Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
3D LASER FORMING OF SADDLE SHAPES

There has been a considerable amount of work carried out on two-dimensional laser forming, using multi-pass straight line scan strategies to produce a reasonably controlled bend angle in a number of materials, including aerospace alloys. However in order to advance the process further for realistic forming applications and for straightening and aligning operations in a manufacturing industry it is necessary to consider larger scale 3D laser forming. The objective of this investigation is to establish rules for the positioning and sequencing of the irradiation lines required for the controlled 3D-laser forming of a symmetrical saddle shape from rectangular sheet material. The saddle shape was chosen due to its more complex 3D geometry, the double curvature providing a useful case study with which to build up the design rules for such 3D shapes. The investigation consisted of the laser forming of 400mm x 200mm 1.5mm gauge Mild Steel CR4 sheet using a CO2 laser source. The scan strategies tested consist of straight and radial lines and concentric circular patterns. The active laser forming mechanism used varied from the temperature gradient to the upsetting mechanism depending on beam parameters and traverse speed used. The final geometries of the parts formed were verified using a coordinate measuring machine and are presented. It was possible to produce a controlled repeatable saddle shape using a concentric race-track strategy, employing the upsetting mechanism at the centre of the sheet, thus shortening the material at the centre and the plate naturally saddles. However the results of the investigation show that the problem of 3D laser forming is extremely complex. It was found that once a successful scan strategy was discovered symmetry was difficult to achieve due to the asymmetrical nature of the forming process itself, in that it was not possible to form the whole sheet at the same time.
Adaptive Frequency Evaluation Method

Frequency evaluation of the periodical signal which is affected by noise is common problem in a variety of the systems. Low frequency noise often could be very big in comparison to useful signal. Application of the infinity impulse response filters could be unacceptable in some cases because of the filters induced ripples. High order finite impulse filters are needed for sufficient suppression. Furthermore power consumption is important factor for portable battery powered devices. There is presented frequency evaluation method based on adaptive relatively wide difference window application for peaks detection and on amplitude evaluation. The method could be easy implemented in fixed point arithmetic.
SKIN LESION CLASSIFICATION FROM DERMOSCOPY AND CLINICAL IMAGES WITH A DEEP LEARNING APPROACH

Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems based on deep learning approaches are now feasible due to the availability of big data and the availability of powerful computational resources.The medical image-based CAD systems are of great interest in numerous diseases, but especially for skin cancer diagnosis, deep learning models have been mostly developed for dermoscopy images. Models for clinical images are few, mainly due to the unavailability of big volumes of relevant data. However, CAD systems able to classify skin lesions from clinical images would be of great valueboth for the population and clinicians as an initial early screening of lesions that would leadpatients to visiting a dermatologist in case of suspicious lesions. This is even more pronounced in areas where there is lack of dermoscopy instruments. Thus, in this paper, we aimed to build a classifier based on bothdermoscopy and clinical images able to discriminate skin cancer from skin lesions. The classification is made among three benign and two malignant categories, which include Nevus, Benign but not nevus, Benign but suspicious for malignancy, Melanoma and Non-Melanocytic Carcinoma.The proposed deep learning classifier achieves an Area Under Curve ranging between 0.75 and 0.9 for the five examined categories.
Dosimetric Results for Adjuvant Proton Radiation Therapy of HPV-Associated Oropharynx Cancer

Purpose One significant advantage of proton therapy is its ability to improve normal tissue sparing and toxicity mitigation, which is relevant in the treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Here, we report our institutional experience and dosimetric results with adjuvant proton radiation therapy (PRT) versus intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)-associated OPSCC. Materials and Methods This was a retrospective, single institutional study of all patients treated with adjuvant PRT for HPV-associated OPSCC from 2015 to 2019. Each patient had a treatment-approved equivalent IMRT plan to serve as a reference. Endpoints included dosimetric outcomes to the organs at risk (OARs), local regional control (LRC), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Descriptive statistics, a 2-tailed paired t test for dosimetric comparisons, and the Kaplan-Meier method for disease outcomes were used. Results Fifty-three patients were identified. Doses delivered to OARs compared favorably for PRT versus IMRT, particularly for the pharyngeal constrictors, esophagus, larynx, oral cavity, and submandibular and parotid glands. The achieved normal tissue sparing did not negatively impact disease outcomes, with 2-year LRC, PFS, and OS of 97.0%, 90.3%, and 97.5%, respectively. Conclusion Our study suggests that meaningful normal tissue sparing in the postoperative setting is achievable with PRT, without impacting disease outcomes.
Velocity Profiles of Pulsatile Blood Flow in Arterioles with Bifurcation and Confluence in Rat Mesnetery Measured by Particle Image Velocimetry

