Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Some new phase feeding methods for phased array antennas

The authors compare and analyze the effects of four phase feeding methods on the beam pointing accuracy for linear array antennas. The four phase feeding methods are called the General Phase Feeding Method (GPFM), the Random Phase Feeding Method (RPFM), the Shift and Compensate Phase Feeding Method (SCPFM), and the Shift Compare and Compensate Phase Feeding Method (SCCPFM). The authors also derive the characteristic equations and give the simulation results. The SCCPFM was first introduced by the authors and it has the best performance among the four methods.
A multi-commodity dynamical model for traffic networks

A dynamical model for traffic networks is proposed and analyzed. In the traffic network, the transportation demands are considered as multi-commodity flows where each commodity has a unique destination. The network is modeled by a multigraph where at each node each commodity splits among the outgoing links in a way such that the drivers are more likely to avoid a road when the density on it increases. It will be shown that if the graph has no cycles, the density of each commodity on each link will converge to a unique limit that does not depend on the initial state. Network resilience, namely structural robustness of the network with respect to perturbations, is also studied. In particular, it is shown that if all commodities have access to all outgoing links, the network can manage perturbations whose magnitude is less than a quantity which plays the natural role of residual capacity of an equilibrium. If instead not all commodities have access to all links, overreaction of the network to perturbations implies that even small perturbations might be amplified and start a cascade. Finally, the idea of back-pressure is employed to provide a simple distributed control strategy. Analogously to the single commodity case, such actual strategy is able to back-propagate the information that congestion is happening ahead, thus allowing the drivers to reroute even if their decision is based on local information only.
O desenvolvimento da agroindústria canavieira do Brasil desde a Segunda Guerra Mundial

Assessmente of the evolution of Brazil's sugarcane, sugar and ethanol production durng the alst fifty years, as well as of its slnfting spatial pattern after the last World War. , Chronological account ofthe industry's main problems covering four sequential periods: World War II and its consequences (1939-1949), attempts of reinsertion in the international sugar markets (1950-1968), trends of sectorial concentration and modernization (1969-1974), and dislocations from sugar to ethanol and vice versa (1975-1989). The article ends with some succint considerations on the ethanol supply crisis of 1990.
Guidance document on Good Cell and Tissue Culture Practice 2.0 (GCCP 2.0).

Good Cell and Tissue Culture Practice (GCCP) 2.0 is an updated guidance document from GCCP 1.0 (published by ECVAM in 2005), which was developed for practical use in the laboratory to assure the reproducibility of in vitro (cell-based) work. The update in the guidance was essential as cell models have advanced dramatically to more complex culture systems and need more comprehensive quality management to ensure reproducibility and quality derived scientific data. This document describes six main principles to consider when performing cell culture including characterization and maintenance of essential characteristics, quality management, documentation and reporting, safety, education and training, and ethics. The document does not intend to impose detailed procedures but to describe potential quality issues. It is foreseen that the document will require further updates as the science and technologies evolve over time.
A Novel Antenna Selection Scheme for Amplify-and-Forward Mimo Relay Systems

A critical factor in the deployment of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay systems is the cost of multiple radio frequency (RF) chains. This problem can be mitigated by antenna selection at the relay. This paper considers the selection criterion of the algorithm for amplify-and-forward (AF) relay to maximize a lower bound of the capacity, but not the exact capacity. This criterion reduces algorithmic complexity. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm achieves comparable performance to the optimal algorithm under various conditions and have decreased complexity.
Endocytic proteins with prion-like domains form viscoelastic condensates that enable membrane remodeling

