Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Voltage-lift-type switched-inductor cells for enhancing DC-DC boost ability: Principles and integrations in Luo converter

The concepts of voltage-lift-type switched-inductor cells have been proposed. The proposed circuit cells can be used to improve the boost abilities of those traditional transformerless DC-DC converters. More importantly, they can be fabricated as integrated cells and inserted into all the basic converters easily. All newly developed converters are applicable to those situations where high voltage transfer gains are required. The four-order Luo converter is taken as an example and integrated with the proposed switched-inductor cells. Both continuous conduction mode and discontinuous conduction mode operations are analysed. All theoretical results are supported by the corresponding simulation and experimental results.
Pilot, Randomized, Double-blind Trial To Study The Effect Of Parenteral Supplementation With Fish Oil Emulsion In The Nutritional Support Of Esophagectomized Patients

Background Esophagectomy is a major surgical procedure with a high degree of catabolic and postsurgical inflammatory response that conditions a high morbidity and a significant mortality. Enteral administration of ω-3 fatty acids has been seen to be effective although its use is limited due to tolerance. There are few clinical trials with ω-3 fatty acids parenterally in these patients, so we propose to investigate the effect of combining a lipid emulsion rich in fish oil with the standard enteral nutrition support. Methods Prospective, single-center, randomized, double-blind study in patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer and after esophagectomy treated with a lipid emulsion rich in ω-3 fatty acid emulsion or a mixture of ω-6 long chain triglycerides (LCT) / short chain triglycerides (MCT) 50%. After surgery, these emulsions will be added to the standard nutritional support in continuous infusion until complete 5 days of treatment. Patients will be randomized 1:1:1 in Group A 0,4g/kg/day of lipid emulsion rich in fish oil; Group B 0,8g/kg/day of lipid emulsion rich in fish oil and Group C 0,8g/kg/day of LCT/MCT emulsion. The main objective is to determine whether the administration for 5 days of intravenous lipid emulsions rich in ω-3 fatty acids in patients after esophagectomy is effective in normalizing the interleukin-6 (IL6) compared with LCT/MCT emulsions, and if 0,8 g/kg/day dose is more effective than 0,4g/kg/day. Secondary outcomes include other inflammatory markers as C reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), and parameters of morbidity, safety, nutrition and mortality. Samples will be collected at the moment of surgery indication and on days 0, 1, 3, 5 and 21 to determine inflammatory, nutritional, hepatic and security parameters. In addition, clinical follow-up throughout the hospital stay and up to one year after surgery. Discussion There are few studies of fatty acids ω-3 administered via parenteral in oesophagectomized patients. This study proposes to investigate the effect of combining fish-oil lipid emulsions administered via parenteral with enteral nutrition support, implying benefits such as: fast incorporation of lipids to the cellular membranes and to the inflammatory cascade, and the use of only one pharmaconutrient.
Use of ESR for deterioration diagnosis of electrolytic capacitor

A new deterioration diagnosis method for the electrolytic capacitor is proposed for a forward-type converter and a buck-boost converter. It was observed that the ESR (equivalent series resistance) of the electrolytic capacitor increases as it deteriorates, and the knowledge that ripple varies proportionally to the ESR increase was used. With this method, the electrolytic capacitor life-cycle aging rate can be projected for the active circuit over the system life. This approach to deterioration is valid for any load condition, no matter whether the circuit has feedback control or not. >
Does anemia risk for pre-eclampsia? A multi-center, Case control study in Amhara region, Ethiopia.

