Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Hypothesis on How the Azolla Symbiosis Mitigates Nitrous Oxide Based on In Silico Analyses

Nitrous oxide is a long-lived greenhouse gas that exists for 114 years in the atmosphere and is 298-fold more potent than carbon dioxide in its global warming potential. Two recent studies showcased the utility of Azolla plants for a lesser footprint in nitrous oxide production from urea and other supplements to the irrigated ecosystem, which mandates exploration since there is still no clear solution to nitrous oxide in paddy fields or in other ecosystems. Here, we propose a solution based on the evolution of a single cytochrome oxidase subunit II protein (WP_013192178.1) from the cyanobiont Trichormus azollae that we hypothesize to be able to quench nitrous oxide. First, we draw attention to a domain in the candidate protein that is emerging as a sensory periplasmic Y_Y_Y domain that is inferred to bind nitrous oxide. Secondly, we draw the phylogeny of the candidate protein showcasing the poor bootstrap support of its position in the wider clade showcasing its deviation from the core function. Thirdly, we show that the NtcA protein, the apical N-effecting transcription factor, can putatively bind to a promoter sequence of the gene coding for the candidate protein (WP_013192178.1), suggesting a function associated with heterocysts and N-metabolism. Our fourth point involves a string of histidines at the C-terminal extremity of the WP_013192178. 1 protein that is missing on all other T. azollae cytochrome oxidase subunit II counterparts, suggesting that such histidines are perhaps involved in forming a Cu center. As the fifth point, we showcase a unique glycine-183 in a lengthy linker region containing multiple glycines that is absent in all proximal Nostocales cyanobacteria, which we predict to be a DNA binding residue. We propose a mechanism of action for the WP_013192178. 1 protein based on our in silico analyses. In total, we hypothesize the incomplete and rapid conversion of a likely heterocystous cytochrome oxidase subunit II protein to an emerging nitrous oxide sensing/quenching subunit based on bioinformatics analyses and past literature, which can have repercussions to climate change and consequently, future human life.
Research on HMM-Based Efficient Stock Price Prediction

Stock market is one of the most important parts of the investment market. Compared with other industries, the stock market not only has a higher rate of return on investment but also has a higher risk, and stock price prediction has always been a close concern of investors. Therefore, the research on stock price prediction methods and how to reduce the error of stock price prediction has become a hot topic for many scholars at home and abroad. In recent years, the development of computer technology such as machine learning and econometric method makes the stock price prediction more reliable. Due to the hidden Markov nature of stock price, this paper proposes a stock price prediction method based on hidden Markov model (HMM). To be specific, since the data of stock price have continuity in time series, it is necessary to extend the discrete HMM to the continuous HMM, and then put forward the up and down trend prediction model based on the continuous HMM. The first-order continuous HMM is extended to the second-order continuous HMM, and the stock price is predicted by combining the prediction method of fluctuation range. As a result, the proposed second-order continuous HMM-based stock price prediction model is simulated on Hang Seng Index (HSI), one of the earliest stock market indexes in Hong Kong. The evaluation results on six months HSI show that the predicted value of the proposed model is very close to the actual value and outperforms three benchmarks in terms of RMSE, MAE, and R2.
On solving uncooperative linear bilevel multi-follower programming problems

The relationship between the reference-uncooperative linear bilevel two-follower decision making and the multi-objective decision making has been recently considered (Sadeghi and Moslemi, 2019). In this paper, we address the foregoing relation for the uncooperative linear bilevel multi-follower programming (ULBMFP) model with followers. Furthermore, we consider some geometric properties of the feasible solutions set of the ULBMFP problem. Moreover an algorithm to find an optimal solution for the ULBMFP problem was proposed. Ultimately, some numerical examples to illustrate the proposed algorithm were provided.
Classification of Finger Gestures From Myoelectric Signals

Electromyographic signals may provide an important new class of user interface for consumer electronics. In order to make such interfaces effective, it will be crucial to map EMG signals to user gestures in real time. The mapping from signals to gestures will vary from user to user, so it must be acquired adaptively. In this thesis, I describe and compare three methods for static classification of EMG signals. I then go on to explore methods for adapting the classifiers over time and for sequential analysis of the gesture stream by combining the static classification algorithm with a hidden Markov model. I conclude with an evaluation of the combined model on an unsegmented stream of gestures. Thesis Supervisor: Leslie P. Kaelbling Title: Associate Professor
Delayed Improvement of Left Ventricular Function in Newly Diagnosed Heart Failure Depends on Etiology—A PROLONG-II Substudy

