Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phenotypic detection, antimicrobial susceptibility and virulence profile of staphylococci in the pig production setting, Makurdi, Nigeria

Livestock, particularly pigs, have increasingly been recognized as important reservoirs for zoonotic transmission of pathogenic bacteria, including staphylococci. Livestock production systems in developing countries of sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, are characterized by high misuse/abuse of antimicrobials and a close association between humans and these animals, which promotes the emergence and transmission of resistant and potentially virulent bacteria. In the present study, we investigated the occurrence and characteristics (species distribution, virulence and resistance profile) of staphylococci from smallholder backyard pig farms, slaughter slabs and pig handlers in Makurdi, Nigeria. A total of 330 nasal swabs originating from 300 pigs and 30 in-contact humans were collected and processed. One hundred and thirteen samples [34.2 %; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 29.1–39.6] comprising 103 (34.3 %; 95 % CI: 29.0–40.0) and 10 (33.3 %; 95 % CI: 17.3–52.8 %) samples from pigs and humans, respectively, were positive for staphylococci, yielding 120 isolates (pigs n=110, humans n=10). The 120 isolates were distributed into 15 species with Staphylococcus aureus (n=25) followed by Staphylococcus cohnii (n=19) and Staphylococcus sciuri (n=14) occurring more frequently. All isolates were resistant to β-lactam (100 %) antibiotics. Resistance to some critical antimicrobials, including linezolid (22 %), vancomycin (19.2 %), gentamicin (7.5%) and the fluoroquinolones ciprofloxacin (75.8 %) and enrofloxacin (66.7 %), was also observed. Majority (99.2 %) of the isolates displayed a multidrug resistance phenotype with the AMP-C-CIP-E-ENR-FOX-OX-P-S-SXT-TE phenotype being predominant. Overall, 70 % of the isolates expressed the methicillin resistance phenotype, out of which 20 % (n=17) were MRSA. Resistance to serum bactericidal activity and biofilm production were respectively observed in 45 (100 %) and 5 (11.3 %) of the coagulase-positive staphylococci. Our findings demonstrated the occurrence of a high diversity of staphylococci expressing multidrug resistance and potentially virulent phenotypes among healthy swine and pig handlers in small-scale backyard farms in North-Central Nigeria. These findings underscore the potential role of pig production settings in the emergence and dissemination of potentially virulent staphylococci and the importance of the development of antimicrobial resistance monitoring systems/implementation of control measures in developing countries. Proper hygienic practices and control of indiscriminate use and misuse of antibiotics are recommended.
Integrated lightwave millimetric single side-band source: design and issues

We report on a fully integrated lightwave single side-band (SSB) source optimized for millimeter-wave (20-40 GHz) transport over fiber with no chromatic dispersion penalty. The operation principle is first developed. A practical design is proposed and tolerances of multimode interference (MMI) couplers and electroabsorption (EA) modulators subcomponents are theoretically and experimentally examined. The phase tolerances of MMI couplers are in particular given for the first time for such a scheme. These results imply the achievement of fully integrated rugged SSB source without resorting to complex technology steps.
Frequency manipulation of a light-activated shape-memory polymer-laminated cylindrical shell

A light-activated shape-memory polymer is a novel smart material that exhibits a dynamic Young's modulus when exposed to light. The non-contact actuation feature facilitates the lamination of a light-activated shape-memory polymer on host structures for realising frequency control. In this study, we investigated the natural frequency of a simply supported cylindrical shell coupled with light-activated shape-memory polymer patches located arbitrarily on the shell. Initially, we compared the natural frequency of a completely laminated cylindrical shell using two different approaches. Further, we analysed the effect of changes in the length and location of the light-activated shape-memory polymer patch pair on the natural frequency of the cylindrical shell. Based on the experimental results, we propose an optimal scheme, wherein several light-activated shape-memory polymer patch pairs are distributed on the surface of the shell, and the frequency control capability of the proposed scheme is evaluated comprehensively. The results verify that the optimal scheme has an adequate control effect on the natural frequency of the cylindrical shell.
Use of local measurements to estimate voltage-stability margin

Estimating the proximity of power systems to voltage collapse in real-time still faces difficulties. Beside the data management and computational issues, any central-control method is subject to the reliability of long-distance data communications. In the paper, the authors describe a new data-processing method to estimate the proximity to voltage collapse. The method (code-named SMARTDevice, for Stability Monitoring And Reference Tuning Device) employs only local measurements-bus voltage and load current-and calculates the strength of the transmission system relative to the bus. The collapse occurs when the local load approaches this value. The method is simple enough so that it can be implemented in a numerical relay. The performance of SMARTDevice is compared against the conventional undervoltage relays. It is shown that the latter can misoperate while the new device does not. SMARTDevice is in fact a new breed of voltage relay whose setpoint is automatically tuned to the power system condition.
Impact Response of Circular Tube with Concentric Plunger

