Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dual stable isotope characterization of excess methane in oxic waters of a mesotrophic lake

To determine the source of excess methane in oxic, surface‐water columns often found in freshwater environments, we measured the in situ concentration and stable isotopic compositions (δ13C and δ2H) of methane in Lake Biwa, a mesotrophic lake in Japan. The values from the littoral zone and lake‐floor sediments were determined, besides those in the water column of the pelagic zone. Furthermore, we conducted incubation experiments to measure microbial oxidation rates and alterations in the isotopic signatures of methane. We found significant vertical and seasonal variations in both in situ concentrations and stable isotopic compositions of methane measured in the pelagic zone. We concluded that active microbial oxidation was primarily responsible for the variation in δ13C and δ2H values of methane in the pelagic water column. As a result, we defined a new indicator Δ(2,13) to characterize the sources of dissolved methane, in which variations in both δ13C and δ2H during methane oxidation had been corrected. The excess methane in oxic, surface‐water columns exhibited Δ(2,13) values similar to those in the littoral zone. We concluded that excess methane at the surface of the pelagic zone originated from the littoral zone via lateral transport. Anoxic near sediments and inflowing rivers were responsible for methane enrichment in water of the littoral zone and in the surface water columns of the pelagic zone.
Altered Mental Status Among Febrile Hospitalized HIV-Infected Children Aged 0-59 Months in Mozambique.

BACKGROUND Altered mental status (AMS) is a priority presenting sign that must be assessed in HIV-infected, febrile children, yet diagnosis is difficult in areas with limited diagnostic capacity. Malaria and bacterial meningitis have been reported as the most common causes of AMS in febrile children presenting to the hospital in sub-Saharan Africa. However, in an HIV-infected child, central nervous system manifestations are diverse. METHODS We conducted a clinical observational study of HIV-infected febrile children, aged 0-59 months, hospitalized in Mozambique and prospectively followed. Within this cohort, a nested study was designed to characterize children admitted with AMS and to assess factors associated with mortality. Univariate and multivariable analysis were performed comparing characteristics of the cohort by AMS status and evaluated demographic and clinical factors by in-hospital mortality outcome. RESULTS In total, 727 children were enrolled between April 2016 and February 2019, 16% had AMS at admission. HIV-infected, febrile children, who presented with AMS and who had a diagnosis of bacteremia, had a 4-fold increased relative odds of in-hospital mortality, and children who presented with neurologic symptoms on admission had a roughly 8-fold higher odds of in-hospital mortality relative to children without presenting neurologic findings. CONCLUSIONS Mozambique has a pressing need to expand local diagnostic capacity. Our results highlight the critical need for clinicians to incorporate a broader differential into their potential causes of AMS, and to develop a Ministry of Health approved diagnostic and management algorithm, which is standardly used, to manage patients for whom reliable and relevant diagnostic services are not available.
SHFuzz: Selective Hybrid Fuzzing with Branch Scheduling Based on Binary Instrumentation

Hybrid fuzzing is a popular software testing technique that combines random fuzzing with concolic execution. It is widely used in the security domain known for its ability to find deeply hidden vulnerabilities and reach high code coverage. Hybrid fuzzing is based on negating branches in the execution path of a specific input to generate new test cases. However, due to numerous inputs and related branches, it does not show the best of its effectiveness without input and branch selection methods. In this paper, we systematically analyze the branch scheduling problem in the internal attributes of hybrid fuzzing, focusing on the synchronization mechanism. To solve the problems, we propose the Selective Hybrid Fuzzing (SHF) approach with branch scheduling based on binary instrumentation. There are two major parts to the SHF approach: (1) we propose a critical branch selection algorithm to select critical branches by three metrics: hit accuracy, solvability, and complexity; (2) we propose a priority score calculation algorithm to select inputs by the number of critical branches. With the SHF approach, we choose only the branches that can be negated to generate new coverage, instead of repeatedly executing the same branches and generating duplicates of inputs. We implement a hybrid fuzzer called SHFuzz with our SHF approach and compare it with the state-of-the-art hybrid fuzzer QSYM. In the evaluation, SHFuzz outperforms QSYM in 20 real-world applications from the Google Fuzzer Test Suite and other program suites in a 12 h test. On average, SHFuzz achieves 8.40% more code coverage and 100 more unique crashes in each application. Our work also finds existing vulnerabilities 7.85× faster than QSYM. We also find new bugs by SHFuzz, which QSYM fails to find. Our evaluation shows that the selective hybrid fuzzing approach can reduce the number of branches executed in concolic execution, enhancing hybrid fuzzing on code coverage and bug finding capabilities.
Enhanced thermal effect of plasmonic nanostructures confined in discoidal porous silicon particles

