Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Construction of a Fish‐like Robot Based on High Performance Graphene/PVDF Bimorph Actuation Materials

Smart actuators have many potential applications in various areas, so the development of novel actuation materials, with facile fabricating methods and excellent performances, are still urgent needs. In this work, a novel electromechanical bimorph actuator constituted by a graphene layer and a PVDF layer, is fabricated through a simple yet versatile solution approach. The bimorph actuator can deflect toward the graphene side under electrical stimulus, due to the differences in coefficient of thermal expansion between the two layers and the converse piezoelectric effect and electrostrictive property of the PVDF layer. Under low voltage stimulus, the actuator (length: 20 mm, width: 3 mm) can generate large actuation motion with a maximum deflection of about 14.0 mm within 0.262 s and produce high actuation stress (more than 312.7 MPa/g). The bimorph actuator also can display reversible swing behavior with long cycle life under high frequencies. on this basis, a fish‐like robot that can swim at the speed of 5.02 mm/s is designed and demonstrated. The designed graphene‐PVDF bimorph actuator exhibits the overall novel performance compared with many other electromechanical avtuators, and may contribute to the practical actuation applications of graphene‐based materials at a macro scale.
Increasing Melanoma—Too Many Skin Cell Damages or Too Few Repairs?

Skin melanoma rates have been increasing for a long time in many Western countries. The object of this study was to apply modern problem-solving theory normally used to clear industrial problems to search for roots and causes of this medical question. Increasing cancer rates can be due to too many cell damage incidents or to too few repairs. So far, it has been assumed that the melanoma epidemic mainly is caused by increasing sun tanning habits. In order to explore this problem in more detail, we used cancer statistics from several countries over time and space. Detailed analysis of data obtained and a model study to evaluate the effects from increased damages or decreased repairs clearly indicate that the main reason behind the melanoma problem is a disturbed immune system. The possibility to introduce efficient corrective actions is apparent.
Adaptive Wavelet Methods for Linear-Quadratic Elliptic Control Problems: Convergence Rates

We propose an adaptive algorithm based on wavelets for the fast numerical solution of control problems governed by elliptic boundary value problems with distributed or Neumann boundary control. A quadratic cost functional that may involve fractional Sobolev norms of the state and the control is to be minimized subject to linear constraints in weak form. Placing the problem into the framework of (biorthogonal) wavelets allows us to formulate the functional and the constraints equivalently in terms of $\ell_2$-norms of wavelet expansion coefficients and constraints in the form of an $\ell_2$ automorphism. The resulting first order necessary conditions are then derived as a (still infinite) system in $\ell_2$. Applying the machinery developed in [A. Cohen, W. Dahmen, and R. DeVore, Math. Comp., 70 (2001), pp. 27--75; A. Cohen, W. Dahmen, and R. DeVore, Found. Comput. Math., 2 (2002), pp. 203--245], we propose an adaptive method which can be interpreted as an inexact gradient descent method, where in each iteration step the primal and the adjoint system need to be solved up to a prescribed accuracy. Convergence of the adaptive algorithm is proved. In addition, we show that the adaptive algorithm is asymptotically optimal, that is, the convergence rate achieved for computing the solution up to a desired target tolerance is asymptotically the same as the wavelet-best N-term approximation of the solution, and the total computational work is proportional to the number of computational unknowns.
Experiential learning in doctoral training programmes: fostering personal epistemology through collaboration

ABSTRACT There has been increasing recognition for the need to reform doctoral training practices to foster students’ personal epistemology. This study describes the design and evaluation of a learning experience designed to help students understand the scholarly publication process. Firstly, this study discusses the design of the learning experience, describing the collaborative process of writing an interdisciplinary publication using both online and face-to-face learning. Secondly, this study evaluates the effectiveness of the learning experience by examining students’ reflections. We show that participation in the learning experience helped students to develop their academic writing proficiency, collaboration and teamwork, intercultural competence, and ability to engage in reflective practice. Importantly, we show that each student also created more individualised knowledge, gaining insight into how they and others think. This study, therefore, demonstrates that personal epistemology can be fostered through collaboration in a doctoral writing group context.
Healthcare and Rehabilitation Needs of Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

