Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Method for searching bridge in IR images

A method for searching bridges in IR images is presented. To recognize targets in low SCR images is a time-exhausting task . As in IR images the bridges usually have almost the same gray level range of the backgrounds. The typical segmentation algorithm cannot get correct segmentation labels and edge sites of the bridges. The gray level characters of both the lands, which connect the bridge, and the river are fully considered resulting in a method that can be realized effortlessly and quickly. The criteria are also presented to decide whether there exist bridges or not in the given images, so the method endows the system with the ability to seize target automatically. Some experimental results are also presented demonstrating that the method can be used effectively for the recognition of bridges in IR images.
A phase 1, open‐label study to evaluate the drug interaction between islatravir (MK‐8591) and the oral contraceptive levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol in healthy adult females

Hormonal contraceptives are among the most effective forms of reversible contraception, but many other compounds, including some antiretrovirals, have clinically meaningful drug–drug interactions (DDIs) with hormonal contraceptives. Islatravir is a novel human immunodeficiency virus nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor currently in clinical development for treatment and prevention of HIV infection. A phase 1 clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the DDI of islatravir and the combination of oral contraceptive levonorgestrel (LNG)/ethinyl estradiol (EE).
A first approach to a continuous simulation of daily travel

This paper introduces a microscopic traffic simulation that continuously simulates activitybased agent behavior and the resulting traffic. It drops iterative optimization, that builds on stochastic user equilibria, and moves to a continuous planning approach. The behavioral model of this approach utilizes the concept of needs to model continuous demands. Several intuitive parameters control demand and facilitate calibration of versatile behaviors. These behaviors originate from a planning heuristic which makes just in time decisions about upcoming activities an agent should execute. The planning heuristic bases its decisions on the current need levels of an agent and the development of these levels in the near future. We illustrate the model through simulation runs and suggest directions of future research.
A review of starch biosynthesis in cereal crops and its potential breeding applications in rice (Oryza Sativa L.)

Starch provides primary storage of carbohydrates, accounting for approximately 85% of the dry weight of cereal endosperm. Cereal seeds contribute to maximum annual starch production and provide the primary food for humans and livestock worldwide. However, the growing demand for starch in food and industry and the increasing loss of arable land with urbanization emphasizes the urgency to understand starch biosynthesis and its regulation. Here, we first summarized the regulatory signaling pathways about leaf starch biosynthesis. Subsequently, we paid more attention to how transcriptional factors (TFs) systematically respond to various stimulants via the regulation of the enzymes during starch biosynthesis. Finally, some strategies to improve cereal yield and quality were put forward based on the previous reports. This review would collectively help to design future studies on starch biosynthesis in cereal crops.
In Vitro Susceptibility of Talaromyces Marneffei In Malaysia: Comparison of Yeast and Mycelial Phases

Talaromyces marneffei is an etiologic agent of talaromycosis. It can cause serious complications and death in immunocompromised patients, particularly in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. This infectious disease is endemic in Southeast Asia including Malaysia. To date, published reports on the antifungal susceptibility profile of T. marneffei is very limited. The objective of this study is to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of T. marneffei in yeast and mycelial phases in Malaysia. In the year 2020, 27 clinical strains of T. marneffei were received from various hospitals in Malaysia. The identification was carried out using microscopic, macroscopic and molecular methods. Following that, the susceptibility of each isolate in both yeast and mycelial form to thirteen common antifungals was performed according to the broth microdilution in Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M38 method. The antifungals tested were anidulafungin, micafungin sodium, caspofungin diacetate, 5-fluorocytosine, amphotericin B and terbinafine hydrochloride, posaconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, ravuconazole, clotrimazole and isavuconazole. The geometric mean of all antifungals other than anidulafungin, micafungin sodium, caspofungin diacetate and 5-fluorocytosine against T. marneffei mould (mycelial) were >2 μg/ml. However, the geometric mean of all antifungals against T. marneffei yeast was <2 μg/ml. Our in vitro data suggests promising activities of amphotericin B, terbinafine hydrochloride, posaconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, ravuconazole, clotrimazole and isavuconazole against yeast and mould phases of T. marneffei.
Analysis and design of survivable telecommunications networks