The design of plasmonic nanostructures could have many exciting applications since it enhances or provides valuable control over efficient energy conversion. A three-dimensional (3D) space is a realistic hotspot matrix harvesting a wide conversion that has been shown in zero-dimensional nanoparticles, one-dimensional linear structures, or two-dimensional films. A novel 3D plasmonic nanostructure platform consisting of plasmonic metal nanoparticles in discoidal porous silicon particles is used in this study. Plasmonic gold nanoparticles are anchored inside the discoidal porous silicon (DPS) particles by in situ reduction synthesis. The novel plasmonic nanostructures can tailor the plasmon band and overcome the instability of photothermal materials. The “trapping well” for the anchored nanoparticles in 3D space can result in a huge change of plasmonic band of metal nanoparticles to the near-IR region in a novel 3D geometry. A multifunctional scaffold, Au–DPS particle, composed of doxorubicin conjugated to poly-(l-glutamic acid) (pDOX), was developed for combinatorial chemo-photothermal cancer therapy. The therapeutic efficacy was examined in treatment of the A549 cell line under near-IR laser irradiation. The highly efficient photothermal conversion can also be demonstrated in the laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection analysis. The limit of detection was obviously improved in the detection of angiotensin II, P14R, and ACTH fragments 18-39 peptides. Overall, we envision that Au–DPS particles may be used in ultrasensitive theranostics in the future.
Congenital Hypothyroidism due to a Low Level of Maternal Thyrotropin Receptor-Blocking Antibodies

Introduction: Maternal TSH receptor antibodies (TRAbs) can cross the placenta and affect fetal and neonatal thyroid function. Maternal TSH receptor-blocking antibodies (TBAbs) are a rare cause of congenital hypothyroidism. Case Report: Following the discovery of a highly elevated TSH on her neonatal screening test, a 10-day-old girl with no familial history of thyroid disorder was referred to the pediatric endocrinology unit. Hypothyroidism was confirmed with a highly elevated TSH (817 mIU/L, reference range 0.4–3.1) and very low levels of FT4 (1.8 pmol/L, reference range 12–22). Anti-TPO antibodies were at 81 IU/mL (reference range <34), TRAbs at 1.7 IU/L (reference range <1.75), and thyroglobulin at 9.4 µg/L (reference range 3.5–77). The thyroid appeared normal on ultrasonography, and no radioiodine uptake was seen on the scintigraphy after the perchlorate discharge test. Concomitantly, a severe maternal hypothyroidism was discovered (TSH 224 mIU/L). The maternal ultrasound appeared normal, anti-TPO antibodies were moderately elevated, and TRAbs were at 3.2 IU/L. TBAbs activity was measured in the mother and her daughter, and a very high and similar blocking activity was observed in both patients (TBAbs 89%, reference range <10%). L-thyroxine treatment was introduced in the newborn and was successfully discontinued at 6.5 months of age, as the TBAbs activity decreased. Conclusion: We report herein a case of transient congenital hypothyroidism with a normal neonatal TRAbs level. In case of maternal TBAbs, similar activity of maternal TBAbs must be expected in the neonate, independently of the neonatal level of TRAbs.
Association of calcium and Vitamin D levels in fragility fractures in the elderly: A study in a tertiary care centre

