Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simulation of Surface EMG Signals for a Multilayer Volume Conductor With Triangular Model of the Muscle Tissue

This study analytically describes surface electromyogram (sEMG) signals generated by a model of a triangular muscle, i.e., a muscle with fibers arranged in a fan shape. Examples of triangular muscles in the human body are the deltoid, the pectoralis major, the trapezius, the adductor pollicis. A model of triangular muscle is proposed. It is a sector of a cylindrical volume conductor (with the fibers directed along the radial coordinate) bounded at the muscle/fat interface. The muscle conductivity tensor reflects the fan anisotropy. Edge effects have been neglected. A solution of the nonspace invariant problem for a triangular muscle is provided in the Fourier domain. An approximate analytical solution for a two plane layer volume conductor model is obtained by introducing a homogeneous layer (modeling the fat) over the triangular muscle. The results are implemented in a complete sEMG generation model (including the finite length of the fibers), simulating single fiber action potentials. The model is not space invariant due to the changes of the volume conductor along the direction of action potential propagation. Thus the detected potentials at the skin surface change shape as they propagate. This determines problems in the extraction and interpretation of parameters. As a representative example of application of the simulation model, the influence of the inhomogeneity of the volume conductor in conduction velocity (CV) estimation is addressed (for two channels; maximum likelihood and reference point methods). Different fiber depths, electrode placements and small misalignments of the detection system with respect to the fiber have been simulated. The error in CV estimation is large when the depth of the fiber increases, when the detection system is not aligned with the fiber and close to the innervation point and to the tendons
DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF SUSTAINED RELEASE FORMULATIONS OF THEOPHYLLINE USING NATURAL POLYMERS

Theophylline has high oral bioavailability and narrow therapeutic index with a biological half-life of 3-4 hrs. Prolonged release dosage forms are designed to complement the pharmacological activity of the medicament in order to achieve the longer duration of action with decreased number of doses administered per day. Matrix tablets were designed using Karaya gum, Guargum and kondagogu gum as sustained release polymers. Wet granulation was employed with 1:1 drug, polymer ratio. The tablets were evaluated for uniformity of weight, hardness friability, swelling index, % drug content, drug dissolution, drug release kinetics and compared. F-2 was found to be better in terms of prolonging the drug release and all the other formulations met the pharmacopoeial
Establishing Metrics for Assessing the Performance of Directional Modulation Systems

 Abstract —In this paper metrics for assessing the performance of directional modulation (DM) physical-layer secure wireless systems are discussed. In the paper DM systems are shown to be categorized as static or dynamic. The behavior of each type of system is discussed for QPSK modulation. Besides EVM-like and BER metrics, secrecy rate as used in information theory community is also derived for the purpose of this QPSK DM system evaluation.
Communications of the Association for Information Systems

: In this paper, we respond to McBride’s (2018) paper on whether information systems is a science. We first argue that information systems is indeed a science in that it draws from and creates knowledge in a form similar to many different disciplines, including psychology, sociology, mathematics, economics, computer science, and engineering. We counter the flawed logic of methodical extremists who believe that their approach represents the best or only path to knowledge. Specifically, we argue that many different methods of inquiry and discovery are appropriate in information systems and that each has its strengths and weaknesses.
Social Networking Site Use and Materialistic Values Among Youth: The Safeguarding Role of the Parent-Child Relationship and Self-Regulation

Social networking sites (SNSs) have become common avenues for young people to share their life experience with peers, including their consumption experience. Although prior research on the media effects of SNSs has shown how online communication on SNSs promotes various volitional behaviors, current understanding is limited with respect to how young people’s use of SNSs is associated with their consumption experience and materialistic values. This study examines how SNS use related to consumption experience is associated with materialistic values among young adults and how their social perceptions mediate such association. This investigation also proposes that young adults’ self-regulation and close relationships with parents would buffer the impact of SNS use. Survey data gathered from 903 youths in Singapore lend strong empirical support to the hypotheses proposed. Implications are discussed.
Transcriptional responses of Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes with different glucosinolate profiles after attack by polyphagous Myzus persicae and oligophagous Brevicoryne brassicae

