Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intramuscular Exposure to a Lethal Dose of Ricin Toxin Leads to Endothelial Glycocalyx Shedding and Microvascular Flow Abnormality in Mice and Swine

Ricin toxin isolated from the castor bean (Ricinus communis) is one of the most potent and lethal molecules known. While the pathophysiology and clinical consequences of ricin poisoning by the parenteral route, i.e., intramuscular penetration, have been described recently in various animal models, the preceding mechanism underlying the clinical manifestations of systemic ricin poisoning has not been completely defined. Here, we show that following intramuscular administration, ricin bound preferentially to the vasculature in both mice and swine, leading to coagulopathy and widespread hemorrhages. Increased levels of circulating VEGF and decreased expression of vascular VE-cadherin caused blood vessel impairment, thereby promoting hyperpermeability in various organs. Elevated levels of soluble heparan sulfate, hyaluronic acid and syndecan-1 were measured in blood samples following ricin intoxication, indicating that the vascular glycocalyx of both mice and swine underwent extensive damage. Finally, by using side-stream dark field intravital microscopy imaging, we determined that ricin poisoning leads to microvasculature malfunctioning, as manifested by aberrant blood flow and a significant decrease in the number of diffused microvessels. These findings, which suggest that glycocalyx shedding and microcirculation dysfunction play a major role in the pathology of systemic ricin poisoning, may serve for the formulation of specifically tailored therapies for treating parenteral ricin intoxication.
Social Web

Wikis, Blogs und Social Networks beruhen auf der Interaktion zwischen den Besuchern einer Website und fördern die Bildung von Gemeinschaften – eine in den Massenmedien bisher nicht erreichte Partizipation. Ausgehend von der Geschichte des Internets und einer Definition des »Social Webs« werden zunächst dessen Erscheinungsformen vorgestellt, verglichen und eingeordnet. Darauf folgt eine Beschreibung der technischen Grundlagen sowie der auftretenden Gruppenprozesse und der gesellschaftlichen Bedeutung des »Social Webs«.
A resilient Raman amplified double ring network for multiplexing fiber Bragg grating sensors

An amplified optical fiber double ring network for the wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors is demonstrated experimentally. The network is inherently resilient to fiber failures due to the simultaneous interrogation of all the sensors using both rings. Furthermore, power transparency at the rings is obtained by means of Raman amplification. We optimize the performance of the network with the launched pump power that shows low levels of amplifiers' noise. We also demonstrate how the topology allows the received powers from the sensors to be equalized.
Outage probability of two-way opportunistic amplify-and-forward relaying

The exact outage probability expression of two-way opportunistic relaying systems in amplify-and-forward strategy is presented, and a tight closed-form lower bound is obtained too. Simulation results are in excellent agreement with the derived expression and show that the signal-to-noise ratio gap between the lower bound and the actual performance is less than 1 dB.
Endovascular repair of acute complicated type B aortic dissection-systematic review and meta-analysis of long-term survival and reintervention.

Background Thoracic endovascular repair (TEVAR) is considered the first-line therapy in the repair of acute complicated type B aortic dissection (AC-BAD). Given the difficulty of designing randomized trials in this surgical cohort, long-term outcome data is limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis provide a complete aggregation of reported long-term survival and freedom from reintervention of AC-BAD patients based on the existing literature. Methods Three databases were searched from date of database inception to January 2021. The relevant references were identified and baseline cohort characteristics, survival and freedom from reintervention were extracted. The primary endpoints were survival and freedom from reintervention, whilst secondary endpoints were post-operative outcomes such as cord ischemia and endoleak. Kaplan-Meier curves were digitized and aggregated as per established procedure. Results A total of 2,812 references were identified in the literature search for review, with 46 selected for inclusion. A total of 2,565 patients were identified, of which 1,920 (75%) were male. The mean age of the cohort was 59.8±5.8. Actuarial survival at 2, 4, 6 and 10 years was 87.5%, 83.2%, 78.5% and 69.7%, respectively. Freedom from all secondary reintervention at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 years was 74.7%, 69.1%, 65.7%, 63.9% and 60.9%, respectively. When accounting for study quality, actuarial survival at 2, 4, 6 and 8 years was 85.4%, 79.1%, 69.8% and 63.1%, respectively. Freedom from all secondary reintervention at 2, 4, 6 and 8 years was 73.2%, 67.6%, 63.7% (maintained), respectively. Conclusions TEVAR is associated with promising long-term survival extended to 10 years, though rates of freedom from reintervention remain an ongoing point for improvement. Randomized controlled trials comparing endovascular with open repair in the setting of acute, complicated type B aortic dissection are needed.
A method of a defect estimation for a mechanical system in an actuator and link in a rigid manipulator using control theory