Blood ﬂow velocity proﬁle in microvessels is essential for in vivo studies of substance exchange between blood and tissue. This paper was aimed to investigate the temporal and spatial variations in the velocity proﬁle of red blood cell (RBC) ﬂow in arterioles with both bifurcation and conﬂuence in the rat mesentery, using a particle image velocimetry (PIV). The microcirculation in rat mesentery was observed under a microscopic system with a high-speed digital camera. The images of RBCs ﬂow in microvessels were recorded simultaneously with the arterial blood pressure. Based on the high-speed video images, instantaneous velocity vectors of RBCs in arterioles with bifurcation and conﬂuence were evaluated using a high spatial-resolution PIV algorithm. Then, the time-averaged and ensemble-averaged velocity proﬁles over the cross-section were calculated from the proximal through the bifurcation to the distal to the conﬂuence. The velocity proﬁle of RBCs showed two peaks at bifurcation and conﬂuence, respectively. The double peaks were most marked at the apex of bifurcation, but not so much marked at the conﬂuence. The variation of centerline velocity showed that the length of vessel under the inﬂuence of bifurcation or conﬂuence, was approximately 1.5 times the diameter at the proximal to the apex of bifurcation, but its length was reduced signiﬁcantly at the distal of conﬂuence.
Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Immediate Target Hit Assessment of CD13—Targeted Tissue Factor tTF-NGR in Advanced Malignant Disease

Simple Summary Since the knowledge of tumor biology has advanced, a variety of targeted therapies has been developed. These do not immediately affect the tumor size, so optimized oncological imaging is needed. In this phase I study of patients with advanced malignant disease, a multiparametric imaging approach was used to assess changes in tumor perfusion after vessel-occluding therapy with the CD13 targeted truncated tissue factor with a C-terminal NGR-peptide. It comprises different sequences and the use of two different contrast media, ferucarbotran and gadobutrol. This multiparametric MRI protocol enables assessing the therapy effectiveness as early as five hours after therapy initiation. Abstract Early assessment of target hit in anti-cancer therapies is a major task in oncologic imaging. In this study, immediate target hit and effectiveness of CD13-targeted tissue factor tTF-NGR in patients with advanced malignant disease enrolled in a phase I trial was assessed using a multiparametric MRI protocol. Seventeen patients with advanced solid malignancies were enrolled in the trial and received tTF-NGR for at least one cycle of five daily infusions. Tumor target lesions were imaged with multiparametric MRI before therapy initiation, five hours after the first infusion and after five days. The imaging protocol comprised ADC, calculated from DWI, and DCE imaging and vascular volume fraction (VVF) assessment. DCE and VVF values decreased within 5 h after therapy initiation, indicating early target hit with a subsequent decrease in tumor perfusion due to selective tumor vessel occlusion and thrombosis induced by tTF-NGR. Simultaneously, ADC values increased at five hours after tTF-NGR administration. In four patients, treatment had to be stopped due to an increase in troponin T hs, with subsequent anticoagulation. In these patients, a reversed effect, with DCE and VVF values increasing and ADC values decreasing, was observed after anticoagulation. Changes in imaging parameters were independent of the mean vessel density determined by immunohistochemistry. By using a multiparametric imaging approach, changes in tumor perfusion after initiation of a tumor vessel occluding therapy can be evaluated as early as five hours after therapy initiation, enabling early assessment of target hit.
Processing of no-flow fluxing underfill for flip chip assembly

For the past few years, the flip chip on board technology has grown quite rapidly. The underfill materials used in the process have been one of the most important factors responsible for that explosive growth. Development of new material systems will increase flip chip market growth provided they reduce manufacturing time and enhance reliability. Among these new materials are no-flow fluxing underfills. Properly formulated, these underfills can significantly decrease manufacturing cost by eliminating the fluxing process, the underfill flow process, and the underfill cure process. In addition, when the proper process window is defined, these new materials can provide enhanced reliability for the flip chip assembly. This work provides a characterization and process window evaluation of no-flow fluxing underfill material systems and performs a critical failure mode analysis of flip chip structures using no-flow fluxing underfills. The three main process areas included in the processing window are underfill dispensing, flip chip placement, and assembly reflow. The two main metrics are interconnect yield of the assemblies and percent voiding of the no-flow underfill materials.
Research assessment under the microscope: disturbing findings and distorting effects

The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) to which every research-active UK university department has to submit every five years has fundamental resourcing implications for teaching and research – and thus, in the case of architecture, for the profession itself. Within the RAE, Architecture has always sat uneasily in a Built Environment ‘unit of assessment’ which appears to be dominated by construction and surveying – an unrepresentative state of affairs which can no longer be ignored. Leaders and letters in recent issues of arq (5/4, 6/1 and 2) have revealed the deep unease with which the results of the latest Exercise have been received. Now that full details of all RAE submissions have been published on the Web (www.hero.ac.uk/rae/ under ‘Submissions’), a fully informed analysis is at last possible. This article has been written in the light of this latest information.
E-MAIL: DOES IT NEED TO BE MANAGED? CAN IT BE MANAGED?