Thin-walled tubes are generally used as impact energy absorber in various application due to their ease of fabrication and installation, high energy absorption capacity and long stroke. However, the main drawback of plain tube is the high initial peak force. A concentric plunger in the form of tapered block is proposed to overcome this shortcoming while at the same time, improving the impact performance. Static and dynamic axial crushing were performed to determine the initial peak force (IPF), crush force efficiency (CFE) and specific energy absorption (SEA) for the concentric plunger with various taper angles. It was found that the concentric plunger affected the tube impact response. Comparison with plain circular tube was carried out and it was found that the concentric plunger improved the impact response of the tube especially in term of initial peak force.
Comparative Study of Glucose and Fructose Metabolism in Infants with Reference to Utilization and to the Accumulation of Glycolytic Intermediates

Recently considerable interest has been directed at the comparative rates of utilization of glucose and fructose, administered intravenously. The present study was designed to carry out such a comparison using intakes of the carbohydrates which would provide sufficient calories to meet the maintenance requirements. The observations included a comparison of the extent of accumulation of certain acid metabolites and disturbances of the acid-base equilibrium which result from the rapid infusion of glucose and fructose. It was found that infusions of glucose and fructose in solution with electrolytes at 1 gm/kg/hr enabled both sugars to be utilized completely, without significant differences in the excretion of water, sodium and potassium. When the sugars were infused at a rate of 2 gm/kg/hr, 20% of the glucose and 9.9% of the fructose were excreted in the urine. Excretion of sodium in the urine with infusions of glucose led to loss of 79% of the intake, while for fructose the urinary excretion was 127% of intake, although no significant differences in excretion of water and potassium were noted. Infusions of fructose were accompanied by much greater increases of lactate and pyruvate in the blood than were caused by infusions of glucose. The urinary excretion of lactic acid was also greater with fructose than with glucose. It is stated that the superior utilization of fructose at rapid rates of infusion is not entirely advantageous because of the accompanying acidosis, which is of sufficient severity to make limitation of the rate of its infusion advisable.
ANDROID MOBILE PLATFORM SECURITY AND MALWARE SURVEY

As mobile devices become ubiquitous, more people an d companies are readily adopting the technology to conduct day-to-day business, and are increasing the amount of personal data transmitted and stored on these devices. Thes e devices are now part of a global infrastructure powering communication and ho w we do business around the world. In turn, the inh erent vulnerabilities are becoming an ever more critical topic of interest an d challenge as we continue to see a rapid rate of m alware development. This paper is a comprehensive survey on a broad view of the growing Android community, its rapidly growing malware attacks, and security concerns. Serving to aid in the continuou s challenge of identifying current and future vulne rabilities as well as incorporating security strategies against them, thi s survey will focus primarily on mobile devices (al so known as smart phones) running the Android mobile operating system between the years of 2007 and 2013.
Physically based modeling of low field electron mobility in ultrathin single- and double-gate SOI n-MOSFETs

In this paper, we have extensively investigated the silicon thickness dependence of the low field electron mobility in ultrathin silicon-on-insulator (UT-SOI) MOSFETs operated both in single- and in double-gate mode. A physically based model including all the scattering mechanisms that are known to be most relevant in bulk MOSFETs has been extended and applied to SOI structures. A systematic comparison with the measurements shows that the experimental mobility dependence on the silicon thickness (T/sub SI/) cannot be quantitatively explained within the transport picture that seems adequate for bulk transistors. In an attempt to improve the agreement with the experiments, we have critically rediscussed our model for the phonon scattering and developed a model for the scattering induced by the T/sub SI/ fluctuations. Our results suggest that the importance of the surface optical (SO) phonons could be significantly enhanced in UT-SOI MOSFETs with respect to bulk transistors. Furthermore, both the SO phonon and the T/sub SI/ fluctuation scattering are remarkably enhanced with reducing T/sub SI/, so that they could help explain the experimental mobility behavior.
NNSYSID-Toolbox for System Identification with Neural Networks

The NNSYSID toolset for System Identification has been developed as an add on to MATLAB®. The NNSYSID toolbox has been designed to assist identification of nonlinear dynamic systems. It contains a number of nonlinear model structures based on neural networks, effective training algorithms and tools for model validation and model structure selection. This paper gives an overview of the design of NNSYSID and demonstrates its features in an example.
Theoretical and experimental investigation of magnetostrictive composite beams