In patients with newly diagnosed heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), three months of optimal therapy are recommended before considering a primary preventive implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). It is unclear which patients benefit from a prolonged waiting period under protection of the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) to avoid unnecessary ICD implantations. This study included all patients receiving a WCD for newly diagnosed HFrEF (n = 353) at our center between 2012 and 2017. Median follow-up was 2.7 years. From baseline until three months, LVEF improved in patients with all peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), or ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). Beyond this time, LVEF improved in PPCM and DCM only (10 ± 8% and 10 ± 12%, respectively), whereas patients with ICM showed no further improvement. The patients with newly diagnosed HFrEF were compared to 29 patients with a distinct WCD indication, which is an explantation of an infected ICD. This latter group had a higher incidence of WCD shocks and poorer overall survival. All-cause mortality should be considered when deciding on WCD prescription. In patients with newly diagnosed HFrEF, the potential for delayed LVEF recovery should be considered when timing ICD implantation, especially in patients with PPCM and DCM.
The Common Approach in Off-Site Construction Industry

The construction industry have made the appropriate initiative to make a paradigm shift in the manufacturing construction industry in order to achieve a higher standard and to adapt to the global business trend. The government and researchers have played vital roles to educate the main players of the construction industry in the form of policies, financial incentives, strategy guidelines, workshops and seminars to increase the awareness among the end users and clients. This paper present the challenges faced by the construction industry to integrate the modern method with the existing traditional method, and to make a comparative study in the approaches used in off-site construction industry. The four countries involved in the studies are US, UK, Australia and Malaysia. The off-site manufacturing in the U.S. was started by Henry Ford. It was a big evolution that became a phenomena and spread to the rest of the world. UK and Australia have the similarity in terms of the approach towards research and categorization of off-site system. Malaysia adapted the advanced approach practiced by other countries. The research finds that the pattern of off-site construction industry will benefit both the government and the private sector in fulfilling the demand for off-site system in the long term with the expansion of the construction industry and its ability to compete globally.
Tire strain piezoelectric energy harvesters: a systematic review

Intelligent tires are regular tires with additional sensors attached to measure different parameters, such as pressure, temperature, and tire dynamic condition. Sensors mounted inside tires are usually powered by batteries. An alternative power source for these sensors is piezoelectric energy, which uses piezoelectric patches that can be mounted close to the sensors inside vehicle tires. Piezoelectric energy is a battery-less energy source with a long lifespan and environmentally friendly characteristics. This paper presents a comprehensive review of piezoelectric energy harvesters that harvest vehicle tire strain and convert it to electrical energy to power inner tire sensors. The aim of this review was to characterize the possible available tire piezoelectric strain energy harvesters and their advantages and challenges for each type, shape, and material used by researchers so far. The related articles were categorized according to the installation method of the harvester inside the vehicle tire. The four categories are inner tire treadwall, tire bead–rim interface, tire inner sidewall, and tire bead. The maximum power generated was 2300 mW from a treadwall tire strain piezoelectric harvester. Ten challenges were mentioned and classified into three main groups: host environment, installation method, and scavenging system.
Influence of Child Protection Benchmark on Management Outcomes in Child Friendly Schools of Makueni County, Kenya

The influence of child protection as a child-friendly school benchmark on the management outcome in public primary schools has been of interest. Schools in Makueni County (Kenya) have had their share of reported cases of child insecurity with children having been physically violated within the school community, sometimes with corporal punishment cases by teachers to an alarming level. The sought to answer the question: what is the influence level of the child protection internal school benchmark on the management outcome in Child Friendly Schools (CFS) of Makueni County? To answer the question, a mixed-method triangulation design was applied with a convergent model that inculcates regression and correlation models. The study findings establish that schools partially put in place and managed child protection measures as an important benchmark to strengthen management outcomes in CFS. Results from the study determined that there were established rules for visitors to identify themselves (82.1%), rules not to allow people under the influence of illicit drugs at school (85.5%), rules against bullying and corporal punishment (91.8%), not to allow pits in the school compound (65.5%), and buildings at school to be earthquake resistant (27.9%). School management used UNICEF’s child-friendly school child protection model as a benchmark on which to provide protection as a child right, thus making the schools more child-friendly.
Discovery of a Novel Species of Trichomonasvirus in the Human Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis Using Transcriptome Mining

Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common non-viral cause of sexually transmitted infections globally. Infection by this protozoan parasite results in the clinical syndrome trichomoniasis, which manifests as an inflammatory disease with acute and chronic consequences. Half or more isolates of this parasite are themselves infected with one or more dsRNA viruses that can exacerbate the inflammatory syndrome. At least four distinct viruses have been identified in T. vaginalis to date, constituting species Trichomonas vaginalis virus 1 through Trichomonas vaginalis virus 4 in genus Trichomonasvirus. Despite the global prevalence of these viruses, few complete coding sequences have been reported. We conducted viral sequence mining in publicly available transcriptomes across 60 RNA-Seq accessions representing at least 13 distinct T. vaginalis isolates. The results led to sequence assemblies for 27 novel trichomonasvirus strains across all four recognized species. Using a strategy of de novo sequence assembly followed by taxonomic classification, we additionally discovered six strains of a newly identified fifth species, for which we propose the name Trichomonas vaginalis virus 5, also in genus Trichomonasvirus. These additional strains exhibit high sequence identity to each other, but low sequence identity to strains of the other four species. Phylogenetic analyses corroborate the species-level designations. These results substantially increase the number of trichomonasvirus genome sequences and demonstrate the utility of mining publicly available transcriptomes for virus discovery in a critical human pathogen.
Estimation of Pramipexole Dihydrochloride in Tablet Formulation by the Developed Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography Method and its Validation

A simple, rapid isocratic reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography method was developed and validated for the determination of pramipexole dihydrochloride in tablet dosage form as per International Council on Harmonisation guidelines. In this method the chromatographic separation was carried out using C18 column with ultraviolet detector set at 264 nm. The eluent consisted of acetonitrile:phosphate buffer (pH 4.0) (70:30 by volume) with a flow rate of 1 ml/min. The method showed linear response with the retention time of 2.28 min. The main advantage of the developed method is its cost effectiveness and shortened run time. Hence this method can be applied for routine analysis of pramipexole in pharmaceutical dosage form.
Unique Astrocyte Cytoskeletal and Nuclear Morphology in a Three-Dimensional Tissue-Engineered Rostral Migratory Stream

Neural precursor cells (NPCs) are generated in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and travel through the rostral migratory stream (RMS) to replace olfactory bulb interneurons in the brains of most adult mammals. Following brain injury, SVZ-derived NPCs can divert from the RMS and migrate toward injured brain regions but arrive in numbers too low to promote functional recovery without experimental intervention. Our lab has biofabricated a “living scaffold” that replicates the structural and functional features of the endogenous RMS. This tissue-engineered rostral migratory stream (TE-RMS) is a new regenerative medicine strategy designed to facilitate stable and sustained NPC delivery into neuron-deficient brain regions following brain injury or neurodegenerative disease and an in vitro tool to investigate the mechanisms of neuronal migration and cell–cell communication. We have previously shown that the TE-RMS replicates the basic structure and protein expression of the endogenous RMS and can direct immature neuronal migration in vitro and in vivo. Here, we further describe profound morphological changes that occur following precise physical manipulation and subsequent self-assembly of astrocytes into the TE-RMS, including significant cytoskeletal rearrangement and nuclear elongation. The unique cytoskeletal and nuclear architecture of TE-RMS astrocytes mimics astrocytes in the endogenous rat RMS. Advanced imaging techniques reveal the unique morphology of TE-RMS cells that has yet to be described of astrocytes in vitro. The TE-RMS offers a novel platform to elucidate astrocyte cytoskeletal and nuclear dynamics and their relationship to cell behavior and function.
Cotton Cellulose-Derived Hydrogel and Electrospun Fiber as Alternative Material for Wound Dressing Application

Cotton has been recognized as a useful biomaterial over decades, and it has been widely applied in the textile industry. However, a large amount of cotton waste is generated during the manufacturing processes, but it has been considered as a low-value product. With high content of cellulose remaining in cotton waste, our study focuses on transforming cotton cellulose into a valuable product. Cellulose was extracted from cotton waste and modified into two main materials for wound dressing application: hydrogel-based water absorbent materials and electrospun composite nanofibers. In order to enhance the water absorption, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), the modified cellulose with functional group prone to interact with water molecules, has been developed in this study. The hydrogel-based CMC was created by using the chemical cross-linking reaction of epichlorohydrin (ECH). The hydrogel demonstrated the swelling and reswelling ability by 1718 ± 137% and 97.95 ± 9.76%, respectively. Meanwhile, cellulose/PEG in trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was successfully fabricated as nonwoven composite by a conventional electrospinning technique. The fabrics provided highly appropriated properties as wound dressing, including the following: water absorption was up to 1300 times and water vapor permeability controlled in the range of 2163–2285 g·m−2·day−1. This showed the preliminary information for recovering cotton waste into valuable products.
The Movesense Medical Sensor Chest Belt Device as Single Channel ECG for RR Interval Detection and HRV Analysis during Resting State and Incremental Exercise: A Cross-Sectional Validation Study