Introduction: One of the most common morbidities that is associated with the elderly is the fragility fractures. The common areas where the fragility fractures occur are pelvis, forearm and ribs in the elderly especially the persons aged more than 65 years. Of the various lines of treatments available for osteoporosis, one of the primary managements are Calcium and Vitamin D. This study was done therefore to assess the levels of vitamin D among the elderly with fragility fractures. Materials and Methods: 76 patients over the age of 60 years, who had been admitted in our hospital due to fragility fractures, who were were mobile, either independently or with help such as stick, walking frame or wheel chair were included into the study. The Vitamin D3 levels were classified as sufficient, insufficient and deficient based on Pearce et al classification. Statistical analysis using graphs and tables and fisher’s test was done. Results: Out of 76 patients, 27.6% were males and 72.4% were females and the mean age was 75.9 4.6. Majority of the patients with fractures (47.4%) were either walking with 2 sticks or with a walking frame at the time of their fall. 56.6% of the patients had insufficient Vitamin D levels in their blood stream, 23.7% had deficient levels (75 nmol/lit). Conclusion: Most of the patients were either had insufficient or deficient Vitamin D level at the time of their fall. Therefore, it is imperative to keep a watch on the vitamin D levels and supplement calcium and vitamin D in medications so that the risk of fall is reduced. Keywords: Calcium, Vitamin D, Fragility fractures elderly.
Social work education and the recognition of rights in the digital tech age: implications for professional identity

ABSTRACT The use of digital technology by law enforcement apparatuses raises important social justice implications for existing race- and economic-based disparities in the U.S. criminal justice system. The purpose of the present survey research study is to describe and ascertain statistically significant differences and non-differences between, and predictors of, U.S. social work students regarding their attitudes toward, and intersectional knowledge of, law enforcement, privacy rights, and digital technology. With Human Subjects approval, in Fall 2019, the authors administered a 66-item survey across 150 institutions of higher education in the United States with both a Council on Social Work Education-accredited undergraduate and graduate social work program, including collaboratives, using a stratified, random sampling method (N = 430). Results include that students who do not challenge bigotry on social media are approximately two times more likely to: Endorse law enforcement’s use of technology to assist in the apprehension of persons who merely stand accused of committing a crime; and, lack awareness that facial recognition programs result in false positives for people of color (who are overrepresented in the U.S. criminal justice system). Based on these findings, the authors discuss implications for social work education, making recommendations accordingly.
Fast hybrid dual mode NMPC for a parallel double inverted pendulum with experimental validation

This study presents a novel fast non-linear model predictive control approach for a parallel double inverted pendulum. The approach uses dual-mode closed-loop predictions to obtain numerically robust optimal solutions. Moreover, it uses the real-time iteration (RTI) scheme to reduce the computational burden and achieve real-time performance. Furthermore, two main modifications are proposed which significantly improve the performance of the RTI scheme in the presence of large disturbances, namely; additional energy-based costs, and a hybrid switching scheme. Finally, the approach uses a non-standard discretised model combined with an online system identification scheme to address parameter uncertainty, and with an extended Kalman filter for state-estimation. The resulting performance is validated through both simulations and experimental results .
Short-Term Traffic Flow Forecasting Using Ensemble Approach Based on Deep Belief Networks

Transportation services play an increasingly significant role for people’s daily lives and bring a lot of benefits to individuals and economic development. The randomness and volatility of traffic flows, however, constrains the effective provision of transportation services to a certain extent. Precise traffic flow forecasting becomes the key and primary task to realize the stability of intelligent transport systems and ensure efficient scheduling of traffic. This paper investigates the application of an ensemble approach based on deep belief networks for short-term traffic flow forecasting. Traffic flow data, collected from the real world, is decomposed into several Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) and a residue with EEMD (Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition). Then, for each component, the essential feature subset is extracted by the mRMR (minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance Feature Selection) method considering weather conditions and day properties. Furthermore, each component is trained by DBN (Deep belief networks) and their forecasting results are summed up as the output of the ensemble model at last. Results indicate that the proposed approach achieves significant performance improvement over the single DBN and other selected methods.
Exercise Training Augments Flow-Dependent Dilation in Rat Skeletal Muscle Arterioles

