Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Affecting the Clearance of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Infection and the Progression of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify factors that predict clearance of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and progression to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2 or higher, in women with normal cervical histology or CIN 1. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 817 high-risk HPV-infected women with histologically verified CIN 1 or normal cervical histology. Patients were followed-up for a maximum of 24 months. Cervical HPV DNA tests were performed at every visit. RESULTS: At the end of follow-up, 648/817 (79.3%) patients were free from HPV infection and 66/817 patients (8.1%) progressed to CIN 2 or higher. Age, parity, cytology and viral load at diagnosis were significantly and inversely associated with HPV clearance. Cytology, viral load and presence of CIN 1 lesions were significantly associated with lesion progression. CONCLUSIONS: Cytology and high-risk HPV viral load may be useful markers for the likelihood of high-risk HPV clearance and lesion progression. Histological status, parity and marital status may also be useful factors to consider when predicting progression.
Toxicological properties of several novel oligonucleotide analogs in mice.

The toxicological properties of ISIS 3082, a phosphorothioate oligonucleotide, and five structurally related analogs of ISIS 3082, were examined in Balb/c mice. Comparisons were made between the uniform phosphorothioate oligonucleotide (ISIS 3082), and a 2' propoxy modified phosphodiester (ISIS 9044), a 2' propoxy phosphorothioate (ISIS 9045), a chimeric oligonucleotide comprised of 2' propoxy diester wings and phosphorothioate deoxy center (ISIS 9046), a 5' C18 amine phosphorothioate (ISIS 9047), or a 5' cholesterol modified phosphorothioate (ISIS 8005) oligonucleotide. Oligonucleotides were administered at 50 mg/kg by i.v. bolus injection (tail vein) every other day for 14 days. In general, the spectrum of alterations observed for ISIS 3082 and all of the analogs were relatively similar. Balb/c mice treated with ISIS 3082 were observed to have increases in liver transaminases and a decrease in triglycerides consistent with results from previous studies performed in CD-1 mice. Spleen weights were also increased in ISIS 3082-treated mice, but no histopathological alterations were noted. ISIS 9046 resulted in a toxicity profile that was very similar to that described for ISIS 3082 with the exception of a slightly lower cholesterol level. Alterations induced by ISIS 9045, ISIS 9047 and ISIS 8005 were qualitatively similar to ISIS 3082, but in general more pronounced, with greater reductions in cholesterol and platelet counts, or increases in blood urea nitrogen relative to ISIS 3082. Red blood cell (RBC) counts and hematocrit were also reduced in mice treated with ISIS 9046, ISIS 9047 and ISIS 8005 relative to the ISIS 3082 treatment group. Kupffer cell hypertrophy and basophilic inclusions in Kupffer cells were observed in mice treated with ISIS 9045, ISIS 9047 and ISIS 8005, but not in ISIS 3082-treated mice. A unique renal lesions was noted in mice treated with ISIS 9044 only that was characterized as mild atrophy of proximal convoluted tubules associated with interstitial fibrosis. With the exception of the renal lesions observed in ISIS 9044 treated mice, the toxicity profiles of various oligonucleotide analogs examined in this study were similar to that observed for ISIS 3082.
Instantaneous Reactive Power Reduction of Ripple-Free Resonant Buck Converter Using Bidirectional Switch

This paper presents an instantaneous reactive power reduction method for rippleless resonant bidirectional converter in backward operation. The method is applied to improve an existing converter topology that features high step-up/down capability, high efficiency and zero input ripple. The original topology suffers from significant reverse current when transferring power backwards under synchronous rectification. By adding a single bidirectional switch in the circuit, we are able to block the reverse current in the backward operation, which dramatically reduces the circulating current and current stress on the switch. A non-complementary modulation strategy for the bidirectional switch is developed to further reduce the conduction loss, which comes from the use of the bidirectional switch. A 600-W converter prototype has been implemented to show the performance of the converter.
A survey of commercially available secure LAN products