There is little research delineating the healthcare and rehabilitation needs of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) that is based on the perspectives of those individuals themselves. The medical community is largely well-informed about disease progression, symptoms, and treatment of MS, but little is known regarding the barriers and unmet needs that individuals with MS experience in their interaction with healthcare and rehabilitation systems and providers, and in their efforts to maintain healthy, productive, and participatory lives. In this article, we provide a comprehensive summary of the most frequently identified healthcare and rehabilitation needs of individuals with MS based on a review of over 500 articles, from which 29 articles were selected for inclusion as they specifically addressed the needs or unmet healthcare and rehabilitation needs of people with MS. Based on our review, we identified 11 categories of needs, which we discuss in the context of three broad categories, including (a) emotional and psychological support, (b) healthcare and rehabilitation, and (c) transportation, home care, and financial needs. Keywords: multiple sclerosis, health care, priorities, needs, expectations
Implementation and tests of low-discrepancy sequences

Low-discrepancy sequences are used for numerical integration, in simulation, and in related applications. Techniques for producing such sequences have been proposed by, among others, Halton, Sobol´, Faure, and Niederreiter. Niederreiter's sequences have the best theoretical asymptotic properties. The paper describes two ways to implement the latter sequences on a computer and discusses the results obtained in various practical tests on particular integrals.
The feasibility of CT lung volume as a surrogate marker of donor–recipient size matching in lung transplantation

AbstractDonor–recipient size matching in lung transplantation (LTx) by computed tomography lung volume (CTvol) may be a reasonable approach because size matching is an anatomical issue. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of CTvol as a surrogate marker of size matching in LTx by comparing CTvol and predicted total lung capacity (pTLC) to reference total lung capacity (TLC) values.From January to December 2014, data from 400 patients who underwent plethysmography, pulmonary function testing (PFT), and chest computed tomography scans were reviewed retrospectively. Enrolled 264 patients were divided into 3 groups according to PFT results: Group I, obstructive pattern; Group II, restrictive pattern; Group III, normal range. The correlations between pTLC and TLC and between CTvol and TLC were analyzed, and the linear correlation coefficients were compared. The percentage error rates of pTLC and CTvol were calculated and absolute error rates were compared.The correlation coefficient between CTvol and TLC in Group I was larger than that of pTLC and TLC (0.701 vs 0.432, P = 0.002). The absolute percentage error rate between CTvol and pTLC was lower than that of pTLC in Group II (15.3% ± 11.9% vs 42.2% ± 28.1%, P < 0.001). CTvol showed similar or better correlation with TLC compared to the pTLC in normal participants and patients with obstructive or restrictive pulmonary diseases. CTvol showed a smaller error rate in patients with restrictive disease. The results suggest that CTvol may be a feasible method for size matching in LTx.
Mysis relicta in a eutrophic lake: Consequences of obligatory habitat shifts

Low numbers of mysids in eutrophic lakes have usually been related to their poor tolerance to low oxygen. In eutrophic Lake Hiidenvesi, we studied the possibility that water quality indirectly affects mysids by forcing them to habitats where they are vulnerable to fish predation. Mysis relicta was absent from basins that did not stratify (water depth< 10 m). In the deep basin, as the summer progressed, M. relicta was concentrated in the deepest areas and moved upward in the water column as water temperature increased and dissolved oxygen decreased. Between mid‐August and mid‐September, only a thin water layer was habitable; the rest had either intolerably low oxygen concentration or too high of a temperature. M. relicta abundance decreased from 2.72 X 108 individuals on 3 June to 3.72 × 106 individuals on 19 October, with the sharpest decrease taking place in August. At the same time, the vertical distribution of smelts shifted downward and the percentage of mysids in the stomach contents of smelts increased steeply. The consumption rate by smelts was high enough to explain the collapse of the M. relicta population; during 18 August–2 September, smelts consumed 5.6 times the mysid production. The results suggested that unfavorable physicochemical conditions did not directly cause the drastic reduction of the population abundance of M. relicta but indirectly facilitated predation by smelts, which was the final cause of the collapse. The high predation rate by smelts was probably accelerated by the emergence of chaoborid larvae, which were important food items for smelts in early summer.
Clustering of scatterers in mobile radio channels-evaluation and modeling in the COST259 directional channel model