Abstract We aimed to test the hypothesis that as a consequence of short-term daily exercise, flow (shear stress)–dependent dilation and its mediation by the endothelium are altered in skeletal muscle arterioles. After initial familiarization with the protocol, rats ran on a treadmill once a day (with gradually increasing intensity up to 40 minutes and 28 m/min) for ≈3 weeks (EX group); a control group remained sedentary (SED group). The active (internal) diameters of isolated gracilis muscle arterioles of SED and EX rats at 80 mm Hg were significantly different (55.2±2.1 and 49.3±2.0 μm, P<.05), and their passive diameters (in Ca2+-free solution) were 105.3±3.1 and 111.2±2.4 μm (not significantly different), respectively. Increases in flow of the perfusion solution from 0 to 12 μL/min elicited a significantly greater increase in diameter of EX arterioles (by 83.5% at maximum flow). This enhanced sensitivity maintained a lower shear stress in EX arterioles (15 to 20 dyne/cm2) compared with SED arterioles (.
A Case of 10-Year Survival after Adrenalectomy for Isolated Adrenal Metastasis of Breast Cancer

Isolated adrenal metastasis of breast cancer is very rare, so adrenalectomy for breast cancer metastasis is rarely performed. The case of a breast cancer patient with five-year survival after resection of a left isolated adrenal metastasis is presented. A 70-year-old woman underwent left modified radical mastectomy and axillary lymphadenectomy for invasive ductal carcinoma (T2N1M0) 9 years earlier. At regular follow-up, a left adrenal mass, 4 cm in diameter, was seen on ultrasound examination and computed tomography (CT). Endoscopic adrenalectomy was performed. Pathological examination confirmed isolated adrenal metastasis of breast cancer. After surgery, hormone therapy was given for 5 years. Ten years after adrenalectomy, no metastatic lesions in other organs have been found on CT. Adrenalectomy for a metastatic adrenal tumor of breast cancer may provide survival benefits when combined with systemic hormone therapy and chemotherapy, particularly in patients with disease confined to the adrenal glands.
Economic Valuation of Santolo Beach Tourism in Garut Regency West Java

This study aimed to estimate the economic value of Santolo Beach tourism area. This research conducted from December 2019 until January 2020. The method used in this research is survey method with accidental sampling as the data collecting technique. Travel Cost Method and Contingent Valuation Method applied to estimate Santolo Beach's economic value. The factors influenced the number of visits and Willingness to Pay value identified by multiple linear regression. The results of the research showed that the economic value of Santolo Beach with the Travel Cost Method is IDR 114.26 Billion per year for the linear model and IDR 177.79 Billion per year for the semi-log model while the result from the Contingent Valuation Method is IDR 3.65 Billion per year. The factors that influence the number of visits in the linear model are travel costs, income, education, and distance while in the semi-log model is distance. The variables that influence the value of visitors' Willingness to Pay are income and education for both the linear model and the semi-log model.
Rapid Time Resolved Analysis of Filament Motility

