Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rectal vancomycin-resistant enterococcus colonization before admission to neonatal intensive care unit

Aim: Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) colonization is an important issue for healthcare recipients. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of VRE colonization in patients at the admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study the medical records of patients who hospitalized to NICU between January 2010 to December 2019 were analyzed. At the admission, patients whose rectal cultures were detected as VRE colonization were evaluated for demographic characteristics for the risk factors of colonization. Results: One thousand three hundred twenty-three patients were admitted to our NICU from different centers were enrolled. Rectal VRE colonization was observed in 60 of 1323 (4.54%) patients. Sixty-five percent (39/60) of patients with rectal VRE colonization had no previous hospitalization history. Among these 60 patients 28 of them were admitted to our NICU in the first week of their life. Conclusion: Although hospitalization still remains an important risk factor for VRE colonization, we found that there is also a high rate of VRE colonization in newborns without a history of hospitalization or frequent outpatient admissions to pediatrics departments. That is a worrisome status that suggests that colonization may be developed in low risk areas of the hospital such as delivery room, operating room or recovery room.
Donor–acceptor type conjugated copolymers based on alternating BNBP and oligothiophene units: from electron acceptor to electron donor and from amorphous to semicrystalline

Donor–acceptor (D–A) type conjugated polymers are widely used in high-performance organic opto-electronic devices. In this work, we develop a series of D–A type conjugated polymers, P-nT (n = 1–5), based on alternating double B←N bridged bipyridine (BNBP) unit and oligothiophene units of various length. In P-1T, P-2T, P-3T, P-4T and P-5T, the D units are thiophene, bi-thiophene, tri-thiophene, tetra-thiophene and penta-thiophene, respectively. We find that the opto-electronic properties and thin film morphologies of the polymers can be substantially changed by the length of the oligothiophene units. From P-1T to P-5T, both the HOMO and LUMO energy levels of the polymers gradually upshift because of the electron-donating nature of oligothiophene units. P-1T, P-2T and P-3T can be used as electron acceptors in all-polymer solar cells, while P-4T and P-5T can work as electron donors in fullerene-based organic solar cells. In addition, with the increasing length of the oligothiophene units, the crystallinity of the polymers increased. P-1T and P-2T are amorphous, while P-3T, P-4T and P-5T show semicrystalline property in solid state. All-polymer solar cell with P-3T as the electron acceptor exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.52% and the fullerene-based organic solar cells with P-5T as the electron donor exhibits a PCE of 5.79%. These results provide a molecular design guideline to rationally tune optical, electronic and crystalline properties of D–A type conjugated polymers.
Extracting Weak PUFs from Differential Nonlinearity of Digital-to-Analog Converters

Physical Unclonable Functions utilize random variations from manufacturing to generate unpredictable, yet repeat-able fingerprints of devices for usage in a hardware cryptographic context. Most often, they are dedicated electrical circuits in integrated devices and thus occupy additional space while only few implementations exploiting already existing hardware. In this work, we analyze the possibility to extract hardware unique fingerprints from the distinct differential nonlinearities of analog-to-digital converters, which are present in almost every system. The transfer curves from measuring a large set of low-cost analog-to-digital converters with 12 bit resolution are analyzed regarding their quality as system fingerprints. Additional postprocessing methods are investigated for further improvement of the uniqueness metrics. The fingerprints are optimized to a perfect inter-hamming distance of 50% and close-to-maximum entropy. These improvements come at the cost of a reduced number of extracted bits, yet the minimum achieved number of 440 bits is sufficient for secret key generation. By thresholding and consequently avoiding unstable positions in the extracted bit-strings, the intra-hamming distance of unprocessed transfer curves could be reduced to less than 4%. Further measurements over a large temperature range shows that the error rate due to temperature drift never exceeds 13%.
Stabilized supralinear network dynamics account for stimulus-induced changes of noise variability in the cortex