We analyze the clustering of scatterers in mobile radio channels, i.e, the fact that scatterers are usually not located uniformly in the whole coverage area, but tend to occur in clusters. While this has been recognized for some time, a realistic model for this phenomenon has been lacking up to now. We first analyze measurements to extract the distribution of the number of observed clusters. We then present a model that reflects not only this distribution, but also reproduces the appearance and disappearance of clusters as the mobile station moves through the cell. Our approach has been adopted as an important part of the COST259 directional channel model, a standard model for directional mobile radio channels. Finally, we discuss the implications of the model for the system performance of CDMA and SDMA systems.
Energy Consumption of VLSI Decoders

Thompson's model of very large scale integration computation relates the energy of a computation to the product of the circuit area and the number of clock cycles needed to carry out the computation. It is shown that for any sequence of increasing block-length decoder circuits implemented according to this model, if the probability of block error is asymptotically less than 1/2 then the energy of the computation scales at least as Ω(n(log n)1/2), and so the energy of decoding per bit must scale at least as Ω(log n)1/2. This implies that the average energy per decoded bit must approach infinity for any sequence of decoders that approaches capacity. The analysis techniques used are then extended to show that for any sequence of increasing block-length serial decoders, if the asymptotic block error probability is less than 1/2 then the energy scales at least as fast as Ω(n log n). In a very general case that allows for the number of output pins to vary with block length, it is shown that the energy must scale as Ω(n(log n)1/5). A simple example is provided of a class of circuits performing low-density parity-check decoding whose energy complexity scales as O(n2 loglogn).
Recruitment Initiatives in Higher Education: A Comparison of Study Abroad and Enrollment Management Procedures

There is a disparity of minority student participation in study abroad, and establishing best practices for successful recruitment would assist in clos ing thi gap. This project looks to add research toward reaching such best practices by analyzi ng the methods of recruiting minority students into higher education study abroad programs. What methods are universities using to recruit minority students into study abroa d, and how do these compare to the methods used by enrollment management to recruit minority students into an institution? In order to answer these questions, I use a qualitati ve an lysis through interviews of study abroad and enrollment management staff members at one large public university and one small private college in two cities. The intervie ws discuss minority recruitment programs or initiatives at their current instituti ons and offices as well as the staff members’ perspective on such programs. I then compare the tw o offices’ procedures within a singular institution as well as across institution types in orde r to determine any patterns or peculiarities. Looking at study abroad recruitm ent hrough the lens of enrollment management recruitment procedures may add to the growing rese arch
Magnetic structure of light nuclei from lattice QCD

