Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of image enhancement techniques and CNN models for COVID-19 classification using chest x-rays images

This paper compares two image enhancement techniques with five convolutional neural network (CNN) models to classify Covid-19 chest x-ray images. a contrast limited adaptive histogram (CLAHE) and gamma correction which is method to improve image histogram are compared with the original chest x-ray image. We use five publicly available pre-trained CNN models to detect COVID-19: MobileNet, MobileNetV2, DenseNet169, DenseNet201, and ResNet50V2. Our procedure was validated using the COVID-19 radiography database, which is a freely accessible resource. MoblileNet with gamma correction is well-suited for COVIC-19 classification, achieving an accuracy score of 87.53 percent on the first epoch and 95.46 percent after training 100 epochs with the shortest computation time.
Effect of Anti-Hypertensive Medication on Plasma Concentrations of Lysyl Oxidase: Evidence for Aldosterone-IL-6-Dependent Regulation of Lysyl Oxidase Blood Concentration

Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is a secretory protein that catalyzes elastin and collagen cross-linking. Lowering LOX expression and activity in endothelial cells is associated with a high risk of aneurysms and vascular malformation. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), elevated in hypertension, is known to suppress LOX expression. The influence of anti-hypertensive medication on the plasma LOX concentration is currently unknown. In a cohort of 34 patients diagnosed with resistant hypertension and treated with up to nine different drugs, blood concentration of LOX was analyzed to identify drugs that have an impact on plasma LOX concentration. Key findings were confirmed in a second independent patient cohort of 37 patients diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. Blood concentrations of aldosterone and IL-6 were analyzed. In vitro, the effect of IL-6 on LOX expression was analyzed in endothelial cells. Patients receiving aldosterone antagonists had the highest plasma LOX concentration in both cohorts. This effect was independent of sex, age, blood pressure, body mass index, and co-medication. Blood aldosterone concentration correlates with plasma IL-6 concentration. In vitro, IL-6 decreased the expression of LOX in endothelial cells but not fibroblasts. Aldosterone was identified as a factor that affects blood concentration of LOX in an IL-6-dependent manner.
Stability-Constrained Adaptive Droop for Power Sharing in AC-MTDC Grids

A secure operation of AC-multiterminal dc (MTDC) grids following an (N$-$1) contingency (e.g., converter outage) is of a major concern for the system planners and operators. For the case of converter outage, the concept of adaptive droop control enables the healthy converters to share the burden of power mismatch in an effective manner. However, certain settings of the droop coefficients may lead to instability of the AC grid where multiple converters are connected and one of them goes out. This paper proposes a stability-constrained adaptive droop approach for autonomous power sharing following the outage of a converter in an MTDC grid. A trajectory sensitivity analysis-based approach is presented to impose the constraints on the adaptive droop gains that can be an outcome of dynamic security assessment performed by the system operators. The robustness of the proposed approach for post-contingency system is demonstrated through nonlinear time-domain simulation results using models developed in MATLAB/Simulink.
Memristor FPGA IP Core Implementation for Analog and Digital Applications

Exploring the nonlinear dynamics of the memristors is essential to be adequately used in the applications. Realizing memristor on FPGAs as an intellectual property (IP) core offers a flexible platform to realize different models. In the literature, few implementations have been proposed for simple and limited memristor model. In this brief, two discrete and continuous versatile memristor models alongside their FPGA realizations are proposed. These models can generate different pinched hysteric behaviors, such as symmetric, asymmetric pinched hysteresis, and multi-state switching behavior. In addition, the closed form expression for the enclosed area is derived to prove the memristive behavior. The proposed implementations have been successfully synthesized and verified on a Xilinx Nexys4 FPGA with less than 1% utilization and running up to 231 MHz. In order to test the functionality of the proposed cores, a digital implementation for the memrisitive-Chua chaotic circuit is implemented and verified experimentally. The experimental results show a good performance compared with MATLAB simulations and previous works.
Design, Evaluation, and Research Challenges Relevant to Exoskeletons and Exosuits: A 26-Year Perspective From the U.S. Army Research Laboratory

