Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Properties of Poly(ester amide)s Based on Dimethyl 2,5-Furanedicarboxylate as a Function of Methylene Sequence Length in Polymer Backbone

A series of poly(ester amide)s based on dimethyl furan 2,5-dicarboxylate (DMFDC), 1,3-propanediol (PDO), 1,6-hexylene glycol (HDO), and 1,3-diaminopropane (DAP) were synthesized via two-step melt polycondensation. The phase transition temperatures and structure of the polymers were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) measurement was carried out to investigate the free volume. In addition, the mechanical properties of two series of poly(ester amide)s were analyzed. The increase in the number of methylene groups in the polymer backbone resulted in a decrease in the values of the transition temperatures. Depending on the number of methylene groups and the content of the poly(propylene furanamide) (PPAF), both semi-crystalline and amorphous copolymers were obtained. The free volume value increased with a greater number of methylene groups in the polymer backbone. Moreover, with a lower number of methylene groups, the value of the Young modulus and stress at break increased.
TauSSA

In this paper, we present TauSSA, a discrete-event simulation tool for stochastic queueing networks integrated in the LINE solver. TauSSA combines Gillespie's stochastic simulation algorithm with tau leaping, a methodology for optimistic simulation acceleration. Although tau leaping is frequently used in chemical reaction network simulation, it has so far found limited application in queueing theory. TauSSA offers one of the very first attempts to make this method broadly applicable to analyze extended queueing network models, which include class switching, fork-join, and non-exponential service and arrival distributions. We conceptualize various strategies for handling ordering and illegal states in tau leaping that arise specifically within queueing network models, and compare their performance through numerical experiments. Our main finding is that strategies that sort events based on the network topological order incur a better trade-off between speedup and approximation error.
Carotid Web Stenting

Background: Carotid webs are luminal, shelf-like protrusions at the carotid bulb. Considered to be a variant of fibromuscular dysplasia, carotid webs have been observed principally in African American females. The association between carotid webs and recurrent ischemic strokes continues to be established as patients without traditional stroke risk factors are found to have carotid webs as the only possible cause of symptomatic deficits. The majority of patients undergo endarterectomy; few stent placements are reported. We present the case of an African American female who underwent stent placement for treatment and secondary prevention of stroke attributed to a carotid web. Case Report: A 33-year-old African American female presented with acute onset left hemiparesis and left facial droop. Alteplase was administered; multiphase head and neck computed tomography angiography revealed an occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery with a web at the carotid bulb. Aspiration catheter thrombectomy achieved a Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) score of 3. She was placed on 2 antiplatelet agents, and 3 weeks later she underwent stent placement. Follow-up digital subtraction angiography at 3 months showed obliteration of the right carotid artery web and satisfactory integration of the stent into the vessel wall. She was reassessed at 1 year and reported no neurologic symptoms. Conclusion: Although carotid webs are most commonly treated with endarterectomy, they may be amenable to stent therapy with favorable clinical outcomes as shown with this patient.
Double-layer speed optimization for reducing fuel consumption with vehicle-to-infrastructure communication

Abstract Speed profiles affect fuel economy tremendously, especially, when vehicles running on an urban road with numerous signalized intersections. To improve fuel economy, in this study, we propose a double-layer speed optimization method with real-time computation that considers traffic signal information collected via vehicle-to-infrastructure communication and traffic conditions. In the first layer, we use a Dijkstra algorithm to optimize the average eco-speed between adjacent intersections with full-horizon traffic signal information, and in the second layer, we use an optimal control method to plan a real-time speed profile with average speed constraints. We conduct numerous field tests using a test bed and an experimental vehicle platform. The test results demonstrate that by computing optimal solutions in real time, the proposed double-layer speed optimization method has the potential to improve fuel economy and decrease trip time.
A Review on Control Methods for Multi-Lift Rotorcraft Systems

