Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Empirical model of multiple scattering effect on single-wavelength lidar data of aerosols and clouds

Abstract. We performed extensive Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of single-wavelength lidar signals from a plane-parallel homogeneous layer of atmospheric particles and developed an empirical model to account for the multiple scattering in the lidar signals. The simulations have taken into consideration four types of lidar configurations (the ground based, the airborne, the CALIOP, and the ATLID) and four types of particles (coarse aerosol, water cloud, jet-stream cirrus and cirrus). Most of simulations were performed with the spatial resolution of 20 m and the particles extinction coefficient εp between 0.06 km−1 and 1.0 km−1. The resolution was of 5 m for high values of εp (up to 10.0 km−1). The majority of simulations for ground-based and airborne lidars were performed at two values of the receiver field-of-view (RFOV): 0.25 mrad and 1.0 mrad. The effect of the width of the RFOV was studied for the values up to 50 mrad. The proposed empirical model is a function that has only three free parameters and approximates the multiple-scattering relative contribution to lidar signals. It is demonstrated that the empirical model has very good quality of MC data fitting for all considered cases. Special attention was given to the usual operational conditions, i.e., low distances to a particles layer, small optical depths and quite narrow receiver field-of-views. It is demonstrated that multiple scattering effects cannot be neglected when the distance to a particles layer is about 8 km or higher and the full RFOV is of 1.0 mrad. As for the full RFOV of 0.25 mrad, the single scattering approximation is acceptable for aerosols (εp ≲ 1.0 km−1), water clouds (εp ≲ 0.5 km−1), and cirrus clouds (εp ≤ 0.1 km−1). When the distance to a particles layer is of 1 km, the single scattering approximation is acceptable for aerosols and water clouds (εp ≲ 1.0 km−1, both RFOV = 0.25 and RFOV = 1 mrad). As for cirrus clouds, the effect of multiple scattering cannot be neglected even at such low distance when εp ≳ 0.5 km−1.
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Early Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Pairwise and Network Meta-Analysis of Pathological Complete Response

We performed a pairwise and network meta-analysis to compare pathological complete response (pCR) among neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer. We searched PubMed for randomized clinical trials between January 1, 2000 and December 1, 2020. Abstracts from meetings were also searched. A frequentist random-effect model was applied to compare pCR and toxicities. The P-score was used to rank treatment effects. Nineteen trials with 16 treatments and 7794 patients were included. On the basis of SoC, the addition of carboplatin (OR = 1.82, 95% CI, 1.24 to 2.68, P < .01) and the addition of checkpoint inhibitors (OR = 1.69, 95% CI, 1.23 to 2.32, P < .01) increased pCR in pairwise meta-analysis; compared with paclitaxel, nab-paclitaxel did not improve pCR rates (OR = 1.81, 95% CI, .80 to 4.12, P = .16). The anthracycline-sparing regimen led to similar pCR compared with the anthracycline-containing regimen (OR = 1.50, 95% CI, .82 to 2.76, P = .19). In network meta-analysis, the addition of carboplatin plus a PD-1 inhibitor (pembrolizumab), carboplatin plus bevacizumab, and carboplatin plus veliparib ranked as the top three treatments for achieving pCR, with corresponding P-scores of . 91, . 84, and . 72, respectively. Among patients with homologous recombination deficiency, the addition of carboplatin (OR = 1.31, 95% CI, .69 to 2.50, P = .41) or carboplatin plus PARP inhibitors (OR = 1.19, 95% CI, .58 to 2.47, P = .63) did not increase pCR. For triple-negative breast cancer, combining carboplatin with taxane-anthracycline-containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy could be the standard of care, and the combination containing checkpoint inhibitor is promising. However, their role in long-term oncologic outcome remains to be determined.
Effects of target curvature on the impact characteristics of simulated hailstones

As hail ingestion tests are introduced into aero-engine certification procedures, there is an increasing need for an understanding of ice particle behaviour within an engine. In this paper, the possible effects that ingested ice may have on a turbofan engine are briefly discussed. The objective of this paper is to study the effect of target curvature on ice-ball (simulated hailstone) impact characteristics. The target curvature effect was studied on the concave side of two curved plates using the experimental techniques of patternator and still photography. The results are compared with those from a flat plate. The comparison shows that the curvature has a small effect on post-impact particle sizes, and significantly decelerates the movement of the particles after an impact.
Do energy audits help reduce barriers to energy efficiency? An empirical analysis for Germany