Significance The uptake of molecules into cells, known as endocytosis, requires membrane invagination and the formation of vesicles. A version of endocytosis that is independent of actin polymerization is aided by the assembly of membraneless biomolecular condensates at the site of membrane invagination. Here, we show that endocytic condensates are viscoelastic bodies that concentrate key proteins with prion-like domains to enable membrane remodeling. A distinct molecular grammar, namely the preference for glutamine versus asparagine residues, underlies the cohesive interactions that give rise to endocytic condensates. We incorporate material properties inferred using active rheology into a mechanical model to explain how cohesive interactions within condensates and interfacial tensions among condensates, membranes, and the cytosol can drive membrane invagination to initiate endocyosis. Membrane invagination and vesicle formation are key steps in endocytosis and cellular trafficking. Here, we show that endocytic coat proteins with prion-like domains (PLDs) form hemispherical puncta in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These puncta have the hallmarks of biomolecular condensates and organize proteins at the membrane for actin-dependent endocytosis. They also enable membrane remodeling to drive actin-independent endocytosis. The puncta, which we refer to as endocytic condensates, form and dissolve reversibly in response to changes in temperature and solution conditions. We find that endocytic condensates are organized around dynamic protein–protein interaction networks, which involve interactions among PLDs with high glutamine contents. The endocytic coat protein Sla1 is at the hub of the protein–protein interaction network. Using active rheology, we inferred the material properties of endocytic condensates. These experiments show that endocytic condensates are akin to viscoelastic materials. We use these characterizations to estimate the interfacial tension between endocytic condensates and their surroundings. We then adapt the physics of contact mechanics, specifically modifications of Hertz theory, to develop a quantitative framework for describing how interfacial tensions among condensates, the membrane, and the cytosol can deform the plasma membrane to enable actin-independent endocytosis.
Multimodal Biosensing for Vestibular Network-Based Cybersickness Detection

Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to induce cybersickness (CS), which impedes CS-susceptible VR users from the benefit of emerging VR applications. To better detect CS, the current study investigated whether/how the newly proposed human vestibular network (HVN) is involved in flagship consumer VR-induced CS by simultaneously recording autonomic physiological signals as well as neural signals generated in sensorimotor and cognitive domains. The VR stimuli were made up of one or two moderate CS-inducing entertaining task(s) as well as a mild CS-inducing cognitive task implemented before and after the moderate CS task(s). Results not only showed that CS impaired cognitive control ability, represented by the degree of attentional engagement, but also revealed that combined indicators from all three HVN domains could together establish the best regression relationship with CS ratings. More importantly, we found that every HVN domain had its unique advantage with the dynamic changes in CS severity and time. These results provide evidence for involvement of the HVN in CS and indicate the necessity of HVN-based CS detection.
Target and Suspect Screening of Pharmaceuticals and their Transformation Products in the Klip River, South Africa, using Ultra‐High–Performance Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

In spite of recent reports about the presence of pharmaceuticals in African water bodies, their prevalence has still not been sufficiently quantified. The few available studies have mostly focused on a limited number of pharmaceuticals. In the present study, a suspect screening of 92 compounds (mainly pharmaceuticals and their transformation products) along the Klip River, South Africa was conducted, followed by target monitoring of 21 of the detected pharmaceuticals. The experimental approach was based on solid‐phase extraction followed by analysis with ultra‐high–performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time‐of‐flight–mass spectrometry (UHPLC–QTOF–MS). The results revealed 47 pharmaceuticals, 31 of which were detected for the first time in South African waters. Seven detected pharmaceuticals (propyphenazole, sulfamerazine, levamisole, tryptophan, dibucaine, albuterol, and fenpropimorph) are not approved medications in South Africa. Six pharmaceutical metabolites were detected for the first time in South Africa. Pharmaceuticals with the highest concentrations in river water were flumequine (0.257 µg L−1), oxolinic acid (0.355 µg L−1), and acetaminophen (0.432 µg L−1). Oxolinic acid presented the highest hazard quotient, 48.6, indicating a risk of toxicity to aquatic organisms. Hazard quotients for other pharmaceuticals were below 1, except that of flumequine, which reached 1.285. These results suggest a need for further research into the fate of pharmaceuticals in surface waters, and a quantification of the risks associated with the identified drugs because they are likely to accumulate in the tissues of fish/aquatic organisms, thus affecting humans. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:437‐447. © 2021 SETAC
A stratified analysis of a deep learning algorithm in the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy in a real‐world study

The aim of our research was to prospectively explore the clinical value of a deep learning algorithm (DLA) to detect referable diabetic retinopathy (DR) in different subgroups stratified by types of diabetes, blood pressure, sex, BMI, age, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), diabetes duration, urine albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio (UACR), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at a real‐world diabetes center in China.
Comparison of large vessel occlusion scales using prehospital patient reports