This paper aims to give an overview of multi-lift rotorcraft (MLR) systems' theoretical research and associated flight tests in the past years, making it possible to inform researchers of future applications or strategies of related research. Analyzing some published papers searched on online databases, hot issues such as modeling, configurations, coordinated control and experiments of multi-lift rotorcraft systems are outlined. As a consequence, the major problems as well as development tendencies of multi-lift rotorcraft systems are analyzed and the future work is also pointed out. The summaries of existing modeling and control frameworks try to give researchers an insight into multi-lift rotorcraft systems.
Experience-Availability Analysis of Online Cloud Services using Stochastic Models

Recently a new performance metric called experience availability (EA) has been proposed to evaluate online cloud service in terms of both availability and response time. EA originates from the fact that from the prospective of quality of experience (QoE), an online cloud service is regarded as unavailable not only when it is inaccessible, but also when the tail latency is high. However, there still lacks analytic models for evaluating the EA of online services. In this paper, we propose an efficient EA-analytic model using stochastic reward net (SRN) to study the tail latency performance of online cloud services in the presence of failure-repair of the resources. Our EA-analytic model can predict the online service performance on EA, as well as support analysis on traditional availability and mean response time. We apply this model to an Apache Solr search service, and evaluate the prediction accuracy by comparing the results derived from the model to actual experimental results. It is shown that the proposed model overestimates the response time at lower percentiles and underestimates the response time at higher percentiles. Through attribution analysis, we further identify the list of factors that may affect the accuracy, and show that the 95th percentile latency prediction error can be reduced to as low as 2.45% by tuning the configurations suggested by the attribution.
Study on the Optimal Electric Field Parameters of Electrode Based on Irreversible Electroporation

A more realistic electric field model of electrode, which is based on irreversible electroporation and takes into account the influence of shape of the electrode, is proposed. Methods for modeling and calculating the electric field in different area of action are introduced. The experimental results show that with the increase of electrode distance, the trend of non-connection and invagination are more and more obvious. Increasing electric field intensity can effectively increase the coverage of irreversible electroporation and restrain the connectivity and the trend of invagination at the same time. However, in the actual animal experiment, the electric field intensity is too large, which causes the electric spark phenomenon in the discharge process, which is not conducive to the treatment of the tumor. Through these results, it is possible to find the optimal electric field parameters, which are suitable for tumor therapy to achieve an effective killing effect on tumor formation and to minimize the side effects of surrounding normal tissue.
Fluid Intake But Not Fluid Balance Is Associated With Poor Outcome in Nontraumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients.

OBJECTIVES Optimal fluid management is important in patients with acute brain injury, including subarachnoid hemorrhage. We aimed to examine the relationship between daily fluid intake and fluid balance with hospital complications and functional outcome. DESIGN Retrospective observational cohort study. SETTING Neurocritical care unit at a tertiary academic medical center. PATIENTS Two-hundred thirty-seven consecutive nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage patients admitted to the neurologic ICU between 2010 and 2016. INTERVENTIONS Total daily amount of fluids and fluid balance were calculated over 15 days. Using multivariate generalized estimating equation models the association of daily fluid intake and fluid balance with disease severity, hospital complications and poor functional outcome (3-mo modified Rankin Score ≥ 3) was investigated. Additionally, we described the composition of fluids given. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Patients presented with a median admission Hunt and Hess grade of 3 (interquartile range, 1-5) and were 57 years old (interquartile range, 47-67 yr old). A higher daily fluid intake was associated with higher admission Hunt and Hess grade (odds ratio, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.47-1.76; p < 0.001), increased pulmonary fluid accumulation (adjusted odds ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.01-1.21; p = 0.033), prolonged mechanical ventilation (Wald statistic = 20.08; degrees of freedom = 1; p < 0.001), higher daily Subarachnoid hemorrhage Early Brain Edema Score (adjusted odds ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.01-1.22; p = 0.034), occurrence of anemia (adjusted odds ratio, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.20-1.54; p < 0.001), delayed cerebral ischemia (adjusted odds ratio, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.14-1.51; p < 0.001), and poor functional outcome (adjusted odds ratio, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.10-1.41; p < 0.001). Daily fluid balance was associated with higher admission Hunt and Hess grade (odds ratio, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.05-1.13; p < 0.001) and anemia (adjusted odds ratio, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.03-1.33; p = 0.019). The main contributors to fluids were nutritional compounds (31%), IV drugs (30%), and volume substitution (17%). CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates a significant association of fluid intake but not fluid balance with hospital complications and poor functional outcome in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients. A larger prospective study is needed to confirm our results.
Resource Loss and Psychosocial Stress in the Aftermath of the 2008 Tennessee Valley Authority Coal Ash Spill

