Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Use of Convolutional Neural Networks with Patterned Stride for Medical Image Analysis

The use of deep learning techniques for early and accurate medical image diagnosis has grown significantly in recent years, with some encouraging results across many medical specialties, pathologies, and image types. One of the most popular deep neural network architectures is the convolutional neural network (CNN), widely used for medical image classification and segmentation, among other tasks. One of the configuration parameters of a CNN is called stride and it regulates how sparsely the image is sampled during the convolutional process. This paper explores the idea of applying a patterned stride strategy: pixels closer to the center are processed with a smaller stride concentrating the amount of information sampled, and pixels away from the center are processed with larger strides consequently making those areas to be sampled more sparsely. We apply this method to different medical image classification tasks and demonstrate experimentally how the proposed patterned stride mechanism outperforms a baseline solution with the same computational cost (processing and memory). We also discuss the relevance and potential future extensions of the proposed method.
In-depth perception of dynamic inductive wireless power transfer development: a review

The emerging of inductive wireless power transfer (IWPT) technology provides more opportunities for the electric vehicle (EV) battery to have a better recharging process. With the development of IWPT technology, various way of wireless charging of the EV battery is proposed in order to find the best solution. To further understand the fundamentals of the IWPT system itself, an ample review is done. There are different ways of EV charging which are static charging (wired), static wireless charging (SWC) and dynamic wireless charging (DWC). The review starts with a brief comparison of static charging, SWC and DWC. Then, in detailed discussion on the fundamental concepts, related laws and equations that govern the IWPT principle are also included. In this review, the focus is more on the DWC with a little discussion on static charging and SWC to ensure in-depth understanding before one can do further research about the EV charging process. The in-depth perception regarding the development of DWC is elaborated together with the system architecture of the IWPT and DWC system and the different track versions of DWC, which is installable to the road lane.
Giant kelp genetic monitoring before and after disturbance reveals stable genetic diversity in Southern California

Given the impacts of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors on marine systems, there is a need to accurately predict how species respond to changing environments and disturbance regimes. The use of genetic tools to monitor temporal trends in populations gives ecologists the ability to estimate changes in genetic diversity and effective population size that may be undetectable by traditional census methods. Although multiple studies have used temporal genetic analysis, they usually involve commercially important species, and rarely sample before and after disturbance. In this study, we run a temporal analysis of giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, genetic diversity over the scope of 10 years (2008-2018) using the same microsatellite marker panel to assess the genetic consequences of disturbance in several populations of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) in the Southern California Bight. The study is a rare pre- and post-disturbance microsatellite analysis that included declines to giant kelp caused by the 2015/16 El Nino Southern Oscillation event. We used canopy biomass estimated by remote sensing (Landsat) to quantify the extent of disturbance to kelp beds, and sea surface temperature data to understand how kelp was pushed towards its temperature limits during this period. Despite prolonged periods with decreased canopy at several sites, no changes in genetic structure and allelic richness were observed. We argue that giant kelp in the region is best described as a “patchy population” system where true extinctions are rare. We discuss how deep refugia of subsurface sporophytes and cryptic microscopic life stages could have kept genetic diversity through disturbance. Given the increasing effects of climate change and uncertainty in modeling impacts of species with cryptic life history stages, we suggest further investigation to reveal the role such stages play in species resilience. Genetic monitoring studies of sites selected by remote census demographic and climate surveys should be continued in the future given the predicted impacts of climate change.
Neuroprotective effects of Huperzine-A in aluminum induced neurotoxicity in hippocampus of mice

Exposure to aluminum has been correlated with the epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Huperzine A (HupA), derived from the Chinese herb Huperzia serrata, is an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). However, its use in aluminum induced neurotoxicity has not been reported. The objective of the study was to examine the effect of HupA on aluminum-induced changes in AChE activity and hippocampal neurotoxicity. Aged female swiss albino mice were divided into ive groups (n=10). Aluminum treated group (Al-S) received 30 mg/Kg of aluminum chloride (AlCl3) intraperitoneally (IP) for two weeks followed by IP normal saline. Three HupA treated groups received similar IP dosage of AlCl3 for two weeks followed by HupA 0.1 mg/Kg, HupA 0.2 mg/Kg and HupA 0.5 mg/kg. Control group received IP normal saline. At the end of week 4, AChE was estimated, and pyramidal neurons of hippocampus were counted. Al-S group showed an increase in mean brain AChE and Al-HupA 0.1 reduced it signi icantly (p<0.05). Reduction in mean neuronal density in Al-S group, was comparativelymore in CA3 hippocampal area (p<0.001). Quantitative study found that 0.2mg/Kg of synthetic Huperzine A given intraperitoneally, was able to increase neuronal count signi icantly compared to 0.1mg/Kg and 0.5mg/Kg of Huperzine A.
Grain and subgrain characterisation by electron backscatter diffraction