Objective This study aimed to identify determinants of preeclampsia among women visiting referral hospitals in Amhara region. A hospital-based unmatched case-control study was conducted from February 20, 2016 to May 18, 2016 among 871 women visiting West Amhara referral hospital for prenatal care.Result Advanced age (>35 years) [AOR (95%CI), 3.09(1.80-3.35), being primigravidae [AOR (95%CI), 2.32 (1.61–3.35) family history of hypertension [AOR (95%CI), 4.31 (2.37–7.85)], twin pregnancy [AOR 95%CI, 3.53(1.77–7.06)], and Anemia [AOR (95%CI) = 1.49 (1.06– 2.1)] were determinants of preeclampsia.
Greenhouse ventilation rate : Theory and measurement with tracer gas techniques

Abstract Leakage and ventilation rates were measured in a four span glasshouse at Silsoe Research Institute. Two tracer gas techniques were used, a decay rate method with different positions of the leeward ventilator (0, 10 and 20% of the maximum opening) and a continuous injection method with the leeward ventilators open 10%. The influences of wind speed, wind direction and temperature difference between inside and outside were analysed for each ventilator position. It was found that wind speed had a strong influence on leakage and ventilation rates. Some influence of wind direction occurred with northeast and southeast winds but no significant conclusions can be drawn because of insufficient data. Temperature difference affected ventilation rates under low wind speeds. For each ventilator position, the air exchange rate was linearly related to wind speed. A dimensionless function was calculated to express the ventilation flux per unit ventilator area and unit wind speed as a function of the angle of ventilator opening. With a 10% opening, the results obtained with the decay and continuous methods were compared and showed good agreement for wind speeds greater than 1 m/s. The results for 10 and 20% ventilator openings obtained by using the decay method were compared with those obtained by applying the theory of convection, using pressure differences generated by wind forces and temperature differences. It was found that the combined effect of wind and temperature difference gave satisfactory predictions of ventilation rates. Also, the values obtained by measurement and prediction based on pressure difference were in close agreement, with a global wind effect coefficient similar to that found in the literature.
Thermal Response of Steel Columns Exposed to Localized Fires-Numerical Simulation and Comparison with Experimental Results

The popular CFD code FDS is adopted to predict the thermal behaviors of steel columns exposed to localized fires. Two real localized fire tests (one surrounded fire test that the column is inside the fire source and one adjacent fire test that the column is adjacent to the fire source) are modeled in FDS. The effects of input parameters such as grid size and number of solid angles on the accuracy of the numerical results have been investigated. Experimental results concerning heat fluxes and temperatures are compared with the numerical results. Good agreements between the predicted and measured results are found in surrounded fire case, whilst acceptable predictions are given in adjacent fire case.
Squeeze-Film Damping Characteristics of Cantilever Microresonators under Large Electrostatic Loading

A semi-analytical model of an electrostatically actuated damped cantilever microbeam is used to study the response characteristics of small amplitude motion about a statically deflected position. A Euler-beam equation, incorporating the electrostatic force terms and the squeeze-film damping terms, coupled with the linearized compressible Reynolds equation is analyzed under different ambient pressures and DC polarization conditions. The dynamic problem is simulated with the coupled field finite element analysis software ANSYS and results are compared. The applicability of the present model for the range of flow compressibility has been studied through the use of a term called compressibility ratio.
Accounting for year effects and sampling error in temporal analyses of population and biodiversity change - Response to Seibold et al. 2019 “Arthropod decline in grasslands and forests is associated with landscape-level drivers”

