Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation: Diastolic Function Differences Depending on Left Ventricle Ejection Fraction

Background: Heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are prevalent cardiovascular diseases, and their association is common. Diastolic dysfunction may be present in patients with AF and all types of HF, leading to elevated intracardiac pressures. The objective of this study was to analyze diastolic dysfunction in patients with HF and AF depending on left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF). Material and methods: This prospective study included 324 patients with chronic HF and AF (paroxysmal, persistent, or permanent) hospitalized between January 2018 and March 2021. The inclusion criteria were age older than 18 years, diagnosis of chronic HF and AF, and available echocardiographic data. The exclusion criteria were a suboptimal echocardiographic view, other cardiac rhythms than AF, congenital heart disease, or coronavirus 2 infection. Patients were divided into three subgroups according to LVEF: subgroup 1 included 203 patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and AF (62.65%), subgroup 2 included 42 patients with HF with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) and AF (12.96%), and subgroup 3 included 79 patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and AF (24.38%). We performed 2D transthoracic echocardiography in all patients. Statistical analysis was performed using R software. Results: The E/e′ ratio (p = 0.0352, OR 1.9) and left atrial volume index (56.4 mL/m2 vs. 53.6 mL/m2) were higher in patients with HFrEF than in those with HFpEF. Conclusions: Patients with HFrEF and AF had more severe diastolic dysfunction and higher left ventricular filling pressures than those with HFpEF and AF.
Integration organischer Laser in Lab-on-Chip Systeme

In dieser Arbeit wird eine Plattform fur einwegtaugliche photonische Systeme auf Polymerbasis vorgestellt, in die sowohl organische Halbleiterlaser als auch optofluidische Laser integriert sind. Lab-on-Chip Systeme mit integrierten organischen Halbleiterlasern, Wellenleitern und Mikrofluidikkanalen werden realisiert und mit integrierten Lasern Fluoreszenz angeregt. Auf den Chips wird eine Funktionalisierung aufgebracht und es werden Wellenleitergitterkoppler aus Phospholipiden untersucht.
Novel recalibration methodologies for ion‐selective electrode arrays in the multi‐ion interference scenario

Because of the deterioration of sensitivity and selectivity of ion‐selective electrode (ISE) arrays after a long period of storage or measurement, the recalibration of ISE arrays is a major challenge, which significantly affects the practical application of ISE arrays. Although approaches using artificial neural networks (ANN) to solve the problem have been widely studied, it is impractical for end‐users to frequently remeasure dozens of samples to rebuild an ANN model for measuring of ISE array. In this study, a system of equations was developed to simulate the ISE array response for the scenario of multiple interfering ions. By fitting the coefficients for the system of equations using optimization algorithms, such as genetic algorithms (GA), the ISE array can be recalibrated with only a couple of selected samples. As a case study, a solid‐state ISE array for the detection of 4 exchangeable cations was applied. The deterioration of sensitivity and selectivity of the ISE array over time was investigated. The simplified methodology for calibrating this ISE array was applied and demonstrated in this study.
Biodegradation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons by Bacillus spp.: A Review

This mini review aims to provide an overview of petroleum hydrocarbons degradation by Bacillus species. The first half of the scientific assessment is focusing on the impact of usage of petroleum hydrocarbons such as diesel fuels towards organisms and the surrounding environments. The other section of the literature collection discusses on the microbial remediation of this recalcitrant compounds by microbial species with special highlight on the genus Bacillus. This short evaluation will improve our present comprehension of bacterial degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons and their respective derivatives while providing an insight on the role of Bacillus species in microbial remediation communities.
Students’ Perception of the Classroom Environment: A Comparison between Innovative and Traditional Classrooms

As advanced classroom technologies are developed, more higher education institutions are building innovative classrooms. Previous studies have focused on students’ academic performances in innovative classrooms, but few compared students experienced between traditional and innovative classrooms. In comparing observations and self-reports of students taking similar classes in both traditional classrooms and innovative classrooms, we found that students in an innovative classroom were more satisfied with the classroom environment, sensed more community in innovative classrooms, and perceived these classrooms as more appropriate for their courses.
A 6-b 600 MS/s SAR ADC with a new switching procedure of 2-b/stage and self-locking comparators

