Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study on velocity distribution of large particle in vertical slurry pipeline

Velocity distribution of vertical pipes with large particle slurry plays an important role in pipeline transportation of minerals in hydraulic coal mining and ocean mining industry. The experiments of particle fluidization and particle vertical lift are conducted and the fluidization data of three kinds of large particles are analyzed. The results show that the vortex resistance prevents particles from moving as the coarse particles move in vertical pipes. An additional coefficient method is proposed to study the vortex resistance by increasing the coefficient of vortex resistance before interference. Mathematical model is established to describe the drag coefficient of the vortex by analyzing the influence factors of the experimental data and the drag coefficient of the vortex. In addition, calculation model of the velocity distribution of large particles in vertical pipe is proposed by analyzing the force, the fluid, and the solid momentum. Moreover, the experimental data of particle transport in vertical pipes are utilized to verify and analyze the proposed model.
Scuba decompression illness and diving fatalities in an overseas military community.

A retrospective study of scuba decompression illness (DCI) and fatalities in the U.S. military community on Okinawa Island, Japan, was performed for 1989-95. Some 94 cases of diving DCI, including 10 cases of cerebral air-gas embolism (CAGE), and 9 diving fatalities were reported, for an annual incidence of 13.4 DCI events and 1.3 fatalities per 100,000 dives. The overall estimated incidence of scuba DCI was estimated to be 1/7400 dives, with an annual incidence of undeserved DCI of 1/37,300, and a fatality rate of 1/76,900. A review of treatment dives revealed a 10% overdiagnosis rate in cases treated for presumed DCI. A bimodal distribution of DCI accidents was observed for depths deeper or shallower than 24.6m/80FSW (feet of sea water). Increased risk of DCI in diving deeper than 24.6m/80FSW was associated with violations of no-decompression limits (NDL), while other risk factors were associated with diving to less than 24.6m/80FSW. NDL violations accounted for only 24/94 (26%) of all DCI accidents. Treatment of divers with hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT) led to complete recovery in 91% of cases, but of those divers requiring retreatment with HBOT, 67% had chronic residua of DCI. Selected illustrative and interesting cases are discussed. Language: en
Short communication Towards in vivo TLD dosimetry in mammography

While phantoms are used for quality control assessment of the mammography unit, in vivo dose measurements are necessary to account for the variation in size and composition of the female breast. The use of thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) in mammography has been limited due to TLD visibility. The aim of this current investigation was to access the suitability of a paper-thin LiF:Mg,Cu,P TLD (GR-200F) for in vivo dosimetric mammography measurements. The visibility of GR-200F has been directly compared with LiF:Mg,Cu,P TLDs (GR-200A) using a number of commercially available phantoms. The phantoms of thickness 2-5 cm were imaged over the range of tube potentials (24-28 kVp) used clinically. Both types of TLD were placed on the surface of the phantoms allowing assessment of visibility, entrance surface dose (ESD) and field homogeneity. In vivo assessment of ESD and visibility was also carried out on a volunteer undergoing a routine mammography examination. The positions of the GR-200F TLDs were not identified either on the image of the Leeds TOR(MAM) phantom or the patient mammograms. The average ESD for the Leeds phantom was 8.8 mGy, while the patient ESD was 13 mGy. It is now possible to perform in vivo measurements with the potential of increasing the accuracy of the doses measured for women that do not conform to a standard breast thickness or density.
Improved Design of Ohmic RF MEMS Switch for Reduced Fabrication Steps

RF MEMS ohmic switches are prone to stiction and contact degradation. In literature, bumps are made at the contact area to reduce stiction with additional fabrication steps. In this article, ohmic switch based on cantilever configuration is developed without using any additional step. The switch structure is modified to improve its mechanical parameters, such as pull-in voltage and switching speed. The measured switching time of the switch is $1.8~\mu \text{s}$ . A footprint of the developed single pole single throw (SPST) switch is 0.9 mm2. The insertion loss and isolation of the SPST switch are better than 0.8 and 20 dB, respectively. The switch has a wide bandwidth of 10 GHz (dc to 10 GHz). The switch has completed 725 million hot cycles at 1-dBm power.
Modeling and simulation of vessel in SAR image using oceanographic measured data and shipbuilding drawings