Variability and correlations in cortical activity are ubiquitously modulated by stimuli. Correlated variability is quenched following stimulus onset across multiple cortical areas, suppressing low-frequency components of the LFP and of Vm-LFP coherence. Modulation of Fano factors and correlations in area MT is tuned for stimulus direction. What circuit mechanisms underly these behaviors? We show that a simple model circuit, the stochastic Stabilized Supralinear Network (SSN), robustly explains these results. Stimuli modulate variability by modifying two forms of effective connectivity between activity patterns that characterize excitatory-inhibitory (E/I) circuits. Increases in the strength with which activity patterns inhibit themselves reduce correlated variability, while increases in feedforward connections between patterns (transforming E/I imbalance into balanced fluctuations) increase variability. These results suggest an operating regime of cortical dynamics that involves fast fluctuations and fast responses to stimulus changes, unlike previous models of variability suppression through suppression of chaos or networks with multiple attractors.
The effects of cook-top temperature on range hood capture efficiency

In this study a test procedure for determining capture efficiency (CE) of wall-mounted range hoods, namely ASTM-E3087.18, was used to investigate how the temperature of the simulated cook-top influences CE. ASTM-E3087.18 was initially released in 2017 and revised within one year to modify the temperature requirements of the cook-top from 200 °C to 160 °C; however, there is no evidence of a detailed study being performed to quantify the effects of this temperature change on CE. The study reported herein performed testing at 200 °C, 160 °C and 130 °C for five range hoods with three different design types. CE ranged from 60.3–92.9%CE with CE variations as high as 9.2%CE when varying temperature, and uncertainty (δ) always varying by less than 1.0%CE. The influence of cook-top temperature on CE repeatability, reproducibility and variability was also investigated, with each metric varying by a maximum of 1.2%CE, 1.5%CE and 1.1%, respectively, with varying temperatures. Range hoods with poor burner coverage (i.e. over-the-range microwaves) showed higher variability/uncertainty, indicating temperature effects are more dominant when range hoods have less burner coverage. It is possible that future HVI/ASHRAE certifications specify different acceptability/test requirements for CE, as well as the CE uncertainty/repeatability, of range hoods with poor burner coverage.
Sigmoid PID based adaptive safe experimentation dynamics algorithm of portable duodopa pump for Parkinson’s disease patients

This paper emphasizes on the development of an appropriate closed-loop control strategy for traditional Portable Duodopa Pump (PDP); thereby ensuring an automated drug infusion without wearing off. In particular, a Sigmoid Proportional Integral Derivative (SPID) controller is adopted to control the blood plasma level of dopamine. The parameters of SPID controller is tuned using the Adaptive Safe Experimentation Dynamics (ASED) algorithm. The efficiency of the suggested SPID-ASED is evaluated by concerning the convergence curve of the objective function, the amount of dopamine in the blood plasma (BP) of the patient, the statistical analysis of objective function, Integral Square Error (ISE) and Integral Square Input (ISI), and time responses specifications. The simulation results show that the proposed SPID-ASED outperforms the standard PID controller in terms of better control accuracy with minimum overshoot and settling time.
Exploring driving factors of smart city development under the physical-human society-cyber (P-H-C) space model

Abstract The concept of Smart City (SC) with its ambitious scheme has successfully attracted the interests of different stakeholders (i.e., government, information and communication technologies vendors, as well as researchers). While great efforts have been concentrating on the interpretation and the implementation of the ‘smartness’, the incentives for SC development are ignored. Understanding the incentives would clarify the goals of SC development and thereby boost its development efficiency. By exploring existing researches and cases of Nanjing, China, 15 factors were identified using a proposed physical-human society-cyber (P-H-C) space model. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted among different stakeholders in Nanjing to investigate their attitudes towards these factors. In factor analysis, these factors are grouped into three dimensions: technology push, government pull, and user-driven. Results show that currently SC development is mainly pushed by the technical progress and innovations. Meanwhile, government plays a significant role in pulling SC development especially at the initial stage. In addition, requirements to enhance the experience of end-users including government, companies, citizens etc. are critical for SC development. This paper provides insight on the incentives of SC development, research findings could be used as guidelines for the SC development in cities worldwide.
Metagenomic analysis of microbial heterogeneity and stress response Mechanisms in Desert