The advent of the Trusted Network Interpretation (TNI) and the widespread availability of powerful microcomputers has resulted in the development of secure local area networking (LAN) products. Potentially, these products provide tremendous economic benefit by allowing multi-level secure operation of local area networks. The author examines eight of the most popular secure LAN products from a technical perspective. The surveyed products include the Verdix Secure LAN, the Boeing Secure LAN, the Sun MLS OS, IBM/TIS's Secure Xenix, DEC's Ethernet Enhanced Security System, the Harris LAN/SX, the Ford Aerospace Multinet Gateway, and the Xerox Encryption Unit. Following the examination of these products, the paper provides subjective conclusions about the state of LAN security. <<ETX>>
Tracking-Control for the Boost-Pressure of a Turbo-Charger Based on a Local Model Network

We consider the reference tracking problem for boost-pressure control of an exhaust-gas turbo-charger. We adopt a two degree-of-freedom controller structure with feedforward control for reference tracking and feedback control for compensation of model uncertainties and disturbances. We propose a model-following control-structure for the online-generation of the feed-forward control signal. The nonlinear dynamics of the process are modelled by a linear local model network. For the feedback controller we employ a simple PI design for robustness. We compare the results with an inversion-based feedforward design and H-infinity controller for feedback.
A Passively Adaptive Microspine Grapple for Robust, Controllable Perching

The application of flying systems to practical tasks is consistently limited by the poor endurance of hovering robots. The ability to perch to fixed surfaces allows a robot to gather data and inspect structures in a low power state, while retaining the access and manoeuvrability that flight offers. In this paper we present a passively adaptive perching mechanism which allows an aerial vehicle to stably attach to a variety of surfaces including tree branches and pipelines. This is enabled by a compliant grapple module, which passively conforms to the surface of convex perching targets, ensuring reliable traction and a very high load capacity (tension tested to > 60 kg in some instances) whilst still releasing effortlessly. This is due to the mechanics of the grapple, which is designed to passively tighten and attach to a variety of branch diameters and shapes. The grapple is paired with a hybrid force-motion controller which allows the cable tension to be regulated as the vehicle achieves the desired attitude. The hybrid control approach exploits the mechanical compliance of the system to ensure reliable, stable attachment to irregular natural structures, and the addition of a winch allows the robot to stably orient itself in any position or orientation relative to the branch. This approach demonstrates tensile perching using adaptive anchors. The presented subsystems can be applied to other robots where high force authority is required.
[MicroRNA-152 and microRNA-448 inhibit proliferation of colorectal cancer cells in vitro by targeting Rictor].

OBJECTIVE To screen the microRNAs (miRNAs) targeting Rictor and investigate their effects in regulating the biological behaviors of colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS Human colorectal cancer cell line KM12SM was transfected with the miRNAs targeting Rictor identified by prediction software to test inhibitory effects of these miRNAs on Rictor expression using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Dual luciferase reporter assay was used to further confirm the binding of these miRNAs to the 3'UTR of Rictor mRNA. Cell survival and colony formation assays were used to investigate the effects of these miRNAs on survival and colony formation in KM12SM cells. RESULTS miR-152 and miR-448 were identified as the Rictor-targeting miRNAs, which significantly inhibited the expression of Rictor in KM12SM cells (P < 0.05). The two miRNAs were confirmed to bind to the 3'UTR of Rictor mRNA and significantly inhibited luciferase activity in KM12SM cells (P < 0.01, P < 0.05); they also showed activities of posttranscriptional modulation of Rictor. Overexpression of miR-152 and miR-448 both significantly inhibited the growth and colony formation of KM12SM cells. CONCLUSIONS miR-152 and miR-448 can down-regulate the protein expression of Rictor by targeting Rictor mRNA to negatively regulate the growth and colony formation of colorectal cancer cells.
Homomorphically Rectified Tile-wise Equalized Adaptive Gamma Correction for Histopathological Color Image Enhancement