Lattice QCD with background magnetic fields is used to calculate the magnetic moments and magnetic polarizabilities of the nucleons and of light nuclei with $$A\le4$$, along with the cross-section for the $M1$ transition $$np\rightarrow d\gamma$$, at the flavor SU(3)-symmetric point where the pion mass is $$m_\pi\sim 806$$ MeV. These magnetic properties are extracted from nucleon and nuclear energies in six uniform magnetic fields of varying strengths. The magnetic moments are presented in a recent Letter. For the charged states, the extraction of the polarizability requires careful treatment of Landau levels, which enter non-trivially in the method that is employed. The nucleon polarizabilities are found to be of similar magnitude to their physical values, with $$\beta_p=5.22(+0.66/-0.45)(0.23) \times 10^{-4}$$ fm$^3$ and $$\beta_n=1.253(+0.056/-0.067)(0.055) \times 10^{-4}$$ fm$^3$, exhibiting a significant isovector component. The dineutron is bound at these heavy quark masses and its magnetic polarizability, $$\beta_{nn}=1.872(+0.121/-0.113)(0.082) \times 10^{-4}$$ fm$^3$ differs significantly from twice that of the neutron. A linear combination of deuteron scalar and tensor polarizabilities is determined by the energies of the $$j_z=\pm 1$$ deuteron states, and is found to be $$\beta_{d,\pm 1}=4.4(+1.6/-1.5)(0.2) \times 10^{-4}$$ fm$^3$. The magnetic polarizabilities of the three-nucleon and four-nucleon systems are found to be positive and similar in size to those of the proton, $$\beta_{^{3}\rm He}=5.4(+2.2/-2.1)(0.2) \times 10^{-4}$$ fm$^3$, $$\beta_{^{3}\rm H}=2.6(1.7)(0.1) \times 10^{-4}$$ fm$^3$, $$\beta_{^{4}\rm He}=3.4(+2.0/-1.9)(0.2) \times 10^{-4}$$ fm$^3$. Mixing between the $j_z=0$ deuteron state and the spin-singlet $np$ state induced by the background magnetic field is used to extract the short-distance two-nucleon counterterm, $${\bar L}_1$$, of the pionless effective theory for $NN$ systems (equivalent to the meson-exchange current contribution in nuclear potential models), that dictates the cross-section for the $$np\to d\gamma$$ process near threshold. Thus, combined with previous determinations of NN scattering parameters, this enables an ab initio determination of the threshold cross-section at these unphysical masses.
Applying the personal software process (PSP) with Ada

This report documents my successful experience applying the Personal Software Process to Ada software development. Using the PSP data generated during the completion of my PSP Instructor training at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), this report shows examples of these improvements (e.g., improved size and time estimating accuracy, reduction of the amount of total project time spent in the compile and test phases, removal of design defects earlier, improved defect removal yield, etc.). I completed this training with Ada95 using the GNAT Ada95 compiler (version 3.04) on a Unix system. This experience report also provides a brief introduction to the PSP and compares the PSP with the Capability Maturity Model for Software (CMM). It analyzes the process and product data collected during my PSP Instructor training to highlight how Ada in conjunction with the PSP helped me to improve the quality of my software products.
Utilizing Structural Knowledge for Information Retrieval in XML Databases

In this paper we address the problem of immediate translation of eXtensible Mark-up Language (XML) information retrieval (IR) queries to relational database expressions and stress the benefits of using an intermediate XML-specific algebra over relational algebra. We show how adding an XML-specific algebra at the logical level of a DBMS enables a level of abstraction from both query languages for information retrieval in XML and the underlying physical storage and manipulation. We picked a region algebra as a basis for defining the structure aware (SA) view on XML in which we can distinguish among different XML entities, such as element nodes, text nodes, words, and determine their containment relation. Region algebras are already well established in semi-structured document processing as shown in an extensive overview of region algebra approaches in this paper. Furthermore, we propose a variant of region algebra that can support ranking operators in an elegant way while staying algebraic. As relevance scores are computed for regions in our region algebra we named it score region algebra (SRA). The benefits of introducing score region algebra are explained on a set of query examples. Besides abstracting from the query language used and the physical implementation, SRA enables a certain degree of abstraction from the retrieval model used and the opportunity to use the query optimization at the logical level of a database. Various retrieval models can be instantiated at the physical level based on the abstract specification of SRA operators. We also discuss numerous region algebra operator properties that provide a firm ground for query rewriting and optimization at the SA level, which is an important premise for the existence of such a logical view on XML.
GroupNET: A Novel P2P Grouping Network Based on Cayley Graph