A vast body of literature suggests that there is a variety of obstacles to increasing the efficiency in the use of energy through private and public organisations or individual households. Barriers such as market failures or transaction costs may even prevent cost-effective technologies and practices from being realised. In this paper, econometric methods are applied to empirically assess the relevance of various factors of influence on barriers to energy efficiency in the German commercial and services sectors. In particular, this paper's estimation results suggest that energy audits help to overcome barriers, such as lack of time or information, uncertainty about energy costs, or the landlord/tenant dilemma. The results also indicate that audits conducted by engineering firms are more effective than those carried out by utilities or industry sector associations.
DESIGN OF HIGH PERFORMANCES GILBERT-CELL MIXERS FOR GSM/DCS FRONT-ENDS

This paper reports an original design methodology for low voltage high performances Gilbert mixers in the DCS range. We present for the first time a real BiCMOS structure featuring +10.6 dB conversion gain, +6.7 dBm IP3, 10.3 DSB noise figure under a 2.2 V supply voltage, which is among the best results ever reported.
Heterosis in relation to genetic divergence in short duration maize (Zea mays L.)

Thirteen lines and three testers were used to produce 39 single cross maize hybrids by line Ítester mating design. The genetic divergence among thirteen lines and three tester of maize were estimated by using Mahalanobis D2 statistic for twelve characters. The genotypes were grouped into five clusters. Cluster I comprised 12 parental genotypes (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5; L6, L7, L8, L9, L11; L12, L13), while Cluster II (T3), III (T1), IV (L10) and V (T2) were mono-genotypic, suggesting more variability in genetic makeup of the genotypes included in these clusters. The correlation coefficients and linear regressions were used to know the effects of parental genetic distance in determining heterosis and per se performance of the hybrids. Parental genetic distance exhibited significant negative association and significant linear regression along with very low coefficient of determination with better parent heterosis (BPH) and non-significant with per se performance of the hybrids. The present investigation, therefore, the parental genetic distance has significant role in determining heterosis and hybrid performance in kharif maize.
PURC v2.0: A Program for Improved Sequence Inference for Polyploid Phylogenetics and Other Manifestations of the Multiple-Copy Problem

Inferring the true biological sequences from amplicon mixtures remains a difficult bioinformatic problem. The traditional approach is to cluster sequencing reads by similarity thresholds and treat the consensus sequence of each cluster as an “operational taxonomic unit” (OTU). Recently, this approach has been improved upon by model-based methods that correct PCR and sequencing errors in order to infer “amplicon sequence variants” (ASVs). To date, ASV approaches have been used primarily in metagenomics, but they are also useful for identifying allelic or paralogous variants and for determining homeologs in polyploid organisms. To facilitate the usage of ASV methods among polyploidy researchers, we incorporated ASV inference alongside OTU clustering in PURC v2.0, a major update to PURC (Pipeline for Untangling Reticulate Complexes). In addition to preserving original PURC functions, PURC v2.0 allows users to process PacBio CCS/HiFi reads through DADA2 to generate and annotate ASVs for multiplexed data, with outputs including separate alignments for each locus ready for phylogenetic inference. In addition, PURC v2.0 features faster demultiplexing than the original version and has been updated to be compatible with Python 3. In this chapter we present results indicating that PURC v2.0 (using the ASV approach) is more likely to infer the correct biological sequences in comparison to the earlier OTU-based PURC, and describe how to prepare sequencing data, run PURC v2.0 under several different modes, and interpret the output. We expect that PURC v2.0 will provide biologists with a method for generating multi-locus “moderate data” datasets that are large enough to be phylogenetically informative and small enough for manual curation.
Vertical Wind Speed Extrapolation Using the k—ε Turbulence Model

Vertical wind speed extrapolation is an important component of wind resource assessment where measured wind data at a reference height is extrapolated to hub height using the logarithmic or power law. Both models depend on roughness length but disregard information pertinent to topography. The log law results from the balance between turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) production and dissipation rate for fully developed flow over a horizontally homogeneous surface and is not generally valid. In search of a better extrapolation methodology, the k – ε turbulence model is used to simulate measurements of boundary layer flows over hills accurately. By vertically integrating terms of the modeled TKE equation, a generalization of the log law was developed. The improved model includes a radius of curvature term and height for hills. It outperforms the log law for the cases tested.
New benchmark for RESURF, SOI and super-junction power devices

This article will establish theoretical limits of the on-resistance for for different power-semiconductor technologies by analyzing their ionization integral. The quality of this benchmark is reviewed with previously published data. A good correlation is obtained despite the clearly stated simplifications. Apparently, a 4-fold margin between theory and practice covers process spread and parasitic resistive elements.
A seismic upgrading method for steel arch bridges using buckling‐restrained braces