An accumulating number of studies are reporting severe biomass, abundance and/or species richness declines of insects (Hallmann et al., 2017; Lister & Garcia, 2018; Seibold et al., 2019; Sánchez-Bayo & Wyckhuys, 2019). Collectively these studies aim to quantify the net change in invertebrate populations and/or community composition over time and to establish whether such changes can be attributed to anthropogenic drivers (Macgregor, Williams, Bell, & Thomas, 2019; Saunders, Janes, & O’Hanlon, 2019; Thomas, Jones, & Hartley, 2019; Montgomery et al., 2020; van Klink et al., 2020). Seibold et al. 2019 analysed a dataset of arthropod biomass, abundance and species richness from forest and grassland plots in a region of Germany and report significant declines of up to 78% over the time period of 2008 to 2018 (Seibold et al., 2019). However, their analysis did not account for the confounding effects of temporal pseudoreplication of observations from the same years. We show that simply by including a year random effect in the statistical models and thereby accounting for the common conditions experienced by observations from proximal sites in the same years, four of the five reported declines become non-significant out of six tests overall. To place their estimated effect sizes and those of other recent studies of insect declines in a broader geographic context, we analysed invertebrate biomass, abundance and species richness over time from 640 time series from 1167 sites around the world. We found that the average trend across the terrestrial and freshwater realms was not significantly distinguishable from no net change. Shorter time series that are likely to be most affected by sampling error variance – such as those reported in Seibold et al. 2019 – yielded the most extreme estimates of decline or increase. We suggest that the uncritical media uptake of extreme negative trends from short time series may be serving to exaggerate the speed of "insect Armageddon" and could eventually undermine public confidence in biodiversity research. We advocate that future research include all available data and use model structures that account for uncertainties to build a more robust understanding of biodiversity change during the Anthropocene and its variation among regions and taxa (Kunin, 2019; Saunders et al., 2019; Thomas et al., 2019; Didham et al., 2020; Dornelas & Daskalova, 2020).
Charge-sheet modelling of MOS I-V fundamental nonlinearities in MOSFET-C continuous-time filters

The linearity of the two-MOSFET and four-MOSFET integrators used in MOSFET-C continuous-time filter implementations is compared using the charge-sheet model. The results question the widely-accepted superiority of the four-MOSFET structure in terms of higher attenuation of odd-order harmonic distortions.
Turbojet Engine Performance Tuning With a New Map Adaptation Concept

Gas turbine off design performance prediction is strictly dependent on the accuracy of compressor and turbine map characteristics. Experimental data regarding component maps are very difficult to find in literature, since it is undisclosed proprietary information of the engine manufacturers. To overcome this limitation, gas turbine engineers use available generic component maps and modify them to reach the maximum adherence with the experimental measures. Different scaling and adaptation techniques have been employed to this aim; these methodologies are usually based upon analytic regression models which minimize the deviation from experimental data. However, since these models are built mainly for a specific compressor or turbine map, their generalization is quite difficult: in fact, regression is highly shape-dependent and, therefore, requires a different model for each different specific component. This paper proposes a solution to the problem stated above: a new method for map adaptation is investigated to improve steady-state off design prediction accuracy of a generic gas turbine component. The methodology does not employ analytical regression models; its main principle relies in performing map modifications in an appropriate neighborhood of the multiple experimental points used for the adaptation. When using gas turbine simulation codes, component maps are usually stored in a data matrix and are ordered in a format suitable for 2D interpolation. A perturbation of the values contained in the matrix results in component map morphing. An optimization algorithm varies the perturbation intensity vector in order to minimize the deviation between experimental and predicted points. The adaptation method is integrated inside TSHAFT, the gas turbine prediction code developed at the University of Padova. The assessment of this methodology will be exposed by illustrating a case study carried out upon a turbojet engine.
Prevalence and risk factors of erectile dysfunction in men of infertile couples: A cross-sectional study from an in vitro fertility center in the northern Vietnam

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men of infertile couples from an in vitro fertility center in the northern Vietnam. Methods: A total of 138 men of infertility couples were enrolled in this study from January to May, 2018. The International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire scale was used to access the severity of ED and several related factors were also collected to determine risk factors. Results: The prevalence of ED among men of infertile couples was 18.1%, including 13 mild ED (9.4%), 7 mild to moderate ED (5.1%), 2 moderate ED (1.4%) and 1 severe ED (0.7%). Using logistic regression analysis, we showed that risk factors associated ED were smoking above 5 pack/years with OR = 3.16, CI = 0.98 – 10.18, p = 0.05; not graduating junior high school, OR = 5.11, CI = 1.11 – 23.8, p = 0.03, and azoospermia, OR = 7.55 , CI = 2.18 – 26.16, p = 0.001. We observed relatively high OR in men with smoking under 5 pack/years (OR = 2.51), abnormal semen analysis (hypospermia, oligozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, or teratozoospermia) (OR=2.36), but there was not significant differences compared with reference group. Conclusion: The prevalence of ED among men of infertile couples in this study was higher than infrtile men. Low level of education, smoking in a long period, and azoospermia were the main risk factors of ED in men. Further large-scale studies are needed to extend the results.
Modeling Data from Computer Experiments: An Empirical Comparison of Kriging with MARS and Projection Pursuit Regression

