Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Media Multitasking: A Bibliometric Approach and Literature Review

Media multitasking became increasingly popular over the past decade. As this behavior is intensely taxing cognitive resources, it has raised interest and concerns among academics in a variety of fields. Consequently, in recent years, research on how, when, and why people media multitask has strongly emerged, and the consequences of the behavior for a great variety of outcomes (such as working memory, task performance, or socioemotional outcomes) have been explored. While efforts are made to summarize the findings of media multitasking research until date, these meta, and literature studies focused on specific research subdomains. Therefore, the current study adopted a quantitative method to map all studies in the broad field of media multitasking research. The bibliometric and thematic content analyses helped us identifying five major research topics and trends in the overall media multitasking domain. While media multitasking research started by studying its prevalence, appearance, and predictors, early research within the domain was also interested in the impact of this media consumption behavior on individuals' cognitive control and academic performance. Later on in 2007, scholars investigated the implications of media multitasking on the processing of media- and persuasive content, while its impact on socioemotional well-being received attention ever since 2009. Our analyses indicate that research within the field of media multitasking knows a dominant focus on adolescents, television watching, and cognitive depletion. Based on these findings, the paper concludes by discussing directions for future research.
SOS: isolated health monitoring system to save our satellites

With the advent of Space-IoTs, the rate of launch of satellites has grown significantly. Alongside, the failure rate of satellites has also surged increased tremendously. Satellites are non-repairable systems in orbit, and the financial loss incurred when the satellites fail before their expected mission time is substantial. If the source of a failure is known while the satellite is in orbit, then there is a possibility to revive it by sending appropriate commands from ground stations. In this work, we present a simple, independent satellite health monitoring system called Chirper. The Chirper is equipped with multiple modules such as IMU, isolated voltage and current measurement probes, and an onboard communication channel. We present a new approach to measure low DC voltages in an isolated way, providing a resolution and accuracy of around 1 V. We evaluated the design and performance of the Chirper through simulation, testing it in space systems test facility, and by mounting it on a helium balloon. With extensive experiments we show that 90% of the time the dc voltage measurement error is within 0.8 V, and the maximum error is 0.9 V. We expect to launch the Chirper soon on a space system.
Salient object detection via joint perception of region-level spatial distribution and color contrast

Abstract. Nowadays, many RGB-D saliency detection models have been proposed, and they are conducted based on the pixel-level depth data obtained by active depth sensors or dense stereo matching algorithms in advance. However, the pixel-level depth maps may have a negative impact on saliency ranking, especially when they are inconsistent or invalid within the object area. It can be found that people tend to observe an object as a whole and ignore the details of the target surface. Inspired by this characteristic, we propose a salient object detection method via joint perception of region-level spatial distribution and color contrast. First, a twice segmentation strategy based on multifeature fusion is used to compute the region-level information. Then, the region-level spatial distribution maps are constructed instead of pixel-level depth maps, which is helpful for avoiding the interference of dense depth information. To improve the integrity of object detection, color saliency maps are also computed based on regional segmentation information. After that, we adopt a fusion strategy to achieve the effective complementarity of the two kinds of information. Two optimization strategies are employed to further improve the results of saliency ranking. Experimental results on two benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed method has better performance than most of the state-of-the-art methods, and it also shows competitive capability compared with deep learning-based methods.
Electrical Appliance Usage Timeline Data Visualization: Machinima and Dynamic Circle

In a storytelling context, the visualization of the timelines for appliance usage could convey a great amount of information to audiences about the patterns or habits of households when using appliances in smart home. However, today's research on smart home visualization is more focused on time series data, while research on timeline does not focus much on expressiveness in a storytelling context. If we simply visualize the time series or use traditional visualization methods to visualize the timeline, the intention and effectiveness of storytelling may be reduced. In this paper, we analyze the above issues in detail and propose a new visualization design based on machinima and a dynamic circle.
Shape dependence of nanoceria on complete catalytic oxidation of o-xylene

