Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploration of an Inflection Point of Ventilation Parameters with Anaerobic Threshold Using Strucchange

(1) Background: When measuring anaerobic work threshold (AT), the conventional V-slope method includes the subjectivity of the examiner, which cannot be eliminated completely. Therefore, we implemented an engineering method using strucchange to objectively search for the inflection point of AT. (2) Methods: Seventeen subjects (15 men and 2 women) were included in the study. The subjects rode an ergometer and performed a ramp load test for 18 min and 30 s. (3) Results: In VE (Ventilation), 11 out of 12 subjects had the same results with 95% confidence intervals for the AT by the strucchange and respiratory metabolic apparatus. In VCO2 (Carbon dioxide emissions), 9 out of 12 subjects had the same results with 95% confidence intervals for the AT with the strucchange and respiratory metabolic apparatus. In VE, 3 out of 12 subjects showed the same results for respiratory metabolic analysis and the AT by the V-slope method. In VCO2, 3 out of 12 subjects showed the same results for the respiratory metabolic analysis and AT by the V-slope method in VCO2. (4) Conclusions: Strucchange was more objective and significant in identifying the AT than the V-slope method.
Morinda citrifolia mediated biogenic synthesis of selenium nanoparticles and evaluation of its antimicrobial and antioxidant activity

Purpose : The aim of the study is to assess its potential to synthesize selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) with Noni fruit extract and augment its antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. Materials and methods: The synthesized SeNPs were confirmed using UV-vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Antimicrobial activity against S. mutans, S. aureus, E. faecalis, C. albicans was tested using agar diffusion; antioxidant potential assessed on 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate oxidation. Results : UV-vis, and TEM confirmed the synthesis of SeNPs and revealed smooth spherical nanoparticles (25-100nm). SeNPs exhibited significant antimicrobial activity for the provided concentration against all organisms and excellent antioxidant potential in a dose dependent manner (84% inhibition/50 µl concentration). Conclusion : Morinda citrifolia augmented biogenic SeNPs is a cost effective yet efficient method and they show great potential as oral antimicrobial agent with superior antioxidant properties and is eco-friendly.
Data mining for security

It becomes increasingly important to detect intrusions with unknown patterns in order to protect our business from cyber terrorism threats. This paper introduces data mining technologies designed for this purpose; SmartSifter (outlier detection engine), ChangeFinder (change-point detection engine), AccessTracer (anomalous behavior detection engine). All of them are able to learn statistical patterns of logs adaptively and to detect intrusions as statistical anomalies relative to the learned patterns. We briefly overview the principles of these engines and illustrate their applications to network intrusion detection, worm detection, and masquerader detection.
Image transformers with regional attention for classification of aneurysm rupture risk without explicit segmentation

Clinical stratification of rupture risk is limited to criteria based on geometry (diameter) which is not always accurate. We propose an image transformer approach applying neural networks for focused attention on abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), which doesn’t require explicit segmentation, for predicting rupture risk, starting with CT angiography images. Our image dataset consisted of 16 cases with high rupture risk and 14 cases with low rupture risk. Our study reveals that 3D ResNet classifiers trained with neural embeddings from a 3D U-Net trained on images of any one rupture risk class produced an accuracy of 90% (83% sensitivity, 100% specificity). Our representation learning pipeline, AAA-Net, could be adapted to reduce the amount of time and clinical expertise required to identify AAA rupture risk, enabling efficient and automated aneurysm monitoring.
An Experimental Feasibility Study Evaluating the Adequacy of a Sportswear-Type Wearable for Recording Exercise Intensity