Although e-mail is the most commonly used application, very little has been written concerning its impact on public organizations. This article reviews the existing literature and outlines the major aspects of e-mail that need the attention of public managers. Much of the existing literature has taken place in laboratories and focused on issues such as “flaming” and deindividuation and is not useful for learning how to manage e-mail in everyday organizations. For example, there is very little evidence of flaming in organizationa l e -mail. Another major body of literature has explored the hypotheses of media richness theory (MRT) which views e-mail as a “lean” medium compared with richer “face-to-face” (FTF) communication. However, if people know one another well, they may be able to read very much into e-mail and thus make it a richer medium. MRT hypothesizes that managers will be more effective if they use the appropriate medium for the action they want to take. But evidence from the few studies that exist indicates that managers are now using e-mail for even the most sensitive of communications. The distinguishing characteristic of e -mail is that it creates a detailed digital record unlike everyday FTF and phone communication. The existence of an unprotected digital record has legal implications that are explored in the paper. The paper also discusses how employees are now using e-mail strategically in order to document actions and, sometimes, point the finger at other employees whom they feel have not performed well. Some tentative suggestions for managers are outlined for each of these issues.
ASSOCIATION OF SERUM TNF- A WITH INSULIN RESISTANCE IN PRE-DIABETES AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Background- First adipocyte derived biomarker is tumor necrosis factor alpha which connect the link between inflammation and diabetes. It expresses m-RNA which is contributing to the development of insulin resistance. However, the relationship between tumor necrosis factor alpha, pre-diabetes and Type2diabetes mellitus is still contradictory and restricted. Material & Methods: This study was hospital based analytical cross-sectional study. Total 900 subjects were distributed into three groups (300 pre-diabetic subjects, 300 type 2 diabetic subjects and 300 healthy subjects) as per ADA criteria. The biochemical parameters as Fasting Blood Glucose, 2-hr glucose (after 75 gm oral glucose intake), HbA1c and fasting insulin were analyzed. HOMA-IR was used to calculate insulin resistance mathematically. Anthropometric measurements were done. Tumor necrosis factor alpha was done by ELISA method. Results: Tumor necrosis factor alpha concentration was significantly increased in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes in comparison to the control group at p value < 0.001 and showed a positive correlation with HOMA -IR. In conclusion, our findings suggested that systemic inflammation has an important role in the pathogenesis of pre diabetic condition. There is a progressive raises value of tumor necrosis factor alpha in pre diabetic and diabetic patients. Therefore, inflammation reflects the severity of the disease and signifies the presence of ongoing disease process.
Plant–environment microscopy tracks interactions of Bacillus subtilis with plant roots across the entire rhizosphere

Significance The lack of suitable approaches for studying root–microbe interactions, live and in situ, has severely limited our ability to understand the rhizosphere. In this study, we overcome this major limitation with an imaging system that combines transparent soils with cutting edge light sheet microscopy. The study revealed that the root cap is a point of first contact for microbes before establishment and reveals how the pore structure influences the patterns of interactions between the microbe and the plant. With the combined use of light sheet microscopy and transparent soils, we shed light on previously unseen interaction phenomena and accelerate the understanding of how rhizospheres are formed. Our understanding of plant–microbe interactions in soil is limited by the difficulty of observing processes at the microscopic scale throughout plants’ large volume of influence. Here, we present the development of three-dimensional live microscopy for resolving plant–microbe interactions across the environment of an entire seedling growing in a transparent soil in tailor-made mesocosms, maintaining physical conditions for the culture of both plants and microorganisms. A tailor-made, dual-illumination light sheet system acquired photons scattered from the plant while fluorescence emissions were simultaneously captured from transparent soil particles and labeled microorganisms, allowing the generation of quantitative data on samples ∼3,600 mm3 in size, with as good as 5 µm resolution at a rate of up to one scan every 30 min. The system tracked the movement of Bacillus subtilis populations in the rhizosphere of lettuce plants in real time, revealing previously unseen patterns of activity. Motile bacteria favored small pore spaces over the surface of soil particles, colonizing the root in a pulsatile manner. Migrations appeared to be directed toward the root cap, the point of “first contact,” before the subsequent colonization of mature epidermis cells. Our findings show that microscopes dedicated to live environmental studies present an invaluable tool to understand plant–microbe interactions.
Bidirectional DC/DC power conversion using constant frequency multi-resonant topology