Plants are equipped with a range of defence mechanisms against herbivorous insects. In cruciferous species, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, and ethylene along with glucosinolates and their hydrolysis products play important roles in plant protection and plant– insect communication. In turn, a number of herbivores have adapted to plants that contain glucosinolates. As a result of adaptation to their host plants, specialized insects may elicit different plant-inducible responses than generalists. Oligonucleotide microarrays and qRT–PCR analysis were used to characterize transcriptional profiles of Arabidopsis thaliana plants in response to infestation with a generalist aphid, Myzus persicae, or a cruciferous plant specialist, Brevicoryne brassicae. To find possible differences and similarities in molecular responses between plants differing in predominant glucosinolate hydrolysis products, three ecotypes of A. thaliana were chosen: Wassilewskija (Ws), Cape Verde Islands (Cvi), and Landsberg erecta (Ler), which, respectively, produce mainly isothiocyanates, epithionitriles, and nitriles. In all three ecotypes, general stress-responsive genes, genes belonging to octadecanoid and indole glucosinolate synthesis pathways were induced upon both generalist and specialist attack. By contrast, transcription of myrosinases, enzymes hydrolysing glucosinolates, was suppressed. The induction of the jasmonic acid synthesis pathway was strongest in Cvi, while the up-regulation of the indole glucosinolate synthesis pathway was highest in Ler, suggesting a slightly different defence strategy in these two ecotypes. Specialist and generalist infestations caused statistically significant differential regulation of 60 genes in Ws and 21 in Cvi. Among these were jasmonic acid and tryptophan synthesis pathway enzymes, and pathogenesis related protein (PR1). Insect no-choice experiments revealed lowered fitness of B. brassicae on Ler and Cvi in comparison to Ws, but no ecotype-dependent change in fecundity of M. persicae. Targeted studies employing constructs of GUS reporter gene under the control of promoters from CYP79B2 and CYP79B3 genes showed insect-specific induction of the indole glucosinolates synthesis pathway.
Green composites of polylactic acid filled with natural fiber for biodegradation application

This research focuses on how to use natural fibers available from agricultural residues to produce biodegradable materials such as mulch films. Green composites were prepared from natural fibers (peanut shell and bagasse fiber) and polylactic acid (PLA) together with plasticizers. The presence of plasticizers improved PLA molecular mobility as seen by the reduction of glass transition, cold crystallization, and melting temperatures. The addition of natural fibers into PLA brought down decomposition temperature when compared to PLA. The morphological study of the composites showed poor interfacial adhesion between natural fibers and PLA matrix. Moreover, the loading of plasticizers improved distribution of natural fibers in PLA matrix. The composites revealed that tensile strength decreased while Young's modulus increased with increasing natural fibers content. The added plasticizers into the composites showed increase elongation at break and impact strength. Thermo? mechanical properties revealed improvement of PLA performance at high temperature use by the addition of natural fibers together with plasticizers due to cold crystallization at a high temperature, which developed high storage modulus. The composites showed low water vapor permeability which reduced moisture loss by evaporation and increased the efficiency of water use. The enhancements in degradation of the composites were due to the presence of natural fibers. Furthermore, the study of chemical crosslinking PLA in the presence of crosslinking agent showed that the optimum of thermal, thermomechanical, and rheological properties were at 5 phr crosslinking agent content.
Universality of Approximate Message Passing algorithms and tensor networks

Approximate Message Passing (AMP) algorithms provide a valuable tool for studying mean-field approximations and dynamics in a variety of applications. Although these algorithms are often first derived for matrices having independent Gaussian entries or satisfying rotational invariance in law, their state evolution characterizations are expected to hold over larger universality classes of random matrix ensembles. We develop several new results on AMP universality. For AMP algorithms tailored to independent Gaussian entries, we show that their state evolutions hold over broadly defined generalized Wigner and white noise ensembles, including matrices with heavy-tailed entries and heterogeneous entrywise variances that may arise in data applications. For AMP algorithms tailored to rotational invariance in law, we show that their state evolutions hold over delocalized sign-and-permutation-invariant matrix ensembles that have a limit distribution over the diagonal, including sensing matrices composed of subsampled Hadamard or Fourier transforms and diagonal operators. We establish these results via a simplified moment-method proof, reducing AMP universality to the study of products of random matrices and diagonal tensors along a tensor network. As a by-product of our analyses, we show that the aforementioned matrix ensembles satisfy a notion of asymptotic freeness with respect to such tensor networks, which parallels usual definitions of freeness for traces of matrix products.
Synthetic macroecological data Synthetic datasets and community tools for the rapid testing of ecological hypotheses

(1) Université de Montréal, Département de Sciences Biologiques, 90 Avenue Vincent d’Indy, Montréal, QC, CAN, H2V3S9 (2) Québec Centre for Biodiversity Sciences, 1205 Dr. Penfield Avenue, Montréal, QC, CAN, H3A1B1 (3) Université du Québec à Rimouski, Département de Biologie, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, CAN, G5L3A1 (4) Memorial University of Newfoundland, Department of Biology, 232 Elizabeth Ave, St. John’s, NL, CAN, A1B3X9 (5) Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA (6) School for Environmental and Forest Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA (7) University of Toronto, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON, CAN, M5S3G5 (8) University of Florida, Department of Wildlife, Ecology & Conservation, Gainseville, FL, USA (9) Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand (10) Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid 28006, España
Detection, Identification and Diagnostic Characterization of the Staphylococcal Small Colony-Variant (SCV) Phenotype