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS Efforts to develop exoskeletons and exosuits for military uses have been underway for many years. Assessments, evaluations, and research studies conducted at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory have been instrumental in that development. This work has provided design guidance for system developers, refined methods and metrics to characterize the state-of-the-art in exoskeleton and exosuit development, and identified gaps in knowledge needed for system designers and evaluators. Several design and evaluation challenges and areas needing further research are identified in this article, which are intended for use by ergonomics and human factors practitioners so they can contribute to the development and fielding of exoskeletons and exosuits for military applications. TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Background: Exoskeletons and exosuits intended to augment strength and endurance would be very useful for military tasks, particularly carrying heavy loads for long distances over terrain that cannot be traversed by vehicles. Such systems could relieve the burden felt when carrying these loads or reduce the energetic cost of walking while carrying loads and may also reduce the risk of injury. Purpose: This article is intended to highlight key challenges that designers, evaluators, and researchers need to consider and address in order to further the development of exoskeletons and exosuits designed to assist with military load carriage. Methods: This overview is based on many years of experience with exoskeleton and exosuit assessments, evaluations, and research studies conducted at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. Results: The challenges faced by designers of exoskeletons and exosuits for military load carriage include issues related to the unique equipment that must be carried, the variety of movements that must be accommodated, and the range of environments in which the systems must operate. Evaluators must take into consideration an array of issues from subjects and training to methods and metrics appropriate for the technical maturity and intended use of the system. Exoskeleton and exosuit system design and evaluation both need to be done in a manner that promotes the development of systems that are safe for the user. The research challenges are gaps in knowledge relevant to both design and evaluation issues. These gaps include a need for additional kinematic and kinetic data to be used in system design, and the need to develop control systems that anticipate movements and adapt to the user. Other knowledge gaps include user-system interface issues and training methods and assessments. Conclusion: The development and fielding of exoskeletons and exosuits will depend on designers, evaluators, and researchers who address the challenges presented herein.
Single-Fingered Reconfigurable Robotic Gripper With a Folding Mechanism for Narrow Working Spaces

This letter proposes a novel single-fingered reconfigurable robotic gripper for grasping objects in narrow working spaces. The finger of the developed gripper realizes two configurations, namely, the insertion and grasping modes, using only a single motor. In the insertion mode, the finger assumes a thin shape such that it can insert its tip into a narrow space. The grasping mode of the finger is activated through a folding mechanism. Mode switching can be achieved in two ways: switching the mode actively by a motor, or combining passive rotation of the fingertip through contact with the support surface and active motorized construction of the claw. The latter approach is effective when it is unclear how much finger insertion is required for a specific task. The structure provides a simple control scheme. The performance of the proposed robotic gripper design and control methodology was experimentally evaluated. The minimum width of the insertion space required to grasp an object is 4 mm (1 mm, when using a strategy).
Hesperidin Functions as an Ergogenic Aid by Increasing Endothelial Function and Decreasing Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation, Thereby Contributing to Improved Exercise Performance

The regulation of blood flow to peripheral muscles is crucial for proper skeletal muscle functioning and exercise performance. During exercise, increased mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation leads to increased electron leakage and consequently induces an increase in ROS formation, contributing to DNA, lipid, and protein damage. Moreover, exercise may increase blood- and intramuscular inflammatory factors leading to a deterioration in endurance performance. The aim of this review is to investigate the potential mechanisms through which the polyphenol hesperidin could lead to enhanced exercise performance, namely improved endothelial function, reduced exercise-induced oxidative stress, and inflammation. We selected in vivo RCTs, animal studies, and in vitro studies in which hesperidin, its aglycone form hesperetin, hesperetin-metabolites, or orange juice are supplemented at any dosage and where the parameters related to endothelial function, oxidative stress, and/or inflammation have been measured. The results collected in this review show that hesperidin improves endothelial function (via increased NO availability), inhibits ROS production, decreases production and plasma levels of pro-inflammatory markers, and improves anaerobic exercise outcomes (e.g., power, speed, energy). For elite and recreational athletes, hesperidin could be used as an ergogenic aid to enhance muscle recovery between training sessions, optimize oxygen and nutrient supplies to the muscles, and improve anaerobic performance.
Comparative Analysis of the Complete Chloroplast Genomes in Allium Section Bromatorrhiza Species (Amaryllidaceae): Phylogenetic Relationship and Adaptive Evolution

With the development of molecular sequencing approaches, many taxonomic and phylogenetic problems of the genus Allium L. have been solved; however, the phylogenetic relationships of some subgenera or sections, such as section Bromatorrhiza, remain unresolved, which has greatly impeded our full understanding of the species relationships among the major clades of Allium. In this study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of nine species in the Allium sect. Bromatorrhiza were determined using the Illumina paired-end sequencing, the NOVOPlasty de novo assembly strategy, and the PGA annotation method. The results showed that the cp genome exhibited high conservation and revealed a typical circular tetrad structure. Among the sect. Bromatorrhiza species, the gene content, SSRs, codon usage, and RNA editing site were similar. The genome structure and IR regions’ fluctuation were investigated while genes, CDSs, and non-coding regions were extracted for phylogeny reconstruction. Evolutionary rates (Ka/Ks values) were calculated, and positive selection analysis was further performed using the branch-site model. Five hypervariable regions were identified as candidate molecular markers for species authentication. A clear relationship among the sect. Bromatorrhiza species were detected based on concatenated genes and CDSs, respectively, which suggested that sect. Bromatorrhiza is monophyly. In addition, there were three genes with higher Ka/Ks values (rps2, ycf1, and ycf2), and four genes (rpoC2, atpF, atpI, and rpl14) were further revealed to own positive selected sites. These results provide new insights into the plastome component, phylogeny, and evolution of Allium species.
Effect of Temperature on the Electronic Current of AIGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors （HEMT）