A family of bidirectional DC/DC converters is proposed using the constant frequency zero-voltage switching (ZVS) multi-resonant topology. This family of converters provides ZVS operation of all semiconductor devices from no-load to full-load while achieving full DC conversion ratio range, and has inherent short-circuit protection capability. Analysis and design considerations of a buck/boost bidirectional converter are discussed along with experimental results supporting the proposed concept. <<ETX>>
Small-scale embedded generation effect on voltage profile: an analytical method

Nowadays, deep concern is focused on the introduction of small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) in LV networks, since some technologies have a natural inclination to be easily integrated into urban LV distribution networks. As a consequence, studies on the effects produced on LV distribution systems by SSEG are gaining more and more relevance. Some aspects regarding the quality of the power supplied to customers are dealt with, taking into consideration long-duration voltage variations in the presence of SSEG. In particular, the effect on the voltage profile in a LV distribution feeder is examined with reference to both distributed loads and lumped loads. Some analytical expressions are derived to determine the limit value of the power that can be injected into a single node of a distribution feeder without causing overvoltages. The expressions derived for distributed loads are compared to those for lumped loads in order to assess if the analytical evaluation of the current threshold can be performed by means of an equivalent model based on continuous quantities with a negligible error, since actually, the analysis of real cases implies dealing with lumped loads.
Assessing Farmers’ Typologies of Perception for Adopting Sustainable Adaptation Strategies in Bangladesh

The implementation of sustainable adaptation strategies (SASs) is crucial to mitigate climate change impact as well as reduce the loss of natural disasters and increase agricultural crop production. However, current policies and programs based on agricultural incentives are mostly inadequate to increase SASs practices at the farm level. Hence, a deeper understanding of farmers’ ‘perceived typologies to the environmental issue and climate change’ is necessary for implementing SASs to enhance farmers’ ability to adapt at the farm level. This research intends to demarcate farmers in various categories, according to their perceptions on environmental and climate change issues in the northern part of Bangladesh. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were employed to analyze the survey data collected from 501 households in the study area. Farmers were clustered into three types, ‘Ecocentric’, ‘Worried’, and ‘Anthropocentric’, based on their perceived knowledge regarding environmental issues and climate change, which guides the adoption of SASs. The ‘Worried’ cluster showed a high sense of perceived risk of climate change and a significant positive association with the adoption of SASs. By contrast, ‘Ecocentric’ and ‘Anthropocentric’ groups showed a low sense of awareness of climate change and a significant negative association with the adoption of SASs. The findings can assist policymakers in promoting the adoption of SASs based on the farmers’ cluster and thus enhance their resilience.
Accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging in assessing knee cartilage changes over time in patients with osteoarthritis: A systematic review

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a technique useful for the diagnosis of cartilage damage due to high sensitivity to identify subchondral bone abnormalities and full-thickness cartilage lesions. The lack of a study on knee cartilage changes over time in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) by MRI technique led us to investigate the accuracy of MRI in identifying knee cartilage changes over time in patients with OA in a systematic review. In the present systematic review, started from the beginning of 2020 in one of the University Hospitals in Iran, the databases of CINAHL, Ovid, Elsevier, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science were searched using the keywords MRI, OA, Cartilage Lesion, Imaging Techniques. A total of 169 articles were retrieved in the initial search, and after reviewing the titles, abstracts, and full-texts, finally, seven were enrolled in the systematic review. Review of the selected papers showed that a total of 1091 subjects were studied, of which 355 were males. The results of all the studies, except one, indicated the high accuracy of MRI to identify knee cartilage changes over time. MRI technique can show cartilage changes with high accuracy in patients with knee OA over time. We proved the potential of MRI to identify articular cartilage injuries in patients with OA and its importance to the evaluation of articular cartilage lesions along with other available techniques.
A Mini Review on Microalgae Biomass Production: Recent Progress in Cultivation Systems

Single-celled photosynthetic microscopic algae (microalgae) have numerous significances for human wellbeing. From medicine to fuel industry these tiny organisms have tremendous potentials and in future they would be game changer to mitigate global warming and environmental pollutions. The current production cost is a matter of consideration during its applications. Scientists all over the world are trying to reduce the production costs as well as to develop new or improve the existing culturing methodologies and techniques. Open pond and closed pond (PBRs) culturing system are two most prominent ways to culture microalgae. Open pond culturing techniques for microalgae have several advantages over closed pond system such as low operational costs and easy to make. However, the main drawback of this system is contamination by other microorganisms, which is possible to control in closed pond system. Among the many types of PBRs systems, the advanced tubular PBRs presently considered as more useful than open pond culture system. To meet the minimum production costs, more research is needed on both the culturing systems.