The analysis and design of mesh restorable and self-healing ring networks is considered. A general class of traffic-based survivability measures to analyse telecommunications networks is proposed. These measures calculate the average traffic-carrying capability of a network over all possible failure states. Traffic-based survivability measures are proposed to analyse mesh networks with and without restoration scheme. For the design of mesh restorable networks the network configuration and working capacity assignment are combined to minimise the cost before restoration is added into the network. Path restoration in spare capacity assignment is considered. A joint approach that combines configuration, working and spare capacity assignments altogether is addressed. A new architecture is proposed called the dual-homing hierarchical self-healing ring (DH-HSHR) architecture to interconnect self-healing rings. A heuristic algorithm for single-homing HSHRs is modified to find near optimum DH-HSHR configurations. Numerical results are given and the two restoration strategies, mesh and ring, compared in terms of survivability and cost.
Variation in Fleece Characteristics of Tunisian Sheep

This experiment was aimed to identify wool quality of Tunisian sheep breeds. Fiber characteristics of different ages and various sheep breeds were studied. A total of 84 sheep were used in this study. Results show that the factor 'breed' had a highly significant effect on all controlled parameters accept scoured yield and fibre length. Breed was the most important factor. By conducting well-planned sorting, "Fine Queue of west" sheep breed can supply the wool needed for textile industries. The wool of other sheep breeds can be used in handmade carpets.
Apolipoprotein CIII Reduction Protects White Adipose Tissues against Obesity-Induced Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in Mice

Apolipoprotein CIII (apoCIII) is proinflammatory and increases in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and insulin resistance. We have previously shown that reducing apoCIII improves insulin sensitivity in vivo by complex mechanisms involving liver and brown adipose tissue. In this study the focus was on subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral (VAT) white adipose tissue (WAT). Mice were either given HFD for 14 weeks and directly from start also treated with antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) against apoCIII or given HFD for 10 weeks and HFD+ASO for an additional 14 weeks. Both groups had animals treated with inactive (Scr) ASO as controls and in parallel chow-fed mice were injected with saline. Preventing an increase or lowering apoCIII in the HFD-fed mice decreased adipocytes’ size, reduced expression of inflammatory cytokines and increased expression of genes related to thermogenesis and beiging. Isolated adipocytes from both VAT and SAT from the ASO-treated mice had normal insulin-induced inhibition of lipolysis compared to cells from Scr-treated mice. In conclusion, the HFD-induced metabolic derangements in WATs can be prevented and reversed by lowering apoCIII.
Design and Realization of Electrostatic Discharge Protected DC to 2GHz GaAs Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits SP4T Switch for TDMA Communication Applications

Abstract This paper discusses the small signal simulated and measured results of a DC to 2GHz monolithic GaAs SP4T switch which has been designed and realized. The measured 1 dB compression point of SP4T switch at different frequency range has also been presented. The DC to 2GHz switch has been designed using series-shunt FETs topology. This topology has worked over very large bandwidth. In this topology series MESFETs allows the SP4T switch to operate down to DC. The SP4T switch has been achieved better than 1.1dB of insertion loss, better than 32 dB of input to “Off” port isolation and better than 16 dB of the input and output return loss @2GHz. The performance of the SP4T switch has been measured on an FR4 PCB eval board. The on-chip higher value of ballast resistor has been used for ESD protection. The switch has designed using 0.7 μm Ion-Implanted recessed gates MESFET technology and used in switching matrices for TDMA communication system. The major advantages of the solid-state integrated switch are low power consumption, small size and lightweight. These fea tures of solid state switch are more attractive for com munication applications. The chip dimension is 1.2 × 1.2 mm.
Modelling of threshold voltage with non-uniform substrate doping [MOSFET]

A simple analytical threshold voltage equation for modelling nonuniform MOSFET channel doping is derived, which takes the peak doping concentration and peak location as inputs with a single process-dependent fitting parameter. The model has been verified with extensive numerical simulation results and can be applied to real devices for a wide range of nonuniform doping profiles with a simple, empirical parameter extraction.
Influences Affecting Students When Selecting a Construction Management Master's Degree Program

Construction Management graduate degree candidates enrolled within Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) programs at ten universities were surveyed in an effort to determine what student centric influences steer potential students to select one university over another. Data collection was done through a 6-question on-line survey distributed to 369 students that resulted in a usable sample population of 82 (N=82). Analysis of the results indicate the major determinants influencing the student’s ultimate program selection were 1) their specific career focuses, 2) the impact that a program’s website has their selection when shortlisting candidate universities, and 3) a strong student centric focus on program duration, available funding support, pre-requisite requirements, and the availability to pursue specialty tracks.
Dynamic User Optimal Signal Design at Isolated Intersections