Most of recent researches on P2P system focus on how to build a highly usable P2P overlay network. Researchers include small routing table, short query path and good robustness into their design objectives of overlay topology. In this paper, we present a general group theory method and define a new Cayley graph. Based on this graph, we propose a novel P2P overlay network called GroupNET, which has simple routing(searching) scheme and many other excellent properties such as short query path, high clustering and good robustness because of its symmetry. The performance is evaluated by simulation to show that GroupNET posses shorter query path length and higher clustering and better robustness than several popular P2P overlay networks such as Chord and Ulysses.
New Trends in the Treatment of Grade II Furcation Defects by Using Second
Generation Platelet Concentrates

The furcation defect is defined as the pathological reabsorption of interadicular bone that occurs in multi-rooted and bi-rooted teeth in advanced stages of periodontal disease, it represents a great challenge for dentists and specialists when treating them, due to their different anatomical variations such as: root trunk, furcation opening, root relationship, interdental and interadicular morphologic features, the interadicular separation and the angle of root distance, that can interfere in the response to treatment. Some surgical strategies to cover furcation defects and exposed roots include free gingival grafts, pedicle flaps, sub epithelial connective tissue grafts, and application of different biomaterial-based grafts. We present a Case report of a 49 year-old patient who was diagnosed with grade II furcation defects on teeth 46 and 47, which were treated with Platelet- Rich Fibrin (PRF) is an autograft obtained from a blood sample of the patient undergoing processing in a centrifuge machine plus a coronal displacement flap surgical technique. A mucoperiosteal partial superficial thickness flap was lifted up from affected teeth and PRF was obtained from a patient blood sample (10mL) in a glass tube without anticoagulant, which was immediately processed on centrifuge machine. The flap was repositioned to coronal level beyond the cement enamel line with 2 PRF membranes placed on the root surfaces and sutured. Morphometric, tomography and clinical measurement was performed 6 months after the procedure to analyze the interadicular molar zones. The surgery showed presence of hard and soft tissues evaluated clinically and tomographically with a significant coverage of p <0.05 in the fornix zones of the molars. On the interadicular area morphometric values shows that tooth 46 there was a decrease (0.0005) of -1.127 (2.104 ± 0.06 vs 0.977 ± 0.07) of defect and tooth 47 (0.0047) of -0.850 (1.891 ± 0.04) vs 1.041 ± 0.05) CONCLUSION Use of CDF together with PRF can be considered as a treatment option because it achieves a ostensibly osteoconductive, biocompatible function and reduces patient recovery time improving the prognosis of established defects.
Full-Wave Analysis of Dielectric-Loaded Cylindrical Waveguides and Cavities Using a New Four-Port Ring Network

In this paper, a full-wave method for the electromagnetic analysis of dielectric-loaded cylindrical and coaxial waveguides and cavities is developed. For this purpose, a new four-port ring network is proposed, and the mode-matching method is applied to calculate the generalized admittance matrix of this new structure. A number of analyses on dielectric-loaded waveguide structures and cavities have been conducted in order to validate and to assess the accuracy of the new approach. The results have been compared with theoretical values, numerical modeling from the literature, and data from commercial electromagnetic simulators. The method has been also applied to the accurate determination of dielectric properties, and we provide an example of these measurements as another way to validate this new method.
Aggressive Prefetching: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

I/O prefetching serves to hide the latency of slow peripheral devices. Traditional OS-level prefetching strategies have tended to be conservative, fetching only those data that are very likely to be needed according to some simple heuristic, and only just in time for them to arrive before the first access. More aggressive policies, which might speculate more about which data to fetch, or fetch them earlier in time, have typically not been considered a prudent use of computational, memory, or bandwidth resources. We argue, however, that technological trends and emerging system design goals have dramatically reduced the potential costs and dramatically increased the potential benefits of highly aggressive prefetching policies. We propose that memory management be redesigned to embrace such policies.