The aim of this work is to present an advanced method of estimation of the system defects coming up in robot links and actuators. Considering a fictitious model, a new extended system equation is set up. Based on this extended model an observer is designed for the detection of faults and an observer bank is proposed of faults.
Evaluating Change in Exposure to Risk for Musculoskeletal Disorders — A Practical Tool

A tool has been developed for health and safety practitioners to assess the exposure to workplace risks for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The tool is based on the practitioners' needs and “state of the art” research findings. QEC has been tested, modified and validated using both simulated and real tasks, with the help of approximately 150 practitioners. The studies have shown that the tool has a high level of sensitivity and usability, and exhibits largely acceptable inter/intra-observer reliability. Field studies also indicate that the tool is, in practice, reliable and applicable for a wide range of tasks. With a short training period and some practice, assessment can normally be completed within approximately 10 minutes for each task.
Concentration in the United States Textile Industry

Changes in concentration in the textile industry in recent years were examined. While the results indicated an in crease in concentration since 1958, Markov analysis of the leading firms in the industry suggested that major changes in concentration may have occurred already. In most cases, changes from 1958 to 1968 were greater than those pro jected to occur from 1968 to equilibrium. In view of the growth of the world textile industry, increased concentration in the U. S. textile industry may be necessary if it is to compete in world markets.
Surface Acoustic Wave Driven Microfluidics – A Review

his paper presents a systematic overview on the recent works on surface acoustic wave (SAW) driven microfluidics. SAW microfluidics is based on acoustic streaming induced by leaky SAW radiation into a liquid. The development of this field attracts attention from microfluidic research community due to its rapid actuation, programmable capability, simple and yet efficient operation. In our paper, SAW microfluidic applications are categorized into droplet-based applications and continuous-flow applications. Droplet is actuated into unique behaviours depending on the applied SAW power. A wide range of droplet based applications have been employed utilizing these behaviours. In continuous-flow system, applications are further categorized based on the interaction of travelling SAW and standing SAW with the bulk liquid. Finally, future perspectives of SAW driven microfluidics are discussed
Design and implementation of a project-based active/cooperative engineering design course for freshmen

A project-based active/cooperative design course is planned, implemented, assessed and evaluated to achieve several desired engineering outcomes. The course allows freshman-level students to gain professional hands-on engineering design experience through an opportunity to practise teamwork, quality principles, communication skills, life-long learning, realistic constraints and awareness of current domestic and global challenges. Throughout successive design reports and in-class assignments, the students are required by the end of the semester to communicate, clearly and concisely, the details of their design both orally and in writing through a functional artefact/prototype, a design notebook, an A0 project poster and a final oral presentation. In addition to these direct assessment tools, several indirect measures are used to ensure triangulation. Assignments are based on customer expectations using a detailed checklist. This paper shows the direct and indirect assessment tools that indicated a high level of achievement of course learning outcomes and a high level of student satisfaction.
Position and Rotation Estimation for Mobile Robots in Outside of Recording Path Using Ego‐Motion

In this research, estimating the position and rotation of a mobile robot outside of a recording path is realized by applying ego‐motion to view‐based navigation. The ego‐motion is calculated based on the differences in 3D positions of SURF feature points between recording and current images obtained by a Kinect sensor. In conventional view‐based navigation, it is difficult to plan another path when people and objects are found in the recording path. By using the authors’ proposed estimation method, it is possible to realize flexible path planning in actual environments that include people and objects. Based on the results of experiments performed in actual indoor environments, the authors evaluated measurement accuracy for the robot's position and rotation estimated under their method, and confirmed the viability of their method for actual environments including people and objects.
Distribution of macro plastic debris in Muaragembong coastal bay during the east moonson and the east to west monsoon transition in 2020