Desert environments have high spatial heterogeneity evidenced by the occurrence of relatively low vegetation as small patches. Given the low vegetation cover, soil microorganisms are the main drivers of ecosystem processes in desert environments and thought to have unique stress-response and metabolic adaptation. Therefore, exploring the microbial spatial heterogeneity and metabolic adaptation is crucial for interpreting ecological patterns in the desert environment. In this study, we have evaluated the spatial heterogeneity of physicochemical parameters, soil microbial diversity and metabolic adaptation of microorganisms at meter scale. Soil samples were collected from two quadrates of 4x4 meter size from a desert environment (Bikaner, Thar Desert, India) which face hot arid climate with very little rainfall and extreme temperatures. Analysis of variance of the physicochemical parameters revealed that calcium and sulphate ions were the most important variables between the quadrates. Microbial diversity was studied using Illumina bar coded sequencing by targeting V3-V4 regions of 16S rDNA. As the results, 702504 high-quality sequence reads, assigned to 173 operational taxonomic units at the species level. The most abundant phyla in both quadrates were Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes. At the genus level, Gaiella was most abundant, followed by Streptomyces, Solirubrobacter, Aciditerrimonas, Geminicoccus, Geodermatophilus, Microvirga, and Rubrobacter. Between the quadrates, massive variation was found in the abundance of Aciditerrimonas (iron-reducing, moderately thermophilic), Geminicoccus (phototrophic), and Solirubrobacter. The automated metabolic functional mapping of abundant bacterial community revealed diverse activities, and correlated with physicochemical parameters of quadrates. For instance, relatively large numbers of bacteria were mapped with nitrogen and sulphur mineralizing activities in both quadrates. As the whole, there is a strong correlation between spatial variation of ions, microbial diversity and functional attributes in the studied quadrates, and patchy nature in local scale. Additionally, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria, a phylum with large number of industrially important bacterial species, in both quadrates suggests that the desert environment may be considered for bioprospection of bioactive natural products. Citation: Sivakala, K.K. , Jose, P.A. , Thinesh, T. , Anandham, R. , Sivakumar, N. and Jebakumar, S.R. D. Metagenomic analysis of microbial heterogeneity and stress response Mechanisms in Desert [Abstract]. In: Abstracts of the NGBT conference; Oct 02-04, 2017; Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India: Can J biotech, Volume 1, Special Issue, Page 135. https://doi.org/10.24870/cjb.2017-a121
Biomass carbon stock and water yield of teak catchments

Rehabilitation of degraded forests and lands using the vegetative method can be used to improve the environmental condition and sequestered carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, improper plant selection may create water shortage in dry season. Based on the background, the research was conducted in order to study the relationships of biomass carbon stock, evapotranspiration, and water yield of five catchments covered by various teak areas. The study was conducted in Blora Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The percentage of mature teak plantation areas in the catchments were 82, 82, 73, 70, and 53%. The biomass carbon stock in each catchment was estimated using previously published data. The water yield of the catchments was calculated from the conversion of the stream water level at the outlet of each catchment. The evapotranspiration was calculated based on a simple water budget of a catchment. The results showed that the highest carbon stock was 64 t/ha and found in Modang Catchment (82% mature teak). The lowest carbon stock was 22 t/ha and measured in Gagakan Catchment (53% mature teak). In parallel with the amount of carbon stock, the highest evapotranspiration was measured in Modang Catchment, and the lowest was found in Gagakan Catchment. The observation of water yield during 2008- 2019 showed that the higher the carbon stock in the catchments, the lower the water yield. Synergy in reducing CO 2 emission and sustaining water flows can be achieved by considering land suitability for plant growth and applying water conservation in forests and lands rehabilitation.
Growth and cytometric diversity of bacterial assemblages under different top–down control regimes by using a size-fractionation approach