An analytical-numerical model for the electronic current of two dimensional quantum well AlGaN/GaN in high electron mobility transistors has been developed in this paper that is capable of accurately predicting the effect of temperature on the electronic current of two dimensional quantum well. Salient futures of the model are incorporated of fully and partially occupied sub-bunds in the interface quantum well. In addition temperature dependent of band gap, quantum well electron density, threshold voltage, mobility of electron, dielectric constant, polarization induce charge density in the device are also taken into account. The calculated model results are in very good agreement with existing experimental data for high electron mobility transistors device.
Tax Governance: A Study of Its Effects on Tax Evasion

This study aimed to verify the relationship between tax governance and tax evasion. The motivation to analyze this interaction lies in the need to understand and prove that tax governance practices have an effect on the level of tax evasion. The results confirm the theoretical hypothesis that was tested: the countries in the sample with corporate tax governance practices presented lower levels of tax evasion, which is important empirical evidence of this relationship that has been postulated, but not yet verified by the literature. As for additional results, it was determined that only enforcement evokes the behavior expected from the literature, suggesting that it has a complementary relationship with tax governance. Thus, this paper supports the inclusion of another factor associated with our understanding of the tax evasion phenomenon, expanding our knowledge on the subject through the possibility of comparison with similar international studies. Furthermore, it may also generate government interest in encouraging the implementation of tax governance by companies.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy Lowers Anxiety Levels of Pregnant Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic at Sikumana Health Center

Abstract Background: Corona virus disease (Covid 19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Pregnant women are considered a vulnerable or at-risk group during covid-19. Pregnancy during the covid-19 pandemic can cause high anxiety for pregnant women. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) interventions used can prevent the occurrence of anxiety and depression of pregnant women. Aim: to find out the influence of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) of pregnant women who experience anxiety during the covid 19 pandemic at Sikumana Health Center, Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. Methods: Quasi experimental design with pre design and post test design at Sikumana Health Center, Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The sample of 80 respondents consisted of 40 intervention group respondents and 40 respondents of the control group. Taylor Minnesota Anxiety Scale (TMAS) questionnaire was used as an instrument in this study. Intervention was held by giving CBT therapy for 10 sessions of meetings in an hour. The control group was given treatment in the form of minimum midwifery standard care (10T) while the intervention group was given therapy in the form of CBT and minimum midwifery standard care (10T). The control group was given CBT treatment twice a month in 10 encounters with stages of identification, cognitive restructuring, identification and correction and mind notes. The Mann Whitney Test was used as data analysis techniques in this research. Thus, SPSS was used as a data analysis application. Results: There was a significant difference between the pretest TMAS score and after the CBT intervention. There was a decrease in the level of anxiety, namely from the TMAS pretest score of 44.49 to 28.70 and the value Z pretest -1,769, Z post test -5,204 and p = 0.000 (p<00.005). In the control group, there was no meaningful difference between the TMAS pretest and posttest scores. Conclusion: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) effectively lowers anxiety levels in pregnant women during the Covid 19 pandemic at Sikumana Health Center, Kupang City, Indonesia
Reaction Time Trends in the Women’ s Sprint and Hurdle Events at the 2004 Olympic Games

Reaction time values, though very small, can differentiate overall performance results in sprint races, where the margin of victory is often measured in thousandths of a second. The purpose of this research was to study the reaction time characteristics for the athletes competing in the women’ s sprint and hurdles events at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and to determine differences between events and between the competitive levels of the athletes. The sample of 250 female athletes was selected from the list of competitors and divided by event and by how far the athletes advanced in their competitions (qualification rounds, semi-finals and finals), which defined their competitive level. The results showed statistically significant differences between the events, confirming the findings of earlier studies. Although no statistically significant differences between the competitive levels were found in most of the events, certain differences were stablished in the 100m, 400m and 100m hurdles. In the 100m and 400m, the differences showed a negative trend, while the 100m hurdles showed a positive trend. Based on these findings, reaction time can be considered as one of the possible determinants of athletes’ competitive quality. In a separate article, the results presented here are compared to those of the male participants at the Games.
An Equivalent-Time Sampling Millimeter-Wave Ultra-Wideband Radar Pulse Digitizer in CMOS