Application of computational electromagnetic algorithms for simulating synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery of vessels has been researched for many years, but it is rare when a complete data set of oceanographic measurements and shipbuilding drawings is used and compared with the real‐time SAR image. In January 2016, an experiment to investigate SAR imaging of vessels was conducted in the East China Sea. Data acquired are used in this paper to test simulation algorithms of moving ship, dynamic ocean wave, and SAR imaging. Reasonable agreement is obtained when comparisons are made between the simulated and real SAR images.
Effect of Mother’s Age and Pathology on Functional Behavior of Amniotic Mesenchymal Stromal Cells—Hints for Bone Regeneration

Human amnion-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hAMSCs) are used increasingly in regenerative medicine applications, including dentistry. The aim of this study was to evaluate if hAMSCs from aged and pathological mothers could be affected in their phenotype and functional behavior. hAMSCs were isolated from placentas of women aged younger than 40 years (Group 1, n = 7), older than 40 years (Group 2, n = 6), and with pre-eclampsia (Group 3, n = 5). Cell yield and viability were assessed at isolation (p0). Cell proliferation was evaluated from p0 to p5. Passage 2 was used to determine the phenotype, the differentiation capacity, and the adhesion to machined and sandblasted titanium disks. hAMSCs recovered from Group 3 were fewer than in Group 1. Viability and doubling time were not different among the three groups. Percentages of CD29+ cells were significantly lower in Group 3, while percentages of CD73+ cells were significantly lower in Groups 2 and 3 as compared with Group 1. hAMSCs from Group 2 showed a significant lower differentiation capacity towards chondrogenic and osteogenic lineages. hAMSCs from Group 3 adhered less to titanium surfaces. In conclusion, pathology can affect hAMSCs in phenotype and functional behavior and may alter bone regeneration capacities.
A Framework for Requirements Decomposition, SLA Management and Dynamic System Reconfiguration

To meet user requirements, systems can be built from Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components, potentially from different vendors. However, the gap between the requirements referring to the overall system and the components to build the system from can be large. To close the gap, it is required to decompose the requirements to a level where they can be mapped to components. When the designed system is deployed and ready for operations, its services are sold and pro-vided to customers. One important goal for service providers is to optimize system resource utilization while ensuring the quality of service expressed in the Service Level Agreements (SLAs). For this purpose, the system can be reconfigured dynamically according to the cur-rent workload to satisfy the SLAs while using only necessary resources. To manage the re-configuration of the system at runtime, a set of previously defined patterns called elasticity rules can be used. In elasticity rules, the actions that need to be taken to reconfigure the sys-tem are specified. An elasticity rule is generally invoked by a trigger, which is generated in reaction to a monitoring event. In this thesis, we propose a model-driven management framework which aims at user re-quirements satisfaction, SLA compliance management and enabling dynamic reconfiguration by reusing the design information at runtime. An approach has been developed to derive automatically a valid configuration starting from low level requirements called service configurations. However, the service configurations are far from requirements a user would express. To generate a system configuration from user requirements and alleviate the work of designer, we generate service configurations by de-composing functional user requirements to the level where components can be selected and put together to satisfy the user requirements. We integrated our service configurations gen-erator with the previous configuration generator. In our framework, we reuse the information acquired from system configuration and dimen-sioning to generate elasticity rules offline. We propose a model driven approach to check the compliance of SLAs and generate triggers for invoking applicable elasticity rules when system reconfiguration is required. For handling multiple triggers generated at the same time, we propose a solution to automatically correlate the actions of invoked elasticity rules, when re-quired. The framework consists of a number of metamodels and a set of model transfor-mations. We use the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and its profiling mechanism to de-scribe all the artifacts in the proposed framework. We implement the profiles using Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) and Papyrus. To implement the processes, we use the Atlas Transformation Language (ATL). We also use the APIs of the Object Constraint Language (OCL) in the Eclipse environment to develop a tool for checking constraints and generating triggers.
Energy Literacy-Based Learning Activities On Female Students