While modern molecular methods have decisively accelerated and improved microbiological diagnostics, phenotypic variants still pose a challenge for their detection, identification and characterization. This particularly applies if they are unstable and hard to detect, which is the case for the small-colony-variant (SCV) phenotype formed by staphylococci. On solid agar media, staphylococcal SCVs are characterized by tiny colonies with deviant colony morphology. Their reduced growth rate and fundamental metabolic changes are the result of their adaptation to an intracellular lifestyle, regularly leading to specific auxotrophies, such as for menadione, hemin or thymidine. These alterations make SCVs difficult to recognize and render physiological, biochemical and other growth-based methods such as antimicrobial susceptibility testing unreliable or unusable. Therefore, diagnostic procedures require prolonged incubation times and, if possible, confirmation by molecular methods. A special approach is needed for auxotrophy testing. However, standardized protocols for SCV diagnostics are missing. If available, SCVs and their putative parental isolates should be genotyped to determine clonality. Since their detection has significant implications for the treatment of the infection, which is usually chronic and relapsing, SCV findings should be specifically reported, commented on, and managed in close collaboration with the microbiological laboratory and the involved clinicians.
Emissies uit een welzijnsvriendelijke stal voor vleesvarkens : het 'Canadian Bedding System'

A.J.A. Aarnink, M.J.M. Wagemans & G.M. Nijeboer, 2004. Emissies uit een welzijnsvriendelijke stal voor vleesvarkens; het ‘Canadian Bedding System’. Report 084, Agrotechnology and Food Innovations, Wageningen UR, 19 pp. In Canada a new housing system for growing-finishing pigs was developed, the so-called ‘Canadian Bedding System’. The principle of the system is the use of a lot of sawdust in pens with fully solid floors. The animals themselves move the sawdust, mixed with manure, to a gutter. In the framework of developing new, social sustainable livestock production systems, within this study indicative measurements on gaseous emissions were done. From the study it is concluded that the emissions of ammonia and methane were relatively low when compared to traditional housing systems. Also the emission of nitrous oxide was low. Beside its welfare friendly character the ‘Canadian Bedding System’ seems to be environmental friendly as well.
‘They make it easier to learn and cope’: The views of adolescents with speech, language and communication needs on attending a flexible learning programme

Flexible learning programmes (FLPs) and similar alternative education initiatives are designed to meet the diversity of needs of young people who have become disengaged from mainstream education. There is emerging evidence of the high prevalence of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and language disorders amongst students attending FLPs. This highlights the importance of understanding the views of these young people growing up in challenging psychosocial contexts about their experiences of schooling. We report on the perspectives of 45 students (aged 12–18 years) who had identified SLCN and who attended an FLP. We wanted to understand what they found valuable (and not) in their current FLP and how this compared to their previous schooling experience. The majority of students responded positively when asked about their current high school. Key factors identified via qualitative content analysis included how the FLP class content and environment were suited to them, the responsiveness of staff to their learning and personal needs, how their autonomy was respected, and the positive peer relationships they had developed in the FLP. Understanding these factors will support the design and implementation of educational programmes that foster improved engagement with, and achievement within, both FLPs and mainstream schools.
The Strong Effect of NiCr Adhesion Layers in Surface Micromachined MEMS Sensors

We demonstrate that a very thin NiCr adhesion layer may have a strong effect on the deformation of released structures. We consider MEMS switch sensors that are constructed from suspended perforated disks. The switches are fabricated by depositing a NiCr adhesion layer over a sacrificial layer, followed by deposition of a seed gold layer. This thin seed construction is then thickened by electrodeposition of a second gold layer. The last process step before releasing the structure is wet etching of the adhesion layer. We measured the curvature of many disk structures, that are identical in all geometry and process parameters, except for the level of NiCr overetch. The level of NiCr overetch strongly affects the curvature of the released structures. Much of the residual deformation occurs during packaging, which requires a relatively long period of elevated temperature. We suspect that interdiffusion during packaging determines the residual curvature. This interdiffusion should be different in regions where the adhesion layer has been overetched, which may explain the dependency of disk curvature on the level of NiCr overetch. It is suggested that careful attention should be given to the adhesion layer, which is often neglected as it is very thin. Such attention may help to improve the reliability and functionality of surface-micromachined metallic devices.
Ghrelin as a Biomarker of “Immunometabolic Depression” and Its Connection with Dysbiosis