Marine debris pollution can threaten the sustainability of natural resources in coastal regions ecosystem. Marine debris is worldwide issue now and Indonesia considered as a second biggest polluter of plastic to the world ocean. Massive efforts have been applied to tackle marine debris, both by the central government and provincial level, to manage these problems and minimize the impact on the coastal ecosystem. Various types of marine debris threaten the mangrove and seagrass ecosystem by covering its roots and leaves, slowing down its growth rate, and even killing them. The aim of this research is to identify the composition of marine debris in estuary waters and mangrove ecosystem. The research activity was conducted in Muaragembong, Bekasi Regency, which is considered part of Jakarta Bay as the source of the marine debris site. The result showed that the marine debris composition during the east monsoon (July) was dominated by plastic with 71%, while during the transition east-to-west monsoon (November) ranged from 59% and equally distributed surrounding estuary waters and mangrove ecosystem. Fifteen types of macro plastic were found in waters in July, larger than those found in November (13 types). The predominant type of macro plastic is Styrofoam, followed by crackle plastic, sachets, and straws, most of which are single-use plastics that are transported to the estuary and then trapped in the mangrove ecosystem.
Investigation of Single-Event Transients in

can cause the PLL to lose its “signal lock,” resulting in a loss of transmitted data. In methods similar to recent work on SETs in linear bipolar ICs [2], circuit simulations can be used to identify the sensitive node(s) that primarily affect the circuit response to heavy ion strikes. The identification of these nodes can lead to efficient predictions of SET cross-section and be used to explain the mechanisms of SET-induced output signal disruptions. Previous studies have generally related node sensitivity to the single event response characteristics of the devices (transistors or passive components) that are critical to circuit operation [2]. In this work, we show that the recovery time of critical input transistors fundamentally limits the speed at which the oscillator returns to normal operation after the strike. Simulation results indicate that for the VCO design examined in this work the fundamental device recovery time is independent of operating frequency. This causes the number of oscillations corrupted by SET stimulus to increase monotonically as the circuit speed grows larger. These results suggest that SETs will be a growing threat to high-speed RF applications operating in radiation environments.
Application of Extreme Learning Machine in Transient Stability Assessment of Power Systems

This paper presents a new method for transient stability assessment (TSA) of power systems using kernel fuzzy rough sets and extreme learning machine (ELM). Considering the possible real-time information provided by phasor measurement units, a group of system-level classification features were firstly extracted from the power system operation condition to construct the original feature set. Then kernelized fuzzy rough sets were used to reduce the dimension of input space, and ELM was employed to build a TSA model. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by the simulation results on the New England 39-bus test system.
Needs Analysis in English Language Teaching of Medical Students in Kazakhstan

Teaching English at higher education institutions regardless of students’ area of specialization ignores their individual differences, needs, wishes, interests and goals. The most important and problematic question in teaching and learning is whether the course is effective or not. The effectiveness of the course is strongly related to learners’ attitudes, needs, expectations, satisfaction, and achievement. English for Specific Purposes is student-task oriented, and the basic insight into this trend is to offer course design, content and materials by being responsive to target language learners' own agenda. In this respect, the English language needs of undergraduate medical students in Kazakhstan were investigated by means of a case study conducted with the students of the Faculty of General Medicine at the West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University. 52 students (14 males and 38 females) in their first and second year of studies participated in a quantitative survey during the spring semester of the academic year 2020-2021. A questionnaire was adapted from the previous studies in this field (Ait Hattani, 2019; Kayaoglu, Dag Akbas, 2015; Tang, Zeng, 2020), and included items on students’ attitudes towards the English course, identify their language strengths and weaknesses, and shed light on their language needs. The findings of the study will suggest practical implications for ESP course design for medical students.
Hybrid Energy Storage System Based on Compressed Air and Super-Capacitors with Maximum Efficiency Point Tracking (MEPT)

This paper presents a hybrid energy storage system mainly based on Compressed Air, where the storage and withdrawal of energy are done within maximum efficiency conditions. As these maximum efficiency conditions impose the level of converted power, an intermittent time-modulated operation mode is applied to the thermodynamic converter to obtain a variable converted power. A smoothly variable output power is achieved with the help of a supercapacitive auxiliary storage device used as a filter. The paper describes the concept of the system, the power-electronic interfaces and especially the Maximum Efficiency Point Tracking (MEPT) algorithm and the strategy used to vary the output power. In addition, the paper introduces more efficient hybrid storage systems where the volumetric air machine is replaced by an oil-hydraulics and pneumatics converter, used under isothermal conditions. Practical results are also presented, recorded from a low-power air motor coupled to a small DC generator, as well as from a first prototype of the hydro-pneumatic system. Some economical considerations are also made, through a comparative cost evaluation of the presented hydro-pneumatic systems and a lead acid batteries system, in the context of a stand alone photovoltaic home application. This evaluation confirms the cost effectiveness of the presented hybrid storage systems.
Optimization of the UWB Feed Antenna Position in Reflector Applications