Sportswear-type wearables with integrated inertial sensors and electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes have been commercially developed. We evaluated the feasibility of using a sportswear-type wearable with integrated inertial sensors and electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes for evaluating exercise intensity within a controlled laboratory setting. Six male college athletes were asked to wear a sportswear-type wearable while performing a treadmill test that reached up to 20 km/h. The magnitude of the filtered tri-axial acceleration signal, recorded by the inertial sensor, was used to calculate the acceleration index. The R-R intervals of the ECG were used to determine heart rate; the external validity of the heart rate was then evaluated according to oxygen uptake, which is the gold standard for physiological exercise intensity. Single regression analysis between treadmill speed and the acceleration index in each participant showed that the slope of the regression line was significantly greater than zero with a high coefficient of determination (walking, 0.95; jogging, 0.96; running, 0.90). Another single regression analysis between heart rate and oxygen uptake showed that the slope of the regression line was significantly greater than zero, with a high coefficient of determination (0.96). Together, these results indicate that the sportswear-type wearable evaluated in this study is a feasible technology for evaluating physical and physiological exercise intensity across a wide range of physical activities and sport performances.
Sphingolipid Metabolism as a New Predictive Target Correlated with Aging and AD: A Transcriptomic Analysis

Background and objectives: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia characterized by memory loss and executive dysfunction. To date, no markers can effectively predict the onset of AD and an early diagnosis is increasingly necessary. Age represents an important risk factor for the disease but it is not known whether it is the trigger event. Materials and Methods: We downloaded transcriptomic data related to post-mortem brain of thirty samples gathered as young without AD (Young), old without AD (Old), and old suffering from AD (OAD) groups. Results: Our results showed that steroid biosynthesis was enriched and associated with aging, while sphingolipid metabolism was related to both aging and AD. Specifically, sphingolipid metabolism is involved in the deregulation of CERS2, UGT8, and PLPP2. These genes are downregulated in Young and Old groups as compared with upregulated between Old and OAD groups. Moreover, the analysis of the interaction networks revealed that GABAergic synapse and Hippo signaling pathways were altered in AD condition along with mitochondrial metabolism and RNA processing. Conclusions: Observing the particular trend of genes related to sphingolipid metabolism that are downregulated during normal aging and start to be upregulated with the onset of AD, we suppose that sphingolipids could be early markers for the disease.
Propiedades nutricionales, funcionales y bioactivas de alimentos a base de sorgo: Avances y oportunidades para su aprovechamiento integral

En la actualidad existe una demanda creciente por parte del consumidor de alimentos, que además de ser nutritivos y apetecibles, aporten un beneficio adicional a la salud. La evidencia científica de los efectos benéficos que el sorgo (Sorghum), tiene en la salud humana ha ido aumentando, y por lo mismo, la demanda de alimentos a base de este cereal también se ha incrementado, incluso en los mercados alimentarios de países desarrollados. Debido a su composición química, el grano de sorgo es considerado una fuente rica de nutrientes y compuestos bioactivos. Sin embargo, el reacomodo estructural adoptado y las interacciones que establecen dichos compuestos, compromete su biodisponibilidad, digestibilidad, funcionalidad y propiedades sensoriales. No obstante, el sorgo se distingue de otros cereales por su alta tolerancia al calor y resistencia a la sequía, lo que amplía su potencial como cultivo sostenible para la futura seguridad agroalimentaria ante el desafío del cambio climático. En este escenario, parte de la comunidad científica ha orientado su investigación en busca de mejorar los alimentos tradicionales que se derivan del sorgo, así como a la elaboración de alimentos novedosos para impulsar su aprovechamiento a través de la industria alimentaria. En esta revisión se analizan los avances en las mejoras de las propiedades nutricionales, funcionales y bioactivas de alimentos a base de sorgo y se discuten algunas áreas que han sido poco investigadas, las cuales constituyen una oportunidad para el aprovechamiento integral de las propiedades del sorgo en la alimentación humana. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54167/tecnociencia.v16i2. 912
Age Factors in Biometric Processing