This paper presents a 6-b successive approximation register (SAR) ADC at the sampling rate of 600 MHz in a 65 nm CMOS process. To pursue high speed, this design employs the idea of the 2-b/stage. Based on this, the proposed structure with a new switching procedure is presented. Compared with traditional structures, it optimizes problems cause by mismatches of DACs and saves power. In addition, this paper takes advantage of distributed comparator topology to improve the speed, while the proposed structure and self-locking technique lighten the kickback and offset caused by multiple comparators. The measurement results demonstrate that the signal-to-noise plus distortion ratio (SNDR) is 32.13 dB and the spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) is 44.05 dB at 600 MS/s with 5.6 MHz input. By contrast, the SNDR/SFDR respectively drops to 28.46/39.20 dB with Nyquist input. Fabricated in a TSMC 65 nm process, the SAR ADC core occupies an area of 0.045 mm2 and consumes power of 5.01 mW on a supply voltage of 1.2 V resulting in a figure of merit of 252 fJ/conversion-step.
Printing Quality Enhancement by Detection of Printhead Defects In Single-pass Inkjet Printing

Banding and doubling are two of the most common problems in inkjet printing, which are caused by printheads defects including blocked nozzle and poor registration. It is expensive and inefficient to solve the problems by enhancing device accuracy or replacing the defective printhead, since the device or printhead may degrade over time. In this paper, we propose an economical and efficient method for banding and doubling reduction by detection of printhead defects without requirement of hardware renewal. We design a test pattern composed of specially organized dots to diagnose status of each nozzle by image processing. Specifically, after analyzing the printed and scanned test pattern, halftone images are modified according to the detected information for banding and doubling reduction. We adjust the size and placement of dots based on human perception in order to improve the printing quality. The detection and reduction are carried out in CMYK printing colorant channels separately. Thus, it could overcome the inter-channel interference which may affect the detection accuracy. Experimental results show that the proposed technique is flexible, highly precise and has extensive self-adaptability for various devices, halftone styles, substrates and inks.
Twitter Scanner To Search Malicious URLs for Twitter Users

Over the last few years, there is tremendous use of online social networking sites. It’s also providing opportunities for hackers to enter easily in network and do their unauthorized activities. There are many notable social networking websites like Twitter, Facebook and Google+ etc. These are popularly practiced by numerous people to become linked up with each other and partake their daily happenings through it. Here we focus on twitter for an experiment which is more popular for micro-blogging and its community interact through publishing text-based posts of 140 characters known as tweets. By considering this popularity of tweeter hacker’s use of short Uniform Resource Locator (URL), as a result it disseminates viruses on user accounts. Our study is based on examining the malicious content or their short URLs and protect the user from unauthorized activities. We introduce such a system which provides the security to multiple users of twitter. Besides, they get some alert mails. Our goal is to download URLs in real time from multiple accounts. Then we get entry points of correlated URLs. Crawler browser marks the suspicious URL. This system finds such malicious URLs by using five features like initial URL, similar text, friend follower ratio and relative URLs. Then alert mail is sent to users, which is added to the host.
VISUAL FLOW DOES NOT ALTER MUSCLE ACTIVITY DURING TREADMILL WALKING OR RUNNING

The current study examined the effect of visual flow (patterns of visual movement of surroundings) on muscle activity during treadmill walking and running. Participants (n=14 walked (1 -39 m-s4) and ran (2.78 msl) in visual flow and control conditions. Activity of the vastus medalis (VM), biceps fernoris (BF), gluteus maximus (GM ), gastrocnemius (GA), tibialis anterior (TA), erector spinae (ES), mtus abdominis (RA), and C4 paraspinal (C4) were assessed via electromyography (EMG) during each condition. Repeated Measures ANOVA revealed EMG differences (p < 0.05) between walking and running for RA, VM, GM, and BF. There were no differences in speeds for the other muscles, or across the visual conditions for any of the muscles. Visual flow does not alter muscle activity during walking or running.
Monitoring Colletotrichum Colonization and Reproduction in Different Rubber Tree Clones

Anthracnose, caused by fungi of the genus Colletotrichum, is present in the major rubber tree crop areas in Brazil, especially in São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, and northern states. This disease can affect different tissues of the rubber tree, leading to production losses. Thus, a better understanding of the pathosystem Colletotrichum x rubber tree can provide evidence to subsequent epidemiological research and phytosanitary management studies of this disease in the field. The present study aimed to investigate C. tamarilloi colonization and reproduction steps in resistant clones (IAC 502, IAC 507, RRIM 937) and in one susceptible clone (RRIM 600) of the rubber tree, verifying the influence of temperature up to 48 h after inoculation of the fungus, under 24 h wetness. Samples were analyzed under a light, a UV and a scanning electron microscope. Data indicated that the fungus had a delay in its development in resistant clones and, although colonization was expressive 48 h after inoculation, the new spore formation rate in the analyzed samples was lower in resistant clones. For RRIM 600, rapid colonization and intensive sporulation could be observed.
Estimates Of Glomerular Filtration Rate in Critically Ill Patients With Sepsis: Comparisons of Different Equations