In vitro motility assays are a valuable tool in understanding and characterizing motor protein mechanics, but existing algorithms are not optimized for time resolved analyses. We propose an algorithm that combines trace detection with time resolved analysis. By tracking filament ends, we double the number of data points and minimize data loss from crossing filaments. A movement trace formed by each filament end is stored such that the frame number in which a filament either first (filament tip) or last (filament tail) occupies a certain pixel, is stored. A frame number vs distance curve is generated from this trace, which is segmented into regions by slope to detect stop-and-go movement. We generated mock motility videos with known velocities, motile fraction profiles and varying filament lengths. Our algorithm accurately detected velocity and motile fraction changes for velocities less than 0.05 pixels per frame, without manual trace dropping and regardless of filament crossings. Two established algorithms, with manual trace dropping of unrealistic or not analyzable traces, showed much greater error in average and individual filament velocity as well as motile fraction. To demonstrate the utility of the algorithm we tested two actual motility experiments: 1) Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) added to skeletal myosin in rigor state; 2) myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP) added to phasic smooth muscle myosin. Our algorithm revealed features not previously detectable: 1) a near instantaneous increase in motile fraction paralleled by a slow increase in velocity as the ATP concentration increases and 2) simultaneous reductions in velocity and motile fraction as MLCP diffuses into the motility chamber at very low velocities. Our tests show that the developed algorithm surpasses existing algorithms in time resolved measurements of motile fraction and velocity at a wide range of filament velocities and lengths, with minimal user input and CPU time.
µGlyph: a Microgesture Notation

In the active field of hand microgestures, microgesture descriptions are typically expressed informally and are accompanied by images, leading to ambiguities and contradictions. An important step in moving the field forward is a rigorous basis for precisely describing, comparing, and analyzing microgestures. Towards this goal, we propose µGlyph, a hybrid notation based on a vocabulary of events inspired by finger biomechanics. First, we investigate the expressiveness of µGlyph by building a database of 118 microgestures extracted from the literature. Second, we experimentally explore the usability of µGlyph. Participants correctly read and wrote µGlyph descriptions 90% of the time, as compared to 46% for conventional descriptions. Third we present tools that promote µGlyph usage, including a visual editor with LaTeX export. We finally describe how µGlyph can guide research on designing, developing, and evaluating microgesture interaction. Results demonstrate the strong potential of µGlyph to establish a common ground for microgesture research.
Simplified appraisal method for fatigue on sitting for extended periods by using finger plethysmogram

For the purpose of quantifying and indicating the degree of fatigue as a result of sitting in an automobile seat for long periods of time, a method was developed by using a baseline oscillation and the amplitude of a finger plethysmogram. Between a finger plethysmogram and the degree of fatigue, there is about one hundred times difference in a fluctuation cycle. So, an idea was proposed to convert a finger plethysmogram into a gradient of comprehensive change to make fluctuation cycle scales easily comparable. The gradients of the square of the finger plethysmogram amplitude were converted into absolute values. Then, we drew a fatigue curve based on the results calculated at 18-second integrated values of the time series signals. This curve and the muscle fatigue curve from subjective judgment were in general accord. By using a finger plethysmogram featuring high sensitivity to the fatigue progress, differences in various subjects and seat performances could be found on this fatigue curve using only a 30-minute fatigue test. This new method has made it possible to greatly shorten the measurement time necessary to predict fatigue level by sensory evaluation.
Pose Estimation of Primitive-Shaped Objects from a Depth Image Using Superquadric Representation

This paper presents a method for estimating the six Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) pose of texture-less primitive-shaped objects from depth images. As the conventional methods for object pose estimation require rich texture or geometric features to the target objects, these methods are not suitable for texture-less and geometrically simple shaped objects. In order to estimate the pose of the primitive-shaped object, the parameters that represent primitive shapes are estimated. However, these methods explicitly limit the number of types of primitive shapes that can be estimated. We employ superquadrics as a primitive shape representation that can represent various types of primitive shapes with only a few parameters. In order to estimate the superquadric parameters of primitive-shaped objects, the point cloud of the object must be segmented from a depth image. It is known that the parameter estimation is sensitive to outliers, which are caused by the miss-segmentation of the depth image. Therefore, we propose a novel estimation method for superquadric parameters that are robust to outliers. In the experiment, we constructed a dataset in which the person grasps and moves the primitive-shaped objects. The experimental results show that our estimation method outperformed three conventional methods and the baseline method.