In reflector system design, achieving high stability of phase center position with changes in frequency in reflector feed antennas is highly desired. However, obtaining highly stable phase center is not possible for UWB feed antennas, specially for planar ones. Thus, an optimum positioning for the UWB feed antenna should be defined. Optimization of the positioning of the feed antenna is essential since this process lowers resulting phase error losses significantly. In this work, a novel method for optimizing the UWB feed position of a prime focus reflector antenna from phase and amplitude recordings of the measured radiated field is introduced. An automatic and fast design procedure, based on Genetic Algorithms, is described. The proposed methodology has been numerically and experimentally assessed. The procedure is introduced by an application example to one of the most commonly used UWB feed antennas in high-performance reflector antenna systems: Linear Tapered Slot Antenna (LTSA). A LTSA antenna operating in 6–25 GHz frequency band is designed and manufactured. The performance of the method is quantified in terms of its phase error losses in E- and H-planes for reflector illumination.
FDA-led consortium studies advance quality control of targeted next generation sequencing assays for precision oncology

Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality worldwide despite tremendous advances in treatment. The promise of precision oncology depends on accurate characterization of tumor mutations and subsequent therapy selection. The lack of tumor reference samples along with the associated next generation sequencing (NGS) technical assessments has hindered the development of NGS assays and the realization of benefits for precision oncology. The summarized results and recommendations of several seminal SEQC2 studies along with a vision of the changing landscape of precision oncology and anticipated next steps by the SEQC2 consortium are reported. Importantly, these studies utilized a new robust reference sample material which was developed and constructed to support multiple DNA and RNA-based NGS assay studies. These studies focused on a wide variety of precision oncology assay scenarios and provided guidelines for standardized analyses and best practice recommendations. The evolving landscape of precision oncology requires insights into critical factors supporting the sensitivity and reproducibility of clinical NGS assays for continued improvement in patient outcomes. Persistent development of robust reference materials, quantitative performance metrics, and actionable data analysis recommendations are needed. This series of SEQC2 studies serve to advance NGS-based assays for precision oncology and support regulatory science endeavors.
Data Redundancy Reduction for Energy-Efficiency in Wireless Sensor Networks: A Comprehensive Review

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) play a significant role in providing an extraordinary infrastructure for monitoring environmental variations such as climate change, volcanoes, and other natural disasters. In a hostile environment, sensors’ energy is one of the crucial concerns in collecting and analyzing accurate data. However, various environmental conditions, short-distance adjacent devices, and extreme usage of resources, i.e., battery power in WSNs, lead to a high possibility of redundant data. Accordingly, the reduction in redundant data is required for both resources and accurate information. In this context, this paper presents a comprehensive review of the existing energy-efficient data redundancy reduction schemes with their benefits and limitations for WSNs. The entire concept of data redundancy reduction is classified into three levels, which are node, cluster head, and sink. Additionally, this paper highlights existing key issues and challenges and suggested future work in reducing data redundancy for future research.
Autonomous Mobile Robot for Small Advertisements Cleaning

A mobile robot with autonomous recognition and automatic clearing small advertisements on the ground is presented. It’s the service-oriented robot for cleaning of small advertisements. The robot body is designed according to the design requirements of clearing and the control strategies for tracing and recognition small advertisements are proposed. The key issue of the robot is the hardware design for moving clean assisted by vision system and corresponding recognition methods. The results show the feasibility of the hardware structure, circuit design and program algorithm.
Lean and performance measurement

Purpose – Ostensibly, less than 10 per cent of UK organisations accomplish successful lean implementations. A refined system to the one offered by the balanced scorecard is needed. The purpose of this paper is to propose a robust system that not only focuses on the intangible and intellectual assets but also embraces various time horizons and the interests of multiple stakeholders.Design/methodology/approach – The dynamic multi‐dimensional performance (DMP) framework has been adapted which enables organisations to successfully gauge, in a holistic approach, whether lean has in fact proven successful in their respective organisations.Findings – The DMP framework embracing five dimension proves to be more robust than its predecessors and stresses the need to utilise a smaller set of multidimensional metrics which are closely aligned to an organisation's strategies.Research limitations/implications – Intangible assets have become the major source for competitive advantage. Tangible assets accounted for a boo.
Assessing the condition of hydrogenerator stator winding insulation using the ramped high direct-voltage test method

Ramped high direct-voltage tests have proven to be an effective and nondestructive means for reducing in-service stator winding failures. The measured current versus applied voltage response obtained during these off-line tests can be used to detect cracks and fissures, moisture absorption, tape separations, conductive surface contamination, lack of epoxy cure, and internal delamination. Ramped voltage test results have been used to determine when corrective actions are needed and what the appropriate actions are. When done properly, the test can identify stator windings that are approaching failure without accelerating the deterioration process.