Prehospital identification of large vessel occlusion (LVO) holds significant potential to decrease the onset‐to‐treatment time. Several prehospital scales have been developed to identify LVO but data on their comparison has been limited. The aim of this study was to review the currently available prehospital LVO scales and compare their performance using prehospital data.
Incognito allergic contact dermatitis from common ivy (Hedera helix L) hiding behind Compositae sensitization

induced acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis. J Dermatol Case Rep. 2016;10(2):35-38. 7. Uemura H, Koroki Y, Iwaki Y, Imanaka K, Kambara T, Lopez-Gitlitz A, Smith A, Uemura H. Skin rash following Administration of Apalutamide in Japanese patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer: an integrated analysis of the phase 3 SPARTAN and TITAN studies and a phase 1 open-label study. BMC Urology. 2020;20(1):1–12. 8. Endo Y, Oka A, Uehara A, Toki S, Motegi S-I, Ishikawa O, Miyazawa Y, Suzuki K. Fatal case of toxic epidermal necrolysis due to apalutamide used as a novel prostate cancer drug. The Journal of Dermatology. 2020;47(10):e359–e360. 9. Kawakami Y, Mitsui M, Takamoto H, Yamamoto Y. Apalutamideinduced exanthematous drug eruption displaying spongiotic dermatitis successfully treated with dose reduction. Int J Dermatol. 2021;60(8). 10. Lindquist M. VigiBase, the WHO global ICSR database system: basic facts. Drug Inf J. 2008;42(5):409-419.
WPO-Net: Windowed Pose Optimization Network for Monocular Visual Odometry Estimation

Visual odometry is the process of estimating incremental localization of the camera in 3-dimensional space for autonomous driving. There have been new learning-based methods which do not require camera calibration and are robust to external noise. In this work, a new method that do not require camera calibration called the “windowed pose optimization network” is proposed to estimate the 6 degrees of freedom pose of a monocular camera. The architecture of the proposed network is based on supervised learning-based methods with feature encoder and pose regressor that takes multiple consecutive two grayscale image stacks at each step for training and enforces the composite pose constraints. The KITTI dataset is used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The proposed method yielded rotational error of 3.12 deg/100 m, and the training time is 41.32 ms, while inference time is 7.87 ms. Experiments demonstrate the competitive performance of the proposed method to other state-of-the-art related works which shows the novelty of the proposed technique.
A qualitative study and preliminary model of living with dementia and incontinence at home: beyond containment

Abstract Background most people living with dementia (PLWD) will develop incontinence problems with associated harmful consequences. Well-contained incontinence is often the main treatment goal. It would therefore be expected that poorly contained incontinence would have a negative impact. Aim to investigate differences in how well-contained or poorly contained incontinence impacts on the experience of living with incontinence for PLWD at home and their carers. Design secondary analysis of a qualitative study. Methods semi-structured interviews were undertaken with PLWD, carers and healthcare professionals (continence or dementia nurses). PLWD and carers were recruited via www.joindementiaresearch. nihr.ac. uk and via dementia/carer groups. Nurses were recruited via their employers. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Framework analysis was used. Results forty-five people (twenty-six carers, two PLWD, nine continence nurses and eight dementia nurses) participated. Despite poorly contained incontinence, some PLWD/carer dyads appeared relatively unaffected by incontinence. Conversely, one or both members of some dyads who achieved good containment found incontinence care highly challenging. Four themes were identified, together forming a preliminary model of incontinence containment and impact, as follows: Well-contained incontinence, lower negative impact Well-contained incontinence, higher negative impact Poorly contained incontinence, higher negative impact Poorly contained incontinence, lower negative impact Conclusion reliable containment is an important goal for PLWD living at home and their carers, but it is not the only goal. Other factors, such as behaviours that challenge or carer coping strategies, can mean that even well-contained incontinence can have a negative impact. This paper proposes a preliminary model for evaluation.
PRECISE ACCELERATION DETERMINATION FROM CARRIER-PHASE MEASUREMENTS.

: This paper examines a method for precise acceleration determination based on carrier-phase derivatives, referred to herein as the carrier method. Typically, positions are differentiated twice to acquire precise accelerations. The carrier method is investigated to determine whether it can overcome certain limitations of the position method. Testing is conducted with kinematic data collected during an airborne gravimetry campaign. This application provides an independent reference, in the form of a reference gravity field computed from upward continued ground measurements. Computed aircraft accelerations are used to estimate gravity disturbances. The gravity disturbance estimates are compared with the reference field, providing a very accurate and sensitive measure of the acceleration accuracy. The carrier method is shown to accommodate visible constellation changes without degrading the estimated accelerations. The positioning accuracy requirement for the carrier method is verified to be at the several-meter level, which can easily be met by a differential code solution.
Study of the effects of Lemna minor extracts on human immune cell populations.