The 2008 Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant impoundment failure resulted in one of most significant industrial accidents of its kind in U.S. history. Based on data from a 2011 household survey of 1,840 residents of Roane County where the spill occurred and nearby Anderson County (a comparison community), Tennessee, we examine disaster-related psychosocial stress as measured by the Impact of Event Scale. We frame our findings using the Conservation of Resources (COR) model. The strongest contributors to spill-related stress were resource loss and threat of loss, as well as increased perceptions of risk that were connected to experience with the spill; beliefs about economic and environmental impacts; concerns about health; and perceived social disruption. Regression analyses reveal that effects of the spill transcend county of residence. These findings reinforce the relevance of the COR model for understanding that these losses, as well as threat of loss, to objects, conditions, personal characteristics, and energy resources contribute to disaster-related stress.
The Human Upper Respiratory Tract Epithelium Is Susceptible to Flaviviruses

Flaviviruses replicate in a wide variety of species and have a broad cellular tropism. They are isolated from various body fluids, and Zika virus (ZIKV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and West Nile virus (WNV) RNAs have been detected in nasopharyngeal swabs. Consequently, we evaluated the cellular tropism and host responses upon ZIKV, JEV, WNV, and Usutu virus (USUV) infection using a relevant model of the human upper respiratory tract epithelium based on primary human nasal epithelial cells (NECs) cultured at the air-liquid interface. NECs were susceptible to all the viruses tested, and confocal analysis showed evidence of infection of ciliated and non-ciliated cells. Each flavivirus productively infected NECs, leading to apical and basolateral live virus shedding with particularly high basal release for JEV and WNV. As demonstrated by a paracellular permeability assay, the integrity of the epithelium was not affected by flavivirus infection, suggesting an active release of live virus through the basolateral surface. Also, we detected a significant secretion of interferon type III and the pro-inflammatory cytokine IP-10/CXCL10 upon infection with JEV. Taken together, our data suggest that the human upper respiratory tract epithelium is a target for flaviviruses and could potentially play a role in the spread of infection to other body compartments through basolateral virus release. Undoubtedly, further work is required to evaluate the risks and define the adapted measures to protect individuals exposed to flavivirus-contaminated body fluids.
Exploring the Proximity Effect in Mo/Au Bilayers

We report on the sensitivity of superconducting transition temperature (Tc) to the individual layers’ thickness in Mo/Au proximity bilayers to be used in transition-edge sensors (TESs). The achieved good reproducibility and quality of the bilayers allow a clear determination of the superconducting critical temperature Tc as a function of the Mo and Au thicknesses. One objective of this work is to analyse the quality of the Mo/Au interface and to assess the possible effects of the double Au layer we use to fabricate these bilayers and TESs based on them. Experimental data are analysed on the basis of Usadel equations using the model developed by Martinis and co-workers, in which the proximity effect in the bilayer is mainly governed by the interface transparency between the superconductor and the normal metal. We find that this model describes quite well the behavior of Tc, even for quite thick Au layers, and that the double Au layer does not play any relevant role on the proximity effect.
Effect of Sub-Chronic Administration of Tetracera potatoria Roots Extract and Betulinic Acid from the Plant on Haematology and Serum Biochemistry of Wistar Rats