The application of automated Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) in the scanning electron microscope, to the quantitative analysis of grain and subgrain structures is discussed and compared with conventional methods of quantitative metallography. It is shown that the technique has reached a state of maturity such that linescans and maps can routinely be obtained and analysed using commercially available equipment and that EBSD in a Field Emission SEM (FEGSEM) allows quantitative analysis of grain/subgrains as small as ∼0.2 μm. EBSD can often give more accurate measurements of grain and subgrain size than conventional imaging methods, often in comparable times. Subgrain/cell measurements may be made more easily than in the TEM although the limited angular resolution of EBSD may be problematic in some cases. Additional information available from EBSD and not from conventional microscopy, gives a new dimension to quantitative metallography. Texture and its correlation with grain or subgrain size, shape and position are readily measured. Boundary misorientations, which are readily obtainable from EBSD, enable the distribution of boundary types to be determined and CSL boundaries can be identified and measured. The spatial distribution of Stored Energy in a sample and the amount of Recrystallization may also be measured by EBSD methods.
Knowledge of university students regarding the use of toxic substances, daily and eating habits with carcinogenic character

The knowledge of university students regarding the use of toxic substances, daily and eating habits with a carcinogenic character was assessed by using a semi-structured questionnaire. In addition, a systematic review was carried out on an electronic basis on the subject. The results revealed that university students know little about the risks and association of high consumption of hyperglycemic foods, omega-6 and red meat, as well as the exposure to BPA and insecticides, despite the fact that most are aware of the harmful effects of excessive use of cell phones and its relation with cancer. Thus, we notice the importance of disseminating preventive information that promotes a change in living and eating habits with carcinogenic character, resulting in self-care and a better quality of life.
Increased ambulatory arterial stiffness index and blood pressure load in normotensive obese patients

Objectives It has been shown that blood pressure (BP) values measured in obese subjects are higher than the individuals with normal weight, even in normotensive limits. However, data concerning the Ambulatory Arterial Stiffness Index (AASI) and blood pressure load in normotensive obese subjects is lacking. This study was aimed to compare the ambulatory arterial stiffness index and blood pressure load in normotensive obese and healthy controls. Methods One hundred normotensive obese and one hundred normal weight subjects were included in this study. All subjects underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Ambulatory arterial stiffness index was calculated from 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring records. Ambulatory arterial stiffness index was defined as one minus the regression slope of unedited 24-h diastolic on systolic blood pressures. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) load values were calculated from 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring analysis. Results Ambulatory arterial stiffness index of the obese subjects was significantly higher than the healthy controls (0.48±0.2 vs. 0.33±0.11, p<0.001). 24-hours systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure loads were significantly higher in obese subjects. Logistic regression analysis revealed that body mass index (BMI) was an independent predictor for an abnormal ambulatory arterial stiffness ındex (≥0.50) (OR: 1.137, 95% CI: 0.915-1.001, p=0.004). Conclusion Blood pressure load and ambulatory arterial stiffness index are increased in normotensive obese patients. Moreover, body mass index is an independent predictor for an abnormal ambulatory arterial stiffness index. Our results indicate that obese subjects are at higher risk for future cardiovascular events despite normal office BP levels.
Examining the link between adolescent brain development and risk taking from a socialâ€“developmental perspective

The adolescent age period is often characterized as a health paradox because it is a time of extensive increases in physical and mental capabilities, yet overall mortality/morbidity rates increase significantly from childhood to adolescence, often due to preventable causes such as risk taking. Asynchrony in developmental time courses between the affective/approach and cognitive control brain systems, as well as the ongoing maturation of neural connectivity are thought to lead to increased vulnerability for risk taking in adolescence. A critical analysis of the frequency of risk taking behaviors, as well as mortality and morbidity rates across the lifespan, however, challenges the hypothesis that the peak of risk taking occurs in middle adolescence when the asynchrony between the different developmental time courses of the affective/approach and cognitive control systems is the largest. In fact, the highest levels of risk taking behaviors, such as alcohol and drug use, often occur among emerging adults (e.g., university/college students), and highlight the role of the social context in predicting risk taking behavior. Moreover, risk taking is not always unregulated or impulsive. Future research should broaden the scope of risk taking to include risks that are relevant to older adults, such as risky financial investing, gambling, and marital infidelity. In addition, a lifespan perspective, with a focus on how associations between neural systems and behavior are moderated by context and trait-level characteristics, and which includes diverse samples (e.g., divorced individuals), will help to address some important limitations in the adolescent brain development and risk taking literature. 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Employment Empowerment through Human Resource Department in Enriching Employee Satisfaction 21 TEAM