BTX (benzene, toluene, and xylene) in atmosphere, mainly emitted from various industrial processes and transportation activities, are of particular concern due to their potentially highly toxic effects on human health. Catalytic oxidation of o-xylene was investigated on nanosized CeO2 particles, cubes, and rods, among which rods show the highest activity, which is comparable with those of traditional noble-metal catalysts. CeO2 nanorods also exhibit long durability for o-xylene oxidation, without deactivation during a 50 h time-on stream test. Over the CeO2 rods and particles, the presence of water vapor slightly decreased o-xylene conversion, while water vapor enhanced o-xylene oxidation on the CeO2 cubes. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, positron annihilation spectroscopy, and O2 temperature-programmed desorption measurements revealed that ceria rods enclosed by (111) and (100) facets exhibit the highest concentration of oxygen vacancy clusters (VCs), the presence of which promoted the adsorption of molecular oxygen. The lower the temperature for desorption of chemisorbed O2 species is, the higher is the activity for o-xylene oxidation, identifying the key role of VCs in this reaction via the activation of molecular oxygen over nanoceria. The finding may also be fundamental for designing ceria-based catalysts with better performance for catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds.
A high precision, high linearity 10 bit Digital-to-Time Converter circuit

In this paper, a high precision, high linearity 10 bit Digital-to-Time Converter (DTC) circuit was designed and implemented using a conventional open loop amplifier comparator and voltage reference source. The proposed Digital-to-Time Converter circuit (DTC) uses a large capacitor as the load to implement the "fixed-slope method" and controls the capacitor array with a "segmented coding method" to improve the nonlinearity of the DTC. The DTC mentioned has been implemented in standard 130nm CMOS. The DTC designed in this paper has high precision and linearity. The accuracy of the DTC designed in this paper is 315fs. The integral nonlinearity is below 0.52LSB, and the power consumption is 26. 4μW.
Participatory Art for Public Exploration of Algorithmic Decision-Making

Machine learning and predictive algorithms find patterns in large stores of data and make predictions which corporations and governments use to support decision-making. Yet, the system's representation of reality can be more influential to outcomes than the complexities of daily life. They become problematic when they undermine the inclusivity of public decision making, and when their use perpetuates social or economic inequality. To address these challenges, the public must be able to participate in discourse about the implications of algorithmic systems. I propose a series of participatory installations exploring the impacts of algorithmic systems, providing contexts for active exploration of these concerns. I will conduct phenomenographic interviews to better understand how visitors experience art installations about technical topics, providing insight for subsequent installations. I will consolidate the results into a set of best practices about engaging the public on these topics.
Ion Motion in Anion and Proton-Conducting Triblock Copolymers

To learn more about anion transport in functionalized polymers and improve anion exchange membrane (AEM) performance, we have directly compared the properties of proton exchange membranes (PEMs) and AEMs. A single batch of poly(hexyl methacrylate)-b-poly(styrene)-b-poly(hexyl methacrylate), PHMA-b-PS-b-PHMA, triblock copolymer was synthesized and postfunctionalized in the PS block with sulfonate or quaternary ammonium moieties. The conductivity, water uptake, and morphology of low, middle, and high IEC anionic and cationic PHMA-b-PS-b-PHMA triblock copolymers were investigated, and the metrics of ion diffusivity and membrane sensitivity to relative humidity are introduced. We observed that these block copolymer AEMs and PEMs had similar values for the ratio of calculated ion diffusion coefficient to the mobile species dilute ion diffusivity (D/D0) as a function of hydration. This observation points to similar morphological barriers to transport and similar hydration dependence in each material and provide.
A Study on Query Expansion and Rank Fusion for Precision Medicine: The IMS Unipd at TREC 2020 Precision Medicine

In this report, we describe the methodology and the experimental setting of our participation as the IMS Unipd team in TREC PM 2020. The objective of this work is to evaluate a query expansion and ranking fusion approach optimized on the previous years of TREC PM. In particular, we designed a procedure to (1) perform query expansion using a pseudo relevance feedback model on the ﬁrst k retrieved documents, and (2) apply rank fusion techniques to the rankings produced by the diﬀerent experimental settings. The results obtained provide interesting insights in terms of the diﬀerent per-topic eﬀectiveness and will be used for further failure analyses.
Mechanistic origins of bombardier beetle (Brachinini) explosion-induced defensive spray pulsation