In this study the employment of buckling‐restrained braces (BRBs) as energy dissipation dampers is attempted for seismic performance upgrading of steel arch bridges and the effectiveness of BRBs to protect structures against strong earthquakes is numerically studied. With buckling restrained, BRB members can provide stable energy dissipation capacity and thus damage of the whole structure under major earthquakes can be mitigated. Cyclic behaviour of such members is addressed with a numerical simulation model, and a strength design method for BRBs is proposed. BRBs are then placed at certain locations on the example steel arch bridge to replace some normal members with two schemes, and the effect of the two installation schemes of BRBs for seismic upgrading is investigated by non‐linear time‐history analyses under various ground motions representing major earthquake events. Compared with the seismic behaviour of the original structure without BRBs, satisfactory seismic performance is seen in the upgraded models, which clarifies the effectiveness of the proposed upgrading method and it can serve as an efficient solution for earthquake‐resistant new designs and retrofit of existing steel arch bridges. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Influence of pH and ionic strength on the aggregation behaviors of xylan rich hemicelluloses with alkaline lignins

The evolution of xylan-rich hemicelluloses (XH) aggregation behaviors in the presence of alkaline lignins (AL) under a wide range of pH values and NaCl concentration were investigated via dynamic light scattering and turbidity measurements. XH isolated from wheat straw contain a xylose backbone with arabinose side chains and a small amount of phenol groups. XH tend to aggregate in solution due to their low ratio of arabinose to xylose and hydrophobic phenol groups. AL interact with XH through the phenol groups bonded to the hemicellulose main chain to form an AL-XH complex. As the pH value decreases, the particle size and turbidity of AL, XH and their bonded complex all increase. The size of the AL-XH complex agglomerate is greater than the size of a XH at the same pH value, which indicates that the self-assembly of lignin molecules initiate the aggregation of XH. The particle size and turbidity of XH and AL-XH complexes increase as the XH concentration increase. At low pH values, e.g., 6.0, the particle size of the AL-XH complex more obviously increases compared to the XH particles. The size and turbidity of the AL, XH, and AL-XH complex agglomerates increased as the NaCl concentration increased.
Factors affecting enterprise level green innovation efficiency in the digital economy era – Evidence from listed paper enterprises in China

The Guidelines on Building a Market-Oriented Green Technology Innovation System, which was released by China in 2019, has become a powerful signal to guide the development of green technology innovation (GTI). In the current digital strategy of China, the public media has become a key factor for promoting the transparency of enterprise environmental information. This paper measures the GTI efficiency of the listed paper enterprises in China as well as incorporating media attention into the research framework to explore the influencing factors of GTI of the listed paper enterprises in China during the digital economy era. The results showed that a positive media report had a positive impact on GTI and has become a new driving factor in promoting sustainable production in the digital era. Government support and openness also have a positive impact on GTI. However, negative media reports, environmental regulations, and technological innovation abilities have an inhibitory effect on the GTI efficiency of paper making enterprises.
Anagliptin Monotherapy for Six Months in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Hyper-Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterolemia Reduces Plasma Levels of Fasting Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Lathosterol: A Single-Arm Intervention Trial

Background Anagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, has been shown to decrease plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. The objective of our study was to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the anagliptin-mediated improvements in high LDL-C levels (hyper-LDL cholesterolemia). Methods We prospectively examined the effects of anagliptin monotherapy on fasting plasma lathosterol, sitosterol, and campesterol levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hyper-LDL cholesterolemia for 6 months. We examined 14 patients who did not use hypoglycemic or lipid-lowering drugs for 4 months before initiating the study. Plasma variables related to glucose and lipid metabolism were measured before and after 6 months of treatment and pre- and postprandially using the cookie-loading test. Results After treatment, anagliptin monotherapy (n = 14) significantly decreased fasting LDL-C (175.6 to 148.5 mg/dL, mean values before and after the treatment, respectively) and plasma lathosterol levels (3.56 to 2.49 mg/dL), whereas it did not lower fasting sitosterol or campesterol levels. Furthermore, fasting plasma lathosterol levels were negatively correlated with preprandial glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels after anagliptin treatment. Conclusions Anagliptin monotherapy may have a beneficial effect on lipid metabolism, which could be mediated by the inhibition of hepatic cholesterol synthesis rather than the inhibition of intestinal lipid transport.
Relationship Between Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Alzheimer’s Disease

The Covid 19 pandemic is causing global morbidity and mortality, straining health care systems, and disrupting society, putting individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) at risk of significant harm. In this review paper, we examine the current and expected impact of the pandemic on individuals with ADRD. Recent case studies show that Covid 19 can have a negative effect on patients with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Our team has analyzed the extensive amount of papers that explore this connection and have summarized the ones most relevant. COVID 19 is known to produce neurological manifestations and is able to infect the Central Nervous System, potentially via the olfactory bulb. Patients with Alzheimer's often have accompanying complications that make them particularly vulnerable. It is important to also look at the
Achievement in university entrance examination relative to attendance in preparation classes and type of secondary school completed: a case study of geodesy undergraduate candidates