Ghrelin, a gastrointestinal peptide, is an endogenous ligand of growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHSR1a), which is mainly produced by X/A-like cells in the intestinal mucosa. Beyond its initial description as a growth hormone (GH) secretagogue stimulator of appetite, ghrelin has been revealed to have a wide range of physiological effects, for example, the modulation of inflammation; the improvement of cardiac performance; the modulation of stress, anxiety, taste sensation, and reward-seeking behavior; and the regulation of glucose metabolism and thermogenesis. Ghrelin secretion is altered in depressive disorders and metabolic syndrome, which frequently co-occur, but it is still unknown how these modifications relate to the physiopathology of these disorders. This review highlights the increasing amount of research establishing the close relationship between ghrelin, nutrition, microbiota, and disorders such as depression and metabolic syndrome, and it evaluates the ghrelinergic system as a potential target for the development of effective pharmacotherapies.
A Genetic Algorithm-Assisted Fault Detection Observer for Networked Systems Under Denial-of-Service Attacks

This work solves the issue of event-triggered fault detection for networked systems under the denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. To improve the utilization rate of network resources, an event-triggered mechanism is employed to reduce the transmission frequency. A fault detection observer is designed to generate the residual signal for the concerned system with external disturbances and faults. Note that the input signal of the fault detection observer (FDO) transmitted over a communication network is assumed to be vulnerable to cyber attacks, in which the adversaries may interrupt the transmission process. The ${\mathcal {H}}_\infty$ attenuation index and ${\mathcal {H}}_{\_}$ increscent index are introduced into the fault detection observer design, which reflects the robustness to external disturbances and sensitivity to faults, respectively. By applying the Lyapunov functional technology, some nonlinear matrix inequalities are acquired to guarantee the existence of the fault detection observer with the appearance of DoS attacks. Then, a genetic algorithm is adopted to cope with the derived nonlinear matrix inequalities without introducing any conservatism. The simulation results related to an unmanned aerial vehicle model are presented to illustrate the correctness and effectiveness of the presented fault detection strategy.
Preparation of alginate capsule using two coaxial glass-tube

TEMPO-Oxidized bacterial cellulose (TOBC) were obtained using TEMPO-mediated oxidation (TOBC) to produce carboxylate groups on bacterial cellulose surfaces. TOBC had lower crystallinity but better aqueous dispersion than bacterial cellulose. TOBC was used as a reinforcement agent for production alginate capsules. The alginate capsules for entrapping rice bran oil were made via a coaxial-glass tube. The factors that influenced on the shape and production efficiency of capsules were the gap between tube tip and the Ca2+ ions bath�and the viscosity of shell solution. However, these factors had no effect on the size and shell thickness of capsules. Increasing of TOBC content enhanced the turbidity and compression strength of shell and gave smoother surface. The TOBC-alginate film was fabricated to easier characterization the shell property. More TOBC content can decrease the shrinkage of films, increase mechanical property and oxygen transmission rate, but had no effect on thermal and water vapor transmission rate. The carboxyl group of TOBC can participate crosslinking with Ca2+ and act as the structural construction of the alginate.
Caractérisation expérimentale de la dynamique du décollement de couche limite induit par un gradient de pression adverse et un effet de courbure

Ces travaux de recherche portent sur la caracterisation des phenomenes instationnaires associes aux ecoulements decolles induits a la fois par un gradient de pression adverse et un effet de courbure. Ce type de decollement est tres couramment rencontre, en particulier dans le secteur des transports. Cette etude repose sur une approche purement experimentale realisee en canal hydrodynamique a l’aide de techniques de mesure non intrusives permettant de ne pas denaturer la dynamique tres sensible du phenomene de decollement de couche limite. Le decollement est, dans notre cas de figure, provoque par un obstacle 2dne presentant pas de rupture de pente. Le regime d’ecoulement etudie est principalement turbulent et la gamme des nombres de Karman analysee s’etale de 60 a 730. L’objectif principal de cette etude est d’evaluer les effets Reynolds sur l’etendue et l’existence meme du phenomene de decollement de couche limite, mais egalement sur la dynamique des instabilites, identifiees a plus bas regime dans la litterature. Les mesures effectuees dans le cadre de ces travaux ont tout d’abord permis de constituer une base de donneesexperimentale etoffee, et d’etablir que le decollement de couche limite ainsi que les instabilites induites par celui-ci, identifiees en regime laminaire, persistent a plus haut nombre de Karman. Les frequences associees aux instabilites ont egalement ete identifiees ainsi que les parametres caracteristiques pilotant leur dynamique. La dynamique spatio-temporelle de ces instabilites et en particulier celle du phenomene debattement du bulbe decolle a ete detaillee notamment par le biais d’une analyse stochastique. Finalement, la repartition relativement etendue des grandes echelles tourbillonnaires associees aux mecanismes instables (soulignee notamment par leur emergence spectrale large bande) a egalement ete mise en evidence, ainsi que certains phenomenes dynamiques secondaires. L’ensemble de ces resultats et en particulier l’identification des parametres cles pilotant la dynamique du decollement de la couche limite s’avereront tres utiles en vue de concevoir par la suite des modeles simplifies reproduisant le plus fidelement possible la dynamique des decollements afin de mieux pouvoir les controler.