Introduction: Accurate assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is important in the critically ill. Kinetic estimate of GFR (keGFR) considers the changes of creatinine, creatinine production rate, and volume of distribution, hence postulated to be a more accurate estimate of GFR, where there are rapidly changing kidney functions. We evaluated the association of the estimated GFR by established equations and keGFR with creatinine clearance (CrCl) measurement. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective observational study of critically ill patients. Inclusion criteria were patients older than 18 years old with sepsis (clinical infection and increase in SOFA score>2), and plasma procalcitonin>0.5ng/ml. Plasma creatinine and Cystatin C (CysC) were measured on admission and 4 hours later, and the eGFR were calculated by the Cockcroft Gault (CG), MDRD, CKD-EPI and keGFR equations, and compared to the CrCl measurement. Results: A total of 70 patients were recruited. eGFR by all 4 equations strongly correlates with CrCl. keGFR had the least bias depicted by the mean differences nearest to zero (-18ml/min). Similarly, keGFRCysC had less bias than eGFRCysC, with mean difference of -21ml/min. eGFRCG had the greatest precision depicted by the narrower SD lines, however the precision of both keGFR were not much difference compared to those of eGFRCG. Conclusions: In critically ill patients with sepsis, keGFRCr and keGFRCysC had the least bias and fair precision when compared to creatinine clearance measurement. In the absence of creatinine clearance measurement, keGFR calculations is useful as surrogate for kidney function.
Distributed Neural Network Observer for Submodule Capacitor Voltage Estimation in Modular Multilevel Converters

Modular multilevel converters (MMCs) have become one of the most popular power converters for medium/high-power transmission systems and motor drive applications. Standard control schemes for MMCs use a voltage measurement per submodule (SM) to balance the capacitor voltages and govern the MMC. Consequently, the control system requires a significant amount of sensors and the effective communication of sensitive data under relevant electromagnetic interference (EMI), impacting the reliability and cost of the MMC. This work presents a distributed neural network (DNN) observer inspired by a general predictor-corrector structure for estimating the capacitor voltages at each SM. The proposed observer predicts each SM capacitor voltage using a standard average model. Then, each prediction is corrected and denoised by a neural network of reduced computational complexity. As a result, the proposed observer reduces the number of required voltage sensors per arm to only one and filters the high-frequency noise without noticeable delay in the estimated SM capacitor voltages for both transient and steady-state operations. Experiments conducted in a three-phase MMC with 24 SMs confirm the effectiveness of the proposed DNN observer.
Some Physicochemical Properties of the Petroleum Ether-Extracted Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Seed Oil

Increasing the dietary and industrial utilization of food wastes could ultimately improve the environment. Thus, watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) seed oil, extracted with petroleum ether (boiling range 60-80°C for 8 h) using Soxhlet extractor and separated from the solvent with a rotary evaporator was studied, using standard protocols. Result of the study showed these properties of the seed oil viz: specific gravity (0.87), color (light yellow), pH (4.9) and texture at 37°C (liquid). The peroxide value (2.80 meq kgG) of the watermelon seed oil was lower than 10 meq kgG required for the standard oils. The saponification value (205.3 mg KOH gG) of the watermelon seed oil compared with the range for the standard oils (except that for coconut oil). The iodine value (28.51 g/100 g) was lower than the values for standard oils (except that for coconut oil). However, the acid value (6.10 mg KOH gG) and the free fatty acid value (4.61 mg KOH gG) of the oil sample were higher than the corresponding value for the standard oils. The watermelon seed oil properties compared fairly with that of the standard edible and industrial oil sources, suggesting its stability, edibility and industrial potentials. However, the comparatively high acid and free fatty acid values, supported by the low pH value could compromise the watermelon seed oil qualities and benefits. Further studies aimed at reducing the high acid and free fatty acid values of the oil sample could enhance the potential uses of the seed oil and reduce the attendant environment burden of the watermelon seed, hence are warranted.
Providing a structured approach for evaluating and selecting suppliers in a supply chain

Supply chain management (SCM) is one of the important competitive strategies used by modern organizations. The main objective of supply chain management is to integrate various suppliers in order to satisfy market demand. Selecting and evaluating suppliers plays an important role in creating a supply chain. The old method of selecting and evaluating suppliers is focused on the needs of businesses and considering it for the entire supply chain of an organization fails to work. So this study presents a structured approach for selecting and evaluating suppliers based on the integrated supply chain structure. For establishing a procedure for the selection and evaluation of suppliers in the supply chain, first, the competitive strategy of the organization by analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) is specified. Based on competitive strategy, supplier selection criteria and indicators in order to establish a framework for selecting suppliers are elected. Subsequently, potential suppliers through Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) are monitored. Finally, the techniques of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) is used to rank suppliers. In this paper, a structured approach to select suppliers in an industry will be examined.
Joint Activity in the Maritime Traffic System: Perceptions of Ship Masters, Maritime Pilots, Tug Masters, and Vessel Traffic Service Operators