In designing a mm-wave ultra-wideband pulse-Doppler radar IC, one of the main challenges encountered is to reduce the high power consumption of the circuitries in the IC. A direct-RF receiver can be used in the radar’s design to reduce the radar’s power consumption. However, a digitizer that can directly digitize mm-wave ultra-wideband radar pulses is needed to implement such a receiver. This work presents the design of such a digitizer, which comprises several multi-pass sub-ADCs that operate together. Each multi-pass sub-ADC works fundamentally like a flash ADC but comprises one comparator only. A test chip containing a 6-bit prototype of the digitizer is fabricated in a 40 nm CMOS technology. The prototype consumes 19.7 mW when operated at 4 GSa/s and can operate with input signal frequencies of up to 64 GHz while achieving a −1.7/−6 dBFS SNDR of 21.1/22.8 dB at 60 GHz (the corresponding FoM is 532/434 fJ/c-s). The digitizer has a relatively high effective parallel-equivalent input impedance at 60 GHz, which, in a radar IC implementation, allows it to be driven with a relatively low power-consuming 60 GHz RF buffer. These are achieved without the digitizer being fabricated in a much more advanced technology node.
Making Mitotic Chromosomes in a Test Tube

Mitotic chromosome assembly is an essential preparatory step for accurate transmission of the genome during cell division. During the past decades, biochemical approaches have uncovered the molecular basis of mitotic chromosomes. For example, by using cell-free assays of frog egg extracts, the condensin I complex central for the chromosome assembly process was first identified, and its functions have been intensively studied. A list of chromosome-associated proteins has been almost completed, and it is now possible to reconstitute structures resembling mitotic chromosomes with a limited number of purified factors. In this review, I introduce how far we have come in understanding the mechanism of chromosome assembly using cell-free assays and reconstitution assays, and I discuss their potential applications to solve open questions.
Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Perth Emotional Regulation Competency Inventory

Background: The Perth Emotional Regulation Competency Inventory (PERCI) was designed to assess healthy and unhealthy behavioral responses to maladaptive conditions and stressful life events. The current study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the PERCI in a sample of Iranian students. Materials and methods: In order to evaluate the psychometric properties of PERCI, 379 (including 201 males and 178 females) students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS) were selected using the available sampling method (between June 2018 and Feb 2019). Subjects completed the PERCI, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Thereafter, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, convergent and divergent validity, as well as confirmatory factor analysis, were performed using Lisrel (version 8.5) and SPSS (version 25) software packages. Results: The participants' mean age was 25.31±7.26 years, and the majority of them (%53) were female. The result of internal consistency of the total score and its subscales using Cronbach's alpha was calculated to be in the range of 0.66-0.94. The results of factor analysis supported the eight-factor structure of the PERCI for positive (controlling experience, inhibiting behavior, activating behavior, and tolerating emotions) and negative (controlling experience, inhibiting behavior, activating behavior, and tolerating emotions) emotion regulation strategies in the sample of Iranian students (RMSEA=0.07, CFI=0.90, NFI=0.89). Furthermore, the results pointed out that the positive factors of the PERCI had a positive and significant relationship with positive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (P<0.05), and it displayed a negative and significant correlation with difficulties in emotion regulation, anxiety, and worry (P<0.05). Conclusion: In general, the results of the present study indicated the appropriate psychometric properties of the Persian version of PERCI. This inventory can be used in treatment interventions and future studies to access adaptive and maladaptive reactions.
A TYPOLOGY FOR MCDM METHODS BASED ON THE RATIONALITY OF THEIR PAIRWISE COMPARISON PROCEDURES

MCDM methods have been proposed to select, rank, classify, or describe alternatives based on the process of pairwise comparison. While the typologies of MCDM methods present in the literature usually are focused on their amalgamation phase, this paper proposes a typology for classifying MCDM methods based on the rationality of their pairwise comparison procedures. Accordingly, four discriminants were used to provide support in choosing MCDM methods based on the typology proposed. The proposed typology allows the analyst to identify the type of rationality from MCDM methods that best ﬁts the multicriteria problem.
A Three-Dimensional Simulation Study of the Novel Comb-Like-Channel Field-Effect Transistors for the 5-nm Technology Node and Beyond

A novel comb-like-channel field-effect transistor (CombFET), which is the combination of the fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) and nanosheet FET (NshFET) geometries in the channel region, is proposed and evaluated numerically for the first time. Our simulations show that: 1) with the same footprint, CombFET ON-current is 43% higher than FinFET and 53% higher than gate-all-around FET (GAAFET) due to its larger effective channel width and relieved channel quantum confinement and 2) CombFETs have great advantages in performance optimization through surface orientation over FinFETs and NshFETs. Thanks to the unique structural design, CombFET can also be used to improve or eliminate the bending or adhesion effects between nanosheets/comb teeth.