithm interacts with the polling management mechanisms of the BS and controls the periodicity of sending unicast polling to the real‐time and non‐real‐time service connections, in accordance with the QoS requirements of the applications. The proposed algorithm was evaluated by means of modeling and simulation in environments where various MCSs were used and also in environments where only one type of modulation was used. The simulations showed satisfactory results in both environments. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Graphical Password Authentication: Cloud Securing Scheme

Graphical password is one of the alternative solution to alphanumeric password as it is very tedious process to remember alphanumeric password. When any application is provided with user friendly authentication it becomes easy to access and use that application. One of the major reasons behind this method is according to psychological studies human mind can easily remember images than alphabets or digits. In this paper we are representing the authentication given to cloud by using graphical password. We have proposed cloud with graphical security by means of image password. We are providing one of the algorithms which are based on selection of username and images as a password. By this paper we are trying to give set of images on the basis of alphabet series position of characters in username. Finally cloud is provided with this graphical password authentication.
Outdoor-to-Indoor Propagation Loss Prediction in 800-MHz to 8-GHz Band for an Urban Area

In mobile communication systems, it is important to clarify the outdoor-to-indoor propagation loss (building penetration loss) characteristics to improve the quality of communication within buildings. This paper proposes a penetration loss prediction formula that is derived based on measurement results. We measured and analyzed the building penetration loss at higher frequencies that are appropriate for the next-generation system. We measured the propagation loss on 71 floors in 17 buildings in an urban area using four frequencies in the 800-MHz to 8-GHz band. The measurement results showed that the attenuation based on the penetration distance is 0.6 dB/m, the floor height gain is 0.6 dB/m, the constant value for the penetration loss is 10 dB, and there is no frequency dependence of the penetration loss in the frequency range from 0.8 to 8 GHz.
Randomized phase III trial of capecitabine compared with bevacizumab plus capecitabine in patients with previously treated metastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSE This randomized phase III trial compared the efficacy and safety of capecitabine with or without bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor, in patients with metastatic breast cancer previously treated with an anthracycline and a taxane. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients were randomly assigned to receive capecitabine (2,500 mg/m2/d) twice daily on day 1 through 14 every 3 weeks, alone or in combination with bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) on day 1. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS), as determined by an independent review facility. RESULTS From November 2000 to March 2002, 462 patients were enrolled. Treatment arms were balanced. No significant differences were found in the incidence of diarrhea, hand-foot syndrome, thromboembolic events, or serious bleeding episodes between treatment groups. Of other grade 3 or 4 adverse events, only hypertension requiring treatment (17.9% v 0.5%) was more frequent in patients receiving bevacizumab. Combination therapy significantly increased the response rates (19.8% v 9.1%; P = .001); however, this did not result in a longer PFS (4.86 v 4.17 months; hazard ratio = 0.98). Overall survival (15.1 v 14.5 months) and time to deterioration in quality of life as measured by the Functional Assessment Of Cancer Treatment--Breast were comparable in both treatment groups. CONCLUSION Bevacizumab was well tolerated in this heavily pretreated patient population. Although the addition of bevacizumab to capecitabine produced a significant increase in response rates, this did not translate into improved PFS or overall survival.
Galactofuranose in Mycoplasma mycoides is important for membrane integrity and conceals adhesins but does not contribute to serum resistance

Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri (Mmc) and subsp. mycoides (Mmm) are important ruminant pathogens worldwide causing diseases such as pleuropneumonia, mastitis and septicaemia. They express galactofuranose residues on their surface, but their role in pathogenesis has not yet been determined. The M. mycoides genomes contain up to several copies of the glf gene, which encodes an enzyme catalysing the last step in the synthesis of galactofuranose. We generated a deletion of the glf gene in a strain of Mmc using genome transplantation and tandem repeat endonuclease coupled cleavage (TREC) with yeast as an intermediary host for the genome editing. As expected, the resulting YCp1.1‐Δglf strain did not produce the galactofuranose‐containing glycans as shown by immunoblots and immuno‐electronmicroscopy employing a galactofuranose specific monoclonal antibody. The mutant lacking galactofuranose exhibited a decreased growth rate and a significantly enhanced adhesion to small ruminant cells. The mutant was also ‘leaking’ as revealed by a β‐galactosidase‐based assay employing a membrane impermeable substrate. These findings indicate that galactofuranose‐containing polysaccharides conceal adhesins and are important for membrane integrity. Unexpectedly, the mutant strain showed increased serum resistance.
Temperature Effect on the Mechanical Properties of Pd3Rh and PdRh3 Ordered Alloys