Energy resources an important topic to be explored and become national issues. Education has become an important sector in overcoming energy problems. This study aims to enhance student’ energy literacy in energy literacy-based learning activities. The study involved 47 vocational school female student. The activities had been held 10 weeks (90 minutes each week). Energy literacy in the activities focus to improve knowledge of scientific facts, knowledge of issues related to energy sources and resources, awareness of the importance of energy, understanding of the impact energy on society, understanding of the impact energy on the environment, and cognitive skills. Energy literacy-based learning implemented by student’ research on energy issues. The result of this study shows that energy literacy-based learning activities improve student' energy literacy. Moreover, student have ability to assimilate and resolve current problems relevant to energy problems, analyze and assess information relevant to energy issues, and evaluate energy costs and benefits related consumer purchases.
Opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence in healthcare

In this article, an overview of existing cases of usage of artificial intelligence (hereinafter AI) in healthcare is made, and opportunities of AI technologies and challenges one may face while embedding and using them are studied. In literature, there are several definitions of AI given in different dictionaries and studies. These definitions are mentioned in the article. In the framework of this article, AI is understood as the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior. The object of the research is AI in healthcare. The goal of the research is to make a representation of current usage of AI in healthcare. The goal is concretized by the following tasks: to classify AI systems used in healthcare and to make a world map of top AI startups in this field. The method used for the research is statistical observation by studying of sources about current projects in AI market.
American Ginseng Supplementation Does Not Attenuate Indices of Exercise Induced Muscle Damage

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of American ginseng consumption on changes in average peak torque measures of dominant leg extensors following a downhill running bout. METHODS: Ten university aged male volunteers were divided equally into two groups in this double-blind study. Both groups performed baseline tests to determine average peak torque of leg extensors. Subjects then began a 4 week supplementation period of American ginseng or placebo. They then performed a downhill treadmill run at a speed between 9.7-11.3 km/h and 12% grade. The muscle strength protocol involving the dominant leg extensors was then repeated at one, two, and three days following the downhill run. RESULTS: There was no group by time interaction effect for the isometric (p=0.182), isokinetic at 60 d/s (p=0.542), nor the isokinetic at 180 d/s (p=0.893). CONCLUSION: 4 weeks of American ginseng consumption prior to downhill running was unable to attenuate post-exercise reductions in muscle strength.
Ensuring quality in EMI: developing an assessment procedure at the University of Freiburg

Trotz der geradezu exponentiell ansteigenden Verbreitung von englischsprachiger Hochschullehre (sogenannter English Medium Instruction, kurz: EMI) insbesondere in Deutschland, gibt es hierfür bislang kaum Qualitätsstandards und Evaluierungsverfahren. Eine Ausnahme findet sich an der AlbertLudwigs-Universität Freiburg, die neben verschiedenen Maßnahmen zur Sicherung und Verbesserung der Lehrqualität im Allgemeinen auch eine eigene EMI-Fachabteilung unterhält. Diese Abteilung wurde beauftragt, ein Evaluierungsverfahren zu entwickeln, um die Lehrqualität in englischsprachigen Studiengängen sicherzustellen und gegebenenfalls zu verbessern. Nach einer Einführung in den Kontext der allgemeinen und EMI-spezifischen Lehrqualitätssicherungsmaßnahmen an der Universität Freiburg stellt dieser Artikel die drei einzigartigen Charakteristika und den Ablauf der EMIQualitätssicherung vor und beschreibt sowohl deren Nutzen als auch deren Grenzen. Der Artikel endet mit Empfehlungen für andere Hochschulen, die eine systematische Evaluation der englischsprachigen Lehre planen und einführen wollen.
A Semi-Analytical Approach for Performance Evaluation of RTD-Based Oscillators