Teamwork in the maritime traffic system has been identified as an area of concern, and reports suggest there is room for improvement. Such improvements should be based on an understanding of how everyday activities are performed. This study was therefore aimed at gaining an insight into the everyday activity of navigating and manoeuvring ships in port waters. To get such an insight, the perceptions of ship masters, maritime pilots, tug masters and Vessel Traffic Service operators active in Australia were probed through qualitative research interviews. A conceptual framework based on Clark's work on joint activity was used to guide the study. Results indicate that in order to get the job done, these maritime professionals employ tools and procedures beyond those intended to be used, vary their level of participation, assume roles which differ from those prescribed, sometimes base their assumptions and expectations on poor quality evidence, and occasionally avoid communication. While such adaptations may be necessary to get the job done, they also reduce the participants’ ability to establish common ground – which is essential for coordination.
The Scattering and Neutrino Detector at the LHC

SND@LHC, Scattering and Neutrino Detector at the LHC, is a compact experiment designed to perform measurements with neutrinos produced at the LHC in the unexplored pseudo-rapidity region of 7.2 < \etaη < 8.4, complementary to all the other experiments at the LHC. The experiment was approved in March 2021. It was constructed in about one year and it is now taking data during the Run 3 of the LHC. In this paper we review the detector concept, the physics case and the status of the data taking.
Enhancement of the Bond Strength and Reduction of Wafer Edge Voids in Hybrid Bonding

The hybrid wafer bonding technique is drawing much interest in relation to three-dimensional integration technology, and its areas of application are expanding from image sensors to semiconductor memory packages. In hybrid bonding, the bond strength and void formation are the main issues influencing the performance, reliability, and yield of the bonding. In this study, we systematically investigate several parameters that affect both the bond strength and void formation, including the plasma gas, plasma power, and surface roughness. In particular, the effects of the wafer warpage on void formation were investigated. As O2 gas was used during plasma activation, the highest oxide growth rate and strongest bond strength were achieved. The bond strength improved when the oxide thickness was increased. An increase in the low-frequency plasma power improved the bond strength. However, when the plasma power increased further, the surface roughness increased due to the ion bombardment effect during the use of the plasma, resulting in a reduction in the bond strength. Therefore, optimization of the plasma power is required to improve the bond strength. It was found that the wafer warpage was also an important parameter which affected the formation of edge voids. The wafers with residual compressive stress exhibited fewer edge voids than those with tensile stress. Several methods to minimize edge void formation in wafers are proposed. The present study will provide practical guidelines to enhance the quality and yield of the bonding process and devices.
Changes to Gut Microbiota Following Systemic Antibiotic Administration in Infants

Long-term antibiotic use can have consequences on systemic diseases, such as obesity, allergy, and depression, implicating the causal role of gut microbiome imbalance. However, the evaluation of the effect of antibiotics in early infancy on alterations to the gut microbiome remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the gut microbiome state in infancy following systemic antibiotic treatment. Twenty infants under 3 months of age who had received antibiotics for at least 3 days were enrolled, and their fecal samples were collected 4 weeks after antibiotic administration finished. Thirty-four age-matched healthy controls without prior exposure to antibiotics were also assessed. The relative bacterial abundance in feces was obtained via sequencing of 16 S rRNA genes, and alpha and beta diversities were evaluated. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Escherichia/Shigella and Bifidobacterium increased (p = 0.03 and p = 0.017, respectively) but that of Bacteroides decreased (p = 0.02) in the antibiotic treatment group. The microbiome of the antibiotic treatment group exhibited an alpha diversity lower than that of the control group. Thus, systemic antibiotic administration in early infancy affects the gut microbiome composition even after a month has passed; long-term studies are needed to further evaluate this.
Guiding students' attention towards multiplicative relations around them: A classroom intervention

Learning fractions poses a challenge for many elementary school students, including applying fraction knowledge in novel contexts. For instance, there are substantial individual differences in students’ tendency of spontaneous focusing on quantitative relations (SFOR), which is related to the development of rational number knowledge. In this study, 4th grade students (N = 129) took part in a quasi-experimental study comparing an intervention condition (n = 71) aimed at improving students’ multiplicative relational reasoning and fraction knowledge with a control condition (n = 58) of business as usual fraction instruction. Five lessons of intervention activities were designed to promote students ability to recognize and describe multiplicative relations in their everyday surroundings. There was an overall positive effect on the students’ mathematical knowledge. Students who participated in the intervention improved their ability to recognize and describe multiplicative relations embedded in pictures representing everyday situations. There were no significant differences in the development of fraction knowledge despite replacing five traditional fraction lessons. These findings provide further evidence that researchers and educators should continue to pay attention to issues surrounding students’ spontaneous mathematical focusing tendencies.