A beetle's internal bomb Bombardier beetles shoot a toxic pulse at potential predators and other harassers. The toxic spray is created by a chemical reaction that occurs inside the beetle's body. Although the details of the reaction are known, how the beetle is able to precisely combine the chemicals at appropriate times and release the pulse at regular intervals has remained a mystery. Arndt et al. used synchrotron x-ray imagery to observe the process as it occurs within live beetles. Expansion and contraction of an internal expansion membrane facilitate the precise cyclic injection of reactants and the subsequent ejection of toxic sprays that keep the beetle's predators at bay. Science, this issue p. 563 Bombardier beetles use internal pulsed chemical reactions to deter prey. Bombardier beetles (Brachinini) use a rapid series of discrete explosions inside their pygidial gland reaction chambers to produce a hot, pulsed, quinone-based defensive spray. The mechanism of brachinines’ spray pulsation was explored using anatomical studies and direct observation of explosions inside living beetles using synchrotron x-ray imaging. Quantification of the dynamics of vapor inside the reaction chamber indicates that spray pulsation is controlled by specialized, contiguous cuticular structures located at the junction between the reservoir (reactant) and reaction chambers. Kinematics models suggest passive mediation of spray pulsation by mechanical feedback from the explosion, causing displacement of these structures.
Simultaneous Determination of 15 Heterocyclic Amines in Grilled Fish Using Solid Phase Extraction and Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography with Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A method based on solid phase extraction-ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) has been developed for the analysis of 15 heterocyclic amines(HAs) in grilled fish with multiple reaction monitoring(MRM). The analytes were extracted from the sample using methanolic NaOH,and purified by solid-phase extraction cartridge,then eluted with ethanolic methylene chloride.The residue was dried under nitrogen and dissolved in acetic acid and ammonium acetate solution before transferring to UPLC-MS/MS.The quantitation was carried out using internal standard method.The linear range was from 1.0 mg/L to 50.0 mg/L for 15 HAs with the good correlation coefficients(r≥0.99). The limit of quantitation was 1.0 mg/Kg.The recoveries for most compounds were between 79.0%-118.8% and the relative standard deviations were between 1.3% and 10.0%. The method is simple,accurate and sensitive for the simultaneous determination of 15 HAs.
Self-Assembled Helical Nanofibers Made of Achiral Molecular Disks Having Molecular Adapter

An achiral disk-shaped molecule (2) having one imidazole unit was found to be assembled into long and twisted nanoscopic fibers having 10 - 100 nm width as shown by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). Compound 2 leads to spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking through the steric effect of imidazole units during the formation of one-dimensional stacks. The imidazole in 2 acts as a molecular adaptor to form hydrogen bonds and accumulate metal ions. The supramolecular connection of 2 with benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid through the hydrogen bonds exhibited a thermotropic liquid crystalline properties. Silver nanoparticles were deposited onto the self-assembled nanofibers by the photoreduction of silver ions.
Long-term stable efficacy of botulinum toxin A in facial movement disorders with no need for increasing dose

Abstract Botulinum toxin A is considered an effective treatment for involuntary facial movements. We examined whether treatment efficacy maintained or changed over time with two products, Botox and Dysport, in patients with hemifacial spasm, facial synkinesis and benign essential blepharospasm. We retrospectively investigated 87 consecutive patients (51 women, 36 men) who had undergone treatment for ≥6 years. Long-term effects, as well as side effects of Botox or Dysport local injections were evaluated. The first three treatments were considered the titration period and not taken into account when testing for dose changes. Mean treatment duration was 10 years (range 6–11, SD 1.0), 2441 treatments were administered, 1162 with Botox and 1279 with Dysport, the two brands were interchanged as needed. Good to full improvement was seen in 90% of patients both with both brands. Injection doses and treatment responses were consistent during the study with both drugs. No major side effects were reported, and relatively few minor adverse events were reported, with clear reduction from the titration period (6.1%), to the remainder of the study (3.9%). Botulinum toxin (BTX-A) is a satisfactory long-term treatment without need for dose increase over. Both Botox and Dysport were effective when used interchangeably.
Comparative efficacy of different types of antihypertensive drugs in reversing left ventricular hypertrophy as determined with echocardiography in hypertensive patients

Abstract Background: Reversing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) can reduce the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events. The lack of direct comparison between different antihypertensive drugs cannot evaluate the superiority-inferiority differentiation of different antihypertensive drugs in reversing LVH. Therefore, the objective of this protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy of different types of antihypertensive drugs in reversing LVH in hypertensive patients. Methods: This meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols statement guidelines. Studies were identified through systematic searches in June 2021 with no restrictions on date and time, language, and publication status using the following bibliographic databases: Embase, Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, and the Cochrane Library. The risk of bias assessment of the included studies was performed by two authors independently using the tool recommended in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (version 5.1.0). All calculations were carried out with Stata 11.0 (The Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, United Kingdom). Results: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion: We hypothesized that the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers in antihypertensive therapy could achieve better efficacy in reversing LVH in hypertensive patients.
Effects of patient characteristics on the efficacy of complete revascularization for treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction with multivessel disease