The value of heart rate variability (HRV) in the fields of health, disease, and exercise science has been established through numerous investigations. The typical mobile-based HRV device simply records interbeat intervals, without differentiation between noise or arrythmia as can be done with an electrocardiogram (ECG). The intent of this report is to validate a new single channel ECG device, the Movesense Medical sensor, against a conventional 12 channel ECG. A heterogeneous group of 21 participants performed an incremental cycling ramp to failure with measurements of HRV, before (PRE), during (EX), and after (POST). Results showed excellent correlations between devices for linear indexes with Pearson’s r between 0.98 to 1.0 for meanRR, SDNN, RMSSD, and 0.95 to 0.97 for the non-linear index DFA a1 during PRE, EX, and POST. There was no significant difference in device specific meanRR during PRE and POST. Bland–Altman analysis showed high agreement between devices (PRE and POST: meanRR bias of 0.0 and 0.4 ms, LOA of 1.9 to −1.8 ms and 2.3 to −1.5; EX: meanRR bias of 11.2 to 6.0 ms; LOA of 29.8 to −7.4 ms during low intensity exercise and 8.5 to 3.5 ms during high intensity exercise). The Movesense Medical device can be used in lieu of a reference ECG for the calculation of HRV with the potential to differentiate noise from atrial fibrillation and represents a significant advance in both a HR and HRV recording device in a chest belt form factor for lab-based or remote field-application.
Mixed Polymeric Micelles for Rapamycin Skin Delivery

Facial angiofibromas (FA) are one of the most obvious cutaneous manifestations of tuberous sclerosis complex. Topical rapamycin for angiofibromas has been reported as a promising treatment. Several types of vehicles have been used hitherto, but polymeric micelles and especially those made of d-α-tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) seem to have shown better skin bioavailability of rapamycin than the so far commonly used ointments. To better understand the influence of polymeric micelles on the behavior of rapamycin, we explored it through mixed polymeric micelles combining TPGS and poloxamer, evaluating stability and skin bioavailability to define an optimized formulation to effectively treat FA. Our studies have shown that TPGS improves the physicochemical behavior of rapamycin, i.e., its solubility and stability, due to a strong inclusion in micelles, while poloxamer P123 has a more significant influence on skin bioavailability. Accordingly, we formulated mixed-micelle hydrogels containing 0.1% rapamycin, and the optimized formulation was found to be stable for up to 3 months at 2–8 °C. In addition, compared to hydroalcoholic gel formulations, the studied system allows for better biodistribution on human skin.
NOx virtual sensor based on structure identification and global optimization

On-line measurement of engine NOx emissions is the object of a substantial effort, as it would strongly improve the control of Cl engines. Many efforts have been directed towards hardware solutions, in particular to physical sensors, which have already reached a certain degree of maturity. In this paper, we are concerned with an alternative approach, a virtual sensor, which is essentially a software code able to estimate the correct value of an unmeasured variable, thus including in some sense an input/output model of the process. Most virtual sensors are either derived by fitting data to a generic structure (like an artificial neural network, ANN) or by physical principles. In both cases, the quality of the sensor tends to be poor outside the measured values. In this paper, we present a new approach: the data are screened for hidden analytical structures, combining structure identification and evolutionary algorithms, and these structures are then used to develop the sensor presented. While the computational time for the sensor design can be significant (e.g. 1 or more hours), the resulting formula is very compact and proves able to predict the behaviour of the system at other operating points. The method has been validated with NOx data from a production engine measured with a Horiba Mexa 7000. The approach is able to yield a good prediction behaviour over a whole cycle. The results are consistent with physical knowledge.
Analysis of power generation processes using petcoke

Analysis of Power Generation Processes Using Petcoke. (May 2008) Ramkumar Jayakumar, B. Tech., Anna University, Chennai, India Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Maria A. Barrufet Petroleum coke or petcoke, a refinery byproduct, has generally been considered as an unusable byproduct because of its high sulfur content. However energy industries now view petcoke as a potential feedstock for power generation because it has higher carbon content than other hydrocarbons like coal, biomass and sewage residue. This gives petcoke a great edge over other feedstocks to generate power. Models for the two most common processes for power generation, namely combustion and gasification, were developed using Aspen Plus steady state chemical process simulator. Overall plant layouts for both processes were developed by calculating the heat and mass balance of the unit operations. After conducting wide sensitivity analysis, results indicate that one ton of petcoke feedstock can generate up to 4 MW of net available power. Both processes have rates of return greater than 30%, although gasification offers a slightly more attractive opportunity than combustion.