In this paper, an efficient approach for quality improvement of histopathology slides’ images is suggested, along with proper luminance restoration and color-correction. Here, the extracted luminance channel is initially tile-wise equalized and an efficiently clipped image is acquired for evaluation of the required gamma value set for imparting adaptive boosting for the proper harvesting of the entire intensity span. The core contribution is to harvest the highly adaptive, pixel-wise, homomorphic color-correction ratio over the entire three-dimensional color image. In addition, this correction is introduced by intensity level-wise gamma correction. Again, it can be understood that the corresponding gamma value set is derived from a tile-wise uniformly equalized channel. Hence, this multi-level adaptiveness leads to a new strategy to attain the required objective. Rigorous experimentation is executed by employing the performance evaluation through standard quality measures and comparison with pre-existing recently proposed and highly appreciated quality enhancement approaches.
Predatory efficacy of five locally available copepods on Aedes larvae under laboratory settings: An approach towards bio-control of dengue in Sri Lanka

Many countries are in search of more effective and sustainable methods for controlling dengue vectors, due to undeniable inefficiencies in chemical and mechanical vector control methods. Bio-control of vectors by copepods is an ideal method of using interactions in the natural ecosystem for vector management, with minimum consequences on the environment. Current study determined the predatory efficacy of five locally abundant copepod species on, Aedes larvae under laboratory conditions. Copepods were collected from the pre-identified locations within the districts of Gampaha and Kandy, and identified morphologically. Individual species of copepods were maintained as separate colonies with Paramecium culture and wheat grain as supplementary food. Five adult copepods of each species was introduced into separate containers with 200 larvae (1st instar) of Aedes aegypti. Number of larvae survived in containers were enumerated at 3 hour intervals within a duration of 24 hours. Each experiment was repeated five times. The same procedure was followed for Ae. albopictus. Significance in the variations among predation rates was evaluated with General Linear Modelling (GLM) followed by Tukey’s pair-wise comparison in SPSS (version 23). Significant variations in predation rates of studied copepod species were reported (p<0.05), whereby M. leuckarti indicated the highest followed by M. scrassus, while C. languides indicated the lowest predatory efficacy. The effect of different Aedes larval species on the predation rates of copepods remained significant (p<0.05), even though the effect on predatory efficiency was not significant. Based on the findings, both M. leuckarti and M. scrassus, with the highest predatory efficiencies, could be recommended as potential candidates for biological controlling of Aedes vectors in Sri Lanka.
On Energy Harvesting Using Piezoelectric Transducer with Two-Port Model Under Force Excitation

Piezoelectric (PE) materials are functional materials that can be used for transforming mechanical stress into electrical energy, that can then be stored and used for powering other devices. In this paper, we provide experimental investigation of PE transducers used for energy harvesting under external force-controlled excitation. The lumped parameter electromechanical model (LPEM) has been assumed and brought into a generalized two-port network notation. Laboratory experiments using a universal test machine (UTM) were performed and used for the parameter identification of the model. The two-port model formulation is validated by comparing results of numerical simulations and experimental data. A numerical analysis of power conversion between the mechanical and electrical domains and potential energy harvesting capabilities of the PE transducer under stress are presented based on the experimental results.
A Grasping Component Mapping Approach for Soft Robotic End-Effector Control

Soft robotic end-effectors with inherent compliance have excellent grasping adaptability and ensure safe human-robot interaction. The inherent compliance also limits structural dexterity in soft robotic systems and makes mathematical modeling difficult, therefore resulting in control challenges for existing soft robotic hands. To tackle these problems, we propose a general and intuitive control approach for various soft end-effectors with different kinematic structures. A grasping component based mapping approach is presented. This approach maps the essential human hand grasping components to robotic hand grasping components, without requiring a specific kinematic model per end-effector. A LMC-based human hand motion capturing system and multi-channel pneumatic actuation platform are accompanied to realize the intuitive control. The proposed intuitive control strategy does not require the human operator to wear any equipment or modify their natural hand behavior to match different end-effector structures. We demonstrate the efficacy of our control strategy with two, three, and four-fingered soft end-effectors. All static performances are depicted by photos in the experimental section and dynamic processes are in our accompanying video. The proposed approach provides an efficient solution to control various soft robotic hands and enhances the performance dexterity of soft robotic end-effectors.
STAR: rating of reviewS by exploiting variation in emoTions using trAnsfer leaRning framework