 MARINGÁ, PR, BRAZIL, INSTITUTO TECNOLÓGICO DE CHASCOMÚS (IIB-INTECH), UNSAM-CONICET, AV. INTENDENTE MARINO KM , () CHASCOMÚS, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA, INSTITUTO CESUMAR DE CIÊNCIA, TECNOLOGIA E INOVAÇÃO (ICETI), CENTRO UNIVERSITÁRIO CESUMARUNICESUMAR, AV GUEDNER  CEP, - MARINGÁ, PR, BRAZIL AND DEPARTAMENTO DE HIDROBIOLOGIA, UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE SÃO CARLOS, RODOVIA WASHINGTON LUÍS CEP, - SÃO CARLOS, SP, BRAZIL
Reflection of oscillating internal shear layers: nonlinear corrections

Abstract In this work, we perform weakly nonlinear analysis of the reflection process of a thin oscillating wave beam on a non-critical surface in a fluid rotating and stratified along the same vertical axis in the limit of weak viscosity, i.e. small Ekman number $E$. We assume that the beam has the self-similar viscous structure obtained by Moore & Saffman (Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A, vol. 264, 1969, pp. 597–634) and Thomas & Stevenson (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 54, 1972, pp. 495–506). Such a solution describes the viscous internal shear layers of width $O(E^{1/3})$ generated by a localized oscillating source. We first show that the reflected beam conserves at leading order the self-similar structure of the incident beam and is modified by an $O(E^{1/6})$ correction with a different self-similar structure. We then analyse the nonlinear interaction of the reflected beam with the incident beam of amplitude $\varepsilon$ and demonstrate that a second-harmonic beam and localized meanflow correction, both of amplitude $\varepsilon ^{2} E^{-1/3}$, are created. We further show that for the purely stratified case (respectively the purely rotating case), a non-localized meanflow correction of amplitude $\varepsilon ^{2} E^{-1/6}$ is generated, except when the boundary is horizontal (respectively vertical). In this latter case, the meanflow correction remains localized but exhibits a triple-layer structure with a large $O(E^{4/9})$ viscous layer.
Genomic prediction for yield improvement and safeguarding of genetic diversity in CIMMYT spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Simulation studies have demonstrated that genomic selection (GS) can produce superior results in comparison with methods currently used to select the quantitative traits in plants. The evaluation of GS predictive ability in wheat traits is fragmentary. On the other hand, assessment of GS strategies for grain yield improvement in this crop is still limited. This work aimed to evaluating the cross-validation accuracy (rcv) of two GS models and their efficiency in grain yield improvement. The impact of models on genetic diversity was also assessed using pedigree and genotyping-by-sequencing of 19 traits in two multifamily wheat populations. The breeding problem modeled was the performance of newly developed, untested genotypes. Overall prediction accuracy was comparable between models, moderate in a highly structured population (rcv  0.50) and high (rcv  0.70) in less structured population. This prediction level can sustain wheat breeding programs. Selecting for genetic merit produced a substantial withingeneration yield improvement. Furthermore, lines with a good level of genetic diversity were produced. These produced lines displayed mean pairwise kinship ranging from second-to-third to fourth degree relative levels with even lower median kinship values typical of unrelated individuals.
Biotic nutritional components in baby formula: possible solution for infantile colic management

The etiology and pathogenesis of infantile colic are still unclear but are most likely determined by a range of behavioral and biological components. The diet contribution to the origin of infantile colic also remains controversial. The review considers the role of biotic nutritional components in the colic prevention and treatment, the role of the intestinal microbiome, as well as diagnostic methods based on objective parameters. The impact of prebiotics in the infant diet on the intestinal microbiome composition and its influence on the manifestation of infant colic is considered. The presence of various probiotic cultures in the diet and their relationship to colic symptoms is also discussed. The importance of examination of the bacterial markers composition, metabolites of the intestinal microbiome, in particular, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), has been shown. Keywords: infantile colic, infant formula, nutrient components, intestinal microbiota, short-chain fatty acids
NIR Light‐Driven Bi2Se3‐Based Nanoreactor with “Three in One” Hemin‐Assisted Cascade Catalysis for Synergetic Cancer Therapy