Tetracera potatoria is used as natural remedy for a wide range of diseases in West Africa. Anti-ulcerogenic and antiinflammatory effects of T. potatoria are reported to be induced by Betulinic acid (BA). This study was aimed at assessment of the safety of T. potatoria and BA using acute and sub-chronic toxicity methods. Methanol extract of T. potatoria root (100, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) and BA (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg) isolated from the extract were administered to Wistar ratsfor 28 consecutive days in the subc h r o n i c t o x i c i t y s t u d y . E a c h experiment had control groups (n=5) which were administered with distilled water (10ml/kg). Whole blood and serum samples were collected from the rats for hematology and serum biochemistry on day 29. T. potatoria extract induced significant decreases in PCV from 42.8±1.5% (control) to 32.7±2.2% (1000mg/kg) 6 and RBC from 12.8±0.4 X10 /μl to 6 11.6±9.1X10 /μl, but increased WBC 3 levels from 7.8±2.3 X10 /μl (control) to 3 9.1±1.2 X10 /μl (500mg/kg). BA induced decreases in PCV from 42.8±1.2% to 41.8±0.4%, and RBC 6 from 12.7±7.6X10 /μl to 6.1±1.1 6 X10 /μl. Serum biochemistry showed significant increases in ALT from 1144 1 2 Animal Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, ObafemiAwolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, Departmnet of * Veterinary Physiology, Biochemistry & Pharmacology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. Corresponding author: E-mail: bensaba2011@hotmail.com, Tel: +2348054138127 48.5±2.2 U/L to 66.75±12.5 in rats administered with BA (40mg/kg), but relatively normal AST. Triglyceride levels were non-significantly reduced in T. potatoria-treated rats but were increased from 74.0±3.8 mg/dl (control) to 139.3±4.8 mg/dl in rats administered with BA (40 mg/kg). In conclusion, sub-acute administration of T. potatoria root was relatively nontoxic, but BA showed relatively more toxicity to blood cells and a tendency to cause dyslipidemia.
ChlamBase: a curated model organism database for the Chlamydia research community

Abstract The accelerating growth of genomic and proteomic information for Chlamydia species, coupled with unique biological aspects of these pathogens, necessitates bioinformatic tools and features that are not provided by major public databases. To meet these growing needs, we developed ChlamBase, a model organism database for Chlamydia that is built upon the WikiGenomes application framework, and Wikidata, a community-curated database. ChlamBase was designed to serve as a central access point for genomic and proteomic information for the Chlamydia research community. ChlamBase integrates information from numerous external databases, as well as important data extracted from the literature that are otherwise not available in structured formats that are easy to use. In addition, a key feature of ChlamBase is that it empowers users in the field to contribute new annotations and data as the field advances with continued discoveries. ChlamBase is freely and publicly available at chlambase.org.
IFIT5 Participates in the Antiviral Mechanisms of Rainbow Trout Red Blood Cells

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) infection appears to be halted in rainbow trout nucleated red blood cells (RBCs). Diverse mechanisms are thought to be related to the antiviral immune response of rainbow trout RBCs to VHSV. However, the specific rainbow trout RBC proteins that interact directly with VHSV are still unknown. In an attempt to identify VHSV-RBC protein interactions, we characterized the immunoprecipitated (IP) proteome of RBCs exposed to VHSV using an antibody against the N protein of VHSV. The IP proteomic characterization identified 31 proteins by mass spectrometry analysis. Among them, we identified interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 5 (IFIT5), a protein belonging to a family of proteins that are induced after the production of type I interferon. Importantly, IFIT5 has been implicated in the antiviral immune response. We confirmed the participation of IFIT5 in the rainbow trout RBC antiviral response by examining the expression profile of IFIT5 in RBCs after VHSV exposure at transcriptional and protein levels. We detected a correlation between the highest IFIT5 expression levels and the decline in VHSV replication at 6 h post-exposure. In addition, silencing ifit5 resulted in a significant increase in VHSV replication in RBCs. Moreover, an increase in VHSV replication was observed in RBCs when the IFIT5 RNA-binding pocket cavity was modulated by using a natural compound from the SuperNatural II database. We performed a proximity ligation assay and detected a significant increase in positive cells among VHSV-exposed RBCs compared to unexposed RBCs, indicating protein-protein colocalization between IFIT5 and the glycoprotein G of VHSV. In summary, these results suggest a possible role of IFIT5 in the antiviral response of RBCs against VHSV.
Cooling the skin for assessing small-fibre function.