As biometric-based identification and identity authentication becomes increasingly widespread in their deployment, it becomes important to consider issues relating to reliability, usability and inclusion. Factors which are particularly important in this context are the relationship between the nature of the measurements extracted from a particular biometric modality, the age of the sample donor, and the effect which age has on physiological and behavioral characteristics invoked in a biometric transaction. Topics include: * review of ageing and biometrics* social factors in ageing and their relevance to biometrics* using age to enhance performance in biometrics* understanding ageing processes in key biometric modalities* modality-related approaches to management of age factors* industrial perspective on biometric age factors* age prediction from biometrics data* databases and analytical implications* usability and ageing* ageing effects and implications for biometric cryptosystems * future challenges for systems delivery. Age Factors in Biometric Processing provides an overview of this topic for the rapidly expanding community of stakeholders in biometrics-based identification solutions in academia, industry and government.
An Active Voltage Doubling Rectifier with Unbalanced-Biased Comparators for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters

For wearable health monitoring systems, a fundamental problem is the limited space for storing energy, which can be translated into a short operational life. In this paper, a highly efficient active voltage doubling rectifier with a wide input range for micro-piezoelectric energy harvesting systems is proposed. To obtain a higher output voltage, the Dickson charge pump topology is chosen in this design. By replacing the passive diodes with unbalanced-biased comparator-controlled active counterparts, the proposed rectifier minimizes the voltage losses along the conduction path and solves the reverse leakage problem caused by conventional comparator-controlled active diodes. To improve the rectifier input voltage sensitivity and decrease the minimum operational input voltage, two low power common-gate comparators are introduced in the proposed design. To keep the comparator from oscillating, a positive feedback loop formed by the capacitor C is added to it. Based on the SMIC 0.18-μm standard CMOS process, the proposed rectifier is simulated and implemented. The area of the whole chip is 0.91×0.97 ㎟, while the rectifier core occupies only 13% of this area. The measured results show that the proposed rectifier can operate properly with input amplitudes ranging from 0.2 to 1.0V and with frequencies ranging from 20 to 3000 Hz. The proposed rectifier can achieve a 92.5% power conversion efficiency (PCE) with input amplitudes equal to 0.6 V at 200 Hz. The voltage conversion efficiency (VCE) is around 93% for input amplitudes greater than 0.3 V and load resistances larger than 20kΩ.
The Comparative Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Versus E-Module on the Training of Donning and Doffing Personal Protective Equipment: A Randomized, Simulation-Based Educational Study

Introduction Preventing errors in donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical for limiting the spread of infectious diseases. Virtual reality (VR) has demonstrated itself as an effective tool for asynchronous learning, but its use in PPE training has not been tested. The objective of this study was to compare donning and doffing performance between VR and e-module PPE training. Methods A prospective randomized open-blinded controlled trial was conducted to determine differences in donning and doffing performance after VR and e-module PPE training among medical staff and medical students at a single institution. The primary outcome was donning and doffing performance with real PPE, assessed using a 64-point checklist. The secondary outcome was participant preparedness and confidence level after training. Results Fifty-four participants were randomized, mostly consisting of medical students (n=24 {44%}) or emergency medicine and otolaryngology residents (n=19 {35%}). The VR group (n=27 {50%}) performed better than the control in the overall PPE scores but this was not statistically significant (mean {SD}, VR: 55.4 {4.4} vs e-module: 53.3 {8.1}; p = 0.40). VR participants also reported higher levels of preparedness and confidence after training. Residents as a subgroup achieved the highest increases after VR training compared to their counterparts in the control training group (mean {SD}, VR: 55.6 {4.9} vs e-module 48.4 {5.5}, p = 0.009). Conclusion In this randomized trial, VR training was found to be non-inferior to e-module for asynchronous PPE training. Our results suggest that in particular residents may benefit most from VR PPE training. Additionally, VR participants felt more confident and prepared to don and doff PPE after training compared to e-module participants. These findings are particularly relevant given the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Future studies need to focus on VR integration into residency curriculum and monitoring for long-term skill retention.
Joint Interference Alignment and Subchannel Allocation in Ultra-Dense Networks