OBJECTIVE Lemna minor is a plant with a huge repertoire of secondary metabolites. The literature indicates that extracts of Lemna minor have antioxidant, antiradical, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. The objective of the present study was to find a suitable technique to extract active compounds from this plant and verify whether these extracts have immunomodulatory activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS We grew L. minor on a standard medium with Gamborg B5 and vitamins. We extracted compounds from the plant by maceration and decoction. The phytochemical profile of the extracts was characterized by chromatography, spectrophotometry, and spectroscopy. The extracts were tested on cultures of mononuclear cells from four human subjects. These cells were pulsed with carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester, grown in triplicate in standard culture medium without (control) and with increasing concentrations of Lemna extracts. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate cell death and proliferation of the total mononuclear cell population and of CD4+, CD8+, B cell and monocyte populations. RESULTS The Lemna extracts were not cytotoxic and did not cause cell necrosis or apoptosis in immune cells. At low concentrations, they induced very limited proliferation of CD4+ cells within 48 hours. At high concentrations, they induced proliferation of CD8+ cells and B lymphocytes within 48 hours. CONCLUSIONS Unfortunately, we failed to confirm any immunomodulatory activity of Lemna extracts. Growth and death rates of human immune cells were not significantly affected by adding Lemna extracts to the culture medium.
Developers, regeneration and sustainability issues in the reuse of vacant industrial buildings

The outcomes from a survey of developer and related organizations active in a local industrial property market in mid-1998 are reported in respect of the use and reuse of industrial buildings. The discussion focuses on both refurbishment and reuse and new build sectors, and draws out some evidence on sustainability issues. Despite a relatively limited understanding of sustainability as a concept, developers are found to have a positive attitude to reuse when conditions allow it. Indeed, those more actively involved in reuse have sometimes engaged in a variety of practical, sustainable solutions to refurbishment needs. Most are open to influence on questions of good practice and sustainability. This all suggests that legislation designed to turn the development and construction industry towards brownfield opportunities and the sustainable reuse of existing infrastructure is likely to induce a favourable response. Cet article presente les resultats, a la mi-1998, d'une etude menee par des promoteurs et des .
Nanotilus: Generator of Immersive Guided-Tours in Crowded 3D Environments

Immersive virtual reality environments are gaining popularity for studying and exploring crowded three-dimensional structures. When reaching very high structural densities, the natural depiction of the scene produces impenetrable clutter and requires visibility and occlusion management strategies for exploration and orientation. Strategies developed to address the crowdedness in desktop applications, however, inhibit the feeling of immersion. They result in nonimmersive, desktop-style outside-in viewing in virtual reality. This paper proposesNanotilus---a new visibility and guidance approach for very dense environments that generates an endoscopic inside-out experience instead of outside-in viewing, preserving the immersive aspect of virtual reality. The approach consists of two novel, tightly coupled mechanisms that control scene sparsification simultaneously with camera path planning. The sparsification strategy is localized around the camera and is realized as a multiscale, multishell, variety-preserving technique. When Nanotilus dives into the structures to capture internal details residing on multiple scales, it guides the camera using depth-based path planning. In addition to sparsification and path planning, we complete the tour generation with an animation controller, textual annotation, and text-to-visualization conversion. We demonstrate the generated guided tours on mesoscopic biological models -- SARS-CoV-2 and HIV viruses. We evaluate the Nanotilus experience with a baseline outside-in sparsification and navigational technique in a formal user study with 29 participants. While users can maintain a better overview using the outside-in sparsification, the study confirms our hypothesis that Nanotilus leads to stronger engagement and immersion.
Modest sexual size dimorphism and allometric growth: a study based on growth and gonad development in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae)

ABSTRACT Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is a notable phenomenon in terrestrial animals, and it is correlated with unusual morphological traits. To date, the underlying sex-specific growth strategies throughout the ontogenetic stage of spiders are poorly understood. Here, we comprehensively investigated how the growth trajectories and gonad development shaped SSD in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae). We also hypothesized the potential growth allometry among the carapace, abdomen, and gonads of spiders in both sexes. By measuring the size of the carapace and abdomen, investigating developmental duration and growth rate, describing the gonadal sections, and calculating the area of gonads at all instars from hatching to maturity, we demonstrated that SSD results from sex-specific growth strategies. Our results indicated that the growth and developmental differences between both sexes appeared at early life stages, and there was allometric growth in the carapace, abdomen, and gonads between males and females.