The aim of this research was to calculate the mechanical properties of Pd3Rh and PdRh3 ordered alloys. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulation technique was used to obtain temperature dependence of the energy, the Yong modulus, the shear modulus, the bulk modulus, Poisson’s ratio and the elastic stiffness constants at the isobaric-isothermal (NPT) ensemble in the range of 100-325 K. The interatomic potential energy and force on atoms were calculated by Quantum Sutton-Chen (Q-SC) many body potential. Our MD simulation results show the effect of temperature on the cohesive energy and mechanical properties of Pd3Rh as well as PdRh3 alloys. Our computed results show good agreement with the experimental results where they have been available. Keywords—Pd-Rh alloy; Mechanical properties; Molecular dynamics simulation
The First Drink: Psychobiological Aspects of Craving

This study attempts to explicate some of the major determinants of relapse in alcoholics by manipulating craving and alcohol acquisition behavior through appropriate interoceptive and exteroceptive stimulation. Subjective, behavioral, physiological, and neurophysiological measures were used with 24 chronic alcoholics, randomly assigned to one of two groups—label (L) and nonlabel (NL). In the L situation, exteroceptive cues—such as the clear sight and smell of alcohol—were conducive to appropriate "cognitive labeling. " Alcoholic subjects in each group were administered either a placebo (P), high (Hi), or low dose (Lo) of alcohol. Consistent with the conditioning theory proposed, the results generally indicated that craving and alcohol acquisition behavior, as well as conversion from abstinence to alcohol acquisition, were a function of the combination of appropriate interoceptive and exteroceptive cues, with the Lo (L) group condition producing the greatest effects. It appeared that a sufficient amount of alcohol, administered in the context of explicit drinking cues, could act much like hors d'oeuvres and thereby contribute to the "first drink" relapse phenomenon.
Association Between Antihypertensive Medication Adherence and Visit‐to‐Visit Variability of Blood Pressure

It has been hypothesized that high visit‐to‐visit variability (VVV) of systolic blood pressure (SBP) may be the result of poor antihypertensive medication adherence. The authors studied this association using data from 1391 individuals taking antihypertensive medication selected from a large managed care organization. The 8‐item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, administered during 3 annual surveys, captured self‐report adherence, with scores <6, 6 to <8, and 8 representing low, medium. and high adherence, respectively. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) for SD of SBP across study visits was 12.9 (4.4), 13.5 (4.8), and 14.1 (4.5) mm Hg in participants with high, medium, and low self‐reported adherence, respectively. After multivariable adjustment and compared with those with high self‐report adherence, SD of SBP was 0.60 (95% confidence interval, 0.13–1.07) and 1.08 (95% confidence interval, 0.29–1.87) mm Hg higher among participants with medium and low self‐report adherence, respectively. Results were consistent when pharmacy fill was used to define adherence. These data suggest that low antihypertensive medication adherence explains only a small proportion of VVV of SBP. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2012; 00:00–00. ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The flip-chip approach for millimeter wave packaging

A particularly critical issue in this regard is module packaging, i.e., the way to assemble and connect several monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) in a multichip environment in order to build the millimeter-wave front-end. The requirements on the packaging scheme are obvious: the interconnects should provide good millimeter-wave performance (primarily meaning: low reflections and low insertion loss) and, at the same time, they should allow for low-cost fabrication. Among the multichip packaging techniques available, the flip-chip approach is considered to be the most promising candidate to meet these requirements.
Assessment of three-dimensional joint kinematics of the upper limb during simulated swimming using wearable inertial-magnetic measurement units

ABSTRACT The analysis of the joint kinematics during swimming plays a fundamental role both in sports conditioning and in clinical contexts. Contrary to the traditional video analysis, wearable inertial-magnetic measurements units (IMMUs) allow to analyse both the underwater and aerial phases of the swimming stroke over the whole length of the swimming pool. Furthermore, the rapid calibration and short data processing required by IMMUs provide coaches and athletes with an immediate feedback on swimming kinematics during training. This study aimed to develop a protocol to assess the three-dimensional kinematics of the upper limbs during swimming using IMMUs. Kinematics were evaluated during simulated dry-land swimming trials performed in the laboratory by eight swimmers. A stereo-photogrammetric system was used as the gold standard. The results showed high coefficient of multiple correlation (CMC) values, with median (first–third quartile) of 0.97 (0.93–0.95) and 0.99 (0.97–0.99) for simulated front-crawl and breaststroke, respectively. Furthermore, the joint angles were estimated with an accuracy increasing from distal to proximal joints, with wrist indices showing median CMC values always higher than 0.90. The present findings represent an important step towards the practical use of technology based on IMMUs for the kinematic analysis of swimming in applied contexts.
Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia After Median Sternotomy Clinical Utility of Blood Culture Results in the Identification of Postoperative Mediastinitis