The purpose of the research is to determine the relationship between employees empowerment and employees satisfaction. The main focus of the study is on the three Hilton Hotels – Hilton Kuala Lumpur, Hilton Petaling Jaya and DoubleTree by Hilton – in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor region and their specific Human Resource Policy. It is essential for the hotels to determine and evaluate their employees empowerment efforts in ensuring job satisfaction. The employees empowerment measures examined in this study are decision-making, recognition and reward, job development, on the job training and de-jobbing; whereas for employees satisfaction the study will look into employees turnover, service quality, customer satisfaction and productivity level. The study adopted a quantitative research methodology and data was collected from two types of questionnaires distributed to two different samples that consisted of five Hilton’s Human Resources representatives and 100 of Hilton’s employees through online questionnaires. The results found that there is a strong positive relationship between employees empowerment and employees satisfaction. The findings contradicted the results from the human resources department of the hotel
Meeting the Real “Gini” of India: An Analysis of Indian Respondents’ Perceptions of Income Inequality in India

Based on our fraught human history of widespread revolts, it is often presumed that income inequality can disrupt the status-quo. In recent years, researchers have come to question this connection between actual inequality and adverse political results. The findings show that most people around the world are unable to gauge societal inequality through relative comparisons, and are uncertain about both the magnitude and directionality of the gap. The aim of this study was twofold: 1) to assess the disparity between Indian respondents’ perceived and actual ratings of income inequality in India using a Gini Coefficient score; and 2) to identify factors that influenced these ratings. Almost 250 respondents from a wide cross-section of India participated in an online survey to give their perceived ratings of India’s Gini coefficient score along with the factors that influenced their responses. Over 90.2% considered the degree of inequality in India to be far higher than the actuality, thus showing the great extent to which they consider their country to be an unequal one. The analysis identifies “Quality of Governance” as the only statistically significant predictor for improving income inequality, showing that the government is considered to be the primary bearer of responsibility for providing quality education and healthcare, which is sadly lacking. Nonetheless, the findings constitute a “call to action” for the Indian Government to implement more effective policies to tackle these issues. Future studies could delve deeper into the problem to determine the extent to which governance influences perceived income inequality in India.
Efficiency Improvement of Permanent Magnet BLDC Motors for Electric Vehicles

A permanent magnet Brushless DC (BLDC) motor has been designed with different rotor configurations based on the arrangement of the permanent magnets. Rotor configurations strongly affect the torque and efficiency performance of permanent magnet electric motors. In this paper, different rotor configurations of the permanent magnet BLDC motor with parallel the Halbach array permanent magnet were compared and evaluated. Many applications of electric drives or air-crafts have recently preferred the surface-mounted permanent magnet design due to its ease of construction and maintenance. The finite element technique has been used for the analysis and comparison of different geometry parameters and rotor magnet configurations to improve efficiency and torque performance. A comprehensive design of a three-phase permanent magnet BLDC 35kW motor is presented and simulations were conducted to evaluate its design. The skewing rotor and Halbach magnet array are applied to the permanent surface-mounted magnet on the BLDC motor for eliminating torque ripples. In order to observe the skewing rotor effect, the rotor lamination layers were skewed with different angles and Halbach sinusoidal arrays. The determined skewing angle, the eliminated theoretically cogging torque, and the back electromotive force harmonics were also analyzed.
Accessing Threshold Issues in the Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Economic Growth: Evidence from Sub-Saharan African Countries

This work examines the nexus connecting foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries specifically to ascertain the threshold issues in the impact of FDI on economic growth of SSA economies. Thus FDI, has been known to be a critical, indispensable and integral part of foreign flows in capital, which refers to ventures by multi-national corporations (MNCs) having their headquarters in industrialized part of the world. Therefore, due to its growing importance, it becomes necessary to know the level at which FDI is not statistically significant to impact on the growth of most SSA economies. The study covered time frame of 1990 to 2016 for 36 Sub-Saharan African countries. The data employed for this study was secondary data and was collected from World Bank Development Indicator (2016). The econometric methodology used was the fixed effect model, random effect model, the Hausman test, the dynamic panel data model using the Generalized Method of Moments System (GMM SYS) and the Wald test. Coming from the static model, the output from the Hausman test suggested that the Random Effect Model is more efficient than the Fixed Effect model however, the econometric results of both the static and the dynamic models revealed that FDI inflows significantly affect the economy of SSA positively. The result also revealed that there were no threshold issues in the impact of FDI on the growth of SSA economies. The study recommended that SSA countries should invest more on setting up institutions that will guarantee an investment friendly environment so as to attract increased FDI inflows into such region, tailored down towards individual specific goals which will propel rapid economic growth in SSA countries. In addition, the region should channel past foreign aids to areas in which they were initially assigned.
Risk factors for H-type hypertension combined with acute cerebral infarction