ABSTRACT Computer experiments enable scientists to study complex processes by running computer codes that simulate them. We consider here the analysis of data from computer experiments, comparing three methods for non-parametric smoothing of high-dimensional data: Kriging, Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) and Projection Pursuit Regression (PPR). On several data sets of varying complexity, we find that Kriging is consistently the best performer.
Scalability of CPV towards multi-gigawatt deployment

In this work we assess to which extent the manufacturing of CPV components and systems is scalable towards deployment on the level of several GW of annual new installations. The problem of scalability is analyzed on two levels: A. short-term scalability, as a function of the industry’s capability for scaling up its annual manufacturing capacity, and B. long-term scalability, as a function of availability of materials resources and reserves. Both levels are investigated throughout the industry’s value-chain: from Germanium wafers towards installed CPV systems.
Shake Table Studies of Seismic Structural Systems of a Taizhou Changjiang Highway Bridge Model

Taizhou Changjiang Highway Bridge is the longest three-pylon two-span suspension bridge in the world. To investigate the seismic performance of different connecting configurations between the deck and pylons, which are referred to as seismic structural systems, a 1/40-scale model of Taizhou Changjiang Highway Bridge incorporating different seismic structural systems was tested on the shake tables at Tongji University, Shanghai, China. In this paper, the design, construction, instrumentation, and loading protocol of the test model are introduced first. The fundamental frequencies of the eight bridge models are identified and are compared with numerical results. The damping ratios corresponding to the fundamental frequencies are obtained by the half-power bandwidth method. The test results show that the seismic responses of the three-pylon two-span suspension bridge under seismic loads are highly dependent on the connecting configurations between the deck and pylons. The relative displacement responses between the deck and the pylons in the longitudinal direction can be decreased effectively by viscous dampers or elastic cables. In addition, the influences of variations in those viscous dampers and elastic cables on the response of the model are investigated. Numerical results and test results are compared, and good agreement is achieved.
Economic Sprinkler Selection, Spacing, and Orientation

ABSTRACT SIMULATION and graphical methods were developed to economically select, space, and orient sprinklers. Cost, application rate, uniformity, and full areal coverage were functions of sprinkler spacing along the lateral and between laterals. Sprinkler spacing increases, and uniformity and depth of water applied decrease as the price of the crop falls and cost of equipment and applied water rises. From these relations an equipment cost function was introduced into a profit function which, when solved, gave uniformity and depth of water application.
A MILLIMETER WAVE MONOPULSE TWIST REFLECTOR SCANNING ANTENNA SYSTEM : THEORY AND EXPERIMENT

This paper describes the theory and the experimental results for twist reflector scanning monopulse antenna system at millimeter wave frequencies. A theory has been worked out to predict the performance of the antenna system at boresight and at various scan angles. The theory accounts for the performance variation of the antenna system due to degradation of twist reflector characteristics during scan. The effects due to distortions on transparaboloid and its partial illumination in the scan are also included.
Skeletal Muscle Area Is an Independent Predictor for Mortality in Elderly Patients With ANCA Associated Vasculitis