Background Mediastinitis is a complication of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) that can be difficult to diagnose. This study evaluated the utility of blood culture results in identifying patients with mediastinitis. Methods and Results All unique patients undergoing CABG at our institution over a 60‐month study period (n=5500) and all blood cultures performed on these patients ≤90 days after CABG were identified. Mediastinitis was identified by prospective active infection control surveillance. Eight hundred fifty‐five (15.5%) patients had ≥1 blood culture drawn within 90 days of CABG. Mediastinitis occurred in 46 of 60 (76.7%) patients with blood cultures positive for Staphylococcus aureus, 15 of 126 (11.9%) patients with blood cultures positive for other pathogens, 37 of 669 (5.5%) patients with blood cultures with no growth, and 44 of 4645 (0.9%) patients with no blood cultures obtained. The isolation of S aureus from even 1 blood culture drawn after ≤90 days of CABG was strongly associated with mediastinitis (likelihood ratio [LR], 25; 95% CI, 14.7 to 44.4). Bacteremia attributable to other organisms did not alter pretest suspicion for mediastinitis (LR, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.7). Patients with negative blood cultures were less likely to have mediastinitis (LR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.58). The association between S aureus bacteremia and mediastinitis remained highly significant when all unique patients undergoing CABG were analyzed in a logistic regression model and when a case‐control analysis was used to evaluate patients with ≥1 blood culture obtained after CABG. Conclusions Among patients with blood cultures drawn after CABG, S aureus bacteremia strongly suggests the presence of mediastinitis. (Circulation. 2003;108:73‐78.)
Three-phase affinity partitioning of proteins.

Three-phase partitioning is an elegant way to separate proteins directly from even the large volumes of crude suspensions. It was found that interfacing it with a metal-affinity-based step makes the technique highly selective. As "proof of the concept," soybean trypsin inhibitor was purified 13-fold with 72% recovery. As recombinant proteins (via their polyhistidine tags) and many other naturally occurring proteins are often purified by immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography, the technique described here should prove valuable in purifying biotechnologically important proteins at a large scale.
Many-to-one homomorphic encryption scheme

The existing homomorphic encryption schemes are mostly in the form of “one-to-one” deployment models, where one party usually encrypts the plaintext and another party decrypts the ciphertext in public key cryptosystem. This form of cryptography loses efficiency under the demands of “one-to-many”, “many-to-one”, and “many-to-many” scenarios. In practice, there are many “many-to-one” scenarios, where the number of the receivers is usually very small compared with the number of the senders, and a receiver may serve millions of senders. The traditional “one-to-one” homomorphic encryption schemes are inefficient in such “many-to-one” scenarios. In this paper, we combine the homomorphic encryption concept with the cryptography form of “multi-party encryption, one-party decryption” to propose the “many-to-one” homomorphic encryption scheme. Firstly, the model of “many-to-one” homomorphic encryption scheme is built. Secondly, a “many-to-one” homomorphic encryption scheme is constructed based on the “somewhat” scheme, following by which, proving the correctness, homomorphism and security of our proposed scheme. Furthermore, an application example of our scheme is illustrated, and the complexity analysis of our scheme is presented. The complexity analysis along with a comparative study of our scheme with the existing schemes indicates that our proposed scheme is more efficient than the existing schemes. Finally, based on the construction of our proposed many-to-one scheme, a multi-level “many-to-one” homomorphic encryption scheme is also proposed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An experimental comparison of adaptive and robust control methods for precise positioning with tubular linear motors

Direct drives with linear motors are attracting the attention of both industry and academia thanks to their advantages in terms of higher precision, higher acceleration/deceleration, and reduced dimensions. This paper presents a comparison between industrial PID controllers and state-of-art non-linear control strategies for accurate position tracking on a linear permanent magnet synchronous motor. Namely, the comparison considers an advanced sliding mode approach with scheduling laws related to the state trajectory in the phase plane, and an approximation-based adaptive scheme that relies on a neural network to cancel the non-linearites of the system so as to have almost linear residual dynamics. The feasibility of the control strategies is validated by an extensive experimental analysis. The schemes are both theoretically stable and guarantee accurate positioning, which are, in terms of average absolute position error, two times better than standard PID.