In this clinical and neurophysiological study using a novel cold stimulator we aim at investigating whether cold evoked potentials may prove to be a reliable diagnostic tool to assess trigeminal small-fibre function.Using a novel device consisting of micro-Peltier elements, we recorded cold evoked potentials after stimulating the supraorbital and perioral regions and the hand dorsum in 15 healthy participants and in two patients with exemplary facial neuropathic pain conditions. We measured peripheral conduction velocity at the upper arm and studied the brain generators using source analysis. In healthy participants and patients, we also compared cold evoked potentials with laser evoked potentials.In the healthy participants, cold stimulation evoked reproducible scalp potentials, similar to those elicited by laser pulses, though with a latency of about 30 ms longer. The mean peripheral conduction velocity, estimated at the upper arm, was 12.7 m/s. The main waves of the scalp potentials originated from the anterior cingulate gyrus and were preceded by activity in the bilateral opercular regions and bilateral dorso-lateral frontal regions. Unlike laser stimulation, cold stimulation evoked scalp potential of similar amplitude across perioral, supraorbital and hand dorsum stimulation. In patients with facial neuropathic pain, cold evoked potential recording showed the selective damage of cold pathways providing complementary information to laser evoked potential recording.Our clinical and neurophysiological study shows that this new device provides reliable information on trigeminal small-fibres mediating cold sensation, and might be useful for investigating patients with facial neuropathic pain associated with a distinct damage of cold-mediating fibres.
Koneksi Politik Dan Praktik Manajemen Laba Riil: Studi Pada Industri Keuangan Di Indonesia

The aim of the research is to find empirical evidence of the impact of political ties on the management of actual earnings in the Indonesian financial industry. Earnings management in this study is measured by real earnings management, namely abnormal CFO and abnormal discretionary expense, as well as the value of Allowance for Impairment Losses (CKPN). The research sample is 98 companies that are members of the financial industry listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) for the 2018-2020 period with a total of 294 observations. This research used the panel data regression analysis technique. The results showed that the politically connected board of commissioners had a positive effect on earnings management as measured by abnormal CFO and CKPN, but had no effect on earnings management as measured by abnormal discretionary expense. Meanwhile, the politically connected board of directors was found to have no effect on earnings management, either as measured by abnormal CFO, abnormal discretionary expense, or CKPN. This research provides additional empirical evidence that is advantagoues for several parties such as companies, investors and regulators regarding the consideration of political connected council that have a negative effect on earnings management. The results of this study support the agency theory that political connections increase agency problems through earnings management practices.
Spectrum Sharing for Heterogeneous Communication Systems in TV White Spaces

In 2010, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the final ruling to approve the unlicensed use of TV white spaces, i.e., locally vacant TV channels. Since TV white spaces are open to all networks and all types of applications, it is likely that there will be multiple networks and application systems authorized to use the same TV channels at the same time. Currently, there is mechanism for different users to operate in the TV white spaces within one system, while TV spectrum sharing among heterogeneous networks and application systems is largely ignored. To address the problem, this paper designs a trading mechanism to study the TV spectrum market between Geolocation database and heterogeneous application systems. We formulate the spectrum sharing problem into a 0-1 integer optimization problem. The proposed solution decomposes an optimal fractional solution of a NP-hard problem into a convex combination of internal solutions by randomized rounding algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed approximation algorithm can achieve a close-to-optimal solution with far less complexity.