Objectives This study aims to investigate the relationship between baseline skeletal muscle area and infections or death in elderly AAV patients with renal involvement.Results A total of 57 AAV patients with renal involvement older than 65 years from a single center in China were enrolled. The mean age was 72.4 ±5.6 years. The baseline BVAS score was 17.04 ±4.40, and eGFR was 18.64 (7.63, 33.79) ml/min×1.73m2. Skeletal muscle area was calculated on CT at the third lumbar vertebra level. The mean muscle area was 102.68 ±24.41 cm2. After a median follow-up of 555 days, 29 patients experienced 36 episodes of severe infections. The median time to infection was 30 (15, 63) days. Ten patients died of infection, and two of fatal bleeding. The median time to death was 59 (26, 77) days. The muscle area correlates with age and BMI. Univariate Logistic regression showed that age (OR 1.11, P=0.044), muscle area (OR 0.97, P=0.008) and hsCRP (OR 1.01, P=0.017) were predictors of severe infection. In the multivariate Cox regression, muscle area (HR 0.97, P=0.022) independently predicted one-year mortality. Conclusion Elderly AAV patients have a high rate of infection and death during the first year following induction. Muscle area measured at L3 vertebrae level on non-contrast-enhanced CT is an independent predictor of 1-year infection and mortality.
A Phytolith Supported Biosphere-Hydrosphere Predictive Model for Southern Ethiopia: Insights into Paleoenvironmental Changes and Human Landscape Preferences since the Last Glacial Maximum

During the past 25 ka, southern Ethiopia has undergone tremendous climatic changes, from dry and relatively cold during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 25–18 ka) to the African Humid Period (AHP, 15–5 ka), and back to present-day dry conditions. As a contribution to better understand the effects of climate change on vegetation and lakes, we here present a new Predictive Vegetation Model that is linked with a Lake Balance Model and available vegetation-proxy records from southern Ethiopia including a new phytolith record from the Chew Bahir basin. We constructed a detailed paleo-landcover map of southern Ethiopia during the LGM, AHP (with and without influence of the Congo Air Boundary) and the modern-day potential natural landcover. Compared to today, we observe a 15–20% reduction in moisture availability during the LGM with widespread open landscapes and only few remaining forest refugia. We identify 25–40% increased moisture availability during the AHP with prevailing forests in the mid-altitudes and indications that modern anthropogenic landcover change has affected the water balance. In comparison with existing archaeological records, we find that human occupations tend to correspond with open landscapes during the late Pleistocene and Holocene in southern Ethiopia.
MAPPING SOIL MECHANICAL RESISTANCE WITH A MULTIPLE BLADE SYSTEM

A system for mapping soil mechanical resistance (impedance) at three depths has been developed and tested. The system utilized three independent sensing blades, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, and a data acquisition system. This system is referred to as a multiple blade Soil Mechanical Resistance Mapping System (SMRMS). Field evaluation has shown that depth significantly affected the relationship between corresponding soil mechanical resistance measurements obtained using the multiple blade SMRMS and a cone penetrometer. Comparison of the measurements obtained using the multiple blade SMRMS, corrected for depth, and the cone penetrometer showed an acceptable correlation with r2 = 0.76. The measurements taken with the multiple blade SMRMS had a significantly lower test plot variance compared to the cone penetrometer. Changes in travel speed, from 0.45 to 2.24 m/s, did not have a significant effect on the measurements of soil mechanical resistance. The system was used to map a commercial field, and the maps of soil mechanical resistance, yield, and electrical conductivity were compared. Although all three sets of maps suggested strong spatial similarities, they did not have a good statistical correlation because of sections with contradictive data within the field. Additional sensors, under development, may improve applicability of soil mechanical resistance maps by providing the ability to account for spatial variation of soil friction and moisture in real time.
Design of wideband six-port network formed by in-phase and quadrature Wilkinson dividers

The design of a novel wideband six-port network constituted by in-phase and quadrature Wilkinson power dividers is presented. To achieve wideband operation of the quadrature divider, the device uses a 90 degrees phase shifter in the form of a double vertical wireless interconnect that utilises microstrip to coplanar waveguide transitions. The performance of the designed in-phase and quadrature dividers and the entire six-port network is assessed via full-wave electromagnetic simulations and measurements. The obtained results show that the designed six-port network offers good performance in terms of amplitude and phase characteristics across the frequency band of 3.5-9 GHz.