Objective: To investigate whether the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T mutation is an independent risk factor for H-type hypertension accompanied by acute cerebral infarction (ACI) and analyze the correlation between homocysteine (Hcy) concentration and H-type hypertension complicated with ACI. Methods: A total of 75 patients diagnosed with hypertension and ACI from December 2018 to December 2019 were enrolled as the case group, and 75 healthy subjects were included in the control group. The genetic polymorphism was detected by PCR-RFLP. The plasma Hcy concentration was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: There was significant difference in the genotype frequencies of MTHFR C677T between the case group and the control group, and the difference between allele frequencies of C and T was significant (P<0.001). The case group showed higher plasma Hcy concentration and higher positive rate of Hcy in patients with heterozygous mutation (CT) and homozygous mutation (TT) than those of the control group (P<0.001). Spearman analysis showed that age, high plasma Hcy level, history of diabetes, coronary heart disease, TT genotype and systolic blood pressure were positively correlated with the incidence of cerebral infarction (P<0.001). Logistic regression showed that TT gene, stage 2 hypertension, age >70 years and plasma Hcy level ≥11 μmol/L were the independent risk factors for hypertension complicated with ACI. Conclusion: MTHFR C677T mutation is an independent risk factor for hypertension complicated with ACI, and plasma Hcy levels are positively correlated with the incidence of ACI in hypertension patients.
Neural Correlates of Apathy in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): a resting state fMRI study

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is the presence of cognitive decline that is not severe enough for the diagnosis of dementia. Patients that suffer from MCI exhibit many neuropsychiatric symptoms including apathy. Apathy is seen as a state of indifference and patients show diminished voluntary goal-directed behaviour. Apathy could increase the risk of developing MCI in normal cognitive subjects. Moreover, also the progression from MCI to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) could be predicted by apathy. It has been found that MCI, but also the cognitive and executive function deficits that are seen in MCI patients, is associated with altered functional connectivity (FC) patterns. These FC networks can be investigated with resting state (RS) fMRI. The relationship between FC patterns in aMCI with apathy has not been evaluated before. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse resting state (rs) fMRI data to investigate the neural correlates of apathy in aMCI. Rs fMRI was assessed in 31 aMCI patients and twenty healthy controls. Rs fMRI data was analyzed using independent component analysis (ICA). Components of interest were selected for further analysis. We classified two components as default mode network (DMN), one as basal ganglia network (BGN), two as central executive network (CEN) and three/four as the salience network (SN). We found altered within-network functional connectivity in CEN and SN in MCI patients compared with healthy controls (HCs). Besides, apathy levels in aMCI were correlated with increasing functional connectivity patterns in BGN and SN, whereas apathy levels in aMCI were correlated with decreasing functional connectivity patterns in BGN, CEN and SN. Regarding between-network functional connectivity, weaker connectivity patterns were found between SN and DMN in MCI subjects compared with HCs. Moreover, a negative correlation between level of apathy in MCI patients and connectivity between two components of the SN was found, whereas a positive correlation was found between apathy level and connectivity between the SN and DMN. The results on alterations in FC in SN and CEN in aMCI patients could be explained by the cognitive deficits in aMCI. Nevertheless, according to the functions of the DMN and the cognitive deficits in aMCI we expected to find more alterations in DMN connectivity in aMCI. Furthermore, altered connectivity in CEN, SN, BGN correlated to apathy could be explained by the presence of apathy in these subjects. Still, more research is needed to elucidate the role of these FC patterns in the development of apathy and the progression of MCI.
Long Title : The mammalian rod synaptic ribbon is essential for Ca v channel facilitation 1 and ultrafast synaptic vesicle fusion

Chad Paul Grabner 1-3,* and Tobias Moser 1-4 5 Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, 6 Göttingen, Germany 7 Synaptic Nanophysiology Group, Max Planck Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, 8 Germany 9 Collaborative Research Center 1286 'Quantitative Synaptology', University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 10 Germany 11 Multiscale Bioimaging Cluster of Excellence (MBExC), University of Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, 12 Germany 13 *corresponding author's email: chadgrabner@gmail.com 14 15