In this paper, it is presented a comprehensive analysis of three optoelectronic oscillators circuits based on resonant-tunneling diodes (RTD) for promising applications in terahertz frequency (THz) range. For all cases, it is investigated how each of these RTD devices performs under a wide range of the direct current (DC) voltages within the negative differential resistance region (NDR). The mathematical formalism developed here accounts for the effect of bias applied on the parameters of the reactive elements that composed the oscillators' small signal model. In this context, new expressions for evaluating the width of the depletion region of the devices are derived. Such mathematical formalism allows to make the performance analysis straightforward and show a close agreement to the device characterizations presented in the literature. Results pave the way for these RTD-based oscillators as potential candidates for Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) transmission, where higher operation frequencies will be major network requirements.
Multi-Gigabaud Solutions for Millimeter-wave Communication

With the growing number of mobile network and internet services subscriptions, faster communication will provide a better experience for users. In the next generation mobile network, the fifth generation (5G), communication data rate will achieve several Gigabits per second with ultra-low latency. The capacity enhancement of the mobile backhaul and fronthaul is a challenge. The transmission capacity can be enhanced by increasing the bandwidth, increasing the spectrum efficiency and increasing both the bandwidth and the spectrum efficiency at the same time. Millimeter-wave frequency bands have the bandwidth in the order of GHz which provide great opportunities to realize high data rate communications. In this case, millimeter-wave frontend modules and wideband modems are needed in communication systems. In this thesis, a 40 Gbps real-time differential quadrature phase shift keying (DQPSK) modem has been presented to support high-speed communications [A]. As a complete system, it aims to work together with the D-band frontend module published in [1] providing more than 40 GHz bandwidth. In this modem, the modulator is realized in a single field programmable gate array (FPGA) and the demodulator is based on analog components. Although millimeter-wave frequency bands could provide wide available bandwidth, it is challenging to generate high output power of the carrier signal. In addition, the transmitter needs to back off several dB in output power in order to avoid the non-linear distortion caused by power amplifiers. In this thesis, an outphasing power combining transmitter is proposed [B] to use the maximum output power of power amplifiers while maintaining the signal quality at the same time. This transmitter is demonstrated at E-band with commercially available components. Increasing the spectrum efficiency is an additional method to enhance the transmission capacity. High order modulation signals such as quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals are commonly used for this purpose. In this case, receivers usually require coherent detection in order to demodulate the signals. Limited by the sampling rate of the analog to digital converters (ADCs), the traditional digital carrier recovery methods can be only applied to a symbol rate lower than the sampling rate. A synchronous baseband receiver is proposed [C] with a carrier recovery subsystem which only requires a low-speed ADC with a sampling rate of 100 MSps.
Structural displacement monitoring using deep learning-based full field optical flow methods

Abstract Current vision-based displacement measurement methods have limitations such as being in need of manual targets and parameter adjustment, and significant user involvement to reach the desired result. This study proposes a novel structural displacement measurement method using deep learning-based full field optical flow methods. The performance of the proposed method is verified via a laboratory experiment conducted on a grandstand structure with a comparative study, where the same data samples are analysed with a commonly used vision-based method, and a displacement sensor measurement is used as the ground truth. Statistical analysis of the comparative results show that the proposed method gives higher accuracy than the traditional optical flow algorithm and shows consistent results in compliance with displacement sensor measurements. Image collection, tracking, and non-uniform sampling are investigated in the experimental data and suggestions are made to obtain more accurate displacement measurements. A field-validation on a footbridge showed that the measurement error induced by the camera motion is mitigated by a camera motion subtraction procedure. The proposed method has good potential to be applied by structural engineers, who have little or no experience in computer vision and image processing, to do vision-based displacement measurements.
Copper-Tin Alloys for the Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 in an Imidazolium-Based Non-Aqueous Electrolyte