In this paper, we propose one joint interference alignment and subchannel allocation (JIARA) interference management scheme, aiming at maximizing the number of satisfactory users with different degrees of freedom (DoF) demand in ultra-dense wireless networks, while the existing works only consider the same DoF demands. The original JIARA scheme is equivalent to the maximum <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$</tex-math></inline-formula>-colorable subgraph (MKCS) problem in graph theory for a given <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$</tex-math></inline-formula>-colors and the multicoloring demand at each vertex, hence NP-hard. Therefore, we propose one graph theory based low complexity sub-optimal JIARA scheme. Firstly, we propose one virtual allocation of subchannel based scheme to construct transformed the conflict graph, which is applicable for the different DoF demands and different size of the feasible IA group. Furthermore, we propose one greedy multi-coloring based algorithm to determine the maximum number of satisfactory users. Simulation results show that the proposed JIARA scheme outperforms the subchannel resource allocation only scheme.
Wideband RCS reduction of patch antenna using PRRS

A polarisation rotation reflective surface (PRRS) is proposed to achieve radar cross-section (RCS) reduction of a patch antenna at a broadband. The PRRS consists of two pairs of L-shaped patches, which are printed on a substrate backed by a metallic ground. By arranging the PRRS around the patch antenna in four orthogonal directions, a wideband RCS reduction can be obtained in the frequency band of 10–18 GHz. The proposed low-RCS patch antenna is fabricated and measured in an anechoic chamber. The experimental results show that the designed PRRS makes the antenna RCS dramatically reduced. What is more, the introduction of PRRS has little influence on the antenna performance.
DESIGN OF CIRCULAR POLARIZATION MULTIPLEXING BEAM SPLITTER BASED ON TRANSMISSION METASURFACE

|A circular polarization multiplexing metasurface beam splitter operating at 15 GHz with polarization conversion eﬀect is proposed. The unit cell is formed by alternately stacking 4 layers of metal and 2 layers of dielectric substrates cascaded along the propagation direction, separated by air. The resonant phase of the unit cell can be changed by changing the size parameters of the two arms of the metal cross patch, and the phase coverage of nearly 360 ◦ can be achieved in the direction of the two orthogonal linear polarization components, while transmission coeﬃcient is above 85%. The circular polarization geometric phase covering 360 ◦ can be achieved by rotating the metal patch. The polarization conversion of the circularly polarized wave can be realized by setting the phase diﬀerence of the two orthogonal linear polarization components to 180 ◦ , and the polarization conversion ratio (PCR) at the working frequency is greater than 90%. The simulation and test results show that when the circularly polarized electromagnetic wave is perpendicularly incident on the metasurface beam splitter, the transmitted wave is divided into two circularly polarized waves with diﬀerent exit angles and orthogonal to the polarization direction of the incident wave. This work may provide new ideas for the integration and miniaturization of traditional beam splitting devices and have important application prospects in (cid:12)elds such as multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems.
Analysis of the impact of various gamification factors on the level of player satisfaction

Gamification has become a very popular term for a wide range of opportunities to increase customer interest and satisfaction. This has many uses, including science, commerce and everyday life. Despite the widespread use of gamification mechanisms, the scale of possible benefits is still unknown. The following work examines the influence of various gamification factors on a player's playing time and satisfaction in order to find the factor that brings the greatest benefit. The research was carried out using a game specially created for this purpose and on the basis of the results of the survey presented to the players. The results show that the five selected gamification factors are the challenges and the badges awarded for them have the greatest impact on both examined metrics.
The diverse role of oral fibroblasts in normal and disease

Fibroblasts are the major cellular component of the connective tissue. They differ both structurally and functionally based on their location. The oral fibroblasts vary from the dermal fibroblasts in their origin, properties and also functions. These cells play an important role in wound healing, tumor progression and metastasis, allergic reactions. In this review, the various functions of the oral fibroblasts are discussed in detail.
Towards Facial Gesture Recognition in Photographs of Patients with Facial Palsy