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract Background: Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have evaluated the efficacy of complete vs culprit-only revascularization for treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with multivessel disease. However, the efficacy of complete revascularization vs culprit-only revascularization in some STEMI patient subgroups remains unclear. Methods: We searched PubMed and Embase for related RCTs from the start date of databases to January 3, 2020. The endpoint assessed in this meta-analysis was major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Random-effects meta-analysis was conducted stratified by each of the 5 factors of interest (i.e., sex, age, history of diabetes, ECG infarct location, and the number of arteries with stenosis) to estimate pooled hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval. Random-effects meta-regression was conducted to assess subgroup differences. We examined publication bias by drawing funnel plots and performing Egger test. This meta-analysis is reported according to the PRISMA statement. Results: Six RCTs were included for pooled analysis. Compared with culprit-only revascularization, complete revascularization significantly reduced the risk of MACE (hazard ratio 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.42–0.55; I2 = 0%; P for relative effect < .001). This significant reduction in the risk of MACE exhibited by complete revascularization was observed in most of the subgroups of interest. All of the subgroup effects based on the 5 factors of interest were not statistically significant (Psubgroup ranged from 0.198 to 0.556). Publication bias was not suggested by funnel plots and Egger test. Conclusions: Compared with culprit-only revascularization, complete revascularization significantly reduces the MACE risk in patients with STEMI and multivessel disease, which is independent of sex, age, history of diabetes, ECG infarct location, and the number of arteries with stenosis.
Thermal and optical study of semiconducting CNTs-doped nematic liquid crystalline material

We report the thermal and spectroscopic analysis of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-doped nematic liquid crystal (NLC) material. The CNTs have been oriented in the p-ethoxybenzylidene p-butylaniline NLC. The thermal study of the CNTs doped nematic mixtures shows a significant decrease in the isotropic to nematic phase transition temperature. However higher doping concentration of CNTs has led to the further increase in transition temperature. The UV-Visible spectroscopy has been attempted on the CNTs/NLC mixtures at room temperature. The investigated NLC present one absorption band corresponding to π–π* electronic transition. A red shift of λmax with the increasing concentration of CNTs in the mixture has been observed. The band gap of NLC has been found to decrease after the doping of CNTs. The absorbance was measured for the UV light, polarized parallel and perpendicular to the LC director in the planar aligned cell.
Association between pulmonary artery to aorta diameter ratio with pulmonary hypertension and outcomes in diffuse cystic lung diseases

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract To investigate the importance of pulmonary vascular measurements on computed tomography (CT) in predicting pulmonary hypertension (PH) and worse outcomes in diffuse cystic lung diseases (DCLDs). We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients with DCLDs. Patients underwent pulmonary function tests, a six-minute walk test (6MWT), chest CT, transthoracic echocardiography, and right heart catheterization. Pulmonary artery (PA) diameter and PA-ascending aorta ratio (PA-Ao ratio) were obtained from CT. Mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) from right heart catheterization was correlated with tomographic, functional, and echocardiographic variables. The association between the PA-Ao ratio with outcomes was determined by Kaplan–Meier curves. Thirty-four patients were included (18 with pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis and 16 with lymphangioleiomyomatosis, mean age 46 ± 9 years). Forced expiratory volume in the first second and lung diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide were 47 ± 20% and 38 ± 21% predicted, respectively. PA diameter and PA-Ao ratio were 29 ± 6 mm and 0.95 ± 0.24, respectively. PA-Ao ratio > 1 occurred in 38.2% of patients. PA-Ao ratio was a good predictor of PH. mPAP correlated best with PA-Ao ratio, PA diameter, oxygen desaturation during six-minute walk test, and echocardiographic variables. Patients with PA-Ao ratio > 1 had greater mPAP, and a higher risk of death or lung transplantation (log-rank, P < .001) than those with PA-Ao ratio ≤ 1. The PA-Ao ratio measured on CT scan has a potential role as a non-invasive tool to predict the presence of PH and as a prognostic parameter in patients with DCLDs.
J an 2 01 0 Are non-equilibrium Bose-Einstein condensates superfluid ?

We theoretically study the superfluidity properties of a non-equilibrium Bose-Einstein condensate of exciton-polaritons in a semiconductor microcavity. The dynamics of the condensate is described at mean-field level in terms of a modified Complex Ginzburg Landau equation. A generalized Landau criterion is formulated which estimates the onset of the drag force on a small moving defect. Metastability of supercurrents in multiply connected geometries persists up to higher flow speeds.