The ability to synthesize value-added chemicals directly from CO2 will be an important technological advancement for future generations. Using solar energy to drive thermodynamically uphill electrochemical reactions allows for near carbon-neutral processes that can convert CO2 into energy-rich carbon-based fuels. Here, we report on the use of inexpensive CuSn alloys to convert CO2 into CO in an acetonitrile/imidazolium-based electrolyte. Synergistic interactions between the CuSn catalyst and the imidazolium cation enables the electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 into CO at −1.65 V versus the standard calomel electrode (SCE). This catalyst system is characterized by overpotentials for CO2 reduction that are similar to more expensive Au- and Ag-based catalysts, and also shows that the efficacy of the CO2 reduction reaction can be tuned by varying the CuSn ratio.
Factors Related to Listeriosis Prevention in Pregnant Women: A Mixed Methods Exploratory Study

This research examined factors related to listeriosis prevention in pregnant women, with the aim of improving messages designed for pregnant women. Pregnant women are twenty times more likely than other adults to become infected by Listeria monocytogenes. Listeriosis can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, or illness in the newborn. Current FDA guidelines for pregnant women advise avoiding foods that pose high risk of L monocytogenes contamination: hot dogs or luncheon meats without reheating, soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, refrigerated pâtes, refrigerated smoked seafood, and unpasteurized milk. These were updated in 2003 as our understanding of L. monocytogenes contamination in foods has changed. Previous research found that pregnant women were unaware of the guidelines, defensive when made aware, and consuming high-risk foods. The impact of changing guidelines has not been examined. A sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted. First, data collected in the second Infant Feeding Practices Study was analyzed to determine whether demographic and health-related factors were related to awareness of L. monocytogenes
SPATIAL, SEASONAL, AND TEMPORAL VARIATIONS IN RAINFALL AGGRESSIVENESS IN THE SOUTH OF BRAZIL

The objective of this study is to evaluate spatial and temporal variations in rainfall aggressiveness in southern Brazil. A total of 181 rain gauge stations located in southern Brazil with rainfall time series from 1976 to 2015 were used. Seasonal and annual rainfall aggressiveness values measured according to the Modified Fournier Index (MFI) were analyzed. The trends in the data series were evaluated using the Mann-Kendall test at a level of significance of 5%. Maps on spatial and seasonal variations in rainfall aggressiveness were prepared. The percentage of rain gauge stations with significant decreasing trends, significant increasing trends, and no significant trends in rainfall aggressiveness between years was 3.3%, 7.7%, and 89.0%, respectively. Moreover, 90% of stations had no significant trends between seasons. There were seasonal differences in rainfall aggressiveness between the three southern states in Brazil caused by rainfall factors. Rainfall aggressiveness was comparatively higher in the west of Santa Catarina and southwest of Paraná due to the rains originating from the mesoscale convective systems predominant in autumn, and in the north coast of Santa Catarina and east coast of Paraná due to convective and orographic precipitations predominant in the summer.
Fiber-Shaped Supercapacitors Fabricated Using Hierarchical Nanostructures of NiCo2O4 Nanoneedles and MnO2 Nanoflakes on Roughened Ni Wire

Electrostatic capacitors have high power density but low energy density. In contrast, batteries and fuel cells have high energy density but low power density. However, supercapacitors can simultaneously achieve both high power density and energy density. Herein, we propose a supercapacitor, in which etched nickel wire was used as a current collector due to its high conductivity. Two redox reactive materials, MnO2 nanoflakes and NiCo2O4 nanoneedles, were used in a hierarchical structure to cover the roughened surface of the Ni wire to maximize the effective surface area. Thus, a specific capacitance, energy density, and power density of 14.4 F/cm3, 2 mWh/cm3, and 0.1 W/cm3, respectively, was obtained via single-electrode experiments. A fiber-shaped supercapacitor was prepared by twisting two electrodes with solid electrolytes made of KOH and polyvinyl alcohol. Although the solid electrolyte had a low ionic conductivity, the energy density and power density were determined to be 0.97 mWh/cm3 and 49.8 mW/cm3, respectively.