In this digital era, it is a common practice to check reviews about a service or product before it buying. A five star rating scale system provides much easier interface to the consumers for checking the reviews about the corresponding service or product, instead of just classifying the reviews as good, neutral and bad. Moreover, it is very common for a single review which can praise the product and criticize it as well. Even if two reviews over all, show the same sentiment. However, the order in which they praise or criticize a product, can make their star rating quite different. We have considered such observations to deploy our proposed STAR model, which addresses the above concerns by involving the variation of sentiment in reviews, to greatly affect the star rating performance. This work highlights a two Phases based novel approach using transfer learning framework to analyze the reviews by exploiting the variation in human being emotions. The experimental analysis shows that the STAR model outperforms the state-of-the-art models.
A New Time–Frequency Feature Extraction Method for Action Detection on Artificial Knee by Fractional Fourier Transform

With the aim of designing an action detection method on artificial knee, a new time–frequency feature extraction method was proposed. The inertial data were extracted periodically using the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU) on the prosthesis, and the features were extracted from the inertial data after fractional Fourier transform (FRFT). Then, a feature vector composed of eight features was constructed. The transformation results of these features after FRFT with different orders were analyzed, and the dimensions of the feature vector were reduced. The classification effects of different features and different orders are analyzed, according to which order and feature of each sub-classifier were designed. Finally, according to the experiment with the prototype, the method proposed above can reduce the requirements of hardware calculation and has a better classification effect. The accuracies of each sub-classifier are 95.05%, 95.38%, 91.43%, and 89.39%, respectively; the precisions are 78.43%, 98.36%, 98.36%, and 93.41%, respectively; and the recalls are 100%, 93.26%, 86.96%, and 86.68%, respectively.
Food toxicology: quantitative analysis of the research field literature

Abstract Total-scale quantitative research literature analysis on the food toxicology scientific field has yet to be conducted. In this work, we identified and analysed food toxicology publications in the existing scientific literature. A literature search was performed with the online Web of Science database. Full records and cited references of the 73,099 identified manuscripts were imported into VOSviewer software for analysis. This research field has been growing steadily since the 1990s. Article to review ratio was 7.4:1. The publications were mainly related to toxicology, environmental sciences, food science and technology, pharmacology/pharmacy and biochemistry/molecular biology. The United States and China are major contributors to food toxicology research, followed by other European and Asian countries. The prolific authors have formed three major clusters within a citation network. Toxic or hazardous chemicals related to food with high citations included aflatoxin, dioxin, fumonisin, malondialdehyde, mycotoxin, ochratoxin, phthalate, and polychlorinated biphenyl.
Concurrent herpes simplex virus encephalitis and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Hsich et al recently described the 14–3–3 protein marker for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in which they noted a high number of positive assays (11 of 12) for the 14–3–3 protein in the CSF of patients with herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis.1 We report the case of a previously healthy 71 year old woman admitted to hospital with subacute changes in mental status who developed a rapidly progressive dementia characterised by personality change, insomnia, ataxia, and myoclonus. Brain MRI was unremarkable. Serial EEG was markedly abnormal due to the presence of diffuse slowing and continuous bilateral sharp waves with regular or irregular periodicity. Analysis of CSF at LCNSS, NIH showed strong immunoreactivity for …
Resolution-Optimal Exponential and Double-Exponential Transform Methods for Functions with Endpoint Singularities