Among novel non-destructive evaluation techniques for structural health monitoring, the magnetostrictive (MS)-tagged fiber-reinforced composites stands out as especially suitable due to: (a) distributed sensory properties, (b) non-contact damage detection, and (c) straightforward manufacturing implementation. Experimental data and mathematical modeling of a MS-tagged fiber reinforced composite beam under bending (flexural) loading are presented. A brief review of the state of the art identifies previous work on axially loaded MS composites, but finds no previous work on bending. Description of bending beam design and fabrication is followed by theoretical analysis and by the description of the experimental set-up and equipment used. Several analysis models were used. Test data, with and without applying magnetic bias field between loading cycles, is presented and results are discussed. Numerical values for the stress and strain versus magnetic flux density coefficients are given for both annealed and non-annealed cases. Piezomagnetic coefficients for the MS composite are calculated. The correlation between the results developed in the present paper for bending and previously published results for axial loading is found to be within 10% after correction factors depending on the quantity of the MS material.
Improved Markov model for Rayleigh fading envelope

An improved Markov model for Rayleigh fading is proposed. Such a system considers both the amplitude and the speed of the fading envelope which jointly represent the Markov state. By properly selecting the state space size, proper fitting between the proposed system and Jakes' Rayleigh fading simulator has been obtained. Further simulations, using a simple Go back N protocol, confirm the good throughput match between Jakes' and the proposed Markov generators, not obtainable with classic one-dimensional models.
Direct linked type frequency changer based on DC-clamped bilateral switching circuit topology

This paper describes a direct linked type frequency changer (hereafter called DLT-FC) proposed by the authors. The DLT-FC is a converter circuit with a new configuration for direct frequency change. The DLT-FC does not require a DC link circuit, nor bilateral switches. In addition, DC snubber circuits can be applied without the need for a regenerative circuit of snubber energy. Therefore, the DLT-FC can be designed to be compact and lightweight, and have a long life. The authors made a prototype of the DLT-FC and experimentally checked its operation. The results indicate that the performance of the DLT-FC makes it suitable for industrial use.
DETECTION OF CRACKS IN STATIONARY ROTORS VIA THE MODAL FREQUENCY CHANGES INDUCED BY A ROVING DISC

In this study, a crack identification approach based on a finite element cracked model has been presented to identify the location and depth ratios of a crack in rotor systems. A Bernoulli- Euler rotor carrying an auxiliary roving disc has been used to model the cracked rotor, in which the effect of a transverse open crack is modelled as a time-varying stiffness matrix. In order to predict the crack location in the rotor-discbearing system, the suggested approach utilises the variation of the normalized natural frequency curves versus the nondimensional location of a roving disc which traverses along the rotor span. The merit of the suggested approach is to identify the location and sizes of a crack in a rotor by determining only the natural frequencies of the stationary rotor system. The first four natural frequencies are employed for the identification and localisation of a crack in the stationary rotor. Furthermore, this approach is not only efficient and practicable for high crack depth ratios but also for small crack depth ratios and for a crack close to or at the node of mode shapes, where natural frequencies are unaffected. NOMENCLATURE A1 Area of the cracked element cross-section C Global Damping matrix e y-axis centroidal location G Global gyroscopic matrix h Crack depth K Intact global stiffness matrix i ce k
RF Seeker Measurement modeling using ISAR Image

In this paper, we suggest a measurement modeling of the RF seeker using the ISAR(Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar) image. Reference scattering points are extracted first from ISAR images which are changed according to target attitude. And then uncertainties included in RF seeker measurement such as noise strength, blink, and boresight error are added to the reference scattering points. The proposed measurement model of the RF seeker can be used to develop various kinds of target tracking algorithms.
New Insights into Epigenetic Regulation of T Cell Differentiation

Immature CD4− CD8− thymocytes progress through several developmental steps in the thymus, ultimately emerging as mature CD4+ (helper) or CD8+ (cytotoxic) T cells. Activation of naïve CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the presence of specific cytokines results in the induction of transcriptional programs that result in their differentiation into effector or memory cells and in the case of CD4+ T cells, the adoption of distinct T-helper fates. Previous studies have shown that histone modification and DNA methylation play important roles in each of these events. More recently, the roles of specific epigenetic regulators in T cell differentiation have been clarified. The identification of the epigenetic modifications and modifiers that control mature T cell differentiation and specification has also provided further insights into how dysregulation of these processes can lead to cancer or autoimmune diseases. In this review, we summarize recent findings that have provided new insights into epigenetic regulation of T cell differentiation in both mice and humans.
The Impact of Marathons on the Recovery of Heart Rate and Blood Pressure in Non-Professional Male Marathoners’ (≥45 Years)