This paper is a review of the mathematics test taken by undergraduate candidates in the university entrance examination for enrollment in the geodesy undergraduate course offered at the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, University of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the academic year 2012/13, and it analyses the relevance and impact of preparation classes on candidate achievement. It contains an analysis of the candidates’ mistakes according to problem, achievement discrepancy according to problem, as well as differences between the candidates relative to the secondary school completed and secondary school grade point average. The findings of the analysis are presented using descriptive statistics and relevant statistical tests of the SPSS statistical analysis software package. The correlation of achievement in the entrance examination with attendance in the preparation course reveals a strong statistical significance in regard to candidate achievement in the mathematics test (p = 0.024).
User Trust levels and Adoption of Mobile Payment Systems in China: An Empirical Analysis

The technology acceptance model (TAM) has been regarded as a promising model for understanding technology adoption and can be extended to different situations. Currently, mobile payment services have been widely applied in people’s daily lives in China, and understanding their critical success factors is becoming important. Mobile payments are a complex system, and a large number of factors affect their success. Since mobile payments are directly related to financial issues, their wide adoption relies heavily on people’s trust. We developed a model based on the TAM to investigate the most influential factors in building trust within the mobile payment context. We conducted an empirical survey and 373 samples were collected using a valid questionnaire from the users of the popular payment platforms in China—Alipay and WeChat payment. We found that government monitoring is the most significant factor of customer trust, followed by reputation, and security. Government monitoring directly influenced behavioral intention, was negatively associated with perceived risk and positively affected behavioral intention. Moreover, mobility, subjective norms, usefulness, ease of use, and perceived enjoyment impacts customer behavioral intention.
Characterising Turbulence Intensity for Fatigue Load Analysis of Wind Turbines

Turbulence in wind velocity presents a major factor for modern wind turbine design as cost reduction as are sort for the dynamic structures. Therefore this paper contains a parametrisation of the turbulence intensity at given sites, relevant for the calculation of fatigue loading of wind turbines. The parameterisation is based on wind speed measurements extracted from the “Database on Wind Characteristics” (www.winddata.com). The parameterisation is based on the LogNormal distribution, which has proven to be suitable distribution to describe the turbulence intensity distribution.
Novel piezoelectric bistable oscillator architecture for wideband vibration energy harvesting

Bistable vibration energy harvesters are attracting more and more interest because of their capability to scavenge energy over a large frequency band. The bistable effect is usually based on magnetic interaction or buckled beams. This paper presents a novel architecture based on amplified piezoelectric structures. This buckled spring–mass architecture allows the energy of the dynamic mass to be converted into electrical energy in the piezoelectric materials as efficiently as possible. Modeling and design are performed and a normalized expression of the harvester behavior is given. Chirp and band-limited noise excitations are used to evaluate the proposed harvester’s performances. Simulation and experimental results are in good agreement. A method of using a spectrum plot for investigating the interwell motion is presented. The effect of the electric load impedance matching strategy is also studied. Results and comparisons with the literature show that the proposed device combines a large bandwidth and a high power density.
Inoperability Input-Output Model for Interdependent Infrastructure Sectors. I: Theory and Methodology

The paper discusses the theory and methodology supporting the development of the inoperability input-output model (IIM). The IIM is based on Leontief’s input-output model, which characterizes interdependencies among sectors in the economy and analyzes initial disruptions to a set of sectors and the resulting ripple effects. An advantage of building on Leontief’s model is that it is supported by publications of the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Independent computer runs of the IIM can represent the entire nation or sectors within particular U.S. regions. A dynamic extension of the IIM analyzes different temporal frames of recovery and characterizes the required sector adjustments for achieving new production levels. The IIM can systemically prioritize and manage the sectors deemed to be economically critical and also identify those sectors whose continued operability is critical during recovery. A companion paper demonstrates applying the IIM to attacks on electric power and telecommunications.
Penetration Tests for Measurement of Soil Strength: Assessment of the Contribution of Shaft Friction

Contributions of shaft friction to total penetrometer resistance were measured using a new design of penetrometer. Field and laboratory experiments were performed on soil with a range of textures under different moisture conditions. The relative contribution of shaft friction was greatest in loose sandy soil and in soft sticky clay. In these conditions, shaft friction contributed up to 40% of total penetrometer resistance but in cohesive and compacted soils the effect of this friction was generally less. To interpret penetration resistance profiles, it is necessary to operate with a penetrometer fitted with a transducer at the tip and to measure the soil moisture content as a function of depth, especially in clay soil.