We introduce a numerical method for the approximation of functions which are analytic on compact intervals, except at the endpoints. This method is based on variable transforms using particular parametrized exponential and double-exponential mappings, in combination with Fourier-like approximation in a truncated domain. We show theoretically that this method is superior to variable transform techniques based on the standard exponential and double-exponential mappings. In particular, it can resolve oscillatory behaviour using near-optimal degrees of freedom, whereas the standard mappings require degrees of freedom that grow superlinearly with the frequency of oscillation. We highlight these results with several numerical experiments. Therein it is observed that near-machine epsilon accuracy is achieved using a number of degrees of freedom that is between four and ten times smaller than those of existing techniques.
Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide Induced Alterations of Genome-Wide DNA Methylation and Promoter Methylation of Lactation-Related Genes in Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could result in poor lactation performance in dairy cows. High methylation of DNA is associated with gene repression. However, it is unclear whether LPS could suppress the expression of lactation-related genes by inducing DNA methylation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the impact of LPS on genome-wide DNA methylation, using methylated DNA immunoprecipitation with high-throughput sequencing (MeDIP-seq) and on the promoter methylation of lactation-related genes using MassArray analysis in bovine mammary epithelial cells. The bovine mammary epithelial cell line MAC-T cells were treated for 48 h with LPS at different doses of 0, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 endotoxin units (EU)/mL (1 EU = 0.1 ng). The results showed that the genomic methylation levels and the number of methylated genes in the genome as well as the promoter methylation levels of milk genes increased when the LPS dose was raised from 0 to 10 EU/mL, but decreased after further increasing the LPS dose. The milk gene mRNA expression levels of the 10 EU/mL LPS treatment were significantly lower than these of untreated cells. The results also showed that the number of hypermethylated genes was greater than that of hypomethylated genes in lipid and amino acid metabolic pathways following 1 and 10 EU/mL LPS treatments as compared with control. By contrast, in the immune response pathway the number of hypomethylated genes increased with increasing LPS doses. The results indicate LPS at lower doses induced hypermethylation of the genome and promoters of lactation-related genes, affecting milk gene mRNA expression. However, LPS at higher doses induced hypomethylation of genes involved in the immune response pathway probably in favor of immune responses.
DC-UPS Capability for the SCALDO-Assisted 48-V Google Rack Power Architecture

In order to reduce energy losses in high energy consuming data centers, Google introduced their 48-V rack power architecture in 2016 to replace the previous 12-V DC power distribution line. With the DC voltage increased by 4 times the ohmic losses can be reduced by 16 times. This new architecture is expected to be enhanced with rack-level DC-UPS.Compared to traditional very high-frequency switch mode DC-DC converters with their complexity and interference issues, a typical linear converter generates low-noise high-quality DC, albeit with the very low efficiency. The supercapacitor (SC) assisted low drop-out (SCALDO) regulator is a unique new DC-DC converter that resolves this low-efficiency issue. This paper provides a new design approach to achieve a low-frequency supercapacitor-based energy recovery technique for a 48-V DC power supply with efficiencies comparable to switch mode power supplies but with the added advantage of two-stage DC-UPS capability at no additional cost.
An Efficient Analytical Inductor Core Loss Calculation Method for Two-level and Three-level PWM Converters based on a User-friendly Loss Map

This paper proposes an efficient analytical approach to calculate the inductor core loss for Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) converters with the aid of a pre-built, user-friendly core loss map. Loss map is the most practical approach to accurately estimate the core loss of an inductor exposed to PWM operation. To predict the inductor core loss, the inputs of the loss map needs to be retrieved from the steady-state inductor voltage/current waveforms. For estimation purpose, an analytical approach is proposed in this paper, which enables mathematical and simplified computation of the operating space and core loss of the inductor in a PWM converter. The proposed approach is developed for both 2-level and 3-level converters and then validated by experiments. The results indicate that a 3-level converter operates the same inductor with less core loss compared to a 2-level converter, when the maximum current ripple is kept equivalent by halving the switching frequency in the 3-level converter.