Background and Objectives: Physical activity has a positive impact on health, and the participation in exercise and sports, including marathons, has increased in popularity. This kind of sport requires extreme endurance, which can cause different health problems and even lead to death. Participants without sufficient preparation and, in particular, men 45 years of age and older belong to a high risk group. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of marathons and cofactors associated with marathons on the recovery of heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) of non-professional ≥ 45 years old male marathoners. Materials and Methods: A total of 136 ≥ 45 year old, non-professional (amateur marathoner), male participants were recruited. Data collection involved a questionnaire, body composition measures, and BP and HR results before and after finishing the marathon. Descriptive data, t-test, Mann–Whitney or χ2 test, and Pearson’s correlation were applied. Results: Participants (skiing n = 81, cycling n = 29, running n = 26; mean age 51.7 ± 7.1 years old) had previously attended a median of 35 (IQR 17.5–66) marathons and travelled 2111.5 (IQR 920–4565) km. Recovery of HR and BP after finishing and recovery time was insufficient and not associated with marathon preparation. Running was the most burdensome for HR, and cycling was most taxing for BP. Chronic diseases did not influence participation in the marathon. Conclusions: The preparation for the marathon was mainly sufficient, but recovery after the marathon was worrisome. Marathons are demanding for ≥45 year old males and may be too strenuous an activity that has deleterious effects on health.
Reconsideration of Sample Size Requirements for Field Traffic Data Collection with Global Positioning System Devices

The use of Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies has expanded to perform traffic data collection for transportation studies such as work zone studies. To generate reliable results from the data acquired by using GPS devices, it is necessary to investigate such factors as sample size requirements that may affect a specific study and to establish a consistent method for data collection. It has been confirmed that the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Manual of Transportation Engineering Studies usually underestimates the sample sizes for travel time and delay studies. However, the hybrid method developed by Quiroga and Darcy overestimates the sample sizes. A modified equation is presented to estimate the minimum sample sizes for collecting field data with GPS devices. Travel speed may be more stable and can be easily measured for travel time and delay studies. Stopped delay varies considerably at intersections, and the sample sizes depend to a large extent on the permitted errors. Work zone layout and construction activities will create variations in vehicle flow within the work zone. To estimate the sample size requirements, it is advisable to use the standard deviation to measure the data dispersion, and a minimum of three initial test runs is required. GPS devices with sufficient accuracy usually require 5 to 10 samples for travel time and delay studies and work zone studies. Stopped delay studies may require a large sample of up to 30 test runs.
Single-event upset in evolving commercial silicon-on-insulator microprocessor technologies

Single-event upset effects from heavy ions are measured for Motorola and IBM silicon-on-insulator (SOI) microprocessors with different feature sizes and core voltages. Multiple-bit upsets in registers and D-cache were measured and compared with single-bit upsets. Also, the scaling of the cross section with reduction of feature size for SOI microprocessors is discussed.
Wavelet construction using Lagrange halfband filters

Using the approach described by M.J.T. Smith and T.P. Barnwell (1986) for obtaining exact-reconstruction filter banks, the authors present conjugate-quadrature and linear-phase solutions for two-channel filter banks using Lagrange halfband filters. It is shown that the wavelet solutions obtained by I. Daubechies (1988) under certain regularity conditions are the same as the conjugate-quadrature solutions derived from Lagrange halfband filters using the above approach. The linear-phase solution that is described provides filters with simple coefficients. >
Design of Hand Gestures for Smart Home Appliances based on a User Centered Approach

With the progress of both wire and wireless home networking technology, various projects on smart home have been carried out in the world (Harper, 2003), and at the same time, new approaches to interact with smart home systems efficiently and effectively have also been investigated. A gesture-based interface is one of these approaches. Especially with advance of gesture recognition technologies, a variety of research studies on gesture interactions with the functions of IT devices have been conducted. However, there are few research studies which suggested and investigated the use of gestures for controlling smart home appliances. In this research the gestures for selected smart home appliances are suggested based on a user centered approach. A total of thirty-eight functions were selected, and a total of thirty participants generated gestures for each function. Based on the Nielsen (2004), Lee et al. (2010) and Kuhnel et al. (2011), the gesture with the highest frequency for each function (Top gesture) has been suggested and investigated.
Uniqueness of the solution of electromagnetic boundary-value problems in the presence of lossy and piecewise homogeneous lossless dielectrics

In this paper, the uniqueness of the solution of electromagnetic boundary-value problems is investigated and, in some cases, proven. The boundary-value problems considered are always defined in limited regions containing linear dielectric materials that are neither lossy nor lossless everywhere. The boundary conditions are given by specifying over the closed boundaries either the tangential components of the electric field or the tangential components of the magnetic field (or possibly by specifying the tangential components of the electric field over part of the boundaries and the tangential components of the magnetic field over the rest of the boundaries). In particular, the solution is proven to be unique in the case of linear dielectric materials which are piecewise homogeneous and lossless, except for some linear and lossy subregions that may be inhomogeneous. As a byproduct of this analysis, one can conclude that a cavity resonator, loaded with linear and lossy dielectrics together with linear piecewise homogeneous and lossless dielectric materials, does not admit undamped resonances.