This paper presents a proposal of novel signal design problem at isolated intersections, which assumes that the effective green times assigned to each signal phase follow dynamic user optimal (DUO) principle. At the DUO state, the average delays of vehicles using the signal phases with positive additional green times (the assigned effective green times minus the minimum effective green times) are equal and maximum. The proposed signal design problem is formulated as a variational inequality (VI) problem. The point queue (PQ) model is applied to represent traffic dynamics and to generate the cumulative traffic flows, which is further used to estimate the average delay of each signal phase. The existence of the solution of the proposed VI problem is proved and a solution algorithm based on the method of successive averages (MSA) is developed to solve the proposed signal design problem. Finally, a sample intersection is used to illustrate the application of the proposed model and the solution algorithm.
A novel ZVS-ZCS bidirectional DC-DC converter for fuel cell and battery application

This paper presents a new zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) bidirectional dc-dc converter. Compared to the traditional full and half bridge bidirectional dc-dc converters for the similar applications, the new topology has the advantages of simple circuit topology with no total device rating (TDR) penalty, soft-switching implementation without additional devices, high efficiency and simple control. These advantages make the new converter promising for medium and high power applications especially for auxiliary power supply in fuel cell vehicles and power generation where the high power density, low cost, lightweight and high reliability power converters are required. The operating principle, theoretical analysis, and design guidelines are provided in this paper. The simulation and the experimental verifications are also presented.
A three-dimensional neural recording array

The authors describe a three-dimensional recording array for the high-density monitoring of neural activity throughout a volume of cortical tissue. The microassembly techniques used permit multiple multishank planar probes to be precisely configured to form 3D microstructures with probe spacings of 100 mu m or less. The probes are aligned through an orthogonal platform, also formed by silicon micromachining. High-density lead transfers between the probes and the platform are formed by selective electroplating and offer very low values of series resistance and shunt capacitance, with center-to-center lead spacings of 100 mu m or less. A 4*4 shank passive probe array has been found to penetrate pia arachnoid easily and is well accepted by the neural tissue. These assembly techniques also appear to be compatible with a variety of other microelectromechanical systems where 3D structures are required. <<ETX>>
Effect of Antibiotic Exposure on Upper Respiratory Tract Bacterial Flora

Background The human microbiota modulates the immune system and forms the surface flora. Antibiotic administration causes dysbiosis in the intestinal flora. It is not clear if antibiotic administration in the community effects the upper airway flora in the mid-term or long-term. This study aims to define long-term influence of antibiotics on upper airway flora. Material/Methods In this prospective study, aerobic microbiological analysis of nasal and nasopharyngeal surfaces was performed. Antibiotic administration history of the last 6 months was retrieved using the social insurance database. Culture results of antibiotic-treated and antibiotic-naïve subjects were compared by Pearson’s chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. Results A total of 210 subjects were included in the study. Normal flora were documented in 86 nasal swabs and 99 nasopharyngeal swabs. Most of the remaining cases demonstrated gram-positive bacterial overgrowth. There were 113 subjects who did not receive any antibiotic, and 93% of the remaining 97 patients received broad-spectrum antibiotics. Statistical analysis showed that nasal and nasopharyngeal flora did not change upon antibiotic administration, but antibiotic administration during the last month caused increased methicillin resistance development of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Staphylococcus aureus microorganisms. Conclusions Antibiotic exposure did not lead to perturbations in general composition of upper airway flora within 6 months, although the incidence of methicillin resistance in coagulase-positive and -negative Staphylococci demonstrated significant increases when patients received antibiotic during the last month. This should be considered in case of broad-spectrum antibiotic administration, since methicillin resistance increases the morbidity and mortality of nosocomial Staphylococcus infections.
Flexible multibody simulation of automotive systems with non-modal model reduction techniques

The stiffness of the body structure of an automobile has a strong relationship with its noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) characteristics. In this paper, the effect of the stiffness of the body structure upon ride quality is discussed with flexible multibody dynamics. In flexible multibody simulation, the local elastic deformation of the vehicle has been described traditionally with modal shape functions. Recently, linear model reduction techniques from system dynamics and mathematics came into the focus to find more sophisticated elastic shape functions. In this work, the NVH-relevant states of a racing kart are simulated, whereas the elastic shape functions are calculated with modern model reduction techniques like moment matching by projection on Krylov-subspaces, singular value decomposition-based reduction techniques, and combinations of those. The whole elastic multibody vehicle model consisting of tyres, steering, axle, etc. is considered, and an excitation with a vibration characteristics in a wide frequency range is evaluated in this paper. The accuracy and the calculation performance of those modern model reduction techniques is investigated including a comparison of the modal reduction approach.
Low error fixed-width CSD multiplier with efficient sign extension