Photocatalytic semiconductor‐based nanoreactors, that convert nontoxic molecules into toxic ones for cancer therapy, have attracted great interest. However, its therapeutic efficiency is limited by the fast electron–hole recombination within a narrow bandgap, low oxidative damage of H2O2, and tumor hypoxia. Herein, aggregation‐limited hemin is introduced onto Bi2Se3 nanoparticles for successively solving these problems. The nanoreactor (Bi2Se3@hemin‐(G‐H)‐HA NPs) is obtained through adamantane modified hemin and β‐cyclodextrin modified hyaluronic acid complexing and wrapping on Bi2Se3 NPs via host–guest and electrostatic interaction. Once irradiated by NIR light, the hemin assists Bi2Se3 to separate electron–hole pairs and catalyze endogenous H2O to generate vast H2O2, resulting in a 3.9‐fold higher H2O2 generation than that of individual Bi2Se3. Subsequently, H2O2 is catalyzed by aggregation‐limited hemin to generate highly toxic •OH and •O2−, which improves the total reactive oxygen species generation of Bi2Se3@hemin‐(G‐H)‐HA by 10.8‐fold compared to that of Bi2Se3 NPs. Importantly, the cytotoxicity result exhibits a death rate of HepG2 cells of above 90%, even though in a simulated hypoxic environment. Additionally, the in vivo result indicates this nanoreactor realizes an synergetic anticancer effect with a tumor inhibition rate of 92.3%. Overall, such a nanoreactor with hemin‐assisted cascade catalysis is a promising candidate for improving therapeutic efficacy.
Concept Cars as Vehicles for Change in SMEs

Making prototypes of fictitious artifacts has long been applied in corporations as a design-led way to envisioning the future. These techniques make use of design to explore speculative futures translating abstract questions into concrete objects and bringing the human dimension and experience into futures techniques. The design-led strategic foresight techniques follow making activities – including visual synthesis, prototyping and storytelling – and result in experimental and experiential artifacts offering concrete, hands-on and specific images of the futures. An example of these techniques is the making and sharing of concept cars, a long-standing practice in the automotive industry. These artifacts facilitate the sharing of future visions, which embody future ideas, to diverse people. Whereas corporations use these design-led strategic foresight techniques as a driver for innovation, small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of society and the global economy, have been deprived of these kinds of explorations due to their being resource intensive. To help these enterprises, we developed DIVE (design, innovation, vision and exploration) based on design-led strategic foresight techniques developed by corporations but adapted to the scale and needs of these small players. DIVE helps external designers and company representatives in making and sharing artifacts to envision the future of their company. The technique follows an analogy that invites participants to make a hole in the world as it is and descend underwater to the speculative futures and then come back to the reality. Along with this plunge into fiction, participants identify trends, create ideas about the future, and make a prototype of an artifact that is subsequently used to motivate people to talk about the company’s future and present. This artifact, the vision concept, includes ideas about the future product or service, the context and the business itself. This paper aims to evaluate DIVE as a design-led strategic foresight technique and focuses on the benefits and limitations of its application. It includes two cases that explored the future of the shopping experience for the company Solutions Group. It is a Colombian medium-sized enterprise that develops and produces point-of-purchase materials for consumer goods corporations such as Procter & Gamble. In both cases, the participants employed DIVE activities to make and share a vision concept. At the end of the cases, the DIVE outcomes were validated by three external innovation experts. DIVE proved its efficacy in supporting designers in setting future visions, prototyping vision concepts and stories and making recommendations for different time frames, and participants also learned about the strategic value of design.