Humans express their emotions verbally and through actions, and hence emotions play a fundamental role in facial expressions and body gestures. Facial expression recognition is a popular topic in security, healthcare, entertainment, advertisement, education, and robotics. Detecting facial expressions via gesture recognition is a complex and challenging problem, especially in persons who suffer face impairments, such as patients with facial paralysis. Facial palsy or paralysis refers to the incapacity to move the facial muscles on one or both sides of the face. This work proposes a methodology based on neural networks and handcrafted features to recognize six gestures in patients with facial palsy. The proposed facial palsy gesture recognition system is designed and evaluated on a publicly available database with good results as a first attempt to perform this task in the medical field. We conclude that, to recognize facial gestures in patients with facial paralysis, the severity of the damage has to be considered because paralyzed organs exhibit different behavior than do healthy ones, and any recognition system must be capable of discerning these behaviors.
Acidulated Extraction of Nanocellulose from Jute Fibre Wastes

Cellulose is a unique organic molecule abundantly available in nature and can be a great source of useful synthetic nonmaterial for its potential applications as fillers in biodegradable nanocomposite used in automotives, packing and agriculture applications. In the present study, an attempt have been made to develop nanocellulose from the waste fibers that produced in the form of short length from jute spinning industry during several mechanical processes popularly known as “caddies”. Sulphuric acid have been found be effective at a concentration of 60% for breakdown of cellulose long chain. Mechanical ultra-sonication in wet milling process yielded the optimum nanoform from alphacellulose. The extraction efficiency of alphacellulose from jute caddies is around 50% while the yield of nano cellulose is around 30%. The findings may mitigate problems of use of wood materials as a source of nanocellulose and find some alterantive source like jute stick and jute caddies. The process conversion to nanomaterials has wide implications in economic context and can minimize the long term industrial hazards through development of a valuable bio-resource.
Study of Underwater and Wave Gliders on the Basis of Simplified Mathematical Models

Both underwater and wave gliders are known as autonomous unmanned energy-saving vehicles which have recently found applications for monitoring the world ocean. The paper under consideration discusses simplified mathematical models of these platforms enabling the straightforward parametric investigation into relationships between their parameters and performance. In its first part the paper discusses equations describing the motion of an underwater glider (UG) in a vertical plane as a basis for derivations relating geometric, kinematic and hydrodynamic characteristics of UG and its lifting system with relative differential buoyancy and pitch angle. Obtained therewith are formulae for the estimation of the UG glide path speed, lift-to-drag ratio, range of navigation and endurance. The approach is exemplified for typical cases of the UG conceived as winged bodies of revolution and flying wings. The calculated results feature dependencies of the UG speed on its configuration and volume as well as on the angle of attack for different magnitudes of relative buoyancy. Also considered is an optimal mode of operation, based on the maximization of the lift-to-drag ratio. The second part of the paper is dedicated to the estimation of the thrust and speed of a wave glider (WG), comprising a surface module (float) and underwater module represented by a wing, with the use of a simplified mathematical modeling intended to clarify the influence of the parameters upon the performance of the WG. The derivations led to an equation of forced oscillations of the vehicle accounting for the interaction of the upper and lower modules, connected by a rigid umbilical. The exciting impact of progressive waves of a given length and amplitude is found through the calculation of the variation of a buoyancy force in accordance with the Froude–Krylov hypothesis. The derivatives of time-varying lift with respect to kinematic parameters, entering the equation of vertical motion of the WG, as well as coefficients of instantaneous and time-averaged thrust force, are found by resorting to the oscillating hydrofoil theory. The derivation of the available thrust and the approximate calculation of the drag of the vehicle with account of wave and viscous components enable the evaluation of the speed of the WG for the prescribed geometry of the craft and wave motion parameters.