This paper presents an error compensation method for fixed-width canonic signed digit (CSD) multipliers that receive a W-bit input and produce a W-bit product. To efficiently compensate for the quantization error, the truncated bits are divided into two groups (major group and minor group) depending upon their effects on the quantization error. The desired error compensation bias is first expressed in terms of the truncated bits in the major group. Then the effects of the other truncated bits in the minor group are taken care of by a probabilistic estimation. Also, an efficient sign extension reduction method applied to the fixed-width CSD multipliers is proposed. By simulations, it is shown that 25% reduction in the truncation error and 13% hardware complexity can be achieved by the proposed error compensation and sign extension reduction methods, respectively.
20 mW 1.25 Gbit/s CMOS transimpedance amplifier with 30 dB dynamic range

A 1.25 Gbit/s transimpedance amplifier using a novel photodiode capacitance cancellation technique has been demonstrated in 0.35 µm CMOS technology. The transimpedance amplifier achieved a transimpedance gain of 17.1 kΩ as well as a wide dynamic range from +1 to −29 dBm while consuming only 20 mW from a 3 V supply.
Adult‐onset hypothyroidism causes mechanical hypersensitivity due to peripheral nerve hyperexcitability based on voltage‐gated potassium channel downregulation in male mice

Thyroid hormones play an important role in the central and peripheral nervous system functions. Approximately 50% of adult‐onset hypothyroid patients have sensory symptoms including pain, possibly caused by peripheral neuropathy. However, the mechanism causing the pain has not been clarified. We generated an adult‐onset hypothyroid model animal by administering 50 ppm propylthiouracil (PTU) for 5 weeks to male mice. Female mice were not tested in this study. Mechanical hypersensitivity, determined by the von Frey hair test, was observed during the PTU exposure and recovered after the exposure termination. The sciatic nerve compound action potential was also analyzed. Under single‐pulse stimulation, no significant change in the threshold and conduction velocity was observed in the PTU‐administered group. On the other hand, under train‐pulse stimulation, the latency delay in the Aδ‐fiber component was less in the PTU‐administered group in Week 4 of PTU exposure, indicating relative hyperexcitability. Fluticasone, which is the anti‐inflammatory agent with an ability to activate the voltage‐gated potassium channel subfamily A (Kv1), restored the decrease in the latency change ratio by PTU exposure under the train‐pulse stimulation supporting our hypothesis that Kv1 may be involved in the conductivity change. Kv1.1 protein level decreased significantly in the sciatic nerve of the PTU‐administered group. These results indicate that adult‐onset hypothyroidism causes mechanical hypersensitivity owing to hyperexcitability of the peripheral nerve and that reduction of Kv1.1 level may be involved in such alteration.
Multi Objective Concerned Network Coding Technique for Optimal Data Transmission

The Internet of Things (IoT) seems to developed in the real-world scenario due to increased utilization of sensor driven technologies. There are various research works has been proposed earlier for the network coding to ensure the reliable data transmission. However, existing research techniques doesn’t focus on the reliable route path selection which might affect the rate of data transmission. These issues are focused in the proposed research method by introducing the method namely Multi-Objective concerned Network Coding Technique (MO-NCT). In this work initially multicast tree construction is performed using Particle Swarm Optimization method. The main goal of this research work is ensuring the reliable and successful data transmission. Here the optimal network nodes will be chosen for constructing the multi cast tree. The multiple objectives considered in this work for the selection of the nodes are residual energy, remaining bandwidth level and throughput of nodes. To ensure the reliable data transmission even with the presence of larger coverage area, this work attempted to select the backup forwarder nodes which will act as intermediate hop relay nodes. The overall analysis of the research work is done in the NS2 simulation environment from which it is proved that the proposed method MO-MRP tends to achieve the optimal data transmission rate.
A comparison of stress levels in farmed and wild American alligators: an indicator of animal health and best farming practices

ABSTRACT Blood was collected from alligators at a large alligator farm in Louisiana to compare stress levels to those in wild alligators. The measurement of corticosterone (CORT) levels and heterophil/lymphocyte ratios were used to assess stress levels because both parameters become elevated during periods of physiological stress. We compared CORT concentrations and H/L ratios in wild animals that were either the same size or the same age class as farmed alligators. Plasma CORT levels and H/L ratios were no higher than those in wild alligators. To ensure consistent results across the farm, we compared plasma hormone concentrations in animals of the same size classes maintained in different enclosures and also in different buildings and found no differences. We believe that results such as these obtained from independent laboratories can be used as evidence for regulatory agencies that crocodylian farms raise their animals in low stress environments under Best Management Practices guidelines.